Thetechie

mmm, I love RumChada! We were on Navigator on March 15th, and I didn't find anything there that was like it, other than Baileys, which isn't really the same thing... Where did you see those little creamer cups?

I'm thinking I need to come too! I miss it already

The worst day of the cruise... The day is here, the day we leave our home on the seas... We pulled into Miami around 5am, and from what I could tell, we were cleared and self disembarkation started around 6:45am We headed up to Chop’s about 8:15 for our breakfast, it was delicious We decided not to use our Key benefit for disembarking because we wanted to leave with my cousins, they had the latest departure possible, so we wandered around the ship a bit. The next cruise is the Zumba chartered cruise, so the pool deck was oddly empty, and they were craning in a ton of equipment We were let off the ship about 9:20, and going down the gangway, we passed the crane When we got to the baggage area, our bags were already off the belt and waiting for us, assuming because of the Key Going through customs was super easy, nothing like I was expecting. We were out on the curb about 9:30. Driving away from the port, the last view of the ship, you can see the crane putting crates up on top We had decided to rent a car for the four of us to drive up to Ft Lauderdale, that ended up being quite an adventure with shuttles and Uber’s to finally get us a car at the Miami airport, and we had to try a couple of them before we found one to fit all of our baggage We stayed at a hotel for the evening, and now we are at the airport waiting for our plane. Thanks so much for following along, this has been fun, and I think it actually caused me to take more pictures and remember things more to be able to document them. I don’t know when our next cruise will be, but likely something from the west coast, burning a couple days flying back and forth just makes it hard. I am jealous of all you guys that can just hop on a long weekend cruise!!

Day 9 - Last full day.... Didn’t take a ton of pictures today, but I have a few We had a slow start to the morning, and went to the spa about 9 for a nice massage / nap! We were done just after 11 and went to the Windjammer for lunch. After lunch, we caught the show with the house band, it was a big band style and we loved it We went out on the deck and played shuffle board for a bit before heading up to the pool deck pro-tip, do the pool at slides starting at 5PM, there is no one out there! While walking the halls today, I looked up and noticed this right outside our cabin door, makes sense that we had good WiFi reception all throughout the cabin! Tonight’s dinner was at the Windjammer, it was seafood night, which meant I grabbed a burger and fries from the kids section After dinner was the fair well show in the theater, it was great After the show, we hung out at the Bamboo room, this became our favorite place to relax! Played some games and enjoyed our last few hours The Key breakfast was moved to Chop’s grill tomorrow

That’s funny, gotta figure it could happen! And that wouldn’t have been me in the Diamond lounge, I am still pre-gold. After today I will be gold though!

Here ya go.

It’s amazing, that’s what it is! I will swing by there today and take a better picture of the menu

Day 8 - at sea Today was our first of two sea days headed back to Miami, and it was wonderful! I got up early and took my laptop down to the promenade about 7:30 to get some stuff done, it was wonderfully quiet down there, and I grabbed some fruit from the Cafe. A little later in the morning, they had a Bloody Mary bar set up on the promenade There was a “flash sale” on accessories, and it got pretty busy I stopped in one of the shops, and noticed that the ship models have already bred updated with the new slides and such, but a lot of the picture related items have not While wandering around, we came across the Stowaway Piano Player. This guy is awesome We went to a Q&A with the singer/dancer/ice skaters that was quite interesting. Did you know that the singers and dancers will help out backstage with costume changes etc. at the ice show, and the other way around? They also run spot lights for each other’s shows Tonight was formal night, we went to the main dining room With celebrations of the the 50th anniversary for Royal, the had birthday cakes Tonight’s headliner show was a Whitney Houston tribute, she was great! She was backed with all live music from the house band, they are incredible. After catching the late show, we wandered around the ship more, made a stop at the R Bar and got a red velvet, wow! After playing some late night (early morning) mini golf, we decided to call it a day. Last full day tomorrow!

