Vacation Crazy

You're lucky i'm not in charge, i would ban smoking indoors (to include the casino) and make the only place for smoking, in the aft (designated section) upper decks.  If you get caught smoking in a non-authorized location, you would be dropped off at the next port.  I'm surprised that Royal Caribbean hasn't been sued yet, by an employee that has been diagnosed with cancer from second hand smoke due to improper ventilation in the casinos.

PSA: 7night MSC cruise released. November 4th out of Miami,  only 25k gold. These will not last.

Wanted! We saw them on Anthem in February and really liked them as well! The lead singer was super nice and spent some time chatting with us and let the kids take pictures with his hollow guitar and gave them all sorts of cool stuff from the band. We also saw Tommy Green Jr in the pub on our sailing, and he had a fiddler with him. They actually played a longer set in the Main Theater one night, and they were amazing. We watched him several nights in the pub because he was that good in our opinion!

Hello! This will be my first attempt at a live blog, and it just seemed right to do it here as opposed to CC. The Blog and podcast have been instrumental in my return to Royal Caribbean. I've been on 4 prior RCI sailings on the Viking Serenade and Rhapsody of the Seas, the last one being in 2007. I was convinced to sail this itinerary by @twangster's wonderful Snowbird Migration blog last year, and have been addicted to all of your awesome Live Blogs. I'll be sailing with my mother, and have been waiting for cruise day for about 367 days, but who's counting? I've taken much of the advice that I learned here and have pre-purchased most everything except Vroom. I'm kicking myself for not buying the Deluxe Drink Package before this last weekend, as it did go up slightly. Two weeks ago my Royal Up bid was accepted for a total of $150 for a Large Balcony cat 1C from a standard balcony. Today is my last work day, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep for the next 72 hours! I'll add more as soon as I get off work.

In August on Adventure there was a Journey cover band named DSB that was awesome. ALOT of the people who went to the first show came back for the second show which was then SRO.

(DSB: Don't Stop Believing)

Hi everyone,
 
For 6 months, I was working in the shops onboard Independence Of The Seas. I actually got the opportunity to meet some of you guys, and I just wanted say thank you for saying hello!
 
I actually made some YouTube vlogs of my experience during this contract, and wanted to share it with you guys. I'm trying to show what being a Royal Caribbean crew member is like, and I think a lot of you guys will find this very interesting!
 
In this first vlog, I show you the sign-on process. Me, walking on to the ship as a new crew member - followed by a ship tour.
 
https://youtu.be/TwY2wMDjpBk
 
I'm have begun my next contract onboard Mariner Of The Seas for 7 months, starting my new role as a Casino Host.
 
I hope to meet more of you soon, and ask me any questions you may have about being a crew member!
 
Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel as well. One day, I hope to vlog for Royal Caribbean full time!
www.youtube.com/ChristopherWongVLOGS
 
Chris

Photography
This year is going to be a bit different on the photography front. In addition to my now-rapidly-aging iPhone 6s Plus with Moment add-on lenses that I've used on the last two cruises, I'm going to be bringing a new camera with me. It's a first-generation Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100. Even though the camera was introduced about 4 years prior to my phone, this is still a big upgrade from my phone's camera, even though it's "just" a compact model that can easily fit in my pocket.
1" equivalent 20 megapixel sensor -- way larger than the sensor on my phone 3.6x optical zoom (28-100mm equivalent), vs the phone's fixed 28mm lens ƒ/1.8-4.9 variable aperture, vs. phone's fixed aperture Full manual mode along with Aperture and Shutter priority modes This camera is something special for me. It was a gift from @twangster, given to me just before last year's trip on Anthem; apparently he really wants me to get off the phone and step up my photography game! ? I've been learning how to use it for the last year, but I still have a ways to go before I feel like I've mastered it. Most likely for this trip I'll be sticking with the automatic mode for most of my shots, but when I'm able I'll also tinker around with one or two of the controls to see if I can get something better after taking an initial auto-mode pic.
Now, here's the rub -- I don't have a laptop or large-storage iPad; all I'll be bringing on that front is a 2013 first-gen iPad Air with only 16 GB of space, most of which is already used up. I'm mainly using that to read the eBooks I've purchased for this trip. But I will try and find my USB dongle for the thing so that I can at least try to offload the pictures from the camera so they can be edited and posted here. If that works without any friction, great! Otherwise, pictures will end up posted in two separate groups: Anything posted during the cruise will have been taken with my phone, while pictures taken with the new camera won't be posted until after I've gotten home and had time to transfer and edit them on my iMac.
Just to show what a difference this new camera makes for me, here are some pictures I took with it last fall, not long after I got home from the previous Bermuda trip. Chose these ones because of the depth of field that I can never get with my phone, plus the much-improved color, contrast and shadow detail:

