DunkelBierJay

First of all, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to those members who helped me complete my collection (special mention to Jerel and Steve L).
I now have the entire RCI fleet in model form. I think I need a bigger display cabinet!! 
Pics are below...

I joked with my wife last night, that I hoped we loved our first cruise, because the thought of losing 7 months of my life planning for something that we wound up hating would just be too much to accept.

I find the research to be cathartic...it also helps with imagining being there, and then seeing if the reality matches.

The Abba tribute at the end of the headliner's show on Navigator was awesome...I would kinda want to see Mama Mia after that...but sit toward the back, with sunglasses, a hat and something that I wouldn't wear on any other day...maybe a fake beard or something.

I find the research to be cathartic...it also helps with imagining being there, and then seeing if the reality matches.

I find the research to be cathartic...it also helps with imagining being there, and then seeing if the reality matches.

Yay! I'm glad Enchantment made it on this list! :) Total newb here and I'm just going on my very first cruise ever with my husband this September. We didn't really get a chance to be picky with ships because the sailing date is what drove our decision. And then itinerary. So our first cruise is 3 nights to the Bahamas on Enchantment. I've done an embarrassing amount of research so I know it's a much smaller ship without bells and whistles. We also wanted to splurge more on excursions and dining (and maybe a little spa treatment if time permits) so we opted for an inside cabin. With it being our first cruise, figured there wouldn't be anything to compare and we'd be happy just to be away on our own without the kids. :)

The Abba tribute at the end of the headliner's show on Navigator was awesome...I would kinda want to see Mama Mia after that...but sit toward the back, with sunglasses, a hat and something that I wouldn't wear on any other day...maybe a fake beard or something.

The Abba tribute at the end of the headliner's show on Navigator was awesome...I would kinda want to see Mama Mia after that...but sit toward the back, with sunglasses, a hat and something that I wouldn't wear on any other day...maybe a fake beard or something.

Is anyone else having problems trying to search for cruises or even check-in for upcoming cruises? The Royal website doesn't seem to function at all on Google Chrome and freezes constantly on Microsoft Edge. 
Get this message: Sorry, we could not process your request. Please try again in a few moments.
When I called Royal I was told that I should be using Internet Explorer!! Are you kidding me?! This is an outdated browser that isn't even supported by Microsoft. I asked to speak to a supervisor and they suggested I use Firefox. Although their website does work on Firefox not all aspects are functional. I was also told to clear my history, restart the computer, etc. I did explain that I have already tried this and it didn't help.
Royal needs to get working on this issue ASAP. Very frustrating trying to search for new cruises to book and check-in for one of the 12 cruises we currently have booked.
 

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

Since fmanke found the new drink package/MDR attire/gratutity topic in terms of popularity, I must add to the equation with the lanyard from the recent group cruise onto which I pinned a flag of every port I visited since I began sailing RC...I'm debating adding pins from some short European sailings years ago...but my wife insists that I don't because she doesn't want full certification of my geekdom.
Mexico will be added in 49 days...

The wife says I am obsessed with cruising and everything that comes along with it. This time I actually agree with her. LoL
Almost daily I check the prices of our booked cruises, flights and hotels. Prices go up and down and I notify our agent to take advantage of reductions if they exceed $20. Last night I noticed the largest price drop ever, but sadly it's AFTER final payment. Our May Harmony sailing in a JS dropped $750 and JS guarantee is about $1500 less than we paid. I know there is nothing we can do about it other than consider paying to upgrade to a GS for a total of almost $700.
We love love loved our GS on Liberty, but paid far less than what we did for the JS on Harmony. Just have to decide if the extra perks are worth it. I know that we would use the complimentary luggage valet, Suite lounge occasionally, the suite sun deck and definitely take advantage of Barefoot beach on Labadee. My only concern with Barefoot beach is that we are traveling with another couple and they will not upgrade to a Suite. Will they allow access to them if they are with us or is that only if we rent a Cabana?

I saw Chops on the Cruise Planner for lunch on Empress today and am definitely booking it. I will report on it in addition to others in this thread. I think that $19 pp price is fantastic, especially since the filet shows up on the menu. 

Who has done this cruise and where did you stay when you were in Barcelona?

Voom, smartphone, Bluetooth speaker. Or do what I do and sit out on the balcony and listen to the sea against the ship. That is music to these ears.

Bingo.  I can think of a way to make this work, but trust me, you don't wanna bring a carry on with networking equipment and set yourself up with a 1 hour project :-)  
 
That in mind, there are many portable speakers that you could use either using Bluetooth or an analog audio cable as an input, and then play the music from your phone, mp3 player, etc.  

MEI Travel does a great job! I have used them twice based on recommendation and the fact they support the blog...they really are good!
Use the form entitled 'Get a Free quote" to the right on the main page.
http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/
I work with Brock, but I have heard good things about everyone there.
 

MEI Travel does a great job! I have used them twice based on recommendation and the fact they support the blog...they really are good!
Use the form entitled 'Get a Free quote" to the right on the main page.
http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/
I work with Brock, but I have heard good things about everyone there.
 

MEI Travel does a great job! I have used them twice based on recommendation and the fact they support the blog...they really are good!
Use the form entitled 'Get a Free quote" to the right on the main page.
http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/
I work with Brock, but I have heard good things about everyone there.
 

Sounds like old bitties on cruise critic 
I admit I'm a bit of a Royal fan, but I feel at some point one takes a leap of faith and trusts the cruise line as a whole. In my opinion the standards are relatively equal across the fleet.
In my years researching iv never heard of a black sheep ship, it's not like there is one ship you should stay away from. There is however many different styles of ships that offer different things. Huge mega ships with different neibourhoods, large high tech ships, large promenade ships, mid size promenade ships, smaller ships offering many views of the ocean, tiny ships offering short trips to different ports. All these different styles offer different experiences for different people, the debate over what's best (subjective) will NEVER end. But there is no bad apple or ship to stay away from, just different flavours.

Funny that you call the Navigator a small ship... because it is not.  The Voyager Class, Navigator included, were the largest in the world when they were new.  The growth of ships has escalated at an unbelievable rate since these ships were built.  
 
But, back to your question.  To me, the Voyager class is the sweet spot of cruising.  The ships are a great size with an awesome layout.  The ships are built to handle and disperse the crowd.  They don't have all of the bells and whistles of the Oasis and Quantum classes, but they have a lot.  
 
We did the ABCs last year and really enjoyed the islands.