Matt

I don't cruise Carnival and don't likely have any plans to do so BUT as a Royal Caribbean fan, we should be happy to see Carnival competing head-to-head with Royal Caribbean. Competition is great for the consumer!

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/07/06/royal-caribbean-keeping-majesty-of-the-seas-fleet-and-announces-2016-itineraries Who's booking it?

Also, I think everyone here understands that thought process of "Oh man, I need another cruise sooner than the one I already booked". You're among friends...and enablers!

I'll reserve judgement until we see the final product. I'm sure people said similar things about the Oasis class but I don't think you're off base with your thoughts either.

Just to confirm, Royal Caribbean guarantees the ship will wait for you on one of their excursions.

That is why I prefer not to pre-purchase spa services. I know there will be some special to take advantage of. And along those lines, remember to try for the port specials later in the day. You may think you wont be around to take advantage but often people come back well before the ship leaves.

I think the prices are on par with what you would pay for spa services at most resorts, land or sea.

Great review! It sounds like you had a good time. And I agree that the live music on Royal Caribbean's ships is a wonderful touch. You will find live music all over the ship and throughout the cruise, day and night. I love the band that plays on the pool deck and the string orchestra that plays in the main dining room. I agree entertainment can be hit or miss. My wife is a huge fan of the shows and she admits some are better than others. If you ever get to the big ships that have Broadway shows, you will see a really big difference. Also, the ice shows on those larger ships are quite entertaining. I think Doc nailed it when he said if you like Jewel, you will love the other Radiance class ships that have been upgraded. Now the big question: What is your next cruise booked?

You can try. Go speak to head waiter on embarkation day in the main dining room and inquire.

That used to exist but in the recent refurbishment, they have been replaced with new staterooms

I'm working on a blog post about secrets on Oasis of the Seas...any suggestions?

Are you asking about having your reservation be changed to My Time Dining? Or you're on My Time Dining and now want to make reservations for dinner each evening?

I believe this policy goes back to the "old days" when gratuities were not automatic for all guests. When MTD was rolled out, people got those envelopes in their stateroom to pay gratuities. On MTD, guests potentially wouldn't tip their waiters since they have a different one every night.

My Time Dining requires you to prepay your gratuities. If you had stayed with Traditional Dining, you would have been charged the same gratuities automatically on a daily basis (each day of your cruise, your SeaPass account would have been charged). These gratuities are for the head waiter, waiter, assistant waiter and your stateroom attendant. Yes, Royal Caribbean includes an automatic 18% gratuity with all bar purchases. You will see it on any receipt for drinks you get.

I wouldn't worry about the issues in PR affecting your cruise to San Juan. Nothing indicates there's cause for concern in that regard.

That's the sign of a real fan!

Unfortunately when I was on Navigator of the Seas, they were still working on those staterooms.

Before!

You should contact concierge about 30 days before your cruise. Which ship are you on?

Is the person receiving a gift a crew member? or a guest?

I really enjoyed all 3 ports. Cozumel is a port I've been to so many times and I still love it. I really enjoy its "modern culture", which means shopping and eating. For a small island, there's a lot to do. When I went to Belize, we did a private island beach excursion which was fun, but next time I'd like to do something else. Probably some excursion more inland. Not sure what exactly, but it sounded like others had a lot of fun doing various activities there. Roatan was beautiful. We did a resort day pass excursion and it was fabulous. I had received a number of warnings about safety, so that tempered my desire to explore more than we did but hiring a private driver and going to the resort worked well for us. For Americans, both Belize and Roatan are relatively inexpensive ports (like Cozumel). Your money goes further here than in Grand Cayman or even Falmouth.

I can spot two things that are new to me: scavenger hunts and Late Night Party Zone. But it's possible I just never paid attention that they existed before.

The key is to get in line early, before the ship is ready to tender.

That would be the exception (although you can pay for as many extras as you want). Otherwise, it's all included.

Great point