With all the anticipation of a Royal Caribbean cruise, embarkation day is the day we all look forward to the most because it is the first day of the cruise, but the first full day onboard is truly when the cruise begins.

I certainly count down to embarkation day fiendishly, but there is so much going on in those first few hours that it is that odd day that differs from the rest.  

With our first full day and a sea day, today is when we really get a chance to experience Navigator of the Seas.

Our youngest daughter woke up quite early (6:30am) and so we got an earlier start than we would have liked. Evidently it is quite difficult to explain to a baby that dawn does not mean it is time to get up.

I took this opportunity to check to see if Voom internet had been activated, with the ferocity and excitement of a young boy on Christmas morning. Alas, there was no Voom waiting for me under the proverbial tree, and I resigned myself to using the conventional internet for the rest of the sailing.

We got dressed and headed up to the Windjammer for breakfast and to witness the beautiful start to our morning.

Breakfast was your classic Royal Caribbean Windjammer breakfast, and the omelette station continues to offer my favorite choice.

We had no firm plans for the day. Our whole plan was to have the kids sleep in (or not) and then play it all by ear.

Following breakfast, we had some time before Adventure Ocean opened up. We walked around the Royal Promenade (grabbed a much needed Starbucks coffee), played mini-golf and otherwise explored the ship in the time it took before Adventure Ocean opened.

At 9am we promptly dropped my daughter off, while my wife took the toddler back to the room for a morning nap.

I took this opportunity to try my hand at morning trivia.

The trivia theme was general trivia and I joined a couple from Michigan. Lo and behold, we won! 

Next, I headed up to the pool deck for a little sun, figuring it might make sense to enjoy the Caribbean breeze and some sun.

Of interest was the pineapple drinks being served and Sabor did a guacamole demonstration (followed by guacamole sampling).

Surprisingly, the Sabor staff were offering dinner reservations for any night for $20 (a $5 per person savings) if you booked on the spot.  I booked Sabor for dinner on the last night as a means of enjoying "one last guac."

Some folks had requested photos of the Diamond Lounge, so I happily obliged.

For those keeping score at home, the coffee maker is working once again and the Diamond Lounge attendant is Jayeon.

Next was the Cruise Critic Meet n Mingle in the Cosmopolitan Club.

This was a rather large group, with over 120 members in attendance!  I did not win anything, but did enjoy the company and complimentary rum punch.

I collected my daughter from Adventure Ocean (they take a two hour break in the afternoon) and at her request, we all had lunch at Johnny Rockets.

I was concerned about a line to eat at Johnny Rockets because it was a sea day, but there was plenty of seating.

I recall cruises in the past where Johnny Rockets would be crazy busy on sea days for lunch, but my wife I think that has changed since the Crown and Anchor Society coupon changed from a BOGO cover charge to just a BOGO milk shake.

We did some more exploring after lunch, including seeing the newly redesigned NextCruise office.  I think it looks great!

With Adventure Ocean back open and one of our children off doing her own thing, I told my wife to go do something fun on deck and I would stay with the baby while she napped in the room.

One key lesson about taking young children on a cruise is not to skip naps.  They need them or the rest of the day will just end badly.

Following nap time, the girls all took showers while I took an opportunity to enjoy some "pre-dinner" at Izumi.

For those new to my live blogs, sometimes I ike to have something to eat prior to my second seating at dinner, which is at 8pm.  I am only human, so I need a snack...may as well be sushi!

I picked Izumi and had reserved it on the website.  I was seated promptly right by the window.

I make it no secret that Izumi is a favorite restaurant of mine and this time I went with my usual: miso soup and DX Sushi Combo.

The reason I pick the DX Sushi Combo is for the money, I believe it is the best value piece-for-piece on the menu and the selection is quite good and ample.

I also had to try this drink, the "Call a cab! Sakirita" just because of the name!

