Across Royal Caribbean's fleet of cruise ships, there are some interesting and unique staterooms that are slightly different than the rest of the staterooms in the same category.

Today, we are looking at some balcony staterooms on Oasis of the Seas that give you a lot more space for no extra cost.

Photo by Emmy Schaffer

Certain Central Park balcony staterooms offer guests almost double width balconies for the same cost as other Central Park balcony staterooms.

These rooms are to the aft of the Living Wall and are on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Photo by Emmy Schaffer

The cabin numbers are on decks 10, 11 and 12:

• 10229
• 10629
• 11229
• 11629
• 12229
• 12629

It is worth noting that the larger balcony is not indicated on the deck plan.

If you are looking to book a Central Park balcony stateroom and want to get your family some extra living space, these staterooms are a great way to do it without breaking the bank!

Thank you to Emmy Schaffer for providing information for this post.

Royal Caribbean will take delivery of the world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, on Thursday, May 12, 2016 by the STX France shipyard.

The 362 meter long ship will be delivered at a ceremony in the late morning of Thursday. Harmony of the Seas will then leave Saint-Nazaire on Sunday at mid-day, if weather conditions permit.

The construction of this massive ship accounted for 10 million working hours for 2,500 employees of STX and its subcontractors.

Following Harmony of the Seas' inaugural cruise from Southampton, England on May 22, the ship will depart a week later for Barcelona to begin its cruises in the Mediterranean, where it will operate until the end of October.

STX France is still working on Harmony of the Seas' sister ship, a yet-to-be-named Oasis class ship, and will join Royal Caribbean's fleet in March 2018.

For a limited time, Royal Caribbean is offering a Balcony Stateroom at Interior prices, as well as savings up to $300 per stateroom on Anthem of the Seas.

The Anthem of the Seas Upgrade Bonus allows booking a balcony stateroom for the price of an interior stateroom at standard/full or 60% Off Second Guest fare.

This offer applies to Anthem of the Seas sailings departing June 11 to December 16, 2016 and cruise must be booked May 2-June 6, 2016.

This offer is combinable with the Crown & Anchor discounts and NextCruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. Offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Offer 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, and Net Rates.

Royal Caribbean's Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, has some fun with the cast of Royal Caribbean's production of Grease, debuting on Harmony of the Seas.

The last day of our cruise is here, and it is another sea day.

I wanted to take this blog post to look back on our 8-night adventure and share some thoughts on the cruise experience.

If this is the first live blog post for this cruise you are reading, I suggest stopping and going back to read the other live blog posts first, to provide context.

Adventure Ocean

I wanted to start with Adventure Ocean because this is by far what provided the biggest WOW factor to me.

Time and time again, I am impressed by the Adventure Ocean staff for the sheer amount of programming they offer and the staff's passion for the kids they watch.

These are not a bunch of adults, sitting in a corner talking to each other and occasionally breaking up toy fights.  

The Adventure Ocean staff really enjoyed interacting with the kids and playing with them.  They learned the kids names and I really felt like they cared.

Both the Nursery and Adventure Ocean programming amazes me and any family considering a Royal Caribbean cruise should not worry one bit about kids programming onboard, because they do a phenomenal job.

Entertainment

The entertainment that was offered was usually pretty good, and I enjoyed the evening shows, performances and activities the entertainment staff planned.  Great stuff.

What was odd about the entertainment was the scheduling.  It felt like there just was not as many activities as I recall on other Voyager or Freedom class ships.  There were sea day afternoons that felt like we were in port, and evenings where it seemed like they could have offered more.

Again, what they offered was great and the Broadway reveue, ice show and bar entertainment were great.  I would have preferred to have seen some more activities, namely trivia, as well as a classical music group.  

I also believe a great deal of what Navigator of the Seas offers are on-your-own activities, such as the FlowRider, mini-golf, pools, rock climbing wall, ice skating, etc. 

Special recognition to guitar player Jimmy in the pub, the ice skating team and the live band that played the pool and Promenade.  Worth seeing any of them, all the time.

Dining

The food in the main dining room, Windjammer and various other spots was all quite good.

I have always said food is such a subjective thing, and something you absolutely love, I might absolutely hate.  Neither of us are wrong.

The food on Navigator of the Seas ranged from "average" to "very good/excellent" and I think overall, Royal Caribbean does a great job with what they offer. 

The breakfast eggs are still inedible (that is a fleet-wide problem), but the omelet bar makes up for it and there was a good variety of food for lunch and dinner.

In addition, crowds were never an issue with any dining venue.  At worst, Windjammer between 9-10am would be busy, but never unbearable.

Our main dining room waiters were great and our waiter might have been one of the best in terms of service. 

Specialty Dining

We ate at three specialty restaurants during this cruise: Giovanni's Table, Sabor and Izumi.

