melmar02

We wouldn't hesitate to use it, but we're used to kids being grouped all together. We have a drop in, hourly playcare here that we have used instead of a babysitter since our now 11 year old daughter was 6 months old. The infants have separate room. The toddlers have a separate room. Once they are 3 and potty trained, they can go in with the big kids who are all together. Sounds like RC's new model is the same. What I noticed at our land based playcare is that the kids group together on their own. You typically won't have a group of 11-12 year olds trying to engage with the younger kids because they play differently. For instance, my 11 year old would rather play a video game than have a tea party. The exception of course is where siblings are involved, and then the younger usually follows the older to their preferred activity. Will there be issues with the occasional kid who uses foul language or wants to cause trouble? Sure, just like in the halls or recess at school or out at the mall, but it also goes the other way in this situation. You'll have a 6 year old with poor impulse control occasionally throw a toy that accidentally hits an older kid because his purple crayon goes missing. Our land based playcare has always been really good at keeping an eye one both ends of that spectrum, and keeping a variety of activities available so everyone is engaged which also keeps potential troublemakers at bay. Hopefully Royal finds a good rhythm with this, because it can work.

Add in trying to wrangle excited kids while toting everyone's carry on. I've got a 100.4 temperature just thinking about it!

Don't call him a fail... I would sell it as the guy that had one too many at Senor Frogs!

6 days until we leave, 8 days until the cruise! I started the laundry to be packed today. You know, the pile of "don't touch that once it comes out of the dryer" stuff that's going straight to our guest room bed for pre-pack staging. We're really going to try to pack less this time, but it's hard with as many days pre and post cruise as on the actual ship. I'm hoping this will be good practice for Alaska in 2022. Right now, we think we're going to take one small rolling suit case each for me, DD, and DS. DH will take his big 27" for his stuff plus any overflow from ours (my hair dryer!). Then we'll all have a backpack to carry on as well. MIL has a small rolling suit case, and is just planning on a over the shoulder type carry on. Since we have the drink package, we're not bothering with wine. BUT... MIL drinks Diet Coke instead of coffee in the morning. We'll want to carry on a 12 pack for her for the mornings since she's up at dark o'clock. Otherwise DH would be the one to run up to the Windjammer Freestyle machine every morning. Also, DD has started using a weighted blanket, and while I was skeptical, it has really improved her sleep. Fortunately her backpack rolls, so the cokes and blanket will go in there. I'm happy to be the one to roll it - I'm just not carrying that blanket around until 1:00pm when rooms are ready. It weighs a ton! ?️

I can hear it! ? "When you're CK, you're CK all the way. From your first appetizer to your last filet." ?

Thanks. Yes, we were there in September and loved it! We're considering going back in November too, but we may do a snorkeling excursion instead. Once this trip is over I'll start focusing on excursions for that one.

Pre-cruise purchases: When tracking prices, the Deluxe Beverage Package was running between $61-$67 on sale. Refreshment packages for the kids fluctuated between $22 and $28. The 3 device Surf and Stream was around $35 at it's highest. And the digital photo package was around $135-150 (I'm going off of memory on that one - we would have paid full price so I didn't pay much attention). We waited, aaand waited, aaaaand waited to take advantage of Black Friday sale because it was really good the year before. They offered 30% off the deluxe beverage package this year which brought it down to $55, and we got the refreshment packages at $19pp. If my math is right, that means the DBP is $78-79 on board. I was hoping for more than 30% on Black Friday since they run that discount a few times during the year anyway, but I think we got a great deal on both the 3 device Surf and Stream at $19.99 / day and the digital photo package for $89.99. Excursions: In Costa Maya we’re going to play it by ear. If the trolley is running, we’ll take it down the long pier and just explore the cruise port a bit. MIL wants to do a little shopping which is code for buy junk for our kids. ? DH and I would really be ok just staying on board. DD really wants to do the aviary this time since we just stayed on board in September, but I’ve been trying to prep her that Mimi may not be able to do the stairs and suspension bridges. DS will just go with the flow - he'd be just as happy to go to Adventure Ocean as see the birds. Does anyone have any feedback on the aviary - is there a lot of sway and bounce on the bridges? In Cozumel we are going back to Paradise Beach. We went All Inclusive again because it was well worth it for us last time – DD alone had popcorn shrimp, coconut shrimp, a cheeseburger, 2 smoothies, a soda, and bottles of water while we were there! Their pool is heated which is a bonus if the ocean is a little chilly, and we plan to get seats by the pool so MIL doesn’t have to walk through the sand to get around the property. She’s looking forward to sitting in a lounge chair and having someone bring her drinks all day! This is one of the reasons we get along so well! ?

