Anyone going on a cruise?

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I've been aware of the media reports regarding the new cruise liners that will be based in Australian waters.

 

My OH mentioned to me that he knows of 7 people at his work who are going on cruises. He works for a hardware chain so his colleagues are normal working class folk and not high salary earners.

 

Has anyone been on a cruise?

Where to?

What was it like?

Would you recommend one as a holiday?

Was it value for money?

 

It's something that I have yet to do. With the massive increase in the number of Australians that will be taking cruises and the choice available it's certainly something that I may consider in the future.

Another plus factor is the fact that more liners will be visiting Adelaide than ever before.

 

 

Australia named world's fastest-growing cruise market in CLIA report

 

Inga Ting

 

May 27 2015 at 11:01 AM

 

We love cruises: More than one million Aussies took a cruise last year.

 

Australian cruising has had a record-breaking run, reaching its target of one million local cruise passengers six years ahead of target to become the world's fastest-growing passenger market.

More than one million Australians (4.2 per cent of the national population) took a cruise holiday in 2014. This is the world's largest share per population and the first time any region has surpassed four per cent, according to Cruise Lines International Association's latest industry report.

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"There is no other cruising nation with this level of market penetration," CLIA Australasia chairman Gavin Smith said at the launch of the report in Sydney on Tuesday.

Australia has beaten France and the UK become the world's fastest-growing passenger market. Photo: James Morgan"Australia remains firmly in the spotlight."

The latest passenger numbers represent a 20.4 per cent increase on 2013 and a six-fold increase over the past decade.

France was the only other country to achieve double digit growth last year, while the UK/Irish, Spanish and Italian markets shrank.

Australians now account for 4.5 per cent of the world's 22 million cruise passengers, making the country the fourth largest source market.

North America still dominates with 54.2 per cent of passengers, followed by Germany (8 per cent) and UK/Ireland (7.4 per cent).

The South Pacific is the most popular cruise destination for Australians, with nearly 400,000 passengers (39 per cent) choosing to holiday in this region last year.

The Caribbean experienced the strongest growth, attracting 65 per cent more Australians than in 2013.

New Zealand was one of the few cruise destinations to see a fall in Australian passengers. Although it remains the third most popular destination, it attracted 10 per cent fewer passengers than in 2013.

Due to the strong growth of the Australian cruise market, the local industry has revised its 2020 target, doubling its target passenger number from one million passengers to two million, Smith said.

This would require annual average growth of 12.5 per cent over the next six years.

Accessibility and choice were key drivers of growth, according to Smith.

"Australians no longer have to travel overseas to experience first class luxury cruises," he said.

"They have more choice than ever before in finding a cruise product for their economic status, age or stage in life."

See also: New, billion-dollar cruise giant to call Australia home

See also: P&O reveals features of new-generation luxe ships

 

 

MORE CRUISES FOR ADELAIDE AS P&O CRUISES EXPANDS FLEET

 

Adelaide’s cruise industry is set to grow again in 2016, with P&O Cruises revealing it will operate its longest South Australian cruise season yet as a result of its fleet expansion.

 

The cruise line announced today that one of its latest ships – Pacific Eden – will sail on six cruises from Adelaide in March and April 2016 in a move expected to deliver around $5 million in economic benefits to the state.

 

The new cruise program builds on P&O Cruises’ two roundtrip cruises from Adelaide scheduled for next year and will give South Australia a bigger stake in Australia’s booming cruise industry.

 

P&O Cruises CEO Ann Sherry said the addition of the 1500-passenger Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria to the cruise line’s existing three-ship fleet meant it could offer a great range of itineraries from eight homeports around Australia.

 

“We’re thrilled that Adelaide is set to benefit from this growth and look forward to building South Australia’s cruise industry further,” Ms Sherry said.

 

Forming part of P&O Cruises’ new 2015-16 program, which offers 250 cruises, the South Australian season includes:

 

• Three four-night P&OSeaBreaks, with two visiting Port Lincoln and Melbourne

• Two three-night themed P&OSeaBreaks offering the perfect opportunity for first time cruisers to experience a cruise holiday

• A six-night Adelaide to Fremantle cruise visiting Kangaroo Island and Esperance.

 

Fares start from $649 per person quad share for a four-night P&OSeaBreak visiting Port Lincoln or Melbourne.

 

In total, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln are scheduled to receive 10 calls from Pacific Eden and other ships in the P&O Cruises’ fleet during 2015-16.

