CrusingWithMatt

Hello everyone,
Sorry I have been absent. I wasn't feeling well (not seasick) from a flare up of an old neck injury the past few days.  More to come shortly.

A bloody Margret is just a regular bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka.

A bloody Margret is just a regular bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka.

A bloody Margret is just a regular bloody Mary with gin instead of vodka.

On Brilliance, not only on your cabin TV, but they also had this on the wall as you were leaving the Schooner Bar heading into the Centrum.

Day 5 update (sea day)
Day 5 I got up with the sunrise and while the wife got more beauty rest I grabbed a  grande mocha and a yogurt parfait and sat out on deck 5 port side near the centrum. It was cool and wavy this morning but I found it relaxing and got caught up on my live blogging. After an hour or so Corin and I played some chess in the colony club and decided today would be a good day for mini golf. We played a non competitive round (which was difficult for me) of golf then I drug her down to deck 5. We knew you could go out on the helipad in the front but didn’t realize you could get all the way to the back on deck 5 too. The view is spectacular.
We ended up in the king and country pub for a pre lunch bloody Margret for me and a gin fizz for Corin while we played (our own rules)  darts. Both were very good. After lunch the village fair was going on. We were provided 10 brilliance bucks to use in games to try to win more bucks. At the end of the event all your bucks (with your name and room number) went into a drawing for some onboard goodies. Two winners got champagne and another won a thermal spa day and ship tour.
Our Chops reservation was at 1730 and boy did it fill us up. Peppercorn bacon, raw tuna tartare, 12oz NY Strips and asparagus…..oooof. we were both so stuffed we (tried to) skip desert…but they had made a special gluten free one for Corin so we split what appeared to be a strawberry/vanilla mousse of some sort.
Our last stop for the night was the Cinema for “central intelligence” we were wise enough to get there 30 minutes early this time and got center seats. We made it through about a half hour of the movie before Corin started to get a bit sea sick so we dipped out early for bed. The ship was rocking the most it has yet. Our bathroom door open would swing all the way open then completely close itself. It was a bit harder to fall asleep with this but I imagine it will get worse as we get closer to Europe.
 

Day 5 update (sea day)
Day 5 I got up with the sunrise and while the wife got more beauty rest I grabbed a  grande mocha and a yogurt parfait and sat out on deck 5 port side near the centrum. It was cool and wavy this morning but I found it relaxing and got caught up on my live blogging. After an hour or so Corin and I played some chess in the colony club and decided today would be a good day for mini golf. We played a non competitive round (which was difficult for me) of golf then I drug her down to deck 5. We knew you could go out on the helipad in the front but didn’t realize you could get all the way to the back on deck 5 too. The view is spectacular.
We ended up in the king and country pub for a pre lunch bloody Margret for me and a gin fizz for Corin while we played (our own rules)  darts. Both were very good. After lunch the village fair was going on. We were provided 10 brilliance bucks to use in games to try to win more bucks. At the end of the event all your bucks (with your name and room number) went into a drawing for some onboard goodies. Two winners got champagne and another won a thermal spa day and ship tour.
Our Chops reservation was at 1730 and boy did it fill us up. Peppercorn bacon, raw tuna tartare, 12oz NY Strips and asparagus…..oooof. we were both so stuffed we (tried to) skip desert…but they had made a special gluten free one for Corin so we split what appeared to be a strawberry/vanilla mousse of some sort.
Our last stop for the night was the Cinema for “central intelligence” we were wise enough to get there 30 minutes early this time and got center seats. We made it through about a half hour of the movie before Corin started to get a bit sea sick so we dipped out early for bed. The ship was rocking the most it has yet. Our bathroom door open would swing all the way open then completely close itself. It was a bit harder to fall asleep with this but I imagine it will get worse as we get closer to Europe.
 

