- Alcohol
Most cruise lines will not allow passengers to bring alcohol onboard. The
exceptions are Princess Cruises, Holland America Cruise lines, and Cunard which
will permit one bottle of alcoholic wine and/or champagne to be bought onboard
for consumption. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the
ship's gift shop or at ports of call will be collected for safekeeping and
delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage. A member of the
cruise line security staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of
your alcoholic beverage purchases.
As with most international cruise lines Royal Caribbean will not sell or serve
alcoholic drinks to anyone less than 21 years of age. However on cruises
departing from Australia/ New Zealand where the legal drinking age is 18 years,
a parent/legal guardian who is sailing with the person aged between 18 to 20
years, may sign a waiver allowing the 18 to 20 year old to consume alcoholic
beverages.
- Age Restrictions
Royal Caribbean, P& O and Princess Cruises have a strict policy regarding age
restrictions for passengers fewer than 21 yrs old. We have attached below the
relevant terms and conditions:
Princess Cruises Age Restrictions
Passengers under 18 years of age not cruising with their parents must provide a
letter of consent from them when booking and must travel in a complete cabin
with an adult (18 years or over). For cruises in November and December any
passenger under the age of 21 years at the time of travel must travel in the
same cabin as their parent or legal guardian.
P&O Age Restrictions
To ensure suitable supervision, there needs to be at least one passenger
18 years or older in each cabin; However, to accompany families cruising
together, children may occupy a separate cabin to their parent/guardian,
providing one child is aged 16 years or over.
For Departures between 1 November and 31 December, any passenger under the age
of 21 years of age on the day they board the cruise, must travel in the same
cabin as their parent or legal guardian.
Royal Caribbean
No guest under the age of 21 will be booked in a stateroom unless accompanied by
an adult 21 years or older. This age limit will be waived for underage married
couples (proof of marriage is required at check-in) or minor children sailing
with their parents or guardians in adjacent staterooms. Please note: An
individual's age on the date of sailing determines his or her status for the
entire cruise vacation. Royal Caribbean International does not accept bookings
for student groups.
- Auto Upgrade
Cruise lines often offer complimentary automatic upgrades. Occasionally, a
voyage is set for automatic upgrade, and bookings are selected to be upgraded to
higher categories at no additional cost to the passengers. These upgrades are
automatic and based on availability. Since not every booking can be upgraded we
always advise that you book in a category in which you will be happy to sail.
If an upgrade occurs, it will be automatically
added to the booking some time prior to sailing. Unfortunately we cannot
guarantee that an upgrade will occur.
We recommend declining the automatic upgrade for group bookings with cabins near
each other or if you are satisfied that your initial cabin meets a specific
request (side of the ship, mid ship, near the elevators, etc.) as a cabin
upgrade may disrupt your preferred allocation and once upgraded it cannot often
be reversed.
- Booking Process
Bookings can be submitted via our website and are processed manually by our
consultants; once your reservation is complete you will receive a confirmation
email within 48 hours of submitting your booking request. This is held with no
obligation for a period of 1 – 5 days before a deposit will be required to
secure your booking. We are also able to process bookings by phone provided the
required information can be supplied and the passengers have access to internet
and email.
Required information at time of booking your cruise for each passenger is:
- Full name (as per passport)
- Last name (as per passport)
- Date of birth (as per passport)
- Email address
- Postal Address
- Contact number
Please note that cabins on sale are limited. Although our website is updated
daily, cabins can sell out at any time in between these updates. Should your
requested cabin no longer be available we will allocate the next best available
cabin or place your request on a waitlist.
Please Note: As we are an Australian based agency
we are unable to take bookings for internationally based clients. This is
because we do not have the facilities to be able to process payments, we will
however make some exceptions for New Zealand based clients who are able to pay
their fare in AUD and have an Australian residential address that can be used
for booking purposes.
- Brochures
As an internet based agency we aim to cut down our carbon footprint by limiting
the paper documentation that we stock. As current brochures and cruise
information are available through cruise lines websites we do not mail out
brochures or advertising leaflets.
