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Probably at the Golden Corral or Out Back Steak House. He's a growing boy, you know.

Day Four in Barcelona Woo, it's getting hard to count these days in Barcelona. Luckily, I won't be needing to do that anymore, cruise day tomorrow! Breakfast After yet another morning of sleeping in and taking awhile to get moving, we went to none other than... Bites, same cafe we've gone to all of the other mornings. We have become regulars! Got the same dishes as we got the first day at Bites, 2 Omelettes, and Eggs Benedict (runny, not hard). We then talked to the concierge about what to do today. The plan was to go inside Sagrada Familla, but the tickets were sold out by the morning. We ultimately decided on the plan we did today. The Plan™ So... What was The Plan™? It was to: Take the bus and tour the outside of the Sagrada Familla. Then take a rickshaw bike to Casa Batllo, the other main Gaudi house in Barcelona. Then find a way home after taking the audioguided tour. The Plan™, in Action! Ok, so with The Plan™ in action, we got a one way ticket from the bus driver on the V21 towards Montbau, which had a convenient stop right by Sagrada Familla. Once in view, it certainly was magnificent. All of the intricate details really did pop once up close to the church. You could see the nativity scenes, and many other things, but I will let all the pictures do the talking. The exterior of Sagrada Familla. You may note all of the cranes in the picture, Sagrada Familla is still under construction and is expected to be completed in 2027. ______________________________________________________________ It really is beautiful, and all of us were just in awe while viewing everything Gaudi had designed for the outside of this space. In comparison of what it looks now to what it was at 1882, here is a picture of the first stone being laid for the Sagrada Familla: The first stone being laid at the Sagrada Familla (Courtesy of this Facebook post) ___________________________________________________________ If you do plan to visit Sagrada Familla while in Barcelona (and you definitely should!), get tickets early and from the official website (sagradafamilla.org/en). Other websites are sketchy and you definitely shouldn't book it, especially in a foreign country. Biking and Casa Batllo Once ready to head over to Casa Batllo, we decided to find a bike with seats to take us to our next location of interest. We found a nice Scottish guy who has his own bike touring company to take us a taxi over to Casa Batllo. After a pleasant conversation about Barcelona, taxi strikes, and business, the ride totaled out to be €40 after a tip for the great ride. After skipping the line for tickets (thanks internet!), we entered the magnificent (use this word a lot, because everything in Barcelona is magnificent!) and very colorful home. There really is a stark difference between Casa Batllo and the other home we saw yesterday. There were no sharp edges or lines in the home, making the home all the more unique. This home had a lot more to see, and even had an Augmented Reality component to the audio guide. This allowed you to see what the house would have looked like with the furnishings and people milling about. I feel this house had more to do and see, and would definitely recommend this one if you had to only see one of the Gaudi houses. But if you have the time, do both! Various artifacts and objects at Casa Batllo ____________________________________________________ Dinner So, today was my mother's birthday (shout out to my mother for having a birthday today!), and we decided to celebrate by having.... Another dinner at the Marina! We were planning on going to Enoteca by Paco Perez tonight, but after we saw the menu we decided to go elsewhere as it didn't have anything we would have liked (or been able to eat, pesky allergies). But, as a request from the birthday girl herself, we just went back to the Marina for some burgers and some flatbread pizza. The pizza was great! Only problem was that I didn't order it! I got the burger, which was ok, but very overcooked. The pizza though was great from the bite that I had, and I really wished then that we had just split two of those amongst all of us. Oh well... Luckily all is not lost, as for the real birthday dinner we will have Chops Grille! Glad we had booked that, especially after my unimpressive burger and I need some good steak! (Didn't take any pictures, just imagine the best flatbread pizza you have ever seen, and then two hockey pucks with cheese and some ketchup. That was our meal!) CraftyCat05's Engrossing Observations. Miscellaneous Words, and Recommendations We had yet another peep show today! At Casa Batllo, there was this woman who had a very loose fitting dress, and could see part of her cleavage! Those crazy Spaniards! Was much quieter outside last night. Fridays and the weekends must not have as much partying. The rickshaw biking tours here in Barcelona are a very fun and enjoyable. Would recommend. While the metro trains are not air conditioned, the busses are. Would recommend the busses over the metro. The second Gaudi house had a much more extensive gift shop, again why I would recommend it! The audioguides are very well worth it to use at the two Gaudi houses, would recommend and pretty sure they are free to use! DM any idea's for beginning words at the start of these blogs or ideas for CraftyCat05's *Blank* Observations. Would be cool to see what you guys can come up with! Glad you are enjoying this! Really is fun and a pleasure to write. Expect many Periscopes tomorrow, while most of you probably can't watch it live (those pesky timezones!), you can always watch a replay! See you tomorrow, on the ship!

With Cuba on my mind and with a goal of sailing some of the older and smaller ships in the fleet I booked Empress. With the current fleet it's hard to get any smaller. I'm supposed to get a glass block based on my current Crown and Anchor points accumulation so as I thought which ship to 'block' on, getting a glass block from Empress seemed like a really cool idea so I booked this cruise with that other goal in mind. It's a 5 night cruise: Day 1 - Embark Miami Day 2 - Key West Day 3 - Havana Day 4 - Sea Day Day 5 - CocoCay Day 6 - Debark Miami It's been a few years since I've visited Key West but I need to get some work done so I'm not sure how far I'll venture off the ship. For Havana I've a booked a full day excursion through Royal. I have an overnight cruise to Havana booked in September so I'm using this trip and excursion to discover and plan my next visit there for maximum cultural enrichment. I have many Canadian friends who have visited Cuba. They've been able to fly direct since, well forever. They've given me some ideas so this full day excursion should check all the boxes for an initial Cuba experience and allow me to better plan my next visit. I've missed a few calls on CocoCay this year so fingers crossed. Flights were booked through Air2Sea and I'm taking a dreaded red eye flight with airport transfers to the ship by Royal. I usually just take a ride-share but as a solo traveler the transfer isn't that bad from a cost perspective and it's for research so I know how well it works getting from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) airport to the Port of Miami and back. I had to work this weekend so the all night flight is an "efficient" use of my time, or so I keep telling myself to justify it. Not sure when I might sail Empress again especially since she does mostly Cuba runs at the moment so I've splurged and booked a junior suite. My first solo JS experience. At the time I booked it was a reasonable price difference. My red-eye departs at 1am local time and I haven't started packing yet. It's only 5 nights so not a hard cruise to pack for. However I better step away from the keyboard and get started.

