Skigoofy

As a girthful man, I approve this message.

 

So here we are a day before we set sail on our first family cruise, and our first Royal Caribbean cruise infact. It is my wife and I, our three daughters who are 5, 6 and 7 years old along with my mom and brother. We booked this in March of last year ,if my memory serves correct, so this trip has been a long time in the making. Will try and post as time permits and put up pictures as well. 
Started packing 3 weeks ago so that is how excited I have been ?  Took today off work so I can finish packing and some other last minute things. We live in West Palm Beach so tomorrow morning we will hit the road for the port which is an hour drive south for us, not too bad.
 
A few things
Ever since RC came out with their Oasis class ships I knew that I had to go one and when Harmony came out with the all the slides I was sold (im a big kid at heart), so that was one of the reasons we decided on Harmony of the Seas. 
Our trips is headed to the western Caribbean with stops in Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel. I have been on a cruise to the eastern Caribbean many moons ago on NCL and really wanted to see these island this time around
We booked 2 boardwalk balcony rooms, both towards the back of the ship. I love the hustle and bustle of everything and wanted to have somewhat of a view of the show in the back so i was pretty set on getting one of these rooms. 
 
Our Excursions
Labadee - aquapark, zipline and coaster  
Falmouth - dolphin encounter. 
Cozumel - spending the day at Mr Sanchos 
 
 
Well thanks for following along and if you have any questions or anything please don't hesitate to comment below. 

Just got back on the ship. First time I've ever taken the paths on left side of the pier (if you were coming from the ship). Wow some of those views. Plus I found another path that run behind the landing area for the zipline. The view from there were also amazing. Plus once you get to the top/end of that path a rock feature make a "Dragon's Breath" sound.
I'll get pictures posted later.
I know, I know...

Greetings from Labadee
First time I've ever noticed the tables and umbrellas by the floating bar.
 

Posting a Windjammer recon so everyone have something to drool over Monday morning.
Theme for the night was "Mixed Grill", where you picked your protein and the grilled it up fresh.

Also happened to notice a custom Ceaser Salad station. Doesn't look like romaine to me, can't blame Royal for playing it safe.

Snagged a shot of the Gluten Free station

The mirror of the mixed grill station on the other side was once again crepes, donuts, and waffles.
Also took a picture of the dessert bar, with one special close-up.


Will go on record, didn't try the Red Velvet 
Other side notes: Had the fried eggs, ciabatta pizza, chicken nuggets, plus mac and cheese. This time around no steak (could get one cooked up at the mixed grill), onion rings instead. I've also not noticed any themes so far.
 
Only other activity of the day was a Pub Crawl, stops were Solarium Bar, Trellis Bar, Pub, and ended at Sabor. Dinner tonight was in Coastal Kitchen, also the first Formal Night.
Almost forgot about my new creation, the Reverse Lavaflow.

Drink number two of the cruise, classic Lavaflow with Kraken

Day 5 - Afternoon
I found the ice cream station on the pool deck, forward, port side:

It had rained a good part of the day and the water was a little choppy but the ship handled it well.  Late afternoon that changed.  The water become calm and fog moved in.

They added a few watch officers to the bridge wings and the fog horn sounded every two minutes.  Our speed dropped to single digits.

I attended another show in the main theater with the Royal Caribbean dancers but I missed the juggler.  Since I had only a small carry on bag I didn't pack until morning which came awfully quickly.  I awoke to a foggy NY harbor.

Lady Liberty in the distance as we backed into the slip at Cape Liberty.

Well then, here is the full list of other "Common Drinks", Royal Caribbean style:

Day 5 - Galley Tour
We start the tour on deck 3 in the lobby area where you would check in for dinner at the MDR.  From there our group of about 16 heads to the deck 4 galley.  Behind the divider that blocks the galley from the seating area they have a bulletin board and several notices and tips such as how to tie an apron or the proper way to push a trolley.  My eyes went straight to the "Drink of the Day" guide for crew:





Now you know how to make your favorite DoTD!
They had another section with 24 common drinks including the Slushy Coco Loco.  I always wondered what's in a Coco Loco.

Breakfast in the Windjammer.  Gotta love that view.

One thing about my cabin.  My door is at the entrance to the elevator lobby.  Noise hasn't been an issue,  sometimes I heard loud people walking down the hall but you'll hear that in any cabin.  The thing is this.  There is this creepy dummy on display and every time I open my cabin door it is the first thing I see.  Last night his head turned as I walked past.  Okay, maybe that was Kraken.

Day 4 - Sea Day
Peak-a-boo Bridge
The Peak-a-boo bridge is a unique feature of the Voyager class.  It allows you to look down into the navigational bridge.
This is a public outdoor deck and the entrance is located off solarium on the forward, port side of the ship.



The leads to a narrow outside deck with views aft when you first step out.

Heading forward you are in front of the gym.

Here there is a covered area with views down into the bridge.

Having been at sea for a day and half now everything has a layer of salt on it so I apologize for the poor pictures.




Now lets get a bit geeky. 
<geek/on> There are two displays here that let you see the details of the ship and our course.

It looks like we have a direct course towards the "BYE PILOT" which I assume is the Bayonne pilot station where we will pick up the local pilot to assist us getting to the pier.   I noted the 'Desired ETA' was 08:00 but also noted that is UTC so lots of time to make our scheduled arrival.

In between the two displays are some explanations of what the bridge is, the layout and various components and systems.



On the displays I could see several ships around us but couldn't see them in the haze present on the ocean this morning,

End of geekiness </geek off>
It's a cool feature but can be windy at times.  They had it closed yesterday so I was happy to find it open today.

