Explorer of the Seas Ocean View Panoramic Suites

[LisaLisa87]

Hello! I booked a Junior Suite for our Med sailing on Explorer next August, but I'm toying with the idea of switching to one of the Ocean View Panoramic Suites on deck 12. DH and I will be traveling with our daughter, and I like the idea of the extra square footage, separation of sleeping areas, and extra half-bath. I'm hoping someone who has sailed in one of these suites, either on Explorer or another ship, can share their experience. I would imagine we might feel more movement, including some vibrations when docking bow first. Any other pros or cons I should consider? It looks like these rooms do not get full suite perks, which I'm fine with (although priority tendering would be great since there are two tender ports on our itinerary). The price is just under $300 more than the JS.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[Nabalab]

I was in 1804 (OV Panoramic) last month on Voyager - which is the same class as Explorer.

Category VP

 

They DO get full suite perks - breakfast in Chops, suite lounge, etc.  That, along with the extra bathroom may be worth it for the $300.

 

Our itinerary was New England/Canada, so the weather wasn't the greatest... foggy and rainy.  As a result, the foghorn sometimes kept us up as night as it was pretty loud.  One or two nights, it seemed to go off every few minutes, sometimes longer intervals.  Shockingly, the rocking wasn't terrible.

 

WiFi in the cabin was non-existent... better in the hallway, but may be a Voyager issue (hoping Starlink eventually corrects that).

 

 

[molly361]

They DO get full suite perks.  Loved the cabin on the Mariner.  You might feel more motion.  For that price difference DO IT!!!

Edited November 30, 2022 by molly361

[LisaLisa87]

Thank you for your responses! I'm confused regarding the suite perks. Here's the list of perks for the panoramic suites from RCI's website:

 

Suite Amenities
Dedicated check-in lines
Reserved VIP seating
Priority Departure
Dedicated Suite Attendant
Luxury spa bathrobes to use onboard

 

vs. the list for Grand Suites and Owner's Suites:

 

Exclusive For Suites
Priority check-in and departure lounge
Concierge Club service on select ships
VIP seating at the pool deck and theater
Priority tender tickets
Complimentary luggage valet service
Luxury spa bathrobes
Complimentary pressing service on formal night

 

I will say that I did a mock booking and there's no option for a refundable deposit, so these are like full suites in that respect.

[ATG]

We stayed in one on Adventure this fall and really liked it.  There were only 2 of us, but having 2 bathrooms was still nice.  If these are the same, be aware that they are small bathrooms, not usual suite bathrooms.  There’s no tub.

 

We got full suite benefits on Adventure.  Including tendering.  The suite concierge was great and a big help with a problem.  I didn’t notice any excessive motion compared to the rest of the ship.  The first 2 days were rough everywhere.  We thought the location was very good.  Just one floor down to Solarium and Windjammer.  Lots more room than a JS.

[molly361]

3 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Thank you for your responses! I'm confused regarding the suite perks. Here's the list of perks for the panoramic suites from RCI's website:

 

Suite Amenities
Dedicated check-in lines
Reserved VIP seating
Priority Departure
Dedicated Suite Attendant
Luxury spa bathrobes to use onboard

 

vs. the list for Grand Suites and Owner's Suites:

 

Exclusive For Suites
Priority check-in and departure lounge
Concierge Club service on select ships
VIP seating at the pool deck and theater
Priority tender tickets
Complimentary luggage valet service
Luxury spa bathrobes
Complimentary pressing service on formal night

 

I will say that I did a mock booking and there's no option for a refundable deposit, so these are like full suites in that respect.

That's interesting. In the past even though it's a suite you could still book refundable. Guess they closed that loophole 

[HicksRA]

For $300, I’d be all over it. I’ve done 1854 on Independence and 1804 on Adventure.  We really like the cabin. Lots of space and the best view on the ship. 
Your daughter will love the bunk room. 
I never noticed much of an increase of movement, but you can feel some shimmy from the thrusters when docking. (Nice wake up call)

Just got off Adventure three weeks ago for 14 days and received all full suite benefits. 
If in doubt, I’d send an email to the Explorer concierge and ask. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by HicksRA

[ShazM]

I haven't stayed in one of these but have family who have. There are only two of them, 1804 and 1854, and they get full suite benefits.

[Tin can]

I can't offer any advice but like you we are on Explorer next August around the Med and have gone for one of the Panoramic Ocean View Suites. The views look fantastic!

