The Cruise Junkie

Well, we finally made it down to Miami.  Had two standing reservations with Enterprise for a minivan this morning. Got to Enterprise and no minivans.  Had to wait a little bit for one to be brought in.  Did a little trunk Tetris with the luggage and made the 7-hour drive to Miami.  Uneventful other than traffic..but expected cuz Miami and before a big travel holiday..blah blah blah.
Our hotel is the Hampton Inn and Suites Brickell.  Great location if you are flying as it's about 2 blocks from the Metrorail from the airport.  It is downtown Miami so of course not optimal if you're driving because you have to pay to park..so we checked in, ditched the luggage and drove out to the airport to drop off the rental.
$14 Lyft or $2.25 Metrorail...hmmmm tough choice there.  Now, I don't live in a big city so public transportation is a novelty and I embrace it whenever I can.   Rode the 'Rail back and then hit up the gastropub next to the Hampton.
Now our hotel rate came with coupons for drinks at two bars.  One was this gastropub called Batch.  We hit it up and I got their house Black Barrell draft.  It tasted like KY Bourbon Stout but much, much lighter.  We order some eats..and they made mac and cheese out of gnocchi.  This was amazing comfort food and totally worth the hipster we serve grain bowls and avocado toast prices.  The wings were alao good and the Brussels sprouts were also a hit.
Annnnnd..ladies drink free sangria and well drinks from 10pm-1am.  Whaaaaaaat?  So remember that if you stay downtown Miami on Friday night..Batch in Brickell..look them up!  Currently waiting on my free sangria in plastic cups to take it back to the hotel.
Another bonus... @CGTLH paid the dinner tab...haha, sucker.

Sorry to report folks but your eyes aren't playing tricks. Starting tomorrow I'll be coming to you somewhat live from on board the Symphony of the Seas.
This has been a cruise with right around 620 days of waiting. Booked the night reports had started to leak out that Symphony booking had opened up. Little did I know at the time of booking it would be a very short wait to learn this sailing would be part of something much bigger, an official Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise.
Itinerary is somewhat port heavy, but still has time to relax.
Day 1 - Miami
Day 2 - Sea Day
Day 3 - Roatan
Day 4 - Costa Maya
Day 5 - Cozumel
Day 6 - Sea Day
Day 7 - Nassau
Day 8 - Eviction in Miami
 
For those that are new to reading my LIVEish. Check out my previous one to get an idea of what fine quality work I produce: 
 
Finally, I'll leave this image for fun...

HI all,
I am in port Canaveral sitting in my hotel room this morning and excited to board Oasis of the the Seas today.  This is my 27th cruise, but our first time on an Oasis class ship so I am super excited.  I have had this cruise booked for a year now, after getting an unbelievable on cyber Monday last year so I have $400 OBC this cruise.   This is also our first cruise as diamond, so our first time not getting the drink package in a while.  The OBC will help.  Because it is a holiday cruise, their were no specialty dining packages available in the cruise planner.  We will be stopping in Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten this cruise.  I am excited.  I have not been to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in a while.  I have 2 excursions booked outside of the cruise.  For St. Thomas we are doing the "Taphus sips and bites tour" and for St. Maarten, we are doing the Bernard's island tour and then will likely come back to the boardwalk and get some drinks. In Nassau,  I plan to just get off and have some drinks and appetizers.  Starting at our favorite restaurant in Nassau, Athena cafe.  My plan is to get conch fritters and their basil martini. :). 
We stayed last night at the holiday inn vacation club in port canaveral.  I am an IHG credit card holder, so I used my annual certificate to redeem the room.  The fee to maintain the card is $75, so I feel that I got a bargain on this room for $75.  We arrived here early yesterday morning from Cincinnati.  Lyft from MCO to the hotel was $61.72, and super easy!   Our room was not ready yet so we checked our bags at the resort, and headed to Grills for lunch right next to where Navigator of the Seas was parked. I had the fish tacos which I was able to choose my fish for.  ( I got fresh tuna, sushi style) and an IPA.  The tacos were delicious.  DL got the burger which also looked great!   After lunch, we caught an uber to the taproom and Florida beer company which was a great atmosphere with lots of TV's.  I enjoyed their southernmost wheat beer and DH got a flight and then purchased some IPA's for the hotel room.    
The weather is amazing in florda today, 60's and breezy so I wasn't as inspired to go into the amazing pool and lazy river at the hotel.  Once they called and said our room/villa was ready, we headed back to the hotel.  I sat out by the pool bar for a while and listened to the band, which was great.  I also had a $3 mimosa, and they had a happy hour starting at 4.  Our room was perfectly situated facing the channel so my favorite thing about the hotel was watching the cruise ships depart and come into the channel this morning.  Yesterday, we watched Carnival breeze, the norwegian EPIC, the Disney fantasy, 2 other ships, and lastly Navigator of the Seas.  This morning I woke up early, and saw Oasis come in about 5:30 am.  Since then Carnival liberty and Carnival sunshine also sailed in.  The lighting was perfect for the Sunshine. 
My plan is to head to the gym now and then possibly take a float in the lazy river prior or check out the beach prior to boarding oasis this morning.  We are less than a mile from the port, so it will be an easy uber or lyft ride.   The hotel also has a tram to the beach every 15 minutes, but I have not yet been.    I don't have Wifi onboard, so i will update the blog, but it will be delayed.  I am hoping to do Chef's table tonight or tomorrow night if I can get a special offer on board and since we have so much OBC.  I am also tempted to take the Guacomole class at Sabor on one of the sea days.  I did the sushi class on our grandeur of the seas cruise in march, and really enjoyed it! 
 

