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Despite the fog we arrived on time. Shortly after 6am I headed downstairs to the theater and the self assist area. The theater upper level filled up and it was pretty crowded. Around 6:45am they started letting us off. I thought I was doing well and had only a brief wait for a customs officer. Unfortunately someone with my name apparently has a protection order against them and it 'won' me a trip into secondary screening. After 10 minutes they cleared me and let me exit. By this time the ride sharing waiting area was pretty busy with a lot of people hailing rides. I had to wait just under 20 minutes for my Lyft to show up. Both Uber and Lyft were showing ~$21 to Newark airport. At 8am I was in the security line at EWR where they had one agent checking ID and one screening lane open for all passengers - so much for Pre. 35 minutes later I was in the Sky Club eating breakfast.

Someone else's name is twangster?

I'll be home eating beans and ramen noodles. My next Star Class cruise is in Feb. 2020 so I will be broke for a while after that....

Oh, and most of all, thank you for coming out of hiding ?

Day 5 - Afternoon I found the ice cream station on the pool deck, forward, port side: It had rained a good part of the day and the water was a little choppy but the ship handled it well. Late afternoon that changed. The water become calm and fog moved in. They added a few watch officers to the bridge wings and the fog horn sounded every two minutes. Our speed dropped to single digits. I attended another show in the main theater with the Royal Caribbean dancers but I missed the juggler. Since I had only a small carry on bag I didn't pack until morning which came awfully quickly. I awoke to a foggy NY harbor. Lady Liberty in the distance as we backed into the slip at Cape Liberty.

I have asthma and I can go into bronchitis easily so my doctor will usually give me Rx before I leave if I am experiencing symptoms. I take several different OTC meds also just in case (Tylenol, sinus, tummy, Bonine, and etc) so that I won't have to buy it on the ship. I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

That was an awesome review...thanks for taking the time to write it all up. I am always amazed at what I can learn off this blog site based upon the small amount of cruising that I have done to date. So much to learn and I appreciate those that take the time to school us newbies.

Bayonne tip: Other people in the FB group reported Uber/Lyft prices in the $50-58 range to EWR. Those 1st off snagged it for $12. My brief delay caused me to pay $21 but that's a lot better than those 30 minutes or an hour after me. It pays (or saves) to get off early.

On the Oasis last summer the fridge was empty. However, it doesn't get very cold at all. Only cool-ish.

It was the most enjoyable cruise I'd ever NOT been on ...... Thanks to You.

I will be sending Matt the Cruise Compasses from this cruise as I suspect a few other blog insiders who are present may as well. Ultimately none of us know how that may be change for it's new summer port or beyond. Only time will tell.

No banner for me, but I got an email notifying me it was taking place. Matt also posted about it in the main blog feed. Only thing I'm seeing truly lower prices on is the drink packages -- $42 pp pd for the Deluxe Package, and $18 pp pd for the Refreshment Package, which is really good. As for the other categories: Dining is unchanged from when I last checked a few days ago Internet Package prices are also unchanged, with $15 per night for one device and $28.49 for two Interestingly, the Deluxe Beverage + 1 Device VOOM package is actually more per day for the device portion after factoring in the current reduced price on the Deluxe Package by itself. Before the sale, the price was $56 per night ($45 for drinks, $11 for one device; 27% savings vs. buying 1-device VOOM directly) With the sale, the price is $54.50 per day ($42 per night for drinks, $12.50 per night for one device, only a 17% savings vs. buying VOOM directly) So yes, the final price on this combined package is a smidge lower than pre-sale, but it's not as good of a deal all around since you're saving less on the VOOM part Excursions... Well, they're supposedly part of the sale, but like the OP I wasn't tracking prices on those as much; mostly because we weren't really planning to buy any. That said, we've since changed our minds, mainly on the advice of @coneyraven, who strongly recommended taking a sponsored excursion to Crystal Caves since we wanted to go there on day 2 in Bermuda. So we'll see what we find and figure out if it's a good price, and if not we'll wait for another sale.

