NorCalJL

Labadoozie! That can be a cute girl's name! 

Labadoozie! That can be a cute girl's name! 

I plan my next cruise... and browse through royalcaribbeanblog.com incessantly... :D

Captain Thor announced again Sabor was coming to the spot where the nightclub is now.  I am cautiously optimistic!

Come to Southern California and I'll hook you up. :)
 
Now if we could only get a Royal ship back out here . . .

I want to do another cruise out of San Juan sometime soon.  This time I'd like to visit Curacao and Aruba

I usually get that "Your going on a cruise" feeling as soon as my credit card statement comes in the mail!  hehehe

Hello everyone,
 
I'm doing a study on the cruise line industry and I'm interested in the opinions cruisers. It's extremely quick and I’d be happy to share the results with the community.
 
 
Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCLSummer15
 
 
The research isn't for any of these companies. Just curious to get an update on the opinion of cruising in general and the various brands.
 
Thank you very much for your help!
 
If you're interested in a summary of my findings from the last time I conducted this survey, please take a look here:
 
http://www.scribd.com/doc/254618057/Cruise-Lines-Consumer-Survey-Report-6-4-14

I was on IOTS in early August, and my gf and I decided on getting the premium packages...it was a lot of fun since we were on vacation, but got old quickly. It was a great learning experience to say the least. 
 
I'm all about value, so I marked down each drink I got on my phone and then added the cost up at the end. 
I think in total we drank enough to get the value out of the drink package, but looking back on the cruise, I felt the package put us in a situation where the costs outweighed the benefits, in terms of maximizing our value. 
 
It was almost like I "my hands were tied and forced" to order 5 specialty cocktails or mixed drinks each day so we could maximize the value of the package.
 
On future cruises, i'd either consider a cheaper package, like the beer & wine, or forgo the package altogether and put money aside in advance for drinks so we I wouldn't be so cost-concerned each time I went to order a $10 Labadoozie ;) That was my first drink on the cruise, and I think I had a labadoozie every day! Great suggestion Matt!

Hey,
 
Me and my 11 piece group of family just returned back from out 9-night cruise onboard Liberty of the Seas, that left out of Cape Liberty on Thursday, July 30, 2015. I am an avid vlogger and if you have the time to watch, i'd love to share our experience with the RC Blog community.

Check Out Part One:
https://youtu.be/o4eSQ42vti8
 
Check Out Part Two:
https://youtu.be/mAo7acPrXn4
 
Check Out Part Three:
https://youtu.be/U0zdiKBR4xs
 
Check Out Part Four:
https://youtu.be/fVh-AVSVvGg
 
Check Out Part Five:
https://youtu.be/BofFjcNBTUQ
 
Check Out Part Six:
https://youtu.be/Fy0K4VMHnyk

75 days!
 
I have been using the "Ship Mate" app... pretty neat... it tracks all past and upcoming cruises (dates, itineraries, etc.). So much info and data is available through this app.  Every ship and cruise line is there... deck plans, photos, video feeds (if avail)... customer feedback and personal photos posted.  It actually will show you where any ship is at this moment in the world via map (hybrid, satellite, etc)... very cool!
 
Also can set it up to track changes in fares... I don't strictly rely on this, but it's been accurate so far (I get e-mailed when the fare lowers)... Liberty appears to be entering NY harbor right now... soooo cool!  Allure is in the Med near Corsica and Sardinia!

As experienced cruisers, you must know what I am talking about, that "YOU'RE GOING ON A CRUISE" feeling/vibe/energy before the cruise begins. 
For me, packing is what get's me excited, and I tend to look at pictures from past cruises as well to get me in the zone and mentally prepare me for what's to come.  
 
What do you and your cruising friends/partners/family do to get into that awesome & excited vibe before the cruise begins?

They look like this, until they get the bill at the end of the cruise:

I have a countdown clock on my smartphone.  You can load any event(s) and use a picture as a wallpaper.  We embark on Enchantment in 19 days, 2 hrs, 20min as of right now.  It tracks down the days, weeks, months, hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds.  Crazy!  I am getting ready to pack now as well.

What a cute idea for a new thread. How do you get into your "goin on a cruze" happy place ?
 
Our family has a little tradition that we do to get ourselves hyped up. We all get in a conga line and chant "goin' on a cru-uuz" to the samba beat: da-da-da-da-da---DA ! ...and you kick your leg out when you hit that last "DA!", alternating left and right legs. I know it sounds dorky but it's our little "thing" and it always works ! We now have a whole bunch of other people that cruise with us doing it...so when we go on a group cruise, we often have 20-30 people in a conga line singin' "goin' on a cru-uuz !" and winding our way through whatever location we happen to be at...sometimes the airport. It's pretty funny.

