Due to Hurricane Mathew, our cruise was delayed back into the Port of Miami. I received a text and email last night around 6:00PM advising us not to arrive to the port tomorrow until 5:00pm. Since we live in Tampa, Florida, that just means more sleep for us before we head to the port. 

We arrived to the port at 2:00PM and I noticed people were still coming off the ship, so we decided to come back at 3:45PM. Once we arrive it was actually quite empty with zero lines and boarding had already started. 

Afternoon on board 

We are jumping to afternoon already since it’s 4:00PM, but we headed straight to the pool deck to enjoy our first round of drinks. The ship felt empty as most people were waiting until 5PM to board.

I took my girlfriend, Hillary, to the two lounges available on Enchantment of the Seas for Diamond Plus members – Diamond Lounge and Concierge Lounge.

These two are beside each other and located in the part section of the Viking Crown. 

Cabin 

Well, this my friends, is where today’s blog post gets more interesting.

Yesterday I noticed Crown & Anchor had provided us with a free upgrade from an Ocean View cabin on deck 3 to a category D1 Balcony stateroom on deck 7. Since we were within 24 hours of sailing there was no new luggage tags issued. I wanted to keep this as a surprise to Hillary, so I had to play it off like I printed our wrong luggage tags.

Upon check-in, the agent had some issues finding our cabin, but I told him the new cabin number and we were off. When the cabins were opened at 5:15PM our keys did not work, so off to Guest Services. 

This is where the trouble started.

They said our keys would work in a few minutes when cabins open. Well, that did not happen and we actually saw another couple go into our cabin!

Back to guest services and explained what was happening. It took them an hour to figure out that our cabin was double booked, but they were doing the best they could.

At this point, I’m starting to wonder if we are even sailing, since we don’t have an official cabin. The Guest Services manager comes out and said someone just canceled and we could have their Junior Suite. At this moment, I started to smile.

So off we went to our new cabin, walk in and discover it is actually a Grand Suite!

We were both so excited and all our frustrations were gone. Our cabin attendant stopped by and explained we could have full dinner in the cabin and some other benefits of the suite. 

Evening on board 

Our muster drill was at 8:00PM, and after finishing, went straight to the main dining room for dinner.

We have My Time Dining, and to be honest, the dining room was not very full. With the whole day being thrown off people were likely still unpacking their rooms.

We asked for a table of two and got it with no problem by the window. It was a unique experience seeing the Miami night light while eating.

Our waiter also brought us our Diamond Plus wine they issue you every cruise.

Dinner was Italian night (Matt’s favorite) and I went with the lasagna.

To me it’s nothing special, but I’m also obsessed with Giovanni’s Table lasagna. Dinner was around 1 hour and we decided to head to bed. 

Update on our schedule 

Due to the Hurricane Mathew, we will not be stopping at Coco Cay tomorrow due to the damage. We will now have a sea day and then a stop in Nassau, Bahamas.

We also received a letter saying we would be issued on board credit for ½ a day paid. Based on my math, that’s around $80 for me, so I’m happy with that. 

Stay tuned for a fun action packed sea day!

The effects of Hurricane Matthew are still being felt with three more Royal Caribbean ships that will have a delayed departure.

To give guests more time to arrive to the ship with transportation issues for Freedom of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

New departure times are:

• Oasis of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Saturday, October 8, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
• Allure of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Sunday, October 9, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
• Freedom of the Seas sailing from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 9 will now depart at 9:00 p.m.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

Many guests with cruises booked are reporting seeing up to 30% off certain unlimited beverage packages for their upcoming Royal Caribbean cruises.

Royal Caribbean has been offering 20% the alcohol packages for a while now, but for the next 60 hours, there are now discounts of up to 30% off certain packages.

The exact discount will vary from sailing to sailing, but the Deluxe unlimited alcohol package has been spotted with 20-25% off deals and the Refreshment package has been seen with a 30% discount.

Based on the countdown clock, it appears this promotion ends at midnight on Sunday night, October 9, 2016. This promotion has been extended through midnight on October 10, 2016.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site and navigate to the Dining & Beverage section to see any available offers.

If you have a drink package already prepurchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same drink package under this promtion.

Thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Michael C for assisting with this information!

Do you see a similar discount for your sailing? Share the details in the comments and if you will buy one!

