Rob&Ana

Congratulations it really is the best perk Royal offers in my opinion....access to the Diamond Lounge. Inside you will meet some great people, they offer a breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day and a great social event for 3 hours in the evening with drinks and appetizers. There is a great espresso machine for lattes all day and the lounge is available 24/7 for you to enjoy, read a book and the view from many Diamond Lounges is amazing. You will also have access to the Diamond Concierge who can help you with many things and save you so much time as you will never need to go to guest services....

Enjoy your new status!

3 hours ago, twangster said:

I saw post from an Ovation guest who boarded and read in the Cruise Compass that Coastal Kitchen is for Sky and Star Class Suites so she didn't try.  Bad choice for her not to pursue it because as of right now Coastal Kitchen dinner is still included for JS on Ovation.  All she had to do as a JS guest was go there like other JS guests did.

The confusion comes from how different ships handle this.  While Ovation Cruise compass says Sky and Star Class, Anthem reads All Suites.  Oasis is different again.  Then once on board sometimes a JS can make reservation for the week on one ship but only one night at a time on another ship.  Typical Royal Caribbean, every ship is different.

As of right now it's still a stated benefit of Sea Class (JS):

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-rooms/royal-suite-class

This is where I first saw the news... I had a friend on Ovation tell me they were only allowed if space was available....someone from Royal told him that it was in the works to remove the JS from this perk.

I herd a rumor that Junior Suites will no longer have access to Costa Kitchen for dinner.

Not sure if anyone can shed more light or confirm/deny this info.

Royal will keep you and your family safe, it does happen that sometime because of a storm they need to change or drop a port but always think it's for your safety.

My advice is enjoy the ship, there is so much to do aboard the Allure that you will not have a dull moment and take things as they come and make the best of your vacation.

Anything you have booked thru Royal they will keep you informed. If you booked with local tour guides you will need to keep them informed and my need to cancel or reschedule tours.

I hope everything works out for the best for you.

Wow it's nice to know people are paying attention and are ready to act when an Emergancy arises. Good Job!

Next year we will try the drive from Boston to Baltimore....One way car rental and 1 nights hotel is cheaper than a flight....at least at todays prices...I will keep looking closer to the date in case a cheaper flight comes available. 

Issue is we will be in Spain and I found a super cheap flight to Boston.....it was $500 more each to go to Baltimore or Washinton….so Road Trip....for under $300-$400 we can do Hotel, car and gas...and a whole lot of fun....priceless....

13 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

I have been to Oahu multiple times on business, and I have found it underwhelming--expensive, a lot of tourists, long lines, much poverty, ridiculous traffic.  That said, I yearn to climb Diamond Head,  it is easy to drive around the island in a few hours,  and there are many beautiful locations.  I agree with @fonemanbob  that the Arizona Memorial is a moving experience, and that Oahu is very commercialized.   The people were very helpful and friendly, as a rule.  So like anyplace, be realistic about your expectations (it's not heaven), and you'll enjoy it. But truly, everything in Hawaii is 25-35% more expensive than the mainland. Have a great trip!

We have a rental car booked for Hilo for the day and Honolulu. Diamond Head is on our list for sure and Waikiki Beach and for Hilo we are still deciding on what to visit.

5 minutes ago, bokx2 said:

My first cruise was on Legend of the Seas

Ours too, it was Mediterranean B 7 night cruise in 1999....wow those were the days.....cherries jubilee, flaming baked Alaska, self serve ice cream from a cart....5 course dinner....ah the good ol days...chocolates on the pillow...

I still have not paid more than what we paid for our first cruise for a 7 day cruise to date....

Many of these ship are still about just under different companies....Legend and Splendor are part of Marella Cruises (Royal has a big share in that company) Sovereign and Monarch are part of Pullmantur Cruises (Royal has a big share in them too) I guess it makes sense to keep the good ships in the family.

On Pullmantur they even have the same linens as Royal use to have...at least they did last time we sailed them.

That would be awesome, I love to play the slots but my time is limited by the smoke smell (Sometimes it's limited because I run out of money....). I think it was on Grandeur that they had these smoke eaters...kind of a humidifier looking thing that filtered the air, they had 5 or 6 of them in the casino and it was better but NO SMOKING would be best.

The Jewel is an awesome ship, it's a smaller than the Voyager Class....no Promenade... but the ship is very well appointed. 

One big plus is the indoor pool and solarium, sometimes in northern Europe the weather can be cold so this is nice to have on those days. The Jewel is the same size as the Norwegian Gem (90,000 Tonnes) and has lots of thing to do and a beautiful centrum where they host a lot of events. The northern Europe cruises are very port intense so you will be kept busy. Another thing I love about the Jewel is it has an outside eating area just behind the Windjammer so you can have lunch outside with an amazing view from deck 11 if the weather is nice.

I am sure you will have a great time aboard the Jewel of the Seas.

Enjoy your cruise!

3 hours ago, Jaymac Radio said:

Here What I Think Explorer Will Get In Drydock.

• The Perfect Storm Slides Cyclone and Typhoon.
• Glow-In-The-Dark Laser Tag.
• Redesign Of Explorer Dedicated Teens Spaces And Adventure Ocean.
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.
• The Lime & Coconut Bar.
• Fish And Ships.
• Playmakers Sports Bar.

Some more cabins in there too....I just hope they don't mess with the spa....specifically the sauna and steam rooms....

If I remember correctly it was $25 for lunch and $35 for dinner, last year anyways.

I wonder how they decide which ships get the machines....

When we were on in June the HD told us in 2020 (March 01 thru to May 07 2020) and that it would be a Mariner/Navigator type amplification.

I'm guessing they will not do the trampoline thing since the law suit....

This is hard to say, when we did the Norwegian Fjords in June our ship (Explorer OTS) was in port a 7ish and we were sitting on the Royal Caribbean bus to take us to Gatwick at 8:15am.

I was reading that a few weeks after there was an issue in the port the night before and the ship got in late, 8:30-9am if I remember correctly.

Its generally quite good in the UK but you never know....

Does anyone know if the menu has changed? The original menu was awesome and they changed it to just tacos....but herd a rumor that they went back to original with proper entrees....we will be on Liberty in October but just wondering if I should be thinking about eating there again....Thanks!

22 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes, they open from 12pm - 1:30pm on embarkation day.  You will find it very quiet and relaxing there.  The lunch menu is just ok, but you will get peace and quiet.

And you can also get a beer, wine or a soda from the SL if it's an Oasis Class ship

It's a great thing to be addicted too, a bit expensive but well worth it. Enjoy!

I guess that's their way of justifying not taking a cruise....

You will be able to give them first hand info when you get back!

Enjoy your cruise!

We are traveling on the Radiance to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and would love any insight anyone can offer.

Sorry just to clarify did the other people get the grand prize for the FREE Cruise? Or did no one get it....

I don't feel it's really a scam if someone does actually win the prize, I guess if it was cash $5000 you could have split the prize but a FREE Cruise can't be split so it makes sense that there can only be one winner. 

Interesting you would have thought the taxes and fees were fixed per sailing....good to know.

1 hour ago, BigBrust said:

RobandAnna- I was also offered a Royal Up this week. I also thought it was a bit strange as well since I haven’t been assigned a cabin yet. Figured I would take my chances with what they give me and go from there. 

I am thinking of doing the same.....lets see what happens....

Just now, marti314 said:

But based on the number of specialty restaurants on radiance you would be at the same one or two for 10 days and nights.   Doesnt sound enjoyable...

Yes I agree, plus with 5 sea days we could technically have both lunch and dinner...I think its just too much...we have never done more than the 5 night on longer cruises.