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.

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.

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

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - Falmouth
• Day 5 - Sea Day
• Day 6 - Cozumel
• Day 7 - Sea Day

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.

Royal Caribbean Productions brings unmatched entertainment onboard their ships. Meet Christi Coachman-Orengo who began as a dancer onboard Royal Caribbean and now leads the production team to bring this award-winning entertainment to life.

Today is our first port stop, and it is at Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee.

I really love Labadee because of its natural beauty and enjoyable beach activities.  I also realized my wife has not been back to Labadee in a number of years, so we were all looking forward to a fun day at the beach.

Allure of the Seas docked at 8am, as any parent knows, getting your kids dressed, ready for the beach and fed is no easy task.

We had breakfast at Park Cafe today and it is great for a quick breakfast without much fuss.

Park Cafe is in Central Park and offers egg sandwiches, a bagel bar, cereal, various coffees and plenty of pastries.  It is good for grabbing a cup of coffee and a bagel and getting on your way.

Disembarkation at Labadee is super simple, and we went from ship to shore in just a few minutes.  I was also pleasantly surprised to find no lines getting off the ship (for the elevators or the gangway).

We had rented an over the water cabana at Labadee at Nellie's Beach. We reserved it so we could have a "home base of operations" for our kids where they could relax somewhere in the shade as well as take a nap.

The cabana offers a lot of nice to have extras, such as

• Furnished with 2 luxurious resort-style lounge chairs & a sofa
• Four bottles of water (in a cooler)
• Floating beach mats and snorkeling gear.
• Towels for your use during the day
• Barefoot Beach cabanas have a private beach only for cabana rental guests

The cabana is a total splurge, but it is something I really enjoy having.  I cannot say from a value proposition it is a slam dunk deal, but it is great having a lot of sand-free space to enjoy.  And the views are pretty amazing too!

We spent the day swimming, laying around and repeating as necessary.

We also got together as a group to enjoy one of my favorite drinks, the Labadoozie!

For lunch, they drove us to the buffet and the beach buffet is never my favorite meal by any means, but we made the best of it.

We had absolutely perfect weather with barely any clouds in the sky.  Temperatures were in the 80s and it was great for swimming!

Fast forward to about 2:30pm, we asked for the cart to come get us to bring us back to the ship.  Luckily, not much of a line to get back and we were quickly back onboard showered, changed and napping.

I was a bit hungry given that I did not eat a whole lot on Labadee, so decided to indulge in some "pre-dinner".  

I was surprised to find that Sabor was open on the Boardwalk  a good 45 minutes earlier than it was listed to open.  Nonetheless, I headed down there for a snack.

I kept it simple this time: tableside guacamole and tuna tacos.  Fabulous and really tasty!

Feeling better now (Sabor makes everything better), I went to meet a friend that gave me a tour of the Diamond lounge.

The Diamond Lounge is for guests that are at least Diamond level in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society and it is a special spot for them to congregate and enjoy time in at their leisure.

There is complimentary drinks and food available as well.

The Diamond Lounge on Allure was quite large and I was impressed by its size.  After this cruise I will turn Diamond, so I am looking forward to enjoying these sorts of perks.

We dropped my youngest daughter off at the nursery next and then took my older daughter to the AquaTheater to check out OceanAria.

OceanAria is essentially a show that showcases aerial stunts that involve diving into a pool and some of physical feats are truly impressive.

I liked the pacing of OceanAria, which never stuck with one scene too long (some of the ice skating show routines can linger a bit longer than I prefer) but the show itself was not exactly my favorite just because it is more a spectacle than anything and has very little in the way of story.

All that being said, it was a well-performed show and I really was impressed by the performances.

After the show, we took y daughter up to the Windjammer for dinner. We had a great little Royal Caribbean moment there, when I inquired about where I could get her a hot dog and seeing as there were none, a manager made an immediate call to get some for her from elsewhere on the ship.  Not even five minutes later, two hot dogs were delivered to us.  Wow!

