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Allure of the Seas Live Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

In:
22 Feb 2016

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

99 days of Harmony: Splashaway Bay

In:
22 Feb 2016

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!

Allure of the Seas Live Blog - Day 1 - Embarkation Day

In:
21 Feb 2016

Well, we are finally here! It is embarkation day and time to board Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas!

We stayed in Cambria Hotel and Suites in Fort Lauderdale the night prior to our cruise.  We chose this hotel primarily for the fact it has suites and is fairly close to the port (7 mile drive).

The hotel was exactly what we wanted, which is a nice and clean hotel that has enough room for us and our two kids.  

There is a half wall between the king size bed and a pull-out sofa bed.  Perfect!

Surprisingly, I was able to sleep extremely well in the sense that I was able to fall asleep easily and actually got a semi-decent amount of sleep the night before. 

That being said, we were up and ready much too early and left the hotel at 9am to drive the few miles to the port. Oh well, we would have to wait somewhere, may as well be the port!

Arriving at Port Everglades was pretty simple and straight forward.  I dropped the kids, wife and luggage off and then opted to park the car. Always a good strategy to avoid extra lugging around.

We were probably at the port at around 9:45am (we stopped for gas), and security was not allowing guests in yet.

I believe security opened up around 10-10:15am and we were checked-in and seated fairly quickly. Probably 10 minutes from security to check-in.

The boarding process at Port Everglades was simple and easy.  Guests are seated in groups according to their Crown and Anchor status, and by 11:30am, we were onboard Allure of the Seas.

Hearing me say that Allure of the Seas is large and impressive probably is no major secret, but it is still worth mentioning because nothing properly prepares you for the immense scale of this ship. 

Once onboard, we headed straight to Windjammer for lunch and managed to get a table and enjoy one of my favorite Royal Caribbean traditions ever: embarkation day lunch.

Following lunch, we went to Adventure Ocean and were very pleasantly surprised to find out that Adventure Ocean and the nursery were both open on embarkation day!

I spoke with a crew member, who said that Royal Caribbean changed the policy of not being open on embarkation day due to guest feedback.  As a parent, I love this change!

We were able to register my oldest daughter quickly for Adventure Ocean and sign up my youngest daughter for the nursery every night of the cruise.  Awesomesauce!

The Adventure Ocean space in general is amazing due to the sheer size of the facilities available.  We have been on a number of Royal Caribbean ships, but never seen so many facilities dedicated to kids.  For parents, Oasis and Quantum class are really top notch

Right at 1pm, the staterooms were ready and we headed to our connecting Central Park balconies to check them out.

True to form, the balcony staterooms were perfect with a lot of space and great views. In fact, our balcony divider was already removed prior to our arrival!

After we dropped all of our stuff off in the room, it was time to explore the ship!

I noticed on the Royal Promenade they had "sushi to go" available.  Interesting concept, but it makes sense for folks that just want a roll or two without the sit down experience.

I also had an opportunity to look through the teen club, so here are some photos for anyone interested.

I headed up to the Wipeout bar to enjoy some views of the Flowrider action, as well as partake in my first official cruise drink! I went with the lavaflow, because it has been my favorite option as of late on Royal Caribbean cruises.

Following muster drill, we went up to the pool deck for sailaway.

 Our muster drill was late (4:30pm), so by the time I got up to the pool deck, we were already on the move.

With Fort Lauderdale (and mortgages, obligations and life in general) behind us, we were on our way to enjoy our 7-night cruise!

Next up, we headed to the Boardwalk to check it out all out.

I love Central Park, but Boardwalk is not without its merits. My daughters certainly enjoyed it there.

We decided to go up to the room to relax a bit and also get ready for dinner.

Before dropping my daughters off in Adventure Ocean and the Nursery, we met Po from Kung Fu Panda. My daughter loved it.

With the kids under Royal Caribbean supervision, my wife and I went to Boleros for some pre-dinner drinks.

At Boleros, it is a must to try their mojitos and they did not disappoint. Perfection!

Dinner was in the main dining room and I think we had a great first evening.

I think of all the main dining room menus, the first night is the weakest, but I enjoyed everything I ordered and have a great group of waiters. 

Following dinner, we did a walk through Central Park before collecting our (very tired) children.

Not much evening entertainment tonight, but we had a great time and are super excited for tomorrow.

Part of what I am working on is keeping my plans and expectations in line with my kids needs and understanding a night that ends before 11pm is not a disappointment.

Tomorrow is our first sea day and that means lots of exploring (and eating).

If you have questions, feel free to post in the comments below!

Also, I tend to do a lot of Periscope live broadcasts, so be sure to follow me so that you do not miss any of it at @therclblog.

Stray observations

  • Voom internet is, well, amazing.  It is super fast and $15 per day.
  • The decision to open Adventure Ocean on day 1 is something that happened about 6 months ago. I noticed it on Brilliance of the Seas, but assumed it was because it was a 4-night cruise.
  • Central Park view balconies are amazing.  I love the ambiance and sheer beauty.  
  • There are a ton of stations around the ship selling the drink package.  I do not believe any guest can plead ignorance if they do not buy a drink package because they did not know about it.
  • I asked in 150 Central Park if there was a first night discount. The answer is essentially no. They crew member indicated it could happen, but they really do not do it at 150 Central Park anymore.
  • I had a surreal feeling all day, because it did not seem "real" that I was actually onboard. I love embarkation day and that feeling of having the entire cruise ahead of me.

Live Blog Index

99 days of Harmony: Bionic Bar

In:
21 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.

Bionic Bar

Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis class ship, but Royal Caribbean is adding a number of Quantum class features to the ship including one of the more visible ones: the Bionic Bar.

