Sunday, 23 December 2018

Adventure Ocean - Royal Babies & Tots

I am so excited to do my first post following our recent 19 nights on board Ovation of the Seas. Other than being a totally awesome experience, this was our FIRST cruise with Vinnie on the outside (we did one cruise when he was still cooking in the oven haha), it was a VERY different cruising experience for us...but at least I now know exactly what to expect in Adventure Ocean onboard a ship with a Nursery for Royal Babies & Tots.

How to Sign Up for Royal Babies & Tots?
Be sure to head to Adventure Ocean from about 1pm on the day you board the ship, they will be taking signups for all the age groups. There are limits to the number of children so you don't want to miss out. Once you've registered your child, you also need to book / reserve slots you'd like. This can be done straightaway or throughout the voyage subject to availability. For the first three days of our cruise, all Babies and Tots were allocated 15 hours you could prebook at anytime in the voyage. on the fourth day all booking hours become available on a first come first served basis.
Walk-ins are also welcome subject to availability.

When is Royal Babies & Tots open?
Sea Days from 9 - noon, 2 - 5pm & 6pm - Midnight
Port Days from 9 - 5pm & 6pm - Midnight
From what I observed, they aren't open at many mealtimes to encourage you to ensure your tots are fed. It is hard for them to juggle all the kids in attendance without having to pop them all in highchairs and feed them at different times. They also spent alot of the closed time cleaning!

How much does it cost?
It is $6 USD per hour from 9am - 6pm, then it is $8 USD per hour between 6pm & Midnight. They can also bill in 15min increments if you wanted say 2 hours and 15mins or 1 hour 45mins.
There are also cancellation costs and late pickup charges.

What do the Babies & Tots do in Adventure Ocean?
From what I saw, they will mostly play. It really depends on the mix of children they have. They had lots of floor space for activities, a TV on the wall showing cartoons like Peppa Pig. A reading area with big picture books, LOTS of toys for under 3s and a room off to the side with Cots / Cribs for naps and nappy changing area. There is NO WAY your child can escape or climb out so do not worry about that.
On a couple of the days Vinnie was the only bub in Royal Babies & Tots and we spotted him being walked around the ship by two Adventure Ocean team members, it was the funniest thing to see him, he looked at us as if we were cramping his style.

Cheeky Adventure Ocean Staff taking Vinnie on a walk!

How can Adventure Ocean notify me if Bub needs me?
Do not stress! If it is a Sea Day or a Port Day and you are on the ship, they will give you a chunky looking Mobile Phone. It is linked into the ship's phone system. I tested it and called my cabin and it worked! So it is the same type of phone all the higher up crew carry on them. There is a waiver you have to sign saying you will take good care of the phone and pay to replace it if you destroy it or lose it. Out of all the times we utilised Adventure Ocean they didn't call me once, even when he had a blowout and required new clothes!

The Phone

What to expect at drop off?
The Adventure Ocean staff member will ask you for your seapass card, and then complete a quick checkin form where they ask things like: "Does bub need to be fed, a nap, etc while in our care?" "Can we feed them water, milk, fruit, crackers?", "When was their last nappy change?". You can really go into detail at the checkin if you like and say "Bub needs a snack at 3pm, Nap at 4pm" etc and they will do their best to stick to your requests. They give you a phone to be contacted on and place a sticker on your bubs back with their name on it. You then just pass your bub or toddler through the gate and be on your way!

What to take?
Bottle / Sippy Cup, Snack, Nappies / Diapers, Wipes, Extra Clothes & your pram or stroller is handy. Label all aswell if you can before your cruise.