Hi everyone.  Here is my review of the Allure of the Seas April 22, 2018 sailing. 
We flew in and out of Orlando to visit friends and then drove back and forth to Fort Lauderdale.   Flights to Orlando were cheaper also.   We stayed north of Fort Lauderdale in Embassy Suites – Deerfield Beach the night before.   Staying in town might have been easier, but the resort was very nice.  We just weren’t there long enough to really enjoy it.  We traveled with another couple, old friends from our old home town.  We met at the port when arriving for Embarkation Day. 
·       Coconuts Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale for lunch on the day before
o   Good – had the popular appetizer Scoobies (crab claws) which were good.  
o   Expensive lunch including the $10 valet.  We did order more than needed, the meals were larger than expected. 
o   It felt like a kick off to the trip because of the location.  I could have gone for a cheaper option and been happy.  Traffic in this area was a bit heavy when we were there. 
·       Rental Car
o   Budget Cruise Port Rental car location changed and I didn’t get informed of the change.  It was a confusing series of calls before I talked to a live person that could tell me the new location address.  The person that helped me was from Avis that shares the location.   Budget does not have much ability to link to a live customer service agent.  This would have worked fine if I had been informed of the change prior to arriving.   As it was I was delayed at least an hour circling the area and placing useless calls.  
·       Check in
o   Lines for Diamond and Emerald used for lesser categories which would have made me mad if I wasn’t a lowly Gold member.  They were also lined up about equal to our lines.
o   Smooth but later than I had planned to check in due to the rental car situation.  It would have been much easier if earlier.  My group waited for me to arrive so we were all delayed.  
o   The first-time cruiser line was faster than our Gold status line. 
·       First impressions – Embarkation Day
o   Royal Promenade
§  Wow this is a big space and it’s easy to forget you are on a ship.
o   Park Café – OK but crowded although we arrived later than I wanted.
§  I should have tried another buffet (Wipeout?) or a specialty restaurant.
§  Made the experience more stressful than needed
§  Chairs were very close together, worse when most people had some kind of luggage.
§  Kummelweck sandwiches were OK but not worth the hype.   I’ve had a real one somewhat recently in northern NY for the first time, so I’m not an expert but I knew what to expect.   I took two and combined them into one sandwich to increase the meat to bread ratio.  Some of the beef was not trimmed well and was very fatty.
§  We only picked up to go items after this experience.  But to be fair it was much calmer later.  Never did any breakfast food here. 
o   Bar in Central park- Slow, couldn’t scan paper seapass cards during the embarkation time.  
§  Appeared the scanners were not turned on in any location.  Park Café had the same problem.  This caused unnecessary line ups.  I walked away a couple of times because I was waiting so long.    I was concerned that the long wait at bars would continue, but after the scanners worked I had no trouble at bars.
·       Boardwalk        
o   Really a fun unique area.  But very dependent on what is open.  There are times it is really dead and doesn’t have non-stop carnival atmosphere like I expected.   Almost every space is an extra cost venue.  Donuts were dry and no one in our party liked them.  The candy shop was really more limited than I expected.  The hot dogs were good but this space wasn’t open much.  And it tends to impede traffic flow because it’s not clear where to line up and kind of in a choke point.  This location could really use some fries, I sure missed them.  The carousel was not open very often but frankly seemed underused anyway.  We rode it once without any music playing which I thought was odd.  Later I saw it operating and heard some music playing.  It was never lined up when I saw it operating.
·       Activiities - Sports deck
o   Zip line – I rode this 3 times on the first day.  Once suited up you might as well do it multiple times.   It was actually a little more thrilling than I expected.   Make sure you understand what the ride operator is doing.  My last ride I did not have the main attachment clipped before the ride operator asked me to ‘sit in the harness’.   So, he had to attach this out of the normal sequence after I said something is not right.  If I had been released I would have had to support my weight with the hand grips.  The secondary line was attached but it is very slack.  The hand grips are a little fat and frankly not that easy to grip, at least in my opinion. That was my last ride. 
o   Flow Rider – I didn’t do well and tried this once.  For me it was a constant spray of water in the face.  I didn’t flip immediately off the back, I spent most of my time forward at the bottom.  I will probably try this on a future cruise but didn’t feel the need to conqueror it on this trip.  I was looking for a chill out on this trip.
o   Putt-Putt Golf – This was fun but there weren’t enough adult golf clubs.    We had to share which wasn’t a big deal.  There was a big group ahead of us and so they had used a lot of the clubs.  Still a fun time and not crowded.
o   Arcade – I prepaid for this for the $20 amount and received a letter in my stateroom about setting my card at a specific arcade between 5-10pm.   I was busy and thought I would catch up later.   Apparently, this meeting time is to make sure the appropriate card is credited.  Like for a child that doesn’t have charging ability.   I later tried to go into the Boardwalk arcade to complete my registration.  I couldn’t do it on my own.  Tried to call from there and the phone was broken.  Went to Customer service.  They said it will work the following day.  Cut to the next day and my party of 4 go to the arcade to play some skee ball.  Card didn’t work, phone was missing this time.   I asked customer service to remove the charge, I was tired of messing with it and it wasn’t worth more running back and forth to me.  It took a couple more calls to get the credit reflected.   This was an unneeded aggravation so I probably won’t bother next time.  I thought it would just work right away.  Maybe that could be an option when purchasing it in advance.   That is what I was expecting. 
o   Captain’s talk - Really funny captain.  I enjoyed this more than expected.  Lots of concerns about the life boats but the original question of how people are seated on the boats was never answered.   Someone asking about employee wages (wages to tip ratio) was pretty sharply rebuked which was a little uncomfortable.   But the other discussion items were both interesting and funny at time. 
·       Dinner – Grande
o   We didn’t do any specialty restaurants, except Guacamole in Sabor.
o   Waiter was good but it took me a while to calibrate to his accent.
o   Asst Waiter was a nice fellow but seemed to get overwhelmed
o   Head Waiter was more attentive than any I have had before.
o   One night the staff was struggling
§  The next night I saw a Sabor staffer (black shirt and tan shorts) helping out during a busy night.  They could have used him the previous night when they were struggling.  I suspect they asked for reinforcements after that night when they were in the weeds.
o   I noticed one family coming in at least ½ hour after the assigned time almost every night when they were in the MDR.   No complaints or comments from the staff.   
o   We enjoyed the MDR and had early seating.  We never felt rushed at all.   I was a little concerned about that with early dining.  But I wouldn’t do it any other way.  I don’t think I would like MTD.  It just seems like more things to schedule and keep track of.   I like that at the start of the day we all knew what time we were getting together.  My wife and I missed one dinner when we returned too late from Falmouth.   So it was dinner in the Windjammer which was fine. 
o   Food was hit and miss, typical of other sailings I’ve had.   Sometimes it looked good and didn’t taste great.  Other times it was the reverse.  You had to taste some things because they sometimes actually better than the appearance.  Weird.  But generally, it was good.
o   We asked our waiter for curry dishes which he brought most nights.   I got that tip from Matt.  This was a nice bonus and I really enjoyed the variety. 
·       Food
o   All the food seemed luke-warm.   Rarely was anything hot unless it was cooked to order.
o   I was prepared for the worst so Sorrento’s wasn’t a huge disappointment.   But I don’t know how freshly made pizza can taste so much like mid-grade frozen pizza.  We did eat it in the evening when at the lounges but only for the lack of any other hot food availability.   The ‘pizza burger’ appeared to be a regular pizza with an additional crust put on top.   That just felt like a way to push the bread even more.     
o   There should be some kind of casual to go food offering that is more substantial in the evening.   Even if it was ala carte beyond the current offerings.   Near the other bars so isn’t a trek to find.  I went on Mariner of the Seas just before they added a service charge to Johnny Rockets and it was open later (I think it was until 11 or 12).  That was fun and I confess I was there most nights. 
o   Promenade Café was convenient for evening snacks but I have the same complaint about the bread to filling ratio.   Most sandwiches were not very good.   I did like the flavor of the Muffuletta but again very skimpy with the filling.
o   We sat in the Solarium much of the time during sea days.  Having the café (buffet) so close by was a huge plus.  We carried items out and back to our chairs which was really nice for a quick bite.  I had a chicken breast that was so much better than my expectation for a buffet item.   Limited menu but so convenient and quick. 
       Breakfast in MDR
o   We did Breakfast in MDR 4 times and of these only 1 was really relaxing.  The other 3 were way too slow with things arriving at the wrong times.   My wife was not pleased with this experience.   Normally I really like the relaxing pace but this didn’t have the same feel. 
·       Breakfast in Johnny Rockets
o   OK but not great.  As I recall the pancakes were premade and not what I expected. 
·       Room service – We did this once after the Cozumel port visit.   Very good quality for burgers and chicken strips.   Quick service. 
