MorganMichelle2001

We’re in Miami! Our newly booked flight out at 8:45 am went without a hitch. Funny enough, they were overbooked by 4 and were offering $ to volunteers willing to take the 12:50 flight (what we were originally booked on before I moved it because of the winter storm advisory, we were supposed to get dumped on around noon.) They got all the way to $1200/ticket! Dang, we could have made some major moula had we been willing to go back to our original plan. Oh well, we are here now and ready for fun!

Some pics below from the airport and hotel. Of course, the kids HAD to go swimming first thing, though the pool is SUPER cold, so that didn’t last long. We are staying at Windgate by Windom Airport...I’d say it’s only meh Nice clean rooms, pool small and very cold, nothing around the hotel...I got it cheap on Priceline so I’m not upset, but since we arrived earlier than planned I wish we were closer to the action by the Pier or Miami Beach. Oh well, we’ll be off to bed early and onto the ship early! Daylight savings tomorrow only means an hour closer to the fun! 

Our hotel is very nice and clean...just too far away from the action. Next time I’ll get closer to the pier! 

And we are super close to the airport...it’s like a mini preview for our Maho Beach excursion

Is there any shopping at Miami Terminal A? Say if we wanted to buy our 2 bottles of wine before getting onboard? 

Let the vacation begin! Heading over to spend the night at my folks’ place. Grandpa is driving us to the airport, bright and early, and they are watching our doggie all week. 

Oh, and daddy JUST said he forgot to pack the goggles...guess we will be making a pit stop at Target! (the guy in the blue shirt is my husband, doing the ‘daddy walk of shame’ into Target... how could he forget something so pivotal )

19 hours ago, griswold81 said:

Would it be a good idea to fly in on Friday? That way I could move it to Saturday if needed.  I'm going alone and wouldn't mind spending another day in some nice weather.

Based on my experience this week, I say for snowy areas in high snow season, give yourself 2 days if you can, or book the earliest flight the morning before your cruise. I was so stressed out worrying about missing the cruise even though we fly out the day before. It’s not worth it! If you can get there safety with plenty of time to spare, it’s worth spending extra $$ for an extra night in a hotel and save yourself the worry! 

10 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

@MorganMichelle2001  - the weather is just beginning to feel like severe harrassment at this point, doesn't it? We need a restraining order!  Glad you got your flight moved and have an incredible cruise!

We live on a cul-de-sac and the "snow mountain" (as the kids call it) where they pile the snow when plowing is as high as I've ever seen it! We should rename this year's Snow Mountain, Snow Everest, and send the kids up with oxygen tanks!

Yesterday I shared on my Live Blog post how I was able to get my Inside Balcony Room "perks" switched to the Boardwalk perks (vs. Central Park perks) using Facebook Messenger. If you don't already know, Royal Caribbean's Facebook team is GREAT, very responsive, and apparently very helpful in making special accommodations or fulfilling special requests via Facebook Messenger!

Well... the Midwest including MSP airport (Minneapolis) is expected to get hit hard by winter storms this weekend starting Saturday morning/afternoon. Our flight was 1 pm Saturday, which is projected to be the time where things were getting heavy, so of course I start worrying about missing our cruise (even though we are on the Sunday, Allure of the Seas sailing...you never know how bad the weather delays can be). I started freaking out this morning and calling the airlines to see what could be done. Since we booked basic economy, we didn't have the option to change flights. The Customer Service agent on the phone said if there was a winter advisory (or what he called a "bulletin") they might be able to change us to an earlier flight. When I got to work, I started Facebook Messaging with Delta. Still no advisory/bulletin but the Facebook agent hinted that it may be coming. He messaged me back as soon as the advisory posted to let me know he could assist me in changing my flights. All through Facebook Messenger, I was able to get my party of 4 re-booked to the 8:45 am flight with no fees,  AND he was able to get me and my daughter seats together and us all together on our flights home. I can't say enough GREAT things about the customer service I received today as well as all of the times Royal has been able to serve me via Facebook Messenger. 

Now, hopefully the weather patterns don't shift too much and we will be able to fly safely in the morning on Saturday! Good luck to all of the Midwest travelers this weekend, stay safe and hope no big delays for your trip! 

37 minutes ago, twangster said:

Day 3 dinner menu

 

This MDR food looks so good! I hope we have similar menus on Allure next week! 

3 more days until we leave for Miami!!! And just in time too, it seems. Thank goodness we decided to fly out a day early, Minnesota is expected to get major weather starting around Saturday night into Sunday. I just hope and pray for all of the spring break travelers' safety and hope no one (including us) miss their vacations! 

