Guy Gadwa

And now folks, we are now caught up! Its now Saturday afternoon. We have received the dreaded luggage tags and departure information. The seas are much calmer now and we are moving at about 20kts towards Galveston. We should be tied up around 6:30am. Earlier in the cruise Johnny mentioned that he wanted to see the bridge. We had talked to Francis about this, and apparently due to "security reasons" this is no longer a suite perk (we got a tour on Anthem) so he signed us up for the all access tour that cost $. Oh well, its something that the geek side of me enjoys so why not.
We met this morning in the MDR for the first part of the tour, where one of the managers discussed how many meals are prepared etc. On average 125, 000 meals are prepared weekly. We toured the galley, and saw all the different areas where food is prepared.
Shrimp Cocktail anyone?

Jonny was impressed at the stacks of covers

Bakery operations where 50,000 rolls are baked a day

This is the main hot line. Each dining room has its own dedicated line. All food for the windjammer is made in the deck 3 galley. The specialty restaurants have their own galleys.

Meals and portions are tracked as they go out so they know what is moving.

Following the galley, we headed below to tour the provisioning area. 
We met with the manager who spoke about how the provisioning happens. Since about 2007, RC has been keeping track of their provisions and what meals are ordered. The provision manager orders the supplies 3 weeks ahead of time. He knows based on historical trends what to order more of and when. All of the loading of the 496,000lbs of provisions happens in 5 hours on turn around day. Currently since we are at the end of the cruise, the ship is nearly empty.
You can see some of the remaining fruit being gathered up by crew members.

Normally, these stacked metal pallets are full of supplies

 
All of the galleys and food storage areas are completely encased in stainless steel. These are washed down completely every day. The provision manager is actually looking forward to Sunday because he hopes he gets inspected by the health department. Apparently enchantment just was. He feels that with the inspection and the anticipated good marks, he uses that as a tool to show the crew why they go through all the trouble of the extensive cleaning that they do. 
Next up was the laundry area. We couldn't see all of it for some reason, I couldn't hear what he said very well. I did catch that their main washers have a 9 ton capacity. I should get one of those for my house, that will make laundry much easier.  
Here is a folding machine

Pressing shop

All along "I95" the main passageway down the middle of the ship. You can see the weeks recycling all bundled up ready to be offloaded.

Crew mess

We hit the engine control room where the mechanical parts of the ship is controlled. 

More elaborate deck plans


Close up shots of the propulsion systems and stabilizers

Next stop the bridge.
The crew gets some more detailed maps of the ship, obviously


Emergency plans

Finally the bridge. 
Here are the controls on the port side wing. These mirror those on the center, and starboard side.


These guys have a great view

Someone was a little excited to drive the ship. We apologize to our shipmates who suddenly felt the ship turn hard......

After the tour we got a sheet of fun facts about the ship that I will post later. I'm off for some more advantures!
 
 
 

Friday night is formal night #2, which is also lobstah night! We didn't get all fancy, just part way fancy. 
The menu for the evening
Appetizers, we are Italian, so of course we got the caprese

Dinner was surf and turf

Final lobster tail count was 7 between Julie and I. Heather doesn't like lobster.
Following dinner, the kids went to adventure ocean, and we took in the comedy show. It was pretty funny. This evening, we were passing through a cold front so the ship was rocking and rolling. We were also pretty tired from three busy days. Once the comedy show was over we all hit the sack.

Charges were removed today!  Six days to resolve.
Thanks for calming me down fellow cruisers ? 

After our trip along the beach on the horses, the benefit of having our own dedicated guide became quite apparent. Our plan was to go to the beach for a bit. William informed us that all the other guides had a group chat going. It was at this time that we learned of the third ship (Carnival) was in port as well, and that all of the beaches were very crowded and that finding a place to sit and get chairs etc would be very hard at this point. We headed there to check some out. He showed us one that wasn't as crowded, but there was no place to change, use the bathroom etc so that one was quickly crossed off the list. We went to another spot that had amenities, but would cost $10/pp. This place really didn't have any beach, so there was a quick veto from the kids. After a brief discussion among the group, we decided that our fun buckets were overflowing, so we would head back to an empty ship and enjoy that.
We were quickly whisked away by William and headed back to the port. Overall we had an amazing time there. We highly recommend Bodden Tours if you are ever in Roatan. 
Back at the port we grabbed a quick snack of some amazing tacos for $3,
Next to the taco stand was a place touting the benefits of fish therapy. Yup that's and actual thing. People pay money....

to let fish eat the dead skin off their feet....

