cruiselife

Definitely a good point! But the location of the Abyss kind of works for that type of noise. It actually kind of promotes a Boardwalk like environment and there aren't areas that are supposed to be relaxing in that area. On the video of the coaster I saw it goes right over their aft pool which is one of the best spots to hang out on a Carnival ship. I couldn't see where they are planning to have their main pool, but it may go right over that as well. It will definitely be interesting to see in real life.

Way late on this thread but here are my guesses. In past refurbishments it seems like they usually add the most popular venues from existing ships and then mix it up on a few new features to see if they'll work on future new builds. I have some that I think will actually happen and then a few that I think would be interesting, although unlikely. I don't know whose job it is to come up with these ideas, but they have an awesome job. What I think will actually happen: Bamboo Room in place of the Bionic Bar. Playmaker's in place of Sabor. It just seems to work better with the Boardwalk vibe. El Loco Fresh in place of Wipeout Cafe. Updated resort style pool areas similar to what Navigator is getting. Water slides. Blow Dry Bar. I think experiences similar to this will be replacing a lot of retail shops as they are emphasizing experience based venues. Laser Tag Additional suites-only areas to compete with other lines in the industry. Not sure what exactly that would entail, but I expect it to happen. Bold/Unlikely predictions I would like to see: I definitely want a Playmaker's, but would love it if they would replace Johnny Rockets with it instead of Sabor. Don't want to lose those margaritas. I do enjoy the ice-skating shows, but I could see them getting rid of the ice skating rink since they have it on so many ships. Would love to see what other innovations they could come up with in such large space. Perhaps an entertainment venue with technology similar to 270 on the Quantum class that could compliment the main theater with unique shows. Move the Flowriders, sports court, and putt-putt areas and build new resort style pools in the aft. Maybe with a swim up bar like you see at a lot of resorts or something innovative like that. Perhaps a pool with a clear edge like in the Solarium on Symphony that overlooks the Boardwalk. This fits in the highly unlikely category due to logistics, but let me dream. I would love to see Royal add some aft pools in their fleet. It is hard to beat the views and relaxation you get from there with the wake. I wouldn't mind if they just got rid of the sports court and putt-putt areas and found a new activity for all that space. Those activities seem a little outdated to me at this point. They could put the Flowriders where one of the existing pools are now and use the other side for some really different water slides similar to what they're putting on Navigator.

I don't like roller coasters so I definitely wouldn't ride it even though it does look like a pretty cool experience. It's not for me, but I could see it being a draw for a lot of people. My biggest question about it is the noise. I understand it is electric but there has to be some noise associated with the coaster itself and then the screaming. I can't imagine relaxing by the pool will be the same if you can hear the coaster and screams. Personally I think cruise lines should just stick to water slides. I don't think the go cart track on the Bliss seems all that cool either. I find them both to be a waste of valuable top deck space on a cruise ship that should be primarily devoted to pools. I definitely prefer the direction that Royal Caribbean is going, but what else is new.

The Thirsty Cougar is a great spot downtown to drop in and grab some margaritas and nachos. Not a fully authentic Mexican food experience but really unique margaritas and incredible nachos with great atmosphere and service. It is located right on the water near the downtown cruise port.

I am curious to see how this will impact regular open hours for activities like the Flowrider, rockwall, and zipline.

It is on the same road as the cruise port that goes right along the coast. You will pass it right before you get to the downtown shopping area in San Miguel. It isn't impossible to walk but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are looking for a lot of exercise. My wife and I have walked from downtown to the cruise port before and made it, but we fully regretted our decision about halfway there. Below is a map of the path that estimates about a 45 minute walk one way. You will definitely be able to find a taxi near the cruise port and near the store afterwards you should be able to flag one down since it isn't far from the other cruise port and downtown. The store is called MEGA.

