spiralqueen

@JennyB not dumb at all! Overall speeds vary by ship (with fastest speeds generally being on the newer ships), but the Voom Surf is a throttled connection to the internet by which I mean that it’s the same connection as the Surf and Stream, but they slow down your speeds. I’ve been told it’s enough to text through apps like Whatsapp or FB messenger and also to use WiFi calling. It will load webpages, just much slower and trying to stream on the connection will result in a lot of buffering just like what happens when you have a weak WiFi or cellular data signal on land. And the Surf and Stream is the unthrottled but pricier version. Which Voom is better for you is a personal question, but there is a really good article on the Internet here: 
 
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/02/07/guide-royal-caribbean-voom-wifi-internet-prices-and-tips

Check the app store for your phone. There are some pretty sophisticated apps out there that give you additional functionality with your phone. ProCam is one for the iPhone

I take a shawl for the evening on deck. Then I leave it in the bar or the dining room.  Then my husband has to go back and ask for it. Then I have to go to the customer service desk and see if it has been turned in. Then my husband tells me not to bring a shawl again because all I do is lose it. It's all part of the cruise experience for us.?

It’s super obtuse wording, so I understand your confusion. When you redeem your points in the app, you get a redemption code to give to Royal. You have 14 days to use that code before it expires. This code can be used on a sailing that has been booked in the last 30 days. The cruise must sail within a year. 

@EasyE I’d personally recommend going into any full liquor or wine store (so not just the wine aisle in the grocery store) and asking the employees to show you where the fruit wine is as what you are looking for would be considered. Here’s the fruit wine selection of a Ft Lauderdale wine store to get you an idea of options to look for. 
 

Cruise day 1!!!!
Finally here!!!!   We arrived at the terminal with a great Uber driver who shared all sorts of stories from Cuba. I love getting here early...we arrived about 955.  A porter led the car all the way in, grabbed our bags and we were in the doors.  We literally were 5 mins check in and security with no lines whatsoever... Even at the picture!  We are now at 1042 waiting to board!  My family of course didn't load the apps yet so we did that...argh!  

 
We are ready to go!!!  Starting to board!! Jane

Luciano got us in for another skydive today, roller skating is reserved for 4:30, we met two other families in star class and are having them for cocktails at 3:30.  I was sorta surprised when I asked Luciano if we could have a bottle of champagne for this and he said yes, but he would have to charge me for it.n bummed that this is an inconsistency across the genie fleet.  On days at sea, there is a bar cart service from 3:30-5:30 so we can also order from that. 
Yesterday we were invited for a cocktail in the royal loft suite.....holy cow that suite is just massive.  I feel like we live in a little hovel here on "dick 10" (this accent on the word "deck" I am told, is not Aussie but rather a kiwi accent.....but I use that word allllll the time now when we are out and about doing those stairs and hallways, and I laugh out loud every single time.....). Anyways back to that royal loft....it's really special.  But this grand loft we r in is super awesome as well, so no complaining!
if you are doing the skydiving simulator, try to get booked in with Eva........she was soooo much fun with each rider, doing little tricks with them like flips or taking them up high.  Then at the end, she went in herself and wowd the pants off all of us!  She did this impromptu acrobatic show that had my son saying to me afterwards "mom......now I know why they say boys drool and girls rule!!"  If I could have tipped her I would have.  And FYI, we had one little girl in our group who was about 5 and she rocked it for her first ride!
dinner tonight at Jamie's. Chefs table tomorrow night.
tomorrow is another day at sea.
a video from the balcony as I type......
 
 

capturedvideo.MOV

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!

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

Oasis in November, lady very over weight in a powerchair which was extremely big, she a had a very small dog on her lap, while in the schooner bar she lowered the dog by its lead to the floor where the dog did it’s business she then pulled the dog back by the lead chocking the dog and drove away not even informing crew, people were discussed and some actually confronted her, she started to rant and rave how she had a disability and the crew are there to tend to her every need and should clean it up. ? we live in a world where people pretend to be something to get extras and real people miss out..

