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Interesting. I never even realized that the put-put golf is above us. I have been paying extra-close attention to the noises per @Lovetocruise2002’s interest and I have noted a few bumps now and again (maybe coming from the bridge ?) but nothing really distracting or worrisome. I will note that Dan LOVES this room. He is loving the view and spends hours pretending he’s the Master of the Vessel (kidding) but seriously, the view is really enchanting as long as you are looking straight ahead. Not so much with the bridge and bow in your lower view…I also love the space in this suite…it’s large, open and bright. During the day it can get very warm due to the solar loading of the large windows so the AC works overtime to keep it cool (very similar to the temperature issues associated with the ATS, for those who have stayed in one). At night you’re freezing your a$$ off and have to turn the AC down (up, actually) but the thermostat is very responsive so not a big deal. I strongly recommend that anyone staying in one of these suites plan on fully enjoying the sunrise and sunset. Every morning before the sun rises we throw the curtains open and watch the sun come up. It’s awesome ! We are here less often for sunset but the same magic happens again. I still am not fond of the location of this suite in relation to where I mostly hang out, but I guess maybe this room is growing on me !

Tonight’s sunset leaving Costa Maya.

Just remember you asked for it. Stay tuned for tonight’s photo antics. It could be pants optional.

Well, not North Star

Back in my suite to put my camera gear to bed for the night we had begun to move off the iceberg.

I brought my 360 camera as well with the 3m pole. Selfie time!

The daily recap was scheduled for 18:15 in the theater and it was almost time to head down when... an announcement. We've been invited to the bow on deck 5 for a special iceberg viewing. Normally closed to the public because it is a working crew area the Captain has made an exception for this occasion.

Our hour is up and it's time to make our way back to the Silver Wind.

Welcome to the message boards. That is correct, a child still in diapers cannot go in any pool other than the baby splash zone. You're obviously free to hang out elsewhere, but the kid can only go in the baby splash zone.

Then the announcement came that we are a go! They called multiple groups including mine first so off I went. They shortened the zodiac tours to 60 minutes to make sure everyone could participate in case the weather changed. The wind didn't seem that bad on the surface. A decent sized group of elephant seals occupied one end of the beach.

Giant Petrels were soaring around the ship. These next shots were a challenge to capture. The wind was so strong outside on deck 9 forward it was hard to hold my camera steady. It felt like a massive chunk of glacier would fall at any moment. I could make out large numbers of something on the beach but we were too far to see any detail. Very different geology here. The wind. It so strong I could sense the bridge was testing it to see if it would be safe. I didn't think they could lower the zodiacs in this wind and I was all but convinced we would miss our visit so I headed down to my cabin to wait for the announcement. Then they announced they were sending out a scout. That gives us some hope.

Day Nine continued... Gold Harbor, South Georgia Island Over the lunch break the ship sailed South along the coast of South Georgia Island. At lunch in The Restaurant I could see the ship approaching the coastline so I headed up to deck 9 forward. The weather was great but there was some wind. It was all so beautiful... We passed close by a small iceberg. Looking aft I could see the minefield of icebergs we had sailed through.

Hibachi tonight was such a fun time. It was the first time we have ever had a table of 8 all to ourselves. It definitely made the experience better having a table to ourselves. In addition to hibachi we ordered dumplings and pretty much every sushi dish. I took more videos than pics tonight. Sorry Oh and another first, Lindsay tried saki and didn’t mind it. We are so classy he passed the can around and everyone sampled it.

When we stayed in that suite on the Mariner the golf balls overhead were annoying for some time. Loved the views but the cabin wasn't a suite experience at all.

