Babsy47

Related question — if you have a package, is there somewhere you can get cans/bottles of sparkling water? How about plain water?

I’ve done red eyes to Florida several times from California without issue. But, I fly all of the time for work and my preferred airlines generally treat me well. I’ve never had a red eye cancel. I’ve only been delayed overnight once. It can happen — particularly these days.

Thank you for the reminder, @FireFishII that we need to have gratitude for what goes well. Your past few weeks sound far more stressful than mine! Well, no grandbaby . . . yet. I decided to buy new luggage . . . first new luggage in about 20 years. I'm looking forward to having an actual modern carry-on! I'm determined to get everything (including work stuff) into a carry-on and a backpack. I think shoes may be an issue . . . I'm trying to limit to one pair of walking shoes and one pair of all-purpose sandals.

I’ve taken several cruises with kids around this age, most recently on Navigator. We rented a car with a car seat; this was the most challenging logistical issue. You need to reserve the nursery ahead. We found that nicely stopping by each morning worked out well; we never had a problem with a reservation. The charge is not too bad, but they do charge for diaper changes. Our kids (now grandkids) have always done well in the nursery. The pool options for toddlers in diapers vary from ship to ship. But, we have always found enough to do with little ones.

No parking issues. I arrived very late and had no problem. In fact, a tram showed up at my car as soon as I got out of my car and took me to the terminal — easy as that!

Yes, two of our group took the bus back to Fira while the other four of us walked back. We were on Odyssey as well. Getting off the ship is a challenge. I do not know anything about the "Fira on your own" trip. We took the Oia trip starting at 1:30 and were one of the first groups off the ship. We waited on the tender until it filled. The tender took us to an area where we loaded a bus that they drove us to Oia. We did not need to go up the gondola or donkey path. You could split into two groups with some walking to Fira and some taking the bus back with the tour group. I'm not sure how much opportunity there is to find a way back to Fira once you start the walk out of Oia; it is relatively remote and I don't know that there are many cabs or other means of transport.

Long story to a short, last minute trip . . . We booked a long, long time ago on Harmony for a 2BDR Aquatheater for parents, adult kids, and teen kid during teen kid's Spring break. Harmony switched to Wonder, and we had the 8th floor 2BDR on the Wonder for a reasonable Star class rate. Yeah us! As sometimes happens, life interfered with best laid plans. My Dad got very ill. DIL got pregnant. Other adult kids decided to spend pre-baby time traveling the world. So, that just left three of us in a 2BDR suite that, while at pre-crazy prices, was still a hefty amount for three people. Moreover, baby is due shortly before scheduled trip departure and Dad started hospice. Hubby tells me that he is overwhelmed at work (as am I). I decided to cancel; too much uncertainty and chaos for an expensive trip. Much relieved after cancelling, I decided on a cruise free 2023. Then, teen kid (Senior in HS) tells me (in all honesty) that he would really like to spend Spring Break with just parents on a final, pre-college trip. He does not whine or make a big deal, but says he enjoys trips with just us and little other distraction. So, I decide that we need to do something as a family with him. But, new baby?? Sick dad?? Work?? How does one do all of this? In the end, we decided on a short cruise from Port Canaveral. We can fly direct to MCO and use points, making the trip shorter and more manageable. Baby will come, at the latest, a week before we leave so I can care for already alive granddaughter during new grandchild's entry to the world. By the time I make this decision, however, Spring Break is only three weeks away; not much choice of cruises and cabins. I call RC, and the nice man on the phone finds me a Junior Suite on Independence of the Seas. So, it appears we are going on a 2023 cruise after all! We have never been on this ship. We cruised on Liberty a very long time ago when she was new, but that was the last time on this class of ships. We have stops in Nassau and Coco Cay. Usually, we dive in Nassau, but Stuart's Cove is the only dive operator I have found. I vowed never to use this company again after a third bad experience. We have done Atlantis several times (always fun). We have rented a boat and captain; an awesome alternative for a larger group. For this trip, we decided to visit the new water park at Baha Mar. I reserved day passes and loungers at the beach club. I'm looking forward to exploring this new alternative! At Coco Cay, we have Beach Club passes and a water park pass for son. I'm thinking of just sticking to the included dining this trip. We will see how that goes. We are going to Universal before we head to the ship, so no local hotel. I'm planning carry-on only packing; we've had negative checked bag experiences over the past year or so.

If you are not on an excursion, you have to wait for a tender and then get up to Fira. Either you walk up and up and up (down is fine) or you wait for a gondola.