- Cabin Allocations
Unfortunately we are unable to provide an updated list of cabins available for
you to choose from and are unable to view them prior to booking, however if the
category does appear on the website then it does usually mean that cabin
category is currently available. You can request a cabin or provide
specifications as to what cabin you would like when submitting a booking
request.
- Cancellations
Should you need to cancel your cruise reservation we will require written
notification by post or email. We understand that at times your circumstances
may change, however once a deposit has been paid on your cruise, Cancellation
fees will apply. Relevant cancellation fees will be stated on your booking
confirmation. Cancellations made prior to paying a deposit will not be charged a
fee. P&O and Princess Cruises will usually provide the option to transfer your
reservation to a different cruise if it is requested early.
We strongly advise that you take out travel insurance at the time of booking as
this may cover you for cancellation fees incurred.
- Cabin Guarantees
If you have submitted a booking and received a confirmation stating you are in a
‘Guaranteed’ status, this means that there was no cabin allocations left in that
Category and you will be allocated a cabin in the category you have booked or a
higher priced cabin.
Please Note: If you are travelling as a group or
want to stay on that particular deck you have booked on, it is better to receive
a cabin allocation as once a cabin has been allocated by the cruise line it is
very difficult to change. If you are part of a group booking and you accept the
booking by paying the deposit, we cannot guarantee cabins will be placed near
each other.
- Cabin Types
To clarify some cruise terminology regarding accommodation onboard (referred to
as cabins or staterooms) please see below:
Interior: Standard cabin in the middle of a deck without a window
Outside: Standard cabin with a window or porthole
Outside Obstructed View: Standard cabin with a window that has a
restricted view usually due to the location of the ship's life boats
Outside balcony: Standard cabin with a sliding door onto a balcony with
an ocean view
Deluxe Cabin: Can be either an interior, outside or outside with balcony,
which is a few square metres larger than a standard cabin
Mini Suite: In-between a Deluxe cabin and a Suite, more spacious with
balcony and other special features
Suite: Usually the most expensive cabin type, significantly larger than
other cabins with balcony and other special features
T Category Cabins: P&O Cruises will sometimes offer a special in a T
grade cabin. We can only book this cabin type as a twin or single cabin in a
bunk bed configuration; they cannot accommodate a queen bed. T category cabins
are usually the same size as a standard cabin.
Single Cabin: Usually the same cabin layout as a twin cabin booked as a
sole occupancy cabin
Twin Cabin: A cabin that will accommodate two passengers and can be
either a Queen or twin single bedding configuration
Triple Cabin: A cabin that can accommodate bookings for three passengers
Quad Cabin: A cabin that will accommodate bookings with four passengers
- Children's Availability
P&O and Princess Cruises restrict the number of children on onboard due to
safety and the facilities. Once the children’s age category is sold out we are
unable to reserve a cabin for families with children in this age group. A
waitlist can generally be placed should the children’s availability for your
cabin request be closed.
- Children's Prices
Cruise holidays are great for children with many fantastic kids’ programmes
available onboard; however not all cruise lines provide children’s discounts.
P&O and Princess often provide a discount for children under 12 years old that
are the third or fourth passenger on a booking. We cannot provide an accurate
quote for children’s fares until the time of booking; if they are available they
will be automatically added to your booking and displayed in the confirmation
email.
- Cruise Personaliser
The cruise personaliser or online check-in is administrated by the cruise line's
website. To access this cruise personaliser you will need log in using your
cruise booking number which is different to the Ozcruising reservation number (e.g. P&O booking number 6PMW4N) followed by your first and last name as listed
on your booking confirmation. This system allows you to update personal
information and ensure your booking is active with the cruise line. It is
important to complete this information to prevent ticket delays or enable you to
print out a boarding pass prior to sailing.
