GregD

Lunch today brought us to Portside BBQ. We were all really looking forward to eating here, as last time it was so late in the cruise that we hit the food coma wall big time and only had one or two bites before we couldn’t physically eat any more. We tried a bunch of things, pulled pork, brisket, BBQ chicken, wings, sides. All of it was outstanding. I know it’s bizarre to read that in NY we have some good BBQ places, and Portside does it well all things considered. I would absolutely eat here again.

After breakfast, I organized a slot pull for the facebook group. We had a good group of people…..as I expected, we walked away $20 less. I did manage to earn a bunch of casino points out of it though, nowhere near prime status, and probably not near casino comp cruise, but who knows. They is always the people that say, I only played $200 and got a free cruise.

It’s not horrible. Prime time like breakfast, the elevators are a little slow. We jokingly say that every time we do the walk we earn an extra dessert

Back to this morning. After my journey to the suite lounge I returned to make sure at least someone was vertical for when our Starbucks got delivered. It’s a good thing I went back, because that person was me. Eventually the creatures started emerging from their slumber and we headed off to Coastal Kitchen for breakfast. We got to see our first real bit of bad behavior this morning. So CK was packed this morning. Every table was full. There was a guy berating the host because they had the audacity to seat a two top before their four top when “they were there first.” The host was very patient and reminded the guy that “we told you it would only be a few minutes to clear and set your table.” The two top was already set, and clearly wouldn’t have fit 4 people. What made it worse is that he did this in front of his kids, so he’s now teaching them that this is acceptable behavior. Oh well, enough complaining about complainers and back to the important things..the food!! I got my usual Mediterranean Plate, Johnny got the French Toast, and The Boss got bacon and eggs. I have said it the past, and I will say it again. Not all CK’s are created equal. I’m not alone I’m thinking that Anthem has the best CK. On Anthem, the French toast is coated with cinnamon sugar and is decadent, where Oasis was plain and drab. My Mediterranean Plate was just plopped on my plate, while on Anthem, there was at least an attempt to make it look nice.

We all went off exploring and hiding/hunting for ducks. The Boss and I ended up in Central Park listening to the guitar player. We had all planned on staying up to watch the balloon drop, but The Boss I finally ran out of fun and passed out. We lost Lydia even sooner. Julie and Johnny made it to the drop. Once the balloons were on the ground it became a stomp fest of balloons being popped, so they too called it a night.

After dinner was a little more wandering, and then we headed up to our room for the first showing of Aqua80. Our plan of not eating to the point of exploding was done in by the snacks that Derick sent up. Bonus was another embarrassing picture of the children to use later in life. unfortunately, sea conditions were not ideal. They gave it a shot, and started the show, but there was enough side to side rocking that they could not safely put on the show. It was bad enough that the water in the pool was sloshing into the audience. They were able to complete the opening bit. While disappointing, the safety of the performers is paramount, so we will have to try another night. The audience was great too, because when the cast came out to wave, there was a very raucous round of applause and standing ovations.

@MLH Your tip seems to be working for me. My internet connection is much more stable now. Unfortunately, our upload speeds are really slow which is making loading pictures into this blog tough, so low quality pic-collage images it is.

Back to yesterday. After lunch we wandered a bit then headed back to the room to unpack. We also got to sit and chat with our stateroom attendant Ketut. He is very nice and so far the room has been perfect. Later I headed up to deck 15. I again managed the Facebook group for this sailing and we had our sail away meet and greet. I got to meet a lot of members and enjoyed many a cocktail. Actual departure was delayed because traffic at the port was so bad, supply deliveries were late. I remember seeing one truck arrive at 3:30. Soon enough it was time for dinner. Is should come as no surprise we were in coastal kitchen for filet night. Our waiter Elroy told us that filet night is the busiest night they have. Dinner did not disappoint, it was delicious. Appetizers consisted of a Caesar Salad, escargot, crispy pork belly, and since the mozzarella from Giovanni’s is never enough, we got the burrata salad. Johnny got the chicken noodle soup. Entrees were the filet for all of us adults. Lydia was a degenerate and ordered the sirloin, and Johnny asked for grilled cheese. I was pretty jealous of his cheese pull.

