Shawn

The Hilton Rose all inclusive resort has a fabulous pool/water park area that most kids should love.  I reviewed it here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/09/15/excursion-focus-hilton-rose-hall-resort-spa-day-pass
 
Yes, you do need to drive a bit to find things to do outside the Falmouth port area but it's a tolerable drive I feel (20-30 minutes)

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

I do agree that the milkshakes at Johnny Rockets are quite good.  There's usually been a C&A coupon to help with the extra cost.

Sitting at larger tables is a fun way of learning of activities and other experiences taking place on board the ship. A nice way to end the day over a meal hearing people's experiences and upcoming plans.

So you got to the show late right before curtain call and the theater is packed, you'll probably find great seats availble in the first 4 or 5 rows up front, go on down!

Great topic! I love to hear about hidden things! Always nice to learn new things!

If you want to sit with the people in the other cabin, make sure you or travel agent links your reservations together in Royal Caribbean's system.
 
For traditional dining, you really wont know the seating arrangement until your first day onboard.  What I like to do on embarkation day is go to the main dining room after I eat lunch in the Windjammer and look for your table (the table number is on your SeaPass card).  You can then see how large your table is and that will tell you if others will be seated with you or not.
 
If you want a change, now is the time to ask the head waiter on duty about a change.  They will try their best to accommodate you but I've had good luck with this strategy.

I'd be shocked if it's anything but Anthem coming to UK announcement.

Any body else had this email off Royal Caribbean today.I would love to go but have to work so can't attend.
 
Good afternoon
As a loyal and valued member of our Facebook community and one of our
fantastic ‘Fan of the Week' winners, we would like to tell you more about a
very special event we will be hosting this month.


On Thursday 21 November from 4.30pm, we're holding an event in the heart of
London to announce some exciting news! We have a limited number of spaces
at this event, but would love to include some members of our Fan of the
Week community in this exclusive experience.


If you would like the chance to attend, please respond to this email by 5pm
on Wednesday 13 November telling us in under 20 words why you'd like to be
invited to this special event. Please include your full name in the email.


Unfortunately we are unable to cover transport or accommodation costs, so
please only apply if you are able to attend on 21 November at 4.30pm, as we
have limited space available.


We’ll notify successful winners by Friday 15 November, and also provide
further information on the event.

There will be a countdown clock in the Royal Promenade with a huge balloon drop at midnight. The photo below is from Explorer of the Seas New Years Eve in 2010. There will be lots of free champagne, dance party in the club, etc. A fun night to be on a ship!
 

That's a great point Matt! The same wait staff each night can really make the cruise! One of my favorite things about cruising.

Told you so!

Welcome to the boards and thank you for listening to the podcast!  :D
 
In terms of finding out about last minute deals, there are a couple of ways I find out about them...
I follow @RoyalHotDeals on Twitter.  It's Royal Caribbean's account with deals I subscribe to weekly deal alerts from sites like TravelZoo.  They usually spread news about really good deals quickly I've told my travel agent I want to know about good deals on Royal Caribbean  :lol: You bring up a great point about finding out about these deals as a possible show topic or part of one.  
 
Since you live in Florida, you have the greatest access to last minute deals so take advantage of it!  In terms of deals for solo travelers, there aren't really deals just for people sailing solo but if cruise is cheap enough, even the single supplement isn't a bad deal.  I guess you need to find a friend to go with you!

Can't wait to hear back your thoughts Don!
 
That story is really a microcosm of why I enjoy cruising on Royal Caribbean so much.  I love that kind of service and friendliness!

Don't worry about the waitlist.  If you get to your cruise and you are still on the waitlist, just go speak with the head waiter on the day you board your cruise and ask them about availability in moving from second to first seating.  If you get there early (by 1pm or so), you should have no problem getting changed.  You should keep in mind the table and/or location of the table may not be ideal but better to eat at 6, right?
 
Frankly, I don't love My Time Dining.  I've had friends that did not care for it and personally, I prefer to have the same wait staff at the same table in the MDR.  I'm more of a traditionalist in that sense but I'd keep second seating before opting for My Time.  Just my 2 cents.
 
Welcome to the boards and feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

Now I just need to convince my wife I need to go on a cruise to preview the trip with her and the girls during the school year! :-) I could take of advantage of those really less expensive times of year. :-)

You are gonna have so much fun, which ship are you sailing on ?.
 
Shawn is right about going to the maitre d they always have spots available but you must do it as soon as you get on board :) .
 
I'm with Don about Chops Grill we spent both our formal nights there and it was fantastic, probably the best Steaks you will ever have.

Hi! You can go to the maitre d once on board and request the earlier seating. There usually is spots that open up in my experience. My time dining is a great option too. It helps spread cost of your trip and you can eat at different times each day depending on your activities if you wish. It's just like making reservations.

We also like to dine earlier. We always select my time dining. Easy to get reservations between 5:30 - 6:15. Request them 2 months in advance on-line. You can pick same time same table or different times with different tables each night. Highly recommend Chops Grill speciality in lieu of MDR one night-- Superb!

I know what you mean.  I try to explain to my wife that it's more expensive not to go on them :P

Dude, you just described my perfect cruise.  Sign me up for this one if it ever becomes a reality.

Oh dont worry! You have to try it! So worth it. Lots of jobs to volunteer for. Its a friendly competition. Only drawback is if you get seasick easily there is the start position where the boat is just bobbing. No beuno!

Hi Matt, probably the easiest way to do this is a little copying and pasting from Wikipedia... 
Bacon is prepared from several different cuts of meat. It is usually made from side and back cuts of pork, except in the United States, where it is almost always prepared from pork belly (typically referred to as "streaky", "fatty", or "American style" outside of the US and Canada). Side bacon, or streaky bacon, comes from pork belly. It is very fatty with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. This is the most common form of bacon in the United States.
 
So, pretty much, what Americans just call bacon, we refer to as streaky bacon (because there are lots of other types of bacon over here). I like the streaky (ie. fatty) stuff because it has the best flavour, even though it's not really very healthy for you. :)

I would not do anything less than a 5 day cruise. My preference is 7 days or longer. And the more 7 day cruises I take the longer I want the trip to be. I'm excited that Quantum will offer longer trips to the Southern Caribbean, and I don't have to fly to San Juan to go there!  :)

Hahaha!
 
I played in the casino quite a bit on Jewel.  Did anyone play the Key Monster game in the casino?  If you don't remember the name maybe this will jog your memory
 

 
I pumped way too much money into this in a failed effort to win.  Fun but soooo frustrating