ceejay3377

I would give them a few bucks...but they DO get that money that you pay...so don't go overboard with the tipping!

Thanks for the reply cb. So would $5 each be OK? It seems like such a small amount, that I would hate to inadvertantly insult them ...

Hi CC'ers,

As an experienced cruiser and long time member of these boards, I KNOW that a tipping thread can sometimes cause some controversy. However, I have done a search for my question and drawn a blank, so I'm going to risk it ...

We are cruising on Explorer in a week, and I have a question regarding in-room babysitting. Our 3yo is not eligible for kids club, as he is not 100% toilet trained. We are hoping to luck in with some in room babysitting for a few nights on our cruise. It is not a cheap option at around $20/hour and I was wondering if a tip to both carers at the end of the night is expected?

(As an Aussie, tipping is not really something that we do, and I don't want to accidently to upset or offend anyone).

Thanks :)

Thank you to the OP for starting this thread. I hope you don't mind me resurrecting it and asking a couple of related questions ...

We are sailing on Explorer in two weeks and have a three year old. This is my second cruise with RCL and his first, so we are new to the "travelling with kids" thing. He is not toilet trained (we've tried!) so he is automatically ineligible for AO. There is no Royal Tots on this ship. We would love the opportunity to eat a hot meal undisturbed, so I hope to be able to use the in-room babysitting a couple of nights if any staff are available. I plan on going straight to guest services on boarding and putting in a request for every night, in the hope that we can score one or two nights! So my questions are these:

1. If no babysitting is available, is there any chance that he could go to a short session in AO in a nappy and they call us if it needs changing? (I think I already know the answer to this one, lol)

2. If we are lucky enough to get in-room babysitting, we will be charged $20/hour. Are we also expected to tip the baby sitters at the end of the night, and if so, what would be an appropriate amount? (We are Aussies and tipping is not something that is common place in our culture, but we are seasoned cruisers and are bringing $US with us for this purpose)

3. He is a typical 3yo boy and can sometimes be a bit rambunctious. Must the babysitting take place ONLY in the cabin, or can they take him for a walk around the ship if he gets restless?

4. I am chatting on Facebook with another family who are also going on this cruise and have a 2yo. Can we combine forces and share the babysitting with another family?

Thank you for taking the time to read and resond :)

Thanks all for the feedback :)

Hello,

We are sailing on RCL in April, and I am keeping an eye on the drinks packages, but right now our sailing is nearly $80AU - a down side to our strengthening dollar, I guess. Even at this price, it will probably work cheaper than waiting until on board to purchase them, so I am think of buying in now.

Can anyone tell me if the price goes down after I purchase, can I cancel the packages and rebook at the lower price?

No I don't think so

Well, that's a shame ... thank you for the response :)

Hi all,

I am heading off on my 2nd RCI cruise in a few months and was wondering if any of you exerienced cruisers can tell me if Explorer has a Thermal Suite? One of my favourite ways to spend an hour or two (and get away from my toddler ;)) is lying on the heated lounges or sitting in the private spa/sauna. I cannot find anything resembling this in the online booking area or on the website.

I know there is someone out there in CC-land who will have an answer to my question!

Thanks :)

Thank you for your reply!!

i have couple more questions for you if you dont mind, since you have similar age gap!

- i assume no car seats? and kids sat on the lap?

- did you bring your own cot or was provided? how did you 1 year old sleep? and 2 year old? we are thinking of asking to have a bed rail for the older and have younger one in the cot

- were you allowed to use pool with swim nappies on? did you travel with princess cruises by any chance?

- any other tips please!

- i have manduca, so will def be taking it with me and will take single pram too.

 

 

 

And i would love to hear from you once you are back from Fiji :))

How exciting for you - your first family cruise :)

Babies/toddlers are not allowed in the pools until toilet trained. However, you could take a small blow up pool with you. Baby Bunting had some very basic ones on special for around $8 last week, but I think they are only $12rrp anyway. They hold around 25L. Kmart also have a blow up pool with 50 plastic balls for $10 (just leave the balls at home). I am travelling with my 11 month old in a couple of weeks and I bought a couple to take with me (they were so cheap I've assumed that one will spring a leak and I'll end up chucking it out, so I'm packing a spare, ha ha ha!).