From this morning news, starting today Tuesday 10/15/2019 Uber can pick you up at the SJU Airport after the Managing company that operates the airport reach an agreement with Uber.
 
Here the instructions given by the Airport to reach to your Uber ride; "Simple Steps to follow to use Uber from the airport, the user goes to the ground floor of Terminal A or B of the airport. Here you will find an area properly labeled as a "Ridesharing" platform area. Once there, use the Uber application on your device to connect with the driver partner. The car will be identified as 'Uber' with a sign on its front glass".
 
Hope this helps anyone who uses this platform.
 
But as with any other city, the regular taxi drivers are having protests for this !!!!  

So unfortunately our cruise suffered the same fate as that of @RatedPG's - there was too much fog on the approach to the Dawes glacier, so the Captain turned us around in search of whales instead.  Now that today's more of an extra sea day, I'm sitting on my balcony looking for whales and catching up on my blog.

Let's rewind all the way back to":
Day 2: Sea Day
We woke up early to catch the first sunrise of the cruise and it did not disappoint - I didn't have my phone at the time, so there are unfortunately no pictures.
Much of the morning was spent viewing the Canadian coastline from different vantage points.


 
I was even able to catch a bit of a rainbow

If you sail on Ovation or any other Royal Caribbean ship for that matter, make sure to take time to look at the amazing art all around.  There are plenty of paintings, sculptures and other forms of media around pretty much everywhere you look. 
This is one of my favorite pieces in the Via on the way to Two70

And of course, the pandas are not to be missed!

Today was a mix of watching the scenery go by on the starboard side and exploring different venues around the ship including my favorite, The Schooner Bar

 
Jamie's Italian 
 
One thing I noticed on this ship that I didn't realize, or maybe it wasn't offered on my Anthem sailing last year, but Vintages onboard the Ovation offers Coffee


Since Vintages is next door to Jamie's Italian, they offer  some small appetizers from Jamie's around dinner time.  These appetizers range anywhere from 3 to 5 dollars and include a miniature version of their meat plank, garlic bread, music bread, Italian bread basket, squid and bruschetta.  
I had reservations for the North Star at noon, but we were in an intense game of bingo and I lost all track of time.  Luckily, since it was a sea day I found a time slot that didn't require reservations so I arrived early and stood in line.



The day was drawing to a close which meant that it was time to experience another sunset.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of these types of views.

We had reservations tonight in Jamie's Italian and it did not disappoint - they bring out so much food.
Meat Plank:

 
Dessert plank:

After dinner we went to the headliner show in the Royal Theatre.  The performer, Nate Thompson did a tribute to some old school rock 'n roll classics.  He was very energetic and really got the crowd into it.
After the headliner show, I went to the other end of the ship to Two70 for the 70's disco party.

 
As it was getting late, I didn't stay very long - had to be up early tomorrow to catch our approach into our first stop, Juneau!
 

Apologies for the lack of updates - I’m finding that an Alaskan cruise is not your typical laid back Caribbean cruise.  Up early, out late.  You definitely don’t want to miss anything!  Stay tuned for more pictures and updates later.  Now it’s off to Skagway and the White Pass railway.
Here’s a taste of yesterday’s Mendenhall visit.

We always get one room with no issues.   The sofa pulls out like a trundle so there are 2 distinct beds.  Our teenage boys sleep just fine on them.  No complaints at all! 

