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Off topic, a bit. Is there anyway that I could email Cap Lis to find out if she will be on board for a sailing that we might book?

I know that I could try to figure it out by the calendar. do the Captains do 10 weeks on and 10 weeks off?

Thank you all for your replies. I have not heard from the CL, but, sent another note asking for a reply that it was received and forwarded to the proper department me me. I will let you know if I ever hear from her!

I may also try using the RCCL website to get my message to the manager of Giovanni's to set up a party in advance for Carl's BIG birthday!

Sent a note to the concierge on the Navigator. Did not get a response. Has the email address changed? (I know that some now have an "01" in them.) Help!

Also, the spreadsheet that I see on this thread appears to have suite info. Where did the Cl spreadsheet go?

Thanks!

The part of Captain Liz coming to the Jewel is no longer a rumor, according to Captain Liz.

 

Rick

Hi Rick!

When I first posted this info, I got it directly from several high level officers on the Jewel in September. Never thought of it as a rumor!

Love Captain Liz, will have to look for a cruise on the Jewel!

Who's on GR today?

 

Adventure OTS - Capt Tomas Busto (started rotation 8-22-15)

Adventure OTS - Capt Toni Calne

Allure OTS - Capt Tore Grimstad (started rotation 8-2-15)

Allure OTS - Capt Johnny Faevelen

Anthem OTS - Capt Claus Andersen (started rotation 8-29-15)

Anthem OTS - Capt Gus Andersson

Brilliance OTS - Capt Stig Nilsen (started rotation 9-27-15)

Brilliance OTS - Capt Ole-Johan Gronhaug

Enchantment OTS - Capt Göran Peterson (started rotation 9-14-15)

Enchantment OTS - Capt Shawn McDuff

Explorer OTS - Capt Kjetil Gjerstad (started rotation 10-2-15)

Explorer OTS - Capt Rick Sullivan

Freedom OTS - Capt Espen Been (started rotation 10-4-15)

Freedom OTS - Capt Tor Olsen

Grandeur OTS - Capt tbd (started rotation 10-4-15)

Grandeur OTS - Capt Trond Holm

Harmony OTS - Capt Gus Andersson

Harmony OTS - Capt Johnny Faevelen

Independence OTS - Capt Manolis Kasselas (started rotation 9-27-15)

Independence OTS - Capt Henrik W Loy

Jewel OTS - Capt Thore Thorolvsen (started rotation 8-7-15)

Jewel OTS - Capt Dustin Castelsky

Legend OTS - Capt Kjell Nordmo (started rotation 8-2-15)

Legend OTS - Capt Arild Hansen

Liberty OTS - Capt James MacDonald (started rotation 10-3-15)

Liberty OTS - Capt Teo Strazicic

Majesty OTS - Capt Per Persson (started rotation 8-31-15)

Majesty OTS - Capt Erik Standahl

Mariner OTS - Capt Flemming Nielsen (started rotation 8-9-15)

Mariner OTS - Capt Yngvar Knutsen

Navigator OTS - Capt Frank Martinsen (started rotation 9-20-15)

Navigator OTS - Capt Aris Medina

Oasis OTS - Capt Per Kristoffersen (started rotation 8-22-15)

Oasis OTS - Capt Trym Selvag

Ovation OTS -

Ovation OTS -

Quantum OTS - Capt Srecko Felix Ban (started rotation 9-23-15)

Quantum OTS - Capt Henrik Loft Sørensen

Radiance OTS - Capt Carl Graucob (started rotation 9-11-15)

Radiance OTS - Capt Göran Peterson

Rhapsody OTS - Capt Gustavo Feduzi (started rotation 8-7-15)

Rhapsody OTS - Capt Rob Hempstead

Serenade OTS - Capt Krzyszthof Szymkarczuk (started rotation 8-30-15)

Serenade OTS - Capt Anders Ingebrigtsen

Splendour OTS - Capt Diego Lombardic (started rotation 8-29-15)

Splendour OTS - Capt Iv Vidos

Vision OTS - Capt Lis Lauritzen (started rotation 8-6-15)

Vision OTS - Capt Marek Slaby

Voyager OTS - Capt Sindre Borsheim (started rotation 8-4-15)

Voyager OTS - Capt Sverre Ryan

Just got off the Jewel and I was informed that Captain Liz will take over the Jewel from Captain Thor in November.

Thank you to all of the reporters!

I haven't seen anything saying the formal dress won't be enforced. I have read that it is a little more of a relaxed formal and that the first night will be casual due to luggage delivery, but I believe it still will be dressier then the other restaurants.

 

Where did you here that it won't be enforced?

A friend of ours on board went to the Grande in slacks and a collared shirt......

Normally it will be forfeited, it's only normally non-Royal given credit that will be refunded

Normally, that is correct. Except.....go to the casino and take the money out. It will cost you 5%, but, we do it all the time. Since it was RCCL'money, it is worth the 5% to us!

Hi Tracy, Are you being charged for your second ripcord reservation? I heard the first minute is free, but they were planning on charging $49.95 for an additional two minutes. How much time do you have to spend getting instructions, before you get suited up and head into the wind tunnel?

 

Thanks for posting your experiences on the Quantum!!! :)

 

-Sarah

A few days ago, they posted that the second one is also free. Only restriction is that you can't book another one until after you do the first one.

Thanks, everyone.

Sorry that I have not thanked you all sooner. Been off on other cruise research for cruises that we are taking before this one.

Again, thanks for such great info!

