Srp431

Following have a great trip

Hi! I'm Kim! You may know me from my Enchantment of the Seas trip report 2 years ago. We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Me: 47, cruised with Royal Caribbean 2 years ago for the first time and Disney 15 years ago. I love warm weather and palm trees. 
Mom: old enough to be my mother, cruised with Royal Caribbean 2 years ago for the first time. She also loves warm weather and palm trees.
We both love to eat. She's gluten-free, I'm gluten-full. We get along very well. 
We are Basic. We have no Star, Pinnacle, or Diamond statuses going for us. We are our own Genies. We have matching t-shirts that say "Resting Beach Face." We accept every photo op. We lose money on bingo and gambling. All of those things that experienced cruisers laugh at and wonder who they're aimed for? Us! They're aimed for us!
Our story: we took our first cruise 2 years ago because Mom had a medically crummy summer and I wanted her to look forward to something once she put in the necessary PT work. We had THE BEST TIME and at least once a week every week since she mentioned taking another cruise.
Mom: Let's take another cruise!
Me: We could do that. Or we could go back to Virginia Beach! Or find a nice place in Florida...
Mom: But then we'll have to go out and FIND food instead of just walking to a restaurant and having all the food we want. Don't you remember just grabbing the bag of chips from that stand? And there's no Solarium. And just the hotel is more money than the entire cruise and that's WITHOUT food and...
I created a monster who wants to be able to grab a bag of Sun Chips and walk away.
She wanted to take the same exact cruise again, because this time since she's back to 100% and won't have to use a cane. She's even going to the gym now. I know, right? I also know who'll be lugging our suitcases.
But our beloved Enchantment of the Seas moved to Galveston and the Navigator's 5-day doesn't include Key West. 
Mom: I don't want a smaller boat than Enchantment, though!
Me, looking at Navigator photos: I...don't think that will be a problem.
And here we are, booked on Navigator and headed to Nassau (day 2), CocoCay (day 3) and a day at sea (day 4).
What we are keeping the same:
Same ocean-view room. We were barely in it last time and I think that we'd really waste money on a larger room. Same VOOM 2-device surf and stream package.  Still not booking an excursion in Nassau; we're using a map I found online to create our own walking tour with a goal to be back on the ship for lunchtime. I might purchase a bottle of rum to bring home.  Still not booking fancy dining - we were completely happy with MDR and Windjammer last time and I'm excited to add free tacos to our lineup. Can't forget the free chips. Still not buying beverage packages - even when it goes to buy one, get one 50% off, neither of us can sustain the pace to make it break even. And we don't mind regular coffee. What we are doing differently:
I kind of fibbed about the lack of STATUS. Because we are Crown & Anchor GOLD LEVEL, baybeeeeeee! ha-HA!  We'll be strolling down deck 3 with our four points like this:

(Which is why we'll never be let into fancy lounges.)
I bought lanyards from an Etsy shop to replace the "Bristol Meyers Squib" medical conference ones we had before. They befit our GOLD status. My husband is my favorite person but NOT a tropical-loving guy so he is staying behind with my beloved dogs and retinol. He will be driving us to the airport. We are flying directly into Miami the night before to spare me the agita I had last time when we almost missed the plane in Philadelphia. I'll disclose the hotel once we've checked out because I'm paranoid. We are not buying Evian water to be delivered to the cabin - 12 1-liter bottles = WAY too much water. Instead, I'm going to pick up a 6-pack of bottles in Miami to carry on and satisfy Mom's bottled water demands. I'm sure the complimentary C&A Gold status sherpa will help us. (disclaimer: there is no sherpa) I was raised on NJ tap water, so my body has evolved its own high-end filtering system. I pre-rented a floating mat at CocoCay. But with the construction on CocoCay's South Beach we don't have the opportunity to rent a lounger for the day. For just 2 of us, dropping hundreds of dollars on a daybed or cabana isn't cost-effective.  I'm very concerned about snagging seats with an umbrella. Even though the map shows little umbrellas all over, I don't want us to scorch.  I have feelings about CocoCay. It's just ... we had the perfect day there 2 years ago before it became capital-letter Perfect Day. We're not doing the waterpark and my brother would kill me in my sleep if I hooked Mom up to a zipline. I just hope Royal Caribbean remembered that some people's perfect day entails just lying on the beach under an umbrella, drinking and eating. Other than weather, norovirus, airplane crashes, the softening of my jawline, and the ship catching on fire at sea, this is what I'm worried about. I am often wrong, so I'm hoping my wrongness streak continues.
Goals:
Flush myself down the Riptide slide. It looks to be 25 seconds long. I can do that. As long as I keep my mouth shut (tall order) I won't drown. Try a Lava Flow.  Have a FANTASTIC time. All that's left is the packing, folks.

