IRMO12HD

5 hours later I am home safe in Arlington  TX. Time to pet my cat and finish out a proper Texas road trip with a gratuitous beaver shot!
Thanks everyone for following along!

It’s a foggy morning pulling into Galveston. Jubilee is making her turn in the channel basin and our turn is next. 
The baristas are working full steam as we passengers stumble about tending our last minute tasks. 
One more picture of this, one more time to look at that. Hugs for new friends and breakfast with old ones before we tie up along side and hit the road. 
 

Chicken parm was the entree of my choice tonight. My wait staff was friendly and on the mark all week. They even made sure I had plenty of chocolate chip cookies for my cabin snacks. 

Me and my ducks are all packed, not much left now.
Carnival Jubilee has been pacing us since slipping our moorings in Cozumel. She will be with us on n Galveston tomorrow as well. The final sunset of this cruise was subdued yet lovely. Somehow poetic for tonight. 
 
After dinner I took my coffee up to the helipad to enjoy the stars as they appeared. Looks like I will finally get my spring Gulf Coast fog. It is already starting to build as we move north west. 
 
If it turns soupy I will glad I am in an interior, that horn can be a touch loud.

Final sea day of the cruise! While getting my coffee this morning I hear folks talk about how much more they can feel the ship even though the weather seems so much calmer. Thats the difference between a careful 14 knots while trying to stay out of a strong swell and 21 knots in a calm and following sea. 
Ah well, I guess such things don’t mean as much to everyone.
I am drinking my coffee and eating my omelette in the Windjammer. I don't have much for plans today. Back to my drawing pad down by the Cafe Promenade I expect. 
I’ll be there for the Veterans program just after lunch to be sure.. then this afternoon I’ll pack up in preparation for disembarking tomorrow morning. 

Breakfast in Cozumel. Well it wasn’t huevos rancheros I had but I think my step dad would like the bacon and eggs on rosemary potatoes I had at COZ coffee roasting company. I got off the ship pre dawn and made my way downtown to be there right after they opened. The cappuccino was perfect. 
 
Afterwords I meandered up the seawall taking in the sights as the tide rolled in. Then I walked back from downtown to the International Pier not for any real reason other than it sounded fun. I have no schedule. 
Did my shopping and by 10 AM I am vegging out on the lido deck, once again doing nothing. 
To bad I work for a living. I could get used to this.

So dinner ashore in Cozumel. I was planning on heading downtown but just couldn’t drag up enough gumption to make the journey tonight. So I wandered the Port area and had my tacos at Mandy’s.
More trips to this port than not have had me eating here. Not sure if “Mandy” is really a person or just a name but I have never been sorry for over eating here. 
Tonight I had a dictate from my boy at home that I should eat tacos. An imperative I was quite willing to obey. 
Still need to get downtown, I really want to try that coffee and my Step dad wanted me to have breakfast out while I am here. 

Before I get to far along I have to compliment a couple of the music acts. I have spent quite a bit of time relaxing with my drawing pad in front of the Pig and Whistle.
 
Frodo Peralta has been there a few times playing guitar. Making old and new pop hits sound great in classical guitar styles. 
I also caught DeLorean in the Starlight lounge and was right at home with their sound. 
 
Theater shows and production pieces I usually only do with a date but I love live music.
oh and along with their pics, a gratuitous shot of my pen and ink work from the past couple of days listening to them.

Made it to Cozumel! As we were pulling in Icon was pulling out. My goodness she is a big beast! It was fun to see her on her inaugural visit. All the ships are in port were sending her off with a horn battle. 
 
Every one wanted a picture of Icon. Even our crew, it was the first time they got to see her as well!
 
I am going to go ashore and hunt for supper. I had originally planned downtown, however I am enjoying being lazy so I will find something right here close.

Took some time in my morning to go up to the Chapel to meet with Bill W and a few friends I had not yet met.
If you are ever wondering who Bill W is and why he has so many friends, Bill W was one of the Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. When you see a schedule entry for Friends of Bill W it means we are having an informal AA meeting. Some are more structured sometimes it’s just a couple of people meeting up to talk. It really depends on who all shows up.
On some ships we meet in a conference room or some other out of the way private spot. On Voyager they have us in the chapel which is beautiful. 
 
