Traveler

Let me try and answer some of your questions  :
Regarding the interior room , were did you saw it is deck 2 ? usually when you book grantee room they do not say which deck it is .
The size of to cabin appears on RC site  as 109 Sq ft , this is quite small , they are usually around 150 sq ft  , but it depends what you are planning.
If you are planning to go to each port and every evening to use all the wonderful option the ship offers (and this ship offer allot) it should be OK. There is allot of hiding storage room and enough space for two.
And no , not all the interior rooms are the same.
Regarding what is include and what is not include : 
All the shows and entertainment are includes in your cruise  
Food - main dining room include , Cafe promenaded which serves 24/7 sandwiches , Sorrento Pizza , WJ - the buffet  are all include and free.
Drinking  - Water, regular coffee/tea , "lemonade" , Orange juice in the morning (not freshly squeezed) and some flavored water are free.
Not include:
Special restaurants -  Steak house , Sushi restaurant, Italian  are not free and starting around 30 $ PP , you can buy packages for the restaurants in the cruise planner.
Alcohol not free  and around 12 $ for a liqueur/cocktail  ,  6-8 $for beer , 8 and above for glass of wine , please mind you can bring two bottles of wine with you (per each cabin) which can be opened at your room for free  or at any dining place for some fee.
All shore excursions are for fee.
Regarding smoking  - I do not think it is allowed at all even if it is vaping device , but I might be wrong, smoking is allowed at deck 4 and deck 11 (in one side of the ship) + in the Casino.
It is better to bring some local currency with you , but I think they except credit cards , usually you can change also change dollars and euros near the ports but you will need to check in each port.
Hope you will Enjoy the cruise. the ship is very good choice for a first cruise.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Happy new year !
May all your cruises will be upgraded.
May all your cruise day will be sunny.
May you always find top locations near the pool during sea days.
May your favorite ship will embark from your favorite port.
May your desire itineraries will be always available and with special discounts.
May you always find top spots in the theatre for your favorite Broadway shows.
May Noro virus will be only something your read about but never experienced.
May your favorite food will always be served in the MDR.
And most important May you always be able to cruise with your friends and love ones as much as you want.
Happy New Year.

Do the calculation :
leave the ship around 7 am (maybe early but lets say there was delays) 
Custom - 15 minutes.
Load you car and start driven - 5 minutes.
Driving time to the airport 45 Minutes.
Gas station (for rental car) 5 M
Car drop and get to the check in - 15 m
Drop suitcase if needed in the counters - 15 m 
Security 30 - 40 m (maybe less)
Last call for boarding - 20 - 25 m 
So the best case with allot of luck -  around 09:45 , but you are not letting yourself any contingency (for example if the ship is not cleared as fast as usual) .
11 might be doable  but best from 12 PM 

First , wonderful pictures like all your blogs picture , enjoying reading (and nice reminder to my cruise).
funny about the tickets for the ice show , they did not said anything about tickets  (on the 5 days cruise)  the ship was full so I wonder how they decide if ticket is needed or not.

Do the calculation :
leave the ship around 7 am (maybe early but lets say there was delays) 
Custom - 15 minutes.
Load you car and start driven - 5 minutes.
Driving time to the airport 45 Minutes.
Gas station (for rental car) 5 M
Car drop and get to the check in - 15 m
Drop suitcase if needed in the counters - 15 m 
Security 30 - 40 m (maybe less)
Last call for boarding - 20 - 25 m 
So the best case with allot of luck -  around 09:45 , but you are not letting yourself any contingency (for example if the ship is not cleared as fast as usual) .
11 might be doable  but best from 12 PM 

Do the calculation :
leave the ship around 7 am (maybe early but lets say there was delays) 
Custom - 15 minutes.
Load you car and start driven - 5 minutes.
Driving time to the airport 45 Minutes.
Gas station (for rental car) 5 M
Car drop and get to the check in - 15 m
Drop suitcase if needed in the counters - 15 m 
Security 30 - 40 m (maybe less)
Last call for boarding - 20 - 25 m 
So the best case with allot of luck -  around 09:45 , but you are not letting yourself any contingency (for example if the ship is not cleared as fast as usual) .
11 might be doable  but best from 12 PM 

Okay, here we go.  It was tough to pick the best, but here are some of the photos from the ice skating show "Strings".
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
With virtually no time between scenes these folks are masters at fast wardrobe changes.
On this cruise free tickets were required for all Ice Skating shows.  They made announcements when they could be obtained or for Diamond level folks the concierge in the lounge also had tickets. 

Day 3 - Labadee
I love Labadee.  Royal Caribbean has done a really good job creating a beautiful and fun private destination here.
 
They added some seasonal decorations such as the gift packages by the Labadee sign above.
 