 

Pacific Eden’s turnaround calls to Adelaide are expected to inject up to $1 million each into the local economy in passenger and crew spending and port charges, while day visits to other South Australian ports could generate up to $500,000 each.

 

Ms Sherry said the cruise line was pleased that Adelaide would increasingly benefit from the long value chain of cruising as a result of P&O Cruises’ expansion.

 

“P&O Cruises’ expansion to become a five-ship fleet with the largest number of cruise ships homeported year round in Australia will help the industry achieve its goal of a million passengers a year in 2015, five years earlier than forecast,” Ms Sherry said.

[Blossom]

Only when I was a young teen from Greece to Egypt. I was seasick the whole time.

 

My partner's family go on a cruise about once a year. They love it.

[Guest Guest14361]

I've done 10 so far absolutely love it, I know a few other people who said never go on a ship, well they did and loved it too. P&O Australia have old ships refurbished, Dawn/Sun Princess ( done the Dawn )are old aswell. I've been on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Where else can the view change every minute, as much food as you want, kids taken off your hands, full on entertainment, different port most days for around $150 per person per night.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I've done 10 so far absolutely love it, I know a few other people who said never go on a ship, well they did and loved it too. P&O Australia have old ships refurbished, Dawn/Sun Princess ( done the Dawn )are old aswell. I've been on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Where else can the view change every minute, as much food as you want, kids taken off your hands, full on entertainment, different port most days for around $150 per person per night.

 

Sounds like lots of fun!

Do you have any favourite places / routes?

Any recommended time of the year or places that stand out...you would do again?

Have you been to New Zealand? I have flown there twice but would really consider taking a cruise.

Were the children half price?

[persianharry]

We went on our first cruise earlier this year in the Mediterranean. There are good points and bad depending on what you are looking for from a holiday.

 

The good bits:

- The food is great. You can eat as much as you want 24 hours a day, there's plenty of choice and it is all good quality.

- You get to a taster of a lot of places in a short period of time.

- The facilities and service on the ships are excellent. It is like a floating 5-star resort.

- My wife likes the formal nights as she gets to dress up in fancy frocks.

 

The not so good bits (IMO):

- You don't really get long enough to visit a lot of places e.g. our cruise was billed as stopping at Florence, Italy. The ship moored at a port called La Spezia whish is an hour and half drive away, so there was a total of 3 hours travelling and the ship was only in port for 10 hours.

- The excursions are extra e.g. the above trip to Florence would have cost $200USD per person, so we decided against it and stayed on the ship. For that sort of money you could go to Florence for the weekend from the UK.

- When at sea we felt a bit like a commodity, constantly being sold 'extras' by the staff.

- Drinks are usually not included and are really expensive e.g. glass of wine was $9USD. You can buy drinks packages but you have to drink quite a lot to make it worth while.

- After eating constantly for a week you put a lot of eight on and your clothes don't fit any more!

 

Overall we did enjoy it and we would probably go again, but we didn't fall in love with the experience as some do, perhaps we missed something? If we were going again we would probably do something more like a Caribbean cruise where it is more about sun/sea/sand than sightseeing as we don't think you get a worthwhile experience out of the sightseeing bit. I'm not sure what it would be like cruising from OZ, depends what the itinerary is I suppose?

[Guest Guest14361]

It's great fun, yes the seas can be heavy, my first two cruises were a welcome to cyclone seas, we got the tail end of a cyclone and it was bad to some, my wife was in bed for two days but once in the islands it was flat as. My fave sailaway is Sydney harbour, remember out to the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, New Zealand can be two to 3 days at sea, up to Queensland can be one, first call is usually Newcastle or two if brisbane. February can be cyclonic out to New Caledonia etc and Queensland. The bigger the tonnage and newer ship the better. Re kids ...think so check online. My fave ship so far is the Voyager of the Seas 138,000 tonnes. Never done NZ but been told February / March as its warmer. The cruise out of Adelaide saves plane tickets but it will be crap full stop, imo anyway. Done 2 out of Rome and Southampton, great way as you see Europe and the rellies in one holiday. Isle of Pines I loved, Fiji was good, Europe was awesome, Queensland was good in fact anywhere on a ship is awesome. Cruise critics website is where you any info, what normally sells a cruise to me is the ports of calls and the ship. We are booked to do the worlds biggest next year Oasis 5900 passengers the day we get back it's the Independance both from Miami to Caribbean, it's a bucket list thing.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Guest14361

[wizzywozza]

Rather poke my eyes out with cocktail sticks than go on a floating block of flats with several hundred/or thousands of people I don't know ........ now a REAL cruise is a houseboat on the Murray ...... HEAVEN!!