A stained glass sky light, terrazzo floor with brass inlays and sculptures all around. Several of Royals sips have done away with the chapel in favor of things like escape rooms. I am glad Voyager still has this space

The crew  does a great job 👍 on this ship of keeping up appearances. I can never figure out how they stick a couple thousand people on board and manage the logistics day in and day out. 
 
Even for an early riser like me. Coffee was hot and ready in the Cafe Promenade.
 
My early companions were respectful and quiet while I got my caffeine back to therapeutic levels.
I also made it to one of my favorite observances. Sunrise at sea. A refreshing sight for the soul… Just a little earlier I managed to catch the moon as well!

My Time dinning went good. Had a great steak and my wait staff was awesome. I was actually early for my reserved time and it was no problem. Maybe 5 more minutes wait and I was seated ahead of the appointed time! 
I had the escargot, the NY strip (med rare), and the Boston cream pie. The steak was perfect. 
Coffee with the Boston cream, and since my boy has me programmed a plate of cookies for cabin snacks. 
 
added bonus I found a duck!
 
 

On board !! 😸🙀😸
Check in was easy, scanned my set sail / sea pass from my phone, went through security and didn't have 5 minutes of sitting before walking on board. 
 
Found the muster station and got that put out of the way and now sitting on the Royal Promenade with a Blueberry Nojito.
I’ll have to explore what other non-alcoholic offerings are aboard and post them as I go. I am sure there are more I can find. The Bar Tender here at the R bar has already marked me as a non drinker so I may pick his brain a bit. 

In Galveston! and checked into Moody Gardens Hotel. I snacked on the way down from DFW so no big adventure for dinner. Thinking of Sea Wall Coffee Company here for in Galveston for breakfast.
 

Well I am packed, I think. I have just over 24 hours to decide I need one more thing in the bag and then I am on the road from DFW to Galveston. I have realized in this process just how much is not normally in my Bag and since it all goes on the trips it must normally be in the DW's bag. She is far more organized than I and I am feeling it as I get ready (just don't tell her I said that) 

Hoping that I miss most of the party traffic getting in to Galveston tomorrow as the last Mardis Gras parade of the day starts at 4 PM and I won't get there till 6:30ish. 
Watching several forecast it looks like we will be on the back side of a swell caused by the low moving east across the Gulf coast states in the next couple of days. Here's hoping that a following sea and ginger candy will see me through any possible ill effects of the waves. here are a few of the marine forcast I watch. Usually I check several and choose to believe the one most in my favor! 
Fox Hurricane Forecast here
https://www.myfoxhurricane.com/ww3_sigwave_car.html
Stormsurf here
http://www.stormsurf.com/cgi-bin/4cast.cgi?ID=gfswave.42001
And National Hurricane Center here
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/forecast/enhanced_gom.php
Tomorrow Galveston and Monday on board Voyager! 

Wow so much has changed in my plan since I started this Live Blog.
Battleship Texas opened up more drydock tours but I had already scheduled other things for Sunday Morning. Oh well. 
Went from the State Park to Moody Garden Hotel. Managed to snap up a great online deal on a Sunday night room. Cancelled Parasailing as the DW wants us to try that as a team on a future cruise.
Jan 12 we Headed down with the Scouts for a weekend trip and stayed the night on USS Lexington in Corpus. That was a fun but long weekend especially with freezing weather moving in while we were in Tents on Friday night! Flipped around once I got home and headed up to Oklahoma and spent a-lot of heavy but good family time with my Step sister helping settle My Step Dad's estate. Then on my first day back to work after that emotional week Joint Commision walked into the Hospital I work in for our Survey! 
No rest for the wicked as I pivoted again  and hit the 11 YO's last Pinewood Derby before he moves up to Scout Troop. His last Cub Scout Pack meeting is Thursday night along with nearly every evening this week spoken for before I head to Galveston on Sunday, 
My RUB still says "submitted" I know on the FB group some have been accepted and some even have received a message saying they were rejected. But I will sit and wait and watch to see what mine does! 
Some time I really have to figure out what I am going to pack! Less than 7 days before I hit the road, Yikes! 
 
