WONDERing about Paradise Beach, Crowded CocoCay, and Aqua Nation - July 14-21, 2024

Well this is new at PC, AFAIK…

Apparently it's not so new as others have gotten it at various ports...  except they didn't actually have an express boarding lane, lol.

We'll see if Terminal 1 does tomorrow (T5 reportedly didn't have one as of today). Boarding goes so incredibly fast at PC it's not really a big deal.

Back to packing...

My wife is basically done. I haven't unzipped my empty suitcase yet but I have everything sitting out or hanging up and it just needs to be folded and packed.

In other words, we're on our normal schedule.

Speaking of normal schedules… my sleep schedule is screwed up as usual and I didn’t sleep much last night.  

Let’s pretend it’s just excitement b/c it’s cruise day!

I’ll let my wife sleep a little longer then finish packing, have my last cup of cheap, basic coffee for a week and get on the road in a couple hours.

Happy Cruise Day!

Whoop whoop It’s cruise day! Made it to hotel last night, couldn’t get on the blog

We also received Express Boarding! Have 10:30 check in so we’ll see.

I’m happy and thankful that you keep checking the app and posting the updates! That way I stayed informed

Happy cruise day @OCSC Mike! 

14 minutes ago, Cruising Granny said:

I’m happy and thankful that you keep checking the app and posting the updates! That way I stayed informed

Last update for ya... sadly Aqua Nation was not in the app yesterday and I didn't ask anyone onboard or see any posts about it. I'll just expect the worst and hope for the best.

Packing done. Off the the port in a bit b/c we get there exceedingly early.

Will update about express boarding and if there's a queue outside the doors with separate arrival time sections like last month (assuming we get there before the doors are open again).

Happy Cruise Day!!!!!!!

it’s cruise day!!!!

Am excited to follow along, like your other blogs.  I know it's not your first time on Wonder but each cruise brings new adventures and new things. I've said it before but I also love how much you love Wonder as it makes us all excited and happy for you.  Have a wonderful cruise (which of course you will).

Happy cruise day! 🛳

Have an awesome cruise. Keep the good pics coming especially Mason Jar.

Enjoy !!

I’m interested in your paradise beach experience. May consider that option down the road when we’re in Cozumel now that nachi cocom seems to not be everyone’s recommendation anymore.  

Waiting for boarding to begin.

Bad news: only one lane was open to park in the garage so there was a backup until we were maybe 6 cars away, then they opened the others and we went right through. Not really a big deal.

Good news: Express boarding is up & running. The agent told us it actually started a few weeks ago.

We have a 1030 boarding time on Wonder 2 weeks from today. Did you have to apply or purchase the express boarding pass?

Some new decorations my wife snapped pics of. Will post a few Utopia decorations from the terminal later. About to board and terminal wifi is a bit slow.

By 10:36am we had already made a BOGO reservation for Giovanni’s tonight & finished muster. Stopped at Mason Jar for my 1st Mississippi Moonlight (drank some before the pic, oops) now sitting in a pretty empty WJ.

Are you guys doing MJ brunch? Or will you be braving the WJ /ELF?

That's good about the express boarding. I hope FLL gets it soon. I loved it when I had it in Miami.

46 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Are you guys doing MJ brunch?

Yes but not til day 3. Small-ish lunch before GK tonight.

Wife made yet another chocolate dessert concoction in WJ to take up to ELF so I could have more lunch & get a jalapeño pineapple margarita (always patron in honor of @Lovetocruise2002 of course).

ELF was kinda sad, no steak (fine, I’ve seen that enough times), and no sour cream either. Have to assume it will be restocked at some point today.

It was super empty though. Can already tell there are so many new  cruisers with no clue.

Empty Mason Jar earlier (trying to take pics of something other than food & drink)…

Utopia decorations from the terminal…

With nothing to do until cabins are ready at 1:00, we grabbed some of the nicer Solarium loungers in front of the a/c vents just as Symphony (minus @SweetPea) arrived.

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Good news: Express boarding is up & running. The agent told us it actually started a few weeks ago.

Excellent !!

So, how does the Express boarding matrix in with the other categories ?  Does Express go after the Suites/Pinns but before GenPop ?  That's what I would expect.  How about the Key ?  How is Express in relation to the Key folks ?

7 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So, how does the Express boarding matrix in with the other categories ?  Does Express go after the Suites/Pinns but before GenPop ?  That's what I would expect.  How about the Key ?  How is Express in relation to the Key folks ?

I hate to disparage express boarding but it really didn’t do much of anything for us tbh. Instead of going to the big long counter where you normally show your passport & set sail pass, we went to an emptier area towards the seats where you wait for boarding & got to quickly check-in (not that it ever takes very long at PC). After that, nothing changed. We were amongst the first to board after anyone with status/key but we always are just by getting to the port early. It’s really more like express check-in, IMO, not express boarding.

Always enjoy the restroom art on Wonder so took a few pics as it was empty.

My god is there anything better and more exciting than embarkation day? I’m juiced just reading these posts!! 

4 hours ago, DLive said:

We have a 1030 boarding time on Wonder 2 weeks from today. Did you have to apply or purchase the express boarding pass?

It's free. Here's how to get it: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/05/20/royal-caribbean-express-boarding-review

Rooms ready within 5 minutes of 1:00 as usual. This ship/port runs like a well-oiled machine (except for ELF missing stuff but can’t have everything).