Symphony of the Seas - Day One ~ Barcelona, Spain By golly we are on the beautiful Symphony of the Seas! Today was embarkation day, and boy was it fun! Embarkation and the Beginning Steps Embarkation was quick and painless, only taking about 20 minutes from door to ship. We arrived at 12:15pm, and we were on the ship and already with a drink and food in hand by 12:45pm. We first decided to hit the room, and while it wasn't open yet, we could at least drop off our carry-on baggage. Then, it was to the Suite Lounge to book some more things and get some food from the little buffet that was there for lunch. Got some chicken, and it was good! Also got some mashed potatoes with it (is always good on Royal!). Also got some Costal Kitchen reservations booked for some nights, and learned more about the concierge team and what their background is. Also said some naughty stories (shh... sorry Raj and Jennie). Also got on the top of the naughty list for blogging this experience, but apparently it's a good thing! Maybe ill get some better service ?! Already can tell they are a great team and that everyone working up there on deck 17 is going to be fantastic to dine and lounge with. The Room Now... I have done a room tour, but not on here! It's on my periscope @CraftyCat05. May also do a video tour of it while i'm on board, or at least take some pictures. The room is great, but different than the Grand Suite I stayed in on Allure. It has a wall in the middle of the room now! This makes the space feel smaller, but gives more privacy, gives us two televisions, and also offers more cabinet space than no wall would. The bathroom is also nicer, and even feels more spacious! There is a tub/shower combo, and two sinks. The room also has two twin beds, two side lamps, two windows, and best of all two closet spaces! It's a two for one deal in the Grand Suite, only thing is... you have to pay more! The Ultimate Abyss Now for the s u p e r s c a r y part of the blog. If you can't take the drop (10 decks!), then don't read this section! ... .... Ok, have we weeded out the wimps, err... scaredy cats... ah! The "definitely not scared, not a cat, not a wimp, but just simply... non-thrill seekers!" Have we got them out? Good. It's really fun, but shorter than I thought. Only rode it once, but plan on going back on it again! But only after my shoulder won't talk me out of it, because a fell on my shoulder in it part way through! While I was able to get back straight, really didn't make it as enjoyable as it could have been. My parents did enjoy it though! Was a shock to be able to get her on it, she would fall the category of "definitely not scared, not a cat, not a wimp, but just simply... non-thrill seekers!" usually. They didn't get banged up like me luckily. Hopefully they will ride it again with me! __________________________________________________ Symphony Dunes Now, a family tradition is to always play some Royal mini golf on sail-away day... So, we went to the putt putt course! Father of course won (he is pretty good at his short game at the home golf course), but I at least came into second with my mother finishing close behind. I even got a hole-in-one! (Didn't get a picture this time, was having too much fun!) So far 1-0-0 for the mini golf. Sail Away! We have never gone to sail away parties, but do spend it outside on our balcony. We saw the Norwegian Epic sail by to turn around right as our pilot to guide us out of Barcelona's Port was getting onboard. (Photo is from driving to port but it works.. shh, don't tell anyon... wait...) _________________________________________________ Next, it was our turn! We sailed away at 6:20, but we were about to get ready for Chops Grille, our dinner for the night. So we got to see some of sail away, but had to quickly rush to Central Park after. While getting on the ship, I got a picture of the bow of Symphony! _______________________________________________ Chops Grille We have eaten at chops, and always love a good steak at home, and on a cruise! Food was great as usual, I got a Filet and a starter of the Glazed Bacon. Always a good meal! Parents both got the NY Strip, and my Mother's was much smaller than Dad's! All worked out though, as my mother wasn't very hungry anyway. (Forgot to get any food pictures of steak or bacon... Sorry!) Then it was time for dessert! We ordered two cheesecakes and one key-lime pie as per the waiter's recommendation. Unfortunately, he came with a red velvet cake instead of one of the cheesecakes, because of my Mom's unfortunate Tree Nut allergy! Crust apparently had some nuts, but I didn't taste them. All three were good, but the velvet wasn't as good as the cheesecake would have been as per my mother. Hairspray After dinner it was time for Hairspray! Show was good, and I had never seen the full movie or show fully though, so was nice to finally see that. Unfortunately, my father couldn't get to his seat on time, so he would have had to get people to move while the show had already started. Instead, he just opted to go to the casino! He lost $150, and mother was not happy. Isn't sleeping on the couch though, that's where I am! Welcome Party, Featuring Firecracker Balloons! (@twangster: the sub title is for you!) There was a welcome party on the Royal Promenade, and it included a balloon drop at midnight. You can see what I was talking about on my Periscope (@CraftyCat05). CraftyCat05's Cacophonous Yet Coherent Celebrations for Miscellaneous Text that Could Include Some Observations WOO! THIS IS THE LOUD CELEBRATION FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS TEXT! THANKS FOR THE IDEA @JLMoran. HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND. CraftyCat05's Coherent Text that Talks about his Observations My titling system needs some work, exhibit A and B above. No peep shows today.. Yay! The ship still looks brand new, and looks amazing! The Cruise Director is Michele and Activities Manager is Margot. For a full list of CDs and AMs, check out @Joe01's awesome thread. The lines for the water slides were already long today. Didn't get to ride those today though... ? Voom seems to be slower than it was on Allure, maybe throttling has gotten to a lower limit since 2016? Our Stateroom Attendant seems to be great! Her name is Isha! The signage and other things around the ship are in Royal's new modern colors and typography. Lots of Sea Blue and Baby Blue! Safety Drill video is still Mission Impossible: Try to Get Everyone to Pay Attention to Me (A.K.A the secret agent safety video) Documentation Scanned Documents 5.pdf - Cruise Compass Scanned Documents.pdf - Boarding Day Quick Guide Scanned Documents 2.pdf - Shows at a Glance Scanned Documents 4.pdf - Teen Club Compass (thanks Guess Services!) Scanned Documents 3.pdf - Sky Class Amenities Chao Chao for now!