Every Friday we share Royal Caribbean cruise photos that our readers sent in, as a means of showcasing great photography and giving all of us a "virtual break" to enjoy the view of being on a cruise.  If you want to send in your photo, use this form and we could feature it in an upcoming post.

Our first photo is of Independence of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas docked in Labadee.  This photo was taken by Joe L. while on his honeymoon and it is a beautiful shot!

Here is a photo of the Solarium on Allure of the Seas, by Bob Carpenter.  Bob said this is one of the most relaxing spots on the ship and I can tell you all from experience that Bob is indeed correct!

Next up is this photo of Dickensons Bay in Antigua by Pamela.  That is one really nice looking beach!

Take a look at this photo by Dan of Explorer of the Seas, as seen from the Space Needle in Seattle.  Hard to beat a view like this!

Tara Franz sent this photo of her daughter performing (she is the butterfly) in an Adventure Ocean show onboard Allure of the Seas.  So cute!

Next is a photo of Grandeur of the Seas, as seen from the beautiful sandy shores of CocoCay.  Emmanuel Mossino shared this photo and it instantly put me in the mood for a beach day.

Our last photo this week is from Richard Dreyer of Central Park on Allure of the Seas. This is my favorite neighborhood on Allure of the Seas, and a great look at how large this space really is.

Thank you to everyone that shared their photos with us this week! If you want to share with us your photos, use this form to send them in!

Royal Caribbean is offering bonus instant savings on top of its current promotion of 60% off the second guest, and 30% off third and fourth guests.

The Columbus Day sale is valid on bookings made October 7-11, 2016 on sailings departing on or after Nov. 7, 2016 (excluding China departures).

This offer includes

• Instant savings per stateroom based on category booked:
  • $25 off per stateroom for inside and oceanview categories
  • $50 off per staterooms for balcony and deluxe categories
• 60% off cruise fare of second guest who must be booked in the same stateroom as a first guest who books at full fare
• 30% cruise fare savings for 3rd guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests
• Free upgrade from Ocean view to balcony on offer eligible Anthem of the Seas sailings
• Bookings made Oct.1-11, 2016 for eligible Bahamas and Caribbean holiday sailings, offer includes a per stateroom onboard credit based on sailing length:
  • $100 OBC per stateroom for holiday sailings 3-5 nights departing December 22-31, 2016 and 2017
  • $100 OBC per stateroom for holiday sailings 6-9 nights departing December 15-31, 2016 and 2017
  • $200 OBC per stateroom for holiday sailings 10 nights or longer departing December 15-31, 2016 and 2017. 

BOGO60 is combinable with adjoining 30% Savings for 3rd and 4th guests, Columbus Day Weekend Savings, Anthem Upgrade, Holiday OBC, Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers. BOGO60 and 3rd and 4th Guest Savings are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Columbus Day Weekend Savings, Anthem Upgrade and Holiday OBC are combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military) and NextCruise offers. Columbus Day Weekend Savings and Holiday OBC are not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. Anthem Upgrade is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. All offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits.

Offer available to residents of United States and Canada.

Two Royal Caribbean ships will have delayed boarding due to Hurricane Matthew and its impact on the state of Florida.

PortMiami closed in anticipation of the storm, and Royal Caribbean indicated that due to the closure and the storm's location, boarding for Empress of Seas and Enchantment of the Seas will now begin on Friday, October 7 at 5 p.m.

Royal Caribbean is asking guests that are on either of these sailings not to arrive to the port before 5 p.m.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

This announcement comes on the heels of news that the October 8th Majesty of the Seas sailing has been canceled. 

Hurricane Matthew has caused a number of delays and cancelations, although the scheduled sailings for Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the Seas remain as planned for now.

@MissCMBeasley Freedom is set to leave on time this Sunday, Christine. Any updates can be found here: https://t.co/zmcot8Gmib

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 6, 2016

@mokylatn Allure is scheduled to leave on time. No changes have been made at this time.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 6, 2016

The path of Hurricane Matthew has caused Royal Caribbean to make the decision to cancel its October 8th sailing of Majesty of the Seas.

The cruise line looked at the path of Hurricane Matthew and decided to cancel the cruise to avoid putting the ship, guests and crew in the path of the massive storm.

@susieeq47 Hi Susan. The 10/8 Majesty of the Seas sailing has been cancelled due to weather. Please contact us our your travel agent.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 6, 2016

BREAKING: @RoyalCaribbean cancels #MajestyoftheSeas' Oct. 8 sailing out of @canaveralport, citing trajectory of #HurricaneMatthew.

