ghapril12us

hosted by Celebrity. Has anyone taken this excursion which is offered on a Panama canal cruise.

Tour: goes through the canal on a freighter.

Depends on the Diamond Concierge. Royal's rules say no one under 21 allowed in the lounge during cocktail hour. Guests are usually sent a letter to this effect. However, there are always the "rules are for other people" folks, and the Concierge usually just lets it go.

This is why there is so little respect for authority, etc. in today's world. Since no one feels they have to obey or respect the rules. It is for "other" people not them. If the rule is no one under 21, it is the responsibility of the Diamond Concierge to politely,say, "Sorry, I would like to let you into the lounge, but the rule is no one under 21 and if I let you in, then, i would have to let in the other minors. I'm sure you can understand."

It is all about respect!

Does anyone feel like Royal Caribbean is taking bit by bit away from their Diamond members?

You have stated perfectly a good reason for travelers to become Diamond members. "We really enjoyed the Diamond lounge on the FOS". In my conversations with Royal Caribbean, they really do not get what it means to be a "Diamond" members for they are always trying to reduce something. I hope one day an executive with Royal Caribbean will realize how important it is to Diamond and above members to receive a "touch" more attention...an attention that doesn't cost a lot of money. i.e., special line for boarding the ship, luggage tags that say "diamond", a special place for breakfast even on ship with a Diamond Lounge, etc.

. This is a greatI recently returned from a 7 night cruise on the Freedom of the Seas. There have been quite a few posts/threads relating the Diamond Lounge. I was urged to write a review of the Diamond Lounge by other CC members, so here it is.

· The Diamond Lounge on FOS is located on deck 14 adjacent to Olive or Twist. What Royal did is to partition off a section of the Viking Lounge, and built the lounge. The lounge is accessible to Diamond members by using their Sea pass. The Diamond Concierge who currently runs the Diamond Lounge is Mr. Rahul Barua. Rahul is a very professional, knowledgeable, polite, helpful and just a wonderful person.

In the morning, continental style breakfast is offered with various pastries, fruits, bagels and such. I usually went in to just get a triple espresso and get out. There is a specialty coffee machine and various tea bags available 24/7.

In the evening, from 4:30 to 8:00, the Diamond lounge serves wine, champagne, bottled beer and mixed drinks along with hot and cold hors d'oeurves.

I observed during my cruise that many suite guests and diamond plus cruisers opted to utilize the Diamond Lounge instead of the Concierge lounge. Those that I talked to told me that they preferred the Diamond lounge over the Concierge lounge because they thought the Diamond Lounge was much nicer. Since the Diamond lounge has a fabulous ocean view, IMHO, it is better than the Concierge Lounge with no windows.

We really enjoyed the Diamond lounge on the FOS. It truly was one of the highlights of our experience on the Freedom of the Seas.

 

If anyone has any questions, I will do my best to answer them.

 

I will post some pictures shortly