- Currency
All fares advertised on our website are in AUD
South Pacific
For Noumea the currency is South Pacific Francs. Money can be exchanged onboard
the ship at the Pursers desk so ensure you have some cash or travellers cheques
with you to exchange. Some places in Noumea will accept Australian dollars and
credit cards.
Lifou also accept small notes in Australian dollars and South Pacific Francs.
The local currency in Vanuatu is the Vatu. This currency cannot be exchanged
onboard. Australian dollars are widely accepted in Vanuatu, you will find five
and ten dollar notes are the most convenient.
Onboard
P&O cruise liners and Sun and Dawn Princess onboard charges are in AUD. Royal
Caribbean, Holland America, Sailings on the Diamond Princess onboard prices are
in USD.
- Dining
All meals are included in your cruise fare this will include full
breakfast, buffet selection or à la carte lunch menu and sumptuous 4-course
dinners. It has been said that you board a cruise as a passenger and leave as
cargo. Some cruises will have a formal first and second dining option for your
evening meals. First dining is between 6:00 and 6:30pm (5:30pm for Princess
Cruises) and second dining between 7:45 and 8:30pm.
We find that the first sitting is the most popular and will often fill up first,
if you have selected this as your preference and it is sold out, then second
dining will be allocated and you will be waitlisted for the first preference.
Should you have a medical need to dine at a particular time please provide a
medical certificate to help us obtain this for you.
Anytime Dining
Most cruise lines will now offer anytime or your choice dining.
Anytime Dining gives you the flexibility to choose
where, when and with whom they dine throughout the cruise, and is an alternative
to the traditional first and second sitting arrangements for evening meals.
All P&O cruises have anytime dining and this is being introduced on
Princess Cruises as well.
My Time Dining
With My Time Dining you can experience the fine quality, ambiance and service
offered in the Ships main dining room while enjoying flexibility in your dining
options. By selecting My Time Dining, you can choose to dine in the main dining
room between the hours of 6:00 – 9:30 pm, then once onboard your ship, you will
have the convenience and flexibility to select the perfect dining time for each
day of your cruise vacation.
The Royal Caribbean Line will require gratuities to be prepaid in order to
assign their ‘My Time’ dining option.
- Dietary Requests
A variety of dietary needs such as vegetarian, gluten/dairy free, low calorie,
diabetic needs and allergies can be catered for. Please make note of this at the
time of booking so that we may inform the ship. Once onboard you will need to
make yourself known to the Maitre’d or dining room attendant to confirm your
specific meal requests.
- Electrical Sockets
Pacific Sun have two types of socket in every room. One Australian style
socket (220-240v) is located at the dressing table and an American style socket
(110v) located in the bathroom for shavers.
Pacific Dawn has the American style sockets (110v) and one Australian
style socket (220v). These are located by the dressing table in the cabins.
Pacific Jewel has the American style sockets (110v) and one Australian
style sockets (220v). These are located by the dressing table in the cabins.
Sun Princess has two types of socket in every room. One Australian style
socket (230v) is located at the dressing table and an American style socket
(110v) located in the bathroom.
Dawn Princess has two types of socket in every room. One Australian style
socket (230v) is located at the dressing table and an American style socket
(110v) located in the bathroom.
Rhapsody of the seas has European style socket 220v and American style
socket (110v). For the use of Australian electrical appliances it is recommended
to use the European adaptor, for the 220v supply. If the US adaptor is used a
transformer will also be needed to convert the 110v to 240v.
- Fees And Charges
We are able to provide discounted fares due to the online booking system, which
allows us to minimise administration time. Although our consultants are
available to assist with passenger enquiries, Ozcruising reserves the right to
charge further fees for extra administration services.
Services such as corrections to names on bookings after deposit has been paid,
change of cabin type, payment transfers, overdue or dishonoured payments,
multiple bookings ,booking cancelations, updating passenger information via
online check in or request for information to be posted, may incur
administration fees
- Gratuities
After the
1st October 2010 and for Princess Cruises Australia after May 2011 (Sun, Dawn
Gratuities are calculated by the cruise line and are automatically added
to your cruise card account. Tipping is optional and this amount can be added to
or removed from your account at the end of the cruise. Tipping is a great way to
show your appreciation for the fantastic service we have come to expect from the
Staff and we recommend to budget around AU$10 to AU $15.00 per passenger per
day.