In Santorini, we took the Royal excursion “Oia on your own” which got us off the ship and to Oia quickly. We told the bus driver we would not be going back yo Fira with the group. We then walked the cliff trail from Oia to Fira using the directions from Santorini Dave. We had refreshments at a cliff side bar in Fira and then walked down the donkey path to the tender back to the ship. It was one of the best days ever! Honestly, magnificent scenery with every step. Caveats: We we’re not there on a hot day — high was mid 70s. Our family hikes all of the time, so the walk was fine. If your kid are accustomed to 6-7 mile walks with 2000ft elevation gain, it should not be a problem. But, it is a real hike with significant elevation gain. It has some remote areas with no easy out alternatives. I seldom take a RC excursion. In Santorini, however, the excursion gets you off the ship and to shore efficiently. Without an excursion, you will need tender tickets and will wait for a tender. You will then need to either ferry to Oia or wait in a long line to take a gondola to Fira. Excursions avoid all of this.

Perhaps it is just my family . . . The bars would make much more from us if the added interesting mocktails to the printed menus. As it is, you need to know what to request which removes the fun of trying new things.

I reserved one for September 2024 on Harmony for a bit less than the $15k mentioned earlier on the day the were released. For 8, this is a reasonable Star Class price in my view.

I use the spa often. On my three 2021-22 cruises, not a sales peep! This is very welcome! Either there has be a change, or they now take, “I do not want anything” seriously.

As a grandma, rest assured that some of us love having grandkids for a few days. I know that for me, it is a win all around — I get grandkids in a limited dose and parents get a nice break and each other alone for a few days. Have fun!!!

I’m sad. The flowrider priority is a primary reason I book Star class. I do have teens and they love to flowride and rock climb. For my family, losing the line priority benefit is a really big deal.

This is one of the few things that just makes me nuts about RC. They hold your money forever (not really forever, but 2-3 weeks). I once needed to make a change that was net $4,000 back to me, but I needed to pay $4000 and get an $8000 refund. They charged me card the $4000 the day of the change, but I did not get the $8,000 back for 3 weeks. So to avoid credit card fees, I needed to pay the entire 12k. Not much makes me mad, but this did.

We took a Norway and Iceland cruise and loved it. We had four days in Iceland, and we enjoyed every one of them. It is an hiking/nature port where you need to get out to experience the amazing beauty of the place. It is not warm, but it stays light until late. It is more Alaska weather than anything else.

I’ve not seen CATS on the ship. But, I’ve enjoyed the on-land performances that I have attended. I go for the music and dancing—there is not really a story. It’s just more of a review.

I was able to cancel my water park cabana at PDCC and rebook for $400 less on my 3.26.23 Wonder sailing.

One final, final post . . . I neglected our final night and debarkation. Our final night's dinner was Hooked. I'm not generally a fan of this venue - it is fine, but not generally my favorite. On this trip, however, Hooked stood out as the best of the speciality experiences. We had a great server, great service, and wonderful food. Among our group, we sampled mussels, calamari, shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, and the ceviche as appetizers; not a bad one in the bunch. The messy fish sandwich is far too big for a single person, but my son said the portion he could eat was good. I had the platter consisting of lobster, shrimp, fish, and vegetables. I thought it was the best meal I had on the trip. The family was in high spirits and enjoyed interacting with the server -- it was two hours of pure fun! I went up to the Suite lounge for a final goodbye, and the concierge told me how to debark the easy way. We met her in the Schooner bar at 7:30 am the day of debarkation. She walked us off the ship and put us on an escalator to the warehouse where you collect bags (if you had parted with them). They now have photo passport scanners, and we waiting for no more than a couple of minutes to get out to the parking lot. I was in the car by 7:45 and on my way home. The sad part -- it was pouring rain when we debarked. A great thing for California, but not so great upon returning from vacation. Two other debarkation items that are very important it appears: (1) they will not let you off the ship with a cracked Sea Pass card that will not scan (the people in front of us in line tried to convince the poor employee to let them off even though the card would not scan. After a long argument, the passenger finally relented and departed to get a new card from guest services; (2) under no circumstances can you take a stroller on the escalator, and all todders must stand with two feet on the escalator step! As I removed my GD from her stroller to take her on the escalator, the port staf made these rules abundantly clear . . . repeatedly. Well, that is about a wrap. Next scheduled trip is not until March of 2023 -- it is Star Class on the Wonder with the whole family again! (Just as an aside on this one -- we got lucky on the March 2023 cruise. I booked way back during COVID when the sailings opened. I booked the Deck 8 aquatheater suite on the Harmony for a reasonable price (for Star Class anyway). The Harmony switched with the Wonder along with our cabin, so now we will experience the Wonder. It was pure luck, and I am never lucky (part of the reason the Casino is not part of my cruise experience).