I returned to the room and dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean and the Nursery.  At the nursery, my daughter was the only kid there, which I found peculiar given it was formal night and prime time (7:30).  We always suspected there are very few children on this sailing and I am pretty sure that is still the case.

Dinner was in the main dining room and it was formal night.

Great food all around and we have a great waiter (Vanju) and assistant waiter (sorry, I cannot think of her name at the moment).

We finished dinner ealier than normal, so we wandered the Royal Promenade.

First up was the Royal Caribbean logo store, where I spotted these new shirt designs, perfect for the Royal Caribbean fan.

We also stopped in a for a set at the pub and sang along to some favorites (Country Roads!).

Our entertainment for the evening was the Broadway revue show.  We had seen it the last time we were on Navigator and I am fairly certain it is the same show as on Brilliance of the Seas.

My wife loved it, and that is all that matters.

Tomorrow we are in Labadee, and that is our first port stop.  Our timing there is odd, as guests can disembark at 7am and must return by 3pm.  

Stray Observations

• I spotted another cruise ship following us and I think it is a Princess ship.
  
• I also spotted a baby splash pool for kids in diapers.  I will be investigating this further because....
• We realized we forgot to pack swim diapers.  They do not sell any diapers onboard, so part of our San Juan excursion plans now include a stop at CVS. Oh, the exoticness and pizazz that await me there!
• One team at morning trivia attempted to cheat, by saying they had more points than our team in trivia, until they were told the prizes were pens and keychains.  At that point, they folded like a cheap table.
• Weather has been great, with waves less than one meter in height.  My kind of cruise!
• Regarding Voom, I spoke to a few officers but have not gotten a firm answer on when it will arrive. Almost no chance for this cruise, but it sounds like for the transatlantic it could be activated.
• We were sailing really close to Cuba today. Much closer than I ever remember cruise ships going.  It was close enough you could see trees, not just land.
  
• There are few relaxing experiences as sitting on one's balcony and enjoying the view and breeze!

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

Attention reality television fans, one of your favorites is enjoying a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation.

Real Housewives of New York star, Dorinda Medley, is onboad Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas with longtime love John Mahdessian.

The couple is enjoying a Caribbean getaway, and has been spotted taking in panoramic views from 300 feet above sea level in Anthem’s iconic North Star; riding bumper cars in SeaPlex, the largest indoor active space at sea; lounging poolside in the ship’s adults-only Solarium; and previewing the new Royal Suite Class, launching May 2016.

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!

There was a lot of news this week, but the story that stood out to us is Royal Caribbean's announcement that all ships in the fleet will offer Voom, beginning today!

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley made the announcement during an earnings call with investors.

The news came as a surprise to many, considering there was no indication Royal Caribbean had planned a fleet-wide deployment of Voom this quickly.

Voom internet is Royal Caribbean's exclusive high speed internet that allows guests to stream music and movies, upload pictures, video chat with family and friends using FaceTime or Skype, check their email, lookup their stock prices, surf the web and stay connected with work via VPN.

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean reported impressive first quarter earnings.
• Royal Caribbean's next promotion will offer 60% off the second guest plus 30% off additional guests.
• We spotted a waiver for unlimited alcohol packages that guests must sign.
• First look photos of the refurbished Jewel of the Seas.
• Four new Ovation of the Seas sailings were added to 2017.
• We tried the Prohibition Party on Allure of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean completed a new tender pier in Vanuatu.
• Our review of Johnny Rockets on Allure of the Seas.
• Royal Caribbean celebrated the end of its Australia cruise season.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 143rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we answer your Royal Caribbean emails this week.

In this episode, Matt previews his upcoming cruise on Navigator of the Seas and talks about what he has planned on his 8-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 Navigator of the Seas!

All this week, we are live blogging from Royal Caribbean's Navigator 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.navigatoroftheseas.live and you are encouraged to join in the fun with your comments and questions!

