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Lunch was typical Johnny Rockets stuff fries - plain, chili cheese, and bacon cheese. DH and I both had smokehouse burgers with jalapenos added. Milkshakes, a malt, and a root beer float were enjoyed during the meal so we skipped dessert. Then we did the typical first day stuff. We resigned our waivers for AO and got DD's card punched for the teen club. Next we headed up to the flowrider to renew our waivers...and sign up for more surf lessons. We dropped the kids at the room with their respective electronic devices, and DH and I wandered into the Next Cruise office. We'll be back on Libery over Labor Day weekend for a New England and Canada cruise which may have partly been inspired by @Lovetocruise2002's recent cruise. Connecting balconies that time. We took our free bottle of champagne for booking the first day back to the room and went up to the suite lounge to celebrate the new booking. No one was really hungry after the late lunch, so we took the kids to WJ for dinner. Now they are in the kid's clubs and we are waiting for ballroom dance music to start in Olive or Twist. There is a 30 minute overlap with three family silent disco. I'm sure they are still working out the kinks of the new schedule. We did get a towel animal tonight, and we asked our cabin attendant to let us keep our zoo. He obliged.

I have no drama of my own to report really. DH saw security walking the cabin halls with pictures of a couple people. According to the FB group a guy was yelling at his wife/girlfriend on the dock at Cozumel and he started to get physical. Security stepped in. There were pictures on FB this morning of cop cars at the dock and someone being taken off in cuffs. We did have an ambulance and fire truck pull up shortly after docking. DH and I finally made it dancing.

Great sea day. 150 Central Park for dinner.

Breakfast on the balcony. This is actually a first for us. In all our cruises, we have never taken advantage of combining food and the sunrise. I woke up to the ship traveling at 2.6 knots, and DH said it had been like that since he got up at 5am. There was no wake. While we were out on the balcony the engines restarted, and now we're going about 10 knots which is what we were doing last night. DH said there were some mechanical sounds between 5am and 6 when I got up - like they were trying to restart and couldn't get the engines to turn over. The map now has us pointing back toward FLL. Is this part of the normal zig zag toward CocoCay? I am sure we are just headed south because last night we went north, and today's a sea day so I know the captain has time to kill, but way to make us nervous!

DAY 6: * SEA DAY * - (FRI, 11/3)… conclusion! Taking a short break while I work! Just wanted to wrap up Day 6. After the show, we all stopped by the Schooner Bar to listen to the piano player and have a few drinks. I forgot how loud they crank the volume up in the Schooner Bar. I’m all for loud music, I also love my home theater system, but it was REALLY loud! On top of that, none of us were impressed by the performer. Probably the worst performer we’ve heard to date in any venue on a Royal ship. I had heard Royal created new drinks for the Schooner Bar, so I ordered the Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Toasted Marshmallow Syrup, and Cocoa Bitters… Served with 4 mini toasted marshmallows). I love the PB&J Old Fashioned in the Mason Jar so I figured I give this drink a shot. Not a fan… a little funky for my tastebuds and not easy to finish. I like bourbon, so it must have been the other ingredients. We finally had enough of the piano player and left the bar. My wife’s uncle and GF headed back to their cabin. Christine and I headed to the Boardwalk and grabbed a table outside at Playmakers. Hey, gotta use that UDP once again! I ordered the Pile On Nachos with Pulled Pork and Christine ordered the Playmakers Fries. Both were tasty. Not the best pics! We walked around for a bit and finally headed back to the cabin for the evening.

