cruisestuff

Hi everyone!
As per the wise @twangster's advice, going to start a thread here.  Hopefully we can use this thread as roll call so that we know who is going.  I'm thinking that was we get closer to the date, we can find a better way to chat and communicate our plans.  But this thread will serve as a good way to know who is in. 
When I booked this sailing upon release back in December 2018, I never thought it would turn into a sailing with friends.  I was so happy when I found out last week a few others also booked this sailing without knowing and beyond excited that many others are now joining in! 
Just to be clear, this is not a Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise, it is simply a cruise with great friends who are in this community.  Still hoping that @Matt will join us though ?
 

I've grown to like solo cruising and I'm completely over any fear of solo cruising.  You do have to pay for two since cruise fares are based on double occupancy but you get double C&A points.  This is called the single supplement.
A great benefit of solo cruising is the double C&A points.  Couples advance up the C&A ladder based on who has the higher status.  If you level up so will your husband.  
Sometimes they'll waive the single supplement like they did with some Empress and Majesty sailings in the wake of the Cuba changes. 
When you are solo in a small cabin it's very doable because it's just you so a cheap interior cabin for one can save some money.  
I found some very affordable junior suite rates on Empress and as a solo in a suite I'll get triple C&A points which I'm using to climb the C&A ladder even faster - 6 nights is 18 points, 8 nights is 24 points.  Think how long it would take to accumulate 24 points - for most people that would take three and a half 7 night cruises.  You can get there with one cruise.
I exercise caution visiting ports as a solo and I'm careful venturing around on my own.  A ship excursion is safe and it's a great way to meet other people plus you are only paying for one person.  Since I am paying for just one person I'll often do a more expensive excursion like a helicopter ride somewhere.  For two people that really adds up but for one person it's more affordable.

This group is all about encouraging booking more cruises, so it would not be too much!

He’s a bot.  He has no head

Overall I'm pretty pleased with Royal which is why I am here.  This is how to make it better:
Keep cruising affordable.   Improve the website. Add free texting across the fleet using wifi based chat applications such as iMessage, WhatsApp or FB Messenger.  More airlines offer this now for free.  Time to allow it on ships.  Stop trying to build chat into the Royal app and let people use what they use already.  Royal talks about making vacation stress free, communicating with loved ones on board and at home makes vacations stress free. Migrate all ships to O3b Voom and leave the 1980 satellite technology where it belongs, in the past.  Add technology to allow mirroring phones and tablets to cabin TVs Eliminate the Diamond happy hour binge drinking nightly event by removing it from the Diamond Lounge.  This would solve the "How many Diamonds can you cram into a phone booth" effect in the lounge every night.  Keep 3 drink coupons but expand the hours of use and quality of choices.  Give Diamond members 30% off drink packages, move Diamond Plus to 40% off and Pinnacle to 50% off drink packages.  Even at those rates there is still profit to be had.  Currently many guests at these C&A levels don't buy drink packages or drinks at all, relying on the nightly happy hour for drinks.  These changes would increase DX revenue and reduce happy hour costs, a combined win-win.   Deal with chair hogs by actually enforcing the rules and do so consistently across the fleet Add USB outlets to all ships, add power outlets by the beds Clarify dining package rules.  State exactly what is included, apply this consistently across the fleet Make all rules consistent and apply them consistently across the fleet.  Be consistent with every thing across the fleet. Make Sea and Sky suite class available on all ships with consistent benefits across the fleet.  Star class can remain exclusive to OA/QU. Smoke free casinos across the fleet.  If Celebrity can do it, so can Royal.

Day 7 - Dinner
My Time Dining

Fried Calamari

Shrimp Cocktail

Jerk Chicken

The Jerk chicken was actually very good.  I tend to make this too 'hot and spicy' when I make this myself but this was just right.  
No dessert, saving my waist line for later.

El Loco is a great place and I recommend it. I tried the pre-made burritos and they are yummy!
Loved the Studio B documentary! Twangster Quality!

I haven't really addressed our cruise director on this sailing - Bobby Brown.
I have to say a CD doesn't make or break a cruise for me.  I like some more than others but it's not a deal breaker for me.  I had Bobby as a CD on Harmony (I think).  To be honest he didn't leave a great impression on that cruise.  
However in the "always keep your mind open" department he has been better than I anticipated on this cruise.  I've actually watched the Morning Show more than I usually do. 
One thing he added to this sailing was a unique special - "How Do You Maintain An Ice Skating Rink On A Cruise Ship?".  
As a cruise geek this was really cool.  Ice cool.  Just kidding, but really informative.  
We enter Studio B to see someone.. watering the ice.

Joining Bobby in this presentation is Rubin, the stage manager who looks after Studio B.

