It is being reported that reality television star Judith Jackson was kicked off Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas after "getting into an altercation" with her travel companion.

Judi Jai was on Season 7 of the "Bad Girls Club" and its spinoffs.

The Chicago Tribune reports "Judi Jai" met with Royal Caribbean cruise officials, where the company, "explained that her behavior was in violation of our guest conduct policy, which states 'inappropriate or abusive behavior, including violence, is strictly prohibited.'"

Judi Jai was asked to leave the ship at the ship's next port of call, which was Falmouth, Jamaica.

pic.twitter.com/zatFkH2Dwk

— IG: missjudijai (@JUDiJAiKRAZi) September 13, 2015

Tip of the hat to Travel Pulse for finding this story.

In the days, months (and sometimes years) leading up to your Royal Caribbean cruise, there is going to be a lot of excitement about your vacation and there are some fun ways to prepare and bring a little Royal Caribbean to your home.

Taking a cruise vacation has never been more popular, and when the "cruise bug" bites you, here are some great ways to get in the mood for a cruise that will have a Royal Caribbean touch to it!

Anchors Away Luggage Tag

Royal Caribbean requires you to affix luggage tags to your luggage but you can also add some style to your luggage with these "Anchors Away" luggage tags that look a whole lot like Royal Caribbean's logo.

These 4.5 inch luggage tags are nice and big, so it makes spotting your luggage easier at the airport and in baggage claim.  

Plus, it will show everyone that you are a big cruise fan!

The Captain

To get in the mood for your cruise or to maybe understand how a cruise ship works, check out this great read by Royal Caribbean captain Johnny Faevelen, "The Captain".

The book details Captain Johnny's life and how he became a Royal Caribbean cruise captain.  It's an intriguing look at what it takes to become the master of one of these amazing cruise ships.

Bonus points if you can sail on a ship Captain Johnny commands these days and get it autographed!

Slim Cruise Line Luggage Tag Holders

Royal Caribbean provides luggage tags that guests can print out and they work well enough but why not protect your luggage tags from being accidently ripped with these Slim Cruise Line Luggage Holders by Shacke.

The concept is simple: print out your luggage tags and then insert them in here and affix them to your luggage.  These luggage holders give you piece of mind that the flimsy printer paper you used wont get ripped during the embarkation process (or by your husband when it all gets loaded into the car).

Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad

So you are going to the Caribbean or Mediterranean, Southeast Asia or anywhere else where it can get downright hot and need a way to cool down?  You need to check out the Chilly Pad!

All you do is moisten the towel with water, wring out the excess and then drape it around your neck.  It really does work at making you feel a heck of a lot cooler and it is perfect for those shore excursions where air conditioning is not an option.

It works instantly and it is a great way to cool down when the sun (and humidity) are really hitting you hard.

Waterproof case for your smartphone

Everyone uses their smart phones as cameras because they really do have a great camera inside, but why worry about getting it wet or full of sand?

The JOTO smartphone case will protect your phone against water, sand, snow, your toddler trying to eat it and more.

Just drop your phone in the case, seal it up and you can use your phone to take photos in the ocean, pool, beach and anywhere else you want.  

Do you have something that gets you ready for your cruise? Share in the comments!

When it comes to picking a cruise, often folks will consider different cruise lines in their decision of the right cruise for them.  We often receive questions about how Royal Caribbean compares to other cruise lines, especially Disney Cruise Line.

It is a natural comparison since both cruise lines target families and both cruise lines sail out of the same ports.  We wrote an extensive comparison between the two lines but today we have the top 5 ways Royal Caribbean is different than Royal Caribbean.  

If you are considering cruising on Royal Caribbean instead of Disney Cruise Line, here are some reasons why it makes sense.

5. Big emphasis on onboard activities

Royal Caribbean has focused on offering more and more onboard activities on its cruise ships over the years, with an emphasis on activities with a "WOW" factor.

Royal Caribbean ships have an ice skating rink, FlowRider surf simulator, mini-golf, rock climbing wall, sports court, bumper cars, sky diving simulator, X-Box gaming room and that is just scratching the surface.

At night, Royal Caribbean really pours it on with Broadway shows, game shows, trivia, comedians and more.