T-2 Packing and stressing out 
Who?  
Welcome to the Skis crazy family travels.  I'm Mel, married to Mr. Ski and we have 4 kids:  DD18 College Ski, DS15 Football Ski, DS12 Soccer Ski and DD7 Cutie Ski.
I'm not a great blogger and I'll be without my computer this trip.  All updates and pictures will be on my Iphone.  I'll try to remember to upload the daily activity sheet and I'll send Matt the Cruise Compasses after the cruise.
Where?
This sailing will be Independence first regular Caribbean cruise after her TA and the "Bliss" clothing optional cruise.  Yes, I have medical grade sanitation wipes to wipe down the stateroom.  This 5 night Western Caribbean takes us to Labadee and Falmouth.
Why?
Why this cruise instead of the amazing group cruise on Symphony also going on this week?  I'm having a bit of FOMO but this works better for us.  We typically go to WDW every 2 years this week and I just couldn't do it again!  WDW is the exact opposite of a relaxing cruise vacation.  So in January, I looked at cruises and felt that we got a good deal during a school holiday for 2 connecting Junior Suites. Also, in the mix was College Ski.  She wanted to spend some time at home seeing friends.  So the 5 night was a compromise.  I want my kids to want to vacation with us as we will most likely only be able to do family vacations with everyone for a few more years.
What could go wrong?
Flying separately on 3 flights over 2 days.  Soccer, Cutie and I will fly out tomorrow.  Weather looks good.  I'm not worried which probably means I should be!
And here comes the drama(s).  When I booked in January, I knew there was the slimmest chance Mr. Ski and Football Ski would not make the cruise.  That slim chance has become a 50-50.  DS HS football team is in the quarterfinals (awesome) and if they win Friday night Mr. Ski and Football Ski will not be on the cruise (bummer).  I have to root for the win even if that means missing the cruise.  If the team loses tomorrow night, they will fly out Saturday morning.  A day of the cruise flight and it would be horrible to lose and then miss the cruise due to a flight delay. 
Next, College Ski is in the path of the nor'easter that is hitting today.  Hopefully by Friday night, it looks that by tomorrow night it will be dry.  This is her first flight by herself to somewhere other than home and school.  I've checked the aircrafts entire path for tomorrow and other airlines flights out to FLL.  Fingers crossed.
Starting to question the decision to take this trip.  Too much pre-cruise excitement and I haven't started packing!  Speaking of packing, I should start!  I'll come back with plans, excursions, etc.  It will be my reward for packing.  Brothers Osborne "It Ain't My Fault" is my packing theme song!
 

Day 4 - Falmouth
Not a whole lot to report today, and I didn't really take too many pictures.  Today we were in port in Falmouth.  We woke up a little later, and headed to Windjammer for breakfast.  Unless I am missing a section of the restaurant, the Windjammer on Majesty is much bigger.  Food was ok, nothing great to report.  We miss having all of the assorted pastries to eat.  Then it was up to AO for Virginia, and Abby and I headed off the ship.  In Falmouth we mainly just walked around a little bit. We hit up a shop to get some coffee and Havana Club rum.  I was going to get some cigars as Casa del Habano, but I thought I remembered a discussion that the one in Cozumel was better.  After some more walking around it was back onto the ship.  Disney Fantasy was in port with us today, and Abby commented that all of the kids in port from that cruise look like they had been brainwashed, and were walking around like zombies...  I can't say I disagreed with her.  Definitely a little "cult-ish".  
Back on board was a light lunch at Park Cafe, then to the thermal spa for a while to relax.  After that we spent some time in a cantilever hot tub, before getting Virginia and getting cleaned up for the night.  

Tonight's entertainment was "Oasis of Dreams".  The story line must have been from an LSD filled dream, because I could not follow it at all.  However, I will say that the athleticism on display is absolutely amazing.  This was an all new cast, and it was their first performance.  I could see some hesitation, but it was still amazing.  We had seen some of the divers on the beach at Labadee, and at least one had an Olympic Rings tattoo, so I think it's great for those athletes to have something to do, get paid, and still practice their sport.  Virginia does swimming and gymnastics at home, and we've talked about starting her in diving after she turns five.  We haven't mentioned this to her at all, and after the show, we asked her what she though.  Her response: "I want to be a swim-gymmer!"  I guess that means we're heading for diving lessons.
After that, we grabbed some pizza for her, and then took her to AO for Pirate Night.  Abby and I had reservations at Giovanni's.  We rode the Rising Tide a few times before our dinner, and then prepared for some Italian. We had the plank to start, and it was ok.  Nothing as good as the ones in Jamie's look.  For pasta, we had the bucatini bolognese and the tagliatelle carbonara.  Both were amazing.  I preferred the tagliatelle.  It was cooked perfectly, and seasoned very nice.  For entrees, I had the osso bucco, which was very tender and flavorful.  Abby had the filet, and we both believe it was better than the filet at Chops.  It seem more tender, and a little more flavorful.  It's splitting hairs, but I would go back to Giovanni's for the filet before I went to Chops.  Plus, everything else was seasoned much better in Giovanni's.  For dessert, we split the tiramisu and the chocolate torte with vanilla gelato.  The tiramisu was ok, but the torte was amazing.  Dessert edge goes to Chops, but just slightly.  
Then it was up to AO to get Virginia, and head to bed for an early night.  Day 5 is a sea day, formal night, and we have 2 shows scheduled to go see, Come Fly with me and the Ice show.  