They discuss thing like where the dance floor used during "RED" or Laser tag is stored (hint, it's under the center section and it slides out from under the seats). That's different from other ship in different classes.
As it turns out sailings like a 12 night transatlantic are an opportunity for some maintenance activities.  The ship has been in service for several months and while things like the ice surface could go on, once the ship enter routine seven night sailings it would be much more disruptive to perform certain essential maintenance including replacing the ice in Studio B later on, so they took advantage of this 12 night sailing to melt Studio B.  To. The. Floor.  They melted it down to the bare floor.  Like defrosting a freezer at home, once in a while it just has to be done.  
They began melting it down right after (ok, during) the last ice skating show.  That took overnight, then they had to clean it all up and get ready to make new ice.
They have since been building the ice up, millimeter by millimeter, by hand, watering each layer every 15 minutes or so, around the clock, since.  In fact as we listened to the presentation, the crew came out to repeat the watering process we saw when we first arrived.

Then again.

The water is special filtered water.  This will continue for the three days, around the clock, until the ice approximately 3.5 cm thick (1 1/2").  But that's not all.  
If anyone follows Nick Weir, VP of Entertainment for Royal he has been touting how they have AMPED up the projection technology on Symphony over Harmony.  That in part starts in the ice.
Within the ice is embedded a membrane that enhances the resolution of the surface as a projection technology.  That membrane was just replaced here on Symphony and you can see it now only because this new ice is crystal clear.
At a distance you don't even see it.

Zoom in closer and you do. 

Symphony is the first to employ this projection surface embedded within the ice, not even Harmony has it.  Not yet.  
Studio B has it's own mini-Zamboni used to dress the ice surface each day.

The projection technology consists of six side mounted projectors that project onto this surface.

Each projector costs around $100k.  Combining the six projectors, three port, three starboard into what appears to be a complete image requires precision.  The manufacturer is based in Japan and when they need to re-align them (it's a moving ship in seas, stuff moves) they need to fly the engineer in from Japan to align them occasionally.  
Next they talk about drones.  Very interesting.  Forty eight drones with twelve spares on hand.   Very special technology because within Studio B there is no regular GPS signal like a consumer drone might use.  They have to create a reference 'cube' within Studio B for the drones to fly within.  That's where these black boxes hanging from the ceiling come in.

There are several of them mounted around the perimeter of the ice.  Combined with some floor mounted reference points and two portable white cubes placed on the ice surface they create a 3D GPS-like environment for the drones to operate in.  Now that they told us this, I recall seeing two white cubes sitting in the middle of the ice floor at the start of the show '1977'.
Before the show starts, while we are all waiting outside in line, the drones have to be checked to ensure they are happy with this reference cube.  If they aren't it has to be recalculated.  This is very new technology in use and with 48 drones operating in synchronicity, it's very precise.
The drone batteries are very special and they can't be flown due to HazMat laws.  That means when they need new batteries, they'll need to be shipped to America now that Symphony is on her way to Miami.  
As we listen on, two more crew come out to "grow" the ice.  Another few millimeters accomplished.

It turns out these are two of the Ice Skating cast.  Even they get into the act.  It's a team effort, four times an hour, around the clock, for three days.
You know how they don't seem to open the doors soon enough?  I certainly felt this on Adventure of the Seas recently when the Ice Skating show had long lines.  It turns they can't.  The room is temperature controlled and letting all that air conditioning out affects the ice surface.  They have to keep the doors closed as long as they can.  Lesson learned, be patient.  
It was a very interesting presentation unlike others I've seen on a ship and I thank Bobby for putting it on.  It gives me a greater appreciation for the level of effort that Royal puts into their entertainment.
One last note.  On the way out I saw these coins embedded in the ice.

Seems to be a tradition for the current cast who just changed over.  The previous ice skating cast, their first contract complete, has just headed home for a short vacation.

Day 7 - Lunch
Since I was in the neighborhood... El Loco Fresh for lunch


Quite popular, I sense Royal Caribbean has a hit here.

There are three primary stations and the first offers soft tacos with different meats.

Pre-made Burritos are available

Finally some Quesadilla 

Lots of toppings

A lot of toppings...


My observations...
If you are a Mexican food Connoisseur then you'll you need to remember you are on a ship likely very far from Mexico.  Having said that it wasn't bad and I'll be eating here again.  In fact I have to give Royal credit for giving a strong alternative to another Windjammer lunch option.  The Guac isn't exactly how I like it, but they need to make it for the many, not just my taste buds.  That's not to say it's bad, just not exactly as it's made in my home.

My only gripe was lack of seating.  Many people during this noon lunch hour had parked themselves here to play dominoes, watch a game on their phone, read a book or otherwise... not eat.  That left few seats for those that actually wanted to... eat.  In essence, the same issue any Oasis class Windjammer has - not enough seats for the passengers on board.

The ship is busy with lots going on.

Well, when you retire (like a lot of us here) you can say "worked to cruise". 