Single digits!!

Our little 5 day cruise has turned into a week and a half long vacation. Here’s the plan: T minus 2 days (Wed February 5) – Drive from Dallas to Houston when DH can get off work. MIL's flight arrives early the next morning, so we need to be there to pick her up. ? T minus 1 day (Thurs the 6th) – MIL flies from Lubbock (West Texas) to Hobby in Houston via Love Field in Dallas. Day 1 (Fri the 7th) – Embarkation / Mimi’s Birthday! ? Day 2 (Sat the 8th) – At sea ?️ Day 3 (Sun the 9th) – Costa Maya ? Day 4 (Mon the 10th) – Cozumel ?️ Day 5 (Tues the 11th)– At sea ? Day 6 (Wed the 12th) – Debarkation / MIL flies back to Lubbock ? Post cruise day 1 (Thurs the 13th) – Space Center Houston or Children’s Museum in Houston ? Post cruise day 2 (Fri the 14th) – Children’s Museum in Houston or Space Center Houston ?️ Post cruise day 3 (Sat the 15th) – Drive back to Dallas, start laundry, and catch up on sleep. ? DH’s work schedule is relatively flexible, and he can leave the office when he gets enough hours in to offset the rest of Wednesday. He’s planning on going in for a few hours this weekend to help with that. We’re in a northern suburb of Dallas, and our hotel is on the south side of Houston in Clear Lake - 5 hours with no stops. If our timing is off, we’ll hit traffic here, there, or (worst case scenario) both. MIL has dogs and doesn't want to leave them with family any longer than she needs to, so she's flying in just the day before the cruise and out the afternoon we disembark. She could have flown to Dallas a day earlier, and we could have all made the long road trip as one big happy family. Together. 5 people in a clown car small SUV. With luggage. She said no thanks to that, and to be honest, I'm ok with her decision because I'd be the one stuck in the backseat playing referee between two fighting kids. ? MIL only has 45 minutes to change planes in Dallas, and Southwest has a nasty habit of delayed departures in Lubbock. We’re taking over / under bets on whether or not she’ll make that connection. She (hopefully) lands in Houston at 10:40am, so if needed, she could get a later flight. I told her if I had to, I have all day drive back to Dallas to get her – she can’t miss her birthday cruise!

We sailed in an aft 2 br grand on Liberty in September which also has the super structure - deck 9. It didn't bother us at all. If I stared at it, sure it was noticeable but I tended to look beyond the frame to the wake/view. We booked the same room again for this November, and we're looking at one in the same location on Freedom in 2021.

This could become the new cruising ducks...but tastier!

I love the lamb shank in the MDR and the Habenaro Grapefruit Daiquiri in the Schooner Bar - refreshing with just a touch of heat at the end.

Our first cruise was with a group of bikers. I don't think the ship was even partially chartered, just a big group cruise. We got off the ship in St. Maarten and there were 50 or so Harleys lined up on the dock waiting for them. I know storage is tight below deck, so I've always wondered if they had to pay a premium to bring along their bikes, or if this was some sort of excursion and the bikes were all rented on the island and delivered to the dock.

My hubby, son, and MIL are all early risers, so we’re trying to figure out the sleeping arrangements on the ship. Right now we’re thinking kids in the 2nd bedroom, one in the pullman over the other in the twin bed that's furthest from the door to the room. Mimi in the other twin in that room closest to the door. She says she would be fine on the pullout sofa in the living room, which I get because of space, but I have a hard time relegating my MIL to the couch. I don’t know, it may be more comfortable than the beds! Our Plan B (or is it C?) is to have DD sleep on the couch, and then when DH gets up in the morning, she’ll come in and finish snoozing with me. Have any other suggestions? I’m open!