Some Show PIctures...
Schedule

Hairspray

1977 Ice Show

iSkate 

HIRO

 


Flight

Embarkation:
Allure is using the new Terminal A in Miami.  The pickup / drop-off area is quite a nightmare.  I arrived at the port about 10:30 am and it was packed with vehicles / busses / trailers / uber / lyft with nobody really knowing where to go.  There is a back portion of the wraparound where the busses  are supposed to go to drop / pick people up but when you get a bus with a luggage trailer on the back parking in the spots it 100% stopped anyone else from getting past them so it just created a massive bottleneck.  Also none of the spots are really designated for any company in particular so its a free for all as to where you may be picked up.  To make things worse there were Uber/Lyft drivers pulling into these spots making no spaces for the busses to park.  Disembarkation was worse because I was actually trying to find a bus in that case.  I'll comment on that in a disembarkation section.
New Terminal A / Check In Process:
Holy cow have they made things efficient if you have your Set Sail all completed.  No more going to a desk at all, just 30 or so people ready to scan your set sail and send you to security.  Literally took 2 mins to get through "checkin" and through security.  The "waiting" area for those that show up before they allow you to board isn't all that organized at all.  It was "Take a seat wherever"   They opened the doors around 10:50 am.  Their new boarding process is quite odd, they basically announce on the loud speaker "groups" to board.  They called KEY first, then Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, Diamond, Emerald and Platinum all in one announcement.  Because of how few there were in each group we boarded the ship quickly anyways.
  Onboard Specialty restaurant reservations: I had purchased the ultimate dining package for the week and immediately went up to Chops to make reservations for the week.  First comment was that CHOPS and GIOVANNIS said there was 0 chance of having lunch at either of those places on embarkation day because the KEY guests were all reserved.  I ended up going to Sabor which was very nice anyways.  I had a sheet of paper with my preferred restaurants for each day/time and for the most part they were able to get close to what i was looking for.  What was challenging though is some of the reservations did not show up on the APP at all or the TV so towards the end of the week i was making phone calls to verify times.     Specialty restaurants:    150 Central Park - 3 times, Absolutely Amazing dinners - Richard was our server each time and we really enjoyed him.  I made sure he was  well compensated for his service he provided.  If you enjoy a flavorful caesar salad, do not miss this one, it is full or garlic and anchovy slivers.  Also the tenderloin for 2 was delightful, perfectly cooked, carved tableside, very impressive.   Chops - 2 times - Once for lunch once for dinner - Chops just seems to be missing flavor to me.  Yes they have delicious cuts of meat but it almost seems like they forget to season things there.  The sauces are just missing something, but all in all good meals.  Red Velvet cake is still alive and well, ignore the macaroni that escaped onto the table cloth:    Giovannis - 2 times for dinner - Great meals here, enjoyed sitting outside one night and the last night having a final meal at Giovannis was a good way to end the trip Izumi - 2 times - One for Lunch, One for dinner.  While I love the sushi here the service was just bad.  The server was friendly and all but just couldnt get anything right.  Food came out at very different times, wrong food brought, some food missing, random food on my bill, random wine on my bill i didnt drink.  After this happened the 2nd time i went to the manager to express my concerns.  They offered me to go to the galley brunch on the last day as a consolation.   Sabor - 2 times for lunch - Their lunch menu is very limited but its great to sit outside on the boardwalk.  The food is nothing to write home about (used to be much more robust, now only 3 things on the lunch menu).  The Churros and Banana things for desert were pretty darn good.  All in all i wish they kept things how they were in the past but i think the atmosphere makes up for it (and the margaritas)   Galley Brunch - about 16 people in our group (far to many to hear anything) .  I really enjoyed the tour, especially the BAKERY which i wish i had some of those machines at my house.  The lunch / champagne after the tour was OK, it was standard MDR food.  The champagne was flowing freely, I think i ended up with 6 glasses and felt pretty good after that.   Photos from around the ship:    Cafe Promenade: Someone asked if they make alcoholic coffees and the answer is YES and they are delicious:    Sabor Drink Menus:        Vintages Menus:    Boleros Cocktail Menu: 

While that's awful, I'm so so happy for you that it wasn't you guys showing up on Sunday to find it out it was a Saturday departure! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

This was posted by someone currently on the Royal Caribbean Blog Mariner Group Cruise.

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!! 

Yes you can cancel and rebuy if the price goes down as long as you charged it.  Be aware if you use your "Royal Caribbean Credit Card points" they are NON-REFUNDABLE if you cancel your purchase.  So be careful with that theory if the price does down.   Whatever you purchase with them you will lose them if you decide differently.  I just cashed in 20,000 points and was informed of this.  Now I'm not sure about the ship board credit RC gives you for booking, it probably runs the same way, so be informed and ask questions BEFORE you cancel anything with purchased with points.  Might bite you in the end.      

Formal protest. They are the best.

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!

I got this idea from seeing a couple bags in the airport with something similar, but this trip I’m going to try out this luggage cover that I got off amazon. It’s supposed to also double as a protective cover but I’m mainly using it to make my boring black spinner suitcase stand out.