At the port, bags dropped and about to make our way through security.
 

I was on the recent extended Empress cruise (due to Dorian), it was my first cruise, and I just wanted to say that was the best consecutive eleven days I've ever experienced, and I'm an old guy that's seen a lot. I'm a huge Royal Caribbean fan now, can't imagine riding with anyone else from here on out. I don't know if it's appropriate but I'm posting a sunset photo taken the night before arriving back in Miami.

Victoria is beautiful and not to be missed - I don't recommend staying on the ship.  I've never had a stay there that's lasted as long as on Ovation (we were on Ovation in June), and while we've been to Victoria before, this was the first time we had so much time to explore. We just walked off of the ship and went downtown, explored the shops, restaurants and bars - we even went to the Miniature Museum this time!  If you have lovely weather (as we did, actually hot everywhere during our sailing) don't miss out on at least strolling through town!

We were on the Aug 23rd sailing.  There are no words for the scenery and wildlife on this cruise.  It was an amazing trip!  I know you will enjoy it.  I'll be following along in hopes it helps my post cruise low!!
Tip for the train in Skagway--sit on the left hand side.  
 

Hi all! Today, we're one week out from our cruise, so I figured I'd get this thing kicked off!
This will be the first Alaskan cruise for everyone in our group, so we're all really looking forward to it!  It's the last official Alaskan trip for the Ovation this season before she moves on to visit Hawaii and then on to Australia.  (I'm waaaay jealous of those folks doing a b2b2b - what an incredible experience that has to be!)
Itinerary:

Who's going:
We're a group of 6 this time - Myself (Phill), my Wife Kelly,  SIL Cyndi, BIL George, and our friends Polly and Sheri.
Pre-Cruise:
Each couple are on different flights into Seattle the day before - We're flying in from Philly, and the rest are flying in from Newark.  Our flight leaves at 6 AM, and we'll arrive around 10 AM Seattle time.  I'm not one to sleep on an airplane, but hopefully I can catch a few winks.  My wife and I along with the In-laws are booked at the Moore hotel in downtown Seattle.  This hotel offers a room with two bedrooms with a bathroom in between - those logistics should be fun, but the price was right and it's only one night, so we booked it!  The Moore is just a short walk away from Pike Place Market, so we plan on touring around that area. I donate plenty of money to Starbucks, so I'll be excited to visit the original. Polly and Sheri have booked the Edgewater hotel which isn't too far away either, and right on the water...the pictures of that hotel look amazing!
Cabin:
Each couple has booked a balcony cabin close together on Deck 13 forward.
Pre-cruise purchases:
Everyone booked The Key as well as the 3 night dining package.  I'm team DX for life since I easily break even and way beyond (even on port days :P) - myself, George, Polly and Sheri have the DX, My wife and Cyndi have the Refreshment package since they will not drink enough to make the DX package make financial sense.  Any alcohol on their part will be a-la-carte.
Excursions:
In Juneau, we are doing the Mendenhall Glacier tour and Salmon Bake (Purchased through the cruise planner)
Skagway, we've booked the White Pass Scenic Railway (also through cruise planner)
No real plans for the rest of the ports, we'll either stay on the ship or stroll around the port area.
Post Cruise:
Cyndi and George have a wedding to attend, so they'll be headed to the airport after debarkation.  Since this cruise ends in Vancouver, and we've never been, my wife and I along with Polly and Sheri have decided to extend our stay by one night.  We've booked the River Rock Casino in Richmond, BC which is a little south of the cruise port.  We'll fly back out to Philly early the next morning.
 
I look forward to documenting our adventure - let me know if anyone has any questions or if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, and thanks for reading!

Thanks for sharing!  We are doing the same itinerary in May, 2020.  We bring our swim spring floats along on our cruises and love them!   We floated right up to the swim up bar in Labadee without dealing with seaweed.  I never thought about bringing a beach tent though.   I'm adding it to my list now.  It will be a smart purchase for my fair skin in the Southern Caribbean.   Thanks! 

