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There is a lot going on around the ship but I'll be back soon enough so I'm not doing the ship's entertainment staff justice. I'll post the Cruise Compasses once I get home to scan them in properly. Outside for a walk on the Promenade deck there were a lot of stars visible. That made me pull out my night sky photography app and see where the Milky Way might be tonight. Sure enough... Majesty has these shelves along the forward section of the Promenade deck that worked great for my little tripod. While we were well past sunset the long exposure catches enough light coming over the horizon to make it look like a sunset. The lights of a city were on the horizon to starboard. The big dipper was very prominent tonight. It stood out more with the naked eye compared to this 10 second exposure. In this one I caught a passing airplane with it's strobe light flashing every second. For this one I setup on the floor of the deck trying to get into the shade of those Windjammer lights. In the darkness of the forward deck I got some strange looks as random guests walking past were wondering what I was doing crouched down low in the dark. Oh well, all in the name of taking a picture. All in all not bad. Majesty like Empress is also a good ship for stargazing with it's dark forward Promenade deck.

Here is the aft section of the Viking Crown Lounge that's open to the public while the forward half is used for Diamond happy hour. A rain storm was just moving off so the ship and any guests who didn't see it coming while on CocoCay had the salt washed off them. Navigator arrived first and left first to the two ships following along on their whistles. Shortly after it was our turn to depart. Having been sitting for a while enjoying bottomless drinks at the Diamond event I was motivated to get up and move. I saw a hint of a sunset so decided to check it out. Again not much of a sunset but there is always tomorrow.

We end up doing a Pub Crawl, Poker Run ...... All participants put in $5. At every bar, not only do you have a drink, you draw a card ...... at the last bar, you find out who has the best poker hand - that person wins the cash ..... I was fortunate enough to win two years ago w/ 3 Kings ... Nice .

The $55 price is the discounted price. On the cruise planner it states "price shown reflects your discount". Whatever price is shown on the cruise planner is what the price will be per day, per person, before gratuities are added. I just ignore all their percentages and BOGO hoopla and just look at that price. If you already got it for $46, keep it.

You're amazing.. If I'm browsing through and see you've posted something it's a must view item.. Always positive.. Always beautiful pictures.. We're very fortunate you're a part of this group. Thanks for your amazing talents and reviews. My first Royal cruise was on the Monarch,Majesty's sister ship, for my honeymoon.. still love the old Viking Crown Lounge of the old style.. when everyone else would head for the Windjammer my wife and I headed there. We sailed on the Majesty a year after honeymoon.. maybe the wife and I will again.

On my way to my cabin after taking the stargazing pictures I came in off of deck 7 and saw... So which way is the exit? Maybe it's just me in my happy hour induced state that found this humorous. Speaking of drinking, they're multiplying. Jorge the GSM who followed me over from Empress sent me a bottle of wine. Combined with the two from Crown and Anchor I've got a lot of drinking to do starting tomorrow, day 4 of a 5 night cruise.

We are back to Italy , othof us got three seat for themselves which was a bless as we got take few hours of required nap . Few minutes of confuse imigration person who did not know what to do with my 20 hours gap of exit and entery but it's Italy so she found a way. Now on the bus to the city . Our hotel is near the main train station were we will take on Saturday morning the train to Venice.

Fortunately, I'm blessed with a wife who is a horrible cook. They can feed me anything and I'm happy.

Day 4 - Sea Day On our way to Key West tomorrow. First an Ocean View sunrise. Bridge tour this morning. Bridge wing. Not a bad break room. Best view on the ship.

Umm...everything! And yes! CK is better than the MDR in terms of everything from service, food quality and presentation, and the views. The food in CK is made to order (and not mass produced like the MDR). The quality of the food is comparable, if not better sometimes to a specialty restaurant. In fact, many of the meals in CK are also in the specialty restaurants and Chef's Table. The menu in CK is also an upgraded menu from the MDR. And last but not least, you cannot the beat the ambiance of CK, especially on Oasis class ships. Up on on Deck 17, with floor to ceiling windows, it's airy and bright and a more relaxed environment that the MDR. I never go to the MDR if I have access to CK. If you are interested in seeing the CK menu from SY, it's in my blog along with some food pics.

Bayonne is convenient for me and, being retired...I’ve found that the best way to spend winter in New Jersey is not being in New Jersey. I love cruising out of the Hudson in winter. A day and a half or so and I’m switching from a heavy coat to wearing t-shirts and flip flops. And...most important...I don’t get sad coming back knowing I’m leaving in another week! I love cruising!?

I always love @Traveler blogs because I get to see pics of another side of the world that I wish I could go back to! You bet I'll be following!