Oh and here's a Pic of the last PWD car just because it came out awesome! He came in 2nd in his age group and 3rd overall in a field of 28. He also won best design!
 

To Duck or not to Duck? For me that is a silly question. I honestly have as much fun hiding them as my 11 YO has finding them. He likes helping me hide them as well and he has made the executive decision that I should still hide them on this solo cruise. Of course I am directed to find one or two and bring home to him as well. 
I am going with keychain ducks this time to minimize space in my bags and well the darn things are kinda cool. 
If you don't know about ducks don't worry, it's just folks like me hiding ducks on cruise ships for others to find. I have heard a few different stories about how it all began and frankly I just don't worry about which one is the most accurate. The duck game has been around in many forms for a very long time, and I have my personal suspicions that this started with the inspiration of Jeep owners but that's just me.  The most common and sort of official story of Cruise ducks can be found here https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruising-ducks/. 
However it actually started it is a genuine thing and just something fun to do. I found my first duck on Liberty of the Seas back in March of 2019. It has grown quite a bit since the restart. there is a facebook group for Ducks on royal Caribbean ships and you can usually find pics posted on the groups for individual cruises. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/368412343755019
There are some grinch's who don't like the ducks but most take it all in fun. I have talked to many crew members who have fun with it as well. On Radiance back in March I was talking to a couple of the stylist who were on break from the salon and they were very excited to learn they had in fact found one of our ducks hidden in the stairwell not far from their area of the ship. 
 

Happy New Year! 
So getting closer to the date, starting to figure out what to pack. CHanged my overnight plan to a hotel on the night of the 4th (great NYE sale online) and then...  Life starts throwing curveballs.
That is just the way of it. Besides getting called for Jury duty later this month I also found out that my Step Father is gravely ill. Like hospice level ill. Needless to say it has been a tumultuous couple of days. We are still waiting for biopsies and the like to find out a real estimate of time line but right now the Dr's are saying 2 to 3 months. 
He has made it very plain that he doesn't want me canceling my trip so unless things change I am still sailing on the 5th. He has also told me that I am to find some good Huevos Rancheros for breakfast while in port so I shall now be searching where to spend my morning on this overnight stop. I know there is some great food in Cozumel but I have no Idea what is open for breakfast. 
It is nice to have the fall back of being able to cancel this close to departure if needed. I think I would, of course, loose my deposit but because I opted to get cruise insurance that would be it. So if I have to cancel it is a no stress kind of thing. Hopefully I won't have the need to figure out the process but If I do I do, at least I have it.
There are lots of things that can happen near, on, or during your vacation, spend the little bit extra and get Travel Insurance, it's worth it. 
 
So ah.. really ... Breakfast in Cozumel, who has the hook up? 
 

Well Royal-up opened up way earlier than I expected for this cruise! it was actually back on check in day they started taking bids. I actually didn't wait for the notification e-mail, some of the folks on the Facebook group for this one posted they had been notified it was open and I just went to the website to have a look. 
Now I have had mixed luck with Royal up in the past. I have run about 50/50 when I bid. If I really like my cabin then I don't even try. Like having cabin 1100 on Radiance for a 9 night Bahama cruise! There was no way I was going to chance giving up that balcony! The same would apply if I had adjoining rooms, an accessible room,  or something like that. However I will check it out and even bid if my booking is for "just a cabin" that has nothing particular about it to make it worth keeping. It can end up with some pretty nice deals. 
As any one will tell you there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how Royal-up bids are processed and then accepted or passed over. For our Christmas Cruise on Liberty during the restart, I bid fairly high for one type of ocean view room and only minimum on the balcony we ended up in. 
Sailing Solo means I am still paying for double occupancy. That goes for Royal up as well. So the $25 bid I put in for a "virtual balcony" will cost me $50 if it is accepted. For lower bids like that it is not to much of a concern but for a bigger jump I have to remember it as the prices can double up pretty fast if you aren't paying attention. This really goes for any one using the system. As it is a per person charge based on double occupancy, your actual bid is double what you click.
So for this cruise I went back and forth, but a couple of days after the bidding opened up I got a healthy holiday bonus and decided to go ahead and bid. I put bids on a couple of different options including the bare minimum for a balcony. We will see what happens. I will be watching for that magic e-mail that I have been upgraded but I won't worry of it never comes. 
 
