IRMO12HD

So, not much to report today.  We tried to have lunch at Izumi just to be turned away.  They were having a sushi-making class today so we slunk back to Chops. Keep in mind that we had just come from breakfast at Chops a little while before (remember the Choo-choo nanner ?)....but we made appearance #2 shortly thereafter.  I was not particularly hungry (go figure) so I just had my beloved mushroom soup and a shrimp cocktail.  Dan had a rather bizarre shrimp-cocktail-Caesar-salad concoction devised by our (now bestie) waiter (I can’t pronounce his name but it starts with a V).
We waddled out of Chops AGAIN and I went to the casino.  Big mistake.  I should have gone with Dan to the sauna. Sadly I must report that my casino fortunes have taken a decidedly negative turn.  That particular session ended in a $600 loss and a subsequent follow-on disaster after dinner netted another $500 soaking. Ugh.  Dan is still up over $600 so he’s obviously much better at this than I am but I have the luxury of not caring whether I win or lose so I’m sure I will continue to lose !  

So guess where we had dinner ?  Yep...the ol’ Chops hat trick !  Dan had steak, I had spicy shrimp.  I now have indigestion due to waaaytooo much food today and lousy gambling skills.  Time for bed. Peace, out.
??❤️

"You kids get off my blog!" ??

Went down to guest services to reprogram my WOW band and to ask for a comment card of some sort. The Guest Services desk told me that they no longer do them and that you are supposed to put the comments in the survey that you get at the end of the cruise.
Well 9 times out of 10 I never receive the end of the crew survey so I want to make sure that TAPAN from India gets the recognition he deserves.  I shot off an email to [email protected] and I will definitely comment in the survey and look for any way to commend that young man.

The food order is just a show to justify the pot of goodness.  I would show you my Windjammer plate but I tripped over a table and it accidentally all fell in my mouth before I could take a photo.

Guest Services was dead this morning so with no one there in line they were able to quickly reprint my SeaPass.  She said the other one would no longer work and that I would have to get my WOWband reprogrammed too.  Not sure why she couldn't just have given me an extra room only key since I told her I locked myself out and didn't lose the key, but okay.
I told her the Digital Key wasn't working and it wouldn't be an issue otherwise.  She asked me what was wrong with the app and I pulled up the Digital Key icon and it told me I needed to turn on bluetooth ?
Well, alrighty then.  I never recalled turning it off but didn't think to check that.  So it's once again working and I sheepishly slunk away from Guest Services.

I got off the elevator and decided that the least I could do was help guide him all the way to the act of this ship to Windjammer. I asked him if he minded me walking with him to the Windjammer and he took my arm and we trekked all the way across the pool deck. He told me he had paid extra to have a wheelchair and assistance but that someone complained about it? I didn't really quite understand the story and didn't really ask for clarification. 
He said he took a 16 day cruise and he's going to Africa in April.  Pretty amazing travels he has done.
We got to the Windjammer where I asked the greeter if he minded helping my new friend.  The greeter was amazing and he took his arm and started asking him what he was wanting to eat and helped him to the handwashing station.  I didn't think to catch his name tag but as soon as my room service is delivered I am popping back over to Windjammer to get his name so I can fill out a WOW comment card for him.

So 7am Ashley wonders WTF 1am Ashley was thinking eating sushi right before bed.
Woke up on my own before the room service scheduled for 8am.  It's 7:49am so they aren't early like yesterday
But good morning Labadee!


On the agenda today is to get off the ship at some point.  Ride the Dragon's Tail Coster with my All Day Access.  Most likely decide all day access means "once" and feel justified in knowing I caught the All Day Access for $25 at one point and later saw they were selling single rides for $34.99.
Then probably a bit of meandering to check Labadee out as I have never been.  I won't lay out in the or go play in the water as those words aren't in my vocabulary outside of social situations. 
Then I will find some shade and sit and contemplate eating for free on Labadee followed by contemplating going back and eating for free on the ship.  Both will require some walking and effort so this will be a dilemma that I will work through in my mind until I get bored.  I will walk somewhere (likely in the wrong direction) and get hot and gross and annoyed with that, curse the sun and go seek air conditioning.

