cruisestuff

Sorry I am so late! Been very busy lately. @SnickerTail I have not changed any excursions, other than the one in Cozumel which was cancelled by Royal Caribbean. We do not have a beverage package because we are not heavy drinkers, and we mostly drink water and wine, sometimes cocktails. No RoyalUp offer, which is fine with me. The Crown Loft seems like an awesome room! ?
Also, we recently stayed in the Kimpton Epic (not for a cruise). It was amazing!!! We had the 1-bedroom waterview suite which was newly renovated (like all the rooms). The views were incredible, you could see boats passing through the canal and the drawbridge going up. The room was amazing, with a modern and cozy feel. The staff were super nice and upgraded us for free from the junior suite! Finally the Japanese restaurant downstairs, Zuma, had great food and had luxury yachts docked outside. The lobby was impressive, with fancy cars displayed outside. Sorry this sounds like an advertisement, that's how much I enjoyed it!!
These photos aren't mine, I don't know how to upload my photos onto computer
 
 
 


 

Great view from the bedroom
 

Sorry I am so late, we are having a blast!
Embarkation- To start, checkin at Port Miami was a breeze. We arrived a little after 10 am because the roads were  closed. There was very traffic and our hotel (Kimpton Epic) was surprisingly close to the port. With the  app to checkin, it was very quick. We heard from our Uber driver that the car line is much longer around noon. 
Day 1- We controversially decided to eat at the Windjammer for lunch. The food was ok, but we were disappointed with the selection. afterwards we explored the ship and later went to Izumi. The Hibachi was a very fun experience, but we weren’t thrilled by the food. After that,we watched Hiro. We found really a really nice place to watch the aqua theater, up on deck 7 near the entrance to the rock climbing wall. (We didn’t sit there, but we might if we watch Hiro again. We didn’t stay up for the balloon drop, because we didn’t have such a good night sleep.
Day two and photos are coming soon, I am so tired right now!

Look forward to following I’ll be getting on Symphony thus Saturday the 7th. 

Have a great cruise. Looking forward to following along. 

Looking forward to meet you in Costa Maya, I'm one of the guides that does the Mayan Ruins tours. Hope you enjoy.

Following, enjoy your trip

Sorry I am so late, we are having a blast!
Embarkation- To start, checkin at Port Miami was a breeze. We arrived a little after 10 am because the roads were  closed. There was very traffic and our hotel (Kimpton Epic) was surprisingly close to the port. With the  app to checkin, it was very quick. We heard from our Uber driver that the car line is much longer around noon. 
Day 1- We controversially decided to eat at the Windjammer for lunch. The food was ok, but we were disappointed with the selection. afterwards we explored the ship and later went to Izumi. The Hibachi was a very fun experience, but we weren’t thrilled by the food. After that,we watched Hiro. We found really a really nice place to watch the aqua theater, up on deck 7 near the entrance to the rock climbing wall. (We didn’t sit there, but we might if we watch Hiro again. We didn’t stay up for the balloon drop, because we didn’t have such a good night sleep.
Day two and photos are coming soon, I am so tired right now!

Sorry I am so late, we are having a blast!
Embarkation- To start, checkin at Port Miami was a breeze. We arrived a little after 10 am because the roads were  closed. There was very traffic and our hotel (Kimpton Epic) was surprisingly close to the port. With the  app to checkin, it was very quick. We heard from our Uber driver that the car line is much longer around noon. 
Day 1- We controversially decided to eat at the Windjammer for lunch. The food was ok, but we were disappointed with the selection. afterwards we explored the ship and later went to Izumi. The Hibachi was a very fun experience, but we weren’t thrilled by the food. After that,we watched Hiro. We found really a really nice place to watch the aqua theater, up on deck 7 near the entrance to the rock climbing wall. (We didn’t sit there, but we might if we watch Hiro again. We didn’t stay up for the balloon drop, because we didn’t have such a good night sleep.
Day two and photos are coming soon, I am so tired right now!

