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21 years today (Our kids who are at home will cringe at this photo but I don’t care )

I knew it was bad when I saw this photo of the Quantum leaving port, glad you survived!

Just saying a quick hello here, first time in about four years. I just booked the 12-night Odyssey sailing in Jan 2025, which is an itinerary I've been wanting to do kind of since I first started sailing with Royal in 2018 and learned about it. Seemed like a nice way to celebrate turning 55. To everyone I haven't spoken with in all these years, hope you've been well!

We crossed the triple digit mark. it’s the little things that amuse us I guess

While I was 100% content just a moment ago, now I feel like my life is less until I too get Express Boarding.

TL;DR - All is well. Christmas is coming. The BOGO process is a Charlie Foxtrot. I promised a live blog for this sailing but in keeping with my utter unreliability for doing live blogs, I have failed again....this being day 3 already. I will skip all of the pre-boarding and boarding details as these are not of particular interest to anyone and it was entirely uneventful. All went well. We are here. The ship is in great shape for her age. We sailed on Adventure relatively recently so there haven't been any changes since that time. Sure, she needs paint in some areas and there are patches of carpeting that are in need of replacing but these are purely superficial issues and have not impacted our enjoyment at all. We are in a Panoramic Ocean View Suite (VP), a room which was converted at the time that part of the spa was removed. The room has an ENORMOUS panoramic view with ceiling-to-floor window panes. It makes for a really lovely view....particularly at sunrise and sunset. LOTS of space. There is a large-ish closet area that they advertise as a second bedroom but that's not fair. It's just a couple of bunk beds in a closet with a curtain. Yes, it provides additional beds. No, it is not a second bedroom. There is a bath-and-a-half (full bath and second toilet and sink) but the full bath is somewhat disappointing as it is the same size and layout of a typical stateroom bathroom with a space tube shower (ugh). Nothing special there. It is considered a full suite so we have access to the Suites Lounge and all of the suites' amenities. Breakfast is in Giovanni's on this ship (it's typically in Chops) b/c Chops is on Deck 4, forward and Gios is the only specialty restaurant on deck 11....and it is in an unusual place (instead of being located inside the Windjammer entrance as it is on most VY and FR class ships, the entrance is outside of the WJ). The food and service have been very good. It's a good thing that the VP is considered a full suite b/c we would otherwise be denied access to the Suites' Lounge on this sailing. There are 65 Pinns onboard this sailing (and I'm sure we are #'s 64 and 65 in seniority !). Only the top 30 are permitted in the Suites' Lounge and we certainly are not among those 30...but since we are in a full suite, we are allowed in. As may be expected, the SL is an empty wilderness and the Crown Lounge (CL) (or Clown Lounge as some are calling it) is a whirlwind of chaos. Since the only [public] computers that I am aware of are located in the back of the CL (there are 2), that is where you will find me in the AM. At least there is SOMEwhere to get on a keyboard ! As one would predict, there are many families and children on this sailing but I have not found it to be a concern. Everyone is having a wonderful time and the children are all looking forward to Santa's arrival. There was a show in the theater last night called "Can't Stop the Rock" which we fully intended to attend but failed (we decided that the hot tub would be a better thing to do)....but I heard it was tolerable. We went to the ice show on our last AD sailing so we will probably skip it this time but as I recall, it was very typical of all the ice shows and definitely worth going to if you haven't been before. We have not stepped foot inside the WJ and intend to keep it that way. Our one night of dining in the MDR (so far) was fine. Welcome Aboard is one of my least favorite MDR menus and that happened to be the night that we decided to eat there (having eaten lunch in Chops on boarding day....didn't think 2 big meals in one day would be a good idea). We will also eat in the MDR on Christmas evening and one more time during the last part of the sailing...which night, escapes me at the moment. We have a 3 night dining package plus 2, BOGO which works soooo well for us. Speaking of BOGO I thought I would relay the mechanics of using the BOGO on AD...or at least, on THIS sailing on AD as it never seems to be the same process, even on the same ship ! We ate at Giovanni's last night (night #2) and told the server that this represented the use of the first of our BOGO dinners and that we would be eating in Chops later in the week. Knowing that it is MANDATORY that you pay for your BOGO meals on nights #1 or #2, we requested that the server go ahead and charge us both, full price for our Gio's meal. That utterly confused her....so she called the manager over. The manager finally decided that the thing to do was to call Chops, have them charge us for our [yet-to-be-consumed] Chops BOGO and then when we get to Chops later this week, we will already have pre-paid. PERFECT ! Exactly what we wanted. We paid for our Gio's BOGO and went home full and happy. Later that evening we checked our onboard account. Gio's was charged...but no Chops. UGH. So this morning when enjoying our breakfast in Gio's we queried the manager...what happened to our charge for Chops ? Blank stare. So she got on the phone with someone...the final determination is that they will charge us for the second BOGO when we get to Chops in a few days. WHAAAAT ? I thought the charge had to be completed NLT day 1 or 2 ? It's an utter mystery and it's yet-to-be-seen whether or not this process will actually work but if I get to Chops and have some bill-issue, I will turn full Karen and somebody's going to be sorry. LOL I will report back. This is already waaaytooo long. That's what I get for waiting 3 days. I will catch up later. Merry Christmas to all ! Santa comes tonite !!!!

