JLMoran

What her new husband is learning to say at the end of every discussion. 

What her new husband is learning to say at the end of every discussion. 

What her new husband is learning to say at the end of every discussion. 

What her new husband is learning to say at the end of every discussion. 

I feel this a problem wherever you are. We live in New Zealand and all the RC cruises are generally Australia to NZ or up to the South Pacific islands. As the interaries are limited I wish they would change up the ships more often so at least something was different. To be fair they have introduced Ovation OTS last year but they charge a big premium to go on her. I would like to go on Freedom class ship because over the last few years the choice has only been Voyager, Explorer and Radiance. A lot of people do seem to enjoy going on the same ship doing the same thing every year but I think you lose the WOW factor after a while.

Yes, I'm with Matt, transfer to a TA.
My MEI TA always checks my reservations when the new sales are released.  I love those emails letting me know she got a cheaper price and/or some OBC. 
 

It'll be 19 years since my own wedding thirteen days from now, and I still remember the panicked rush to get things wrapped up at the end.
One word of caution -- if you're taking a limo anywhere the morning after your wedding to get to the airport / cruise terminal / whatever, call them the week before to confirm everything is recorded correctly for where to pick you up and what time. Then call them the day before to confirm it again. Our limo went to our apartment instead of the hotel we were staying at, forcing us to desperately find a last-minute taxi and race down the roads to the airport to make our flight to Hawaii. I tipped that taxi driver enormously when he actually got us there in time and without ever getting picked up by a speed trap!

It'll be 19 years since my own wedding thirteen days from now, and I still remember the panicked rush to get things wrapped up at the end.
One word of caution -- if you're taking a limo anywhere the morning after your wedding to get to the airport / cruise terminal / whatever, call them the week before to confirm everything is recorded correctly for where to pick you up and what time. Then call them the day before to confirm it again. Our limo went to our apartment instead of the hotel we were staying at, forcing us to desperately find a last-minute taxi and race down the roads to the airport to make our flight to Hawaii. I tipped that taxi driver enormously when he actually got us there in time and without ever getting picked up by a speed trap!

Brand new to cruising, but this has been my strategy so far in booking my first two cruises. Choose where I want to go (general region), then see which cruise lines and ships go there and which offer the longest itineraries with the best port options. Then I look at what the different ships offer for all the family members who will be going. Finally, I look at the price and figure out whether it works with the rough budget idea I had.

Matt, Jerel, and Kayla. They're famous enough for me. 

BY the way, a striking resemblance to Rod Stewart in this photo. 

I will see you there - we are also booked on that sailing! :D It's our first anniversary cruise! 
... yes, I have a cruise booked for my first anniversary before my wedding has even happened.

On the flip side to Toodle's reply, the outfits that handle the cruise-booked excursions tend to be more crowded. For things like snorkeling excursions or other outings that go to some location, they also seem to go to the same spot as all the excursions for the other cruise ships in port that day. So you could be expecting to swim with a group of 20 or 30 and instead find over a hundred people all jockeying to see the same small patch of fish. This was by far the most common complaint about almost every snorkeling expedition review I've read on TripAdvisor that was booked through a cruise. The third-party outfits that only book privately all had better ratings for going to more secluded areas and/or more scenic spots since they're carrying a smaller group, and I didn't find any negative reviews about missing or nearly missing their departure.
Also, Matt has pointed out in the past that the outside third party shops all have a vested interest in getting you back on time, or their reputation suffers (and depending on their policy, they could be on the hook to get you back to your ship). So as long as things all go normally, you'll be fine. BUT, you'll definitely be in trouble if something like a traffic jam or mechanical breakdown leaves you late and the outfit you booked with doesn't have a policy covering getting you back to your ship, so read the fine print carefully.
If you'd rather book through Royal for the safety of them waiting for you, but want to have more freedom on where you go / what you do, check out the new Private Journeys option they've recently set up. Matt just did a whole podcast episode about it last week, well as writing a blog post:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-194-private-journeys-shore-excursion
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/04/19/private-journeys-royal-caribbean-blog-podcast
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/02/28/review-royal-caribbeans-private-journeys-shore-excursion-curacao

Jane, I just re-checked and we're exactly 336 days to go as of today. So definitely the one after yours. We'll have to wave as we pass by in the terminal! 

You forgot cruise companions. They can make or break a cruise I would imagine. As I have yet go on my first cruise, I can't be sure. But I am positive I won't have any issues as I am cruising with my beautiful wife of 27yrs.
 