"New Year, New Odyssey. Our Journey into 2024…" – OY 12/31/2023 – 01/06/2024 I am writing this blog with a heavy heart. Even as I write this, I am not sure if this sailing will be a go for us or not. I even contemplated not blogging, because I was not sure if I had it in me at this moment. However, blogging makes me happy, and these blogs remain a great way to record our memories, and that is what these trips are all about. Making memories with the ones we love. About 3 weeks ago, our lives were unexpectedly turned upside down. My Dad is going through a major health crisis that took us completely by surprise. If you asked me 3 weeks ago if I was going on this sailing, I would have probably said no. However, as awful as the situation is, our health care system in Ontario has not totally failed us, and my Dad has received treatment, and is stable for the time being. I have long supported the whole “YOLO Book It” mentality, the pandemic fueled it. However, with the events that have transpired over the last few weeks, it has only strengthened our resolve to seize each moment, to not let a single opportunity pass us by, to truly live, and have no regrets, and to take every moment to enjoy each other because life is so fragile. We have no idea what 2024 is going to hold for our family. But one thing is certain, we take heart in knowing that God is working for our good in the midst of all of this, and there is always joy come morning.

Berty arranged snacks for Reyd. He got a little bit from a few places. Nachos and salsa from Sabor with hot cheese from Johnny’s. Great combo but without Berty we wouldn’t have known where to get cheese. Ham & bacon pizza from Sorrentos. From the time I messaged Berty it was delivered within 20 minutes. I think that’s pretty impressive especially when multiple venues are involved.

@Radzagarwal since you are new to the board, perhaps this blog post from a few years ago will be helpful as you prepare: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/04/07/introduction-bringing-toddlers-royal-caribbean-cruise We have been on many cruises with our kids (and now our grandkids), and we have always had a great time. Don't worry about being with your little one. If your 6 year old is involved in Adventure Ocean activities, then they might not want to hang out with the parents and little brother anyway.

Our arrival at Turquoise Bay It was about a 45 minute ride. The tour guide escorted us to the VIP area where there was a great selection of loungers. Umbrellas and towels are included. You are assigned a dedicated waiter. You can order off the VIP menu or grab hotdogs, fries, wings, burgers, nachos at the main eating area. VIP food and drink menu attached. More on the food and drink in a bit.

Day Ten - Sea Day enroute to Elephant Island Position report: Balcony observations: Another beautiful sea day.

Let's go!!!

As we left Gold Harbor I visited the Panorama Lounge for a beverage before the daily recap. You can see why it's so popular. It's also the bar that is open at this time of day so there is that. It's easy to pop outside from the lounge to take a quick picture. Weather changing again, we got lucky.

Thanks to @Xaa for turning me onto the location of the computers on deck 8. I have no idea how I missed them before ! There are LOTS of them and they are convenient and in good condition (for some reason at least one of the two up in the Crown Lounge is usually non-op).

Just make sure he gets his underwear in there

Our departure from Turquoise Bay went smoothly. The van left right on time. It was a 24P van and there were a couple empty seats. The resort itself is very nice, offering a wide range of excursions. Very organized, great service. Food quality was the low point today. The VIP section is located at the far end of the beach. Overcrowding was not an issue. There were plenty of empty loungers available. I think for what we paid and the poor food quality, it was overpriced. I did get a chance to scout out the villas and overwater cabanas. Although sold out on cruise planner there were plenty available today. Glad we didn’t spend anymore on upgrades as food is a big part of our overall experience and theirs fell short.

At one point the ship slowed and they announced there were both Killer and Fin whales spotted. By the time I got upstairs they were in the distance, the Orca's well aft of the ship and the Fin off the port side. These are not the best whale pictures. Maybe someone else got a better photo or two.

