Matt

How would you all compare St. Kitts to St. Croix? I found St. Croix to be "unflattering", to say the least.

It is crazy to think about how big ships have gotten in past 15-20 years alone.

We just took a cruise with my then-6 month old. You'll love it

This has been my observation as well and it is why I have not purchased any of the drink packages for myself.

September 2015 3 - BigKarl (Brilliance of the Seas) 13 - Shocked (Allure of the Seas) 18 - ian91 (Brilliance of the Seas) 19 - MarriedonRRC (Oasis of the Seas) 20 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 26 - RCKRZR (Jewel of the Seas) 27 - Steve (Brilliance of the Seas) 27 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) October 2015 4 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 17 - Marc (Liberty of the Seas) 18 - bkirkham (Navigator of the Seas) 22 - JohnK6404 (Libert of the Seas) 24 - greenline627 (Grandeur of the Seas) November 2015 1 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 3 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 7 - Jerel (Independence of the Seas) 8 - blueders (Jewel of the Seas) 9 - monctonguy (Majesty of the Seas) 13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 29 - dh1ch1 (Freedom of the Seas) December 2015 6 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 19 - WAAAYTOOO (Grandeur of the Seas) January 2016 2 - Dan (Oasis of the Seas) 3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas) 11 - monctonguy (Independence of the Seas) 11 - ian91 (Splendour of the Seas) 17 - Huntley (Freedom of the Seas) February 2016 7 - jlynn222 (Freedom of the Seas) 7 - Nicole (Freedom of the Seas) 7 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 14 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 21 - Matt (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - AGSLC5 (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - WAAAYTOOO (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 21 - Jerel (Allure of the Seas) 21 - eaglesfaninfl (Freedom of the Seas) 22 - monctonguy (Brilliance of the Seas) March 2016 4 - Dan (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas) 13 - Knisley96 (Navigator of the Seas) April 2016 3 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) May 2016 21 - Welshrose15 (Navigator of the Seas) June 2016 12 - Shocked (Harmony of the Seas) 24 - Steve (Explorer of the Seas) July 2016 4 - Cruiseman (Radiance of the Seas) 22 - DocLC (Explorer of the Seas) August 2016 7 - amejiajr8 (Allure of the Seas) 21 - Davyb33 (Jewel of the Seas) 28 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) September 2016 18 - JohnK6404 (Allure of the Seas) 18 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) October 2016 3 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas) 9 - Marc (Liberty of the Seas) 23 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas) 23 - sulross (Harmony of the Seas) November 2016 28 - Jerel (Majesty of the Seas) January 2017 2 - DocLC (Allure of the Seas) 9 - rekkie (Ovation of the Seas) February 2017 18 Jerel (Harmony of the Seas) March 2017 4 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)

Well now that you mention it.... :P

I haven't seen any cutback. Plenty of drinks, granted they aren't very strong but I do not think they ever were.

I've seen buffets at like 10pm. I think the midnight buffet either doesn't exist anymore or was an event from the "old days" of cruising.

I agree, bring lots of onboard entertainment with you. Movies, podcasts, TV shows, whatever you need to focus on to forget you are on a plane.

Definitely Le Galion beach in St Maarten. It's the perfect beach for kids who cannot swim. Read a detailed review here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/03/07/excursion-focus-le-galion-beach

RC stipulates you cannot share any aspect of a drink package with other guests

I have not used it yet

Thanks for the recommendation!

I'm totally borrowing someone else's phrase but my wife and I view formal night as "adult prom". It's a good excuse to actually dress up and it's not for someone else's wedding. That being said, I don't think you're wrong at all. When I was solo on Quantum I did not pack a suit and used your strategy of going to a specialty restaurant instead.

If you are going to wait for your luggage to be delivered for you by Royal Caribbean, I think their recommendation of a noon (or later) flight is best. It's possible to make an 11am flight, but you will be HUSTLING!

I've never tried to use it but I suspect the better answer is no one has been able to combine the shareholder credit with other discounts. I have no doubt one could apply the discount to a cruise but in many cases, it's not the best deal out there.

I believe Royal Caribbean has wheelchairs. Some guests opt to rent their own motorized wheelchairs to bring on the ship. They are bulky but can provide better mobility.

August 2015 16 - Cruiserholic (Legend of the Seas) 17 - Bryce G. (Enchantment of the Seas) 17 - dbixler (Enchantment of the Seas) September 2015 3 - BigKarl (Brilliance of the Seas) 13 - Shocked (Allure of the Seas) 18 - ian91 (Brilliance of the Seas) 19 - MarriedonRRC (Oasis of the Seas) 20 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 26 - RCKRZR (Jewel of the Seas) 27 - Steve (Brilliance of the Seas) 27 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) October 2015 4 - sulross (Navigator of the Seas) 18 - bkirkham (Navigator of the Seas) 22 - JohnK6404 (Libert of the Seas) 24 - greenline627 (Grandeur of the Seas) November 2015 1 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 3 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 7 - Jerel (Independence of the Seas) 8 - blueders (Jewel of the Seas) 9 - monctonguy (Majesty of the Seas) 13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas) 13 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 29 - dh1ch1 (Freedom of the Seas) December 2015 6 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 19 - WAAAYTOOO (Grandeur of the Seas) January 2016 2 - Dan (Oasis of the Seas) 3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas) 11 - monctonguy (Independence of the Seas) 11 - ian91 (Splendour of the Seas) 17 - Huntley (Freedom of the Seas) February 2016 7 - jlynn222 (Freedom of the Seas) 7 - Nicole (Freedom of the Seas) 7 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 14 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 21 - Matt (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - AGSLC5 (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - WAAAYTOOO (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!) 21 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 21 - Jerel (Allure of the Seas) 21 - eaglesfaninfl (Freedom of the Seas) 22 - monctonguy (Brilliance of the Seas) March 2016 4 - Dan (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas) 13 - Knisley96 (Navigator of the Seas) April 2016 3 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) 10 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) May 2016 21 - Welshrose15 (Navigator of the Seas) June 2016 12 - Shocked (Harmony of the Seas) 24 - Steve (Explorer of the Seas) July 2016 4 - Cruiseman (Radiance of the Seas) 22 - DocLC (Explorer of the Seas) August 2016 7 - amejiajr8 (Allure of the Seas) 21 - Davyb33 (Jewel of the Seas) 28 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) September 2016 18 - JohnK6404 (Allure of the Seas) 18 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas) October 2016 3 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas) 9 - Marc (Liberty of the Seas) 23 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas) 23 - sulross (Harmony of the Seas) November 2016 28 - Jerel (Majesty of the Seas) January 2017 2 - DocLC (Allure of the Seas) 9 - rekkie (Ovation of the Seas) February 2017 18 Jerel (Harmony of the Seas) March 2017 4 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)

I could be wrong but I didn't think it was activated yet

As others noted, take a cab

That's a great story!

We did the same sailing as you on Jewel of the Seas out of San Juan. It's a fabulous itinerary. First, we got onboard around 11am. So the earlier you can get on, the better. You paid for the vacation, so you may as well get all the time out of it that you can! We did early seating for dinner and had no issues. The nice thing about the late departure is you will either have a nice view from the main dining room leaving or right after dinner, you can go out on deck and enjoy the view. I would not feel obligated to book a specialty restaurant on night 1 just because of the departure time. It shouldn't matter really.

That is always my fear

Don't forget the harness to attach it to you.

SMS yes, iMessage no. If you have airplane mode on and you are connected to WiFi, iMessage will still come through.