 

Check in Day! 
Well I didn't do anything like log in at midnight or get up extra early to do my check in. I actually did it after eating my pop-tarts at work. Still got a 10:30 check in time. Easy Peasy. 
This was my first time using the App to check in. I usually do it online as I check in my whole family all at once and the interface has been easier for that in the past. I think it might still be just because of the selfie. The app did not give me an option to upload a pic from my album and only had the "take a selfie". This isn't a super big deal.
It also didn't like scanning my passport. Typing it in was pretty easy and it is what I have done in the past any way. I am thinking in November, for the fam, I will use the browser on my desk top, but who knows they might have more options by then. 
Some how Check-in Day always makes an impending cruise a little more "Real" for me. Now things are moving and more will happen as embarkation day gets closer. Boarding documents will populate, Luggage tags get printed. In no time it will be time to start packing bags and watching weather and wave forecast. Of course the next big thing will be Royal-up. Do I bid for an upgrade and hope or just stick to the plan of an Interior and not bother? Both thoughts have merit. I guess I will figure that out in 15 days. Who knows, there might not even be any upgrades available. 
Voyager is in Port today and I would think about posting a pic from one of the Galveston Web Cams but for the famous fog. The port is neatly blanketed in. There are a few good cams to watch the port though. 
https://www.visitgalveston.com/webcams/north-galveston-webcam/
https://www.galveston.com/webcams/cruisevideocam/
https://www.galveston.com/webcams/emeraldvideocam/
 

Well looks like my Idea of an activity that would have me leaving at O'dark:30 on Feb 4th to head to Galveston is no longer an option. The Battleship Texas Foundation has announced that January will indeed be the last month for dry dock tours. While this is a small bummer for my trip it is great news for the Ship. it means that the final push to get her ready to refloat will be on! 
It's been a long road for BB-35. with many uncertainties and questions about her future. Now she is getting fresh paint in the "Measure 21" paint scheme as she would have been seen cruising in WWII any where from North Africa and the English Channel supporting the D-day landings to the Pacific including Okinawa and Iow Jima! 
The Texas is the only surviving "dreadnaught" battleship and the only to have served in both World Wars. 
I won't manage a dry dock tour but it looks like her new home will be at Pier 21 right there in Galveston. So I am sure an overnight with the scout troop is in my future anyways! (I am doing the Lexington overnight with the Scouts down in Corpus January 14th) 
To learn more about BB-35 go to https://battleshiptexas.org/ or to the Battleship Texas Foundation Facebook page. 
There is also a Destroyer, the USS Stewart DE-238 -and a Sub USS Cavalla SS-244 in Galveston on Pelican Island at Seawolf Park. They also have Displays from USS Carp SS-338 and USS Tautog SSN-639. Off shore is the partially sunken remains of WWII concrete cargo ship the Selma. 
There is so much history to see in this area of Texas! It is worth going down to Galveston a day or two early and making it part of your vacation and not just the place where you catch the ship! 

So why after 7 cruises with the DW, 5 of which included our son, would I suddenly decide to go out solo? 
Well there are a few reasons and a whole passel of excuses. However one that had to be satisfied in booking this cruise was moving up to Diamond level. 
We sit at 78 Points with all but 7 being with both of us on board together. She did a 7 night with the Texas Eastern Star Chapter without me. (She is still up one trip to Alaska on me in places we have gone.)  So I figure with me pulling 10 points for this cruise however RC does the math we should be Diamond for our Thanksgiving cruise this fall. This is where the nuts meet the bolts in the whole scheme of things. 
I don't drink but the DW does. Usually one or 2 cocktails a day on a cruise and less at home. We also like a few fancy coffees during the day and I like several of the mocktails served aboard. (the Blueberry Nojito is my favorite with dinner) So what happens is we call up customer service and get her the Deluxe drink package  and me the refreshment package. It's not too hard to do and if the operator you get says they can't just hang up and call back the next CSR will likely know what to do. The catch is most of the time you get full price for both instead of the promotionals going on. You might get partial discounts if you ask nicely but it usually ends up full retail for each one. 
So back to me on this particular cruise. My cruise fare for this wave season trip in an interior cabin is less than the combined cost of a Deluxe and a Refreshment for the cruise in November. So at diamond we can get _just her_ a refreshment and use our drink vouchers for all else. Bonus: the boy gets vouchers too for his hot chocolates and power ades! (he does not drink soda at all). Now I will have extras on this trip, internet, mocktails and a shore excursion or so along with a bit of shopping. I have to set that money aside for my self from OT checks and such for anything past the cruise itself  and none of it comes out of our travel funds we set aside. That's the deal and I am sticking to it. 
Add in a little scheduling around work, PTO, school, Scouts, Birthdays, and family holidays and this is the cruise that fit the bill! 

