bretts173

Surprised they even know.
2 phonecalls and 3 messages to them asking about Johnny Rockets over the past month and I was told yes it will definitely be there in some form. Wrong. 
The latest conversation was the best hands down, after asking i got a message back 10 minutes later saying yes will be on board. When I informed them that someone currenly on the first sailing has said no that is incorrect they went and checked and replied 10 minutes later with, "Sorry to mislead you, no Johnny Rockets but please take advantage of our new dining options". Haha this should be good, I replied "Please tell me what they are" and they came back with "Sorry There is nothing new on Voyager"
When I explined that Johnny Rockets is still advertised on the website on the ships page they wanted me to provide a screenshot for them. I politely declined.
To be fair not all that fussed tht there is no Johnny Rockets but something else for a ship that size and now with an extra 150 people would be good.

Last cruise I was sat next to a loud drunk obnoxious Texan who was smoking (which is fine). What was not fine was that he was continually blowing smoke towards me and my face. I asked him to stop politely and so did the staff. Next time he did it I poured the rest of my drink on him. When he complained I said you wanted to share your cigar I wanted to share my drink. He was escorted out and the staff got me another drink.
 

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

The new Perfect Day for the South Pacific has been announced for Vanautu.
 
To be ready for 2022. More details to come.

To me this is what has made cruising less and less desirable for us average people. The greater space and benefits people are taking up beacuse they have the money to pay for it (and dont say but I have worked hard, many people work hard just in lower paying jobs) thus reducing everyone elses cruise experience. 
Seriously dedicated times for thing like florider, best seats at the theatre and especially pools shouldnt even be an option.

I
If you read correctly I said the guy was blowing the smoke directly into my face.  And I did not throw the drink at him, just gently poured it on him.  I also said it was fine that he was smoking by the way because that is legal.
i find it interesting that smokers suggest that a little harmless liquid can lead to charges of assault when carcinogenic smoke was blown straight into someones face.
 

Last cruise I was sat next to a loud drunk obnoxious Texan who was smoking (which is fine). What was not fine was that he was continually blowing smoke towards me and my face. I asked him to stop politely and so did the staff. Next time he did it I poured the rest of my drink on him. When he complained I said you wanted to share your cigar I wanted to share my drink. He was escorted out and the staff got me another drink.
 

Hmmm, Playmakers, Bamboo room, a full size Gym or a Blue hull. Tough choices there. FML
 

My correspondence and reply, all this does is tell me that there is a great demand in Australiabut hey we will still give you what s left over. Dear Sir,
 
I write to you in attempt to understand where you see the future of your company in Australia and why there seems to be an apparent lack of respect for us cruisers Down Under. All Voyager class ships were advertised as receiving the big Amplification under the same banner, new features, bars and restaurants.
 Today with the announcement of the Explorer Amp, it seems only Voyager has been left out.
 Now as I see it Voyager will see a decrease in public space while gaining yet more cabins. The suite lounge will be enhanced but most rooms added are interior. 
 According to the new deck plans Johnny rockets will be removed (or replaced by Johnny rockets express potentially) but no new bars or restaurant facilities added to handle the extra people as has been included on other ships.
 What makes things worse is that when questioned RCI reps have replied to my polite questions with the response to any changes that this information will be given out after the drydock is completed.
 I booked my next cruise on Voyager having seen the wonderful things done on her sisters and the advertising and pre announcement buzz but feel a little short changed. 
 I am just one of many on our local cruise forums who are concerned about where we are heading.
 Regards
 
