Babe's New Zealand Hash Cruise 2024

The rates includes your accommodations, food, entertainment and activities. The Beverage Package is optional but recommended (see below). Off-ship activities (shore excursions and any hash trails) are additional.

Gratuities totaling $160 pp (a little more for suites) will automatically be charged to your onboard charge account.

NOTE: Babe Thruster may or not be available to personally host this cruise.

The following rates are per person based on double occupancy. That means two hashers per cabin. The rate is inclusive of all port charges and taxes.

Trying to post accurate cruise pricing on a web site is impossible. It changes often and typically will increase as the ship fills and cabin categories may sell out along the way. The pricing below if just to give you an idea of pricing as of 05/11/23. 

Babe will quote the current rate upon receipt of your registration to approve before anything is booked.

ALL PRICING IS $USD.

Inside cabins (no window) Guarantee* - $989.29 pp

Oceanview cabins (window) Guarantee* - $1,231.29 pp

Balcony cabins Guarantee** - $1,382.29 pp

Unobstructed Balcony category (cabin assignment) - $1,486.79 pp

Pricing for suites and other categories available by request.

* A guarantee cabin means you are guaranteed a cabin in that category somewhere on the ship. This gets you the lowest possible rate and the cruise line will assign your cabin number and you don't get to complain about the location. If you are picky about your cabin location, do NOT book a guarantee.

** A balcony guarantee means you will be assigned a balcony cabin somewhere on the ship. It is possible that the balcony may have an obstructed view from a lifeboat or ship rigging. If you want only an unobstructed view, do NOT book a guarantee. 

Single rates are twice the double rate minus one set of taxes ($241.79). In other words, you are buying both halves of the cabin. However, there are a few studio inside cabins made for single occupancy. As of 5/12/23, those were running $1,356.79 for the cabin.

Some cabins will allow a 3rd guest (triple) and some will accommodate a 3rd and 4th guest (quad) in upper bunk beds. I typically don't recommend this for adults, but if you have experience with a typical cruise ship cabin and think you'll be fine with tight quarters, limited storage, and competitive bathroom availability, then go for it. As of 5/12/23, the rate to add a 3rd/4th to a cabin is $685.79 pp.

Again, pricing and availability changes constantly, especially for triple and quad cabins since there is a limited number of them. These rates are to give you a ballpark idea. Babe will give you a solid quote upon registration before anything is booked. 

Deposit is currently at $450.00 per person. Deposits are non-refundable. You can usually move a portion of your deposit to a different Royal Caribbean cruise if you choose to rebook a different ship or date.

Final payment is due November 29, 2023.

I don't need to give my usual lecture on getting a passport on this one. If you travel to Australia, you have a passport. Make sure it is valid at least 6 months after your planned departure.

You will need a Visa for Australia. The Visitor Visa should be sufficient. Here's the information on that: 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600.

The Beverage Package includes your alcohol drinks, specialty coffee, bottled water, sodas, etc. It's not cheap, but it's a good deal for most hashers. The pricing varies by cruise length so I can't post an accurate quote here, but once you book, you will be able to log in to Royal Caribbean and see the various offerings for drink packages, shore excursions, spa treatments, etc that you can pre-book.

For a full rundown, click HERE.

Is it worth it? For most of us, YES! But it kinda depends on what and how much you drink per day. As a general rule, your break even point hits at about 8-9 drinks per day. That's very easy to do on sea days, but maybe not on the port days when you are off the ship. And unlike that other cruise line, Royal Caribbean's drink package is unlimited. Personally, I think it's worth it just to have that open bar feeling of ordering whatever I feel like and not worrying about how much it costs. Choose your roommate carefully. It's an all or nothing deal for you AND your cabin mate. If one of you buys it, the other has to as well. You also have the option of the Bubbles Soda Package if you drink more Coke than beer. Unfortunately, the beverage package does not follow you off the ship. 

Since this is a Tuesday departure, you will not miss any of the main event at Interhash. You can fly to Sydney on Monday and overnight there. In fact, we may establish a hash hotel in Sydney and do a Monday night trail so you can check Australia off your hash map.

Flying in to Sydney on Tuesday is risky. A canceled or delayed flight making you miss the ship would mean you'd be missing two days of the cruise to catch up with the ship in Picton, NZ

Trip protection insurance will reimburse you if you have to cancel for a covered reason. It also has other benefits such as baggage loss and medical. The information is here:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/plan-a-cruise/transportation#travelProtection

The cost of the plan is based on the per person cost of the cruise:

$251 - $500 $39
$501 – $750 $59
$751 – $1,000 $69
$1,001 - $1,250 $99
$1,251 – $1,500 $109
$1,501 – $2,000 $149
$2,001 – $2,500 $189
$2,501 – $3,000 $229

If you want this included, indicate on the registration The cost will be added to your deposit and the plan will be effective immediately. You may also opt to add it any time before final payment. Insurance is non-refundable.

All cancellations are subject to Royal Caribbean fees (below) plus $50 per person from the agency. 

90+ days from cruise - non-refundable deposit

89 to 75 days - 25% of total cruise price

74 to 61 days - 50% of total cruise price

60 to 31 days - 75% of the total cruise price

30 days or less - No Refund

We highly recommend protecting yourself with the trip protection insurance which will be included if you opt in on the registration form.