While Disney Cruise Line does offer things to onboard its ships, Royal Caribbean seems to offer a lot more on its cruise ships.  The Disney Tourist Blog put it best, "On our cruise, 'After Hours' was pretty much a ghost town every night after 11 p.m."

4. Many more specialty dining choices

Royal Caribbean has really invested heavily in specialty restaurants over the last couple of years and that means you will find many more dining options onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

Granted, these specialty restaurants have an additional cost but so do Disney Cruise Line's specialty restaurants. The difference is often Royal Caribbean ships offer much more variety in the scope of specialty dining offerings.

If you relish in trying different cuisines and having a greater variety of selection, a Royal Caribbean cruise can offer you a lot to choose from.

3. Many more itineraries

This comes down to simple math, Disney Cruise Line only has 4 ships in its fleet so the itineraries offered are limited but Royal Caribbean has 23 ships in its fleet, so this means you can cruise to places all over the world nearly year-round.

Royal Caribbean has cruises to the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and more. And many of those itineraries are available for a larger portion of the year.    

Disney Cruise Line does serve some of these areas but in far less frequency, so for those looking for a cruise to somewhere beyond the usual, odds are there will be more to choose from on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION BETWEEN ROYAL CARIBBEAN & DISNEY CRUISE LINE

2. Mega ships

Disney Cruise Line boasts the size of its Dream class ships, but their ships are no where near as large as Royal Caribbean's ships.

The Dream class comes in at 129,690 GT and a passenger capacity of 2,500 passengers at double occupancy.  On the flip side, Royal Caribbean has ships like the Oasis class that is 225,282 GT and can handle 5,400 passengers at double occupancy.

Then there's the Freedom, Quantum and Voyager class ships that are all significantly larger than anything Disney Cruise Line offers.

Size is not everything, but with a larger ship you get more to do onboard for kids, teens and adults.  These larger ships include so much to see and do onboard, having access to it all makes a big difference.

1. Price

Perhaps no difference between these two cruise lines is as pronounced as the price.

Disney Cruise Line charges a premium for its brand name, but on average, a Royal Caribbean cruise will cost you significantly less for a very similar experience.

I conducted a few checks for prices between the cruise lines to illustrate the differences.  I tried to pick sailings on the same date and same or nearby ports with the same stateroom category at the lowest price I could find.

These prices were accurate as of the date this blog post was posted.

Disney Fantasy 7-night Western Caribbean (April 2, 2016) - Verandah (11A): $4,683.38
Freedom of the Seas 7-night Eastern Caribbean (April 3, 2016) - Balcony (E3): $3,194.32

Disney Fantasy 7-night Eastern Caribbean (July 16, 2016) - Inside (11C): $4,791.00
Allure of the Seas 7-night Eastern Caribbean (July 17, 2016) - Inside (N): $2,536.06

Disney Wonder 7-night Alaska Cruise Itinerary A (August 1, 2016) - Verandah (07A): $6,851.38
Explorer of the Seas 7-Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise (August 5, 2016) - Balcony (E3): $4,334.02

Disney Magic 12-night British Isles Cruise Itinerary A from Dover, UK (June 5, 2016) - Verandah (07A): $13,185.56
Navigator of the Seas 10-night Canaries Cruise from Southampton, UK (June 6, 2016) - Balcony (D3): $4,325.12

Disney Magic 7-night Western Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary B (August 27, 2016) - Verandah (07A): $4,922.80
Harmony of the Seas 7 Night Western Mediterranean Cruise (August 28, 2016) - Balcony (D8): $3,976.98

As you can see, the price difference between the two cruise lines is often thousands of dollars.  

You can tout all the things you can get on Disney Cruise Line gives you for free that Royal Caribbean may charge you for but I think most cases, the price difference more than makes up the difference.

Having sailed both cruise lines extensively, I can tell you that both cruise lines offer a very similar experience: great dining, terrific crew and fun onboard.  So why pay so much more for one over the other?

Taking your first Royal Caribbean cruise is such an exciting opportunity and naturally, there are plenty of questions and concerns first timer cruisers may have.

One of the best resources for planning a Royal Caribbean cruise is a knowledgeable travel agent, who can guide you through the process and not just get you a low rate for your cruise, but also offer advice and assistance in making the planning part of your cruise super simple.

