BaikG Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 I realized that no one had started this for Voyager's AMP yet so here it is. I didn't include the actual deck plans as to not clutter the forum and only mentioned changes in the deck plans so things like Laser Tag aren't mentioned. Deck 2 No changes Deck 3 La Scala Theatre renamed Royal Theatre Sapphire Dining Room renamed to Main Dining Room Deck 4 La Scala Theatre renamed Royal Theatre Sapphire Dining Room renamed to Main Dining Room Deck 5 The Golden Room converted to Diamond Lounge Sapphire Dining Room renamed to Main Dining Room Deck 6 No changes Deck 7 No changes Deck 8 5 new 4V Interior staterooms (8127, 8129, 8131, 8133, 8135, 8137) 4 new 4V Interior staterooms replacing Royal Caribbean Online (8321, 8323, 8325, 8327) Deck 9 4 new 4V Interior staterooms replacing the Concierge Club (9329, 9331, 9333, 9335) Deck 10 No changes Deck 11 Vitality at Sea Fitness Center replaced with new staterooms 15 new 4V Interior staterooms (1101, 1103, 1105, 1113, 1115, 1117, 1119, 1151, 1155, 1157, 1159, 1161, 1165, 1167, 1169) 17 new 6D Ocean View Balcony staterooms (1100, 1102, 1106, 1108, 1116, 1118, 11220, 1122, 1150, 1152, 1158, 1160, 1162, 1164, 1166, 1168, 1170) 6 new J4 Junior Suites (1104, 1110, 1112, 1114, 1154, 1156) Deck 12 Johnny Rockets removed Teen Club, Adventure Ocean, and Arcade moved to starboard side Vitality at Sea Fitness Center and Spa moved to former Arcade and Adventure Ocean location port side aft 21 new 4V Interior staterooms in the former Vitality at Sea Spa location (1801, 1803, 1805, 1807, 1809, 1811, 1813, 1815, 1817, 1819, 1821, 1823, 1825, 1827, 1829, 1851, 1853, 1855, 1857, 1859, 1861) Deck 13 The Perfect Storm water slides added Deck 14 Diamond Club converted to Suite Lounge Deck 15 No changes Big Tule, J_Keeble, The Cruise Junkie and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanessa77 Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 Thanks heaps for this! Helpful to see all the changes clearly laid out. Curious about the removal of the Arcade. They are still selling arcade credit on my cruise planner for December. Do you think they will put the game machines somewhere else, and if so where? My Sisters kids will be on this cruise, and I'm sure they'd like to play if there is an arcade available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikG Posted September 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 44 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said: Thanks heaps for this! Helpful to see all the changes clearly laid out. Curious about the removal of the Arcade. They are still selling arcade credit on my cruise planner for December. Do you think they will put the game machines somewhere else, and if so where? My Sisters kids will be on this cruise, and I'm sure they'd like to play if there is an arcade available. The arcade still exists. It will just be a bit smaller and moved to the other side of the same area. Vanessa77 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe01 Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 Why is Johnny Rockets being removed with no additional specialty restaurants? Hoping this doesn't happen on Explorer as well. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 I was looking forward to Johnny Rockets as it is slim pickings without it and I imagine teenagers would love the vibe it had.I thought they might add a new specialty restaurant but it seems the almighty dollar from more passengers won the day....It is good there is a new suite lounge with a view though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 Basically just adding more cabins and moving stuff around a bit. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillo Posted September 16, 2019 Report Share Posted September 16, 2019 I was disappointed with the removal of Johnny Rockets too. Oh well... you cant win them all. For those interested, there is a facebook page "Singapore Cruise Society" where they are getting pics from people on the ship whilst the work is ongoing. Quite cool seeing it all! Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 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. Big Tule, TraceyG and Blundeni 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillo Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 46 minutes ago, bretts173 said: 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. I agree. Unfortunately I think Voyager has been amped for the asian market only and the Australian market suffers. Spectrum of the Seas has been designed for the Asian market and will stay there. Why not leave Voyager there and give us something else. Australia is the biggest cruise market per capita in the world, why not display your best product? TraceyG and Big Tule 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanessa77 Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 @bretts173 I feel like you explained the comparative disappointment in the Voyager AMP perfectly in the Oasis chain. They have sold the Amplification Program as a certain style, and they have not only not delivered on that style for the Voyager, but have fallen far short. If they had simply said that the ship was going in for a refresh/refurbishment, then I don't think we'd have a leg to stand on for being disappointed. But the fact that they are trying to sell this as the same improvement program as Mariner, Navigator, and now Explorer just leaves me really confused. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillo Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 18 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said: If they had simply said that the ship was going in for a refresh/refurbishment, then I don't think we'd have a leg to stand on for being disappointed. But the fact that they are trying to sell this as the same improvement program as Mariner, Navigator, and now Explorer just leaves me really confused. I think you summed it up perfectly @Vanessa77 !! Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattymay Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 Explorer was always going to get the full treatment as it's doing Coco Cay itineraries. We can only home it comes back to Australia after the hype over there dies down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 What a crap AMP that is...how/what would they sell customers on that?....I mean, some waterslides I guess...other than that..its take away stuff, cram more rooms in to make more $$...... What are they changing/getting rid of on deck 11 to add ALL these cabins??