LindaD22

On Brilliance of the Seas from Sydney, our first cruise as Diamond 💎

You can ask your room attendant for a mattress topper, if that would make the bed more comfortable. We are on Brilliance now and we don’t find the mattress hard at all. We’ve slept very well.

We did the RCI excursion, Bay of Island lunch cruise. It was fantastic! Captain Darryl was entertaining, we picked the grilled lamb for lunch and it was delicious, and we went to Russell Island, where we had about an hour of free time and had an ice cream cone and strolled around. Highly recommend.

We did this yesterday and the tender took about 15 minutes. The line to go back was so long! But the port staff told people they could wait at the nearby yacht club and they would come in to let us know when the line went down. We did this and got on the second to last tender, it took 15 minutes.

Usually, arrival time is not the actual time of disembarkation. The ship docks, clears customs and then releases passengers. Typically this takes about 30 minutes.

Since I never know who will tip until they exit the tour bus, I haven’t said anything. And, to be honest, my husband wouldn’t feel comfortable with me doing this, either. Probably it wouldn’t change their minds because they hadn’t heard it from anyone else besides this random stranger on the bus!

On our current NZ cruise with Royal Caribbean, we are doing a combination of ship & independent excursions. For the ship tours, we have been escorted off before other passengers, who were waiting behind a rope to leave. I don’t think this delayed them very long, though, since the process was quick.

I agree completely, that is why I am aware of and follow the no-tipping culture here. But, it still does feel awkward when everyone else on a tour tips. And, of course, the tour guides gladly accept tips, rather than educating about the no-tip culture.

I am on a NZ cruise now and following the advice about no tipping. However, not everyone got that memo! Fellow passengers have been tipping tour guides and bus drivers, mostly non-AUS/NZ passengers. But it just feels awkward to NOT tip when nearly everyone else does. My husband is questioning my no-tipping stance because of the tipping done by all the others. So, as much as AUS/NZ would like to be a non-tipping culture, I think it has firmly established itself in at least the cruising sector. I know some will be riled by this but I’m not saying that I think there should be tipping, just that there really already is.

Can you change your plans to arrive at least 2 days prior? We are on a NZ cruise, flew DTW-LAX-SYD and arrived exhausted. We did nothing the first day, just enough the next day, then a Blue Mountain tour on the 3rd day. If you fly in the night before, you will likely start your cruise very tired and cranky.

Ok, if you are going to cruise frequently, and you like to simplify things, these luggage tag covers are great. We’ve used ours for multiple cruises and never lost one of the flimsy paper tags.

Junior Suites don’t enjoy the same level of benefits as other suites, so it does depend on what suite/ship

Here are some pictures of the lounge on Brilliance. There are many nice places to share a drink, read a book or watch the waves. This isn’t one of them, for me.

I’m on Brilliance now. The lounge is a sad forgotten affair, small and cramped. No outdoor space. But I like the coffee machine in the lounge.

We do get The Key when it’s priced near the cost of internet alone.

We did the Escape Room on Mariner the week of January 15, as a paid activity.

Wow, that was fast! Got off my last cruise (as Emerald) on Jan. 20. My C&A status was updated today! I made a quick call to link my husband and now we are both Diamond. We leave Feb. 2 for our AUS/NZ cruise, so it was nice to have this done beforehand. 🎉🎉💎💎🎉🎉

My husband will get Diamond status as well and will get the drink vouchers, lounge access, etc.

Those shoes sound perfect for the MDR. For dressy nights I wear a gold wedge sandal, definitely not closed toe!

Regardless of what anyone else thinks about achieving Diamond status, it does have value for us. The drink vouchers are of value. The access to the lounge, especially for morning coffee, has value for us. If someone feels it necessary to belittle or “sarcastically” comment on this, I cannot control that. But I do thank those who offered helpful advice.

Thank you very much! I appreciate the info and will see if the LA onboard can update, if not done before we sail.

I just completed a 5-nt solo cruise that bumps our status to Diamond🎉🎉🎉 Our next cruise starts on February 2, it’s a 12-nt AUS/NZ cruise, so we would really appreciate the perks during that sailing. Realistically, how long does it take for C&A status to be updated? Do you think it will be done before February 2?

Thank you for the info. I’m interested in the Pilates and yoga classes to keep up my practice during this long trip. I’m not affected by seasickness so hopefully that isn’t a factor!

We are on a 12-Nt AUS/NZ cruise in just over a week. I’m interested in a Class Pass but these haven’t been discounted yet. Has anyone purchased this recently onboard and did they offer a discount? I’m thinking that the spa offers discounted services once onboard so the Fitness Center might do the same.