Moving on to our NYE sailing on Odyssey of the Seas… This is our first time on Odyssey. We were booked on the original inaugural sailing of this ship with quite a few others from this blog community. That was cancelled by the pandemic, and this NYE was our first opportunity to re-book this ship. I booked this sailing the day new itineraries were released. I am truly looking forward to this. I feel like OY got lost a bit in the shuffle by Wonder, and then Icon, but she is still fairly new and has a lot to offer. As many of you know, I am not a fan of Quantum class ships, however, I am intrigued by how OY will differ. Who’s Going? Me, Hubby, D17, D15 Flight Delta from DTW-FLL; booked through Air2Sea. Flying in on the 29th (tomorrow!) as our family policy is now 2 days early if we can swing it. Flight prices are horrendous for this trip, even compared to past NYE trips that we have taken. We were able to price it down a few times before final payment, but it was still double what we paid last year at this time. We even contemplated driving down, but in the end, Hubby was not up for that. Hopefully this doesn’t backfire, and he ends up driving anyway! Pre-Cruise Stay I booked our pre-cruise hotel for this trip the as soon as hotels released prices for our dates. The first reason was because I knew from the last few NYE sailings we’ve done; these hotels sell out fast and prices skyrocket the closer you get. Also, booking early allows me to grab the room type that I wanted because there was something specific that I had in mind. When we sailed out of Port Everglades in the past, we have always stayed on 17th Street. I cannot even remember a time when we did not. However, because we are flying in 2 days early, and because we have no idea which, or if any freeloaders will be cruising with us for future NYE sailings, we wanted this one to be a bit more special. D15 has always looked longingly at the beach during our PE sail aways. She always asks why we cannot stay along the beach (Hello child, you know this family loves La Bamba right?), so for this pre-cruise stay, we are doing just that. I have always wanted to try the Conrad on Fort Lauderdale Beach, however @Jax persuaded me to try out the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. I was really impressed by her review on this property last year and I’ve been following them on Instagram for about a year now. I think this property is a better fit for the 4 of us over the Conrad. In addition, I persuaded D17’s best friend to stay there with her family back in September, and they loved it as well, so we are pretty excited for our stay. This will sadly mean that we have to Uber/Lyft our way to our beloved La Bamba. Itinerary 29 DEC Arrive Fort Lauderdale, Florida 30 DEC FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 31 DEC FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (Cruise Day !) 01 JAN PERFECT DAY COCOCAY, BAHAMAS 02 JAN CRUISING 03 JAN LABADEE, HAITI 04 JAN PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REP 05 JAN CRUISING 06 JAN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA Cabin The recurring theme for our next few family sailings is, “Go Big, or Go Home” because D17 is graduating high school this June and we have no idea what that means for sailing as a family of 4 in the future. For this sailing, we will be revisiting a cabin that we fell in love with when we sailed Anthem to Norway. Pre-Cruise thoughts - This is probably one of the most relaxed sailings for me in terms of pre-cruise planning. With two beach days (PDCC and Labadee), Hubby and the girls are going to do their beach things and I will likely not get off the ship at all, except for the day in Puerto Plata. - Long time blog members, @recogneyesand @WannaCruise will be on this sailing too. Hoping that we can find a time to finally meet each other. Canadians need to stick together lol - This was unfortunately one of the first times where both hotel and cruise fare never dropped since initial booking. Both were booked on the day it was released, and prices have just climbed over time. Zero opportunities for price adjustments this time around. - Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions. I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you. - When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply. It just makes for easier scrolling. - Lastly, I will try to post videos and stories on Instagram. You can follow me @lovetocruise2002

We have been on many cruises with very little ones. The splash area on most of the ships are pretty awesome. You are confined to it if they have diapers. We always do fine but you are confined to that area. You'll have a great time, nothing to be worried about at all.

It's been a pretty nice day overall. More icebergs.

Ok. This definitely goes into the thread theorized, but never created, by @twangster entitled “Star Class Behaving Badly”

I totally agree with you that the second “bedroom” is a joke. There’s barely room for my luggage in there !

The hanging glacier is a dominant feature here at Gold Harbor. I kept waiting for a chunk to break off. Didn't happen.

Well Royal-up opened up way earlier than I expected for this cruise! it was actually back on check in day they started taking bids. I actually didn't wait for the notification e-mail, some of the folks on the Facebook group for this one posted they had been notified it was open and I just went to the website to have a look. Now I have had mixed luck with Royal up in the past. I have run about 50/50 when I bid. If I really like my cabin then I don't even try. Like having cabin 1100 on Radiance for a 9 night Bahama cruise! There was no way I was going to chance giving up that balcony! The same would apply if I had adjoining rooms, an accessible room, or something like that. However I will check it out and even bid if my booking is for "just a cabin" that has nothing particular about it to make it worth keeping. It can end up with some pretty nice deals. As any one will tell you there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how Royal-up bids are processed and then accepted or passed over. For our Christmas Cruise on Liberty during the restart, I bid fairly high for one type of ocean view room and only minimum on the balcony we ended up in. Sailing Solo means I am still paying for double occupancy. That goes for Royal up as well. So the $25 bid I put in for a "virtual balcony" will cost me $50 if it is accepted. For lower bids like that it is not to much of a concern but for a bigger jump I have to remember it as the prices can double up pretty fast if you aren't paying attention. This really goes for any one using the system. As it is a per person charge based on double occupancy, your actual bid is double what you click. So for this cruise I went back and forth, but a couple of days after the bidding opened up I got a healthy holiday bonus and decided to go ahead and bid. I put bids on a couple of different options including the bare minimum for a balcony. We will see what happens. I will be watching for that magic e-mail that I have been upgraded but I won't worry of it never comes.

