It is finally here! After months of waiting, our next Royal Caribbean begins on a Royal Caribbean ship I have been on the most, Freedom of the Seas.

We arrived in the Cocoa Beach area yesterday, following through with a piece of advice I always dole out, which is to arrive to your embarkation port at least a day early.  This ensures any travel delays will not impact your cruise and your vacation begins a little earlier!

This morning, we woke up bright and early and got to Terminal One of Port Canaveral at 9:30am.  To my surprise, the terminal was open for check-in and after parking the car, we went in to check-in and get situated. 

Check-in was simple enough and as you might imagine, no lines at that time of day.  I heard from other cruisers later on that the lines for security got significantly longer as the day wore on, so arriving early to the terminal on embarkation day is a good idea.

Also surprising was the fact that we were let onboard pretty early.  I was onboard at 10:30 and at the Windjammer by 10:45.  Love it!

We had our traditional first meal onboard, enjoying the great variety of food available and without much fuss.

Following lunch, we walked around the Royal Promenade and just waited for the room to be ready. Traveling with a family, we tend to pack similarly to the Army of the Potomac, so it is easier to find a spot onboard to relax and wait for staterooms to be open at 1pm. We found such a spot at Boleros on deck 4.

I also took this opportunity to enjoy our first drinks of the cruise, a frozen mojito for myself and a margarita for my wife. 

We sipped our cocktails while the kids played somewhat quietly.  I would love to hear any reader suggestions for what to do in these hours before the room is ready from other parents.  We did have swimsuits, but the idea of getting changed in a restroom did not really appeal to me.

The staterooms were promptly ready at 1pm and we checked out our new home for the next seven nights.  We reserved connecting Promenade View rooms, which is our first time staying in this category.

With two rooms, we have a good amount of space for us and most importantly, separation from the kids when it comes to sleeping.

We headed up to Adventure Ocean to register the kids for that and the Nursery.  Royal Caribbean limits the nursery reservation of time to 16 hours, but after day 4, they allow more reservations. My wife is apprehensive that there may not be enough reservable time as we like, but based on prior experience, I am reasonably optimistic.  Granted, our group alone has brought about 4-5 toddlers onboard.

Next was time for our first meet of the cruise, the Go with the (Lava) Flow meet in the Olive Or Twist lounge. Great drinks with a great view and perfect way to kick off our cruise.

Muster drill was the usual event, and I appreciated the crew members that stood our kids at the front of the line and allowed us to leave a minute sooner than everyone to beat the crowd with kids!

For sail away, we organized another meet up at the helipad.  Great idea, but it was so hot out!  Luckily, we found some shade nearby.

I took this opportunity to stop by Cafe Promenade and grab my first Starbucks of the cruise.  Suddenly, the ultimate drink package is wonderful!

Back outside for sail away, we were delayed a bit because of some late luggage, but we left soon enough and on our way!

I headed back to the room after sail away for us to shower and get ready for dinner and our evening events.

While my wife got ready for dinner, I took the kids down to eat some food and to meet Po from Kung Fu Panda. Mission:accomplished! And for those keeping score at home, they do have 3D films in the Royal Theater, with Kung Fu Panda 3 shown tonight.

Along the way, I happened to run across the Izumi Express sushi available on Freedom of the Seas.  Earlier this summer, Royal Caribbean started offering Izumi-quality sushi for purchase.  On Freedom of the Seas, it is available from Sorrentos.

The sushi options were similar to what I saw on other ships and definitely an improvement what I have ever had at the Jade area of the Windjammer on previous cruises in the Windjammer. That being said, there is no more complimentary sushi available in the Jade section.

Adventure Ocean on day one is always a little odd in terms of scheduling but on this sailing, Adventure Ocean opened at 8:30pm, which is great.  We dropped my youngest off at the nursery at 8 and took my oldest daughter came with us for dinner in the main dining room for just about 20 minutes and then dropped her off after the appetizers.

Dinner in the main dining room was great, as usual, and the highlight of my meal was the coffee ice cream.  Perfect!

