CruisinUpinLife

I do not think I've ever seen a service dog to date (only two cruises though).  I do not blame you for being horrified to see the dog being held while the owner was utilizing the buffet to get food.  I would think that this isn't standard protocol but not entirely sure.

I had a dream last night that I discovered/met @twangster on a disembarkation day of a cruise......that is when you know you spend (cannot say too much) time on here.

I had a dream last night that I discovered/met @twangster on a disembarkation day of a cruise......that is when you know you spend (cannot say too much) time on here.

I had a dream last night that I discovered/met @twangster on a disembarkation day of a cruise......that is when you know you spend (cannot say too much) time on here.

Holy moly!
I've often said numbers and stats are nice, but not the focus of what I'm trying to do. I'd rather have a community of 10 people who are supportive, helpful and fun than 10k people who do not talk.
I think it's safe to say that we've retained a good balance of fun and knowledgeable folks here, while attaining a tremendous goal.
The credit lays not with me, but with all of you.  Seriously. These boards do not grow to 10,000 people just because of me. I can't answer every thread, start my live blog ridiculously early (*cough @Lovetocruise2002 *cough), share breaking news or comment for the umpeeth time if @twangster is indeed real.
So many of you have been posting here for years, and others have recently joined and already feel like part of the family. It's been a tremendous journey so far and I am so thankful you are all here to share in it.
A special thank you to the moderators, who help enforce the rules; to some special long-term members who help flag down spammers and alert me when @monorailmedic is being overly annoying; @WAAAYTOOO for answering all those casino threads that I know nothing about; the entire MEI Travel team for helping support our great community.
There's no question the needle is moving in the right direction, and I thank you all once again for being part of this. One of the few regrets I have in the history of this site is not starting the message boards sooner, and today is a great example of why that is.
Thanks all, and let's celebrate with a Kraken and diet coke while onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise!

Sounds like a #winning idea!

Time for an update!
Adventure - Chris Brown joined early July (for 2 months?). Allure - Jimmy Rhodes until late July/early August then Mike Hunnerup (date?). Anthem - Dan Whitney started July 13 until August 29. Mitch Merucci returns from August 29 until January 5, 2020. Brilliance - Rob McNally joined late April (unknown how long he is onboard) Empress - Cecy del Razo joined mid July for 2 months then Elvis Pinto returns mid September Enchantment - Bobby Broughton until August 28 and will return October 28 for 4 months. Explorer - Clo O'Connor joined July 21 until sometime in October. Freedom - Katy McCullagh (former AM on HM & SY) started mid-June (for 2 months?). Grandeur - Cory Rogers until August 8 when John Blair returns from his vacation. John is on GR from August 8 - November 30. Harmony - Dennis Charles started July 7 until September 29. Marc Walker returns September 29 for 4 months. Independence - Cuddy Cudworth started June 11 until October. Jewel - Simona Ferraiuolo started early July (for 2 months or 4 months?). Liberty - Brian Leavitt until August 11 (next CD unknown). Mariner - Marcelo Alvarado is onboard until early September (next CD unknown). Majesty - Tanya Yates Tongue (Tornado Tanya) returned in June (for 4 months?). Navigator - Hugo Arenas until mid August then Cory Rogers (for 2 months?). Oasis - Mike Witte until August 18 (next CD unknown). Ovation - Joff Eaton returned June 21 for 4 months. Quantum - Paul Rutter returned in April and will likely be on vacation soon (next CD unknown). Radiance - Susan Adams until late July (next CD unknown). Rhapsody - Michele Scarpato started late April (for 4 months?). Serenade - David Bradshawe until mid September then Carly Boileau returns (for 2 months?). Spectrum - Fang Lixin joined mid June (for 4 months?). Symphony - Mike Szwajkowski until August 17 then Ricky Matthews for 2 months. Mike returns from his vacation late October/early November. Vision - Steve Davis returned May 6 for 4 months. Voyager - Michelle Oliveira returned late May for 4 months. I think that this is all of the available info. I have no idea where to start regarding AM info so only doing a CD list for now.

Book another sailing to cut down the countdown!

This seems like most importantly, it's good for the people of the island, and secondarily, good for upcoming itineraries to San Juan:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/24/puerto-rico-gov-ricardo-rossello-expected-resign-today/1812315001/
Been looking forward to our stop there all summer, hopefully it will go smoothly now.

