Radiance of the Seas – Royal Caribbean

In November I was lucky enough to be able to cruise on one of the newest ships to Australian waters the Radiance of the Seas: We boarded in Sydney on 18th November for a 2night “sampler” cruise.

Facts: Refurbished in May-June 2011 before heading down under, 293 metres in length, 90.090 tonnes, 2,531 passengers with 869 crew onboard.

A stunningly modern ship the new touches and upgrades were obvious. We were in a Junior Suite and the extra size in the cabin & balcony was definitely worth it. Our cabins (and all Suites) were also provided with a dressing gown, tea & coffee making facilities and toiletries.

Dining:
Windjammer Café: The buffet restaurant onboard open for breakfast, lunch & dinner. There are so many food choices with something to suit everyone.
Cascades Dining Room: The Ala Carte restaurant for all main meals. Book traditional (seated) dining or Anytime Dining (gratuities must be pre-paid). For families there is also My Family Dining **.

Park Café: Deli-style eatery in the Solarium
Boardwalk Doghouse: Snacks of hotdogs and other quick foods
Giovannis Table: Traditional Italian *
Chops Grille: Steak & Seafood *
Samba Grill: Brazilian Steakhouse steaks & seafood carved at the table *
Ritas Cantina: Mexican themed restaurant *
Izumi: Traditional Japanese *
Café Latte: Coffee and Ice-cream house *
*Surcharges apply

Bars & Lounges:
There are many bars & lounges to relax in some include:

Quill & Compass: English styled pub and a great atmosphere to kick-start your evening
Sky Bar: Located on Deck 12, a great place to watch the sights while enjoying the sun
Aurora Theatre: 3 level to watch shows and other entertainment
Colony Club Lounge: Four different lounges in one area including self-levelling pool tables
StarQuest: The nightclub including a moving bar, disco lights & smoke machines making you forget you are at sea.

Activities:
Outdoor Cinema, 9-hole mini-golf, 30-foot rock climbing wall, Basketball court as well as all the ship arranged activities will keep you busy

Childrens Club:
Royal Caribbean do not have a limit on the number of children allowed onboard.
Royal Babies (6-18months) and Royal Tots (18-36 months) allow parents and their children to partake in activities together. Scheduled activities are arranged daily for Aquanauts (3-5), Explorers (6-8) & Voyagers (9-11). There is also a teen hang-out area for those 12-17 years.
Adventure Beach Family Pool: An amazing pool area with a waterslide, teen disco and video arcade.

Other Amenities:
Day Spa & Gym, Beauty Salon, 3 x pools, 3 x whirlpools, Art & Photo Gallery, Internet Café, Jogging Track, Shops & Boutiques.

My biggest hint is TAKE AN AMERICAN PLUG ADAPTOR!

Happy Kruizing!
Kirsty
Photos below: Atrium - Main Pool with Big Screen

*My Family Time Dining is offered for the first seating time in our main dining room, for children of ages three to 11. Kids enjoy their meal within 40 minutes of seating, before heading to the evening's Adventure Ocean activities. The programme starts on the second evening that you're on board. After that, you can use it each evening or whenever you wish.

Volendam – Holland America

On Saturday 3rd December, I had the privilege of going onboard the Holland America ship Volendam while she was berthed in Melbourne.

Facts: Able to carry up to 1,432 passengers the Volendam is 781 feet long and 10 guest decks high. 4 restaurants, 2 swimming pools, Movie Theatre, Spa & Sauna, Library, Casino, Practice Tennis Court, Basketball Court and more are all on offer. She was built in 1999 and refurbished in 2011.

We started at the top in the Crows Nest, a bar, night club, scenic viewing lounge and much more. At the Bow (front) of the ship there are large windows almost 180, this is a great spot to relax and watch the world go by or ignore the magnificent Milford Sounds or Alaskan Glaciers.

Another great spot to view the scenic pleasures of cruising is the Bow located on Deck 3. Out in the open you can see, smell and feel the sights as they go by.