Just wanted to give a shout to Matt for recommending the Priceline "Express Deals" on one of his podcasts. I was a little skeptical about it at first, but I decided to give it a shot. The way it works is you select a certain criteria such as location, number of stars, etc. that you are willing to accept. The site will then give you a price per night that you will pay, the general area, and the rating that the hotel will have. It is a lot like booking a guaranteed stateroom for a cruise. In my case it offered a rate of $102 per night for a 4-star hotel and showed that the hotel had a 8+ guest rating as well as the general area the hotel was located (See screenshot below). The idea is they can't tell you the specific hotel beforehand because the rate is much lower than advertised. To be honest I thought this was just marketing talk and I would get the cheapest possible hotel that was 4 stars in that area, which may be the case sometimes. In our case we ended up in the Sheraton Suites, which would have been a rate of $242 a night for the same date. So we were able to book a 4-star hotel in West Fort Lauderdale on a Saturday night for only $127 total after fees, and it was $143 cheaper than it would have been had we booked the same room directly. I highly recommend checking out this service if you aren't super specific about what particular hotel you stay in before your cruise. Just keep in mind that these deals are non-refundable. Thanks again for the recommendation @Matt! I solemnly wear to spend all of the savings at Sabor.

Great job on the live blog so far! Loving it.

This is also much better prices than the packages on my Harmony sailing. The 3 night is $89 per person and the BOGO is $40 per person. I would jump on that BOGO deal! I am always a little triggered that the BOGO deal is less per meal than my 5 night package, but I get it. They want you to go eat there the first two nights and love it so much that you come back again and pay full price. If you only want to eat specialty dining for 2 nights the BOGO is an incredible deal.

Here is a random tip that can save you another $70 if you don't need two internet packages... If you call Royal Caribbean you can book 1 surf and stream package and then 1 regular drink package. It won't allow you to do this online but they will do it for you no questions asked over the phone. My wife and I usually share an internet package because we only want it to keep track of what is going on at home and we can always log in or out when the other person wants to use it.

For anyone interested in the drink package check the price today. I am sailing on Harmony in February and it has been at $52 a day consistently (About $850 for 2 people). The price went down to $49 on black Friday but I didn't book it, which I regretted. After that it went back up to $52 a day and I was hoping for a Christmas sale to come along to get it back to $49. I checked today, as I do everyday, and it was back at $49 so I booked it. I am not sure why it went down, maybe they just hadn't booked very many packages for my sailing, but perhaps yours has gone down too. Hopefully it will go down even more if there is some kind of Christmas sale and I can re-book it.

BEST DAY EVER!!!

I saw on the Bottomless Galley Tour that it can be included as a meal in a dining package if that helps. We originally had a 4 night and then decided to make it a 5 night package and use it for the Galley Tour, which saved us a few bucks.

For my wife and I it is about the entire experience. We love the entire cruising routine. We love waking up in the morning and laying in bed watching the morning show to see what all is going on throughout the day. We love choosing between a great buffet or full service breakfast in the MDR and then just showing up and eating with no hassle or reservation. We love choosing whether we want to relax by the pool all afternoon while listening to steel drum music or participate in activities such as waterslides, rock climbing, surfing simulators, or escape rooms. Even with all that goes on during the day it is the nights that we love the most. We love being able go out to eat for a nice dinner with excellent service and order anything we want on the menu without worrying about the bill, then go to a Vegas quality show, and then end the night dancing or just relaxing at a nice bar listening to live music. These are all things we really enjoy on land, but to do it often is incredibly expensive. The value proposition cruises offer for us, especially with the quality of entertainment on Royal Caribbean, is unbeatable. Even if we didn't ever get off of the ship I would consider it an ideal vacation. But what really puts it over the top is the fact that we get to visit multiple countries all without dealing with multiple flights and hotel check-ins. We love to research the ports before the cruise and then rent a vehicle and explore them on our own when we can. To me there's nothing like driving down a Caribbean coastline on a scooter or in a Jeep with the top down checking out all the hidden beaches or authentic restaurants. We love eating the food and finding the spots that are unique to the port. Sometimes we also love just heading to an all inclusive resort for the day and just relaxing with unlimited food and drinks. I think sometimes cruising gets a bad reputation from people who have never experienced it as a really touristy thing. It can be that if you want it to be, but it can also be the ultimate adventure. It is the most versatile and affordable vacation there is. Nothing even comes close to it in my opinion.