DAY 6: * SEA DAY * - (FRI, 11/3)… continued… To speed this long day up… We had lunch at Chops Grille. We all had the Wild Mushroom Soup and the Colossal Shrimp Cocktail for our appetizers… Loved the warm pretzel rolls! Compared to the 6 ounce on the Key lunch menu, Chops offers an 8 oz. Angus Filet Mignon on the lunch menu. I like mine cooked medium to medium well. The waiter offered to have my filet butterflied so I gave that a try. The meat was perfect! Just enough pink for my taste and more flavorful and tender than the filet we had on embarkation day in the MDR. We ordered multiple sides including the Gruyère Cheese Tator Tots, Mashed Potatoes, and Mac & Cheese. You know you’re on a cruise when you always have dessert with your lunch! I went with the Key Lime Meringue Pie which was excellent. A couple of pic of the inside of the restaurant… We spent the afternoon on the pool deck and in the Solarium. We never had a problem grabbing a convenient lounger in either location which was surprising. Maybe they are really monitoring the chair hogs! Fast forward to dinner. This night was the second formal evening… lobster night a.k.a. “The Royal Night” in the MDR. This was the only evening we ate in the MDR. A little background on the MDR dining time. When we booked the cruise, we all selected the Early Traditional dining time of 5:30 PM. Royal later changed it to 5:00 PM on the Cruise Docs. However, when we received our SeaPass cards onboard, they changed it to My Time Dining! Since we all purchased the Unlimited Dining Package and only planned on eating in the MDR on this evening, it wasn’t that much of a hassle. We went to the MDR on the first evening and explained the situation and they made a 5:30 PM reservation for the four of us. I ordered my favorites off the menu… Baked French Onion Soup, Maine Lobster Tail, and the Baked Alaska. We all enjoyed our meals. After dinner we posed for some photos and then headed back to our cabins to change out of our formal wear. Tonight, we have “The Effectors II: Crash & Burn” in the Royal Theater. For those not familiar, this is the “sequel” to the original production currently on Odyssey. It’s all about the tech and meant to be a fun show (characters are video game or comic book type characters/heroes). Don’t worry about following a complex plot! Spoilers… LOL! In the first installment on Odyssey, the Effectors eventually capture Crash (main villain) and imprison him somewhere in the Caribbean Sea (they say somewhere between Miami and Coco Cay ). In this sequel, Crash escapes with the help of a sidekick (Burn) and tries to capture all of the Effectors. Naturally, in the end, the Effectors capture Crash and Burn. Last January, we made the mistake of watching the show in the reserved Key section. In the Royal Theater, the Key seating section is in the upper-level. One issue we had was that the railing cut-off the bottom of the stage. Also, all of the action (lasers, small drones, and large drone) occurred well in front of us. This time around, we decided to sit mid-way up the center section in the lower-level. There were plenty of seats when we arrived 20 minutes before the start of the show. We found the show to naturally be more immersive as all of the lasers and flying objects were overhead. OK, time for bed... I'll try to wrap up Day 6 soon! Goodnight everyone!

Man, am I disappointed in this post... I thought I was going to get to read about someone's assessment of the electrical conduit used onboard. Look at them using the fancy French term for Captain. AI for sure!

Flowrider lesson part deux. DD is really close to earning her blue band to stand up surf, and we were all able to drop the practice rope this time. I think my 44 year old body prefers boogie boarding for now. There was no Key session after our lesson so they shut off the pumps at 9. We had different instructors this time, and one of our instructors from last week came up right at the end of our lesson. They all agreed DD was on the verge so they turned it back on to give her the two chances self load. It was a no go, but good practice. They told us to come back at 10 and try again as they were all sure she could get it. So it's hot tubs and pool time until then. DS is probably too big for Splashaway Bay but that's where we are. This is his happy place - Splashaway Bay on Liberty. He's between slides and the hot tub, and DD and I are resting up for the next flowrider session to start.

Did auto correct get you on that last word...?