We are on Navigator right now, our first cruise. We get back to Miami on Sunday, and I am planning on just getting an Uber or Lyft when we have all our bags and are ready to go

Day 7 -Aruba This is our last port stop on this trip, and maybe the one we were most looking forward to, because of the excursion we had booked. The ship docked about 7am and the gangways were down and open before 8. Our tour was picking us up just outside the port at 8:45, so we had a little time to grab a quick bit at the windjammer. Today's tour was a Harley ride, touring the island. We have done this kind of thing in Hawaii before, and have always said there is no better way to see the island. Today did not disappoint. We took off from the shop about 9:30am and the weather was perfect for riding, not so much for pictures though. Overcast for the most part Saw some beautiful sights along the way The last stop before heading back to the shop was Baby Beach. There is a new adults only bar/lounge/pool that just opened about 3 months ago that our guide took us to The tour lasted almost 5 hours, and it was incredible! After returning to the shop, they gave us a ride back to the port. We had gotten a recommendation from our guide about a place to eat, and we were hungry, so we walked there, about a 15 minute walk to a little place called El Gaucho. Incredible steak and fish! We spent some time walking around the shops, then headed back to the ship. All aboard is 6pm, and we were back on about 5. Dinner in the windjammer tonight was Indian theme, I didn't care for much of it, so I hit the Kids Corner for a burger and fries, perfect! We went to the main show at 10pm tonight, it was a ballroom dancing show by the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, it was a lot of fun! As soon as the show let out, it was time for the 80's party on the Promenade. The people watching during and after did not disappoint! The cruise compass for tomorrow shows the drink card as coming available! That's about all for today. The next two days are sea days as we make our way back to Miami...

Absolutely! More pictures, more better!

Day 6, Curaçao. Today we visit the island of Curaçao, the weather is in and out overcast, but still plenty warm. We docked about 7:30am and the gangway was down about 8am. We are sharing the port with a Celebrity ship today We had ordered room service for delivery between 7:30-8, but by 8:05 they hadn’t shown up and we were ready to get going, so we ran up to the Windjammer for a quick bite before heading out. We booked at ATV off road tour for today, and they met us out front of the port to take us to their shop. They had a van, and several 6-seat buggy’s to transfer everyone. There were a lot of people that were booked! We were directed to a buggy with Lorenzo as our guide, and he drove the 20-minute ride to the shop. We got a good view of the ships from the bridge Once we got to the shop, everyone went to fill out paper work and pay the money after that was done, we grouped up into our different groups for the tours. Our group was originally supposed to have 8 people on it, but 4 backed out, so it was just us and another couple from the Celebrity ship, nice small personal tour! Our guide was awesome, so happy and loves what he does! Took us to a spot where we climbed up and through some lava caves and came out up on top with and awesome view Then to the “cave of doom” were we found some beautiful pink rocks in this little cave He took us to the only sand beach on the north side of the island. It’s not a tourist spot, and we had the beach to ourselves for a bit till another couple came in. Did some swimming for a little bit before heading back When we were maybe a mile away from the shop, the drive belt blew on our machine, and left us dead. Luckily he had a tow rope (which he hadn’t had to use yet) and was able to tow us the rest of the way to the shop It was an awesome tour, and would do it again in a heart beat! We headed back to the ship to shower and change (we were quite dirty from all the dust) then grabbed a lava flow from the Lime and Coconut and some El Loco Fresh for lunch Then we ventured in to town for some exploring and shopping. All the colors here are incredible! Went across the pontoon bridge We decided to come back to the ship for dinner in the MDR. On the app, the menu stated there would be buttermilk fried chicken, but it was a completely different menu when we got there. (This isn’t the first thing that the app has been different than what actually happens. They still have some work to do) I decided on the Chicken Parmigiana and my wife had her staple, a steak The service in the MDR was the best we have had thus far, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Our waiter was super attentive and on the ball We decided to hit the theater for the headliner act, a ventriloquist/comedian. He was ok, good enough that we didn’t leave, but don’t feel the need to see him again. During the show he was interrupted by an announcement for ‘alpha, alpha, alpha’, I feel bad for that person. After the show, we went to the helipad to check out the night time view Went and spent some time in the Schooner Bar listening to the great live music. It’s been the same guy every night, and he is super talented. Came back to the room to find it ready for bed, complete with a towel elephant Tomorrow is our last port day, at Aruba, then two sea days back to Miami

Day 5 (I think?) Bonaire! Such a beautiful day today. We docked about 8:30, and the captain gave us the all clear right at 9am We were the second ship in port today, the first was the old Monarch We decided to rent a couple scooters for the day and just tour the island on our own. Turned out to be a fantastic idea! The guy we rented from was awesome, picked us up at the port and took us to two brand new (in November) Yamaha scooters. These are the bigger models that you actually have to have a motorcycle endorsement on your license to ride. My wife and I are both endorsed, and decided to get our own, instead of riding tandem. We set off to see the sights! The beauty in these islands just amazes me the shape of the corals that have washed onshore and now line the shore are just incredible Saw some incredible kite surfing down at the south end We rode the whole south end of the island, and stopped back in Kralendijk to grab some lunch, and then headed north We stopped at 1000 steps and went down and got in the water with our snorkels. Wow! After the snorkeling, we were beat and decided to head back. After stopping for fuel (and putting in a whopping $2.48 between the two bikes) We got back to the rental shop about 3:30 and he took us back to the port where we walked around for a little bit and then headed back on the ship. We hadn’t had a chance to catch the Iskate show yet, so we headed down to studio B to take it in. I was a bit skeptical walking in, but then the show started and I was hooked! Tonight’s dinner was the Windjammer, and then up to the room. We are beat and want to get some good sleep before we hit Curaçao tomorrow!