THE REPLY
  Good morning 
 
Many thanks for your email to Michael Bayley regarding Voyager of the Seas ‘amplification’. Please know that whilst I look after our commercial activities outside of North America and China, I am an Aussie, living with my family in Sydney, and I have been responsible for the Australian business for more than 10 years. On that basis, I confirm that there is no lack of respect for our local cruise guests - in fact our local market is highly regarded and very much respected within our corporation.
I would like to share some of my thoughts with you to answer your questions and concerns. As you know, Voyager of the Seas is a much loved member of the Royal Caribbean International fleet, and she has enjoyed amazing popularity in Australia. We redeployed Voyager away from Australia in 2018 to satisfy demand we were experiencing in Asia, and at that time we revised the ‘amplification’ scope to consider the needs of our Asia guests where the ship was expected to remain for some years. The impact on the Australian business of removing the ship was significant, and demand from our guests exceeded the berths available on the remaining ships. For this reason, we decided to bring Voyager back to Australia for the coming summer. Unfortunately, we were not able to re-schedule the full ‘Aussie amplification’ as the scope of work had already been agreed, and the time out of service had been published. I think you will find Voyager of the Seas looking amazing when she returns to Sydney, and we are already in planning for further ‘amplification work during her next scheduled out of service period in 2022.
Please be assured that we will do everything we can to make every guest experience onboard Voyager of the Seas memorable, on every cruise, every year. I do hope you are able to continue to support Royal Caribbean in Australia and I hope we see you onboard again soon.
 
Kind regards
 
Gavin
 
Gavin Smith
SVP International
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

My correspondence and reply, all this does is tell me that there is a great demand in Australiabut hey we will still give you what s left over. Dear Sir,
 
I write to you in attempt to understand where you see the future of your company in Australia and why there seems to be an apparent lack of respect for us cruisers Down Under. All Voyager class ships were advertised as receiving the big Amplification under the same banner, new features, bars and restaurants.
 Today with the announcement of the Explorer Amp, it seems only Voyager has been left out.
 Now as I see it Voyager will see a decrease in public space while gaining yet more cabins. The suite lounge will be enhanced but most rooms added are interior. 
 According to the new deck plans Johnny rockets will be removed (or replaced by Johnny rockets express potentially) but no new bars or restaurant facilities added to handle the extra people as has been included on other ships.
 What makes things worse is that when questioned RCI reps have replied to my polite questions with the response to any changes that this information will be given out after the drydock is completed.
 I booked my next cruise on Voyager having seen the wonderful things done on her sisters and the advertising and pre announcement buzz but feel a little short changed. 
 I am just one of many on our local cruise forums who are concerned about where we are heading.
 Regards
 
THE REPLY
  Good morning 
 
Many thanks for your email to Michael Bayley regarding Voyager of the Seas ‘amplification’. Please know that whilst I look after our commercial activities outside of North America and China, I am an Aussie, living with my family in Sydney, and I have been responsible for the Australian business for more than 10 years. On that basis, I confirm that there is no lack of respect for our local cruise guests - in fact our local market is highly regarded and very much respected within our corporation.
I would like to share some of my thoughts with you to answer your questions and concerns. As you know, Voyager of the Seas is a much loved member of the Royal Caribbean International fleet, and she has enjoyed amazing popularity in Australia. We redeployed Voyager away from Australia in 2018 to satisfy demand we were experiencing in Asia, and at that time we revised the ‘amplification’ scope to consider the needs of our Asia guests where the ship was expected to remain for some years. The impact on the Australian business of removing the ship was significant, and demand from our guests exceeded the berths available on the remaining ships. For this reason, we decided to bring Voyager back to Australia for the coming summer. Unfortunately, we were not able to re-schedule the full ‘Aussie amplification’ as the scope of work had already been agreed, and the time out of service had been published. I think you will find Voyager of the Seas looking amazing when she returns to Sydney, and we are already in planning for further ‘amplification work during her next scheduled out of service period in 2022.
Please be assured that we will do everything we can to make every guest experience onboard Voyager of the Seas memorable, on every cruise, every year. I do hope you are able to continue to support Royal Caribbean in Australia and I hope we see you onboard again soon.
 
Kind regards
 
Gavin
 
Gavin Smith
SVP International
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

My correspondence and reply, all this does is tell me that there is a great demand in Australiabut hey we will still give you what s left over. Dear Sir,
 
I write to you in attempt to understand where you see the future of your company in Australia and why there seems to be an apparent lack of respect for us cruisers Down Under. All Voyager class ships were advertised as receiving the big Amplification under the same banner, new features, bars and restaurants.
 Today with the announcement of the Explorer Amp, it seems only Voyager has been left out.
 Now as I see it Voyager will see a decrease in public space while gaining yet more cabins. The suite lounge will be enhanced but most rooms added are interior. 
 According to the new deck plans Johnny rockets will be removed (or replaced by Johnny rockets express potentially) but no new bars or restaurant facilities added to handle the extra people as has been included on other ships.
 What makes things worse is that when questioned RCI reps have replied to my polite questions with the response to any changes that this information will be given out after the drydock is completed.
 I booked my next cruise on Voyager having seen the wonderful things done on her sisters and the advertising and pre announcement buzz but feel a little short changed. 
 I am just one of many on our local cruise forums who are concerned about where we are heading.
 Regards
 