 
 
 
On this trip I noticed many Dreamworks references.  Perhaps these were always here and I just noticed them now but once I started looking there are several photo ops for families in various places around Labadee.
 
 
 
 
 
As always they had local musicians playing island type music.  When ever I take a picture like this I leave a tip.
 
If you've never been Labadee is quite beautiful.
 
 
 
From the ship I noticed the over water cabanas at Barefoot Beach had been replaced so I stopped by and asked if I could take some pictures.  Roberto is a local Haitian who lives across the bay.  He is one of approximately 500 full time employees at Labadee and he generously allowed me access to the suite only beach so I could get some pictures of the new cabanas.  I've used this beach as a suite guest before and it's very nice.
 
 
 
Of course I had to stop by my favorite spot to take a picture of the ship.
 
Back to ship to drop off my camera and get changed for a swim. 

For sure , 
but most of the tips here are not really takes extra times or extra effort (beside maybe the firs day cabin) , anyway this is just tips anyone can take or leave what he wants.

IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!!!!
I woke early in my hotel and plotted how to kill some time.  I've decided to give @Matt a two-fer blog on this sailing.  Since the next Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is to Alaska I'm going to post a recap blog on my Celebrity cruise this past summer.  Some of the ports are the same so hopefully that can give folks an idea what to expect.
With five hours to kill I started writing that blog.  Look for it soon(ish).  
At 10am I repacked my 43 bags.  For some reason I do this every time.  Despite knowing I need to change clothes in the hotel I never remember to pack the next's days clothes separately.  So I unpacked so I could change and re-packed.
I headed down and hailed a Lyft 5 ton truck for my 43 bags.  $8.  By 10:32 I was pulling up to the terminal. 
Today we are using terminal 18, not 29 as I was expecting.  As we entered the port I saw it on the sign board overhead.  It's awfully lonely in port today, no other cruise ships (it's Thursday).  We were handed a letter explaining a delayed boarding due to continuing cleaning efforts.  No big deal, I was expecting this.  We did score a $25 OBC from it as compensation on a card taped to my Emerald card.  Apparently cards are printed a long time before sailing so my Diamond status wasn't available to the folks in the terminal.  My C&A account is correct so I'm not anticipating any issues once the Loyalty Ambassador starts at 4pm.  At the check in counter they have sanitizing people rush up and wipe down the counter between guests.
@rjac - I checked the onboard Diamond guidebook and apparently it is okay to talk to other members.  Merry Christmas buddy!
Voom on board is $15.99 for Surf and $19.99 for Surf and Stream (holiday pricing).  Since they tagged me as Emerald I used my 15% Emerald discount which is actually a few bucks cheaper than the one day Diamond discount I was offered on Anthem.  This also came out cheaper by a few bucks compared to the pre-cruise pricing in the cruise planner.  With the unexpected $25 OBC it makes it even cheaper.  
I continued writing my Alaska blog in the terminal.  I'm sure I look like I was in vacation mode banging away on my laptop.  I had 'snuck' into the Diamond area upstairs by tail-gating a family.  At 11:52am I looked up and saw the suite guests nearly all on board.  A minute later they called Diamond. Not bad, $25 extra OBC and I still was on before noon.   
They handed us a glass of sparkling wine as we boarded.  Nice touch!
Windjammer was lightly occupied so I started on my food coma 'diet'.   We were able to serve ourselves.  Despite being on Freedom in November my Anthem lobotomy erased all knowledge of a Freedom class WJ.  Thankfully my aging memory started coming back to me. 
Heading out to the pool deck I saw some contractors taking measurements around the main pool area outside.  I'm thinking they are preparing for the upcoming dry dock so look for some changes to the hot tubs and under the outdoor screen if not the whole outdoor pool area.
Somehow as I went through security in the terminal I ripped my Caribbean shirt.  I didn't shave this morning.  I'm looking quite the homeless blogger part sitting on the pool deck writing this post with my ripped shirt.  Cabins are ready at 3pm so until then maybe I'll put out a cup and hope for donations.  
  

Wow, a Twangster/Traveller/Twangster triple feature!!
 
Hot damn, less go!

Phew!  Packing nearly complete.  I've done quite well.  Only 43 bags.
Two less than I took on Anthem!

