After making the final payment on our Cruise we were informed that we would board the Ship in Sydney Harbor via tenders instead of the Overseas Passenger Terminal. We were told to arrive at set times based on the deck our cabin was on and that the process from arrival at the terminal to ship would be a minimum of 1 hour. We'll Royal Caribbean was correct on that estimate as we finally boarded the ship after a 4 hour process on a very hot day. Our Sail time was 6:30 PM. I was looking forward to seeing the Opera House and Harbor Bridge departing the harbor When our Tender pulled up alongside the ship the sea was rough and many Royal Caribbean crew members were there to assist us as we boarded. At 6:30 PM many of us on the top deck watched Royal Caribbeans newest ship the "Ovation of the Seas" sail out of the Harbor. I realized then that Royal Caribbean had decided to treat us as 2nd class passengers behind their "Ovation" Passengers. We did not get under way until after dark while we were eating dinner. (Other reviews on this site also mention the long Tendering Process). The Port we were most looking forward to was Cains as we had booked a tour to swim the Great Barrier Reef. After arriving in Cains we were advised that due to rough seas the Tending Process would be delayed for an hour. Having a Ocean View room with a Balcony I can tell you the seas were a lot rougher when we boarded the ship in Sydney. About 15 minutes later we were notified that all Great Barrier Reef excursions were cancelled. 15 minutes after that we were notified that we would not even tender into Cains. So much for waiting a hour to to look again at the situation we were soon underway. (Not sure if Royal Caribbean compensated any passengers I can tell I was not compensated) If it was too rough to tender due to seas in Cains, Royal Caribbean should never have allowed tender operations boarding in Sydney but again as with moving our embarkation point it was beneficial to Royal Caribbean and not their passengers. When we exited the ship at other ports (with the Exception of Darwin) it was a true Military Operation "Hurry Up and Wait". What Royal Caribbean does not tell you is that at many of the ports if you want to go to town you have to pay for it at your own expense. On day 14 of the Cruise my wife got sick and was confined to her cabin. We were told that after arriving in Perth (end of our cruise) we would be the last to leave the ship and that our baggage would be hand carried off with us. This turned into a "Fubar" as we were asked why we had not put our baggage out in the hall the previous evening and why we were still in our room when our deck should now be clear. (Quite sure may other passengers were sick and read a previous post that after the ship left Perth that many passengers were sick and had to leave the ship at various ports. Royal Caribbean should make their Slogan: You can sail on a Better Cruise Line, but you Can't Pay More. Had my travel agent contact Royal Caribbean after we got home, Royal Caribbean pretty much told me to "Pack Sand".