On Royal Caribbean ships, between each balcony is a divider that grants privacy for each guest, but if you're sailing with a group and have balcony staterooms adjacent to each other, it is sometimes possible to remove the dividers and open up a much larger balcony.

The secret to removing the dividers and opening up your balcony is pretty simple: you just need to ask.  Talk to your stateroom attendant and ask if you can have the balcony dividers opened up because you are friends with the balcony stateroom(s) next to you.

To be honest, the request can sometimes be approved and sometimes denied.  It seems the possibility to due so depends on the ship class and ship management policies.  

In addition, you may be told you have to wait for your ship to leave its homeport before they can take care of your request.  Many cruisers we've talked to about this reported that it was taken care of within a few hours of sailaway.

In general, we've heard on Voyager class ships the practice of opening up balcony dividers is prohibited (many of the ships' balcony dividers are attached to the hull so it's physically impossible) but all other classes of ships seem to allow it. Freedom-class ships seem to be the most consistant in allowing the balcony dividers to be opened. Ultimately, the decision lays with the ship's captain.

In short, you simply need to ask your stateroom attendant and if permitted, you can enjoy a much larger balcony experience as well as have a larger common space to spend time with your friends or family staying near you.

Royal Caribbean will start using shore power when their ships dock in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, reducing at-berth emissions by allowing the ships to shut down diesel generators while in port.

The advantage of using shore power is it reduces marine diesel air emissions by allowing ships to shut down their engines and connect to BC Hydro’s electrical grid while at dock.

Royal Caribbean is joining other cruise lines such as Disney, Holland America and Princess who are already using shore power at Port Metro Vancouver.

"Since its inception in 2009, shore power connections in Vancouver have reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 11,000 tonnes," said PMV.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas completed her month long $80 million revitalization and we've got photos from inside the ship to show off some of the changes.

Photos by Royal Caribbean

DECK BY DECK CHANGES TO VOYAGER OF THE SEAS

Voyager of the Seas is currently sailing out of Sydney, Australia for the 2014/15 winter season.

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas made history today as it was the first ship to arrive at Port Canaveral's new $100 million cruise terminal, Cruise Terminal One.

Photos by smart-two.com

Royal Caribbean is the main tenant of the new terminal, with Quantum of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas all using the new terminal.

Cruise Terminal 1 is strategically located on the south side of Port Canaveral and will allow passengers and crew to walk to nearby dining and entertainment options.

The terminal also features a 1,600-seat pre-boarding area that can convert into a 1,000-seat venue and 60 passenger check-in stations.

The new terminal was built by Ivey's Construction of Merritt Island.

You're ready to book a Royal Caribbean cruise and like anything you buy, you'll likely be looking for ways to shave off some money on the price of your cruise.  Royal Caribbean does offer some discounts that can help you save money on your cruise vacation if you qualify.

To get any of these discounts, it's important to mention the discounts you are eligible for to your travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly. 

Often many passengers are unaware these discounts exist, so do your research to make sure you qualify for any of them and then inquire when you are ready to book a cruise.

7. Military

If you are an active or retired member of the United States or Canadian military, there are special rates just for you.

You must be actively serving or retired from...

• the Canadian National Defense
• United States Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserves

All guests traveling in the same stateroom are eligible to receive the military rate. No additional staterooms, other than the one that is occupied by the military person is eligible for the military rate. Spouses, parents, in-laws, children or other family members or friends are not eligible for the military rate without the eligible military person occupying the stateroom.

6. Crown and Anchor Society members

Royal Caribean regularly offers reduced cruise fare rates and discounts to its loyalty program, Crown and Anchor Society.  

These special rates are often  available for select cruises.  You can easily check for the special rates by logging into Royal Caribbean's website and going to the Crown and Anchor area to see which cruises are available.

Royal Caribbean also offers discounts to Crown and Anchor Platinum and above members on balcony and suite staterooms.

Single supplement cruise fare is reduced to 150% from 200% for members that have 340 or more cruise points

5. Royal Caribbean Shareholder

Any shareholder holding a minimum of 100 RCL shares at time of sailing can qualify for a discount.

The discounts break down as follows

• $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.
• $200 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 10 to 13 nights.
• $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 9 nights.
• $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

4.  Senior Citizens

Guests who are 55 years or older can qualify for reduced rates, so you will need to contact Royal Caribbean or your travel agent to inqiure about exact rates

3. Airline Employees

If you're a member of one of these organizations, you can qualify for special rates on inside, ocean-view and balcony staterooms.

• Airline employees
• Federal Express
• DHL Worldwide Express
• Airborne Express
• United Parcel Service (UPS)
• Retired employees of airlines currently in operation

If you are IATA/ARC appointed, you should contact your Human Resources Department to find out the names and phone numbers of Interline Travel Agencies. 

2. Firefighters and Police Officers

If you are an active or retired employee or volunteer of  a local or state law enforcement agency, fire department or Emergency Medical Services unit in the United States or Canada, you can qualify for a discount.

Qualified guests must present valid proof of employment (badge or ID) plus a second form of identification when boarding the ship.

1. Residents of certain states

From time to time, Royal Caribbean offers discounts on cruises to residents of certain states in the United States.

Commonly, there are discounts to residents of the states of Florida, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.  We've also seen discounts available to residents of other states, most notably the south eastern United States.

