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DDaley

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  1. Thanks
    DDaley got a reaction from Ampurp85 in Quantum of the Seas March 1st - 8th 2024 Pacific Adventure   
    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
  2. Like
    DDaley got a reaction from PPPJJ-GCVAB in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    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! 
  3. Like
    DDaley reacted to Cactus527 in Freedom for Spring Break - March 11-15, 2024   
    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.
  4. Love
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    That will be amazing. I hope you're able to find some good ones. 😊
  5. Like
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    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. 😭 😂
     
     
  6. Like
    DDaley got a reaction from Sweety in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    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. Love
    DDaley got a reaction from JustMeJoe in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    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! 
  8. Like
    DDaley reacted to SweetPea in Radiance B2B 2-22-24 & 2-26-24   
    Once again I'm late to the party and no doubt i now need to find your Oasis blog. Had i been on time, i know you don't like tequila, but Cozumel makes amazing Peanut Butter Tequila. You honestly can't taste the tequila .... much. It's like a PB milkshake. It's at Rasta's on the east side of the island. Amazing!
  9. Love
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    Don't you just hate when work interferes with important stuff like cruise blogging? 😭
    I am so glad it's the weekend so I can catch up.
    Day Eight - Cruise Day Five - Curaçao
    Here is our Symphony parked in Curação.

    We were at the pier farthest from the town. I think it was a P&O ship at the closer pier but I'm can't remember for sure.
    We were doing another cruise line excursion today, although to be fair it was more of a beach transfer than an actual excursion. I knew this when I booked but there was method in my madness. Firstly, it included a stop at Curaçao artist Nena Sanchez's gallery. I had wanted to go here on our previous two visits to the island but had never managed to make it work for us. And secondly, we wanted to try one of the beaches a bit farther from the port so the cost of the excursion for the two of us was more or less the same as the taxi fare would have been but without the hassle of having to ensure we could get a taxi back to the port afterwards. The beach we went to today was called Cas Abao.
    So this was the "Cas Abao Beach and Scenic Drive excursion".
    There were two departure times, 8.45 am and 11.45 am. We chose the earlier time, partly so it wouldn't run over lunchtime and partly so we would be able to go back out into town afterwards if we wanted to.
    The weather was looking very unfriendly when we set off but at least it wasn't cold and I'm glad to say it eventually cleared up.
    First stop at the gallery.
    There was a nice expansive view from the top of the staircase leading to the gallery entrance.

    Note the little white building in the foreground of this one. Bathrooms! It's tucked away on your right as you approach the gallery entrance so not everyone notices it at first. Ladies, there's only ONE for us, so go there before heading into the gallery to avoid the worst of the queuing once others realise it's there! 

    I had not realised that the artist had passed away; I kind of assumed she was still alive and working but apparently she died back in 2017 (the guide found out the year for me). The gallery is run by the artist's older sister, who survived her.
    It's mostly just a shop that sells prints of her work but that's what I was looking for. What more genuine souvenir could you get than a picture created by a local artist? In the end I bought two prints set in stiff card that are now gracing a shelf at home. I think if you wanted to buy something bigger or less transportable they would ship it for you but these two fit nicely into my bag. I'm very pleased with them.

    After a stop of about 20 minutes at the gallery we headed to the beach, where we would stay for about 3 hours. The excursion included a lounger in a dedicated space, a non-alcoholic drink voucher and a shower token. The space set aside for us was roped off and had enough loungers for everyone in the group. Some had full shade, some partial and some were out in the sun so it's best to try to be at the front of the group as you head onto the sand in order to get the best choice of spot.
    This is the third beach we've visited in Curaçao and it is the one I liked best (the others were Mambo Beach and Blue Bay Beach). It's a bit rocky underfoot when you go into the water though, so if you do have water shoes it would be a good idea to bring them.