Final thoughts . . . Since COVID, we have sailed on the Symphony (Western Caribbean), Odyssey (Greece), and the Navigator (Mexico). I really enjoyed the Navigator. The things I particularly appreciated: 1. The food was very good. While we mostly stick to specialty restaurants for dinner, I have never been disappointed by the food quality in either WJ or the MDR. The only exception was one bad Izumi experience. Also, I have never experienced WJ overcrowding on the Navigator as I have on other ships. 2. The entertainment quality is simply fantastic. The musicians in all venues are top notch. I have no idea whether this results from proximity to LA or something else, but I just enjoy listening to the musicians on the Navigator more than on the other ships. 3. For teens, the Navigator's activities work. You might think as a much smaller ship, the activities would be lacking in comparison to other ships. Our teen actually found far more to do on the Navigator than on the Odyssey. The Odyssey's activities all had long lines and did not handle capacity well. TWhile the Navigator only has two slides and the flowrider, the lines are not as long and the activiities are, therefore, more accessible. 4. The suite concierge was just amazing. She socialized with all of the suite guests, got us onto tenders in Catalina, got us off the ship at the end of the trip, and otherwise really enhanced the trip. 5. The suite lounge was a terrific refuge on this ship. On the first night, I overheard one of the guests request gluten free snacks. Each night after, to my delight, the lounge provide an array of absolutely to-die-for gluten-free options. Seriously, the dessert options were far better than those provided as gluten free alternatives in the specialty restaurants. By the last night, we opted for dessert in the lounge so that my DIL (who just cannot eat gluten without having terrible issues) could enjoy the spread. I intended to take pictures -- options included dark chocolate with rice crisps (doesn't sound as good as it was), the standard chocolate-covered strawberries, tarts with almond crusts (that were great), and several other alternatives. The not so good: 1. There is not much for the under 3 set to do. The baby splash pad is tiny and there is no other play area for toddlers to play. We spent much time on the mini golf course with our GD. 2. One of our kids' cabins did have a cleanliness problem that was quickly remedied. Overall, the ship is a bit older. On the positive side, this trip was relatively affordable when we booked, and we were then able to Royal Up to an OS, which was fantastic! Each ship has goods and bads, and each cruise its positives and negatives. Since COVID, I most enjoyed the Greece itinerary but did not like the Odyssey as much. The Navigator is an old ship, but to me, it offers a very good short get away at a relatively good value.

Just to finish up . . . some pictures from Ensenada and the hot springs:

This summer on the Odyssey, we participated in a Puzzle Break activity. It is very similar to an escape room, but does not need the room for the puzzles. They put us in groups of at least six, and off we went. They may be holding something similar in the space that is supposed to be an escape room someday on the Wonder.

Today is a sea day. This morning, we had a time change, making early at the gym easy. We also tried playing pickle ball, but they cancelled because of wind. We ended up playing (kind of) basketball. In reality, I ended up bouncing the ball back and forth with a two year old alternating between a bounce and a kick, and just running around while the others actually played basketball. We then tried the flowrider and waterslides, but it was just too cold. The captain tried to find warm, but it is poor weather and too cold to be on the deck in the wind. We played some games in Schooner bar, had lunch in the Main Dining room, and then retired to our room to relax and read a bit.

Ensenada! We arrived early in Ensenada for a short stop -- all aboard at 2:30 pm. Given that we have a sea day tomorrow and LA is not far away, I'm not sure why we stay such a short time in port. We would have enjoyed more time. In any event, we left the ship after breakfasting at Windjammer. We were relatively early to WJ, so it was not too crowded. We met our tour guide Emilio from ATVEnsenada a short walk from the ship. Emilio then drove us a short distance to his shop where we quickly filled out paperwork and got geared up to take ATVs. Our guide took four of us to a "mountain hot spring." We drove the ATVs down a busy highway for about 20 minutes. We then turned onto dirt roads, and we drove another 30 minutes to a hot spring area. I will try to add photos that convey the beauty of the place. We arrived after about 50 minutes to an oasis consisting of several pools where they pipe in water from the mountains -- one hot pool, one cold, and a couple mixed hot/cold. We enjoyed the pools for about an hour before driving back. It was a dusty trip, and we arrived back to the ship hungry and dirty, but happy with the excursion. If you have more time in port, the trip ends with a lunch stop. We, however, did not want to miss the ship (and I get anxious about such things), so we walked back from Emilio's shop and boarded the ship at about 1:30. We had worked up an appetite, so we settled on lunch at Playmakers. Hunger did not survive the experience. We had burgers, nachos, and shared a sundae. It was enough for the remainder of the day and night. I was still full upon arrival at Jamie's for dinner! By then, it had warmed enough to enjoy the outdoors. We watched the kids do their thing on the flowrider, played mini-golf with GD, and otherwise enjoyed the afternoon. As mentioned above, we had dinner at Jamie's, but I remained full from lunch so did not have too much. I did think the tiramisu was the best dessert I have experienced on the ship!! After dinner, we went to the iSkate show. We all found it entertaining. By then, we listened to music a bit at the countryish bar on the Royal Promenade that I cannot name, and called it a night. Another great day!

A few more (hopefully)