There are 2 pools on board, the main pool on the Lido (8) deck, with a retractable Sliding Dome Cover so you can still swim on those colder days. At the Aft (back) of Lido (8) Deck is a smaller pool. This pool is the “quiet” pool and children and not encouraged to swim there.

At the Bow of Lido Deck you will find the Spa, Sauna and Gym. Facing out to sea this is a great view for those motivated to go for a run on the treadmill.

Restaurants:

The Lido Restaurant on Deck 8 is the Buffet Restaurant, offering a great range of food from Sushi – Fruit – Specials of the Day. Ideal if you are in a rush for your meal as have an activity to rush to or don’t feel like dressing up for the Main Restaurants.
The Caneletto is Italian themed and located next to the Buffet holds 66 guests and must be pre-booked
The Rotterdam Dining Room is the Ala Carte Restaurant onboard and has 2 sectors, upstairs for those who are on Traditional (set time) dining and downstairs for those on Anytime (Open) dining. With Anytime dining you can pre-book a seating time and table up to 3 days prior.
Pinnacle Grill is the only dining option that charges. $10 for lunch (12-1:30pm) and $25 for dinner (5 - 9:30pm) this is an elegant dining room with Sterling Silver beef or premium seafood to choose from (other options also available).

Also onboard is the Explorations Café if you need your daily Latte fix (costs apply), you will find this in the Library on Upper Promenade (5) Deck.

On Deck 7 (Navigation) you will find the Neptune Lounge, this area is for those booked in a Deluxe Verandah Suite or Penthouse Suite only. With your own private Concierge you can ask him anything from booking shore tours to assisting with onboard enquiries. There is also the option to eat breakfast in here and there are snacks & coffee provided complimentary daily

There 15 bars and lounges to relax onboard and I am sure you will find them all before the cruise is over: Please note the drinking age is 21 years on Holland America

3 of the main bars onboard other than the Crows Nest:

Piano Bar is a small bar located on Deck 5, where you can listen to a Pianist or even a Guitarist

Ocean Bar also on Deck 5 with Live music

Explorers Lounge has a string quartet playing during the evening

There is also plenty more to occupy your time:

The Frans Hall Show Lounge to watch a variety of Evening Shows from singing and dancing to local acts and performances by the crew.

The Casino offers a typical variety of machines and tables for everyone. Please note the Casino is the only indoor smoking area on the ship

The Wajang Theatre and Culinary Centre, watch a movie or a live cooking demonstration!
The Microsoft Workshop – take a class and learn all you can and more about computers, email, Facebook or start your own Blog!

Childrens Clubs:

Please note children who are not potty trained are not allowed in the Childrens Clubs at any age and are also NOT allowed in the swimming pools.

Club HAL: Operates on strict age guidelines and will not allow cross-over. 3-7 years must be signed in and out sing a password by the parents and 8-12 years can either have a password or sign themselves in & out (as approved by the parents). The 13-17 year age group have a relax chill out loft with Wii and iPod docking stations, and upstairs there is this amazing outdoor teen only area.

Babysitting is available in Club HAL (3-12 years) from 10pm – 1am at US$5/hour/child. In cabin babysitting is available on a pre-book basis for under 3’s at approx. US$6/child/hour.

So to book your cruise on Volendam check out the Itineraries on: Cruise on Volendam

Can’t find what you’re looking for them email us on cruise@cruiserepublic.info

Happy Kruizing!

Kirsty

Below is this Library, to the right the Neptune Lounge

What does Anytime Dining on P&O mean?

All P&O ships now run off Anytime (or My Choice) dining.

An À la Carte four-course evening meal is the main dining rooms are offered from 5.30pm-10pm.

With Anytime Dining you can do one of the following:

Once on board go see the Maitre d' and book a table time and size to be the same the entire cruise. This is ideal if you have young children or need to eat at a set time or are in a large group)

Each day call the dining room and book for that evening (so you can work around shore tours/shows etc) Bookings can be made 24 hours in advance. This is great for when you meet people onboard and want to make an evening of it.