This couple that let me take their picture said it felt kind of wHeird.....
These are the supposed benefits of this.

I'll pass.....

Following our visit to the park, we headed to our next stop which was horse back riding along the beach. This was something Heather has wanted to do for a long time. Bucket List Item ✔️
I don't have as many pictures from this because it isn't exactly easy to take pictures from the back of a moving horse.

Sadly, our time with the sloths ended, and we headed through the rest of the park. We met some more friendly animals.
We saw some iguanas, 

An Amazon Parrot 

and some white tailed deer. These guys are much smaller that the deer we see in the states. These guys are full grown. They are also a protected species on Roatan.

Next we headed to the moment we have all been waiting for, which seemed like a lifetime.

If you thought it couldn't get any cuter. Here is a 26 day old baby sloth sleeping with his mother.

Did I mention that we got to hold them too? This guy was 11 months old.


Julie may or may not still be crying.....




Afterwards, Julie had to ask the sloth if he approved of her shirt (which is a sleepy sloth riding on a Llama). We believe he said yes, but it was taking him so long to nod that we had to get back to the ship before he could finish.

After our drive around the island, we headed to "Victors Monkey Business" which is their own animal sanctuary, complete with other activities including ziplines etc. We were quickly ushered in and waited our turn for as Julie said was "the best day of her life"
The first part of their sanctuary we got to interact with some Capuchin Monkeys. These guys were quite friendly if you had treats for them. They had no problem landing on our shoulders and heads. Julie tried, but he wasn't interested in a selfie.




We saw a few other monkeys, there were some howler monkeys, and spider monkeys, but they weren't interested in photo opportunities. We passed a Toucan who was more than willing to pose, 

before heading into a pen to see some Macaws. 


We got this guy to land on my head......

Now the question needs to be asked.......

Yes......yes the colorful chickens have very large talons.....

(Getting caught up finally) Wednesday morning we woke up approaching Roatan. For the day today, we had a tour booked with Bodden Tours. We booked their "Best of Roatan" private tour. We had our own driver for the day, and we were able to customize the day how we wanted. The tour base cost is 2 Guests - $40 per person, 3 Guests - $30 per person, 4 or more Guests -- $25 per person, Children UNDER age 5 are No Charge. This cost gets you the driver for the day, and "you are the boss" and can choose what to do for the day. There are many popular upgrades and activites that you can choose to do that you specify when you are booking. Everything is done via a web form then email. Their communication is great, and they promptly respond to your emails to them. We chose to go to Victor's Monkey business and sloth sanctuary, a $5 charge. We also added horseback riding along the beach $45, and then a beach visit. We were originally scheduled for Sol Y Mar for $10 but they recently doubled the cost of their day visit, so we chose west bay beach, still $10. The horse back riding is through http://www.barriodorcasranch.com/ and you make arrangements with the directly and CC victor bodden tours and everything gets set up.
After room service breakfast we headed off the ship. The port area is full of companies trying to get people to choose them for excursions, and is a bit hectic. It was a really crazy day since we were joined by the Norwegian Getaway. We were also joined by a Carnival Ship That I didn't see until we were sailing away later that evening.

After getting off the ship, and heading through the excursion gauntlet, we awaited our driver among the organized chaos. 

All of these cars are awaiting their passengers for excursions. Shortly after we met our driver William. He was very friendly and quite informative as we headed off. Our first stop on our tour was an elevated area that overlooks the port. It was great for photo ops. Johnny wasn't in the mood for pictures yet.


Driving along the beach is allowed in Roatan, and this was while driving on the beach. This is a mangrove tree.

As we drove along, it was apparent that the cruise port is in the poorer section of the Island. William mentioned that the island has segregated itself by class too. All of the wealthier people live in nice houses along the western side of the island, while the poorer people live in the East. Prices are higher because everything has to be shipped in. He says that the majority of the locals depend on the cruise ships for their income. He told us about his daughter who is in school. All students go to school in either the public or private schools. They all wear the same uniforms and go in shifts. He said his daughter usually goes tot he private school, but will switch to public school depending on money during the low season for the cruise ships. The same is similar for their health care. If you have insurance, you can go tot he private hospital and receive pretty good care. If not, you can go to the government funded hospital, where you will get care based on what they have on hand at the time. He mentioned that many times, the families of the patients will have to go to the pharmacies to purchase the medications that the patients need because the hospital does not have them. 
He believes things will improve for the Island as well because there are now multiple flights coming directly from the States and Canada on major airlines now, so he hopes the tourism dollars increase. If anyone is thinking of buying property there, there is plenty for sale. Ocean front lots run about $1,000,000

Dinner time. For fun we got all matchy matchy. Here are some pictures of the fam. 



