Deedeelynn

@twangster LOL! The selfie is hilarious! You caved to the pressure! 
That has to be your new profile pic ?

Day 4 - St Thomas
There is no easy way to put this, this post will be photo intensive.  Sorry @Matt, in the immortal words of Roy Sheider's character in Jaws... "We're going to need a bigger boat".
I met with a friend and former co-worker before the excursion.  He reports the majority of residents on St Thomas have power back but other luxuries like cable TV are still a work in progress.  Residents on St John are still getting there.  Many areas have power but more remote areas are still without.  Despite that people are settling back into a routine.
My excursion today - St John's "All Inclusive" Beach & Snorkel
To clear up a commonly heard misconception, all inclusive refers to ferry + taxi + park admission + snorkel gear.  Nothing else.  No water, food or anything else. 
A few pictures around Crown Bay to start us off:




Our greeting committee:




Our chariot (ferry) to St Johns.


We cruised along the Southern coast of St Thomas and from a distance much looked normal but you could see many of these coastal buildings took it hard during the storm and they are a work in progress.

Twenty fives minutes later we approached Cruz Bay in St Johns.






We loaded into our taxi's to begin our way to Trunk Bay.






Our first glimpse at Trunk Bay.

After a 15 minute drive we arrived at the Virgin Islands National Park - Trunk Bay.

Restrooms and showers faired well during the storm:


Some things like the concessions are not open yet.

Chairs are available for rent.

Snorkel gear included in the excursion was available near the beach.
There is a snorkel trail underwater.


The beach is gorgeous with sugar like sand.



The snorkel course is to the left of the island with marker buoys in the water.  I set my stuff in the sand and donned my snorkel gear.
Lots of Sea Urchins.  You do not want to step on one.

If you look closely you'll see lots of minnows.












This complete and about an hour later we boarded our taxi.  Our driver stopped at several viewing spots so we could take pictures.  That's the British Virgin Isles in the distance.

Jumbie Beach

This is the Caneel Bay Resort.  Like most hotels it's closed pending restoration.  

Back on our ferry and heading to St Thomas they offered beer for $5 (brewed in Portland, ME).  

I managed to talk to a few locals this trip.  Most hotels remains closed with no word when they might reopen.  Building material and labor are hard to come by to fix them.  While some hotels have opened, tourism is swayed towards cruise ships at the moment.
While island life is settling into a new normal, the storm's effects continue.  For example, rain inundated many homes.  Appliances not physically damaged are beginning to rust and break down just now from water damage, even if minor at the time.  The storms that keep on giving.  Those that had the money built with concrete and faired better than those with older homes.  They didn't escape unscathed though, even the concrete began to saturate from the days of rain before, during and after both storms which amounted to weeks of rain.  The concrete in some cases withstood the wind but leaked water from saturation.  
I was glad to make it over to St Johns and just as happy to see life moving forward.  It's a process but the tens of thousands of dollars each cruise ships brings are very welcome.  With hotels shut many are out of work but they very much appreciate each ship and the jobs that are created from the cruise industry.

Beautiful pictures.

@WAAAYTOOO you see this?!  Now they are both trying to suck up and get into @Matt's good graces! 
Sorry, @twangster, I think this photo of Joe is one up on your balcony shot lol ?

Took a couple of minutes to stand in our balcony and take in the view. It’s truly breathtaking. I am SO glad I invested in these add-on lenses, as they’re helping me take photos that capture the memories so much better than the plain camera.

As you can see, we’re almost exactly in the middle between the bridge wing and the whirlpool on deck 11.
I’ve never seen the ocean such a cobalt blue. It makes me pause every time I see it, just to take it in. Being a New Jerseyan, the Atlantic has always been more of a greenish tint whenever I’d go to a beach. I just assumed you had to get to a Caribbean island to see blues like this.