Is our White Whale of Moby Dick proportions? IDK .. are you counting our financial well-being? Who cares! YOLO!! Who: SweetPea and Batman, two crazy mutual enablers who found about 23 (24, 25?) years ago. Married for most of those. Don't ask me our anniversary. I once proudly told Batman my new ATM PIN, proclaiming, "Get it?! It's our anniversary backwards!" Spoiler: it wasn't. I've not heard the end of it since. What: Our White Whale. Why, you ask? We had 3,462.7 cruises in the Owner's Panoramic canceled during the Covid. Seriously. By March 578th, 2020, I'd had enough, just like the rest of the world. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I made sure of it. When: September 24-October 1, 2023. Too short and will be over too quick, but the ship is our destination so who cares?! (Our itinerary is mundane and boring. We'll only be getting off the ship for PDCC.) Where: Oasis of the Seas (C'mon now. There are only 2 OPs in the entire fleet, so there's a very good chance you'd win that coin toss.) Why: Why not?!! Besides, flying sucks and we can drive to the port! And by drive, i mean be driven. Because who drives on vacation? Is that even a thing?! How: Selling one pickled middle-aged kidney on the dark web. Let's face it, there's a difference between a kidney from a 20-year old athlete and one from a 50-something whose kidney is going to be (a-hem) grape-flavored. Clearly what I'm trying to say is that you could probably book two Star Class rooms with the 20-year-old kidney. Our cost wasn't *that* bad, but should still leave you questioning whether you'd consider us sound financial advisors. Crown&Anchor Level: Brown. I briefly considered making a parody pin that said "Not Pinnacle" with the "not" in very, very small font. I think it'd have been an excellent conversation starter. Pre-cruise Diet: Poor. I planned to lose 30 pounds. I only have 33 to go. Forget that noise. So here we go on our 3.5-year-in-the-making adventure. If you know us, I'm taking a very liberal definition of the term "adventure" here. As in, you shouldn't expect FlowRider reviews from us. That would only happen if they privacy-tented the entire wave pool and literally no one else could see us. I've seen this new TikTok thing all the cool kids are talking about, and going viral for all the wrong reasons would send me into a Brendan Fraser Whale-spin without the need of a fat suit. (Perhaps i should tell you about the time i managed to ATV my way into the middle of a sugar cane field in St. Kitts where the excursion leader pulled me aside and quietly asked if I'd consider a private lesson before allowing the group to continue. That was 20 years and 30 pounds ago and my grace and agility has not aged like the fine wine I enjoy so much. --- That was for the kids in the back who didn't get my grape- flavored kidney joke earlier.) This is our first cruise post-shutdown. We wanted to feel like we were going on vacation, not checking in for a clinical procedure. So we sat out all mandates. We both found them too stressful and opted to wait until the craziness was well on its way to over before we even remotely considered cruising again. This is one of the reasons we're going to the poorhouse post-cruise. I booked this pretty late and didn't partake in opening day prices. However, i got worried this was Oasis's last season in NJ so i bit the bullet and made several payments Batman wouldn't notice so our final bill was more in line with what I thought he could stomach. I can't be the only benevolently devious spouse to do so. If you've done something like this yourself, blink twice. (And, Mindy, if you're reading: You're a SAINT!) For the record, i caught Batman in a good mood one night and asked him the max he'd pay for a week-long cruise in Star Class. Unsurprisingly, it was a *bit* less than the cost of this one. So this is just between us RC Blog family, right? Good thing he thinks this website is Royal.blog.Carribean.me.live.com/reports which he always forgets to find later .... And to any dudes reading, please remember: there is no such idiom as "Bros before blogs." That does not and will never exist.... if i can help it. So, as long as Batman never does find this blog ... Continue to follow along to learn the riveting answers to such burning questions as: how will Anthem Star Class compare to Oasis Star Class? Will we prefer O Class to Q Class in general? Is this Deck 17 we keep reading about an actual Nirvana? What else has the pandemic stolen from us in pre v post shutdown changes? Will we ever want to return to Norwegian Haven? And ultimately, will selling a functioning kidney be worth the experience? Come with us! We'll find out together!

A Voyage for the Ages – VY 7/8/2024 – 7/15/2024 This is the start of our “small ship summer”! Headed off soon on what might be the grandest adventure yet for our family of four. We booked this sailing as soon as it was released (November 2022). Full disclaimer/defense/whatever you want to call it. I am starting this blog just over two weeks early because the next two weeks will be a bit crazy here at home. We are right about to enter Graduation festivities, there's extended family coming from Vancouver, and somewhere in this, we still have to wrap up last minute plans for this trip and the next trip, and pack. My oldest has always wanted to visit Italy and we always knew that we would not take them until they were old enough to truly remember and appreciate it all. That time is now. We have a whole lot to celebrate with this sailing. It’s in part our graduation present to D18 (almost), and we are also celebrating their milestone (16th & 18th) birthdays in August. Hubby and I have not been back to the Med since 2005. I still remember that year I told Hubby we would have to make it a good vacation before we had kids, and here we are, headed back again 19 years later with what might be our last “big” family vacation until I am not sure when. It’s bittersweet for sure. If you haven’t guessed it yet from the tone of this, between everything that we have gone through as family over the last half a year or so, we are determined to YOLO and cherish every moment of this. And knowing that we might not be back to Europe for a very long time, or perhaps not at all with the kids, we really went all out for this one. There was no holding back. So here goes….