This time I remembered to take some food pictures. 
 
Appetizers consisted of, escargot, Roasted Poblano Soup, and the Arugula and Radicchio Salad with Goat Cheese. 



For entree’s we had the braised beef short ribs, creamy wild mushroom risotto, and the lasagna. I’m still trying to figure out why Heather ordered the lasagna. I’m Italian, and MDR lasagna doesn’t stand a chance against my homemade lasagna. As expected, she didn’t like it. Oh well.



For dessert, there was some cheesecake, chocolate cake, and a warm apple fritter that Lydia had.



Following dinner, there were some more beverages and adult time while the kids went to adventure ocean. 
Later that evening was the 80’s music trivia face party which we held on the promenade and was a blast. The cruise director Cory was all decked out in 80’s wear complete with big hair and the promenade was rocking. I pity the people who have those rooms. It’s got to be loud in them when all these parties happen.

So back to yesterday. Following the trivia, we let the kids hit the pools before dinner. The kids really like the splash away bay and would stay there the entire day. 
 
Earlier, Lydia did the cupcake class. She said she had a lot of fun doing that. Here are some pictures of that. We originally did not sign up for this, but got cornered while at breakfast the other day. Lydia promptly exclaimed she wanted to do that as soon as the crew member asked about it. How can you say no after that. We did get it for 30% off at least.
 

Many updates coming tonight!! For now, I will leave you with a little teaser of how the day went today!

Day 2 - Pre-Cruise (Sydney)
The first full day in Sydney, managed to explore a lot of the City Centre. Did some shopping at Myer & David Jones department stores and also lunch at the Gateway Sydney which is basically a more upmarket food court.
Explored around Circular Quay seeing the Harbour bridge and of course the Sydney Opera House.
Also got a good look at the ship in port today which was the (rather rusty looking?!) P&O Arcadia on it’s world cruise of 99 days!! A relaxed afternoon and evening followed. 
 

Day 1 continued - Pre-Cruise 
After packing completed, off to Auckland International Airport. With Premium Check-in it’s a fast transit through into the departure area. A great flight of just on 3 hours. A 3 course meal for dinner and managed to watch a movie. (Menu attached) 
 
Once in Sydney took the train to Central (Sydney has an excellent Airport Line!) then transferred to the new Light Rail Line to the hotel close to Circular Quay (Cruise terminal) Good weather and about 28 degrees celcius. 

NOT QUITE YET...
....is this going to be a Live Blog.  I am NOT looking to set the new World Land Speed Record for starting the earliest Live Blog.  It will turn into a live blog MUCH later when we get closer to sail date.
I just wanted to announce to the world that the long anticipated 8 night Symphony itinerary for 21 - 29 August 2021 has finally shown up on the website !!!! 
I've been stalking this cruise for months.  They announced the itinerary - Labadee, Aruba and Curacao - months ago, but never opened it for booking until today.
I quickly snagged one of the Deck 8 Aqua Theater Suites because I could not afford (or didn't want) any of the other Star Class rooms that were left.  Believe it or not, some of the SC rooms were already gone by the time I got there !!  The aft-facing Star Loft was there but I don't really want that one.  I have NO interest in that awful Ultimate Family thing and the Royal Loft is WAAAY out of my price range on this cruise (and so was the Ultimate Family thing, to be fair).
So let the fun begin.  I BELIEVE that this will be the first Oasis class ship to go to Aruba and Curacao.  I could be wrong about that.  For sure it will be the first time Symphony has been there.  This will also be my first cruise on Symphony and I'm very excited. 3 ports in 8 days is my idea of heaven.
Interest, anyone ?

Make sure that your TA does repricing. Reading some of the posts here involving repricing, it seems that not all TA's offer that service. My TA Danette with MEI, has already repriced my Greek Isle Jr Suite for next Oct, twice and saved us $1400! Although I follow the prices religiously, she sent me an email notifying me of the savings before I even knew there was a price drop. Now that's what I call service! 