All were great and serve up really good food and present excellent values.

Royal Caribbean is a market leader when it comes to specialty dining and their restaurants are not just another revenue stream.  Rather, they offer fantastic food choices that are well worth your time and money and frankly, if you are not trying at least a couple of them on a cruise, you are missing out.

Ports/Itinerary

A major factor in picking this cruise was the itinerary and the ports did not disappoint.

If I was in charge, I would have changed up the itinerary slightly just to smoothe things out.

We were in Labadee from 7am - 3pm, then San Juan 2pm - 9pm, then St. Kitts 9am - 6pm and St. Maarten 10am - 5pm.

What I would have done is stuck a sea day between San Juan and St. Kitts and then extended our San Juan stay until like 2am or some other late hour that would allow guests to really enjoy San Juan's nightlife.

Not to mention, four port days in a row is tough and by St. Maarten, we were exhausted.

Nonetheless, I would take this itinerary again in a heartbeat.  Great variety of ports and they all were quite lovely to visit.

Crown and Anchor

This was our first cruise as Diamond members and we were pretty excited to take advantage of it.

There are two benefits that stood out to us with being Diamond members: access to the Diamond Lounge and the drink coupons each evening.

The Diamond Lounge is quite nice to have and it did get busy there in the evenings.  It is a nice hideaway, although with kids, we did not spend a lot of time there.

I thought the drink coupons would be more useful to me than they were, probably because you are limited to a selection of liquor, wine and beers.  

I admit I am a drink snob and my favorite drinks are mixed cocktails that were not included.  I am also not a huge drinker anyway, so I made my peace with the drink coupons. My wife, on the otherhand, liked her Bailey's on the rocks and just goes to show you different strokes for different folks.

Stateroom

We had a Junior Suite this cruise, with all four of us in one room.

The room was much larger than I was expecting, and we easily fit us all in there, even with the sofa bed that opens up and the crib.

The balcony was also larger than I was expecting and I forgot how nice it is having an ocean-facing balcony.  With this itinerary and great weather, the balcony was such a great perk.

My wife and kids also really liked having a bath tub.

With all of that said, with the kids as young as they are, we will book two staterooms from now on because of the sleeping situation.

Having a second room allows the baby to sleep while the rest of us can be up and about.  At night and during naps, our stateroom became a silent prison, where we all had to remain still, quiet and in the dark so that the baby could sleep/nap.

In addition, two bathrooms with two staterooms is also a huge bonus.

When they kids get older and can understand the concept of going to bed with the lights still on or some other people talking, we might revisit one room.  But for the timebeing, it is two rooms or bust for this family!

Stray Observations

• Never underestimate the power of asking. We got luggage tags for a 9:45 departure, which is really late.  A quick trip to Guest Services and we had a much earlier tag.
• Speaking of luggage tags, as Junior Suite guests, we had priority embarkation but do not get priority disembarkation.  I could have sworn I read we had priority disembarkation too, but I am mistaken.
• The casino is a cruel mistress, who happens to have a lot of my money.
• Nursery gives parents pagers instead of phones. That is different from every other Royal Caribbean cruise I have been on to date.
• My oldest daughter is the mayor of Adventure Ocean Aquanauts.  When she walks in, she is the Norm to their Cheers.  
• The weather today was incredible. No humidity, sunny and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.  This kind of weather is making it ten times more difficult to say goodbye tomorrow.
• Having that extra day (8-nights instead of 7) is such a nice feeling and it did feel like this cruise was longer than usual.
• I wonder if I am one of the last Royal Caribbean guests to ever use non-Voom internet?
• It is very likely I had more Starbucks beverages than alcohol beverages on this cruise.
  

Overall

Without a doubt, we had a great time on this cruise and Navigator of the Seas remains my favorite cruise ship.

When you consider the value of what a cruise costs on this ship, the stateroom options and itineraries offered, I really do not think you can go wrong with this or any other Voyager-class ship.

It is a great size, and getting from one end to the other was never the ordeal that it can be on other ships.

The crew did an amazing job onboard and we enjoyed talking with them every day. Everyone would say hello as you walked by and they all paid extra attention to our kids.

I also wanted to take a moment to say a big thank you to everyone that followed along in this live blog.  I really, really, really enjoyed sharing this cruise with you and reading your comments and questions.  It is still an undeniably cool concept that I can be in the middle of the Caribbean and be sharing my cruise experience with all of you, all over the world. Thank you for being a part of the fun!

If you are wondering, my next cruise is on Freedom of the Seas on September 4, 2016, and you can join me for it!

It is our second sea day and second-to-last day on Navigator of the Seas.

For this sea day, we planned on very little.  We had felt so tired from the last four consecutive port days, we were so wiped out and needed to recharge.