Just got off the Adventure.  We typically always eat late.  Our earliest dining was the Chef's table.  We traveled with my husbands family, 1st time cruising for some, but for all 1st time with Royal, except us.  At 6 on the 1st night I went up to the WJ and made what Italians call an anti pasta plate to eat on the balcony while we got ready, our cabins were connected, the next thing I know is the plate I made for the 2 of us was being devoured by his siblings.  They all asked where did you get this?  WJ!  
Big mistake on my part because for the next 7 nights I became the waitress.  Lesson learned was I would make my late night sandwiches in the WJ, plus the desserts on a separate plate and put it in the fridge b4 they showed up.  (Nothing like a Prosciutto with cheese sandwich at midnight with a small bowl of pasta salad)  
One time I was on the elevator (crowded) and passengers remarked that are you having dinner in your cabin since I had 2 plates.  I said, no.  This plate is for cocktail hr on our balcony, and this 1 is for midnight so I don't have to wait in line at Sorrentos with their minimal selection.  All of them were 1st time cruisers, and 1 turned to me and said, OMG you HAVE to be a veteran, because nobody that is a 1st timer would think to do that.
Funny thing is we got back so tired and still full that I usually never ate what I brought back for us alone.  Usually is the key word.  I HIGHLY recommend that the night they have Mongolian, go and get it.  To me left over cold Chinese food is great.  I converted it from the plate to 2 bowls and placed it in the fridge.  My husband and I came back to the room @ midnight opened the fridge, went on the deck and ate it.  He made me laugh because he said I love you soooo much.  My response was WHY, thinking it had something to do with the ambiance of the moon and the ocean.  NOPE..  His answer was because only you could think 6 hrs ahead of time to know exactly what would make this trip even better...cold lomein to absorb all this alcohol.  

Thanks again Twangster. I plan on going with an open mind. And I have never been to Tortola so I am excited about that as well. I just hope by then the protests in San Juan will be done and we will be able to go there. 

I think with Harmony being so big it is probably difficult to schedule a last minute port for her without messing up the rest of the itinerary/schedule.

I believe this is going to be a trend we see, unfortunately.....which then adds to another thread where ships were turning away from SJ, PR and no other port scheduled.  Not the same area but if countries/cities are banning ships in particular locations, that will cause hardship on cruise lines to find backup ports to dock at.  However, I can understand why they feel the need to do this too.  Same applies if it were a land cruise and the buses, etc.

As he has said, if you go on this ship with big and or new ship expectations, you will be disappointed. If you go knowing it’s a smaller ship with less passengers, wanting to use the pool and be entertained in intimate venues, you are all set. Every cruise is what you make of it. 

As he has said, if you go on this ship with big and or new ship expectations, you will be disappointed. If you go knowing it’s a smaller ship with less passengers, wanting to use the pool and be entertained in intimate venues, you are all set. Every cruise is what you make of it. 

Now THAT's great service.  Very nice.

My friend is scared of sleeping in the dark outside and describes her mosquito net as a way for her to "rationalize her irrational fears" and I'm sure you understand that phrase.

Just remember your meds.  I had forgotten my good over the counter meds and regretted it.  When I realized that was the part of the ship I was likely having issues with, I just avoided it, sadly, since it's a very nice area.  Only you know your limits with plant life so just plan accordingly.  All other areas were fine for me and I'm sure this area would have been ok had I remembered my meds.

Sounds like you are seriously having no regrets with these types of posts-sounds awesome!  I wish I was there!

When I boarded I was glad to see Louis Soomaroo back on board as Loyalty Ambassador.  Louis took very good care of me on my last Empress cruise and there's little doubt that he was responsible for the Diamond Plus pin left in my cabin last night.

I actually made Diamond Plus 17 cruises ago but I had never received a pin.  It's not a thing for me, I don't tend to wear pins so I never pursued it.  Leave it to Louis to figure it out.  
A pod of dolphins provided some entertainment for us but it was hard to time the pictures right as dozens of them jumped around in front of the ship.

Pool deck on a sea day:

World's Sexiest Man contest.

The crowd seemed to really enjoy it.

As we reached the end of Cuba and entered the Caribbean Sea we picked up a gentle swell coming up from the South hitting us broadside.  There is a very gentle rocking of the ship occasionally.  Not bad, just a slight pitch now and then.   The bridge crew have kept us out of the rain as it passes us on both sides (or we just got lucky).

With that past us we are back into sunny skies.

Congratulations and way to be persistent and determined!  I am looking forward to following you.

