OCSC Mike

Yep, that's exactly it for me. We could skip PDCC on the last day  in theory given that it's free and we've been there so many times... it will just come down how much we want Snack Shack for lunch.
Agree with all of this. Easier said than done but I've been trying focus on the big picture more in everyday life.

I called tonight and saved about $150 for my Alaska cruise next year. It was the easiest reprice ever, less than 3 minutes with the agent and I was done.

I bet they would be able to come up with something (Royal is very accommodating to food restrictions in my experience) but I can't tell you exactly what it would be or if you'd want/like it. FWIW, some of my favorite things at Chops are non-entrees (love the pretzel bread, several sides, and two desserts) and if you're willing to go there to appease your travel partner, not only might you be happy with those (and whatever entree Chops comes up with) but you could always schedule it to leave time for WJ after (or have a pre-dinner snack). Some of us like to check out WJ after dinner no matter what, lol.
Hope that helps a little. Hopefully someone will have an actual vegetarian experience to share.

Yep, that's exactly it for me. We could skip PDCC on the last day  in theory given that it's free and we've been there so many times... it will just come down how much we want Snack Shack for lunch.
Agree with all of this. Easier said than done but I've been trying focus on the big picture more in everyday life.

@OCSC Mike  I think I missed my normal routine with the excursion taking half our day. I like spreading out my last day must-do errands throughout the day though. Ideal for me is something like one last flowrider session then pack a little, take care of photos after lunch, trivia with a drink, pack a little more and double check the onboard account, dinner then casino to cash in our winnings (at least I feel like a winner when I cash in my last slot voucher) or maybe play a little more...   
We have our moments, but I think having a big picture mindset is key. Something may go wrong, but do I really want a little issue to ruin my vacation? If it's really not a big deal, why make it a big deal?

I've had this discussion with others multiple times and I agree. Since we always self-assist and pack light, we don't feel rushed, I just prefer to not have any real plans on the last day so I can spend the entire day hitting up my favorite food/drink spots one last time, generally chilling, beginning to pack whenever it fits the day, etc. We have PDCC on our last day in 2.5 weeks and we'll probably only stay until lunch but still. @asquared17 prefers PDCC on the last day. Weirdo. 😜
Anyway, thanks for sharing! Seemed like you guys always have a good time and remain positive even when something is a little subpar.

I've had this discussion with others multiple times and I agree. Since we always self-assist and pack light, we don't feel rushed, I just prefer to not have any real plans on the last day so I can spend the entire day hitting up my favorite food/drink spots one last time, generally chilling, beginning to pack whenever it fits the day, etc. We have PDCC on our last day in 2.5 weeks and we'll probably only stay until lunch but still. @asquared17 prefers PDCC on the last day. Weirdo. 😜
Anyway, thanks for sharing! Seemed like you guys always have a good time and remain positive even when something is a little subpar.

I also agree and like having a sea day at the back end, that's the one good part about the Bayonne cruises, always gonna have a sea day on the way back. 
Just a tip about Barachina- we went and saw a big line in that little lobby area, stood there for about 10 minutes then I decided to walk around them and take a peek inside... in to the right is a little bar, you can go there and order drinks right from the bartender and get them to go (or stand off to the side at the bar). So I went back, grabbed my wife and kid, and she got her Pina Colada and we got two virgin ones and headed out- no wait!  The line is apparently for tables. Also, I chuckled when I saw the pic of that little guard tower thingee from near the fort- it reminded me when my kid walked over and into one of them and came out gagging, told me it smelled like pee, but he wasn't sure if it was people pee or cat pee, lol (pretty sure it was people pee).
ALSO thank you for introducing me to Mallorca.. I googled it and now can't wait to try it eventually! 

I've had this discussion with others multiple times and I agree. Since we always self-assist and pack light, we don't feel rushed, I just prefer to not have any real plans on the last day so I can spend the entire day hitting up my favorite food/drink spots one last time, generally chilling, beginning to pack whenever it fits the day, etc. We have PDCC on our last day in 2.5 weeks and we'll probably only stay until lunch but still. @asquared17 prefers PDCC on the last day. Weirdo. 😜
Anyway, thanks for sharing! Seemed like you guys always have a good time and remain positive even when something is a little subpar.

Sailed Into earlier this month
 

We did self assist to get off the ship, so we took the kids to the MDR for their final breakfast. We were off the ship by 7:30. I booked Mercado Transportation again for the return to the airport with an 8:30 pick up time (about $200, same as from the airport to the hotel near the port). Both times we were picked up in a black Chevy Suburban which were clean and comfortable. We would use them again, but I checked Uber while we were waiting at the cruise terminal, and at 8am it was $150 for an XXL. The flight home was uneventful aside from the screaming baby two rows behind us. All in all a great trip!
 
Final thoughts - 
I did not like having a port stop on the last day. I need this to be a sea day! I felt rushed after dinner trying to get everything done.
The demographic was definitely older on this cruise. Of course our fall break cruise was packed with kids, but we took an 8 day out of Miami this time last year and it was a much younger crowd. I'm not sure if this cruise was just a one off or if maybe people take their kids to Orlando for Disney and Universal instead of a cruise. 
Food was good throughout the ship with just a couple of exceptions.
The ship shows her age in places...me too, girl. Me too.😆
Casino was always packed. Didn't matter what time of day. The smoking side was hot! I think because the non-smoking side was next to the tables so it got better air flow. Second to last day, it felt like they tightened up the slots, but they were nicer again on the last day.
The kids beds had mattress pads on them. Our bed was quite a bit firmer than we are used to. We asked for a mattress pad about day 4 and they were still available.
 
