Things You *MUST* Know Before You Sail on Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas from Australia
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 січ 2023
- Watch my full Ovation of the Seas ship tour here: • OVATION OF THE SEAS FU...
Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get!
groups/CTGdeals
Follow me on Facebook and Instagram:
thecruiseandtravelguy
www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy
Support the channel with a slogan tee:
thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopi...
Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals:
www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au
In this video, we'll cover the main things I you should know before you cruise on any of Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class ships, but in particular both Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas when sailing from Australia. These are the two largest cruise ships to sail from local waters, and they are both incredible vessels!
1. Cruise Planner Website and App
2. iFly and The North Star
3. BYO Bubbles
4. Currency
5. The App
6. Identification
7. Electrical
8. Laundries
9. Cabin Locations
10. Complimentary Dining
In this video, I'll give you the download on the top things you should know before you sail on either ship, including discussing the importance of the Royal Caribbean app, and the Cruise Planner.
We'll also talk briefly about pre-cruise purchases like Royal Caribbean drinks packages, Royal Caribbean dining packages, shore tours and more.
Let me know what your best tips and tricks are to get the most out of a cruise on Ovation or Quantum of the Seas in the comments below.
Thanks for watching!
SOLARIUM BISTRO UPDATE: As noted by a few people, kids can eat in the Solarium Bistro. I was under the impression it was part of the Solarium proper, and was limited to those 16 and over but families have reported that children are allowed to dine there also.
This is one of the best, most im formative videos i have watched regarding royal carribean and its relevant to aus :) this has helped me greatly thank you Adrian :)
Thanks so much 😁
Awesome info, just in time for our Ovation cruise in 7 weeks. I'm going to share this in our roll call group. Thanks Adrian.
Thanks Mark - glad you found it helpful!
We have our first cruise in a few week and it's on Quantum so your video was SO helpful! THANK YOU!
Thanks so much for watching and I hope you enjoy your cruise on Quantum!
Hi. Just found the video. Great stuff. But I still have questions.
The sea pass card, that appears to be waiting for us in a slot by the door. Bit of a worry in case someone grabs it before we get it. What’s in place to stop this?
Like the idea of not having to wait on deck for stragglers to turn up for the muster.
Note: when you buy something it’s been our experience that the purchase is immediately put on your credit card as a hold. So, if you have say, a $5,000 limit on the Mastercard then you’re wise not to exceed half of that as what happens is they’ll then place holds for each purchase on the card, then progressively remove the holds over the next week or so after you leave the ship.
So, end of cruise, you have say, $2k worth of purchases on your account you will have a $2k hold. Then when you leave the ship and your account is closed they debit the card for that $2k, meaning that there is $4k tied up until they start releasing the holds. All of them do it, RCI, Princess, etc.. probably the best thing is to go to Guest Services and to put say, a $1,000 USD on your account. Get the dough from your bank as it will give you a better exchange rate than what the ship will.
Same for your credit card purchases. Ensure that the bank handles the exchange conversion, as the cruise line, like PayPal and so on, will ream you.
Where the video shows someone picking up the sea pass card and swiping it on the stateroom door it looks like the smart watch reacts to it. Is this a part of the app or something else?
Thanks
Martin
Thanks Adrian. Very informative.
Thanks Jenny
wow that smoking area is gorgeous, i will be very happy puffing away there :)
thanks Adrian for the info on this class of ship. We are booked on the Ovation for a Feb 24 NZ cruise. We have nevertravelledd on RC before. its going to be interesting.
