Miamia65

Hi

Jimmy Rhodes posted on his Facebook that he is going to Ovation in July - sorry no specific date.

just bumping this up re my previous post.... does anyone have any experience with balcony dividers on deck 6 on legend of the seas since the new balconies were added in 2013 dry dock?

Balcony dividers do not open on Legend.

Sorry to check this again, I have been looking at images of LOS on the internet and watching youtube videos. There are many pictures that show the balcony dividers open on decks 6 (after the 2013 refurb the balconies were added) and deck 7.

Can anyone confirm that they actually open, particularly on deck 6?

From the pictures, the ship had the balconies on this deck added and it kind of sticks out in you compare old and new images of the ship. It also shows that there are no hard metal dividers on deck 6.

See images in this CC thread -

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1813495

Try getting in with your gold card, if it works you have access!!!

Balcony dividers do not open on Legend.

Thanks Bob

A related question re legend of the seas - do the balcony dividers open? If yes do they open on all decks?

Oh I remember your post John regarding your illness on princess ... I'm not a princess fan!

We didn't have the same issues with the dining room as goodycruising ... But I agree sometimes things can be hit and miss.

I generally ignore the banter on here about diamond lounge after all the price we pay to stay in top level suites is sufficient to justify access to lounges located in better locations.

When I completed the post cruise survey I made comments about the concierge lounge location and drab furniture hoping that they will do something about it.

Enjoy your cruise!

Also the happy hour on explorer starts at 4.30 to 8.30 in the concierge/suite and diamond lounges. Well that was the timing in January.

Chops Grille - the breakfast is a short menu that you can order from plus a small buffet, however there is a door from the back of chops that takes you straight into windjammer. So just go out the backdoor with your nice china plate from chops and get whatever you like from windjammer and bring it back to chops restaurant to consume

Theatre seating - the reserved area for suite guests is on the upper level and honestly isn't that great, you might want to case it out before you go to a show to see whether you like it or not.

Coffee - you will be provided tea and coffee (including a drip filter type) with Seattle's Best brand sachets. The had twinnings tea on Explorer in January which is much better than what they used to have, ie. Liptons (unless you like that brand of tea).

You can also order anything from the main dining room menu into your stateroom (only available to suite guests) - the menus are placed in a folder every day for you and can be ordered whenever the dining room is open.

John - is this your first cruise on Royal Caribbean?

John, suite guests are welcome in the Concierge Lounge. (Deck 9 by the aft elevators/stairs). They are not permitted in the Diamond Lounge. (Deck 14)

John ..... sorry Merion Mom this is only partly correct .... the concierge lounge is located in the middle of the ship on deck 9 and is very old and daggy (aussie term for outdated). Therefore suite guests have access to the diamond lounge on explorer as it is located in a great space on deck 14. If your card doesn't work on the door of the diamond lounge just ask the concierge in the concierge lounge it can be arranged.

Also, the Australian market is very important to RCI because it is the fastest growing cruising market in the world per capita / highest percentage of australian's are cruising compared to other countries. RCI likes to look after us aussies, hence they are sending bigger and better ships here. Albeit we aren't getting ships all year round yet, like China (but they have a massive population which we can't compete with).

Like I said, ask the concierge and tip well and you can pretty much get anything, if they can't arrange it he/she will let you know.

In terms of tipping, we do a similar thing and tip the room attendant on day 1 and at the end (in total usually $100-$200 depending on the service we get), same to the concierge - they are your best friends and look after you well if you are NICE to them and afford them an extra reward.

I will post some pictures of GS 1288 on Explorer (January 2016 cruise to NZ). You will love the suite life! Unfortunately, voyager class ships (which Explorer is) doesn't have the new Royal Suite features that RCI are introducing in May - these are limited to Oasis and Quantum class ships. So you will need to cruise on Ovation of the Seas when it is here in a high level suite to get the extra benefits that they new suite life program offers.

John

We were in a GS on explorer in January ... We also had access to the diamond lounge (we weren't diamond level C&A level ). The coffee machine in the suite /concierge lounge was broken so they said we could get free coffee from cafe promenade or use the machine in the diamond lounge.

Breakfast and lunch available in chops grille everyday. Bridge tour, galley tour and production back of house tour- ask the concierge from the lounge he/ she can arrange these tours for you.

The concierge also controls one of the lifts on debarkation - just ask the concierge how he wants to manage this.

We use the concierge to arrange all of our bookings and if you do a nice tip will be really appreciated.

We also tip (in addition to prepaid tips) the room attendant on day 1 ...... They always go the extra mile for you !!

Does anyone know if radiance will be doing Sydney to Honolulu in April 2018?

With the commonwealth games on the gold coast at this time the traffic here will be horrendous so we want to get out of town and go on a cruise!!!

Oasis is amazing, we did a b2b western and eastern Caribbean ... Both out of Fort Lauderdale... Awesome cruising and so much to do in these big ships. Give it a go! It's worth it!!

We were on Explorer in January and they had the drink card for $67USD for 10 drinks - the card stated "share your drinks with your family and friends" and was able to be used for:

- premium cocktails (up to $14 value)

- frozen cocktails

- beer

- premium wines by the glass (up to $14 value)

- non-alcoholic cocktails

- bottled water still (500ml)

- premium coffee

- premium tea

- bottled water - sparkling (375ml) or still (500ml)

- fresh squeezed juice

All 10 drinks we had were premium or frozen cocktails.

You cannot use it for the next cruise as it has your voyage # on it. It is a business size card printed on cardboard. We were offered the card on day 3 or 4 of an 11 night cruise from Australia to New Zealand. I purchased it from bar staff in the MDR.

I hope that RCI reads this thread......