We just completed an 8-day cruise on the Odyssey and we had 4 sea days. As you can imagine, the chair hogs were out in full force but Odyssey’s staff were ready. Each pool area had at least two attendants that worked all day long…They were tagging all unoccupied chairs and removing the items if the person didn’t return in time. They were using little yellow stickies to mark the time they placed the tag, the number of chairs and they placed the tag on the chair in a location the person would not notice. The staff got lots of thanks and I only witness one upset lady…She came back three hours later and was upset her stuff was removed. Way to go Royal!!!

And here is proof that I did in fact eat in the WJ. I would eat here more often if every WJ meal was like this!

Antarctica has long been a continent that has intrigued me and what better way to get there than on a cruise? So it is that I find myself about to board the Silver Wind for 18 nights. Departing from Puerto Williams in the South of Chile, Silversea has gathered us in Santiago, Chile as our commercial airport of arrival and departure. From here Silversea has chartered private aircraft to fly us to Puerto Williams to board the ship. This is considered an "Expedition" Silversea cruise so a little different than their "Classic" offering. Encompassing both Christmas and New Years, the itinerary:

Excited to share with you all the CREW NEIGHBORHOOD onboard the Icon Of The Seas! This is an exclusive first look into our home away from home, whilst we work onboard the ship!

On a side note, our loft attendants have been making the most amazing towel animals that I have ever seen on any cruise.

Stealing a magnet for the grandkids? What a terrible excuse for a human. I stopped bringing magnets because of magnet thieves. Still bothers me that people think they can just take other people's hard earned things, even something as small a magnet on a door on a cruise ship. To think she was going to present it to her grandkids so they would look up to her and think what a wonderful person she was for thinking of them while in reality she was nothing but a common thief. Hopefully she is banned from Royal. No room for criminals on board.

Yes, we are on Grandeur, the 4th cruise for us in Sept. We disembark on Thursday and get a whole 7 days at home before going on a 15 night B2B on Mariner ! This cruise has been interesting. As I mentioned elsewhere, this cruise is just overrun with children and I am not one to be bothered with children as a general rule. The weather is making things worse since going outside or getting off the ship is really not an option. The mania in the Centrum and WJ has gotten to me. I think I am done with Grandeur, sadly. The shining spots of this cruise have been the wonderful Staff and the good luck in the casino. …and then, maybe I’m just ready to go home. The internet is slightly better than it was on our 9-2 (Grandeur) sailing but still abysmal. I feel bad for the VOOM staff. I know there’s nothing they can do and they must field the endless complaints and complainers constantly demanding compensation. On the good side, our JS is very comfortable and in a good location, so there’s that ! Tomorrow is PDCC (again !) then back to Tampa and home base for a week. At the end of this one we will have 697 C&A points. Hallelujah !

It seems strange that we are spending so much money eating in ports. We never eat in ports usually. I know You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions that I did not answer already. We are enjoying this cruise a lot! It’s been a lot of laughs and bickering, classic family good times. But this is very different from our usual Caribbean cruises and I think we all find that difference a bit more refreshing. Also, we knew what we were getting into so we set our expectations accordingly. Hubby is getting better. Practice makes perfect. He has his blue band now the last few cruises so he enjoys that a lot more. It’s more quiet when you can go to the stand up sessions. Omg! Something really bad happened tonight. I am going to tell you guys something and hopefully you all don’t think less of me. My family was mortified The suite snob was good. She stayed in the closet while I ate my dinner, made polite conversation with everyone, had two glasses of wine, and then at the very end, one of head waiters came around to check on us. We told him all was good and that our servers were awesome, which they are. Then he asked about the food. 3 of us said everything was great. I could not lie. He asked me and I told him that everything is fine, and the service is fantastic. Then he said he is aiming for 10/10 on food and service. Well…I was at this point smiling and nodding. But he kept pressing asking me what I thought about the food. I could not keep the suite snob in the closet. I went on a long rant/vent, while smiling the whole time, about how we have been sailing since 2002 and the MDR is not as it used to be. Told him how their cost cutting has lead to everything being just mid and no “wow” factor with any of the dishes. I tried hard to reassure him that it does not reflect on their dining room whatsoever, that I understand completely this is a corporate problem, and the “problem” is way bigger than he can fix. Then he called the executive chef on his phone to come speak to us because he said he felt like the chef needed to hear this feedback as well. At this point the kids were so embarrassed they made an excuse to leave. I felt terrible too, but at the same time, I think all the frustration from the changes over the last few years just came out, and I might have lost my filter a bit after two glasses of wine and the martini I had in the suite lounge. Anyway, in the end, they said they want to hear this type of feedback, because like what else are they going to say? And I told him, in the end, I know there is not much they can do because the problem starts with Mr. Liberty and corporate. And then he asked for my cabin number. Omg sorry

I was not going to blog but do a trip report upon conclusion. Sailing June 7, 2024 and there are so many good trip report strands happening. But this is in the Royal Suite 1620 so I thought if I could provide any insight it would serve our amazing community some entertainment. No RUB because none were offered, this is the highest category of cabin. I am packed, no one else even thought about it. Celebrating my kiddos High School graduation as well as she turns 18 during the sail week. I'm enjoying @SweetPea and @OCSC Mike blogs right now. I'm looking forward to finally saying hello in person to @smokeybandit and family as well as @TheoneandonlyMICAH. I am inviting them to please add some experiences here as well. I'll be quiet for now as I have nothing else for now. Here is the reason for the 1620 splurge! See ya real soon!

