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Day4 Today port was La Spezia. We slept late today until 8:30 am as we have not booked any tour.From all our stops in Italy La Spezia is my favorite one as it’s a nice small city which you can tour around without any issues. To go to the port gate, you must take a shuttle bus as ship passengers are not allowed to walk inside the port. Las Spezia is also the gate to Pisa (45 minutes ride) and Florence (90 minutes ride) .If you never been to Florence I would highly recommend to take a tour to this renascence city with many amazing sites to visit.Pisa on the other hand have only one attraction, and yes it is the leaning tower of Pisa , you come , you take the photo (with thousands of other people) you pose as if you support the tower and create a face book picture exactly like million people before you ? So I would go to Pisa only on the way to Florence. Another excellent option would be visiting Cinque Terre , its actually villages that are built on the cliff , they are very colorful and best view from the sea side although visiting one of them over the land is very nice.You can always take the tour from the ship but if you want to save some money you can find some tours operator in the port (There are many vendors inside the port building).The train station is 15-20 minutes from the port. The best way to save money (for sure if you have 4 people in your group) will be to rent a car and drive were ever you want, for example you can drive to one of the small towns near by, park outside (parking available on the road side using parking tickets machines, make sure you bring enough euro coins) , please note some of the villages/towns are not allow cars inside. or even travel to Pisa (many parking near by). If you choose to rent a car please note , most of the cars that are offered in Italy (and in many other Europe countries) has manual transmission , the automatic one are the more luxurious cars. Car rental with insurance (automatic transmission) will cost around 100$ per day. There are several rental cars in the city , I think the nearest one is the Avis which is 15 minute walk from the shuttle dropped. I used this option last time I visit this port (We were group of four), I rented the car few month ahead, took the shuttle , walked to the renting facilities and picked the car (do not expect to see US car renting like facilities , its actually travel agency with cars parked on the street). Once I picked the car I returned to the port to pick the rest of the group, It was quite easy. For sure it will be helpful if you will have access to Waze or other navigating application. If you just want to stay around the town you can walk and enjoy the seaside some parks and local restaurants There are many shopping option around (usually small shops) , remember shops can be closed between 1:30 PM To 3 or 4 PM for siesta time. . There is also a mall in walking distance (1 mile from the shuttle drop). We walked in the city for a while and at the end we went to the mall to complete some of the must things in Italy : Eat a pizza, drink espresso, eat a pasta and eat authentic Italian ice cream. There were many shops which offered mid session discounts ,My spouse bought some shoes and some T-shirts while I went to the supermarket (the local Walmart) and bought some aged balsamic vinegar and wine. We eat a wired combo of pizza which come with soft drink and espresso then went back to the ship (walking). I love to be on the ship during port day , excellent time to relax and use the different facilities, its also a good option to take some pictures. For dinner, we choose this time the WJ. They had a lovely chocolate fountain, but I should have complained to someone that they located it in front of the window which facing the sun, it is bad for taking pictures, how inconsiderateness of them. Later we went to sea the new ice show 1877, we came 10 minutes before and found some front seat , I must say they excel themselves , it was amazing , the effects is something out of the world although the level of skating was less than other shows over the different ships , maybe they need to run it for a while. Here some pictures from the show , for better quality you will need to wait for @twangster Trans Atlantic cruise in October \ \ Some observations: Internet is fast all around the ship, We have only 5100 people on board which can explain how there are always tables available in the WJ (tip , try to go to the middle of the WJ) The break room is not available yet. The CD is Michelle , BB is on the ship but he is not doing the morning show or most of the activities . The ship looks really well maintained and not showing her age at all

Stumbled across this on the RC site - couple of nice little time lapses of Indy being positioned in dock for the refurb. https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/

Passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas have received a letter from the captain warning them of the possibility of a pirate attack as the cruise ship sails through the Gulf of Aden. See letter attached for further information.

Today is a busy day. We are scheduled to see We will Rock You, Spectra’s Cabaret, and weather permitting- the North Star. We are heading back north. Here are a few photo’s from our balcony yesterday.

We used some onboard credit on lunch today at Izumi.

Well, there goes my good drunk I had been working on.... Says the guy who hasn't moved from the Schooner Bar in hours...

