Matt

I am worried about the ship rocking too much if the weather is bad. How bad is it?

 

I haven't experienced anything that bad *knock on wood*

TheRoyalCaribbenBlog group cruise March 2015! :)

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royalcaribbeanblogcom-cruise-aboard-quantum-seas

Seconded! This will be a lot of fun.  We're working on ideas for some exclusive events for those that book with us!

My bigger problem is I cant sleep very well the night before a cruise because of all the excitement.  So the earlier, the better

August 2013

9 - briffler (Radiance of the Seas)

25 - hallyluhopper (Freedom of the Seas)

 

September 2013

21 - Matt (Jewel of the Seas)

 

October 2013

14 - DARKCABBIE (Independence of the Seas)

 

February 2014

11 - trainer.stan (Rhapsody of the Seas)

Big welcome to all the new faces. I hope you'll hang around and talk Royal Caribbean with all of us!

You can order as much food as you want from Johnny Rockets.  So if you want 10 burgers, there's no additional charge beyond the initial surcharge.

 

That being said, milk shakes do cost extra and you will be charged for each one of those you order.  But all the other food is included in the surcharge.

Ran across this and was surprised: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/08/09/royal-caribbean-must-decide-about-fourth-oasis-class-cruise-ship-december

 

Evidently Royal Caribbean has an option on a fourth Oasis-class ship.  Given that it's on the hook right now for 1 Oasis-class and 3 Quantum class ships, it's kind of surprising to me if they go for a fourth Oasis-class ship. Not that I'll be complaining!

 

Do you think Royal Caribbean ought to order a fourth Oasis-class ship?

I have booked my cruises through Travel websites and Royal Caribbean. I look for good deals. The deals that come with onboard credits. I have never booked a vacation with a TA, Can you get better deals, or it is just less hassle?

 

TAs offer two things that I feel you can't get with booking directly: less hassle of you having to do the legwork and booking incentives.  Incentives namely come in the form of onboard credit, a gift (wine/champagne, food) and/or free specialty restaurant meals.

 

Remember, Royal Caribbean pays the TAs, not you.  So cost is the same to you, so you only have to gain.

August 2013

9 - briffler (Radiance of the Seas)

25 - hallyluhopper (Freedom of the Seas)

 

September 2013

21 - Matt (Jewel of the Seas)

I'm going to get deep here...  ;)

 

In your opinion, is Royal Caribbean overall a better experience for you/your family today than it was when you first started cruising.  I'm talking about overall, so value, onboard experience, direction company is going, etc.

 

There's always that notion of "everything was better years ago" but I'm not so certain that is the case with RCL.

I book with a TA.  I'd rather not waste my time on the phone with Royal Caribbean to get things changed (big or small).  I've done it in the past and I'd rather focus on other things and let someone else do that work for me.

 

I will say it's important to use a good TA.  They aren't all the same but I've been happy using one.

Finish this sentence: The one thing I am most excited about Quantum of the Seas is....

August 2013

9 - briffler (Radiance of the Seas)

 

September 2013

21 - Matt (Jewel of the Seas)

I was browsing the Royal Caribbean site for my upcoming cruise and saw an option for the celebration dining package where if you book 4 or more people for a specialty restaurant (Chops or Portofino), you can get a $30 credit for wine.  

 

The downside is it must be booked on night 1 or 2 of your cruise.  I don't like to miss first dinner in MDR because I want to meet server & table mates and second night is formal night, which I can live with skipping MDR for but would have liked to be in MDR for that.

 

Anyone tried this package?  Worth it?

HINT: Go to ANY specialty restaurant to make your reservation on board. They all share the same computer system and can book you for other restaurants.

 

That's a very good tip.  Many people think they have to go to Guest Services and then wait in a long line but going to any restaurant is a good idea to get it done quicker.

Keep in mind that the Wi-Fi, while available nearly everywhere, is still quite slow.  So keep your expectations (and uploads) low.

As Bryce said, you can opt out by going to Guest Services and asking them to remove it.

When is the earliest they will let us in?

Depends on the cruise but generally you can get into the port in the 10:00 hour and onboard sometime in the 11:00 hour.  Again, generally speaking.

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

I guess the word "oblivious" suits some people?

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

 

Listen here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-1-welcome

 

Welcome to the RoyalCaribbeanBlog Podcast with your host, Matt Hochberg! This is the first in what will be a weekly series exploring what’s new and exciting at Royal Caribbean, helping you plan your Royal Caribbean vacation,  and sharing our passion for cruising with all of you.

 

On this episode, I will introduce myself and talk about the vision I have for this podcast, including the sorts of shows you can expect as well as how YOU are invited to be a part of the fun every week.

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

• Twitter: @therclblog
  
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• Email: [email protected]


• Leave a voicemail: (408) 6ROYAL6

Great idea!

September 21: Jewel of the Seas