My concern with the person who has been dealing with illness is that everyone has to fill out and sign a questionnaire that asks about recent illness. If you are ill and sign this document stating that you are not sick, then try and see the ships doctor for an ongoing illness, there could be ramifications. Now, I fully understand that the ship is screening for communicable types of illnesses, not sinus infections but I don’t think I would chance it. If someone is sick now, I would recommend that they see a physician NOW and get medicine to try and knock it out before boarding. If for no other reason, seeing the ships doctor is very pricey and seeing a doctor beforehand would certainly be less expensive than seeing one on board.

Allure was scheduled to dock at Roatan for the first time this season today. It appears that it was successful according to SeaScanner...yay

Thank you for @twangster for the wonderful blog. I promised I am going to submit pictures in June from my cruise to Bermuda. I hope I can do justice.

Flew to Barcelona in 2016 and used Air2Sea, was the best price that I tracked.

Your turn next ?

Didn't see this answered, Yes they are all metal, I take a set of 5-10 heavy duty hook magnets even if I'm in a Junior Suite with a walk in closet.

It's all calculated based on on board pricing. There was a thread here a while ago about this same thing. @rjac even made a few calls to RC about it. I don't remember the details other than the fact that it is sneaky advertising and it's based on their on board price. That is why the math doesn't add up. I'm sure one of the spread sheet guys here will chime in. @JLMoran, @twangster?

Lol! My first thought before I got to the end of your post was this sounds like something from X-Men or Matrix!

If I made specialty restaurant reservations or BOGO, go confirm my dates, times and restaurants and then to the pool to swim and gets drinks, Park Cafe if on an Oasis class ship for a snack, if it is a new ship or new type of ship we have never been on we explore in there someplace and then to the room at 1pm and then muster at 4 or 5 when ever it is announced.

Safe travels...

Thanks for the info & great pictures!!!

Just realised that i've got my conversions all muddled: £1400 is actually around a around $1875!

Thanks for another terrific live blog, @twangster, safe travels home!

I will let you know about this one @Wilmsta. I am currently tracking the prices for Mariner for August. It's not something I have to book, however, for the right price, hubby and I have decided that we will jump on it. We have one week in August blocked off and we are trying something that we have never done with cruising, booking within the 90 day window if the price is right. If it doesn't drop, then we'll do a staycation. It's a 4 night sailing that I'm looking at but I don't like the price yet. So to be continued....

I think promotions, in general, tend to favor the 4-night to 7-night sailings the most. The 3 and 4 night cruises are already fairly inexpensive since it's just a few nights. Of course, there are always exceptions.

Hate to get on my soapbox but... Stop reading online reviews! There are negative online reviews about Star Wars, steak, baby bunnies, and pretty much everything. To answer your question, yes, Mariner's refurb work will give the entire ship essentially a face lift. You'll have a great time

Safe travels home @twangster. Thank you for blogging and scoping. Thoroughly enjoyed it this week! ?

Sounds like your experience was virtually identical to ours the week before! We also sat in the mdr...we had 10 at our seating. We enjoyed the wine pairings as well...did they use the aerator test tube thing to pour the cab? We loved all the food...I still think the soup would make an amazing barbeque sauce (and it smelled and tasted amazing! ). The world was the best thing I've ever eaten lol?! The only thing that was less than perfect was the branzino... they overcooked it and it was pretty dry (I enjoyed my husband's filet better). We actually wrote down the recipe for the pasta! It was wonderful... more if only I could find it! I don't remember what the invitation said regarding dress but one couple was super casual. Everyone else was dressed up like we were. I'm sorry you couldn't convince your daughter but glad you had an amazing time! We are planning on chefs table when we go to Europe in 2019 on vision...I will be very curious where they will put us and if the menu will change. This menu was different than what we had on adventure in 2016. I'm not sure if the experience would suffer from the same menu or not but either way I'm willing to take one for the team and try it again! Jane