99 Days of Harmony

To celebrate the countdown until Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas debuts, we kicked off a brand new blog series, 99 Days of Harmony, that looks at what makes this new ship so amazing. 

We are posting new blog posts all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

• Away We Go!
• Harmony of the Seas' cruise director
• Carousel installation
• Infographic

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Moms of the Seas has a list of 20 must-do family Royal Caribbean activities.

CNBC interviewed Royal Caribbean Chairman & CEO Richard Fain about its first quarter results.

Royal Caribbean says the Sports Zone on Harmony of the Seas is not for the faint of heart.

Embarkation day is here, which is the best possible feeling for any self-diagnosed cruise geek!

Last night, we started our vacation a little early with a hotel stay closer to port.  We considered a hotel in the greater Fort Lauderdale area, but found significanty less expensive pricing about an hour away in Port Saint Lucie.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Port St. Lucie West, which was about half the price of what we found near the port.  Our room was a king suite, which meant the kids had plenty of space to mess around.  The hotel was clean, relatively new and offered a decent breakfast.  It is the perfect kind of hotel for a pre-cruise stay!

We left the hotel at 8:30am and headed down I-95 to Port Everglades.

The drive was uneventful.  There was one bit of traffic in West Palm Beach, but otherwise an easy drive.

We arrived at Port Everglades at around 10:15am or so and proceeded to drop off the luggage and family at the port and then I went to park the car.

The parking garage at Terminal 29 is much further away than the parking lot at Terminal 18 (that is where the Oasis class ships dock).  Nonetheless, I was able to hop on the complimentary shuttle easily and made it back to the port to get in line with my family at 10:30am.

There was a bit of a line at check-in, but we got through the line relatively quickly. There were two lines: one for suites and any Crown & Anchor Society member and a line for anyone else.  

Being in a Junior Suite, we were in the Suites area, which meant we got to be among the first to get onboard. While the Junior Suite perks are not exactly amazing, priority embarkation is a really nice touch!

At 11:15am, we were onboard Navigator of the Seas and so many memories came flooding back to us from our 2014 cruise on Navigator of the Seas.

Our first stop was our traditional first stop on any cruise we go on: the Windjammer.

After sailing on Allure of the Seas earlier this year, it was so refreshing have a "normal" size Windjammer, given that the Oasis-class Windjammers are oddly smaller.

I enjoyed the Asian food spread available and we all had a very filling and pleasurable meal.  

We tried to do the spa tour after lunch, but they were not doing it until later, so we walked around the ship a bit to explore.

Our rooms were ready right at 1pm and we got our first look at the Junior Suite.

I was impressed by the sheer amount of living space in the Junior Suite.  It was much wider a room than I was expecting and with 2 kids, it is very welcome.  I wish there was a curtain between the bed and couch, but I think we will be fine.  Our issue will be when my one year old daughter needs to sleep. I think we will all have to wait her out on the balcony and then sneak back in after she falls asleep.

We registered the children for Adventure Ocean and the Nursery next.

The nursery on Royal Caribbean ships limits you to 20 hours of reservations, but by day 3, they open up space if there is availability.  Essentially, they want to ensure everyone has a chance to get their kids into the nursery.  

We have lots of experience with the nursery and it usually works out just fine for us.  We got our hours in and will wait for day 3 to nab some more time.

We attempted to do some more exploring but the kids were starting to get really cranky, so we headed back to the stateroom for them to nap.

My wife opted to stay with them while I did some more exploring.  Navigator is a great ship and it is easy to forget just how much she offers.

I checked out the Diamond Lounge, which marked my first time in the Diamond Lounge as a Diamond member.

I liked there was an outdoor seating section and of course, it is impressive to have a special part of the ship just for you.  With the kids, I am not certain how much time we will spend up there, but it is nice having the perk!

I realized at this point that I had not "christened" my cruise vacation properly yet and had my first drink of the cruise at the Viking Crown Lounge.

