IRMO12HD

I'll be sure to post pictures of the menu and of my choices

Good points! I do believe I am tending toward the carry-on only. And . . . I don't really need the wine! Many times, if I'm staying in an AirBnB, I bring my host a bottle of Washington wine -- but am "hoteling" it this time. Thanks for your suggestions

My hypothesis has now devolved into two quests: Hypothesis/Question 1. (Can I) use the 50% off a glass of wine or beer (common to all C&A Members) to get 50% off a (glass?) pitcher of beer in Playmakers for a net price of $9.00. Hyptothesis/Question 2. (Can I) use one of my Diamond drink vouchers toward a pitcher of beer in Playmakers for an equivalent $14 off the $18 price for a net price of $4.00 So guess what! in 9 days I'll be able to test both of my hypotheses. I'll be sure to report back

Almost to single digits! Which means, I've got to start thinking about packing. My decision "tree" looks like this: Carry - on Only > + Much easier to navigate Seattle streets and LA train/bus routes + Don't have to worry about losing my luggage + Will impose some packing discipline on myself - Means I can't bring a favorite vintage of wine with me, unless I can find it in San Pedro (unlikely) - Reduces my ability to bring back souvenirs. Hey, wait a minute -- that's probably really a + - If elevators are out, I'll have to lug it up/down stairs (but at least it's small!) Checked Bag > + Pretty much no limits on what I can bring (like snorkel, mask and fins; extra set of cool weather gear; Washington state wine; cruise gadgets) + Gives me another chance to use my Xmas present (a 26" Travelon softside suitcase) - Gives me more room for souvenirs that I really DON'T need to bring home - If elevators are out, I'll have to lug it up/down stairs Hmmm - what to do, what to do? Well, first step now is to start drawing up my lists of "have to" take items and "want to but don't really need to" take items.

HOW COULD I FORGET -- DESSERT??? Here are my favorite desserts -- on longer cruises, I limited myself to one dessert every three days (especially on the Transatlantic!). However, since this is a 5-night cruise, I'll probably do more stairs and less elevator, and make a concerted effort to go to the Fitness Center at least twice, so all bets are off. What desserts am I most looking forward to? 1. Creme Brulee 2. Soft serve ice cream 3. Adult milkshake at Johnny Rockets (yeah, that will be a dessert ) 4. Ranger cookies

@AshleyDillo was that the Diamond vouchers or the 50% off a glass of wine/beer? My hypothesis deals with the latter -- as in, will the 50% off coupon apply to a (plastic, not glass) pitcher of beer in Playmakers?

Three questions I want to try to resolve/answer on this cruise: 1. Do all of the Virtual Balconies have the same feed camera(s) and where are they/is it? 2. Which adult milkshake at Johnny Rockets will be my favorite? 3. What are my top two favorite places for people watching on (or above!) the Royal Promenade? Oh, and can I actually eat an Onion Ring tower at Playmakers in one sitting, or do I need to bring a ziploc bag so I can have the remainder for a midnight snack (and yes, I'll eat them cold :-)) Well, I guess that's four questions -- I'm sure I'll have more! Anyone need any research done on Navigator?

In just over two weeks, I'll be able to seek the answer to my query first hand (or maybe two hands, since it will be a pitcher!)

Adding it to my list! Thanks for the suggestion

15 Days to go! @WyldByllHave you started packing yet? I think I will try to use just carry-on this trip; it looks like I probably won't have a chance to go snorkeling, so may just bring my mask and snorkel just in case, but leave my fins at home.

On to food -- with just over two weeks before I board Navigator, I am looking forward to . . . Salads, salads, salads! Yum! My go-to lunch in Windjammer. Load up with the dark green leafy veggies, add in some protein and some fiber (AKA chicken and chickpeas), a few carbs and then top it off with oil and vinegar. AND . . . I don’t have to clean, chop, or wash anything. Life is good. Food, glorious food! I purchased one Specialty Dining (Izumi) and have a plan for what I know I will want to sample in the MDR. Izumi is going to be the first night, but I also love the Maryland Crab Cakes (yes, I know it's not real crabmeat in there!), so I'll plan on visiting my MDR table just long enough to order JUST the appetizer :-). Then I'll head on up (over?) to Izumi for my main meal. That’s it – that’s my meal planning! After Night 1, the world is my escargot – or something like that. I’m looking forward to sampling more of the Indian dishes, which is a cuisine that I don’t have much experience with. I may – just may – have to find someone to share a stack of Playmakers onion rings with, and I’m seriously considering trying an adult milkshake from Johnny Rockets. Any suggestions?

I stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Mokena Drive in October 2021 as a solo traveler. Free airport shuttle to/from the hotel. My cost for a standard room (one occupant) was $101 (I think before tax) and I had a really nice, spacious room on the third or fourth floor overlooking the airport. There were a couple of restaurants nearby; the Airport Cafe and Liquors had delicious food, and was about 3-4 blocks away from the hotel.