·       Entertainment
o   Mama Mia – Cute but kind of a silly story.  Music, dancing and singing ability were top notch.  I’ve seen the movie and enjoyed this much more.   I thought the music was recorded but at the end they showed the band.   I was really impressed at the level of musicians and singers. 
o   Jazz on 4 – specifically a show with the Mama Mia conductor and some of the actors singing individually.  Excellent.  I was sleepy this evening and considered turning in earlier but was glad I didn’t. 
o   Ocean Aria Aqua Show – Excellent show. Get there early and get a seat that’s not under an awning.   From way in back you won’t see the high divers. 
o   Blue Planet – Good.  A little weird but entertaining enough with a good mix of music dancing and acrobatics.
o   Headliner - Las Vegas Tenors – We all enjoyed this group.   I met a man from Australia that didn’t like it and we kidded each other a bit about our tastes.  He indicated he was not familiar with many of the songs, which was surprising. 
o   Game Ice show.  Great demonstration of talent but like some shows on cruise ships a little silly.  Overall very enjoyable. 
o   Dazzles – The band named Centerpiece performed here off and on in the evening.  Excellent band especially the lead guitarist.  I wanted to hear them more. 
o   Pub – Guitar player.  Friendly guy.  Not a great voice.   A customer sang with him one time and he was better.  The customer sang in English which was not his native language.  Kind of funny.  I love this space.   I would have liked to see some variety in the talent.   Staff was very attentive. 
o   Schooner Bar – Piano player.  Not my favorite.  Seemed a little at odds with the patrons at times.  ‘I’m not going to play that now’.    Talented but relied on his computer accompaniment too much I thought.  He had a list of songs and that was it.  I tired of him quickly.  I would rather hear a rougher piano only song than just a limited menu.  I like the live experience for interaction and improvisation.  I don’t want a jukebox.  He was good but in the three times I saw him I heard Piano Man each time.   Don’t blame that on the patrons, he said something to the effect that it’s expected so he’s going to do it now.  
o   Comic show – I saw two shows in the Comedy Live and the family friendly one in the theatre.  Kivi Rogers was better IMO.  I’m not a potty humor fan at all, not a prude, it just seems too easy.  A lot of both shows goes there.  Even the family show goes in this direction more than I would like.   Some families would not be pleased with the content in the family show.   
·       Royal App – This was down more than it was up.  
o   It would have been really nice if it worked.   I went to Customer service and they had IT reset my account after trying very hard to help me on the spot.  It was almost funny watching them struggle like I did.  After IT reset my app it updated.  It worked for awhile but they stopped again.   It doesn’t stop cold, it just doesn’t display any schedule detail, just venue locations.
·       Labadee, Haiti port – Stayed on the ship
o   First time I’ve ever stayed on the ship at a port stop.  It was so relaxing.   The only thing to mention is that there are less towel stations and bars open.  When you see something you need, grab what you want and then go to your favorite location. 
·       Falmouth, Jamaica port – Hilton Rose Hall resort (non Royal excursion)
o   The bus ride over was well organized and the bus driver talked on the way like a mini tour.  
o   We did have a fellow passenger that seemed a little self-entitled.  She asked for a stop to get a Red Stripe beer.  We had just walked through the port area with bars and we were driving about 20 minutes to an all-inclusive resort.  The bus driver accommodated her and stopped at a local bar.  I don’t really know but it seemed like we took a convoluted route out of town to get there.  The bar stop only took a couple of minutes, but there were some disgusted fellow passengers that couldn’t believe this one passenger was delaying everyone else’s arrival.  Lots of puzzled looks to each other around the bus behind this couple in the front seat.  People – remember you are not the only one that has value.  If you want special treatment, hire a cab to take you. 
o   Nice place.  Very well kept.  The lawn was perfect and looked like a putting green. 
o   Food was OK but not great.   The food on the ship was probably a little better.  The jerk shack was a nice touch and that definitely had some flavor.   Ordering was a little like the soup cook episode of the Seinfeld show.  I went with a week-long guest we met on site so I know I was doing it correctly but it wasn’t all smiles like the rest of the resort.   This visit kind of convinced me I wouldn’t like a week at an all inclusive as much as a cruise.   Very similar experiences, cheaper liquor in the drinks at the Hilton than the ship, I expect the entertainment is not nearly as good.   I think more than about 4 days would be boring. 
·       Cozumel, Mexico – Turquoise Beach Bar
o   I wanted to try little bar this after reading a review.   It was accurately described but I had a different idea about what it was.  It was a little more rustic than I expected. And I had the impression it was going to be off the beaten path away from the heavier traffic area.  It had a good view of the ships.   We were the only ones there for awhile so we had good service.  They do serve food but the food comes from the restaurant across the street.   I have a picture of the server coming back across the street with our food which was kind of funny to watch.  A little like Frogger video game.   No chicken dishes were available.   My wife only ate guacamole.  She has a little more confidence in chain locations and wasn’t too happy with my selection. 
o   This bar had two levels and its open air.  Downstairs we went to the restrooms and down there were a pot belled pig and a dog.   We originally thought the kitchen was downstairs, so it’s probably good this wasn’t the case. 
·       Casino
o   Smoky and a little crowded in some areas of the room.  I only played out a free $5 offered mid-way thought the cruise.  Cashed out at a whopping $7 but that was more than my cruise mates that finished with nothing. 
o   I didn’t sign up for a group slot pull.  I’ve done these before and enjoyed them but so many other things to do instead. 
·       Cabin – # 9607 Cabin was laid out well.  The view over the Central park area would have been perfectly positioned to hear the nightly entertainment if we had a balcony.  I would try to get a balcony above this location next time.  Our cabin steward was good and kept the room in good shape.  
·       Disembarkation
o   Tried to use Lyft for a ride to car rental area at the FLL airport.  My phone data service was terrible and it appeared others were having the same problem.  I set up a ride, hit enter and the signal crashed requiring me to try again.  The cars that were picking people up were not marked and that caused people to step out into the traffic lane and turn around. My brother in law does this on the side and he has stickers on his car so it can be identified easily.  Cost would have been somewhere between $8 -$10.    After some attempts my wife finally said let’s get a cab.   Good call.  The trip was $12 and we just jumped into a readily available cab.   Saving a few bucks wasn’t worth the aggravation we were having for such a short ride.     
·       Final thoughts
o   The ship doesn’t feel crowded except at certain times, like peak times in the Windjammer or leaving the ship in ports.  Elevators were sometimes a wait, like before or after shows but not a big problem.  But the photo setups in the Royal Promenade were overdone.  They seemed to be everywhere and blocked a lot of traffic and most were nearly begging people to participate.  These could be cut by half and still not be crowded.  The exception was the one on the actual staircase which then blocked that staircase for use which was really awkward when trying to get between these floors.  Special events in the Royal Promenade also made things crowded but pulling the photo set ups away could have helped this too.
o   I continued to have confusion about front and back of the ship which surprised me   I usually get oriented in a few days.  I wished there was some art work in the cabin halls to help get your bearings.  There are some ship diagrams but these don’t really serve as ‘mile markers’ because they all look the same.  We put a post-it note on the door to avoid cruising past our door by mistake which happened once. 
o   I loved the ship.  So much live entertainment in the evening.   Easy to get meals near where you are located.  But it is so big and doesn’t feel as connected to the water.  It’s easy to forget you’re on a ship.   I wasn’t even sure about how to access the mid-level outside deck at first.   We are going to go with a first time ever cruiser on the next trip, so I suggested a Voyager class to provide more of a ship feel.  
o   Almost all the staff was excellent and really friendly with rare exceptions.   Even those that weren’t excellent were very good.   Exceeded my expectations many times. 
o   I didn’t do the Meet and Mingle as I had planned.   Too many other things to do.  
o   Dry erase wipe boards are probably not a favorite item of the room stewards.  I noticed that black marker smudges transferred to the door from the erasing residue.  I suspect they clean up easily but would add an extra task to their work. 
o   We traveled with another couple and the gent wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a cruise.  They had cruised before so they had some idea of what to expect but on much smaller ships and other brands (Carnival and Big Red Boat – remember those).  First time on RCCL though. (I did get the $25 OBC for a referral).  He said it definitely exceeded his expectations.    
After we returned I needed to get another trip lined up.   I did talk to the next cruise office but I was surprised that I could probably do a more tailored search to meet my needs on my own.   They can find specific trips but I was expecting to sit down tell the person all my priorities and be presented several options.   But they are limited in the factors that can be entered.   There isn’t much advantage to using their service. As I recall for a refundable trip the bonus offered on board was $25 OBC.  When I returned I booked a Nov 2019 trip refundable fee trip on Adventure of the Seas with a special incentive from BJs Warehouse that got me a great price and flexibility. 

