AGSLC5

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.

Thank you Matt for all the work you put into the site. I just love cruising and talking to you and other members of this community. As it has made waiting for my next cruise more tolerable and of course it is just fun to talk to fellow cruise nuts. Can't wait for the Group Cruise. I think we are down to 175 days until sailing!

Thank you Matt for all the work you put into the site. I just love cruising and talking to you and other members of this community. As it has made waiting for my next cruise more tolerable and of course it is just fun to talk to fellow cruise nuts. Can't wait for the Group Cruise. I think we are down to 175 days until sailing!

I was "working" on some upcoming blog posts and then skipped back to the message boards and was struck by how amazing, frankly, all of you are in terms of your support of this blog and your work towards becoming part of our community here.
 
I doubt it gets said enough, but I wanted to make sure I said "thank you" to each of you for your support.  Being able to read your comments on the blog and posts here in the message boards is a lot of fun for me and trust me when I say it certainly helps the web site in the long term.
 
So I just wanted take a few seconds to recognize all of your posts (even when you disagree with me) and I hope we get to cruise together sometime very, very soon (tomorrow perhaps?)!
 
Matt

You cruise one to two times per month? That was my takeaway from this post!
 
Also, what do you do for a living and when can I start?

I Live in Ft. Lauderdale so I can answer the Uber question... We use to have Uber until 1 month ago when Broward County Decided it was illegal for Uber to operate here. Now obviously this law is trying to be fought but for now there is no Uber in Ft. Lauderdale... 

The W does not have transfers, and we are ok with that.  We could have stayed somewhere cheaper, but it's our Christmas trip :-)
 
Good to know that Uber can't operate in Fort Lauderdale now, so we are looking at cab or maybe even a private transfer.  I didn't know if cab drivers would let you hold your baby or not.  
 
Maybe we will call RC and ask about storing the car seat.  That would be the easiest solution and we could use it on the plane too 

I Live in Ft. Lauderdale so I can answer the Uber question... We use to have Uber until 1 month ago when Broward County Decided it was illegal for Uber to operate here. Now obviously this law is trying to be fought but for now there is no Uber in Ft. Lauderdale... 

From what I understand, use of the Thermal Spas will be one of the perks for the new suites program (sans JR suites). That's going to be a nice amenity.

This is what I do: The First day it is important for me to start things off right.. Like Raye (Waytoo) I need ice twice a day and I also like extra towels. I once had a stateroom attendant who seemed annoyed that I was making this request so ever since then after I make my first day request I give them an additional $20 so they know I do appreciate it. I also like to let them know my dining preferences so they know when is a good time to clean my room. I am an early eater around 6:00 or 6:30 PM so I like to give them that heads up because I like my room cleaned while I am at dinner and yes I do have a reason for this.. After Dinner I like to take about 15-20 min in my room to digest my food before doing an activity. While I am digesting I like to look at the next days cruise planner to see what looks fun. So for me since I have these sort of special requests I do try to tip extra.

This is what I do: The First day it is important for me to start things off right.. Like Raye (Waytoo) I need ice twice a day and I also like extra towels. I once had a stateroom attendant who seemed annoyed that I was making this request so ever since then after I make my first day request I give them an additional $20 so they know I do appreciate it. I also like to let them know my dining preferences so they know when is a good time to clean my room. I am an early eater around 6:00 or 6:30 PM so I like to give them that heads up because I like my room cleaned while I am at dinner and yes I do have a reason for this.. After Dinner I like to take about 15-20 min in my room to digest my food before doing an activity. While I am digesting I like to look at the next days cruise planner to see what looks fun. So for me since I have these sort of special requests I do try to tip extra.

This is what I do: The First day it is important for me to start things off right.. Like Raye (Waytoo) I need ice twice a day and I also like extra towels. I once had a stateroom attendant who seemed annoyed that I was making this request so ever since then after I make my first day request I give them an additional $20 so they know I do appreciate it. I also like to let them know my dining preferences so they know when is a good time to clean my room. I am an early eater around 6:00 or 6:30 PM so I like to give them that heads up because I like my room cleaned while I am at dinner and yes I do have a reason for this.. After Dinner I like to take about 15-20 min in my room to digest my food before doing an activity. While I am digesting I like to look at the next days cruise planner to see what looks fun. So for me since I have these sort of special requests I do try to tip extra.

That hotel is perfect. I live in Ft. Lauderdale so I am very familiar with it. It is clean and in a good area.

Just book Emabssy Suites in Ft. Luaderdale that is about a mile from port and a couple miles from beach. The rate included room, transfer from airport to hotel and transfer from hotel to cruise ship. So far this new booking is coming together.