Thanks, @Ampurp85I've also sailed on a solo B2B in Dec 2021-Jan 2022 (but not a "carry-on only!). I actually found the embarkation to be pretty easy; I walked over from the Crowne Plaza at about 8:30 a.m. with my checked bag and handed it over to the porters. Walked back to the hotel for a cup of coffee and final "re-packing" of my carry-on with my bottles of wine; then checked out of the hotel about 10:00 a.m. and walked back over to the port with my carry on. Got through security relatively quickly (like 5 minutes) and onto the ship in a total of about 10 minutes. I have a feeling my sailings were a little less packed than yours. I'll definitely be carrying an extra load of patience

Nineteen days, 12 hours and 30+- minutes until I board Navigator. Time for a little cruise planning, I think, now that I’ve figured out how I’m getting to California. As I mentioned, I’m in a Virtual Balcony, on an upper deck, near the bow of the ship. Can’t wait to see the screen and find out if it’s the same camera feed as last time (starboard midships, kind of high up). That’s Activity #2. Activity #1 is seeing where I’m sitting in the MDR. I honestly don’t mind sitting with others as a solo, so will do a recon more out of curiosity than out of planning. Our itinerary for this 5-night cruise is: Day 1: Embark from San Pedro World Cruise Terminal Day 2: “At Sea” on our way to Cabo San Lucas Day 3: Arrive at Cabo at about noon; I believe we’ll be the only ship in port (yippee!), so hopefully tenders won’t be much of an issue. I’m actually rendezvousing (wow, I didn’t think that would be an actual word) with my daughter and several of her friends as they’ll be in Cabo on a land-based vacation. She had wanted to go whale watching, but they won’t have a car so I haven’t quite figured that out yet, since our “all aboard” will probably be around 6:30 p.m. or so. Maybe I’ll just go hang out at their resort. When she and I were in Cabo previously on a Mother-Daughter trip, we took the “Luxury Sailing and Snorkeling Tour” through the resort, and really enjoyed it, so have seen the Arch, Pelican Rock, Chileno beach, etc. Key word today: flexibility Day 4: “At Sea” on our way to Ensenada Day 5: Ensenada. Here I’ve booked the RCL tour “Kayak Tour at La Bufadora.” I love kayaking (I have my own little 10’ kayak that I use on local rivers and lakes), but have never been on the ocean in one, so I’m really looking forward to this (as long as I can have a single kayak – gotta check in with the Shore Excursions folks as soon as I board, so make THAT Activity #1!) Day 6: Day of gloom and despair, AKA Disembarkation As far as meals: oh, that’s tomorrow’s topic! Good night, all!

Wave "hello" to the zoo as you pass by! Have a great cruise

Ready to navigate (see what I did there??) to Diamond +! This will be my sixth solo cruise, and my last cruise as Diamond. I've learned a lot from my previous solo cruises (including two different classes of ship (Freedom, Voyager) three different cabin classes (Promenade View, Virtual Balcony, and Oceanview Balcony), and three different ports of departure (Miami, Los Angeles-San Pedro, and Copenhagen, Denmark). Oh, and three weeks until departure! I guess this will be a voyage of threes then. So I'll divide my blog into three parts: pre-cruise, embarkation and cruise, debarkation and post cruise. It fits, right? Pre-Cruise: Initially booked: November 2022. Always intended this to be a solo cruise with the principal objective of achieving D+. My other half doesn't particularly enjoy cruising, so I book at least two cruises per year, one of which involves an itinerary that we both will enjoy, and (at least) one that supports my love of cruising and a specific goal or objective. This is #1 for 2023. Cabin type: Virtual balcony. I really like this category of cabin for solo cruising. A balcony is nice, but on a 5-night itinerary, the view from the screen will suffice. And the price was right, allowing me to reserve a balcony for our "together" cruise later on this year. Preparation: coming from the PNW (Pacific North West), I arranged my flights somewhat early on to procure my desired seats. Reserved a hotel room through the Hopper app, and then kept tabs on rates through different hotel sites and AirBnB. I'm more than happy with my choices. Having traveled via Lyft/Uber from LAX to San Pedro, and via public transportation from San Pedro - LAX, I'm open to either means of travel, and will decide once I land and get my bags. Who knows -- I may even go Carry-on only this time!!! If you have any questions about my preparation (or any other "phases") of my journey, feel free to post them and I'll strive to answer/reply.

I signed up for this excursion through RCL. I'm curious to see / read anyone's experience with it? Looking on TripAdvisor, the only kayak operation I could find (Shawii) doesn't have any reviews. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's done this, or a similar, excursion? I'm definitely looking forward to seeing La Bufadora from sea level; from the pictures, the kayaks actually get pretty close!

To add to the survey results, my upcoming 5-night on Navigator in March (Cabo, Ensenada) has the following schedule: Day 1: Welcome Aboard (yay -- Maryland crab cakes! personally, I really like them!) Day 2: French Night (I have no idea if this is a formal night == maybe?) Day 3 (Cabo): Caribbean (I love the Jerk Pork Chop!) Day 4: Mexican Night Day 5 (Ensenada): Italian Night

@Babsy47 I've signed up for the kayaks at La Bufadora; I'm pretty experienced with kayaks and am curious -- did they offer single kayaks? I'm going solo, and would prefer to stay that way on the kayak. Was it enjoyable?

Found an interesting shore excursion for Ensenada -- "Kayak Tour at La Bufadora: Kayak to one of Baja California's most spectacular wonders, La Bufadora, a natural blowhole that sends sea water 100 feet in the air from the coastline's rocky outcropping." Originally I was going to wander over to the Riviera del Pacifico and have another awesome margarita at Bar Andaluz. Might have to hold off until I get back from this excursion, which is supposed to last 4.5 hours, leaving at noon.

Thank you, @AshleyDillofor changing the title; I realized after I posted it that it was probably difficult to read.

Well, it is Groundhog Day -- maybe RCL IT is checking out the Groundhog Day theory . . . keep repeating until you get it right?

Thanks for your support! I plan on testing my hypothesis on Navigator in 48 days -- but if anyone cares to do a recon before then, I'd love to hear about it!

Several comments on Diamond perks have me wondering -- does the 50% off coupon for a glass of beer or wine apply to a pitcher of beer in Playmakers?

I'm really enjoying your blog -- and your pictures are fantastic! My husband and I were on Enchantment in 2018, and I was amazed by the see-through floor in the Casino -- have you seen it? It's on the forward end of the Casino, I think. I loved the "stretch" portion of Enchantment as well; the really cool walkway is so pretty :-).