Thanks for watching - hope you enjoy your cruise next year. NZ is a beautiful destination.
the shore excursions in sydney that you had at the start of the video have only just became available for our november cruise, but nothing available for eden yet
Now that makes sense hehe I've been wondering why all of my uk and us bloggers i watch on you tube keep talking about having appetiters and entrees and saying you can have two entrees but they never ever mentioned a main meal. I was thinking the other day and said to mum that thst must call a main an entrree and an entree an appetiters and you have just confirmed that :) thx heaps :) best video i have watched all up on royal carribean :)
haha I know, right. I was so confused the first time I sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship, and then realised that entree was really the main course! 😁 Thanks Debbie
We completed our first cruise on Quantum of the Seas end of the first week in November. We had a junior suite and absolutely loved it! Yes its a big ship but we didn't 'feel' the 4600 other people on with us too much. We learnt that Windjammer is to be avoided for breakfast until 9-30am then its fine, prior its packed! We ate at the Solarium bistro for breakfast and loved it. The crew are...amazing! so fun and helpful - the lot of them. We thoroughly recommend Quantum!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad you enjoyed your cruise on Quantum.
brother- Supper! superb -👽
Thanks for letting us know about the electricity outlets. We will have to make sure that we take one of those EUR and US adapters :) lucky i have one of each :) its a shame though as i bought a power adapter with 4 usb slots for our cruises, but its an aus one so won't work in the power points :(
You should be able to connect your AUS USB adaptor to one of your EU/US adaptors once its plugged in.
Thanks for the video, it's great to know these things you've mentioned... My husband and I are going on the Ovation next week Dec 12th 2023, 11 nights NZ... looking forward to it, just still getting to know how to use the app also wondering about wi-fi onboard and dresscode for the evening dining, if there will be any themed nights.
Sorry - I’ve been travelling and didn’t see your comment. I hope you enjoyed your voyage on Ovation!
Thanks for advising where the smoking area is :) ive written it down so that i remember where to go on our next cruise :)
Thanks for not smoking on your balcony.
@@contenteater i would do that. i dont smoke anywhere other than a dedicated smoking area. nor do i smoke even on land near children or people that dont smoke. i have full respect for non smokers.
@@contenteater meant would never
i watched my muster video months ago and our cruise isnt till this up coming november. not sure if it will say i have already watched it when i get onboard or if i will have to watch it again
The US dollars really puts me off cruising royal Caribbean. Happy cruising Adrian 🍻👍🇦🇺
Thanks Julian! Happy cruising to you too.
This is a fantastic ship. My daughter went on it last weekend. Had a great time. She’ll be doing it again but a longer cruise
So glad to read that. I was onboard the 2 night weekend cruise as well, was a lot of fun but definitely too short!
Hi Adrian :) can you bring cans of soft drink with you? And if yes is it per cabin or per person?
Hey Debbie. From the website: Guests may also bring non-alcoholic beverages as carry-on items on boarding day. Non-alcoholic beverages may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Milk and distilled water brought on for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted.
Well done. Great presentation. Question : I'm confused about the vitality spa steam rooms. if we buy a "spa pass" can we go in and out as often as we like?
Thanks for watching. That's generally the case, you have to pay to access the thermal suites and that might be for the whole cruise or for a day or so. You should be able to purchase these in your pre-cruise planner.
Great Video Thanks Adrian, We're About To Go On The Ovation Of The Seas And This Has Helped Tremendously. One Question Please, I Haven't Found Anywhere That Does Fresh Juices, Do You Remember Seeing Anything Like That Onboard ? Thanks Again.
Hi Donna. There are fresh juices available, I'm just struggling to remember where. I think from memory it's in the Windjammer - there's a cafe in there by the main entrance and I *think* I remember seeing a juicer at that location.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Amazing Thankyou So Much.
Tip ! Let your bank know you are going on a cruise with Royal ! Transactions are classed as international and may be blocked ! I found out as I tried to disembark…. 20 mins later I got to disembark!
That’s a great tip, thanks for sharing. Sorry that happened to you!
I really appreciate your videos. I've never been on a cruise before and am planning to go in 2024. Your videos are really helpful and informative. Only suggestion is to improve your audio to make your voice more crisp and less muttery.
Thanks so much for watching and I’m glad you enjoy the videos. Check out my latest videos - I’ve changed my audio setup and it should be improved.
Love Quantum, going on her again Feb 2025!
She’s a beautiful ship and cruise experience!
Thanks for the great tips - very useful for first time cruisers like us!