Day 13 - Vigo Today was our final port day and we were in the Spanish city of Vigo. We didn't have any plans other than to have a walk around. There is a fort that you can walk uo to so we headed up through the old town to reach it. Being a fort, it is located at the top of a steep hill. Luckily for us, there were escalators to take us up part of it - Gibraltar could learn something from Vigo! The climb was worth it though for stunning views across the Vigo estuary and the fort is set in pretty landscaped gardens. There is also a nice memorial, consisting of a series of old anchors, to the ships that were lost during a war on the 18th century. After visiting the fort we took a stroll through the town back to the port area. I was really sure what to expect from Vigo but it was a larger city than I thought it would be and had an interesting mix of old and new architecture. There was also plenty of shopping to be had if you're that way inclined. We were back onboard early- around 12pm - and went for a bite to eat inbthe WJ before heading to the Solarium to relax and cool off. We stayed there until sailaway which we watched from the cantilever hot tub. This was another scenic sailaway as we sailed out of the estuary with mountains on both sides. We then went to Studio B to watch the Ive Show 'Freeze Frame'. It was another great show although 4 out of the 8 performers fell with 3 of them falling twice. Luckily no one was hurt and they carried out to supportive cheers and applause from the crowd. There was a Queen tribute band on tonight called The Bohemians. We didn't fancy it as well as going to watch Freeze Frame. As we were having a pre-dinner drink in Vintages, the cruise director made an announcement apologising for having to cut the first performance short and cancelling the second performance as the lead singer's voice had gone partway through the show. He was extremely apologetic and announced that a film would be shown in the theatre instead of the second performance. We thought that this was completely reasonable as it's one of those situations that can't be avoided but the cruise director was so apologetic it made us wonder if people had complained about the first show being cut short. Dinner in the MDR followed and was our final formal night with lobster on the menu and the chefs parading through the dining room. Apparently we've broken the ship's record for the amount of pizza consumed with 27 thousand slices under our belts - I guess we know where the Brits stand on the Sorrento's debate! Finally we grabbed a drink from the Champagne Bar and watched the Britannia Rocks show on the Royal Promenade which was fun. Tomorrow is our last sea day as we sail back to Southampton.

We just returned home on Monday night from the best Alaska cruise and land tour ever! We had great weather the entire time. I will do a review when I have a little more time.

The Royal ship transfer was $60 round trip, per person. That's from FLL. MIA (Miami) airport was slightly cheaper for the ship transfer but I almost always find FLL cheaper for airfare so overall it was cheaper flying into FLL. Half packed, still have 8 hours. No problem mon!

Seeing Denali is almost as good as winning the lottery. Very few folks get too see it. Going back in hopes of seeing Denali. The interior trip is pricey but worth the money. July is best time to go especially if you like salmon. Otherwise the last cruise of the season is when you will get great bargains on merchandise in the ports and on the ship.

I must agree. If you are close enough to be attacked, then you are clearly in THEIR SPACE. Wild life is just that, wild. I have no problem with folks observing wild life from a good distance, I have no problem with rescue centers that allow controlled access to the animals. But when you are out in their environment, on their turf, keep your distance. If you are close enough that they are aware of you, and close enough that they alter their behavior because of your presence, you are too close!

Historically the answer has been no, but, Royal Caribbean has been adamant on Facebook recently that it is indeed included.

Oh come on now, we all now @Matt has ALL the answers! I cruise solo often. I am also a frequent solo business traveler. When you travel for business sooner or later you have to eat. I'm not going to eat fast food so you reach a point as a business traveler that you get over any hang ups or issues about eating alone in something other fast food restaurants. Sometimes this means eating at the bar within a restaurant but sometimes I just want a table. In fact, if someone else is paying the bill, why not try a reasonable sit down restaurant? Cruising solo and eating dinner alone come naturally because I have traveled solo for business. We all have to eat sometime and in the case of a cruise, we all paid for our included meals. Since I paid for it, why not try a reasonable sit down experience? For solo dining I choose My Time Dining. I am always seated at a table for two by myself. Service is typically fast and the wait staff always treat me well. I have never noticed if any one is looking at me because quite honesty I don't care if they are, much like when I travel for business. I wear a sports coat on formal night. It's easy to do and it respects the dining room process. i don't pay a lot of attention to what other people are wearing and it doesn't bother me if others don't dress up. I wouldn't even notice if someone wore white after Labor day, I've probably done it myself. I tend not to do specialty dining very often. I do sometimes, but rarely. The MDR for me is generally ideal . I take pictures of menus for the blog (flash off) and if I remember pictures of my meals. I often think what I might blog about or reflect on the day and before I know it my meal has arrived. I paid for the MDR, so I have no qualms about using something I paid for.

Alaska was such a fun cruise. It blew past all my expectations.

Alaska is my wife and I's favorite place to cruise!! What route did you take? Both times we flew into Anchorage and sailed out of Seward on the Radiance of the Seas on the southern route to Vancouver. The first time we took the bus to Seward and thought that was the coolest bus ride ever. The second time we took the train to Seward and were speechless - BEST TRAIN RIDE EVER!! Sitting at a four top table in a glass topped train car with two very nice attendants serving food and drinks the entire time was an incredible experience. It was hard to believe it was a five hour ride, it went by so fast. Next June we will be sailing the round trip route out of Seattle on the Ovation, it has a slightly different itinerary so we can experience a few different stops. We look forward to your review!

