avalon007

Hi,

Been to Noumea like most regular cruisers many times & the only thing we haven't done that interests us is the Amedee Island day trip at $274 per person at today's rate.

We love to snorkel on good reefs with a lot of sea life (think Lifou's Jinek Bay) or Scuba Dive if an option (we are certified divers) & the historical lighthouse interests us.

Is the reef really nice? How does it compare to other regular island stops like Mystery Island, Lifou or Isle Of Pines? 

So for those who have been to Amadee in the last year or so - do you think it was worth the price?

Thanks.:)

54 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

This time check in was different.no people with iPads but a line of counters like a airport.

 Suite guests and crown&anchore members were directed to a express line. I t was a big time savings as the line was long.

What time of the day was that?

1 minute ago, gbenjo said:

No problem.....I will be on the ship at security  scanning setsails , see you then

Ok, will keep an eye out for you on the 2nd & say hi. :)

28 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

FYI Chilliburn.........All the people you will see right up to security at the OPT are Intercruise staff ..there are no Royal Carribean people working the the terminal apart from a couple of IT and guest services types and yes... they (we ) all care and are working under instruction  from RCCL in Miami .. they will always let you check in as early as possible, however unforseen circumstances can change things  eg computer gliches, security or Border Force delays and this will sometimes dictate what we can allow. As far as I am aware even though someone may have a later time on their Setsail providing there are  no "problems" they will be allowed to check in at an earlier time .

Thanks Graham,  good to hear! Apart from the unforeseen I'm looking forward to boarding nice & early as per usual. :) 

Thanks for the replies. Two years ago, on our first cruise on Ovation we were allowed on early as Diamonds, so after reading this thread I though they may be enforcing boarding times regardless of Diamond status. But we usually turn up as soon as they open & have always been allowed to board on all our cruises in the past, so hopefully they will be co-operative. :)

Not interested in browsing the rocks etc, been there done that for years so will just read a book etc back at the hotel lobby if we have to wait.

Just now, Chiliburn said:

Ovation is so quick and efficient,there’s no priority needed.

But does that mean if you turn up at 11am instead of at the time on your set sail pass they will let you in?

9 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

I agree we bad noise insulation between the run of the mill cabins on ovation .

As you said you can’t choose your neighbors.The suites always have a better clientele.

 

Last cruise on Explorer,I met a elderly lady in the diamond lounge in the middle of the day who was crying.

 I sat down and asked if I could help.

she had a cabin on the lower deck as it was cheap

There was a lot of schoolies onboard that where driving her mad. 

Drunks,loud music (which we could hear on deck 10) running up and down the hallway.

 I think security calmed them down but she ended leaving the ship.

Yes, the elderly could get quite distressed by young louts I could imagine. Luckily we are middle aged so don't have an issue telling them to be quiet & reporting them to security if they don't listen.

I have tried suites in the past but they are often on the higher decks under the pool which I have never understood & as previously mentioned I'm not keen on that location. I have found the clientele on Voyager has for lack of a better word become 'rougher' in the last few years, but hoping the higher cost of Ovation may keep some of them away, especially the younger crowd who are on a budget or they at least stick to the lower decks.

Any updates on the current priority boarding situation on Ovation for Diamond & above? 

24 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Never had a problem with noise.

people say stay away from the elevators because of noise,never even had a problem. I like to be right at the elevators because I lazy.

$1bUS they should be able to work out the noise.

 

 I do tell a lie,

last cruise on the explorer we had a suite with a door bell ,people keep ringing it and disappearing down the stairs.

We had a suite on Rhapsody many years ago that was under the pool deck & the scraping of the deck chairs being moved by staff woke us up early most mornings. Hence why I avoid cabins below pools etc now.

Last time on Ovation I did find the cabin bathrooms seemed better insulated for noise, never heard the neighbours shower or flush, but in the general cabin could hear the neighbour on one side talking loudly (maybe fighting) more than on some other ships. I think they left their balcony door open a lot which let the noise permeate, or maybe it was the first time after cruising for years we happened to have noisy neighbours. It wasn't during the night so we just ignored it.

Haven't had issues with the elevators proximity being a noise issue in general. 