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for making my first cruise on Royal go well with all the tips and reviews on the board plus the blog post.  Just a quick story time.
The wife and I flew out of MSP on Friday, Dec 8th, 2017 to Fort lauderdale thru Atlanta.  The same day a massive unheard of soul crushing blizzard fell on Atlanta. Our flight to ATL landed 45 mins late but our flight to FLL was a nightmare.  We got on the plane at 3pm and then over the next 8 hours got on and off the plane twice, pushed back and then the flight got canceled because the crew timed out.  ATL only has 8 deicing trucks and they apparently breakdown easily.  MSP has 40 for a comparison.  All the flights the next day were past the set sail time so we had to improvise.  We stood in line for 2 hours trying to get our checked luggage back and Delta said no go at 1AM.  I started the search for a rental car and all the one way, one day rentals were gone and was told there is no way we can rent you a car.  Here is the trick:  If you reserve a one way car but for a weekly rate it will come up and you can get out of there.  It cost more but when in need its totally worth it.  Most programs have an early return policy so you will get a little money back.   In the end we got a car from Hertz for $360 and drove from 2AM-noon to fort lauderdale without bags.  Did a quick Walmart fashion stock up and got on the boat.   During the drive down talk to Delta and got our bags rerouted to Jamaica our 4th day stop and we picked them up there and enjoyed the rest of our cruise.  So we were the casual people on formal night :)
 

Consider the way they act until now I will not be surprise that they will have multiple version for the program and each representative will have a different answer .
Seems to be that the compartmentalization in the Royal Casino  organization is better than any intelligence agencies   , no one have really the full picture.

Consider the way they act until now I will not be surprise that they will have multiple version for the program and each representative will have a different answer .
Seems to be that the compartmentalization in the Royal Casino  organization is better than any intelligence agencies   , no one have really the full picture.

For sure , 
but most of the tips here are not really takes extra times or extra effort (beside maybe the firs day cabin) , anyway this is just tips anyone can take or leave what he wants.

Day -3
A wise @Traveler once asked:
"To blog or not to blog this is the question."
I choose to blog.
With my adult kids out of state having their own plans I was left with the decision of how to spend the holidays this year.  It didn't take long for a cruise to come to mind.  As I looked over potential candidates it didn't look like I could find anything to fit my budget given that this would be the 3rd cruise this month.  However when I was on Freedom last month I saw a "Going, going, gone" promotion on Independence.   The dangers of combining a drink package and the NextCruise desk weren't obvious to me at the time and with my inhibitions in an altered state I booked it.   I know Indy will soon enter dry dock and she will receive was looks to be some very exciting upgrades but the price was right for this pre-dry dock holiday sailing so why not?  So instead of Christmas Home Alone,  I'll spend it with 4,000 of my new best friends.
Nine nights leaving from terminal 29 in Port Everglades.  Sea day, Labadee, San Juan, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Kitts and two sea days back to Fort Lauderdale.
I'm looking forward to returning to St. Maarten.  It's a been a while and with the impacts of recent hurricanes I want to contribute to the economy and help the island get back on its feet.  Doing the same in San Juan for the 2nd time this month will help San Juan as well.  
Using my $50 NextCruise OBC I've pre-booked some 'tour' excursions in San Juan, St. Maarten and Antigua.  Given 4 ports in a row I plan to use St. Kitts as a day to stay on the ship and relax.  After all I was just there last week and went scuba diving so a day to do nothing but hang out in an empty solarium sounds about right.  I'm not often a bus tour kind of guy but they are good way to explore an island and learn of potential things to do on another visit.
I'd been having some issues getting the C&A points from a recent cruise to post even more than two weeks after disembarking.  Without those points I would remain Emerald green and once you've tasted Diamond it isn't easy being green.  Despite numerous contacts with the C&A desk I wasn't making any progress but fortunately my agent made some calls and got it straightened out.  It seems somehow my booking number changed on my C&A account and it showed as being cancelled but she was able to prove to them I did in fact sail on that cruise.  Don't under estimate the value of a good travel agent even after your cruise is over.  Thank you Beth!
I'm really trying to pack light this trip.  I've often managed week long business trips using only a small carry on spinner but I've yet to cruise with the same efficiency.  Time to start packing and really cutting down on stuff I don't need.  As always I'm flying in the day before and spending a night in a Fort Lauderdale hotel.    Let the packing commence!

We all know Norovirus incidents can happen from time to time on a cruise ship.
Although such outbreak can happen (and happen) many time on land in offices, schools , summer camps, army bases and many other crowded places ,  when it happens on a cruise ship it seems to get much more attention.
As I was disembark lately from Independence Of The Seas which suffered from such Norovirus outbreak (330 people were reported suffered from it) I can tell you the reality is much different from what is reported in the media, in fact if we would not been told the outbreak happened we might even not notice it (beside mostly the buffet that went to hand serving).
I think RC were doing very good job handing it without impacting dramatically the cruise experience.
Nevertheless I thought it will be a good idea to give some easy to use rules/tips to avoid such cases
I am sure people have more advises so feel free to add them here.
 