Day 5 update (sea day)
Day 5 I got up with the sunrise and while the wife got more beauty rest I grabbed a  grande mocha and a yogurt parfait and sat out on deck 5 port side near the centrum. It was cool and wavy this morning but I found it relaxing and got caught up on my live blogging. After an hour or so Corin and I played some chess in the colony club and decided today would be a good day for mini golf. We played a non competitive round (which was difficult for me) of golf then I drug her down to deck 5. We knew you could go out on the helipad in the front but didn’t realize you could get all the way to the back on deck 5 too. The view is spectacular.
We ended up in the king and country pub for a pre lunch bloody Margret for me and a gin fizz for Corin while we played (our own rules)  darts. Both were very good. After lunch the village fair was going on. We were provided 10 brilliance bucks to use in games to try to win more bucks. At the end of the event all your bucks (with your name and room number) went into a drawing for some onboard goodies. Two winners got champagne and another won a thermal spa day and ship tour.
Our Chops reservation was at 1730 and boy did it fill us up. Peppercorn bacon, raw tuna tartare, 12oz NY Strips and asparagus…..oooof. we were both so stuffed we (tried to) skip desert…but they had made a special gluten free one for Corin so we split what appeared to be a strawberry/vanilla mousse of some sort.
Our last stop for the night was the Cinema for “central intelligence” we were wise enough to get there 30 minutes early this time and got center seats. We made it through about a half hour of the movie before Corin started to get a bit sea sick so we dipped out early for bed. The ship was rocking the most it has yet. Our bathroom door open would swing all the way open then completely close itself. It was a bit harder to fall asleep with this but I imagine it will get worse as we get closer to Europe.
 

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

Day 5 update (sea day)
Day 5 I got up with the sunrise and while the wife got more beauty rest I grabbed a  grande mocha and a yogurt parfait and sat out on deck 5 port side near the centrum. It was cool and wavy this morning but I found it relaxing and got caught up on my live blogging. After an hour or so Corin and I played some chess in the colony club and decided today would be a good day for mini golf. We played a non competitive round (which was difficult for me) of golf then I drug her down to deck 5. We knew you could go out on the helipad in the front but didn’t realize you could get all the way to the back on deck 5 too. The view is spectacular.
We ended up in the king and country pub for a pre lunch bloody Margret for me and a gin fizz for Corin while we played (our own rules)  darts. Both were very good. After lunch the village fair was going on. We were provided 10 brilliance bucks to use in games to try to win more bucks. At the end of the event all your bucks (with your name and room number) went into a drawing for some onboard goodies. Two winners got champagne and another won a thermal spa day and ship tour.
Our Chops reservation was at 1730 and boy did it fill us up. Peppercorn bacon, raw tuna tartare, 12oz NY Strips and asparagus…..oooof. we were both so stuffed we (tried to) skip desert…but they had made a special gluten free one for Corin so we split what appeared to be a strawberry/vanilla mousse of some sort.
Our last stop for the night was the Cinema for “central intelligence” we were wise enough to get there 30 minutes early this time and got center seats. We made it through about a half hour of the movie before Corin started to get a bit sea sick so we dipped out early for bed. The ship was rocking the most it has yet. Our bathroom door open would swing all the way open then completely close itself. It was a bit harder to fall asleep with this but I imagine it will get worse as we get closer to Europe.
 

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

We loved the King & Country Club when we were on board her.  The only complaint was that it just seemed too dark with the lights dimmed.  But the atmosphere, the beer, the other drinks .... all good.   And, you're right about the Cinema, there were a couple of films that we wanted to watch, but the place was packed.

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

Day 4 (sea day)
Day 4 we attended  the cabin crawl organized on the cruise critic roll call. It was nice to get to see other types of cabins. We saw an interior, family ocean view, Jr suite, and a master suite among others.
Later that evening after our main dining room sitting we learned the hard way that you need to arrive extra early to get a seat in the Cinema. We arrived 10 minutes early to “Instant Family” and the Cinema was completely full. We instead decided to check out the casino and met the wonderful casino bartender Timothy. He went out of his way to make a special drink concoction for Corin and she really enjoyed it.
We ended our night listening to a few songs in the king and country pub with some friends we met on board.

Cruise Compass Day 3 (sea day)

Day 3 update (sea day):
Weather made it to mid/high 80s breezy. It was hot.
We designated today as our official do nothing relax at the pool day. Even though we have barely been on the ship it feels like we've been here for a week already. Crazy right?
Other than relaxing at the pool/whirlpool drink in hand we did do a couple other activities. We went ahead and checked out the arcade we had purchased $25 credit for each of us ahead of time since it was 20% off on the cruise planner. The arcade however left much to be desired. The air hockey table is worse for wear the puck will not float across the table and the table has chips out of the surface there was also a few games that would not accept credit on one side making a two player game impossible. We still managed to have a little bit of fun in there. Also most games were $2 per play.
After the arcade we went up to the Rockwall and I enjoyed climbing each of the three difficulties with ease. I will have to do it again because I forgot to look around while I was up that high. Corin made it about halfway on two of the Rockwall Lanes. She plans to give it another shot here too.
*We also forgot to mention we attended the Cruise critic meet and mingle on day 2. We weren't disappointed but it was definitely not what we were thinking it was. Essentially we all met in the colony club and they gave out a handful of prizes through raffle drawing. Afterwards everybody just kind of left.

