DDaley

Years and years and YEARS ago, Spouse had a friend that worked at Amazon. He was neck deep in some of the heavy IT work for switching Amazon from a bookstore only to a regular store when we met up with him once in...2004? 2005?. We all scoffed at the idea that Amazon could succeed outside of being just a bookseller...and here we are today. No clue whatever happened to Spouse's friend. It's so strange to think of how Amazon was around 2000 and what it is now.

6 days to embarkation, 5 days to travel. I was busy doing various things this morning, @PPPJJ-GCVAB, and forgot to post until now!
Work. I was busy with work. I have to work today, tomorrow, and Thursday, and then I'M FREE. Counting down the days. 
The best part of forced webinars is shutting off your video feed and doing whatever you want. In this case, I was going through my toiletries to ensure I had everything I needed. Sunscreen, after-sun lotion, hand sanitizer, deodorant, toothpaste...you get the picture. 
Potato decided to bark at a low-flying small plane today as it passed over our backyard. This, coupled with her barking at a low-flying helicopter last week, really drives home the fact that she helps the "average intelligence" of all dogs balance on the lower side. 🤣
New suitcase arrives tomorrow! CAN. NOT. WAIT. Spouse demanded that I take the suitcase I have meant to take to Goodwill for forever over there TODAY so that there's room for the new one. I'll probably put it in my car today and drop it off tomorrow. 🤫
Also trying to figure out Izumi (not hibachi). I can't make any reservations and never have been able to via the Cruise Planner. Am I only allowed to reserve for the regular restaurant once on board, or is it first-come-first-served there?
I was going to cancel my Lyft reservation to the port for a cheaper price (I saw it drop to about $22 from my hotel to the port Monday morning at the same time I'll be doing it next week), but a driver reserved it. BLARGH. I get that it's only $28 but I have this thing about trying to save as much as possible. 
That's my Tuesday pre-trip news. 😉 

Cruise day 4, 25 October 2023
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Beautiful day today.  Rain was forecast, but other than a two minute shower, it was dry.
Since I still wasn't 100%, we opted to pay the $20 pp (round trip) to use the Royal Caribbean shuttle from the port to the old town.  While we prefer walking (since we see more of the "real" area), I still wasn't feeling 100%, so we paid to take the ride.
Dubrovnik's old town is another amazing place.  It was super crowded, so we tried to go where people weren't.  For the most part, we succeeded, but there were times it was impossible to avoid the crowds.  There were four ships in port today. 
We didn't walk the walls because they were too high for my wife's comfort as well as quite pricey to access.  We enjoyed walking and people watching.  We stayed out almost five hours then went back to the ship for our standard balcony nap. The shuttle back was easy to board
It's really hard for me to explain in words how amazing all these ports are, and the pictures just don't do justice.
 
 
 
 









 


 

Ok...back to it. 
Cruise day 3,  24 October, 2023
We were in Zadar, Croatia today.  The original itinerary had us in Bari, Italy, but there was an issue with water levels and the ship would not have been able to approach the pier.
The cruise port is a 15 minute or so drive from the old town area, where the famous Sea Organ is located. Zadar Sea Organ Info 
Royal Caribbean provided complementary buses from the port area to the Sea Organ.  We got out early and beat the crowds to the old town.  It's a great town for walking, and we spent four hours wandering around before we headed back to the ship for lunch.  We made the decision to head back because it kept getting more and more crowded.  The day became less pleasant when we started having to jostle through people just to walk down a street. 
The bus back to the port picked up in the same place it dropped off.  Boarding was easy and the ride back quick.  Going through security to enter the terminal area, we got to observe an American arguing with the Croatian security guard about having to show his Sea Pass.....he kept saying it was a violation of his rights to have to show ID.  The guy tried to get some of us involved by telling us they were violating our constitutional rights.  My response was one of the nicer ones (I called him an idiot and kept walking).  No wonder some Europeans have a poor view of American tourists.
Back on the ship, we napped on our balcony until it was time for dinner.  It was my wife's 56th birthday, so we splurged and went to Chops.  She had the filet and loved it.  Unfortunately, this was the day I started feeling ill and I didn't eat much...nothing contagious nor food poisoning, but not eating was the way to make myself feel better, so I didn't get to experience much of the awesome food the rest of the week.  I still had a great time though...just a bit hungry. 🙂
 
 
 

Thank you for asking because I have no idea which suite that is! All I know is it’s not an ATS hahaha 

As not a suite snob, I have been trying to guess the suite........is it the RLS?