I think I’ve seen Pirate Republic recently at my local craft beer store. I’ll have to look again when I make my regular run on Friday. Definitely enjoying this blog! Keep up the great work! As far as putting text between your photos, if you’re posting from your phone then you can try this way: 1. Go to the link at the bottom of the posting are to upload pictures, and pick all the ones you want to upload. 2. Don’t tap the + on the pictures to add them to your post right away, just start typing until you want to add a picture. 3. Scroll back down to your uploaded pics and tap the + on the pic(s) you want to add, but only those pics 4. Your keyboard should still be active, but if not just tap below the last pic you added, press Enter, and keep on typing until you want to add the next pic(s) 5. Repeat 3 and 4 until the post is good to go. You can also insert text between pics you already added to a post by tapping next to one of them while the keyboard is active. The cursor should start blinking next to the pic, at which point you can just rep Return on the keyboard twice to put a new paragraph between pics. Tap on the paragraph you just inserted and type away. Hope this helps!

And that's another 2 am daily activity: It's a good example how big the ship is

When you're a baby. That's it. At least that's what I have found to be true so far

Napoli

Our final stop was across from the docks. It is the only craft beer factory on the island. A pretzel was the food item.

I have never created a thread and this is day 3, but I did want to share some of the pieces of my cruise. We boarded Antgem of the Seas on Saturday. From the time we arrived to drop off our luggage at 11:15, to the time we stepped on the Anthem it was just under 30 minutes. I think we just lucked out? We were stopped as we entered the terminal. There was a station where they checked our documents, re-took one photo and stamped our set sail passes. We then were able to walk right through the “stamped” security check point. After hearing about the lines in the Windjammer, we headed straight there. First timers and we even found a table right away! We had a chance to explore the ship before our stateroom was ready. i am posting from my iPad and iPhone so photos may be not great (I am not a skilled photographer), and the zoom has been very challenging. It may be due to the weather conditions. it seems I can post photos while on a bus in Florida, but not on the ship.

1. Will there be Somekind of soap/shampoo in bathroom 2. When you get onboard (even before the rooms are ready) can you go get something to eat example. Cafe Promenade 3. Is the main Dining room gonna be full on 1st evening (asking because i was looking the menus and there was good dishes) And id it possible to order 2 starters (for free? ) in MDR Im so hyped, +/- 48 hours and i will be onboard Symphony of the seas

I enjoy the starters the most. Order as many as interest you!

Love that! And your lunch looks way better than mine today

Good answers from @arebee I'll just add two points. Regardless of how popular the MDR is the first evening, there is space for everyone. Check in to confirm your dining time as well as any preferences with regard to table arrangements (alone, with others, etc). You can absolutely order multiple starters, main courses, desserts, etc - it's all complimentary (unless specifically noted as an upcharge item, such as certain cuts from Chops available in the MDR). Enjoy!

Obviously, I have not been on Symphony, but in general: 1. Depending upon your stateroom category, there will be SOME kind of shampoo and soap. In most room categories they have a shower dispenser that contains a mystery substance that most use for both soap and shampoo. I've used it many many times and my hair has not fallen out - yet. 2. Yes, you will be able to find something to eat. The Windjammer will probably open up by 11:30. The Park Café, in Central Park, will most likely be open. The promenade area restaurants will probably open up shortly after boarding begins. On the other O class ships, there will be a couple of specialty restaurants open (Chops and/or Jaimie's) but those will cost extra, of course. Otherwise, you WILL be able to find something to eat that will not cost you anything extra. 3. Depending upon your dining time and your dining preference (traditional or my time dining) the MDR will generally be pretty busy the first night. Most people will be eating there just b/c it's the easiest option. The BEST news of all...you can order as much of anything you want from the menu in the MDR. Order 3 starters, 3 main courses and 3 desserts if you want ! No extra charge ! Enjoy your cruise on Symphony. I am very envious.

1) Yes, but no a lot. So bring some of your own or you'll have to ask the room attendant for more. 2) Windjammer will be open and Cafe Promenade is usually open. Depending on the ship, others might also (never been on Symphony). 3) Most likely will be crowded but its not too bad, after you get some lunch go to the dining room and look for your table (# on your sea pass card). This will help when its time for dinner.

Love this Blog! thank you!!

This is standard for ships traveling through that area. Pirate activity has lessened compared to several years ago, but precautions are still taken, as they should be. Remember, the overwhelming majority of sailings passing through the Gulf of Aden are without incident, not matter how many past articles, YouTube videos, etc one finds. You can look at this similar to visiting Cozumel - yes, crime happens, yes you can find worrying stories about incidents in various parts of Mexico, but the vast majority of tourists and locals wake up each morning, go about their day, and go to sleep at night. All of that in mind, it's important to follow the advise of the crew and the carefully rehearsed procedures - in the same way muster drill is important, as is safety instruction at the beginning of a flight (as we saw with the recent SWA incident, many passengers clearly paid little attention to those announcements).

