IRMO12HD

With three (3) days to go (really 2 days and a wake-up!), I have finished:
1. packing (had to wait and see if my team (Go Zags!) made it to the Sweet 16 (they did, for the 8th straight year), so I could add all of my Gonzaga gear to my suitcase (didn't want to jinx them)
2.  checking in for my first flight (it's never direct from Eastern Washington to anywhere -- except Seattle, Denver, SLC or Vegas)
3.  eating up all of the leftovers in the refrigerator that I know my better half won't touch
4. finishing up the chores (well, most of them) that I wanted to get done before I left.
 
On to planning my first day on the ship:
1. Figure out where my table is in the MDR
2.  Checking with Shore Excursions about my preference for a single kayak in Ensenada
3. Signing up for reservations on the app for the Ice Show
4. Locating and consuming my first Diamond drink of the day :-).  Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what it will be (or should be)?

It's the Ides of March today, and only 7 days left until we set sail!  I'm finishing up a bunch of appointments this week, including one on Saint Paddy's Day for platelet donation.  It's something I do about every two weeks, and it means a lot to me.  I'll be bringing/wearing several of my ARC Platelet Donor shirts (and hats) on this cruise, hoping to raise awareness of it.  I spent this morning helping with the annual spring cleaning of our local pride and joy - an antique carousel. Here's a picture of it, with my two tasks represented in the cleaning of the railing around the carousel, and the application of wood preservative/protectant applied to the "platter."  
I've decided to go the carry on route -- although I'll probably check my suitcase to go on the ship so I don't have to lug it around.  Next step (probably tomorrow) -- clothing layout time so I know what goes where.  

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 🙂

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. 

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!
 

One other thing- if you want a pre-night hotel your travel agent could book you through Delta Vacations or Southwest Vacations- add air and hotel in one. 

The saga continued -- and soon to be concluded!
Back to Day 2 (remember, I was going to tell you how I watched "the Game" -- Sweet 16 game between UCLA and Gonzaga).  I wore my Gonzaga BB tee shirt under my Dress Your Best blouse and jacket because I didn't want to jinx the Zags, and I didn't know if I'd have time after dinner in the MDR to run up and change before watching the game in Playmakers.  As it happened, I did have time to change, and rapidly found out that when there's a family reunion group (from California, as it happened) in front of the big screen TV in Playmakers, it's not the best venue for game watching.  I managed to put up with people standing up in front of me for selfies, little kids running around, and loud conversation for the first half, and then decided to watch in my cabin where I could relax, put my feet up on the bed, and change the trajectory of the game (well, maybe not the last one, but figured it was worth a try, as the Zags were down at the half).  So I grabbed two glasses of wine from the Star Lounge, and headed up to watch the second half.  Good thing . . . it worked!
 

After that, it was time for bed!
 And then, on to Day 3, and Cabo.
I slept in, got some coffee, and realized that I'd have to wait for breakfast as the MDR was serving brunch because it was a port day.  We weren't due in to Cabo until noon, and I didn't feel like joining the lines for tender tickets, so took my time, and ended up with Tender Ticket #39.  I realized that I probably wouldn't be off the ship until 2 or 2:30, so had a leisurely brunch, and tried to figure out the afternoon's schedule with my daughter.  Since she was staying at a resort about halfway to San Jose del Cabo, we resolved to just meet at The Office about 3:00.  I convinced myself that I could figure out the water taxis (I couldn't, as it turned out), and leapt off the tender -- welp, just going to hoof it. My map on my phone showed it was about 1/2 mile away.  Obviously that distance was as the fish (or water taxi) swam, because I walked all the way around the marina, and then realized my map wasn't updating my position (new phone SIM card, setting changes not made so not enough data).  After about a 1.3 mile walk, I was there.  Sucked down a margarita, had some nachos with my daughter and her friends, and decided it was time to catch a water taxi back to the pier.  Umm -- guess what??  The water taxis stop running at 5:00 p.m., and it was 5:02.  Despite the best efforts of the maitre d' and our waiter, we were unable to get any of the water taxis to come back and pick me up -- so we called an Uber.  A grand total of $2.00 (plus a $1.00) tip to get me back to the tender dock, and I was on my way.
 