THE REPLY
  Good morning 
 
Many thanks for your email to Michael Bayley regarding Voyager of the Seas ‘amplification’. Please know that whilst I look after our commercial activities outside of North America and China, I am an Aussie, living with my family in Sydney, and I have been responsible for the Australian business for more than 10 years. On that basis, I confirm that there is no lack of respect for our local cruise guests - in fact our local market is highly regarded and very much respected within our corporation.
I would like to share some of my thoughts with you to answer your questions and concerns. As you know, Voyager of the Seas is a much loved member of the Royal Caribbean International fleet, and she has enjoyed amazing popularity in Australia. We redeployed Voyager away from Australia in 2018 to satisfy demand we were experiencing in Asia, and at that time we revised the ‘amplification’ scope to consider the needs of our Asia guests where the ship was expected to remain for some years. The impact on the Australian business of removing the ship was significant, and demand from our guests exceeded the berths available on the remaining ships. For this reason, we decided to bring Voyager back to Australia for the coming summer. Unfortunately, we were not able to re-schedule the full ‘Aussie amplification’ as the scope of work had already been agreed, and the time out of service had been published. I think you will find Voyager of the Seas looking amazing when she returns to Sydney, and we are already in planning for further ‘amplification work during her next scheduled out of service period in 2022.
Please be assured that we will do everything we can to make every guest experience onboard Voyager of the Seas memorable, on every cruise, every year. I do hope you are able to continue to support Royal Caribbean in Australia and I hope we see you onboard again soon.
 
Kind regards
 
Gavin
 
Gavin Smith
SVP International
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

While the reply was welcome, he doesnt seem to grasp that the biggest gripe is that many of us only booked Voyager because of the advertising and hype. Didnt really answer the concerns the general customer has.

They sold it by advertising all Amps under one banner. To be fair it is still an Amp.  An Amputation. 

Now with the release of the details of Explorers refit announced, those down under who are left with Voyager must be scratching their heads. All ships were anounced under the Royal Amplification program and made people excited and want to book them. Navigator, Mariner and now Explorer have certainly been Amplified while the Australian/NZ market gets Voyager which has been AMPUTATED.
Removal of public space/restaurants and the addition of extra cabins is going to make this clearly the least desirable of all Voyager class ships.
 

Try watching Monday night football on Tuesday like I do each week. Then try explaining it to your kids.

The new deck plans for Voyager show no Johnny Rockets anywhere and images I have seen in the last week show the current Johnny Rockets totally demolished. However all Royal reps say that it will still be on after the Amp but at the same time can not or will not tell me where. Anyone have a clue?
 

The amplification of all ships compared to Voyager shows what it is important. Voyager recieved the adition of the waterslides as the only real positive. To add 70+ cabins and actually take away dining options is terrible.  Both Mariner and navigator get playmakers and the Bamboo room. Mariner has Boleros, Nav Hooked.  Mariner Johhny Rockets and Doghouse. Navigator Johnny rockets and El Loco Fresh. Voyager has none of these.
 
Can you see them swapping either of the other 2 ships with Voyager. I dont think so. 

I have a boardwalk balcony booked for May 2020 on symphony... I can see their point about overlapping promos, and can even understand changing what their doing. I’m sailing just my two kids and myself and they don’t drink soda, and I got the drink package. We would have def used the Johnny rockets ... but I absolutely cannot understand how they change what people have already had has part of what they booked. I work retail and I can tell you if my company tried something like this all heck would break lose. I am going to call and complain on principle and to help in the cause ... good luck to all ... and may the force be with you ? 

The most amazing thing is, when booking through the Australian site they are still advertising the package.
 

Well done, there is no way this is legal.  Now to work on the rest of the false advertising.