Embarkation Day recap...
We checked out of the hotel about 10:20 and hailed a Lyft. The experience was not nearly as smooth this time; the first assigned driver mysteriously changed the ride to “in progress” without ever showing up, and I had to cancel that one and hail another (thankfully with no penalty applied). The second driver we got showed up earlier than predicted, but clearly didn’t know the area fully as he was blindly following Lyft’s GPS directions and I could see it was taking him in a crazy route compared to where the port was. It eventually got us there, and we made our way to Terminal 29, the very last one in the port. As we made our way through, we passed Harmony of the Seas, Carnival Conquest, and HAL Nieuw Amsterdam. It was indeed a busy day in the port!
We arrived about 11:10, and there was already a good line of cars forming for drop-off. We checked our bags with a porter and I tipped $10 for our 8 bags (four big suitcases and four carry-ons that we wanted to check, while keeping the essentials in our backpacks and handbags). I was openly gawking at the ship and the sheer size of her, now that I could see her up close. I kind of pissed off the port workers as I failed to quickly follow their directions to GTFO and go into security, and just stood there for a minute debating whether to take a picture (I didn’t).
From there we quickly went through security, and ship check-in was relatively fast as well comparing to other times I’ve seen reported here. We boarded Freedom around 11:50, so a 40 minute turnaround. Considering the large crowd already there when we arrived, and the time I “wasted” ogling her from outside the terminal building, I’d consider that pretty good. Sadly, our t-shirts advertising our 20th anniversary got us no love from any attendants, and we had to take the “no status” line.
Here’s a shot of the crowd at the checkin counter, plus a panoramic showing it wasn’t actually that crowded.

We boarded on deck 4, and went straight to the gym and spa so my wife could find out about those unlimited classes. Unfortunately, this resulted in us getting the guided spa tour, which none of us wanted but we got roped into as we didn’t see the way into the gym that bypassed the spa. We realized afterward that we should have gotten off at deck 11 instead of 12. My wife ended up not signing on to the unlimited classes in the gym, deciding she’ll be fine just using the complimentary equipment. But she did sign up for the free pampering session they had on offer, and the girls signed up for the teen version (though they might skip it).
After this, we went outside to the pool deck, and had our first split up of the day, with the girls wandering off to explore the ship. I got right down to business, and sat down in a lounger in the shade with my first beverage — a lava flow!

It was good, at least when the rum wasn’t settled to the bottom and overwhelming the flavor. My wife stayed with me and had a taste, agreed it was good. We got up and explored the rest of the deck, enjoying the view of the surrounding area. I had a moment looking over the railing where it really hit me that I was on a cruise ship, about to embark on a helluva trip, and I laughed out loud. This is what I was looking at.

From the other side of the ship, we could see Harmony and Carnival Conquest, sharing the port with us.

We made our way to the Promenade, and once again I had to take a few moments to just absorb it all and realize I was somewhere I’d only seen in pictures up to this point.

Where to start?!? But, it was 1:10 and the announcement came out that rooms were now open. So, off we went to see what our balcony rooms were like.
In two words, very nice! We were a little nervous when we saw how narrow the door was, but breathed a sigh of relief when we walked in and saw the actual space. No photos right now, my wife was adamant that I not do a photo tour set the second we got in. And happy wife does indeed equal happy life!
She did not, however, say anything about taking photos of our view, so I give you one fisheye and one telephoto pic that sums it up.

Our luggage arrived not long after, around 1:30. Most of it... Oddly, we got every piece except my wife’s carry-on; maybe because it was more like a very large handbag than a suitcase? That didn’t show up until a little after muster.
Before muster, after unpacking our luggage, my wife and I went to the MDR to see where our table was and if we got the really big table we’d hoped for. We didn’t, but from what I could see there really weren’t any apart from a half dozen in the center.
Our table is on Deck 3, #356, located to the right of the central staircase.

We left the MDR and wandered around deck 4, making our way to Studio B and the ice rink. It is cold in there!