Hi JKeila, welcome to the forums! General information about formal night, including which nights it's typically held, can be found here. In addition, the YouTube video below covers all of Royal's different dress styles (casual, smart casual, and formal), and even gives some good examples of the different styles for kids and adults. Smart Casual is basically the same as business casual, and makes up most of the dinner nights on a cruise. First night is usually casual, due to not everyone having their luggage delivered before dinner, and there may be one or two other fully casual dinner nights towards the end of the trip. The rest of the nights will be smart casual, except for the designated formal nights.

Doctor on board is really expensive. On a recent family cruise, my dad ended up in the clinic. Few tests later and no meds, it was $800+! Luckily, insurance and OHIP (from Ontario) covered everything but like others have said, get all that stuff in order before you go.

From my trip report: o Tried to use Lyft for a ride to car rental area at the FLL airport. My phone data service was terrible and it appeared others were having the same problem. I set up a ride, hit enter and the signal crashed requiring me to try again. The cars that were picking people up were not marked and that caused people to step out into the traffic lane and turn around. My brother in law does this on the side and he has stickers on his car so it can be identified easily. Cost would have been somewhere between $8 -$10. After some attempts my wife finally said let’s get a cab. Good call. The trip was $12 and we just jumped into a readily available cab. Saving a few bucks wasn’t worth the aggravation we were having for such a short ride.

I recommend they get all their medications stocked up prior to boarding the ship. Keep in mind since the traveler experienced symptoms prior to the trip, medical treatment on the ship may not be covered by their medical insurance provider. The traveler should contact their insurance company to confirm what will not be covered.

I keep looking out the peep hole but so far he isn't looking my way, yet.

It's been kind of a dull day weather wise so I've been working. It was like this when I woke up but then it got a little rougher and it rained for a few hours. It's since settled back down. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the cove balconies but I understand they changed that on some of the Voyager class ships. Having said that I'd book another balcony cabin for the right price. Our progress so far: Voom has been just okay. I've had several wifi calls and no issues noted. It's not as good as the Quantum, Oasis or Freedom class ships. Despite paying for Surf and Stream I'm getting Surf type results. It will be interesting to see if Royal does anything now that Carnival has proven they have the fastest internet at sea (at least on one ship). I also think there is something with the new contract with Speedcast. This is the second cruise where day 1 speeds were like they used to be but by day 5 they have dropped substantially. Hardly the fastest internet at sea. Tonight's dinner menu. I'll likely go back to the MDR where service has been outstanding.

What is up with its hair ? <shudder> Who thought it was a good idea to put a sketchy, creepy-looking ventriloquist's dummy in the glass case anyway ? ...and what do you mean, "at least it stopped staring directly at my door" ? Did its head move ? ...or is this just your weirdo bot senses THINKING that it's no longer staring directly at your door ?

Also for any future Adventure cruisers, here is a quick reference guide to key events, subject to change of course with the ship repositioning. The subject of straws came up recently. This was observed in the Behind the Scenes Galley tour.

Well then, here is the full list of other "Common Drinks", Royal Caribbean style:

