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  1. Well. You guys were certainly right. At port car security at 10:35...about 5 cars deep. On the ship at 11:00. Dinner reservations for the week done by 11:15, including hibachi grill. Drink non hand and having lunch now!!!
    6 points
  2. Day 7 - Sea day (and the last day). We had plans to sleep later today as we came back to the room around 2:30 am the day before. Well it was a good plan until the Captain used the in room announcement system at 8 AM , he apologized and ask some lady to call guess services , I guess she did not came back to her room and the team wanted to make sure she is OK. Since the captain did not looked for her again I guess she was found and everything was OK , I am sure she was happy that cruises do not go with name tags as many wanted to know who is the lady who woke them up. As we could not go back to sleep we decide to try breakfast at the MDR, apparently many other thought the same as the lines were quite big , specially to the a la Carte option. We went to the buffet side , it was nice with some order to cook omelets. At 9:30 am there was the meet and mingle meeting but it did not make much sense to do it on the last day so we decided to skip it. We did went to WJ just to take a mimosa (there is a limit to how many times we can eat breakfast). we tour the ship although it was quite cold and windy outside. I went back to the room to complete some work and got a mail saying I need to go to Italy this week again and another email saying I need to go to Australia ASAP so i need to figure out what to do considering we already plan a few days vacation Greece with my father, lets see how I would be able to do it this time. lunch was JR as it was the last day we could use the boardwalk balcony perk, oh well , it was eatable but could not find much different to the one you can get in the WJ without extra payment. at the end of this post I will add my do it yourself burger option , its so easy to do and much better. We took some needed coffee and gave cats one extra chance , have not changed my mind about it. Next we so the splash aqua show , as always its enjoyable , finally I used the balcony for something else beside freshen my Jeans. I must say the balcony soundproof door is really working. Some bar drinks (it was happy hour) and a quick recon to the WJ to find the lobster claws, always check the WJ , I wonder were the rest of the lobster gone , as I did not saw any lobster in the MDR menu , maybe CK ?. We tried our luck in the Casino, somehow one of the slots machines was nice to us , but all in all most of them were the typical "you have no where else to run , we can give you bad odds" , same for most of the times I tried the table game s oh well at least the drinks were "free" ? Back to the room again to start and pack our belongings, around 10 PM we decide to call it for the night as our flight leave Barcelona at 9:30 am . Last days of the Dazlles This guy was watching us for the last few days JR ]d
    5 points
  3. Props to the family, especially the teen daughter and wife.....we are rolling out of here in about 5 minutes....so only about 15 minutes behind 'schedule'. GPS says we'll be there at 10:30.
    5 points
  4. RickinSTL