Day 12 - Lisbon Today saw us visit the port of Lisbon. When we visited on our NoS cruise in 2016, it was our favourite port so we've been looking forward to going back. We'd really enjoyed taking a tuk-tuk tour that we found on the street on our previous visit so this time we pre-booked a tour with a food focus from Eco Tuk Tours. It consisted of a 3hr tour with stops to try different local specialities including fresh sardines, vino verde, cheese & jelly, cured ham, bread, ginger liquor and pasteis de nata. It cost €49pp +€20 to pick us up from the cruise terminal with a minimum of 4 people. We'd planned to go just the 2 of us and absorb the extra cost but we've gotten on so well with our tablemates that we invited them to join us. They're not particularly foodies but they enjoyed the day. It was a really great tour which was made even better by our fabulous guide Nadia who was extremely informative and entertaining and took us to some extra sightseeing spots that weren't included in the food tour. This included a church that had been detroyed several times by earthquake, flood and fire whixh they decided only to partially restore after the last fire so inside the walls are all still charred. We also passed a traditional laundry in the old town so she took us in so we could take pictures. At the end of the tour, Nadia offered to drop us back at the ship or somewhere else in town. We asked her for a recommendation for somewhere to have a drink so she dropped us at a rooftop bar with great views across the city. We then headed back towards the port via the shopping district and stopped off for another drink in the old town before getting back on board. We loved Lisbon just as much second time around and it's another place we'd like to go back to for a longer visit. Once back on board, we refuelled at Sorrento's before periscoping sailaway from the helicopter pad. Sailaway/into this port is impressive as you go under the 25th April suspension bridge which looks like a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF. We then relaxed before getting ready for dinner in the MDR which was excellent as always. After dinner we went to watch a comedian in the main theatre. His 'one liner' gags are not really my thing but he was ok. We were all exhausted by this point so we went to bed ready for our final port day in Vigo tomorrow.

Some of the chef's table photos failed to upload - Ill try them again

Day 10 - Barcelona Barcelona today. I've been to Barcelona twice previously, although not for about 12 years. Both times I loved it and have wanted to go back as there's so much to see and do. Arrival was early with us cleared to leave the ship at 7:30. We didn't leave straightaway. We got up at 7:30, went for breakfast in the WJ and got off just after 8:30. There was a shuttle bus from the port to the World Trade Centre for €5 which we thought was good value as it was quite a walk (about 20mins) with absolutely no shade and despite the early hour, it was already quite hot. As soon as we got off the shuttle bus, we saw a guy doing rickshaw tours so we went for one of those it was €7pp per 15mins, with discounts for tours of 1.5hrs or longer and the tours are completely customisable. We told him we wanted to see the Gothic Quarter and the Olympic Port and he suggested a couple of other sites we hadn't seen before which we could do in an hour. The tour was fantastic and a really great way to see the city with stops for photos. He dropped us off at the bottom of La Rambla which we strolled up for a little while before navigating our way through the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter to the Picasso Museum. Entrance was €12pp for just the main collection, €14pp including the temporary exhibition or €5pp for just the temporary exhibition. We went for just the main collection as husband is not the biggest fan of artworks. I really enjoyed it and my husband quite enjoyed it as well I think (well, he didn't moan about it anyway). We were getting hungry after this so we went to Plaza Real for some tapas at one of the restaurants lining the square. The restaurant we went to was called Ocana. It was realky quirky, the tapas were delicious and we thought it was good value as a large beer, a small beer and 3 plates of tapas cost €21.90. We then headed back down to Port Vell for an ice-cream before catching the shuttle bus back to the ship. When we arrived at the bus stop, there was a really big queue. However, the buses came quickly with us getting on the third bus after waiting for less than 10 minutes. I'd been looking forward to Barcelona as I'd enjoyed it so much on my previous visits but I had wondered if it wouldn't be as good third time around or with only having a few hours in port (all aboard was at 15:30) but I'm pleased to report that I still love it - it is such a vibrant place with fantastic architecture and sculptures and so many different areas to explore. Both husband and I have said that we want to return for another longer visit soon. Once back on board, husband went for a nap whilst I went up to the Solarium to cool off - via trying a roast beef kummelweck roll from Sorrento's; all I can say is, I didn't understand before why Matt goes on about them so much - but now I do! They're delicious! Tonight's entertainment included an 80s dance party before dinner in the MDR and a silent disco on the Royal Promenade after dinner. We had a quick look and people seemed to be having fun but it was very popular and there was a really big queue for the headphones so we just went up to the Viking Crown lounge for a drink before bed. Tomorrow is another sea day as we make our way to Lisbon.

Day 9 - Toulon Back to the south of France today for a visit to Toulon. As it is a Sunday, we were told that there wouldn't be much going on in port and lots of people seemed to stay on board because of this. This is a large naval port for the French and there were several naval ships in that my husband, who used to be in the Royal Navy, found interesting so we decided to get off and have a look around. The ship actually docks across the bay from Toulon in a little town called La Seyne-sur-Mer. From here, it's about a 20min taxi or water taxi ride into Toulon. There was the option of getting a local water taxi for €3.90pp each way or RC were offering a direct water shuttle from the ship for $18pp return. Although this was double the price ofthe local option, it was far more convenient as the local option was 15-20min walk from the ship and as we didn't have much time in port, we went with the RC option. The water taxi took us right past all the naval ships and dropped us off in rhe middle of Toulon's marina where there were several waterfront bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. There was a tourist landtrain there which cost €7pp but we decided to just have a wander around. We soon came across a bustling vegetable markets with more varieties of tomatoes (amongst othe things) than I ever knew existed. I bought some different herb combinations ready to pep up my post-cruise diet of grilled chicken and fish! I also tried the local street food dish made of chickpea flour and olive oil. Unsurprisingly, it tasted mainly of chickpeas. We carried on exploring the town and taking in the beautiful architecture f9r a little while before heading back to the marina for a drink before getting the water taxi back. The afternoon ws spent just relaxing before dinner in the MDR. This evening's show was a hypnotist which we went to see as we're interested in the psychology of it. I was quite surprised that the theatre was absolutely packed and there were quitea few people in the later show who'd already seen the earlier show. After that it was time for bed ready for Barcelona tomorrow.