The kids kind of slept in today, and we did not get up until 8:30am.  For parents, that is the equivalent of teenagers sleeping until noon.

Breakfast was up in the Windjammer and clearly we were not the only ones sleeping in.

It has not been easy to find lines, but if you want to really find some, go to the Windjammer after 9am.  It is then that you will find plenty of other guests.

After breakfast, we went up to the Optix teen room to check out the free play that Adventure Ocean has set up there.

From 9am to 5pm, there are toys for kids to play with at any time.

My daughter loved having lots of toys, and for parents, this is a happy medium between paying for the Nursery and trying to keep the kids entertained on your own.

My wife took our youngest for a morning nap and I headed to the Captain's Corner.

The Captain's Corner is an event where you get to ask the Captain, and other members of the senior staff, questions about Navigator of the Seas.

I took this opportunity to ask what the status of Voom is and why we did not get it.

The hotel director essentially said that Voom was activated on Navigator of the Seas, but they were still testing it.  He indicated it would likely be available for the May 8 sailing.

To me, it sounds like we missed it by a day, since our cruise began on April 30. Rats!

It was hot and partly cloudy outside, so plenty of guests were enjoying time by the pool.

I opted to stay inside and try logo trivia.

For logo trivia, we got a sheet of 50 logos to identify.

We got 43 out of 50 right, with the winning team getting 45/50.  So close!

After trivia, we collected the children and had lunch in the main dining room.

On sea days, the main dining room is open for lunch and it is a great option.

The kids ate their weight in grapes. My wife went with the Tutti Salad and I ordered a couple of dishes from the menu.  And they had coffee ice cream, so my day was made!

We let the kids play in Optix some more following lunch and then we all split up again, with the oldest back in Adventure Ocean, while the youngest and my wife napped.

I wish I had some really good stories for my afternoon, but it was mostly comprised of walking around and checking various things out.

The activitiy schedule was light for the day, so I poked around and spent some time at

• Casino
• Solarium
• R-Bar
• Promenade

I kind of wish I had just picked a spot and maybe taken a nap or at least just listened to some music, but I enjoyed walking around the ship and taking it all in.

I headed back to the room earlier than usual so that we could all get ready for dinner. 

We had hoped to get the kids dressed up for formal night, but the kids were not exactly cooperative so we figured it was easier to just let them be.

I had booked pre-dinner this evening at Izumi and for this time, I wanted to try something different.

Usually I get just sushi, but I opted for a salad... and some sushi.

I picked the Ahi and Albacore Tataki Salad, partly because it sounded good and partly because it was listed on the menu as a chef's recommendation.

Turns out, it was really good! Great blend of fish and vegetables and the dressing added just the right flavor to it.

Of course, the sushi was quite good too!

We got the kids fed and dropped off at Adventure Ocean and then my wife and I headed down to the Schooner Bar for TV theme song trivia.

We found another couple and played together and lost by two points.  So very close!

We booked dinner at Giovanni's Table tonight. 

We had tried to book dinner at Chops Grille, but they said they were booked solid.  Giovanni's Table just had one seating available, so we took it.

This was our first time having dinner at Giovanni's Table in quite some time, so I was excited to try the dinner menu again.

Overall, the food was great and their dinner menu is quite good.  Definitely need to stop here more often.

Tomorrow is our last day and it is a sea day. In addition to the usual summary, I will wrap up our cruise adventure with some thoughts on Navigator.

Stray Observations

• I spotted some new drink specials at various bars today. Very agressive pricing, which is great for those of us not on the drink package.
• There is a cancellation policy for Izumi if you do not cancel within 24 hours. Not sure about other restaurants, but worth noting.
• I have learned the key to taking advantage of those free drinks you get when you reach Diamond status is to start early.  4:30, not 7:00 is how the pros do it.
• I believe someone asked about the view from the gym.  The gym is on deck 11, so it still has a view out (although the ship's bridge somewhat blocks it).
• While waiting for Giovanni's Table, there was some private dinner function going on in the closed part of the Windjammer, but was being served by crew members and the table looked fancier than just another Windjammer meal. No clue what it was about.
  

Royal Caribbean is really getting into the celebratory mood with the launch of Ovation of the Seas, including a new beer bottle that celebrates the occasion too.

Karen Keeley shared with us this photo of a special Heineken bottle available to guests on Ovation of the Seas, that features a special look.

The bottle is a fun souvenir for guests and it is not the first time Royal Caribbean has partnered with a company to create a souvenir bottle.

When Oasis of the Seas launched, Royal Caribbean and Coca-Cola created a special Coke bottle just for Oasis of the Seas (which can still be found on eBay).

We are in St. Maarten today, and it is our last port to visit on this cruise!

Navigator of the Seas arrived in port right on time and we were across the dock from Freedom of the Seas.  