Ok , so I boarded the aircraft , I should mark it to check if it's going to be the same one I will board tommorow doing my way back to Milan ? actually going to seat in the same exact seat. So why I am doing this crazy Milan home Milan in less than 24 houre ? Well few months ago when we booked the cruise we booked also flight for the cruise in a very cheap fare , so cheap that canceling it would mean to lose the full fare. Last week I was request to come to Milan for a business trip which was not planned (I just returned from another trip) I tried to see what I can do but staying in Milan would mean my spouse will need to travel alone , add money for the suitcase (I can take two without fee) , not able to use the lounge and need to navigate alone in Milan airport which is not that frendly. It would also mean I would need to take the cruise suitcase with me , mixing my cruise outfits with my business one. So here I am going back home for 12 hours , hey at least I will have time to print my sell pasess. For now enjoy a Greek sunset

Our door decorations and a gorgeous sunset and rare full family pic...

I love the wall of door knockers. They instantly reminded me of that movie the Labrynth with David Bowie. Anyone else a fan of that movie?

Here's a link to one that @monorailmedic organized for the Symphony RCBlog Group Cruise in November. I was particularly a fan of finishing up the crawl at the Wipe Out Bar followed by a ride down the Abyss to end with shots at Playmakers. https://www.cruisehabit.com/barcrawl/

I saw CK on the Anthem GC and booked online for a couple of the nights, but I don't see it on my upcoming Harmony cruise so I plan on having the Concierge make them for me. Have to have the Filet that first night.

Is this a time share. Do you get a Deed?

So I am back to the airport this time with my spouse which is now enjoying a massage at the lounge spa (it's free as long as you register enough time ahead). Was quit hectic day , I got 3 hours sleep as I had some meeting at the morning , yet gain another crises somewhere. I did you d time to pick my shirts (folded and ready for cruise) and even a quick lunch deal in one of our favorite restaurants (while still in a conference call) Soon we will board , Milan here we come (again)

I’d say if you can find Symphony at a decent price go for it. Unfortunately most of the time there’s a large difference between Harmony and Symphony. I’d refer to what @matt always says, something to the effect of “Harmony is the original movie, it’s great, Symphony is a great sequel but still a sequel” Harmony= Godfather Symphony= Godfather 2

Although not par of a cruise (but in the list) I was lucky enough to get a chance to visit this part of the world two weeks ago. Sure got me thinking how to expedite a cruise from there

First par of the journey ended successfully ,landed , 14 more hours until going back , consider to ask them if I can leave my laptop on board and pick it on the next flight ? Anyway talking about different places, here is were I was 10 days ago , hint it's not Paris And no, I was not in Nevada eather

Day 3 - Perfect Day at CocoCay Not much of a sunrise here early on the morning of day 3. We join Navigator again today after leaving her last night in Nassau. I spot a new addition to CocoCay. Can you see them? Definitely something new since my visit last week. This view never gets old.

Hello everyone, I was a very long time member of another cruise forum, and I'm so glad I found this one. The members are VERY helpful and respectful - thank you all so much, and the vibe is completely different, very easygoing without the sarcasm and drama ? I also love that you can message members here, and edit your posts outside of the 30 minute mark. For new members, you will see your status as pre-gold, just a fun and cute feature of these message boards. I'm not sure how it works, but it will change very quickly! Our moderator @Lovetocruise2002 has been so warm and welcoming! and thank you @Matt, our administrator for an amazing place to share information ? This time around, I'm having a lot more fun planning my cruise!!!

Ok...my name is Jane and my cruise can’t come soon enough! Yes...they are all my posts! Jane

Lol. You and @twangster are the spreadsheet masters. Not me. The only spreadsheet I have going is the one that tracks my C&A points and which ships I will block on. That idea was courtesy of @twangster.

What a great topic! My partner and I are cruising... February 16, 2020 on Oasis of the Seas, leaving from Miami.

Labadee? What's that? Is that a new private destination?

^ I see what you did there. As far as too many options ... list them all out, and work your way down the list. ?

What was really funny about the Poker Run portion that year ..... after they took a picture of me and the winning hand, I took a photo of the rest of them ..... They were supposed to look mad, upset, sullen, that they didn't win ..... some folks, including my wife, didn't follow instructions.

So true. We rounded off all the OA class ships with SY last month and now we are circling back to do Oasis in March, then HM again, then Allure after her amp. Cannot wait. I was just telling Hubby that OA is going to be almost like brand new ship from what we remembered back in 2009.

Another thing to note that once you do get your cabin number-which is very up in the air when that happens such as some get it very close to their cruise or I got our FOTS assignment already for Jan 5 2020 cruise-you can (if there is availability) ask to switch to a different cabin in the same class per some advice I had seen here. We think we will enjoy where we ended up but wanted to pass that along.

I typically start at the coffee bar for a little baileys ? You can also get mimosas in the WIndjammer

Yes ? let me fix it , it's not post St Patrick's day

^^^That's what we do. When we book a suite, the agent, whether that be Royal or a TA, automatically puts us in My Time. We just don't make reservations.