So, lessons learned from Days 2 and 3:
1.  If you want to watch a game and be able to hear and enjoy it, probably avoid Playmakers.  If you're there for the party and the excitement, by all means find a chair and grab a beer and some onion rings.  1.a.  If the game is on the TV in Playmakers, you'll probably be able to watch it in your cabin.
2. Port days have brunch in the MDR, not breakfast, so plan your meal consumption accordingly
3.  If you want to get on an early tender in Cabo (BTW, we were the only ship in port!), get in line early!
4.  If you have AT&T and you don't see data like you should, check your cellular settings.  Oh, and you need data in order for the Uber app to work 😉
5.  Water taxis from the Office and its surrounding beaches stop at 5 p.m.  And traffic at that time of day is pretty gnarly for getting back to the Tender pier.
 
My Sweet Sixteen viewing venue:

The saga continued -- and soon to be concluded!
Back to Day 2 (remember, I was going to tell you how I watched "the Game" -- Sweet 16 game between UCLA and Gonzaga).  I wore my Gonzaga BB tee shirt under my Dress Your Best blouse and jacket because I didn't want to jinx the Zags, and I didn't know if I'd have time after dinner in the MDR to run up and change before watching the game in Playmakers.  As it happened, I did have time to change, and rapidly found out that when there's a family reunion group (from California, as it happened) in front of the big screen TV in Playmakers, it's not the best venue for game watching.  I managed to put up with people standing up in front of me for selfies, little kids running around, and loud conversation for the first half, and then decided to watch in my cabin where I could relax, put my feet up on the bed, and change the trajectory of the game (well, maybe not the last one, but figured it was worth a try, as the Zags were down at the half).  So I grabbed two glasses of wine from the Star Lounge, and headed up to watch the second half.  Good thing . . . it worked!
 

After that, it was time for bed!
 And then, on to Day 3, and Cabo.
I slept in, got some coffee, and realized that I'd have to wait for breakfast as the MDR was serving brunch because it was a port day.  We weren't due in to Cabo until noon, and I didn't feel like joining the lines for tender tickets, so took my time, and ended up with Tender Ticket #39.  I realized that I probably wouldn't be off the ship until 2 or 2:30, so had a leisurely brunch, and tried to figure out the afternoon's schedule with my daughter.  Since she was staying at a resort about halfway to San Jose del Cabo, we resolved to just meet at The Office about 3:00.  I convinced myself that I could figure out the water taxis (I couldn't, as it turned out), and leapt off the tender -- welp, just going to hoof it. My map on my phone showed it was about 1/2 mile away.  Obviously that distance was as the fish (or water taxi) swam, because I walked all the way around the marina, and then realized my map wasn't updating my position (new phone SIM card, setting changes not made so not enough data).  After about a 1.3 mile walk, I was there.  Sucked down a margarita, had some nachos with my daughter and her friends, and decided it was time to catch a water taxi back to the pier.  Umm -- guess what??  The water taxis stop running at 5:00 p.m., and it was 5:02.  Despite the best efforts of the maitre d' and our waiter, we were unable to get any of the water taxis to come back and pick me up -- so we called an Uber.  A grand total of $2.00 (plus a $1.00) tip to get me back to the tender dock, and I was on my way.
 
So, lessons learned from Days 2 and 3:
1.  If you want to watch a game and be able to hear and enjoy it, probably avoid Playmakers.  If you're there for the party and the excitement, by all means find a chair and grab a beer and some onion rings.  1.a.  If the game is on the TV in Playmakers, you'll probably be able to watch it in your cabin.
2. Port days have brunch in the MDR, not breakfast, so plan your meal consumption accordingly
3.  If you want to get on an early tender in Cabo (BTW, we were the only ship in port!), get in line early!
4.  If you have AT&T and you don't see data like you should, check your cellular settings.  Oh, and you need data in order for the Uber app to work 😉
5.  Water taxis from the Office and its surrounding beaches stop at 5 p.m.  And traffic at that time of day is pretty gnarly for getting back to the Tender pier.
 