"CRUISE BIG, OR GO HOME" – OA 3/10/2024-3/17/2024 There once was time, many blogs ago, where I said, “Dreams…that is how many things begin; that is how this adventure began. But with every dream that comes true, there is always a journey.” Anyone remember that blog? It was the one where many claimed I corrupted them (I’m looking at you @GregD lol); it was also truly a dream come true for us. Since that 2019 sailing, we have been blessed beyond measure, and we never take any sailing for granted. But in the midst of all this, there was also a greater dream, a greater wish, that started way before 2019, or even 2016 (when Royal started their Royal Suite Class program) for that matter. This was a dream that began over 14 years ago, in December 2009, when Hubby and I sailed on Oasis of the Seas for her maiden voyage, and I realized that there was a cabin, way up on Deck 17 (this was my pre-suite snob days), corner starboard side, that I wanted to be in one day…#cruisegoals The journey to get to this sailing, in this cabin was a long one. I know I have said it before, but we were not always suite snobs. We have done our share of interiors, ocean views, balconies, etc. Even when I turned into a suite snob, this particular cabin was always out of reach for us. Either financially, or the pandemic took it away, or it wasn’t available, or @Rags1 would not adopt me. What I am trying to say, is that it is not lost on me the road it took us to get here, and how grateful I am that we now have this opportunity, and how this likely will be the only opportunity for this cabin. We are committed to treasuring every moment of this. I have tracked the price of this room over many years. For the times of the year that we can sail (March, July, August, December), March is always the best price for this room. This sailing is also beyond bittersweet. It is more than being able to check off a cruise bucket list item for us and the journey it took us to get here. It’s our final March Break sailing with our oldest. We have been sailing with the girls over March Break for years and there will never be another March Break sailing with all 4 of us together. This is it. That is the main reason why we had to take the leap and do this now. I knew back in December 2009 when I first heard that such a room existed, that I wanted to do it, but not without both kids. With D17 graduating this June, and the uncertainty of her university and life schedule (she will not have a March break that is for certain), it really is now, or likely never. Like a wise @Baked Alaska recently said, “Time is like a thief.” Life is too short; it’s about seizing the moments we have, it’s about not having regrets, and we never want to look back and say, “We wish we would have done it.” With that in mind, Hubby and I decided that YOLO, it’s going to be now, to “Cruise Big”, really big, and then go home.

That’s a wrap for us. The end of an era for our family and our March Break sailings as 4. I will leave you all with a few pics. Our very first March Break sailing on Anthem of the seas. Our very first star class March break sailing back in 2019. Our last March break sailing this week as a family of 4.

We got an Owner's Suite on our 27 November Navigator of the seas cruise for the minimum bid of 190 each. Upgraded from a Jr Suite. Never been in anything above Jr Suite so this will be fun!

I just want to give a big thank you to everyone that answered all my questions and offered advice, you really helped our first cruise experience. We had such a great time that we are set to book our second. Once again everyone, THANK YOU

Does this mean my cruise goes on forever?

What have we been up in our dry dock period from mid-March until now? When I left on the last blog, I said it was "Tis the season for Prom & Grad festivities". April/May sort of flew by. My Dad is doing well and stable. Thank you to those who have reached out to ask. He and my Mom are headed off to a cruise next weekend. That alone brings me so much joy. Watching your first born approach her high school graduation is not for the faint of heart. I don't think I was truly prepared for the emotions that I have been wrestling with over the last few months. We've spent almost two decades trying to raise and protect her, and now we are supposed to learn to let go? Is there a blog or an instruction manual for that? Thankfully, she has decided that she is not leaving us totally just yet. She's going to do her undergrad studies close to home and continue to live at home for the time being. Gives her a bit longer to figure out what she really wants. The President's Entrance Scholarship she was offered doesn't hurt either. Nevertheless, it will be a period of adjustment for all of us. Graduation is next week for my baby who is not a baby any longer. But for the time being, I did promise @Sweety in the last blog that I would provide some Prom photos. Also, no one told me that these things are like weddings now! Another parenting thing I was not prepared for lol

