Kirsten

My day started with many rainbows, which was delightful. 

I grabbed a smoothie from the Vitality Café and brought it to the chairs on the aft of the jogging track so I could watch us back into Coco Cay. I love having my own verandah, but I’m also deeply enjoying my time out there. The only issue is that I always decide I want to be there when I’m all the way forward on the ship, and then I proceed to come out  on exactly the wrong side such that I’m ¾ of the length of the ship away facing the wrong direction…I will not get the hang of this, I just know it. 
 
I’m still feeling ambivalent about getting off the ship. Apologies to the Perfect Day aficionados, but if you don’t have an excursion or extra amenity booked it’s just a day on a beach or in a pool, and hilariously I love Caribbean cruising but neither of those things excites me. I think I will read on a daybed in the Solarium during the day, finally check out El Loco Fresh when it opens at 1 since there won’t be a crowd, and then maybe go walk around the island in the midafternoon after people start returning to the ship to get ready for the first dinner seating. 

I had dinner at Izumi,* and I did something I’ve literally never done before in a restaurant: I got something I didn’t like (the truffled creamy lobster tempura roll), and said as much instead of just eating it anyway or asking to get it To Go. Wasting food and disappointing people are two of my least favorite things, so my newfound ability to set that aside and be honest about what I want feels like real personal growth. 🤪 I did feel very worried about making my server hate me, but what matters most is that a) they still got a $10 tip on top of the UDP 18% and b) I took one more step into adulthood at the age of 37 🤣
*Sushi, not hibachi—I’m sure most people don’t have much hibachi experience, but it happens that my extended family loves it more than most things, so the majority of the time I eat at a restaurant with them we’re going for hibachi…so it’s both in no way a novelty to me and also seems like a weird experience for an introverted solo traveler. 

Today, Thursday, and Friday afternoon I’m (kind of, sort of) working, and it’s been funny wandering around looking for good places to do it. At first I assumed I’d just stay in my cabin, but I decided that felt like a waste so I headed to Central Park. I was going to duck into the Library for my Zoom meetings, but people kept coming in and I didn’t want to disturb them by talking/hang out with them in a closed room unmasked unnecessarily so I’ve been mostly outside. My 9:30 meeting was before the pool deck music started, which was pretty perfect, and the Internet has been cooperating for the most part. (Weirdly, my Zooms have been flawless but loading webpages is hit or miss.)

I had a late lunch at Portside BBQ, which was very satisfying despite them having run out of brookies, and I got to enjoy first the country guitarist/singer and then some dolphins swimming alongside us. (The “hint of mint” in the Spiked Palmer has the subtlety of a stage whisper, though.)

I used to frequent a forum similar to this one that is dedicated to DCL cruising, as my three previous cruises were all on their ships. There are a lot of people who are deeply comforted by the Disney Bubble and intimidated by the idea of venturing outside it, and one reason that’s frequently cited is the lack of casinos—people say they don’t want to be on a ship with one, period, partially because of the cigarette smoke. My thought was, how could I possibly be affected by the existence of the casino if I don’t go in? And even DCL ships have a smoking section, so how could this be different? 
I was a daily smoker for a decade, so I’m not just being a scold when I say it turns out that on this ship I have found all the cigarette smoke to be unpleasant and, to a certain extent, ubiquitous: the whole area of the Royal Promenade around the staircase to the casino reeks of stale smoke. Every time I go up to the pool deck, I accidentally emerge right in the middle of the smoking section, which feels larger than I expected. This morning before 6 a.m. I went out to my verandah to enjoy the last glimpses of the planets before sunrise and someone very nearby was smoking. (I know that last one is just a rule breaker, which can happen anywhere, and after I loudly stated, “I can smell your smoke,” they either stopped or reoriented in a way that eliminated the impact on my area…it was just a moment of, “Ugh, again?!”) 
So, there are definitely differences in the experience beyond the lack of split bathrooms and the pornography on the PPV—which was itself a record scratch moment for me. (I was scrolling through the options and the porn is literally right below Sing 2. It’s good to know that when I’m sailing with family I’ll need to activate parental controls before my kid gets the remote.)


Am I crazy, or does this cloud look like a cruise ship? It has smokestacks and everything. 🤪
(I promise I’ll start to include pictures of something other than sky and water soon...)

This is my fourth cruise, and the second that embarked somewhere other than Port Canaveral. (The other was a Vancouver-to-San Diego repositioning cruise in October.)  It’s weirdly easy to forget/not recognize that if it’s not beach weather where you got on the ship, you have to sail to the beach weather—and if it’s a weeklong round-trip, you will be sailing toward it and back away from it for more than half the your time onboard. Yesterday at Trellis Bar I heard some Mainers in t-shirts explaining to someone else that they’re used to this weather…as a lifelong resident of the Northeastern US, I have to say that I’m just cold all the time (unless I’m too hot). 🤣 I spent a couple of hours this morning looking at the water from a Solarium daybed in a coat and wrapped in a blanket, and passersby seemed evenly split between people in swimwear and people in coats complaining about the cold. 
 
The water is much calmer now that we’re around South Carolina, thank goodness. You can’t beat the view from the aft of the jogging track! 
 
I’ve caught some glimpses of the Aqua 80 cast’s rehearsals, and it’s honestly shocking that they’re so far away from having learned the show more than a week into being on the ship. I will console myself with YouTube recordings, but I feel bad for the people who paid for any balcony that overlooks the Aqua Theater. 