Sorry I am so late, we are having a blast!
Embarkation- To start, checkin at Port Miami was a breeze. We arrived a little after 10 am because the roads were  closed. There was very traffic and our hotel (Kimpton Epic) was surprisingly close to the port. With the  app to checkin, it was very quick. We heard from our Uber driver that the car line is much longer around noon. 
Day 1- We controversially decided to eat at the Windjammer for lunch. The food was ok, but we were disappointed with the selection. afterwards we explored the ship and later went to Izumi. The Hibachi was a very fun experience, but we weren’t thrilled by the food. After that,we watched Hiro. We found really a really nice place to watch the aqua theater, up on deck 7 near the entrance to the rock climbing wall. (We didn’t sit there, but we might if we watch Hiro again. We didn’t stay up for the balloon drop, because we didn’t have such a good night sleep.
Day two and photos are coming soon, I am so tired right now!

Day of Boarding
Hello! Writing this from our hotel room at the Kimpton Epic. We arrived at the hotel at around 9 pm last night. We had a wonderful dinner at the sushi restaurant Zuma. Right now we are packing up. We skipped breakfast, and we wanted to arrive at the port at 10 am, but there is a race near our hotel so the roads are closed for a while. Next update will probably be when we get to our room on the ship. Sooo excited!!?
We have a great view from our hotel except the crane! I will try to get photos soon. 
I am new to blogging so please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions!
 

Day of Boarding
Hello! Writing this from our hotel room at the Kimpton Epic. We arrived at the hotel at around 9 pm last night. We had a wonderful dinner at the sushi restaurant Zuma. Right now we are packing up. We skipped breakfast, and we wanted to arrive at the port at 10 am, but there is a race near our hotel so the roads are closed for a while. Next update will probably be when we get to our room on the ship. Sooo excited!!?
We have a great view from our hotel except the crane! I will try to get photos soon. 
I am new to blogging so please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions!
 

Day of Boarding
Hello! Writing this from our hotel room at the Kimpton Epic. We arrived at the hotel at around 9 pm last night. We had a wonderful dinner at the sushi restaurant Zuma. Right now we are packing up. We skipped breakfast, and we wanted to arrive at the port at 10 am, but there is a race near our hotel so the roads are closed for a while. Next update will probably be when we get to our room on the ship. Sooo excited!!?
We have a great view from our hotel except the crane! I will try to get photos soon. 
I am new to blogging so please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions!
 

Day of Boarding
Hello! Writing this from our hotel room at the Kimpton Epic. We arrived at the hotel at around 9 pm last night. We had a wonderful dinner at the sushi restaurant Zuma. Right now we are packing up. We skipped breakfast, and we wanted to arrive at the port at 10 am, but there is a race near our hotel so the roads are closed for a while. Next update will probably be when we get to our room on the ship. Sooo excited!!?
We have a great view from our hotel except the crane! I will try to get photos soon. 
I am new to blogging so please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions!
 

On a more serious note, even the cats take this virus seriously!
 

Welcome to the board, have a safe flight and wonderful time of your cruise.
Feel free to talk about Disney. I always want to go but as a single woman with no kids .. I don't want people to be like.

Hi all, this is my first time live blogging (gonna be honest not sure if it will be 100% live) but I enjoy everyone’s blogs so much that I thought I would contribute. 
 
Who is going: this cruise involves myself (f 22), my mother Bobbi (I know better than to share her age), her partner Suzanne, my younger sister Breanna (19) and a family friend Chantale. The five of us have 3 rooms booked all across the ship in 3 different room categories as we like our space. My sister and I in a boardwalk balcony 10329, my mom and her partner in a ocean view balcony and Chantale in a Central Park view interior. 
 
Where to: port Canaveral (Feb. 16), Perfect Day at Coco Cay (February 17), sea day, Costa Maya (February 19), Roatan (February 20), Cozumel (February 21), sea day. 
 
precruise: we are all flying out on different flights due to schedules but I leave tomorrow evening and have a red eye from Canada to Orlando arriving very early Wednesday morning. We have a large villa rented as we enjoy our space (as said before) and cooking our own breakfast versus a hotel breakfast. We have 2 days at Disney booked magic kingdom on Thursday and animal kingdom on Friday and have plans for enjoying TGI Friday’s (a favourite to us with the nearest one being over an 8 hour drive from us) and some shopping. 
 
that’s it for now I will add excursion plans and some pictures tomorrow! 