[Guest Guest14361]

How did I know that reply was coming Shazza?? Lol!

[snifter]

We have friends who go on a cruise every year. Somewhere new in the world each time. The currently live in the US and so are looking to a cruise outside the norm away from there next year I think.

 

I also know a couple here in Adelaide who go on a cruise every winter for a few months, then come back for the warmer months. They are retired and love it.

[Sprinter]

I can only speak of cruises from the UK with P and O, started in 2009 with a world cruise and noticed it getting worse every year until we said no more. Everything is done to a price and it is a low price, you now pay for almost everything on board. Reminds us of Butlins in the 60s and that was horrible. Unless you like paying through the nose for everything, forget it. Hopefully P and O Australia may be better.

[Diane]

We went over Christmas a couple of years ago - went from Melbourne to Sydney, then across and down the far side of New Zealand, stopping at about 6 different towns along the way I think, then Hobart, then back to Melbourne. It was 21 nights. We got an absoiute bargain - less than $1000 for each of us, and an excellent all inclusive drinks package - the likes of which I have never seen advertised since! We booked through an American company online, Vacationstogo, and the aussie dollar was a very strong so that helped.

 

The cruise ship we were on was part of the Costa Group - the same one that had that disaster in Europe (which may explain the price!) and it was at the end of a cruise all through Europe, down through Asia, then around Aus and NZ. As such it had a lot of europeans on board, and everything was translated into four different languages. The entertainment wasn't all that flash, but we drank lots and met a really fantastic couple that we spent most evenings and days out with, so we weren't too fussed about that. We're not huge "joiners in" anyway! Food was brilliant. Onshore trips - we organised stuff to do in each of the ports ourselves, such as car hire in one place, bike hire in another, a sailing trip in another. Much cheaper doing it yourselves than through the ship-board bookings. NZ was lovely, and it was a great taster, to decide which places we'd like to go back to for longer in the future.

 

The ship sailed mainly at night but it was a little boring when it was at sea - I think three days was the longest stint. As it was Christmas/New Year, the weather wasn't all that flash for lazing around the pool, but as I said - excellent onboard drinks package helped us through!

 

I'd do it again if a cheap enough offer came up - OH was a bit bored as he's a lot more active type than me - there was a gym on board and some (sad) people did the 'round ship jogging/walking course' each morning! I did a free "Conversational Italian' course on board which was fun.

 

I don't think I could ever bring myself to pay full price for a cruise though - there are lots of discount sites and special offers it's worth keeping an eye on.

[Guest Guest14361]

We went over Christmas a couple of years ago - went from Melbourne to Sydney, then across and down the far side of New Zealand, stopping at about 6 different towns along the way I think, then Hobart, then back to Melbourne. It was 21 nights. We got an absoiute bargain - less than $1000 for each of us, and an excellent all inclusive drinks package - the likes of which I have never seen advertised since! We booked through an American company online, Vacationstogo, and the aussie dollar was a very strong so that helped.

 

The cruise ship we were on was part of the Costa Group - the same one that had that disaster in Europe (which may explain the price!) and it was at the end of a cruise all through Europe, down through Asia, then around Aus and NZ. As such it had a lot of europeans on board, and everything was translated into four different languages. The entertainment wasn't all that flash, but we drank lots and met a really fantastic couple that we spent most evenings and days out with, so we weren't too fussed about that. We're not huge "joiners in" anyway! Food was brilliant. Onshore trips - we organised stuff to do in each of the ports ourselves, such as car hire in one place, bike hire in another, a sailing trip in another. Much cheaper doing it yourselves than through the ship-board bookings. NZ was lovely, and it was a great taster, to decide which places we'd like to go back to for longer in the future.

 

The ship sailed mainly at night but it was a little boring when it was at sea - I think three days was the longest stint. As it was Christmas/New Year, the weather wasn't all that flash for lazing around the pool, but as I said - excellent onboard drinks package helped us through!

 

I'd do it again if a cheap enough offer came up - OH was a bit bored as he's a lot more active type than me - there was a gym on board and some (sad) people did the 'round ship jogging/walking course' each morning! I did a free "Conversational Italian' course on board which was fun.

 

I don't think I could ever bring myself to pay full price for a cruise though - there are lots of discount sites and special offers it's worth keeping an eye on.

