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Spotted: Specialty coffee beverage card on Serenade of the Seas

In:
01 Aug 2016

You may have heard about Royal Caribbean's drink packages and even the drink cards, but here is a new drink card especially for those that enjoy a little "pep" in their day.

On Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, guests were able to purchase a specialty coffee drink card, where if 6 coffee drinks are pre-purchased, they get one for free.

Photo by Dr. Kris L-C

These pre-paid punch cards area available at three different price points, so you can choose one that is right for you.

  • $24 for 7 coffee drinks priced at $4 or less
  • $30 for 7 coffee drinks priced at $5 or less
  • $36 for 7 coffee drinks priced at $6 or less

There is no indication that this kind of a drink card will be available on any particular sailing or ship. Royal Caribbean has experimented greatly with the concept of pre-paid drink cards that did include specialty coffees over the last 12 months or so, but this is the first we have seen of a pre-paid card specifically for coffee.

Would you buy one of these coffee cards? If so, which one appeals to you? Tell us in the comments below.

Empress of the Seas Live Blog - Day 3 - Sea Day

In:
31 Jul 2016

Today was our first sea day on board Empress of the Seas and once again I woke up at 6:30am to check out the sunrise. I headed up to the pool deck just in time to catch the sun coming up, once again wow.

Breakfast – Chops Grill

For top tier Crown and Anchor members (Diamond Plus/Pinnacle) and those staying in suite you can enjoy breakfast in Chops Grill.

They offer made to order eggs, omelets, and fresh fruit bar. The breakfast is very similar what you would find in the main dining room on any Royal Caribbean ship.

The real advantage is fast service and we were the only ones in there at 8am when they opened. I went with the basic Ham and Cheese omelet and I really enjoyed it. By now the staff in Chops Grill are starting to feel like family, it seems I’m starting to have most meals in here.

Pool Deck

After breakfast, I headed out the pool deck to soak up some sun rays while my girlfriend enjoy her spa morning. My gift to her for letting me live blog, Periscope, take endless pictures was to treat her to a spa treatment. She gave very positive feedback on the spa and it sounds like she is hooked for future cruises, oh no what have I done?!

Okay, back to the pool deck… This morning from 9:00am-10:30am they had a helicopter flying over us, beside us, and around us filming.

Many guest were asking staff what was going on, but I knew they were filming the brand new Empress of the Seas.

Brunch – Main Dining Room

Okay now I feel like all I am blogging about is food, but that’s all you really want to hear about Anyways, right? Well today they had their famous “Sunday Brunch” in the main dining room. Every sea day on Empress of the Seas, they have a big brunch from 11am-1pm in the dining room.

They had a large variety of breakfast and lunch options, so no matter what you were in the mood for they had it. During the Empress brunch, they also serve bottomless mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.

Afternoon on board

After our brunch, we decided to head back to pool deck and it was very full. Since Empress of the Seas has just one pool it can get very packed, but I never had a problem finding a deck chair.

We lounged in the water for quite sometime with the Caribbean band playing music. Pretty typical sea day with games around the pool deck and everyone enjoying themselves. I did notice they were selling the beer coolers at the bar, so if you don’t have a drink package this is a great value.

At 3:45pm we had a bridge tour for the Crown and Anchor group. We met on deck 9 forward and were greeted by security and did metal detector scans on us before we went into the bridge.

Once we were on the bridge they did a quick talk about what their roles are on the bridge.

We were aloud to take pictures of everything, just no video.

Dinner – Chops Grill

Tonight we were headed back to Chops Grill, again. We are feeling like family in here, but it was a great experience. We requested our waiter from night one and he took great care of us. I went with shrimp cocktail, which might be the largest shrimp I’ve ever seen.

Followed by the mushroom soup and 9oz filet. We were dining at 6pm tonight so the restaurant only had a few tables eating and the service was extremely fast.

Evening on board

Tonight was the white pool deck party, if you are coming on board Empress you should plan on packing white attire, though it’s not required. Many guests, including myself were not in white.

The staff started the party off and it quickly became very full and went on for hours. The guest were really enjoying the music and dancing the night away. I might have danced once or twice too…

That’s a wrap on day 3, stay tuned because tomorrow we are headed to Key West, Florida!

Live Blog Index

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: July 31, 2016

In:
31 Jul 2016

It seems like it is heating up everywhere with summer upon on us, and we have the best reading material to enjoy while sitting by the air conditioning.

Royal Caribbean released new Empress of the Seas sailings through the end of October 2016.

Three itinerary options were released, comprising of 4 and 5 night sailings to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean.

The new itineraries are available for booking immediately.

Royal Caribbean News

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 156th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we share how to choose the best time to take a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt looks at the different factors when it comes to choosing the best time to take a Royal Caribbean cruise.  There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year, but figuring out the right time for your family is an important decision.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Royal Caribbean shared how it provides cleaner water to a village in Haiti.

YouTube has a new 360 video on Harmony of the Seas.

Eat Sleep Cruise has a review of Chic on Anthem of the Seas.

First time cruisers: Which drinks are included in my Royal Caribbean cruise?

In:
30 Jul 2016

A Royal Caribbean cruise vacation provides a tremendous value for guests in terms of what they get for the price they pay, and a very common question among first time cruisers is like this one from Fay Jones.

"Are there any beverages that are included with the meals that is not an additional charge? Also is the tap water safe to drink?"

It is a good question which drinks are included in your cruise, and here is an overview of what to expect in terms of which drinks are included.

Drinks included

You can expect these drinks to be included and available during your cruise for no additional cost

  • regular coffee
  • decaffeinated coffee
  • tea
  • iced tea
  • tap water
  • milk
  • chocolate milk
  • lemonade
  • flavored waters
  • juices (at breakfast, not fresh squeezed)
  • hot chocolate (via instant packets)

These drinks are available throughout your cruise at a number of locations, so there will always be somewhere to get something to drink for free.