Ok, I've tried to do my homework. I've read through the many postings and blogs, but I still have few questions. I'm traveling solo with my two daughters on our very first cruise (Oasis on August 12th). I left another question on the tween thread, but my other questions are more general: 1) We have the 5:30 dining time in the MDR - I've taken this to mean that we have a standing dinner reservation at that time. But, we also signed up for the ultimate dining package. Do we have to notify someone if we are not dining in the MDR? Do we just not show up (which doesn't seem right)??? I just don't have a sense for the interplay of these two dining options. 2) We want to experience both the MDR and the specialty restaurants. I got a really good deal on the ultimate dining package, so I bought that package so that we have options. Are there particular days where the MDR is a must? My girls are 12 and 9, are there specialty restaurants that we should avoid? My kids are adventurous eaters and fairly well behaved. I ask this less from the perspective of what my kids will like (they'd eat sushi every meal if they could) and more as a courtesy for other diners who may want to dine in a kid free zone (or maybe that isn't an issue?), even if they are well behaved kids. 3) The fine print on the dining package says that you also get 20% off on the culinary activities. I booked the cupcake class for us. I assume that the 20% will be added later (along with the 50% discount from the adult price I paid on my kids' dining packages)? And this will be in the form of an OBC or a refund to my card? 4) We reserved a Grand Suite and my research tells me that at some point the concierge will reach out to me...to introduce themselves? Or is this a contact point that can be used to arrange additional reservations (like other specialty restaurants and Question #5 below)? 5) I've seen advice to use Labadee as a beach day and I'm going to take that advice. I was going to reserve a cabana at Barefoot Beach. Initially it showed up in the Cruise Planner as needing to be reserved once on ship. Not it isn't showing up at all. Does that mean they've all been booked? If not, see Question #4. And if I can still reserve, is the over the water one worth the extra cost? If I can't reserve one there, should I reserve at another beach or still spend the day at BB, but without the cabana? 6) I never used the $100 OBC that I got with my booking. In hindsight, I regret that because there are no other activities/packages that I want (other than the cabana). Will I still be able to use that? What can I use it for? Gratuities? The cabana? 7) I loved someone's advice re bringing $100 in singles for additional gratuities. How would you breakdown the allocation of these (e.g., $W/drink; $X/meal; $Y/day to housekeeper; $Z/XX to concierge, etc.)? I'm sure that someone has asked these questions before and I'm sorry for being repetitive if so. I just couldn't find them. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with someone who is perhaps to anal retentive for her own good! My goal is to go on vacation and not have to worry about or figure out a single thing! Thank you so much!!!

Interesting point about Voom. I don't think it was 'online' (pun intended) when I sailed Allure, but the Symphony Voom is definitely weaker than the Harmony Voom. I have no idea why, but glad you picked up on it. My greatest sympathies go out to you having to sleep on the couch. That's the reason I don't do Grand Suites any more.

Please @Matt, think about the school employees. I would like to go on a group cruise. Sorry JLMoran.

I'll be there next week, assuming tenders can operate, so I'll update my Empress blog in the live blog section if we make it.

Just watched the scope. Brings back all of the great memories. And yes, the phone camera holding is a pain. I learned that on the 4th of July celebration.

Unfortunately they were.... Jump! Jump! Jump! They were fine, I was just trying to get my arm relaxed enough for holding up the phone lol! Hope you enjoyed the Periscope, especially you @Lovetocruise2002! Sorry if I had to communicate using scribble lol. Thanks for answering some questions!

Thanks! Michele is great, so enjoy him while he is there.

@CraftyCat05, I love your writing style. Trying to actually catch one of your scopes live. I just watched your GS one on replay. Love the room!!! And the flowers too...

The second tier level (at which the 5% convenience fee is waived and you receive free drinks in the casino) is Prime.

If this is important to you I would recommend either carrying a copy of the above mentioned e-mail with you, or better yet write to RC yourself for clarification.

@Tim B. Thank you for your service!

Also, given that your sailing is still 300 days out, I would suggest holding off using your OBC to pre-pay your gratuities until you're closer to sail date and the chances of a re-pricing in your favor are lower. If you used that OBC and then re-price on a new promotion that has less OBC, you could end up either unable to reprice or having whatever was purchased with the OBC auto-canceled (since repricing is really a cancel and immediate rebook). I've had OBC available for pre-sailing purchases twice now, and haven't used it either time. I know there's more than enough on the ship I'm likely to spend money on that I'd rather just pay on the credit card for all the pre-cruise stuff, including my tips. The most recent time that Royal raised the base tip rate, they did grandfather all bookings made before a specific date (Jan 1, 2018 in this case), provided they pre-paid the tips before boarding; those who still chose to pay at the end of their cruise were charged the new rate. Hopefully if the rates go up again for 2019, they will offer the same grandfathering for passengers like you who booked far in advance.

Have fun with it. "I'm a really mean person and no one likes me" "They went overboard at the first opportunity" "It was a last minute deal and the cruise only cost me $60. How much did you pay?" "I'm doing research for a blog" - then turn the table and ask them all sorts of questions. Seriously though, I just explain I have a flexible travel schedule and my friends and family do not, which is the truth.

Perhaps, then... CraftyCat05's Cacophonous Yet Coherent Cerebrations ?

Just remember, sailing Alaska isn't like the Caribbean. Most of the journey you'll be in the inside passage areas where land will be on both side of the ship. When I did Alaska it was southbound as well. I was on starboard as well. To this day I still don't feel I missed a thing. Another thought sun sets in the west, on a southbound that would be starboard... Low quality video:

Yup, @ellcee, everyday, I got so many questions as to why I was alone and why I couldn’t find someone, you name it. I kept saying I enjoyed being on my own and was okay, but it was every day and often with an assurance that it would be okay. I KNOW it will be okay, I chose to be here! I was close to making up a husband and saying I pushed him overboard or some other ridiculous answer to give just to make them laugh ;hopefully) and move along. Solo cruising can be great, it is just the dining (anywhere) that is a little less great as I enjoy sharing the experience. Let’s see what others may say. And yes, @twangster has all the answers!! ?

Crazy Spaniard Update The chanting is back. Just started too as I was lying down into bed. Ugh...

Thanks for all the advice. Since I am a newbie, I am over-planning everything. Heck, sometimes that seems like part of the fun.