Turn up between 5:30 - 10 when you are hungry and be seated. The only times this normal could cause a problem (and you may be sent off to come back in 20 minutes) is from the 5:30-7 time as this is often full with the families and elderly.

There is of course also the option to eat at the buffet restaurants, specialty restaurants and the food venues onboard.

Happy Kruizing!
Kirsty

How do the free upgrades work?

At the time of your booking you will be asked if you will accept a free upgrade should one become available.
The big question is do you say YES or NO.

Upgrades are entirely random and not controlled by being a past passenger or having booked first. Requests can not be taken, such as "I will take it if away from the lift or at the back of the deck" you have no control over the free upgrade.

Some things to bear in mind:
a - If travelling with others it is very unlikely you will be moved together so you could end up on different decks/ends of the ship or even standard of cabin (eg: One couple may get upgraded to an Oceanview or Balcony and the other just up one deck in the same cabin type). And we often find this causes problems as one party feels "cheated as their friends got upgraded higher then them".
b - If you dont like your new cabin you can NOT be moved back.
c - The cabin could be anywhere, so if you are booked midship, we suggest declining the upgrade. You could be moved to the cabin at the very front but one deck higher. If on an Inside Deck 10 or an obstructed view Deck 8 - you could be moved to a porthole Oceanview on Deck 4. A window oceanview on Deck 5, may be upgraded to a porthole on Deck 8.

Upgrades mean "to a higher priced cabin", and depending on your requirements this may not always be a better cabin.

However if you really don't care where your cabin is - upgrades can be beneficial! And sometimes you can be upgraded to the "BEST" cabin on a deck, but it is very much potluck.

It needs to be looked at this way as a general rule - The Oceanview/Balcony has not probably not been sold because of price or bad location, so they will upgrade a desirable Inside/Oceanview cabin to these ones as they know it will be easy to onsell the more desirable cabins.
So if you like your cabin and travelling with friends always decline the upgrade. If like me your cabin is just a bed and the loaction does not matter I say take your chances!

Happy Kruizing!
Kirsty

Carnival Spirit arrives in just over a year!

For the first time Carnival Cruises are sending a ship into Australian waters with Carnival Spirit arriving in October and the first cruise leaving Sydney on October 20th 2012.

Carnival Cruises today launched a "name our slide" competition for Australian Residents.
With the prize being a trip to the US to experience the Spirit first hand and be the first passenger to experience the exciting slide:
To enter click here: Aussify Carnival Spirit

As described by Carnival: "The 56-metre slide features a 10-metre almost vertical drop before finishing in the pool. Once you’ve picked up enough speed, you’ll be rocketed out the side of the ship and loop around just in time to splash down and catch your breath,”

The Carnival Spirit will also feature limited interconnecting rooms for larger families or friends groups.

They also offer Childrens Clubs and Babysitting for all passengers 2 years and over.
Camp Carnival: 2-5 years, 6-8 years & 9-11 years
Circle C: 12-14 years
Club O2: 15-17 years

To book your Carnival Cruise check out the prices online at:
Australia Carnival Spirit
New Zealand Carnival Spirit

Happy Kruizing!
Kirsty

3 Queens to Visit New Zealand!

Cunard announced today that all 3 of their Luxury Liners will cruise the New Zealand shores in February and March 2013.

They will make a total of 10 visits to New Zealand ports, including a maiden call to Christchurch by Queen Mary 2 as part of her New Zealand Royal Circumnavigation.


Queen Elizabeth: The newest of the Queens built in 2010 she can carry 2,092 passengers. Fashioned after the original Queen Elizabeth who rules the waves in the 1930'3 & 40's you will not be disappointed by her graceful and glamorous decor.

Queen Mary 2: Carrying 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew she was built in 2004. One of the grandest most magnificent ocean lines ever built you will feel like royalty onboard.

Queen Victoria: Built in 2007 with over 10 bars & lounges for her 2,000 passengers she gracefully blends British tradition with modern amenities.

Sign up to our Newsletter and Facebook Page for more details as they are released.

Happy Kruizing!!
Kirsty