Before an outbreak:
1.       Use the sanitize gel whenever you can, not just the one near the food outlets , if you can wash your hands its better.
2.       Use the gel not just for your hands but also from time to time to on your sea pass card (think how many people are touching it …) and even on your shoe laces.
3.       If it is available, use the Wow band, it will reduce the risk which is describe in number 2.
4.       When order drink from the bar , avoid eating the fruit  decorations which, too many times they are prepared very early in the morning  and are not being refrigerated , some time they are handled by the bartender with the same hands he is handling the sea pass cards …
5.       At the WJ , even if you use the gel and washed your hand before avoid touching the food from your plate using your hands. Although your hands might be cleaned it might be that a  other person  standing before you did not clean his hands and you are using the same tong he touched a minute before.
6.       In the buffet try avoid children food station, such has the French fries, I saw many times child  taking food with his hands and even worse, put it back to the tray.
If you want to take such food , try to take it from the far side of the tray …
7.       Elevator buttons are problematic … use your knuckle to push the buttons (you will not touch your face with you knuckle so its better).
8.       Bring your own gel and use it on the remote control/light switch/door handle and the phone at the first day. Yes most of the chance it was disinfected before but it takes 5 minutes and can help in the rare cases someone forgot to do it.
9.       Be very careful around the ice cream machine , if it is not handled by a crew member make sure you are using napkin to take the waffle and do not touch it with the same hand you use for the ice cream handle.
10.   When you are at shore (in a non US/W Europe) avoid drinks with ice from vendors you do not know, many times the ice can be made out of regular not treated water.
11.   If you fill your water bottle use a cup to fill it , never fill it directly from the water dispenser/tank/fountain.
 
After the outbreak:
 
1.       Avoid the WJ/any buffet style restaurant – go to the MDR or special restaurant were only who should touch the food touch it.
2.       Avoid water fountain, although it might cost more use bottle waters.
3.       In the elevator do not press the infirmary button  floor (usually 1) , if you need , use a napkin or something else.
4.       Try to avoid elevator for short rides, use the stairs.
5.       Avoid touching your face with your hands.
6.       Try to avoid public bathrooms.
 

We all know Norovirus incidents can happen from time to time on a cruise ship.
Although such outbreak can happen (and happen) many time on land in offices, schools , summer camps, army bases and many other crowded places ,  when it happens on a cruise ship it seems to get much more attention.
As I was disembark lately from Independence Of The Seas which suffered from such Norovirus outbreak (330 people were reported suffered from it) I can tell you the reality is much different from what is reported in the media, in fact if we would not been told the outbreak happened we might even not notice it (beside mostly the buffet that went to hand serving).
I think RC were doing very good job handing it without impacting dramatically the cruise experience.
Nevertheless I thought it will be a good idea to give some easy to use rules/tips to avoid such cases
I am sure people have more advises so feel free to add them here.
 
Before an outbreak:
1.       Use the sanitize gel whenever you can, not just the one near the food outlets , if you can wash your hands its better.
2.       Use the gel not just for your hands but also from time to time to on your sea pass card (think how many people are touching it …) and even on your shoe laces.
3.       If it is available, use the Wow band, it will reduce the risk which is describe in number 2.
4.       When order drink from the bar , avoid eating the fruit  decorations which, too many times they are prepared very early in the morning  and are not being refrigerated , some time they are handled by the bartender with the same hands he is handling the sea pass cards …
5.       At the WJ , even if you use the gel and washed your hand before avoid touching the food from your plate using your hands. Although your hands might be cleaned it might be that a  other person  standing before you did not clean his hands and you are using the same tong he touched a minute before.
6.       In the buffet try avoid children food station, such has the French fries, I saw many times child  taking food with his hands and even worse, put it back to the tray.
If you want to take such food , try to take it from the far side of the tray …
7.       Elevator buttons are problematic … use your knuckle to push the buttons (you will not touch your face with you knuckle so its better).
8.       Bring your own gel and use it on the remote control/light switch/door handle and the phone at the first day. Yes most of the chance it was disinfected before but it takes 5 minutes and can help in the rare cases someone forgot to do it.
9.       Be very careful around the ice cream machine , if it is not handled by a crew member make sure you are using napkin to take the waffle and do not touch it with the same hand you use for the ice cream handle.
10.   When you are at shore (in a non US/W Europe) avoid drinks with ice from vendors you do not know, many times the ice can be made out of regular not treated water.
11.   If you fill your water bottle use a cup to fill it , never fill it directly from the water dispenser/tank/fountain.
 
After the outbreak:
 
1.       Avoid the WJ/any buffet style restaurant – go to the MDR or special restaurant were only who should touch the food touch it.
2.       Avoid water fountain, although it might cost more use bottle waters.
3.       In the elevator do not press the infirmary button  floor (usually 1) , if you need , use a napkin or something else.
4.       Try to avoid elevator for short rides, use the stairs.
5.       Avoid touching your face with your hands.
6.       Try to avoid public bathrooms.