Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas is in the middle of a 24-day drydock session in Freeport, Bahamas and we've found some photos of the ship getting some work done.
See our list of the changes coming to Freedom of the Seas as a part of this refurbishment.
Photos are the best souvenir you can bring back from any Royal Caribbean cruise, because they are the best ways to remember all the fun. From moments of laughter, to sunsets to capturing snapshots of your vacation forever, photos can do it all. So when you get home and look at all those photos, you definitely want to make sure everything came out well. Here are some great photography tips to make sure your next Royal Caribbean cruise will help you get the best photos ever.
Before you step foot on your ship or even wave goodbye to everyone at work when you go on vacation, you should practice with your camera.
Regardless of if you have a DSLR camera or a point-and-shoot, the key to taking better photos is knowing how your hardware works and trying things out. Try bringing the camera to events around your home town or even taking photos in your house. Take photos in the day time, night time and indoors so you get a good sense of what to expect and try things out. It's better to take bad photos at home so you know how to avoid those bad photos later on your cruise.
Royal Caribbean has built some amazing areas on their ships, from the Boardwalk on Oasis-class ships to the Centrum on Radiance-class ships. So if you want to get the best views of these areas, try to take photos of them when there's no one around.
The best time for these kinds of photos is in the early morning and late at night when most guests aren't around. Whether it's a photo of the beautiful spaces or a shot of your family posing, it's great to get these shots in without other people you don't know in the background.
You know what's worse than bad photos? No photos! Make sure you charge your batteries each evening to ensure each day your camera will have enough power to last you throughout the day.
Along those lines, investing in multiple batteries can help avoid not having enough juice. If your camera uses disposable batteries, make sure you have a stockpile of them. In addition to keeping your battery working, it's better to have too many rather than having to purchase new batteries on your cruise and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean charges.
Good photographers will tell you it's important to take into consideration your surroundings and avoid taking photos where things like shadows or sunlight can ruin a great photo.
Unlike our eyes, cameras are more sensitive to these elements and while it may look okay to you now, the camera may not develop as good a picture. Keep the sun to your back as the photographer and always make sure when you take photos, there's as much light as you can get.
Royal Caribbean will take photos of you and your group in select spots on the ship that you can purchase later. They come out great but they are expensive, so try this trick to getting similar shots without the extra cost.
Aside from the photos with backdrops, many photos are taken on staircases or in front of beautiful areas of the ship. Scope out on the first couple of nights where the photographers are setting up and then come back at another time when they aren't there and take your own photos.
Staircases in the Centrum and Royal Promenade are often great spots for photos because of the lighting.
A great way to avoid something small that can ruin your photo or just be a distraction is to check the corners of your shot before you take it.
Often when taking photos, we are focused on the subject and ignore what's on the sides. Look for objects, people, and obstructions that if you just shift a little to one side or another can improve the photo greatly.
In the old days of photography, you had to pay for every shot you took when it came to developing the photos. But with today's world of digital photography and media cards, there's no excuse not to take a lot of photos.
Even if you think you nailed the photo on the first try, take a few more just in case. People blink, your wrist can move and a whole slew of other problems can pop up that are hard to see until you get the photos back on your computer to process.
Try taking at least 3-5 shots anytime you're taking photos to give you the best choice in the right shot.
It's great to have photos of everyone in your family or group, so don't settle for someone always being left out of your photos.
Your fellow guests on a Royal Caribbean cruise are often quite willing to take photos for you and allow you to get in the photo too and remember these great memories with everyone in the photo. Offer a smile and be courteous in asking someone passing by to take your photo and it will greatly improve who's in your shots.
Of course it's simpler to take photos with your phone but the fact is the best shots come out of cameras that independent of your phone.
Even if you just go with a point-and-shoot camera, you will get better quality shots with more features. Cameras in general can give you a greater range of functionality when taking photos, especially night photos.
The most common thought process in taking a photo at night is to use the flash on your camera but don't do it!