    At the beach there is a bar/snack bar where you can buy drinks and food. We didn't so I can't say what the prices or quality were like but we did see some people in the loungers behind us happily digging in to some generously sized burgers. Next to that is a smaller bar that only has the included waters/sodas, which is where you pick up your included drink. Then you have the bathrooms and showers. The showers are outside and are only really meant for you to rinse off. There was a lady on duty by the showers to turn on the water for you and turn it off again after about 30 seconds so there's no point in taking shampoo and shower gel! 😂 
    And there is also what appeared to be a very well equipped dive shop. Details are available on the beach's website. https://casabaobeach.com/facilities/
    WiFi is available free in the vicinity of the beach bar and the password was displayed on a poster at the counter. The signal was strong enough that it worked at our loungers, which weren't right next to the bar.
    The amount of time we had here - about 3 hours - felt perfect to us. Long enough to actually get settled, relax and go for a dip or two, but not so long that we were bored or getting too hot and frazzled.
    On the way back we had a bit of a drama. Smoke starting billowing out around our feet in the bus, accompanied by an electrical burning smell. We and others around us called out to the guide and the driver pulled over. The guide told everyone to get out of the bus and it was good to see that nobody panicked and everyone exited in an orderly fashion. The guide had us all move well away from the bus while the driver investigated. It turned out to be a short circuit in the wiring of the safety lighting and it was deemed safe for us to continue our journey as long as he kept the lights switched off. So we all got back on but had only gone a short distance when the guide told us the company operating the tour (FBTT Travel) was sending out another bus to meet us as they didn't want to take any chances.
    After we had changed buses everything went smoothly. We stopped on the way to the port to drop people off who wanted to stay in town and who would later make their own way back. We stayed on the bus as we didn't fancy traipsing around town with all our beach stuff. Plus we were hungry! With these delays we only just made it to the WJ in time for lunch. I heard the maître d' in charge telling the staff at the counters "As soon as these last people (us!) have served themselves, clear everything away!" 
    Although we did not go back out again after lunch, there would have been time if we had wanted to, so that's worth bearing in mind if you're not sure whether to get off the bus in town or head back to the ship first.
    Tonight's dinner was the Caribbean menu. We think it's an OK one. It wouldn't be our first choice to skip for specialty dining.

    Coconut shrimp. Has never disappointed.

    DH's pork chop which he said was good but was too big for him to finish. He really liked the plantains although he mistook them for sweet potatoes at first.

    Garlic herb-buttered tiger shrimp. One of my favourites. It never looks the same from ship to ship and sailing to sailing but I always enjoy it.

    DH's pineapple cake, which he didn't really like, although he didn't say why.

    And my all-time favourite classic, the Royal Chocolate Cake. In the past, I would have had this almost every night. I was devastated when they took the classics away in the menu reshuffle. Most of the other desserts I had during the week were second best to this one.