Tipping is no longer required on P&O Cruises Australia for departures
after the 1st October 2010 and for Princess Cruises Australia after May 2011
(Sun, Dawn Sea Princess Australian departures) ratuities apply to guests of all ages. Gratuities for other service
personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to
your bar bill or wine check when you are served.
Notice to Guests: Gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on
the particular service requirement. This amount of US$15.50 per day is added to
your onboard account
Discretionary Hotel and Dining Charges (formerly known as gratuities)
Grill Restaurant Accommodation: $13 per person per day
All other Accommodation: $11 per person per day
Discretionary Hotel and Dining Charges are added to the
guest's onboard
- Groups
Group bookings can be made via our website as individual cabin requests. You
will need to add a note with a group name, for us to link the bookings and apply
discounts. It is a good Idea to call ahead first, to check that there are enough
cabins available in the category you wish to reserve, before you book. As our
fares are already advertised as our lowest available rate we are unable to offer
further group discounts.
- Honeymoons
Cruising is popular with honeymooners and many cruise lines will make special
arrangements for couples on their honeymoon, or have specific honeymoon packages
available to purchase. If celebrating your honeymoon please advise us at the
time of booking so that we can inform the ship. If complimentary services are
provided for honeymooners a marriage certificate will need to be presented upon
check in. Some packages can only be added to your booking if the Honeymoon
cruise is within two weeks from your wedding date.
- Infants
We are able to book cabins for families travelling with a toddlers, the minimum
age is 12 months for P&O Princess and 6 months for Holland America, Royal
Caribbean will take 6 month old children on domestic cruises and 12 months on
Transatlantic (Sydney – Hawaii, Hawaii – Sydney). In accordance with safety
restrictions and rules regarding children under the age of three, they must
remain under parental supervision at all times as there is no supervised care
available for infants. For P&O and Princess Cruises infants are usually at a
reduced rate to be confirmed upon reservation request.
- Lost Property
Lost property is collected but is only held for about 14 days from
disembarkation, after this time the items are donated to charity for redistribution. Usually items like clothing and children’s toys are not collected
due to for health reasons.
- Onboard Account
An Onboard Expense Account is the cashless system used for all onboard purchases
and services whilst aboard a cruise.
The account may be set-up with either a credit card or cash and can usually be
established in Australian currency. You may set up a master account and add
guests from your stateroom or another stateroom as authorised purchasers on your
account.
For each purchase made onboard the ship you will receive a receipt at the point
of sale which you will be required to be signed. A final statement will be
delivered to your stateroom on the last night of your cruise vacation for your
review.
Guests that set up an account with a credit card should verify the statement. If
all purchases are correct, they will automatically be billed to the credit card.
Guests on a cash account will need to settle their statement onboard prior to
disembarking. The ship will provide you with specific details.
- Passports
All international itineraries require passengers to have a passport with a
minimum of six months validity from the date of return.
Passports are the preferred form of Identification for Australian domestic
sailings however the Australian based cruise lines will also accept a valid form
of Australian government issued photographic I.D such as a driver’s license. As
a photographic I.D is not always available for young children, a Medicare card
can be presented for children on the same Medicare card as their parents.
- Payment Options
We have four main ways which we use to receive payments from our customers once
a booking has been confirmed. These are Bpay, Credit Card, Direct Deposit,
PayPal, Cash, Cheque or Money Order.
Please Note: Credit Card payments do incur a
surcharge – 2.5% for Visa and Mastercard, 3.3% for American Express. This
surcharge on Visa & MasterCard can be avoided by paying with PayPal or Bpay.