Day 3
After a nice sea day to start the journey, and get used to where everything is on Oasis, we docked in Labadee for the day.  We woke up a little later, and headed to Johnny Rockets for breakfast.  There was no wait, and we started eating after we were docked, so by the time we were done, it was easy to head down the stairs to the gangway, and go immediately off of the ship.  Breakfast was very good, and I wish I could bring a cook home with me to show people how to properly cook over-easy eggs.  As we were disembarking, Virginia saw her favorite teacher from AO, and had to give her a hug.  It makes it very comforting to know that she's having such a great time in AO.  
We had a beach bungalow booked for Labadee, so we headed for the water taxi to Columbus Cove.  We had just missed it leaving, so it was a short wait for the next boat.  A short ride and walk later, we were at our bungalow.  We spent half as much on the bungalow as we would have a cabana, and I think it was perfect.  If we were in a real suite, and had access to barefoot beach, I would probably do that, but the bungalow was perfect.  The beach was not very busy, it was near the food and bathrooms, and there was great service.  Plus, we had 6 bottles of water waiting for us when we got there.  We had bungalow 3 out of 8 or 10 total.  Very nice and relaxing.  





 

 
After plenty of relaxing and swimming, we had lunch.  It was typical BBQ food, and did the trick.  They had Coconut Ranger Cookies, so Abby and I were happy.  Back into the ocean for more fun, then it was time to head back.  We took the tram back to the ship.  We thought about walking, but we were glad we didn't.  Nothing in the artisan market looked of interest to us, and we could tell they were a little aggressive in their sales.  It would have been tough to keep Virginia from wanting something.  Through security and back on the ship in no time, so we headed upstairs for a nap and shower.  

 

After a nap and shower, I had to print some documents for work, and I wasn't sure where the printers were, so I went and asked Guest Services.  While I was there, I asked about CK, and they gave me a weird look as to why I even asked if JS could eat there.  They gave me the number for the manager, since it was after 4 pm.  I printed my documents, then went back to the room.  We were a little tired from the day, so we thought we'd just pop onto the Boardwalk and eat at Sabor.  The food was excellent, and the service was great also.  We had a little wait between apps and entree, but that helps my stomach digest, so I was ok with it.  There was no wait to sit down, we just walked right up with no reservation.  It is amazing to me that with this many people on board, it does not seem any more congested than we were on Majesty.  We have had very little waiting in lines, or claustrophobia moments.  
No pictures of food from Sabor, but we had the beef empanadas, calamari, and chicken stuffed jalapenos as "small plates".  They should change that moniker, as they are by no means small.  The calamari was some of the best I've ever had.  Abby even ate it, and she hates calamari.  We also had some guacamole.  Neither of us are guac fans, but this was pretty good.  Abby got the sweet and spicy marg, and it was quite good.  For our mains, I had the spicy chicken and pulled pork tacos.  The chicken was good, but not very spicy.  The pork was too fatty for me.  We asked if they could do just a plain beef for Virginia, and they were able to.  Abby had a quesadilla.  The tortillas, made on-site, are very good.  After dinner, we were stuffed, but the waiter had promised Virginia a special treat if she was good, so he brought her some churros.  Of course, mom and dad had to try one also, and they were very good.  
There was a small wait between apps and entrees, as I mentioned, but nothing I would complain about.  When the waiter brought the check, he apologized for the wait, and had taken 20% off of the bill.  He also had not charged us for Abby's margarita, even though she doesn't have a drink package.  I tipped heavy, since he was very good with Virginia.  
Then it was off to do some shopping on the boardwalk, and another trip around the merry-go-round before we took V up to AO for the night.  While she was there, Abby and I made another donation to the casino.  Someone hit a jackpot on slots while we were in there for $19,000.  She was very excited.  What struck me as odd was that they came and paid it to her in cash.  In land casinos, it would be in a check.  I'm not sure I'd want to have $19k in cash, but I guess I'd just be too happy to care.  It was amazing watching the stacks be handed to her on the casino floor.  
We wandered up to the Focus gallery and checked out some shots from the week so far, and ended up purchasing the all-inclusive package.  On Enchantment, we will stick with just a couple of photos.  
Then it was back up to AO to get Ginny, where it had been Superhero night, and we ended up picking up Wonder Woman!  

Then it was off to sleep for our big day in Falmouth.
 
-Again, it is amazing how much room there is on the ship, and how little we feel crowded. 
-All of the staff has been great with Virginia, and she is having an absolute blast.  She's definitely hooked on cruising, and hopefully the post-cruise depression isn't too bad.
-After breakfast today (Day 4), I went by CK and got in.  I spoke with a manager to get reservations for dinner.  Everything they have available conflicts with shows we have booked, but she went ahead and put us in, and said she would call us if they got an earlier time on Day 5.  I asked her about the cruise compass not saying anything about Sea Class, and she said that must be a typo, and she would have it corrected immediately.  If I would have pushed harder earlier in the trip, I'm sure we would have been able to get reservations.  It was never the main reason we booked the JS, so I didn't push too hard, and it definitely has not impacted our experience.  Hopefully we get to try it.  If not, we can go on the Anthem GC, or next time we're on Oasis.  
 

No Pressure.  Lol.  

Thank you.  I feel like a new person.  This is from our family pictures, separated by one year.  Should have about another 50 lbs to go...
Also, you know it's time for vacation when you get a text from school saying "Your daughter has been tormenting one of the boys at school today, and decided to pull her pants down and shake her butt and him."  SMH.....

Day 2
I'm realizing that I'm not all that great at remembering to take pictures...  I'm also realizing that it would probably be easier with a real camera, as I have conditioned myself not to be on my phone much, so it's hard to remember to get it out to take pictures...
Either way, today was our first sea day.  I was concerned about having the 7:45 am Character Breakfast since we had a late night last night, however my body woke up at 6 am anyway.  Also, we are deck 6 aft, and the breakfast was in Silk, so just one floor down.  
If you have young kids, it was definitely worth it.  The breakfast menu is the same as a standard MDR breakfast, but with catchy names for the kids.  It was $10 per adult, but free for kids.  We waited in the waiting area of Silk, and then were seated at our own table, with the waiter from Solarium Bistro from the night before.  After placing our order, they had all of the kids come up and dance to shake out the wiggles, and then three characters came out individually.  We had Shrek, Puss in Boots, and Princess Fiona.  After each character came out and danced, they came around to each table and took pictures.  Virginia expressed her desire to not have us in any pictures.  We also learned she is scared of Shrek.  

