Matt

Week of April 4, I believe: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/14/royal-caribbean-provides-additional-2017-2018-deployment-schedule

Now that you say that, I agree the Four Seasons version is the version I prefer too.

I haven't used them but I have heard good things about them.

My advice is walk around the port area and scope things out. The one time I went to Belize, I did a beach excursion at Goff's Caye, which I did not love. I think speaking with a taxi driver and getting a quote and some suggestions may be a good bet. If you don't like what you see/hear, you can just hang out in the port.

I have booked cabanas twice at Nellie's. Bother were over the water cabanas. The benefit of the over the water cabanas is the quietness/seclusion. You get far more privacy than the beach cabanas. But as you noted, the beach cabanas have easier access to the ocean. Over the water cabanas have a private staircase, but it leads right into the middle of the water. This is more of an issue for children.

Thank you for the report!

Carry-on. Per the rules, you are supposed to carry it on so they can verify it is wine and you have the right amount. Plus, checking wine could cause one of two (if not both) scenarios to occur: 1. Wine bottle to break 2. Luggage flagged by security for possible prohibited alcohol, resulting in your luggage delivery being delayed and a trip to the "naughty room"

Welcome Bret and Jeanne! So glad you are here AND you are joining us for the group cruise!

All I have stuck in my head now is the Spinners song: "Working my way back to you babe"

Royal Caribbean does not post its Cruise Compass' in advance, but you can see old Cruise Compass' here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

I might be way off base, but I am pretty certain RC has pulled out of South America until further notice, based on the Brazilian economy issues.

Welcome Hayley!

Here are some mock ups And the bag

Which restaurants are you trying for? In my experience, even when a restaurant is "sold out" there can be walk-up availability, especially right when it opens up for dinner. YMMV

Correct. You can get Starbucks drinks from Cafe Promenade on Freedom of the Seas.

The rule is definitely two bottles of wine per stateroom, regardless of how many guests are in that room.

I think your sandals will be fine. As you noted, they are not flip flops, but leather sandals. The reality about dress codes in the MDR is they are largely overlooked. There are certain "red flags" that will more than likely get you denied access: tank tops, bathing suits, some hats, etc but things like shorts and shirts are often overlooked.

Being "pre-gold", you get no benefits but you are eligible for certain C&A member only offers. The reasons to sign up before your first cruise are to get access to C&A offers and to have one less thing to do later on following your first cruise. As others said, you might get lucky and be able to sneak into some Gold-level benefits onboard but I wouldn't expect anything beyond some emails.

I know if you buy a drink package, like the select package, and want to upgrade that is not a problem. But with a complimentary package, you might have an issue. I'd go to guest services onboard and inquire. You have nothing to lose by asking!

Love the idea, Kat. Question for everyone: what is more useful: One forum with a number of forum threads for each person who is going to be broadcasting or a curated single thread (similar to the When is your next cruise thread)?

Royal Caribbean offers very few themed cruises on their own, but they do work with third parties that organize themed cruises, like the one Bill posted. I was on a cruise last year, where there was a local band that brought a bunch of their fans with them and they played on the ship at select times. RC will definitely work with bands to set things up, but they do not usually get in the business of booking recognizable musical acts on their own. I know Carnival has been doing that lately, offering B and C-list bands to play onboard.

The sad reality is most guests do not do much, if any, research ahead of time. So the information available on RC's site is enough to satisfy their needs. For folks that really do indulge in cruise planning, we quickly discover some of the conclusions you mentioned, Todd. Not that it makes it better, but the travel industry as a whole operates in this manner. The Disney World web site comes to mind as an example of having "just enough" info on it for most folks.

Was this Diamond discount available online prior to the cruise?

Me too!

I tend to agree. Having watched enough home renovation shows on TV (not quite the same thing, but follow me here), I have found that some work is unknown until you start tearing down walls and discover issues that were otherwise not visible. Given Empress' age (20+ years old), I have no doubt there was work to be done on her. That being said, RC did not handle it as well as they should have. They probably hoped to "just power their way through it", but realized it was not going to happen. It should have been avoided, but hindsight is always 20/20.