My Sweet Sixteen viewing venue:

My Beach Blast spiked milkshake: 
 

I'm baaackk!  Just to try and finish up my 2-week late live blog!  Continuing to reverse engineer, we turn to Day #6 - Disembarkation.  I woke up early because I wanted to see us come in through the harbor.  Missed the first part of it, but rapidly figured out two things by watching the Bridge cam view and the "On The Map;":
1.  We were BACKING in!  OK, I should have figured that, but it was kind of amusing that I came to the realization by watching the Bridge Cam, my VB screen, and the map.  The joys of an Interior VB.
2.  We were pretty much right on time; ended up docking at about 6:45 a.m..  I know this because that was the time on my photo.  The time/date stamp is proving to be an invaluable tool for me in terms of reconstructing my (not-so) Live Blog

 

 
Since I'd have to lug my suitcase off the ship (even though it was just a little carryon), I had put it out in the hall the night before, but had signed up for Self Assist too!  I had booked the RCL Airport Transfer ($35) because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to LAX in time for my 12:50 flight (having NO idea whether or not roads, bus/Uber traffic, crowds at LAX, etc. would impact me).  As it turned out, I was glad I did.  I still had a nice breakfast in the MDR, got back up to my cabin and grabbed my backpack, purse, and "personal bag," and headed to the Royal Theater at my appointed time (8:00).  This was definitely the way to go, as I was able to walk out the exit doors onto the Promenade, hang a right, and walk right off the ship.  Found my bag right away (thanks to its beautiful Dusty Rose color), walked through the line, smiled (well, no, just looked at) the camera, and was on my way out the door.  Total time:  probably about 8 minutes.
One thing that I did note on my survey was that there were NO signs to let people know where to go to get to the RCL Transfer bus.   After about 30 seconds of scanning around me, I asked a Security Guard, who pointed to the right, down near the end of the "tent," and asked me to make sure I walked in the walkway and use the crosswalk close to the buses.  So this (below) is what this area looks like with no one around; it's a little more obscured and confusing when there are about 100 bodies milling around.

But, I found the bus, and the RCL rep, who checked me in, directed me to the attention of the bus driver, who asked me my airline and stowed my (little!) suitcase in the appropriate luggage compartment of the bus.  I climbed aboard, sat on the left side JUST IN CASE (ha-ha!) I could see the ocean on the way up to LAX, and relaxed.  We pulled out at 8:25 (remember those date/time stamps??!!), and pulled into Terminal 6 (Alaska Airlines) at about 9:20.  Here's a picture of the check-in area:

After about a 3 minute wait in the TSA Pre-check line, I breezed through Security and was on my way to the Alaska Lounge.  Aaah, the life.

Some notes on debarkation:
1.  Putting my bag out the night before didn't really slow me down, but I can see how if there were multiple people with multiple bags, it might.
2.  If you don't see something you need (like a bus stop sign) make sure you ask right away.
3.  As a single traveler, the RCL Transfer to LAX made a lot of sense.  An Uber was going to be a minimum of $45 (I checked), a Lyft was going to be about the same, and it was just me to shoulder the cost.  If I had been with a couple of other people, obviously Ride Share would have been more economical.  Lyfts and Ubers CAN take you directly to your terminal; they just can't pick you up from there (you have to go to the LAX-it lot).
4.  The MDR was a great choice for my disembarkation breakfast -- oh, and I did get a latte + Bailey's on my Diamond voucher at about 6:45 that morning -- no line,either 🙂
 
 
 
 