 


After that, it was up to Adventure Ocean for the morning session.  Virginia has had a lot of fun every time she's gone.  There's been no crying when we drop her off, and it takes some coercing to get her to come with us.  We're very impressed with all of the staff and programming.  
While Virginia was in AO, Abby and I had our mud scrub scheduled as part of the Ultimate Thermal Pass.  While I'm not normally a Spa type of guy, it was $199 for the 2 of us to have the thermal suite all week, or $250 to add a 1 hour private mud scrub and a 1 hour private jacuzzi.  We took the upsell.  While very weird at first, I will admit that the mud scrub was very relaxing.  They take you to a private room, where you use multiple levels of exfoliant.  Then you apply the mud mask all over your body and enter a steam room.  The steam room has 2 seats that face each other, and after about 20 minutes of steam, water starts to fall from the ceiling so you can get completely clean.  Once finished, you apply moisturizers.  My skin felt amazing afterwards, and it was nice to have a relaxing 60 minutes with just my wife and I.  I'm not sure I would clamor to do it again, but I would think about it.  
After getting cleaned up, we picked up Virginia and had lunch at Wipeout Cafe.  We figured it would be less crowded, and we could eat quick and head to the pool.  The water in the pool was extremely cold, but after doing the circular wave pool, we went to a hot tub and felt much better.  
Then it was time for a nap, so Abby and V took a rest while I went back to the casino, and proceeded to give them back what I borrowed from them the previous night.  I played for quite a while, but ran into some pretty lousy hands at UTH.  I went for a walk around the jogging track, then thought I'd go back up to CK and see if I could rouse anyone.  I knocked on the door, and two people in the suite lounge just looked at me through the crack, then turned their back.  I guess no riff-raff mingling with the suite guests.  I plan to go back up Day 3 around 5:30 and see if I can get reservations, although the Day 3 Cruise Compass still lists it as Star, Sky, and Pinnacles.  
After that adventure, it was back to AO to pick up Ginny and get ready for formal night.  While we don't go full CLR style, we like to get a little dressed up.  Before we went back to the room, I took Ginny to Sorrentos to get some pizza, and we just happened to run into one of Ginny's favorite characters.

Night made, we headed up to get changed.  Again, our cabin is in a great location.  We got changed and were on the promenade around 5:30 to get pictures, with very little lines anywhere.  Later in the evening it was a much longer wait.  We took our pictures at several locations, and then went back up to change Virginia into regular clothes for AO.  Another quick stroll through the promenade, picture with Captain Goran, whom Ginny had already met earlier in the day at AO, then time for a kid free date night.  

Dinner tonight was in Chops.  This was our first Chops experience, and I was very excited.  With my current diet, I am limited on red meat and carbs, so I was saving myself for the filet.  It was absolutely amazing.  Better than a lot of land-based restaurants.  The service was amazing.  None of my pictures turned out very well, except for the Red Velvet cake that we had to get for @Sweety.  Abby told me to order, since I "have the inside scoop".  I had the peppered bacon app, and she had the crab cake.  The bacon was pretty good.  The crab cake was on the dry side, and very crumbly.  Flavor was nice though.  Next was a Caesar salad for Abby, and the mushroom soup for me.  The soup could have used a drop of creme fraiche to balance the earthiness of the mushrooms, but was nice.  Both of us had the filet for main, and our sides were baked potato, mushrooms, cheesy tots, and mac and cheese.  Baked potato was the best, as we seasoned it ourself.  The rest of the sides suffered from lack of seasoning.  This must have been common, as the table next to us asked for some sea salt to garnish their sides as well.  Service was spectacular however.  Dessert was the red velvet cake, and warm apple pie a la mode.  Bother were excellent.  (I should mention, Abby and I met in culinary school, where we trained to be pastry chefs.  Neither of us do this professionally anymore, but we still dabble.) 

After dinner, we decided to call it a night, pick up Virginia, and head to bed.  We had big day at Labadee planned for Day 3 in a beach bungalow.  
 
 

-Day Four Falmouth Jamaica-
By FlowBro Ty
Today We Are In Falmouth Jamaica. Today Wil Be A Long Day And A Fun Day. I Will Be Climbing The World Famous Dunn's River Fall And Going River Tubing. .
I Got Up At Seven And Saw That For Most Of The Moring We Where Hugging The Coast Of Jamaica. At 8:45 I Went To The Windjammer For A Bite To Eat. I Am Not A Breakfast Person But Since Our Next Meal Will Not Be Till Around One I Will Grab A Bite To Eat. I Had Three Yogurt's And Two Milks And Some Water Orange Juice. On The Oasis Class The Windjammer Looks Over My Favorite Place One The Whole Ship The Sports Deck. I Was Temped To Go On The Flowrider. But I Had To Be The Theater To Get My Tour.  We Docked In Falmouth At Nine Thirty   And They Had The Gangway Open By Ten. And I Was On My Tour To Dunn's River Falls. On The Way To Dunn's River We Got Pulled Over By The Jamaica Police To Do A Insurance Check Or Some Thing Like That And After Two Minutes We Where Back On The Road. Also We Passed Through Ochos Rio I Saw One Carnival Ship And A Holland America Ship. After An Hour And A Half We Were Here Dunn's River. The Water Fall Water Is Very Cold And To Climb It You Must Have Water Shoes. And To Get To The Top It Takes About A Hour. And After We Were Back On The Bus The Time Was Around Twelve Thirty. After We Headed To A Meal At Some Hotel On The Water. They Had Jerk Chicken And Some Pasta With Meat Sauce With A Whole Dessert Spread. Back On The Bus The Tour Gide Told Us That It Was On Of The Oldest Hotel In The Area. And In Less Than 15 Minutes Were At The River Tubing Place. The Gide Said It Was Over A Mile Long And Had Some Class One Rapides. It Was Pretty Fun. This Is Just Like Kelly Park In Apopka FL, After A Hour We Where Back On A Bus Head To The Ship. To Get Back To The Port From Ochos Rios Took A Hour And Fifteen Minutes. And Around Four I Was Back Aboard The Oasis Of The Seas. At Five We Went To Go See Oasis Of Dreams The Aqua Show. Every Time It Blows My Mind How They Do That On A Ship. After That I Went To The Teen Flowrider Session. It Was More Packed With People Then The Regular Session. After That I Went To The Room And Went To Bed. Tomorrow Will Be A Fun And Long Day At Sea Onboard Oasis Of The Seas.                                                   
 