I have another secret/tip to share! We booked a Central Park Balcony room which came with certain "perks": bottle of wine, lunch for 2 at Giovanni's, and a "Casino Lesson". Well, hubby and I are already knowledgeable Blackjack and Poker players (we don't play other casino games other than Roulette which is easy peasy), and we have the Deluxe Beverage package, so we didn't really care about the wine. On a whim, I Facebook Messaged Royal Caribbean back in October and asked if there was any chance they could switch our perks to what the Boardwalk Balcony gets: Lunch for 4 at Johnny Rockets, 2 Soda Packages , and a family Rock Climbing session. They needed to check with a manager, and after a few days wait, much to my surprise, they said YES! They did say it was a "one time exception" which I take to mean I probably can't ask this of them again in the future (understandable). I just wanted to share my experience and suggest that if you too want to swap your "perks", it can't hurt to ask! You might be pleasantly surprised! 

Royal's Facebook team is great! I have used the message feature about 10 times when planning this trip. Someone gets back to me right away, usually within minutes! I needed to reach out to Royal the week before my trip to confirm that our perks-swap was logged with the ship, and I just used Facebook Messenger to do that! They contacted the ship, made sure the swapped was logged (and I specifically asked for the soda packages to be assigned to my kids), and they messaged me back to confirm all was set and ready to go! I used a Travel Agent to book, but Royal's Facebook team was like a second, often more helpful, vacation assistant! Can't say enough great things 

Perfect, thanks for the quick feedback! 

Just now, marti314 said:

I am 6'9, most of the time i am the tallest but sometimes there are some 7 foot gentlemen hovering over me.

 You're right, you will probably be the tallest one there! Now I don't feel as bad for my husband in those tiny showers, you've got it even worse!  

We plan to Uber to the port. I have heard that some drivers are not familiar with Royal's new port in Miami. Any tips on how I can point them in the right direction (landmarks I can tell them about, etc.)? 

49 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Ill be on Next Weeks Allure sailing also.  Ill grab photos of the cruise compass' and all the specialty dining menus throughout the week.

Ill be the tallest one on the ship (usually its the case) if you happen to notice me

Haha, fun, I will look for you! My husband is 6 foot 4 so I have already developed the skill of "looking up" in a crowd to spot the tallest head (normally its his!)

We are not doing specialty dining except with The Key, so I will TRY to remember to get pics of the Main Dining Room menu as well as Kids Compass. 

10 hours ago, Matt said:

Art auction, port shopping info events, and bingo.  I know some love bingo, but I'd only play bingo if it's the one where there is a guaranteed winner. Most of the time, that is not the case.

On her first ever cruise in 2002, my mom played “Win a Cruise BINGO” on the very first night onboard Adventure of the Seas...and she WON! She took us w/ the next year on her sister ship, Explorer. 

3 hours ago, irishgirl0525 said:

We got the deluxe drink package for $44 per day and the Key which we scored at $19.99 and I felt that was well worth it.  We are looking forward to Chops for lunch on embarkation day.   We do plan to eat in the MDR, but have a reservation at 150 Central Park and I plan to reserve Chef's table on board when we figure out what day is best. We may add something else but I enjoy the traditional dining and my husband thinks that sounds good too, getting to know the waiter, table mates, etc.

I can't wait to follow along as we are just a week behind you! can't wait to hear about your experience with The Key and Adventure Ocean! 

17 minutes ago, LindaN said:

2.  Do they take the kids to the pool or splash zone at all or are they in the same room the entire time?

 

I DO NOT think they take them to the pool deck at all. I have seen somewhere that maybe they take them to the theater or possibly the arcade and definitively to the Windjammer if  they are staying for lunch/dinner. I also think you get the kids compass for the whole week on Day 1. 

Also, for the late-night option (paid $7/kid/hour), has anyone ever done this? My kids are 5 and 8 so if we did it would only be one night if DH and I wanted to go the club or just stay out late. My worry is that they would just fall asleep, they'd be so tired! Do they have places for kids to crash? Is that normal for the late-night hours (kiddos falling asleep at Adventure Ocean?)

When you drop your kids at Adventure Ocean, do they give you some type of pager? do they ask you where you will be on the ship? Or require a specific pick-up time? How would they get in touch with the parents if the kids were sick or wanted to leave? 