So I have free wifi for flights on Delta, United and American with T-Mobile. It's not as snappy but I can post and reply on the blog.
Let me tell you........ my Lyft driver Adrienne was super sweet by boy did she have problems. l ordered it at 7:30 and it was late. Firstly, the passenger before me had been escorted off of Royal  and to jail on Monday. She was apparently bipolar and had an episode. She refused to exit the vehicle so I could get in until the driver came to a particular area. I had to walk. Then poor Adrienne was confused. I said United at FLL and she first merge into terminal J then got confused about where to exit. So I'm now 20min behind and the app is asking if things are okay. Then we finally get on the tunnel. The time said 45min, I am assuming because of traffic, and it was a lot. I don't know why she didn't notice the time but she took me to MIA and I told her before she got off, I'm going to FLL. We then had to go through the arrivals part to get off. Then she needed gas. There was a crazy homeless man screaming at his lungs all the curse words and knocking on windows for change. The app checked in again to see if I was okay. We finally got on the way to FLL and it started pouring so we had to pull over. I made it to FLL at 9:30 but I had gotten in my Lyft at 8:06.
Then poor Adrienne, who was from Ireland, told me her ills. She beat breast cancer in 2018. Then in December last year she fell and all the skin came off the bones. Then she got covid, then a bacterial infection and finally rhinovirus, I know I'm not spelling that correctly.  But yes she finally got a clean bill of health in March. It was a lot and I was glad to be at the airport.  The line to check bags was insane, so I was happy to go through precheck and on to my terminal. I got 2 bagels and waited to board my flight.

Okay slight shenanigans. I went to the DL for snacks after that long phone hold. Haley is the DL concierge, she asked a black lady to see her card to check for status, everyone else who come in she never asked. The black lady was pissed because she had been accessing the lounge all week with her card. She made a huge stink about it and Haley cried. I enjoyed my fruity pebbles rice krispies and me and Linda shook our heads. I don't know if Haley was in the wrong or not because I wasn't there when she asked to see the card but I do know that lady didn't have to be that extra. They had a sign that said hushpuppies but they were corn fritters, still tasty, just call a spade a spade.
I left the DL a little after six. I passed by GS on my and the line was to the dining room, crazy 🤪. I played my earned freeplay and then watched others. I noticed that people who smoke will just go in the casino and walk around to get their fix. Nobody enforces the no smoking section,  so beware when you are at Schooners or Playmakers on a Freedom class ship. The line to cash out was ridiculous and tons of people were trying to figure out their certifications. There was a drunk guy saying tonight was everyone's last chance to "get it in." The vintage lady next to me asked me what I thought he meant. She assumed something casino related but I knew he was talking pineapple....upside down pineapple 🤣😆😹. Linda said at crazy quest people were trying to see who was with it. I laughed because frequent cruisers know when to stay away from certain people 🤣 😂.
The couple who shared my table were upset to be sat there.  They requested a table for two so they could be romantic. Fine by me. I had the aracini and chicken parm. It was miles......I mean hundreds of miles better than when I had it on Grandeur. The aracini tasted similar to Jamie's but with a slightly spicy sauce. The chicken parm is a huge portion, I couldn't finish it. The lemon tart had too much meringue and not nearly enough lemon curd. But it was tasty, you just need to push the meringue off. Also I had never had the rolls with the seeds, they are super delish!!!
After dinner I went to the once upon a time show. I made it to rapunzel and got tired.  I stopped in the casino to get ingredients for my homemade janky sangria. Then I started packing, which was easy because unlike @asquared17 I only have a carry-on 🤣🤣🤣. I plan to try to go to bed early, we will see.

Day 4 continues.....
According to guest services there are like 800 children aboard, which is more than a third of the guest. I did laser tag and had a ball. I was the second worst with 560pts, the first on our team of 4 had close to 5000. Last place was a tiny 7 y/o with zero points, we told her she had 4000. I then read for a bit but after seeing @WAAAYTOOO post decided to call about my annual tier cruise. I was on hold for THREE HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES. I  bolded that because it was absurd. I had my Bluetooth buds in so I read in the DL and then eventually went back to my room for two-hours before I finally got through. I started it so I committed. I have to say internet in Freedom has been amazeballs. On Grandeur and Oasis I couldn't make wifi calls. I have talked to some vintage and my brother each day. Plus photos and post load with ease.
Today is the last day and no sight of room attendant but envelope for gratuity was on my bed. I will tip but I have no plans to be as generous as I normally am. My dining staff has been amazing so I will be taking care of them. I'm hoping to make it to the Hush! Party but I think life is catching up to me....or that long hold time drained me. I think I will hit the casino to spend my freeplay, dinner and call it a night.  That's if shenanigans don't pull me in.....🤣😂😅😆😆😆😆
 

Apparently this means premium booty. Like good looking or quality 🤔 👌.

