Jasp 0401

Island Oasis mixers for every frozen drink.

The ship does not carry fruit or any raw ingredients.

Its kind of a big deal for many...

We have seen a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables on cruise ships when we have done the Galley tour.

This is a ship to avoid in the future. Those running the ship have allowed all stock of various items to completely run out. So, no frozen drinks, no ice cream (of the no-sugar variety), restrictions on the pasta you can order at Giovani’s and so on. Apparently, they will restock tomorrow, but since tomorrow is only day 3 of a 14 day cruise the situation is pretty pathetic. Of course, they have an excuse - it’s one where the punch line is that passengers pay for experiences the cruise line can’t deliver.

I'm sorry you are missing out on somethings and I hope they restock everything you want for the rest of your cruise.

Being an American company they get a lot of their shipment of dry stapplies brought in from American which could be the cause of some delay in them getting a delivery before they sailed out of Sydney.. Over Christmas and New Year we have had some bad weather here in Australia .That could also have been a problem for them getting deliveries in on time. They do get fresh produce brought in locally . And I know a lot of areas around NSW has had power outages that have gone on for days.Which could of caused a lot of problems with all the ships getting restocked

I personally love the Radiance and can't wait to cruise on her again.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise

We will be visiting Dunedin in Feb but have not booked any tours as yet .My question is will there be tour operators at the dock so that we can decide on the day or is it better to try and arrange something beforehand ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

We always use Good Company as they are very reliable and a full refund will be paid should your ship be unable to dock due to bad weather.They are also so much cheaper than booking through the ship and will get you back in plenty of time .

If there is something you really want to do it is always best to book tours before hand as the tours book out fast.

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/

Cheers Trish

I wonder if anyone has any experience who could give some advice ... hubby and I are booked on Radiance in March 2018 Sydney - NZ - Sydney. My brother and his partner are coming along as well as my Mum. Hubby and I have a Grand Suite on deck 10. Brother and his partner have an oceanview cabin on deck 4. Mum has a single inside cabin on deck 4.

 

Mum had lung cancer and surgery last year which left her with only 1 lung. This has severely impacted on her ability to walk any real distance or exert herself at all. She uses a walker mostly to get around.

 

I was hoping that someone could tell me if there is any assistance offered in Sydney on boarding and disembarking and assistance with on and off tenders. I seem to recall that I read somewhere that to get to tenders that you have to walk down several sets of stairs on the ship before reaching the tender platform. Is There A lift down to the tender level that one can use? What about going back up? Also do staff assist getting in and off tenders and can her walker be taken on the tenders for use on shore?

 

Thanks in advance .... we are looking forward to this cruise but these questions are causing some anxiety not knowing how much assistance, if any, will be offered.

Yes you can take a walker or wheelchair onto a tender

We cruised on the Radiance with my mother in -law who had heart surgery and uses a walker..The crew are wonderful with helping people get on and off the ship .And we had no problems with getting my mother in-law onto the tender as they do have a lift that will help anyone that needs assistance get down the platform for the tender.

Hiring a scooter is also a good idea. A friend hired one for their father last year from a company in Sydney from http://www.wheelchairstogo.com.au/wheelchair_hire_rental_sydney.html

and it made getting around the ship a lot easier.

Port is supposedly banned, but I don't think that anyone working in the terminals has any idea. ;)

Your right they don't check as we take 1 bottle of Wolf Blass Port and 1 bottle of Champaign and never have any problems bring them on board.We only drink the Port in the evening on our balcony with coffee.

Ship - Radiance of the seas

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 1060

Stateroom Category – Grand Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Mid ship and can get some noise from the Centrum if there is a party going on.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – due to the sea view lifts you can't see forward of the ship but a great view back to the aft.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Larger than normal for class, room for three chairs, table, and 2 chaise

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? - being not far from the lifts you do get a bit of kids ringing your door bell.

Any other comments? We love the location as it's right near the stairs and on the hump of the ship

After our last cruise we have finally made Diamond Plus but now it seems we have had some of our benefits reduced.

 

I seemed to remember that we would each get a free bag of laundry on a cruise of 5 days or longer. I think I recently saw a picture of Diamond Plus benefits that listed the laundry benefit as $10 off a bag for a cruise of 8 days or more. Have we lost the free bag(s) for our up coming 7 day cruise?

 

I think we both get a BOGO specialty dinner for days 1 or 2. I was going to buy the 5 night dinning package for our up coming cruise so we would have 7 nights of specialty dinning. When I went to book online it tells me I must pick a night on either day 1 or 2 negating one of our BOGOs. I've never had to pick a night for the multi night packages before. Is this a new policy or just another one of RCI's IT glitches?

When we buy the specialty dining package we have always had to book the first restaurant on either the first or second night.

If their is more than one ship in port on the day you are there you have less chance of booking the train privately . On the 3rd April you have the Sun Princess and Noordam in that day.We have the same problem when we are there in December .

But there are lots of amazing things to do in and around Dunedin if your unable to book the Taieri Gorge Train privately and you don't want to pay 3 times the price to book through the ships. We have been to Dunedin many times and never had problems finding something new and exciting to see.

