Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas arrived in Cape Liberty, New Jersey yesterday after the cruise line decided to divert the cruise ship there for a few days to avoid a storm in the North Atlantic.

Royal Caribbean confirmed on Twitter that Grandeur of the Seas will remain in Bayonne, New Jersey until Tuesday to ensure the safety and security of its guests.

@sttsxm Hey Meg. We've diverted to Cape Liberty for the safety and security of our guests. We'll keep you updated with any changes.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 10, 2016

Grandeur of the Seas was originally scheduled to depart from Baltimore on a 5-night sailing to Bermuda, but Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Nicole changed those plans and the ship was rerouted to Canada.  This new weather system has interrupted those plans as well. 

Because of the unusual change in itinerary, Royal Caribbean will also offer guests onboard a 100% future cruise credit.

@MichelleP14580 Hi Michelle. Grandeur will now stay in New Jersey from Sunday to Tuesday . Guests will receive a 100% future cruise credit.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) October 10, 2016

Happy Sunday! It has been a busy week of Royal Caribbean news, and we have it all summarized for you in this round up.

The big news this week was all about the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Royal Caribbean's operations. A number of sailings were impacted, including one Majesty of the Seas cruise that was canceled.

At first, Royal Caribbean delayed the sailing by a day but then decided to cancel the October 8th cruise because of the path of the storm.

The massive hurricane presented too large of a problem for the sailing to operate, and thus, Royal Caribbean took the rare action of actually cancelling the entire cruise.  Royal Caribbean gave guests the choice of a full refund for the cruise fare paid or future cruise credit of 150% of the cruise fare paid.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean's CEO provided an update on damage to its private destinations.
• Guests can save up to 30% off their drink packages before the end of this weekend.
• Hurricane Matthew delayed three ships sailaway times to give guests ample time to arrive.
• Our blogger, Michael Poole, is live blogging from Enchantment of the Seas.
• Top 16 things everyone needs to try at least once on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
• Our full review of Chops Grille on Freedom of the Seas.
• Ovation of the Seas will host professional FlowRider lessons on one sailing.
• Shore excursion review of the Cozumel Food Tour.
• Our picks for the best spots on Allure of the Seas throughout the day.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 166th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss what you need to know about choosing a stateroom for your Royal Caribbean cruise.

In this episode, Matt looks at the different stateroom categories available and provides information and tips on choosing the right stateroom for you.

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

Beyond Ships shared a photo feature of Navigator of the Seas in Europe.

Cruise Critic has a look at why following a hurricane matters.

Eat Sleep Cruise reports on the Royal Suite Class.

Today was our missed Coco Cay day, which is now a sea day. I didn’t really mind spending a fun day around the ship, because it is my favorite ship after all. I woke up at 5:30AM and thought let’s get this day started.

I headed up to the Diamond Lounge for some coffee and relaxing morning. I was so early they didn’t even have any of the pastries out. After relaxing for a while I decided I’d head out to the pool deck to enjoy the sunrise. This might have been the best sunrise I’ve ever seen; I can’t even describe how perfect it was. 

For breakfast we had room service on our balcony, which has become a tradition of ours. One of the perks of a suite is an upgraded room service breakfast menu. Very similar to the menu you would find in the dining room for breakfast. I had a ham and cheese omelet and no less than two pounds of bacon. 

After breakfast we headed to the pool deck, we got worried at first because all the pools were closed. Shortly, after being there the staff opened them both up as guest started to arrive. I’ve always noticed on Enchantment no matter when you try to get a pool chair it’s no problem. This is the one ship that I can think of that there is no rush trying to get up there for a prime location chair. 

For lunch, we had my favorite Park Café which is located in the back of the centrum.

For all those roast beef lovers out there (like myself) they no longer serve any at Park Cafe. So when I need my kummelweck fix I suppose I’ll be doing Oasis class. I did ask why they no longer offer it and they said due to customer feedback requesting pizza. That left me with having a salad, which was quite good, and a nice non-heavy lunch for pool time.

Shortly after lunch we both decided to take a nap, I know… what’s happening to me and my cruise styles? 

Evening on board 

Tonight was formal night, but I only saw one person wearing a suit and tie.

Often on these shorter cruises their formal evenings are not what you would find on a 7+ day cruise. I can’t really say much for myself since I was in shorts, as I forgot to pack any pants. The Crown & Anchor top tier party was combined with the captain’s reception.

They don’t usually do it this way but due to the low guest count of 1,700 only 400 are members of C&A. They have reported around 700+ people didn’t make the cruise due to the hurricane. 

We lounged in the Diamond lounge a bit to enjoy some pre-dinner snacks. They had cheese, rolls, egg rolls, and fried shrimp. I also noticed we were the only ones in the lounge and we stayed a little over an hour. 

Dinner tonight was in Chops Grill, if you are still taking notes I’m wearing shorts in Chops. I went earlier today explaining what happen, and they said no problem. The cover charge here is $35 per person, but we used our Crown and Anchor coupon for Diamond Plus members, where it’s a BOGO cover charge.

The service tonight was outstanding, our waiter was having fun with us and making us laugh all night.

For starters I had shrimp cocktail and mushroom soup.

I went with the NY Strip over the filet. I had this on my Empress of the Seas sailing last month and loved it, so I decided to give it another try. I am happy to report, I ate every bite! Just a really fun dinner, and the staff made it so much more enjoyable. 

After dinner we were really tired but I said lets at least go to the pool deck dancing under the stars party. Well there wasn’t much of a party at 11PM, so we called it day. 

Tomorrow we are in Nassau, Bahamas so I’ll be sure to report our full adventure there and the condition post hurricane.

Ever since Hurricane Matthew passed through the Caribbean, many Royal Caribbean fans have been concerned about what damage the storm had on the cruise line's private destinations.  Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley shared an update with guests aboard Allure of the Seas.

Thanks to Kathy Van Wormer Sanders for sharing this letter

Here is the excerpt from the letter regarding Labadee, "In Haiti, the area near Cap Haitien that is home to Labadee was thankfully spared the worst of the storm.  Our staff was able to remain onsite throughout the week and is making sure the facility is in a clean and safe condition.  The school we operate for local children was closed for several days but class will be back in session next week."

In regards to CocoCay, there were fewer details that Bayley shared, "There are fewer details to share yet in the Bahamas, but he need will no doubt be great, and we will do all we can to assist.  We are in contact with the Bahamian government to understand their most urgent needs and how we can help."

Royal Caribbean is also providing aid and supplies to the people of Haiti, as outlined by Bayley in the letter, "Together with our longtime NGO partner, the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), we are already providing relief supplies to affected areas near Port-au-Prince, and have established a matching fund for contributions.  PADF is using our seed money to purchase tarps, water, rice and beans for areas hit by the storm.  There's good news, in that hospitals are operating, but that means medical supplied will be needed soon.  We have also sent trucks with mattresses, sheets and blankets to some hard hit areas, and our ships will also be dropping off supplies."

Royal Caribbean is actively working on providing ways for its guests to donate to help support these efforts, "We expect to have our relief plans for the region fully shaped in the next few days, including ways guests can help."

If you would like to donate towards the rebuilding efforts, consider a donation to the Help Haiti Now effort by PADF.

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