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Churros They had warm freshly baked soft chocolate chip cookies in little dishes but can’t keep up with the demand, lol. Wife is patiently waiting to see if more are coming. This is as busy as I’ve ever seen a WJ & Wonder’s is large & well-designed so that’s really saying something. I’m sure many of you reading would want no parts of the chaos but we have no plans for a while & my wife wants her cookies, lol, so no biggie to us.

Waiting for chocolate croissants in the CL. Almost 7am, no one here but me. Weather looks beautiful through the virtual window. We’ll be gone most of the day on Captain Bob’s speedboat snorkel excursion.

Western omelet & blueberry smoothie from Solarium Bistro.

Always great to see @OCSC Mike and his lovely bride for 365 in studio b. Here’s a new one , 10 mins into show a triple alpha was called in hooked. Music stopped while announcement was being made but the skaters, the pros they are, kept going unfazed.

Excursion today was plane spotting at Maho Beach. It was really cool seeing the planes come in overhead and Sunset bar and Grill was really cool. We then hit front street where I went to my favorite bourbon place in the world Guhlomars and purchased some bourbon and cigars.

I just want to see people having a good time, while being respectful of all other cruiser's. How you look, dress, etc, is not of any importance to me. How you treat fellow passengers and respect the rules of our shared experience is all that matters to me. It's your life, you get to live it, nobody else. I cruise on Royal Caribbean and that's how this passenger thinks.

They didn’t flinch or skip a beat. I’m sure they rehearse that but it was still incredibly impressive. We said that was our new favorite ice show the 1st time we saw it but after tonight I really think it’s on another level from the others I’ve seen.

Just got back. Pics later when I get them from my wife. Dolphins, turtles, and stingrays… oh my! Had a great time just like our first time 7 years ago. Perfect weather while on the boat but felt a lot hotter on the walk back to the ship.

My parents sent some pictures of where they are staying. They are spending under $100/night here - as I mentioned before, they were offered this option through Southwest when they bought their flights. It is called something like Johnson Tennis Club condominiums. Looks ok, but small.

DS is packed and DD is not. She says, "I put some outfits together in my head."

My server flat out told me to come to formal night in my shorts and tshirt when I told him I was going to skip Formal night because I didn't even bring pants, lol.

Dinner at CK was great as was service. Had crab cake and barramundi. Place was hopping.

WJ is crazy busy. I’m thinking it’s b/c we were in port so late that people missed/skipped the MDR. Tons of managers in suits helping to bus tables.

The ship is going through the Tasman Sea right now and it's rocking a lot. My dad made a good point. It doesn't matter how big the ship is! The ocean is always bigger. Also it annoys me when people call it a boat and not a ship...lots of first time cruisers on here calling it a boat...

Breakfast was in CK. Had eggs Benedict. just got back from excursion on St Thomas. Turbocat swim and snorkel. Was fun. Dinner is also in CK. Ice show and many beverages later!

Cooling off with frozen drinks (kraken colada & strawberry daiquiri) then going to Playmakers for dinner later. Hoping it’s not too busy with the NCAA tourney starting.

Chef’s gift or whatever it’s called.

Honestly, no one can be certain - but I know from me and mine we wouldn't think twice about it. People are people are people. Be kind, be polite, be respectful of the crew, and I don't care, male/female, purple/green - if you're there to have fun, you're all right with me. As far as weird looks or judgement - none of that you can control, but I will say most people I have met on cruisers are very accepting, or are more worried about the people in their own party than to even notice anything like you describe. Cruising is what you make of it - if you're bored or unhappy, that's of your own doing. Go into it deciding you will have a great time, and you will have a great time.

I would use the American outlet for the fridge and get a euro adapter for device charging since those don't care about voltage

No cookies for us. Sitting in Studio B waiting for the ice show. We really liked it in June. They let us in 30 mins before the show without reservations.

Grey Goose sour from WJ bar. Normally comes in a rocks glass. Who knew I should go to the WJ for drinks? My butter chicken pic won’t upload. @Neesa & @Lovetocruise2002, just saw Vinay again. Told him the butter chicken was a little better in CK but still good. Will try to upload dessert pics later. They look good.

Decided to call an audible & skip Mexican night in the MDR. I would have gotten butter chicken that I’m sure is in WJ & there was even less than usual for my wife. She’s napping & we’ll worry about dinner later. In the meantime I went back to ELF before they closed for more tacos (I still won’t eat the guac, aka green sludge). Then got a lime & coconut on the way back to the cabin minus the souvenir bucket. Still not sure if I like this drink or not.

The suitcase of extras. I'm a bit embarrassed to share this pic but I literally just threw everything in to bring it upstairs from the basement and have not done any organization yet. I just spent some time up in our room getting travel stuff sorted. My attention was so divided - I had about 8 packing projects going at the same time. In the middle of pill sorting, I saw my toiletry bag that I brought up a few nights ago, left the pills and started pulling out toiletries. Then remembered my wet delicates and ran down to washer, then remembered on the way back up that I needed to pull scuba boots and masks then went back to wet clothes and realized I had other clothes still to hang from laundry, pulled stuff to steam or iron, finally started working my way back to the pills still left all over the counter. I'll tackle this suitcase in a little while. The dogs are SO nosy about this stuff. I'm surprised I didn't capture a snout while taking this pic. I bought some ducks but haven't had time to do a clever tag. Can someone point me to a cute tag that I can steal and customize?

NO cruise for YOU !!! 2 YEARS !!!

