SuperStarian

One more day! One more day!
What a week it has been? I finally started driving again. With my surgery, that can be a painful task. The more I do it, the better I will feel and the quicker I will heal. I am back on the streets of Atlanta getting a pedicure, hair cut and picking up last minute items.
Yesterday, I took the online COVID test. After I received my negative result, I walked around the house acting like a guy on Maury who received a negative paternity test.

 
Now, I have finished packing. I am waiting for Kiesha so, my fiancée can take us to the airport.

I cannot believe it is only five days to go! I can confirm the scientific theory that the days before a cruise are the absolute longest days EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!
Today, I received a double dose of cruise updates:
1. Earlier embarkation time slots became available. I was able to grab Kiesha and I an 11:00 AM. One hour earlier than before.
2. When the Royal Up bid email came out about five weeks ago, I secretly placed a bid for an ocean view balcony. If I won, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Kiesha. Well, my bid was accepted! We will be living that balcony life! Let me rephrase, Kiesha will be living that balcony life. I will be scared to get anywhere near the edge. 
My plan is to not tell Kiesha until we get to the cabin or she notices the room description in the app. Unfortunately, I am known as the girl who cannot keep her own secrets. It is really quite pitiful. Wish me luck! 😂

Ok ok ok OK….an apology! To say that I failed at the LIVE portion of this blog is a gross understatement. However I had NO idea just how busy and demanding it would be to film a vlog, host an entire group and oh yeah….get married while on a ship LOL After staying up till 2am writing and falling asleep with my phone IN my hand I knew it wasn’t going to happen!  However, fear not I have taken notes and will recount the experience now day by day…so just PRETEND I am on board LOL 
Day 2 (WEDDING DAY!)
We pulled in for our Perfect Day at Coco Cay at around 7am. We had a quick break fast on the balcony before Shane came to get us at 7:30am to get off the ship.  
 
Shane walked us off the ship and we were the FIRST ones to enter Thrill Waterpark! Of course after roughly 2 minutes of getting in it started a torrential downpour that got us all soaked (including Shane) we just could not stop laughing. We we to do all of the slides while Shane returned to the ship to set up the wedding magic. We managed to do ALL of the slides within an hour. We literally ran up all of the stairs which if you have ever been on Devils Peak you are aware is NO easy task…especially when you had been eating Star Class meals every 20 minutes since being on board LOL We managed it without needing any medical intervention….but barely. The tallest slide is an amazing experience but after breathlessly making it to the top and questioning my life choices we decided ONCE was enough. We loved the park and would absolutely recommend if for those of us who like thrills! 
 
After all of that climbing we decided to make our way to Oasis Lagoon! We are a sucker for a swim up bar! The pool was legitimately FREEZING! Lol All you could see was people stick their toes in scream before exiting or bravely accepting their icy fate. We did the latter and justified that the cold water just meant we needed to drink more as a source of mere necessity. Cruise logic ya see? And drink we did…and danced and laughed. The sun even that came out and it was a fantastic time! 
 
We eventually got hungry and I knew we had to go and try the iconic chicken sandwich! We first grabbed tacos because we needed some “walking food” to get us to South Beach LOL the steak tacos were AMAZING!! We Then made our way to South Beach where we got the secret chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks and let’s just say that I am forever changed! DELICIOUS! I unfortunately don’t have photos as I was trying to keep my phone dry and sand free because I didn’t want to take any chances of not having it for the wedding LOL 
We then swam to the floating bar and had a few long islands! This was such a fun little addition. The drinks were strong and you could watch the fish swim by. By this time it was almost four and we knew it was time to head back and see what magic Shane had created and then get dressed for the sunset wedding! 

 
The moment we returned to the Suite we were completely blown away. We brought some decor with us but only the aisle/runner and some greenery for the railing. The way that Shane set it up with the chairs and bringing in the flower stands took our breathe away! 

 
The entire Suite was FILLED with perfect little romantic touches! 

