GregD

1 minute ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Tell Johnny that when you are my age, you watch how much sugar you ingest. Chocolate cream…no go lol

calories on cruise ships don't count, especially when you are only 29

50 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

My current situation now that Hubby and kids have left…that first sip feeling…

Johnny says you should try the pink drink with chocolate cream cold foam.

4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 

What? How am I to blame again?!

I joined this blog, and shortly after, read the circled live blog......and like a moth to a flame, I was drawn in

It's definitely a toss up when things become available. I am 45 days out for my Harmony cruise, and our shows went live today in the cruise planner. 

1 hour ago, LandstromCruise said:

Mine is about the same.  About 2 a year, 1 with the freeloaders and 1 with just the wife. I just have to cruise down in the cheap cabins though. I enjoy reading all the Star Class blogs, but that is just a dream for me. 

Yeah, the suite life is a slippery slope. I fully blame @Lovetocruise2002 and a relatively claustrophobic wife for this. The Boss really enjoys the space to spread out, so large rooms it is for us. Happy wife happy life

1 hour ago, LandstromCruise said:

Not me, I don’t count down to any of my cruises

I wish I had as many countdowns as you do! Alas, with a couple of freeloaders in tow, we typically cruise 1-2x a year.

1 hour ago, Yesiamthere said:

What room are you staying?  

8730

Looking forward to another Harmony Blog to help me get excited for our turn. I am eagerly waiting to hear who our genie is. Another 2ish weeks to go. @Jax was great with her description of Berty, so it will be fun to read about MJ. 45days 12 hours 17 ish minutes until we board (as of typing this) but whos counting!!

Getting caught back up here. I had to work NYE, and was up all night, then had Lydias 14th Bday party yesterday....anyway

The videos of Ricky hyping up the crowd are great. what a great vantage point you guys had. Looking at the crowd below it absolutely makes me want to book a table on Allure for NYE because that is way too peoplely. I will defer to your wisdom and guidance on the best location.

Hopefully your adventure into the WJ wasn't too stressful....next challenge is a selfie eating the sherbet you mentioned, while sitting at a table, while not at port.....probably a bridge too far

I need to try Giovanni's Kitchen. I love the original, and those food pictures look amazing. The meat plank and burrata are calling my name!

18 hours ago, asquared17 said:

buckle up. i feel like i owe you a drink in advance

 

Made it through!! What a crazy ride.  Between dodging chickens, sudden storms, passengers dropping like flies, and the gauntlet of a disembarkation day, it almost felt like you had your own hunger games going on. It was definitely a cruise to remember. 

I agree with your sentiment that the crew on Oasis are really good. Both of our experiences on that ship have been great, and she holds a special place in our hearts. I may be pre-vintage as well, because I will gladly sail on her again and again and enjoy the routine if I had the opportunity, though my dinner and bed time is still much later

3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

if you really want to go down a rabbit hole, there is the sailing in early december that preceded this one and it was a DOOZY expect to go through all the stages of grief if you read it haha

I’m a glutton for punishment!!! On it!

On 12/30/2023 at 9:15 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

So a bit of an update on the medical evacuation on our last cruise.  Apparently the significant delay at Grand Turk was due to the fact that the patient required a full air evacuation (plane) so we had to wait for the aircraft to arrive from whence it was dispatched.  I don’t know the origination of the flight so I cannot say for sure where the patient was ultimately taken.  To say would be pure speculation.  From someone watching the entire event first hand, it was well after midnight by the time we left GT so we were alongside at GT for at least 3:5 hours.  I certainly hope that the patient is well and will fully recover - but can you imagine what an aircraft medical evacuation from a foreign country would cost ?  Buy your cruise insurance, people !  Make sure it covers medical evacuation !

The costs are astronomical. My cousin was injured in Jamaica many years ago, ended up paralyzed. He needed to be flown back to the US. That flight was $30,000. I can’t imagine what it would be now. Because of that, I always get insurance.. 

I love Oasis of the seas! This blog will give me something to focus on the week before we leave on Harmony (2/18/24) 

My kids are already telling me that they won’t like the Aqua show since it’s not Aqua80, and that they will be miserable since there is no El Loco Fresh. 
 

maybe make a joke post for me saying that El Loco Fresh is no longer any good that I can show them

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Tonight’s entertainment

 

Want to share one next year!

6 minutes ago, Jax said:

Berty currently has 8730, 9730 and the villa. Another genie has the 3 ATS on the other side and the third has deck 17 and 10730.  He mentioned that they rotate every 4-6 weeks so you may get lucky.  If you send in an addendum do it right away….he mentioned that it’s easier to accommodate requests before emails go out to clients at the 30 day mark.  This may help you decide.  Wendy leaves sometime in January and Raj leaves in February. Raj’s replacement isn’t yet known but a concierge onboard HM (Mongesh….I am probably spelling it wrong) is taking over for Wendy. Berty knows him quite well and is excited this will be his first genie assignment.  
 

