Dizziedi

Here is some of what you can expect - last time we went through (December) we had superb weather - Enjoy your cruise!

Cheers

Di

You can have unlimited drinks in the DL and three complimentary drinks in any of the bars (no restaurants). If you exhaust your drinks in the bars, you can then go to the DL to continue drinking with the further compliments of Royal:)

Because of the complimentary drinks in the bars, you may now leave the DL with a drink in hand;) and a lot of people do just that and go to the MDR with said drink in hand:cool:

The drinks on our cards is to keep the numbers down in the DL and it also enables Diamond/Diamond+ members to have complimentary drinks with non-Diamond member friends and/or family.

Cheers

Di

If your friend doesn't have a credit card, or hasn't paid some of the cost of the trip on the card, I suggest she should look at Travel Insurance Direct. We buy their annual policy because we travel a few (or more) times a year.:)

Hi Aus Traveller, we too always bought the TID Annual Policy but this year we have changed. Two reasons, one being their price went up and more importantly, I don't recall ever before noting that "each" trip could be of a length of no more than 60 days. We have therefore changed to 1 Cover which was marginally cheaper but importantly, it allows 90 days which this year in particular, we need.

Cheers

Di

If you "know" your Diamond Concierge, email him/her, he/she will know - depending on how far off your sail date is.

Cheers

Di

Could someone please confirm that the suites still have a Play Staion on the Voyager Class ships since their refurb (specifically the Explorer).

Please don't refer me to the Suite Benefits - we are well aware of them:)

Cheers

Di

We had the GS next door to 1054. The balcony for the RFS is ridiculously small - I do have a photo of it on another PC which I will try and find later but I have posted a photo of it before (if you search the posts). If you have a family wanting to use the balcony, then 1054 is definitely not for you. There are aft-facing Royal Family Suites on Decks 9 and 8 which I think would be much better suited to families wishing to use the balcony. Nice and quiet down the back too.

Enjoy the Radiance:)

Cheers

Di

Enjoy.

Make sure your Grand Dad enters Worlds Sexiest Man Contest:D

Cheers

Di

As Mic pointed out, this only applies to two bottles of wine. Acording to the rules, passengers cannot bring more wine on at other ports during the cruise, but this rule seems to be applied inconsistently. :)

 

Re the comment about duty free wine - I do not know where this could be purchased and I don't think Princess cares whether something has been purchased duty free or not.

We buy Duty Free Wine in Vila in the bottle shop next door to Mr Kwans. They sell Penfolds 389 and St Henri duty free and package it in duty free bags as normal.

Cheers

Di

Since their refurb, both the Explorer and Voyager have kettles in the rooms with the coffee pod machines in Junior Suites and up. I personally don't like the coffee pods so I take a small plunger and coffee.

Unlike Celebrity and Princess, Royal Caribbean will let you take on a kettle so I can't see why they wouldn't allow a coffee pod machine.

Cheers

Di

We recently did two Diamond cruises and took about 6 bottles on the first cruise and 11 on the second cruise. We are more than happy to pay the corkage on the extra bottles so that we can drink the wine we like over dinner. I wish Royal Caribbean would adopt the same policy.

Cheers

Di

My how its grown in a week:)

Cheers

Di

Oh great to hear.

 

Do you have any pictures of the OS you could share? Very hard to find anything online. No problems if you don't. :-)

 

Adrian

 

 

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I didn't actually take any photos of 1066 but I do have a few of 1064 which is the same, just mirrored. I can't find any of the bedroom area but it has a Royal King Bed, a Chez Lounge under a floor to ceiling window and a dressing table area with coffee (pod) maker and kettle.

I only have photos of the Voyager OS bathroom which is pretty much the same and can post that if you would like. Otherwise, it has a toilet, bidet, shower stall, spa bath and twin sink vanity with plenty of storage.

Hope these help:

Taken from the bedroom area into the lounge:

and I loved this guy:

Cheers

Di

Hi Di,

 

Thanks for the update. I'll be in an OS also. Did they make specific mention that the furniture in there would be replaced? I certainly hope so, if it's only as comfortable as a brick wall hehe. I was in a GS in 2014 and the lounge was quite comfy.

 

Cheers

Adrian

 

 

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Yes, they will be replaced. We were in 1066 and have 1064 for our next cruise on Radiance. The Grand Suite lounges seemed fine.

Cheers

Di

We got off 24 nights on the Radiance on Tuesday and our favourite ship is very tired. We had an OS and the lounge was about as comfortable as a brick wall but I know they will be replaced. The bed was still okay but we had to have the mixer changed in the shower.

We were told that the Crab Shack is going but no-one seemed to know what it would be replaced with. Hopefully, it will be replaced with Johnny Rockets. Something is happening up in the kid's zone but I can't remember what as it didn't interest me:eek:

The Next Cruise desk is moving from Deck 12 to where the Internet desks are and I can't remember what is going in Deck 12 in its stead. I believe there won't be a lot of (costly) changes just a general refurb.