Ask away! Really was hoping for some crowd interaction like i've seen on other Live Blogs, but hopefully there will be many questions once on the ship! (and no need to apologize, the blog is here for the story and the interaction!) Yeah, I talked to the local guiding us while on a Rickshaw Bike Tour (more about that later tonight), and he said it's a very different Spanish and kind of a romance dialect. ? Really hope it does! Ha ha! I remember when in Paris with my mother, she tried to use some of her French from college (French minor) and they would always look at her in a funny way, but at least understand her! She could also point and help me interpret the menus over there. There are definitely many different types and dialects of Spanish! (hyperlink to a Wikipedia article).

@hayley_bopp, what a great blog, along with the pictures and scopes! Loved following your trip. Safe travels home.

Day Two drum roll please ~ Introducing... The one and only... CraftyCat05's SemiLive Blog! intro music plays Wait.... This isn't Jimmy Kimmel? Morning Well, there really wan't a morning to speak of, we all slept though it! We did finally get our butts into gear and got up after a well needed 12+ hours of sleep. Breakfast In the lobby, there is a nice cafe that serves all day breakfast (thanks the hotel lords!), and we were all able to get our normal breakfast items we would have at any other restaurant for breakfast back in the United States. Served was coffee, milk, two omlettes, and one eggs Benedict (runny, not hard ?). All was good for a day out and the city (and some more rest)! The Cathedral After some deliberation and some guidance by the hotel concierge, we decided to go walk to to cathedral (still on taxi strike) that was about 2.4 KM away (1.5 miles). We were able to get in with shorts, but my mother's tank top was a no go, having to buy a coverup for €2. Tickets for the cathedral, a roof top visit, and a little museum was €7 per person, not that bad for what was included. Once in, we could wonder around, seeing many different statues of religious figures, and other sculptures and historical relics. While walking, you would also be stepping on old graves of prior religious leaders of the cathedral. Once done with the main cathedral area, we walked into an open plaza, which had fountains and (as my father joked about) holy goose, instead of the holy ghost (he found himself very hilarious...). After a quick visit of the museum which didn't have much, we took a tip from the helper desk working at the museum and back pedaled to go onto the roof for amazing views. Once a ride on the most rickety and smallest elevator i've seen in recent memory, we were on the roof for views of the Barcelona skyline... and wooh was it amazing! Main Entrance of the Cathedral View from Rooftop More Views from the Rooftop Turrets(?) on the Rooftop The price for admission was definitely just worth the view! Really surprised us of what we could see. Definitely the highlight of the day. Bars, Rice, and Pie After our long, tiring, and sweaty cultural, scenic, and nice walk back to the hotel, we decided to hit the bar to drink the aching muscles away. After downing margaritas, and refreshing slushes, we went to the Marina (same place we went for chicken) to try their dinner service (which is much better than their unimpressive lunch menu) for some rice dishes. All three of us coincidentally ordered the three different rice dishes on the menu! All of us agreed it was good, but really big and filling... but nonetheless we ordered an Apple Pie for us to split. It wasn't U.S. grade (and came with some very bitter caramel) but was eatable and added to the dinner experience. Tomorrow, we will plan to try one of the more fancy sit down restaurants to enjoy dinner at. That is all for now! Off to bed for us. Will see you tomorrow, wether it be in a periscope or blog post! CraftyCat05's Version of Matt's "Stray Observations" The room here doesn't allow the plugs near the bed and table to function while the lights are off, forcing us to charge everything at night in the bathrooms. The sofa (where I usually sleep on family vacations like this one) isn't a pull out like every other hotel suite room has, forcing me to pay a whoping €110 a night for a pull away bed, or sleep on the couch with just sheets. I opted for the latter. The beach is open 24 hours, meaning many stay at 3AM... Live music plays near our hotel at midnight. Not fun! My father has noticed that the Spanish over here is much different than what he is used to from Peru and home. My dog back at home is doing just fine as per the webcam. He seems to be settling into his new home for the next two weeks! It's now 12:30 and theres chanting outside! I guess I ain't sleeping for a bit lol. Ugh.

Day 11 - Sea Day Today was a well-earned sea day after 5 port days in a row as we head to Lisbon. We had a bit of a lie-in before breakfast in the a la carte MDR. Following breakfast we had our shuffleboard match where I'm pleased to say I finally won the day! At 11:30, we went to the casino to learn to play craps and roulette. We haven't had a go at them yet but we might before the end of the cruise. After this we did some filming around the inside of the ship before heading to the MDR for a tutti salad for lunch - delicious as always. Then we went to the theatre for the Captain's Corner Q&A session. It was the first time we've been to one of these events but we found it entertaining and informative. Some periscoping around the inside of the ship followed and then I got a coconut mojito from Bolero's while I caught up on my blog posts. Then it was time to get ready for Chef's table which I'd booked ages ago as a surprise for my husband as a 'thank you' for paying for the cruise. We had to meet the host and the rest of our party in the champagne bar at 6pm where we had a glass of champagne before heading into the MDR and onto the 'private' balcony. The table was laid beautifully and our host, Enrique, was extremely entertaining as he guided us through each of the coursrs and wine pairings. I'd read good reviews of Chef's Table but I must admit to wondering just how good the food could be. I'm pleased to report that I was blown away by the quality and flavours of the food and tbe wine pairings. I was that blown away bybthe dessert, I forgot to take a picture before tucking in to it! It really was a fantastic night and a great way to meet some new people. We had thought that we might go to the casino to try our new gaming skills after the meal but we were that full and tired we just waddled back to our cabin to get some sleep before our day in Lisbon tomorrow.

Day 8 - Livorno/Florence We had an early start this morning with a 7:45 meeting time for our trip to Florence. As Florence is about 1.5hrs drive from the port and often has bad traffic, we'd again booked a transfer with RC. I booked it a while ago so can't remember the exact price but it was in the region of £45-£50pp. This included a tour guide on the coach (Trudy who was extremely informative and good fun), a stop at a leather factory enroute to Florence and a guided walk from the coach drop-off point into the centre of Florence and then 4hrs free time for sightseeing. Florence is a beautiful old town with some incredible architecture. Well worth a look if you're ever in the area. We saw the tomb of Michelangelo, the Ponte Veccio and several other historic sites. We got quite lucky with the weather as it was hot but with partial cloud cover so it made the temperature bearable. In the afternoon we returned to the ship and had a turkey kummelweck sandwuch from Sorrento's which was delicious. Then we played some shuffleboard (the less said about that the better), before going for a dip in the Solarium pool to cool off. The bars were pretty busy before dinner so we got drinks from Bolero's and took them out on to the Promenade Deck to watch the sun beginning to set. Dinner was in the main dining room where we were treated to a rendition of 'O Sole Mio' by the waiters. As we came out of the dining room, I heard someone saying something about lightning so we went out on deck and sure enough were treated to a natural light show out at sea. We then headed to the Schooner bar where Piano-oke continued - it appears the piano player has some kind of throat problem and has been told to avoid singing. Tomorrow we have another port day in Toulon in the south of France.