In Australia and New Zealand we don't have the problem of over-crowding in the DL and CL. We haven't had the benefit of the Royal ships for as long as the US and cruising has only become really popular in the last few years. The statistics are rising but there are not as many diamond and above C&A members here in Australia. Royal only comes here for half of the year - Carnival and P&O have a few ships all year round so RCI is missing out and they are becoming very popular. When they first arrived in I think 2008 they couldn't fill the ships.

SO, changing the C&A levels worldwide would create unnecessary negative press for RCI. On a recent cruise on Explorer there were 800 C&A members out of the 3200 passengers and only a handful were above Diamond level, of which 1 was pinnacle.

Suite guests and diamond and above C&A members were given access to both lounges, mainly because the CL is on deck 9 in the middle of nowhere with NO windows and very daggy furniture despite Explorer's recent $100m revitalisation.

We've use omnicar ... Stretch limo $99 each way from airport to cbd ... Not the newest cars but very reliable

Picton

Napier

Tauranga

Rotorua

Auckland

Fog somewhere at sea between Auckland and Sydney

Towel friends

The weather was between 27 and 29 degrees in all ports. Definitely not windy Wellington. Beautiful weather!!

Sydwelsh

We were on this cruise as well, totally agree with you about the unsupervised minors, I saw two girls no older than 8 wandering around deck 10 most days - no adults in sight!!! Some parents take significant risks!

I read on Facebook that Chris Brown is going to Explorer at the end of January/early February.

We will be on explorer on sunday so will see if I can confirm this.

buy an apartment on "The World" or just book the royal suite on RCI b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b2b to infinity

Regarding your question about the happy hour .... it does not include the full range of drinks that is available if you say purchase a drink package.

Hopefully someone will come and reply to your question and provide the list but it is basic beers, wines and spirits (no cocktails), although on previous cruises the bartender in the concierge lounge (CL) has promoted a drink of the day (can't remember if it is the same as the one that is listed in the daily newsletter you get in your stateroom.

The CL is only for suite guests and C&A members who are D+ and Pinnacle.

C&A members who are Diamond status and above have access to the Diamond Lounge (DL), it is located adjacent to the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 14 of Explorer of the Seas (EOS).. it is a much nicer venue than the CL which has no windows. I believe that the DL gets very busy as there are very many C&A members who have Diamond status and above, hence Royal Caribbean introduced a system where 3 drinks are added to your sea pass/room key each night which you can get from any bar on the ship rather than going to the DL.

carbon paradise welcome to cc .... you will find so much information on this website.

You will love the RFS ... the lounge for suite guests is called the concierge lounge and it is located on deck 9 just near the elevators. The happy hour is between 5 and 8.30 pm each evening. However there are a lot of other benefits that you get from being in a suite. We are cruising next Sunday and received the usual email that suite guests get from the concierge on board the ship you are cruising on .. here is a cut and paste for you:

As a special VIP guest you are offered exclusive amenities and services not available to other guests onboard Explorer of the Seas. For your convenience, here is a brief summary of those services:

Use of the Concierge Lounge, located on Deck 9 aft.

Complimentary fruit plate and Evian Water (glass bottle) on Boarding Day.

Luxury Spa Bathrobes for onboard use.

Upgraded bathroom amenities.

In-room coffee maker with complimentary coffee.

Complimentary Pressing on the first formal night (available for the attire you will wear on the first formal night).

Continental breakfast served daily in the Concierge Lounge, Deck 9 aft from 7:00 am to 10:00 am.

Hors d’ oeuvres, petit fours and complimentary bar setup served in the Concierge Lounge on deck 9 aft every evening, before and after dinner from 5:00pm to 8:30pm.

Daily menus displayed and assistance for pre-ordering your dinner wine.(Concierge Lounge, Deck 9 aft).

Full Dining Room room-service privilege (available when Dining Room is open , dial 8762 for priority).

Priority reservations for our specialty restaurant, sports activities, Explorations!, Salon and Spa appointments (depending on time, availability), etc...

Priority tender tickets on select itineraries (contact your concierge)

Arrangements for private parties

DVD's and Games for Play Station 3 for your use while onboard

(Can be borrowed during the Concierge hours i.e 8:00 am to 11:30 am - 5:00pm till 8:30pm)

Limited VIP lounge chair set-up near the pool bar area between decks 11 & 12.

Priority Port & Shopping advice.

Priority tendering upon request (contact your concierge)

Business services such as faxes, copies, printing of boarding passes etc..

Priority departure , including an exclusive departure lounge featuring continental breakfast

Limited VIP seats for production shows and ice spectacular shows. (Please show Cruise Director’s staffs your Gold colored Sea Pass card at the entrance 20 minutes prior to the show).or see your Concierge for more information.

Suite guest’s exclusive breakfast will be served at Chop's Grill Restaurant from 7:30 am to 9:30 am during port days and 8:00 am to 10:00 am during days at sea. Also during lunch time at the Windjammer Market Place, meal can be also enjoyed inside the Chop's Grill Restaurant dining area using the main entrance of the restaurant. (Please see your service personnel for directions).

The Concierge Lounge is a private area accessible on a 24-hour basis, with your GOLD Coloured Sea Pass card. The Concierge Lounge has been designated a smoke-free area. We respectfully request that guests observe a Smart Casual attire when visiting the lounge (no swim or pool attire is allowed, footwear is required at all times). To ensure all our guests are able to enjoy this exclusive lounge we require that all guests 20 years and younger must be well behaved and accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

what a great idea for people who don't want to or can't consume a lot of alcohol and it is certainly more affordable than the very expensive drink packages on offer by RCI.

Has anyone seen this on australia/nz cruises lately? Ie. Voyager, Explorer, Radiance or Legend of the seas?