@twangster, you have me spending money again. YOLO, I am booking this for spring break 2021. Have to work night school again. I never worked night school until I brought a new camera, lenses and booked more cruises.

That is standard from a @twangster live blog ?

Day 6 - Late
Some late night boardwalk pictures...





Our progress...

An additional suggestion would be to find some videos of Symphony of the Seas on You Tube.  That way she will get a feel for what cruising is really like.  Hopefully she will see all that cruising has to offer and put some of her fears to rest.  

Hi @Cruisely Tell your friend that there are so many effective and inexpensive preventive remedies. We always bring a variety of ginger products and some over the counter medicines. Fortunately, we have NEVER had to use any of them and on a ship the size of Symphony, she'll probably be fine.
When is the sailing? If she was sailing from the Northeast in the winter there'd be more of a chance of a lot of ship movement, but she should be fine for this trip. 
You can also tell her that the very first time I was on a ship (and it was a LOT smaller than Symphony), the first night was the best night sleep I have EVER had! Some nights when I lie awake, I wish I could recreate it.

Sometimes the best way to introduce a person with reservations about cruising is to get them on a shorter cruise (3 or 4 nights).

For my nervous husband's first cruise we did a trip that had lots of ports.  That way we knew we could get him off the ship if he got bored.  He suffers from motion sickness at times (mission to Mars at Disney about killed him) but he hasn't had trouble once in his two trips and still felt motion).  
We always bring the motion sickness meds, and then end up throwing them out.  But better to have them with you!  Jane

There are also bands that you wear on your wrist to help with motion sickness and pressure points. OR to be safe have her get the behind the ear patch that way she is safe guarded. We did that before we got on the ship my first 4 trips and never needed anything else even with a pretty rocky ship a few times. 

I felt just like your friend on my first cruise as I am prone to sea sickness so I brought meds, Dramamine, bands, and the ultimate plan was if I just hated it I would get off on the first port and fly home. I even went so far as to have flight reservations from Grand Cayman, our first stop. That was now three cruises ago and I ended up loving the cruises. The only issue I have is the effect of swaying once I get off the ship for a couple of days as my brain readjusts to being on dry land.
Dramamine can make you drowsy so make sure you get the non-drowsy pills. I have found that Bonine actually works better with my body with no tired effects.

I am very prone to motion sickness.  I am also claustrophobic, afraid of heights and afraid of water I cannot see/touch the bottom of.  I SWORE I would NEVER cruise...
THEN, my brother and I bought our parents a cruise for their 50th Anniversary...and parents wanted us to go with them...so THEY bought OUR cruise.  LOL 
On that cruise (a 4 night Bahamas cruise that left from Orlando in an interior cabin), I took Dramamine non-drowsy every day...knowing ahead of time that I tend to get motion sick...and I didn't want to be sick on the cruise.  I was MISERABLE the whole time...not with motion-sickness necessarily, but just generally feeling "off".  I did NOT enjoy that cruise.  I just didn't feel like myself.  I even told my hubby and the others we were with that when i tell them, somewhere down the road, "Oh, it wasn't THAT bad...we can go on another cruise..." I WANT them to remind me how TERRIBLE I felt on that cruise. 
So two years later (LOL)...hubby and i went on another cruise (6-night Western Caribbean that left from Ft. Lauderdale, balcony room) ONLY after I did some TONS of research...I read somewhere that taking the non-drowsy Dramamine MIGHT have been the whole problem.  So, on our second cruise I didn't take it each day.  I just went and packed some to take with me "just in case".  The only time I ended up feeling sick was after an excursion day in port where we rode a charter bus all day.  That evening, back on the ship, I was a bit sea sick...So, i took dramamine and was perfectly fine the next morning.
We cruised again last December...didn't need the Dramamine AT ALL.  Not one time.
Having the balcony room also helped.  It helped me not feel so claustrophobic.  
I won't lie and say I don't ever feel the ship moving.  But it's not an uncomfortable feeling and it hasn't been to the point of making me feel sick.  And most of the time, I DON'T feel it. 
Honestly, everyone who tends toward motion sickness feels and deals with it differently.  I have had such a great time on our cruises, and we will likely cruise for the rest of our lives.

These really do work. We used these for my daughter's motion sickness over 30 years ago and they are still highly rated to this day. You can buy them on Amazon (4.6 rating) or at Walmart, Target. etc. for about $8.50 so certainly worth trying.

I have yet to be to  Perfect Day at CocoCay but this pic is my desktop background.  I have high hopes of the time we get to spend on the island.  I invite others who have been there to share their favorite memories there here.  I hope this doesn't sound too corny.  

Welcome to the message boards!

@Lovetocruise2002 thinking of eating somewhere other than CK?  I'm shocked.  Not very on brand for the President of #TeamCK! ?