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.

Royal Caribbean has teamed up with Makr Shakr, a company with ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to create the Bionic Bars and on the Quantum class ships, they have become very popular with guests from a pure spectacle standpoint (and they make some pretty good drinks too).

The two robot bartenders can make two drinks per minute, delivered in plastic cups via four conveyor belts.

Guests walk up to tablets, where they can place orders for drinks, choosing from classic cocktails, signature drinks like Mnemonic Madness (a rum, pineapple juice and Midori concoction) or test the robot bartenders’ skills with their own creations.

The bar area is lined with tables, counter seating and even open bar space.

Whatever you order, you can name, and your drink’s name appears on a digital screen so you can track when a robot is at work on your order.

In the evening, a DJ spins tunes and guests often hang out around the bar discussing what they ordered with each other.  There are also crew members to help guests, especially when there's a rush of orders.

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

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: February 21, 2016

In:
21 Feb 2016

Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.

The big news this week was Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas had its first media preview of its progress at STX France shipyard.

Harmony of the Seas is set to debut in a few months, and members of the European media were allowed to check out her progress and the result was a lot of great photos of her inside and outside.

In addition, Royal Caribbean posted photos of the ship's progress and we saw a video of a computer simulation of what the Ultimate Abyss will look like.

There was a lot more Royal Caribbean news this week, so here is what else happened

Royal Caribbean News

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.  

Each day we are posting a new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas, so here's what you might have missed this week.

Stay tuned to Royal Caribbean Blog each day for a brand new post all about Harmony of the Seas until she debuts (91 more days!).

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 133rd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're reviewing a podcast listener's recent cruise on Navigator of the Seas.

In this episode, Matt invites podcast listener Ethan to discuss his family's first Royal Caribbean cruise and why he chose to cruise on Royal Caribbean as well as why they picked Navigator of the Seas.

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.

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

Travel Weekly reports the storm Anthem of the Seas hit was a "weather bomb".

Shermans Cruise offers a first look at Harmony of the Seas.

Cruise Hangout has a look at all the Ovation of the Seas float out videos.

CruiseFever has 10 reasons why you should take a Royal Caribbean cruise.

99 days of Harmony: Harmony of the Seas construction photo update

In:
20 Feb 2016

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas will debut in less than 99 days and to celebrate, we are counting down every day with a brand new blog post all about Harmony of the Seas.

Construction photo update

We all love following along the construction progress Harmony of the Seas is making and today we have another great photo update to share with you.

Royal Caribbean shared with us new images of Harmony of the Seas under construction at the STX shipyard in France. 

All photos by Royal Caribbean International

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

Beautiful Ovation of the Seas float out photos

In:
20 Feb 2016

Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship floated out of its Meyer Werft shipyard and already we found a lot of really beautiful photos of this new ship and wanted to share them.

The talented photographer, Björn Haß, sent us these great shots of Ovation of the Seas.

All photos by Björn Haß.

If you like an ultra-high definition video to go along with your beautiful photos, check out this great 4K video of Ovation of the Seas' float out.

Possible video simulation of Ultimate Abyss slide on Harmony of the Seas

In:
19 Feb 2016

A video has been posted online that shows what appears to be be a computer generated simulation of what the Ultimate Abyss slide will look like.

The video was originally posted at ShipMonk.

Royal Caribbean has said the Ultimate Abyss is more than 150 feet above sea level and offers side-by-side slides that send guests down 10 decks at a rate of 9 miles per hour.

Friday Photos

In:
19 Feb 2016

We love sharing Royal Caribbean photos that our readers took on their cruise vacations, so each week we ask everyone reading this to send us your best, favorite and fun Royal Caribbean photos to share with the world.

This is our weekly fun opportunity to show off these really well taken shots and give everyone else a "quick fix" of a Royal Caribbean vacation.

Let's take a look at this week's batch of photos!

Let's start things off by going to South America with a photo by Dave Rimington of Rhapsody of the Seas arriving in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  Bueno!

Next up is a great view of Labadee, as seen by Matthew Hull from his stateroom.  I would never get tired of this view!

No Friday Photos is complete without a sunset photo (or at least I hope there is at least one), and here is Independence of the Seas docked in Port Everglades by Michael.  Beautiful!

April E sent us this photo and said, "Can you guess which ship this photo was taken on? This is one of my favorite cruise photos!"

We will round things out this week with this photo by Rich Triplett of an early morning view from their aft balcony on Radiance of the Seas looking back as Jewel of the Seas comes into Skagway, Alaska.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos this week. Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your photos so we can post them next week by using this form.

Royal Caribbean CEO provides update on Anthem of the Seas following winter storm incident

In:
19 Feb 2016

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley provided an update on Anthem of the Seas to travel agencies following a stronger than expected winter storm earlier this month.

Bayley reitterated how well the ship held up structurally despite the strong winds and large waves and provided an update on the ship's repairs.

According to Bayley, there are a handful of remaining minor issues that require attention including replacing outdoor ceiling paneling by the SeaPlex, repairing some balcony partitions and replacing broken furniture. North Star, RipCord by iFLY, FlowRider and other favorite experiences are fully operational.

Bayley added that Royal Caribbean has updated their storm avoidance policy and added additional resources at their headquarters to provide more data and guidance to support our captains. Senior marine executives and, when necessary, meteorologists will be involved in decisions about when, where and whether to sail when storms are forecast.

To the question about how the incident was allowed to happen in the first place, Bayley indicated the severity of the storm, "far exceeded forecasts, but ultimately it is our responsibility to avoid these possibilities – and this event has provided us with an important learning opportunity. We can do better, and we will."

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