Day 4, at sea. Today was a pretty laid back day for us. Beautiful views from all over the ship We started off with breakfast in the MDR I had the French toast and an omelet, they were fine, but I don’t think the quality of food was any different than the windjammer, and I don’t particularly care for taking an hour and a half to eat breakfast, I think we will stick with the Windjammer. After breakfast it was time for our All Access Tour It was a group of 18 people, and was quite informative. I took most of the pictures on my GoPro, and haven’t loaded them yet, but here are a few We had lunch in the MDR again today. We really enjoy the salad bar and Buffett, but I’m still not sold on the slow service. It takes 20 minutes to get a refill on a soda or water. Maybe I just drink too fast. After lunch we just cruised around the ship for awhile, and then went a took a nap, it was wonderful. Just after 5pm we went out to the sports deck (around this time, the pool deck and sports deck are all but deserted) and went down the slides about 6 or 7 times each, basically no lines. It was awesome! We went back to the room and got changed, and watched the sunset. Then we ran up to the Windjammer and grabbed a plate of food and took it out to the Lime and Coconut to enjoy the movie on the pool deck, that was fun. The pool deck at night is beautiful We decided to catch the Headliner show his name was James Stephens III, he was an impressionist and musician, it was fun and a totally packed house! Tonight was the 70’s party, we stayed on the promenade for a little bit, but it was really warm, so we decided to call it an evening and went back to the room to cool off and relax on the balcony for a bit before bed. The wind kicked up quite a bit this evening and there was a fair amount of rocking, but it hasn’t bothered us yet, we haven’t had any issues with seasickness! Next stop is Bonaire!

Yeah, my cousin has some digestive issues and got a Dr note to bring all that on, it helps him a lot

Well with as many outfit changes that he did during the show, I think he brought more clothes for that one night than I brought for the whole cruise!

Well I don’t know about that, but he went backstage and changed his outfit I think 5 times, seemed like he forgot his shirt once. The musicians were awesome, but the vocals were a little lacking, and the lead guy was in a class of his own

Day 3, Labadee! Started this morning off at the Windjammer just after 7am with a nice little breakfast while watching us back into the dock at Labadee We went down to StudioB at 7:50 for our Key debarment, and were escorted off the ship about 8:15 Hopped on a golf cart that took us to our Over the Water Cabana We are in the one on the left. This is amazing! The water here is incredible. Remember, we live on the west coast, and haven’t ever been down here before. We have been to Hawaii several times, but it just doesn’t compare. Did some snorkeling under the cabanas, some neat stuff Spent the day relaxing. Amazing... Our attendant, Jantee, was awesome, and kept the Labadoozies and Pina Colada’s flowing! Definitely made use of our drink package today! Sailaway from our balcony Dinner was in the MDR tonight Tonight’s headliner was a Journey tribute band, they were...interesting Thats all for now. See you later!

Day 2,at sea, continues... We hit up the MDR for lunch, and decided to do the salad bar/buffet. It was incredible! We will definitely be doing this again! It was so good in fact, that I forgot to take any pictures! We then went and got changed, and headed out to the pool deck. It was pretty busy when we got there, but we found my cousins, sat down, and people watched while enjoying some drinks from the Lime and Coconut. We enjoyed some time outside, and went down both water slides several times. I think I enjoy the mat racer most, but my wife and I did the tube together, and that was quite fun as well. The lines weren’t too bad at all, and they kept the turnover moving pretty well. Tonight we are eating at Hooked, but with a dining time of 8:30, we had some time to wander the ship. We grabbed some espresso from Cafe Promenade, and noticed it was now Seattles Best, must have been a change from Illy during the revamp We found the stowaway piano player just outside the Windjammer! Stopped by the Bamboo room and grabbed a drink. I got the Banana Colada, and it was awesome! Ventured outside and caught an amazing sunset. Sunsets at sea are like no other! We still had some time before dinner, so we went down to Cafe Promenade again, and I grabbed a vanilla smoothie, stopped by Playmakers and got a Rum Punch, and combined the two. Total win! I will be doing this again. It was then time for dinner, so we made our way down to Hooked. Our waiter there was great and took care of us well. I opted for the Messy Fish Sandwich, and it did not disappoint! My wife got the Turf and Turf and enjoyed it very much as well We were wanting to make it to the show, so our waiter offered to give us dessert to go, which was awesome! I got the bread pudding, it was incredible. Now off to the show, “Showgirl!”, it was a lot of fun, and quite talented people up on stage! We got back to our room and had a nice fruit plate waiting for us As well as another letter with information on our priority debarkation process for the coming ports Tomorrow is Labadee!!