When did I utilise Royal Babies & Tots?
We cruised to Hobart then to New Zealand, which was two cruises. So I prebooked 2 hours per day for all the Sea Days. After day four on the NZ cruise I also added 2 hours for Bay Of Islands (a port we missed due to weather), Auckland (because we decided to stay onboard and go to North Star), Wellington (because it rained all day :( ) & The Sounds (which is pretty much a sea day as it is scenic cruising). I used the 2 hours of care to wash my hair, unpack or pack, have a hot drink and go to Trivia! It was perfect. We would drop him off at 930am and pick him up at 1130am. When we booked the cruise - before he was born - I hadn't considered using Adventure Ocean.

Which ships have a Royal Babies & Tots program?
The answer here is MOST have a nursery now, in Australian Waters Ovation of the Seas & Radiance of the Seas. Both Explorer of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas DO NOT have a nursery.

After More Info?
Pickup a copy of the Adventure Ocean information leaflet - they were on a table at the entrance to Adventure Ocean - this outlines all the information you need about Royal Babies & Tots.
OR join our friendly informative group on Facebook called "Royal Caribbean Cruising with Kids" link here

Please post me any questions you have as I may be able to remember other important info if prompted!!

Happy Cruising :)

Thursday, 6 December 2018

DreamWorks is no more on Royal Caribbean :(

Sad day today no more DreamWorks 😭😭

Dear Guest,

Before you set sail on your Ovation of the Seas holiday, we have an update about our onboard programming.

At Royal Caribbean, we regularly review and refresh our offerings to ensure that we provide diverse and exciting experiences. That said, as of 1st April 2019, we will no longer have DreamWorks moments as part of our regular programming. Rest assured, we have countless, wonderful activities to keep you and your family entertained.

Kids can live it up in their own dedicated area – the complimentary, award winning Adventure Ocean youth program with art, science, games and activities every day. Plus battle it out on the bumper cars in the SeaPlex, hang ten on the FlowRider, learn to soar on RipCord by iFLY, or soak up the fun at H2O Zone water park! Click here to check out everything our ships have to offer.

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you onboard very soon.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

Sunday, 4 November 2018

Ovation Of The Seas - Cruising Tips

On day one, do a self guided tour of the ship, start at the highest floor and work your way down. Ovation is huuuuuge but it will help you get used to the layout.
Download the Royal IQ app on your device before you leave home, you can use this to reserve restaurants & activities onboard. It runs using the ships wifi, and the wifi is complimentary for this app only.
Try to reserve as many restaurants & activities as you can via Cruise Planner before the cruise. This ensures you are less likely to miss out once onboard - weather permitting!
Arrive at the pier at your checkin time, they turn away people that arrive outside of their slot.
You can drop luggage to the pier from about 730am if you want to do some Sydney sightseeing. A ferry ride across the harbour and a walk across the Harbour Bridge looking towards the ship is always fantastic.
Speak clearly to all crew onboard, most do not speak English as their first language, they are doing a great job at a confusing language.
Grab a full Cruise Compass (the daily newspaper for the ship telling you all about the activities) from guest services on embarkation day - you are given a boarding day edition when you check in, but the full version is at guest services.
Port side = Left when facing forward (I remember it by knowing both have 4 letters).
If you are in a rush for a drink, look in the cruise compass for an area that might be less busy ie avoid the schooner bar if trivia is on.
No cash is used on board except for USD in the casino. You can buy USD from the cashier in the casino using your seapass card or withdraw USD from the ATMs onboard using your debit card. There is a $4.95 USD charge approx for the ATM and a 5% fee from the Casino.
Make sure you notify your bank that you are travelling and will have a US transaction on your credit card - on our previous cruise many many people thought they had setup to pay their seapass account on their credit card, but their bank stopped the transaction and they couldnt leave the ship on disembarkation day until the account was settled at guest services.
You can view your seapass account on your tv.
If you choose to pay your seapass acccount with a linked debit card, be aware that RC will take 'holds' everyday similar to when you check in to a hotel, then at the end of the voyage they will take the whole amount and return the holds. The holds can take a few weeks to be returned by your bank.
You can order room service on your tv.
Guest services is open 24 hours, so if they have a line you can try later.
The 2 bottles of wine per cabin you can bring on board must be in your carry on.
You can access your cabin from about 1pm on embarkation day.
Sorrentos has food 24 hours including pizza, sweets and tea / coffee station.
You can add a beverage package at any time on the cruise (but as far as I am aware can't remove them at any time). This can be done at any bar. The official literature says there must be a minimum 4 days remaining in your voyage to purchase one, but friends of ours purchased with only 3 days remaining.
No power boards allowed.
No irons allowed.
EU or US power adapter required for use of personal electrical in your cabin.
Every time I see a purel dispenser I use it, in hope that I won't pickup someone else's flu etc.
Pack a jacket as it can get chilly on the top decks while the ship is moving.
Having your photo taken onboard is free, but obviously you have to buy the print. So you can have your photo taken 500 times and not be out of pocket, until you purchase one.
Luggage delivery is a huge process for Ovation, almost 5000 passengers with at least one piece of luggage, no wonder it can take all night! Make sure you pack your toiletries and a change of clothes in your carryon in case you are one of the unlucky ones that get their luggage upwards of 10pm. If you have contraband i.e. Alcohol, weapons, irons, power boards in your luggage, yours will be even later & you will probably need to get it yourself from security on deck 1.
If you have your heart set on something in the cruise compass, ensure you arrive early, Ovation has almost 5,000 passengers and can get busy at times.
You do not need to pack bathroom or beach towels.
Travel insurance is a must! You never know if your luggage will decide to take a dip in Sydney Harbour, whether you will get seasick or the dreaded stomach flu on board, Medicare is not a system used by any cruise ship so you have to pay out of pocket to see the ship Doctor. (My mum sprained her ankle onboard once, and hubby stood on a sea urchin in the South Pacific, so you never know!!).
The emergency muster is mandatory, boring and taken seriously by the crew. But don't let it ruin your embarkation day, it is only 30mins!
Remember things will probably go wrong, but how you react will determine whether it ruins your trip or not