Day Three Labbadee Haiti Part Two
I Went To Sorrento's And Tonight They Had Barbeque Chicken Pizza. There I Met Up With @Twangster Fan Me And Him Ate Two Pizza. They Where So Good. After That I Went To Dinner And Had A Creaser Salad. For The Main Entrée I Had A Baked Potato With Lots Of Sour Cream.

For Dessert I Had Cheese Cake And Three Scoops Of Ice Cream. After Dinner I Went Strait To Bed. Tomorrow Will Be A Long Day In Jamaica.    
             

-Day Three Labbadee Haiti- 
`By FlowBro Ty
I Got Up At Seven To Watch The Sail In To Labbadee. We Docked At Seven Forty Five And Then We Saw The Workers Arrive To Work. Via Jet Ski And Speed Boat.
 
After That I Met Up With @Twangster Fan At The Windjammer For Water. I Did Not Want To Ruin My Island Barbeque So I Had Just Water. After My Met Up With @Twangster Fan I Headed To The Flowrider For The 9:00 Session. I Hit The Flowrider Until 10:15 Then Headed Of The Ship. First Stop The Dragon Rock Café. It Was The Same Choice As On The Freedom In April. The Mac And Cheese Was So Good I Had Thirds. After That I Got On A Tram To Columbus Cove. There I Did The Aqua Park And Dragon Tail Coaster Combo. The Aqua Park Is Pretty Small But Since I Was Here On The Freedom They Added Three New Inflatable's. One Of My Favorite New Inflatables Are This Clift Jump / Slide Inflatable. Here's A Photo Of It. 

After The Aqua Park I Headed To The Dragon Tail Coaster. I Rode It Once And The Ride Was About Three To Four Minutes Long And The Line To Get On The Coaster Was Over Five Minutes Long. The Coaster Was Very Fun And I Would Recommend It To Anyone. After That I Headed Back To The Ship. I Notice That They Painted The Pier Brown. And They Added Better Speaker On The Pier

Here's A Photo Of Our Ship. The Oasis Of The Seas.

Back On Board I Went To The Pool And Spent And Hour In The Hot Tub And Grabbed Some Ice Cream . When I Heard The Horn I Went To View Our Sail Away From Labbadee Haiti. We Kick Up A Lot Of Dirt From Engines. The Sail Away From Labbdee Is One Of My Favorite Sail Away In The Caribbean From A Port.


 In Two Hours We Passed Through This Channel. There Were Land And Sail Boats On Each Side Of Us. It Was So Cool. Here's A Photo Of Our Path Out Of Labbadee.

Here's A Photo I Took Of Mainland Haiti From The Channel.
 
 

Day Two Continued 
Tonight I Had Frozen In Time In Studio B. It Was Very Good. I Saw It Last October On The Oasis. The Sand Art Guy Did A Great Job. This Voyage He Did The Tin Solider. 
 
After This I Went To Dinner. I Had For The Appetizer I Had Cesar Salad. It Was Pretty Good But Today They Put To Much Dressing In The Salad. For The Entrée I Had The New York Strip Steak It Was Very Good. For Dessert I Had The Royal Cheese Cake With Two Scoops Of Ice Cream.It Was So Good. After Dinner I Went Back To The Room To Go To Grab My DJ  Stuff To Make A Track For My Local Radio Station. Today I Went To The Pool Deck To Record It. I Did A Ten Minute Mix. After That I Went To Bed. Tomorrow Will Be A Long And Fun Day In Labbadee Haiti. 

Day 1
Travel day was relatively uneventful.  SWA is always very easy to deal with, plus we are TSA Pre-check, which is always better.  TSA was a little delayed since a cat had attacked a woman just before we got to the airport, and there was apparently blood all over, so they had to move the regular line to the Pre-Check line.  Luckily our daughter handled it well, and got a nifty Jr. Officer sticker, and who doesn’t love stickers?

 

 
 
National Rent-A-Car was easy in Orlando.  If you are an Emerald Club member, you just go to the garage and pick any car you want.  We were out of the airport about 5 minutes after getting our bags, and on our way to Port Canaveral.  Checked into the hotel and then headed out to dinner.  We ate at Cocoa Beach Ale House per @Matt recommendation.  It was very good.  Abby and Virginia shared a pizza, which was very tasty.  Dough and sauce both made in house.  I had the Mahi Mahi sandwich, and it was also very good.  After dinner was dessert at Twistee Treat?  It’s soft-serve ice cream from a building that looks like an ice cream cone.  Then it was back to the hotel to get to bed.  
We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites near the port.  Originally, I picked this hotel both due to the proximity to the port, and because it has on-site laundry, and we would stay there again in between cruises.  The room we had was a queen bed for the adults, and then two twin beds in a separate area, almost like an alcove, for Virginia.  It was kind of a cool concept, but the bed was pretty rough, the walls were thin, and I’m not sure I would stay there again.  Being right across from the elevator I’m sure didn’t help much.  
The next morning was cruise day!!!  The upside of our room was being able to see Lady O from our window:

 

We were up early, and needed to kill time, so we went and ate breakfast down the street at Southern Charm Café.  It was very good, and I highly recommend it for breakfast.  Their cakes and pies were homemade and looked delicious.  We may try lunch here on “turnaround” day.  Then it was to the port to return the car and board.  
With the Jr. Suite, we went through the suites line for security and check-in.  We got to the port at 10:20, we were checked in by 10:36, and after a short wait in the holding pen, we were on-board at 10:45.  It was absolutely amazing to step into the promenade, and the breadth that is an Oasis Class ship.  We loved Majesty, but I feel like you could almost put her inside the promenade.
 