I chose the lava flow and it really hit the spot!

Speaking of drinks, all over Navigator of the Seas are these select drink specials, which are something I have never seen on any other ship.

They are not of interest to me, but I am sure some folks may find value in these deals!

Our muster drill was later than usual (5pm), so we proceeded to our muster station.  The muster drill was like every muster drill we have ever been to.  The kids were reasonably well behaved, so not much else we can ask for.  Our muster station was outside, so no seating unfortunately.

Following muster, it was time for sailaway, which I took in from the helipad.

The helipad on Voyager-class ships is a terrific option, and when you are doing sail away or sail-in, it is the place to be. 

I headed back to the room once the kids woke up and we all got dressed for dinner.  Adventure Ocean had limited hours this evening, so our plan was to feed the kids in the Windjammer and bring them to dinner with us in the main dining room without having them subjegated to the menu there.

It was around this time that my wife and I took advantage of our Diamond drink coupons for the first time.

One pretty big perk of being a Diamond member (or higher) is that you get three complimentary drinks per evening outside of the Diamond Lounge.  I did not think we would sneak the drinks in with the kids present tonight, but we totally aced the parenting thing by supervising our children while grabbing a drink from a bar we walked by.  Woot!

There was family time in the arcade tonight, so we brought the kids up to the arcade to enjoy some free video games.  What better opportunity to play random video games?

Dinner tonight was at the main dining room and we have a table to ourselves.  I do not mind sharing a table with others, but will not complain about a table to ourselves either.

As we sat down, it was around this time that my youngest daughter "hit the wall" from being over-tired. My wife decided to go up to the room to order room service and put her to sleep.

My daughter and I finished dinner, just the two of us and I brought her up to Adventure Ocean.

Being left alone to my own devices, I wandered the ship some more to do some exploring.

I may or may not have ended up at the casino and I may or may not have lost my money quite quickly.

Oh well, I wrapped up my evening watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the pool deck, after I had returned my daughter to the room.

Tomorrow is our first sea day, and that means plenty of time experiencing everything Navigator of the Seas has to offer!

Stray Observations

• The elevator keypads have been updated and I have not seen this "style" on any other Royal Caribbean ship.
  
• Adventure Ocean was only open from 9pm to 10pm tonight (with up to midnight available for an hourly charge).  My daughter in Adventure Ocean was literally the only kid there.  We kind of figured there would not be many kids on this sailing.
• Regarding Voom, there is no definitive answer if we will get Voom activated during our cruise.  My guess is that it will not be active tomorrow, but a man can dream, right?
• I saw another deal that I have never seen before. Johnny Rockets was offering a free milk shake if you dined there tonight
  
• Good night, sweet prince
  

Share your comments or questions in the comments section below! This live blog is meant to be interactive, so please feel free to comment!

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

There is a new design for the souvenir Coca-Cola cups guests get with their unlimited drink packages.

The new souvenir cups are available on Royal Caribbean ships when a guest purchases one of the unlimited drink packages.

It is not clear yet when these new souvenir cup designs began being sold, but it is likely to have changed somewhat recently.

These souvenir cups are compatible with the self-serve soda machines on the pool deck as well as the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. The Coca-Cola souvenir cup has a special chip in it which activates the machine.

Do you like the design of these souvenir Coca-Cola cups? Tell us in the comments below!

During an earnings call with investors, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley confirmed that every ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet will have Voom high speed internet onboard.

Bayley made the announcement following an investor question surrounding Voom and its profitability.

Earlier this month, Voom options began appearing via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site for ships that had not previously offered Voom.

Royal Caribbean rolled out new tiered internet plans last week for its Voom service and with that change, more Royal Caribbean ships are now offering the Voom service than were previously offered.

Voom internet is Royal Caribbean's exclusive high speed internet that allows guests to stream music and movies, upload pictures, video chat with family and friends using FaceTime or Skype, check their email, lookup their stock prices, surf the web and stay connected with work via VPN.