Our guide today would be Arasu who is the Executive Sous Chef. There are five primary galleys on board. If you spread them out on land they would cover 2 acres. The specialty restaurants all have their own smaller galleys unique to each venue. Arasu did a great job explaining in technical detail the science and timing they use to keep food at the ideal temperatures to maintain safe food conditions. Why is it so important he asked us? Because he explains "There 4,000 guests and 1,025 crew on board but only five beds in the hospital down stairs". Some appetizers being prepared: Shrimp any one? Is it weird that I was so tempted to reach my hand in their and just swish them around? (rest assured I resisted) These were being used to make the shrimp appetizers for later today. The bread making station. That's all dough on the counter getting ready to be baked. Do you have any idea what he is preparing here? In my Serenade live blog I talked about having a plate of butter called Escargots À La Bourguignonne which must translate to "lots of butter". I wasn't too far off, that is a large scoop of butter he is placing on top of the little critters getting them ready to go in the oven. Once in the oven the butter melts and covers them in buttery delight. Arasu went on to explain the many "lines" they use within the galley to maintain separation between food groups. Beef on one, Chicken on another, fish separate from shell fish, etc. They go to great lengths to keep foods separated. Wait staff are not allowed to go all the way into the galley to avoid cross contamination. This way if someone with an allergy orders chicken or fish there is a high degree of confidence it hasn't come in contact with shell fish or vice versa. He went on to explain the various ovens they have including some that can use steam or heat to cook, or a combination of both. Super heated steam is very efficient and quick so they can cook hundreds of meals in record time. It was very informative and with my son joining me on an upcoming cruise it's comforting to know his allergies can be accommodated safely.

Day 5 - Galley Tour We start the tour on deck 3 in the lobby area where you would check in for dinner at the MDR. From there our group of about 16 heads to the deck 4 galley. Behind the divider that blocks the galley from the seating area they have a bulletin board and several notices and tips such as how to tie an apron or the proper way to push a trolley. My eyes went straight to the "Drink of the Day" guide for crew: Now you know how to make your favorite DoTD! They had another section with 24 common drinks including the Slushy Coco Loco. I always wondered what's in a Coco Loco.

My default on past cruises has been to go to the Windjammer and find honey stung chicken. Now that I finally have that off my bucket list, I am hitting Giovanni's on Allure to use my CP Balcony lunch perk away from the throng of people in the Windjammer and Park Cafe (Kummelwicks will be there later when I want them -- hopefully for an early evening snack to hold me over till my 9 PM Izumi Hibachi reservation on embarkation day!)

+1 for this. First cruise ever this past March/April, and it was such a good feeling just sipping that drink (lava flow!!), feeling the breeze, and letting yourself go for just a little. It really brings that "I'm finally on vacation" feeling home. Let that settle in for a bit, and then worry about (leisurely) exploring or having lunch or whatever. You've waited a long time for this moment, so take a little while to just savor it and take it all in. The ship won't mind, it'll be there all week.

First thing we always do is eat lunch at Windjammer. Lately, we have then gone to going for a swim, as it gives my kids a good outlet for all that pent up energy. Some other first day activities are take a spa tour, check out your table location at MDR and otherwise explore the ship.

If it's Anthem, then I really suggest going to the WJ or 270 to eat first. When we were there in March, we got there when it opened (just before 11 am) and it was fine. By noon, there was a huge line outside the WJ and they were limiting how many could go in. The was the first time I ever witnessed anything like that. No need to sign up for bumper cars. But lines do form pretty early.

If you arrive after 1PM you will be able to drop off your luggage in your room. If you are there before 1:00 chances are your room will not be ready yet so you will be schlepping all of your carry-on luggage around with you. Whatever you decide to do, keep that fact in mind.

First thing is to get drink out on the pool deck. Enjoy that sun, breeze and cold drink. Then take the time to explore the ship before it gets too crowded. Its a great time to get your bearings on board and also a great time to get some photos as its nice and clean and empty.

We usually go right to the windjammer and eat lunch. Anthem has a few options though with 270 being very good also just with fewer options. The bumper cars will fill up fast so getting in line early is best.

Just wanted to update on the one day free internet for Diamond, we were on the Freedom April 22-28 cruise, and we still received our one free day of internet (22.99 per day). I'm not sure if it is specific to individual ships or not. FYI

Main Dining Room: Day 1 dinner menu: With a 6pm dinner but an 8:30pm sail away it left some time after dinner to explore the ship. It did feel odd after the muster drill at 4:30pm not immediately having sail way but it allowed me to have a few diamond happy hour drinks and take some pictures around the ship. The peak-a-boo bridge. More on that later.