 
 
We explored the promenade some, and then went straight up to 17 to try and get reservations for Coastal Kitchen.  I had some concerns about this due to a couple of factors.  The biggest of which was from recent Cruise Compasses that showed CK as Star and Sky Class only, and Pinnacles. We went up to CK, and our card wouldn’t work in the door.  We waited for a while to see if there was anyone inside, or to try and catch someone, but had no luck.  Virginia was getting anxious, so we decided to come back and try again closer to dinner.  Luckily, Paul was at Grills, so we were able to connect via the Insider group on Facebook, and we headed to Deck 5, Aft, where Paul got this picture of us.  Great thanks to Paul, and it shows how being an Insider is so great! (Shameless Plug).
 
 
Off to Central Park we went to update our 3 night dining reservations, with no issue at all in getting our choices.  Then it was to Park Café for a Kummelweck Sandwich, extra horseradish and mustard.  Just as tasty as advertised.

 

Neither Abby nor Virginia wanted one, so it was off to the promenade for Sorrentos.  They both thought it was pretty good.  Virginia liked it so much that we had to go back for two more pieces after muster drill to take to the room for “pre-dinner”.  
After some more exploring of the ship, taking a spa tour, and getting a stern talking to from Virginia that I didn’t pack swimsuits in the carryon, it was around 1 p.m. so we headed to the room.  Luggage was outside the door about an hour after we got in the rooms, and thankfully nothing was in the naughty room.  Muster went relatively quickly.  As I type this, the “wash your hands” song is now invading my brain again…..
After muster, Virginia needed a rest, so we went back up to the room for sail away and sat on the balcony.  Then it was time to get her to lay down and unpack.  After a fight, we got a successful nap, and then she woke up not knowing where she was.  Once we figured that out, it was all good, and time to head back up to try Coastal Kitchen.
We did confirm that the CC said Star and Sky class only for dinner.  We get to 17, try our card… No luck.  Confirmed that the first few nights it is only for Star and Sky.  It might be open later in the week to try.  We decided we would go try the Solarium Bistro, as we didn’t want the hectic mess of the Windjammer.  This ended up being for the best, as Virginia didn’t handle dinner well, and it would have been tough in CK.  
Dinner was good.  Our waiter, Angelo, was very attentive.  Due to V’s issues, I didn’t get any pictures of the food.  The appetizers were very good, my favorite being the mushrooms.  I had the grilled shrimp as an entrée, Abby had the salmon, and V had the chicken kebabs.  It was definitely nice to have a lighter meal.  The desserts were also very good, and V’s serving of chocolate cake turned the night around for her.  

 
Then it was off to play a windy round of mini-golf before Adventure Ocean opened up.  The check-in for AO took about 20 minutes, mainly due to a long line of people who had not registered yet, as well as some kids that were having separation anxiety.  V took off like a freight train with no care in the world, so I headed to the casino as Abby took here ritual first night early bed time.  At 10 o’clock, I left the casino up more than double, so it was time to go get V.  Then it was off to bed early so we could be ready for the Dreamworks Character breakfast tomorrow morning.  
 

Random Thoughts
-It astounds me how many people were buying the drink package on-board.  Do some research!
-The Pineapples walking around with their nametags on makes me giggle a little.  If I ever reach that status, I don’t think I could have the ego to walk around with the badge on…
-We were bummed about CK, but hopefully we can try it in the future.  Solarium Bistro was good, and it was a peaceful option compared to the Windjammer.  
-We purchased the Ultimate Thermal pass for the spa.  For two people, it includes unlimited use of the thermal seats, a 1-hour private mud bath/scrub, and a 1-hour private jacuzzi.  
Tomorrow is a sea day.  We have the character breakfast in the morning, then the mud bath, and dinner at Chops.  As I type this, I’m on my balcony enjoying the nice breeze.  Vacation is great.  
 

 
Step count:
13,200 (half of which I had V on my shoulders.  Should count for double)

 

 

I Had A Hand Strap And It Worked Very Well. 
Here The Video I Took From The Hand Strap  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1sZh8VOLk&t=25s

I Had A Hand Strap And It Worked Very Well. 
Here The Video I Took From The Hand Strap  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1sZh8VOLk&t=25s

Day 4 - Bermuda (continued)
The shuttle bus left Horseshoe Bay at 1:30, but we didn't get back to the Dockyard until almost 2:30 because of traffic and rain. With our all-aboard time at 4:30, we didn't have a lot of time to finish up our day. And we still needed to eat some lunch, we were both getting pretty hungry. Rather than burn a lot of time at any sit-down restaurant in the dockyard, we went back to the ship and just grabbed some small items at Cafe Promenade to take the edge of our hunger and let us get back off-ship ASAP.
We headed back out to the dockyard with about an hour we could safely spend without risking being pier runners. Even with that decent amount of time, we were kind of hurried to get our shopping done. We ended up only making it to the craft market, where we got our traditional souvenir holiday ornament and a couple of prints, and one other store where we got some limited print coasters and a few t-shirts. After that, we made our way back to the ship, cutting it a little close as we boarded at 4:15, but not all pier runner territory. To our surprise, as we waited in the security line we heard one of the staff holler down from the card scanner area to the people at the entry booth that there were still over 250 passengers not yet on board! We looked back and there were nowhere near that many in line to board, so it was looking like there'd be at least a few pier runners today!
I have no idea if that ended up being the case or not. Our room was on the opposite side from the dock, and all I wanted at that point was to enjoy my traditional sail-away margarita from our balcony and take in one last sight of Bermuda.