Adventure Ocean entrance and arcade game area



 

I just realized I'm way overdue for writing this. But that's good, it gives me a chance to remember what was easily the most amazing meal on my recent sailing on Freedom of the Seas!
I booked this dining experience on the Cruise Planner, about 2 months ahead of our sail date, for $89. I got to choose from any night of our sailing, so I chose our third night (second sea day), figuring it would be better to enjoy this on a day when I wasn't completely worn out from a port day excursion.
I did not receive a confirmation of this booking when we boarded. Instead, I had a paper delivered to the cabin on Night 2 noting to meet in Bolero's Lounge, where we would all be escorted to the actual table once everyone had arrived. Oddly, the invitation said to dress in Smart Casual style, where the Cruise Planner indicated Formal. I don't know if this was a glitch in the on-board system or if Royal is moving yet another dining venue to less formal wear, but I decided I was going to ignore this and dress as if it were formal night. And it was a good thing, as everyone else who showed up for the meal was also in their fancy dinner best!
The experience actually started while waiting for everyone to gather, as we met the gentleman who would be our waiter, sommelier, and host. His name was Mario, and he came out dressed in a very formal charcoal gray suit and white gloves. If this wasn't an indication for everyone attending to be dressed formally, I don't know what is! That made the invitation's suggestion of Smart Casual even more inexplicable.
Mario had a tray of champagne glasses waiting for us, and we were welcomed to enjoy a glass while we waited for everyone to gather.