We asked a few travel agents what their advice would be for someone that is going to taking their first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Jason Poole of Cruise Planners: "Book early. The days of last minute deals are quickly coming to an end. Don't assume the price on the website is the price you will pay. Travel agents have access to special rates for their clients."

Stephanie Miller of MEI Travel: "Each sailing can be different due to the ship, itinerary, activities, ports visited and time of year. Be sure to ask an agent or educate yourself as to which sailing is best for you! Once you have the right expectations you can sit back and just enjoy."

Missy Geary Bonnice of Storybook Destinations: "Best tip-use an agent. Not only do they have knowledge of each ship (and with Royal Caribbean, there is a lot to know!), but they can also make sure you're getting the best deal possible, and it won't cost you anything! But if we are talking an onboard tip, I would say not to plan too strict of an itinerary. There is so much going on each day, just go with the flow and enjoy!"

Christy Pudyk of Vacations by Christy: "Read the Cruise Compass each night- it will be delivered in your cabin each night. Most things in it do not have an additional charge- it will be indicated if there is a charge. And you can't possibly do everything offered. Take the pictures with the photographers. They don't charge for them unless you want them! Take advantage and get family shots."

Michelle Cunningham of MEI Travel: "Take photos on your smart phone of the following things: Your passport your drivers license kids birth certificates. Line up and take a picture of all medicine that you're on and then tell your love ones that you've done that in case they need it

What tips would you offer to a first time Royal Caribbean cruiser? Share them in the comments!

Royal Caribbean moved one step closer to making Miami its home base for its cruise ships after plans for a new PortMiami cruise terminal got an early approval.

The Miami Herald reports the proposed plan was "embraced" by county commissioners because it means a reversal of the trend Royal Caribbean has had of sending its biggest and best cruise ships to nearby Fort Lauderdale.

Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein spoke to county commissioners on Wednesday, "It’s not that we’re leaving Port Everglades.  But the majority of our business will now shift here to PortMiami for the foreseeable future."

Royal Caribbean's proposed plan will result in a $100+ million cruise terminal.  Port officials estimate that the new berth and terminal will generate about $8 million in new rent to the county, and boost overall cruise traffic by 20 percent with an additional 1 million passengers a year. 

Royal Caribbean is offering a bonus Summer Splash Sale, where guests can get bonus onboard credit on top of the current BOGO Plus deal.

Guests that make new bookings between September 17-21, 2015 for 6-9 night Caribbean, Europe and Alaska sailings departing May 1 – Sept 30, 2016 will receive $100 per stateroom onboard credit.

Plus, Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas sailings qualify for an additional $100 per stateroom onboard credit.

Offer is combinable with current standard/full fare rates, restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO, Upgrade offers), and Next Cruise offers. Offer is not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, 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.

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

Episode 111 is available for downloading, where we have a preview of what guests can expect aboard Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.

Matt and Don talk about Don's recent cruise on Adventure of the Seas and go over some of the changes to the ship, as well as discussing some of the popular things to do aboard.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 111. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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 announced today that Anthem of the Seas will offer the DreamWorks Experience, which offers family friendly activities and entertainment centered around famous characters from the DreamWorks catalog of films.

Guests on Anthem of the Seas can enjoy events and activities based on DreamWorks Animation's popular feature-film characters, including

• DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• ‘meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• activities, games and adventures rooted in the popular DreamWorks Animation films at Adventue Ocean.
• guests can watch the latest DreamWorks Animation films at the ship’s movie theater or on a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel in their stateroom.

"Anthem of the Seas already offers an unprecedented line-up of entertainment activities on board for our guests," said Mark Tamis, senior vice president, hotel operations, Royal Caribbean International. “With the addition of the DreamWorks Experience guests of all ages will be even more wowed with everything Anthem has to offer.”

The DreamWorks Experience will begin being offered on Anthem of the Seas when she begins sailing from her homeport of Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ.

We love to broadcast live on YouTube and on one recent broadcast, we received a question about what is the best advice for someone going on their first 7-night cruise.

It got us thinking, because there is so much that goes into a Royal Caribbean cruise that we wanted to pick out the really important tips to share for someone about to take their first 7-night cruise.