My takeaway from my AOTS experience was that they realize they lose a few existing customers over it but ultimately aren't too worried about it because they are bringing in new more profitable customers to replace them.
In my case for example I talked about the fact that I had a group of 8 cabins booked for this coming Thanksgiving that we were thinking of cancelling in response to the way AOTS was handled last Thanksgiving.
If you think about it though they would love me to cancel those cabins, all 8 were booked on "opening day" and are priced at about double now what they opened at. So they got to hold my deposits for 18 months and then resell the cabins for double the value. Probably to "new" cruisers that will spend a lot more on board than my "experienced" cruise crew.
The whole sequence really damaged my view of RCI, not that I really blame them for their decisions as they are the "profitable" ones for the company.

For St. Maarten, take a look at Soualiga Destinations all-day speedboat tour, with Captain Bob. Just booked this for our cruise on Freedom next March/April. it's the #1 excursion in St. Maarten and very reasonably priced compared to the other snorkeling options. The only caveat with this outing is that they return by 4 PM, so it's geared to ships departing at 5, where the "all aboard" time is 4:30. But you get 3 snorkeling stops, lunch in a cafe, and a full circuit of the island. And the dock is a 15-20 minute walk from the ship.
Soualiga Destinations - Most Popular Tour
If that doesn't work with the time your ship is in port, I also got this suggestion for Random Wind from @bcarney. Only one snorkeling stop (in one of the same areas that Capt. Bob goes to); but it's an actual sailing ship rather than a speedboat, with a full meal cooked on board and a trapeze swing off the ship into the water at the second stop. They're a bit further away and will require taking a cab there and back.
Random Wind - Paradise Day Sail - a sailing excursion along the coast of Sint Maarten - Saint Martin

On the flip side to Toodle's reply, the outfits that handle the cruise-booked excursions tend to be more crowded. For things like snorkeling excursions or other outings that go to some location, they also seem to go to the same spot as all the excursions for the other cruise ships in port that day. So you could be expecting to swim with a group of 20 or 30 and instead find over a hundred people all jockeying to see the same small patch of fish. This was by far the most common complaint about almost every snorkeling expedition review I've read on TripAdvisor that was booked through a cruise. The third-party outfits that only book privately all had better ratings for going to more secluded areas and/or more scenic spots since they're carrying a smaller group, and I didn't find any negative reviews about missing or nearly missing their departure.
Also, Matt has pointed out in the past that the outside third party shops all have a vested interest in getting you back on time, or their reputation suffers (and depending on their policy, they could be on the hook to get you back to your ship). So as long as things all go normally, you'll be fine. BUT, you'll definitely be in trouble if something like a traffic jam or mechanical breakdown leaves you late and the outfit you booked with doesn't have a policy covering getting you back to your ship, so read the fine print carefully.
If you'd rather book through Royal for the safety of them waiting for you, but want to have more freedom on where you go / what you do, check out the new Private Journeys option they've recently set up. Matt just did a whole podcast episode about it last week, well as writing a blog post:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-194-private-journeys-shore-excursion
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/04/19/private-journeys-royal-caribbean-blog-podcast
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/02/28/review-royal-caribbeans-private-journeys-shore-excursion-curacao

I saw a couple of baked Alaskans on the Serenade this past Feb. in the Schooner Bar. But, I don't thinks that's what we're talking about......

Take a look at this Kickstarter campaign for the Rigiet (ree-jee-et) camera stabilizer – 
This is NOT your typical Kickstarter campaign. The device already exists and the campaign is purely to get the initial set of orders made with the manufacturer. There are real devices in the hands of tech reviewers (I found out about it via Apple World Today). So this is not your typical Kickstarter with major risk of never seeing a product.
The campaign ends May 30, and there are limited "super early bird" slots to get one at a really steep discount (regular backers still get a discount, just not as big).
Im definitely getting one, especially since my card isn't charged until the funding completion date is reached next month and I'll be on a new billing cycle. This device, plus a Joby Gorillapod (magnetic variety), means it should actually be possible to take long-exposure star photos while at sea! Even if that doesn't pan out, it'll make for way better video while on the move than I can take today with my gimp and fairly stiff walking.

Been using Safari on both my desktop Mac and my iPhone with no issues at all. Cruise planner works fine, doing a booking search is good, etc.
Only thing I had trouble with was trying to do a two-room booking online (before I got smart and found a travel agent). That reliably blew up when it was time to pick the second room. ?

Baked Beans is a must for a British breakfast. I believe it's mandatory under an Act of Parliament passed in 1622, but I could be making that bit up :)

Tiramisu! 
 
I shouldn't have clicked this thread before breakfast. 

Our category has not sold out. It is after final payment and was watching for affordable upgrades. Pulled the trigger this morning and now in a GS. Net additional cost will be under $400. :)

Hmmm... Michael....Poole