I’m interested in how the checkin window works. We are going on this ship next week and the only online checkin window available was late afternoon (4.30pm) for a 6.45pm departure. Does this mean we essentially miss out on the rest of the day’s activities on board which are on earlier?
I read somewhere that you can do a bag drop and walk around. How does this work if we have to stick to our assigned checkin window? Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for watching. You can try and get onboard earlier - but they can sometimes be quite strict at the port entrance about the timing. If that fails, you can certainly drop your luggage off (you'll need to keep any carry-on items with you) and leave the terminal area and go for a walk etc. Enjoy your cruise!
Michael was more than likely charged as the cruise started in December 2022. Thanks for another informative video.
Thanks John - that makes sense. Thanks for watching.
I'll be sailing on the Ovation in late March to the South Pacific. I recall from a previous cruise to the South Pacific that you can leave books, pencils and other school stationery as a donation. Is that still the case & where do I leave the donation? (If you know).
Also, how do I know what theme nights (i.e tropical, formal, white, fancy dress etc) will be on my cruise so that I can pack appropriately.
By the way, I love your channel.
Thanks for watching! I know that school supplies are readily accepted on Mystery Island. Mystery Island Tours are based there, and apart from selling tours, they can also assist with accepting donations from memory. You should be able to easily find them on Facebook or Instagram to reach out before you leave for your trip.
Your cruise documentation from Royal Caribbean will outline the number of formal nights, but they don't generally advertise theme nights ahead of time. These can vary from ship to ship. It's a bit of a shame, because it's difficult to prepare for theme nights when you're not sure what they'll be.
I'm not sure of how soon theme nights appear on the app, but I did see them pre cruise last summer in the US.
Thanks! I’m going on my first overseas trip in March on the Ovation Of The Seas! Do you know if they have slushie type frozen drinks available? Thanks
Hi there! Yes, they do, they have frozen drink makers in most bars.
Thanks for the great videos. We are headed on this cruise shortly. We have heard some absolute horror stories about the tenders and how long they can take to get on and off the ship at each port. Can you shed any light on this? Are they as bad/slow as the online reviews say? We are taking a toddler (what we’re we thinking) so we would love to know your thoughts. Standing in a long lines is nearly impossible with him. 😩 any feedback on this, or tips would be amazing? Thank you 😊
Hey Sam! Thanks for watching! Tender queues can be lengthy onboard Ovation and Quantum. The secret really is to go as early or late as possible (going late though can obviously mean you lose half a day ashore). You'll need to collect tender tickets from a central point (announced onboard) when your family is ready to go ashore, and it's first in, best dressed.
The way to get around that is to book a shore excursion with the ship that leaves in the morning. In that case, you'll meet your tour group onboard the ship and be escorted to a waiting tender - you'll get to avoid the ticket and queue process. It's not ideal, but it is a way around it...
Hope you have a fantastic time either way!
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it and that’s super helpful information. I have one final question if you get the time to reply. We will have multiple rooms booked for several families. Does each member of the cabin have to be present to collect a tender ticket, or can one representative go and collect the tickets for everyone in that cabin?
Thanks again 😊
If you put say $1000 cash on your onboard account can you use as much or as little of it each day? Or are you limited to how much that you can spend?
Yes, you can 😄
Thank you for the video it is very informative, My only question is about the wifi and the app, you mentioned that we can talk to our friends for free when connected to the ships wifi, I assume that you need to pay for a wifi package first, is this correct? and do we need that paid wifi package to access the apps many features whilst at sea. for Example if I want to book stuff whilst cruising do I need to have a paid wifi package?
Thank you
Hi Peter. No, there’s no charge to connect to the ship’s wifi and chat to friends - they must also be connected to the ship’s wifi.
The only thing you need to pay for is accessing the internet ie external websites and apps/emails etc.
Connecting to the ship’s wifi allows you to access the Royal app and onboard services like reservations, as well as the chat facility.
Hi Adrian , Very informative info ! We are planning to take this ship next year 2024 to New Zealand.
