Matt

There's going to be a lot of adults who want in on the wave pool too!

There's going to be such a big swap of where ships are in the next few years. Don't forget we still have Oasis 3 & 4 coming online too.  It's going to be cruise musical chairs

I personally like when they keep it the same time as the home port or 'ship' time. I would think it would help eliminate the accidental "oh noes I forgot to change my watch and now the ship left me" problem.

For most Caribbean cruises, they usually stay on ship time.  At least, that's been my experience.

No Izumi (the sushi restaurant)? The sheer number of times you've eaten there should place it in your Top 5. :)

Oh man, I must have been drinking something when I wrote that post  :lol:

I tend to agree on the value of the royal replenish package although I was pleasantly surprised by their flavored waters in the Windjammer. One thing worth noting also is their iced tea. I grew up loathing tea but in the last few years have started to find select places with iced tea so good I actually like it. Royal Caribbean turns out to be one such place!

Good points.

 

I tend to be fine with the complimentary drinks but I know others prefer to have a few soft drinks per day at the very least so it's so subjective. 

Time zone changes are up to the captain.  Most times you will stay on whatever time your original embarkation port was on (often referred to as "ship time").  This is most typical with Caribbean cruises.  But some cruises will adjust to the time.  You will get notice in the Cruise Compass, among other places.

I noticed a lot of the replies state that you can board the ship as early as noon. Is this still true considering the 8:30 pm departure time on my sailing? 

As others said, yes.  I was on Jewel of the Seas and she left around 8pm but we got onboard by 11am.  Sooner you get onboard, sooner your vacation begins!

I'm glad they're using RFID even with some of the issues I've heard Disney has had with it. I am hopeful that it's a resounding success so that it hopefully gets rolled out to the rest of the fleet in the very near future. The idea of possibly speeding up customs (Galveston I'm talking to YOU here!!!!) and making life a little easier onboard with one less thing to worry about in your pockets is a wonderful thing.

With RFID it's really about the software behind it.  Hoping RC's system is simple, yet effective

I've done Alaska twice on two different lines from Seattle. It's a great trip and one of my favorite itineraries in all of my cruises. Canada/New England would be a close second, which I've also done twice. The scenery is amazing and the glacier viewing is something that I think everyone needs to experience at least once in their lives.

 

Seattle is a great city, as is Vancouver, but Seattle is easier and much more affordable to fly into. The downside, though, is that you'll likely sail outside of Vancouver Island. As a result, your "Inside Passage" cruise is significantly truncated as a result as you don't cut into the Inside Passage until after you're past Vancouver Island. From Vancouver, you're always in the inside passage. Also, depending on the ship and itinerary, you may have a very late night port of call in Victoria for the required foreign port stop, which doesn't really give you a lot of time to enjoy the beautiful city.

 

If I had to do it over again, I'd fly into Seattle and take the train or the shuttle services, some run by the cruise lines, to Vancouver to get the full Inside Passage experience and to reduce costs compared to flying in. However, there's a lack of convenience as a result. In addition, the cruises I've priced out of Vancouver have always been more expensive than out of Seattle.

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer.

GREAT info, thank you for sharing

Think of it this way - We usually fly Delta which has a $25/per bag fee, so for an extra $5 I don't have to drag around an extra bag for additional clothes and laundry.  That's worth it to me, so I'll pay the $30 for laundry.

Good point!

September 2014

28 - CaribbeanPirate (Brilliance of the Seas)

 

October 2014

2 - Shocked (Independence of the Seas)
5 - Marc (Allure of the Seas)

9 - Satkowitz (Explorer of the Seas)

12 - donalk (Liberty of the Seas)

14 - Darkcabbie (Independence of the Seas)

15 - ChrisTravel2114 (Oasis of the Seas)

15 - ian91 (Oasis of the Seas)

19 - ang73 (Freedom of the Seas)

27 - Gwen (Oasis of the Seas)

 

November 2014

9 - RCL lover (Navigator of the Seas)

12 - Matt (Quantum of the Seas)

16 - Greg (Allure of the Seas)

22 - mactrio (Serenade of the Seas)
23 - Sheltie (Quantum of the Seas)

 

December 2014

6 - Swazoo (Independence of the Seas)

12 - Cleo (Quantum of the Seas)

13 - Auburn14 (Explorer of the Seas)

27 - Islandspud (Explorer of the Seas)

27 - KeithnRita (Serenade of the Seas)

28 - AGSLC5 (Allure of the Seas)

 

January 2015

3 - KeithnRita (Serenade of the Seas)

 

February 2015

2 - Geoff (Quantum 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!)

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)

19 - capitalkyle (Adventure of the Seas)

 

May 2015

10 - RCL lover (Independence of the Seas)

 

June 2015

13 - Shocked (Anthem of the Seas)

19 - turtleclanscott (Jewel of the Seas)

 

July 2015

26 - Matt (Freedom of the Seas)

 

September 2015

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)

 

March 2016

13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)

Yes, Royal Caribbean celebrates Halloween on its ships. Lots of guests and crew get dressed and they have a party on the Promenade.  There's also a parade with prizes for the best costumes. This carried over into the MDR where various costumes were showcased.