Great tour -- it was so neat to hear (and feel!) your enthusiasm!
 

Day 4 - COCO CAY DAAAAAAY! 

After a yummy breakfast in the Windjammer, it was time to get ready to go to Coco Cay. The delay in Port Canaveral slightly pushed back our Coco Cay time from 9-5 to 10-6. We wanted to be some of the first off the ship since we had a Chill Island cabana and I wanted to spend as much time as possible there. We were super super lucky and Grandeur was the only ship docked there that day so only like 2,100 people on the whole island. There were TONS of free chairs and umbrellas all over. I’m super glad we had the cabana (especially for the price we paid) but if we didn’t, it wouldn’t have been an issue at all. The weather was GORGEOUS, calm seas, clear skies, and a high of low 70s. 


People dressed up in junkanoo costumes were hanging around for pictures and a live band was playing “Perfect Day” as we walked down the pier. 


We made a bee line for Chill Island to drop off our stuff at the cabana and get settled. We could have taken the tram, but decided to walk since I wanted to take in the sights on our way. I’m really glad we did because we got to see some stuff a tram ride would have missed. 
 





Hammock grove 

Both sand wheelchairs and strollers (I had heard of the wheelchairs but not the strollers) 

And we finally got to the cabana concierge! They had fruit flavored water and cold eucalyptus scented towels waiting for us when we checked in. Heaven. 

We had cabana number 2 in the front row of cabanas which I was super happy about. Even though there were cabanas on either side, it felt very private the whole time. I also noticed a wheelchair ramp up to all of the cabanas that I hadn’t heard people talk about. Not sure if these are new or just not mentioned as much. 






And the drink and food menus: 


Our cabana attendant was Silver and she was amazing. Super attentive and nice and had suggestions if you were waffling between things. I also lucked out because at one point I ordered a watermelon margarita and the bartender accidentally made a watermelon mojito first. Well both made their way back to me but I was only charged for the one I ordered. BONUS DRINK! 


You can see the NCL Island from the cabanas

Around 1 I decided to take a little stroll around the island and check things out. 







Directional signs are already up for South Beach and Coco Beach Club

Some of the construction that I could see. Pretty sure this is the beach club


And I think this is the portion of South beach that is still open through construction. There was a sign that there was no WiFi there. 

 
Around 1:20 I got a message in our family Whatsapp chat that lunch had arrived. I was almost back anyway so I was only 5 mins or so late to the food. We got crispy chicken sandwiches (we could specify if we wanted things like tomato or lettuce omitted), fries and mozzarella sticks. No pictures of the fries because they were demolished too quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the food traveled. 



At one point a seagull came to visit, but he didn’t come closer than this so the food was safe. About an hour after lunch came, Silver brought over some fruit skewers and a bunch of cookies. Again, no pictures of cookies because they died an honorable death before I could snap one. 

There was WiFi on the island and it was amazing compared to Grandeur’s. My mom took the opportunity to download a bunch of shows to her iPad and I watched the latest episode of His Dark Materials on HBO (armored bears!) The WiFi acted like you needed a login, but if you tapped on “use without internet” from the login screen, you still had access to the internet. No clue how long this will last. Middle test is Coco Cay. Others are from our room on deck 2 on board and the Solarium. In general, I’ve noticed the WiFi is best early in the morning in public places. It was like 2.5 down on the deck 5 chairs around 7am. 

Anyway, all aboard was 5:30 and we started packing up around 4:50. We were one of the last cabanas to leave so we got to chat with Silver a bit before we left after tipping her thank you. She said she’s been with the company for 2 months and came from working at Atlantis. She lives in the housing they have on the island and she said she works something like 6 weeks on, 1 week off. If people live farther away like her coworker from Kenya, they work longer but have longer off. It was funny hearing how they have different impressions of the various ships. They were really happy today was just Grandeur because first of all fewer people, but also apparently Grandeur guests tend to be more laid back and not as demanding. I complimented her in how she was tactful in keeping people out of the cabana area since I had seen her greeting a man without a wristband with a huge smile and a “hello sir! Are you staying in a cabana with us today?” Knowing full well he wasn’t. She said that really meant a lot to her because that’s one of the toughest parts of the job. Apparently some people very very confrontational and aggressive about it which is a shame. 
 