Started off this morning with a couple of fruit plates and a bowl of oatmeal with the complimentary room service. After we got ready, we headed up to the windjammer to grab some fresh made omelettes, awesome view out the aft of the ship while eating! There was a dance/workout class happening on the Promenade that was entertaining Finally got the info for The Key program. Took three trips to Guest Services, and the people there didnt really know anything about it, couldn’t tell me any of the specific times for activities or anything. I’m not upset, I just wish I could help them with their documentation and processes! Getting ready to head to the MDR for lunch now. More later!

First shower on a cruise ship... check! It actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting, but a little background.. Our vacations (at least up to this point) have been primarily in our travel trailer, so the room/bathroom here is a fair amount bigger than our travel trailer, which I am used to, so we feel like we have plenty of room! It’s a beautiful day as we make our way to Labadee. We can see Cuba off in the distance

Also, VOOM seems to be working OK for now..

Cruise day is here!! I actually slept quite well last night, and got up about 7am to start getting ready. We decided to get a professional car service rather than an Uber/Lyft, as we wanted all four of us together, and had quite a bit of luggage between us all. We had some experience with Lyft and UberXL while in Miami, and it was kind of a crapshoot on weather we would have gotten a fun size SUV or not. Anyhow, we were super happy with our ride in an Escalade EXT, and had it packed full! Our driver was originally from Cuba, and was hilarious. We arrived to the port about 10:10am, and were surprised to see tons of people still waiting for shuttles from getting off the ship, come to find out, they had a customs delay. We have The Key for this sailing, and there wasn’t much (if any) signage, and the crew was a little iffy on what they knew about it. We ended up getting in line with the Diamond and up, and there we waited... They finally started boarding about 12:15-12:30, and let me tell you what, people were not happy! Not going to let it spoil it for us though! We got on board, and the theater was right there to drop off our carry on bags. Such a nice thing! They were doing a photo shoot while we dropped our bags. We dropped our bags and headed straight to Chop’s for our lunch, which was wonderful! First drink on the ship was a lava flow. After lunch, we made our reservations for dining the next couple nights (we bought the BOGO dining package) and headed to our rooms. Our carry on bags were there, and our checked bags showed up shortly thereafter. Looking around our room, I didn’t see any paper work for our internet codes or acces, and no paper for The Key. I went to guest services and they said they would send things up. So we went exploring for a bit. A couple hours later, we came back and still no paperwork, so I called down. The agent that answered the phone told me how to access the VOOM, and apparently they don’t use codes anymore. Would have been nice for the first person to tell me that, oh well. And here is is 11:30 and I still don’t have any paperwork about our Key program and times for things. While waiting for dinner, we were walking around, and noticed no one at the Rock Wall, so I decided to give it a shot, come to find out, we were there while it was Key-only time. Nice how that worked out! So I suited up and got to the top! Dinner tonight was Jamie’s and was amazing!! We hit the comedy show after and are now in the room for the night. We made good use on our drink package and have got our “break even point” and then some for this day! Amazing sunset from the ship, and a Royal Zombie in hand. This whole cruising thing is pretty nice!

Yesterday was a long day, and didn’t have time to sit down after we finally got to the hotel, so here goes.. Because of the recent grounding of the 737-MAX planes, we were a little delayed leaving Seattle, luckily we had a couple hour layover in Dallas, so we weren’t worried about missing that connecting flight. I am not a small guy (6’3”) and always hate flying because of the cramped spaces.. But! I totally scored on BOTH legs of this flight and got this awesome exit row seat! We landed in Ft Lauderdale about 11:45pm and got off the plane and grabbed our bags. Being the celebration of our anniversary, I decided to splurge for the ride down to Miami Beach We booked a room at The Confidant, on the beach. It’s a nice room with direct beach access and loungers to use We are spending today checking out Miami Beach. Just a little different from what we are used to! Tomorrow is cruise day!!

Well we have made it to the airport and through security. Just waiting to board now and we will be on our way. Sure glad to be getting away from this for a bit..