So like the title says I am heading for my first solo cruise. 
First time solo, first time on Voyager, first time in an interior room!, first cruise in wave season.  Last cruise as Emerald, seriously being just 2 points from Diamond just doesn't sit well with me! 
So I am writing this partially to keep track of what I am doing as that is normally a duty assumed by the Darling Wife (DW), partially because I am excited and just want to share the fun! 
Next Friday is online check in so tonight I went and found my passport. I know how and when I am getting from point A to B and back again and even a little bit of what I am going to do. I'll start packing after new years and I'll start panicking Feb 1st! 
 
Sunday afternoon Feb 4th: Drive from Arlington to Galveston, set up at the state park and find a good dinner. This is subject to change as, if the Battleship Texas is still doing dry dock tours and I can get a spot I might have to drive down at o'dark 30. Have to wait and see on that one. I will kick back and do my onboarding safety video and such durring dinner. 
Monday Feb 5th: Wake up, stretch, drink a canned doubleshot or two and gawk at the probable fog bank. Pretty common in Galveston in February so i am just planning on it. After I break down and go find breakfast I'll read the weather updates from the local news and from Royal telling me about the fog. After that drop off the truck at Discount Cruise parking and take the tram to the Terminal. This won't be my first time at the new terminal, but the DW and I like Jr Suites so I will see the concourse I haven't been through yet. I hear it's pretty nice. Then it's on to Voyager for Lunch, a Virgin Mango Daiquiri, visit my muster station and eventually find my room. (I am one of Bill's Friends so my party planning may bit a bit off from others) 
Tuesday Feb 6th: I am a Bum. Sleeping in for sure. I honestly have no idea what I am going to do. Maybe read, maybe sketch, definitely watch flying fish off the promenade rail. I love watching the flying fish. However it is my first time solo so I have no other schedule.  I might go hang in the card room and see if I can find a game of cribbage. Might watch a show. Might nap on deck all day! For sure going to snack a lot. 
Wednesday Feb 7th: Still sleeping in, Still being a bum. I plan to be up on deck around 4-ish. As we pull in to Cozumel for the night Icon should be casting off her lines. It will be cool to see the ship on one of her first runs. Once we are moored and the gangway is down I plan to find my way downtown to Cozumel Coffee Company and enjoy a few cups of dark stuff. 
Thursday Feb 8th: Not sleeping in, going ParaSailing. This will be a first for me as well. then relax, do some shopping.. yup back to being a bum! As I will be up early I might see if I can find a good local breakfast before my adventure and definately have to find a good lunch. Maybe stay up late on the top deck and read there till my battery runs out or I fall asleep. 
Friday Feb 9th: back to Bumsville! besides taking some time to pack in the evening plans are pretty much the same as Tuesday. 
Saturday Feb 10th: Sigh... disembark and drive back to the real world! Have to get back in time to do laundry and get ready for Scout Sunday. A cub scout leaders work doesn't take weekends off! I do have to swing back through the Strand and pick up a small cargo from Katie's before heading north though. 
 
So there it is my plan in a nutshell. everything is booked reserved and ready to go from the Park to picking up my truck in parking lot when I get back.
I'll find out where they seat me in the dining room and let ya'll know what I think of solo cruising along the way! If you have any ship board suggestions of things to do, let me know. 
 
 

64 Days!!!
 
 

64 Days!!!
 
 

64 Days!!!