    This being Valentine's Day, they had the Love and Marriage Game Show on in the theatre so we went along to that after dinner. It was quite funny but I've seen much better ones. I don't know what it was, I just felt the CD wasn't really interacting very well with the couples.
    And after that, and our usual casino and tea & cookies ritual, it was time to head off to bed in readiness for the next day, which would be another sea day.
  10. Like
    DDaley got a reaction from SweetPea in Radiance B2B 2-22-24 & 2-26-24   
    Brilliance is my favorite ship to date! I keep thinking about booking a Pacific coastal cruise just to sail one again (but without a cross country flight). 
    I’ve always wondered, if you got a casino comp do they hold you to gambling while on the comped cruise? Or do they just assume you can’t resist?
  11. Like
    DDaley reacted to WAAAYTOOO in RC looks to roll out a 3rd fixed dining slot   
    Since we almost always have a couple of specialty meals stuck into the itin. somewhere, I suspect we will stick with MTD.  I don’t want to take up a “fixed” seat when chances are I’m going to be somewhere else more than half the time.
    I guess we have been extremely lucky with MTD.  We’ve never really had a bad experience.  As long as it continues to work for us, we will continue to use it.
  12. Like
    DDaley reacted to twangster in Re-entering Canada on an Alaska cruise.   
    Back when Canada required a COVID app be filled out for every entry this type of itinerary required filling out the app twice as each entry to Canada was unique.  
    When a ship stops in Victoria before ending in Seattle the immigration process is performed automatically, at least for US citizens.  Like any cruise ship arriving to a port of call, the ship announces that the ship has been cleared.  At that point everyone is free to leave the ship without being processed or seeing CBSA on land.  Citizens beyond WHTI countries may be handled differently.
  13. Like
    DDaley reacted to Cactus527 in Freedom for Spring Break - March 11-15, 2024   
    🎶On the 12th day before cruising, my live blog did begin...🎶
    It's almost cruise time! I'm starting this live blog to control my excitement and keep track of all related things. I'll try to update daily before the cruise, and then as things go once onboard. Being my first live blog, I have no idea what's going to happen here.
    I'm Cactus. I've been cruising sporadically since 2005, both solo and with family, mostly on Royal Caribbean. While I live in the desert, I love traveling and have gone as many places as I can throughout my life.
    This cruise is a 4-night Perfect Day at CocoCay and Bahamas cruise out of Miami. Port schedule shows Terminal A, so I'm super excited for my first trip out of Miami (how have I avoided this up until now??!?) and out of Icon's terminal. It's a bit of a wonky cruise for me because I have to pack for this trip AND a conference that starts on Saturday after I disembark on Friday. Thank goodness for Southwest's two-bags-fly-for-free policy.
    Day 1 Miami
    Day 2 PDCC
    Day 3 Nassau
    Day 4 At Sea
    Day 5 Miami
    My family calls me two things: The Ruler of Red Lights (when driving) and Overpacker Extraordinaire. I'm hoping the latter doesn't get me in trouble while packing for both cruising and conferencing.
    I booked a balcony guarantee for this solo cruise because my MEI travel agent had an awesome price for it. I was on Independence in a junior suite in September and absolutely loved the ship/room/location of room, so I had no hesitation in booking Indy's sister ship. The balcony I was assigned was okay, it would have worked, but I went ahead and did a Royal Up bid for both a junior suite and a spacious balcony. The JS failed, but the spacious balcony went through! And, lo and behold, the spacious balcony is in a similar location to where my JS on Indy was. Score!
    Counting down is killing me - 11 days until I fly, 12 days until the cruise. Of course there's a bazillion things to do in the mean time, including getting over this nasty cold I currently have. Healthy and happy cruising coming soon!
    ---Cactus
  14. Like
    DDaley reacted to LandstromCruise in The Allure of a free cruise.....3 Night March 1st-4th   
    @GatorCruiser this post is for you. Had an 8:30 tee time this morning at Copperhead. They are preparing for the PGA Valspar event here in about 3 weeks. The course was in great shape and they are building all the media towers and stands. It’s pretty cool to get to golf with it like that. Only downside was it was cart path only since they are wanting to get the course in great shape so lots of extra walking to my ball. Especially since I don’t exactly hit it straight. And with them letting the rough grow out for the pros, let’s just say I didn’t have them inviting me back to play with the pros. Here’s some photos for you @GatorCruiser







  15. Like
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    Day Seven - Cruise Day Four - Aruba (continued)
    As I mentioned in part one of today's adventures, we were due to eat at 150 Central Park tonight. I booked this during that sale they had with special prices for C&A. Without knowing at that time what menus they would be having in the MDR on which nights I used an educated guess to pick a night that I reckoned would be one we didn't like. Super Bowl skewed that and I ended up switching this booking from night three to night four. To change it, I had to go to the actual restaurant. The guys at the kiosk in the promenade tried in vain to do it for me and it was only when they called a manager over because the line behind us was getting bigger and bigger and bigger that they realised they couldn't change a cruise planner booking.
    Anyway we got it changed to night four without any issues while still holding on to our special price. The MDR menu that we skipped for this was the Mexican menu.
    Also, tonight was "white night" attire-wise.
    This was hands down the best meal of the cruise (although Hooked, later on, would be a very close second). I would happily have eaten here every night if it weren't for the upcharge. I know, dream on. 😂

    The bread was very good.

    For starters, DH had the pumpkin soup. His face was a picture when the server brought the bowl with just the bits in. Where's my soup???? He was very bemused to see it being poured in from a jug. 😂 He thought it was nice but a bit on the sweet side.

    I had the roasted organic beet salad. I absolutely loved this. So good! 
    We both had the lobster thermidor for the main course. It was very tasty.

    And we both had their signature dessert, the fried cheesecake. DH thought it was wonderful; I thought it was nice but no more than that, being that I am not a big cheesecake fan.