I would be stressed. As was mentioned above, the port will not be staffed to handle those embarking after the cut off time. Royal has ZERO control over this. You might get a phone agent tell you it’s OK, but phone agents don’t have all the info and have been known to wing it! The ship being docked for 28 hours has to do with logistics, not an extended period to take on late passengers. There is a reason for the 3:30 cut off on the 27th and I would take that very seriously. You wouldn’t be the first one to show up after the final boarding call and left ashore. I’d seriously look into changing that flight to the 26th. Any increase in airfare cost has to be cheaper than the cost of missing the final boarding call.

@OCSC Mike It's called pure deliciousness! I never seem to be fast enough for a photo as kiddo inhales that sweet treat.

They can't keep all the terminal staff available for multiple shifts around the clock. Terminal staff are local contractors, not cruise line employees, in addition to customs and immigration who are government workers, all who have limits to their work day. They can't tell any of those people to work 18 hour days. To cover an extended check in window that would mean multiple shifts of each set of people doubling or tripling the cost. From forklift drivers, xray technicians, luggage handlers on land and on the ship, security, police, customs, immigration, check in counter workers and more. There are a lot of people in the terminal involved in boarding new guests onto a ship. At a certain point the local terminal people who process new guests will go home leaving a small security staff to screen existing passengers coming and going to the ship. That's relatively easy and immigration knows those guests have already been processed. The best thing to do would be to fly in day before and spend a night in the hotel. That also protects you better from delayed or canceled flights. Flying in the day of the cruise is a rookie mistake that often causes people to miss cruises. I have missed a cruise thinking I could fly in the day of the cruise and my flight was supposed to land at 9am. Never again. 1:55pm international arrival? Wow!

Love your blog!

Most people cruise to get away from reality. Some people will probably stare and talk and make snide comments, but most of them won't care. There are LGBT+ meetings onboard where other LGBT+ cruisers can meet each other. Cruising is just like any other holiday experience you'll probably take. It's no different to judgemental people back on land, you'll find judgemental people everywhere.

Update for all, Just received email from Aon which is the Insurance that is selected when you book through Priceline, also who is the Insurance when booking directly with Royal Caribbean. We have been approved for refund. Very pleased and relieved to have this news and reimbursement. Followed the instruction, had the doctors paperwork filled out and also submitted the discharge paperwork showing all tests performed and diagnosis. Online submission was on March 2nd received email confirming acceptance of claim on March 19th. Little guy is doing well and recovered from Influenza B, Double ear infection, and Pneumonia. So all is well and time to finally rebook our next cruise for Dec 8th to replace the lost one!

this will be my first ever cruise and my first time ever leaving the country! i am only 24 and I'm super excited!! 31 days!!!

I just cancelled all of my excursions at Labadee for our cruise in June so I wont get stuck with OBC. I really doubt that there will be ships going to Labadee any time soon.

My wife and I just made Platinum on our last cruise. I'm kinda looking forward to the photo discount when we sail again next month. That said, the real perk that provides the most value to me personally is the adult beverage perk at Diamond. We have a ways to go, but it is what I am most looking forward to as we slowly achieve Crown & Anchor tiers. I don't have much experience cruising outside of RCL, but I have found the onboard experience on every Royal ship I've been on to be amazing. I'm very happy with RCL.

They do but Labradoozies on Labadee taste better.

Last time we were there we were able to make it in plenty of time for Pentecost Mass with the Holy Father. I think we were seated with 20-30 min to spare.

Hope you take some pics at Capt Bob's! Have fun!

Thank you, yes I am now positive about my first cruise in july and look forward to it

Got this letter emailed today. Has anyone else seen this?

We are going in May. I have been going back and forth on what to pack. There are 4 of us-me, DH, DD, and FIL. All of us got Merrell/Columbia shoes(sneaker like waterproof shoes). We are planning layers-t shirt, light pullover, sweatshirt and we got puffer jackets that fold into a pouch. Everyone is taking a baseball cap and wooly hat and gloves. Everyone also gets a very small umbrella and we got 2 binoculars to share. We are planning to do laundry during the week so that we can fit all this stuff in the suitcase! My theory is to be prepared for all eventualities and hope the weather is at least dry, temperature I can deal with!

We have reservations on night 6 but may go standby tonight.

I use my voucher for Caribbean Coconut at Cafe Promenade in the afternoon to supplement Crown Lounge cap in the AM. As others have said, lounge espresso is OK but not great. Sometimes I buy a coffee card.

I would say it is not as good as coffee shop, but it might suit your needs. The coffee machine in the lounge is pretty easy to operate, but it really can only do basic espresso drinks (espresso, capuccino, latte, maybe americano) and while I think there is sugar/sweeteners, there are no flavored syrups or options for cream/milk. The machine supplies its own 'dairy' for those drinks that need them. Your best bet will be the coffee card and then go and check it out to see if it will serve your needs going forward.

You have picked an incredible ship to sail on for your first cruise!

What makes you think there is no sales pitch ? The first thing that popped into my mind was, “…timeshare…”.

I also don't think they would book an Icon and Oasis at the same time but I could be wrong... That just seems like a lot of people.

I loved the Ice show on Wonder, I think it was the most cohesive one I have ever seen.

We look first at the excursions RCI then viator. Depending on the proposals and prices offered, we reserve for either. If the difference is not significant, we choose RCI for ease.

I used it in Roatan and had a fantastic excursion there. I also just used it to book something for Falmouth next week which is our replacement for Labadee. I can cancel with no fee up to 24 hours in advance so that is a huge bonus - I've got something lined up but if I see a ship excursion I like better, I can book on board and cancel this other one. I also really like that you can see reviews of the excursions.

I would say 1 did and 1 didn't. Everyone has the 1 kid that listens right