Cruise Compass Day 3 (sea day)

Cruise Compass Day 3 (sea day)

Day 3 update (sea day):
Weather made it to mid/high 80s breezy. It was hot.
We designated today as our official do nothing relax at the pool day. Even though we have barely been on the ship it feels like we've been here for a week already. Crazy right?
Other than relaxing at the pool/whirlpool drink in hand we did do a couple other activities. We went ahead and checked out the arcade we had purchased $25 credit for each of us ahead of time since it was 20% off on the cruise planner. The arcade however left much to be desired. The air hockey table is worse for wear the puck will not float across the table and the table has chips out of the surface there was also a few games that would not accept credit on one side making a two player game impossible. We still managed to have a little bit of fun in there. Also most games were $2 per play.
After the arcade we went up to the Rockwall and I enjoyed climbing each of the three difficulties with ease. I will have to do it again because I forgot to look around while I was up that high. Corin made it about halfway on two of the Rockwall Lanes. She plans to give it another shot here too.
*We also forgot to mention we attended the Cruise critic meet and mingle on day 2. We weren't disappointed but it was definitely not what we were thinking it was. Essentially we all met in the colony club and they gave out a handful of prizes through raffle drawing. Afterwards everybody just kind of left.

Day 3 update (sea day):
Weather made it to mid/high 80s breezy. It was hot.
We designated today as our official do nothing relax at the pool day. Even though we have barely been on the ship it feels like we've been here for a week already. Crazy right?
Other than relaxing at the pool/whirlpool drink in hand we did do a couple other activities. We went ahead and checked out the arcade we had purchased $25 credit for each of us ahead of time since it was 20% off on the cruise planner. The arcade however left much to be desired. The air hockey table is worse for wear the puck will not float across the table and the table has chips out of the surface there was also a few games that would not accept credit on one side making a two player game impossible. We still managed to have a little bit of fun in there. Also most games were $2 per play.
After the arcade we went up to the Rockwall and I enjoyed climbing each of the three difficulties with ease. I will have to do it again because I forgot to look around while I was up that high. Corin made it about halfway on two of the Rockwall Lanes. She plans to give it another shot here too.
*We also forgot to mention we attended the Cruise critic meet and mingle on day 2. We weren't disappointed but it was definitely not what we were thinking it was. Essentially we all met in the colony club and they gave out a handful of prizes through raffle drawing. Afterwards everybody just kind of left.

Day 2 update:
I was woke by the sun rising through our balcony window and was lucky enough to be able to grab a decent picture. Quite honestly day 2 was a bit of a blur I swear we did a bunch of things but I can’t really remember them. We did some exploring and saw the show which was the  instrumental men’s singing group Revoiced. We attended the Captains welcome aboard reception and it just so happened to be formal night in the minstrel dining room.

Cruise Compass Day 3 (sea day)

Day 3 update (sea day):
Weather made it to mid/high 80s breezy. It was hot.
We designated today as our official do nothing relax at the pool day. Even though we have barely been on the ship it feels like we've been here for a week already. Crazy right?
Other than relaxing at the pool/whirlpool drink in hand we did do a couple other activities. We went ahead and checked out the arcade we had purchased $25 credit for each of us ahead of time since it was 20% off on the cruise planner. The arcade however left much to be desired. The air hockey table is worse for wear the puck will not float across the table and the table has chips out of the surface there was also a few games that would not accept credit on one side making a two player game impossible. We still managed to have a little bit of fun in there. Also most games were $2 per play.
After the arcade we went up to the Rockwall and I enjoyed climbing each of the three difficulties with ease. I will have to do it again because I forgot to look around while I was up that high. Corin made it about halfway on two of the Rockwall Lanes. She plans to give it another shot here too.
*We also forgot to mention we attended the Cruise critic meet and mingle on day 2. We weren't disappointed but it was definitely not what we were thinking it was. Essentially we all met in the colony club and they gave out a handful of prizes through raffle drawing. Afterwards everybody just kind of left.