"CRUISE BIG, OR GO HOME" – OA 3/10/2024-3/17/2024

There once was time, many blogs ago, where I said, “Dreams…that is how many things begin; that is how this adventure began.  But with every dream that comes true, there is always a journey.”
Anyone remember that blog? It was the one where many claimed I corrupted them (I’m looking at you @GregD lol); it was also truly a dream come true for us. Since that 2019 sailing, we have been blessed beyond measure, and we never take any sailing for granted.
But in the midst of all this, there was also a greater dream, a greater wish, that started way before 2019, or even 2016 (when Royal started their Royal Suite Class program) for that matter. This was a dream that began over 14 years ago, in December 2009, when Hubby and I sailed on Oasis of the Seas for her maiden voyage, and I realized that there was a cabin, way up on Deck 17 (this was my pre-suite snob days), corner starboard side, that I wanted to be in one day…#cruisegoals
The journey to get to this sailing, in this cabin was a long one. I know I have said it before, but we were not always suite snobs. We have done our share of interiors, ocean views, balconies, etc. Even when I turned into a suite snob, this particular cabin was always out of reach for us. Either financially, or the pandemic took it away, or it wasn’t available, or @Rags1 would not adopt me. What I am trying to say, is that it is not lost on me the road it took us to get here, and how grateful I am that we now have this opportunity, and how this likely will be the only opportunity for this cabin. We are committed to treasuring every moment of this.
I have tracked the price of this room over many years. For the times of the year that we can sail (March, July, August, December), March is always the best price for this room.
This sailing is also beyond bittersweet. It is more than being able to check off a cruise bucket list item for us and the journey it took us to get here. It’s our final March Break sailing with our oldest. We have been sailing with the girls over March Break for years and there will never be another March Break sailing with all 4 of us together. This is it. That is the main reason why we had to take the leap and do this now. I knew back in December 2009 when I first heard that such a room existed, that I wanted to do it, but not without both kids. With D17 graduating this June, and the uncertainty of her university and life schedule (she will not have a March break that is for certain), it really is now, or likely never.
Like a wise @Baked Alaska recently said, “Time is like a thief.” Life is too short; it’s about seizing the moments we have, it’s about not having regrets, and we never want to look back and say, “We wish we would have done it.”
With that in mind, Hubby and I decided that YOLO, it’s going to be now, to “Cruise Big”, really big, and then go home.

After discussion with Spouse, the larger suitcase has been purchased. 👍😃👍😃👍

OMG!  I just looked up the moon phases for June and a Strawberry Full Moon will be on June 21st!  Not really sure I will get to Desert Watchtower…BUT…I was planning on taking Valen to the Lowell Observatory on the 21st even before I knew it would be a full moon.  Super excited she will get to see this!
@DDaley and @Cactus527 Thanks for enlightening me with my Non-cruise vacation!

Today was the first of our two port stops, Noumea. We have been here a few times but never to the aquarium, so that was the plan for today.

Noumea port is a working port, so you need to take a shuttle bus to the information centre in town. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes.


A lot of passengers take this trip just to access the free Wi-Fi within the terminal building, which is air-conditioned and refreshingly cool. On the top floor, there are market stands where you can pick up souvenirs of your visit. Most, if not all, will accept payment in Australian dollars. Across the road from the visitor centre, there is a supermarket to purchase anything you may have forgotten. The prices are in francs, but you can pay using a credit card.

 


There is not a lot to do in downtown Noumea itself, and it is not a particularly pretty place, and it can also smell at times. If you do not want to venture far, there are a few historic buildings, a square, and a place to buy gelato and play outdoor chess. If you walk to the top of the hill, you can also visit an old church.
Outside the visitor centre, there are stalls to purchase third-party tours, including the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus for around $15 AUD per person.

There are a couple of different vendors offering HOHO, and there is also the option of taking a tour on Tsu Tsu train to see the main attractions. The Tsu Tsu train tour is around 1 1/2 hours.


The HOHO bus you board depends on the colour of the wristband provided to you when purchasing your ticket. You can only get on the same brand of bus when you want to be picked up. The buses are air-conditioned and clean. The HOHO stops at Lemon Bay 1, Lemon Bay 2, and the aquarium before heading back to the starting point, picking up passengers along the way.
We took the bus to the aquarium, which took about 20 minutes. We walked to the aquarium, which is about 50 metres from the bus stop but found it is only open for group tours and opens at 1 pm.

To pass the time before it opened, we went for a walk around the beachfront and found somewhere to get a drink and have some lunch. It was very warm, so we selected somewhere shaded to have a milkshake before returning to the aquarium.



There was only a short queue for the aquarium when we returned, and we were soon inside. The aquarium was a little disappointing, as I felt, for this day and age, the tanks were too small for the fish and turtles that lived there. The tour of the aquarium lasts about 1 hour, and you exit through a gift shop.





We finished at the aquarium and headed back to the ship as we had dinner reservations at Wonderland.


Before dinner, we spent some time in the suite lounge and had a long chat with Willie, our genie, a thoroughly lovely man. He was one of the original concierges on Wonder of the Seas, and it was interesting to hear his take on the opening of a new ship.
Dinner at Wonderland was enjoyable as always, and we ended the evening with the Starwater production show.
 

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. 


Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527,  got to help promote lovely Arizona!! 

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. 


Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527,  got to help promote lovely Arizona!! 

I did an ultra race through the slot canyons up there once. Unbelievable how beautiful it is. That's another 2-3 hours east of Flagstaff up by Page, @PPPJJ-GCVAB.

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. 


Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527,  got to help promote lovely Arizona!! 

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. 


Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527,  got to help promote lovely Arizona!! 

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. 


Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527,  got to help promote lovely Arizona!! 

