KWong

Yes, yes it is.

Actually I think they used udon noodles. This was a stock picture that looks surprisingly similar to what we got.

After lunch the kids went back to the room for a nap, while my wife went back up to the pool deck to… nap. I went to the promenade to grab a coffee and a latte (for my wife – we got a coffee card) and relaxed on the balcony. A little before 3pm, we headed down for our skate session. Seeing as we flew in from Toronto, we wore our “travel” clothing on the ice. I hadn’t done any proper skating in about 4 years, so despite the skates not being a great fit (as to be expected with rentals) it was a lot of fun – like riding a bike. Other folks were not having as much of a good time – as you can see in the photos some were having issues just trying to skate, which if it was one of your first times, is not unexpected. Tonight’s dinner was formal night, and as such we took a little extra time to get ready so we could get some photos taken. The show tonight was Grease. Olivia and my wife were a little tired so Hannah and I went to watch. We figured getting to the theatre 15 minutes early would be sufficient for us to get some decent seats. We were wrong. Check out the crowd! And that pillar right in front of me! Believe it or not, this was the first time I’d seen a production of Grease from start to finish, and I thought the cast did a pretty good job with it. And I know that the musical has some themes that might be considered too mature for kids, but I wasn’t much older than Hannah when I started watching Degrassi Junior High, so I didn’t think this had anything that she couldn’t handle. After the musical, Hannah went back to the room and I decided to try my luck at some blackjack. And to say that I had no luck would be understating things. I don’t play with a huge buy-in, but I lost my stake in about 30 minutes thanks to a combination of dealer blackjacks and players that consistently stayed on 14/15 against a 10. I can usually grind myself back to even, but on this night I had no shot. With my wallet a slight bit lighter, I went up to grab a couple of slices from Sorrento’s. And was actually surprised as the pizza was better than I’ve had on other Royal ships. Not sure I’d have more than a couple of slices at any one time, but I’d definitely eat it over Big Chain pizza. After the pizza and some water, it was time for bed. The next day would be our first port – Grand Cayman.

Day 2 - At Sea When I last posted, I talked about an adrenaline dump. Well, that must have left me more tired than normal, as this guy, who wakes up at 6am nearly every day, woke up closer to 8. And as everyone was waking up, we got news that the ship had actually turned around and was heading to Key West due to a medical emergency. Obviously disappointing, as it would delay our arrival into Grand Cayman, but clearly, not the biggest concern here. But apparently the coast guard or a medical boat was able to get out to the ship once we were close enough to transfer the patient, so we were able to turn around and resume course after a few hours. While we were heading back to Key West, we decided to eat breakfast in the Main Dining Room, since my wife wanted an omelette to order and we knew you could get one there. Setup was familiar – seating on deck 3 with a small buffet and waffle iron in the centre. Apart from Olivia (who I should mention had gotten braces just before Christmas and it was affecting her appetite) we ordered off the menu and it was atypically slow for what I’m accustomed to on Royal – maybe 20 minutes where a breakfast order normally takes 10. At the end of the day, it’s not that concerting, seeing as we weren’t in a rush to go anywhere, but still, strange. Today’s plan was to take Olivia to Adventure Ocean, and for Hannah to see if any tweens showed up at the Living Room. We went up to Adventure Ocean at 9 and… no kids yet. Seemed a bit strange, given the long-ish lineups to register for the program, but at the same time, this cruise was crossing over into the start of school after Christmas break. No matter – this gave us some time to scope out the pool deck and see where the best places to relax were. (spoiler alert: Unless you’re a smoker, it’s on the starboard side, along the glass.) After looking around, we went back up to Adventure Ocean and there were a few kids there, so Olivia happily went in. A quick peek into the Living Room showed that it was not open yet. So the rest of us headed over to Sky Pad. Hannah and I gave this a shot with the VR unit on and it was quite the experience. As one might expect, the VR unit blocks your vision from seeing anything but the animation, and it’s quite a trip doing the bouncing while travelling along this virtual path. It’s actually funny how, when you’re watching people, you wonder how they could possibly bounce off the trampolines, but once you’re strapped in you can feel when you’re getting close to the edges. Lots of fun, and on a longer cruise, I might have been inclined to try it a few more times. But for this trip, we were one and one, in part because we wanted to sign up for some ice skating. This was being done down in Studio B, and so Hannah and my wife went to soak in some more rays up top, I headed all the way down to Deck 3 to do the signup. On the way back down, we took another look into the Living Room, which was now opened. It was empty. Because I like to multitask, I also visited the adjoining Focus photo area to sign the photo waivers and ensure that our photo package was ready to go. It’s a pretty nice area despite being in the bowels of the ship, and a bit surprising to me as they appeared to be 100% digital with no stacks of photo binders in sight. Surprising, but nice to see. Sign up was pretty quick. Since I didn’t have the kids’ Sea Passes with me, I could only sign the waiver and have their cards punched later. Since I was signing up for the afternoon skate and not the one happening right after, this was fine. But for now, it was time for lunch. After a trip upstairs to grab Olivia we headed back downstairs to the MDR for lunch. We like the MDR because they have a menu, but also a limited buffet and the infamous tutti salad station. And while we did order from the menu, Hannah and I couldn’t resist the call of the tutti, which may or may not sound like this: https://youtu.be/1VDA_6MYSQ0 Ahem. Anyway, this lunch was a bit of a fail. The steak sandwich was tasty, but the pappardelle was way overcooked, the yakitori was bland, and the “Singapore noodles” did not look like this: A Instead they looked more like this: and tasted akin to a very ketchupy pad Thai. There was a waiter who was walking around asking about the food and service, so we did tell her about the noodles. She actually agreed, although being from Thailand she did not agree with my pad Thai comparison. Go figure

