I recently participated in my first-ever Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise, and it was so much more fun than I expected.
Long before I was a writer for Royal Caribbean Blog, I was a fan. It was actually my husband that discovered the blog, and we were impressed with the accuracy of the information and enjoyed the live streams and videos.
A couple times a year, Royal Caribbean Blog hosts a group cruise in conjunction with MEI Travel, the blog’s travel agency partner. These group cruises allow fans to sail together while participating in group activities both onboard and in port, including pub crawls and shore excursions.
When I saw that there would be a group cruise out of Port Canaveral last December, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. Not only did my husband and I book the cruise, but my parents booked a cabin too.
Boarding the ship, I really had no idea what to expect. Truth be told, I get nervous in group settings, so I wasn’t sure it would be something I’d enjoy, but it ended up being a blast!
Here’s what it’s like to participate in a Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise and how you can book one of these exciting sailings.
Booking a Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise
We typically book our own cruises, but for the group cruise, we booked with MEI Travel. Booking through MEI Travel means we could participate in all group activities onboard.
While we still could have participated in some group activities if we booked the cruise ourselves, there were other activities exclusive to those that booked with MEI Travel. I wanted to make sure I got to do everything that was offered, so we booked with the travel agency.
Originally, the cruise was supposed to be on Harmony of the Seas. It was a 6-night sailing in December that went to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, and Costa Maya.
After booking it, Royal Caribbean changed the ship to Wonder of the Seas, but did not charge anything extra to passengers who had originally booked Harmony of the Seas.
What a treat it was to be able to cruise on the brand new ship at a discounted price!
Our first Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise event was on embarkation day.
The group cruise’s first meet and greet event was scheduled after 4PM on embarkation day. This gave everyone enough time to board the ship, do some exploring, and have time to put their carry-on items away once the cabins were available.
For this event, we met in the Music Hall. We checked in with a member of MEI Travel and were given a lanyard showing we were part of the group.
The bar staff walked by with trays of complimentary drinks. We opted for the sex on the beach cocktails and raspberry champagne. The bar was also open for those that wanted to purchase their own favorite beverage.
There was a live band on the stage, and most of the group congregated around the bar to mingle.
The second day of our cruise brought us to Perfect Day at CocoCay. After our port day, we enjoyed another group event in the evening.
Since we were in Perfect Day at CocoCay on the second day of our cruise, our next group event wasn’t until 8PM that evening.
Having the event in the evening gave us flexibility to spend our day however we wanted. We opted to stay on the ship while in port to do more exploring, and we were able to enjoy dinner at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar.
At 8PM, we met up with the group at the Rising Tide Bar, the bar that travels up and down between the Royal Promenade and Central Park neighborhoods.
The Rising Tide Bar meetup was more subdued and it was easier to hold a conversation compared to the one in the Music Hall. I enjoyed the more intimate setting.
Day three of our cruise had three separate group cruise events, all of which were fun ways to connect with other fans onboard.
It was back to the Music Hall for the first event of the day with the guitarist from the pub providing entertainment. There was a beautiful table set up on the dance floor with muffins, pastries, and coffee. The event was scheduled from 10AM to 12PM.
Unfortunately, we only caught the tail end of the event due to the Crown & Anchor Society’s Top Tier Event being scheduled at the same time. We attended the Top Tier Event to receive our 1050 point milestone recognition and to watch my parents turn Pinnacle!
Related: Pathway to Pinnacle: How I reached the top of Royal Caribbean's Loyalty Program
Immediately after the Music Hall gathering was the second event of the day, and the first event of the cruise exclusive to those who booked the sailing directly with MEI Travel.
This event was a private lunch in the Main Dining Room. There were three choices for appetizers and entrees—I opted for the classic cobb salad and grilled ribeye. Everyone enjoyed New York cheesecake for dessert, and everything was delicious. We were seated at a large table and were able to chat and get to know more of our fellow Royal Caribbean Blog fans.
We went straight to the Schooner Bar after lunch to start the final event of the day: the bar crawl! Practically all of our group had the drink package, so this was a popular event. We used our free Crown & Anchor Society drink coupons and ordered Schooner Bar’s signature drink, the lavender daiquiri, which coincidentally is one of my favorites.
The next stop on the crawl was the Cask & Clipper, the English pub. The group opted for Irish car bombs, and they had put in their order while we were still at the Schooner Bar, so the staff had time to prepare them for our arrival. I just stuck with martinis—this time a lemon drop.
The third bar of our crawl was Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade. Their signature beverage, the knockout punch, is my favorite. Since we were on the Boardwalk, some of the group caught a ride on the carousel before we headed to our final stop.
We ended the bar crawl in Matt’s AquaTheater suite. His Royal Genie had arranged a bar to be set up on their balcony, and the views from the balcony were amazing. We could watch the show’s performers practicing in the AquaTheater’s pool and enjoy a view of the ship’s wake.
A port stop in Costa Maya featured a private beach excursion with the group.
On day four, we were treated to a private excursion at Maya Chan Beach Resort. This excursion was only for those who had booked through MEI Travel.
I had never been to Maya Chan, so I was surprised that it was a half hour drive from the cruise port. Some of the roads to get there were extremely bumpy, but the drivers tried to make the trip as comfortable as possible. After all, they take this route every day so they were familiar with the conditions of the roads.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staff and given a tour of the area before being shown to our own private section of the beach. We were offered complimentary beverages along with tortilla chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo while waiting for lunch to be served.
Related: Excursion Focus: Maya Chan Beach in Costa Maya
There were canoes and stand-up paddle boards for our use. For a nominal fee, you could have a massage on the beach, which my husband was eager to partake in!
Our authentic Mexican buffet lunch included items such as flour tortillas with chicken, beef, and pulled pork, along with Mexican rice and a selection of homemade salsas. Everything was delicious!
The staff at Maya Chan was amazing. They were friendly, attentive, and even came around to each family to schedule our return time back to the ship. It was a perfect day.
There were no group activities scheduled the next day in Cozumel, but the final day of our cruise brought two more meetups.
Since we were porting in Cozumel on day five, we did not have any group events scheduled.
The first event on day six, the last day of our cruise, was the only one I missed. The event was an hour (8AM-9AM) of private time at the ship’s Perfect Storm waterslides, and was another exclusive event for passengers who booked with MEI Travel.
Instead, I opted for brunch with my family at The Mason Jar (where I wouldn’t need to get my hair wet!).
Related: The Mason Jar Southern food restaurant review on Wonder of the Seas
At 11AM, we met up in the Music Hall to watch Matt from Royal Caribbean Blog and Beci from MEI Travel record a podcast highlighting the events of the group cruise. That was the last official event, however I did run into a bunch of our members in the casino having shots! Later, they moved into the smaller Golden Room casino for some table games.
I loved my first Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise. Here’s how you can participate in the next one.
What I loved most about the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise is that it was the perfect blend of planned events along with plenty of free time to make the cruise your own. It almost felt like two cruises in one!
We had a great time with the group, and then enjoyed quiet time in the Suite Lounge and dinners in Coastal Kitchen.
If you want to participate in a Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise, you can find more information on upcoming sailings here. Booking the cruise with MEI Travel gives you access to exclusive events throughout the sailing.
There are currently four more group cruises planned:
- June 16, 2023 on Navigator of the Seas, sailing from Los Angeles
- October 22, 2023 on Serenade of the Seas, sailing from Boston
- March 16, 2024 on Rhapsody of the Seas, sailing the Panama Canal from Colón
- June 29, 2024 on Icon of the Seas, sailing from Miami