I bought a Rolex a couple of years ago. They are quite affordable but I hardly wear it and it's a bit bulky. It was $36 on the streets of San Juan. Still not sure what all the fuss is about.

Day 7 - Civitivechia Today we were in Civitivechia which is the port for Rome. We've heard that to do Rome in a day is pretty frantic as it's at least a 1hr 15min drive from the port, extremely hot, and very crowded in summer. As we're from England it's relatively easy for us to visit for a weekend so we plan to do that at some point. So we decided not to do an excursion this time around and instead enjoy the ship. We had a lie-in until 8 before going for breakfast in the WJ. It was pretty quiet and I enjoyed some nice pancakes. We have explored Civitivechia a bit on our previous visit prior to doing a wine tasting excursion and it's a nice little town with a fort, a small beach area and some quaint streets and buildings. We had 5 other cruise ships in port with us today: Disney Magic, Celebrity Reflection, TUI Mein Schieff 6, MSC Fantasia and Costa Didema. So we decided to get off and go for a stroll through the port to stretch our legs and look at the ships and super-yachts. We were off the ship for about 1.5hrs between 9:45 and it was already very hot. Once back on board, we grabbed an iced latte and a snack from Cafe Promenade then went up to the back of the ship to try the water slides. They were really good fun although I preferred the yellow one as the blue one had lines on sections of the tubes that made my eyes go funny. Top tip for a fast slide: arch your back and dig your heals and shoulders into the slide. We then went to the Solarium to relax before lunch in the WJ. More relaxtion followed before the day's shuffleboard match- I'm disappointed to report that I'm now trailing by 3 games! I need to have a word with myself! As we've got an early start tomorrow for our trip to Florence, we decided we didn't want to do late dining in the MDR so we took advantage of an offer we spotted in the cruise compass for 30% off at Giovanni's Table. It was fantastic! I had the octopus to start while my husband had the belly pork then we both had the fillet mignon - the barolo sauce was to die for! The desserts came on a trolley and the waiter, having picked up in the fact that I love food, let me sampleall of them ? After dinner, we did some window shopping on the Royal Promenade and tried on some Rolexs - it's my husband's dream to own one but I don't think we'll be buying one on this cruise! Then it was off to bed ready for Florence in the morning.

Day 6 - Nice Today we're docked in the beautiful port of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the south of France's Cote d'Azur. From here it's possible to visit Nice, Monaco and Cannes; we'refreshing been to Monaco we're visiting Nice. After breakfast in the MDR buffet, we head to go to the theatre to meet our tour. We'd booked the 'introduction Nice' tour through RC. This simply involved a coach transfer to Nice with some commentary about the history etc on the way. I'm not sure ofthe exact price but our was about £40pp. It probably would've been cheaper to go by private taxi as it's only about 30mins away from the ship, but the traffic can get pretty bad on this stretch of coastline so I felt happier being on RC's bus. In fact, when we visited Monaco previously, our tour was back late because of the traffic and we were back later than the advertised 'last tender' but our wasn't a problem for us as it was an RC tour. We had to wait in the theatre for about 5mins for a tender to become available, then we were on our way. The tender ride is only short - about 10 mins, but it's a nice chance to take in the views of the stunning scenery and super-yachts in the harbour. From the cruise terminal, there is a very short but steep walk up to the citadel where the coaches park - how they manoeuvre through the tiny lanes with cars parked either side I'll never know. Then we settled back to enjoy the views on the short drive to Nice. Our drop-off point was next to the Albert I park on the Promenade d'Anglais. This was right next to a little tourist train that does a 1hr tour of the city with pre-recorded commentary including taking you to the top of the 92m high Mont Boron for €10pp. There was a train about to leave so we hopped on for the tour. It was a good value option especially for the views over the city from the top of Mont Boron. After the tour, we had a wander around the old told and bought a couple of souvenirs and a bottle of wine to take home. We then had a very delicious (if expensive!) lunch as one of the pavement-side restaurants. We then had a stroll through one of rhe parks before heading back to the promenade. We had 44mins left before having to get our return transfer but it was extremely hot - 34 degrees - and there was little shade to be had anywhere. We spotted a rickshaw that did tours for €15 pp for 30 mins so we jumped on as it was a good way to get out of the sun, generate a refreshing breeze and see a bit more of the city. It was such good fun, if a little hairy, as the driver took us down really narrow streets chock full of pedestrians. In hindsight, we'd have preferred to have done a longer rickshaw tour rather than the train tour but both were good experiences. The driver dropped us off at our bus stop right on time for our return transfer. After a short drive, we were back at the cruise terminal where we were greeted by RC staff had out cold towels and complimentary ice-cold water and flavoured water. We only waited for a few minutes for a tender and then we were back on board. We grabbed a frozen mocha each to cool down and headed up to our cabin for husband to check his eyelids for holes whilst I sat on the balcony watching some of the super-yachts sail out. Sailaway took us past the St Jean Cap Ferat peninsula which is the 2nd most expensive residential area in the world after Monaco. As we sailed past, we saw The Grand Hotel (the big ehite building on the cliff in the photo) where a room will cost on average a mere €2090 per night! As we headed back out into the Med., we could see the Seabourn Encore and a Viking (possibly the Orion) in the distance sailing away from Monaco. We then got changed before heading down to Bolero's for a pre-dinner drink. Dinner tonight was in the MDR where I had the Lasagne which was DELICIOUS! Then we had a stroll round the promenade deck before heading to rhe Schooner bar for a nightcap and a sing-a-long. Tomorrow we'll be in Civitivechia where we plan to stay onboard as we're not visiting Rome. Apparently there'll be several other ships in port with us too so I'm hoping to get a good look at them.