We dropped my oldest at Adventure Ocean and headed to the main dining room for Italian night.

I really like the menu here, especially the lasagna.  It was a great meal that did not disappoint!

Following dinner, I was really feeling wiped.  I think a couple of days of going at full-steam and a full beach day have finally caught up with me so I decided to get some sleep.  My brain loves the idea but my hear is yearning for at least 3 more activities today.  Oh well!

Tomorrow we will be in Falmouth, Jamaica and taking an excursion I have never done before.

Thank you as always for following and please let me know if you have any comments or questions in the comments below!

Stray observations

• The Voom internet is seriously fast.  I am continuously impressed by how well it performs.
• I learned last night that some of the ambient lighting and all the sound effects in Central Park are turned off exactly at midnight.
• During the course of the main dining room, they repeated announcements in Norwegian.  That was a first for me on a ship to have that language selected for a translation.
• Best place for Scotch lovers is Champagne Bar (or so I am told from friends that love the stuff).
• The nursery receipts have no gratuity line on their reciepts so I am not certain the best way to reward the excellent service I have received beyond the multiple, thank you's I have given them already.

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - Falmouth
• Day 5 - Sea Day
• Day 6 - Cozumel
• Day 7 - Sea Day

We're counting down the days until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, with our 99 days of Harmony countdown.  Each day we will post something about this amazing new ship.

Virtual balcony staterooms

Cruisers love balconies on their Royal Caribbean cruise for the fantastic views but sometimes the price is just a little too high.  Royal Caribbean came up with a way to bring the balcony experience to inside staterooms for a fraction of the cost of a real balcony stateroom.

Virtual balcony staterooms are inside staterooms with an 80-inch high definition LED screen attached to a wall that delivers views outside of the ship, just like a real balcony stateroom.

The screen stretches from floor to ceiling and will show you exactly what you would see if you had a real balcony.  Using high definition cameras, these virtual balconies give you a glimpse of what's outside.

Guests can turn the virtual balcony off at any time, especially at night when sleeping but it's available anytime they want.

There's even natual sounds that are piped into your stateroom to provide as authentic an experience as possible.

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

I started my first full day on Allure of the Seas rather early when at 6am I was awoken for some reason and thought I could not go to sleep.

Laying in bed, I thought I should follow through on the promise I made to myself to see another sunrise on a cruise, so I got myself dressed and headed out of the room to check it out.

Sure enough, it was quite lovely to see, even with the clouds present.  Plus, you get the feeling of having the entire ship to yourself!

I did a little walking around and came back to the room to sit on my balcony but I ended up falling back asleep on my bed and what went from an early morning turned into a late morning, as I got out of bed around 9:15am.

Once awake (again), I got my oldest daughter dressed and brought her to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast and then took her to Adventure Ocean.

Then it was back to my room to collect my wife and other daughter.  We had aspirations of going to the Welcome Back party in the Aqua Theater, but hunger won out and we went to Johnny Rockets for breakfast.

On Royal Caribbean's Oasis class ships, Johnny Rockets is open for breakfast and is complimentary (there is a cover charge for Johnny Rockets for lunch and dinner).

It is a standard American breakfast, but usually has far less crowds than the Windjammer.

We had a nice breakfast there and then grabbed Starbucks before continuing on.  I really love having a full Starbucks onboard!

We decided to do a little parenting handoff, with me watching my youngest daughter while my wife went to get a pedicure at the spa.  

While my daughter napped, I took an opportunity to do some blogging and live Periscope on my Central Park balcony.  Love it!

At noon, we collected both kids and headed down to the Boardwalk for a special event to thank everyone that booked into our group cruise.

I like to reward folks that support this blog and today, we invited everyone that booked into our group cruise booking group with a complimentary lunch at one of my absolute favorite restaurants, Sabor taqueria & tequila bar!