Oh my...I thought I time traveled and read my own live blog!! ?
On Nov 4, I'll be on Navigator, with my mom, for a 4 nights cruise. It'll be our very first cruise. 
For package, we purchase nothing but internet for 2 devices. 
We both don't drink at all, but we LOVE to eat. It REALLY doesn't matter what to eat. We have pretty cheap taste anyway.
Gourmet dining environment sometimes actually makes us uncomfortable. Our preferred style is "just give me the god damn food and leave us alone".
My mom is suffered from chronic knee and back pain, so for Nassau we're just gonna walk around the port, take some photos and maybe buy some rum cakes for our friends back home.
For CocoCay, I thought about getting myself a Waterpark Pass for the slides. But since it's our first cruise and my mom is not fluent in English, I wanna stay with her as much as possible. Again, we just wanna chill and EAT. That's all. I can already see my mom "stationed" at Skipper's Grill, snacking non-stop while watching her favorite videos and chatting with friends online.
I have a question. How do you pre-rented a floating mat at CocoCay? I'm too thinking about renting one, but don't see it anywhere in cruise planner.

It'll be great if you can also upload the Cruise Compass with your live blog. Only if you have the time.
I seriously can't wait for your live blog! 

It can be, but I've also experienced it be just warm.  It's the nature of banquet-style dining which is basically what the main dining room is at dinner time.
You are likely to have more luck at the specialty restaurants as the food is more likely made to order.   I've also found that the lunch in the main dining room has a buffet-style options that usually has a made to order station -- pasta, stir fry, etc. which gives you the opportunity to get a hot meal.
RCCL is also very good with allergies if you note it on your reservation.  They should have someone speak with you in the dining room to go over the menu with you to ensure that nothing has your allergen.  You can also ask for this in the Windjammer (buffet) and they will bring someone out to answer your questions and find something that works for you.

OMG!!!! That is ??? perfect!  I must tell hubby this! 
But, we're usually running to line up for a show right after dinner (to get good seats, even with a reservation).  Might have to wait until after the show ... then my stomach will have settled in for the second round (I do have a separate stomach for desserts though) ?

That's exactly what I was thinking!  Great minds think a like!  So nice to find someone who shares my passion for food and photography!  And there are so many here on the forums - YEA!
 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE taking food pictures and we always show up early (whenever we eat out) to take pictures before the food is touched, and also to avoid taking pictures of people.  I'm a huge advocate of protecting people's privacy, and I always blur them out if I can't avoid them in shots.
We may have to go to WJ first before our planned trip to to Park Cafe this time around ?
Thanks for the tip and reminder!!! ?

You have to hit up the WJ first for the best photos before the food has been disturbed by the masses!

@CGTLH started the phrase "WJ recon".  Hubby's strategy is...WJ recon before dinner, eat main dinner accordingly, go back to WJ afterwards. ?

My hubby says all days ?
I don't know how he expects me to eat in the MDR, then visit the Windjammer ?
I don't have the same appetite as our last cruise, when we were a lot younger ?

Days 3. 5,  and 7 for me then!..
 
Thanks!

I've wondered about this myself.. So, I've come up with a plan.. With the exception of formal nights.. Ill run up and check what theme it is while my wife is getting ready for dinner.. If its a theme we like.. then its back to shorts and t-shirts lol.. if not.. Time to throw on Khakis and a polo and head to the MDR

Not sure if anyone is still interested (I just joined these forums today), here is what I found from a very recent cruise of Harmony.  Please note they can change at any time:
Day 1:  Grill 
Day 2:  Crepes
Day 3:  Indian
Day 4:  Caribbean
Day 5:  Mexican
Day 6:  Mixed Grill/Crepes
Day 7:  Mongolian
Hope this helps.  Cheers!

That I did not need to pack so many clothes.  

Here you go! Check out this video featuring many of the responses from this thread!
 

I wish I had known that you can load money to your slot machine from your seapass card at no fee - then cash in the voucher for whatever you loaded to your card instead of using an ATM and paying a fee. We wanted just another $50 to spend ashore and didn't know that trick so ended up paying an ATM fee. My family member that was cruising with me showed me that trick after we left port and the casino reopened. Was kicking myself for that one even though it wasn't a huge deal. 

This is my first ever attempt at a trip report and i wanted to share some of the highlights of our trip.  I have learned so much from Matt and others here that i attribute such a great cruise to you all and wish to say thank you.  This was our 4th cruise with Royal and a special one as it was our 20th Anniversary.   
It was Friday night and we are all packed and ready to leave for the airport first thing in the morning when the email comes in that our flights to San Juan are cancelled.  After hours on the phone with the airline we have another flight and we are on our way.  Another vote for always flying in the day before.



 
After getting our luggage we got a taxi and headed off to Sheraton Old San Juan.  This hotel was beautiful and check in was fast and simple.
 

View from the balcony room.

 
After getting settled we decided to explore a little and hopefully find the forts and get dinner after a long travel day.



