WannaCruise

I had no idea your family was on this sailing either.  For sure we need to meet up for a drink -  I will look forward to meeting you and @WannaCruise

Two days and counting!  I spent the day buttoning up the yet to be approved restaurant. I’ve spent several weeks in the kitchen experimenting with our menu. Today I decided to try and use most of the product I have on hand before leaving. So pizza day it was!  Since we’re a small town I know most all of the other business owners. Pizzas were delivered to our local fire department, gas station, ice cream shop, cactus store, feed and novelty store and a tire shop.  The reviews have been good!  I like Sorrento’s but I do believe that Just a Small Town Grill’s pizza is better!
 

My favorite song is Don't Stop Believing so we named our restaurant "Just A Small Town Grill" instead of Girl and the guys sang it for us that night substituting the word Grill for me!  How fun is that????

So about the blog title.  I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense.  Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a
So about the blog title.  I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense.  Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a restaurant.  Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant.  At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant !  So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically convert into the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. It was only April, surely we'd be open by September.  Right?  Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it?  The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners!  (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button. 
 
Now I told you all of that to tell you this:  It's Aug 28, 2023.  The restaurant is not open.  There are no more partners. But by golly we're about to go cruising!  Shortly after we returned home last year the partners requested we buy them out because the project was more expensive than they had planned. So that happened. (And yes, we're still all friends).  And the construction, which I do myself, continued.  As did the requests, requirements, questions, inspections and fees from our wonderful County Building and Safety, Planning, and Health Departments. Sometime around March or April I told the girls we needed to cancel. But we didn't. I said it again just before final payment was due. But we didn't cancel. A few weeks ago I told them to go without me because this is a critical time in this restaurant and I needed to be here. And then really just days ago I finally decided that this cruise is a go - for all of us!  I need the break. Dealing with the County is like trying to un-ring a bell, wash a cat and put toothpaste back in the tube – all at the same time. I won't mention which County. (It's San Bernardino, California 😂). Their emails flow like blended Mojitos on the pool deck. Their direction changes as quickly as Captain Johnny trying to outrun a storm.  I feel like I'm caught in the middle of the Escape Room and the Quest!  I need a break.  And I think a cocktail on the balcony as we sail out of Galveston will provide that. So,in just 12 days we will board a Southwest Airlines jet, with two good engines, and fly from Palm Springs, Ca to Las Vegas, NV, to Tucson, AZ, to Houston Texas.  With the price of the room, budget air is a necessity ! 
 
I know this is an early start to the Blog. But after making the decision to go and reading @Lovetocruise2002live blog I need to switch from restaurant mode to CRUISE mode!  I hope some of you will follow along as Stacy, Katie, Taylor, Melissa and I head out for 7 wonderful days on our favorite Allure of the Seas.  Now I can spend a few days of not only thinking about it but writing about it. Makes it seem more real this way
 
.  Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant.  At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant !  So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically concert in the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. it was only April, surely we'd be open by September.  Right?  Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an would hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it?  The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners!  (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button. 

We’ll make it happen! It’s been too long! 

We are now on board, and our luggage is also on board! Thank you all for coming along with us again. 🙂

We are on this sailing too! 

Thank you all for the well wishes for a safe trip home. So far flight is still a go. And the best part? @PPPJJ-GCVAB every few years I take a year off, and this coming school year is my year off, so no classroom to go back to on Tuesday! 

It was great following along.  Seems like a great cruise with amazing itinerary.  Sorry you weren't thrilled with Liberty itself, but at least this was a port intensive cruise (and a cruise is still a cruise).  Safe travels home.  

Some final thoughts…Itinerary 
All 4 of us loved this itinerary!! Completely loved it! Not one single complaint other than we wished we had longer at certain locations. 
We all had different favourite ports this sailing for different reasons. My favourite was Boston, followed closely by Bar Harbor, Portland, Saint John, and then Halifax. My top “Wow! I am speechless” port was probably at the sea caves in St Martins. My favourite eating port was probably a toss up between Boston and Portland. 
Hubby really loved Bar Harbor. That was his favourite. And he and the girls really loved Peggy’s Cove. D17 is a city girl like me, so one of her favourites was also Boston. D15 being a nature girl, loved Cadillac Mountain, the sea caves, and yesterday at Peggy’s cove. 
I would 100% do this itinerary again. And I would 100% do it again on a non-Oasis/QN class ship. Reason being that because it is so port intensive, and you are literally out all day in port, the evenings you just want to chill. I would have not liked to have to dress up for dinner, and catch some show at the theatre, Aqua Theater, or whatever each evening.
This sailing just reaffirms our decision to do the Western Med on Voyager next year instead of Oasis. The small ships have less entertainment, but for port intensive itineraries, I like that. It takes away the pressure to have to do something, or feel like you are missing something. Most nights all 4 of us just had dinner and came back to the room to relax and process the day. It was different than our usual cruising routine, but perfect for the type of sailing that this was. 