@ 2:24 the App , is there where RCCL have got you by the balls ? It sounds great booking seating , seeing menus etc through the App but it does sound like you need the ships WiFi to use it ? Is the WiFi a FREE connection? Could you just go down to guest services and book your seat for events instead of using the App ? As for menus , won’t they be on the table at dinner ?
As for Muster Drills , Health Card etc how would you get around this without the App / WiFi connection? I know it’s how we live this day and age , Apps , WiFi from home.
Cheers Rod
Hi Rod, thanks for watching! The wifi onboard is a free connection for "intranet" purposes like reviewing your onboard spending, checking the daily schedule and making plans/bookings onboard. I don't believe guest services would be able to assist with bookings... but they may? It would be a cumbersome trip and much more easily accomplished on your device in my opinion.
Printed menus were available in the restaurants as well as on the app on my previous Royal cruises.
I think the app/wifi combo is just par for the course now and will only continue to become more pervasive but at least for the purposes mentioned, there is no cost to the user.
Hi Adrian, quick question regarding the seapass, can you put a hole in the corner for your lanyard? We did for cruise cards over 8 years ago. Thanks Erika
Hi Erica no you can't they recon it ruins the card.
@@michaelmeaden4727 hey, thanks for your reply much appreciated.
Hi Erika, I see Michael has responded - that's correct. The cards use a chip for opening your door and payments so they can't have a hole punched into them. A lanyard with a sleeve for the card will work perfectly.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Hi Adrian, thanks for your reply.
I enjoy watching your videos as they are very helpful.
Do you know where the smoking areas are on quantum of the seas? Are we allowed to smoke in the casino here in Australia?
Hey Debbie. No smoking indoors at all on Australian cruises. They have a smoking area on the promenade deck, it’s undercover with seating. And then one side of the pool deck too.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy oh bugger. I saw i my videos that there was smoking in half of the casino on RCCL and also there was a little room off the side in the casino on virgin and got all excited hehe. Australia you have shatrerd me lol
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy happy there's an undercover one on the pool deck though :) they had that on our pacific explorer cruise too but pacific adventure they didn't
Hi Adrian we just done back to back cruises on ovation 23/12/22 to 4/1/23 the app for communication with family wasn't free but got hit with a fee and it didn't work the cruise was do bad I handed in my loyalty pins I am diamond very disappointed guest services was a joke.
Hi Michael. It was made free as at January 1st, 2023. So you shouldn’t have been charged for its use after that date. That’s disappointing to hear.
Hey Adrian, just another question regarding Ovation of the seas, what time is disembarkation normally and if you get a super early time, are you allowed to change to a later time? Thanks Erika from sunny Perth WA
Hi Erika. Disembarkation normally begins quite early after the ship clears customs or receives approval, which is around 7am in most cases. Usually everyone has to be off by 9am, and out of cabins by 8am or so. You can generally stay onboard as late as possible, especially if you carry your own baggage off. If you've placed your suitcases out for collection the night before the cruise ends, it will still be waiting for you in the port when you disembark even if that's later than you were allocated.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy hi Adrian, thanks for the information. I'm a Gold member which apparently gives me access to breakfast and lounge area on disembarkation morning. 🙂
if we have for eg put 1000 OBC via cash onto our account for our 3 night cruise ,will we still have a max spend limit? or is that just if you only have a small amount added say 300 dollars to your account, so in a way you are buying things with not enough money to cover them , so like they are allowing some form of credit, then if you spend over that credit limit then you will have to go to pay it off to bring the balance back to a positive balance? hope that makes sense lol
I believe the spending limit is if you don't have the cash on your account - so essentially its a spending limit of "Credit" that Royal Caribbean are letting you use before you pay off your account. That's how I understand it.
Don’t tell people about 270, it is a great lesser known spot for food and coffee and like you said it is far less busy as the other spots!
haha true!
Kids can go into the Solarium Bistro, but not into the pool area
Thanks for confirming. I did see this comment a number of times after I posted the video. Truthfully, the cruise I was on for 7 nights was mostly adults (chartered cruise) so I assumed that kids under 16 were excluded from the bistro since it's the "solarium" bistro. Have pinned a comment to the video with the update so others can see the correction. There are more options and a greater selection for kids at the Windjammer though - so something for parents to keep in mind.
