WannaCruise

My kids are still staying home, they aren’t smart enough/old enough to come up with that argument so they won’t know what they are missing yet. 
 
They will get their culturally enriching experience in a few years when we spend a few weeks with family who live in Luxembourg.
 
...........and the post high jacking has begun.......sorry...

You have very clever kids. ?

Well they aren't wrong...now they need to start figuring out how to monetarily enrich your wallet if they keep expecting to go on all these great cultural learning experiences ?

We were done for when they played the teacher card back on me and said they would be missing a culturally enriching experience.  No clue where they would get ideas like that from?! ?

Her kiddos' guilt trip game was good..she was originally planning to do Norway without them!

That's great!  So nice you are getting away with the full family, plus a cruise just you and your hubby.  

Yeah...not expecting a lot of space but as long as we can manage. Don't spend a ton of time in the room so am not dismissing it. As mentioned, we've stayed 4 in a room, and typically do, but not in such a small one (and full enclosed interior with no window at all). Guessing there is less storage too?  I priced out 2 rooms but those also come close to 5K.  I hear you about balancing the budget...our March Break one we know is the pricier one, and so end of summer we try and keep it lower with a shorter cruise.  Having said that, our kids are older than yours and I wouldn't be as hesitant with kids your age (if a pullman is an option-but some have double sofa bed too).  
P.S. - I do love the YOLO saying on here.  So true.?

Recap starts here, so there will be some backtracking and I will possibly refer to stuff that I was able to post while onboard.
21 November - Arrival in Miami - transfer to Fort Lauderdale - overnight in the Best Western Plus Oceanside Inn on Seabreeze Boulevard.
Our flight arrived on time in Miami. This was something of an achievement given not only that TAP have a less than stellar punctuality record but also that the flight actually took off 30 minutes late.
About four or five other international flights had landed around the same time so the line for immigration was long. We were still a way away from the front when they started redirecting little batches of about five or six people to the agents who had been processing US citizens and were now more or less twiddling their thumbs. We were lucky to be included in one of the batches and even luckier to get the only bright and cheerful agent (the others all seemed very grim) who glanced at our passports, asked us if we were going on a cruise and waved us through. Yay! 
By this time the bags were all out on the carousel so we collected ours and headed out towards the doors. We had decided ahead of time to try and use either Lyft or Uber, assuming I would be able to connect to the airport WiFi, failing which we would just go to the Super Shuttle desk, since both of these options would be a lot cheaper than a taxi or a limo service. Luckily, after a few minutes trying to work out how to connect I was able to do so and we ordered a Lyft, which took a few minutes to come because although I had indicated that we were downstairs on the arrivals level the driver was looking for us upstairs. Anyway it worked and the total cost came in at just under $40 including tip. Score!
We had a room booked for our two pre-cruise nights at the Best Western on Seabreeze, which we stayed at on our last visit to Fort Lauderdale. Our room was a standard room with two queen beds and a balcony. Since it was booked well in advance it came in at under $300 for the two nights. When I checked the pricing just a week before we travelled, it was up to $500!

The rate at the BW includes breakfast and it is a pretty decent one too, with hot items, various breads and cold cuts, fresh fruit, make your own waffles, cereals and a fresh yogurt dispenser. I particularly liked the yogurt, very creamy and delicious. I didn't take pics of the hot items but they included things like scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, turkey sausage patties and pork sausage links.
 




The included breakfast is one of the reasons we like this hotel, the others being the location (it's on the sun trolley route, a one-minute walk to the beach, a five-minute walk to the water taxi stop at the Bahia Mar and a ten-minute walk to shops and restaurants) price and the helpful staff.
On this first evening we walked up to Bubba Gump for dinner, which may not sound very exciting but we don't have this chain in Portugal and we like the food and find the prices to be not over the top expensive. And then we were whacked so we had an early night as we were planning on riding the water taxi the next day.

Enchantment is replacing Grandeur out of Baltimore, but no booking available yet that I've seen.  It's supposed to be this week.

Fall 2021 out of Cape Liberty has Freedom sailings to CA/NE and Bermuda.  Also the repos from Cape Liberty to SJ and vice versa are up.