After dinner, we picked up the kids and headed back up to the room for an early evening.  We need energy for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a sea day, with lots of exploring to do!

Stray Observations

• Embarkation was among the quickest I have ever experienced, although I do admit I got there super early.  Still, the key is to arrive early to avoid those lines.
• Check out the pricing for Sabor and Giovanni's Table.  $1 cheaper than usual, and I think it is because they want to make the price look more attractive at being just under the usual price point. Kind of like why things are $19.99 instead of $20.
  
  
• Interestingly, I spotted on the Cruise Compass there is a note that Royal Caribbean's security officers now wear body cameras.  I spotted one officer wearing it when we boarded.  Definitely something new (to me).
  
• The main dining room has a new kids menu, or at least a new presentation.
  
• There are always embarkation day deals for specialty restaurants, but today at Sabor they were offering 20% off plus a free margarita. 

I wanted to tally the drinks I had each day to figure out how close I am coming to breaking even.  So at the end of every blog post, you will find my drink count.  Today's count is 7 alcoholic cocktails and 1 Starbucks drink. I came out a bit ahead, although I freely admit 2-3 drinks were drinks I ordered for the sake of ordering.  Still, off to a good start!

Happy Sunday! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend and we cannot wait to share with you all the exciting Royal Caribbean news from this week!

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean released new sailings for Empress of the Seas, through the end of April 2017.

This new batch of Empress of the Seas sailings includes a great variety of itineraries to destinations all over the Caribbean. Guests can expect to find 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-night cruises to ports in the Bahamas, Key West, Belize, Mexico and Grand Cayman.

Royal Caribbean News

• A new "Sail Now, Sail Later" cruise deal began this week.
• Which is the better discount for internet: 30% off or Crown & Anchor Society discount.
• New beach bungalows are available to rent in Labadee.
• The cost-benefits of Crown and Anchor Society discounts.
• 7 things to love about Anthem of the Seas.
• New video about Sabor on Harmony of the Seas.
• An in-depth look at the Royal Replenish drink package.
• What first time cruisers need to know about the SeaPass card.
• How to get to Port Canaveral for your Royal Caribbean cruise.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 161st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we are previewing our Freedom of the Seas group cruise adventure.

In this episode, Matt previews his upcoming cruise on Freedom of the Seas and talks about what he has planned on his 7-night adventure.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

We are LIVE on Freedom of the Seas!

All this week, we are live blogging from Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas!

Every day, Matt is posting a brand new blog post that reviews everything he did during the week and you can follow along!

The Navigator live blog can be found at www.freedomoftheseas.live and you are encouraged to join in the fun with your comments and questions!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Moms of the Seas is sharing a secret stateroom option for connecting rooms that is perfect for families.

Royal Caribbean has a Q&A with the "father of bionic bartenders".

Porthole Magazine thinks there must be a better way to name cruise ships.

Eat Sleep Cruise has a step-by-step guide for the perfect Oasis of the Seas cruise.

One of the first events on every Royal Caribbean cruise is when guests get their SeaPass card to use onboard their cruise. Every guest must use one and it is your figurative and literal key to your cruise experience and here is what you need to know about your SeaPass card and account.

SeaPass basics

When you hear the word, "SeaPass," it refers to your onboard expense account that is a lot like a credit card account, where all of your onboard purchases are charged against.  Since Royal Caribbean ships are cashless, your SeaPass card is how you make purchases, gain access to designated areas of the ship and identify yourself to Royal Caribbean easily.

Each person on the ship (including kids) will receive a SeaPass card with their information stored in the account. At embarkation, you will put down a credit card (American Express, Optima, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and Diner's Club) to place against your purchases.  At the end of your cruise, all of your purchases are added up and charged to that credit card.

Royal Caribbean also allows you to use traveler's checks, debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo, or cash to activate your SeaPass charging.