    Embarkation Day

    Am I the only one up before 6 am with excitement? lol
    4 points
  5. There have been some of those on every excursion we've been on. I don't think they can be avoided, unfortunately. Punctuality is a pet peeve of mine, so stuff like that really bothers me. Admittedly too much some times. We fell behind on one of our excursions to Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia because this guy on our bus just HAD to buy caramel corn at the gift shop. Really? The world would be a better place if we all just thought about others once in awhile, more than we thought about ourselves. Just a thought.
    4 points
  6. @Fuzzywuzzy Thank you so much!! Thanks, I will be sailing the August 23rd from NYC.....Hope you and enjoy your trip!!! and thank you for everyone elses tips and thoughts and advice.... TY @JBC @Matt @KathyC @JLMoran @Skid I really appreciate it!!! I am use to sailing NCL....it is my husband's 40th BDAY so we are trying a new ship....(well new cruiseline).... ? HAPPY CRUISING everyone!!! ~~Amy from CT
    4 points
  7. Sometimes it's good to check the WJ , you never know what you will find And it's the real ones @twangster ?
    4 points
  8. Day 6 Naples. This is the easiest port as it's located very near the city , just a convenient walking distance. We actually slept a while during the morning , I guess all the wine from Chef table helped ?. We skipped breakfast as even the WJ was already closed and we did our way to the city. It was again a very hot day so after a while (and the must coffee in Naples) we went to find a good Pizza. I checked the app (the fork) for what is around and found a nice restaurant which offered 50% discount for all the items in the menue and got good reviews (most in Italian). The restaurant was less than 400 meters from us so we got there quite fast. It's located inside a very narrow old street but the restaurant itself quite modern with a big pizza oven. The most important thing they had air conditioning. They gave us a tablet for order whatever we wanted, very traditional I must say. We ordered two pizzas, water , diet soda (no they are not accepting the soda packages) and waited for the food. The pizzas arrived after 10 or 15 minutes then we understood the big mistake we have done again , we should have ordered only one to share , they were quite big (maybe we thought about Sorento) after fighting with the pizzas (which were very good) we order a traditional Naples cake and two coffees . All in all after 50% off and service charge it was 16 Euros, added some tip and we went away to walk some more in the city before heading back to the ship after buying some balsamic vinegar to take back home. Quick beer at the diamond club , and a fruit dinner in WJ (could eat anything else , too much food). We went to see the "come fly with me show" the acrobatics act was very good , the singers on the other hand could practice some more. We spent some time at the casino and went to see the quest , this time it was in Blaze and not studio B which made it hard to track what happened but still nice with decent amount of participants.
    4 points
  9. I am here now on Adventure of the Seas. Left out of Port Bayonne/Cape Liberty yesterday. When they scanned our carry ons at security, they saw our three cases of soda and told us that only one was permitted per stateroom, and they took two away. Bummer! Yes, we knew the policy, but a lot of others on the boards said to give it a try, so we did. (Please do not judge?). The ship is ROCKING like crazy! We are heading now to Bermuda and it has been nonstop back and forth. Never needed Dramamine in our lives, and everyone that we know is taking it! CONSTANT MOTION! Thank God we packed it! Food is great, easy to find lots of great food! Great mix of people here, all ages. We were told there are currently 200 children on board. My son is 15 and went to the teen meet and greet last night and already has a pack of friends now to run around with. We have a dry erase board on our stateroom door and someone keeps drawing naked genitalia on it?????? My hubby is mad about that, but it is kind of funny to me????? I am open to any questions anyone has about the Adventure of the Seas. May take me a day or two to reply, since I am having so much fun!
    3 points
  10. All me. Every cruise, vacation, everything. Hubby has no clue where we are going most times. He cannot keep track ?
    3 points
  11. JohnK6404

    Who plans the cruise?

    My wife and I make the initial decision together (when, which ship, what itinerary). Once I book the cruise, I traditionally continue to monitor the RC website and this forum ?. We discuss the planning along the way (Cruise Planner stuff). However, my wife is still on the cruise high since last month and has been obsessively researching our next one! Love it! ?
    3 points
  12. I am the only cruise planner in our family. Half the time Dan has no idea where we are going or what ship we're sailing on. He wouldn't have a clue about how to find, price or book a cruise ! He's a great cruisin' buddy but for planning....not so much....
    3 points
  13. Hey @SpeedNoodles, you started only a week early, meaning you were late! Happy anniversary, happy birthday and happy sailing! And @JohnK6404, happy belated anniversary to you guys!
    3 points
  14. Here is a photo of the decorations for the cabin.
    3 points
  15. Oops, just wanted wanted to add that the best thing we brought is our magnetic hooks! Hubby bought four magnetic hooks at Home Depot for $6. We have three people in our inside stateroom and there are not enough places to hang wet swimsuits, towels, etc. All of the walls are metal of course, so it works great for us! Also, there are only two outlets in the room to charge things, so plan accordingly!
    3 points
  16. Waiting to get on the ship. We close to skip the shuttle from the airport... Mob scene... And taxi... It was 15 plus tip. Way worth the less stress. We left about 945 and it literally was 5 mins through security when we got here. No wait for getting into port, scanning, check in. The longest wait we had was deciding which lanyards we wanted to buy! @Lovetocruise2002 I didn't buy another red wings one, but my daughter did take my new Michigan in within 2 minutes! The graduate got an Illinois one! Now we sit and wait!! It's 1045! I paid bills, ordered some grad photos and dreamed up my kraken lava flow! Here are some random photos. It's pretty empty...I'm really wondering how fill this ship will sail with the itinerary changes. This was with the rain starting to break up. I think it's not raining anymore but hard to tell inside the warehouse terminal! i forgot to post hotel pics. We really enjoyed our stay except for the apparently thin walls last night when the very loud couple next door decided to...ummm.... Do some adult rated things. It's the first time I've ever pounded on a wall!! Ok it's 1057...I want on this ship!!! Jane
    3 points
  17. arebee