We were able to catch a tram back to the ship and I saw that the sun was setting. It was so pretty that I had to stop like 10 times to get pictures. I’m sure I annoyed those around me lol 





When onboard and back to our room I went to go check the MDR menu for the night to see if we wanted to go there or WJ. Guess who I happened to see when I was there? CRUISING DUCK! I left it there for someone else to find after taking pictures


I recognize those names and I think they might be in the FB group for this sailing. So fun. We ended up settling on WJ for dinner and it was nice and quick but filling. We returned to a cute elephant in the room and then it was some more reading and passing out. 

 
 

? Only Four More Days Until We Go On Brilliance!!  Only Four Short Days 'til We Cruise!!! ?
 
Two days before we leave for Tampa -- well, make that 1 good night's sleep, 1 day, and then a very short night's sleep before we catch our O'dark 30 flight.  I've been watching the weather reports pretty closely, but think we'll be all right getting from Eastern Washington to Western Washington, and then down to Western Florida . . .  Had a bunch of stuff to get done around the house today, and so my suitcase is still sitting on the bed waiting to be filled.  Another thing that needs to be filled . . . In looking at other Live Blogs, I realized that I haven't filled in too many details about our itinerary, so here goes!
Sailing:  November 30 – December 7, 2019, Brilliance of the Seas, 7 Night Western Caribbean cruise Sailing with:   Me, my husband, and about 1780 of our new biker friends-to-be! Flying from:  Pasco, Washington (yes, the state of Washington; 120 miles away from that city and university that Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t believe exists)!   Pre-cruise hotel:  Marriott Waterside in Tampa (with about 1,000 of our new biker friends-to-be) Itinerary:
Day 1 – Tampa
Day 2 – At Sea
Day 3 – Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Day 4 – Cozumel 
Day 5 – At Sea
Day 6 - - Key West, Florida
Day 7 – At Sea
Day 8 -- Tampa
Cabin:  Junior Suite – our first one!
Pre-purchases: We got a decent price on an internet package at $12/day and my husband and I will both have the Deluxe Beverage package.  We loved the Segway excursion in Grand Cayman so are repeating it.  In Cozumel, I’ll be exploring the Amazing River.  In Key West, we’ll just kind of party with everyone else; plus, we will participate in a gigantic T-shirt swap!  Oh, and I booked the Ship All-Access Tour for myself -- one of my cruise bucket list items, believe it or not!
First departure from an "ordinary" cruise -- we'll be greeted in line by raffle ticket sales for both cruises and 50/50 drawings.  These are the first examples of the fundraising that goes on during the High Seas Rally.  It's not unusual for the the first 50/50 drawing to involve thousands (yes, $x000.00s) of dollars to the winner (and therefore a like # of thousands to the dialysis fund).
 

“Formal” = leather
 

High Seas Rally (30 November - 7 December 2019)
 
In case you ever wondered what a full ship charter is like – I’ll be chronicling this, our third High Seas Rally, and 2nd time on Brilliance of the Seas as a full ship charter.  A few quick notes.  This is a biker-oriented cruise, but with an awesome cause.  Many people don’t realize just how giving motorcyclists tend to be . . . whether it’s looking out for another rider on the road, swarming with support at funerals and memorials for military veterans and community heroes, or donating to a cause, bikers are super generous as a group.  This cruise’s whole purpose is to support dialysis patients.  In fact, each HSR cruise hosts at least 8-10 dialysis patients and their caregivers ON THE CRUISE!  Yes, these patients receive dialysis while on the Brilliance – and they and their caregiver pay $0.00 – yeah, nothing!  On the last cruise in 2017, in addition to hosting our dialysis guests, we raised over $700,000.00 for kidney dialysis.
With three days before we leave for Tampa, most of my prep work is done -- well, except for actually packing the suitcases! Because of the theme, and the nature of the cruise 'crewmembers,' our packing differs a bit from the standard cruise.  We'll have numerous fundraising opportunities while on board -- 50/50 raffles, Pirate Bingo, Treasured Chest, and numerous other raffles for prizes.   Our formal night will be in leathers (vests), and even our shore excursions will include many biker-friendly possibilities -- like Segways on Grand Cayman and scooters on Key West.  For me, one of the most awesome opportunities is getting to meet and talk with one of the 9-10 dialysis patients who are coming with us. 

