MICHELLE

I think the only reason they are raising prices is people have to be buying this, otherwise they would be doing something else- and giving it away for 1/2 off or free like Celebrity is doing right now encourages people to try it, then get hooked on it - would rather have my cruise prices for less overall

Great that Matt is doing this so you get more a feel for the ship - and I agree was at a wedding or I would have gone on this one as well. Michelle

Happy to help anyone - super excited to book this ship and may try the June 12th one as well as i'll be in Europe right before then anyway...

welcome Jill ! don't think I can add more than the above posts! but glad you like the blog

I was on a cruise with royal a few years ago - Hogs on the high Sea" all Harley owners that raise money for Dialysis. There were 2000 of them onboard and they did have events but we were never impacted by them - In Fact they were the best group of people I've ever sailed with as a group...lol...AND we even got to be part of some events like an 800 person T-Shirt swap on Labadee, so fun Basically if its 700 people I would not worry too much, while they may have events they usually cannot impact the whole ship or RCI would not sell other cabins on the same date. Hope this helps and have fun - like the other lady said they may be great people!!

Great news you will get it You don't need to update it online- you can just give them the passport at check in time and they will scan it for you in the system. Michelle

this is pretty rate but can happen - its probably buried in the cruise contract that no one reads or details on their website - Hoping they allow you to move it if need be, or get something out of the change if not- call back and ask - happy to help you with it -pm me if you want

Loving the new Anthem 5 nights to Bermuda- that is a great itinerary

Hi Jennifer I have been on all Disney ships and about 10 of RCI ships- I like both -for different reasons Service is great on Disney and they keep the "Disney theming" going which if you love Disney is great- I think the food overall on RCI ships is better, albeit Palo's brunch is fabulous Pros and Cons for both but if you love cruising, you would also like RCI, but ships can be varied with RCI. PM me if you have specific questions. Michelle

Loving the Oasis going to Port Canaveral - makes sense with the new Terminal they built there.

Mom2MyBugs - I would continue to check online or call on your passport so you have an idea of where it is but yes you can sail with a Photo ID (Govt issued) and Original Birth Certificate (raised seal or certified) and like others said, RCI allows you off in other countries with your Ship Card.

Don- great information on the culinary tour in Jamaica, I love finding things like this.

great post - like it when the tour is great and you see things you don't often get too! next time...

11am out of FLL you will most likely not be able to make - Miami maybe But remember whenever you try this you have to get off the ship FIRST and have to drag/take all your own luggage with you that morning. I agree lots to do if you rent a car or look at Royal Caribbean's site and shore tours they do have tours in FLL and Miami that you can add on at the end and they take your luggage with you and drop you at the airports. Gray Line tours also does this in most cities as well.

this is a great idea

Welcome Suzy and all others Great blog to read and fun to relate to the others here

Hi All Sometimes the best days to book cruises are on the first few days the line opens them for booking - think Alaska is one of these for sure. AS with all things they are subject to change. So here is the opening days you can book cruises with RCI for future dates Week of March 9th - Summer/Fall Caribbean 2016 and Northeast and Canada Week of March 15th - Europe and Alaska 2016 Week of March 30th - Winter Caribbean 2017 and Northeast Week of April 13th - Exotics and Australia

I have also never felt "obligated" to give more tips by crew members and if it is a concern or staff does vent etc you can always voice this concern on a comment card and they do really listen to these, etc.

Really Like Embassy Suites a lot - right down from a Total Wine shop too! They have a cruise shuttle as well for about $7 per person - you can buy right on the spot There is also a Holiday Inn Express right there as well which is a less expensive choice - Hilton Marina I think is fine as a last minute hotel. If you are looking for a boutique experience, not cheap, but worth the money try THE PILLARS. sits on the inter-coastal and the owners are lovely and the food their is great!

Have not seen any yet as they were not finished when I was on 2 weeks ago - I'll try and see what I can find out for you

totally agree- Celebrity used to do great B2B deals too and now they seem to not in the US this is a common thing for Europeans though - they get deals because they often book B2B cruises. Maybe something new will come out soon!!!

So when a new offer ends, a new one begins Heard today that the newest offer will be BOGO Wild Still BOGO, and OBC offers for Ocean View and higher the WILD part is that you can decline the BOGO offer, and choose the Premium Drink package for the first 2 people in the cabin NOW - my thought here is that is a good deal Not sure of sailings yet or if it has to be a new cruise booked, or dates to book but it will hit the streets soon. Michelle ;)

Yep and this is cool and also why its harder to get Boardwalk balconies down at the END of the Deck you are on- I think lower decks would be better for this but really does not matter Also there is a hidden area - Deck 13, that if you want to the end of either side of the deck and go out the door at the end of the hallway, there is a balcony here you can watch from (above the suites) we found this out while doing a ship tour- may be closed off now but worth a walk to try and see.

Renting cars is the easiest and I usually do leave it at the hotel and go back and get it when the cruise is over - just very convenient and easy to get back to airport BUT that being said I have rented a car to get to port Canaveral, dropped it of at Hertz then taken the RCI shuttle back to the airport, just for convenience. Its more about when your flight leaves and how much running around you want to do the day you come back into the port I always suggest just sending ONE family member to pick up the car, at Hertz, then driving back over to pick up your family - less moving of people and luggage on these shuttles.

He was not saying anything about changes, and I did not hear of anything while on the ship but I think they are going to have to do something to make a change to these levels.