I've never done self parking at LAX, but my friends in LA who do often use the garage(s) inside the terminal loop...they feel it's worth the extra money. If you book ahead for the cheaper parking (that requires a shuttle), they sometimes throw you a deal to upgrade to the terminal parking. 
Yes, it depends on the airline AND the fare. And you often won't know the real fare ahead of time, if at all. Many of the fares Air2Sea uses are specially negotiated, so even on the same airline and same route, two people may have very different experiences. 

This morning we took a 1/2 day tour to Peggy’s Cove through Royal. It was called “Halifax Highlights & Peggy’s Cove”. The tour itself was not bad, but our guide was pretty awful. It sounded like she read off a sheet the entire time. 
For those who are headed to Peggy’s Cove, it was pretty chilly and windy there so be warned. 

I think it must depend on the airline.  We are trying Air2Sea for the first time in December.  The airline is WestJet but we are not able to book our seats until we pay off the flight. It's a chance we are taking, but like the fact that we don't have to pay the flight off when booking.

Another view from Splashaway Bay

Not sure how Hubby is doing out there with the FlowRider but I sure as heck am not going to check on him 😂
 

I do think we need to speak up, otherwise it won't change. I wasn't a fan of the MDR or WJ before the new menus and I'm still not a fan now. I feel like the WJ has too many reduced offerings. And the MDR isn't consistent. I sailed Mariner in Jan 2019 and was blown away by both. I understood it being lacking a little during the restart, even in 2021 it was okay. By 2022 it was worthless 😪 😔 😢. I did find it to be more than okay on Freedom in April but I also went in with such low expectations that if it was just hot, it would be acceptable.
I don't think it was bad of you and I don't think it has anything to do with being a suite snob. You have a refined pallette. Your taste are personal, you enjoy the truffle 😂, the MDR feeds the masses. There is no "wow" in the food, the wine helped you vocalize the truth.

It seems strange that we are spending so much money eating in ports. We never eat in ports usually. 
I know 😉😂

 
You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions that I did not answer already. 🙂
We are enjoying this cruise a lot! It’s been a lot of laughs and bickering, classic family good times. But this is very different from our usual Caribbean cruises and I think we all find that difference a bit more refreshing. Also, we knew what we were getting into so we set our expectations accordingly. 
Hubby is getting better. Practice makes perfect. He has his blue band now the last few cruises so he enjoys that a lot more. It’s more quiet when you can go to the stand up sessions. 
 
Omg! Something really bad happened tonight. I am going to tell you guys something and hopefully you all don’t think less of me. My family was mortified 😂
The suite snob was good. She stayed in the closet while I ate my dinner, made polite conversation with everyone, had two glasses of wine, and then at the very end, one of head waiters came around to check on us. We told him all was good and that our servers were awesome, which they are. Then he asked about the food. 3 of us said everything was great. I could not lie.
He asked me and I told him that everything is fine, and the service is fantastic. Then he said he is aiming for 10/10 on food and service. Well…I was at this point smiling and nodding. But he kept pressing asking me what I thought about the food. I could not keep the suite snob in the closet.
I went on a long rant/vent, while smiling the whole time, about how we have been sailing since 2002 and the MDR is not as it used to be. Told him how their cost cutting has lead to everything being just mid and no “wow” factor with any of the dishes. I tried hard to reassure him that it does not reflect on their dining room whatsoever, that I understand completely this is a corporate problem, and the “problem” is way bigger than he can fix.
Then he called the executive chef on his phone to come speak to us because he said he felt like the chef needed to hear this feedback as well. At this point the kids were so embarrassed they made an excuse to leave. I felt terrible too, but at the same time, I think all the frustration from the changes over the last few years just came out, and I might have lost my filter a bit after two glasses of wine and the martini I had in the suite lounge.
Anyway, in the end, they said they want to hear this type of feedback, because like what else are they going to say? And I told him, in the end, I know there is not much they can do because the problem starts with Mr. Liberty and corporate. And then he asked for my cabin number. Omg 🤦🏻‍♀️ sorry 😬

Top of Cadillac Mountain
Video clip on IG

First holiday cruise for us as well. Its a mini family vacation and our first time on Odyssey

We're on this cruise.  Me, DH, DS18 and DD14. 
First time on Odyssey and first time cruising at December holiday time.  Can't wait!

We're on this cruise.  Me, DH, DS18 and DD14. 
First time on Odyssey and first time cruising at December holiday time.  Can't wait!

Day 3 - Boston 
 

I'm always amazed at seeing these suite type rooms.  I think the rooms that we stay in are the size of the closet you showed 😆 Enjoy!

#teamcloset
We affectionately call our interiors, caves... cool, dark, and cozy.

We are sailing Liberty, Freedom and Independence in the upcoming months due to the limited casino offers we received in the past few months.  Not expecting much….but a comp cruise (even a short one on an old ship) is better than no cruise, so here we go….

I'm always amazed at seeing these suite type rooms.  I think the rooms that we stay in are the size of the closet you showed 😆 Enjoy!