High Seas Rally (30 November - 7 December 2019)
 
In case you ever wondered what a full ship charter is like – I’ll be chronicling this, our third High Seas Rally, and 2nd time on Brilliance of the Seas as a full ship charter.  A few quick notes.  This is a biker-oriented cruise, but with an awesome cause.  Many people don’t realize just how giving motorcyclists tend to be . . . whether it’s looking out for another rider on the road, swarming with support at funerals and memorials for military veterans and community heroes, or donating to a cause, bikers are super generous as a group.  This cruise’s whole purpose is to support dialysis patients.  In fact, each HSR cruise hosts at least 8-10 dialysis patients and their caregivers ON THE CRUISE!  Yes, these patients receive dialysis while on the Brilliance – and they and their caregiver pay $0.00 – yeah, nothing!  On the last cruise in 2017, in addition to hosting our dialysis guests, we raised over $700,000.00 for kidney dialysis.
With three days before we leave for Tampa, most of my prep work is done -- well, except for actually packing the suitcases! Because of the theme, and the nature of the cruise 'crewmembers,' our packing differs a bit from the standard cruise.  We'll have numerous fundraising opportunities while on board -- 50/50 raffles, Pirate Bingo, Treasured Chest, and numerous other raffles for prizes.   Our formal night will be in leathers (vests), and even our shore excursions will include many biker-friendly possibilities -- like Segways on Grand Cayman and scooters on Key West.  For me, one of the most awesome opportunities is getting to meet and talk with one of the 9-10 dialysis patients who are coming with us. 

? Only Four More Days Until We Go On Brilliance!!  Only Four Short Days 'til We Cruise!!! ?
 
Two days before we leave for Tampa -- well, make that 1 good night's sleep, 1 day, and then a very short night's sleep before we catch our O'dark 30 flight.  I've been watching the weather reports pretty closely, but think we'll be all right getting from Eastern Washington to Western Washington, and then down to Western Florida . . .  Had a bunch of stuff to get done around the house today, and so my suitcase is still sitting on the bed waiting to be filled.  Another thing that needs to be filled . . . In looking at other Live Blogs, I realized that I haven't filled in too many details about our itinerary, so here goes!
Sailing:  November 30 – December 7, 2019, Brilliance of the Seas, 7 Night Western Caribbean cruise Sailing with:   Me, my husband, and about 1780 of our new biker friends-to-be! Flying from:  Pasco, Washington (yes, the state of Washington; 120 miles away from that city and university that Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t believe exists)!   Pre-cruise hotel:  Marriott Waterside in Tampa (with about 1,000 of our new biker friends-to-be) Itinerary:
Day 1 – Tampa
Day 2 – At Sea
Day 3 – Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Day 4 – Cozumel 
Day 5 – At Sea
Day 6 - - Key West, Florida
Day 7 – At Sea
Day 8 -- Tampa
Cabin:  Junior Suite – our first one!
Pre-purchases: We got a decent price on an internet package at $12/day and my husband and I will both have the Deluxe Beverage package.  We loved the Segway excursion in Grand Cayman so are repeating it.  In Cozumel, I’ll be exploring the Amazing River.  In Key West, we’ll just kind of party with everyone else; plus, we will participate in a gigantic T-shirt swap!  Oh, and I booked the Ship All-Access Tour for myself -- one of my cruise bucket list items, believe it or not!
First departure from an "ordinary" cruise -- we'll be greeted in line by raffle ticket sales for both cruises and 50/50 drawings.  These are the first examples of the fundraising that goes on during the High Seas Rally.  It's not unusual for the the first 50/50 drawing to involve thousands (yes, $x000.00s) of dollars to the winner (and therefore a like # of thousands to the dialysis fund).
 