Independence of the Seas and a Carnival ship were also in port with us today.  This was the only day where we had any other ships in port with us, which is kind of odd.

We got ourselves ready and gave the kids just a banana and some milk to start with because we wanted to have breakfast/brunch on the island.

We disembarked and walked through the port area to find our driver.  

We made a pit stop for sunglasses, because the youngest broke my wife's sunglasses the other day.  Sadly, we had to find the first souvenir shop we could find and pay the $15 asking price for them.  C'est la vie, I suppose.

We had made arrangements with a driver named Leo Brown prior to our cruise to drive us around for the day.

Leo is someone we met many cruises ago and have used every single time in St. Maarten, because he is knowledgable, well-versed on what is available to see/do/eat/experience on the island and very reasonably priced.

We met Leo at the entrance to the port and we were off.

We made a quick pit stop at a supermarket on the Dutch side to pick some cheese and drinks.

We then headed to the French side of the island and to Marigot, to have some breakfast.

Leo brought us to this wonderful French bakery, where they had amazing freshly baked baguettes, croissants and other pastries.

We ate it with the cheese we picked up earlier in the outdoor seating area, close to the ocean. Magnifique!

We walked around Marigot a little bit, and stumbled on an outdoor market, where we perused the various items for sale and got the girls some ice cream to cool down.

Next, it was back in the car to head to the beach.

We made a pit stop at Friars Bay to see the beach there.  It looked lovely, but we wanted a beach that was a better fit for the kids.

We drove to Le Galion beach, which is a beach that is a protected cove, which means there are no waves.

The beach is beautiful, and you can get a beach chair and umbrella for 5 euros each.  

The reason we go to Le Galion is because the ocean is so calm here, the kids can run in and out of the ocean without concern of a wave knocking them down.  It is also super shallow for a long time, so our 5 year old can wade deeper than usual.

It was a great time playing, but the kids started to get tired so we packed into the car.

Our plan was to grab something to eat before going back to the ship, but the kids fell asleep in the car, so we just had Leo take the long way back to the ship to let them nap a little.

We bid adieu to Leo and thanked him for his services once returning to the port. It was then back on the ship for Sorrentos Pizza and showers.

Back on Navigator of the Seas, I was very hungry and decided to not only have something to eat, but enjoy a classic Royal Caribbean dish.

I ordered from room service the honey stung chicken. It may be gone from embarkation day lunch menu at the Windjammer, but its legacy lives on in your staterooms (20-45 minute waits at a time).

After showering and getting dressed, I took my oldest daughter for ice skating in Studio B.

It was her first time skating and I am not sure she really loved it, but she did not fall once (thanks to a death grip on my hand).

We dropped both children off at Adventure Ocean and then made our way to deck 4 for an all-time favorite.

For our pre-dinner drinks, we grabbed a drink at R-Bar.

Seeing as it was Cinco de Mayo, we had made reservations at Sabor Modern Mexican.  

My wife made reservations online months ago and for good reason, considering the place was packed.

We have enjoyed Sabor on every Royal Caribbean ship it had been offered and have loved it.  Amazing food, highlighted by even better guacamole.

One aspect that is wonderful about Sabor on Voyager- and Freedom-class ships versus Oasis-class ships is there are select margaritas that are hand-crafted in front of your table.

These are really great and were the perfect value for my handy, dandy drink card I purchased yesterday!

The meal was amazing and I ate much too much, but loved every bite of it.

Given all the fun we had in St. Maarten, lack of naps, and ungodly amount of food consumer at Sabor, my wife and I were really feeling quite tired.

We collected the children and called it a night early so that we could start tomorrow fresh (fresh is like 11am, right?).

Tomorrow is a sea day, and only our second sea day since day 2. Seriously.

Stray Observations

• Marigot has some great food and I would love to have spent more time there.  
• Leo informed us much of the Dutch side was closed today, because there was some holiday.
• There was literally not one empty table at Sabor tonight.  Clearly, Cinco de Mayo is a big deal, or at least a pretty good excuse to try Sabor.
• Knee pads are provided in addition to helmets for guests doing ice skating.
• The SeaPass card readers have the option for WOWBands.  I suspect it is more a coincidence that the POS provider Royal Caribbean partners with offers one model to all ships than a hint of what is to come to Navigator of the Seas.  But I could be totally wrong.
• No naps, no casino visits and no Diamond drinks. Clearly, Bizarro Matt is here.

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - San Juan
• Day 5 - St. Kitts
• Day 6 - St. Maarten
• Day 7 - Sea Day
• Day 8 - Sea Day

In 2016, Royal Caribbean will revitalize six ships in its fleet: Liberty of the Seas, Empress of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Radiance of the Seas. The massive project will introduce some of the many innovations the cruise line is known for. Take a look at how these ships are transformed bringing the best of Royal Caribbean onboard.