— Gene Sloan (@CruiseLog) October 6, 2016

Royal Caribbean had planned on having Majesty of the Seas take a shorter sailing and depart on October 8.  The path of the storm and impact on the ship's departure point of Port Canaveral have caused the cruise line to reconsider its plans and cancel the sailing completely.

5:02pm UPDATE: Guests will have the option to receive a full refund of the cruise fare paid or future cruise credit in the amount of 150% of the cruise fare paid. Refunds will automatically be issued within one week to the form of payment applied unless Royal Caribbean is contacted and a future cruise credit is requested.

The time has come again for another live blog, but this one is really special because I’m headed back to the Enchantment of the Seas.

The Enchantment is my favorite ship in the fleet and this will be my 8th time sailing on her. I’m guessing you are probably thinking why does Michael love the Enchantment so much? I think my most honest answer is I have so many fun memories from this ship. Sure I love the R Bar, Park Café, covered solarium, and hands down best pool bar in the fleet.

This cruise ship is also very special to me, because my girlfriend and I actually met on the Enchantment and it’s our first time returning to the ship together. 

When I booked the cruise for this weekend, I was originally on a 4 day Empress of the Seas sailing. After thinking about how much I’ve missed the Enchantment recently, I decided to lose a cruise day and jump ship. My last two cruises have been on Empress of the Seas and also live blog my cruises on her. She is a great ship, but I always say there is no place like home and I’m headed to my home at sea! 

Cabin 

When I changed ships to Enchantment it was a little more expensive than the Empress, so I picked the cheapest cabin on deck 2 - inside. As the weeks past, the price dropped a little and I was able to change into a large ocean view cabin on deck 3 – 3616. Kind of random, but of all my time on Enchantment I’ve always stayed on deck 2 or 3. I’ve never had any issues staying on the lower decks, and find it quite easy to get to the centrum on deck 4. 

Schedule 

My short 3 day sailing is leaving out of Miami, FL and schedule to stop in Coco Cay then Nassau.

At the time of writing this we are still on schedule, but is subject to change due to the hurricane in the gulf. I’m not very worried about our schedule, as being back on the Enchantment is what I’m most excited for.

Since I live in Florida now, I’ll be driving in the morning of the cruise. As far as parking goes, I’ll park at the pier for $20/day. Now that I don’t have any true traveling expenses (flights) I can pay justify overpaying for parking. 

 Drink Package 

I hope you are sitting down as you read this, but I will not be buying the drink package on this sailing. I was actually logging into the system to buy it a few weeks ago and for 2 people it came up to $340. I thought to myself that just seems a lot for just a weekend. After talking it over with the girlfriend, who’s also Diamond Plus we are doing “research” and going without the package. We are going to carry on 2 bottles of wine, which is the allotted amount per cabin. We also have a bottle coming to the room from Crown and Anchor, plus our 3 per drinks per night loaded to our sea pass card and the Diamond lounge. I just thought, let me try a cruise without the package and see what my final bill looks like. 

Well friends, I’m excited to take you along with me over the weekend. The cruise will go by fast, but I plan to make the most of it. Feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll respond. I’ll also be doing daily live periscopes of my adventure @mpoole3 

See you at sea!

Due to Hurricane Matthew, Royal Caribbean has had to make changes to the itinerary for the current and next sailing of Majesty of the Seas.

Port Canaveral will be closing all marine traffic on Thursday, and anticipate reopening on Saturday. 

As a result, Majesty of the Seas next sailing will now depart Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Due to the revised itinerary, Royal Caribbean International will provide each stateroom with an onboard credit in the amount of one day based on the cruise fare paid, which will be credited to guests' onboard accounts.

As a gesture of goodwill, we will also be providing all sailing guests with a 33% future cruise credit.

A letter with more details and information about the updated itinerary will be provided at boarding.

As we reported yesterday, Empress of the Seas is also delayed returning to PortMiami by at least one day.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

Royal Caribbean International will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will provide updates as soon as they become available.

This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 166 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.

This week, we take an in-depth look at the stateroom choices available on a Royal Caribbean cruise. After picking the ship, your stateroom is the next most important choice in the cruise planning process and there are a lot of factors that contribute to picking the right one for you.

There's also lots of reader emails and voicemails to share this week about everything Royal Caribbean.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 166. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS 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!