 

a couple of years ago vacations too and americandiscountcruises were awesome sites with the au$ being so high, we normally go through the ships own site or cruise1st or my son who's a agent. There are some great deals on offer. The offer Diane got was a one off at that price, actually Costa are a big cruise line even though one ship half sank. The bigger the ship the more there is to do, but then more people and it's not for oldies, all ages are now trying and getting hooked

[Guest Guest14361]

I can only speak of cruises from the UK with P and O, started in 2009 with a world cruise and noticed it getting worse every year until we said no more. Everything is done to a price and it is a low price, you now pay for almost everything on board. Reminds us of Butlins in the 60s and that was horrible. Unless you like paying through the nose for everything, forget it. Hopefully P and O Australia may be better.

 

Once booked there is nothing to pay for, unless you want alcohol and speciality meals, we don't bother the main dining room is awesome. Days on shore are free unless you want to do a tour, imo ....P & O Australia are the butlins .....but other people say they are good, carnival are based in Australia aswell and a couple of princess ships. Others come in for the season and they go back overseas....no pun intended

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I can only speak of cruises from the UK with P and O, started in 2009 with a world cruise and noticed it getting worse every year until we said no more. Everything is done to a price and it is a low price, you now pay for almost everything on board. Reminds us of Butlins in the 60s and that was horrible. Unless you like paying through the nose for everything, forget it. Hopefully P and O Australia may be better.

 

OMG Butlins! Now that brings back memories of being a child

 

Would anyone recommend taking a whole troop of kids along on a cruise (as long as it wasn't the same cruise as you! )

[Guest Guest14361]

OMG Butlins! Now that brings back memories of being a child

 

Would anyone recommend taking a whole troop of kids along on a cruise (as long as it wasn't the same cruise as you! )

 

go for it, there are different age kids groups onboard all looked after all day, so mum and dad get time together, my last cruise out of Southampton finished, the next cruise after I got off had 1600 kids on board out of 4900 passengers?

[Sprinter]

Once booked there is nothing to pay for, unless you want alcohol and speciality meals, we don't bother the main dining room is awesome. Days on shore are free unless you want to do a tour, imo ....P & O Australia are the butlins .....but other people say they are good, carnival are based in Australia aswell and a couple of princess ships. Others come in for the season and they go back overseas....no pun intended

The last cruise with P and O they charged for transfers to the main shore area because they usually have a cheap berth out of town, nothing to do with the size of the ship, unless you organised your own transport, port transfers used to be free. You usually get an on board credit and you could in the past use some or all of it to pay for their organised excursions, not any more, various classes that used to be free to while away the sea days are now charged for. The guest pools that used to be for passengers are often taken over by the entertainment? groups. The little freebies you used to get in the cabin have mostly disappeared, still it saves carrying them off to the nearest bin. The staff have to score very high in the questionnaires in order to get their tips, which are included in the fare now. I have yet to find out where the money goes for those that miss out, (we can all have an off day and an awkward customer). Yes you can at present opt out of this on the first day and give what you think appropriate, They were trying to stop you bringing drink on board so you had to pay their over the top prices. And the food in the ordinary restaurants all came plated, more economies there.

[Guest Guest14361]

The last cruise with P and O they charged for transfers to the main shore area because they usually have a cheap berth out of town, nothing to do with the size of the ship, unless you organised your own transport, port transfers used to be free. You usually get an on board credit and you could in the past use some or all of it to pay for their organised excursions, not any more, various classes that used to be free to while away the sea days are now charged for. The guest pools that used to be for passengers are often taken over by the entertainment? groups. The little freebies you used to get in the cabin have mostly disappeared, still it saves carrying them off to the nearest bin. The staff have to score very high in the questionnaires in order to get their tips, which are included in the fare now. I have yet to find out where the money goes for those that miss out, (we can all have an off day and an awkward customer). Yes you can at present opt out of this on the first day and give what you think appropriate, They were trying to stop you bringing drink on board so you had to pay their over the top prices. And the food in the ordinary restaurants all came plated, more economies there.

 

Now I understand why you never go with P&O, as before....they are the Butlins of the Waves

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

The prices that they advertise are always for the interior cabins.

Is it worth the expense to pay for the more expensive sea view cabins?

[Keith & Linda]

a couple of years ago vacations too and americandiscountcruises were awesome sites with the au$ being so high, we normally go through the ships own site or cruise1st or my son who's a agent. There are some great deals on offer. The offer Diane got was a one off at that price, actually Costa are a big cruise line even though one ship half sank. The bigger the ship the more there is to do, but then more people and it's not for oldies, all ages are now trying and getting hooked

 

We have used 'Vacations to go' several times now, just last month infact for next year. I have always found them to be the cheapest and great to deal with, they have co-ordinated our booking with friends from the uk too so we had adjacent rooms. also they arranged in cabin gifts for us to my brothers trip on Cunard. On our latest booking they have included the tips and also for an extra $15 per day per person the drinks package.