We have some of the same ports and I have done them a few times on past cruises. I don't want to catch taxis with a baby on my knee, so this cruise I think we will probably stay on board in Vila and Noumea, and just get off the ship for the beach days. (Plus we are in Noumea on a Monday, so many places will be shut). The beach days will be exciting as we live inland and this will be his first time at the beach :) Vila has really poor footpaths (either in poor repair, or non existent, and randomly changes levels, so quite a few steps. Keep that in mind if you take a stroller in to town. Personally, with such young kids I would only go into Vila via water taxi, but that is JMO.

Regarding the cot, once you have made final payment call the cruise line and order the cot for your cabin. We booked through a TA, who I know requested a cot for us with our booking, but the request never made it as far as the people who need to know to action it. Most cruise lines will have any equipment you need (cot, high chair, etc.), but it always pays to ring and ask. Some will charge a hire fee, others don't (we are cruing with HAL and there is no charge).

I'm about to attempt a cruise with my 10 month old (he will be 11 months on the cruise). I wanted to cruise with him before he starts running around, ha ha ha!

Pick a cruise line and itinerary based on what you want/like. We are cruising to the Sth Pacific on HAL, 1) because we like the cruise line, 2) it was a great price and 3) I need a holiday! You probably need to be aware that babysitting is limited on pretty much all ships for infants under 2, and kids who are not toilet trained are not allowed to swim in the pools. (We are taking a cheap ($8) blow up baby pool).

For me the hardest part will probably be packing everything we will need (nappies, bottles, formula, toys, etc., etc., etc.) as we are flying to and from Sydney.

I'll know if I have made a terrible mistake (travelling with a baby) when I get back!

Ha ha ha , I'm a shocking packer normally, but I am still carrying too much baby weight and most of my clothes don't fit, so there is no point in packing them ;). I should do a bit better this time ...

Unfortunately, with an infant on formula there is a minimum amount we need to bring. One suitcase will be just for baby supplies! Nappies, bottles, cleaning supplies for said bottles, formula (3 tins for this trip alone), baby food/snacks, basic medications (the infirmary may cater well to adults, but probably won't have infant panadol/nurofen/phenergen if we need it). We have done a few trips with him now and we always have one suitcase full of "supplies". This will be especially important 1000km+ out to sea :) The limousine sounds like a nice idea, though :D

Hi

we are in the business and these seem average prices. Depending on how many of you are traveling you may need 2 taxis approx cost of a taxi to rhe city is $40 maxi taxi and some station wagon taxis carry baby seats but not all and also have a premium added to the cost. A booked mini van will be waiting for you at the airport and the opt and turn up on time at your hotel with baby seat as requested

Cruise love

Thanks cruise love. In the past a taxi has cost us around $50-$60, so I was just surprised that the private transfers would be double that. But if that is the going rate, then that is the going rate. We won't have an unusually huge amount of luggage to/from the airport (probably 3 suitcases, 2 carry ons, plus a stroller) so a wagon or would probably be fine. It will be the trip from the hotel to White Bay that we will have the extra luggage and need a maxi taxi (I was planning on buying all the nappies/formula/baby bottles/snacks he will need for the cruise once we arrive in Sydney, so we will have a few extra boxes/bags to transport).

we will be arriving in Sydney with 4 adults and a nearly 2 year old in January and plan to get a taxi from the airport to the cruise terminal. the Sydney airport website says that the kerbside supervisor can organise the vehicle you need i.e. baby capsule, wheelchair accessible etc so we are just going to do that, may have to wait a bit but we are prepared to do that rather than book the expensive ship transfer or pre-book options

 

http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/go/by-taxi.aspx

Thanks for that info re: the kerbside supervisor. We won't be in a great hurry as we are flying in the afternoon before. I figured I could get a taxi from the hotel to White Bay by asking the hotel concierge to book us a taxi with car seat. Now I just need to work out what to do for the final leg (OPT to airport).

I've read all the replies to this post, and while I empathise with those who find the loud screeching of a baby intolerable (I myself have misophonia - look it up if you are not familiar with it), I do think that it might be presumptuous to blame 'bad parenting'.