[tsgarp83]

We've stayed in 1804 on Navigator, and it was fantastic.  We didn't notice any significant motion difference with other areas on the ship.  We loved it so much, we've booked the same room on Explorer for the Italy/Greece cruise in June.

 

The extra half bath is great.  The main bath is the size of a regular room bath, not as big as in the JS.

[LisaLisa87]

Thank you for the additional replies! I called RCI today to ask about the suite perks, and I was told that these rooms get the same perks as the Grand and Owner's suites -- just as many here have reported. It's odd, then, that the descriptions on the website indicate otherwise... and maybe that's why both are available for our sailing!

 

I asked the rep for a quote and she asked whether I was interested in the refundable or non-refundable fare. Interesting since the refundable option is not offered on the website. I asked for both, and the refundable rate was $3,300 higher. No thanks!

 

I wish I had called yesterday to make the switch. The price today is $350 higher, and I can't bring myself to pull the trigger. I'll keep watching and hopefully it'll dip again.

[John&LaLa]

On 11/30/2022 at 2:42 PM, molly361 said:

They DO get full suite perks.  Loved the cabin on the Mariner.  You might feel more motion.  For that price difference DO IT!!!

 

Enjoying 1804 now. Love the location. Spa right around corner

[HicksRA]

Oddly enough, the grats for the Panoramic are the same as JS and lower - not full suite prices. 
I hate the tube shower, but love everything else about the cabin. 

[Ravensfan1973]

On 11/30/2022 at 2:23 PM, LisaLisa87 said:

Hello! I booked a Junior Suite for our Med sailing on Explorer next August, but I'm toying with the idea of switching to one of the Ocean View Panoramic Suites on deck 12. DH and I will be traveling with our daughter, and I like the idea of the extra square footage, separation of sleeping areas, and extra half-bath. I'm hoping someone who has sailed in one of these suites, either on Explorer or another ship, can share their experience. I would imagine we might feel more movement, including some vibrations when docking bow first. Any other pros or cons I should consider? It looks like these rooms do not get full suite perks, which I'm fine with (although priority tendering would be great since there are two tender ports on our itinerary). The price is just under $300 more than the JS.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!

We sailed in one on the Liberty of Seas in 2018 before they labelled as a suite.  God I can't believe how cheap it was.  I think it was like $3,200 for four of us.  I think it's over 8 grand now.  Anyways we loved it.  Was easy access to the pools and elevator.  I don't really recall it rocking that bad and we even went through a good rain storm.  So much room and the half bath is really a plus.  

[CruiszBug]

Looking forward to trying the Panoramic Suite! We recently sailed on Adventure in the HA Panoramic OV. If you look on the Deck plans they appear to be only slightly smaller than the Suites. However it was a horrible cabin with no storage, or space. The square footage included a long hallway which was not functionally usable. Booked it for 4 people which included our daughter in a wheelchair. On day one we had to move one person into another cabin along with luggage. There is no way this is comfortable for more than 2 people. Only one closet with about 10 inches of hanging space (one rail) and some cubbies. Super tiny safe. Adventure of the Seas Handicapped Accessible Panoramic OV Stateroom #1814

[LisaLisa87]

Well, I did it! Checked pricing again today, and with the new "flash sale," the price was back to what it was during the Cyber Monday promo. We went with 1854 (port side) since it looks like we'll be cruising south down the coast for a good chunk of the sailing. Thanks to all for your input.

 

Only 268 days to go! 😁

[molly361]

21 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Well, I did it! Checked pricing again today, and with the new "flash sale," the price was back to what it was during the Cyber Monday promo. We went with 1854 (port side) since it looks like we'll be cruising south down the coast for a good chunk of the sailing. Thanks to all for your input.

 

Only 268 days to go! 😁

Good move  You also get access to the suite lounge which has a nightly happy hour with complimentary cocktails 

Edited December 2, 2022 by molly361

[CruiszBug]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:59 AM, CruiszBug said:

Looking forward to trying the Panoramic Suite! We recently sailed on Adventure in the HA Panoramic OV. If you look on the Deck plans they appear to be only slightly smaller than the Suites. However it was a horrible cabin with no storage, or space. The square footage included a long hallway which was not functionally usable. Booked it for 4 people which included our daughter in a wheelchair. On day one we had to move one person into another cabin along with luggage. There is no way this is comfortable for more than 2 people. Only one closet with about 10 inches of hanging space (one rail) and some cubbies. Super tiny safe. Adventure of the Seas Handicapped Accessible Panoramic OV Stateroom #1814

I also meant to mention the the regular Panoramic OV cabins seem to have plenty of storage space. It was the Accessible one that did not...