Read the Cruise Compass

Each evening, your stateroom attendant will deliver to your stateroom the Cruise Compass, which is a daily guide to the news, events and activities that will be occuring on your ship the next day.

Royal Caribbean packs a lot of things to do into each day and you are best served by reading it each evening to be aware of what is happening onboard. 

The Cruise Compass is more than just knowing what time bingo is at.  It offers you insight into tomorrow's weather, which bars will have drink specials, shore excursion information and more.

Some events are not repeated while other activities can change daily, so it is in your best interest to track what is happening so you do not miss any of it.

Pack for two formal nights

A typical Royal Caribbean 7-night cruise will feature two formal nights, so be sure to pack accordingly.

Usually, the first formal night will be on the second night, whereas the second formal night can vary between the fifth or sixth nights of your cruise.

What is formal night? Formal night is an evening where the dress code at the main dining room is more upscale.  For men, this means collared shirts with nice pants (tie and jacket optional) and for ladies, it is a nice cocktail dress, dress or something else similar.

TRUTH ABOUT DRESS CODES

Keep in mind that formal night dress attire only applies to the main dining room and no where else on the ship.  

If you prefer not to dress up for formal night, there are other dining options onboard that you can go to.

Explore the ship early

Your seven night Royal Caribbean cruise will be over before you know it, so be sure to explore the ship properly early so you do not miss out on any of it.

These ships are really big and that means there is a lot to see and do onboard.  Do yourself a favor and explore the ship as much as you can in the first day or two of the cruise so you can easily navigate the ship as well as learn about what is offered onboard.

Embarkation day is always the best time for exploring your ship, so take advantage of your first day onboard by arriving to the ship early (before noon) and just walk around.

You will discover bars, restaurants, public spaces, cinemas and more that you will likely want to stop by later on in the cruise.

Most Royal Caribbean ships now offer interactive wayfinders, that allow you to navigate your way around the ship quite easily. Take advantage of them on each deck to more easily acclimate yourself to the ship.

Bonus tip: Speaking of early, be sure to arrive to your ship early on embarkation day.  Between 10am and 11am is a great time to beat the crowds and start your vacation sooner!

See the shows

Something Royal Caribbean really excels at is entertainment and on a 7-night cruise, there are lots of great shows to take in.

Ice skating shows, Broadway shows, featured productions, comedians and more are available to see and they are all included in your cruise fare.

Do yourself a favor and see the shows, even if you just go for a little bit to get a taste of what to expect.  They really are great spectacles and each show offers a little something different.

Onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise, you will find singing and dancing, comedians, magicians, acrobats and more.  

Royal Caribbean really does a great job with putting these shows together and the production values and acting are top notch in all of the shows.

Sign the kids up for Adventure Ocean on embarkation day

If you have children, be sure to stop by Adventure Ocean and sign them up for the complimentary kids program Royal Caribbean offers.

The Adventure Ocean program is designed to let kids explore, play and have fun and it really is a fun way to spend a week at sea.  

Kids will love it because it's a chance to meet and play with other kids their age and parents will enjoy the time to themselves.

If you wait until day two or later, everyone else will already be situated and your child may feel like a wallflower, especially if they are shy.

Adventure Ocean is included in your cruise fare, so stop by the Adventure Ocean room on embarkation day to check the facility out as well as get any questions answered.

Understand how unlimited beverage packages work

Royal Caribbean's unlimited alcohol and beverage packages have never been more popular and they can be a great way to lock in a single price for the duration of your cruise.

The key thing to remember about a 7-night cruise is that you want to make sure you will be able to leverage these drink packages on all 7-nights, otherwise the package may not make financial sense.

On 4-night cruises, the drink package value can be easily gotten but 7-nights is a longer time onboard and "drink fatigue" can set in.

Between having limited time to drink onboard during port days and the daily need to drink to "get your money's worth", we have talked to plenty of guests who would have been better off financially after a 7-night cruise by buying their drinks a la carte.

There is no simple answer for everyone, but our advice is to consider that you will be on your ship for 7-nights and whether you want to be drinking 5-6 drinks per day, every day.

Learn more

There is much more you can learn about a 7-night Royal Caribbean cruise and here are some additional resources to help you.

• All about the Cruise Compass
• What time to board your Royal Caribbean cruise
• Should you buy the unlimited alcohol packages?