After the forts we found Punto de Vista Rooftop Restaurant at the Hotel Milano and decided to give it a try.  We tried Mofongo for the first time.  I liked it very much but since it was my first time i can not compare it to anywhere else.  After dinner it was back to the hotel.  The plan was to cool off in the rooftop pool but we were both too tired and decided to turn in for the night.
Next up.....Embarkation Day!!
 
 

Anxious to hear about the rest of the trip!  Taking this itinerary next year and trying to plan excursions!

Well my husband has been after me about blogging our trip, so here goes.  He claims that he will be helping me blog, but I'll believe it when I see it.  Atleast at this moment he is sitting next to me looking at the screen and not reddit for once.
A little background on us:
I'm Tiffany, and he's Steven.  Our circus consists of four kids who are nine, seven, one, and eight months.  Steven retired from the Army last year, and I'm a stay at home mom.  We knew we wanted more time to be able to cruise, so we decided to take a stab at homeschooling this year.  So far so good, and to make it even better, it is significantly cheaper cruising when it's not over school break.
Our cruise plans:
We were originally on the Allure of the Seas September 1st cruise that got shortened by three days due to Dorian.  We stuck with the cruise, and had an amazing time and got a nice future cruise credit since we were in a 2 bedroom aquatheater suite.  It was so great, in fact, that we had to do a "grounding cruise" in a non-Star class cabin to bring us back down to Earth.  Guess it didn't work, because here we are doing another Star class cruise on November 17th.
The ship and cabin:
Allure of the Seas 
10730 (2 bedroom aquatheater suite)
We would have loved to be back in the deck 8 aquatheater suite, but since it's a last minute booking for a family of six, we were lucky to find this one open.
We will try to keep this as live as possible but with four kids and star class food coma, no promises. 
 

Greece also uses the Euro

Most European Countries have the Euro as their currency. 
Here is a list of currencies used in European countries 
https://www.tripsavvy.com/currencies-in-europe-1626461
 

St. Maarten has the "port village" just off of the dock, but that is your typical collection of overpriced and kind of schlocky merchandise (e.g., Diamonds International). If you want some decent shopping you'll be better off going into Philipsburg proper on the Dutch side of the island, or Marigot on the French side. Going to Marigot in the morning also means you can get some great authentic French breakfast pastries. ?
In San Juan there is an area close to the port that has a nice collection of shops, dining places / coffee shops, and buskers; along with the pigeon park that is a big attraction. IF I'm remembering right, you'll walk to the end of the dock where it meets the main road, cross the street, then turn left and walk a short distance to your first right, which will go uphill to the pigeon park and shopping area.

I've seen it done on Harmony.  In their MTD seating, they had several tables pushed together to accommodate large groups.  If you are in Traditional dining, I think there are a few rounds that seat 12.  Make sure your TA links the reservations and everyone has the same dining.  When you get onboard, go right to the MDR to verify your table.  Good luck!

We had a 10 person table on Mariner. Most of us were middle age but there was one older couple who complained about the service (which was terrific) and the fact that they hadn't been invited to dinner with the Captain and they had on every other cruise. They were real pains as they talked about what experienced cruisers they were and that the ship was like staying in a Days Inn
That night they complained to the Maître D' and were moved. In their place we got a young couple on their honeymoon cruise. They were perfect and we had so much fun. We laughed and told stories.
The next night the waiter said that the older couple wanted back, but we had to agree to asking the young couple to trade. We voted unanimously to stay the way we now were. While we were still eating the old couple came by and said that we should invite them back. We all acted like we didn't remember them at all.

Ten years ago, I took my first cruise and found a different message board similar to this and looked for as many tips as I could find.   One tip that I took away was to take a small box of Cheerios from the breakfast buffet to take with us when we went snorkeling in Cozumel.  
I got all situated with my fins, snorkel, mask, life vest and Cheerios and headed out into the water.   I really have very little experience with snorkeling but was enjoying all of the fish that I was seeing.  I decided it was time to feed the fish.  Hmmm, how am I going to open this bag of cereal?  I'm floating in the water and have nothing sharp and only wet fingers.  I worked and worked and finally ripped the bag open, only to have the cereal all go flying in the water around me.  Instantly it was a feeding frenzy and there were fish all around me, touching me and gobbling up the cereal.  I freaked out - and quickly got away from all of the fish that were surrounding me.  
Needless to say, my friend's container of Cheerios went back on board with us.  Unopened.  ?

On my first cruise ever on Liberty of the Seas in 2015, I decided to try and bring a banana on shore as a snack to Cozumel (being totally oblivious of the rules at the time). 
I was with my future in-laws (before husband and I had even gotten engaged, fairly early in our relationship), and all 9 of us had walked off the ship together. As we approach security, a dog walks up to my bag and sits. At this point, all of my future in-laws turn to look at me in horror, thinking I had drugs in my bag. 
And that's how I learned not to bring fruit off of the ship.