We have no particular alliance to any cruise line but Royal Caribbean we have found to have the edge so far. We do tend to travel far and wide so have not done any local ones, however a few people we know have done and rate the New Zealand one. We found the Mediterranean cruise to be the most hectic we have done it was also the biggest ship in the Med that year, Much prefer the 2500/3000 people ships.

Must say that our first cruise was the best some 20 years ago now and we have seen the standard drop since then all about competitive pricing with so many cruises bout now. However

Cruises still are by far the best $ for $ holiday, especially if in an inside cabin but we do much prefer a balcony because we do not want to miss much of the very varied places we go.

If you want the kids to be happy then try the Disney ones.

Happy sailing sailors!

[Sprinter]

The prices that they advertise are always for the interior cabins.

Is it worth the expense to pay for the more expensive sea view cabins?

I think it depends if you want to wake up in the dark when the sun is shinning outside, I personally prefer to see out when waking up, saves going out to see what the weather is doing. If you can get a good deal on a balcony it is worth it, a bit of room outside away from the crowds if needed.

[Guest Guest14361]

I think it depends if you want to wake up in the dark when the sun is shinning outside, I personally prefer to see out when waking up, saves going out to see what the weather is doing. If you can get a good deal on a balcony it is worth it, a bit of room outside away from the crowds if needed.

 

There are a few ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet where the inside cabins are different. One of the walls has "live" pictures on the wall as you would see from a balcony cabin.

The ovation visiting Sydney in December 2016 has these, some on the Voyager currently in Australia has them aswell. All cabins have TVs and post a webcam view from the front of the ship. lnsides to me depend on the ports visiting, basically you sleep,shower and dress in their only. If theirs 4 of you then it will be tight, but you can get connecting rooms ideal for families, depends on your budget

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

But would you do a "nude cruise"!?

 

Nude cruises: The one thing I wouldn’t do naked

 

JANUARY 25, 20167:29AM

Cruise nude on the Big Nude Boat

 

Leah McLennannews.com.au

I’VE DONE a fair few things nude.

I was born nude, unsurprisingly. I shower nude. If it’s hot I sleep nude. And I can’t count the times I’ve swum nude.

But when I received an invitation to travel on a nude cruise I was floored.

“Would you like to come with me on a cruise on the Celebrity Constellation ship in February?” a friend asked prior to Christmas.

“Sure,” I said, “If I can afford it”.

“It visits some incredible places — Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas,” she informed me.

They all sounded exotic and fabulous, and I’ve never been to that part of the world before.

“There’s something else I need to tell you before you commit,” she said, “It’s on The Big Nude Boat”.

Cue raucous laughter.

“No, no, no and no,” I said.

“I thought this would be just your thing,” she said.

Celebrity Constellation — soon to be filled with nudists.

This got me thinking about the writer Mark Haskell Smith, who spent a year travelling the world in his birthday suit to research his book Naked at Lunch.

When I interviewed him recently about the one thing you shouldn’t do at a nudist retreat, his first piece of advice was around humour.

“If you’re at the airport, you don’t make jokes about bombs. When you’re with nudists you don’t make jokes about breasts,” he said.

Haskell Smith devotes a chapter in his book to reflecting on his experience on The Big Nude Boat, which he says was exactly as advertised: nudists running amok on a luxury liner.

All the usual activities one might find on a cruise ship — the cooking classes, the fitness centre, the casino, the movie theatre, the discos and dance halls and bars — were filled with naked people, he says.

Just an average day at work for Haskell Smith.

On the website of Bare Necessities Tour & Travel, the company behind The Big Nude Boat, there’s a set of rules that cruisers must abide by, including: all passengers must be dressed any time the ship is in port; no photographs or videos may be taken without the express consent of that individual; and overtly sexual activity is strictly prohibited.

Haskell Smith explains that while you might think that a bunch of nudists being naked with each other while consuming large quantities of alcohol might lead to some sexual encounters, nudists are somewhat fanatical about creating what they call a “non-sexual” environment.

It sounded like there was about the same amount of bedroom shenanigans taking place on the nude cruise as there would be on a conventional cruise.

