pattle66

Didn't get a chance to but I will before the cruise is over. There were 3 of them in one family (I didn't notice one earlier) and they took an entire couch and the room was full, with overflow into the Music Hall (as it always does, even without kids, but still it didn't help things having kids there).

Did you want the kids to stand?

The kids club is not opened during Cocktail hour, maybe if it was there would be less kids in the DL. If kids are allowed in the DL and the family is a Diamond or above why shouldn't they enjoy it just because some adults don't like to see kids in there?

We have enjoyed the Diamond Lounge with our children, we have enjoyed the overflow area with our children and we have also enjoyed the Diamond Lounge without our children. We chat to those that are friendly and engage in conversation. If some don't like our children in the Diamond Lounge the problem is with them not us.

Having said that if the Diamond Lounge states no children during Cocktail hour we respect the decision and relax somewhere else on the ship with our children.

Following along as we will be boarding Radiance in Hawaii for her trip to Sydney and this will get me in the mood.

Alaska is on my bucket list and I will enjoy living it through your thread. Thank you for posting it.

Thank you so much for your quick replies. It feels like my dream photography tour could become a reality :D:)

We will ring RCI on Monday but I thought the good people on Cruise Critic may know the answer.

Our ship departs at 9.30pm and I would like to do a tour before embarking but the rest of the family don't want to join me on the tour. The tour finishes at 4pm and check out of our hotel is midday. My question is can my husband and children board the ship on embarkation day without me? We are all on the same reservation.

I'm curious now :D Why would you want to sleep on the sofa when you can ask for the beds to be separated? My kids sleep on the sofa just fine but I wouldn't choose to sleep on it if there was a bed available.

I am sure the cabin attendant would make up the sofa bed for you if you requested it.

It would be nice if you could.

The younger children love the slide (under 10) but there isn't an age limit. We saw adults and elderly passengers using it on our Australian circumnavigation cruise. It is manned by the Adventure Ocean staff and is not opened all the time.

Congratulations on your upgrade.

I think my husband is secretly happy we have never been upgraded to a JS. How could we ever go back to sailing in a mere balcony if we did. :p

I think it is all about when you book. We booked our 18 night Transpacific cruise when bookings first opened and paid $9000 for 4. The price today is $15,000. :eek: Makes me very happy we booked early.

Let us know how you go with trying other cruise lines.

We will stay loyal to Royal while they provide the product we want at a price we like. Any perks are a bonus we appreciate but don't expect.

Must be an Australia thing, under 18 are generally not allowed in the DL during happy hour. They are in the CL and maybe the SL, though

We have been on Australian cruises and Med cruises where the kids were welcome at the DL. The signs in the post above were not on the door of the Diamond lounge on our cruises. If they were I wouldn't bring the kids.

There are some that say kids shouldn't be in the DL for happy hour because it is a bar. I can't get my head around that as a valid reason to exclude children. Most of the ship is a bar! The pool area is a bar. The windjammer has a bar. The centrum is a bar.

Sorry to the op for taking the thread off topic. Back to chef's table.....

 

Where in the world is lemonade a carbonated beverage though? I believe we call that Sprite here :D

In Australia! If it isn't carbonated we would call that lemon cordial.

Schweppes Lemonade is one of our popular varieties although you can get other brands, including Sprite but that is a lemon and lime carbonated drink.

It's my vacation and I will do what ever I want...

This is usually My Time Dining in the MDR with a few kid free nights in the Specialty restaurants. If it is a longer cruise and we have eaten way too much we throw in a couple of Windjammer nights for no dinner snacks.

This thread has been an interesting read.

Royal Caribbean have stated that children are allowed at Chef's Table. If you don't like the policy vote with your dollars and don't book it. They will soon change the policy if they can no longer fill the table.

I would not take my kids to Chef's Table, not because I think it should be adults only but because I don't think they would enjoy it and that would mean my husband and I would not have an enjoyable evening. My kids would much prefer to be at AO.

We are loyal to Royal. We were loyal to Royal before we had kids and continue to be loyal because it is a family oriented Cruise Line. They are very good at providing a great vacation to parents and children.

Our children eat with us at the MDR on MyTime dining. The waiters have always been very kind and entertaining and the kids love eating there.

We take our kids to see the shows at the theatre. We sit at the back in case it isn't appropriate and need to leave.

We take our children into the Diamond Lounge sometimes for breakfast and sometimes during happy hour. We love that Royal provides this perk to their loyal customers. The kids have always been welcome by the concierge and the bar staff. The bar staff always bring a glass of water and a lemonade before being asked.

I do find it frustrating that some people complain about kids in the lounges, at specialties restaurants, at their table in the MDR.... If children bother you that much then I would think a family cruise line is not for you. Why do you keep coming back to Royal?

Toasted bagel, cream cheese and ham off the bone from the carving section of the buffet. Yummo. Wish I was on a cruise now.

I only like freshly cooked, hot toast. If the butter doesn't melt I don't like it.

Are they always over the beds? Worried my granddaughter might fall and either land on one of us, or the gap in the middle.

When my kids have slept in the pullmans there has been a safety bar so they would not fall out. It hasn't been folded out in the photo.

People smoking on their balconies and the smoke drifting on to our balcony. :mad:

It is a pet peeve but I don't allow it to ruin our holiday.

I thought you all just kept stuff in your bra. ;)

That's where I keep mine if I don't have pockets. I have had a few looks when I go to pay for my drinks :eek:

Can you do both? Maybe downgrade the room at InterContinental and add the room in Melbourne?

If you can't do both I'd stick with the night in Sydney. It will be less stress about missing the cruise if there are any flight delays.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned no matter what you decide. Enjoy:D

I would toast some bread and spread with butter and vegemite (sparingly if you aren't used to it), top it with cheese and stick it under the grill until the cheese is turning brown. Cut them up into small squares to serve as a before barbie snack. Hmm this is our weekend breakfast.

This way it doesn't take too long to make in case no body likes vegemite :eek:

At our bbq's we always cook the snags first and eat them in bread with sauce while cooking the rest of the meat. Extra points awarded if you spill the sauce down your top!

My mum used to make a the best lamingtons for afters. Chocolate was my favourite although the strawberry wasn't far behind.

Enjoy your bbq!

Anthem and Harmony.

Thanks Merion_mum more reason to book a cruise on one of the bigger ships :cool:

This sounds like a lot of fun. What ships are offering the puzzle room?

Your kids will love it!

They have 3 sessions a day, morning, afternoon and evening. You can pay extra for late night attendance too.

On port days they open all day if the kids decide to stay on board.

You sign the kids in and out. On embarkation day you fill in forms to register your kids and document who can sign them in and out. Each time you sign in/out they check your seapass card.

Each night the kids will get a cruise compass for their age group advising them of the activities for the next day.

In the past my kids have usually attended the evening sessions and some afternoon sessions. We usually have family time in the morning and a swim in the afternoon. They can choose if and when to attend.

They sometimes offer a dinnertime session. The kids can stay between the afternoon and evening session and the staff take them to the Windjammer for dinner. You need to book for this.

Feel free to ask any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer.

I sleep best when I am on a cruise. I have never had an issue with the mattresses being too hard although I prefer a harder mattress over a soft one.

We cruise on Radiance in a few months and I hope the mattresses are as good as they have been in the past. I can't wait to be rocked to sleep.

We have only cruised on Radiance and Vision class ships. We loved both classes but Radiance is my favourite.

I have no desire to sail on Oasis class but would love to try Voyager. None of my preferred itineraries use the big ships.