As mentioned in my intro (sorry it was so long, didn’t realize at the time, don’t blame anyone who said TLDR & waited for the actual cruise), we have the balcony-esque layout like we had in March and it has much more storage than the other interior layout (wardrobes with hanger bars on both sides of the bed). I’m almost positive I’ll try to make sure we have this type if possible once I see pics of Utopia & confirm it has the same alternating layout.

Random thoughts as we’re back in the Solarium with the a/c vents blasting us (I wouldn’t be in here otherwise). Wife is busy reading a book… and just said she’s cold, lol.

-Meant to mention this earlier… Mason Jar was offering BOGO for dinner tonight for anyone on the ship.

-Didn’t see our stateroom attendant yet so not sure if it’s the same guy from last month like we hope.

-Unsurprisingly, everyone seems lost. The % of pre-gold & gold at Top Tier may be even higher than I expected.

-Nowhere we have been has been remotely crowded. Went to Park Cafe to fill travel bottles with strawberry kiwi water… empty. They still have classic yellow Lays & blue salt n vinegar (yellow makes wife happy, lol).

-I think we have the same MDR table # as last cruise. Won’t know til tomorrow night.

-Popped into Solarium Bistro to get ranger cookies for when cabins were ready & wound up having some ceviche looking seafood salad that was surprisingly good for buffet food. That was my last bite until Giovanni’s.

-Will likely have one more drink while lounging here & wife will have a daiquiri… 4 vouchers by 3:00 on embarkation day is a decent start for us.

-Like last time, we’re going without internet between sail away and the morning to maximize our D+ discount so I’ll disappear in a bit and recap dinner & the evening either when my insomnia kicks in or sometime in the morning. We’re going to see some juggler at 9:45 just because & tomorrow is CocoCay.

Hope I’m not over-rambling. I’m confident I won’t post nearly this much all cruise.

Off to the bar…

No cup clips, they’re back in the cabin resting for CocoCay.

Guy next to me tried to pay cash for a drink & didn’t understand why the bartender wanted his “room key.”  

2 hours ago, GatorCruiser said:

My god is there anything better and more exciting than embarkation day? I’m juiced just reading these posts!! 

Same...I'm only a few days away and these posts and pics are really amping me up.

  I know you're there early,But I'm still amazed at how empty everything looks. Enjoy sailaway and hope you have a great first night!

2 minutes ago, ScottD said:

know you're there early,But I'm still amazed at how empty everything looks.

I’m the one who preaches “there’s nothing crazy about WJ when it first opens” but yeah, this is pretty extreme.  I’m not complaining though. 

Just need most people/kids to sleep in a bit tomorrow so CocoCay doesn’t get crazy for a couple hours with Allure there. The water park, beach club, and every form of cabana & beach bed were completely sold out so maybe that will keep the Oasis Lagoon a little more bearable.

6 minutes ago, ScottD said:

Enjoy sailaway and hope you have a great first night!

Thanks. I plan to be so full from dinner that I won’t care how lame the juggler is, lol.

 I noticed on Freedom that not too many people take advantage of the specialty dining, but wow BOGO Mason jar would have been clutch. 

The drinks look good. Its 92 degrees in Chicago and a frozen something would hit the spot. I have a blender, but I don't want to do the work.

7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

With nothing to do until cabins are ready at 1:00, we grabbed some of the nicer Solarium loungers in front of the a/c vents just as Symphony (minus @SweetPea) arrived.

 

Rub it in! I still have 35 days to go!

Have fun! And use those vouchers!!

7 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So, how does the Express boarding matrix in with the other categories ?  Does Express go after the Suites/Pinns but before GenPop ?  That's what I would expect.  How about the Key ?  How is Express in relation to the Key folks ?

when we sailed out of MIA, we queued up in line outside the terminal doors right next to pinns/suites. you know that door section to the right. they allowed us in around the same time as suites/pinns, but we did NOT get to take the coveted elevators to the suite checkin lounge

so we bypassed the bulk of the 10:30am and on folks, breezed through the lines and our checkin person, and were at the x-ray part of security very quickly. 

then they farm you into seats where you’re staged to wait. 

they let b2b on first > then suites >then pinns > key > then you sort of get waved up when there is a lull. 

i would say it probably shaved a good 30 mins off our boarding and gave us a jump start when were in gen pop last time. 

and its free, so… no complaints. 

but i was very happy they let the key on first because if we’d gotten on before key folks, that would have been A MESS. 

G glad you got off to a good start on your first day.! We have 55 days to go and I’m excited hearing about your day today.

Love your wife’s desserts. I’ve been known to do similar dessert hacks myself a time or two.

We don’t tend to do a lot of specialty restaurants, but I’d have found that Mason Jar BOGO worth considering.

Excited to follow along with you this week. Makes it feel closer to our turn.

Could you please post the entertainment schedule (again) for this week? I have the one from your last time on Wonder but I’d like to be able to compare. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see changes, especially in ours for September. I know things like comedians and headliners will most likely be different. You’d think they would know in advance what shows will be playing when - or maybe they’ve decided to keep the show schedule a secret until the last minute so people like me who they’ve trained to book the shows in advance go crazy waiting for the schedule to come out.