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FionaMG

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Everything posted by FionaMG

  1. Glad to see you've got your appetite back. But does this mean you didn't get and chocolate chip at Coco Cay???
  2. If you haven't seen it already, you might like to take a look at my recent recap blog from our Symphony cruise last month. I cover our evening meals in there, with pics. I hope it helps and you have a wonderful cruise.
  3. You just use whatsapp or another app that works through wifi, such as FB messenger.
  4. Sorry to hear this but thanks for posting because the information could help others.
  5. Does the second room have to have a balcony? Could you do an inside room across the hall for your teens?
  6. If anyone's interested in China/Japan, Spectrum sailings out of Shanghai have just gone up on the website through to April 2026.
  7. Going back to just before covid now but we were invited to a birthday celebration on Adventure. The chocolate cake was fantastic. Yummy !
  8. I'm not seeing it any more, so maybe it's cruise dependent or the intern is in charge.
  9. The thing with doing a "live" report is that it eats into your time on board, time that you want to be spending with the people you're cruising with. I've done a couple of lives and it's hard work because you need to try and find a balance between your phyiscal companions and your virtual ones. If you notice that it's becoming a chore rather than a pleasure, then you should take that as a sign that it's time to stop. You can always continue it afterwards as a recap if you want to. My strategy for a live report is to split it into two sessions, one in the morning when I post the Compass, acknowledge replies from other posters and answer any questions, if I can. The second is in the evening, in my case when DH is having his casino time, so it doesn't clash with time that we want to spend doing something together. At that time, I'll post a bit about what we've done during the day along with the MDR dinner menu and the obligatory food porn pics. That helps keep the whole thing under control because otherwise it can get out of hand and you find yourself spending more time writing on your blog than actually doing stuff on the cruise. That said, I think if I were doing a solo cruise (never done one), I would probably spend more time blogging as my time would be all my own and I wouldn't be missing out on time spent with my travel companions.
  10. Aw thank you very much for your kind words @WAAAYTOOO and @OCSC Mike . I've always enjoyed writing and to be able to combine it with cruising, which I also love (can you tell? ), is a win-win for me.
  11. Day Twelve - Cruise Day Nine - Eviction And so the dreaded disembarkation day had finally rolled around. We were up at 6 am so we would have time to have our final breakfast without rushing. The WJ was busy as expected but not a complete zoo. Afterwards we headed to our meeting point in Studio B. We had tag no. 1 as we were booked on the Everglades excursion with drop-off at Miami Airport. Since our flights back across the pond are usually late afternoon, we find this is as convenient a way as any to get to the airport and not have to spend ages there. On this particular occasion, however, our flight was much later; it was not due to depart from Miami until 11.50 pm, so that was still going to be a lot of hanging around the airport. The plan that we came up with was, on arrival at the airport, dump our bags at the left luggage facility and head into Bayside for a wander and dinner, returning in time to check in for our flight. On paper this should have worked nicely. In reality we were very badly let down by the weather and it all went a bit pear-shaped. When I checked the weather forecast the evening before it said it was going to be raining in Miami for the whole entire day. Well, of course, we scoffed at that. Showers, for sure, nothing new in Miami, but the whole entire day? Nah. Wrong. Yes. The WHOLE ENTIRE day. When we got off the ship the sky was like lead. However, the rain kept off all the way to the airboat place, which was the Everglades Holiday Park. We were very relieved to see that the boats had roofs as the last couple of times we've done this trip they were open. I don't know if they maybe have different boats that they use depending on the weather. Ours was the second boat of the day and the rain started when we were half way through the ride. The wildlife was all in hiding except for a single grey heron and by the time we got off the boat it was pelting. The boat ride was followed by a show, which fortunately was also under cover but with such heavy rain we weren't able to spend the remainder of our time there out in the open. Meanwhile more and more buses were arriving and everyone was packing into the small sheltered area while they waited for what would undoubtedly be rather miserable rides. I felt sorry for anyone who was doing this for the first time because it's really fun if the weather's good and you get to see some wildlife. Consequently, the only picture we have of this excursion is the free one taken at the park just before we got on the airboat. Still smiling here cos it's not raining yet! Since everyone was back at the bus way ahead of time, we arrived at the airport way ahead of time. It was midday when they dropped us so we now had nearly 12 hours to kill and it was still pouring. Obviously leaving our luggage and heading into Miami in the pouring rain wasn't going to happen but to make matters worse, the airport was rammed and there were people everywhere, sitting on their suitcases or strewn all over the floor. It was then that I remembered the hotel inside Miami Airport. Many years ago, we had had lunch there and I remembered it being a much pleasanter spot than the airport concourse. It was very poorly signposted but we eventually managed to find it and made our way up there. It's in concourse E and the restaurant is called Vienna. This is the view from the window out over the runway, so you can see what an awful day it was. Anyway, we had the turkey club sandwich for lunch and it was pretty decent and kept us entertained for a while. In the same area as the restaurant, they have a small lounge corner and a bar, and you have access to the hotel's free wifi. So that is where we spent the whole day. The rain never let up and we eventually had dinner there too before heading back into the airport to check in for our flight. Pepperoni flabread. I can tell you that if you ever get stuck for hours at Miami Airport, you could do much worse than spend the time here. It was quiet and comfortable and saved us from having an absolutely miserable last day. It was STILL raining when our flight eventually left at 1.10 am, so we were pretty tired and I have to say that having the flight depart at a time that did actually equate to bedtime meant that I managed to get some sleep, so that was actually a plus. Apart from being a bit bumpy due to the very strong tailwinds, the journey back across the pond was uneventful. We only had a couple of hours layover in Lisbon and arrived back home early evening local time less tired than we usually are precisely because of getting a good few hours sleep. I would book that late flight again for this very reason. And that brings our Symphony Super Bowl Birthday Bash cruise to an end. It was very enjoyable, expectations were largely met and I can't wait for the next one! Thanks to everyone for following along. It's very much appreciated and I hope to do another in the not too distant future.