We do accept payments in instalments for your cruise booking, provided the full
payment is made before the final due date. The payment information will be
listed on your confirmation email. Alternatively, you can also make credit card
payments and PayPal payments through the ‘My Booking’ section on our website.
After each payment you will be issued with an email receipt with account
statement, which will state the remaining balance.
- Past Passenger Discounts
To be able to have past passenger discounts applied you will need to provide
your number at time of booking. We do not have access to past passenger discount
rates until time of booking, as we need past passenger member numbers. These
discounts if available will be automatically added to your booking and sent to
you in the confirmation email.
- Renewal Of Vows Ceremony
Many cruise lines offer renewal of vows packages. For couples after a unique
romantic event at sea this can be a memorable occasion. A typical vow renewal
package that can be purchased is likely to consist of:
- Private ceremony whilst the ship is at sea
- Champagne & either a decorated cake or canapés
- Bouquet
- Boutonniere
- One gift portrait and photographer present at ceremony
- Signed certificate from the Ship’s Captain
Please contact our consultants should you wish to add a vow renewal package to
your booking.
- Satellite Phone
Mobile phones often have service when in port and many ships are initiating a
satellite service available to purchase for mobile phone coverage whilst at sea.
Most ships have a satellite phone that can be used for emergencies:
- Sun Princess: (0011) 870 331 043 810 or (0011) 870 331 043 768
- Dawn Princess: (0011) 870 331 043 710.
- Pacific Dawn: (0011) 870 32 35 00 193
- Pacific Sun: (0011) 870 32 32 84 811
- Pacific Jewel 0011 870 764 842 686 / 689
- Diamond Princess (0011) 870 331 040 410
- Royal Caribbean cruise liners: 0011 1732 335 3285 * requires credit card prior
to connection to the ship requested i.e. Rhapsody of the seas
Calls to ships can be expensive as satellite rates apply. Please check
your long distance service provider for rates.
- Sea Sickness
For passengers susceptible to sea sickness we suggest you book an outside
(window) mid ship cabin as this is generally the most stable part of the ship.
Having a window can help as some motion sickness can be relieved by focusing on
a stable point such as the horizon. Consult your GP before you leave as they may
be able to provide a relevant motion sickness prescription. The doctors onboard
the ship are well accustomed to dealing with motion sickness patients, it is
although recommended that you have taken out an insurance policy as the onboard
medical service can be expensive.
- Terms And Conditions
Terms and conditions and passage contracts are legal information by which all
cruise bookings are subject to.
Ozcruising terms and conditions are listed on our
website
Every cruise line has their own set of terms and conditions provided at the time
of booking. It is important that you read and understand these terms and
conditions prior to paying a deposit on your cruise reservation.
- Tickets
Please note tickets/documents for group bookings may not always get
dispatched in the same postal batch; as a result group booking passengers may
not receive their tickets/documents at the same time.
The following clarifies the way tickets and boarding documentation may be
obtained for each cruise line.
P&O - Once you have made your final payment and completed your
online cruise personaliser, P&O will forward your tickets to our agency. Your
tickets are then posted to your postal address by our consultants. They should
arrive no later than two weeks prior to your departure date. Please ensure your
correct postal address is supplied and will be still relevant at the time of
departure.
Princess Cruises - As of 14 May 2010, Princess Cruises ceased
sending cruise documentation via the postal service. A few weeks before
departure, Princess Cruises will send E-Tickets to the supplied email addresses
of fully paid passengers, and will provide all other relevant documentation
online; these documents can be downloaded from the online Princess Cruise
Personaliser. It is important that passengers ensure their correct email address
is supplied and will be still relevant at the time of departure.
Royal Caribbean - A few weeks before departure, Royal Caribbean
will send E- Documentation to the supplied email addresses of fully paid
passengers, and will provide all other relevant documentation including a set
sail pass online; the set sail pass can be downloaded from the Royal Caribbean
Online Check in. It is important that passengers ensure their correct email
address is supplied and will be still relevant at the time of departure.