By the time we were done taking in the MDR and ice rink, it was about time for muster. Muster itself was uneventful, but a little surprising. I was sure we were going to be outside, so I had all of us put on sunscreen... and then we had muster in the Star Lounge! It was over pretty quickly, and then D14 and I got Down to our post-muster goal — a margarita for me to have with sailaway, and a mocktail for her.
She went back to the room to enjoy sailaway from her balcony (favorite spot #4, per @Matt, IIRC), and I made my way to the helicopter deck (favorite spot #1) by way of the “secret path” through the Star Lounge. Here I did my first ever Periscope, which was... well, let’s say I have a lot to learn on this front. ?
I really enjoyed sailaway. The weather at this point was perfect, not too much sun, comfortable temperature, and a refreshing breeze blowing in. Once we cleared the channel and got into the open ocean, I took a few pics of the receding coastline and the helipad.

I made my way all the way aft to take in the view of the wake. Doing that walk really made clear how long the ship is! But it was worth it, as I caught this view that was absolutely striking.

After this, I met up with everyone back at the cabin. We got changed for dinner, then saw the welcome aboard show. I got my second margarita of the day before the show started. We got to meet our cruise director, Drew. He was very funny and engaging, so this bodes well; I found out later from the staff at Vintages that he just transferred (from Liberty?) last week. As for the main acts, there was a pair of artistic dancers who opened up the show and were really impressive, with good choreography and some jaw dropping moves. After them was a comedian who was hit and miss for me, mostly because of some his subject matter that has become a sensitive subject for me. No photos as photography was not allowed and we were sitting in the back of the theater.
After that, we had our 8 PM dinner (not 8:30 as I’d originally posted) in the MDR. Menus are the same as posted earlier by @LetsTryThisPlace in his live blog, so I didn’t take pictures. Also didn’t take pics of our food as I was too engaged with the family and our table mates, a mother and son from Michigan who happen to know @mpoole3 and have cruised with him a couple times! Small world, indeed!
I tried the escargot, not expecting to like them, and was very pleasantly surprised! D14 had asked to try one if I liked them, so I passed over the plate. I have to quote her here, because it kind of sums up my own experience:
”I’m kind of nervous about this...” ::eats the piece, and a moment later her face simultaneously lights up and gets confused:: “This is wrong, why does this taste so good?!?”
She said she’d have it for sure tomorrow, assuming it’s offered.
The rest of our meals were very good. In addition to the escargot, I had the wild mushroom soup, the horseradish crusted salmon, and creme brûlée for dessert. My wife had the Caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese, and royal chocolate cake. D14 had the crispy calamari, prime rib, and hazelnut chocolate. And D17 had the French onion soup, salmon, and fruit for dessert. D14 and I both got a cappuccino with our dessert, which is why I’m posting a novella at 1 AM instead of sleeping; lesson learned!
After dinner, I went to the pub and spent some time listening to guitar player James Brown from Canada for a while, while I enjoyed a Paulaner Salvator double bock.

I Periscoped some of his set before my battery got too low, and my wife joined me after a while. We tried to go back to the helipad to see the stars, but the moon is full and the wind from the bow so strong that we couldn’t even make it all the way up there! We decided to call it a day and went back to our cabin, where I started working on this. She fell asleep about midnight, but I was still wired and decided to finish this post.
So there you have it! Future posts may be broken up more or they may also be novellas, but that’s the writer in me for you. I hope I conveyed how amazing this first day was for all of us, me especially.
 
Just want to wrap up with a couple items:
- Drink package tally: 1 lava flow, 2 reposado margaritas, 1 cappuccino, and 1 craft beer; I think I got my money’s worth today, given the $43/night rate I paid.
- I stopped in the casino briefly and spoke with the gent at the craps table; minimum is $5 all day, and you get single odds for that bet, however if you bet $25 you get double odds; betting $50 gives you 3x/4x/5x odds, depending on what number you rolled. So serious craps players can actually get Vegas casino level odds on their pass line play.