As I usually do on events like this, I showed up about 10 minutes early and ended up being the first one there. Mario and I chatted a bit, and he told me his nickname among the crew was "Super Mario" because of all the jobs he has to manage among the dining staff, including his role in the nightly Chef's Table experience. No, he's not that "Super Mario", but they actually do know each other and get along very well.
The other guests arrived, and it turned out we were a small group -- only 7 total (I was the only solo guest, as I was never able to convince my younger daughter to join me). Two of the three couples were also from NJ, but much further south than me; the third couple were from Texas. We were told that normally they have between 12 and 15 guests each night, but for whatever reason this particular night had only about half that.
Now the second discrepancy from the printed invitation came out – While the invitation said that we would be dining in Giovanni's Table, it turned out that our group was so small that evening that we would be dining in the MDR, on a small balcony towards the top of the staircase that's located between decks 4 and 5. This was kind of amusing, since we had the My Time dining folks on deck 5 and several of them walked down the stairs and past our table to leave; we got more than a few stares as they looked us in our finery and dining on food that was definitely not the same cut as what they had on their menus. I'm undecided if I preferred actually eating in the MDR, with the elegant decor all around us that I felt fit the theme of the night better, or if it would have been a little better to eat in Giovanni's just for a chance at fewer bystanders walking by.

The view of the MDR from our private table / balcony, taken after the meal had ended
Speaking of menus, we had our planned menu for the evening waiting for us at our places:

We were told by Mario that the order of the menu was being adjusted slightly, so as to work better with the order in which the wines were being served. It was also explained to us that the menu was a little misleading in terms of the Entree selection, as there were really only two choices; the branzino or the filet mignon. The Truffle Tagliatelle was a Pasta course that would be served before the entrees, and have its own wine pairing.
Finally, Mario pointed out the dessert – Yes, you're reading that right; we were going to be served the same dessert that is offered in Wonderland on the Quantum and Oasis class ships! All of us were super-excited when we saw this!
Our scallop carpaccio was the only course served without a wine pairing, as it was intended as a palate cleanser. It was absolutely delicious, and as we ate the chef came out to tell us about the dish: what carpaccio meant (a dish of raw meat or seafood that was sliced very thinly), how the dish was prepared, and why each ingredient was chosen / how it enhanced the desired flavors; this would be repeated for each course, and I was really wishing my younger daughter was there as I know she would have absolutely loved this facet of the experience.



 
Next up was the salad, a Maine lobster salad served with hearts of palm of and pineapple, and paired with a Chardonnay named Ausièrres Blanc. I never would have thought that pineapple and lobster would work, but it did and very well! And the Chardonnay was also very good; it's actually one of the few varieties of white wine that I like.


 
Next was our soup course. This was a smoked tomato soup that had been in the smoker literally overnight; the soup actually smelled like barbecue sauce, the smoke flavor was so strong! It was served with a crouton, a slice of fresh parmesan, micro greens, and creme fraiche; the wine pairing was as rosé wine named Whispering Angel. All of us were quite surprised that a mildly flavored, more fruity rosé would be paired with something as bold and strongly flavored as this soup; many of us asked how the wine would not be overpowered by the soup, but Mario assured us that it would balance surprisingly well. And wouldn't you know it, he was right! I'm not a real fan of rosé wines, but this worked remarkably well and the wine itself was quite palatable for me. And the soup itself was amazing! Every one of us was gushing to Mario about how great it tasted; it may have smelled like barbecue sauce from the intense smoking, but the flavor was not at all overpowering, just this rich and intense flavor of the roasted tomato blending beautifully with the smokiness. We all were wishing there was some way to get some to take home and enjoy after our trip.


 
Next we had our pasta course, a truffle tagliatelle. The pasta was freshly made, and the black truffles gave it a really distinctive flavor; not the same as truffle oil, though similar; it was much more intense and I found I much preferred it. The butter was very light, just enough to keep the pasta from sticking. And it was served with what was my favorite wine of the evening – a Tuscan red named Lucente LaVite. I ended up having 3 glasses of this!


 
Next, our main entree was served. I chose the branzino, along with about half of the table, and it was served with a Pinot Grigio named Danzante. This white I wasn't as fond of, but the branzino was quite good. I'd never had it before, and the main reason I ordered it is because of all the seasons of Master Chef that I'd watched, where the restaurant takeover episode would have the contestants serving a branzino appetizer; I wanted to know what the heck this fish tasted like that was such a standard! ?


 
Those who ordered the filet mignon had their entree paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon named Sequoia Grove. Each of us was allowed to try the other's wine to see how we liked it; I've never been a fan of Cab, and I found this one to be no different. I don't know what it is about that variety vs other reds, but I haven't yet found one that I don't wrinkle my mouth at after the first sip.
 
Finally, it was time for dessert. Before we were served, Mario poured each of us a small glass of a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc named Errazuriz. This was definitely a dessert wine, very sweet and not something to have with an earlier course. With the wine poured, each of us had a plated chocolate globe placed in front of us; not one who knew what this dessert was failed to take a "before" picture:

Mario then went around the table with a gravy bowl filled with melted caramel, which was poured over the chocolate until the surprise inside was revealed. And again, not one of us who knew was this dessert was failed to have our phones out, ready to take video as our turn came to pass:
 
We all agreed that this was one of the best desserts we'd ever had, whether we'd already gotten to enjoy it on a previous Oasis / Quantum cruise, or if it was the first time we'd had it. And the wine worked very well with this; I will have to remember to see if this wine or a similar one is offered when I sail Anthem in October, as my wife and I agreed we would like to try Wonderland during that trip.
After dessert was done, we were allowed to enjoy another glass or two (or three!) of whichever wines we particularly enjoyed. Mario had multiple bottles of each one available, and we all stayed at the table for maybe another half hour while the plates were cleared and our chef came out one final time. We all thanked him heartily for one of the best meals we'd had, and each of us took our photos with him to remember the experience by.