Closing Thoughts
I hadn't been on a cruise in 14 years but I’ve already got another one scheduled for this December! It’s through Holland America (Oosterdam) so I can leave from my home port of SD.. just a 5 minute Uber from my apartment, but it means no live blogging! Get an RC ship back to the West Coast and I would be Riviera cruisin’ every month!
We ate every night in the MDR (aside from one night of Windjammer due to laziness) and I would say it was perfectly adequate. Our Assistant Waiter Mithun was leagues more attentive and friendlier than our main server. I warmed up to her distance later in the cruise, she just does not GAF! I like that, haha. Mithun would always ask how our day was and knew our drink orders right away. The food was all just okay. I didn't have anything that was a true standout – wait! I take it back. I fell in love with the Baked Alaska. I also came to enjoy a 2-3pm afternoon cheeseburger in the WJ which could account for some slight cruise weight gain! ?
I enjoyed every excursion we went on and could go back and do the same things again but of course would want to see new places next time. In St. Lucia, for example, we only saw the port and the rainforest and I would love to go to Marigot or the Pitons next time! Although I could do Magen's every time I visit St. Thomas with no qualms. The RC See Antigua by Sea excursion was great, I highly recommend it if you're headed there! I liked seeing all the varied coasts of the island (one side was all yucca trees?) and getting to experience some real ocean waves on the Atlantic side. 
The junior suite was well worth it to me, the huge balcony was amazing. We would lay on the loungers in the afternoons post-Solarium pool time and sit at the table with drinks to watch sail away. We were up for every docking as well, the port side seemed fruitful in seeing a lot of action. Just sitting on the balcony in the evenings and as we entered each port was so relaxing, I would never be able to go interior. We would leave the balcony door open a bit at night to hear the "waves" and to battle the ridiculous AC! Even when you turned the dial into the red zone it was still freezing in there.
Pre Purchases
#TeamDX all the way! It was so so easy to blow through the $44 a day. Even on all our many port days I was still enjoying upwards of 6 cocktails once back on board plus a water bottle with every drink order. I loved the guys with water/vitamin water carts in the WJ and Promenade at breakfast, it was so easy to scan and pick up a few drinks for port. The one sea day made up for any abandoned cocktails on the port days! We had drinks brought by a funny pool server who was sassing us for ordering them at 9am. He said people get the DX and don't get their money's worth and seemed pleased we would be using it to our advantage. Even with all those cocktails we must've been hydrating perfectly because I was never too drunk or hungover at all!! 
The Voom I would say was not quite worth it for 2 devices since it only worked in major common areas like the MDR and pool decks. We would set up instagram posts/blog posts in the room and then have to remember to open the phone and set it to upload while dining or nothing would ever go through. I would probably buy Voom again for one device next time and we could share the all important insta-posting capabilities. 
Amazon Purchases
The Dock and Bay towels worked WONDERS. @JennyJenny I can absolutely recommend these to you now after putting them through their paces fully in the Caribbean. I liked them before but after using them 7 days straight, after battling full body dries of both sea water and pool water, they weren't crinkly or smelly! Still soft, probably could've worked another week or more before needing a wash. After washing, back to full bright white and extra soft! New favorite beach towels, hands down, not even going to be relegated to travel-only usage. 
The beach tent was great! We used it in Magen's Bay (St. Thomas), Cockleshell Beach (St. Kitts) and Brandon's Beach (Barbados) and it went up easily every time and was not susceptible to wind. We brought stakes but didn't need to use them anywhere, as adding items to the tent easily weighs it down. Photo included for @JLMoran although this is from this weekend in Ocean Beach as I forgot to capture its glory amongst a Caribbean backdrop. Easily fit two adults sitting or laying with legs sticking out.

Last but not least, 2 Swimways Spring Floats which we used in all port beach stops, including a few times once we were back in Puerto Rico! They fold up so small for easily taking everywhere (you can see it closed and in its blue, net travel bag in the pic above) and inflating the exterior ring only takes about 5 breaths of air to blow it up fully. We even brought them on the catamaran rides in Antigua and Barbados and the other boat guests were questioning where we had gotten it during our swim breaks! 

