Firemanswife2

Take a look at @Matt blog for first timers at Labadee 
http://royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/08/20/first-timers-guide-labadee
I'm there tomorrow on Navigator and we discussed bed/bungalow/cabana but decided to just go with the free loungers and save money for excursions on other islands.  
BTW - Love Labadee!

My cousin was on the Carnival ship at the time.  All he got for his inconvenience was a certificate for  two free drinks.

When Royal ships visit the ABC's they often mix it up and which island you stay the latest can vary.  For us we had Aruba with a midnight departure,  Bonaire at 8 pm and Curaçao at 6pm.  
Google sunset times and consider being on a beach for sunset.  That's a rare treat for cruisers as most times you have to be back on board before sunset. 
In Aruba we enjoyed late afternoon on Eagle Beach with a sunset to follow:



 
 
 

Final Thoughts:
As I mentioned in a post by @twangster a few days ago, 2018 has been a great cruising year for us. After sailing mainly OA class for the last few years, we had a chance to revisit Voyager class and try out Quantum and Freedom Class.  I am, without a doubt, still an OA class girl.  There is simply no comparison.  Nothing comes close. My heart belongs to that class of ship. 
Indy is a great ship. Would I sail her again? Yes!  Will I? Maybe not. But that is because Hubby doesn’t like to sail the same ship in a short period of time. He already thought with this cruise that it was too similar to Mariner. So, we may not end up keeping our booking for next New Years. Time will tell.
Other than the MDR, I have no real complaints. The crew for the most part was friendly. The stateroom attendants seemed a bit overworked but they still took the time to acknowledge you while passing. The lines at the pool bars were long most days. The WJ crew was one of the friendliest I have encountered in a while on any cruise. Special shout out to the WJ “washy washy guys”. They turned that wash your hands song into a show every day. I will post a video when I get home. D12 has one on her device. 
The revitalization, IMO, was most definitely a step in the right direction. My kids loved the pools, sides, etc. and feedback from the Playmakers scope was that it is in a great location and is huge as a venue. The ship is showing her age in small areas like the chipped tiles and worn out chairs. I really wished they updated their furniture (couches and chairs) and curtains in the cabins. That really dates the ship. Like Mariner, only the newly added staterooms received new items.  But she was clean and functional for the most part. 
While I do not regret the stateroom that we booked, I did not care for it either. The additional space was nice but I completely hated the bathroom. For me that is a deal breaker. And I really missed not having a balcony. So for @WAAAYTOOO, @bellemiche,  @Boston Babe, and anyone else wondering, I have not left the suite snob club. Hubby is out of luck. His plan did not work. 
Once again, thank you all so much for following along. Blogging is so much more fun when you all are with me. And for people wondering if that consumes too much of my vacation time, it does not. I just don’t read anymore on a cruise. I blog instead. I have plenty of time to read back at home. I consider this relaxing and enjoyable. 
That’s all for now. I will report back on the disembarkation process tomorrow. We have never had issues at Terminal 18 so hopefully that is the case again tomorrow.
The countdown is finally on for our next adventure, and possibly the best cruise of my entire life...

67 days to go!! It’s Genie time! Excited is an understatement. 

Day 5: Sea Day
This morning our plans are to head to the theater to do the Behind the Scenes backstage tour. Then we will probably check out the belly flop competition.
Just finished breakfast in the Diamond lounge. The concierge here, Hailey Park, is fantastic! I have no other diamond concierge to compare her to but she is personable and efficient at diffusing problems. Each morning she has gone from table to get to know each guest and make conversation. I learned some interesting things from her about Ovation sailings our of China, as that is the ship she was on prior to coming on Indy.
Off to the theater tour now, will check back again in a bit.

After some drinks in the Diamond Lounge, I literally stumbled my way back to the stateroom to meet my family for dinner. I was worried that I accidentally had too many Cosmos but it was actually the ship that was rocking like crazy! The motion is really bad tonight. Worse so far during whole sailing. I took some Gravol before dinner, so did D12, but unfortunately while that took away the nausea, the combination of Cosmos and Gravol made for a very sleepy meal at Giovanni’s.
Giovanni’s menu:

Soup of the day: Lentil soup

Gamberetti Alla Ligure

Pork Belly

Carbonara

Filet Mignon

Desert here is served off a tray. You pick whatever you want.

This is what we missed from the MDR.