Amejjajr8 here are your answers lol.  I think the whole boat is a cool observation. It is just so big and beautiful. When you walk on you walk on deck 5 the Royal Promenade and you are immediately wowed by the sheer size. Then you go to deck 6 aft (back of ship) to the boardwalk and you see the Aqua Theater which is just such as cool space and don't miss the Aqua theater water show you must pre book it online! Then head right up to deck 8 central park and you say ok this is so cool how did they manage to make central park on a ship! And it just keeps going on and on... Next Question you asked were about the rooms. I am not going to lie an inside room is very tight and they don't give much closet space in my opinion but I bring a lot of clothes but maybe you can't go by me because for me even a balcony room is too tight. I always get some kind of suite when I go on Oasis Class ships because the way they designed the other staterooms is too tight for me. But for you it might be perfect it is so subjective. Ok Now for the shows! They are all AMAZING. If you like Broadway then you definitely need to see Mama Mia. I saw it on Quantum and it was awesome. Then there is the ice show. It is so cool and done so well you have to see that too. Then there is a show called Blue planet. It is a Cirque du solie (I know I spelled it wrong) type show set to music and it is really good. Of course I mentioned the Aqua Theater show which is an amazing water show. Then there is the comedian you have to have advance seats for that. So yea all shows are a must see! Ok Spa time. Honestly I just go there to get a Massage and I leave. I like spending my time in the adults only Solarium which is all the way in the front of the ship. It has a great pool and hot tubs. Now for food. Like Matt says food is Soooo subjective. In my opinion the MDR has gone down in quality quite a bit but you may love it. I am not a drinker but I am a foodie. So instead of buying drinks I go to specialty restaurants every night. I love every restaurant on Allure. I can't wait to try the new Sabor and the new Habachi area of Izumi. I currently love Chops Grille, Geovanni's table, Samba Grill, regular izumi, 150 Central park... All just so good in my opinion. To me it does not feel like a lot of people on the ship. They did a great job with creating neighborhoods so people spread out nicely.. No Wow Bands on Allure.. Only Quantum class and Harmony as of right now... LAst question was about the port.. The port is super easy. You will be in terminal 18 which is specifically made for oasis class ships... If you have any other questions let me know but I hope this help!! 

1) did you liked it (check mark) . Any cool observations, activists offered on board, how were the rooms (we went "cheap" two side by side inside room), shows, how is the spa, how is food (I think I ship has sushi so I am excited), does it feel like a lot of people on boat, wow bands?. You know everything . We are departing Ft. lauderdale so any info about port would be helpful.

The island hoppers out of SJ are excellent cruises - especially if you like the southern Carrib islands like Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (my personal fave). I have done this kind of itinerary quite a few times (Serenade, Adventure and Jewel...all multiple times with the exception of Serenade). HOWEVER...I will say, that after a while, you get that inevitable sense that "once you've seen one Caribbean island, you've seen them all". I'm sure I'll get some pushback from that but I was told it would happen by someone more experienced than me (at the time)...and I'll be darned if it didn't.
 
I AM a late-nighter and having to get up early EVERY morning to get off to go see another island that looks pretty much the same as the one I was on yesterday became somewhat tedious. If I was forced to expound on the major differences between St Lucia, Barbados and Antigua I would be pressed to do that even though I have visited all of them many times.
 
So back to the positive. For those who really enjoy the islands and maybe HAVEN'T been to the more southern (and in my opinion, exotic) ones, this kind of island hopper is ideal. I LOVE San Juan and I love being in the "deep" Caribbean where it is ALWAYS warm...I just don't want to do it 6 out of 7 days anymore.
 
I love sea days where the casino is open early and stays open all night !

Just wanted to let you all know I have done a couple of live broadcasts on Periscope over the last week or so.  Download the app and then follow Royal Caribbean Blog on there and it will alert you when I go live (in addition to the links I post on social media).

Monthly would be Fun :D.. You know I love a live show

Monthly would be Fun :D.. You know I love a live show

I appreciate the feedback! When I get back from my Freedom of the Seas cruise in August, I think I will work on a schedule. Monthly isn't too difficult to put together and if there is interest in doing, I'd love to do more live shows!

Currently Club Royale is great because as WAAAYTOOO explains you get about 40% suites and about 25% off balcony rooms. But I have never got offered a free cruise. I did get offered an extremely cheap cruise in 2013. I only had to pay $700 for a grand suite because Club Royale was running a promotion for August and September of that year. Currently I am glad I save 40% on suites because I became spoiled and now loves suites but I am nervous that my discount will be ending as soon as the new tier system comes to be.

Celebration Cruiser: One more thing I forgot to mention I just became a Diamond Plus member and I wish they would give much more discounts then they do for spending a lot of money and cruising frequently

Also, I think everyone here understands that thought process of "Oh man, I need another cruise sooner than the one I already booked". You're among friends...and enablers!

Karate, You can still make a royal Caribbean online account even if you booked with vacations to go. go to royal Caribbean's website. make a user name and password then you enter in your reservation # ship and sail date and you will be able to have access to the cruise planner. It's really easy and fun because it helps pass the time until the cruise