WOW. Just WOW. Thanks for another amazing live blog @twangster. They're so legendary I see you even have fan accounts popping up! Haha that's awesome. That tour of Central Park was really cool. Is this something offered on all ships? I hope to do the same on Harmony. Can't wait to see both Flight and HiRo as well one day when I can make it on Symphony. Both look incredible.

After seeing all of the photos from the Alaska cruise I knew that I had to add it to the bucket list. On top of that the appeal of doing it on a Quantum class ship, which I have never sailed either, is too much to pass up. Just imagine those Alaskan views from Two70! Can't wait to see the live blog on that sailing.

Between the stairwell art, the Flight pictures, and all the other added features all I can say about Symphony is...

We are going on our first Oasis class cruise and got to experience the wonders of booking entertainment last night. Can't wait! My question is about booking the comedy shows. Once I book one night for the comedy show it won't let me book any other nights. Is this because it is the same comedy show every night or does the system just not allow you to book more than one? I have the same question about the headliner shows, but I assume there may only be one headliner show so that would make more sense. I just find it hard to believe they would have the same comedy show every single night of the cruise. We would like to be able to go every night there is a new comedian or show, is it possible to pre-book that way?

I really can't get over what a home run Royal has hit with this Royal Amped program. That solarium looks absolutely incredible, and the Bamboo Room is such a unique venue. I am about to be going on an Oasis class ship for my first time and couldn't be more excited, but seeing these pictures almost makes me jealous I'm not going on Mariner! It says a lot about the direction Royal is going when I'm just as excited to get on a ship that came out in 2003 as one that came out only a few years ago. Can't wait until one of these babies makes its way to Galveston!

First of all, welcome to the blog! I hate to see that your first post comes with such terrible circumstances. I completely empathize with you and agree that they could do more to help prevent their clients from missing final payment date. To be honest I am not sure if they automatically send a reminder or not currently, but I would certainly hope they do that at minimum. I can definitely understand what others are saying about other types of bills, but I don't expect quality customer service from utility companies while I do expect that from a cruise line. At the same time, from Royal Caribbean's perspective, they need to make sure that they get the room filled for the cruise because onboard spending is really how they make their money. An empty room is bad for business and as far as they know if you haven't made the final payment you aren't intending to go on the cruise. I would try calling one more time and keep asking to speak to someone higher up to see if there is anything else they can do if they haven't already booked the room, or at least let you use that deposit for another sailing. It can't hurt to keep trying until you know there is nothing left you can do. As others have stated I would use a travel agent moving forward to help remind you of final payment date but also to be an advocate for you in situations like this. Either way, I'm really sorry to hear this happened to you. I hope there is something they can do to remedy the situation. If not don't beat yourself up. We all make mistakes and all we can do is learn from them. Best of luck to you!

I don't think I fully understood the significance either. It looks absolutely incredible. My bank account is shaking in it's boots for when Galveston has a similar offering for weekend getaways.

That's awesome! He was our cruise director on both Navigator and Liberty and we really liked him too. He's a really good host at all of the shows, especially the Love and Marriage game show, the Quest, and the morning show. Watching the morning show as we wake up and get ready for the day is one of our favorite cruise past times. Can't beat that feeling of excitement and anticipation for the day to come! Glad to hear he's still out there because I know he had retired at one point and came back.

Is Jeffrey Arpin your cruise director?

I'm honestly shocked you haven't already sailed her. You know, for research...

I agree. There is no reason to protect this person's privacy if they are really posting things like that. When you post something publicly on the internet you obviously aren't expecting privacy...