Pre-cruise stay – We are driving down to Clear Lake on Friday when DH can wrap up work – probably around noon, hopefully sooner. We just got a Bucee’s a few miles from our house, so we’ll fill up there and then hit the one in Madisonville as well. Beaver Nuggets for everyone! With it being a holiday weekend, I expect stand still traffic at rush hour in Houston, and I keep hoping we can leave Dallas by 10am to beat the afternoon traffic. Fortunately, I grew up about 30 miles north of Houston, so if needed I know a few good spots we can go for dinner and to wait it out for a bit. Last time we cruised, we stayed at the Clear Lake Hilton. It was nice, and we would stay there again. This time we are staying at the Homewood Suites in Clear Lake which will be a 35-40 minute drive to Galveston on Sunday morning. DH would prefer the Hilton because their breakfast is better, but they didn’t have a 2 BR suite available. Homewood had the room we wanted for the same price as a 1 BR at the Hilton. Besides, who needs an awesome, big breakfast when I plan to gorge myself at the Windjammer for lunch on Sunday! We are driving in Friday so we can get up and spend a good part of Saturday at Space Center Houston. We’ll keep the kids occupied in the evenings at the hotel pool. Last cruise, we took the short drive to Kemah Boardwalk to eat, but it’s usually around 100° in Houston on Labor Day Weekend so we're keeping food options open. Right now, Texas is supposed to get a cold front next weekend, and the whole state is doing a happy dance! It's only supposed to be 89° next Saturday! A cruise and 80 degree weather? Christmas just came early for me! Parking – We pre-purchased uncovered parking at Lighthouse. We stayed somewhere else last time, but Lighthouse had good reviews and was cheaper. It’s about ½ a mile from the pier, and we got 10% off with a coupon code which they post on their website. Total $67.50. I think that covers the basics. We have a very full "regular life" schedule up until we leave, so I really need to get an action plan for packing going. I already have a box started for the non-clothing stuff (sunscreen, towel clips, etc.). I had an amazing packing list for our last two cruises, but 8 years and two computers later, I'm not sure what happened to the file. I came up with this one last week. It's not quite like my old one was, but I think I have everything covered. Feel free to let me know if I've missed anything though. ? Today I think I'll pull all our formal wear out for a trip to the dry cleaners. DH travels a lot for work, and I got him a new carry on for Christmas last year. Great minds...he got me a new 29" suit case. He mentioned yesterday that he wants the bigger version of his carry on for this trip. He has tomorrow off, so we'll head to the Samsonite Outlet then. Plus my son just informed me that his shoes are too small, so I guess I'm not quite as done with shopping for the cruise as I thought I was. Master Packing List.xlsx

Sailed Grand Suite on Anthem twice (30 days until third time) and sorry to say only ate at CK once. However, that one experience was amazing. Just like @Lovetocruise2002 said, it's like specialty dining, only included as a suite perk. Both sailings (and the upcoming one as well) we had friends on-board so it was difficult to take advantage for dinner ... but really wish we had spent more time in CK, that one experience was amazing. Great food and great service. We have one meal we are planning to have in CK for some alone time away from friends but wish we could enjoy more dinners there. The five nights just isn't enough time for us. Hopefully we can enjoy it for other meals as well (breakfast on sea day for example) and not deal with the windjammer crowds. To summarize my rant ... it's really a perk you should take advantage of.

Welcome to the cruising world now that she is hooked! I love the fact that most Royal ships within a class have a familiar feel when you get onboard, but there are some slight changes that make each ship its own. There is nothing wrong with booking the newest ship in the fleet - but know that the price will be higher because of that. I would also look at ports of call along with which ships have been AMPlified while looking around for the next cruise. While the ships are not all Oasis Class, they have some great new features on them.

Well now that you put it that way I dont either! You ruined it!!! But in all seriousness, its more for at night. If its sunny out I'd much rather be outside. But its just another nice option to have after dinner or late night.

haha..another person confused by Royals math.. You will soon learn that Royal is very good at these confusing offers..welcome to the club...don't ever try to figure it out and just remember, its never really a sale at the end of the day. Just a different way to market it. The sooner you accept it, the better it will be for you when dealing with Royal.

Start with these... https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/05/08/ten-commonly-asked-first-time-royal-caribbean-cruise-questions https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/02/28/first-time-cruisers-what-you-need-know-about-taking-royal-caribbean-cruise https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/07/05/top-8-royal-caribbean-explorer-of-the-seas-hidden-secrets https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-200-best-tips-first-time-cruisers

I got lucky. Addies an easy going little girl. Willing to try anything, but that also means I’ll be back on the drop slides on CocoCay, I’ll be sure to look for @Matts courage along the slide.

These guys don't know ANYthing. Mermaids aren't afraid of a little jumping. Hmph <eye roll>

wwwwhhhhaaattt? shenanigans? I know nothing of what you speak good sir. yar!!

Is that $CAD or "real" money?

Big sister, little sister, younger sister, older sister. Family ships at the pier in CocoCay. In case you haven't figured it out yet, these lights are new since my last visit. LED lighting on the pier paves the way for late night stays on CocoCay. They must be testing them. Down the pier there are cones where a few more will go so they are a work in progress.

My wife and I will be celebrating our 15 Anniversary on Brilliance of the Seas Feb 8 2020. This will be our first cruise.

Tell them it's an emotional support Segway. That's how people get incontinent poodles on board.? Your device is cool though.