Allure of the Seas 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise Compass - January 11, 2015
Thanks to James Gregg for providing this Cruise Compass
Deck by deck drydock changes to Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas
In:Royal Caribbean is almost done with Freedom of the Seas refurbishment and that means a lot of changes are coming to the ship. After receving lots of questions related to how where the changes are onboard the ship, we've compiled a list of the changes coming visually.
Deck 2
No changes
Deck 3
- New interior staterooms added (Category Q), replacing The Crypt
- New Ocean View Staterooms added (3640, 3642, 3644, 3646, 3648; 3340, 3342, 3344, 3346, 3348)
Deck 4
- Sabor restaurant replaces The Crypt
- Photo Gallery & Shop renamed to Focus
Deck 5
- Pharaoh's Palace renamed Star Lounge
- R-Bar replaces Champagne Bar
Deck 6
- Added Interior stateroom (6137)
- Next Cruise replaces Business Services
Deck 7
- Added new Interior stateroom (7139)
Deck 8
- Added new Interior stateroom (8237)
Deck 9
- Added new Interior stateroom (9237)
Deck 10
No changes
Deck 11
- Giovanni's Table replaces Portofino
Deck 12
- Added new balcony, ocean view and interior staterooms at front of the ship
Deck 13
No changes
Deck 14
No changes
Deck 15
No changes
Elvis fan cruises planned aboard Royal Caribbean
In:For fans of Elvis Presley, there's a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises for you!
Mahwey Productions is offering themed cruises entitled, "Cruising with the King", where guests can have a "full King experience" on select Royal Caribbean ships.
Events include a Welcome Aboard Tribute concert, tribute performances, "Sing Like the King" karaoke, Elvis trivia and Elvis sightings onboard the ship.
There are three cruises planned
- Brilliance of the Seas 5-night cruise on February 9, 2015
- Navigator of the Seas 7-night cruise on October 18, 2015
- Navigator of the Seas 8-night cruise on January 9, 2016
More details about the group cruise can be found at the group website.
Top 5: Enchantment of the Seas on Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast
In:This week's podcast episode is ready to go, as we present episode 77 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast for your downloading pleasure.
This week, Matt looks at the top 5 things to do aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. The ship offers a lot to see and do and Matt has sifted through everything onboard to find the top 5 experiences he enjoys the most.
There's also lots of reader emails to share this week about everything Royal Caribbean.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 77. 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!
Enchantment of the Seas 4-night Cruise Compass - January 12, 2015
Thanks to Anded for scanning this Cruise Compass
Oasis of the Seas 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise Compass - November 29, 2014
Thanks to Bill for providing this Cruise Compass
Video: Genevieve Gorder Episode 4: Style comes to life
In:Quantum Experience Advisor, Genevieve Gorder, is back today with a new webisode as she steps onboard the newly launched Quantum of the Seas for the first time and marvel’s at the spaces she helped design.
Photos from Freedom of the Seas drydock
In:Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas is in the middle of a 24-day drydock session in Freeport, Bahamas and we've found some photos of the ship getting some work done.
See our list of the changes coming to Freedom of the Seas as a part of this refurbishment.
How to take better photos on your next Royal Caribbean cruise
In:
Photos are the best souvenir you can bring back from any Royal Caribbean cruise, because they are the best ways to remember all the fun. From moments of laughter, to sunsets to capturing snapshots of your vacation forever, photos can do it all. So when you get home and look at all those photos, you definitely want to make sure everything came out well. Here are some great photography tips to make sure your next Royal Caribbean cruise will help you get the best photos ever.
1. Learn to use your camera
Before you step foot on your ship or even wave goodbye to everyone at work when you go on vacation, you should practice with your camera.
Regardless of if you have a DSLR camera or a point-and-shoot, the key to taking better photos is knowing how your hardware works and trying things out. Try bringing the camera to events around your home town or even taking photos in your house. Take photos in the day time, night time and indoors so you get a good sense of what to expect and try things out. It's better to take bad photos at home so you know how to avoid those bad photos later on your cruise.
2. Take public area photos in the early morning or late at night
Royal Caribbean has built some amazing areas on their ships, from the Boardwalk on Oasis-class ships to the Centrum on Radiance-class ships. So if you want to get the best views of these areas, try to take photos of them when there's no one around.
The best time for these kinds of photos is in the early morning and late at night when most guests aren't around. Whether it's a photo of the beautiful spaces or a shot of your family posing, it's great to get these shots in without other people you don't know in the background.
3. Charge your battery each night
You know what's worse than bad photos? No photos! Make sure you charge your batteries each evening to ensure each day your camera will have enough power to last you throughout the day.
Along those lines, investing in multiple batteries can help avoid not having enough juice. If your camera uses disposable batteries, make sure you have a stockpile of them. In addition to keeping your battery working, it's better to have too many rather than having to purchase new batteries on your cruise and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean charges.
4. Take into account where you are
Good photographers will tell you it's important to take into consideration your surroundings and avoid taking photos where things like shadows or sunlight can ruin a great photo.
Unlike our eyes, cameras are more sensitive to these elements and while it may look okay to you now, the camera may not develop as good a picture. Keep the sun to your back as the photographer and always make sure when you take photos, there's as much light as you can get.
5. Get the same photos without the professional photographer cost
Royal Caribbean will take photos of you and your group in select spots on the ship that you can purchase later. They come out great but they are expensive, so try this trick to getting similar shots without the extra cost.