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikG Posted September 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 7 minutes ago, monctonguy said: What a crap AMP that is...how/what would they sell customers on that?....I mean, some waterslides I guess...other than that..its take away stuff, cram more rooms in to make more $$...... What are they changing/getting rid of on deck 11 to add ALL these cabins??! They’re moving the gym from Deck 11 forward to Deck 12 aft and turning the old space into cabins. On Deck 12 aft, they got rid of JR and are shrinking AO, the arcade, and the teen space to make room for the gym + spa. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 12 minutes ago, monctonguy said: What a crap AMP that is...how/what would they sell customers on that?....I mean, some waterslides I guess...other than that..its take away stuff, cram more rooms in to make more $$...... What are they changing/getting rid of on deck 11 to add ALL these cabins??! They sold it by advertising all Amps under one banner. To be fair it is still an Amp. An Amputation. monctonguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 They move the Diamond Lounge and I assume smaller now. I think they try to get more money with Suite booking by adding Suite Lounge so now people book on suites feel they get what worth of their money or they can charge more for suite. Still an Amp !!!! they add the slide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 Well I guess this should be good for the customer..more cabins sold means Royal can lower the overall cost of the cabins now for everyone that sails on Voyager..... mworkman and Big Tule 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikG Posted September 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 16 minutes ago, monctonguy said: Well I guess this should be good for the customer..more cabins sold means Royal can lower the overall cost of the cabins now for everyone that sails on Voyager..... As if that will ever happen. I think one of the reasons they are calling this an AMP may be to charge more for cabins... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 I was being very sarcastic....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 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. Big Tule, Matt and The Cruise Junkie 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 So we Aussies must wait for the promised cruise until 2022 to get what everyone else is being delivered now ...but hey you can pay for the amp while you wait also 'demand from our guests exceeded the berths available on the remaining ships' seems to sum up the mistake they made catering only to the 'needs of our Asia guests ' Australia is getting a raw deal from Royal Caribbean and excuses do not explain increased fares with decreased amenities ...I am not complaining on my account I am booked into a suite for my next cruise on Voyager and will enjoy the new suite lounge but if I were a family with teenagers who love JR or a gym junkie I would not at all feel happy about the changes. I will be looking for a different ship when planning another cruise with RC and probably an oversea departure port as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 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. Big Tule and TraceyG 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanessa77 Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 2 hours ago, bretts173 said: we are already in planning for further ‘amplification work during her next scheduled out of service period in 2022. I wonder if this is in response to feedback the have received on this current 'amplification'. Also, dang 2022 is ages away. I'm sure the ship will be lovely and fresh when she is out of dry dock, but if I book another cruise it wont be on her when there are ships like Ovation going from the same port. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 8 hours ago, bretts173 said: 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. Corporate BS...they all do this....and hope that with their rambling on's or big words or pretty sentences the common person will shut up or put up with whatever they are complaining about... Its all spin.....fake news..whatever descriptive words you want to use...they all use them..it means nothing, nor do they care at the end of the day about your concern or issue or complaint......."it's all about the Benjamin's baby...."..lol They added more rooms which means more $$ for them, you lose space and enjoyment as a client.......sounds about right. Don't ever think they do anything for you or the customer at the end of the day..its all about $$$ for them. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 9 hours ago, bretts173 said: 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. I think this is a fair and honest explanation. They thought they were going to send Voyager to Asia, and planned the refurb for that market. As it turns out, they will change and a new refurb will come later. While that doesn't make the reality better in the short term, it does confirm that RC is not actively looking to ignore/overlook the Australian cruise market. Gavin didn't dress up the response with marketing slogans and confusing terminology. He shared a pretty insightful look into what they were thinking, and what the plans are now. Jmccaffrey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 I am inclined to agree with monctonguy I think there is an element of spin. The next amplification is not commencing till 2022 ,also the new class of cruise ships to be powered by liquefied natural gas and fuel cell tech will soon be here and Voyager was built in 1999,it is hardly an enlightened economic decision to throw more money into an aging ship ..The NSW govt is near making a decision on building another port to accommodate more cruises at Botany Bay in Sydney so I can foresee a change in plans to bring bigger ships to Australia..but that is a long way away and unfortunately I fear the cruisers down under will have to deal with second best for some time yet monctonguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 "I think you will find Voyager of the Seas looking amazing when she returns to Sydney" This is the BS spin.....couple name changes to things and 72 new cabins.......she's coming back with a bunch of stuff taken out and cabins added..so more people and less space and things to do...why would this be beautiful or answer the questions/concerns that the person had? Sure..in 2.5 years there will be some updates to her apparently....but to try and make adding cabins and taking away space as beautiful is bit of a stretch and if you fall for that, a little gullible. Don't get me wrong.....I love Royal and their ships...I just tend to have a very critical and negative views of CEO's and companies when they try to tell you what they think you want to hear, but don't really..or try to sell you