Matt

Fixed

I agree, that's a great idea for a blog post. Thanks!

Yes, some have great views, others have partial views and others really don't have much of a view. Generally the suites have the better views.

One more note about rental cars, prices change CONSTANTLY. I'd advise to keep re-pricing, even after booking something because you never know. Prices usually come down also within the week of your trip.

Any of those times is fine. It also depends what you want to do. If you just want to go home after the cruise, 1pm would be best. I don't know about you, but I hate sitting around airports. But if you want to sight see or shop or enjoy the beach, then obviously a later flight will be best. Also keep in mind in Florida that come summer time, thunderstorms routinely pop up in the afternoon and that can lead to delays at the airport. Late afternoon flights in summer are the most susceptible to these sort of issues so plan accordingly.

February 2015 12 - poider (Radiance of the Seas) 12 - NCguys (Explorer of the Seas) 15 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 20 - Superwoman10 (Enchantment of the Seas) 21 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas) March 2015 13 - AGSLC5 (Quantum of the Seas) 14 - Marc (Independence of the Seas) 14 - Don (Serenade of the Seas) 15 - doanej (Allure of the Seas) 19 - Superwoman10 (Brilliance of the Seas) 21 - Matt (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - RCKRZR (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - pnyxprss (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - Jamie (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - ncbn0902 (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 29 - ian91 (Quantum of the Seas) April 2015 4 - bcarney (Jewel of the Seas) 5 - FloatMe (Adventure of the Seas) 5 - NYCruiser19 (Quantum of the Seas) 10 - CaribbeanPirate (Grandeur of the Seas) 11 - markinct (Oasis of the Seas) 19 - capitalkyle (Adventure of the Seas) May 2015 10 - RCL lover (Independence of the Seas) 11 - ian91 (Allure of the Seas) 17 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) June 2015 7 - JasonD (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Shocked (Anthem of the Seas) 19 - turtleclanscott (Jewel of the Seas) 21 - TheMays July 2015 26 - Matt (Freedom of the Seas) 29 - DocLC (Brilliance of the Seas) August 2015 1 - Marc (Adventure of the Seas) 8 - Dan (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - jlynn222 (Enchantment of the Seas) 17 - Bryce G. (Enchantment of the Seas) September 2015 13 - Shocked (Allure of the Seas) 18 - ian91 (Brilliance of the Seas) 26 - RCKRZR (Jewel of the Seas) 27 - Steve (Brilliance of the Seas) 27 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) October 2015 18 - bkirkham (Navigator of the Seas) 24 - greenline627 (Grandeur of the Seas) November 2015 1 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 3 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) January 2016 2 - Dan (Oasis of the Seas) 3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas) February 2016 7 - jlynn222 (Freedom of the Seas) March 2016 4 - Dan (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas)

I've seen that too on Navigator and Jewel. Looking forward to seeing how busy the specialty restaurants are on Quantum.

It depends on how many people you are talking about but generally renting a car can be the most economical option as well as the most flexible. It allows you to do little things like get to the port exactly when you want, make stops for supplies along the way as well as provide a means of sight-seeing before you even board.

I agree European cruises have their own nuances, needs and strategies that you would not run into planning a cruise from North America. I think you bring up some really good points!

I have never done it but I've heard you would pay the difference in cost. So if the glass of wine was $20, you would pay $8 (if on premium plan). Just sharing what I've read online.

I've always said Chops is the most consistently good restaurant across the fleet. I've always enjoyed the food here. I do think the ever increasing price gives me pause. On a 7-night cruise, we will usually eat at a specialty restaurant perhaps twice for dinner and maybe the next time I'd choose something else but for a nice evening out, it's hard to beat.

I've always done the one way car rentals. It's the most economical option and it's pretty easy on either end of the trip.

Navigator was my favorite cruise of the last 12+ months, so I highly recommend checking her out. The refurbishment is fabulous and I love the itinerary. Also as Kris mentioned, we're severely biased here :)

In my experience, the minimum bets in the day time are lower than in the evening. I fancy the roulette table and I think the minimum bets on Jewel were $5 per hand in morning and afternoon but in the evening the minimum went up to $10 per hand. Just my experience.

That's exactly why I don't have a particular date. I will add when booking a cruise to check immediately for available excursions, if any. I think I will run the blog post early next week! Please keep any other suggestions coming.

I thought about that too but it kind of gets off the scope because now we'll need to add when to book each, when to check in for each, etc. I do agree they are usually necessary things but I dont want to go too far off target.

Good points, I updated the info. This will be a blog post once I feel like we're not missing anything major.