Last night, Jayson. Gave us out new Sea Pass cards and transit cards. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was just a business card sized paper that said In Transit on it with some Royal branding. The suite breakfast didn't open until 7 this morning, and we were supposed to meet at 7:45 for our excursion. We decided that would be cutting it close and to just get the kids something quick from WJ. Not sure what we were thinking. What a madhouse! We were in the Star Lounge at 7:30am. There were two people at the front of the lounge checking in for the excursion. I asked what we needed to do to ensure we were brought back to the ship, and they both looked at me like I had three heads. I pulled up the excursion in the app and showed them where it said in the description that consecutive cruisers would be returned to the cruise terminal. The response was, "I guess we will let the tour guide know you are coming back" We were escorted off the ship around 8:30am. People got their luggage and went through customs where we were on our own to find the excursion bus as the RC guide was at the back of the herd for our group. The tour bus guide asked where our luggage was, and we told him we were on the next sailing. He said, great, we will get you back here so we felt better. We all waited on the bus until the RC guide showed up with the last couple families at 9:30. Apparently, RC left a cart of luggage dock side, and the bags were not unloaded in the terminal with the rest of the luggage. When we got to the Everglades Holiday Park, we asked the tour guide when he thought we would make it back to the terminal. He said after the tour, we were dropping off the people for FLL, then a family for MIA, then they would go back to the cruise terminal. Um no. We decided to get off at FLL and take a $12 Uber back to port. It was a fun excursion. A little alligator show followed by the airboat ride. If we were going to do it again, we would have scheduled it for the day we got off the ship instead of on turn around day. We were back on board by 1:30 and headed to Johnny Rockets.

The most disrespectful invention ever is the speaker phone and the people who feel like the entire world needs to know their business. There is absolutely nothing more obnoxious than someone yapping on a speaker phone in public. Nails on a chalkboard for me.

Having owned a couple of businesses and being in a leadership role for others, I have learned that "vacation" at times just means "working from exotic locations". While I am able to mostly disconnect from the day-to-day, I still find myself having to handle administrative tasks while on vacation. Some of these are impactful to my employees, must happen on a fixed calendar schedule, and must be done on a specific date, such as communicating results from performance reviews, approvals of time off, etc. I just bake in time each morning to check and handle these tasks while on vacation. I do have to put on my blinders though and keep reminding myself I can put aside a lot of things and not everything is "urgent". Some of my favorite calls for work are around Christmas time where I spend a few hours calling each of my reports and telling them happy holidays and here is your Christmas bonus. I made these calls from Adventure of the Seas last year and was happy to take the time away from my vacation to spread some holiday cheer.

Yes, the 3 that we had booked well, well in advance went up almost immediately after we booked. We have been booking as soon as bookings start though. It seems to be the only way we can afford it these days.

You were correct! First, I tried filling out the online form but it instantly told me I wasn't eligible since it had been longer than 48 hours since I booked the ticket. Then, I called and they gave me the better rate Saved me $330 -- thanks again

The Bon Voyage menu last night was our least favorite. Appetizers- DH got the Mediterranean Tapas, I got the French onion soup, kids both got the shrimp cocktail. Entrees - DS and I got the lamb, DH and DD got the grilled chicken, and DH and I shared the chicken chettinad to share. Our second entree was delived with the first, but the guy at the table next to us got a second entree for himself and it came later. Dessert - apple cobblers and crema catalana. We went back to the room to stay with DD who had a headache, and were asleep on the couch by 9pm. When DS got back from AO at 10pm, we all went to bed.