If you have a cell phone, use that.  Even with data roaming turned off, texts run about 50 cents for MMS.  Phone calls are roughly $2.49-$2.99 per minute, so that's much cheaper than the cruise line option.  Plus, my father-in-law was never able to reach us through the toll free number; he eventually resorted to texting us.  If you have AT&T, they have $30 cruise package which gives you 50 minutes of calling.  I believe other cell providers might offer something similar, so it's worth checking.

Remember to also have a name tag on your luggage separate from the cruise tag and a copy of your itinerary inside your bags just in case.

I had the same question a few days ago, because I will be bringing 2 bottles of wine on my cruise. I researched on amazon and other found WineSkin to be a great product. However, I wouldn't recommend buying it on Amazon, get it at Bevmo if you can. It is way cheaper there. I bought 2 2-packs at Bevmo for $12. I believe it's 3 for $20 with Amazon Prime, or more without Prime. 
 
These spirits would have to be shaped like wine bottles though, or at least relatively close. Hope that helps! 
 
There's also a ton of other products on Amazon, some might be better for odd shaped alcohol or spirits.

I have this link saved:
http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-alcohol-policy-drink-prices/

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice! As an experienced cruiser, I know the ships are huge and it's rare to feel much, but I think my girlfriend is concerned because all she can compare her experience to is standing on smaller boats. I am sure we will be fine! Thanks again!
 
Wow, 8 days for us....weird I haven't felt that "YOU'RE GOING ON A CRUISE" feeling yet, maybe it'll hit me when I start packing and getting everything ready! 

Great idea! I was thinking about getting something like this for the day trip excursions or as a carry on in the airplane. 
Just bought this one! Good call. I'll use it on my cruise next week!

I'm in the process for packing for my upcoming Brilliance of the Seas cruise next week, and started thinking of all of the essential gadgets and accessories I've acquired over the years and thought I'd list some of my must-haves for any trip I go on.  Please share yours as well.
 
1.  External Battery Pack/Charger
 
This is a must have for me to keep my iPhone and iPad charged when going all-day or when flying long distances and power outlets are not available.  It's a bit heavy, but it will keep my phone and tablet charged for days.  http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=10392
 
2.  Luggage Tag Holders
 
These are the new improved version--http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M5MDAS0?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00M5MDAS0&linkCode=xm2&tag=royalcacom-20--but they're essential for me.  You simply print and cut out your paper luggage tags and place them in the holder.  There no need to fold, staple, laminate, tape, etc. these as they're ready to go as is.  I've used these successfully for my past several cruises.
 
3.  Zip Ties
 
Cable or zip ties are great for securing your luggage.  Choose a bright color or one that isn't too common, such as these http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=5777.  I've been using zip ties for years to secure my bags as I don't need to worry about a key and don't need to worry about the strength of the luggage lock.  What's great about these is that you immediately know whether someone has been in your luggage or not.  They're also easy for the TSA to remove if they need to inspect your bags.  I simply carry a small pair of scissors in an outer pocket of one of my checked bags, but can always use a nail clipper if need be.
 
4.  Packable Backpack
 
I haven't used this on a cruise yet, but I have on one trip and found it to be exceptional.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHIZ7CI?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00DHIZ7CI&linkCode=xm2&tag=royalcacom-20  The reason I like this backpack is because I can throw it into my luggage, it doesn't take up much space, and I can pull it out and use it for excursions.  Last cruise I tried to simply use my carry-on computer backpack.  However, it was too heavy and it made my life onboard the ship miserable as I had to unpack all of my electronics and cables, put them into drawers, and then I was always looking for those things.  This way, I can keep my computer backpack packed and use this instead.
 
Let me know what your must haves are.

$1-2 per bag is normal.  Generous would be above that, in my opinion.
 
Yes, it is customary to tip the porters that take your luggage on embarkation or disembarkation
 
You can carry on luggage with you but you will have to lug it around until your stateroom is ready.  Even just getting from the curb to check in and up to the ship is an ordeal with a lot of luggage.

Hi everyone!
 
Glad to be among other cruise connoisseurs here on this site! A great community for cruisers, thanks Matt!
I was born in the San Francisco By Area, and reside in that area currently, and am a huge SF Giants fan as well! 
I grew up cruising with my family; my favorite cruise was a Mediterranean cruise and my favorite port there was Santorini. 
 
My goal is to share the cruising experience with my closest friends who have yet to cruise...they don't know what they've been missing out on!
I could talk forever on anything related to the automotive industry & home-brewing...and cruising!
 
I look forward to cruising with other royalcaribbeanblog members in the future!