The Big Nude Boat says on its website that it supports the belief that “sexuality is not a state of undress but rather a state of mind and that social nudity is not a sexual activity”.

Time to put on some more sunscreen.

Obviously this appeals to many. If Bare Necessities’s numbers are anything to go by, clothing-free holidays are a growing speciality travel market.

The company started from modest beginnings — one of its first offerings was a 36 passenger clothing-optional dive boat trip in 1991. Now The Big Nude Boat can take up to 3000 nudists, depending on the ship that is being chartered.

Not a bad place to stop.

Nancy Tiemann, the president of Bare Necessities, says one of the attractions of clothes-free holidays is that she finds herself withholding less of who she is as she hides less of her body.

“I begin to accept myself, imperfections, and all,” she writes on the company website.

“I can assure you, for a woman who tried for years to match the unrealistic standards of beauty set by the American advertising industry, this can be very liberating. Clothes-free vacationing leads to body acceptance ... your own.”

And she urges people to give social nude recreation a try.

“Believe me, once free of that extra baggage you will be much lighter and happier, naturally.”

It all sounds interesting but I don’t think I’m quite ready for a ‘nakation’ just yet — even though skinny dipping in the Bahamas can’t be all that bad.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Our cruise market is certainly booming!

 

[h=1]Australia's 'Ovation of the Seas' Floats Out[/h]Allison WallaceFebruary 22, 2016, 11:01 am Share

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The new ship will be ready for sailing in April. Photo: Royal Caribbean.Ovation of the Seas, the third largest cruise ship in the world and the biggest, newest and most technologically advanced ship ever to call Australia home, has been floated out of the construction hall and into water at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

the shipyard’s sluice gates were opened and the dry dock commenced filling with water to float Ovation of the Seas out into the River Ems: a slow and careful process that takes up to 8 hours. Then during the day, tugboats maneuverer the ship to the shipyard’s outdoor berth where she will undergo further construction, including attaching masts and funnels and the installation of many of the furnishings. A final dry-dock visit will see her propulsion parts installed.

VIDEO RAW: High seas on Royal Caribbean cruise ship

RELATED: Brand-new billion dollar cruise ship coming to Australia

“Today marks a truly momentous milestone in the Australian cruise industry: our first ever new-build now floats on water for the very first time. In just 10 months she will call Sydney home and proudly claim the title of the newest, largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship to ever sail in our waters,” said Adam Armstrong, regional commercial director, Royal Caribbean.

Onlookers during the float out. Photo: Royal Caribbean“This is a significant day for both Royal Caribbean and for Australia, as we celebrate the birth of our new $1 billion baby. Ovation of the Seas has been purpose-built for the Asia-Pacific region and continues Royal Caribbean’s unique strategy of bringing the very best cruise ships to Australia. We’re extremely excited that she is now in the water and look forward to welcoming her to Sydney Harbour.”

RELATED: Cruise Critic Names the Best Cruise Ships in the World

Later this year, Ovation of the Seas will make its way to Australia, where it will sail out of Sydney.

Like her sister ships, Quantum and Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas will feature many first-at-sea innovations including RipCord by iFly, a skydiving simulator; North Star, a jewel-shaped glass capsule that rises 300 feet above sea level, providing 360-degree views from high above the ship; and SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with attractions ranging from bumper cars, roller skating and video gaming to a circus school complete with flying trapeze classes.

[Guest Guest14361]

I cruised on her sister ship the Anthem of the Seas out of Southampton last June, having cruised other ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, wasn't to impressed with the design. Ovation in Australia I think is only here for around 3 months then she moves on.

[John Browning]

not in the least interested, personally, Tamara

 

-But if you are comparing casts you might want to look at the Kogan website

 

 

Didn't realise they were in this business, but they have been offering some cruises lately:

 

eg SYDNEY TO HONOLULU CRUISE: 18 - NIGHTS $2050 pp twin share, all meals inclusive

 

or TREASURES OF ASIA CRUISE Adelaide to Singapore: 15 NIGHTS $1730 twin share

 

Inclusions

• TV for in-cabin entertainment
  
• Complimentary toiletries
  
• In cabin safe
  
• Full breakfast
  
• Buffet or a la carte lunch menu
  
• Buffet or 4 course a la carte dinners
  
• Musical stage shows and entertainment
  
• Special guest entertainers
  
• Latest release movies (in cabin and on big screen)
  
• Choice of Bars and Lounges
  
• Fully supervised children's programs for ages 3 to 17 years
  

 

 

(-sorry about the cut and paste)

 

 

John B