    The portion sizes were nice. We were pleasantly full when we were finished but not stuffed to the point of feeling uncomfortable. However, bearing in mind the amount we ate, it really wasn't worth the upcharge, even at the reduced rate. People around us were eating far more than we were for the same price. This is the main reason why we only very rarely book specialty dining. I really wish they had à la carte pricing at all of the specialty dining places or a lower-priced option for folks who don't eat much. 
    After dinner we went to see the aqua show, Hiro. Usually I would have booked this for the very first night it was offered (which was actually day one on this sailing) but taking the itinerary into consideration, I reckoned there would be a better chance of it not being cancelled on night four when we would be sailing very slowly between Aruba and Curaçao. And also I reckoned it would be warmer and so more enjoyable sitting in the open air.
    There were a lot of people in the standby line tonight. We reckoned many of them would have been folks who had had bookings for the previous night's cancelled show. I don't know if they all got in, but the replacement show for them, on night five, did go ahead, so hopefully everyone did get a chance to see it.
    Having seen these shows before on Oasis and Harmony, our expectations were high and we weren't disappointed. This was one of the highlights of the cruise. Again; i was too busy watching it to get much in the way of pics. Definitely a do not miss!


     
     
  16. Like
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    Day Seven - Cruise Day Four - Aruba
    Today was the first of our three ports of call. 
    We were in port from 8 am until 9 pm. 
    We had booked an excursion through Royal, called "Aruba's Hidden Gems". The amount of information in Internet Land about this particular excursion is extremely sparse, so we had little more than Royal's own description to go by and we all know how "good" those are. 

    The excursion was initially supposed to start at 1.30 pm but in the week before the cruise it was changed to 12.30 pm. As I understand it, this excursion sometimes operates in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. The fact that this was an afternoon one meant we didn't need to be up early, which was great. I hate getting up early! 
    The meeting point was on the pier at 12.15 so we had a leisurely breakfast and still had time for a stroll through the town to do a little bit of souvenir shopping. This would turn out to be a good call, because by the time we returned to the ship at the end of the excursion (5.30 pm ish) it was coming up to closing time for the shops in main street (6 pm). The souvenir stalls beside the port stay open until later though.
    Given the lack of information, I was quite surprised to discover that there were two full busloads for the excursion, which was operated by De Palm Tours. It departed on time and our driver/guide was Ray. He was very good but one thing I did not like was that he did not have a hands-free microphone, so he was essentially driving with one hand and using the other to hold the microphone. I meant to comment on this on the post-cruise questionnaire but forgot ☹️. The bus itself was comfortable and had air conditioning; it wasn't one of those open-sided ones.
    I did keep notes on this one, so I would be able to give a good description afterwards.
    Our first stop was at a place called Tourism Plaza where there is an Aruba sign and, behind it, a path to Surfside Beach, which is apparently popular with locals. It was nice enough but not a patch on Eagle Beach, which has to be one of my all-time favourite beaches anywhere. My pic of DH is far better than either of the ones he took of me, which is why you're getting him! 😂

    Surfside Beach. The ship in this pic is P&O's Britannia. Ours was parked behind it so you can't see it from this vantage point.


    Our second stop was at Mangal Alto Beach. Mangal Alto means Tall Mangroves and the beach was hidden behind them to the extent that you couldn't see it from the road. DH did a better job with the camera this time. 

    From here, we drove through the future art district of San Nicolaas, 19 km southeast of Oranjestad, where we saw lots of murals that reminded me of the ones we'd seen when were driving through Wynwood in Miami. Ray told us that the Aruban government is putting a lot of money into this area and that work is ongoing to build a brand new cruise port here. When it is ready, it is to be used for the larger cruise ships while the smaller ones will continue to dock in Oranjestad. The area did look very nice. Unfortunately, since the bus was moving and we didn't stop here, I didn't get any pics of the murals.
    Next, we stopped at the Grotto of Lourdes, a religious landmark with a roadside shrine built into the cliff that is used for Catholic worship.


    From here, we went to the first of the two sets of caves we would visit during the excursion. They are located in the Arikok National Park.
    Quadirikiri Cave.
    View from the mouth of the cave. Note that there are some very steep uneven steps to get up here.