@melmar02 Okay I took photos of the machines I normally play. There are two missing because people were at them. That's dancing drums and for some reason I an blanking on the name as I'm not in the casino.

We loved it on our Allure cruise last week. After the horrible flight and late night and all the travel woes, it was SO nice to just sit down and be pampered at Giovanni's in peace.
Since I missed the whole Kindle conversation while I was on my cruise, I'll jump in here. I am still using the Kindle Voyage, which is my absolute favorite version (my second one of this model), and is discontinued. I have no idea what I am going to do when it breaks, because I depend on being able to hold it in either hand and turn the pages from the side (the actual edge, not the screen). I don't believe that any of the newer models do this? I love that it works seamlessly with Libby for books from my library. If I eat alone, although not on cruises, I'm always reading from my Kindle, but it is also my wind-down activity when I'm in bed, before I fall asleep. I would be in TROUBLE if I ever forgot it on a trip! When I try to read paper books, I end up poking my finger on the side of the page to make it turn for the first few pages, I'm so used to turning pages that way. 

My Beach Blast spiked milkshake: 
 

I'm baaackk!  Just to try and finish up my 2-week late live blog!  Continuing to reverse engineer, we turn to Day #6 - Disembarkation.  I woke up early because I wanted to see us come in through the harbor.  Missed the first part of it, but rapidly figured out two things by watching the Bridge cam view and the "On The Map;":
1.  We were BACKING in!  OK, I should have figured that, but it was kind of amusing that I came to the realization by watching the Bridge Cam, my VB screen, and the map.  The joys of an Interior VB.
2.  We were pretty much right on time; ended up docking at about 6:45 a.m..  I know this because that was the time on my photo.  The time/date stamp is proving to be an invaluable tool for me in terms of reconstructing my (not-so) Live Blog

 

 
Since I'd have to lug my suitcase off the ship (even though it was just a little carryon), I had put it out in the hall the night before, but had signed up for Self Assist too!  I had booked the RCL Airport Transfer ($35) because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to LAX in time for my 12:50 flight (having NO idea whether or not roads, bus/Uber traffic, crowds at LAX, etc. would impact me).  As it turned out, I was glad I did.  I still had a nice breakfast in the MDR, got back up to my cabin and grabbed my backpack, purse, and "personal bag," and headed to the Royal Theater at my appointed time (8:00).  This was definitely the way to go, as I was able to walk out the exit doors onto the Promenade, hang a right, and walk right off the ship.  Found my bag right away (thanks to its beautiful Dusty Rose color), walked through the line, smiled (well, no, just looked at) the camera, and was on my way out the door.  Total time:  probably about 8 minutes.
One thing that I did note on my survey was that there were NO signs to let people know where to go to get to the RCL Transfer bus.   After about 30 seconds of scanning around me, I asked a Security Guard, who pointed to the right, down near the end of the "tent," and asked me to make sure I walked in the walkway and use the crosswalk close to the buses.  So this (below) is what this area looks like with no one around; it's a little more obscured and confusing when there are about 100 bodies milling around.

But, I found the bus, and the RCL rep, who checked me in, directed me to the attention of the bus driver, who asked me my airline and stowed my (little!) suitcase in the appropriate luggage compartment of the bus.  I climbed aboard, sat on the left side JUST IN CASE (ha-ha!) I could see the ocean on the way up to LAX, and relaxed.  We pulled out at 8:25 (remember those date/time stamps??!!), and pulled into Terminal 6 (Alaska Airlines) at about 9:20.  Here's a picture of the check-in area:

After about a 3 minute wait in the TSA Pre-check line, I breezed through Security and was on my way to the Alaska Lounge.  Aaah, the life.