Once onboard your ship, you can use the SeaPass card to do things like

• Get into your stateroom
• Make onboard purchases
• Check-in when returning back to the ship in ports
• Accessing your onboard photos

Your SeaPass card is something to bring with you anywhere you go onboard or onshore. 

Making purchases

Using your SeaPass card to make purchases online is pretty simple and identical to using a credit card. Present your SeaPass card to a Royal Caribbean crew member and they will swipe it, provide you with a receipt to sign and that is about it.

A running tab of all your purchases will be kept under separate folio numbers for each guest and an itemized statement left in your stateroom the night before disembarkation.

Normally to activate this SeaPass account, most guests provide a credit card, (American Express, Optima, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and Diner's Club), to have these purchases charged to at the end of their cruise. Additionally, the SeaPass system may be activated with traveler's checks, debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo, or cash.

Onboard credit

Often, guests have onboard credit from a variety of channels. This onboard credit is effectively free money that is credited to your SeaPass account that will offset purchases made onboard.

If you have any onboard credit, it will automatically post to your SeaPass account on the first night of your cruise.  All charges you make your SeaPass card are first deducted from your onboard credit before you start accruing a tab.

You cannot designate certain charges to go against your onboard credit in lieu of others. Rather, it's a first charged, first debted system.

Kids

Children receive a SeaPass card too and they are essentially no different from an adult account, although there can be differences if you would like.

Minors receive SeaPass cards that have a different design to easily identify them to any crew member. 

In addition, parents can opt to revoke charging privileges completely or give a daily limit.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is a rather unique cruise ship, and offers some truly fun experiences that are certain to make memories for everyone in your group.

Royal Caribbean packed a lot into this ship, but we picked seven aspects of the cruise experience that we really love and think you will too! Anthem of the Seas offers quite a variety of activities, with thrills, impressive technology and more dining options than you would know what to do with.  

1. North Star

Before you even step foot onto Anthem of the Seas, you will see one of the more prominent features of the ship, North Star.

Royal Caribbean's North Star takes guests in an observation pod 300 feet above sea level for amazing views of the area around the ship. For the the first time ever, guests can get an amazing view around their cruise ship and take what is sure to become amazing photos of the scenery.

Whether at sea or in port, the views from North Star are stupendous and a one-of-a-kind experience.

2. We Will Rock You

Did you know some Royal Caribbean ships offer full Broadway shows? On Anthem of the Seas, guests can enjoy the hit musical, "We Will Rock You."

Written by British-comedian Ben Elton, this hilarious award-winning and record-breaking phenomenon is built around 24 of the greatest hits of British rock legend, Queen. The best part about the show is it is included in your cruise fare!

3. Bionic Bar

Regardless of if you actually get a drink here, the Bionic Bar is an experience to itself onboard Anthem of the Seas.  Two robot bartenders can make two drinks per minute, delivered in plastic cups via four conveyor belts.

Built by Makr Shakr, the idea is simple: guests place orders via tablets and then can watch the robot bartenders start mixing the cocktails. Bionic Bar combines two big trends, robotics and mixology.

The single armed robot will get the ice, mints and lemon and then squeeze and shake them to make your drink. Eventually, there wont be a limit on what the drinks the robots can make. The customization is what Royal Caribbean is aiming for.

4. Anything in Two70

When we cruise on Quantum-class ships, we become self-diagnosed Two70 junkies.  Two70 is the large, multi-purpose space at the aft of the ship offering some of the best entertainment onboard Anthem of the Seas.

Two70, Royal Caribbean's transformative space onboard Anthem of the Seas fuses highly advanced robotic and projected technology with live performance, creating an unparalleled entertainment experience on land or sea.

As its name implies, Two70 offers a two hundred and seventy degree view from the aft of the ship. An expansive ocean view that is two decks high allows you to see an amazing view during the day. At night, Two70 transforms to offer a seamless video projection, robotics and human artistry.

5. WOWbands

An undeniably cool innovation onboard Anthem of the Seas are the RFID bracelets known as WOW Bands.