According to the level app on my phone the ship is swaying as much as 3 degrees, and I’m really feeling it; at the moment, I’m a little sad we’re not getting to Port Canaveral until tomorrow afternoon. 🤪
Still, what a privilege to have woken up to this view!

I made myself an app for my cruise in Coda: it has my packing list, a countdown, trackers for Small Wonders and my drinks, etc. 
I am very ready to get my day started. My train ride was pleasant — Acela First Class apparently includes a surprisingly good meal and open bar — but because I had no plans for Newark beyond waking up here on embarkation day, I’ve been counting the minutes until it’s reasonable for me to request a Lyft to the port since I exited The Other Penn Station. 
The Royal app now has the activities schedule for the cruise loaded and is allowing me to add things to my calendar, so I’m killing time looking at what will be on offer. Based on what I see in the app and what I’ve heard about the last few Oasis sailings, I’m preparing myself for a trip with neither Aqua 80 nor Cats, but I will survive. (Aqua 80 is a real loss; Cats is just bad in a way I find bonkers and amusing.)
 

I just got my 🎉 negative test result 🎉—so I am officially going on vacation! This will be my first solo cruise and first non-DCL ship, and I was hoping it might be worth a live blog even though my oceanview balcony cabin will be sub-cosmic class.
About me: 37, Boston, Director of Operations for an environmental nonprofit; unrepentant overpacker, recovering overplanner, extreme introvert. My bag has been packed for almost two weeks.
About my trip: Many firsts—First Royal cruise, first cruise since the shutdown, first solo cruise. I’ve never stepped onto a ship without my 9yo and currently-becoming-ex-husband before! He and I are still on good terms, and had initially planned an April ’22 post-separation sailing for the three of us in a 2-bedroom suite on Freedom—we had an overwater cabana booked and everything!—but he canceled right before final payment because he was spooked about getting on a ship in These Dark Times™️. He ended up taking our kid on a land-based trip to FL without me, and I decided on what would have been our embarkation day to YOLO Book It and have a solo adventure. (Having only sailed DCL before, even with the single supplement, DBP, UDP, and Voom I’m beside myself over how little I’m paying for this. 🤣)
This will also be the first time I’ve not had to fly to get to the port—I decided to try out First Class on the Amtrak Acela between Boston and Newark Penn Station. I’m leaving Boston tomorrow (Saturday) morning, and I’ll spend the night at the DoubleTree by Hilton that’s next to the train station.
The question of the moment: how am I supposed to get any work done today?!

Tested this morning via the proctored iHealth tests.  We are all negative.  Woohoo!!!

I'll have to check that part, I didn't notice that part. Thanks for the info, this is kinda exciting. 🤣 Can't get hopes up too high though. 

I should add that pending without the ability to modify is the best sign. I really hope you win the 2br GS. 

I received my last one 4 days prior to sailing.  There's just no way to know.

WELL, there isn't much to show, damnit!  On one, I repeat, NO ONE, asked to see our Vax verification OR COVID test results.  You heard it right, NO ONE asked to see our Vax verification or COVID test results.  We are on the ship.
A couple of bad things to report though, the line to get into the terminal was looooooooooooooong, real loooooooooooooooong.  Someone in my wife's Facebook page says that it was the worst embarkation that they have experienced in decades of cruising on Royal.
The Solarium Bistro isn't open, not for the whole cruise.  Our Genie says the ship has a serious shortage of crew.  
The Northstar is broke down and they aren't sure when it will be working again.
Too much bad news, so far.  But, we are trying to make the best of it.  Our Genie is really great, so far.  The food in the Coastal Kitchen for lunch was fantastic.  
Will be back with more as it happens.

We are on Liberty OTS out of Galveston.

Dont just assume, it doesnt hurt to try. go to the link i placed below & put your last name & reservation #. If you're still able to do it, you'll see the options there. Hope this helps

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/cruise-room-upgrade

Thanks!  Used the App and got the early check in time we wanted just after midnight.  Will fill in other stuff later.  This site is a great resource!

born & raised in Miami I can tell you that the weather forecast mean absolutely nothing down here this time of year. It says 50% chance of rain from May to September & chances are it might rain at some point in the day, almost every day but they don't tend to be complete washouts. As others have mentioned, on sea days the captain does his best to stay clear of storms, but have no control over port days.
you're on vacation, don't let a little rain affect your day. The best thing about oasis class ships are all the different kinds of entertainment that they offer that aren't reliant on good weather. Happy Sailing!

Your gonna get wet anyway so what difference does a little rain make 🙂

Tested this morning via the proctored iHealth tests.  We are all negative.  Woohoo!!!

Congratulations! We received our negative results results this morning and will be on our way Sunday to the sunny Caribbean.

It says "pending" and I see there is the ability to modify. I guess it's just a waiting game. It's a short cruise on an older ship Adventure OTS so maybe that works in my favor. 

Tested this morning via the proctored iHealth tests.  We are all negative.  Woohoo!!!

Thank you!  Now I feel like I can fully relax and finish packing!

Tested this morning via the proctored iHealth tests.  We are all negative.  Woohoo!!!

Tested this morning via the proctored iHealth tests.  We are all negative.  Woohoo!!!