DDaley

Oooops, that final night got away from me. Back for some Day 3 recaps! 

When we got back to the cabin we got a call from the MDR asking if we’d be joining them tonight and that they’d missed us the night before. I told him we’d been at Izumi but would be back tonight for Taste of Mexico. Unfortunately, I failed to keep my promise because we decided to go to the production show at 7, right when we had our my time dining reservation. Sorry to Charles and Giri! I went and left a tip envelope for them later but did feel badly in the moment. 

The production was Showgirl and it seemed like it progressed through some decades until they did the futuristic space showgirl number where all the ladies wore ironclad show girl costumes. Turns out I am glad we did dinner/show in this order because as soon as we finished dinner I was exhausted! 

Cruise Director for this sailing was Clo O’Connor, I really liked her. First cruise in awhile where the CD made any sort of impression on me at all. Check out her pink platforms! 

Welcome to our stateroom, a series. 

Once we got dropped back at the port we hightailed it back to downtown for some tacos, shots and shopping.  

These were amazing. Carne asada, adobada and a quesobirria. I ate every bite and then some of Meredith’s leftovers. 

Found a great little wooden friend who looks like my mom’s senior dog Waldo, aka Waldito! 

Got back onboard and went straight to ride the slides but it was freeezing on deck and I gave up my quest. I will need to book Nav again in August/September our only reliably warm months!!! 

Byeeee whale tail

11 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

What is that cute bunny doing ?  Is he smoking a cigar-ish thing ?

He was holding our remote! Ready for tv watching andddd cigar smoking.

Docked in Ensenada today! We woke up as we were pulling in and got to see the 180° revolution in the basin. We went up to the Jammiér for brek and gathered up a couple cocktails for our shoreside DBP.

Docked next to Carnival Radiance.

Our tour met on the pier (thought this was weird, why not the theatre?) at 10:15 and we got shuttled off to the Guadalupe Valley about 30-40 min away. 

Classssssy pond-side bathroom sink at the zipline facility.

It consisted of 5 lines from 875-400 meters long, all across the open desert floor. This was definitely one of the coolest ziplines I’ve ever done simply because of the beautiful sweeping views! We almost always do these lines in forests. 

THIS EXCURSION WAS 50% HIKE! lol it wasnt so bad, and I’d forgotten closed toed shoes and it stiiill wasnt that bad but you did have to hike between the 5 lines. 

Ended in an olive orchard! 

They gave us some water and took us back to port, tantalizingly driving us through downtown but not stopping until we were back at the ship and had to walk all the way back. 

Absolutely recommend this excursion!

Stopped in the casino for one more cocktail and a few waters on my way from Studio B and couldn’t help but try a spin on the Dancing Drums since I’ve heard you all mention it!

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out accessing my free play but I put in a luscious $5 and made $52 on my very first single .88¢ spin!!!!

Immediately cashed out and walked out, hahah I really wanted to spin again with my newfound wealth but knew that machine was gonna lay low for awhile. Heyooo!!! For the record my underwear were blue, hahaha

Spent the day hanging around and did a few more slides.. Had ELF for lunch and finally left to get ready for Izumi around 5. 

Got the cutest towel animal pair from Bobby our room attendant! I’d mentioned I was a towel animal fan and he did not disappoint! 

Dinner at Izumi was gorgeous for the first hour or so. The only other time I’d been to this venue was during October when it was already pitch black by dinner! What an impressive sea view from this deck 14 locale. 

Managed to take exactly one picture of the food, my mochi. 

After dinner we popped into the ice show which is always somehow more enjoyable than any Royal stage show. There were two men in the cast of skaters who were exceptional and probably won a ton of first place titles in their regional ice skating competitions. I swear one hit a quad! The ensemble women were lovely while skating but when they have to stand and deliver backup choreography, barely put any effort in at all. Gesturing sooo half heartedly!  Overall, an enjoyable production.

I chose a spot with a fantastic sight line, haha

Piña colada, Kraken floater is a true delight, wow! I never knew it needed that extra je ne sais quoi! 

Hanging poolside waiting on the show that comprises the Sexiest Man and Belly Flop competitions. Still waiting on the sun but the Solarium pool was surprisingly warm when I tested the waters! 

There was a Pride Party on the roof of the Lime and Coconut! I saw one advertised in the Cruise Compass but it’s not till later and in the Bamboo Room. Suspecting this one mightve been for employees since everyone I saw up here was in a uniform. Cool! 

3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

the closet in a JS is what my dreams are made of.

this is a bougie/first world  problem, but i struggle so mightily with standard balcony closets

We have spread out soo much for a 3N, clothing is everywhere!!! I’m not used to sailing with another woman! hahaha

3 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Axe Body spray and my high school years (early 90s) are synonymous .... that and Drakkar ....

ahahaha! It’s the worst shower experience because you start with the minty shampoo and thats not awful, then the coconut rum punch-smelling conditioner is amazing, followed up by lathering all my parts in the scent of a teen boy!!  

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

That was definitely my cologne at one point.

Sometimes I will smell it walking my dog, someone is holding on to their old ways in my community! 

Last night we had dinner in the MDR with a fantastic waitstaff. Our assistant waiter Giri from Bali really liked us and demanded we come back to his section tonight! I didnt the have the heart to tell him we have Izumi, but we’ll be back the final night!

I unfortunately took 0 food pics at dinner, ooops! 