Yeah, I definitely look like I've been enjoying the La Volte Toscana by this time!
Each of us was presented with a check showing a zero balance, but all of us wrote in an additional tip to cover the service and meal prep that went far above and beyond the price that we paid. I learned afterward that the tip was recorded in the final bill as a charge to Giovanni's Table, which makes sense since that was the originally planned venue. Keep this in mind should you decide to do Chef's Table yourself and also give an extra tip to your waiter and chef. Because believe me, after that meal and the wine, you may not remember doing it by the time you see your final cruise bill! ?
That wraps up my review of Chef's Table. This is definitely a must-do experience at least once in your cruising life. And I have to say, the price is unbelievably reasonable considering typical on board prices for high end wines like the ones we were served. The Toscana that I enjoyed so much was over $30 a glass in Vintages, and even when I found it in my local wine store it was over $60 a bottle! Considering we were served 5 different wines, that's at least $90 in onboard pricing right there, considering that not one of the wines we were served would be an "average" wine found on the MDR menu or in the lower-priced section in Vintages; on land it would still have likely been at least $40 or $50 for the wines. And the food itself was easily a $125 affair if I had anything similar at a local land restaurant, keeping in mind that I'd likely have to travel to Manhattan or one of the more popular culinary hubs in northern NJ like Montclair, Ridgewood, or Morristown. For only $89, this meal was an absolute steal and one of the few true bargains I would argue you will find on board without buying a package of some sort. This is true fine dining and 
And don't feel that you can't bring your kids to this. I know I had asked about this months before my cruise and was told the same, but I want to just offer my own confirmation now. As long you have kids with an adventurous palate or who enjoy gourmet cooking, they'll be fine with this. And while they can't drink the wines offered, as I noted the meal alone is easily worth more than the price you're charged.
On the other hand, it also makes for one hell of a date night with your SO if you can arrange for the kids to be left at Adventure Ocean or the nursery.

Following dinner I wandered around the ship taking advantage of diamond happy hour drinks since I didn't purchase the drink package.  The Captain's address in the Promenade at 8:00 was well attended (maybe it's the free sparkling wine).  The ship band was there to entertain us while we waited for the Captain.


To the pub then the Schooner Bar for live music.  I finally met @mpoole3 and a few others.  He had a friend he cruised with to Cuba who let us into the Suite Lounge so we could take a few pictures.


Absent of Coastal Kitchen it reminds me of an Oasis class suite lounge a little bit.

Since we were up on deck 14 we checked out the silent disco which was very busy.


Returning to the cabin I discovered a gift waiting for me.  This is my first cruise as a Diamond Plus and it was a Crown and Anchor beach towel.

Main Dining Room:

Day 1 dinner menu:

With a 6pm dinner but an 8:30pm sail away it left some time after dinner to explore the ship.  It did feel odd after the muster drill at 4:30pm not immediately having sail way but it allowed me to have a few diamond happy hour drinks and take some pictures around the ship.







The peak-a-boo bridge.  More on that later.

I'm doing something I never do and don't recommend.  I'm flying in the day of the cruise, tomorrow. 
Coming from the US West I'm taking a red eye tonight at midnight to NYC then off to San Juan in the morning landing in San Juan at 12:05pm.   I booked air through Royal's Air2Sea program plus I have travel insurance so between the two and with a evening sail away I'm rolling the dice. 
I came across a deal on this 5 Night cruise and couldn't pass it up.  $549 all in, solo in a balcony with $50 OBC.  Air2Sea was actually cheaper than Delta direct plus it provides some limited coverage in case of delays.  Between air and cruise fare I'm right at $1k for this trip. 
Shortly after I booked the news of a cheap cruise broke and many members of the RCPeriscopers.live group jumped on board including @mpoole3 who will be live blogging on the main page of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com so this will be a light blog for me.  Keep an eye on the main page for his blog.
We have one port of call on this cruise, St Maarten.  I have no plans this time and may just take a taxi to Maho Beach and explore that area and a few beaches nearby.  On my last stop in St. Maarten I took a coastal catamaran and we sailed past Maho Beach but we were offshore.  There are few other beaches close by so I may just beach hop this time.
After St Maarten on day 2 we have 3 sea days on our way to Bayonne, NJ where Adventure will spend the summer alternating embarkations with Anthem. 
On this cruise I transferred the booking over to mpoole3's brother who is a travel agent which netted another $50 in OBC.   Consequently gratuities are covered and I'll have little left over for a few drinks since I'm sailing without a drink package. 
I'm traveling light having crammed everything into a 22" carry on suitcase.  That'll help if I have flight delays or need to leverage Air2Sea to fly me to St. Maarten.  I should have enough time for a shower in the JFK Delta Sky club in the morning.  With no checked luggage I'll have everything with me in the club and as soon as I board Adventure in San Juan.
Two other new additions for me on this cruise are a new travel router and some iPhone lens(es).  Credit for this travel router goes to @Galveston Steve and credit for the Moment iPhone lens goes to @JLMoran.  Indeed this blog has the effect of causing people including myself to spend some money!  
I've used the new travel router on a couple of business trips to share my free wifi plan on Delta courtesy of TMobile so my non-TMobile work phone and laptop could join.  It worked well for that so in the interest of traveling light I'm leaving my trusted travel router at home.
It's been a while since I've taken a red eye but it's practice for my overnight flight to Barcelona to join Symphony on her transatlantic to America in October.  Looks like my inbound aircraft is now in the air on its way here.  So far so good. 

::smacking myself:: MANNERS, JOE! MANNERS!!!
 
Have an awesome cruise, @Skid! Relax, enjoy, eat, drink, and be merry!

Day 8 – departure ☹
 
Lucky for us we went sleeping quite early for a last day (around 1 AM ) so we could catch few hours of  quality sleeping time.I found out the hard way that one of the departure day depression is lacking good sleep on the final day.
Our departure time was schedule to 9 am so we had time to organize things and catch some last breakfast in WJ , this was the first day I saw the WJ full but still we found some space to seat and eat a quick one.We left our room around 8:40 directly to the gangway, In Barcelona they have two terminal for Oasis class , terminal C and B , even tag numbers are sent to Terminal C and odds goes to terminal B , as I was not paying attention we found ourselves in the wrong terminal … so we had to do all the way back to the other terminal , the advantage was that we could take one last picture of the ship.