We have a 10 month old who we have been dining out with pretty much since he was born. We are courteous to other diners and we have removed him on the odd occasions that he gets upset. But by and large, he is quiet and rarely makes much more than a happy gurgle or 'gaga' while eating. (I count myself very fortunate that he is such a sunny, easy going baby :))

The exception is when wait staff or other diners (you now, all those other people in the dining room or restaurant) try and engage with him. I don't think we have ever had a meal when some one else hasn't wanted to play 'peekaboo' or other similar game with him. We don't mind, and certainly appreciate the attention from others (as any normal, proud parents would). However, when others do this he will squeal with delight or let out some other loud noise. It is only natural for a baby/toddler to do this.

So, as parents, we try very hard to be courteous and do the right thing, but please remember that there are many other people in the dining room who may be the reason behind the squeals (delighted or otherwise) that you find intolerable. Perhaps, in these cases, you should approach the offending diners or wait staff and kindly ask them to refrain from engaging with the small child ...

Picked up a last minute special ...

5th December 2015, Noordam, 12N, Pacific Treasures

YAY

My apologies if this has been asked before, but I did a search and it came up blank ...

We are flying to Sydney for a cruise in a few weeks and we are travelling with an infant (he will be 11 months). We need transfers from

1) the airport to city hotel,

2) city hotel to white bay, and

3) OPT to airport

... all with a baby seat (a legal requirement for car travel in NSW as I understand it) and preferably a minivan (due to the expedition-style volume of luggage travelling with an infant entails, ha ha ha!).

I have asked for a couple of quotes online and I'm horrified at the cost ($100-$120 for each trip!!).

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced option? Has anyone booked a taxi for this purpose and had it turn up on time and with the baby seat? (We did this in Hobart last month and the taxi did not have a carseat when it turned up. By the time we ordered a second taxi we ran very close to missing check in for our flight!)

Alternatively, has anyone used the city/hotel shuttle from the airport with lots of luggage and an infant?

Any advice you wonderful people can offer would be great.

Cheers,

BLW is ideal on a cruise IMO. We started our son at 5.5 months on steamed veg and strips of meat. I am sure that you will have no problems asking for something similar in the dining room. The main thing you need to be aware of is that salt must be kept to a minimum, as babies cannot process it in their undeveloped kidneys. This is an issue on cruises as the food is so heavily seasoned! But stick with salads and steamed veg, and you'll be fine. We will also be cruising with our son for the first time next month (he will be 11 months) and I have no worries that we will be able to feed him from the offerings in the dining room and buffet. Good luck :)

I'm curious ...

 

 

 

HAL is one of the Carnival Corp. brands, right?

 

 

 

If so, I wonder why they aren't keeping those ships under the HAL brand but just basing them out of Australia as they have with Princess? From what I've been reading, HAL is known and loved by many here and internationally. It would have given the semblance of an extra cruise line dedicating itself to the Australian market.

 

 

 

But I guess Carnival Corp feel there is more sales opportunities in the P&O market. Pity!

HAL have at least one mega ship being built or in the pipeline, so their older ships are being retired and replaced.

This is not making excuses for P&O, but people need to remember that it is essentially a three star product. If you want fancier, there are certainly plenty of other options available. It's kinda like Star Cruises in Asia. Up until now, they've only had hand-me-downs from NCL. That being said, they are getting two new builds.

 

Honestly, I'm surprised they made this move. I really did believe that P&O's future in Australia was limited (with Carnival and Princess bringing in more ships). The only benefit I can see to P&O having more ships is that they can come up with more itineraries out of other cities (Fremantle, Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin). Their latest itineraries had a few surprises in there, which was nice to see. I wouldn't be surprised if P&O left Sydney to the big boys (for the most part) and focused on other itineraries that the others don't offer.

There are not really many options outside our summer season. It is just P&O and Carnival :(

These two ships are S class and sister ships to Volendam - one of my favourite ships. For me it is good news and MIGHT actually entice me to return to P&O. Although I dread what P&O may do to the interiors of these stately ships. They must get fantastic deal buying paint and furnishings in beige ...