Last year on Voyager the balcony cabin on deck 7 was fine as it had been on previous cruises on her, but first time ever we had 4 cabins of uni students nearby who managed to wake up the whole range of guests from the forward elevators down the isle for about 20 cabins every single morning between 1am & 4pm, as they came back from the nightclub drunk & rowdy. After about 5 days of this I finally sent a note to the GR manager & she invited us along with the another guest to discuss the issue. Ended up, the students had warnings but couldn't keep the noise down so lost alcohol privileges & we both got a nice discount on a future cruise. 

It was the first time cruising with Royal that we had ever complained about anything & we are almost Diamond plus level with them so we haven't had many cruises with an issue annoying enough to make us react which is good. But just goes to show even if you have never experienced noise issues on board, doesn't mean you won't. 

So I take the mind set when choosing cabins of considering where potential noise hot spots that you can at least mitigate may be and choose accordingly. However, what other guests get the cabins near yours is out of your control. ( Unfortunately!) LOL

We never take cabins under decks with pool areas or any public space as you often hear a lot more noise from activity above. Deck chairs being rearranged by staff early morning is a very common complaint regards noise, plus kitchen noises, music from late night venues etc etc.

We also do choose cabins near the forward elevators rather than central as agree they are less busy & opt for decks sandwiched between other all cabin decks.  

You will find that any cabin with an obstructed view will be noted as such, and if you take a look at the ship deck maps the map legend will also tell you - https://www.royalcaribbean.com.au/cruise-ships/ovation-of-the-seas/deck-plans/1816/07

•  These staterooms have obstructed views

:)

We have cruised to Diamond level with RCCL & receive reciprocal benefits on Celebrity. The Diamond Lounge is a nice escape with most often like minded people who enjoy socialising & a few drinks without any aggressive behaviour.

I have had mixed experiences on my cruises although enjoyed all of them.

Just got off Voyager to the islands last week, all good except bad timing with multiple groups of young uni student age men waking us up every night bar one when returning to their cabin. Only cruise so far with that much noise but didn't see or hear of any fights or violence. I find Royal are generally very good in dealing with unruly passengers.

Another we did on Voyager to NZ though was so full of very senior people that I literally felt like I was in a floating nursing home some days! Same ship - 2 totally different experiences.

Last year sailed on Ovation - big new ship with big price tag & most beautiful adults only solarium I have seen so far- all good, can't recall many bogans - so seems price point is one way to avoid them but annoying you have to pay extra to do so!

I had considered the Princess longer cruises Sydney - Sydney as I prefer not to fly, but I think the ships they are using are older & smaller, plus they charge I believe to use the tiny solarium area with even tinier pool? Also, concerned the demographic will be a bit old for us - we are middle aged & prefer a mixed age group cruise without too many kids or too many seniors.

I think your age group always has an effect on your cruise experience so choosing a cruise line that has the majority in your own age demographic, plus or minus 10 years in my experience has been the best way to pick cruises that suit us better.

A NZ sailing in very late March/Early April. Different, Very rare. Might consider my 2nd RCL as most other lines only there Dec/Jan & Feb; I can't get holidays then... But can in April. Have heard the RCL crowd on ovation very much different to Radience & Explorer. Will check pricing.. :=)

We did Ovation to NZ last year & didn't find the crowd much different than many other RCL cruises we have done overall. I find the demographic on NZ cruises in general a little older but the ovation cruise was a much more mixed age group than a VOS cruise with did to NZ back in 2013 which was wall to wall seniors.

Yet our last VOS cruise to the South Pacific in 2016 was a different crowd again - a larger spattering of rougher types which wasn't in the past attracted to Royal in our expereince. With the price of Ovation cruises generally a good cut above those of the other Royal ships at this stage I think you will find less families as the cost with a few kids would be up there, also those that tend to only go cheap will avoid her for now as well. I found a lot of regular cruisers were on board as they were there for the ship more than the destination.

Will be interesting to see what sort of crowd you get a year later than our cruise.

.

Apparently the cyclone has fizzled out off the cost of New Caledonia now after having reached a cat 1 level https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/349298/cyclone-fehi-fizzles-out-off-of-new-caledonia

Hi Sparky! :D

No we are on the previous sailing, sorry to miss you guys, would have been nice to catch up again.

Don't you hate it when you board the ship & find out you just watched all the movies playing for the duration of your cruise on Foxtel the week before?

Anyone know what is playing on Voyager this week as I board her soon & enjoy a good movie in the theatre some days so will avoid watching them prior if I can.

Thanks.:)

Congrats Mick - your posts are good value so keep on racking them up! :D

Thanks for your reply & tips regards Mare.