    Inside the cave:




    The "heart" above us in this last one is formed by the light interacting with the minerals on the cave wall. Ray told us all exactly where to stand and kindly took pics for everyone who wanted one.

    The next cave was the Fontein Cave, which has ancient paintings inside it. There was no steep staircase to get into this one but you still had to take care because the ground is uneven under foot and it is dark inside the cave.

    The green colour on the rock is caused by the mineral content.



    There are porta-potties at the caves. Obviously not ideal but when needs must... Be sure to have tissues and wipes to hand.
    From the caves, we drove a very short distance to see a cove whose name I can't remember and, unfortunately, I did not get a pic of the sign with the name on it.
    To get on to the beach, you have to go down a staircase.

    Swimming is not allowed at this cove because the sea is too dangerous.


    The area around it is very barren.

    The roads in the national park are not paved so it was quite a bumpy ride even though Ray drove very slowly. However at least we didn't get covered in dust like the folks we saw in some jeeps.
    From here we headed to our last stop, the Casibari rock formation. We had been here before on a previous visit to Aruba. There is a passage through the rock that you can use to get to the top. You need to be very careful of your footing and also mindful of the very low ceiling. Alternatively, walk round to the left where there is an actual staircase.

    There is a good view from the top and you can see the ships off in the distance. It was a bit hazy at this time of day, but you can still see them in the pic even so.

    There are free toilets here but they were out of order on this occasion. They had been in use on our previous visit. However, across the road there is a small facility offering snacks, souvenirs and a proper toilet that you had to pay a dollar to use. We did not go in so I can't say what it was like.

    This was the last stop on the tour and from here we headed back to the ship.
    Given the timing of the tour - over lunchtime - and with very little in the way of food available during it, we were quite hungry so we made a beeline for Sorrento's for some pizza, although we were careful not to overindulge as we would be eating at 150 Central Park later.
    Overall, we enjoyed this tour as it gave us a chance to see some sights that we would not have been able to otherwise. I booked it during a sale at $49.99 each and, in fact, used up some Next Cruise OBC to pay for it. I know it did go up during non-sale periods, but I can't remember exactly how much. I have a feeling maybe another $10 on top.
    The description lists the tour as being "strenuous". I would have to say that's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but the stairs up into the cave could be a bit challenging for some people and it would be a definite "no" if you are not normally mobile.
    I would recommend wearing trainers (sneakers) or some other comfortable closed-toe footwear. Sandals and flip-flops are definitely not a good idea given the underfoot conditions.
    Since this has been quite a long post, I'll do a separate one for our evening activities.
  17. Love
    DDaley reacted to GregD in Recruiting new suite snobs and other tomfoolery on Harmony Of The Seas - Feb 18 - 25th   
    Our first task once in the car was a rescue mission!!
    Poor Ashlyn forgot her favorite stuffed animal at the hotel before getting on the ship. Thankfully Kristine called the hotel and they were able to hold onto it for them. Dan had planned on getting off the ship as soon as the gangway opened and walked to the hotel to retrieve it and hopefully return in time to get their shuttle to the airport. I told him that was crazy, and that since we had the car, we would go get it for them. They stayed at the Harbor House, so it would have been doable, but not necessary.
    Rescue mission completed!!

    We sent word to Ashlyn and she was a very happy girl!
  18. Like
    DDaley reacted to smokeybandit in Summer 2025 deployment   
    Quantum: https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2025_2026/LA/QN_2025-2026_LA_Deployment
    Navigator: https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2025_2026/LA/NV_2025-2026_LA_Deployment
  19. Like
    DDaley reacted to steverk in What would you do? Unclean bathroom glasses   
    If you really feel the attendant is failing to do his/her job, then you probably need to bring it up to the head of housekeeping.  I'm sure the issue will be addressed.  Be advised though, you'll probably get very crisp, very impersonal service for the rest of the cruise.
  20. Like
    DDaley reacted to Curt From Canada in Quick Empire Supper Club Review - do it!   
    Thank you … we were expecting your feedback, we just needed to confirm. 
    I have never been in a “speakeasy”. Still, I had imagined there was almost as much dancing as drinking 😂😂😂.
    Typically, we “adapt” quite nicely to the ship we are on.  We have danced in all the “regular” spots plus:
    Schooner Bar (too many to count), many Elevator lobbies, 2 Elevators (once with the Stowaway Piano Player), 3 times on the MainStage (plus twice at the back of the Theatre), in the MDR, and Central Park (a lot). 😂😂😂
    Say hello sometime, when you see two amateur dancers dancing where they shouldn’t be and having a blast. 😉
    Curt from Canada
  21. Like
    DDaley reacted to FionaMG in Symphony of the Seas - 8-night Southern Caribbean - 10-18 February 2024 - ***RECAP*** with pics   
    Day Six - Cruise Day Three - Another Day at Sea
    Today was largely a repeat of yesterday, i.e. generally loafing around. It was still very windy but as we were farther south it was a bit warmer.
    Our Chef's Surprise (or whatever it's called) turned up in the room today. Another sign of the cutbacks. There used to be six bites on this plate; today's had only four. Not that we minded since we didn't eat them anyway. 😂