After seeing all of this it was time t shower and get in our tuxedos and meet with our amazing friend Matt who was going to marry us to go over things. Shane was in constant communication with us regarding food deliveries and when the cake would arrive which was shortly before the guests. We had custom Funko Pop cake topper made of us for the cake but when they brought it in I audibly gasped! It was STUNNING! Beyond perfect!! 
I mean…can you even stand it?! And the platters of food were PERFECT for our party! 
Then the time had finally arrived! Sunset was upon us and it was time for the guests to arrive and for us to have our DREAM ocean view wedding. It was truly perfect….intimate, beautiful, personal, heart felt and beyond anything I imagined could be done. We are not “groom-zillas” and put our trust in Shane. However, The magic he created will live in our hearts forever. The sun set exactly as the kiss happened as if it were a movie. Here are just a few snaps from the ceremony 

After the ceremony we cut the cake and had a champagne toast! We had the best time! We decided to eat in the MDR for the dinner because originally it was formal night. However, they changed it due to it being a port day. But it was no big deal. It was nice for us all to be able to eat together and the captains tables were very special. They made us feel like a million bucks and it was nice to be dressed up. We ordered off of the premium menu and it was delicious! 
After dinner we headed to see the headliner show which was a juggler/unicycle performer. VERY talented but yikes…the comedy portion was a HOT dated mess. However, it was very VERY rough seas so the fact that he was able to accomplish things like standing on a vertical ladder in the midst of it was very impressive! 
The day was MAGIC and we were EXHAUSTED! Speaking of that you must be exhausted reading this as it is SO long! Next up our first sea day! 
 
 
 
 

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

I cannot believe it is only five days to go! I can confirm the scientific theory that the days before a cruise are the absolute longest days EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!
Today, I received a double dose of cruise updates:
1. Earlier embarkation time slots became available. I was able to grab Kiesha and I an 11:00 AM. One hour earlier than before.
2. When the Royal Up bid email came out about five weeks ago, I secretly placed a bid for an ocean view balcony. If I won, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Kiesha. Well, my bid was accepted! We will be living that balcony life! Let me rephrase, Kiesha will be living that balcony life. I will be scared to get anywhere near the edge. 
My plan is to not tell Kiesha until we get to the cabin or she notices the room description in the app. Unfortunately, I am known as the girl who cannot keep her own secrets. It is really quite pitiful. Wish me luck! 😂

😄 Recovery is overall going well! I am just quite dizzy, which I believe is a side effect of the anesthesia. Unfortunately, this is NOT the side effect you want to have when you are about to get on a ship. 🥴

It is cruise month!!!!!!!!!!

Today is officially 30 days to go!

Since my last update, I:
✅ ordered & received my proctored COVID tests
✅ used some OBC for Teppanyaki dinner reservation
✅ uploaded my vaccination card images to the app
✅ had a successful surgery
✅ spent my first week of recovery joining live streams of my favorite YouTube cruisers, unless it interferes with nap time 😴 
✅ had cruise document become available, including luggage tags
❓ still deciding if I want to order custom shirts and magnets for us to wear and decorate our door

Pre-Cruise Planning
Travel: We are flying from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, November 14.
Drinks: Kiesha has the Refreshment Package. I have the Soda Package. We are allocating for a few cocktails during the cruise.
Dining: No package, because I NEED to be able to fit into my pants! We are going to utilize all of the pre-paid options with maybe one specialty dining adventure. Kiesha eats almost everything. I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years. I am excited to try out the vegan offerings in the MDR.
Internet: We both have Surf & Stream.
Excursions & Activities: With my surgery recovery, I will not be able to do really strenuous activities. At port, we are going to do beach/pool days. On the ship, I will assess things daily.
In June, I did the Pearl Harbor VR experience in Hawaii. It was amazing! Since then, I have been searching for more virtual opportunities, especially those in a non-somber environment. Zone Zero is a MUST DO!
Overall, I am excited to have this great location to continue my recovery and have some QT with Kiesha!