Cabin
There is a story here…
As noted earlier, this sailing was expensive!  Newest ship, summer sailing, just bad news all around for the bank account.  We initially booked a Junior Suite with the plan to upgrade to a GS if the prices dropped below “ridiculous” level.  Upon booking, the cost of the JS was more than we paid for a GS on Harmony in 2017. 
Before continuing, let me put in the disclaimer here that this cruise was booked in November 2017, before experiencing Star Class.
After grabbing this booking, I noticed over time that the opportunities for people staying in a JS to get into Coastal Kitchen consistently was not promising, especially on Oasis class ships.  Being #TeamCK, this was not sitting well with me at all.  However, prices over time jumped from ridiculous to beyond ridiculous so there was no way I was going to get into Sky Class.  To complicate things further, we booked the Anthem GC for the same month and that sailing was not much cheaper.
Fast forward to March 2019, while sailing Harmony (in Star Class), our Genie arranged for a Next Cruise rep to meet with us in our suite.  With the upgrade for Symphony constantly on my mind, I asked her to price out a GS for us…just for fun.  Due to a slight price drop, $300 OBC from Next Cruise, some TA deals, some wheeling and dealing on my part with Hubby during a dinner at Chops, and a Hubby who spoils me constantly, we said YOLO once again and cancelled our original JS booking and re-booked with the GS.  We had to cancel the original to get the $300 OBC but it was fine because the original was a refundable deposit. 
After returning home and feeling the star class blues, we began reflecting on our sailing in a loft suite.  There were several conclusions that we drew.  One was that it was such a unique experience, two was that we fell in love with being in that location.  Translation…I was hooked!  Where do we go from there? 
I gently hinted to Hubby that it is cruise #17 for us, we are celebrating our 17th anniversary, why not just top off the celebration and go back to Deck 17?!!!  That was the only logical conclusion for me! 
The answer from Hubby was, “How much?”  Followed by, “No way, I just let you book us into Sky Class and we just paid final payment for two cruises in July.” 
True to my Stubborn Canadian Scorpio nature, I monitored the price constantly.  About 60 days prior to sailing, the L1 dropped in price significantly.  The difference to upgrade was about $800.  Forget RoyalUp!  At $400pp, Hubby agreed, and the theme of this cruise is No. 17 all the way!

Pre-Cruise thoughts
-          Really looking forward to sailing Symphony, not just because it’s OA class but because all the entertainment will be new for us.
-          This is our first time in an L1 (Ocean facing Crown Loft Suite).  It will be interesting to compare the width of the cabin to the Star Loft.  The configuration should be essentially the same.
-          Because of major food fatigue from our Star Class sailing, we decided to cancel our UDP this cruise so it will be Coastal Kitchen for most meals.  Hubby is determined to do WJ recon…
-          Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.
-          When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.
-          Lastly, I will do my best to bring the cruise to you LIVE through Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002.

Something to think about for Central Park Balcony: allergies  I agree that it is quiet and peaceful but just make sure you take meds if needed.  The same holds true if you walk in there.

Something to think about for Central Park Balcony: allergies  I agree that it is quiet and peaceful but just make sure you take meds if needed.  The same holds true if you walk in there.

We always make a point to talk to crew and address them by name.
I learned a lesson a few years ago that explains why. I was walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland with a priest and he would give the homeless on the street a few Euro's here and there and he would always ask their name. Those he'd run into again he would recall their name and say, e.g., "Good morning, Brian!" as he gave them the a few coins. I asked him how he knew their names and he explained that one time he gave a repeat customer a few coins and called him by name. The young man began  to cry because no one had called him by name in a long,. long time.
Ever since that trip I look at name tags, ask homeless their names and try to remember for next time. One night I had the family in the car when I went to a section of Philly I minister in regularly. As we came off the expressway one of the "regulars" was panhandling. I rolled down the window and said "Good evening, John" as I gave him a dollar. My wife and kids in unison asked how I knew his name. I told them it was John, that I spoke to him before and that he was originally from Pittsburgh. They were amazed.
Our cruise last week on Anthem was made so much better by our waiter and waitress in the MDR - Francisco from the Dominican Republic who has been on Anthem for 4.5 years, and Liezly from the Philippines who is on her first contract with RC after working another line (she likes RC a lot more than the other cruise line which she would not name). They took great care of my grandkids during meals - had the high chair at the table before we arrived each night, ketchup smiley faces for the fries, prompt, courteous and always a smile on their face. They were awesome. Its the first time in 4 cruises that I gave wait staff a tip but I always try to remember names for the survey. 
On North Star last week, Declan from Scotland rode up with us. He is new to working cruise ships and loves it so far. He does North Star and kids stuff. He went on a cruise last year, loved it and went on a couple more to observe before deciding to apply. He filled all of us in on living situation and maybe because he is new it doesn't bother him yet but he was fun to be with for the short ride.
Bottom line - I think good interaction with passengers who show a genuine interest in crew is a real pick-me-up for some. If they make a difference in your cruise it doesn't take much - and doesn't have to be $$ - to show your appreciation.