I’ll have one tomorrow and report back I like how you think. The crew ARE cracking down on the hogs. People are reporting that after 45 minutes towels are being removed.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll give it a try and see how it works!

This morning I woke up early again. My bladder finally had enough and said it was time to get rid of the waaytoo many drinks/cocktails that I had yesterday. I’ve wandered up to the suite lounge while the rest of the family is still sleeping. I like this area of the ship. It’s a good place to watch the ship wake up. While here I had a couple of cups of coffee and a pre-breakfast snack. The chair hogs were out early too. I saw many people clip towels to chairs and wander off, and clearly not to the pool. The deviant side of me thought of the chaos I could create is I went down and took everyone’s towels.

Lets say its from the chefs getting better at their job The ship does feel quite full, and it's good to see. I remember last year the musicians in Central Park at night playing to nobody. Last night, most of the chairs were full. There are kids all over the place. So far my only "yep, I'm definitely a dad moment" was at Giovannis and there was a teenager there with her family who was wearing a pair of tiny shorts and two small triangles up top and remarked, "that poor girl forgot her clothes at home"

We are off!!

Lots to catch up here... So I woke up at 6am before my alarm. So much for sleeping in on vacation. After a quick breakfast in the hotel, nothing exciting there, typical hotel breakfast. Julie and I grabbed an uber to Target to get a few last minute items. While getting ready, I discovered the reason for the angled toilet. Either someone got measurements completely wrong, or the size of the door was increased after the plans were finalized. I had pre-booked an Uber to the port and he arrived right at 10am and we headed off to the port. As everyone has remarked, the route to the port is a mess right now. The tunnel is closed, and there is construction everywhere slowing everything down. Our driver didn't think ahead and got frustrated when he got to the tunnel and found it closed. I was thinking to myself, how did you not know this..... Eventually we go to the port and saw our favorite sign We were greeted by the porters and the shoreside team who quickly whisked us away, past the suspended propellers and into the elevators. We got to the port right around 10:45 and boarding had just commenced. The suites/pinnacle lounge was empty at this point, so there was no wait at security. We were quickly checked in and messages were sent to Derick that we had arrived. The shoreside team told us that he had just boarded one of his other families, so we sat and watched our muster drill videos. Shortly after, we got to see the smiling face of Derick approaching from the gangway. We never really got to see him last year without his mask, so it was nice to really see his face, and his huge smile. Hugs were exchanged all around and we headed onto the ship. I blame my mother for this, since she cried for Hallmark commercials, but I always get little emotional when you step onto the ship, and the crew says "welcome home" On our way to the muster station to get that out of the way, Derick let us know that there are 6400 passengers with 1400 kids, so we are full. As 3:30 there were still 780 passengers who had not completed their muster check in. We were pleasantly surprised, but our room was ready for us, so we headed there. We had a nice chat with Derick, who went over our benefits, and the usual housekeeping items. He let us know that requests for food things are taking 45 minutes or more to fulfill if they are spur of the moment. If we let him know the night before, they can assign someone to the request and it's fulfilled for when you want it. He reminded us that the venue has to be open for you to order from it. He also mentioned that the snacks will be more on a per request basis. He did say we will have daily fresh fruit, cookies etc because those keep better. We actually like this better, because so much food went wasted last year. Our lunch this afternoon was at Giovannis. I actually stuck with my plan for a lighter lunch so I can fully enjoy dinner, and some snacks this evening. Derick has us scheduled to watch Aqua80 from the balcony tonight, and told us that he will be having snacks and desserts from Playmakers delivered. I'm looking forward to seeing what he sends up. There were three Caprese Salads and a Cheese and Meat Board ordered ordered as appetizers. Lydia also got the Chicken Picatta and The Boss ordered the Garlicky Herb Prawns Desserts were Tiramisu for The Boss and I, and Ice Cream for the kids. of course I used this as an opportunity to get some embarrassing pictures of the kids. Lunch was delicious and we left with full bellies and with optimism for a great cruise. Cheers to you all for reading along. I will have many of beverages for you while at sea!! Side note, starklink is so so. We shall see how the inter webs performs during the week.