We love the layout of windjammer on the Serenade, especially the massive spread of food 
Now I'm missing not being there....thanks Twangsterbot! :-(

In the words of @twangster...competition is a good thing!  That means we will get even better blogs! 

Early risers get rewarded with a calm WJ lol.  Unfortunately, that will never be me...

Windjammer Breakfast
Located deck 11 aft




Two egg stations, one for fried eggs and one for omelettes.  That's Kristen, my assistant wait staff during dinner in the MDR.

The egg stations use a ticket system unlike from what I''ve seen on other ships.  You place your order and are handed a ticket with a two digit number.  You are free to wander around and gather other food then come back when your number is up and collect your order.  It works quite well.

Mmmm, bacon.

 
 
Several flavors of pancakes kept warm under cover.


Lots of fresh fruit.


Smoked Mackerel and Smoked Salmon.

















 
 



Al Fresco Seating with aft views

If you've ever eaten in a Windjammer on any ship, you'll quickly feel at home on Serenade with the added bonus of outdoor seating.

Day 2 - Sea Day
Pretty close to a full moon last night.

Woke this morning to a beautiful sunrise

 

With that it's off to the WJ for breakfast.  Warning - excessive food pictures coming in next post

Well somehow this never posted this morning. So backtrack and pretend it’s 9:30 AM. In the Wind-jab-mehr right now, getting some late lunch (nothing worthwhile at Cafe Promenade).
 
A gathering of angels
appeared above my head.
They sang to me this some of hope,
and this is what they said: They said,
COME SAIL AWAY! COME SAIL AWAY!!
COME SAIL AWAY WITH ME!!!
 
The day is finally here! Just another couple of hours and we’ll be on board. I was told by another couple we met on the hotel elevator that Harmony is also in port today, and between those two ships and the others in port there are going to be 17,000 people there. Very glad I learned the lesson to get there between 10:30 and 11, because I can’t imagine what the crowds are going to be like! I know it’s multiple terminals and it won’t be all 17,000 in one place, but that many people funneling through the port entrance and security checkpoint is going to be nuts!
I’m going “dark” now, probably until after sail-away. I’ll be Periscoping during sail-away, so keep an eye out for me there. Periscope handle is the same as my handle here.
 

Guess what @JLMoran ?  IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!   Finally !!!!!

Hey Joe...sneak over to the Serenade and take a pic of Twangster if you can identify him...so we know he's real and not a BOT!

A major award !!  YIPPEE !!!

I won!  Woohoo!  At the CC Meet & Mingle they had a raffle for "stuff you'd never buy" and I won an RC backpack.  Our ship representative warned us several times they tend to fall apart but knew exactly how they could be fixed by sewing them up with dental floss.  Things you make you go "hmmm".  I should have brought my dental floss needle, but heck it's free and I won it (I never win anything).

Enjoying my balcony today... how else?

I thought I'd test out wifi calling given that this is a non-O3b ship.  I called my agent to save $400 on a December cruise.  Not bad, the call broke up a few times but in the end I saved $400 so I'll take it!
As I sat there I spotted a celebrity approaching.


Using my bot-like vision I discovered it's the Celebrity Silhouette.

Soon after some birds came along.  At first I wasn't sure what they were doing out here but then it became obvious. 



Success!  Flying fish being taught a lesson by a flying bird - better to stay in the water.

IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!
Disclaimer - @SaltyNavyCruiser15 started a live blog a few weeks ago but out of respect I'm trying to avoid taking over his post and starting this.  I'm hoping they continue to blog as it will be an interesting comparison having different users providing perspective of the same sailing.  Their blog is here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5849-30-mar-09-apr-southern-caribbean-cruise-on-serenade/
This week has been a busy week for me.  Between business trips and my flight to reach Serenade there were four flights to her the day before sailing (an unexpected business trip had me flying over 6,000 miles this week).  From my 3am ET start to the day to landing in Fort Lauderdale at 1:44am ET on the day of the cruise I would have been up for 24 hours by the time I reached my hotel if it were not for sleeping on the MD88, 767, 757 and 737 it took to arrive here.  Someone today asked me what class of ship Serenade is and I drew a blank,  I couldn't even remember half the classes.  Yeah I'm tired.  A cruise starting with two sea days is perfect right now.
Itinerary
Sea Day,  Sea Day,  St Thomas,  St Croix, Martinique,  St Kitts,  St Maarten, Sea Day, Sea Day
Excursions
(booked during a recent sail event:)

Skipping St. Croix excursion due to work requirements.  I'm familiar with St. Croix from having done some work there so once conference calls are over I'll wander around a bit on my own.  Fun fact - St Croix is home to the Eastern most point of the United States (excluding the main land).   



Fort Lauderdale - Port Everglades 
I called my hotel twice throughout the day to make sure they wouldn't give away my room as a no-show given my 2am arrival.  It was nearly 3am when I crashed into the hotel bed.  I woke at 8am to re-arrange my luggage and inventory what I missed since packing for the cruise a week ago.  I did pretty good and double packed some items. 
Lyft was $12 and I arrived at terminal 19 at 10:10am. Apparently they were doing work on some terminals so we couldn't use terminal 18 or 29.   I haven't used terminal 19 since a cruise on another line in 2013.  It hasn't changed much (still small).  The terminal contractors seemed to like it as much as I did. 
Suites/Pinnacle boarded at 10:30, Diamond Plus at 10:40-ish and a few minutes later they called Diamond - the escalator can only take so many at a time so they regulate flow.  Not bad - just over 30 minutes from my early terminal arrival to boarding.  Pretty painless.  BTW - terminal 19 also has free wifi.
Lunch in the WJ.  Honey Stung Chicken and Curry and a few other things and before I knew I it my plate looked like food coma.  I need a nap.  Cabins opened right at 1pm as offered.  Cabin and dinner pictures tomorrow once I've slept.     

Boarded Serenade today - still free day(s) for D/D+ but new login screens for Voom.  Can't speak for other ships but on Serenade the free day pass remains as it was.  

Well said Mark.  I think all of us are as excited as Joe and his family!  We are just so happy for them and can't wait to hear more!

Hey .....
Am I the only one that feels like we're all on this cruise with Joe and his family?
We all know the thrill of the anticipation of an upcoming cruise...... and being the first cruise, it is ramped up a bit ....
But in Joe's case, this is an incredibly unique case in which he already has an entire family (us) going along with him for the ride.
Joe ..... Thank You for allowing us to be a part of your vacation.
Mark

FRI 30 MAR FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
SAT 31 MAR CRUISING
SUN 01 APR CRUISING
MON 02 APR CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS - Scuba Diving Excursion
TUE 03 APR ST. CROIX, U.S.V.I. - The Palms at Pelican Cove Beach Break
WED 04 APR FORT-DE-FRANCE, MARTINIQUE
THU 05 APR BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS
FRI 06 APR PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - Maho Beach Airplane Experience
 SAT 07 APR CRUISING
 SUN 08 APR CRUISING
 MON 09 APR FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
 
Needless to say, we are STOKED! 

That is an amazing itinerary. Have a blast.

Sorry, this immediately came to mind LMAO!
 
 

T-minus 3 days until embarkation...
Right now, with everything packed, last-minute jobs taken care of, and our flight not until 2:45, I can only think of Tom Petty.
"The waiting is the hardest part."

I was just looking at deck plans! My daughter will be disappointed! I think I got it confused with the Adventure , which we are sailing on in August!! How does @twangster keep everything straight with all his cruises?!? He is the master!! Thanks @JLMoran, have a blast on your cruise!!