Pretty much all the HAL ships allow passengers out on the bow. It is a nice spot to take a 'bucket of beer' and enjoy a leisurely sailaway. Usually only a dozen or so people out there, as so few passengers know how to get out there ;).

I am about to cruise on Rhapsody for the first time next week. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to access the bow on her?

Cheers,

Carina

Is anyone else having trouble with the X website? I logged in to check my status/points, but it won't display my points or level. It shows my next cruise just fine! (I'm on a Mac and tried with both Firefox and Chrome with the same result). Guess it is just the typical X website, I'll wait a month or two for them to fix it ... ;)

Cheers,

It is possible that spending onboard may be inked to the point system. More points for higher cabin classes, casino spend, excursions, specialty dinners etc.:D

HAL allow spending to accrue points. Last time I was on board $300 was equivalent to a night's sailing. It would be nice if they acknowledged on board spend ... those that spend on board are worth it :D

Cheers

That would be 3 credits. It seems that one credit is turned into 30 points (looking at the proposed tier structure) So your cruise would be 90 points.

At least that is how it seems to be.:D

Well that sounds better. I was looking forward to gaining another 3 cruise credits in January and then when I read about the levels I thought "what's the point, I would need at least another 48 cruises in a balcony/suite to go up just one tier!!!"

So if I am currently on 3 points, then that makes 90 points on the new proposed scale, so another cruise (AQ, 14 nights) gives me another 90 points and I should be select. Does that sound right? Better than before, I needed two more cruises to reach select, not one :)

I guess I'll wait for X to update their website and see. (But won't hold my breath, I know how bad they are!!)

Thanks for the thread!

Cheers,

Carina

Don't spoil your cruise by trying to "check in early" -- because that is what everybody else tries to do and it makes for an unpleasant first meeting. Instead- get rid of your luggage at the luggage getting rid of place -- and then enjoy yourself in Sydney's Rocks area (home to Australia's very best pub and other lesser enjoyable experiences.) Take your time -- board as late as possible. Forget about trying to get a free lunch on the first day ( yes , I know - even though you have paid for it) -- once again, because that is what everybody else is trying to do ! :)

 

Barry

That would be nice IF this cruise was leaving from Sydney, but the 3 January cruise is Auckland TO Sydney :). Still, there is also plenty to do in Auckland to fill in a few hours. Last time we were there we had a day to fill in post cruise waiting for our 6pm flight home. We spent the a a couple of hours in the morning at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, then caught the ferry to Devenport for lunch.

Cheers,

Have to say this is how I felt towards the Celebrity Solstice, gives the impression that it's a 5 star liner and all this jargon about it being the highest rated cruise ship out of Australia in their brochures but on-board was ran at the same level as every other mainstream cruise line out there. Everyone will have their own opinion of it and it was still an amazing cruise that I would go back on tomorrow. Most lines have something that really sets them apart, a point of difference for why people should choose them, for instance P&O put a great deal into their entertainment so are less concerned with being super luxurious, but Celebrity doesn't offer anything that they are really good at, aside from a really fancy ship.

 

It almost seems like the line has an identity crisis, promotes itself as "modern luxury" but then offers no more luxury than P&O or RC. :confused:

From my own experience, I would have to respectfully disagree with a couple of points you have made. One "point of difference" that Celebrity has that other mainstream lines don't is Aqua Class. Another is the Lawn Club. I have sailed once on the Solstice in Aqua Class, and am going again in January ONLY because of Aqua Class. This year I opted for Celebrity over my other favourite line (HAL) because of this specific point of difference. (TBH I probably wouldn't chose Celebrity over HAL if I was just going for a standard balcony/outside/inside).

The other point that doesn't gel with me is that you state that Celebrity "offers no more luxury that P&O or RC". Well I haven't sailed RC, but will in December, but P&O? Luxury? I think it is a real stretch to relate the overall experience on X with P&O. Both X and P&O are perfectly good cruise lines and have their market. I really enjoy X, but have voted with my feet and prefer not to sail P&O when there are so many better (in my opinion) options sailing from Australia at the moment. My personal experience of both lines leads me to the overall impression that these two lines are a "couple of stars" apart.

Cheers,