Have you previously stayed in a suite on a Oasis Class ship and had access to Coastal Kitchen?  If not, you may wish to reconsider the UDP and plan to have most of your dinners in Coastal Kitchen.  We were in a crown loft suite on Symphony back in September and had originally purchased the Ultimate Dining Package.  We were convinced by a few on this board to drop it in favor of Coastal Kitchen (it was our first time in a suite on an Oasis Class ship) and, in hindsight, we were glad we did.  We found the dining in Coastal Kitchen to be superb and, in fact, had most of our breakfasts and dinners there.  We supplemented with a couple evenings in specialty dining, but ultimately are glad we didn't do UDP.  Just something for you to consider... 

Sorry I am so late! Been very busy lately. @SnickerTail I have not changed any excursions, other than the one in Cozumel which was cancelled by Royal Caribbean. We do not have a beverage package because we are not heavy drinkers, and we mostly drink water and wine, sometimes cocktails. No RoyalUp offer, which is fine with me. The Crown Loft seems like an awesome room! ?
Also, we recently stayed in the Kimpton Epic (not for a cruise). It was amazing!!! We had the 1-bedroom waterview suite which was newly renovated (like all the rooms). The views were incredible, you could see boats passing through the canal and the drawbridge going up. The room was amazing, with a modern and cozy feel. The staff were super nice and upgraded us for free from the junior suite! Finally the Japanese restaurant downstairs, Zuma, had great food and had luxury yachts docked outside. The lobby was impressive, with fancy cars displayed outside. Sorry this sounds like an advertisement, that's how much I enjoyed it!!
These photos aren't mine, I don't know how to upload my photos onto computer
 
 
 


 

Following.

I'll be getting off the ship as you are embarking. I'll try to remember to leave y'all some food and alcohol ?
We're also staying at the Kimpton Epic - my second time - I love it!  I started my own live blog, so feel free to follow along:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17851-symphony-of-the-seas-an-island-is-an-island-is-an-island-feb-22-29-2020/
 

Hey, someone else from Virginia! You are fast approaching, have you made any changes to your excursions or purchases yet? I noticed UDP but no beverage package, is that still the case? Did you get a Royal Up offer?

See you on board!

Sorry I am so late! Been very busy lately. @SnickerTail I have not changed any excursions, other than the one in Cozumel which was cancelled by Royal Caribbean. We do not have a beverage package because we are not heavy drinkers, and we mostly drink water and wine, sometimes cocktails. No RoyalUp offer, which is fine with me. The Crown Loft seems like an awesome room! ?
Also, we recently stayed in the Kimpton Epic (not for a cruise). It was amazing!!! We had the 1-bedroom waterview suite which was newly renovated (like all the rooms). The views were incredible, you could see boats passing through the canal and the drawbridge going up. The room was amazing, with a modern and cozy feel. The staff were super nice and upgraded us for free from the junior suite! Finally the Japanese restaurant downstairs, Zuma, had great food and had luxury yachts docked outside. The lobby was impressive, with fancy cars displayed outside. Sorry this sounds like an advertisement, that's how much I enjoyed it!!
These photos aren't mine, I don't know how to upload my photos onto computer
 
 
 


 

One thing to get out of the way.  The general decor of Oasis was not updated in all places.  Hallways, elevator lobbies, many cabins were not changed to use the newer decor that Harmony and Symphony have.  



 I can understand why.  The decor goes beyond carpet.  Floor tile, wall panels, the color of doors, the wood panels and marble elements would all need to be changed to adopt and match the Harmony and Symphony decor.  That would be a massive change that would take a lot of effort and expense. 
My cabin was not updated.  However that's okay with me.  There's nothing wrong with my cabin and replacing the cabinets, wall panels, carpet and curtains would be a huge undertaking for what purpose?  My cabin is fine.