After reading many wonderful cruise blogs on this site, I decided to be a follower and write my own. With me being too excited about this vacation, I need more people to talk about it. So, let’s go!
Parties Involved: My best friend, Kiesha & I (Ashley Joy)
Ship: Odyssey of the Seas
Cabin: Virtual Balcony
Dates: Monday, November 15 - Saturday, November 20
Ports: CocoCay & Labadee (at least, it is still on the itinerary)
Reason: Celebrating 25 years of friendship, but do you really need a reason to cruise?!
Cruise History: Kiesha did a Royal Caribbean cruise about a decade ago in a Balcony I went on a Symphony in April 2019 in a Virtual Balcony, which works with my irrational fear of heights and losing objects overboard. It was my only cruise to date, but I left addicted!!!!!
Backstory: This trip has been a long time coming. I would always say, “Kiesha, we hardly ever vacation together.” When we met our freshman year of college, we used to take trips all the time. As real adults, we have gone on a couple of long weekend adventures.
This past June, I had just returned from vacation and was needing another vacation (why is it always like that?!) so, I was researching the Royal Caribbean website. Luck would have it, I found a:
✅ great cruise itinerary
✅ set of dates that would work
✅ decent price
✅ new ship
✅ my favorite type of cabin
I asked Kiesha to join me. She only had one question, “is it Royal Caribbean?” I said, “is there any other cruise line?” The next day I reached out to Caroline at MEI.
Now, we only have 50 days to go! I told you I am too excited to not have anyone to regularly talk about this trip. 🙂
To keep things interesting, my doctor and I decided this a great time to have surgery. In about ten days, it will be operation day. The cruise will be six weeks into a seven week recovery plan. I am thankful that my doctor believes my only underlying issue will be tiredness.

I am loving this thread!

 
Here’s my flex!

In June, I paid $1,818.08 for two ($909.04 per person) on Odyssey.
In August, I received $475 OBC. This made the price $1,343.08 for two ($671.54 per person).
This month, I received a $878 credit to the original form of payment. This makes the current price $465.08 ($232.54 per person).
To date, I have received $1,353 ($676.50 per person) in price drops. This is a 74.4% savings from my original price. I can book another cruise with that! Unfortunately, my job does not understand the unlimited vacation policy! 🤪

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

I cannot believe it is only five days to go! I can confirm the scientific theory that the days before a cruise are the absolute longest days EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!
Today, I received a double dose of cruise updates:
1. Earlier embarkation time slots became available. I was able to grab Kiesha and I an 11:00 AM. One hour earlier than before.
2. When the Royal Up bid email came out about five weeks ago, I secretly placed a bid for an ocean view balcony. If I won, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Kiesha. Well, my bid was accepted! We will be living that balcony life! Let me rephrase, Kiesha will be living that balcony life. I will be scared to get anywhere near the edge. 
My plan is to not tell Kiesha until we get to the cabin or she notices the room description in the app. Unfortunately, I am known as the girl who cannot keep her own secrets. It is really quite pitiful. Wish me luck! 😂

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

I cannot believe it is only five days to go! I can confirm the scientific theory that the days before a cruise are the absolute longest days EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!
Today, I received a double dose of cruise updates:
1. Earlier embarkation time slots became available. I was able to grab Kiesha and I an 11:00 AM. One hour earlier than before.
2. When the Royal Up bid email came out about five weeks ago, I secretly placed a bid for an ocean view balcony. If I won, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Kiesha. Well, my bid was accepted! We will be living that balcony life! Let me rephrase, Kiesha will be living that balcony life. I will be scared to get anywhere near the edge. 
My plan is to not tell Kiesha until we get to the cabin or she notices the room description in the app. Unfortunately, I am known as the girl who cannot keep her own secrets. It is really quite pitiful. Wish me luck! 😂

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

Y’all are too handsome! Loving the FRESH cut!
Congratulations on the East Coast nuptials! I hope the cruise is everything and more…