  12. Yep. I'm like you. Happy with the stuff that's included in the fare. We're Royal's least favourite type of passenger.
  13. I'd want a whole cruise for that amount of money!
  14. I was watching for those too but it looks like they may not be happening any more. However, they have yet to announce what Serenade and Radiance are doing over that period. Those two ships are in Alaska over the summer and I would expect at least one of them to come back through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean for the winter. Perhaps one or both of them will offer the longer itineraries. It's a question of keeping checking.
  15. I'll be following along too. Your shore excursion in St Martin looks really good.
  16. Day Eleven - Cruise Day Eight - At Sea Today was our last day and it was spent at sea. I do like having a sea day as the last day of a cruise as you don't have the dreaded P-word hanging over you while trying to enjoy a port. After breakfast we attended Captain's Corner, which is something we like to do on all of our cruises. Ship handout. I wish they still handed out the officers' biography sheet like they used to in the past but sadly those are long gone. This was followed by the repetition of the Anchors Aweigh parade in the promenade. We were early enough to grab spots on the overlook at the photo shop. If you don't mind standing, this is a great spot because you can see all the way down the promenade and most of action takes place in the wider section of the promenade just below that overlook. For those unfamiliar with the ship, it's at the top of the stairs right beside the Next Cruise office, opposite Guest Services. View from the overlook. For lunch today, we did Izumi Hibachi, which I had nabbed during that C&A dining sale I mentioned earlier. I knew what to expect since I had been to a restaurant like this a few years back with a friend but it was all new to DH. In the end, the interaction with the chef was something of a let-down for me as he didn't quite seem to click with the group but since DH had nothing to compare it to he was more than happy. We had deliberately had a light breakfast so we would actually be hungry by what to us was an early lunchtime: 12.30 pm, which was the latest slot available. The menu. It is the exact same menu as dinner but at a much cheaper price and there is no extra charge for choosing a premium item over a classic one. We decided to do the Samurai and the Origami combos, so we could try two different things. The edamame beans which are included. We didn't eat these. I tried one and couldn't see the appeal. When the lady next to us asked if we were going to eat them we happily slid them over to her. Before the main part of the meal, the server brought round salad bowls, which everyone else around the table starting tucking into immediately. I set mine aside to eat along with the rest of the food, as a side, and at one point the server said to me, "Let me take that away for you". So I had to explain that I hadn't set it aside because I didn't want it. We enjoyed watching the preparation of the fried rice and again I set mine aside after a few mouthfuls. Another lady at the table did the same, saying she didn't want to fill up on rice. It is a lot of food so it's definitely worth taking things easy early on! The chef preparing the main part of the meal. The origami combo. This is the one with chicken and shrimp. Our other one, with beef tenderloin, essentially looked the same, except the meat was obviously darker. Both were good but I would have to say, unless you don't like beef, go with the tenderloin. It really lived up to its name. It was so tender and tasty. We ordered the green tea ice cream and the sesame balls for dessert, neither of which we were particularly thrilled about but we were stuffed anyway so it didn't really matter. Next time, though, I'll go for the chocolate lava cake (you may be seeing a pattern here ). It was a really lovely afternoon on this final sea day. The strong wind that had been with us for most of the cruise had finally decided to call it a day and we got a last few hours of glorious sunshine up on the top deck before reluctantly heading back to the room to pack. Tonight's dinner was the Bon Voyage menu. I find the name of this menu somewhat perplexing. To me it's something you'd say to someone at the start of a trip, not at the end and although I understand the meaning behind it I think they should have named it Farewell instead. That's what they used to call the final night's dinner on DH's ships back in the day. In my opinion, this is one of the better menus. My pan-seared asparagus, which I really like. DH's seafood cake. He liked the cake but wasn't such a fan of the garlic mayonnaise as it was a touch too spicy for his liking. My chicken chettinad. I've had this before on Anthem and Odyssey and it is the spiciest of all the Indian dishes I've had on board. It's not very spicy though, just enough so you can feel it. DH's Mediterranean steak, which he enjoyed although he wasn't impressed with the sauce. My black forest tart with a side of ice cream. Note that on some ships they call this Vegan Cherry Chocolate Tart, so I don't know if they are the same thing (they taste the same to me) or if the reason for having different names is that there's something different about them. And DH's layered peach trifle. He actually didn't order this. In fact, he didn't order any dessert tonight but Stanley reckoned he should at least have one to try and brought this out on his own initiative. Good call. The dish went back empty and DH said it was very nice. There was another ice skating show in Studio B this evening, called iSkate 2.0, no reservations required, so I went along to that. DH, on the other hand, decided he couldn't be bothered and would rather stay in the casino. After the ice skating show, which was every bit as good as the other one and definitely worth seeing, I found DH sitting at exactly the same machine still playing and absolutely delighted with himself. He'd been on a winning streak and got up to $70 in winnings at one point. (You have to understand here that he's not a high-roller. He looks for a machine with as low a minimum bid as he can find and then plays a $20 bill until the machine has eaten it all up.) By the time I caught up with him after the ice show he'd lost some of it again but was still up $50 when he sensibly called it a night while he was ahead. I don't see us ever getting a free casino cruise but at least we finished off our last evening on a high!