I was in Costa Maya in Aug 2018 - stench wasn't omnipresent, but there was a lot of seaweed. The places along the beach strip were doing the best they could with it, but it was overwhelming, and caused the water to look very murky. Lovely temperature, but not what you want to look at. We went to Tropicante and it was nice. Steve the owner is usually there and available for a chat. I've been to Nachi Cocom - great all-inclusive club if you're looking for a beach, a pool, and some quiet time. Was just at Paradise Beach. not a bad place but too windy to really stay on the beach for too long.

This. Easy peasy.

Stingray Boat Tours will probably get you 2 out of 3. I had signed up with Stingray Sailing (well reviewed) for a tour but due to some complications we couldn't get off the boat in time so missed the excursion. They refunded us our deposit even though they were well within their rights to not do so.

I've never found Downy release to work well for me. I also don't like the smell, but had I got it to work I'd have lived with that.

As we say in Canada, "Sorry". And if it makes you feel better, I learned of this tip after a couple of trips and numerous battles with the shelf.

From your list: --Sailed with a sweetheart/spouse --Sailed with other family members --Done a repositioning cruise (technically - it was a Panama Canal cruise) --Sailed in or out of a port in your home town (not unless the Toronto Island Ferry counts) --Sailed in or out of a port in foreign country --Visited a cruise line's private island --Had a wardrobe malfunction on board (XYZ incident) --Sailed on a cruise line other than RC (Princess, DCL) --Had the chef make something special for only your table (it was because we found a plastic pouch in the soup (I presume it contained the soup) on a DCL cruise. I guess DCL gets some food from Sysco?) Additional: - My wife got to visit the infirmary - Won money at the casino - Lost money at the casino - Cursed people that stayed on 14 vs a dealer 10 at the casino - Wiped out on the pool deck - Sailed a river cruise

After watching the sail away from the balcony, we did some unpacking, and then it was time for dinner. We did get the early seating (5:30 on Independence), and our servers were Ryan and Mutsam (I may have his name wrong). Mutsam was fairly new, and this was in fact his first contract. I thought they did a good job over the course of the cruise. Nothing spectacular, but everything was done competently. My first night main was the Caribbean Jerk Pork Chop. Cooked very nicely, although perhaps not enough jerk flavour. We also asked for extra vegetables for our table. Seems weird, but we do eat a lot of veg, so this worked out for us. After dinner, we wandered around the promenade a bit. They had singers and musicians doing some standards – it was nice. (So much better than two singers and an iPad) We then went to register Olivia in Adventure Ocean. Hannah (my older one) was 12 so she went to look in on the Teen club meet and greet, but the kids there were mostly older teens, so she didn’t want to join in. She’s actually quite sociable, but I could definitely understand her apprehension. After this, I think that we experienced a first day adrenaline dump, as we all felt quite tired. I’d planned on doing some more first night exploring, but, well, sleep beckoned, and tomorrow would be a new day.

There was another reason for staying on Deck 11. Despite the sign indicating a noon start, I figured that Windjammer would open early, and it would be good to get in before the crowds did. And it was! I have to say that I like the entrance layout of the Windjammer on Independence. Not only do they have the ubiquitous antibacterial dispensers, but the sides are lined with wash stations, making it easy to clean your hands before entering. The last ship I was on, Allure, didn’t have that. The space feels more open as well, but that might be because we didn’t seem to eat at the absolute peak time for Windjammer, which was the case for us on Harmony and DCL Fantasy. In fact, it was the logjam on Fantasy that led me to try and avoid the main buffet if I could. After eating, there was still some time before staterooms were open, so Olivia (my younger one) decided to do some swimming. As we left the Windjammer, we noticed that the lines were way out the door. After the swim, the rooms were opened so we went down to check our room out. We had a standard Oceanview balcony on deck 7, but it was right at the end of Independence’s “hump” so there was a wee bit more room there. And if I recall correctly, this was the first time that we had a single room with a bathroom/couch/bed setup – we’d gotten bathroom/bed/couch all our other times, or in one case a connecting room. No biggie, just a new thing for us. After changing back into our regular clothes we decided to explore the ship a bit more. Deck 7 turned out to be quite an advantageous position as it was a short trip down to the Promenade, and a short trip up to the pool deck. We started down on the Promenade. I might be mistaken, but the Promenade on Independence is actually longer than that on the Oasis class ships. Granted, the promenade is certainly wider on Oasis class, but it certainly felt as if there wasn’t as much length. Perhaps I should’ve chalked that up to recency bias? Our next stop was the sports deck. Kids tried out the sky climber, and we took a look at the Flow Rider and SkyPads, which at that point had already closed the line due to the upcoming muster drill. We gave the swinging benches a go, and then it was time for the muster drill. We headed down to our room first, and our luggage was waiting in the hall. Nice! (This picture was not taken on the ship. But you can probably guess how we were able to spot our luggage) Muster drill was what it was. We had some folks who may have taken full advantage of the drink package, and we were outside facing west, so that was… interesting.