    Lanyard or not?

    What are these lanyards you speak of??
    3 points
  18. Ok you guys, I'm SO excited. Mr. SpeedNoodles and I have not been on a vacation for 10 years (yes, you read that correctly). We've had time off from work, hauling the hounds to dog shows, but those are work. Lots of fun, but lots of work. This year is our 25th wedding wedding anniversary, his 50th birthday, we found a hound(s)/house sitter, and we are READY TO GO!!! I'll focus this blog mostly on the ship, since there's no way my photos of the scenery will do any justice of it, and Twangster did a superb job on his. Hats off to him - they were absolutely incredible! I don't know that I'll be able to post daily, but I intend to do the best that I can. We will have 36 hours in Seattle before we get on the ship, so we're super excited about that! Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick .....
    2 points
  19. deany

    My first cruise

    Thanks for all your help it managed to get me through my first cruise without incident. Im from England so here is my findings of the cruise: Main dining room - brilliant place, service excellent, food excellent. Windjamer - was ok. Service isnt as good and food is warm. Speciality restraunts - i went Sabor and couldnt fault anything about it. Bars - variety of drinks were fine and plwntynof bars that cater for most people. Pools & sunbeds - lots of them and enough to go around. Gratuities - i paid them each day as they charged my card but i dont understand it. Its an american thing. One guy at a bar once was getting superb service and tipping $1 each time. I suspect that he had cancelled his and then flashed them around like Rockerfella. Overall great experience. Any questions from a first timer dont hesitate to ask
    2 points
  20. Skid

    Emerald Level

    I am not sure if it's just me, but I could not open those. In case anyone else is having the same problem, try these links. https://dlxffu6hwewxp.cloudfront.net/cas/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CAS_Member_Benefits_Grid_APRIL-2019.pdf https://dlxffu6hwewxp.cloudfront.net/cas/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/18063159_CAS_MemberBonus_Amenity_List_v3.pdf
    2 points
  21. Hello!! We will be on the cruise as well and we cannot wait to get away from what has been the wettest, dreariest spring in Michigan that I can ever remember. My husband and I are teachers, too. We will be on this cruise with 186 others in our group! Yep, you read that right. We have our 13-year-old daughter and 39 dancers with us that will be performing on the ship in the Main Theatre. We’d love it if you’d take a few minutes of your sea day to come watch our kids. Anyway, I’m looking forward to your trip report, too. See you in a week! ???
    2 points
  22. Here you .for 5 to 6 Hamburgers : 2 Lb of ground beef , it should have some fat , but you can decide how much. 3 spoons of brad cramps. 3-5 spoons of Mozzarella shredded cheese , that will add both flavor and also will keep the burger not too dense. Dash of salt and paper One or two spoon of cold sparkling water (not a must) , that is it. Put all the ingredient in one bawl and start to knead for a minutes , not too much but enough for the the ingredient to bland together. Use a form or a burger presser , if you do not have one you can use your hands to shape the patty. On a hot pan , cook each side for 4-5 minutes , the last minute each side cover the pan for evenly cook. much better than JR ?
    2 points
  23. Shari

    Who plans the cruise?