  17. I saw people wearing them on Symphony last month and actually found one that someone had dropped which I handed in to GS.
  18. Just a heads up in case this might be useful to anyone. Check your cruise planners. It only has 6 and a half hours left to run.
  19. You can also find it on the app by clicking on the head and shoulders icon and then scrolling down.
  20. Day Ten - Cruise Day Seven - Labadee Welcome to Labadee This was our third visit to Labadee. The previous two were pre-Covid on Navigator and Adventure. Like today, we were the only ship there on those occasions, but I did notice that it was much busier today, given how many more passengers Symphony holds over the other two. I'm glad there wasn't another ship here along with us. The first thing we did was head up to the lookout point where you can get a pic of the whole ship. They have added a "picture frame" in this spot since our last visit. I am actually quite surprised that there are no ship photographers up here. We took the tram to Columbus Cove. We like that spot because the beach is not at all rocky and you get an amazing view of the ship. You can see the Aqua Park (can't remember the name) in the foreground in this one. It didn't look like it was getting much use. Maybe they were charging too much for it? There were several places to get lunch. They have different opening hours so it's wise to keep that in mind. The Columbus Café, where we were, had the shortest opening hours, from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm. We enjoyed the food. It's hardly gourmet but it was tasty. We went at 1 pm and there were no lines and plenty of space at the tables by then. After lunch we slowly wandered back towards the ship, taking a few more pictures on the way. This is still Columbus Cove but looking down on it from just past the waterslide. This is the route to take if you want to walk back from Columbus Cove avoiding the rather aggressive vendors at the market stalls. We stopped at Adrenaline Beach for a bit to watch the zipliners. The entrance to the water at this beach is rocky underfoot, so if you plan on staying here it's a good idea to bring water shoes, if you have them. There is also more movement in the water than at Columbus as it open rather than being a sheltered cove. Back at the ship. Tonight we had the second of our two specialty dinners and it was at Hooked. This was a very good meal and our server Pupae was outstanding, one of the very best servers we have had on all of our cruises. We told her we had never been to Hooked before and she very patiently explained all the dishes, made sure we understood what we were ordering and explained how to eat the soft shell crab, which we had never had before. You could just tell she had found her vocation. I was told that she also works in the Coastal Kitchen at lunchtimes. We had a show this evening, so she also made sure we were ready in time for that. Menu Soft shell crab. I'm glad I tried them but I'm not sure I'd bother having them again. Maryland crab cake. I have no way of knowing if this is the real thing or not, but it was good anyway. Hand tossed salad. A salad is a salad is a salad, right? But, actually, it was very good. Captain's platter. We were offered the choice of halibut or salmon and we chose the halibut. It was very good. Royal Platter. This was good too but I don't think I'd order it again purely because it was just a bit too much fried stuff for my liking. By this time we were stuffed and didn't have room for dessert, so Pupae had it prepared for us to go and we took it back to our room to have after the show as a bedtime snack. To be honest, this was the weakest part of the meal. The lemon tart lived up to its name and was so tart that neither of us liked it. And the coconut cream pie was meh. Oh well, you live and learn. Next time I'll have the brownie. The show tonight was Flight. Oddly, I don't seem to have taken any pictures of it. I guess it was ok and the plane flying out over the audience was pretty cool, but I guess I'm just a bit old-fashioned when it comes to the shows. I like having a nightly production show with the singers and dancers, or magicians and jugglers and stuff, rather than trying to figure out a story line that doesn't really exist, so I would have to say this wasn't my favourite although I didn't fall asleep unlike someone else. And that brought another day to a close so we headed off to bed in readiness for our last full day, which would would be spent at sea.
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