As much as I'd love the sail with RCL, the USD, and conversion rates, plus international transaction fee, are a real turn off for me. If I, for example, wanted to get a branded souvenir and it's $50USD, how do I know how much I'm paying, especially as conversion rates can change day to day?
Just addhalf as much on top of the price. Ie price is US 100 add 50 total cost AUS 150
Was on Ovation last October and you're right, the exchange rate and conversion is brutal. It also means the prices of excursions, drink packages and extras fluctuate dramatically when you are looking at pre booking online.
Have cancelled my upcoming Royal cruises and rebooked with Aus based lines and will stick with them until the exchange rate improves.
It's definitely a sticking point for a lot of people, and personally I believe that Royal could address it if they wanted to. Carnival owned cruise lines changed their operating currency from USD to AUD, particularly in the case of Princess Cruises, well before the line was based here year round. So it can be done... and I suppose they choose not to as it benefits their bottom line, frankly.
@arokh72 This is what I would do , as we did for for our Hawaiian holiday… You have booked your cruise well in advance, keep an eye on the USD exchange rates. Have your Aussie cash ready ! When the exchange rate goes up and mind you these fluctuate daily ,weekly etc Take your Aussie cash and get USD cash. Use the USD cash for your sail card on board the ship.. There will be no surprises because you know what exchange rate you bought the cash at, instead of using your Aussie credit card.
Watch your accounts and if possible put cash into your account. Many of us have been charged twice and are having to get our banks to dispute.
Sorry you had that experience. That’s a great bit advice to keep an eye on your onboard spending account throughout the cruise.
We still can't see any of the entertainment to book or the shore excursions or anything yet :( our cruise is in Nov this year
Probably too far away at this stage, but it should have some options later this year.
Hi Adrian is the cruise planner different to the app?
Hi Debbie. The planner is more comprehensive for pre-cruise planning and purchases - things like drink packages, specialty dining, shore excursions, spa treatments etc
The cruise planner is found on the website after you book the cruise. The app. Is on your phone.
Hi Adrian & others who have cruised recently. Re vaccinations, do you have to show proff of other vaccinations or just covid when sailing just in Australian waters and ports?
Hi there. Proof of vaccination is also required when sailing from Australian ports. Check in agents will sight printed proof for international voyages, or the digital version we have access to for domestic voyages.
Thanks Adrian, apologies my question was unclear (bad grammar on my part). I understand that proof of covid vaccination is required. I meant to ask is proof of any other types of vaccinations required when cruising only in Australia waters and ports?
@@howitreallyiz all good! No, just proof of COVID vaccination.
Awesome, thanks 😀
I’m getting different answers everywhere. Do they have kettles onboard ???
In my balcony cabin on Ovation in November 2022, we had a kettle in the cabin. I imagine that if it isn't in the room upon boarding, you should be able to request one from your room steward.
Does anyone know if Ovation - Alaska still requires rapid testing and a vaccine card for boarding?
Hi there. This isn’t required anymore.
Hi if you are going on a cruise in Australia and staying in Australia do you need a passport
A passport is for international travel
Just government issued photo ID for adults, so a drivers licence is typically fine.
When settling your onboard account, what in your experience gives the better conversion. Your bank or the cruise line?
Usually the bank, but if you can, go directly to a currency exchange so you can shop around
@@tonygagz1747 thanks! so does that to mean you can settle your account in cash at the end of the cruise?
@howitreallyiz I've sailed RCI several times and will take US dollars with me to put on my card at the beginning of the cruise. If you can, pay for all your excursions, drinks, packages, activities, etc, via the cruise planner before you get on board as it's usually cheaper and you don't end up with bill shock at the end. The last night before you dock, you just go to guest services to cash out your account, and they will refund you whatever the credit balance is on your cruise card. The best place to buy USD is S Money, and they can deliver to your home.