We're doing this? We're doing this. Title: "Cruise Line to Hell" (To the tune of "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC) Verse 1: No more Skagway, hello Strait Point, Where's the fun? This ain't the joint. Paid in full, but just dismay, Royal Caribbean, you'll pay someday! I wanted glaciers, but got a mall, Quantum of the Seas, you drop the ball. No grand ice sights, just a brief peek, Promised close-ups, but it's all weak. Chorus: I'm on a cruise line to hell! Cruise line to hell! Royal Caribbean, what the sell? I'm on a cruise line to hell! Verse 2: Buffet lines, wait your turn, Eating tilapia, watch my stomach churn. Hard cookies, tasteless cake, This gourmet trip is super fake. Shows with feathers, sparkly mess, Weird contests, what a stress. Paid extra for a cupcake bake, Paying for bingo, give me a break! Chorus: I'm on a cruise line to hell! Cruise line to hell! Quantum of the Seas, ringing the bell, I'm on a cruise line to hell! Bridge: Rooms so tight, can't even sneeze, Found a sock, "More towels, please!" Asked four times for a tissue box, This luxury cruise really rocks... Not! Verse 3: Activities? Oh, what a joke, Origami with no paper, they must be broke. Piano bar with a pay-to-play, "Five bucks a song," what did he say? Customer service, don't hold your breath, No answers given, it's all a mess. Post my review, let the truth swell, Warn all the others about this hell. Chorus: I'm on a cruise line to hell! Cruise line to hell! Never again, oh, can't you tell? I'm on a cruise line to hell! Cruise line to hell! Royal's nightmare, a ringing bell, On this cruise line... straight to hell! Outro: So heed my tale, you wanderlust crew, Choose your cruise line wisely, or you're screwed too!

Intro I don't normally start blogs early since I don't have any flights, hotels, or packing shenanigans to share. We live an hour's drive from PC and I finish packing the morning of the cruise but here goes anyway. BTW, while this intro post will be long, I do plan to try my best to keep my reports from the ship much shorter and spread out rather than long daily recaps. We'll find out how successful I am when the time comes. We sailed Wonder last June with family and absolutely loved the ship... but it was not our usual cruise M.O. as we were freeloading in Sky Class and spent A LOT of time in the suite neighborhood with the fam. Semi-live blog here if anyone hasn't read it and wants to: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/41233-semi-live-trip-report-wonder-june-4-11/. Cabin Since it's just me and my wife, we're back in one of our beloved caves... err... interiors on deck 10. We like being somewhere in between the higher and lower decks to avoid elevators in either direction when possible so 10 seemed to fit the bill. We actually have three more Wonder cruises booked after this one and they're all in roughly the same area, deck 10 forward near the elevators. I chose forward after noticing from YouTube cabin videos that many (all?) aft interiors don't even have the small couch, just a tiny chair with a strange layout. I may not need a fancy room but I do like the little couch so forward it is. Food Anyone who reads my posts knows I like to eat and do so off and on from the early AM throughout the day and into the evening. Between frugality and my picky wife, the only specialty dining we have planned is Mason Jar brunch on day 3 (LOVED it in June and it was 40% off during the Black Friday sale) and one dinner in Playmakers b/c we love the burgers and garlic parm fries there. Breakfast and lunch could be wherever (likely not the MDR) and our other dinners will mostly be in the MDR (early seating). We didn't step foot in the WJ for dinner last time b/c we were always busy going from CK to a show. We will definitely pop in there this time, even if it's after the MDR, and if my wife finds something appealing, we could wind up skipping the MDR for a night or two and just heading there (@Lovetocruise2002's worst nightmare, I know). Shows We saw every show offered in June (including the now retired Tap Factory) so this time around the only shows we will definitely see are the ice show (our new favorite) and adult comedy b/c obviously that changes with the comics. We will probably see InTENse (aqua show) again just for the heck of it and if there's a headliner and it's an act we feel like seeing, we could go to that. The app shows singers on the last couple and next week's Wonder cruises and that's not something we'd bother with. I'm actually looking forward to not having plans every night so we can just find something random to do... game show, music at a bar, watching Karaoke, etc. Ports Day 2: CocoCay - We'll be parked at our favorite spot by the Oasis Pool making frequent trips to the nearest Snack Shack and Chill Grill while using a few Diamond vouchers. We could have tried Hideaway Beach for $19.99pp, which I know is a very low price, but other than the additional food options (of which my wife would eat none unless she wanted plain pizza), it held no appeal to us and I'd rather spend $40 at Playmakers or Mason Jar. We've always been very happy with the included food on CocoCay. Day 4: St. Thomas - No plans as we don't dock until 12:30pm and finding an afternoon excursion wasn't appealing to us. We may just stay on the ship unless we decide to take a quick walk around the port. Day 5: St. Martin - We're going back on Captain Bob's powerboat snorkeling tour after loving it 7 years ago. If you're not familiar, I highly recommend it as it has a little bit of everything... fun fast boat ride, tour of the island by sea, a couple snorkeling stops, a couple beach stops, a stop near Maho Beach to see the planes, plus lunch and beverages (mostly beer and soft drinks) included. Bob and his kids are from New York and moved to the island a long time ago. His son, Brett, was our boat captain in 2017 and I requested to sail with him again. Here's their website if you're interested... https://www.soualigadestinations.com/most-popular-tour-for-cruise-ship-visitors/. Like many things, I first chose this as something we could both enjoy. My wife is far more into snorkeling than I am but I can handle it in small doses and I'm content to chill on the boat with a drink if I get tired of it before she does. I also like that it has multiple stops. The only time I park myself on a beach is if there's shade and food/drink included (like CocoCay or a beach club). Milestone I almost forgot, we will be turning D+ on this cruise, woohoo! Shipmates @GatorCruiser will be on this cruise and has promised to pop in with his own commentary. He'll also be posting from the luxurious trappings behind the (rarely) locked glass doors of deck 17. @Matt will also be onboard with his kids for spring break (same as my teacher wife's as we live very close to him) and he's more than welcome to drop in if he wants to grace us with his presence. At the very least, I hope to run into him just to say hi but I'm an introvert IRL and I don't want to impose since he'll be with his family. Not sure I'll have much to share between now and then. I don't think this intro was TOO long-winded by my standards and, again, I will truly try to keep my posts from the ship shorter and more spread out. Looking forward to bringing you all along as I definitely feel more like a part of the community since I've been posting so much over the past however many months.

