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99 days of Harmony: Voom high speed internet

In:
27 Feb 2016

To celebrate the launch of Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas in less than 100 days, we're counting down each day with some really cool about the ship. Check out our blog each day for a brand new post all about Harmony of the Seas.

Voom

Royal Caribbean has revolutionized the cruise industry with its super-fast high speed internet that has become available on select Royal Caribbean ships and Harmony of the Seas will be recieving it as well.

Royal Caribbean calls its fast internet service, Voom, and it offers guests the kind of high speed connections that expect to find back at home.

Royal Caribbean teamed up with O3b Satellite Communications to launch a new generation of medium-Earth-orbit satellites with sophisticated antenna arrays aboard the cruise ships.

The higher internet speeds will make it feasible for a guest to download streaming video or post video clips to Facebook. Royal Caribbean is developing new pricing plans for added service.

Harmony of the Seas lets you share your adventure in real time through Facebook and Instagram, post videos on YouTube, tweet about your shore excursion, and have face-to-face conversations via Skype and FaceTime. Plus, you can even stream movies, games and apps via your personal accounts with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and more.

If you need to do business while on Harmony of the Seas, the Voom connection will let you check email, transfer files, host video conferences, Skype and more, just as if you were on land.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!

Allure of the Seas Live Blog - Day 6 - Cozumel

In:
26 Feb 2016

Our late evening last night meant we all were sleeping in this morning, although my wife and I were surprised how late the kids sleep.

We decided to engage in the time-honored parenting tradition of using the kids as an alarm clock, but even by 8:30am, they were sound asleep and we needed to get going.

We had ordered breakfast room service to our room to arrive between 8am and 8:30 am, and it came just before 8:30am.  We got it for the kids, so that they could eat and get ready quickly.

Our plan for today in Cozumel was simple: drop the kids off at Adventure Ocean and the Nursery and then me and my wife could enjoy a day together on shore.

We were off the ship by 9:30 and we were on our way.

The day in Cozumel started off windy and overcast, but by about 11am the skies cleared, the sun came out and it was a marvelous day.

We took a taxi into town and I dropped my wife off at a local massage spot in Cozumel, run by a very nice American ex-pat.  She offers massages in her house for very reasonable prices and we had used her on our previous visit in November.

The massage took an hour, so I spent my time walking around.  I had brunch at a restaurant a few blocks away, Lonchería Chelly.

It is a no-frills Mexican cuisine restaurant and I was looking for something light to fuel my day. 

I ordered ceviche, which turned out to be really, really good.   It was a huge serving and I ate way more than I was planning on, but it was worth every bite.

I headed back to the massage parlor to meet up with my wife and we went to find somewhere for my wife to have a little bite to eat.

We ran across a cute little coffee shop nearby that had a light breakfast option along with coffee.

My wife had chocolate waffles with strawberries that came out great and it was exactly what we were looking for.

Next up we did some shopping in town and found some jewelry for my wife.  Just like when we look for restaurants, we walk around the various streets and see what is available.

For lunch, we went back to my absolute favorite restaurant, Comidas Caseras Tonita.  It is a family-run restaurant that is frequented by various locals and they make some of the best food we have found in Cozumel.

Their guacomole and salsa are amazing and the Veracruz style grilled fish are very tasty.  My only regret is I cannot physically eat any more.

Following lunch, we did some more shopping in town and grabbed a coffee to go from a great little shop and then grabbed a taxi to bring us back to the port.

Back on the ship, we picked the kids up from Adventure Ocean and let them take a nap before dinner.  I have mentioned Adventure Ocean and the Nursery quite a bit and the staff at both locations do an amazing job keeping the kids entertained and the fact both my kids enjoy going there is a testament to the quality of service offered there.  

As the kids napped and subequently got ready for their evening back in Adventure Ocean, I partook in some pre-dinner at Izumi.

I had no problem getting in and went for my favorite dish on the menu: DX Sushi Combo.  It is by far the best value for what you get.

I then raced up to the pool deck to join my fellow group cruisers to see if the sailaway and see all the late stragglers running to the ship from the bar. 

Docked next to us was Liberty of the Seas, and it gave me an excellent vantage point to see the new water slides and aqua park that were added during her refurbishment last month.

As an added bonus, there was a spectacular sunset!

We dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and headed down to the Champagne Bar to try something I hear lots of chatter about: the cucumber martini.

As the name implies, it has a cucumber taste to it but it was really smooth and I could really tell why so many enjoy having this drink.  

Dinner tonight was in the main dining room, with the highlight being coffee ice cream as the ice cream selection.  I asked for as much as they could give me!