Yes it is, you can find them on facebook or the web.

? Only Four More Days Until We Go On Brilliance!!  Only Four Short Days 'til We Cruise!!! ?
 
Two days before we leave for Tampa -- well, make that 1 good night's sleep, 1 day, and then a very short night's sleep before we catch our O'dark 30 flight.  I've been watching the weather reports pretty closely, but think we'll be all right getting from Eastern Washington to Western Washington, and then down to Western Florida . . .  Had a bunch of stuff to get done around the house today, and so my suitcase is still sitting on the bed waiting to be filled.  Another thing that needs to be filled . . . In looking at other Live Blogs, I realized that I haven't filled in too many details about our itinerary, so here goes!
Sailing:  November 30 – December 7, 2019, Brilliance of the Seas, 7 Night Western Caribbean cruise Sailing with:   Me, my husband, and about 1780 of our new biker friends-to-be! Flying from:  Pasco, Washington (yes, the state of Washington; 120 miles away from that city and university that Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t believe exists)!   Pre-cruise hotel:  Marriott Waterside in Tampa (with about 1,000 of our new biker friends-to-be) Itinerary:
Day 1 – Tampa
Day 2 – At Sea
Day 3 – Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Day 4 – Cozumel 
Day 5 – At Sea
Day 6 - - Key West, Florida
Day 7 – At Sea
Day 8 -- Tampa
Cabin:  Junior Suite – our first one!
Pre-purchases: We got a decent price on an internet package at $12/day and my husband and I will both have the Deluxe Beverage package.  We loved the Segway excursion in Grand Cayman so are repeating it.  In Cozumel, I’ll be exploring the Amazing River.  In Key West, we’ll just kind of party with everyone else; plus, we will participate in a gigantic T-shirt swap!  Oh, and I booked the Ship All-Access Tour for myself -- one of my cruise bucket list items, believe it or not!
First departure from an "ordinary" cruise -- we'll be greeted in line by raffle ticket sales for both cruises and 50/50 drawings.  These are the first examples of the fundraising that goes on during the High Seas Rally.  It's not unusual for the the first 50/50 drawing to involve thousands (yes, $x000.00s) of dollars to the winner (and therefore a like # of thousands to the dialysis fund).
 

Casino update:  I came out + $25 tonite so I was able to repay Lootenant Dayan for his generosity last night.  Now sitting at even Steven after night #2. Winner, winner, chicken dinner !
I have figured out the mystery of using two devices interchangeably.  It seems that logging out (log off.com) is not enough. I must turn off the WiFi on whichever device I do NOT want to use before trying to log on to the second device.  This is a bit of a pain as I choose to take photographs with my iPhone but want to blog with the iPad so I am constantly changing between the devices. But since I broke the code I have had no problems at all and I have not bounced Dan off of his device once since figuring it all out.  I feel so smaaaat.
Night night.  Sea day tomorrow. #sleepingin

First of all, we are docked at the Port at the Naval Air Station, Key West.  The last time I remember visiting KW, we docked right downtown.  

The super secret shuttle that was provided by the Concierge was a very nice trip down the elevator to the gangway and a trip to the front of the line to get off the ship.  Then we walked a short distance to where there were a series of shuttle vehicles waiting to drive everyone to town.  This service by the Concierge actually gave us quite an advantage as the line off the ship snaked waaay up the stairs to distances unknown.  We walked straight off the ship without any wait at all.  Our vehicles ended up being one of the conch trains. 