We sailed away promptly at 5:00, so either everyone made it on board in time or there were some people (possibly happily) left behind.
We had to get ready for dinner in CK, as we were eating a bit earlier to make the evening's showing of Spectra's Cabaret. As it happened, while this night wasn't formal night it was still the night when the kitchen pulled out almost all the stops. That's right, almost all the stops...

This was a set of impossible choices. There was no way I could decide between salmon sashimi or the risotto, nor could I choose just scallops or lobster. So, I did what every enterprising cruiser does in this situations... I got 'em all! Sorry, escargots, but there is only so much room in this stomach and you got the short stick; considering Amar brought me a second lobster tail without prompting, I was glad I left them behind. Appetizers were paired, at Amar's recommendation, with the "Conundrum" blend from the "Adventurous Whites" section; yes, I actually had white wine and I enjoyed it! It was very dry, which I appreciated, and only a little fruity with a slightly spicy finish. With my entree's I also had white wine, this time the "Mer Soleil" Chardonnay; also very nice, and I have to say after having this and the Chardonnay served at Chef's Table back on Freedom that I do like that kind of white. I may have to pick up a couple of bottles for at home when I have meals that traditionally do get served with a white wine rather than a red. 
Cathy kept it far simpler than me, and just had her favorite Caesar Salad and the gnocchi. She said the gnocchi was very good, not too heavy and really good flavor.
Then it was time for dessert. Cathy got the crunchy chocolate bar, which had her back in heaven again; we're all chocolate lovers, and she said that was a really good dessert. I had the Baked Alaska and, as usual on this sailing, an iced Bailey's and coffee. Here's the Baked Alaska.

And lest I forget, our meal once again came with riddles! First was this one: "The one who makes it, sells it. The one who buys it, never uses it. The one who uses it, never sees it." I actually figured this one out after a very small hint from Amar, with confirmation that "it" was a real thing and not some metaphysical concept or the like. After this, we got another stick challenge – There are 12 sticks arranged into a square, like so:

Moving exactly 3 sticks, change the four squares into three squares; you cannot double up any sticks, and you cannot have any sticks jutting out on their own. This one neither Cathy nor I was able to figure out; when Amar showed us the solution, I shook my head again. And the solution he showed isn't the only valid one; we showed this puzzle to our kids and my older daughter came up with a different solution that was still valid.
And now, it was time for...

We arrived a solid hour early, actually getting to Two70 as the first show was ending. This was good, as it gave us our pick of the available seats. Make note -- if you want to have a chance to see the cast up very close as they leave the main stage area in a couple of parts and walk around the perimeter, then find the third ring of seats, which are a set of tall couches and love seats. Cathy asked to sit here as her back was bothering her and she wanted something with a taller back than the other seating, and wow was it the perfect place to enjoy the show!
I respected the "no photography" announcement, so I can't show you anything of the actual show, but both Cathy and I were very impressed. This was the kind of show we'd been waiting for, and it really was incredible how they blended the singing, dancing, aerialists, robot displays, and projection wall into one seamless whole. It's not Cirque du Soleil, as I had first imagined it to be. It's something all its own, and you really do have to see it to appreciate it. And if you sit where I indicated, you'll have two times that either the emcee, Spectra, or the full show cast walks past and you can fully appreciate the costuming and the performers' talents. Spectra actually took time on his pass-through to say hello and shake people's hands, including mine, which I thought was a very nice touch. When the show ended, we gave the cast a huge round of applause. And we were even more excited now at the prospect of seeing We Will Rock You the next day, as that show was supposed to be even better!
Not wanting to go to bed quite yet, we decided to wander the ship a bit. There were some interesting chairs laid out in front of Wonderland and by the Music Hall, so we decided to have a goof and do our best Game of Thrones impressions. Cathy played Circe Lannister.

I, on the other hand, was Ned Stark.

After having our bit of fun, we went up to the pool deck and Solarium to see how they looked at night. The Solarium was surprisingly empty.


 We contemplated getting our bathing suits having a private dip in the Solarium's hot tubs, but didn't want to take yet another shower before bed when it would be really late; we figured we'd do that on our sea day tomorrow.. 
At this point, Cathy was ready to call it a night. I was still pumped up between my evening Bailey's coffee and Spectra, so I continued to wander for a while. I stopped off at Boleros and tried out a Royal Mojito; not at all bad, but not as good as the one I had in Old San Juan back in April. While I sipped my drink, I decided to finally pay a visit to the casino and see how the craps tables might treat me. Not nicely, as it turned out. As soon as I joined the table went cold, and I lost to 8 shooters in a row; I ended up leaving before I could even get a chance to be the shooter, having lost $40 in about 10 minutes. I saw the same thing happen towards the end of my trip on Freedom, and I'm starting to wonder if I make any table I join colder than a Polar Vortex hit in January.
Just for grins, I put $10 into the one $1 Double Diamond slot machine they had, as that has been a somewhat reliable slots game for me. No luck here, either. Out $50 total, I cleared out of the casino and decided it was time for me to get to bed as well.
 
Tonight's drink package tally:
2 cappuccinos 2 glasses of wine 3 cocktails Definitely ahead tonight, but still "making up" for yesterday's big shortfall.