Next up...DH and I snagged a can't-pass-it-up rate on MSC out of Galveston at the end of next month. This will be our first time on another line, so it will be interesting to compare. 
Then we're taking my MIL on her second cruise in November - 5 day again out of Galveston on Liberty. We took her on her first cruise for her 75th birthday in Feb of 2020, and she's looking forward to it. AND...we'll be in "our" 2 bedroom grand suite again for this one.
Possibly the 6/19/27 8 day on Symphony from Galveston calling on Cozumel, PDCC, and Nassau. 
Then...DD took Japanese this year and is taking Japanese II next year. We let her pick the destination for her senior trip next summer. We're looking at 12 nights on Celebrity Millennium next August, and we'll build a land tour around it. I went to Japan with my mom when DH and I were just dating, so I'm excited DH and the kids get to see it now too. 
 
I think that's it. Thanks for following along.
 

Day 8 - Nassau
We decided to give the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island a try and bought the non-alcohol version of excursion during Black Friday for $120 a piece (I think). We took our time getting off the ship as we were the only Royal Caribbean ship in port. We walked to the end of the pier and came to a booth offering $7 water taxi rides to Paradise Island. It took me a minute to remember there is a different Paradise Island. The entrance to the Royal Beach Club Ferries is behind the other Paradise Island booth, and while you can see the ferries from the pier, I thought the signage to the entrance could have been a little bit bigger or something... make sure to look for the little sign. I wonder how many people have purchased water taxi tickets by mistake?

We were on the island by 9:30, and we decided to make our home base the Chill pool. We took the path to the left, crossed the boardwalk, and came out by the big RC logo where we took our mandatory selfie. The sand next to the boardwalk is lined with shells. Just pretty, or maybe to help with erosion? Either way, I needed a picture.


A server stopped by shortly after we dropped our bags to take a drink order and give us info on where things were located and when the restaurant would open. The pool was a little chilly, but not bad once you were in the water. 

 
We decided to eat around 11 and tried several items from the menu split family style. The lobster roll, shrimp skewer, ceviche, and corned beef fritters were all just ok. We all thought the crab sandwich, mac & cheese, fried cheese bites, and the French fries were delicious. We kept going back for more and more fries. The fried cheese bites came with ranch, no marinara. The ceviche was not on the large board menu, but they did have it on a paper menu on the counter. 








After lunch, the kids and I explored the Chill beach area, which also felt pretty empty. Then I decided to explore the rest of the island. The party pool was the busiest area, but not packed. Only 2 cabanas on the entire island were reserved. I asked an employee if she knew how many passengers were on the island, and she said only 500 that day. With only one smaller ship in port that was pretty normal. We chatted a little more, and she said their busiest day was a couple weeks ago when Allure and another one of the big ships (she couldn't remember which one) were in port and they had 5000 people at RBC. The poor servers looked bored the day we were there - they were courteous, just didn't have anyone to serve. And while the swim up bars were busy, I never saw a passenger at the stand alone bars.




We headed back to the ship around 1pm and took a quick nap before starting to pack. We took a break to have dinner - shrimp cocktail, asparagus, and Caesar salad appetizers, steak and lamb entrees, and creme brulee and the black forest tart for dessert. After dinner we ran our last day of the cruise errands - casino vouchers, photos, and a walk around the promenade deck up to the helipad to catch the final sunset of the cruise.
 

Thank you so much everyone!! I also never trust the website with menus as things change! I figured there was an upcharge for the lobster but good to know about everything else!

Little bit surprised at that. I suppose since I posted it here it becomes their property in a way. Would have been nice if I had at least been informed or maybe interviewed to insure accuracy.
Anyway, I will keep it in mind should I decide to expound again.

Yes, it's now an included venue except for the fried lobster (it switched a long time ago).
For future reference, you can find this info in the app.

Awww....I was on Indy in Dec and did not even go as I thought it was still an upcharge.😢

Yeah, this is old info.  We were on Indy on the March 1 sailing and the only item that has an upcharge (unless they've changed it BACK again since March) is the fried lobster tail....which is much better than it sounds like.

We are so thankful for our travel agent.  Over the past couple years we've had to move cruises due to health issues, and our travel agent has been a rock star in facilitating everything.

 

Yes our symphony of seas sailing opened at 100 days pre board for show reservations. Shocked me! 

3 months before your cruise month has become common for Oasis class as crazy as that sounds. That's how it was for my current batch of Utopias. Depending on exact dates, I had at least one open over 100 days out.

If you're really impatient and have time to kill you can read (or re-read) my July 2025 blog. This cruise will be very similar to that one. We have our routine, we have the UDP for just the 4N leg again, we're in the exact same cabin, etc. We may see fewer shows and the restaurants will be a little different but that's about it. Oh, and this is 4/3 instead of 3/4.
Just throwing that out there. I actually like to re-read my own blogs when I have another cruise coming up... it reminds me of stuff and gets me excited.

i know about the sanford airport!!! i feel so connected 😂
actually though it’s because a coworker used to fly out of there often. 
but yayyyy a new liveblog!!!

Just looked and we got our cabin assigned just like people said.. Right before 30 day mark!!!

See ya! Enjoy the other lines!