Following dinner, we went to the theater to watch Blue Planet.

Blue Planet is a show that depicts the natural wonders of Earth in song and dance.  The performances were really quite good and the musical selections were enjoyable as well.  

Tomorrow is our last sea day and our last day on the cruise.  Not much I can do but try to squeeze in as much as fun out of our day as possible!

Stray observations

  • Cozumel remains a favorite port to visit.  It has a lot of tourist trap elements, but if you are willing to explore, there are some great hidden gems for the gastronomically inclined.
  • There was a huge line to get a taxi this morning. If the taxi line is long, a good tip is to walk out of the port area, take a left and go to the nextdoor El Cid resort.  You can pick up a taxi there with absolutely no wait.
  • If exiting the theater on deck 4 and you encounter a large crowd, go up to deck 5 to exit. There are less guests on deck 5 and their deck empties into the Royal Promenade, whereas deck 4 empties into the casino, which is quite narrow.
  • Watching guests try out the FlowRider is quite the spectator sport.
  • The pool towel renting policy of scanning your SeaPass card is alive and well on Allure of the Seas, despite earlier indications it was gone fleet wide.  It appears the policy differs from ship to ship.
  • The best time to do any popular activities, such as the FlowRider or Zip Line is anytime after first seating of dinner.  That deck empties out!

Live Blog Index

Royal Caribbean offering special leap day bonus cruise sale

In:
26 Feb 2016

Royal Caribbean is launching a new sale just time for the extra day in February, a leap day sale.

When booked Feb 27-29, travelers will receive 30% off each guest on every ship and every sailing, plus 50% reduced deposits and up to $100 in onboard credit to spend at sea.

The deal gets guests

  •  50% Reduced Deposits
  • Up to $100 Onboard Credit:
    • 5 Nights or Less:
    • $25 Onboard Credit for an Interior Stateroom
    • $25 Onboard Credit for an Oceanview Stateroom
    • $50 Onboard Credit for a Balcony Stateroom
    • $50 Onboard Credit for a Deluxe Stateroom
  • 6 Nights or More:
    • $50 Onboard Credit for an Interior Stateroom
    • $50 Onboard Credit for an Oceanview Stateroom
    • $100 Onboard Credit for a Balcony Stateroom
    • $100 Onboard Credit for a Deluxe Stateroom

This special offer is only valid Feb 27-29 for travel on or after March 16, 2016. Offer excludes all China departures.

Offer available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Allure of the Seas Live Blog - Day 5 - Sea Day

In:
26 Feb 2016

Welcome to another fun-filled day on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas! Today is our second sea day and it was a combination of relaxation and trying new things.

We decided to do what most parents do and let the kids be the alarm clock. Oddly, they decided to wake up before 8am so our hopes of sleeping in were dashed.

After getting the troops ready, it was time for breakfast in the Windjammer.

Surprisingly, no lines this morning despite rolling in around 9am. I suppose others had better luck sleeping in.

After breakfast, we headed back to the room for some playtime for the kids and an ealy nap for our youngest.  The older one went to Adventure Ocean.

I took the opportunity to try something completely new, a ride on the zip line.

On Allure of the Seas, the zip line is complimentary and the lines were fairly short.

It was a quick process to get signed in and suited up and I was feeling good until just before I got to the launch platform.

As I approached the go-point, I started to get nervous but figured I had gone too far now to back up.  The crew member directed me to sit back in my harness and go and it was a really fun ride the other side of the deck.

I ended up riding three times in total and once you are suited up, it is fairly easy to ride again because the lines were for guests getting suited up.  I managed to knock out three rides in about 20 minutes.

Following zip lining I collected my daughter from Adventure Ocean and got her lunch from Wipeout Cafe.

My wife let the kids run around our room while I headed down to Izumi for lunch.

I was privilidged enough to have Chef Travis Kamiyama indulge me in a special meal, as he boarded the ship yesterday. Chef Travis is the man that literally invented Izumi and is responsible for its rapid spread and success across Royal Caribbean.

As many of you know, I really love Izumi because I can never get enough sushi and Izumi serves up some fantasic options.

Following lunch, the family and I headed down to the Boardwalk for a group cruise meet up, where we enjoyed the many treats of the Boardwalk.

We tried different snacks and experiences on the Boardwalk and really had a great time exploring this amazing area.  

We followed it up with a cabin crawl, where members of our group allowed us all to see their stateroom.  

The highlight was the one bedroom AquaTheater suite , which was terrific.  It was great seeing the various staterooms and seeing some new options.

The rest of our afternoon was spent relaxing in our room and letting the kids nap.  By far the best thing parents can do is let their kids take naps if you want even-keeled behavior later on.