Flashes flood the foreground with bright light at the moment of the photo is taken but often colors get washed out and the background disappears. Instead, many good quality cameras (most notably DSLR cameras) can take great photos by keeping the shutter open longer to allow more light in without the assistance of a flash. Make sure you take a stable shot (try placing it on a trash can or bring a tripod) and you will get much more accurate photos in terms of color and they will just look better.
Memory cards for cameras are pretty cheap but it may be a good idea to bring a laptop to download your photos to for a few reasons.
First, memory cards are notorious for corrupting and you do not want to lose your photos. Downloading photos to your laptop periodically will ensure you can back up what you've shot in the case your memory card takes a turn for the worst.
Second, backing up your memory cards to a computer will let you get away with using less cards and that means less money you have to spend on memory cards in general. Just like batteries, you don't want to purchase a memory card on vacation and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean or a store in port sells them for.
I don't know about you, but when I go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, enjoying the food and drinks are a big part of the cruise vacation experience for me. I love trying out new foods, savoring my favorite drinks, and taking a gastronomic tour of what's available to me on the ship.
However, I'm not independently wealthy and if I can save some money here or there, I try to find any way I can to do so.
Here are my top five tips for saving money on food and drinks on your Royal Caribbean cruise.
If you enjoy having wine on your cruise, this is by far the best tip I can offer.
Royal Caribbean allows passengers to bring one 750ml bottle of wine per guest of drinking age on embarkation day.
If you are flying to your cruise port, I suggest buying wine somewhere in the area before boarding rather than risking your wine breaking in transit.
Often, Royal Caribbean will offer a discount if you reserve a spot at multiple specialty restaurants before your cruise begins.
Using the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's website, you can get up to 30% onboard credit when you make three or more reservations at any specialty restaurant. You will get the onboard credit on day one of your cruise, and that's more money to spend onboard!
If you were already planning on dining at a specialty restaurant or two, adding an extra restaurant will net you some money back that can end up paying off perhaps one of those meals or allowing you to save money elsewhere on the ship.
This tip will not save you any money off the total price of dining, but it can make paying it off a heck of a lot easier.
Instead of reserving your specialty restaurants onboard or just showing up to eat and adding more costs to your SeaPass account, book as many reservations as you can online before your cruise. Royal Caribbean will charge you at the time of your reservation, thus breaking up the total cruise bill.
When you get home from your cruise vacation, there will be less of a monster bill waiting for you.
Royal Caribbean offers a number of beverage packages to choose from these days and whether or not you take a package can save you money.
The drink packages, for alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks, can be money savers if you drink enough every day of your cruise. By the same token, opting not to purchase a package may end up saving you money if you would not have consumed enough to make the packages worth it.
My advice is to figure out how many drinks on average you would need to consume to "break even" on the drink packages, and consider port days when you will not be on the ship much. If you think the drink package will save you money, then go for it but otherwise hold back and pay for your drinks a la carte.
For members of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program, Crown and Anchor Society, there are exclusive discounts given to you at the start of your cruise, including coupons to save you money on drinks and food.
You can find discounts on bottles of wine, complimentary cover charges to Johnny Rockets, and an array of other coupons. The exact coupon you receive will depend on your ship and Crown and Anchor Society status, but remember to take advantage of those discounts to save you some money!
Whether you are on a tight budget or are letting the money flow like a faucet, using these tips can help you keep a little extra cash in your pocket. How do you save money on dining and drinks on your Royal Caribbean cruise? Share your advice with us in the comments below!
Welcome back to this week's edition of Friday Photos, our weekly showcase of beautiful Royal Caribbean photos our readers have sent to us to be featured. If you have photos that you would like included in an upcoming Friday Photos blog post, then please send us your best Royal Caribbean photos!
Let's begin with a photo from Tom and Diane Trudnowski of Navigator of the Seas enjoying some sun. Love the lens flare!
Next is this photo by Francois St-Onge of a 15-second night shot on Brilliance of the Seas. I love taking night photos on ships and when you can leave the shutter open for a while, you really get some nice colors!