I think we had a great time sampling a lot of the food at Sabor and enjoying it with the group was a real pleasure!

Following Sabor, it was time for a group event, the most civilized bar crawl.

Basically, we had drinks at a few different bars together and it was a good opportunity to sit back and get to know each other.  And enjoy some great drinks.

We visited Sabor bar, Rising Tide, Trellis Bar and Schooner Bar.  

I think it is safe to say a good time was had by all.

Tonight is formal night, so following the drinking, I headed back to my stateroom to get ready for dressing up, photos and dinner.

I have often said that I really like formal night, because it is one of the rare opportunities to get dressed up these days without it being a wedding or funeral.

Getting two children dressed is no simple task, but we managed and got some great photos.  I found there to be very short lines for formal night photos.  I think it helped we went between dining rotations.

For tonight's dinner, we "called an audible" and skipped the main dining room for dinner at Izumi.

We did so because my wife had tickets to see Mamma Mia! and the show time would have made our dining room time virtually impossible.  So after dropping the kids off at Adventure Ocean and the Nursery, we booked Izumi for dinner and off we went.

Izumi on Allure of the Seas is very similar to Izumi on most Royal Caribbean ships these days.

The menu is fairly standard and so are the selections. The main difference on Allure of the Seas is Izumi offers an hibachi dining option.  This time around, we stuck with traditional Izumi.

I ordered my usual (DX Sushi Combo) along with a yellowtail roll, while my tablemates ordered various dishes.

I will offer a more detailed review in the future, but we had a great experience at Izumi and the food was of great quality.  

Following dinner, my wife went to see Mamma Mia! and because I had seen it previously on Quantum of the Seas, I played the role of Mr. Mom and picked up the kids and put them to bed.  

On my way to pick them up, I partook in a little Central Park time (it was sort of on my way) and there was a great band playing music in the park that really made my night.

Picking up the children was quick and luckily they all went to sleep quite easily. The great thing about cruising is it wipes them out!

Tomorrow we will be spending the day at Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee and I cannot wait to enjoy pure serenity!

Stray observations

• Probably not news to anyone, but the ship is really empty around 6am.
• The nursery allows parents to book a certain amount of hours in advance, but after day 1 and 2, parents can drop off kids if there is extra capacity and not affect their booked reserved times.
• I am always intrigued by the make up of guests on a cruise I am on, and we are seeing a lot of international guests, primarily French and Brazilian.  Also, since school is in session again after vacation last week, a lot of older guests.
• Pro tip I heard about today: if you book a cruise with NextCruise, you can go to the shore excursion desk and the staff will book excursions for that cruise you just booked!  This can not only be a good planning technique, but also good way to use onboard credit.
• Waking up super early for sunrise is a great idea at the time, but invest in Starbucks during the course of the day!

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - Falmouth
• Day 5 - Sea Day
• Day 6 - Cozumel
• Day 7 - Sea Day

Each day we are posting a brand new blog post to countdown until Royal Caribbean launches its Harmony of the Seas. There's a lot to get excited about on this amazing ship and we're highlighting it all.

Splashaway Bay

Slides, water cannons, waterfalls and more are waiting for guests of all ages in Splashaway Bay on Harmony of the Seas.

This new "aquatic adventure park" is an interactive aqua park for kids.

Royal Caribbean describes Splashaway Bay as, "a vibrant waterscape for kids and toddlers with sea creature water cannons, winding slides, a gigantic drench bucket and a multi-platform jungle-gym to keep everyone entertained for hours."

Splashaway Bay will be a focal point of the pool area, and its introduction is yet another "WOW" factor Royal Caribbean is banking on impressing customers to try the ship out. There's no question kids will love playing in this new aqua park (and adults too).

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas just emerged from a month-long drydock and also received its own Splashaway Bay, which can give us all a good idea of what to expect on Harmony of the Seas.

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