I think that is the direction I'll be heading.

Thank you!!!! We have made it to Miami!!! On our second flight leg, I got another free beer. It's a minor consolation prize because when we got to baggage claim, The Boss's bag had been smooooooshed....Southwest did give us a $100 voucher to use within the next year. I also get to test out our travel insurance to see how that goes. Things happen, and we aren't letting it get us down. In the grand scheme of things, this is really minor. Once we were done in the baggage office, we called for our Uber, and 5 minutes later we are at our hotel. Again, this is a Homewood Suites by Hilton. We were able to get a 2br Suite. This has 1 king bed, 2 queens, and a sleeper sofa. There are 2 bathrooms, and a small kitchen. With our group this is perfect. King room Bathroom for the other bedroom. two queens Kitchenette Living room....Julie was misbehaving, so she is in timeout.. Apparently the people fitting the bathroom out, didn't know how to use a square.. Time to catch some zzzzzz's. We have an early AM target run for some beverages to bring on board with us, and then our ride to the port will be here at 10am.

Flight 1 of 2 is done. Got to start the DX package early. Thank you Southwest Airlines for the complementary beer! Next stop Miami!

All our bags are packed and we are ready to go! We woke bright and early this morning, and got to play luggage Jenga. We managed to fit everything in the car and headed off! Our drive to BWI was uneventful and we made great time. Sirius XM didn't disappoint! Once we got to the airport, we had an interesting shuttle ride, when the last guy on the bus tossed his large bag on the smallest one on the rack. The bag was rocking back and forth and looked like it would fall off onto our laps at any moment. Julie and I joked that this was a Farmers Insurance commercial waiting to happen....How did you die? Crushed by a suitcase...Seen it, covered it..... We are currently sitting in the terminal waiting for our flight to board!

I serve the classics, as well as a wide variety of "Chefs Suggestions" as well! The guys on my shift eat quite well.

Speaking of uggggghhhhh teenagers. After asking our daughter for days to make sure her dress that she was going to use for formal night fits. We just found out now, that she didn't try it on. Guess what, it doesn't fit....She and The Boss are now off to the mall to try to find a new one.....So much for the stress free evening....

WOOHOOO Officially on vacation!!! Thankfully the last shift wasn't too bad call wise, but I've been so excited for this trip, I didn't sleep too well anyway. I did make the guys on my shift a nice dinner since I am ditching them. (its never too early to start the food pictures, right?) \ Today I am spending the day catching up on the last odds and ends for the trip. I got Johnny and myself packed up and ready to go. The Boss had a very quick case today, so she was home already very early today and is working on getting herself organized, and will be making sure Lydia gets her crap...er things...together...ugh teenagers..... Our plan is to be on the road tomorrow at 6am which should get us to the airport in plenty of time. My sister has been remarking that she has much less travel anxiety this time around. She attributes it to not having to worry about the required COVID testing etc. that we used to have to do. She was always very worried about a last minute positive test, especially since my school age kids are little germ factories. Lots of rambling thoughts here. I hate this hurry up and wait period.

There is a wide spectrum of communication with the genies. Sometimes you will have an abundance of pre-cruise communication, and sometimes you don't. One constant that seems to now be the norm, is if you want something, make sure you ask for it, and be specific.

Will do!! Based on our emails so far, and that they wouldn't last year, I don't think they will though.

I packed today 7 minutes, 36 seconds. We had some more communication with Derick. Dining schedule is set, I've ordered some things to help with the cakes. The only thing left is the show planner that he said he would send out on Saturday when all the show times are fully finalized. This time around for us should be pretty easy. Obviously we will see Aqua80, cats was a one and done for The Boss and Lydia. We liked the ice show so we will see that. Some of the other acts are starting to show in the cruise planner. One of the headliners is a ventriloquist, Kevin Johnson, and the other is Austin Drage who apparently was on X-Factor in 2008. The tribute band is Generation Idol. I'm kinda mreh on these performers. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt though. Last shift at the firehouse tomorrow, hopefully those 24hrs go fast!

Have a great time, one of my coworkers will be on the ship with you!