Aside from the photos with backdrops, many photos are taken on staircases or in front of beautiful areas of the ship. Scope out on the first couple of nights where the photographers are setting up and then come back at another time when they aren't there and take your own photos.
Staircases in the Centrum and Royal Promenade are often great spots for photos because of the lighting.
6. Look at every corner before you take the photo
A great way to avoid something small that can ruin your photo or just be a distraction is to check the corners of your shot before you take it.
Often when taking photos, we are focused on the subject and ignore what's on the sides. Look for objects, people, and obstructions that if you just shift a little to one side or another can improve the photo greatly.
7. Take plenty of photos each time you want just one
In the old days of photography, you had to pay for every shot you took when it came to developing the photos. But with today's world of digital photography and media cards, there's no excuse not to take a lot of photos.
Even if you think you nailed the photo on the first try, take a few more just in case. People blink, your wrist can move and a whole slew of other problems can pop up that are hard to see until you get the photos back on your computer to process.
Try taking at least 3-5 shots anytime you're taking photos to give you the best choice in the right shot.
8. Don't be afraid to ask someone to take the photo for you
It's great to have photos of everyone in your family or group, so don't settle for someone always being left out of your photos.
Your fellow guests on a Royal Caribbean cruise are often quite willing to take photos for you and allow you to get in the photo too and remember these great memories with everyone in the photo. Offer a smile and be courteous in asking someone passing by to take your photo and it will greatly improve who's in your shots.
9. The best photos will be taken with a camera, not your phone
Of course it's simpler to take photos with your phone but the fact is the best shots come out of cameras that independent of your phone.
Even if you just go with a point-and-shoot camera, you will get better quality shots with more features. Cameras in general can give you a greater range of functionality when taking photos, especially night photos.
10. Night photos? Avoid the flash!
The most common thought process in taking a photo at night is to use the flash on your camera but don't do it!
Flashes flood the foreground with bright light at the moment of the photo is taken but often colors get washed out and the background disappears. Instead, many good quality cameras (most notably DSLR cameras) can take great photos by keeping the shutter open longer to allow more light in without the assistance of a flash. Make sure you take a stable shot (try placing it on a trash can or bring a tripod) and you will get much more accurate photos in terms of color and they will just look better.
11. Bring a computer to download photos
Memory cards for cameras are pretty cheap but it may be a good idea to bring a laptop to download your photos to for a few reasons.
First, memory cards are notorious for corrupting and you do not want to lose your photos. Downloading photos to your laptop periodically will ensure you can back up what you've shot in the case your memory card takes a turn for the worst.
Second, backing up your memory cards to a computer will let you get away with using less cards and that means less money you have to spend on memory cards in general. Just like batteries, you don't want to purchase a memory card on vacation and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean or a store in port sells them for.
Five ways to save money on food and drink on your Royal Caribbean cruise
In:I don't know about you, but when I go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, enjoying the food and drinks are a big part of the cruise vacation experience for me. I love trying out new foods, savoring my favorite drinks, and taking a gastronomic tour of what's available to me on the ship.
However, I'm not independently wealthy and if I can save some money here or there, I try to find any way I can to do so.
Here are my top five tips for saving money on food and drinks on your Royal Caribbean cruise.
1. BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine)
If you enjoy having wine on your cruise, this is by far the best tip I can offer.
Royal Caribbean allows passengers to bring one 750ml bottle of wine per guest of drinking age on embarkation day.
If you are flying to your cruise port, I suggest buying wine somewhere in the area before boarding rather than risking your wine breaking in transit.
2. Use multi-specialty restaurant discounts
Often, Royal Caribbean will offer a discount if you reserve a spot at multiple specialty restaurants before your cruise begins.
Using the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website, you can get up to 30% onboard credit when you make three or more reservations at any specialty restaurant. You will get the onboard credit on day one of your cruise, and that's more money to spend onboard!
If you were already planning on dining at a specialty restaurant or two, adding an extra restaurant will net you some money back that can end up paying off perhaps one of those meals or allowing you to save money elsewhere on the ship.
3. Make reservations in advance
This tip will not save you any money off the total price of dining, but it can make paying it off a heck of a lot easier.
Instead of reserving your specialty restaurants onboard or just showing up to eat and adding more costs to your SeaPass account, book as many reservations as you can online before your cruise. Royal Caribbean will charge you at the time of your reservation, thus breaking up the total cruise bill.
When you get home from your cruise vacation, there will be less of a monster bill waiting for you.
4. Buy drink packages after you do the math
Royal Caribbean offers a number of beverage packages to choose from these days and whether or not you take a package can save you money.
The drink packages, for alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks, can be money savers if you drink enough every day of your cruise. By the same token, opting not to purchase a package may end up saving you money if you would not have consumed enough to make the packages worth it.
My advice is to figure out how many drinks on average you would need to consume to "break even" on the drink packages, and consider port days when you will not be on the ship much. If you think the drink package will save you money, then go for it but otherwise hold back and pay for your drinks a la carte.
5. Use your Crown and Anchor coupons
For members of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program, Crown and Anchor Society, there are exclusive discounts given to you at the start of your cruise, including coupons to save you money on drinks and food.
You can find discounts on bottles of wine, complimentary cover charges to Johnny Rockets, and an array of other coupons. The exact coupon you receive will depend on your ship and Crown and Anchor Society status, but remember to take advantage of those discounts to save you some money!
Your tips
Whether you are on a tight budget or are letting the money flow like a faucet, using these tips can help you keep a little extra cash in your pocket. How do you save money on dining and drinks on your Royal Caribbean cruise? Share your advice with us in the comments below!