WOW Bands give guests everything they have been accustomed to having in a SeaPass card, on their wrist.  This means getting access to staterooms, making purchases and checking in for entertainment has never been easier.

Guests can use their WOWband to enter their staterooms, purchase beverages, merchandise and anything else Royal Caribbean sells. Plus, WOWbands serve as an easy way to distinguish which muster station each guest is assigned to.

WOW Bands are an optional feature, but once you try the WOW Bands, you will likely be leaving your SeaPass card behind in your stateroom.  

6. Ripcord by iFly

RipCord by iFly is a skydiving simulator that will be a first for cruise ships. Rather than descend from 10,000 feet in the sky, RipCord allows guests to get the sensation of skydiving without the incredible risk.

Guests put on a jumpsuit and goggles and then soar up to 23 feet in the air for a two-minute adrenaline rush.

7. Music Hall

Spanning two decks, the Music Hall lives up to its name with bands, musicians and DJs playing music for all to enjoy.

If you want to jump into a crowd of people and put your hands into the air like you just don't care, then Music Hall is for you.

This hip spot features live music in the evenings to get things started and that gets a crowd in of itself.  But after the band is done, the DJ comes out and then Music Hall really comes alive.

This week's batch of beautiful Royal Caribbean photos is here and it's always fun to share with all of you the great photos our readers take while on their cruise vacation.

The photos we have to show this week are fun and of course anyone can send us their Royal Caribbean photos to use as well!

Our first photo this week is of Jewel of the Seas in St. Croix next to the Celebrity Summit by Wayne Gonzales.  Two ships with a lot of history to them.

Kristina Johnson sent us this photo of Empress of the Seas' Cruise Director and claims he is the best Cruise Director ever! Do you agree?

Kathleen Lewis sent in this photo of Freedom of the Seas, as seen from the the Labadee zip line platform. Kathleen took her daughter on this, and you cannot beat this kind of a view!

In this photo, we have Rhapsody of the Seas hiding behind the beautiful town of Fira in Santorini, Greece by Kelly Bratton. I believe it is a local law that all photos taken in Santorini have to be beautiful.

Scott Singer shared with us this photo of his son, who made friends with the servers there because he liked it so much and even learned the dance!

Dave Rimington send in this photo of Rhapsody of the Seas at Kotor, Montenegro.  Hard to beat that kind of scenery. Great photo!

Lastly, we have this photo by Wendy Hoggarth of her daughter at the port in Gibraltar, following a stop aboard Navigator of the Seas.  Love Navigator of the Seas and looks like a perfect day for a visit!

Do you have Royal Caribbean photos that you want to share?  We'd love to feature them so send them in by using our nifty submission form and maybe your photos will show up in next week's edition!

Beginning today, Royal Caribbean is offering a new, "Sail Now, Sail Later" deal with up to 30% cruises, plus a bonus offer for families.

Royal Caribbean cruises booked between September 1 through 30, 2016 on sailings departing on or after October 2, 2016 (excluding China departures) will qualify for

• 25% off  the standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom for 2016 sailings 
• 30% off the standard cruise fare for all guests in a stateroom for 2017 and 2018 sailings
• Labor Day Bonus Sale
  • Cruises booked between September 1-6, 2016 on sailings on or after October 1, 2016 (excluding China departures)
  • 5-nights or less
    • $25 off per stateroom for interior and oceanview
    • $50 off per stateroom for balcony and suite categories
  • 6-nights or longer
    • $50 off per stateroom for interior and oceanview
    • $100 off per stateroom for balcony and suites
• Kids Sail Free
  • Valid on new bookings made September 1-17, 2016
  • Third and fourth passengers that are 12 years old or younger are free on 5 nights or longer Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Dubai, and Europe sailing that departs October 2, 2016-May 15, 2017
  • Excludes sailings departing between 11/17/16-11/24/16, 12/15/16-1/05/17, 2/16/17-2/23/17, 3/10/17-3/20/17, 4/06/17-4/16/17, Harmony of the Seas, Star class and Sky class suites on Quantum class and Oasis class
• Holiday Savings
  • Eligible holiday sailings 5 nights or less departing December 22-31, 2016 and 2017
    • $50 Savings per stateroom for interior and oceanview
    • $100 Savings per stateroom for balcony and suite categories
  • Eligible holiday sailings 6-nights or longer departing December 15-31, 2016
    • $75 Savings per stateroom for interior and oceanview
    • $200 Savings per stateroom for balcony and suites

Savings Offer is combinable with adjoining Holiday Offer, Kids Sail Free, Crown & Anchor discounts, NextCruise offers, and Shareholders benefits.

