Matt

Mark beat me to the punch, but the list of which ships are getting what and when is here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/ship-upgrade-list-and-schedule

Haha. I sometimes wonder if they are ignorant and don't know any better or if they know what they're doing.

I've mostly cruised during hurricane season and it's been a positive experience. I've been lucky enough to avoid having my itinerary messed up but you should know that they can change your itinerary at any time if a storm is going to impact one or more of your ports. I feel like the cost savings for cruising this time of year outweighs the negatives provided you can handle a change in itinerary possibly.

Not to hijack the thread, but I agree with Freedom that it really does pay to be a C&A member

I saw the question and thought "Oh this is easy!" And then I thought about it some more and realized I keep going back and forth :lol: I think at the end of the day, I pick a cruise based on itinerary but the ship is a major factor. As an example, my next cruise is to Southern Caribbean and I picked that for the itinerary more than than anything. But when we sailed on Oasis and Freedom, we picked those cruises for the ship first. So I'll cheat and say "it depends" :P

Great idea! September 21: Jewel of the Seas

Yes, eventually we will see the "web cam" covering Quantum. Of course, Meyer Werft's idea of a web cam is rooted in 1996 (still images) :D

My question is do they keep Independence in Southampton as well? Or do they send her elsewhere? The British cruise market has been probably best aspect of European cruises from RCL's standpoint (financially) but considering we've never really seen more than a ship or two home ported there, that may be an indication of what the market can handle.

Great advice

I really enjoy drinks at Boleros, especially pre-dinner. Good vibe and it's hard to go wrong with a margarita

Sure that makes sense and that's why they force whomever orders the packages to order it for everyone in the stateroom. Regardless of how many people order it, it's still a lot of drinks per day to get your moneys worth.

Same here. I think I could make it worth my while but my wife drinks too little to justify the price.

We used to always do late but now we have a daughter (2.5 years old) so we do the early dining....for our sanity :P

Welcome Dawn and I do love that site. Every Sunday my wife and I love to watch Freedom sail away

Amen brotha! ;)

First night is always a "freebie" since luggage can sometimes be an issue, plus all the other things going on that need to be taken care of on day 1. I do agree it's frustrating to see some people clearly not even make an effort. Welcome rekkie!

For anyone that has purchased either of the unlimited alcohol packages that Royal Caribbean offers, did you buy it for the convenience of not worrying about paying for drinks/tipping? Or did you buy it as a means of saving money on alcohol over the course of your cruise?

I love Izumi, but that's mostly because I'm a sushi addict

Last Friday, Quantum of the Seas had her keel-laying ceremony, which means....construction of the ship has begun! More info: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/08/02/quantum-seas-holds-keel-laying-ceremony

Hard to say really. I know there's plenty of Brits who would love if that came to fruition.

Yes! For our cruises, I remind my wife not to eat anything once we leave for the port so we can get extra value out of that first lunch onboard :P

First day of the forums and already a dress code question! :lol: I wouldn't wear shorts to MDR but I try not to let it bug me. It has no impact on me but then again I enjoy dressing up for dinners.

Welcome to the RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com message boards! Take a few moments and say hello and introduce yourself. My name is Matt and I'm from New York, NY. My wife, daughter and me love to cruise and it seems like we're always eyeing the next cruise we want to take as soon as we get finished with the last one.

I agree with you. We always arrive as early as possible so we can get in, have lunch and start enjoying the ship. And since we almost always travel to the port the day before our cruise, we're there anyway so no reason to just waste time.

That's a tough question. "Best" is a subjective term, but I feel like Oasis or Allure will remain their flagship cruise ship once the hoopla over Quantum's launch dies down. After all, Allure is still the biggest cruise ship in the world, as well as the fleet.