On Royal Caribbean's brand new Quantum of the Seas, you will find the complimentary restaurant Silk that offers a variety of Asian dishes.

Silk offers Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian dishes in one restaurant.  Being a lover of Asian food, I had to try this on my recent Quantum of the Seas cruise.

Atmosphere

Located on deck 4 on Quantum of the Seas, Silk is located in the aft of the ship across from American Icon Grill.  Walking into Silk is a lot like walking into the other three complimentary restaurants where there is a large foyer that leads into a larger dining room.  

Silk's look encompasses a lot of yellows, oranges and browns in color in a restaurant that has touches of India and the Far East.  When you walk in, you'll definitely know it's an Asian restaurant but without being able to pin point which kind, and that's definitely what Royal Caribbean was going for.

The main dining area is a large room with smaller alcoves on the sides that offer mostly tables and a few booths as well.  Once you dine in any of the complimentary dining rooms, you will start noticing the similar layouts but the decorations and color scheme help keep each from feeling like a copy of the other.

Eats

Once you're seated in Silk, you will get the menu to choose from. There's food from India, China, Thailand and Vietnam but it felt like it greatly skewed towards Thai and Chinese moreso than others.

I was seated at a table with other passengers and we all decided to order one of each of the appetizers to try, which is a great option for the group.  In the middle of the table is a lazy susan that you can put dishes on and share them easily with others.

Each of the appetizers were just large enough to probably be able to share with another person.  For our group, it was great to be able to share these dishes and many of them lent themselves for sharing.  

The big winners were the Vietnamese Tacos, Hot Ramen Noodle soup and chicken wings.  I especially liked the green papaya salad, which was a surprise hit.  I just found myself getting more and more of it.  

When it comes to Asian food, some people are concerned about the food being too spicey.  Most of the food was pretty tame in terms of spice and the dishes are more Americanized versions of these dishes rather than authentic recreations.  You can also tell the wait staff to keep it mild when you order.

For dinner, I had to go with the only Indian dish on the menu, the chicken tikka masala.  I'm a self-described Indian food nut and I always sample a lot of Indian food in the Windjammer when I get the chance.

Sadly, the chicken tikka masala was the only Indian dish on the meny on the evening I was there so it was an easy choice for me.

I really liked my choice because it was a good curried chicken dish that had soft pieces of chicken in a great curry.  The coconut jasmine rice was wonderful with the curry (you have to mix the rice with the curry to really appreciate it) and I ate every single morsel of food off that plate.

The other passengers I was dining with had mixed reactions to their main dishes.  I don't think anyone hated their food, but they weren't favorites.  

Overall

I was a little disappointed in my meal at Silk, perhaps because I had such high expectations for it.  If it were up to me, I'd eat nothing but Asian food at home so hearing about a dedicated Asian restaurant on Quantum of the Seas got me excited.

There were definitely a few dishes that were quite good but I left Silk with the knowledge this wouldn't be my favorite restaurant onboard.

My issues aside, I still think I'd be fine eating here on another night, it just wasn't the home run I was hoping for.  Silk offers a mix of good and average dishes.  Since it's complimentary, I'd suggest over ordering so you can sample a little of everything and figure out what you really enjoy.

Royal Caribbean has delayed the introduction of Dynamic Dining to its two largest cruise ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

There's no new date when Dynamic Dining will be activitated, but Royal Caribbean did indicate it will occur "later this year".

In the meantime, both ships will continue to serve traditional dining experiences in the early and late dining seating.

Royal Caribbean had announced in August Dynamic Dining would expand to Oasis of the Seas and during a recent refurbishment, the ship's main dining room was re-arranged to create the Dynamic Dining restaurants.

Then in October, Allure of the Seas was included in the Dynamic Dining lot as well.

Dynamic Dining is the new twist on traditional cruise ship dining.  Instead of a main dining room with fixed dining times, smaller restaurants are spread all over the cruise ship to offer more choice in ambiance and cuisine.  Some restaurants will be complimentary while others will have a cover charge to dine there.

Royal Caribbean has changed the itinerary it had originally planned for Freedom of the Seas due to a propulsion problem that the ship is suffering from.

As with the last few sailings, Royal Caribbean has changed the itinerary due to a "small restriction on her top speed".  All scheduled ports on the itinerary – CocoCay, Montego Bay, GeorgeTown and Cozumel – will remain, with adjustments made to the time spent in port.

The new itinerary will have Freedom of the Seas

• December 28: Depart Port Canaveral at 4:30pm
• December 29: CocoCay from 7:30am to 3:30pm
• December 30: Sea Day
• December 31: Montego Bay from 9:00am to 5:00pm
• January 1: Grand Cayman from 7:00am to 2:30pm
• January 2: Cozumel from 10:00am to 4:00pm
• January 3: Sea Day
• January 4: Return to Port Canaveral at 6:00am

As with other altered cruises due to this propulsion problem, and we've heard Royal Caribbean has given its passengers onboard credit as an apology for the change.  A letter with the credit amount will be delivered to each stateroom.

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

Episode 73 is available for downloading where friends join Matt to "debate" the ultimate Royal Caribbean fan question: CocoCay or Labadee.

For a little fun, Matt is joined by listeners Michael and Shawn to discuss the virtues of Royal Caribbean's private islands and which one we prefer.  It's a fun spirited discussion of what each offers and why we like it.

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 73. 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!