Thanks Marc, updated the original post with this info

I haven't heard of anything yet. I'm still surprised, seems like they are missing out on sales.

I'm working on an idea for a RC cruise planning timeline blog post to give folks an idea of ideal times to plan things out. Please respond with anything I missed or any mistakes I may have made 24-12 months before your cruise start looking at cruise itineraries to pick the right one for you. Check RoyalCaribbean.com for available sailing dates and cruise options. Depending on when you're looking, deployment schedules may limit how far in advance you can actually book. Be sure to also look at deck plans for which staterooms have most space (i.e. hump staterooms). Also consider using cruisedeckplans.com to be able to drag the decks above and below your stateroom to ensure your room isn't going to have noise bleed. Put a deposit down on the sailing you want and to reserve the stateroom you want. You can change or cancel the cruise without penalty for several months while you continue researching. Research if trip insurance for your cruise makes sense, perhaps due to hurricane season or if there are health risks involved. Royal Caribbean offers insurance as well as third party suppliers, which are often cheaper. Look at excursions after placing your deposit. When excursions become available varies widely but it's best to start looking at what Royal Caribbean is offer as early as possible. 90 days before cruise Final payment due for all holiday cruises (Christmas or New Years Day) Online check-in becomes available Start researching third party shore excursion options. 75 days before your cruise Final payment due for 7-night or longer cruises 74 - 65 days before your cruise For those on 7-night or longer cruises, check again for available staterooms, dining, entertainment or shore excursions that may have become available due to other guests not making final payment. 60 days before your cruise Final payment due for 3, 4 or 5-night cruises Around this time dining and entertainment reservations will become available on royalcaribbean.com 59 - 50 days before your cruise For those on 5-night or shorter cruises, check again for available staterooms, dining, entertainment or shore excursions that may have become available due to other guests not making final payment. 49 days before cruise E-docs and luggage tags are available to download and print. 15 days before your cruise Last chance to reserve online using Cruise Planner. 4 days before your cruise Last chance to book specialty restaurants, spa or salon services. Last chance to complete online check-in at royalcaribbean.com. You must complete and print out your SetSail Pass by now. 72 - 24 hours before your cruise Check into your airline online Do one last check of weather expected for your cruise. 2 days before your cruise Last chance to purchase Gifts and Gear from Royal Caribbean.

February 2015 7 - Mike_ (Vision of the Seas) 12 - poider (Radiance of the Seas) 12 - NCguys (Explorer of the Seas) 15 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 20 - Superwoman10 (Enchantment of the Seas) 21 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas) March 2015 13 - AGSLC5 (Quantum of the Seas) 14 - Marc (Independence of the Seas) 14 - Don (Serenade of the Seas) 15 - doanej (Allure of the Seas) 19 - Superwoman10 (Brilliance of the Seas) 21 - Matt (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - RCKRZR (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - pnyxprss (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - Jamie (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - ncbn0902 (Quantum of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 29 - ian91 (Quantum of the Seas) April 2015 4 - bcarney (Jewel of the Seas) 5 - FloatMe (Adventure of the Seas) 5 - NYCruiser19 (Quantum of the Seas) 10 - CaribbeanPirate (Grandeur of the Seas) 11 - markinct (Oasis of the Seas) 19 - capitalkyle (Adventure of the Seas) May 2015 10 - RCL lover (Independence of the Seas) 11 - ian91 (Allure of the Seas) 17 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) June 2015 7 - JasonD (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Shocked (Anthem of the Seas) 19 - turtleclanscott (Jewel of the Seas) 21 - TheMays July 2015 26 - Matt (Freedom of the Seas) 29 - DocLC (Brilliance of the Seas) August 2015 1 - Marc (Adventure of the Seas) 8 - Dan (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - jlynn222 (Enchantment of the Seas) September 2015 13 - Shocked (Allure of the Seas) 18 - ian91 (Brilliance of the Seas) 26 - RCKRZR (Jewel of the Seas) 27 - Steve (Brilliance of the Seas) 27 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) October 2015 18 - bkirkham (Navigator of the Seas) 24 - greenline627 (Grandeur of the Seas) November 2015 1 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 3 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) January 2016 2 - Dan (Oasis of the Seas) 3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas) February 2016 7 - jlynn222 (Freedom of the Seas) March 2016 4 - Dan (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas)

I'm not old! ;)

Many years ago we took a bus as part of a group excursion.

We loved Hilton Rose Hotel day pass in Falmouth!

Keri, he's actually in St. Maarten. Shoot me an email to [email protected] and I'm happy to share his number!