DAY 6: * SEA DAY * - (FRI, 11/3)… continued… Our busy, busy day continues! I met Christine in the Windjammer for breakfast. It was still early, so there were no crowds and plenty of tables. They still had not opened up the whole restaurant when we arrived. Next up this morning was our “All Access Ship Tour”! We’ve always wanted to do this tour, but we never got around to booking it. With the “Premier Pass “ Cruise Planner mini-fiasco, we both had OBC which we used to offset some of the cost of the tour. Also, what better ship to tour than the largest and most technologically advanced ship in the fleet (currently in service). Photographs were encouraged, but video is not permitted. We all met in the MDR and the guide provided us with an “All Access” pass and lanyard, as well as, an earpiece that was used throughout the tour for narration by each of the speakers. Surprised we got to keep the pass and lanyard... too bad we couldn't sneak onto another tour! LOL! We started in the MDR and took a tour of one of the MDR galleys… Next, we jumped onto “I-95” (of course named after the interstate) which traverses the entire length of the ship. Think of Disney’s underground network that their cast members use to get around the park, etc. We stopped next in the Engine Control Room… we first had to go through a security check... Next, onto the recycling/waste disposal area (forgot technical name, LOL!). They explained that waste food is actually dumped into the ocean (fish food). Some items are recycled, while other items are incinerated onboard or crushed and removed from the ship upon return to port. I believe this is where they take the rude and nasty guests to... Back onto “I-95” and a tour of a couple of the food storage areas. They explained there are 21 provision refrigerators and freezers on the ship. They also explained that they generally store enough food for 7-9 days (closer to 9 during hurricane season). The rooms are somewhat empty because we toured the morning of Day 6. Next, on to the Laundry Facilities area… all washing is done on another level and sent down to this level… Huge and amazing machine that dries, presses, and folds the bed sheets! Area where they repair garments, etc… Demo on how they steam and press pants. They explained crew uniforms are all laundered and pressed here as well… Demo of they steam shirts, etc… Next… up to the bridge! Of course, another security check before entering the bridge! When we arrived, Capt. Rob, was not on the bridge. The tour is of course handled by another officer. We spent most of the time on one of the bridge wings (port side)… As the bridge tour wrapped up, Capt. Rob returned to the bridge (on right side)… A few of us had stayed back a little to speak with the officer that gave the tour. The rest of the group had moved on and as we headed off the bridge, Capt. Rob came by for a moment. One of the other folks in our group took a selfie with the Captain, but we just said a quick “Hello!” and headed out to catch up with the rest of the group. Maybe I could have stayed for a quick pic, but we didn’t want to take advantage and push it! The tour finished in the Aqua Theater. The speaker (one of the guys that provide underwater support during the show wearing scuba gear) provided and overview of the theater, equipment, safety protocols, and answered the group’s questions. A few of the performers were hanging out and practicing some basic dives off of the trampoline…

Our second cruise on Mariner (this one Costa Maya/Cozumel) since late August, and it was another fantastic trip. Some random observations: Had the 10:30am checkin, we were on board not long after 11. Our August cruise was in a Jr Suite so it seemed like we saw a lot of our stateroom attendant. We hardly ever saw this one but it worked out fine with the once a day cleaning. Voyager class promenade view interiors continue to be our favorite 'budget' cabin. I know there are strong feelings to the contrary, but we like them. And for whatever reason this one (7591) may have been the quietest cabin we have ever had on a cruise. My wife said 'never again' to an interior (tho she will be in one June next year lol), but she doesnt mind the promenade view interior at all. Motion was fairly significant first day then calm until the last night. Captain warned us once the ship got close to turning north back to Canaveral it would get rough and he wasn't lying. They distributed bags in all the public areas which we have never seen before (this was our 8th or 9th RC cruise). It kept the wife up but not me, which she of course commented on) Maya Chan was incredible, getting there not so much. As many commented, that port has pretty pushy vendors. It was our first time there, we found our way out eventually. The ride there took longer than it should have, our driver acted like it was his POV, slowing down much more than necessary (IMO). The guy on the ride back did not, at all. We did Fury catamaran in Cozumel and really enjoyed it. Bought a shirt and a magnet when getting back and got on the ship. MDR was ok, service was quick. Im not a 'big portion' guy, but the portions were really small this time. Curiously small. The food was pretty good tho and the servers were great. We ate there 3 nights. We ate breakfast in the MDR and that continues to be among my favorite meals. We ate in WJ twice because we (basically) didnt have a choice. I am not a buffet guy but the food was ok. The knifefight/thunderdome aspect of it is what I dont enjoy at all. Izumi was not as enjoyable as past visits but good nonetheless. Chops was very good. Bar service was occasionally busy but the drinks seemed better this trip. The Gold Rush at the Tiki Bar (I know thats not its official name) was the best drink on board so long as they had Buffalo Trace, not quite as good with Wild Turkey but still a good bourbon drink. The Viking/Crown Lounge is still our favorite place on board a Voyager class ship. We spent quite a bit of time there and really enjoyed it. They made a passable Old Fashioned so long as they didnt muddle the fruit as requested. I will miss Mariner after her repositioning. As I have said many times, she is the goldilocks ship to me.