I think we definitely got the “genie special” this afternoon! I have to say, I am not easily surprised but I did not see this one coming! When getting drinks with @recogneyes, she asked me if we had been to the pub. I said no and that we are not huge fans of the pub in general. She said we have to at least pop by for a visit to see the pub signer because he is really good. Later then evening, we ran into @recogneyes again at playmakers, and Stephen, the pub signer was there. She introduced us and we said will try to find time to see him. If you are wondering where I am going with this, keep reading… Today is a sea day, and Shane overheard us saying last night that we might do El Loco today. He suggested that we do a delivery because it might be busy and our kids never get anywhere early. When we came back to our room to eat, this is what we found.

Stolen from same post...

This may a TLDR situation, but I am going to mention it all!!! This is a group cruise, in regard to planning it has been the group cruise from hell. Planning for the group is always a mess because apparently nobody has any money, but they do have money, they would rather just waste/spend my money. I communicate with everyone by an email chain. I found out that only my brother, the new vintage, and my mother's bff actually reads them. Whenever I send one, I eventually get a call from everyone else asking me to explain things. It is frustrating because now I know why there are issues. Last year we went on Odyssey, and it was six of us and a bit of a mess. Still fun, but a mess. While on Odyssey everyone, not me, decided they wanted to sail Allure again because that first group cruise was the best. The reason was because it was a longer vacation since we did WDW/Universal and a cruise. Allure was sailing out of Texas and everyone, not me, thought it would be great to do a road trip there and extend the vacation. It was off to Next Cruise to secure 3 aft balconies and a little bit of OBC. We got of Odyssey the week before thanksgiving, so I waited until Dec to start looking for the best way to do this road trip. My brother suggested getting a luxury RV, that way we could take the hotel stays off the docket. We found a really nice 2020 Fleetwood Bounder that slept 8 people. I emailed the owner and asked about pricing and details. He agreed to rent it to us for 15 (two weeks or more gets a discounted day rate) days at $185/day, a $500 deposit and the cost of insurance and all the incidentals. Which would include gas, water, propane, and Wi-Fi to name a few. I put the deposit down at that price. In Jan after I came back from cruising, I emailed the guy to see about adding on 2 more days, the vintages wanted it. He stated that would be fine and then sent a doctored email that said I had agreed to $320/day and a $1000 deposit. It went from being $3,275 plus insurance to $5,800 plus insurance. It was literally an email that he went into the thread and changed the amounts, as if I didn't have the original email. I was shocked because that wasn't what we agreed to, and I told him that. He said he raised the prices because he was renting the RVs more and if I didn't want to pay that, he would return my deposit and rent it to someone else for $500/day. I cancelled. At this point it was too late to try to rent anything at a decent price. I wasn't too keen on doing a road trip with four vintage women anyway. But a lot of them were disappointed. They wanted to just take cars and do the road trip, which I told them to do but I wasn't going to plan it because I could no longer get the time for it off. I heard a lot and dealt with lots of mood swings and such. My bff was very disappointed because he was amped for the road trip, and he really hates flying. So, he asked if we could catch the train or something. I looked into catching the train to Texas and........sure enough Amtrak goes. I would have preferred to fly but it was looking to be $600+ each plus the high Lyft/Uber cost from IAH. The train ride would be a full 24hrs and that seems like a lot but I asked around and everyone was excited. I was actually able to score a group rate of $150, each, round-trip on the Texas Eagle. We take the train to Longview and then a bus takes us to Galveston. The train normally leaves on time, but my brother and I are on the fence when it comes to the bus. We decided as a precaution we would rent two vehicles in Longview to complete the drive just in case we miss the bus. We would rather eat the cancellation fee, than to worry about trying to get a car the day of. Our train leaves on Friday the 13th and we are scheduled to arrive on Saturday the 14th at 2pm. The bus stop is pretty central to the port so that is a good thing. Our hotel is also not that far from the port. Now on to the tomfoolery of planning with vintages and wishy-washy Bffs. I booked the rooms with a reduced deposit at NC. It was supposed to be six of us going but my mother's bff wanted her bff to come, so I put a random name on my mother's room to account for her and so they could have a 3+ room in case she did come. Nobody but my brother gave me their deposit money. They complained about the MDR the entire Odyssey sailing and regretted saying no to the UDP. They all said they wanted the UDP, internet, and some sort of beverage package for this cruise. I got the UDP during the BF sale for myself, my brother and mother. Then my mother's bff finally told me she was bringing her bff and she gave me the deposit and UDP money for them both. Right after vintage number 4 confirmed my mother informed me that she had invited a stranger along. Said stranger was a guy she met online a little over a decade ago. She Skypes with him and tells him all about our vacations and he always wanted to cruise. She volunteered me to book his cruise and all of the other stuff. The group went from 6 to 8. This guy is legally blind and lives in New York. I helped him pay for his room and UDP through Royal and I just linked him with all of the rest of us. My mother thought we should just let him fly to Texas and then one of us go to the airport and pick him up. I had to explain to her why that was a dumb idea. I had to explain we were taking the train. There was no telling when we would get in. So, yes, let's just leave a legally blind vintage at the airport without any assistant for who knows however long. Plus we were looking at $90+ each way in rideshare cost. They don't ever want to spend no money, but you want to tack on two rideshare cost each way? After a bit of back and forth he will fly to Chicago the night before and ride the train with us. I let everyone know FP was in July and if I had to make FP, I was going to charge them all interest because as it was, I was on the hook for all purchases in total for 4 people. Now I talk to my Bff quite often but somehow, he waited until June to say he and his mother couldn't go. I was pissed. I asked him several times if he was sure, and he said yes. I had to call and configure the rooms. The cost of the cruise had doubled, and I didn't want to trigger a reprice, so I swapped out names, so the two of them would be on the same reservation that would cancel once I didn't make payment. I was later told that my bff was mad because they assumed I would pay for them to go and allow them to pay me later. I did this the first and second cruise/vacation and wasn't doing it again. I informed everyone we would now be six. I normally make FP two-weeks before it was due but decided to wait until it was a week away. This was just in case they changed their mind and sure enough I heard from them 10 days before FP. My mother speculated that they tried to book something on their own and realized all the deals I got them and called to ask if it was completely cancelled. I said no but the consequences were they would have to share a room. My bff doesn't like sharing a room with his mother......at all. They made FP and the trip was on.