on something that benefit's them and not you as the customer. Almost all companies do it at some point in time. That being said..still Loyal to Royal here.....they offer a superior experience and product over other cruise lines IMHO. Big Tule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen Posted September 29, 2019 Report Share Posted September 29, 2019 Is there a deck by deck explanation of changes for Explorer?I saw the video, but this deck by deck is xamle is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambia-Zaire Posted September 29, 2019 Report Share Posted September 29, 2019 On 9/26/2019 at 9:53 AM, monctonguy said: "I think you will find Voyager of the Seas looking amazing when she returns to Sydney" This is the BS spin.....couple name changes to things and 72 new cabins.......she's coming back with a bunch of stuff taken out and cabins added..so more people and less space and things to do...why would this be beautiful or answer the questions/concerns that the person had? Sure..in 2.5 years there will be some updates to her apparently....but to try and make adding cabins and taking away space as beautiful is bit of a stretch and if you fall for that, a little gullible. Sure, there's some element of spin here; however, it appear to me, a Royal blunder or miscalculation was made concerning the viable demand for the Asian market, over the delight of Australia, at that time, as was admitted to. Removing or reducing certain venues & adding more cabins, to appease the Asian market is not surprising to me...every Western Corporation is trying to solidify a strong foothold in that market, to the detriment of other more established markets. So, work had already been committed to, via contracts; but, the next available opening for Amping this much like its sister ships is 2.5 years away, in 2022 unfortunately. An expensive blunder removing & refitting a ship twice, in such a short period of time; but, I do find his answer to be fairly forthcoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillo Posted September 30, 2019 Report Share Posted September 30, 2019 On 9/27/2019 at 12:35 AM, Big Tule said: The NSW govt is near making a decision on building another port to accommodate more cruises at Botany Bay in Sydney so I can foresee a change in plans to bring bigger ships to Australia..but that is a long way away and unfortunately I fear the cruisers down under will have to deal with second best for some time yet and with the new port being built in Brisbane, it will ensure more larger ships come down here too! Big Tule and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanenz84 Posted October 1, 2019 Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 Looks like a first for the Voyager Class, Voyager of the Seas has been painted with a blue hull! Check out the FB page Singapore Cruise Society for the pic! monctonguy and Big Tule 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted October 1, 2019 Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 Hmmm, Playmakers, Bamboo room, a full size Gym or a Blue hull. Tough choices there. FML monctonguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted October 1, 2019 Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 Yeah..I hear that paint is expensive........I guess if it comes down to more things and spaces for customers..or more cabins to sell to pay for the paint..we know what wins out..lol Really..blue hull?....Not impressed....looks cheap....one thing I liked about Royal is how white their ships are...very classy and regal looking...guess they are going the way of Celebrity....I hope they don't get to the point of looking like NCL ships.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikG Posted October 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 2 minutes ago, monctonguy said: Yeah..I hear that paint is expensive........I guess if it comes down to more things and spaces for customers..or more cabins to sell to pay for the paint..we know what wins out..lol Really..blue hull?....Not impressed....looks cheap....one thing I liked about Royal is how white their ships are...very classy and regal looking...guess they are going the way of Celebrity....I hope they don't get to the point of looking like NCL ships.. It’s not that kind of blue. It’s really light, just to match the Quantum class and Oasis class ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted October 1, 2019 Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 I was picturing Celebrity blue......its such a faint blue(if you can even call it that) that I didn't even notice unless I blow up a pic and look real close at OA or Quantum class ships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattymay Posted October 1, 2019 Report Share Posted October 1, 2019 "We'll paint the hull blue and maybe they wont notice anything missing!" Personally I like the different colour hull on Oasis and Quantum. Interested to see how it's going to work on Voyager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanessa77 Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 18 hours ago, Shanenz84 said: Looks like a first for the Voyager Class, Voyager of the Seas has been painted with a blue hull! Check out the FB page Singapore Cruise Society for the pic! Could this be another move to do with the Asian market? If all the ships stationed there are Quantum class and have a blue hull, then this would aid them in presenting a more uniform fleet to the Asian market, and have Voyager stand out less from the other ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattymay Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 The Cruise Junkie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanessa77 Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Also, someone posted a letter from Royal in the Singapore cruise society FB page explaining that their April 21st 2021 cruise on voyager has been cancelled because they want to start the dry dock earlier than was previously scheduled. So it does indeed look like they are rectifying their mistake with regards to cancelling the full amplification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikG Posted October 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 21 hours ago, Vanessa77 said: Could this be another move to do with the Asian market? If all the ships stationed there are Quantum class and have a blue hull, then this would aid them in presenting a more uniform fleet to the Asian market, and have Voyager stand out less from the other ships. And with that I wonder if they’ll paint the ship name in the new style font (like on QN and OA class) on the hull? J_Keeble 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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