Friday, 14 September 2018

Royal Caribbean’s “Sitters at Sea” Discontinued

Unfortunately I have received an email today stating that Royal Caribbean’s in cabin child sitting service “Sitters at Sea”, will be discontinued from 30th September 2018.

Royal Caribbean have also updated their FAQs in relation to this.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-children-sitter-customer-service

Options to have a child free ‘night out’ on the ship:

Invite a group of people, and you might be able to get away with them baby sitting one night.
Make friends with another family onboard with young kids and take turns in baby sitting each night.
Post a note on the notice board looking for responsible people to babysit.
Ensure you choose a ship with a nursery and book a place ASAP for an evening session. This is for a charge of $8 per hour from 6pm-midnight.

Happy cruising! 🚢

Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Purchasing On Board Credit - Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean (RC) offer the ability to purchase On Board Credit (OBC) to stock up your Seapass Account in the lead up to your cruise. I personally think this is a great way to take advantage of any strengths in your home currency against the US Dollar (USD), and also when you have a bit of unallocated funds in your home budget. They also appear to always offer a much better rate than is available elsewhere!

You can use OBC to purchase drinks, spa treatments, speciality dining, items from the shops, snacks, bingo and casino spending. If at the end of the cruise you have any unused purchased OBC you can withdraw the balance at the casino (5% fee applies) or wait for a refund back to the credit card you purchased it on.

When?
You can purchase OBC anytime upto 3 days prior to your sailing.

How?
In Australia call RC on 1800 754 500 with your booking number & credit card handy and speak to “Cruise Administration” team.
Decide how much USD you’d like to purchase - easy!

Note
Be sure to check with your bank that you won’t be charged any foreign transaction fees. RC instantly charged my card in AUD, so I don’t think foreign fees would be charged but it’s best to check.
The refund to your account only applies to Purchased OBC. OBC received as part of a booking incentive or promotion must be used onboard and a balance withdrawn in the casino or the balance is forfeited.

Happy Cruising 🚢