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Any Diamond members around who have been on VOS recently - anything changed in the DL?

Any VOS updates worth knowing about?

Hi Folks,

Been a while since I was last on here but travelling on VOS again soon.

Anything new or changed on the ship in any way in the last year or so? Dining, rules, pools etc etc

Diamond Lounge - who is the bar tender & concierge at the moment?

Lifou - Jinek bay - still cost $15AUD to enter?

Mare - first time there - is it another Mystery Island type place - any recommendations for best snorkelling?

Thanks! :D

We were on the Ovation 9 Jan cruise & a link to my full review is here.

Have no idea what some of the negative reviews are about - this cruise was great, no issues with crowds or long queues, booked restaurants prior & also one whilst on board - no trouble booking Ifly & North star first day etc in the SeaPlex. At least if you do queue for a while you are undercover there.

Didn't use the IQ app - I prefer to book events/restaurants online prior or with staff on board.

A tip for the theatre - if you have prebooked don't line up on deck 4 to enter, we went up to deck 5 where the line was almost non existent & then walked down to deck 4 if we wanted to be seated on that level - don't just join a queue because that is what others are doing. Also sometimes a queue forms for people wanting to get in without prebooking, so make sure if you do join a queue it's the correct one. We often found alternative options on this ship to avoid queues etc that others had overlooked.

Also as far as shore excursions go we did the overnight between Dunedin & Milford via Queenstown - best tour ever & well worth the rather large price tag.

As per my review, be organised, be flexible, have a positive attitude & do your research & you will have a great time I'm sure.

I would sail on Ovation again no problem if she has varied itineraries in the future & the cost is reasonably comparative to other Royal ships.

From what I have heard , they provide shuttles as it is a working log wharf and you are not permitted to walk through. Its not very far and the shuttles are coming and going all the time.:)

Yes you're correct - they take you by shuttle into the heart of town. Last time I was in Picton it was very wet, so hoping for some finer weather this time when we visit in a week or so.

On Ovation right now, just sailing out of "sunny" Dunedin.

It is just the Grande that is open for lunch.

 

 

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Thanks, so My Time diners can eat there at lunch?

Saw the weather in Dunedin was pretty bad this week - hope it clears up at least before we arrive! :)

It is a simple reason. The distance is too great and it would make the cruise too long and expensive for people to do. Australia has a much larger land mass than the United States and some people fail to realise this.

Maybe you meant Australia has more coastline than the US since we are an island & they have long borders with other countries top & bottom?

Normally on sea days on most Royal ships you can have lunch in the main dining room regardless of if you are set dining or My Time dining with no set seating arrangements.

On Ovation, are the 4 main restaurants open for lunch & if so do they care which one you attend?

I am asking as I wanted to enjoy a meal in all of them to sample the different decor even though the individual restaurant menus matched to that decor have unfortunately been scrapped.

Avalon

This was our 12th cruise. We knew exactly what we were booking with Ovation and the reason we made the booking. We do everything virtually as a mirror of what you say. I'm sure you don't mean that someones age has anything to do with how they enjoy a cruise :) We are not cruise novices, and appreciate all you have to say here.

Unfortunately Ovation is very different - as someone remarked on another thread it was partly lack of communication, organisation and we felt an arrogance on the part of staff that the ship is such a mega cruiser they don't need to put in the effort.

 

They still have MTD in an attempt to satisfy everyone :) though which is nice!

 

As you are cruising shortly I will wait to see your review - with interest.

 

Regardless - we wish you a super enjoyable cruise and book as much as possible before you board!!

 

 

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Yes, I realise you have cruised before - it's in your signature. :)

I also mentioned I have done my research & have already booked online the restaurants & shows I don't want to miss etc. But good advice to prebook for those who haven't done so.

Yes, I do think age has something to do with our cruise perceptions - I know as I age I change, it's normal to prefer different things at different ages - your comment that the teenager you travelled with loved the ship is a good example, the activities they enjoyed were obviously not those you enjoy & this in most cases has something to do in part at least with different age groups, but it's only 1 of several factors I listed.

Reviews are more helpful when we know more about the reviewer as it helps discern what parts of the review are subjective & what parts are more objective & may apply more to everyone. Reviews by people of similar age group, activity level & cruise style preference tend to be more accurate for those readers who are a similar match, but again - without knowing that then all reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Horses for courses as they say.:)