We are headed back out now. It didn't seem like we were running full speed back to port, but we didn't check the tv channel that shows our speed. Hopefully it is nothing too serious and the person recovers quickly.

I know... I'm just naturally long-winded on forums and my brain defaults to being very organized and completist (Day 1: Here's everything we did in detailed, chronological order) that I need to learn how to force myself to post bits and pieces. So what I want and what comes naturally are very conflicting, lol. That's why I have historically written up long post-trip reports rather than live blogs (not here, please don't threaten to ban me again).

We are headed back to Ft Lauderdale. I couldn't hear the reason, but I did hear it won't affect the schedule.

This isn't even close to true. #hyperbole

That has been my experience as well for the last year and a half, never to drop back down again, even after final payment,

I take almost no pictures for myself... but when asked to take one for someone else, my M.O. is to fire off like a dozen in the hopes that they find one that's decent, lol.

Totally agree! Especially as much as OP listed. The scenario for almost all my sailings the last year and a half are that after final payment, rooms get released, and at sky high pricing. I don't even remember the last time I caught a price drop.

Thanks @USCG Teacher for sharing the info and pic. Very helpful. The train station is 5 minutes from our house and riding to NYC on the train is more enjoyable than dealing with airports these days.

You're clearly at least somewhat into photography as these pics with "just your iPhone" look great. Have you ever heard of or looked into into a company called "Moment"? They sell iPhone cases and attachable lenses to enhance the quality. I'm not into taking photos whatsoever but my wife bought some of their products to use in Alaska in 2018 with her iPhone X (again, we're not into photography enough to bring a real camera) and they worked pretty well. Just throwing it out there in case it serves a purpose, even if it's not for Alaska but for more everyday stuff or future Caribbean cruises or whatever. So many tourists asked her about the lenses when they saw her taking pics with them and they were just using their phone as-is.

Thanks so much! Just my iPhone 14 Pro Max. My Nikon DSLR camera body is ancient and not worth taking on cruises at this point. The outdated sensor in my camera is unusable in low light without flash and it's only 10MP. I'll probably have to splurge on a new camera body if we go to Alaska down the road so I can take advantage of my lenses.

@Lovetocruise2002 this is the bottle they gave us. I searched Total Wine and Goody Good Liquor online and neither carry this. Google didn't give me much more - it looks like this is maybe a $15 bottle at the most? I wonder if we would have received a different kind if we booked a suite, like getting better OBC for longer sailings/suites?

It was in last week's Cruise Compass, and I was hoping it was in effect for this cruise too. We had it narrowed down to a cruise from LA or the New England and made the decision at the last second. I'm not 100%, but I think all bookings get it. We were also entered into some raffle for $100 obc for booking day one or two.

I am actually thinking of booking this itinerary again for the summer of 2025, but just Hubby and I, if they offer it when new itineraries comes out. Also, they give you a full bottle of champagne for booking on the first day?! How did I not know this? If you do one of those open bookings, do you also get the free champagne?

No that was deliberate. That's the gin and tonic typing.......

Only had a Promenade View once, on Indy, and yes, they can be very loud during the parties. We also weren't big fans of the layout and storage but everyone likes what they like.

I'm guessing that the OP sits on his front porch and yells at the squirrels to get off his lawn.

