Matt

He sounds suspicious....and like he would be incredibly handsome.

I thought you meant @monorailmedic and then I realized it could not possibly be him, because, well...it's Billy.

He sounds suspicious....and like he would be incredibly handsome.

Apart from what @twangster noted, the basics are anything you pre-book via the Cruise Planner site can be cancelled at no penalty.
If you wait until onboard the ship, you can still cancel but money will come back as onboard credit (instead of back to your credit card). Moreover, you can only cancel shore excursions 48 hours prior to the tour.

Yes I wouldn't be too concerned. Keep in mind your excursion won't be the first time RC has run this excursion, so it's probably fine. The likelihood of your tour running behind is pretty low. The fact it gets back with 45 mins to spare is a good reason to go with RC.

That's a towel animal creation I haven't seen before!

Regarding the cost, if you break down the cost per person, per hour, a cabana is an excellent value compared to other shore excursions.

I thought you meant @monorailmedic and then I realized it could not possibly be him, because, well...it's Billy.

That's a towel animal creation I haven't seen before!

I like that Billy too, oh wait, I mean Larissa!!! hahahahahahahaha

He's a local driver that I found one time and use everytime since. He is very inexpensive and offers personalized tours.  Great guy!
Here's a write up on him from a visit to St Maarten: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/07/30/freedom-of-the-seas-live-blog-day-five-st-martin

That's a towel animal creation I haven't seen before!

Did we miss any?

Recap Day 2
As on every first full day of a cruise, I woke up quite early and headed down to Paek Cafe for a large Caramel Latte!  I headed up to the pool deck to take a look around when I noticed we were headed into the port of Nassau!  No photos as I promptly put my mic on my phone and scope our arrival.  (You can catch the replay on PERISCOPE by following me, @kaeahvacatimes) 
We started our morning by eating breakfast at the solarium bistro which is a fantastic alternative to the Windjammer, if you are looking for one. You can also have breakfast at El Loco fresh, MDR, park café and Café promenade for smaller dishes and pastries, and Johnny Rockets offers breakfast at no additional charge on Oasis class ships.  


We originally thought we would stay on board during the day in Nassau but at the last minute change our minds after the magnificent @PRCgave us a recommendation of something different to do onshore!  So another first for us was going to be GrayCliff hotel which has beautiful grounds,  a cigar company, chocolate company, and restaurant all on site.  If you have been to Nassau plenty of times like we have and have done all there is you’d like to do, this is certainly worth looking into if it is something that interests you.  It is about a 10 minute walk from Port and the last bit is up a pretty steep hill.  






 
All aboard was 130 and we were probably back on the ship around 1 o’clock. 

We headed over to Playmakers to have a quick lunch and a pint!  My husband says their wings have very good flavor and you’ll have to take his word for it because I am not a spicy girl, at least not in that way ??

The pigskin and baller sliders

12 Major League wings (hottest they offer)
For dinner we had another first at Wonderland. We very much enjoyed the cuisine and the experience. Our main dishes were the halibut and the short rib.  Our waitress chose the appetizers to go along with our main dishes. We would do Wonderland again although I know it is not for everyone!  I think everyone should experience it once even if it’s just for the experience.  If you aren’t full when you leave, just do what @Wilson does and go grab a couple hotdogs at the doghouse!


Short rib

Halibut steamed in a mushroom marinade with pearl potatoes and more mushrooms!


After dinner we headed over to the aqua theater show. On symphony it is called HIRO.  Having the Key was “key” here (see what I did there?) as they have reserved seating for you and we sat with the diamond plus and pinnacle members right in the center of the Aqua Theater.  
This is an exhilarating and beautiful show that lasts about 50 minutes.




We ended our night listening to Billy Pando in the Schooner Bar and scoped a few songs for his favorite fan and fellow RCBLOG insider @Big Dawg Ron!

 
And we always love coming home to a new “pet”! 

Umm...I think if you scroll through live blogs, that would be you who started them at 6 weeks out.  I am simply following your lead ?

For idling around the ship, either a specialty mojito or margarita from Boleros lounge is great. Also second the Lava Flow recommendation.
During dinner I usually have a glass of one of the "Adventurous Reds" that doesn't go too far over the drink package limit; they have good Tuscans, Malbecs, and Zinfandels on board. If I trust the waiter (more likely in a specialty restaurant or Coastal Kitchen than the MDR), I'll ask for their recommendation of a wine to pair with the meal; have discovered some new wines I liked and wouldn't have thought to try on my own.
I've discovered that after dinner I like having an iced coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream. Just be prepared to be a bit wired around midnight. ? 
Oh, and at breakfast time give a Bacon Bloody Mary with Skyy or Gray Goose vodka a whirl! Add an espresso shot on the side for a "breakfast of champions". I plan to try that on my next cruise after seeing @Matt post that on one of his prior cruises! ?