Dinner tonite at 150 Central Park. Joyce took a pic for us 

Again..thanks for following along and keeping me going with your feedback!  
Up next is the Royal Caribbean Blog Freedom Group Cruise.

I will NOT be blogging this one for my sake and to protect the anonymity of all parties involved.

Today is debarkation day and we are sitting in the aiport until our 2 pm flight ( hoping the weather will not delay us back to Cincinnati. :).  I thought I would catch up on the blog.  Debarkation was super easy.  We always carry off our own luggage so that we can pack some last minute items in the am.  We slept in until around 7:30 and then headed to the windjammer around 8 for 1 last breakfast.   The windjammer is always crowed at that time on debarkation day, but we easily found a spot with a great view of the NYC skyline.    Overall,  we thought the windjammer on anthem was a lot easier to find a table than on other ships.  We do realize the crowd was different this week.  There was a record number of children on board for the holiday week, but it felt more compartmentalized with their activities in the Seaplex etc. compared to the Oasis thanksgiving cruise last year.  The last 2 seadays sailing back have been cold.
Yesterday morning the boat was very rocky, and I actually felt really sea sick which is unusual for me.  I think it was heightened by the fact that I was pretty hung over from staying up late for the Quest. ? . We attempted to grab some breakfast in the solarium bistro which was only 1 deck up from our forward balcony cabin on deck 13.  I found this location very convenient to the north star bar, gym, and solarium.  Often we would go out the forward door on deck 13 which exits into the bottom of the solarium in the very front of the ship.  
I forced myself to do the elliptical yesterday before lunch, and I did feel much better.  My husband wanted to go back to WJ for lunch.  I was not that hungry so I just got an iced coffee and settled for desert for lunch.   I went back to the cabin to do some pre-packing and then we went to the We will rock you singers concert in the theatre in the afternoon, went and picked out our complementary diamond photos ( a perk I sometimes forget to take advantage of), and then we went to hear the Royal swedes pan in the music hall at 4pm.  I thought the band was really outstanding, and I went back to hear them play from 10-12pm again that night.    I am really glad I decided to get the DX this cruise because of the itinerary with Cococay, and the fact that we had so many sea days and stayed on the ship in both Nassau and port Canaveral.   Yesterday was day 8 though, so I was feeling drink fatigued.  I started off easy with mostly champagne. :), and then had my usual glass of wine # 490 ( an Italian red) with dinner and 2 lemon drop martini's later while listening to the band.  I found it super easy to get our money's worth outside of diamond hours on this cruise, but I am on the fence about it for the RCL blog New Year's 2020 cruise because of the port packed itinerary.  I think we will just try to get buy with our diamond drinks, 2 bottles of wine, and will probably do chef's table on new year's eve. 
We stopped by the diamond lounge per usual for some snacks and a pre-dinner cocktail.  Most of the week, we set with another family in the extended lounge area roped off in the music hall.  It came with some entertainment, ( unfortunately most of the time the entertainment was family karaoke. :).   We prefer my time dining because with just 2 of us, we can usually get through dinner quickly in just over an hour.  For most of the week, we were set at the same table.  Unfortunately on Thursday night, we made a later reservation because of a scheduled show, and we were set in a different area.  Last night, we went at our usual time of 5:30, but Unforunately, the table we had been sitting at for most of the week was already o ccupied.  I understand this is not unusual in MTD, but it is still disappointment when you have established a relationship with a particular wait staff team.  The assistant waiter saw us when the performed the Goodbye song that evening and both he and the waiter came by our table to say goodbye.  Last night was my favorite meal of the cruise.  I love the lamb chops served with the mint sauce. :).  For an appetizer I got the asian pork tacos.  They were great, and were almost exactly like eating an asian pork bun like you would find in China town in most cities.  For desert I got cheesecake, and my husband got the tres leches.  More to come.  I will blog from the beginning to share more details of our really fantastic and relaxing week! 
 
 
 
 
 
 



IMG_8472.HEIC

They found us a plane! We will be boarding soon. Not really too bad of a wait. It took me less than 5 minutes from curb to the end of security, and the TSA agent was keen on my shirt. 

