Matt

That's awesome, Angela! My kids also love going to Disney World but taking a cruise is also really exciting for them. My 4 year old loves going to Adventure Ocean and I agree that we come off the ship much more relaxed than when we go to WDW. Glad to hear you have another cruise booked and I hope we will continue to see you around here and on Periscope. P.S. I LOVE hanging out on Periscope, so I am glad to hear you are enjoying it too!

I wanted to post this first on the message boards because so many of you have been so helpful, supportive and good friends since the launch of the message boards and I felt you all deserved to hear it first. For a long time, Royal Caribbean Blog readers and podcast listeners have asked me one question, "How can I help the site?" Certainly contributing content, spreading the word about the blog and checking the blog and podcast out daily is a great way to help and I value all of that assistance. In fact, I cannot express how much that helps in the long run. I've also been thinking about how to improve the site for everyone and it comes back to a dream I have for the blog. My dream is simple: Produce interesting and helpful Royal Caribbean content consistently that people want to read and share. And I would love to do it much more than I currently am able to do it. To that end, I have lots of ideas for new exciting and informative information for this site but I need your help. For better or worse, my ideas require financial backing to become a reality and there is only so much I can do with the way the site is now. I also want to avoid, if at all possible, plastering the site with ads. Therefore, I have created the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders, a brand new exclusive group that can make Royal Caribbean Blog possible. Through your financial support, we can grow this blog even more and continue to offer the kind of fun and helpful content I think so many of you have come to expect. This is a purely voluntary action to take and I know how tough things are for everyone these days. If it's not in the cards right now to help out financially, keep doing what you're doing here on the message boards and on blog's comments and in social media. But if you can, there are a number of contribution levels you can join at and along with your assistance, there are some fun rewards for being a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders. Becoming a member of the Royal Caribbean Blog Insiders is completely up to you and you can cancel at any time. No questions asked! Take a look and consider if becoming an Insider is right for you: https://www.patreon.com/RoyalCaribbeanBlog No matter what, I want to emphasize that I consider all of you my friends and I thank you for everything you have done and for being active here on the site. Matt

I absolutely loved Valley Church Beach in Antigua http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/06/12/excursion-focus-valley-church-beach-antigua

That's definitely a product of convenience. Cruises out of Florida and NYC will get more discussion than other ports, even in USA (Galveston, Baltimore, etc). I would venture to say cruise fans are disproportionately represented online on the east coast of the USA.

Welcome to the Sabor fanboy club! There's guac and salsa waiting for you at the table

I've always said food is the most subjective thing ever and I'm sure we can each come up with foods that each of us loves and everyone else hates :lol: But I really like the food quality and taste of Sabor....and I am a self-diagnosed Mexican food fanatic so that certainly plays into it.

I think it has to do with the fact that Freedom is in a very popular cruise port (Port Canaveral) and offers 7-night sailings consistently. Liberty and Independence are constantly being moved all around and offer different sailings. Also, I've sailed on Freedom a number of times so that has some impact also, given my anecdotes and stories come from there. While Freedom does get much of the attention of the class, I wouldn't take it as a ding on the other ships in the class. Liberty and Indy are GREAT ships in their own right.

I can see where you're coming from with that opinion. They definitely are different but I don't think it is as big a deal as some people think it might be in terms of sheer ship size.

I haven't been there, but FWIW I have heard nothing but great things about it.

I am a man of many resources!

Hope you can find someone!

Based on the financial results from RC's 3rd quarter this year, the answer is a resounding, "no".

Cupcake Cupboard definitely has a fee. Either to buy the cupcakes a la carte or for one of the classes.

With the news of Empress of the Seas staying in the fleet, it now appears clear to me that the reason why Majesty of the Seas did not end up going to Pullmantur is because Pullmantur was doing so poorly back then that RC had no choice but to keep it in the fleet. Am I crazy?

+1 vote for Alok. He is not only a great bartender but very friendly

Wow, I give her a lot of credit. Scanning one by one is sooo tedious!

When I sailed out of San Juan, we arrived early but we had also flown in the day before and spent much of that day exploring. Lines are greatest for embarkation in the afternoon just because that is when most people get there. Will it be unbearable? Probably not but lines are shortest in the morning. I think that's really the difference we are talking about.

Great photos, Scott! I love the professional shots with the tiger. I assume you bought the photo CD?

Glad I could be of assistance and I am even happier to hear there is another convert to the Church of Sabor!

Great report. And I agree, the R-Bar staff is amazing. I met Alok too and he is really great!

Which ship and sailing? If you are cruising outside the USA, it may not be an issue

That is always our pre-dinner drink spot too

I think your plan will be just fine for your son.

That is true of a lot of things on Royal Caribbean!

Congratulations! WAAAYTOOO nailed it. I would make sure all your reservations (cruise, specialty restaurants, etc) know on the reservation that you are engaged. We bought the celebration packages on a few sailings. My wife likes to have the something special associated with them in the room. It's some basic decorations that are a nice touch.