More like Dim None. 😂

Love these choices! I always try to buy art as my souvenirs. Usually I can only afford prints but a couple places I have been able to get originals. We’re going to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland this summer and I’m hoping to add 2-4 A3’s to my staircase travel art collection! 

Love these choices! I always try to buy art as my souvenirs. Usually I can only afford prints but a couple places I have been able to get originals. We’re going to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland this summer and I’m hoping to add 2-4 A3’s to my staircase travel art collection! 

This is the same Noodle Shop/Spashaway menu we had on our Quantum cruise last September so I have to assume it’s staying! cc @Ampurp85

Love these choices! I always try to buy art as my souvenirs. Usually I can only afford prints but a couple places I have been able to get originals. We’re going to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland this summer and I’m hoping to add 2-4 A3’s to my staircase travel art collection! 

7 days to embarkation, 6 days to travel.
Last night, I was laying out all my clothes in piles for "Cruise" and "Conference." Not a whole lot of overlap, unfortunately. My oldest daughter, Bookworm, kept trying to find ways to combine outfits for both and they were hideous. Also, I'm afraid I'll get all sweaty wearing it for "cruise" and smell horrible in it for "conference." UGH. Held my credit card last night in terms of buying a bigger suitcase as I remember we have a soft-sided larger one buried deep in the recesses of The Forbidden Closet. I may try that if I need more space. With two large suitcases, a carry-on suitcase, and a backpack planned, I invested in this, which arrive this morning. #thankyoubezos

Now that I've tried it, I wish Wish WISH I would have had this years ago! Live and learn, I suppose.
Spent the morning getting my hair done so that I look younger than my age. Oh, gray hair, how I loathe thee. Funny story - the last time I was there, I walked in and my stylist was sitting in her chair scrolling on her phone. I greeted her and then patiently waited for her to say "okay, your turn!" But she didn't. She ignored me. I was getting really irritated/pissed when my stylist walked in the door and apologized for being late. WTH. Turns out, she has an identical twin who was waiting for her to show up to pick something up! We had a great laugh about it once I realized what was going on.

That will be amazing. I hope you're able to find some good ones. 😊

Day Nine - Cruise Day Six - At Sea
Since this was another sea day and we didn't have anything pressing to do, we had our one and only MDR breakfast. We arrived just before 9 am and there was a very long line of people waiting for two-tops. We agreed we didn't mind sharing and so were seated pretty much immediately with seven other guests. We enjoyed chatting with all of them over the course of our lengthy breakfast. And it was LENGTHY. It took ages for our orders to be taken and then the food came out in dribs and drabs, with some items clearly being ready for the waiters to grab and others having to be made.
The menu.

DH ordered the Bagel and Lox with a side of sautéed mushrooms and hash browns. His bagel presumably was one of the grab and go items because it came out pretty quickly. His sides didn't come out until much later, along with the other cooked stuff, so you couldn't really call them "sides" by the time he actually got to eat them. 😂

I ordered the breakfast power wrap. I absolutely love this and it's why I always insist on going to the MDR for breakfast at least once because I've never found them anywhere else. Today's did not disappoint. Highly yummy stuff.

The morning was spent doing typical day at sea activities (loosely translated as not a lot). Here a few pics from around the ship.






As usual we had lunch in the WJ and today was the one and only time I took a lunchtime food pic. Only because a friend from home messaged me just as I sat down to ask if I was having any yummy food today. 
Chicken and mushroom pot pie. It's exactly the same as the one they serve on British night in the MDR. It was very good.

As we wandered onto the Boardwalk after lunch we realised that there was a show going on, actually just ending, in the Aqua Theatre. This was NOT in the compass but when I checked I found it in the app, so that's something to bear in mind if, like me, you tend to prefer the paper compass. As it turned out, the show, which was called something like Aqua Nation was repeated again a couple of hours later so we were able to see it. No reservations needed.
The pictures don't do it justice. It's every bit as good a show as the evening ones.




This was Royal - aka Lobster - Night in the MDR.

Avocado and melon salad, nice enough and refreshing:

I decided not to bother with the lobster tail since we'd already had lobster at 150 CP and would be having it again at Hooked. DH did order it and by the time Stanley had shelled it for him there was practically nothing left. It was the teeniest tiniest lobster tail I have ever seen and did not even deserve to have its photo taken.
I ordered the spicy shrimp jalfrezi. Like all of the Indian dishes it wasn't really spicy but it was tasty anyway.

Desserts were Baked Alaska, one of DH's favourites

And the warm chocolate cake, one of the better renderings of this that I've had on recent cruises.

After dinner we went to the headliner showtime starring Finis Henderson. I had never heard of him but he appears to be quite well known. The show was OK but I found it a bit off-putting that he was only singing bits of songs. I would have much preferred him to perform the whole song.
And that was another day done and dusted. Only two more to go before they made us get off their boat. 😭 😂
 
 

Love these choices! I always try to buy art as my souvenirs. Usually I can only afford prints but a couple places I have been able to get originals. We’re going to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland this summer and I’m hoping to add 2-4 A3’s to my staircase travel art collection!