After dinner we spent some time in the casino and I’m still working on my original $4 in free play. Well on my way to Prime! hahah 

Heading to the Jammiér shortly. It’s a gloomy day again today but hopefully the sun breaks through this afternoon like it’s been doing all week. The map says we’re way down by Ensenada already and positively CRAWLING at 7.3 knots. 

11 hours ago, asquared17 said:

how do you like your cabin??

Cabin is great! It has all the updated furnishings, plenty of storage, 3 plugs on the vanity (including the one European I’ve got my adapter in) and a huge closet. I don’t remember my other JS’ having a closet so large! 

Balcony has two chairs, two tables and a single lounger.

Never seen this Vanity Kit and/or lotion before! The soap in the shower continues to smell of Axe body spray  

Oooops that post never went through before but luckily it was still there when I loaded the page again! 

After lunch the sun was finally out and we hit the slides at least 10x, SLIDING SQUIRRELS!!

We did not partake in the human soup but perhaps tomorrow it will be right  

Dinner upcoming in the MDR! We decided she’ll have to have a taste of what the main dining room has to offer before we swap to the Jammiér. 

Hooked was great! 

We had clam chowder, calamari and oysters for our apps. The chowder is amazing with the cheddar biscuits! Is this what I’m missing not going to Red Lobster?? I chickened out and had my chicken sammie for the entree and the squirrel had steak n lobster. For dessert, a cocnut creme pie and brownie! STUFFED! 

For awhile I was worried my bag was down in the naughty room but I just checked again and it was right outside! Heyoooo

Lovely view from the room overlooking the terminal tents  

Lovin these RCCL slips!

Sun finally came out! Pool deck, we’re cominggggg

Made it on board by 10:45, it’s a blustery day in LA. It’s funny to see everyone on deck in our summer finest but is not, in fact, summer yet here! 63° and cloudy! Had a pre-lunch snack at ELF since we missed breakfast after all. Hooked shortly! 

We saw two sea lions playing between the ship and the dock! 

It’s Cruise Dayyyyyyyy!!!! 

I can spy Navigator’s smokestacks from our hotel room window. 

The hotel has a free breakfast we may peruse shortly. Gotta save room for Hooked lunch! 

Navigator is still so far from us!

I do not recommend the Green Onion Mexican restaurant a block from the hotel even though several people on tripadvisor might disagree! haha On paper it looks amazing (the Chimi section!) but in reality it’s only so-so. The place was packed but possibly it’s because of the weak “cocktails” being served to possible minors. One such culprit fell out of the booth next to us onto the floor laughing and their table mates apologized for him. Wow, my first shenanigan! 

Made it to Long Beach! The room has a beeeautiful (for San Pedro) view of ships coming and going, maybe if I rise naturally at 4-5am I might sneak a peek of Nav coming in tomorrow. Goodbye YM Welcome! 

16 hours ago, asquared17 said:

CUP CLIP CLUB UNITE!!!!

I cannot wait to see this beauty in action!!!  

1 Day to GOOOOO!!!!

Leaving to drive up to Long Beach late this afternoon. I still have not started packing and time is slowly slipping away from me! Gotta bust out a bunch of ads and then hopefully can get that taken care of before the Squirrel arrives. She’s in San Diego but meeting her dad for lunch for his birthday which is today, a bonus element of the trip. 

Luckily I keep a cruise packing list so it’s just a matter of checking things off as I go! Got out the luggage tag holders and my super cool lanyard (I don’t actually wear this but it’s a nice place to stow the card when you’re on the pool deck). Question of the hour is - will it be warm enough for my cruise-dinner-wear?? When we went to Alaska I ignored all my dresses and wore jeans every night due to the temps. Come on sun!!! It’s breaking through at my house but I live 20 miles inland. 

YOU GUYS

IT’S HERE. And it’s also way bigger than I could’ve ever anticipated. No wonder you guys need so much luggage!! This thing is a monster!

I’m also loving all the extra trouble they went through to get these weird cut outs in the packaging.

feat. hot pink cruise nails!

1 minute ago, SweetPea said:

Does your house look like a tornado hit it too at this point?

 NO, only because I am severely behind schedule!! I have a hot design task due at 1:30pm PST so of course I have barely started on it. Packing to commence this afternoon assuming I get some more of this work done! 

2 Days to go! 

Got an email from the casino saying they can’t wait to welcome my high-rolling, Choice tier money on board! I don't remember ever getting one of these in the past. Maybe because we allllways play using my husbands sea pass card so we can combine our points? I think the most we’ve ever had was around 1,000 when we had two cruises before March one year. Getting to Prime seems so daunting, I am impressed with all who continuously make it! 

Boarding day plan is to wander over from the Crowne Plaza around 10:30 (parking is only $15/day there vs $20 in the lot, about a 0.25mi walk with my suitcase seems worth it) and head to muster/the bar/the water slizzies as soon as they open at 11:30. We have lunch at noon which I was hoping to push back, anyone have any thoughts on this? Could I swing by Hooked when we board to see if they can seat us around 12:30-1 instead? Noon was a bad call when the water slides are calling out to me! 

Looks like Long Beach will be 75º and sunny for embarkation day, perfectly acceptable poolin’ weather! They don’t call us the Pool Squirrels for nothing! Upping our rank to Sea Squirrels imminently! 

19 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

The only possible reason (to me, anyway) that you would pay more $$ for fewer meals is b/c with Chops+1 you get a confirmed reservation prior to boarding and with a 3 night package you have to until you board to get those rezzies.

That's definitely crazy! Don’t you only get the first reservation when you Chops+1? I’d be suffering through the embarkation reservation-making if that were the case!