Giovanni’s was good. Way better than eating in the MDR. I was fighting to stay awake so that was the only negative to the meal. 
A few things to note here. I know from these boards that there are many Giovanni’s fans out there. We came to a unanimous desision that we prefer Jamie’s over Giovanni’s. There was nothing at Giovanni’s that really stood out. Second thing is that for @Matt and all others who have not tried Coastal Kitchen given the opportunity, you need to try it! The filet that I had tonight was ok, but the filet at CK on night one still trumps it by a long shot! No comparison, in flavour and in quality. We have yet to try Chops. Will be doing that on Harmony but so far it is still #teamCK for us.
We are now settled in the Royal Theater waiting for Once Upon A Time. The ship is swaying so much it makes me appreciate what these actors/actresses do even more.
 

My "formal" is a pressed pair of khakis. A light blue, lightweight button down shirt. I bought some goofy nautical theme ties at a thrift shop and had them dry cleaned. I bought a pair of boat shoes 15 years ago that have never touched dry land,  just boat decks.  I am usually one of the better dressed except for those getting photos taken. My wife says I look like Thurston Howell III. 

 

I have cashed in for almost $1000 in obc over the past 2-3 years and that was without spending 1 penny on the game. I broke down and gave them $3 today. In return I received another 8k in reward points and still have most of the coins left. I only need 80k reward points for the free cruise. As long as I get the same return it would only take a $30 investment.

A compliment on my blog from the infamous twangster? I’ve never felt so honored before. I like the longer port days too. Bonaire seemed a bit short today, but other than that it’s been great.

Day 5 - Aruba
The WiFi still isn’t great, so no pictures until I get back home.
After sleeping awfully last night, I slept in a bit late and didn’t wake up until 9:15. For some reason, my allergies always get bad in desert climates, so as soon as we docked in Aruba, I started getting stuffy. I grudgingly made my way down to the Windjammer and grabbed some breakfast. Then my mom and I got off the ship to meet my dad at 10:30 at diamonds international since he had already gotten off the ship before us. After some shopping (most of the stores were closed because of Christmas), we went back to the ship to grab some lunch for our 1:30 trikes tour.
We booked the tour through Aruba trikes and had a blast. It was a fun way to see the island, and we loved our tour guide Ramses. He was originally from the Netherlands and he spoke SEVEN different languages.
We didn’t finish the tour until 6:30 so we were stuck with my time dining. We were happy they could fit us in, but we still missed our normal wait staff. Our assistant waiter during my time dining was pretty good, but none of us were a huge fan of the head waiter. We understand how much harder being a my time dining waiter is, so we didn’t hold it against her that much.
I stuck with the kids vegetables for my appetizer (they were forgotten at first), my mom got her French onion soup again, my grandmother and her friend got ceaser salad, and my dad got the bay scallops. He was the only one to try something new and he said they were delicious. The portion size was a bit small, though.
Then for the main dish I got another kids grilled cheese which was fine. My parents got the coq au vin which they thought was pretty good and my grandmother and her friend got the prime rib which they also enjoyed.
For desert, my grandmother and I tried the brownie. We both enjoyed it. My dad got the citrus berries cheesecake which he liked more than yesterday’s cheesecake, and my mom and grandmother’s friend got their favorite again - the apple pie.
After dinner we ran to the 9:00 show and barely made it in time(dinner took forever). The show tonight was called, Now and Forever, which just showcased the singers and dancers doing broadway songs. The show was pretty good. I especially liked the part at the end where they did a compiliation of ABBA songs.
When the show ended we went back out to Aruba and caught a taxi to ride around and look at Christmas lights. Since we only had an hour before we needed to be back on the ship, we couldn’t go to black mountain which is where they said had the best lights because it’s an hour round trip to get there. Instead we just rode around the downtown area. The lights were pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. We really liked our taxi driver, though.
We got back at 11:15 and got back on the ship. Then I just met up with friends and hung out with them until 1.