As our flight was schedule only to be the next day (500 $ less) we waited for a taxi to take us to our hotel. Beware , taxies lines in Barcelona port can take up to 30 minutes (that’s the cases if you are not leaving the ship at 7 AM anyway).
We arrived the hotel (Crown Plaza 10 minutes ride from the port and 18 $) as no rooms were available yet we were given access to the launch were we had our second late breakfast  , rooms were available around 11 AM so we went up put our stuff and left to tour Barcelona for few hours.The hotel, although not in the main center, is located near Espania square (10-15 minutes walk) which has a metro , a very impressive fountain nearby and some museum/shops


We took some picture and went to the Subway so we can catch a ride to boqueria food market and to La Rambla avenue.
 
Boueria became a very touristic place although still there many stores which sells fresh food for locals.
If you can avoid it during weekend it is best as the place is  very crowded. Still I would not miss it .
We took some small mixed Jamon plate and fresh exotic fruits cups.
Off we went to walk at  Rambla  until we decided to add back to the hotel.

Later we went to a Supermarkets to buy some Jamon and Cava to bring back home (remember we promised some Jamon to the cat ? ).
Flight back was 6 am so we went to sleep early,  during the cruise I found out that I will come back home , do my laundry and fly day after to South America for some meetings. 
So some thoughts about the ship :
First , it is wonderful ship , I am so happy we will be on it again on September.
We discussed with some crew member which told us that RC brought many people from other ships for few weeks , I do hope they will continue with the excellent service.
The same crew member told us that the new bar, Playmaker was a big success, I could so that every day it was full of people.
Internet was excellent in the entire ship , when we wanted to work on another device we just had to login on this device without logout the other (which is good but can also create some internet wars, sure  I need to buy the travel router for next time as suggested by @twangster  , will do it next week when I will catch my connection flight in EWR)
We brought two bottles of wines and open them one in Hooked and one in the MDR , we were not charged for any fees.
The laser tag is fun, I would recommend to try it, if you come as family maybe even try to be on opposite teams.
The ice show is not to be missed.
Hairspray is very nice, well performed.
We did not took the drinking package  as there was only one sea day so with two bottles of wines , three paid drinks and some very drinks in the Casino we managed to handle it.
RC were very generous with the sparkling wine, almost every day they gave it free in the WJ.
Going on one of the first cruise prove itself to be very good, the ship for sure was ready with 98% of her features.
Another cruise came to its end, thanks whoever followed, as always it was enjoyable to write it , let me know if you have any question on the ship or the ports, would happy to answer.

Day 6 Napoli , One of the most interesting stop with many options ,
Many are going to Capri, a nice small island with breathtaking views, to go to Capri you take a 45 boat ride (or more than one hour if you are taking the slower boats), the cheapest way to get there will be to buy the tickets by yourself in port but the risk is lack of space in the boats.
The other popular attractions are visiting Pompeii, the old city which is impressive and about 20 minutes ride from the port , Sorento a nice town , Amalfi coast (one of the nicest landscape road in Europe) and some more.
Vesuvius in the background 


We decided not to take any of those as we have been to Pompeii, Sorento and Amalfi road previously  and we are planning to visit Capri next cruise. So we just went to visit Napoli, now if you will ask an Italian which leaves in north of  Italy what he thinks about Napoli (and to be more accurate about Napoli people) you might get interesting reaction which will make you think twice if you want visit the city. I, on the other hand say forget it , do not miss Napoli , it is a beautiful city with tons of character.
One thing is quite true , as the cruise director said (and he is from Napoli) traffic lights/signs in Napoli are just decorations.Yes , at the exit from the port you will have many taxi drivers try to solicited you some trips but not much more (even less) comparing to many other places like Jamaica.Once you pass the road to the city you can find many nice small streets, interesting buildings, small shops and restaurants.

We just went between the streets without any certain direction, stopping from time to time to espresso shots  (and other type of coffees).

 






We did came to a place with a street performer , well not exactly street as he perform from his home terrace and organize the crowds to sing with him , very funny.

After few hours we went to find a good Pizza (which is an easy task in Napoli) , we found some small Pizzeria that served huge Pizzas , we split one between us as we did not thought we can finish two .


Pizza cost around 9$ it was very very good (and not just because we compared it to Sorento’s).
Later we went to one of the small supermarkets to buy some Limoncello, prices are much better than the tourist stores.
We started our way back to the ship to catch another laser Tag session, we won this time.

Dinner was the MDR again, I must say the service was very quick , one hour including everything.

I took the tenderloin, excellent, we paired the dishes with a Malbec wine I brought with me to the ship.


Another excellent day.

Another benefits of fresh new ship , the machines still not tuned 
Now I have reason to stand at the long line of the guest services
 

Day 5 Rome ,
Well there is  only one place to go here , do not even bother on the other tours ,Rome is a must and I think I do not need to explain why.Our tour today was “navigate  Rome”, its actually a guided transfer to Rome were you get a cell phone that has several applications to guide you around and help you find your way.With the device (Samsung note 3) you are getting also  earphones. The guide kept reminding us that its 500 $ fine if we lose the device (not a bad revenue for RC as you can get such devices for much less).The application also contains a way to communicate with the guide and ability to send photos to your email from the phone. The meeting time was 8 and around 8:30 AM we were on our way to Rome.The ride took  90 minutes so around 10 we were dropped near the Vatican. During the ride the guide offered to sell Vatican tickets which save you the time to stand in the ticket office lines or a panoramic bus tour with ability to hop on and off.
The cost for the Vatican tickets is 34 $ , the buss is 35 $ and both are going directly to your sea pass account which is very comfortable. We tool the bus tour although you can do without it and I will explain later.
If you plan to visit the Vatican museum take into consideration the way it is organized, it actually a linear maze which you can only go forward at the end after more than a mile you will find the Sistine chapel , it can take more than an hour until you get to it.
Also please mind air conditions are not that common in Rome , which mean most of the places missing them including public buses and small shops/restaurants.
Check before if the ST Paul is accessible or not,
While walking near the Vatican you will encounter many people trying to sell you Vatican tickets/tours, they can be annoying but just tell them that you already have tickets, its usually works. 