Exciting news!

Thanks for the shameless plug!

Hasn't happened to me.  I wouldn't count on one but you should edit in your Crown and Anchor profile online opt-into upgrades automatically.

Starbucks is included in the ultimate and royal replenish packages on all ships except Oasis and Allure.

 

Or at least, that's been most people's experience.

How do I found out when the final payment date is though, so that I can watch out for these cancellations?? It's a New Year's cruise so that may minimise the number of cancellations too....?

Final payment date is 90 days before your sail date

I'd say it's worth trying.  One of two things could happen.....

 

1. Someone will cancel randomly

 

2. Someone will cancel when final payment is due

 

#2 is most likely to happen but I'd be on the wait list if you really want that sailing.

I'm sure the service fee will apply just like in any other venue including the cabin's minibar. We used the self-serve wine dispensers on another line and were surprised that a service fee was added.

RC has said the gratuity will go to crew fund

If you decide to do something else at Labadee, I highly recommend the "Haitian Cultural Tour".  They take you offsite to the lovely beach here: http://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/2013/10/02/on-site-haiti-discovering-bamboo-beach-bar-in-le-nord/  It's a nice secluded beach away from the crowds at Labadee - when we were there there were perhaps two dozen people at the beach.  If you want to check it out on Google Earth it's at 19°45'35.67" N  72°15'29.98" W.  There's also a small freshwater river coming down from the mountains at the west end of the beach so you can clean off the salt water before returning.  

 

The "tour" takes you into the hills for a bit for a short display of agricultural products, etc., and a low-pressure opportunity to buy souvenirs.

 

The small bar was lovely, and cheap.  When we took the tour in 2011 the guide was a nice French Canadian lady that clearly loved Haiti and the Haitian people.  

 

The tour was like discovering a hidden secret that few people knew about.  A+ in my book.  

 

If I ever get to Haiti again I'm going to try to go here:

http://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/2013/12/12/on-site-haiti-unexpected-private-island-bliss-at-ile-ara/

 

Great review, thanks!

There were stairs that led directly down from the cabana into the water, so that was pretty cool.

 

Honestly, they're all good. We've had beach cabanas over at Barefoot Beach in the past and they were good, too. They were a bit further away from the water, so in terms of that, the over-the-water cabana was more convenient.

 

I simply liked having a place to hang out in the shade during the beach day at Labadee, whichever kind of cabana it may be. That said, I've got an over-the-water cabana booked for my next Allure of the Seas cruise in three weeks.

Good stuff, thanks Marc

Tuxedo rentals are $89-99 per tux: https://tuxedorentals.rccl.com/tuxedo/tuxrental.nsf

 

You cannot rent gowns.

Great photos Marc. What did you think of the over-the-water cabanas?  I always felt while a nice view, they seemed like more "work" because you have to walk back down stairs to go swim or anywhere else, whereas on the beach cabanas are cheaper and easier to get in and out of.  But that's just my perception.

September 2014

28 - CaribbeanPirate (Brilliance of the Seas)

 

October 2014

2 - Shocked (Independence of the Seas)
5 - Marc (Allure of the Seas)

9 - Satkowitz (Explorer of the Seas)

12 - donalk (Liberty of the Seas)

14 - Darkcabbie (Independence of the Seas)

15 - ChrisTravel2114 (Oasis of the Seas)

15 - ian91 (Oasis of the Seas)

19 - ang73 (Freedom of the Seas)

 

November 2014

9 - RCL lover (Navigator of the Seas)

12 - Matt (Quantum of the Seas)

16 - Greg (Allure of the Seas)

22 - mactrio (Serenade of the Seas)
23 - Sheltie (Quantum of the Seas)

 

December 2014

6 - Swazoo (Independence of the Seas)

12 - Cleo (Quantum of the Seas)

13 - Auburn14 (Explorer of the Seas)

27 - Islandspud (Explorer of the Seas)

27 - KeithnRita (Serenade of the Seas)

28 - AGSLC5 (Allure of the Seas)

 

January 2015

3 - KeithnRita (Serenade of the Seas)

 

February 2015

2 - Geoff (Quantum 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!)

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)

19 - capitalkyle (Adventure of the Seas)

 

May 2015

10 - RCL lover (Independence of the Seas)

 

June 2015

13 - Shocked (Anthem of the Seas)

19 - turtleclanscott (Jewel of the Seas)

 

July 2015

26 - Matt (Freedom of the Seas)

 

September 2015

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)

 

March 2016

13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)

You may find this review of the cabanas on Labadee helpful: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/09/13/excursion-focus-barefoot-beach-cabanas-labadee

Thanks Brenda!