Tonight was our second formal night and we dressed up for the occasion and took some photos around the ship.  We even found Alex the lion in Central Park posing for photos!

Our evening plans were simple: feed the kids and drop them off at Adventure Ocean and the nursery, followed by dinner at Izumi and our first visit to the Prohibition party.

After dropping the kids off, we spent some time in the Boardwalk exploring and enjoying a really fun water fountain show in the AquaTheater.

The water fountain show was a complete surprise, but something really fun and different.  I really loved the musical selections.

Dinner was at Sabor, and despite eating there a few times earlier this week, this was the best Sabor meal of the cruise.

We tried a lot of foods and the food across the board was really quite good.

 

I think the the tuna tacos are not only the best tasting food on the menu, but an excellent value at only $5 for three tacos.

I tried for the first time on this cruise the tortilla soup and mole short rib.

The tortilla soup was great (and had a good spicy kick to it), while the short rib was missing that great flavor I was expecting.  In my opinion, it is tacos or bust when it comes to entrees.

And for those keeping score at home, the key to excellent guacamole at Sabor is tied to the amount of lime you get.  The more, the better.

We also indulged in a tequila flight, which offered a number of different tequilas to taste. All of them are smooth and I dare you not to feel really good a few minutes after trying them.

I will post a full review of Sabor later, but I really liked dinner here and I think we all loved the experience. The food was really tasty and I like many of the menu options.

After dinner it was time for the Prohibition Party.

The Prohibition Party is basically a music event that includes alcoholic drinks for $35 per person.

You arrive, get a "password" to get in and are seated to enjoy the festivities.

Most, if not all, the guests dressed up in 1920s garb and it was really a very fun and different event.  

What I like about the Prohibition Party is it was something really different and I think anyone that thinks the idea of getting dressed up in their best flapper outfit combined with lots of drinks sounds good, this is the event for you.

My wife and I had a blast at the Prohibition Party and only regret it was not a bit longer. Nonetheless, we collected exited the event and got our kids from Adventure Ocean and all went to bed.

Tomorrow we are making our last port stop in Cozumel, Mexico.

Stray Observations

  • The weather today turned overcast around noon and never rained, but looked like it might.
  • For the first time this cruise we had some noticeable motion in the ocean.  Nothing crazy, the cruise had been incredibly smooth up until yesterday so feeling a little motion was interesting.
  • My oldest daughter loves to find those Small Wonders hidden all around the ship!

Live Blog Index

Royal Caribbean announces 2017-2018 Alaska sailings

In:
25 Feb 2016

Royal Caribbean released today its 2017-2018 Alaska season cruise sailings.

Crown and Anchor Society members are getting a 24 hour head start at the available sailings before the general public. 

Sailings are open for cruises on Explorer of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas, departing out of Seattle and Vancouver.

In addition to the new sailings, Royal Caribbean is offering a Seek & Save deal, where guests can get 30% off their 2017 cruise along with free upgrades.

The Seek & Save deal must be booked between February 16 and Apri 3, 2016 and is valid on sailings departing on or after Mar. 16, 2016.

Offer includes 30% off the standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom; all stateroom categories.

In addition, for new sailings deployed during the Offer Period that depart on or after May 1, 2017, the Offer includes a Free Upgrade within the stateroom meta-category (for example from a D8 to a D1, interior to interior, or ocean view to ocean view).

Free Upgrade refers to booking a stateroom for the price of the lowest available category within the same stateroom meta-category type.

Upgrade offer excludes Panoramic, Family, and Suite staterooms.

Offer is combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholders benefits. Any dollar off discounts or promotions, such as Crown & Anchor discounts, are applied first, followed by Offer, which is applied to final balance. Offer is not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military) or 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.

Offer excludes all China departures.

Offer available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Carlos PenaVega joins cast of Grease on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

In:
25 Feb 2016

Dancing with the Stars fan favorite Carlos PenaVega will be onboard Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas to host celebratory activities when the ship launches in May 2016.

Grease is the headline show onboard Harmony of the Seas and the all-new, never-before-seen stage production, specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions, will boast a soundtrack of crowd favorites such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.

As part of PenaVega’s partnership with Royal Caribbean he’ll lead a number of Grease-inspired special activities onboard Harmony of the Seasduring inaugural events in Southampton, England. These include teaching guests the hand jive, presiding over a dance competition, giving an exclusive performance of “Greased Lightnin’,” and more.

Allure of the Seas Live Blog - Day 4 - Falmouth

In:
24 Feb 2016

Today is our second port day of the cruise, and we are visiting Falmouth, Jamaica.