I think we all can relate to this photo by Jennifer Silverman, when she jumped for joy to be on vacation. Amen sister!
If I kept track of my favorite photos, this would be near the top. An anonymous reader sent in this great beautiful sunset photo from Mariner of the Seas. I can never get enough sunset photos!
Speaking of sunsets, here's another by John Siegmund from inside Two70 on Quantum of the Seas. It was taken on her inaugural voyage and it's a heck of a place to enjoy a sunset from!
hank you 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 came away from the Globe Travel Awards as the best mainstream cruise company this year.
The Best Mainstream Cruise Company gong is awarded to... Royal Caribbean @MyRoyalUK #TWGlobes
— Travel Weekly (@travelweekly) January 15, 2015Thanks @ukcruising....Best Mainstream Cruise Company, we're delighted! @stuleven @travelweekly #TWglobes
— Royal Caribbean UK (@MyRoyalUK) January 15, 2015Royal Caribbean managing director for the UK, Stuart Leven, commented on the award, "We have spent the last 12 months with a new team in place getting to know the travel agents in the UK. We have to thank the agents for their support and for making this happen. We've worked to make their lives easier and this award makes all our hard work much worthwhile."
Sister company Celebrity Cruises won Best Premium Cruise Line too, giving Royal Caribbean fans a good night all around.
In just a matter of weeks, I will be going on my next Royal Caribbean cruise, and I want to take you along for the planning of my cruise with what my plans are for shore excursions. I hope this will give you some insight into my thought process and perhaps this will assist you for planning your next Royal Caribbean cruise too.
Today, we are going to look at excursion ideas for one of our stops on Quantum of the Seas 8-night cruise, Royal Caribbean's private island of Labadee.
Labadee is a private "island" that Royal Caribbean leases from Haiti and it's one of my favorite places to visit for it's sheer beauty.
Labadee was designed to be the perfect destination relax and enjoy the beach. There's a little shopping and some quaint cultural options but if you're going to Labadee, it's for the beach experience.
I've been to Labadee three or four times now and it seems like I always do the same thing: grab a spot on the beach and enjoy. There's nothing wrong with that but I would like to try something else besides just a swim and getting a tan.
When I began doing research into what's available to do besides just swimming, I quickly remembered why I primarily just did the beach thing and that's the cost of the other activities. I would not characterize the options as prohibitively expensive but it does give me pause.
After some looking around Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner app, I came up with these excursion ideas.
A few years ago, Royal Caribbean built an alpine coaster that descends down to the beach from a 680-foot height.
Photo by drum881
It's set on Santa Maria's lookout mountain and promises a 30 miles per hour ride with 360-degree turns. There's a great view at the top and along the way, along with a little thrill.
A single ride costs $26 and an all-day pass costs $36, so if I were to ride more than once I would "break even" on the cost. Of course, the question is how many times would I really want to ride. If I were to ride three times, would I just be riding three times to get my money's worth or would I genuinely find it something I'd want to do again and again.
Pros: Something new to try; Fairly inexpensive
Cons: All-day pass may not be worth it
I actually was not aware this was an option until I looked over the excursions. Dragon's Splash Waterslide is an almost 300-foot slide that drops you into an 18-foot splash zone.
Photo by TravnKC
It's hard to describe this anymore than I have, after all, it's a waterslide! They are fun but is it something I really need to try? I've also heard that the metal can get hot in the sun (it's made out of stainless steel).
Pros: I haven't met a waterslide that wasn't fun to go down
Cons: $24 for one ride is rather pricey.
If you ask me, this is the pièce de résistance of Labadee. This 2,600 foot zip line gives you arguably the best view of Labadee as you zoom over the beaches of Labadee.
Photo by kbmay1
Custom-made safari vehicles bring you 500 feet above the beach to the zip line that will take you over Labadee at a speed of up 50 50 miles per hour and end up at Dragon's Breath Rock.
I've always wanted to try this but the primary reason I have not is because this excursion costs $96.
Most people I've talked to that have tried it have said it was not worth the money but they did think it was something you had to try once.