Day 2 - At Sea
Much to my surprise I actually woke up to the alarm that I had set for 7:30. I left the room at 7:45 and headed up to the gym to meet a friend to work out. The treadmills were all full (3 were actually broken) so we went out to the jogging track. He was much faster than me so we kinda gave up trying to stay together.
After running, we went to put our feet in the pool. The water was ridiculously cold. It was a little chilly in Miami yesterday when we left, but I still didn’t think it should’ve made the water that cold.
Then at 8:45 I went to go meet my dad and grandmother for breakfast at the MDR. They had one side that was for a buffet and another side that was a la carte, which was difference than my last cruise. We sat on the buffet side and all enjoyed our food. I especially liked the biscuits. They were kinda sweet which was odd, but surprisingly good.
After breakfast I went up to the sports court to meet my friends for teen only dodgeball. There was a huge group of teens that showed up for it. By the end, a huge group on onlookers had also gathered to watch.
When dodgeball was over, I headed back down to the MDR for more food. I feel like all I do on a cruise ship is eat, but I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do??
I skipped the appetizer, but everyone else got a make your own salad that they chopped up for you. Everyone loved it. Then for the main meal my dad and grandmother skipped it, my mom got the Asian chicken over noodles, I got a corn cake, and my grandmother’s friend got catfish. Once again we all thought it was great.
One thing that you’ll quickly realize about us is that we pretty much enjoy all the food we get. We’re definitely not foodies and we understand that when a kitchen makes all these meals, you’re bound to run into some items that aren’t spectacular.
They also had a great dessert table set up in the MDR. They had a ton of choices and a really big topping bar for the ice cream. I meant to get a picture, but completely forgot about it.
After lunch it was time for the sexiest man competition. It was a little risqué, but quite entertaining. An 80 year old named Joe ended up winning. I think when he dropped and did 5 push ups in a row is when he won everyone over???
Then I just hung around the ship with my friends until 5. At 5 I went to go get ready for dinner. Tonight was formal night so we all dressed up - well at least we tried to. When my mom and I went to put on our heels we realized they weren’t there and that we had forgotten the bag that had all of our dress shoes in Miami. So now we’re both currently wearing super dressy dresses with flip flops. It’s not our best look but it will have to do lol.
As promised, here’s a picture of the menu from dinner tonight:

I’m actually sitting at dinner waiting for the food right now while writing this. So I don’t know how good the food is yet. I’ll let y’all know what we think of it in my next post.
Some other notes:
•The Diet Coke tastes a lot better on this cruise than it has on others.
•A lot of machinery on the ship is broken. They had three treadmills broken and most of the arcade were out of order. I guess they’re just letting them just stay broken since the ship is going dry dock in a couple weeks.
 

@chalkdawg4 I am loving this blog for several reasons:  Love the pics so far.  Not sure if you know but I am a teacher.  I teach mainly 13 year olds but over the years, the writing skills of young people have been going downhill.  Quite scary at times.  As I read this with my "teacher hat" on, this blog is so well written for a teenager.  The style and wording is not only descriptive but there is an excellent voice coming through.  Love it!  

I'm I3 And I'm Diamond LOL.       

T-1 Day
Almost a year ago, my family booked this cruise. Now we’re less than a day away from boarding the beautiful Navigator of the Seas to embark on our 9 night journey to the Southern Caribbean.
I guess it’s best to start this live trip report by telling everyone a little bit about myself. I’m 17 from Atlanta, Georgia. I know I’m probably quite a bit younger than most of the users on Royal Caribbean Blog, but what can I say - it’s never to early to become obsessed with cruising.
Going on this cruise with me are my mom, dad, elderly grandmother, and her elderly friend. We booked two separate balcony rooms, so my grandmother and her friend will stay in one room and I’ll stay in the other room with my mom and dad. My dad and I both booked the classic soda package and the voom surf voyage package so we can communicate with each other while on the ship. After diligently checking the cruise planner every 3 or so days, I was able to get the voom package for $19.18 a day, which was the cheapest I’ve seen it for the past 6 months.
We chose this cruise strictly for the itinerary. The ABC islands have been on our list for quite some time, and when they offered them at the next cruise desk on our last cruise, we just couldn’t pass it up.
The intertary is as follows:
Day 1: At sea
Day 2: Labadee, Haiti
Day 3: At sea
Day:4 At sea
Day 5: Oranjestad, Aruba
Day 6: Willemstad, Curaçao
Day 7: Kralendijk, Bonaire
Day 8: At Sea
Day 9: At Sea
In Labadee we’re planning to just have a beach day, in Aruba we’re doing a Trikes tour, we’re going to just play it by ear in Curaçao, and in Bonaire we rented a few golf carts.
We got into Miami yesterday night with my dad driving my grandmother and her friend down and my mom and I flying since she had to stay later to work and I had to stay later for finals.
Today in Miami we did a little sight seeing at Little Havana, South Beach, and Bayside. After lunch we ran a few last minute errands to pick up the things we realized we forgot to pack, and all got pedicures (including my dad). He was not a fan of the flip flops lol. At least they had blue. 

Now all that’s left is our last dinner of 2018 on land and then it’s cruise time tomorrow!! 

^^^^Truth!  That line brings a smile to my face.  My 10 year old is on these boards regularly (she doesn't post, just a lurker lol) and she watches many of @Matt's scopes with me.  She loves it.  She knows so much about cruising already.  The earlier you start, the earlier you are on your way to Pinnacle! ?
Looking forward to following along.  Enjoy your Christmas cruise!