    I do all of the research for us and our friends we go cruising with. I research cruises and come up with 3 or 4 (usually 18 months out) then we all decide which cruise (well really me and my friend's husband). After we decide on the cruise I research shore excursions and set up a spreadsheet with 3 or 4 excursions at each port and we "all" decide on the excursions and book them together. I research their airfare and our airfare (we live in 2 different cities now) and I also research hotels and again we "all" decide on which one to stay in the night(s) before. They all call me the travel agent and always ask me what is scheduled each day and when. LOL
    2 points
  24. I do all the planning. If I get hubby's credit card, I am going to town. I book the excursions and ships. I get this look in my face that says YOLO book it. I will admit @twangster and @Lovetocruise2002 helps also.
    2 points
  25. RickinSTL

    Who plans the cruise?

    My wife planned our first two.. Now I've planned the next three
    2 points
  26. DH helps me with the initial planning - when, what embarkation port, how many days, but the actual details are up to me. We're 77 days out, and it's like pulling teeth to get him to talk about excursions!
    2 points
  27. Well, by looking at your list of past cruises, you must be doing something right. he hasn't stopped you yet! ?
    2 points
  28. At this point, I think the only way your husband could possibly be surprised is if you DIDN'T book a cruise!?? Any details on the next deployment you mentioned?
    2 points
  29. Sweety

    Navigator El Loco Fresh

    We can't wait to try. My brother is creating different tacos days.
    2 points
  30. Ray

    Southern Carribean Cruises

    this could apply to ANY country in the world, and to be honest the only time i have ever felt unsafe was in NYC 2 yrs ago.
    2 points
  31. Yes, we have, in Rio de Janeiro. We made it but only just. However, that was mostly the fault of the stragglers in my party who were late getting down to the meeting point for the first excursion. This meant we were on the very last bus of several doing the same excursion and had to wait a bit longer yet for some more stragglers. As a result we got back to ship only with enough time to go to the toilet and grab a sandwich to eat on the way back off the ship for the next one. So you should be ok for your double trip but make sure to get to the meeting point early to try and get on the first bus out. The earlier your bus leaves, the earlier it will be back. Enjoy!
    2 points
  32. I agree. Biggest surprise and disappointment that they are not changing this show!
    2 points
  33. Wish i could get my wife to do this ? every time we fly over the pond we MUST stop off in NYC for shopping ? so for me it's flights from UK to NYC then down to PR then back to NYC after cruise for a few days shopping ??.
    2 points
  34. Ray