You are so correct! Unfortunately next April 3, when we are scheduled to be in Dunedin, the Taieri Gorge train is unavailable unless you book through the ship at nearly 3 times the rate if it were available directly through Dunedin Railways.

 

We have decided to take the Waitati Seasider trip offered by Dunedin Railways instead. It's only a 90 minute return, but looks like it would be a really nice trip and is very reasonably priced.

Have friends doing that trip to because the ships booked out the train. They booked it through Good Company they are also going to Olveston House in the morning and the train trip in the afternoon.

Good Company Tours https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/cruise-ship-shore offers excellent options to take the Taieri Gorge Train. If your ship arrives at 8:30 AM or earlier, they'll pick you up at the pier and take you to the train station for the round trip train ride. $140.00 NZD pp. This includes the train fare. If your ship arrives 9:00 or later, they will drive you to Pukerangi where you can take a one way train ride back to Dunedin. Since you see the same scenery on the round trip, 2 times (once going and once returning) vs. one time on the one way trip, it's a good option, and about half the cost of the ship excursion.

 

They have other interesting options for shore excursions in Dunedin too. They offer a tour to see all the major tourist attractions in the city of Dunedin and the surrounding area.

 

We were very pleased to have found this company.

Agree

Good Company Tours are the best. We have done 4 different shore tours with them and they were so much cheaper than booking we the ship as well as being very reliable.When we did the train trip with them a few years ago it cost us a third of what it was going to cost booking through the ship. Because our cruise ship charged any child over 11 as an adult. But because we booked through Good Company and Adele told us the train wouldn't charge us for our 12 yr old daughter because the1st child is free when traveling with an adult on the train. We saved $250 on her ticket alone.:D

For only a few dollars more than booking the ships shuttle you can book Good Company shuttle return trip into Dunedin as well get a city/ sights tour .

Cheers

Thank you! I've been checking them out today and saw a Larnach Castle tour that included a visit to the Speights Brewery. Since DH worked for a major St. Louis-based brewery for 29+ years (you might have heard of Anheuser-Busch which makes Budweiser beer), that would interest him. ;)

Sounds like a good tour for you. We have friends that have done Speights Brewery tour and said it was great. We have done Larnach castle and both the castle and it's gardens are beautiful.

Cheers Trish

We have done the train trip through the ship (Princess in 2013) and it was a great tour. The lunch and wine provided by our carriage attendant was very nice, and the scenery was so pretty. If you can, go out onto the platform outside your carriage to take photos during the ride. I had a great time!

 

Since we've done that already I will be checking out Good Company tours to perhaps go somewhere else that day, such as Larnach castle. Thanks for the idea!

Yes the train trips great. Good Company tours offer a few tours that include Larnach Castle. We have always found Richard and Adele to be extremely helpful and reliable. https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/larnach-castle-tours

Enjoy your cruise

Hi

I always like to pre-book all my tours as the really good ones sell out fast.In Dunedin I alway use Good Company Tours as they are very reliable aswell alot cheaper than the cruise ships.In Tauranga Scotts Tours are great and very reliable.

http://www.scott-tours.co.nz

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz

Cheers Trish

We're going on 14 day Celebrity Solstice cruise of New Zealand and Australia. We got back home from a Baltic Cruise a few months ago, and had used a highly recommended excursion company, SPB, instead of the excursions arranged through the cruise line. They were terrific, organized, great tour guides, efficient, and we saved about 50%. Is anyone familiar with alternate excursion companies for our upcoming cruise? I'd love to hear about your great experiences, as well as any excursions that were less than great. Any recommendations of tour companies and tours would be really appreciated.

Hi

Been to New Zealand many times and there are some great private tour companies.

If your Going to Dunedin ,I can highly recommend Good Company tours they offer great tours that are so much cheaper than the cruise ship annd they are very reliable. In Tauranga (Rotorua) Scotts tours are great value and very reliable. In Auckland you dock right in town and they have a hop on hop off bus they will take you to all the mainsights around town.No need to pre-book tickets for hop on off bus as there is always someone near the dock telling you where you can get tickets.

http://www.scott-tours.co.nz

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz

Cheers Trish

We have also done the Train trip in Dunedin using Good Company tours and they are wonderful .We have used them 3 times before to do tours and they are very reliable.

Lots of great things you can do around Sydney .I would look at accomadation close to Circular Quay /The Rocks area if you want to be near where the ship docks. You can then easly walk to the Opera House and the Bridge and the ferry to the Zoo. You can catch a train up the Blue Mountains to Katoomba and they have a hop on off bus that goes around to all the main tourist attactions or you can book a bus tour that will pick you up from most motels in the city. http://happycoach.net.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInsmCubqA1QIVF4ePCh38oAllEAAYAiAAEgKoy_D_BwE

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/tours

http://www.explorerbus.com.au

Cheers

Hi there

 

We are on the Norwegian Jewel in January with one day in Dunedin on 11th January.

 

Have seen companies offering transport into Dunedin. Would we need to pre-book or would there be ample transportation available on the day?

 

Many thanks for assistance.