So, we rode the conch train into town along with a very nice guided tour by the driver.  The ride was perfect -  not too hot, not too windy,  just right.  To my utter shock, Lootenant Dayan (his other nickname) suggested that he had seen all of KW that interested him and perhaps we might consider simply remaining on the shuttle right back to the ship.  Imagine my surprise!  This is kind of suggestion that I would normally try and weasel into the conversation but it came out of HIS mouth.  I was delighted !
So we did not detrain when the shuttle stopped.  The “conductor” seemed not at all amused that we were hightailing it back to the ship without even getting off and his audible heavy sigh into the microphone (more like a groan) made us ?.  So....we rode back the same path we had just come as the only conch train passengers.  THIS is how the suites do it !  ??

Back on the ship in probably less than 30 minutes, we did what all good slugs do....eat.  We wandered into the WJ; I had a burger and Lootenant Dayan had some kind of stewish-looking thing with rice.  He had a chocolate ice cream cone and I had some Boston Cream Pie.   Ahhhh....life is good.  Could be we will try and see Spidee at 4:00.
But for now - nap time !
 

TV programs need something to air, they have this huge block of time and they have to present something the public is interested in. So they invite the Weigands and the Weigands are flattered by the invitation and eager to tell their story, make their case, which is, "Not our fault!" The parents are carrying guilt, too, because they entrusted the child to Grandpa. If he were merely a babysitter and not Grandpa, they'd be blaming him. They have to blame somebody, because they are being hounded by guilt. "I shouldn't have asked Pop to take the baby, he's old." "I should have been holding her myself." "I knew I shouldn't have been in the spa getting a massage." "I'm a failure as a mother/father." etc.
When my daughter was killed (thank you for your sympathy, no need to tell me, I know you care), the media jumped on it and asked me to do interviews, but my friends protected me. Still, after my friends left, I found myself accepting invitations, because I wanted the world to know how much I was hurting.
So that's why they're doing public appearances.

Excellent point! That explains why the attorney for the grandfather is not Mr. Winkelman. Defense attorneys will (hopefully) call witnesses to ask if anyone heard the grandfather yell, "I thought there was glass!" There were other people there, they would have heard it. If no one heard it, the defense's case will be weakened.
I think Grandpa goofed, and I'm sure he's suffering. I've known two parents who in separate incidents accidentally backed the car over their child and killed them, and were forever afterward known for that, and I'm sure seldom knew a happy day for the rest of their lives. When my daughter was killed by a drunk driver, the driver was charged by the state for homicide, and frankly it didn't matter to me at all. All that mattered was that my daughter was gone, and over thirty years later that's still all that matters.

“Formal” = leather
 

High Seas Rally (30 November - 7 December 2019)
 
In case you ever wondered what a full ship charter is like – I’ll be chronicling this, our third High Seas Rally, and 2nd time on Brilliance of the Seas as a full ship charter.  A few quick notes.  This is a biker-oriented cruise, but with an awesome cause.  Many people don’t realize just how giving motorcyclists tend to be . . . whether it’s looking out for another rider on the road, swarming with support at funerals and memorials for military veterans and community heroes, or donating to a cause, bikers are super generous as a group.  This cruise’s whole purpose is to support dialysis patients.  In fact, each HSR cruise hosts at least 8-10 dialysis patients and their caregivers ON THE CRUISE!  Yes, these patients receive dialysis while on the Brilliance – and they and their caregiver pay $0.00 – yeah, nothing!  On the last cruise in 2017, in addition to hosting our dialysis guests, we raised over $700,000.00 for kidney dialysis.
With three days before we leave for Tampa, most of my prep work is done -- well, except for actually packing the suitcases! Because of the theme, and the nature of the cruise 'crewmembers,' our packing differs a bit from the standard cruise.  We'll have numerous fundraising opportunities while on board -- 50/50 raffles, Pirate Bingo, Treasured Chest, and numerous other raffles for prizes.   Our formal night will be in leathers (vests), and even our shore excursions will include many biker-friendly possibilities -- like Segways on Grand Cayman and scooters on Key West.  For me, one of the most awesome opportunities is getting to meet and talk with one of the 9-10 dialysis patients who are coming with us. 

Awesome, thanks for sharing,  this will be a blast for,a cause. 

Awesome info, can't wait to follow along!