I mirror what others have said.  Amazing review!  Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Looks like you had an amazing time. The amped Oasis looks amazing (not that the old Oasis looked so bad either).  Safe travels home.

My daughter and I ordered collapsible silicone straws that come in a tiny holder with a carabiner and a cleaning brush...will we actually use them?  Time will tell?

I hate those paper straws too... Maybe you can put the silicone straws in a ziplock bag so they stay clean while stored in your bag or pack?
Ask for water (bottled water is included in DBP, or just get a glass of water) whenever you have drinks and sip through the straw to clean it out before putting them back in the ziplock... maybe rinse them more thoroughly back in your cabin or in a restroom?
We may have to pick some up... not sure I want the stainless straws! We'll see... we still have a few months to decide!
 

This is what I'm thinking.  We are leaving soon and am thinking of picking up some silicone straws (we have the drink package for the first time), but am thinking of the logistics... with...as you say....carrying them around and then cleaning them.  I do wear a waist pouch in the day and have a deep purse at night so it "might" work...need to measure and see.  But that is definitely the down side.

That line on the left side is standby for tonight's Aqua80 showing.  This is why you make show reservations on an Oasis class ship.

Well the internet seems to be working much better now. Looks like they may actually have managed to fix it. Fingers crossed.
Dinner tonight was very nice. The menu was presented like a rolled-up scroll, tied with a yellow ribbon. The wait staff were collecting them after taking the orders but I asked if I could keep it. ?

I started with the sweet potato and butternut squash soup, which was very good.

The beef wellington was excellent, very tender and tasty. Luckily we ordered it done medium rare; I think if we had asked for medium well it would probably have been too dry.

And for dessert, since I couldn't decide between the pumpkin pie and the pecan tart, I just asked for both! ? They were very good. It was just a pity I was too full to finish them!

 

So fun to be travelling with friends. Enjoy!  Navigator is a great ship.

Eight hours until wheels leave the tarmac -- and my checklist is complete!
Packed Got passport! Household tasks complete Uber scheduled Got cash * So all of these are pretty common checklist items (trust me, I didn't include the whole list -- I could be typing forever, and you'd fall asleep before you got through it!).  The reason I put a star by the last one is because I don't usually carry much cash (much to my husband's chagrin), but for this cruise, I will!
Remember those fundraising raffles?  They start the minute we start the boarding process -- and I want to be ready!  Here's a picture from the 2017 Pirate Bingo event; photo credit is to the HIGH SEAS RALLY'S T.V. CREW, and I found the picture at https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/cruises/2019/07/03/themed-cruises-wacky-time-at-sea-from-knitting-to-disco/1628552001/.  Yup, I didn't know that we made USA Today!  
I wish I had one of the 50/50 raffles -- those wads of cash are too big for most hands to hold!  Again, it's for a great cause -- and the interesting thing is, although the stories in the news focus on the parties and the <interesting> competitions during the Rally, the charitable functions are often overlooked.  It's not just the money raised that should get attention -- it's the impact that the rally has on people's lives.  This video from the 2013 High Seas Rally (on Freedom of the Seas, before the HSR moved to a full ship charter) shows that impact.  You can see it at 
 
 
Time to go to bed!
 

After breakfast, we did a wee walkabout. Now, wee is all of the walkabout you will ever get from me....I’m not a wanderer.  If it doesn’t happen to be in the path between where I am and either a food venue or the casino, I’m likely to miss it. But here goes. 
I am not a wine drinker so I rarely venture into a Vintages, but I will say....the Vintages on Brilliance is beautiful, IMO.  Rather than the dark and deserted space that it is in most ships, it is light (there are even windows ??).  The lighting is very unusual. I found it a delightful space. Not delightful enough to go buy some wine that I don’t want, but lounge-worthy, for sure. 


The poker table is outside of the casino on a side trail leading out of the casino.  I remember this very long and narrow configuration from my last Rad class sailing.  No idea if they had a cash game going last night  Frankly, we weren’t there long enough to really inquire