I see there have been some great responses to your question 😁 I usually opt for my bank to do the conversion for simplicity's sake and my card issuer doesn't charge currency exchange fees which is something important to check
Just FYI I read the T&C of my Commbank credit card and even when RC converts to AUD for you, the bank still considers it to be a foreign currency transaction because the company is foreign so for this reason I’m just leaving it as $US as the bank’s rate will be better.
Hi
I've seen the menu for explorer
Do you have to pay for indulge
$38 for a steak hmmmmmmm
Cheers john
Hi John - Not sure which ship you’re referring to. Explorer?
P and o explorer
laundry services always ruin my clothes.. even basic tshirts and shorts come back damaged or stained
I've heard this from a few people lately... so far I've gotten lucky I think but I'll keep it in mind for future and be careful with what I send out.
Omg $300 per person per day. Just say we have $1000 OBC for our 3 night cruise, are they going to still limit us to $300 day?? Or is this if you don't have the cash put onto your account and do it as a credit to be paid before departure?
That's for people that are using cash to settle their account, and who haven't put any money into their account. Your $1000 OBC should allow you to spend the entire $1000 as a separate thing to the cash spending limit.
We can no longer get into our royal carribean app :( we don't know what has happened :( it was working fine, now says we have to accept the terms and conditions, we click on to accept and it just keeps going back on the screen to the same accept terms with the button to click. But it won't change from that how many times you click on it :( were not sure how to fix it :( its the same on both of our phones :( i wonder if anyone else is having issues?
The app can be a bit problematic from time to time. Probably best that you reset your password and try to login again, or delete the app entirely and download it again and try that.
I had that problem. Can't remember what fixed it may have restarted my phone.
If you cancel your Drinks Package and rebook how long before you get your refund back, anyone?
It's not quick it can be up to a week and occasionally a little longer if you cancel on the weekend.
As Em replied, it can take a week, sometimes longer in my experience.
Its now six weeks since I disembarked Quantum of the Seas and I still don't have my loyalty points added. I've emailed Royal Caribbean, because you can't ring the loyalty team, unless you live in America :( . Sadly despite my three emails, I've had no response and no loyalty points - this is VERY disappointing. Using US $$ onboard was a major disappointment and smacks of contempt for Aussie cruisers. Additionally. despite going to destinations that I love (including Cairns), the ship is too large to dock at the passenger terminal, so the only option to go ashore was to go in the tender boats to shore followed by a 30 minute bus trip after reaching shore. One hour plus each way to go ashore - NO THANKS, so sadly we didn't go ashore, despite loving these destinations. Royal Caribbean is disappointing, especially with their mega-ships which are too large to dock in the cruise ship terminals.
Hmm wow, that's not good. I just checked my RCI account to see if my last cruise landed on my account and I can see that it's listed, but no points yet. That one ended on January 15th.
Re the mega-ship effect, I totally agree - there are some marked downsides to travelling on giant ships where the infrastructure just doesn't exist to support them (like most ports in our region). The tender process in particular can already be drawn out, so to have to rely on that as a means of getting ashore in ports that do have docking facilities is a bit painful. Personally, my preferred "largest-size" is Voyager Class, but Radiance Class remains my favourite of the RCI fleet.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy it's now 7 weeks, and four emails, since I disembarked and still no loyalty points added. Disappointing RCI.
@@mspalmboy have you emailed Crown and Anchor? Alternatively you could try the Australian post-cruise department if you haven’t already - royalcustomerserviceau@rcclapac.com
What "app" is he talking about?
Am I the “he”? If so, the Royal Caribbean app. Downloadable from your phone’s App Store.
3:55 Onboard Spending - This is what I would do ! Most of you would book your cruise well in advance. Get your Aussie dollars ready and keep an eye on the USD exchange rates, these fluctuate daily , weekly etc. When you think the USD has peaked , go exchange your Aussie dollars for USD cash. That way , you know exactly what you are getting and use this cash for your Sail Card. No nasty surprises by using your Aussie CC/Debit card at the end of the cruise.
Best Exchange company I have found , is United Currency at Haymarket, Sydney , you get a better rate there then Travelex or Travel Money Oz
Great suggestions, thanks!