    As I mentioned in yesterday's post, formal night had been shifted from day two to day three to accommodate Super Bowl, so tonight's dinner was the corresponding French menu.

    I don't care for any of the starters on this menu so I didn't order one, plus I was saving space for the bits that come along with the Indian main course. I think DH might have had the pumpkin soup but I have no pic to substantiate that suspicion.
    I love Indian food. Back home in my native Scotland we have a very large Indian community and we have some very highly rated restaurants. However, I'm the only one in the household who likes it, so I was thrilled when Royal started having a nightly Indian dish, even though they are not as fully authentic as you might get on land. I did ask Stanley about this (he is from India) and he said that, on board, they did not have access to all the spices that they would normally use on land. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the ones that I did have on board.
    Tonight's was lamb rogan josh:


    DH had the tenderloin and asked for fries with it. Luckily, fries are on the kids' menu so you can get them every night if you want.

    He said it was fine, again nothing to write home about but definitely better than the prime rib from the first night.
    The desserts were good.
    Warm apple cobbler:

    And cappuccino chocolate cake with a side of vanilla ice cream.

    One of the things we missed on this sailing, in comparison to the "old days", was the nightly show. Our typical routine back in those days would be dinner, show, casino, and tea & cookies before bed.
    At something of a loose end, we wandered onto the boardwalk where the aqua show was due to start. We had bookings for the following night but thought if we could get in on the standby line we might as well see it tonight. There didn't seem to be a huge crowd and they let us in ahead of the usual cut-off time.

    However, remember that wind I mentioned earlier on... well, it was so strong that the water was literally sloshing out of the pool and onto the stage in huge waves. Obvious outcome, the show that night was cancelled. So much for catching it a day early. Oh well, at least we had bookings for the next night.😂 The cancelled show was rescheduled for 7 pm on night five.
    So instead we had an early night in preparation for our first port of call the next day, which would be Aruba.
  22. Like
    DDaley reacted to GregD in Recruiting new suite snobs and other tomfoolery on Harmony Of The Seas - Feb 18 - 25th   
    So I think we are now up to the special treat for the wife.
    I know I have been hinting at sparkly things that we have been looking for, and not having any luck.
    But.....
    But............
    We went another route. I really did want to treat her, to something special. She recently got a big promotion at work that she worked so hard for, and it was really a wonderful thing for this position to become available in her company, and in this location so that we wouldn't have to relocate....plus she deserves it from putting up with me🤣 right @TheBoss518
    So may I present to you Luis....

    She is beyond excited....and can't wait for work on Wednesday to show it off a little bit.
    For all of you that were hoping on sparkly things...FEAR NOT!!!! I have found the exact thing that she was looking for on the Effy site and I have ordered it!
  23. Like
    DDaley reacted to GregD in Recruiting new suite snobs and other tomfoolery on Harmony Of The Seas - Feb 18 - 25th   
    Okay!!
    Correct
    Preaching to the choir here.....I will be talking about that in the survey...
    Thank you, but wait there is more to finish!!
    As @asquared17 said, I was busy making memories!
  24. Like
    DDaley reacted to Sweety in Summer 2025 deployment   
    I am waiting. 
  25. Like
    DDaley reacted to smokeybandit in Summer 2025 deployment   
    Happy "LA and short Caribbean" release day. Maybe.
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