Cheers

Di

I agree, tacky. Taking cheap to a new high.

Taking cheap to a new high is the increased number of Bogans wearing their shorts and thongs to the MDR and don't get me started on the gits who wear baseball caps - just plain bad manners.

Cheers

Di

Everything is in $US:(

We were up in Windjammers a little earlier and I noticed they had a 500ml carafe of Wolfblass for $15. They had red, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

I will check the prices of the cocktails for you as they vary.

Cheers

Di

We have gotten on and off 4 times in the last 6 weeks. I think getting on has improved greatly but getting off is not so good. The bag collection area is not big enough (IMO) and the queue to pass through Customs has been a "long" snake each time.

We will again disembark on Tuesday (from the Radiance) so will see how that goes.

Cheers

Di

I am on the Radiance and thought the coupons were a good idea but I have asked both Guest Services and Chris in the Schooner Bar. No-one knew what I was talking about.

Cheers

Di

We are on the Radiance, due in Sydney tomorrow morning. We have had fantastic weather but today is grey as is the sea but still not rough - as yet;)

Cheers

Di

Thank you all for your kind replies. Our first Diamond cruise is on the Explorer in April. I suppose we will try the Diamond lounge on the first evening and if it proves to be too packed and therefore too hard to get a drink we will use the 3 free drinks in any bar option the rest of the cruise.

We are on the Explorer in April to Seattle. If you are on this cruise, both the DL and CL will be packed. We have 11 in our group which is made up of cruise buddies from the Trans Pacific on the Radiance in April '15. We are D+ and suite and the rest are all D+ and we will all drink in the DL due to the CL being a cupboard.

Whatever cruise you are on, enjoy your Diamond status in the DL because I don't think it will be long before Diamonds will have to consume the three free drinks (maybe they will increase the limit) in bars outside the DL, ie a the Diamond Lounge will be renamed the Diamond Plus Lounge.

Cheers

Di

It can depend where the ship is sailing as to whether there are a lot of Diamonds and above on board, and lately, also whether the suite guests feel they would like to sit in the Diamond lounge as it has a better view.

 

Which ship are you sailing on in April? We were on Voyager last November and the gold suite sea pass cards were opening the door of the Diamond Lounge. No signs or gentle words were stopping the suite guests, and some of them were not moving during the whole 3 1/2 hours.

 

The Diamond Concierge was trying to talk to them, and she was getting no support from higher up. We did a back to back cruise, and on the second cruise the atmosphere was very different, and people were having their pre-dinner drinks and moving on. There was much more room available.

 

On Voyager the only overflow is out in the open next to the noisy exhaust stacks, and not really where people wanted to sit in the evening. You could comfortably go to the next door High Notes bar, or any other bar for your drinks. We made sure that when we went to the High Notes bar we gave them a tip at the end, as there were quite a few Diamonds out there.

 

If you are cruising on another ship, then there are provisions for overflow on Radiance, and the Concierge Lounge is next door with a good view, or if it is another ship others may have more information.

 

We like to go to the Diamond Lounge for light breakfast or lunch some days also, and we enjoy the self serve coffee machine also.

The Suite guests drink in the DL on the Voyager because the Concierge Lounge is like a cupboard and is just plain awful. Not saying it's right but that is the reason. It's funny but once people become Diamond Plus they all seem to want to drink in the CL on the Radiance which can cause it to be packed - especially on the Trans Pacifics.

Drinks hours on the Radiance is currently 4.30pm to 8pm.

On this cruise we have 14 Diamond Plus and only a few Diamonds but I haven't seen any Diamonds in the DL at all. Next cruise we go to 16 Diamond Plus and 25 Diamonds so maybe it will be a little busier but not enough to open the doors.

Cheers

Di

I have been known to wash our clothes and put them out on the balcony to dry but to be honest they dry just as easily in the bathroom.

 

On the balcony they get the salt air.

When we were on our last Transpacific, one of the girls told me she hung her underwear in her wardrobe and they dried perfectly. I thought that was a bit bizarre but as I don't like underwear going to the general laundry, I tried it. Wow, it really works - it dries faster and doesn't have a damp feel and better still, no-one sees it.

We can take 2 bottles of wine on board can't we?

 

This with my dads cabin adds up to 4.... Ok I will share

Is that all?;)

I will ask about the coupons tomorrow - after Champagne Bay of course:)

Cheers

Di

I've read about the 10 drink coupon book on the RCCL page here on CC, however I haven't heard that it's been offered on any cruises leaving from Oz, hopefully this is true! Will definitely be buying it if possible

We are on board now and the pressure to buy the drinks package was right up there. I will ask about the coupon book as we are on a b2b and with Concierge and Diamond Lounges privileges, the coupons could be good.

Cheers

Di

Thanks for the review To Dee:,

BTW, the pic is awesome Dizzidi.:D

Enjoyed Cassandra and Steve's company:)

Cheers

Di