We are in 8730 so who knows! I may also just roll with it and see who we get. We are pretty easygoing and it would take a really bad experience to ruin our vacation. We have been spoiled though with Derick on Oasis twice, and Leroy on Anthem. 

You guys look amazing......I miss that room!!!

@Jax, Thank you for this blog. I really enjoy reading about your holiday adventures. The group photos have me rolling. I will be on Harmony in 49 short days in the deck 8 ATS. Sadly, I was late to your blog and read the whole thing today,  I already submitted my survey yesterday . Had I waited a day, I would have requested Berty in the survey. He seems like an amazing Genie. Maybe I'll send an addendum

We used the "get your guide" app and did a few tours in London the last time we were there. Most that we booked weren't private, but that didn't matter to us. We did a Harry Potter Walking tour and a Palaces and Parliament walking tour. Each of these are a couple hours long, and were done on separate days. There is so much to see when in London, you will need to prioritize what you want to see. A good way to see a lot of things would be to do one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours. We used Big Bus Tours. They have multiple routes that you can take, and see a lot of the sights (we chose the red route).  The tube system in London is also easy to navigate, so exploring on your own is also super easy to do as well. 

Happy cruise day!!! I'm having major FOMO sitting here at work right now.....

I have been MIA from the blogs for quite a while. Life has just gotten in the way.  My phone dinged today with an Instagram notification that I had a story/post of yours to watch, and then noticed, hey, these are a bunch of hotel pictures in Florida.  That can mean only 1 thing, a great cruise blog to read. Plus so many more to read over. 

I've read everything here in 1 go...

1) So sorry to hear about your dad, and I am glad that he is on the mend. I can only imagine how hard it is to leave and "have fun" with his health in the back of your mind. Those memories you made together in the villa are now that much more special. 

2) I love how the last minute packing is a thing in your house too. The Boss will be ready for our Harmony cruise in February many days early. Our flights don't don't leave until noon, and the airport is 20 minutes away. I'll pack that morning.

3) You should come to expect a travel hiccup at this point now, somehow you need to find out who has your voodoo doll and "take care of them."  I am glad you got your phone back. My world is contained in my own device now, I couldn't imagine losing it. 

4) My daughter will have to school your kids on laying out. She wouldn't let a cloudy day and less than optimal temperatures stop her. 

5) Pictures need to be from the very back of the WJ or it doesn't count.

6) Ricky is a great CD, and so much fun. He was on our last OA cruise and was the first CD that I thought about more than once on a cruise. His energy is incredible. 

7) Most importantly, have a great cruise! I can't wait to read all about it. 

@tonyfsu21 our last time on OA, we walked to the fort with two kids in tow, and it was easy. We found the pigeon park, and the kids had fun. We used our phones and opened our maps app and just kind of wandered and followed the coast etc. For a Pina Colada I highly recommend stopping at Barrachina. This place is considered the "birthplace" of the Pina Colada. You can stop in at their bar area and grab one to go. They have adult (with booze) and kid versions ready made and they are delicious. They really hit the spot on a hot day. We also stopped at a Dr Bizarro on the way back to the ship for some bubble tea and ice cream that the kids will like too. 

Here is a map of the route we kinda took.

I have not been in this scenario before, but I don't see why not. It's easy to order a salad and have them hold the protein. Sides you can typically get multiples of, so just talk to your server, and they will work with you. 

@DonDon  Go into the app, click on the icon that looks like a person, then under "your sailing" you will see in blue "select a different cruise" click on that.

Scroll down and click the "Lets add it now" under the don't see your cruise.

Then click "Browse our ships"

Then click on harmony of the seas

then select the sailing you want to look at. It seems all the upcoming sailings are western Caribbean. 

Once you select a sailing...say nov 12, the app will update, and the daily planner will be the cruise compass.

28 minutes ago, jbrinkm said:

I agree - so bland... I know @melmar02 also holds this opinion, so maybe not as unpopular as you think!

My oldest teen makes Crème Brûlée every time the grandparents visit and that recipe is amazing, so I'm spoiled, but I think I would still not enjoy Royal's regardless.

I know that it's tough to make very large batches, but I've had it at many places where its cooked in large amounts that still make it well, so they really don't have an excuse.  I too make a really good creme brûlée. Not only does the cream steep with the vanilla, I add orange zest as well. So good!

I forgot to mention, there is a great brew pub in Portland that shouldn't be far from the dock called Gritty McDuff's. They have great food, including poutine. I have a shirt from there that says "The drinking shall continue until morale improves". I'm still trying to find that improved morale.