Jerel

I took my dad on a cruise and it worked out great, I was a bit worried but everything was fine. The good thing about cruises is there's plenty to do, and if you want to find each other you can. I think it's pretty easy for her to keep entertained on her own, maybe you can make plans to meet up at shows to spend time together. For us we met up at the MDR and discussed plans over dinner, maybe leave messages on the phone, other than that it was everyone for themselves. I think it's possible to spend quality time but still have your independence.

Free money is the best kind, you don't spend it responsibly, you waste it :). I forgot to thank you for putting the bug in my ear, I wouldn't of looked into it otherwise.

I made my wife call and ask (she's my travel agent). Looks like we can't get help on our next two cruises, we would have to re-book and prices are allot higher now. BUT he could help us on our November cruise on the Navigator next year, $100 obc. That's awesome, especially considering we got a incredible deal on that sailing to begin with. After taxes and fees we paid $1447 CAD for seven nights with a virtual balcony room, out of Miami with a good itinerary I think (SJ,SM,ST). Is it strange to look forward to your third cruise down the line? Retourical question, of course it's not.

Nice, sounds like a couple of drinks. I'm sailing Nov 7 (paid) and Feb 21 (not paid in full), would I be able to get any credit for them?

Nice shot WhiteSoxfan, that's the happiest pic yet. BTW, please make sure the Sox beat up on the Yankees at the end of this week. This Blue Jays fan would appreciate it :)

Have you tried youtube videos? People can get pretty detailed with their walkabout vids.

Welcome aboard! I haven't seen any rules around here either but I'm sure they are common sence. The Navigator looks like a fun ship, I did the Adventure but the Nav looks a bit cooler. The Ovation is one to look forward to, that will be awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing how they will set it apart from the Quantum and the Anthem.

My dad's name was called last cruise. His bank put a stop on the credit card because the bank was worried of fraud after seeing irregular spending for him. It hasn't happened to me but maybe next time I'll let my credit card know I'm going on vacation, it wasn't stolen by a Jamaican :).

Drinks are subjective too but I really like them. Many different options and flavors, I find the 'drinks of the day' for 8 dollars are good too. I was surprise to find they were strong, I was expecting something watered down. I'm not picky with wine so I was happy with it. The beer wasn't too bad of a price, on my cruises a lot of people were buying little coolers with about 6 beer in them for around 30. I'm sure someone else here would know the exact deal. Also, unless you drink allot the drink package can cost you more, don't forget to calculate in your port days when you think of how much you'll drink. Best of luck.

Jealous

Hmm, it's a tough one. The higher grade room is tempting. You won't know it's location, but as it stands now you don't like your location. Maybe it's worth the gamble.

For me 'the devil you know is better than the devil you dont'. I don't think I could handle not knowing, I'd be worried I'd end up totally aft or towards the bow. I'd rather ear plugs then motion, it might not even be loud. But that's just me. Real question would be what does your wife think, if she makes the call then she can't blame you if it goes wrong. That would be the safest choice.

Those suites are so nice I wouldn't even want to leave my room, just hang out and get some room service. Nassau would be skipped for sure. BTW, Congrats on the marriage Stephanie. Hopefully this guy's a cruiser, if not i'm sure you'll turn him into one. Although as i'm sure you know, your going to spoil him with this room.

On a side note, I was hoping to book on the group cruise in 2017 but I think this booking will get in the way. I wouldn't even be surprised if Matt and MCI choose the Harmony that month, we'll see I guess. That happened to me this year, I booked the same sailing of the group cruise before knowing of the group cruise. By the time I figured it out it was too late to match my deal. Knowing my luck the same thing will happen again next time.

WOW, that's awesome. Sounds like you got a good deal, can't go wrong with a view of the Aqua Theater. We're booked on the Feb 18th cruise for that year, we're excited too. New fancy ship with water slides!! I'm expecting everything to be top of the line on this ship, should be the pride of the fleet. We got a central park balcony, picked a room next to the plant/vine feature so we only have neighbors on one side. We booked a couple of months ago and the prices have already gone up at least 600 dollars if we booked today. Can't wait, she'll be a nice ship. Congrats though, that's a NICE room.

For Saint John the city market is really cool, if never gone to the sea caves (not sure the name), but it heard from people it's nice, it's a common excursion I hear. For Halifax I'm a big fan of Peggys Cove, especially if the weather is bad, it's where locals go to watch huge waves. Really nice coastline, 45 minute drive though. It's a popular spot, I live on the road leading to it and always see huge tour busses heading that way. Gotta mention to be careful, it seems we loose at least one tourist a year. You can watch 20 waves only go so far but that 21st one will get ya. If you just want to explore the city 'the harbour hopper' would be good. It's a amphibious vehicle that tours the city streets then boats threw the harbour. Both should be relatively inexpensive but I would book away from Royal to save some money. Me and my wife tend to go down to point pleasant park to watch the Royal ships disembark, I believe some time this month we are going to watch the Brilliance and Grandeur leave, if your on it I'll be waving :). Hope you have a good time.

I'm a little late but 'cruise' could of worked. Either he's really small or that's a HUGE remote. Many years of fun ahead, congrats.

All this suite talk sure makes me want to try one someday. Maybe get something huge to celebrate or run into some money, or maybe just go for it and worry about the rest later. Thanks for laying out the list of perks WAAAYTOOO, it really makes it tempting.

Yup, I got the calls too, if you dont hit the button confirming you received the call, they will call all day till you do. I think they just do it hoping some people will listen and go late (like your wife). I'm sure it's hard on them when everyone rushes the ship at 11, that said, I'm there at 11 too.

We've always gotten the emails and even phone calls telling us to board at a certain time. After doing research we found out its all a bluff, they take you at any time without hassle. We all know that and go whenever we want. So are they serious now or is it still a bluff? I'm leaning towards bluff. The photo thing, that's just silly, they will take your pic anyways. They got boarding down so good I doubt any of this will happen. It sounds so ridiculous I kinda want to call bull poop on this thread, but who knows these days, maybe it's true.

Welcome a board. I think you'll find this site goes along well with the podcast and blog, the perfect trifecta.

I can't help but visualize 300 Chinese people freaking out and screaming at the top of their lungs 'What!!?, no port!!, kinda funny when you think about it. http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/09/01/angry-chinese-passengers-forcibly-removed-royal-caribbean-quantum-of-the-seas

Couldn't of said it better, thanks for all the work Matt. I'm really amazed at all you do with the blog and podcasts while still finding time to answer our questions over here. Sometimes I wonder what your wife thinks of all this time spent on the computer :). Also looking forward to the Allure, although I'm not a member of 'the group', I'll be there with bells on. BTW, I really prefer this place over cruise critic, although I'd like to see a bit more traffic I much prefer the size of this place. I can still find answers to questions without getting swamped with hundreds of opinions.

We got a hotel in February that includes a pick up from the airport and a ride to the cruise terminal in the morning. I believe many hotels offer this. I haven't been yet so I can't speak from experience but I would think there should be some shuttle options.

Interesting, I'm down with some competition. Although I would much rather the drink package, I may be the minority but WiFi is pretty much useless to me on vacation. It would be cool if you could choose one or the other.