 
Freedom never ever felt crowded, even after the ice show let out, the flow leaving Studio B and through the On Air Club moved super quickly. I will say that RC should not let you book MTD between 5:30 and 6:00 on embarkation day with the muster as it is at 5:45. Muster gets out at 6:10 and everyone with a reservation that had been at 5:30, 5:45, 6:00, or 6:15 is in line at the same time on deck 3 and the hosts are frantically trying to fill the dining room. Will know to book dinner much later than muster next time. 
Overall, we loved cruising. Looking out over the water every day was so relaxing, like having the best available hotel room on land! And the sexy sky pics did not disappoint! There are more on my instagram @daryldaley. I sent my Cruise Compass to Matt, so any future Freedom-riders can look for that soon. Thanks for hosting these live blogs! I enjoyed writing it. ?
Cruise Compass 8/18/19
Edited to add my Caribbean magnet and Christmas ornament haul: 
 

The night that we received the birthday cake, I had ordered 2 other desserts because I couldn’t decide between the Baked Alaska and the dessert that looks like Carnival ‘s Chocolate Melting Cake. So, imagine our surprise when our waiter brought us the birthday cake as well...and it was a table for two! After trying the other 2 desserts, I gave hubby the rest of the Baked Alaska and the chocolate cake just sat there. I then tasted the birthday cake, and devoured what I could manage to eat. I don’t remember what else I ordered that evening, but I definitely recall the 3 desserts. I am going to miss that little birthday cake on our next cruise; I don’t believe it will be available because it will be in January 2020. ?

The Boatyard!!! Beach and bar. Loved it. We walked, I think it was 2 miles each way (maybe one) from the port but that was an exercise choice.

I find the wake up call very loud, which helps us get up early on disembarkation day in order to have breakfast before we carry our luggage off the ship.  Other than that, my snoring appears to be sufficient to wake up my wife, and if I get up before her,  I am like @Vacation Crazy and walk the ship before the rest of the ship is up.  Good time to use my coffee card....

We always bring our small electric clock with no issues.  The problem is we never sleep in.  I guess we have FOMO!   We love walking around the ship early in the morning when everyone is sleeping.  We can catch up on our sleep when we are home!

They only brought one for our table of 2 last week.  It was fine though because we had already ordered our desserts so this was just extra.

We always bring our small electric clock with no issues.  The problem is we never sleep in.  I guess we have FOMO!   We love walking around the ship early in the morning when everyone is sleeping.  We can catch up on our sleep when we are home!

Hello!!!! Welcome to my semi-live blog! 
Background:  My hubby and I have saved up our vacation time at work since early 2018(despite unexpected and serious medical issues) to be able to take a consecutive two week + 1 day trip.  Yes...that extra day counts too!!! ?
This trip will be myself, DH and our 9yo son. This is our son’s first trip w/o any of his other siblings. He is a huge fan of cruising just like good ‘ol mom and dad.
The important stuff:  First week we are on Navigator, second week we are on Allure! We fly out of Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning, then head to Miami. I feel like we’ve waited forever for this trip. Since March of 2018 to be exact. Our itinerary will be:
8/10  Miami (Intercontinental)
8/11 Miam
8/12 Board Navigator 
8/13 Coco Cay
8/14 Nassau
8/15 Sea Day
8/16 Ft. Lauderdale (Renaissance)
8/17 Ft. Lauderdale
8/18  Board Allure
8/19  Sea Day
8/20  Sea Day
8/21  St. Maarten
8/22  Puerto Rico
8/23  Labadee
8/24  Sea Day
8/25  Hollywood (Margaritaville)
8/26  Fly home ?
We have two excursions booked. We are doing a dolphin encounter at Blue Lagoon in the Bahamas and we are doing the Rain Forest Drive in Puerto Rico.  Both excursions are through the ship this go round. 
This will be semi-live because to be honest...I can’t wait to not have phone service for a while.  It’s been a rough year and we desperately need to disconnect. I’ll be live until I lose my phone service and will update on our land days and in Puerto Rico, etc.