Savings Offer and Kids Sail Free are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military). Holiday Offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military) and NextCruise offers. Holiday Offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts. All offers are 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, Net Rates, Shareholder Benefits.

Offer available to residents of the United States and Canada. 

Hey everyone! Episode 161 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, we're sharing the details about our cruise on Freedom of the Seas to the Caribbean that begins this weekend.  Let's look at why we picked this cruise, the cool things to do on Freedom of the Seas and our plans for each port of call.  

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 161. 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!

Our next adventure is coming up on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas and we will be LIVE blogging every day of the cruise, to share with you what it is like to experience this amazing ship.

Our cruise begins later this week, but here is a cruise preview to share with you what to expect on our trip!

Our cruise

This sailing aboard Freedom of the Seas happens to be the third Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise, which is an event we set up earlier this year to invite everyone that enjoys this blog to sail together on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

We chose Freedom of the Seas because it is a very popular ship.  In fact, Freedom of the Seas is the ship I have been on the most across Royal Caribbean's entire fleet.  She is a large ship that offers a lot of great activities and options, and comes in at a terrific price.  In addition, we are sailing over Labor Day weekend in the United States, which means many of us will only have to take 4 vacation days.

Part of the reason I find myself coming back to Freedom of the Seas time and time again is the great variety of what she offers. Fabulous specialty dining, a fun pool deck and great entertainment every day of the cruise stacks up to offer one of the best values.  It is amusing to consider that despite the ship being barely 10 years old, her pricing relative to the newer ships in the fleet has lead to one of the best bang-for-the-buck anyone can find.

Sharing this cruise experience with my friends from Royal Caribbean Blog means that there will be lots of friendly faces aboard the ship. As I mentioned, this is our third group cruise, and each one has been even more fun than a normal cruise because we run into friends all over and that means we get to cruise with other Royal Caribbean fans that "get" just how fun and amazing a Royal Caribbean cruise can be.

Our stateroom

For this cruise, we are trying something new and different to us, a Promenade view stateroom.  We reserved two connecting Promenade view rooms because we wanted to keep our cruise fare low, without compromising on having a view.  

I have two children, ages 1 and 5, and I think they will love the endless viewing opportunities a room like this offers.  Plus, the bay window in Promenade view rooms provides a little extra living space with that couch near the window.

As a parent, we chose two connecting rooms instead of one larger room to provide extra living space, get an extra bathroom and get separation from our children (especially at night time). We love our kids, but need sharing a room with two young children is not always preferable, so having that extra room means they can sleep on their schedule and they also have their own space to play together.

Our itinerary

We are sailing on a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas, that will take us to cruise ports we love.  While there are no ports of call that are new to us, we are getting a chance to re-visit some favorites.

Two of my favorite Caribbean ports are Labadee and Cozumel.  In Labadee, we rented a beach cabana so that the kids can have a comfortable place to relax and have easy access to the beach.  I love the cabanas at Labadee for the privacy and perks they provide.  I prefer the over the water cabanas for the added privacy, but with the kids being as young as they are, a beach cabana makes it far easier for them to get to and from the beach.

When I visit Cozumel, we just explore San Miguel and do a combination of eating, shopping, more eating and generally wandering the town (with some eating along the way).