We will be in Dubai for 2 nights before our cruise.

Never having been there, I am curious regarding what part of the city would you recommend. Fortunately, we have points for Holiday Inn and Renaissance hotels.

Any recommendations for the best area to stay in?

A belated Happy Birthday, and thanks for your great review!

 

 

 

I think that it's more likely that you are the beneficiary of numerous comments made by people who are very experienced Royal Caribbean cruisers and know how things are supposed to run on a ship. We had issues with service on Brilliance and, once she returned to the US market, they installed new management and the ship did a 180, from the reports I've gotten. It's heartening to see that Legend is perhaps doing the same.

Hi Jean,

Carl and I remember the Brilliance officers and crew very well on that cruise! It was awful....

Happy to see the report today that both D+ and Gold members think that the staff is awesome!

I believe that if a lot of dissatisfied folks write to Miami (and not just compalin to each other) things do happen. I wrote to Adam last week and quoted a lot of the issues that I found on CC and in personal emails from friends because we are booked on the TA and we were very concerned about what we had heard on the Legend...especially the members cruise doing the Panama Canal. Recieved a call from one of the executive assists and was told that they do monitor CC and have addressed some of the issues.

Made our final payment for the TA yesyerday and I am so happy that I found this board and that Lisa has taken the time to keep us all updated!

Thnaks, Lisa!

After 4 days I would like to address the issue of the “surly staff”. I have yet to encounter any member of the staff that is not friendly. While some staff members are more outgoing than others, the entire staff is friendly and happy to answer questions and help out. We have talk to members of the maintenance team, to room stewards, wait staff, and management. They are all great. I honestly don’t understand the sour comments on the staff. They are simply wonderful.

 

I do think that some of the negative comments come from cruisers that did not do thorough research of the Vision Class ships. If you are expecting a Freedom Class or Oasis Class experience on the Legend, then you will be disappointed. If you are doing this cruise with full knowledge that this is a small ship and sailing for the itinerary, then I think you will be happy. Since we did the Vision in 2012 we knew what our cruise experience would be like. So far the Legend crew has exceeded the Vision crew of last winter. Kudos.

 

Lisa and Walt

Thank you so much for your reviews and for addressing the staff issue. I, too, had heard a lot of negative comments on the staff. I will be making the final payment on on the 16 night Legend TA this week and will do so feeling much better after reading your reviews! I would think that after all the negatives, Miami probably addressed the issues with the Capatain and Hotel Director of the Legend.

I did a walking tour in Istanbul of Haiga Sophia, hippodrome area , and Chora church and lunch at a restaraunt near the Chora church.

 

The tour guide was Cihan Sevil. Here is his email address: chnsvl@gmail.com

He was one of the best tour guides I have had ever. HIs depth of knowledge, and passion for his city was apparent.

He is in his late twenties. His knowledge of these Byzantine sites made for a great day. We also talked about modern Turkey, culture, early Christianity, Sultanmet history. He met us at our hotel Sari Kanak , which was located near the Blue Mosque. After our visit to sites nearby, he called for a taxi to take us to the Chora church area and a taxi back to our hotel. This tour was post cruise while we were staying in Istanbul .

There was just the two of us and Cihan. I hope to get back to Istanbul again

and would hire him again in a heart beat.

 

I also organized a tour for 8 from our ship for a tour of Suelimanye Mosque and Topkapi palace, museums. I used Ekol tours and our guide Hassan meet us at the port and we had a large van. he gave us plenty of time to exolore the various areas of Topkapi on our own. With eight people many of us had different interests while on the palace grounds.Everyone siad that this tour was beyond their expectations.

whatever you do you are in for a treat. I absolutely loved Istanbul.

Thank you! Now I will have to do my research on what sights we will want to see in the timeframe that we have from the ship!

We used Kosagan Tours http://www.toursinistanbul.com/lale.html to take us round the Topkapi Palace.

and were well pleased. Kagan was our guide and he was very personable and knowledgeable, and I heard similar comments about his wife, Lale. All the best, Tony

Thank you, I will check them out!

In 2007, we used a fabulous tour guide named Levent Somalaz. However, I can no longer find him on the Internet....maybe he retired?

If anyone can recommend a tour guide for Istanbul, I would really appreciate it!

Question for you!

We are on the Legend for a TA next April. Some are saing on that thread that:

1. Your account info is not availaboe of your TV

2. On the safe in your cabin, you use the magnetic strip on a card....not a combination.

Some are unhappy with these two issues.

Can you confirm these ?

Noise was a non issue. Cabin was very quiet.

 

However, soot was an issue. This was the first time we had such a bad soot issue. The balcony was still usable but you have to clean the loungers or ask your stateroom attendant to clean them.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. We are on the Legend in December and again for a transatlantic in April!

Sail-away. View from our balcony. You can see the Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer.

 

Hi,

Just a quick question. On the deck plans on the RCCL website it says that there is a sports area on deck 9 riight above theAFT JS cabins on deck 8. Being very nervous about that, I have avoided th AFT JS on the legend.

Is it true? If so, how about the noise?

PS...love your pictures!!!!

I'm not complaining since I got more days than I had calculated. But, the people who took the 3 night cruises really made out like bandits! One of the rumors was that they would keep their level achieved under the old system, but, they would have way less days than that level calls for making them earn a lot more to get to the next level. I think that that would have been fairer.

PS - I wonder why they did not just use the history that we all have and calculate the "real" days?????

All in all, this will be better going forward but I won't live long enough to get to Pinnacle!