    Southern Carribean Cruises

    Cruised out of San Juan last year on Freedom and it was great. Stayed for 2 nights prior to cruise and i must say San Juan is one of the nicest friendliest places i have visited. The cruise itself was fantastic and in all honesty the Puerto Rican's helped make it fantastic by creating a party atmosphere wherever they went. Each port of call they filed off ship behind band and national flags Next cruise is also out of San Juan to ABC Islands and i cant wait ?
    2 points
  35. Nothing worse than an entitled frequent cruiser arguing with crew. Clearly this would never occur on a Royal ship as the crew member would have cowered at the sight of their pinnacle badge. "Don't you know who I am?"
    2 points
  36. Also important to note is that their 'living expenses' are all covered as well for time on board. If you factor in the cost of rent, utilities, and food this rate of pay becomes much higher.
    2 points
  37. Highlights: "There's a big gap between the highest and lowest-paid cruise ship workers. Business Insider spoke with 35 current and former cruise ship employees, who reported monthly earnings between $500 and $10,000. Some 40% of their reported monthly earnings were equal to or less than $2,000." "Many cruise ship workers, particularly those who work lower-paid positions, come from regions with lower median incomes than the United States, like the Caribbean, South America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. A former bartender for Royal Caribbean who made between $1,600 and $1,800 per month said the pay was better than what he had previously made in Chile, his home country." "In addition to their salary, crewmembers typically receive free medical care, room and board, meals, and many other benefits that are often unavailable in their home countries," said a representative for the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade association for the cruise industry. "Crew members are very satisfied with their jobs and the opportunities for career advancement, which explains why employee retention rates in the cruise industry are upwards of 80%." "The 35 current and former cruise ship employees who spoke with Business Insider had average monthly earnings of around $3,233 and median monthly earnings of around $2,600. The three largest cruise companies — Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — reported in regulatory filings the following median annual earnings for 2018: Carnival Corporation: $16,622 Royal Caribbean Cruises: $19,396 Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings: $20,101 The annual median income in the United States was $31,099 in 2016 (the latest year for which data is available), according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That would translate to median monthly earnings of around $2,592." Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-ship-workers-reveal-how-much-money-they-make-2019-5 Also keep in mind that rate of income tax isn't the same in many countries, or applies at all for ExPats who don't work in their country of citizenship.
    1 point
  38. Thanks, @Skid! Back atcha!
    1 point
  39. The M&M is on the last day as it's the only sea day. Every other day you are up and out too early to have it. Personally, don't think it's worth it and we won't be bothering signing up on ours. May hit up the roll call just to get ideas for excursions and such in Palma de Mallorca & Provance. We are in a Central Park balcony for Allure, and I expect our complimentary specialty lunch will be nuts on our only sea day. At least we get a choice of more than just JR, so that will split up all the people looking to reserve on the same day. We're on 3 weeks after the refurb, so curious as to how our choices will change.
    1 point
  40. Thanks For The Great Live Blog @Traveler!! I Cant Wait Until Your Next One.
    1 point
  41. When we took our first cruise, that was the first time my wife and I had been on vacation, for more than 3 nights without our sons since before our oldest was born.... in 1994! Enjoy! Looking forward to your live blog!
    1 point
  42. CFL

    Who plans the cruise?

    Same here in my family!! I'm the (over) planner and I just let them know the dates and where we are going.
    1 point
  43. ChessE4

    Reservations

    If you are on the several ships that require reservations, there is also a line of people who wait for cancellations. About 10 minutes before show time, the unused seats are released. It's usually best to have reservations on the more popular shows, but even then you may want to arrive 30 minutes early to get a desired seat. There are typically a couple of extra shows at the end of the cruise that don't require reservations, such as a short ice show, aqua show, or comedy show. Most ships actually have nightly shows - late dinner seating goes early and early dinner seating goes late, but it is essentially first-come, first-served, no reservations.
    1 point
  44. 1 point
  45. Kanelbulle

    Visby, Sweden

    I`m from Sweden but not from Gotland, I think you can definitely fill the time there. Visby is a cosy and beautiful town with lots of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. Dont forget to walk around the ringwall or "Ringmuren" in swedish. it´s about 3.5 kilometers around and it was built in the 12th century, also the botanical garden is pretty nice to stroll through. And if you want a meal with a view I can recommend restaurant Krönet, you cant book a table though and it can be quite full in july. Maybe you can get more ideas from here: https://gotland.com/en/visit/articles-guides/visby-4-hours/
    1 point
  46. The median is that salary at which half of the people make more and half of the people make less. This is much more representative of the distribution than an average (mean) would be. Example using some very round figures - consider a total of 100 workers. 25 make $1000, 40 make $1500, 10 make $2000, 10 make $2500, 10 make $3000, 4 senior staff make $5000, Captain makes $10000. The total pay is $190,000 making the average (mean) $1900. The median in this example is $1500, more accurately reflecting what "most" make.
    1 point
  47. I noticed the same thing for MTD for Harmony and Anthem. I was able to catch dining when it first opened up for both cruises and the times between 6:15-7:30pm were unavailable right from the start.
    1 point
  48. melski94

    Lanyard or not?

    Many women's clothes don't have pockets so I use a lanyard. I don't like the idea of giving it to my DH to carry because he may run off to do something with the kids and forget to give it back to me while I'm at the pool. My kids use the AO lanyards and I usually have the AO staff punch a hole in mine at the same time.
    1 point
  49. Ya, that is the other Factor. I also use a CPAP to sleep with. If I decide to bring my pillow I have bag I can carry it in.
    1 point
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