Holland America - Holland America issue online Express Docs. The
Express Docs can be accessed through the Holland America Line Website as part of
your Online Check-in process. Your information is encrypted, secure, and ready
to print for yourself, family or friends as often as you wish. In addition, it's
continually refreshed with up-to-date information about your departure.
- Travel Insurance
We strongly encourage you to take out comprehensive international travel
insurance, if you do not already have a policy. International travel insurance
is also required on Australian coastal cruises, as Cruises are outside the scope
of Australian Medicare and the New Zealand Ministry of Health. All
consultations, treatments and medications are charged at private rates.
We suggest Covermore ‘options’ policy or QBE ‘Toursafe’ travel insurance policy.
To receive a quote and purchase insurance please visit our
website.
Please ensure you read the providers policy disclosure statement prior to
purchasing your insurance to ensure you are aware of what you will be covered
for.
- Vaccinations
When travelling overseas it is recommended to have a minimum of Influenza,
Hepatitis A and Tetanus/Diphtheria vaccinations. You are strongly advised to
seek advice from your doctor or an approved public travel health advisory
service to identify any specific vaccinations or health precautions required for
each port of call, e.g.
World Health Organisation www.who.org
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
www.dfat.gov.au
Failure to have the correct vaccinations for some ports of call may result in
the local health authorities preventing passengers from going ashore.
- Visas
Australian Passport holders with no criminal record do not require a visa to
travel to the South Pacific destinations such as Noumea, Fiji and Vanuatu.
Due to the changing requirements for different ports of call, we are unable to
advise on visa’s for other international destinations or passengers travelling
on an international passport. Visas are the responsibility of the passenger and
the visa requirements can be checked by contacting the
Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade or Visa Link:
For Princess ‘Exotics’ cruises, specific visa information is sometimes available
75 days prior to sailing. It is worth awaiting this information prior to
purchasing your visas as some visas are at times available to purchase onboard.
- Waitlist
If the cabin type, children’s availability or cruise itinerary is sold out,
often a waitlist can be placed. If a Cancellation occurs then the available cabin
will go to the next passenger on a waitlist. We do not have access to the number
of passengers currently waitlisted on a particular cruise and therefore unable
to predict if or when a waitlist will clear. Once a waitlist request receives a
waitlist match passengers will be contacted promptly to secure the available
cabin.
- Weddings
Wedding packages are not available onboard the Australian based cruise liners.
Many couples choose to organise their wedding on shore at one of the
destinations visited such as Vanuatu, Fiji, Thailand, Bali or New Zealand. At
this stage Ozcruising does not have the facilities in place to cater for
destination weddings; however this can be arranged by couples independently and
we will notify the Ship of their arrangements.
Please be aware when planning a destination wedding that, as per the cruise
lines passage contract, the Ship can deviate from the scheduled itinerary should
they deem necessary. If the ship experiences any obstacles such as a technical
difficulty, berthing restrictions or inclement weather, the scheduled time of
arrival may also change. With this in mind it is important to allow ample time
for arrival to your ceremony, consider a suitable backup plan or adequate
insurance cover, as no compensation is provided for itinerary changes.
All things considered a cruise holiday can be a superb base for pre and post
wedding festivities, with dedicated staff to assist with any celebratory
requirements.
- Wheelchair Access
All Ships have wheelchair facilities including a limited amount of cabins that
are especially designed for wheelchair access. Wheelchair accessible cabins are
larger than standard cabins and include fittings such as hand rails, a shower
stool and emergency call switch.
Most cruise lines are not staffed with specially-trained personnel to assist
passengers with physical challenges; we recommend you be accompanied by someone
who is physically able to assist you both onboard and on shore if necessary.
The ship has a limited supply of wheelchairs available for use onboard, however
these are generally reserved for emergencies. We suggest that passenger’s supply
their own wheelchair if one is required for the duration of the cruise. If
bringing your own wheelchair; we highly recommend collapsible wheelchairs, as
the width of the standard stateroom doors can be quite narrow.
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