Ohhh! One of my bucket list cruises! I can't wait to see your amazing photos!

To celebrate my Mother in Law’s birthday this year, we’re taking her on her first cruise! My FIL passed away a couple of years ago, and then she had a really hard time selling her home of 40 years. She’s finally settled in her new place, and my husband and I thought she was overdue for a getaway...or maybe we are just using her as an excuse to YOLO go on another cruise. ? Either way, we are boarding Enchantment of the Seas ON HER BIRTHDAY for a 5 day Western Caribbean cruise! I’ve been sending her videos, photos, reviews, menus and the like just about weekly since we booked, and it seems to have become all we talk about. She is so excited! I'll post all the specifics over the coming days as I get a few minutes of free time. In my typical fashion, I've crammed as much as possible into this last full week at home - 4 client meetings, orders to fill, doctor and dentist appointments for everyone, hair appointments, plus our regular school and evening activities... at some point I'm really just going to learn to clear my calendar the week before and after vacation! Here are a few of the details to get us going: DH, the kids, and I haven’t really changed from our September cruise on Liberty. Well I have purple hair now, but otherwise, we’re the same! My mid-life crisis included drastic hair coloring and buying a bicycle ? - I figure it’s a lot less expensive than a new sports car! Here’s a link to my post from Liberty a few months ago. In case you want the short version, DH’s a VERY early riser and a type A personality who likes to relax and do nothing on vacations. I’m a night owl, and much more relaxed in our day to day lives, who wants to do it all when we travel. Sounds like a sitcom, right? Did I mention he’s 6’4” and I’m barely 5’? I homeschool the kids on an almost year-round schedule, so this will be one of our two spring breaks. My DD is 11 and on the Autism Spectrum, and my DS is almost 8 and made of rubber. My MIL (Mimi) will be turning 7… Well I’m not going to say exactly, but DH (who I have no problem ratting out) is 47, so you get the general idea. She broke her ankle a couple of years ago, and we have tried to be sensitive to her walking long distances and on shifting beach sand in our planning. MIL and I get along really well and we’re all staying in a 2 Bedroom Grand Suite (8052) similar to the one we stayed in on Liberty. Besides squeezing in another person, we’re on the side, not an aft this time, so the balcony is sadly going to be much smaller. The two aft 2br suites were both booked already, so we're in one of the remaining two that are directly under part of the Windjammer. From deck maps, it looks we pretty close to the very front of the WJ annex though; hopefully there won’t be too much scraping of chairs above us (and gnashing of teeth in our cabin).

It's around $40 for a sheet of 6 cards.

If you are wanting to stay in a single room, we love the 2 br grand suites. 2 bath, 2 bedrooms (one with 2 pullmans) and a pull out sofa in the separate living room. Thay have additional 2 br options on O class too, I know. We may eventually look at connecting rooms, but we kinda like the suite perks. ? I n the word of Mr. Brooks, "It's good to be the king!" ?

Congratulations! Happy birthday!

Yes, she said it was a charge from a class. That's when I started thinking, "show me the waiver I signed to let my 10 year old use the gym". But Eliana got the charge removed before I could throw that out there.

She got us the bridge tour we asked for, and she removed a charge from the fitness center from our 10 year old's account...you know because she didn't have charging privileges and wasn't old enough to use the gym anyway. September was our first full suite, so I don't have anything to compare her to. I'll let you know in a couple weeks!

Here is the benefit letter from Liberty in September.

I have found that this is not the case. I bought the drink package for my upcoming 5 night on Enchantment on Black Friday ($57), and it was way more than the regular sales for my 7 night on Liberty this past September ($47).

My bag was sent to the naughty room on our last cruise - the cord on my curling iron is over 4 feet long, and it looked like an extension cord on the scanner. I had to go down after dinner to get it from security on the 1st deck. We planned on swimming so we knew we would want showers to wash off the sunscreen before we ate. We packed a change of clothes and toiletries in our carry ons in case we didn't get our big bags by dinner, so it wasn't a big deal. I sure missed my hair dryer that first night though.