Allure of the Seas was not scheduled to dock in Falmouth until 10:30am, so we had some time to sleep in and get ready.

We got the kids ready and went up to the Windjammer for breakfast.

The Windjammer after about 8:30am usually has lines to get in and this morning was no different, although the lines do move quite quickly.

I was surprised to find there is no omelette station in this Windjammer. I asked a crew member and was told there was none, and that was odd to me considering there is an omelette station on all other Royal Caribbean ships' Windjammer that I have been to.

Nonetheless, breakfast as good and coincided with arriving into Falmouth, right alongside Independence of the Seas.

We had booked a shore excursion prior to our cruise, Blue Waters Beach Escape.  We booked it because it was close to the port (10 minute drive), offered what looked like a beautiful beach and the cost was not terribly high.

We met our group in the designated spot, signed waivers and boarded a bus.  It was really hot out but luckily the bus had great air conditoning.

I will do a more formal review of Blue Waters later on, but the experience is essentially what the description lays out.

It is a great beach for someone looking for an excursion with a short drive, nice looking water and a psuedo-all inclusive feel.

Unfortunately, two factors soured my experience (and neither were something that could be fixed): my kids were both in bad moods from lack of sleep and it ended up being really windy.

 

We made the best of our time there, with the highlight being both children sleeping.  

There were regular buses back to the port area, which was quite nice to not be locked into a particular schedule.

Back in Falmouth, we did a little shopping but went back to the room to shower.  I opted to delay that and take my oldest daughter for a swim in the pool.

We had not gone for any swims yet, so figured this was a good opportunity to jump in.  The kids pool area is quite large and a lot of fun for kids.  

We returned to our stateroom for a shower and while the girls got ready, I opted for some "pre-dinner".  I tried to Izumi but it was not open yet, so I went to Sabor.

Say what you will about Sabor on Allure of the Seas, one big benefit of an a la carte menu is I can drop in for a bite without a large investment.  

I got my favorite dish, the tuna tacos and at only $5, it is a tremendous value.

I did a little walking on the ship as I made my way back to the room and noticed the Guest Services staff were in the "island mood" and even stopped for a character photo.

We dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and Nursery and I headed down to Central Park for dinner with some RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers at 150 Central Park.

This was my first time at 150 Central Park, and it is the signature restaurant onboard that is designed by celebrity chef Michael Schwartz.

Our meal consisted of six courses that were all prepared by the chef and I really found the entire experience intriguing and really tasty.

I will post a full review of 150 Central Park later, but rest assured it is a great meal for anyone looking for a fabulous dining experience with exquisite service.

Following dinner we decided to check out a show at Jazz on 4 that starred the cast of Mamma Mia!.

Essentially, the show was each cast member going on stage to sing various Broadway songs and my wife absolutely loved it.

We swung by Adventure Ocean and the Nursery to pick up the kids, went back to our rooms and all got ready for sleep.

Tomorrow is a sea day and we have some really fun things planned!

Live Blog Index

99 days of Harmony: AquaTheater shows

In:
24 Feb 2016

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is getting closer and closer to launching and we are counting down the days until she is here with a new blog post every day about this new ship.

AquaTheater Shows

Harmony of the Seas will offer two shows in the AquaTheater, the distinct high diving, acrobatic performance space introduced by Royal Caribbean with the Oasis class of ships, that feature two 10-meter high platforms and the hydraulic-floored pool, the largest and deepest freshwater pool at sea, below will serve as podiums for high-diving, hair-raising aerobatics that AquaTheater audiences have come to love.

Both of these AquaTheater shows are brand new to Royal Caribbean and will follow in the tradition of offering some really fun and tantalizing entertainment.

The Fine Line

A journey from extreme to extraordinary, The Fine Line is the AquaTheater redefined with high-flying feats, mind blowing stunts and physically demanding acrobatics brought to life by the world’s best extreme-sport athletes. Designed as a 360° immersive entertainment show, revelers will be wishing for eyes in the back of their head to take in all the action happening around them.

Hideaway Heist

A dive into hilarious escapades, guests will steal some laughs and experience amazing wows with Royal Caribbean’s new comedy dive show, Hideaway Heist.

This action packed comedy aqua show jumps into the world of a swanky 1950’s holiday resort where guys ‘n’ dolls take the audience on a frolicking escapade in, on and around the pool as an undercover detective, playing the part of a high-rolling vacationer, pursues a crafty burglar. Guests can expect plenty of family-friendly fun and awe-inspiring performance tricks as the staff of the Hideaway Resort solve the crime of a century.

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