The good news is that it gave me some time to explore Deck 11 and 12. Not having been on a Freedom class ship before, I was curious to see the layout. I liked it. Splashaway Bay has a layout similar to what I saw on Harmony, with the addition of a kiddie pool that hopefully wouldn’t be a “kid soup” pool similar to DCL’s Mickey pool. If you’ve been on DCL, you know what I’m talking about. The sides of the deck even had some windows open, to let in some air. The main pool area had a couple of pools bisected by a deck area, with a few hot tubs surrounding it. There was also a large video screen for movies. Further back was Solarium, which was actually a nice layout. In the bar, I noticed a BOGO deal on the drink package. Still more expensive than in the Cruise Planner, but hey, better than paying full price, if one were so inclined to purchase the package (I was not). In the adjoining terminal, we could see the Majesty, set to sail out that day as well.

Day 1 - Embarkation Day Whether it’s your first time or your 100th time, boarding your ship on that first day gives you that feeling that “it’s happening”. For me, it’s similar to when I finish checking in at a resort or open the door to my Airbnb. Nothing has really happened yet, but you Just Know that you’re ready for it. As always, we got the complimentary Hyatt Place breakfast, ensured that we were ready with our carry-on gear, visited the “cruise tag station” (a stand with two staplers some pens and tape and ...waited. Because we’re always ready a wee bit too early. No matter. We called an Uber around 10:15 and headed out to the terminal. We arrived at the terminal around 10:30, where it looked like there were people still getting out of customs. And it was early enough that few of the baggage carts were loaded up. This… was really early for us. Naturally we squandered that because we couldn’t find the big sign that said “Expedited Arrival”. I’d checked in via the app, and 3 of us were given Expedited Arrival. My wife, inexplicably, did not. No matter. After about 5 minutes, we were good to go and over to security, which was fast and efficient. A couple of obligatory “heading onboard” pictures and it was up to the ship. On board before 11:00, an estimated 25 brisk minutes from car to ship. We headed up to Windjammer to grab some lunch and… the sign said it opens at noon. Oops.

If you stay near the terminal you're a short ride away from Stanley Park. If you rent a car you can do some hiking near North Vancouver. Can't really recommend hotels since I've got relatives there.

Stick a washcloth on the shower shelf so that your small bottles don't fall between the cracks. Magnetic whiteboard outside the door if you're travelling with a large group. I think everything else I do is a general travel hack/tip.

That's interesting. I wonder if there's some analytics-based reason for requiring MTD to pay gratuities but not Set Dining.

I'm not surprised. And yet I'm ok with my kids watching this.

I would've blamed the autocorrect if it was wrong...

Yeah I can see Chicago getting complaints. Mamma Mia has some mature themes, but the risque factor is way lower than Chicago. I love the "Inside Baseball" info you're doling out. And yeah, I might have to take in a backstage tour. Some of the technical stuff is as fascinating as the on stage product. I can't imagine Mamma Mia going away so soon after it debuted on Allure, so you're safe there.

In 2006 I went from Toronto to Dulles to San Juan on Boxing Day for a departing-the-same-day Princess Cruise. Zero problems but with basically zero slack it's not something I'd try to do again. With that said, Virginia to FLL in April is obviously a shorter trip (and direct) so there is less chance for things to go wrong. It still might not be ideal to fly in the day of, but with that said I think it's an acceptable risk. What I always think of when I see "moot point":

We used the dollar store magnetic whiteboard solution. Worked just fine but chat would be nice all the same.

So I guess you could communicate via WhatsApp or WeChat then. Not ideal since people might get the messages later than planned, but still better than nothing?

Sounds like fun! We typically do a generational trip in the summer - at this point it's 14 of us: My parents, my two brothers, our spouses and kids (2 kids each). This year we're doing Symphony and I'll probably blog about that, like I'm doing with Indy right now. I like the shirts! I'm actually thinking of getting some shirts done up for the cruise. Maybe some baseball or soccer style shirseys with numbers and all that. Guess I"ve got some time to figure out a design. Anyway, looking forward to seeing how things go!

Interesting. I didn't know this bit of information. Thanks!