From what I recall they don't do a lobster night on those runs. True test is once back in the US.

I think it's wider or so it's seems at 2 am

Agreed. Comforting to know they are aware and have a plan. Much better than coming up with something in the heat of the moment.

I'd love to be waited on hand and foot. What age does that happen at?

That's it no more updates at 2 am , where is the "not when you need it"

This is not really related to cruising per se, but the MLB regular season series vs the Twins and Indians went on as scheduled at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan on Tuesday and Wednesday. The mayor of San Juan tweeted that the ballpark ran on emergency power during last night's game which didn't end until past midnight here on the East Coast. (And, yes, being the baseball and cruise nerd that I am, I stayed up to watch it LOL.) So, it's nice to know that life can go on, at least for one day! @Suzanne and @tiny260, I have a port visit scheduled in San Juan for my Adventure cruise in December :)

Welcome to the message boards! The free iMessage trick (hack?) works on Harmony and Quantum class but not Allure or any other ship at this time. RoyalIQ only works on those four ships as well, not Allure. Royal Caribbean has suggested the new Royal app may one day provide free texting between people on the same reservation but so far no ships using the new Royal app have the texting feature enabled.

You're pictures are great! Pictures without context are meaningless, this is a great live blog, like I'm right there. Thank you!

I keep seeing the iMessage thing come up as a tip, and it's a great one for iOS users - BUT - please keep in mind this is not a document "feature" or perk. It's a hole that was left open (probably because the level of effort of closing it while allowing something else through was too great at the time) but will almost certainly be closed. I'd hate for someone to plan on this and not have a backup.

We’ve been there twice. Once for the cooking school which was loads of fun. The last time was with the grandkids. The water park was a hit with the older ones and the food was okay. The drinks were good and the beach wasn’t too crowded. We like the pool the best (we’ll Nana and the smaller grands ?)

Well written. I very much appreciate this response. I bit my lip hard on it and chose not to express what I was thinking which was best left unshared.

The second stop on this brewery tour was an Art Gallery. Jamie bought the food dish (chicken wings) at the first stop.

Today is our scheduled Nassau day. We booked a brewery tour. We really enjoyed the tour. I don’t know how to post text between photos? Our tour guide was Jamie. There were only five of us on the tour since there in the group were sick on the boat. This is a walking tour and at each stop we were to sample three beers. I believe they were 4 oz pours, but at the middle stop we needed to drink all of the beer so there were refills. The first stop was here and was accompanied by conch fritters.

@Traveler Fantastic blog and loving your pictures! Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

We are flying in there on May 5th... Here is a story from our local news about the outage. http://abc13.com/7-months-after-maria-island-wide-blackout-hits-puerto-rico/3361651/?sf187260087=1

Not to worry, I don't think too many of the millennials are reading the Business Insider, last I checked the ones I work with were playing chip n putt, ping pong, darts, kickball, updating the business casual policy to include dirty ripped jeans, scheduling March Madness watch parties... during the workday while the rest of us are trying to keep the company profitable (to support their chip n putt, ping pong, darts...). Entitlement is "earned" not given away like a trophy for participating or just being you, sorry!

As @KLAconQueso that is why I plan on visiting and taking a cruise in October of this year, I love San Juan, especially old San Juan and want to provide my financial input...

http://observer.com/2018/04/royal-caribbean-expansion-cococay-island-environment/ Saw this online. Take away what you want from it. I know there was some back and forth on the blog regarding this expansion. For me personally, I have not been there and suspect I would not want to go once this is completed, again that's just me.

The worst. I hope you never get it!

I don’t know which “middle aged entitled people” you know but this middle aged entitled person and her husband worked for 40 years, raised & educated 2 millenials and aid in the care of 4 grandchildren. I assure you no one waits hand and foot on me! So yes, I deserve a little entitlement. Maybe when you are my age, you’ll understand how “entitled” your comments sound.

Yes, my phone has been just plain weird today but I like that and I think I will keep it!

@PrincipalTinker great blog so far! Paragraph 1....auto correct strikes again? ?

Some of the comments here belong on the "other" board. Some things should just plain not be joked about. Do not want to hear how I should lighten up or get a sense of humor---"it's not me, it's you".

Bad news , no Lobster tail on second official night I hope its due to the route and not due to efford to push people to Hooked