Anything not on this list will cost you extra, including soft drinks, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Drinking the water

Yes, there is tap water provided on your cruise to drink and it is indeed very safe to drink.

Every Royal Caribbean ship has a meticulously maintained water treatment/storage system that supplies all of the ships potable water.

Some guests report the tap water is not as cold as they would like, in which case your room attendant can bring you ice at any point in your cruise.

If you prefer not to drink tap water, there is bottled water available for purchase or included in a Royal Caribbean drink package.

Friday Photos

In:
29 Jul 2016

Every Friday, we show off the Royal Caribbean photos that our readers have sent us in a special blog post.  Each week, we invite our readers to send us their favorite Royal Caribbean photos and we post them right here.

Without further adieu, let's jump right into this week's batch of photos!

The first photo this week is from Shawn Crossley of Explorer of the Seas viewed from atop Mount Maunganui, located in Tauranga City in the Bay of Plenty - New Zealand. That is an incredible vantage point!

CruiseNAngie shared this photo of Empress of the Seas tendering off the coast of CocoCay.  She is such a distinguished looking cruise ship and we have a live blog on Empress of the Seas that is going on right now.

We are heading to Alaska with our next photo, and it is from Ricardo Chevalier of Sawyer Glacier at Tracy Arm.  Photos do not do this glacier justice.

Here is a shot of Independence of the Seas as seen from the Rock of Gibraltar, by Marleen. The kids thought it would be funny to 'shoot' at the ship with the canon.

Donald Barnett captured this rainbow as Freedom of the Seas sailed through a rain shower.  Rainbows in photos are always a welcome sight!

Danielle found this secret hideaway at the aft of Grandeur of the Seas, where she took this photo with no one else around.  Great composition in this photo!

Our final photo this week comes to us from Blake Baldwin and it is a shot of Cuba, as seen from Independence of the Seas. Perhaps in the near future we will see much closer photos of Cuba in Friday Photos.

Would you like to submit your Royal Caribbean photos for a future Friday Photos post? Use this form to send them to us and we will feature them very soon!

Spotted: Sabor at Sea lunch on Explorer of the Seas

In:
28 Jul 2016

We are really big fans of Royal Caribbean's Sabor specialty restaurant because of the terrific and fresh food they serve, but not all Royal Caribbean ships have a Sabor restaurant on them. Nonetheless, it appears that may not stop some ships from offering a Sabor experience, minus the full restaurant.

On Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Blog reader Angie shared with us photos of the "Sabor at Sea lunch," which was held on day 6 of their cruise in Giovanni's Table.

It appears this was a one-time event on the ship, and cost $25 per guest to enjoy.

Angie reported that the lunch was, "extraordinarily good and there is a ton of food."

This is not the first experience of this kind on Explorer of the Seas. Earlier this summer season, we spotted an Izumi Asian Breakfast buffet offered onboard as well.

Would you be interested in a Sabor lunch on Explorer of the Seas? Tell us in the comments!

Royal Caribbean weekend cruise deal offers bonus onboard credit

In:
27 Jul 2016

Royal Caribbean will offer a bonus offer this weekend, with up to an extra $50 onboard credit for qualifying cruises booked.

The July Seek and Save deal is combinable with the July BOGO offer and offers guests bonus onboard credit on all sailings departing on or after August 29, 2016 made between July 29 and 31, 2016. Offer excludes China departures.

The July Seek and Save offer details are:

  • Interior/Oceanview – $25 Onboard Credit per staterom
  • Balcony/Deluxe Suites – $50 Onboard Credit per stateroom

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, BOGO50, Holiday OBC, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military) and Next Cruise offers. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including but not limited to Group Standard, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Crown & Anchor Discounts, and Shareholder benefits.

Offer open to residents of the United States and Canada.

Choosing the best time to take a Royal Caribbean cruise podcast

In:
27 Jul 2016

Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Episode 156 is available for downloading, where we discuss what factors should go into choosing the best time to take a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Often people want to know the best time to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise and Matt considers the different factors everyone should consider to pick that "perfect" time for a cruise.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 156. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSSStitcher or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Choosing the best time to take a Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
27 Jul 2016

Listen to the Show

Royal Caribbean cruise vacations offer fantastic escapes, across a fleet of amazing ships, but one of the most common questions I get asked is, “when is the best to take a Royal Caribbean cruise?”. It is a simple question, but has major ramifications. We all want to take the perfect cruise vacation for our family, but we can also be limited in our options. If you have also been wondering the answer to when is a good time to take a cruise, here are some helpful guidelines in this week’s episode to help you plan the right time to take your first (or next) Royal Caribbean cruise.

On this episode:
Running time:

Second Zumba Cruise planned onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship

In:
27 Jul 2016

Following the success of the first ever Zumba® cruise, the dance-fitness group is organizing another group cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

The next Zumba® Cruise is planned for a 5-night sailing of Navigator of the Seas from Miami on April 23, 2017.

"We were thrilled with the incredible response we got from the success of the 2016 Zumba® cruise. There's no better way to enjoy the dance and fitness activities of Zumba® than combined with the Royal Caribbean experience, with features such as the ice-skating rinks, rock-climbing walls, delectable dining and world-class entertainment," said Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President, Sales and Trade Support and Service. "We're excited to host Zumba® once again, and now on Navigator of the Seas."

The exclusive event will feature Zumba® activities and experiences on the ship. These events include:

  • Daily Zumba®-themed classes
  • Master Zumba classes taught by Zumba® creator Beto Perez and more than 50 additional celebrity Zumba instructors
  • 20 live music concerts

Those interested in more details can visit zumba-cruise.com.

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