I don't mind an increase in gratuities, but what I do mind is that they are increasing and taking away services. Staterooms are cleaned once per day now and they want me to tip more. I know that is a FWP for me the consumer to want fresh towels 2x per day but it is cruise standard, so I would like it done if I am paying more. I generally leave more money in the stateroom after the cruise anyway, but this kind of irritates me.

Okay after all the hubbub we are on here. I have a lot to catch up on. This sailing has 6720 pax so getting things squared away has been a hassle. I almost got all the times but Izumi was not happening.

The survey asking if we will pay money for Sorentos made me think why to stop there. Here some more creative ideas for RCL: Weight the plates in the WJ and pay by the pound. Want Emuster ? Pay extra otherwise you are back to the regular crowded muster. All cabin doors to be removed , want privacy ? It's extra, diamonds will get free transparent shower curtains, D+ will get free transparent door and pineapples will get a real door but without a latch. Quest challenge lidt can be purchased the day before , same for Love and Marriage. Tender boat tickets will cost money, people will be able to swim to port for free. For dinner time you can choose between 5 to 5:15 PM , want another slot ? It's extra. Extra charge the comedy show if you don't want to be the star of the show. Jacuzzi will be coin operated, the good news, you can use your key to charge it to you room. The flowrider will still be free you just need to pay if you want it filed with water. At the end of the cruise at the exit you will need to be weight , every extra pound you gain during the cruise will be charged. Charge 4500$ for a 7 hour use of the over the water cabanas , oh wait ...

Record earnings! Best quarter ever! You hear this and you think "Whew!" Maybe now they can stop the death by a thousand cuts that is killing my desire to book anything new. Nope! Let's see how fast and how far they can gut the core experience. This company under Mr. Liberty has me very much questioning my loyalty to cruising in general. They are going to keep pushing this and in five years they are going to wonder why all the repeat business has dried up.

We are the opposite. This photo pretty much sums it up. Taken 2 years ago when it was hard to cruise over the pandemic and we stayed in Canada.

We have about 4 hours left of our flight. We all passed out for a bit but now awake and probably not going back to sleep because I don’t want to throw off my schedule too much tonight. Now seems like a good time to sum of some of my final thoughts. To echo what many of you have already said, from beginning to end, this trip has been nothing short of amazing. It is hard to put into words how incredibly grateful we are to have had this opportunity with the girls. Something we will all cherish for the rest of our lives. I was just going through all our photos earlier and Barcelona was only two weeks ago, but yet seems like ages ago. So this trip has felt long, but yet also whizzed by if that makes sense. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, despite the heat, and the messed up shore excursion, it’s just all part of the memories now. And we cherish them all. As a family, we have come to several conclusions. We will be very careful when picking where to go in the future during the summer months. The last few days in Rome were pretty rough with the heat and I think if we were going to head to the hotter ports of Europe, we would wait a few years and do it in the cooler months. The heat and the massive crowds do make it less enjoyable. If we were to head back to Europe in the next few years before I retire, then we would do Northern Europe itineraries instead. We loved our experiences with LivTours. I am now convinced that for “must see” destinations, private tours is the way to go. The flexibility and the speed at which you can move is worth it. And it really is like having your own local person taking you around, they know all the tricks and things to avoid, right down to which water fountains to avoid (because of lines) and how to move through the crowds, and which restaurants have AC lol. And LivTours is a fantastic company to work with in pre-planning as well. I think that is all for now. Thank you all for coming along with us. The more the merrier. I am sorry that in the last few days I was only able to update at the end of the day. It was just the nature of the day long tours and the exhaustion that followed. I am happy though that I managed to keep this blog “Live” and not fall off. I have never done that before and wasn’t about to start now I will admit it was challenging though this time. We are exhausted, but we are so thankful, and Hubby and I are off again in one week from today!

