Matt

Fortunately for us when we sail in October on the Indy we are staying overnight in a hotel which is right opposite the Ciy Cruise Terminal where she docks so we will be there as soon as we are allowed in.

 

I wonder if they would let me fire a zip wire across and board James Bond style :)

Staying overnight in the port before the cruise is definitely the way to go.

 

Not so sure about the James Bond entry haha

1st time cruisers departing and returning to Ft Lauderdale.  Just confirming that we do NOT need passports for this cruise to the Western Carribean.  

You don't NEED passports but it's strongly encouraged that you do.  If you do not bring passports, then you do need to bring birth certificates.  

 

The reason why passports are better is because if you get stuck in another country, for whatever reason, you can easily fly home with passports.  It's a much bigger problem when you don't have them.

Boarding the Freedom took all of 15 minutes on our last trip.

I agree, they have it down to a science at PC

I'm with you Bryce I don't see why they are not 24hr as most people that will use the gym are going to keep up their normal routine and to shed some of the extra pounds gained on the ship and the majority of them don't need supervision in the gym.

I like the idea of a 24 hour gym.  I think it makes perfect sense to offer gym and Windjammer 24 hours.  I suspect in both cases it's a personnel issues more than any lack of imagination.

Hope you both have a great time and hopefully you will speak about the trip on your podcast.

Count on it.  I'm planning a pre-cruise episode for the week before I leave and then a post-cruise review after I get back.  I'm excited because it's a new itinerary for me.  Like you, I've been to San Juan and St Maarten but all other islands and Jewel of the Seas are new to me.

23 days for me!

Here's one for ya. Who does the best shakes on board , Johnny Rockets or Ben & Jerry's ?

I haven't had a shake at Ben and Jerrys yet.  Sounds like I need a "research trip" to find out ;)

Yes, it's the pre-inaugural cruise.  I'd love to do a trans-atlantic someday, especially on a new ship like Quantum because with so many sea days, you'd have lots of time to check out what the ship offers.

My sister sailed on her late last year/early this year. She said it was 8 or 9am opening and was open until about 8 or 9. I was hugely disappointed to hear that, since RCI (used to) majorly prides itself in it's fitness center amenities--used to push the ShipShape program too!

That's definitely not the norm of any cruises I've experience in last few years.  Usually first classes of the day are at 6am, never mind what time the gym is open to on your own stuff.

Hey, Matt--Quantum sailing in March...wanna do a flash mob?! Haha

 

Flash mobs require choreography, which is definitely NOT my strong suit.  And along those lines, no one needs to see me (attempt to) dance.  :D

Sort of related to the original question, I do have my doubts Royal Caribbean would build cruise ships that are the size of Radiance class (2,000 passengers).  I think these days, small is Voyager class when it comes to Royal Caribbean.

Also note that sometimes, they use words interchangeably like the ShipShape Center (older ships), ShipShape Spa, Fitness Center, etc. But, don't get the hours confused--the Fitness Center usually opens, as Matt said, around 6am, BEFORE the spa. Some ships are a bit earlier than 6am. The hours of operation on Majesty of the Seas, from what I hear, are pretty measley.

I just looked up the fitness center on Majesty from the last cruise compass we have on the site: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/majesty-seas/2011-07-11t040000

 

I see 6am openings once you get past day 1 for the gym. Of course, this is from 2011

Listen here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-4-labadee

 

Welcome to the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, a weekly look into the world of Royal Caribbean cruising.  I’m your host, Matt Hochberg and this is episode number 4.  

 

On this week’s show, we’re taking a trip down to the Caribbean for a trip to Royal Caribbean’s private island of Labadee.  This little piece of paradise has become an iconic Royal Caribbean port of call and is among my favorite places to go to.  Let’s talk about the beaches in Labadee, shore excursions while in Labadee and everything else there is to do while on shore.  And, we also have more of your listener feedback to share.

 

Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...

• Twitter: @therclblog
• Facebook: /royalcaribbeanblog
• Email: [email protected]
• Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6

I doubt Oasis/Allure is the largest we will ever see. I do think value proposition may be at slightly smaller but soon enough the envelope will be pushed again.  Especially with ports upgrading to accommodate much larger ships around the world.

For the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, we're going to be asking our listeners to share their stories about their first Royal Caribbean cruise and I wanted to extend that invitation here.  

 

Please share with us the details of your first Royal Caribbean cruise vacation, including which ship it was, which itinerary, why you chose Royal Caribbean and your experience (briefly).

 

Looking forward to reading everyone's responses and we may read them on the podcast too!

I encourage everyone to get out there and try some local restaurants to sample the local cuisine!

We love exploring restaurants while on shore, especially authentic restaurants.  My favorite to this day is a great mexican restaurant in Cozumel called Comidas Caseras Tonita: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/09/21/restaurant-review-comidas-caseras-tonita

Definitely have free weights. Can't comment on the other machines but I've seen lots of machines for use, as well as machines for classes.

 

Usually the gym is open something like 6am to 10pm (depends on the ship).

 

You may find this article useful: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/07/31/guide-royal-caribbeans-gym-and-exercise-programs

Oh yer of course, that won't be an option then.

You never know.  Carnival is known to name their ships the same name as ships in other cruise lines.  And of course, "Fantasy of the Seas" is not the same as "Carnival Fantasy" or "Disney Fantasy", technically speaking.

They had a Starbucks on Freedom of the Seas in February and I ordered "my usual" but I recall it being slightly different than I usually have it.  Of course, if they ever got Starbucks to be complimentary then I would be the biggest fan ever of outsourced restaurants onboard  :D

We fly into Orlando 6:14am, and just found out transfer dont Stanton until 10:30am. Going to be a long morning

Might be too late now but you can rent a car from MCO and then drop it off in Port Canaveral.  If 2 or more people, can be cheaper than transfers

Best bet is to get to port as early as they will let you.  Not sure about Southampton, but here in USA, that's usually between 10:00 - 10:30am

I agree with anyone that says any port of embarkation that does not require flying! Now that we live in NY, I'm all about Bayonne/Cape Liberty

We have sailed in August and October without any problems on board. The August trip we did watch the RCL website and NOAA for storms as there were several barring down on the gulf (we sailed out of Galveston) but we didn't have any issues and the trip was great! 

My honeymoon cruise on Mariner of the Seas involved dodging storms but we hit all of our ports and nothing terrible in terms of the sea being rough. 

Of the ports I've been to, Port Canaveral has certainly been the easiest/fastest.  Port Everglades embarkation was great but disembarkation not so much