On this cruise, we are visiting Grand Cayman for the first time in a while, and we have something super fun planned. I have invited everyone that booked into our Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise to join us on a private yacht excursion.  We found a great chartering service in Grand Cayman, that has a 55' yacht that offers three staterooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, jet ski, sun loungers, stereo and a whole lot more.  Plus, we get to go wherever we want around the island! This is going to be such an incredible experience that I get to share with my friends from Royal Caribbean Blog!

Three things I am excited to try

I have a lot of plans for this cruise, but here are the top five experiences and activities that I am most excited to do on this sailing.

3. Eat at Sabor

Hi, my name is Matt and I am a Sabor addict.

Hi Matt.

I make no apologies about how much I really, really love Sabor Modern Mexican, and cruising on Freedom of the Seas means I get yet another chance to eat here a few times. Between the amazing guacamole, hand-crafted margaritas and tuna tacos, not sure how I will be able to bring myself to dine anywhere else onboard.

2. Try the ultimate drink package

For this cruise, I booked Royal Caribbean's ultimate drink package prior to my cruise.  I generally do not buy the drink packages because I do not feel I can get my money's worth from them to make it worth my while.  But I changed my tune for this sailing for a few reasons. 

First, the drink package was discounted 20%, which means the difference in price between the premium drink package and ultimate drink package was $5 per day.  That means I have to drink just one coffee from Cafe Promenade a day to break even.  I was planning on doing that anyway, even before the drink package.  

Second, the drink package allows me to lock-in my beverage costs for this cruise, and that means my SeaPass bill at the end of the cruise will be much smaller. Breaking up the total cost of the cruise is a major benefit of all the drink packages.

Third, I have never tried the ultimate drink package, so this will be an opportunity to see how I do with it.  One of the top reasons I avoid the drink packages is because I feel that I drink for the sake of drinking when I have them, so we will see if that holds up or not.  I plan on documenting in each live blog post how many drinks I had that day to account for the value the drink package provided me.

1. Promenade view room

As I noted earlier, this will be my first time staying in a Promenade view stateroom.  While I have poked my head in a few over the years, this is the first time I will stay in one.  

My hope is the kids will really enjoy the view, especially when there is the first parade on the Royal Promenade that is often late at night. Moreover, I want them to find their own value from being able to see all the action on the Royal Promenade from the comfort of their room.

Personally, I am excited to see what the experience is like and have convenient access to the Royal Promenade. I seem to spend more time on the Royal Promenade than other places onboard, so being close by makes sense.

What's next

Our Freedom of the Seas cruise begins on Sunday, September 4th and I will be sharing the details on the blog, as well as across my social media channels.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Periscope for live updates throughout the day.

I invite you to share in this experience with me, by posting in the comments for any blog post questions and comments you may have.  I try to make these live blogs as interactive as I can, so I want everyone to feel welcome to share their thoughts.

Thanks for reading all of this and welcome aboard our next fun live blog experience!

Royal Caribbean has released new Empress of the Seas sailings that go through the end of April 2017.

The new sailings are a variety of 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-night cruises to destinations in the Bahamas, Key West, Belize, Mexico and Grand Cayman.  

Bookings are not yet available on Royal Caribbean's web site for these sailings.

Empress of the Seas is homeported in Miami, Florida and offers signature amenities including a thrilling rock-climbing wall for adrenaline seekers; new pools and whirlpools; a spa with an extensive treatment menu; and a complimentary Adventure Ocean youth program. 

Royal Caribbean has been busy adding new options for guests to enjoy on a visit to their private destinations, and today we spotted a new beach bungalow option in Labadee.

Priced at $250 for up to eight guests, these beach bungalows are located at Columbus Cove and offers a tranquil beach experience that is close to the family activities, such as Dragon’s Splash Water Slide, Arawak Aqua Park and a variety of other family-fun activities.

Each beach bungalow rental includes two floating beach mats, stocked water cooler, beach towels and the personalized service of an attendant on hand to bring you beverages.

Transportation to and from Beach Bungalows is via Labadee tram or tender boat service to Nellie's, with a short walk to Columbus Cove.

Royal Caribbean also recently added beach bungalows to its other private destination of CocoCay.