We went to the bus station (around 0.5 mile from the Vatican), the bus came quite fast and we took it just until the next station , which is the famous fountain/Spanish stress.
Note , from the bus stop to the attractions you will need to walk around 0.25 miles.
The fountain was not working for some reason but we throw some coins in anyway, after all we suppose to come back at September.

From the fountain we went into the Spanish stairs, tons of people around but still nice to see.

Next station was the Pantheon which is always impressive considering it was built almost 2000 years ago. Just remember if you are planning to go visit some churches make sure you have the proper outfit (no shorts, no cut sleeves).
 
We tried to find something to eat that is not in the middle of the tourist attraction in Rome its not an easy task but we found some bar that served lunch, it was full with local people (well at least the people inside seemed to speak Italian). The food was ok, not something to write home about but did the work.

After lunch we went to eat ice cream, do not miss it , you cannot go wrong with ice cream in Italy.
We continued to walk to Venice square to visit the capitolina hill where we later took the bus back to the Vatican area


, since we had some extra time until we had to catch the group we took another ice cream (just to test if the pistachio flavor is same everywhere , for the research nothing else)   and excellent espresso.
In Italy you can find many espresso bars where people are drinking coffee standing up (around 1 $) its like refueling station for people , they come , drink the espresso for 30 seconds and go. By the way no Starbucks around ?    
We started our way back, but before heading to the port the bus travel via some of Rome monuments.
All in all a nice tour. If you want to save some money, you can catch this tour or even just transfer to Rome and take the public bus to where you want to start your walking tour, most of the main sites are nearby (the colosseum, the Pantheon, the capitolina , Spanish stairs . (around 15 – 20 minutes).
We came back around 5:30 PMs , we tried to do again the laser tag but it was closed already although they published it will be closed at 6 PM.
Dinner again was in WJ, they had lots of cakes and tons of fruits.



We were too tired to go to a show today, so we called it off qu ite early, all in all very enjoyable day.

I guess this is one of the pluses of being in a new ship.
They are really trying.
Here is today lunch display
Sandwich anyone ?

And that's another 2 am daily activity:
It's a good example how big the ship is

Day4
 
Today port was La Spezia.
We slept late today until 8:30 am as we have not booked any tour.From all our stops in Italy La Spezia is my  favorite one as it’s a nice small city which you can tour around without any issues.
To go to the port gate, you must take a shuttle bus as ship passengers are not allowed to walk inside the port.
Las Spezia is also the gate to Pisa (45 minutes ride) and Florence (90 minutes ride) .If you never been to Florence I would highly recommend to take a tour to this renascence city with many amazing sites to visit.Pisa on the other hand have only one attraction, and yes it is the leaning tower of Pisa , you come , you take the photo (with thousands of other people) you pose as if you support the tower and create a face book picture exactly like million people before you ?
So I would go to Pisa only on the way to Florence.
Another excellent option would be visiting Cinque Terre , its actually  villages that are built on the cliff , they are very colorful and best view from the sea side although visiting one of them over the land is very nice.You can always take the tour from the ship but if you want to save some money you can find some tours operator in the port (There are many vendors inside the port building).The train station is 15-20 minutes from the port.
The best way to save money (for sure if you have 4 people in your group) will be to rent a car and drive were ever you want, for example you can drive to one of the small towns near by, park outside (parking available on the road side using parking tickets machines, make sure you bring enough euro coins) , please note some of the villages/towns are not allow cars inside. or even travel to Pisa (many parking near by). If you choose to rent a car please note , most of the cars that are offered in Italy (and in many other Europe countries)  has manual transmission , the automatic one are the more luxurious cars. Car rental with insurance (automatic transmission) will cost around 100$ per day. There are several rental cars in the city , I think the nearest one is the Avis which is 15 minute walk from the shuttle dropped.
I used this option last time I visit this port (We were group of four), I rented the car few month ahead, took the shuttle , walked to the renting facilities  and picked the car (do not expect to see US car renting like facilities , its actually travel agency with cars parked on the street). Once I picked the car I returned to the port to pick the rest of the group, It was quite easy. For sure it will be helpful if you will have access to Waze or other navigating application. If you just want to stay around the town you can walk and enjoy the seaside some parks and local restaurants There are many shopping option around (usually small shops)  , remember shops  can be closed between 1:30 PM To 3 or 4 PM for siesta time.



. There is also a mall in walking distance (1 mile from the shuttle drop). We walked in the city for a while and at the end we went to the mall to complete some of the must things in Italy :
Eat a pizza, drink espresso, eat a pasta and eat authentic Italian ice cream.
 There were many shops which offered mid session discounts ,My spouse bought some shoes and some T-shirts while I went to the supermarket (the local Walmart) and bought some aged balsamic vinegar and wine.
We eat a wired combo of pizza which come with soft drink and  espresso then went back to the ship (walking).
I love to be on the ship during port day , excellent time to relax and use the different facilities, its also a good option to take some pictures.

For dinner, we choose this time the WJ.
They had a lovely chocolate fountain, but I should have complained to someone that they located it in front of the window which facing the sun, it is bad for taking pictures, how inconsiderateness of them.


Later we went to sea the new ice show 1877, we came 10 minutes before and found some front seat , I must say they excel themselves , it was amazing , the effects is something out of the world although the level of skating was less than other shows over the different ships , maybe they need to run it for a while.
Here some pictures from the show , for better quality you will need to wait for @twangster  Trans Atlantic cruise in October 


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Some observations: 
Internet is fast all around the ship, 
We have only 5100 people on board which can explain how there are always tables available in the WJ (tip , try to go to the middle of the WJ)
The break room is not available yet.
The CD is Michelle , BB is on the ship but he is not doing the morning show or most of the activities .
The ship looks really well maintained and not  showing her age at all