On ships with a pub that's where you'll generally find the widest selection - past what you see on the more generic menus.  On Oasis class ships, the bar by Coastal Kitchen may also have options.  Schooner and/or Champagne/R bars are the other locations that may have additional options, especially on ships without a pub.  
Any particular spirit he might be looking for?  Below is the list of whiskies (found here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/menus/boot-bonnet-pub-menu-harmony-of-the-seas) on Harmony's Boot and Bonnet (pub) menu.  And no, I'd not consider Fireball a whiskey of any sort...but I don't make the menus ?
Arbeg 10 Year
Blanton's Single Barrel
Chivas Regal 12 Year
Crown Royal
Dewar’s 12 Year
Fireball
Four Roses Single Barrel
Gentleman Jack
Glenfiddich
The Glenlivet
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee
Jameson
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Maker's Mark
Monkey Shoulder Blended
Talisker 10 Year
Wild Turkey 101 Proof

Most of the time we do not carry a change of clothing with us.  If we go to the beach, we wear our bathing suits there and my wife and kids do have a cover up or pair of shorts/shirt to put on.  Ultimately we go this route to reduce the amount of stuff we need to transport.

No, Navigator does not use WOWbands

It's a beach day, which is what's been available for years. The work being done is on the other side of CocoCay.

If I could split cost with another family, I'd give it a try.

24 days until Embarkation Day! 22 days until we hit the road! We'd love to fly but economically for us it is a bit cheaper to drive. We enjoy a good road trip. Part of our love of a good road trip is some family road trip traditions we have either created for our family or taken from our experiences as kids being on trips with our parents. As a kid anytime we went on a long trip my parents did a couple really fun things. The first of which was rolls of quarters. At the beginning of the journey they would give my sister and I each a roll of quarters. Any time we cause trouble (usually arguing with each other) they would take a quarter from us. What ever we had left when we arrived at our destination as ours to keep and spend on what ever we wanted. The other tradition we have adopted from my parents are "State Gift" every time we entered a new state we received a gift. Typically these were cheap trinkets and usually they were something to keep us occupied. Both of these worked great back then when I  was a kid and as a parent I can tell you they still work great now. Even though my kids are a bit older now I'm pretty sure they would not be pleased if we did not do it on this trip. The challenge now is finding cheap gifts that will impress and 10 & 14 year old and not break the bank! The tradition that we have created and dearly love is something I call food adventures. We try to eat at places that we cannot eat at home. Usually we wait until we are hungry and start looking. On a past trip it's how we found a diamond in the rough call Mr. Biscuit in Dalton Georgia. It was a hole in the wall greasy spoon but, by far one of the best road trip breakfasts we have ever had and cheap to (if you seek that place out know that they are cash only). This trip I have decided it would save us time to know where we are eating ahead of time. On our way out of town to save time we are packing picnic dinner and since our first hotel has a free breakfast our first "food adventure" will be lunch on the 2nd leg of our trip. I found a place called Sergio's Tacos Mexican Grill in Titusville Fl. If there food is half as good as it looks on their website, we are in for a treat! On our first cruise we cruised out of Port Canaveral and the night before we ate at Fish Lips (on the advise from this dude on some podcast name Matt Hocberg). That night set the stage for a pretty amazing vacation so it has been my goal that the meal the night before Embarkation day be something truly amazing. Unfortunately the place I chose on our last cruise ended up being an epic fail. On paper it had every thing. On the water, seafood, tropical drinks, and a catchy name (you know life Fish Lips). I do not recommend a place in Ft Lauderdale called Flip Flops. Since I made that choice last time I charged my wife with selecting our per-cruise dinner selection. I think she may have hit a home run. Obviously proof will be in the experience but from the reviews I have read and the fact that this place has been in business since 1974 I think we are in for awesome time. From the pictures on both their website and those posted by people on Yelp “925 Nuevo’s Cubano’s looks like a very fun place to eat. One of the reviews I read describe it better than I can, as what looks like a "food truck on steroids".  While it is a building and not a truck, it does not have any indoor seating (which is fine with us). It appears to have some pretty authentic Cuban cuisine which, I could do some serious damage to my waste line! I will defiantly report  back on how both establishments are!
Here are links to both their websites if you are interested!
https://www.sergiostacostitusville.com/menu.php
https://nuevoscubanos.net
 

Coastal Kitchen Menus on Harmony
...as requested by @spiralqueen. 
Just a note that they will switch the Night 5/6 menus around depending on which night is formal night.  For our western itinerary sailing, the Night 6 menu is actually served on Night 5.
A big thank you to our awesome Genie, Araceli.?
CK D #1_ENG.pdfCK D #2_ENG.pdfCK D #3_ENG.pdfCK D #4_ENG.pdfCK D #5_ENG.pdfCK D #6_ENG.pdfCK D #7_ENG.pdfCoastal KIDS MENU.pdf
 
 

The beauty of a Miami sailaway Deck 5 aft

Recap of day one tomorrow morning!  

Here is a sped up walk through the Windjammer.  I removed the sound since they were playing music over the speakers and Youtube can be sensitive about copyright issues for music.