Buncha sisters in Nassau.
Mariner, Indy and Odyssey 

I am so very sorry that I am behind!! The Wedding and planning events and entertaining our guests has taken up ALL of my time. Literally I’ve not even seen half of the ship! Let me back track a bit! 
  We woke up at 4am on Sunday morning because I of course was so excited that I was wiggling my toes under the covers LOL I sprang out of bed to look out the window and try and get a glimpse of our ship….of course Oasis is the first terminal A…so there were multiple shops blocking her LOL I couldn’t go back to sleep after that so we just ended up watching tv and packing. I am NOT a morning person so I was pretty impressed with myself…and without coffee! At about 9am we walked to CVS to get $100 in one doll of bills for tips and then came back to do final packing and finally call our uber! Our Uber arrived at roughly 10:45am and we arrived to the port around 11am. We rushed passed the porters who all tried to take our bags because I had been warned that we should only relinquish them at Star Class banner. We quickly found it in all its purple glory! 
After giving our bags away and checking in with the nicest young woman we were told to wait to be led up to security and then to the suite lounge to meet Shane our INCREDIBLE genie (More on him later) 
Eventually we were led up and it took awhile to get through security since there was only one lane open and there was apparently a small debacle over a misfit extension cord trying to be brought on by a person ahead of us LOL No big deal nothing can ruin our day…we are going on a cruise! Once in the suite lounge we sat excitedly waiting for Shane! 
Then suddenly we looked up and like a vision in Blue…a beacon of light…a cruise Unicorn if you will…Shane was there r greet us! I cannot ever actually express how much I adore this man even after two days but I will say that I can’t imagine ANYONE else taking this wedding cruise journey with us. He is the best of the best. There….I said it!
After meeting us he brought us to the dining room to do our muster stations and it genuinely took 3 minutes. We were in and out in a flash and now it was finally time to see our suite! 1720 Star Loft! We chose this because of the balcony and the entrainment space and pictures will NEVER do it Justice! 

I must say…it was the BEST dang filet I have had on any ship! That sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD and I’d venture to say that I could have cut it with a spoon! 
Shane also informed us that he HAD procured our wedding tuxedos despite there being some question if it was even possible due to Covid. He is magic! He also had welcome aboard snacks eating for us! 

We also ran through some of the wedding details and he gave us our weekly schedule and reservations. Then we were off to Playmakers to meet our friends for lunch. Playmakers was delicious! We had a TON of food. Basically one of everything LOL if you like sports bar food then this is for you. My burger was AMAZING!
After this we went to the Facebook group meet up! Can I just say what an INCREDIBLE group of people that were compiled in this group. The most positive, loving, FUN group of people. I can’t thank everyone enough to has come up and said hello or congrats to us. You have made our hearts smile! I also finally got to try for lava flow with kraken rum! Matt would be so proud! 
After the meet up it was time for Sail Away party on our balcony with friends! Shane arranged for some snacks and appetizers to be delivered and we were able to give our guests the giant welcome bags we had custom made for them! They had things like thermos cups, sunglasses, towel clips, cat ears for when we see CATS LOL, fans etc etc. 
Sail away was amazing. We sailed at 6 so there was time for us all to have cocktails and mingle before our 8pm dinner at Coastal Kitchen!
We were really excited to eat at Coastal for the illustrious and sometimes controversial Filet! I must say…it was the BEST dang filet I have had on any ship! That sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD and I’d venture to say that I could have cut it with a spoon! 
Burrata was fresh and delicious and not too heavy

Tomato soup was a real treat and the smokiness added a real depth of flavor! I also loved the pour over service! 
I must say the filet was the BEST dang filet I have had on any ship! That sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD and I’d venture to say that I could have cut it with a spoon! 

 
After dinner we returned to the room to find that Shane had left us amazing beach bags for CocoCay! I love them so much I refused to use them because I want to save them to use at home LOL
Then we were off to the ice show! Now listen…I love Hans Christian Andersen as much as the next thirty something but I will say this story/choice wasn’t be FAVORITE theming. However the TALENT and amazing passion from the performers had me leaping to my feet. What they can do on ice is astounding!
After the ice show it was nearly midnight and we were SO exhausted by the day we had to go to bed! I will stop here for now since it’s 2am and my husband (yay I can say husband) is snoring beside me LOL
p.s. Props to you live bloggers who manage to do this without falling behind! 
 
 
 

Here you go, courtesy of my front yard! Congratulations and have a LOVE filled week! 

Guess what day it is?!?! 

I was just thinking about this blog and hoping recovery is going great!

I am loving this thread!

 
Here’s my flex!

In June, I paid $1,818.08 for two ($909.04 per person) on Odyssey.
In August, I received $475 OBC. This made the price $1,343.08 for two ($671.54 per person).
This month, I received a $878 credit to the original form of payment. This makes the current price $465.08 ($232.54 per person).
To date, I have received $1,353 ($676.50 per person) in price drops. This is a 74.4% savings from my original price. I can book another cruise with that! Unfortunately, my job does not understand the unlimited vacation policy! 🤪