Day 1 continued: 
Went the room and saw both our suitcases down the hall and grab them and unpack. Then off to the pool deck to swim and tan before muster - why have I never done this before it was great and not busy! Then quickly time to run and change before muster then sail away from deck 16 the sail away party was lame. Then time to sit on my balcony with a glass of wine before dinner. 
 
main dining room for dinner tonight second seating as we eat late in the city anyways. I had the French onion soup, the New York strop and cheesecake. It was all delicious! Next stop to the casino royal took my money way too fast then karaoke where lots of drama was present. Then pizza and water before bed. Tomorrow is perfect day at coco cay. I’m so excited!  
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 

Day 2: perfect Day at Coco Cay 
Woke up this morning at 7:15 and we were already docked! I’m very excited for this day and I can tell you right now it was perfect. Up to the windjammer for breakfast - I love the made to order eggs! We brought all our stuff with us to breakfast and now off to start our perfect day. We were in port until 4 so great time for a beach day. First we wandered the island a bit and took a bunch of pictures then it was off to the oasis lagoon for the morning!  
 
forgot to mention empress was in port with us today. The size difference was crazy! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After a couple hours enjoying the pool and our loungers it was time to find lunch and the beach. By the way the water in the pool was cold like cold for a Canadian cold but I did get in and enjoyed. Lunch was at the shake shack I had the best mozzarella sticks - I was amazed they were fantastic! Then some giant jenga was played and some time was spent on the beach. Then back to oasis lagoon for some more swimming and lounging. At 3 we left and walked back to the ship past the market. Once on board the ship i went to Central Park and enjoyed some sangria while writing a blog entry. After this I headed to my cabin to shower and watch sail away from the balcony. Then I had a quick nap before dinner. 
 
french onion soup, short rib and creme brûlée was what I ate. Lobo the bar service waiter is amazing and always has my wine ready it’s fantastic! I love having the drink package it’s so good. 
 
next up was Greece good show I’ve seen it on land before but I love musicals so it was a must see for me! I can say it would not be the best choice for kids. After this it was time for karaoke the casino then bed. 
 
Almost forgot there was a lot of drama at karaoke tonight. I felt like I was watching one of those tv shows. 
 
more pics to come later of coco cay! 

Round 4, Winner winner chicken dinner! Full disclosure, just about everyone was a winner this round. The poor host is new to the entertainment team, and was just given an iPad by her coworker and told her to go. The original objective was supposed to be name that TV tune. It turned into just “name that tune, with the most obvious answers ever” She played about 25 seconds of each tune, and played the chorus of each song that named the tune she was playing. Thankfully everyone was gracious and applauded her efforts, and a good time was had by all. While going over the answers, she played each song again and it turned into one big giant sing along. Prize is a RC keychain.
 

Round 3

the winning team had a younger kid with them. I didn’t stand a chance....
Research is in progress. I can say for the first round, the questions were HARD. The winning team got 4 correct.

Round two. List of musicians, name their instruments. The circled ones we got right.

First round of trivia.....not so good. At least the drinks are tasty.
 

Sea Day #2
I woke up this morning and made my way to the cafe promenade to repair my caffeine to blood ratio, and did a few laps around the outside of deck 4.
Here is our current location 

I can see land off in the distance.

We don’t have too many plans for the day other than some relaxing. My daughter did want to do the cupcake decorating class so we do have that. There will be more pool time. I’m going to try to get some time on the slides etc. There will be some trivia, which I will lose, some more beverages etc. 
some stray observations: As would be expected, the crew is very dedicated and friendly, but I feel are even more so than the crew we had on Navigator. They seem to be engaging us, and the kids (which I feel is more important) more enthusiasticly.
The ship is very clean. When on Navigator, the level of house keeping seemed to be lower. Every day the hallways were full of room service trays sitting outside stateroom doors for hours and hours. Here this is far less. The pool decks are also swept of empty glasses etc quickly it seems. 
 
Now I know these are subjective observations and can vary from sailing to sailing and experience to experience but it has stuck out in my mind.
I have not posted to many pictures of the ship. @twangster has a great blog when he was on Liberty with outstanding pictures. If anyone out there in the blogosphere wants something specific, let me know and I will seek it out.

It’s ok. You get a pass for forgotten MDR dinners. If it was CK that would be another issue. ?