Most ships will run a shuttle bus in with an average price of $35 return . We always use Good Company tours as they are a lot cheaper than the cruise ships and very reliable . They offer a shuttle service into Dunedin with free time in Dunedin and a 2hr sight seeing tour before they bring you back to the ship for NZ$40.

As well as a lot of other great tours

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/cruise-ship-shore#Section58da7200b210292d168181fd

Suggestions for tours at Bay of Islands?

Bay of Islands is a tender port and they run a free shuttle into Pahia and from there you can do Dolphin cruises or take the ferry over to Russell. The Shuttle also drops normally drops off near the Waitangi Treaty grounds which are very interesting.

Depending how long your in port the hole in the rock cruise is very enjoyable .We also enjoyed the discover Russell tour.

https://www.dolphincruises.co.nz/bay-of-islands-tours/

http://www.waitangi.org.nz/

Who has been to Samba grill on Radiance? Is it good?

Loved the Samba grill it had wonderful food and staff when we were there. My daughter didn't like some of the meat options so they bought her a plate of chicken.

Hi all, going on the HAL cruise from Sydney to Auckland leaving Feb 2, 2014. The ship will stop at the following ports: AU:Hobart; NZ: Port Chalmers, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Tauranga, Aukland.

I am trying to decide should I buy excursions from the HAL or from independent operators, plus if buying excursion even makes sense, maybe we can explore some stops by ourselves. How easy is it to get to the main attractions, public transportation, ferries, etc. If you can recommend a tour you took at any of the stops I would like the info. Also, I am looking for anybody interested to share the tour/guide (sometimes it's cheaper if there is a group arranging a tour with independent tour guides, we did that for our other cruises).

 

Thanks.

Hi

Been to NZ 5 times and never book ships tours as they have to much markup.

Akoroa,Wellington.Napier and Auckland you can do a walking tour around town or book a tour when you get there. As some of the ports you dock at are working ports you will need to catch the shuttle into town .In Wellington you can either walk into town or catch the shuttle which cost NZ$10 last time we were there . Dunedin is about 20 minutes from Port Chalmers and the Shuttle cost on average US $35 return . In Dunedin (Port Chalmers) we always use Good Company tours as they offer great value for money tours and are very reliable .Adele and Richard were amazing and extremely helpful.

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/cruise-ship-shore

If you want to do a Dolphin tour in Akaroa I can recommend Akaroa Dolphins.

https://www.akaroadolphins.co.nz/

Prinsy's wine tours in Napier is great . Hamish and Diane were lovely and very helpful.

http://www.prinsystours.co.nz/

Cheers

Hello. Our cruise above has stops in Dunedin, Wellington, Picton and Napier and I would like to know if private operators will be at the docks, should I book in advance, what to see and do, etc. This is the first time for us to NZ so any help would be appreciated. We usually skip ships tours. Thank you.

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Hi

If you want to do private tours it is best to book before hand.

Been to NZ 5 time and Dunedin 4 times and we always use Good Company tours as they offer great value for money tours and are very reliable. The ship docks at Port Chalmers which is about 20 minutes drive from Dunedin.We did the Taieri gorge train trip with them and it was $200 cheaper than booking it thought the ship.

https://www.goodcompanytours.co.nz/cruise-ship-shore

In Napier and Picton they normally run a free shuttle bus into town and both lovely towns to walk around or do a wine tour. Picton also has some great cruise tours around the sounds .Wellington run a Shuttle bus into town which cost NZ$10 last time we were there. Once in town you can do some great walking tours and a trip up the cable car is worth the view even on a cloudy day.

Your going to some lovely ports so I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Agree with what others have said the first sea day and the 2nd to last sea day are normally your formal nights. But I would add that on past cruises we have had 3 formal nights and my guess it would be on the sea day after you leave Suva.

Interested to find out what the perks are in a Grand Suite. Do you get the same drinks in the Concierge Lounge that Diamond Members get including the 3 that are loaded onto your Seapass Card? Looking at whether to get Jnr Suite and Drink Package or Grand Suite with some free drinks and pay for any others a we go. Thanks.

 

 

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Hi

They offer a few more drinks in the Concierge lounge than the Diamond Lounge and if you are already a Diamond member before you cruise you will still get the 3 drinks loaded on your seapass card. If you need the points form this cruise to make you a Diamond you won't get any Diamond member perks. As cruise points are added when you finish your cruise. All these drinks are only available during the cocktail hours . The Grand Suite is lovely on the Voyager and you also get the suite perks of not having to worry about ice show tickets and you can sit in Chops Grill for breakfast.

The reason some people say there is no Concierge lounge on the Voyager is because it is very small compared to some of the offer ships and it has no windows so no nice view.

Just got off Radiance on Friday and suite/Pinnacle breakfast was in Giovanni's. Very quiet in there, never more than 4 tables being used. Only two Pinnacles onboard (us) but all the suites were full.

Thanks that's good to know

On the Radiance, Suite guests and Pinnacles may have breakfast in Chops. (Some cruises it is in Giovanni's Table)

Thanks. We loved being able to do it on the Voyager and couldn't remember it being on the Radiance,