Matt

January 2015 22 - monctonguy (Brilliance of the Seas) February 2015 2 - Geoff (Quantum of the Seas) 7 - Mike_ (Vision of the Seas) 12 - poider (Radiance of the Seas) 12 - NCguys (Explorer of the Seas) March 2015 13 - AGSLC5 (Quantum of the Seas) 14 - Marc (Independence of the Seas) 14 - Don (Serenade 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) 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) June 2015 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) 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) October 2015 24 - greenline627 (Grandeur of the Seas) November 2015 3 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) January 2016 3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas) March 2016 13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)

Polo shirts are fine. When I say "collared shirt" I really do mean any collared shirt, because I can't think of a collared shirt that isn't nice enough to meet this sort of dress code. You can get away with a polo shirt and khakis or even polo shirt and "nice jeans". Or you can go up the scale and go with a dress shirt, add a jacket, tuxedo, etc Thank you for listening! It's a lot of fun to put together every week!

Well, you are preaching the choir here but I think you made the right decision ;) Navigator is a fabulous ship

Generally I book on my own for a few reasons: 1. 3rd party excursions are usually cheaper 2. More variety in terms of choices 3. I prefer a more personal experience than touring with a large group 4. Greater flexibility in doing what I want, when I want. I will say the decision may depend greatly on the port you visit.

Yes and I documented the entire cruise in blog posts, which you can read here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/navigator-of-the-seas-live-blog Ask any questions you may have!

Welcome Josie! So glad you've found us and I look forward to "seeing you around" the boards!

I'll echo what others have said. Rent a car and I think Marc's advice is spot on for where to start.

Not sure if you can transfer the reservation now that you're so close to your cruise and final payment has been made. Any good travel agent should be a fee-free agency, where the cruise line pays them and not you. A good TA will give you additional services, support and advice (and maybe some booking incentives too).

RC does not post the daily entertainment schedule in advance but you can refer to old Cruise Compass' to get an idea of what to expect. Keep in mind schedules may change but older compasses are usually good at giving a ballpark idea of the goings on http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

I'd love for the 3rd & 4th passengers sail free deal to return, but that's because it chiefly benefits myself :D I'd love to see a "Surf and Sip" promo: free internet and drink package

The US dollar has never been stronger against currencies like the Euro, Rubbel and Yen. Great time to travel for Americans!

Yes, they will pro-rate the remaining amount.

Entertainment is usually added no earlier than 60 days before your cruise. I've usually found most shore excursions available within 6 months but more may be added at any time. Still, I usually find a list of excursions since it's pretty standard offering regardless of which ship is there.

Carnival announced today a new internet package that offers unlimited access Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, & Snapchat for a fee of just $5/day or $25/voyage. I'd love to see Royal Caribbean offer something similar, especially for that kind of a price. Would you buy it?

As with all reviews, you have to take them with a grain of salt. So much of the review process is subjective and you really have to look at what people are complaining about and see what you think. Personally, I can't wait to get back on in March. She's a beautiful ship and I'm not too worried about 1-2 hours of my day (dinner) to let it ruin my excitement. I do advise making reservations for dining in advance. Try for later times too (8pm or later).

Thank you for using the TA sponsor of this site!

Well said Mark!

Thank you for checking out our sponsor! It helps the blog a lot!

I feel that's what I'll constantly be thinking about if I got the package.

I believe there's always ice cream but flavors may vary.

I always look to see if there's a price drop and then have my TA handle calling RC to re-adjust the price. I figure, let them deal with the hold times and the "paper work"! I'll be honest, not sure what value a TA will give you for a cruise out of Galveston. I mean, what are you looking to get from a TA for that particular purpose? Most TAs wont even touch domestic airfare since the airlines don't pay them anymore and if you're looking for Galveston advice, unless that TA has done a lot of Galveston cruises, you'd get great advice by message boards like this and googling. I'm a big TA fan but I also dont want to sour your TA experience if you're looking for something they don't really offer.

Welcome Dave! Glad you found us and hope to see you around here!

I've done this before. The primary reason to transfer to a travel agent is to have someone assist you on a more personal level with the booking. In addition, some TAs will offer you booking incentives for doing so (onboard credit). This goes back to a larger discussion of to use a TA or not. Personally, I always use one. Hope this helps!

I wrote this in a related blog post but when you read you will need to drink about 5-6 drinks per day to break even, in everyone's mind you either think "Oh, that's a lot to drink" or "Oh, that isn't that many drinks" and that gut reaction is a pretty good indication who the package is good for.

I approve!