Some notes on debarkation:
1.  Putting my bag out the night before didn't really slow me down, but I can see how if there were multiple people with multiple bags, it might.
2.  If you don't see something you need (like a bus stop sign) make sure you ask right away.
3.  As a single traveler, the RCL Transfer to LAX made a lot of sense.  An Uber was going to be a minimum of $45 (I checked), a Lyft was going to be about the same, and it was just me to shoulder the cost.  If I had been with a couple of other people, obviously Ride Share would have been more economical.  Lyfts and Ubers CAN take you directly to your terminal; they just can't pick you up from there (you have to go to the LAX-it lot).
4.  The MDR was a great choice for my disembarkation breakfast -- oh, and I did get a latte + Bailey's on my Diamond voucher at about 6:45 that morning -- no line,either 🙂
 
 
 
 

My Beach Blast spiked milkshake: 
 

I'm baaackk!  Just to try and finish up my 2-week late live blog!  Continuing to reverse engineer, we turn to Day #6 - Disembarkation.  I woke up early because I wanted to see us come in through the harbor.  Missed the first part of it, but rapidly figured out two things by watching the Bridge cam view and the "On The Map;":
1.  We were BACKING in!  OK, I should have figured that, but it was kind of amusing that I came to the realization by watching the Bridge Cam, my VB screen, and the map.  The joys of an Interior VB.
2.  We were pretty much right on time; ended up docking at about 6:45 a.m..  I know this because that was the time on my photo.  The time/date stamp is proving to be an invaluable tool for me in terms of reconstructing my (not-so) Live Blog

 

 
Since I'd have to lug my suitcase off the ship (even though it was just a little carryon), I had put it out in the hall the night before, but had signed up for Self Assist too!  I had booked the RCL Airport Transfer ($35) because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to LAX in time for my 12:50 flight (having NO idea whether or not roads, bus/Uber traffic, crowds at LAX, etc. would impact me).  As it turned out, I was glad I did.  I still had a nice breakfast in the MDR, got back up to my cabin and grabbed my backpack, purse, and "personal bag," and headed to the Royal Theater at my appointed time (8:00).  This was definitely the way to go, as I was able to walk out the exit doors onto the Promenade, hang a right, and walk right off the ship.  Found my bag right away (thanks to its beautiful Dusty Rose color), walked through the line, smiled (well, no, just looked at) the camera, and was on my way out the door.  Total time:  probably about 8 minutes.
One thing that I did note on my survey was that there were NO signs to let people know where to go to get to the RCL Transfer bus.   After about 30 seconds of scanning around me, I asked a Security Guard, who pointed to the right, down near the end of the "tent," and asked me to make sure I walked in the walkway and use the crosswalk close to the buses.  So this (below) is what this area looks like with no one around; it's a little more obscured and confusing when there are about 100 bodies milling around.

But, I found the bus, and the RCL rep, who checked me in, directed me to the attention of the bus driver, who asked me my airline and stowed my (little!) suitcase in the appropriate luggage compartment of the bus.  I climbed aboard, sat on the left side JUST IN CASE (ha-ha!) I could see the ocean on the way up to LAX, and relaxed.  We pulled out at 8:25 (remember those date/time stamps??!!), and pulled into Terminal 6 (Alaska Airlines) at about 9:20.  Here's a picture of the check-in area:

After about a 3 minute wait in the TSA Pre-check line, I breezed through Security and was on my way to the Alaska Lounge.  Aaah, the life.

Some notes on debarkation:
1.  Putting my bag out the night before didn't really slow me down, but I can see how if there were multiple people with multiple bags, it might.
2.  If you don't see something you need (like a bus stop sign) make sure you ask right away.
3.  As a single traveler, the RCL Transfer to LAX made a lot of sense.  An Uber was going to be a minimum of $45 (I checked), a Lyft was going to be about the same, and it was just me to shoulder the cost.  If I had been with a couple of other people, obviously Ride Share would have been more economical.  Lyfts and Ubers CAN take you directly to your terminal; they just can't pick you up from there (you have to go to the LAX-it lot).
4.  The MDR was a great choice for my disembarkation breakfast -- oh, and I did get a latte + Bailey's on my Diamond voucher at about 6:45 that morning -- no line,either 🙂
 