Pros: Always wanted to try this: Unparalleled views of Labadee
Cons: Expensive
As I was thinking about that zip line tour, I ran across the parasailing option that offers a similar experience form slightly less money.
Photo by Leandro Rizzi dos Santos
The Labadee Parasailing Experience will bring you 400 feet above the ocean to enjoy a bird's eye view of Labadee and the surrounding area.
Unlike the zip line, there's a wider angle of Labadee to enjoy and you also get a speed boat ride in addition to just parasailing.
My primary concern is because of a bad parasailing experience I had once. I have gone parasailing twice and one time the seas were rather rough and the speed boat was rocking quite a bit and a few people got sea sick to the point of "feeding the fishes". It was miserable despite the fun time in the air.
Pros: Slightly cheaper than zip line
Cons: Bad prior experience; Parasailing happens away from Labadee
In an effort to consider something much different, I ran across another option I had no idea existed with a beach break at a remote beach near Labadee.
Photo by Colleen Travis
Royal Caribbean offers a quiet getaway at Malfini, which evidently far enough from Labadee to offer a private beach experience but close enough to be convenient.
Royal Caribbean describes it as a "secret paradise" with white sands in a remote cove. There's floating mats available and "Malfini Punch" to try.
This sounds interesting but I keep wondering why I would go to a beach when Labadee is a great beach and free.
Pros: Remote beach experience away from the crowds
Cons: Extra cost to do something I can do at Labadee for nothing extra
After considering my options, I've ended up choosing: Dragon's Tail Coaster & Dragon's Breath Flight Line Tour.
Despite my earlier assertion that I wanted to try new things, I also wanted to have time to actually sit on Labadee and have a Labadoozie (or two) and enjoy the beach in addition to what I picked.
I feel like the zip line and coaster are good choices of things to try at least once and are also of greatest interest to blog readers, who may be interested in trying the same thing.
If money wasn't a concern, I would probably include the water slide too but I just can't justify the cost for one ride.
I think my choices will give me a taste of something different while still leaving me plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful beaches Labadee offers.
Cruise fans can now explore Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas without leaving home thanks to Google's Street View.
By using Google Maps Business View, anyone can take a 360-degree tour of Royal Caribbean's newest ship, thanks to over 20,000 still images that were taken aboard the ship over the course of five days.
The virtual tour of Quantum of the Seas covers various spaces across the decks of the massive ship, including the SeaPlex, North Star, Gym, Solarium, all of the restaurants, kids clubs and even select staterooms.
This is the second Royal Caribbean ship to get the Google Street View coverage. Royal Caribbean initially partnered with Google Maps Business View for Allure of the Seas back in July 2014.
You can tour Quantum of the Seas with Google Street View right here.
Our newest podcast episode is out to help give you a quick "audio escape" to a Royal Caribbean cruise!
Episode 76 is available for downloading where we look at bringing toddlers on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Children as young as six months old can cruise on Royal Caribbean but going with kids that young presents its own challenges. Matt offers tips and advice for how to have a great Royal Caribbean cruise vacation with the youngest of kids.
Here’s the podcast page for Episode 76. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Stitcher 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!
Royal Caribbean has dropped the cover charge for passengers who wish to dine at Devinly Decadence aboard Quantum of the Seas.
The move adds another complimentary restaurant to the options guests can choose from within the new Dynamic Dining program.
Devinly Decadence is the restaurant created by "Biggest Loser" chef Devin Alexander, where all dishes in the restaurant are 500 calories are less. It's located in the Solarium.
Prior to the change, Royal Caribbean charged cruisers $15 per person for lunch and $25 for dinner.
There's speculation that this change was done to increase available options for complimentary restaurants on Quantum of the Seas and hopefully reduce the waits across all complimentary restaurants, which have had reports of long lines during dinner time.
Get a thrill while bumping around SeaPlex in the all new, first at sea, bumper cars onboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class ships. Music, lights and the giant LED screen set the mood for a Royal Caribbean party you won’t want to miss!