About last night…

Room tour! Main entry Downstairs bedroom and Bathroom Main living area Upper level Balcony

Veteran cruisers know to store their suitcases under the bed, thus eliminating space for stateroom attendant to hide.

My first thought upon seeing that subject line was that you could now book cruises on Amazon and I got excited (since I get 5% back on Amazon purchases)

Happy to share with you all that I will be joining Icon Of The Seas later this year, and I will be a part of the start-up team. I look forward to seeing all of you who have booked a cruise for 2024! I'm excited to make video on the newest, biggest, and best ship in the world!

@WAAAYTOOO and @RCL_Cruiser_Dan Christmas cruise on Adventure

Why is this hidden here in this section?! I am moving it to "Live Blogs". People are blogging Royal and X over there, so might as well add Silversea to the list! And this is an amazing, bucket list itinerary!

Silversea included the hotel stay in my fare both pre-cruise and post-cruise. For this occasion they used the Mandarin Oriental in Santiago. The view with the Andes mountains in the background.

Some final thoughts…Itinerary All 4 of us loved this itinerary!! Completely loved it! Not one single complaint other than we wished we had longer at certain locations. We all had different favourite ports this sailing for different reasons. My favourite was Boston, followed closely by Bar Harbor, Portland, Saint John, and then Halifax. My top “Wow! I am speechless” port was probably at the sea caves in St Martins. My favourite eating port was probably a toss up between Boston and Portland. Hubby really loved Bar Harbor. That was his favourite. And he and the girls really loved Peggy’s Cove. D17 is a city girl like me, so one of her favourites was also Boston. D15 being a nature girl, loved Cadillac Mountain, the sea caves, and yesterday at Peggy’s cove. I would 100% do this itinerary again. And I would 100% do it again on a non-Oasis/QN class ship. Reason being that because it is so port intensive, and you are literally out all day in port, the evenings you just want to chill. I would have not liked to have to dress up for dinner, and catch some show at the theatre, Aqua Theater, or whatever each evening. This sailing just reaffirms our decision to do the Western Med on Voyager next year instead of Oasis. The small ships have less entertainment, but for port intensive itineraries, I like that. It takes away the pressure to have to do something, or feel like you are missing something. Most nights all 4 of us just had dinner and came back to the room to relax and process the day. It was different than our usual cruising routine, but perfect for the type of sailing that this was.

Regarding whether or not a staff member actually keeps the cash tips or puts them into a combined fund...I have finally decided that it isn't my business and I don't really worry about it. I leave the tip I'm going to leave and what happens to it after it leaves my hand is irrelevant to me. Sure, I would rather have the person who provided me the service get the money, but the tip sharing policy is not something that I have any control over. The only thing I can control is whether or not I leave a tip, so I do. I follow this "rule" whether it's a bartender or a meal server. I tip at every meal whether I eat at a specialty restaurant or the Windjammer. 99% of the time I leave my tip on the table and depart the pattern. What happens to that money after I leave is, and will always remain, a mystery. It's simply none of my business.

I received an email a day or so ago to advertise a new partnership between Royal Caribbean and Brightline rails. This email highlights an interesting option for getting from South Florida to Port Canaveral (and vise versa) that includes transport from the train station to Port Canaveral. I knew of the rail option, of course, but always wondered how I would get from the train station (Orlando) to the port. Apparently Royal/Brightline has solved that problem ! This is not an option I can use at the moment since we do not yet have a Brightline station near my home but I think it was recently announced that a Brightline station will be added at Ft Pierce, which would be close enough to Port St Lucie to make it doable for us, eventually. At any rate, for those who could take advantage of this new option, here is what I received via email. Ride Brightline And save 15% with code ROYAL15 Royal Caribbean® has partnered with Brightline to make your boarding experience in Port Canaveral as seamless and stress-free as possible. Brightline is the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America and right now you can save 15% on SMART fares when you use the code ROYAL15 at checkout. Select from 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando, with quick stops at West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura. Start your vacay right and book your Brightline tickets now. BOOK NOW We'll shuttle you to the ship Port Canaveral is approximately 45 minutes away from the Orlando Brightline station. Make this transfer a breeze by booking a shuttle directly with Royal Caribbean. Call us at 866-562-7625 to book today.

Rooms were ready when we boarded..they were giving out complimentary champagne in the Promenade. We went to drop off our carryon in the room..and swag and C&A amenities were on the bed.

Well I made it to the station, much worse for wear than I thought Unfortunately bff's mom was weak and had a spill. She is okay and didn't break anything but she cancelled. I've never dealt with a no-show so that's going to be a new experience. We checked bags, omg so many bags for 7 people. The blind gent can barely see, like he only recognized me because of all the purple. My mother is already having mood swings. Also the new vintage is a lot. She ranks on carnival and she brought a speaker to play music I think it is so uncouth to play music for others to hear in public spaces......plus I'm a grunge girl

This was spotted in the MDR galley on liberty

Was there a "oh hell no" option?