DAY 6: * SEA DAY * - (FRI, 11/3) I woke up early (a little after 6:00am) before Christine and started to explore the ship once again while most of the passengers were sleeping. I worked my way to the Solarium… photo dump to follow! LOL! One of the two hot tubs in the main part of the Solarium… I said this last time, but I still need to remember to grab a banana, place it in the gorilla’s palm, and take a pic one day! Lower level of Solarium… To us, Wonder’s solarium is a nice hybrid of the Quantum and Oasis class solariums. Enclosed (climate-controlled) and multi-tiered (pool and seating)! Much nicer, although still relatively small, pool than on other Oasis class ships… Lower level behind the glass is the Solarium Bistro and the upper level is Hooked Seafood… Some panoramas taken in the center of the Solarium… Quick shot of the best hot tub on the ship IMHO… the double hot tub that cantilevers over the starboard side of the ship. Nicer pics to come! It was closed when I was taking my pics. This one is just inside Solarium once again on the starboard (right) side of the ship. Here are the pics I posted earlier of this hot tub from the pier! Next, I walked the entire pool deck… Looking forward… Remember, when walking the pool deck, the slides are in the forward of the ship and the video screen is aft… Quick pano looking forward… Now, looking aft… Now, I headed further aft toward the Boardwalk neighborhood… Will continue on…

ChatGPT?

If anyone is interested, there is a Code of Conduct and here is the link to it - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/guest-health-safety-and-conduct-policy/english/ If something is truly a nuisance or presents a danger, you have every right to inform a crew member. Me? Policing other people or caring what they do is literally the last thing I want to do on a cruise (unless of course, they are a danger to themselves or others. Then, yes, I will speak up).

I thoroughly enjoy loudly replying to public speakerphone conversations as though they were speaking to me. If they're going to involve me in the conversation, so be it.

Smoking in non-smoking areas is a real problem these days, especially on short cruises. I was on Independence and there was a group of guys vaping in the pub.

If only I could afford the fare......

Someone from the Insiders group is on with you and he posted it was for some kind of emergency. Hope whoever it involves is ok.

This is why I'm unlikely do much live blogging. My wife will take pictures if we're seeing something special like Alaska but neither of us will ever be inclined to snap quick food pics or the other basic stuff one normally includes in a blog. Not ruling it out completely but my brain doesn't know how to do an abbreviated version with brief comments and a few pics. If I could get myself to do that I would be far more likely to give it a shot.

I was going to say the same thing! None of my iPhones ever take pics like this But then again, it's probably the user as well that isn't that great lol

I am loving this blog. I was up this morning getting the 11:00am slot for my Christmas cruise. I am ready for them 2025-2026 class schedule.

On our recent cruise on Allure a man and lady seemed to always have breakfast at Coastal Kitchen and he spent LOTS of time on his cell phone, even while eating, while his wife or partner sat there with him. I thought to myself, WOW, he must be someone important or have very important business to conduct while on their cruise. Maybe he's doing deals with his broker? Maybe he's running a business? Whatever. We found it odd that this had to be done while he ate breakfast, but I sure didn't let it affect my enjoyment of our cruise. At least he wasn't loud, and we were not close enough to hear the conversations. Not something I would have done or wanted multiple people doing though.

It's the same thing on Amtrak. There are places in the front of the cars for luggage. I think you'll be just fine and excellent choice taking Amtrak. After cruises on big ships trains are my favorite mode of transportation. Love it!

Wow! First, I know I already said it, but there are some really amazing pics in this blog. Second, this makes me want take an all access tour one day. It's quite detailed.

Last year for us and our two-cruises booked...Our Black Friday Sale on 21 Nov 22 showed.. 1. Booze package went down from $79.99 to $74.99. 2. Internet went down from $21.99 to $13.99 (We bought for both cruises) 3. Unlimited dinning went down from $208.99 to $177.99 4. 3-night dinning stayed the same at $105.99 5 Chops single night stayed the same at $49.99. We keep a spreadsheet and track Royal Fuzy Math

Annoying behavior can be found almost anywhere. I learned many years ago, though, that my standards may not be other people's standards. If I choose to be, I could be annoyed almost every day by someone -- on the road, in the grocery store, in my neighborhood, wherever.... When I see annoying behavior I try my best to not let it adversely affect my day. If necessary, I will tactfully say something though. It's unfortunate, but I doubt that a Code of Conduct would change the kind of individual behavior you've described. I hope that in the grand scope of things you found your recent cruise to be enjoyable.