When the calendar turns to Friday, that means it is time to share our readers favorite Royal Caribbean photos!  Each week, we ask our readers to send us their best photos and we will share them on the blog.

Our first photo this week comes to us from Adam Powers of a marvelous sunrise, taken on Independence of the Seas. Beautiful!

Earl McGrath sent us this photo of the kids splash area around 2am on Allure of the Seas.  Love the pool deck at night!

Janeen sent us this photo of Majesty of the Seas in Cocoa Cay December 2015. Looks like another perfect day in paradise.

Belinda Maxwell shared with us this photo on Independence of the Seas, which was a celebration of her 50th birthday. Birthdays on Royal Caribbean are the best birthdays!

Here is a great shot of Liberty of the Seas by Brogan Lawrence.  Love going to the helipad!

Shannon also has a photo from Liberty of the Seas, this one at Labadee and this is one of my favorite views.  Can't get enough Labadee!

Lastly, we have a great shot of Venice from Splendour of the Seas, taken by Dave Rimington during sail away.  What a view!

Thank you to everyone that submitted photos! We would love to showcase your photos too, so use this form to send us your favorite Royal Caribbean photos!

Royal Caribbean has today opened bookings for four new cruises for the upcoming 2016/17 summer season on Ovation of the Seas.

The new sailings are in January and February 2017, and were added by Royal Caribbean, "to the unprecedented demand" for the new-build cruise ship.

vation of the Seas will offer two short cruises as part of her season extension, including a five-night Tasmania taster cruise priced from $959 per person, departing from Sydney on 23 January 2017, as well as a three-night weekend sampler cruise from $599 per person, departing 17 February 2017.

Additionally she will sail two mid-length cruises; an eight-night voyage to Tasmania and South Australia departing 9 February 2017 from $1,599 per person, and a 12-night sailing to New Zealand and the South Pacific, including calls to Auckland, Tauranga, Bay of Islands, Noumea in New Caledonia and Mystery Island in Vanuatu, departing 28 January 2017 and priced from $2,319 per person.

Ovation of the Seas will then commence her 14-night repositioning cruise from Sydney to Singapore on 20 February 2017, calling at Brisbane, Darwin and Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) in Malaysia, priced from just $1,889 per person.

Royal Caribbean is starting to have guests sign waivers prior to purchasing one of its unlimited alcohol packages on at least one Royal Caribbean ship.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Rich Triplett spotted this new waiver specifically for guests who wish to purchase an unlimited drink package on Independence of the Seas.

The waiver reinforces the rules of the drink package, and focuses on a few key aspects of the package rules

• Your package is for your own personal use only
• One drink at a time
• Safety (as it pertains to being over-served)
• Drinks excluded from the drink package
• Room service and mini bar not included

Guests must sign at the bottom of the form during the purchasing process.

It is not clear if this waiver is being made available to guests on other Royal Caribbean ships yet, but it may be a sign of things to come.

As we get closer to Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas launch, we are counting down until the ship's debut with new blog posts about an aspect of the cruise.

Away We Go!

Entertainment on Royal Caribbean ships comes in many forms, including entertainment specifically for kids and their families.

Harmony of the Seas will feature a brand new show in the Adventure Ocean Theater called, Away We Go!, a black light puppet show created by Tony award-nominated actors and imaginative producers John Tartaglia by and Michael Shawn Lewis of Gable Grove Productions.

Away We Go! is aimed at 3- to 11-year olds and follows up Tartaglia's previous creation for Royal Caribbean, ImaginOcean. The show was originally performed on Oasis of the Seas and actually ended up being shown on land as well. It was also shown on Allure of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas.

The show utilizes blacklight sets and lighting as well as puppets with fabrics that work well with blacklight, giving the illusion that the puppets are floating against the black background. As such, the show is marketed as the first "glow-in-the-dark" musical.

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