Day 4 - Gibraltar Today was our first port stop after 2 days sailing from Southampton. The weather during the first 2 days as you sail down past France and Portugal is often on the cold side but it has been glorious so far. The captain said he has never seen the Bay of Biscay, renowned for being choppy, so flat. We decided not to go to the gym today as we knew we'd be doing plenty of walking in Gibraltar and because the clocks had gone forward an hour overnight, we decided to lie in until 8am and then go for breakfast in the MDR buffet. It was quite busy with a queue at the door but we waited less than a minute before being taken to a table for 2. By the time we'd finished breakfast we were approaching Gibraltar so we went out on deck and after a slight technical issue (due to user error) I managed to periscope some of our arrival. We were scheduled to be cleared for disembarkation at 11:30 but we were early and were cleared by about 10:45. We'd planned it so that we'd go back to our cabin and collect our things once we'd heard the announcement to disembark thereby giving the queues a chance to die down. This strategy seemed to work well as we were able to walk straight off the ship and through the terminal without queuing at all. Once outside the terminal there was a long line for the shuttles into town (£4/€6pp return) and as it's only about a 15 minute walk we used Shanks' Pony to get us there. Having done a minivan tour of the rock and St. Michael's Cave during our previous visit, we'd decided to visit the siege tunnels this time. A very helpful lady at the Tourist Info desk in the terminal had given us a map and marked the route to walk, along with where to get on and off the bus should we decide to do that, and told us where to get tickets. The walk up to the ticket office took about 45 minutes and involved climbing a LOT of steps; being built on the side of a big rock means that many of the streets in Gibraltar are VERY steep and some pedestrian footpaths are just steps (similar to San Francisco). Although it was hard work, it was nice to see all the quaint little houses and side-streets. The place to buy tickets was at the Moorish Castle. It cost £12/€14pp and that got you entrance to the castle, the siege museum (not really a museum, more of an informative display), the siege tunnels and St Michael's Cave. Each of these is spread out along the roads in the nature reserve that makes uo the top of the rock and it probably took us a total of 30 mins more to walk up to the siege tunnels (we didn't go to St Michael's Cave) although there were places to stop and take in the view along the way and even an ice-cream van for some well-earned refreshment at one point. The tunnels themselves were very impressive, especially considering rhe fact that they were hand-carved during the 18th century. It took about an hour to see all of the tunnels and it was beautifully cool in there after the heat od the climb (equivalent to 98 floors of stairs accordingto my fitbit!). We felt it was excellent value and a great option for our time in this port. After making our way back down to the town, we headed to the main square, Casemates Square, for a drink and a snack before making our way back to the ship. As all aboard was at 4:30pm, the WJ was closed due to the staff getting it ready for dinner so we went to Sorrento's to grab a slice of pizza to keep us going until dinner time. There was a bit of a queue, although only about 6 or 7 people infront of us but one of the servers came along the queue with plates loaded up with either cheese or pepperoni slices so we grabbed one of those each. Then we headed out on deck for Sailaway. I tried to show some of the inside of the ship but I lost signal as I'm only using my phone's data. I've decided I'm going to invest in 1 or 2 days of Voom at some point as I'm enjoying Periscoping and want to be able to show inside the ship. After Sailaway, we headed up to the Solarium for a dip in the pool to cool off. As we were tired following 3 late nights and 8 miles of walking in Gibraltar, we decided to go to the WJ for dinner. I think we on my went once for dinner on our previous cruise but we were impressed. There was a great variety of food and it was a surprisingly calm environment (we were there at 7:30). I then got a chocolate martini from the champagne bar and took it into Playmakers (husband prefers IPAs) and we sat watching some Red Bull mountainbiking. Both feeling tired, we headed up to Cafe Promenade for me to grab a hot chocolate (can you see a theme developing?!) and some cookies to take up to the cabin where I sat on the balcony reading tomorrow's cruise compass and watching dolphins leaping right out of the water! Tomorrow is another sea day as we sail up the eastern coast of Spain towards the south of France.

I suspect it's their special concoctions that are priced above the package that are not covered, just like special drinks on all ships that are not fully covered by the package and you must pay the difference. I'm betting you can order a Kraken and Coke and it will be covered. @Lovetocruise2002 will be on soon enough and I'm sure she will verify. If not I'm on Mariner mid-September.

I am considering getting a dining package, but the only specialty dining restaurants on Brilliance are Chops, Giovanni's and Izumi, and we don't like sushi so we wouldn't want to go to Izumi. Is there only one menu at Chops and Giovanni's? I would think that would get awfully repetitive if we ate at either more than once.

I think the dining packages are worth it, provided you are okay with these three provisions... You don't mind waiting to book reservations until you get onboard (specifically, you are okay if you don't get the exact day and time want but something close to it). You have a desire to dine at more than 2 specialty restaurants (especially if you are new to specialty dining and want to knock them out). You did not want to dine at one of the prohibited restaurants that the package does not cover (Hibachi or Chef's Table) Dining packages will save a ton of money compared to paying for the same restaurants individually, but the trade off of having to wait to make reservations onboard.

The dining packages offer a good value and I did the 5 night one last cruise mainly because I had sailed extensively with Royal and was looking for something different from the main dining room. Since this is your first cruise, I'd say go with the included options as you can always buy the package once onboard if the food isn't to your liking.

Now dining package as a whole... Hard to judge and really depends on the dining experience you might be after. Overall the speciality restaurants offer more of an intimate dining experience with less of a hustle that the main dining room would offer. Dishes themself can be better due to them being more made to order. Ultimately it all comes down to personal taste and can be hard to judge if it is worth it or not. If your group loves steak, eating at Chops multiple nights could be worth it. Wanting to taste everything the ship has to offer and not worry about an onboard cost, go for it.

Website was supposed to be back up by 9am ET. Maintenance has been extended to 12pm ET. I'm expecting great things Royal Caribbean!