We are in the single digits!! T-minus 9 days until we leave for Miami!! Luckily, we are so busy the next few days that I’m hoping time will fly by: Kindergarten Orientation, basketball and dance lessons, early birthday parties and celebrations for my son, and of course last minute shopping and packing!

Speaking of packing, I started about a week ago, pulled out all the kids’ summer clothes, made them try stuff on to see how many new outfits I need to buy, set aside my kids’ formal night wear, started folding and organizing my clothes, and organized all the little “extras” we need for the cabin:

And here is my husband’s packing progress:

It just remind me of this funny meme How true it is!!! 

14 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

If you could snap a picture of the Allure Key Chops menu that would be fantastic but no worries if you can't 

Will do! I’m also going to see what’s offered at Giovanni’s and will post that menu!

2 hours ago, irishgirl0525 said:

We'll be getting off Allure as you are getting on!  I'm sorry we'll miss you, it sounds like our 5 year old daughters would get along very well, we have a social butterfly too! She is very excited about Adventure ocean! 

Would love to hear about your experience or tips once you get home! Our kids will be in different age groups for Adventure Ocean but I already asked if it would be possible for her to bump-up to his grade (in case they want to be together; they might enjoy forming their own social groups/circles ) They said they can certainly do that after observing for a while and feeling confident she would do well with the bigger kids. 

How does it work if someone needs to be seen/treated by the on board physician? Are there specific rates for services? Does US-based medical insurance work or do we use trip insurance? I do not plan to need services, but things can come up! 

Our Travel Agent asked us what size table we wanted (we are a family of 4) when we booked. We requested a 4-top and she confirmed thats what we got! I am sure its the same service when you call Royal directly to book or adjust plans! 

Testing how to add photos from my phone. This was me and the hubby on Reflection in Aug 2018!

While I am a new Royal Caribbean Blog poster, I have been a quiet voyeur on the page for almost one year! We booked our Spring Break family cruise back in May of 2018 during a Kids Sail Free event. Man, did we score an amazing deal! Oasis Class was not in our price range, but the sale was too good to pass up. We are anxiously awaiting (T minus 12 days) our first family vacation (excluding Disney with the whole extended family 2 years ago). 

About us: My husband and I are in our mid/late thirties, and we love to travel. We’ve been on vacation together almost once/per year since we started dating almost 13 years ago. We enjoy going to warm, tropical locations (since we live in a frozen-tundra: Minnesota). I cruised with my family when I was in college and absolutely fell in LOVE with cruising, but, ironically, haven’t been on a second cruise until August of 2018. We already had our March 2019 Spring Break booked and, Surprise! My husband earned President’s Club through his work, and we were treated to a 5-night Italian Cruise on Celebrity Reflection (ADP chartered the entire ship- it was an absolutely unbelievable experience). That was my husband’s first time cruising. He is a rather tall/big drink of water, and his hesitation with cruises in the past was the size of the room/bathroom and feeling claustrophobic. He had NO issues on our Presidents Club cruise and really enjoyed the experience (though it will be very different cruising on a 100% booked Mega Ship @ Spring Break).

We have a seven-year-old son who will be celebrating his eighth birthday on the second day of the cruise, which he is rather excited about. We also have a five-year-old daughter who is an absolute joy, a social butterfly if there ever was one (don’t be surprised if she befriends you and your children at the pool or Adventure Ocean). We normally do adults-only vacations- when our kids were little it was imperative for us to take time to connect as a couple, and we are blessed with amazing parents who BEG to take their grandkids for the week! During our last AO trip in March 2018, I found myself missing the kids like crazy! They are not babies anymore, much easier to go out and do things with (plus SO MUCH FUN to hang out with), and decided that they are old enough to start taking on our “relaxation” vacations. We know this vacation will be more “work” than AO, and we will have times of stress and chaos, but I know we will have an amazing time as a family.

We are flying into Miami on Saturday, March 9^th. We booked The Key, so we plan to be at the port as early as possible to board/start enjoying the ship right away! We do not have any specialty dining plans (other than Chops with The Key), and only a beach excursion booked for St. Maarten (Orient and Maho beach). Other than that we plan to hang out as a family by the pool and around the ship, hopefully the kids will enjoy some time at Adventure Ocean, check out the cruise activities (my son is ALMOST heavy enough to try the zip line!) and eat, drink, and play!

With The Key, we have internet access so I will try my best to post updates LIVE. If nothing else I will update you all when we get back. What else will there be to do in the remaining frozen months of MN winter (no more Cruise planning/daydreaming…might as well reminisce with pictures/write-ups of our adventures!)