Group photo takes a turn …. Our group wanted to get some pics and things took a turn. One minute we are on the stairs posing for a picture and the next all the guys have removed their shirts. The photographer was encouraging the guys. She joked she hoped she didn’t get in trouble. We told her not to worry, she was definitely GITCC (going in the comment card) Should I post the picture??

Headliner show was 10/10 I have read reports where a genie has had to reseat guests who sit in the reserved star class seats. Tonight it happened to us. Berty handled it like a pro. Our friends got to join us as another star class family cancelled at the last minute so they were treated to front row seats. And the theatre was coolish to start and although it heated up throughout the show it wasn’t too bad. Pictures aren’t the best quality with the action and lights.

I've seen that before. Seems like they really want you to choose your cabin.

He's into really fast pasta?

It's difficult to capture in photos the shear numbers. Fur seals coming ashore. It's a penguin pool party!

The 10 drink card was available starting on Day 4 on Wonder for Christmas sailing (Dec 23 - Dec 30).

and of course the $5 happy hour frozen margs from el vez (two doors down at the westin i think?) there is a starbucks at the westin too!

It was really good. Being able to customize a pizza is a star class perk I really like. Ooh I will definitely mention this to my guys. I don’t like Sabor or spicy so that’s probably why they have only got nachos to go. I don’t put it in the dining rotation.

Since it’s a new ship for us, and just for you, I will do a walk through

The cruise ship pools are kept to higher sanitation standards than pools on land, so they confine swim diapers to the smaller baby pool area.

Good morning from Roatan. This picture says it all in terms of the humidity It’s another gorgeous day here. We are off to Turquoise Bay for the VIP excursion. Wish us luck with the drive over there.

How is this even a legit question?!

Thanks for sharing .... I feel like I will be spending a lot of time in the Aquadome area

I saw people wearing the hats on our excursion today. The underside of the hat wasn’t showing so they looked considerably better than Lindsay did.

It's strange that your TA put you on a wait list for My Time Dining. I thought that was always a default if you could not get a main dining time (early or late). If you keep checking with your TA, you might get it changed officially and then you can book your dining times through the cruise planner. Good luck.

As we began our departure from St Andrews Bay I was given a view towards the sea from my suite. You can't see it very well in the photo but the horizon is littered with icebergs. I'm so glad I upgraded to a balcony suite for this sailing. Not a bad place to post this thread from. We had an escort out of St Andrews Bay. More Kings. Our progression.

So my wife was talking with our neighbor yesterday, catching up on local gossip and letting her know that we would be heading out of town in January for another RC cruise (she is our unofficial neighborhood Mrs. Kravitz). My wife thought it best to give "Gladys" a heads up so that she didn't lose any sleep worrying or wondering if something terrible had happened to us, noticing the loss of daily routines that myself and family normally endure and display each day. Knowing in advance the quick witted and somber responses that our neighborhood Karen is accustom to, her response really should not have surprised my wife. But she called us out like a closet Swiftie, stating "Well, aren't you a bunch of thalassophiles". It's true, I am one. It's been over 3 months since my last cruise and ocean sighting. But I have a wonderful support group and attend meetings via forums and discussions as often as I can. So thank you fellow board members. It's one cruise at a time .

Just a quick note on last night's Christmas dinner in the MDR. I had the Beef Wellington and I do not mind saying that it was the best meal I have EVER eaten in a ship's MDR. It was really REALLY good. I would suggest that they add it to the menu on some kind of recurring basis, but I'm sure if they did this, they would find a way to f'k it up...so I won't suggest that ! I'm not a huge fan of the MDR but when they do something good, I am happy to sing their praises.