Ooooooh. I love those padded seats next to the pool bar.  Very nice addition !

Lol. This coming from the guy who is at sea more than on land!

Who’s Going?
The usual crew:  Hubby, our 2 girls, D10, D12, and myself.
Flight
Our plan is to fly from DTW to FLL the day before.  We booked through Air2Sea this time as it was about $140 cheaper (total) to do so.  In the end, I don’t think I will use Air2Sea again unless it is for a cruise outside of North America or unless I don’t plan on ever upgrading.  More on why later.
Pre-Cruise Stay
Once again, La Bamba dictates where we stay, so it’s back on 17th Street again.  Our usual, with kids, is Hyatt Place Convention Center but since we booked so late and it’s a holiday, that property was already sold out!  We grabbed a room at the Holiday Inn Express on 17th Street (red flag…2 star…out of comfort zone again) and the only thing that was left was a King bed room with a sofa bed.  We figured we’re already “roughing it” for the cruise so might as well “rough it” for the hotel as well.  This hotel recently underwent major renovations and a new addition was added to the hotel.  To our surprise, the week of Black Friday, they opened bookings for the new section, which included suites, and we were able to grab a suite for more space and more beds and at a lower price than we initially booked for.  Win-win.  Love those scenarios.  The suite snob in me was now a little less tense.  Fast forward to a week ago, I called to confirm my reservation, only to be told that while we still have a room, the suite section is not yet ready.  So back to roughing it.  They confirmed that I have at least 2 beds and they can throw in a cot.  Oh well, I am so desperate for a getaway at this point to really care.
Itinerary
This 5-night sailing brings us to Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica.  The ship is the destination for us, so we are likely staying on board the entire time.  We might take a walk around Labadee since D10 loves the beach, but we are also visiting these exact ports again in March so not too worried that we will miss much.
Cabin
We are booked in…gasp…an Oceanview cabin!  Booking this cruise 3 months out left us with little selection and crazy high prices.  Just to give you an idea how high, we booked Indy for next NYE too and the cost we are paying for our Panoramic suite (VP-full suite benefits) next year, is less than the cost of this year’s Oceanview.  Lesson learned here…. book early for holiday sailings.  Another thing I learned about holiday sailings is that the usual price drop after final payment doesn’t happen.  I’ve tracked the price on this sailing right up until this week and it has done nothing but increase over time, even after final payment.  Cabins also didn’t open after final payment either, meaning people are not changing their minds about their holiday sailings.  So, the wise @twangster and fellow Insiders were correct again, holiday sailings are an anomaly.
Pre-Cruise thoughts
-          This is our first time without a balcony since 2003!  The suite snob in me still has not come to terms with that.
 
-          This is our first time sailing Freedom class.  I have heard so many good things about this class of ship from so many of you that I am very excited to check it out for myself.
 
-          We are #TeamNoDrinkPackage on this one because we have kids with us, and because this is our first cruise as Diamond members with Diamond benefits.  We will see how this works out.
 
-          We have purchased our usual VOOM 2 Device plan again.
 
-          Dining mainly in the MDR again.  I did not love it on Mariner but for a short sailing it will be fine.  Anything is better cooking on my own.  We are trying Giovanni’s for one night.
 
-          This is our first time sailing over the holidays.  I’ve always been hesitant to travel over the holidays for various reasons so I’m outside my comfort zone on this one too. 
 
-          Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.
 
-          When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.
 
-          Lastly, I will do my best to bring the cruise to you LIVE through Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002.

@twangster I want to be you when I grow up ?  Do you fly often or drive? Looking forward to the day we can just cruise whenever we want. Or I need a job where I can work remotely from a ship. Happy New Year everyone!
 

Here's a graphic I slapped together since I like to see fleet info with the tonnage listed.  The pictures and below came straight from the RCI website.  I only added the header and the tonnage info.  I've attached a pdf version and also included a ppt version if you want to tweak the image to your liking.  Enjoy! 
RCI SHIP INFO.pdf
RCI SHIP INFO.pptx

Some people have to pay for parking at the cruise port, I have to pay for parking at the air port.  I fly and put my dog in boarding when I travel.  That is simply the cost of cruising for me.  

Booking and going on a cruise by myself and not waiting on anyone else. This was a big moment and a turning point in my life...

First time cruising on a ship that didn't have mouse ears on the stack.

I haven't cruised since 2010, but the highlight of this year is booking 3 upcoming cruises and finding all of you!!!

When I grow up, I want to be like @twangster ?
Mine’s got be this one. I was fortunate enough to have sailed out of Miami twice this past summer. I completely fell in love with the Miami backdrop.