 
 
 

My Beach Blast spiked milkshake: 
 

My Beach Blast spiked milkshake: 
 

I'm baaackk!  Just to try and finish up my 2-week late live blog!  Continuing to reverse engineer, we turn to Day #6 - Disembarkation.  I woke up early because I wanted to see us come in through the harbor.  Missed the first part of it, but rapidly figured out two things by watching the Bridge cam view and the "On The Map;":
1.  We were BACKING in!  OK, I should have figured that, but it was kind of amusing that I came to the realization by watching the Bridge Cam, my VB screen, and the map.  The joys of an Interior VB.
2.  We were pretty much right on time; ended up docking at about 6:45 a.m..  I know this because that was the time on my photo.  The time/date stamp is proving to be an invaluable tool for me in terms of reconstructing my (not-so) Live Blog

 

 
Since I'd have to lug my suitcase off the ship (even though it was just a little carryon), I had put it out in the hall the night before, but had signed up for Self Assist too!  I had booked the RCL Airport Transfer ($35) because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to LAX in time for my 12:50 flight (having NO idea whether or not roads, bus/Uber traffic, crowds at LAX, etc. would impact me).  As it turned out, I was glad I did.  I still had a nice breakfast in the MDR, got back up to my cabin and grabbed my backpack, purse, and "personal bag," and headed to the Royal Theater at my appointed time (8:00).  This was definitely the way to go, as I was able to walk out the exit doors onto the Promenade, hang a right, and walk right off the ship.  Found my bag right away (thanks to its beautiful Dusty Rose color), walked through the line, smiled (well, no, just looked at) the camera, and was on my way out the door.  Total time:  probably about 8 minutes.
One thing that I did note on my survey was that there were NO signs to let people know where to go to get to the RCL Transfer bus.   After about 30 seconds of scanning around me, I asked a Security Guard, who pointed to the right, down near the end of the "tent," and asked me to make sure I walked in the walkway and use the crosswalk close to the buses.  So this (below) is what this area looks like with no one around; it's a little more obscured and confusing when there are about 100 bodies milling around.

But, I found the bus, and the RCL rep, who checked me in, directed me to the attention of the bus driver, who asked me my airline and stowed my (little!) suitcase in the appropriate luggage compartment of the bus.  I climbed aboard, sat on the left side JUST IN CASE (ha-ha!) I could see the ocean on the way up to LAX, and relaxed.  We pulled out at 8:25 (remember those date/time stamps??!!), and pulled into Terminal 6 (Alaska Airlines) at about 9:20.  Here's a picture of the check-in area:

After about a 3 minute wait in the TSA Pre-check line, I breezed through Security and was on my way to the Alaska Lounge.  Aaah, the life.

Some notes on debarkation:
1.  Putting my bag out the night before didn't really slow me down, but I can see how if there were multiple people with multiple bags, it might.
2.  If you don't see something you need (like a bus stop sign) make sure you ask right away.
3.  As a single traveler, the RCL Transfer to LAX made a lot of sense.  An Uber was going to be a minimum of $45 (I checked), a Lyft was going to be about the same, and it was just me to shoulder the cost.  If I had been with a couple of other people, obviously Ride Share would have been more economical.  Lyfts and Ubers CAN take you directly to your terminal; they just can't pick you up from there (you have to go to the LAX-it lot).
4.  The MDR was a great choice for my disembarkation breakfast -- oh, and I did get a latte + Bailey's on my Diamond voucher at about 6:45 that morning -- no line,either 🙂
 
 
 
 

You re-price much the same way you do a cruise. I call Air2Sea and select "existing reservation" and I tell the agent I want to re-price a reservation I have with them. They take care of the rest. I check my airfares almost daily so when I see a drop, I call them.
This is the number I call to reach Air2Sea directly: 844-278-9745

I am the packing list manager in my family.  I create a packing list for each person.  When the kids were younger (like 6), they had to lay out all items on their bed.  I would inspect their items vs the list.  Once I gave them the approval, they were allowed to pack their own back. But that does not mean that I have not left my own stuff behind.