Cruise Summary
Symphony is a fantastic ship.  The evolutional changes and differences compared to her sisters including Harmony have been well thought out and executed.  The Solarium is outstanding and my favorite of all in this class.  The changing colors of the art in the Solarium day and especially at night is pretty great.
Playmakers is a hit and from my deck 8 boardwalk balcony very nearly on top of it I never heard any noise from Playmakers.  
The main shows such as Hairspray, 1977, Flight and HiRO were also fantastic.  Flight was very well done and I look forward to experiencing it again on the 50th birthday cruise.  The enhanced projection technology even in HiRO was noticed.  I appreciated the artistic nature of HiRO more and the symbolism of equality and unity.  
The crew were all top notch and I can't recall a single poor crew interaction.  Like all Oasis class the crew can be very busy at times but they always had a smile on their face.
I was pleasantly surprised how well the O3b Voom held up across the Atlantic.  There are times when poor weather or satellite switch-over can impact even the best satellite technology so it's not the same as internet on land but it never really let me down.
This was my first transatlantic but it won't be my last.  The days flew by and before I knew it I had to think about packing.  
Next cruise - Serenade of the Seas from which I am writing this post.  Ten days in the Eastern Caribbean.
I hope you have enjoyed following me on this journey and I thank you for viewing.

After breakfast I went down to deck 5 to have a look at the new terminal.

There is another new terminal that has just started construction.  If I recall this is for another cruise line.

That's Mariner of the Seas back down at terminal G.  She was using this new terminal for almost two weeks, testing it out and getting it ready for Symphony.

There were a number of loyal guests transferring from Symphony to Mariner as well as Serenade today.  Royal Caribbean very generously offered a free transfer for us and that was greatly appreciated.  We were instructed to had down to Studio B at 9:15am as our meeting place.  Luggage tag #75 were distributed to us (the last of the luggage tag zones).  I placed my bag outside of my cabin the night before as instructed.
Can you figure out what the mess is on the floor of Studio B?  It's the inflatable laser tag from the night before.


There were over 110 guests transferring to Mariner and Serenade today.

Mariner guest count was in the mid 80s and Serenade guest count around 30.
Sometime around 10:15am were led out to be scanned off the ship and down the gangway into the terminal.  We didn't get the full terminal experience but it certainly looked great and had that new building smell to it.

No customs processing here.  I found my bag and exited the terminal.
The pick up and drop off area is under cover of the building and it was pretty busy.  


There was a little confusion at this point with respect to where we were to find our shuttle bus.  

I found some fellow luggage tag 75 people and discovered they were also transferring to Serenade so we hung out as a group on the assumption there would be safety in numbers.  Eventually a Mariner bus was called and not long after another motor coach pulled up for Serenade.  Safely on board our bus we settled in for the short ride up to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.  

The transfer could have been a little better organized but it was free and greatly appreciated so I'm not complaining.  I checked Uber and Lyft and both were in the $45 range.  Loyalty does pay.  I don't think this is normally offered as a free service so if you are planning a side-to-side cruise I wouldn't count on this.
One last look at Symphony as we drove away in our bus.

Sometime around noon I was onboard Serenade using terminal 18 in Port Everglades.  
My 'office' here on Serenade as I finish with these last few posts.

Since I was up here and it was dark outside I thought I'd share another new feature that can be found on Symphony of the Seas.  Electronic vending machines.
I tried taking some photos mid-cruise but the glare from the outside light coming through the windows made picture taking pretty hard. 



While the machines are disabled when in port due to taxation and other retail regulations at any given port, these machines are generally available 24 hours a day when not in port.  That makes them a great alternative from the retail shops on board if you need something after hours.  
I know what you are thinking.  What kind of ungodly money do they charge in these vending machines?  Actually they are pretty reasonable.  I looked at an Over-The-Counter medication that was one of the more expensive items at $17.25.  The same item for the same size was $17.01 on Amazon (U.S.).  

This is not Costco or Walmart of the Seas so I wouldn't expect prices to compete with land prices on everything but they didn't appear to be very different compared to drug store prices for a few items I looked at.   
The electronics do appear to have a higher premium compared to Amazon but realistically it's not fair to compare prices coming off a European transatlantic cruise to pricing at Amazon.  Few retail stores in America are the same price as Amazon.  
Are these going to be the cheapest prices for any item?  Not likely but the machines were very popular on this sailing any time I dropped by to try to take some pictures.  When you consider there is no additional tax collected as there would be (or should be) on land it's not that bad.
There is also a free charging station where you can securely store your device using a PIN you create.
 

Day 13 - Miami and Debarking
Since I was up late with friends I slept as we arrived into Miami.
Our progress:

Cruise total, 4,701 nautical miles.


Still dark I ventured up to deck 16 to see what I could see.




True to his word, Captain Rob had delivered us to Miami.





A first look at the now complete new Crown of Miami terminal building.

Since I was up here already I zipped into the Windjammer for a final breakfast.

Hey Goodsmith.
Here's an actual photo of the Twangster at formal night in the MDR last week! 

Day 12 - Evening
Our last night on board.  Sigh...
Our progress so far:

With 4,551 nautical miles behind us we hug the coast just far enough out to be outside the territorial boundary.


Dinner tonight would be in Playmakers.  Since it's Thursday, football was on.

I had wanted to see what their wings are like so for $8 I ordered the hot wings.

They are pretty good and it's a great place to hang out and watch the game.

Shortly after I ate they announced a hot wing challenge.  The winner got this super sized beer dispenser delivered to their table.

Perfect for when the doctor or wife says you can have only one beer. 

While I'm back here I thought I take a few more pictures.

I'm not normally one to take pictures in a bathroom, but I wanted to show you some of the bathroom art:

Back in Playmakers for a last night of Jenga with friends.  Not bad on a moving ship doing 20 knots.


Ugh.  What a horrible thing to see.

Thanks For Reading. I'm Glad You Had A Great Cruise 
 

I just returned yesterday from sailing on the Mariner & it was AWESOME!! I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Great pics!

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