Ala_Paul

My sister and I are going on Oasis next year and I have every intention to maximize the UDP  :)  I love the idea of getting an extra dessert at another specialty restaurant or taking a snack back to my stateroom for a nice midnight snack.  

I got the Unlimited package and one night I went to hooked seafood for Oysters and Soup then 2 hours later ate dinner at Chops.. Had no problem at all doing this and it was fun too. 

Anyone know from past years, what typical sales were like on Black Friday?  Our Adventure keeps yo-yo-ing back and forth between $62.50 and $66.50 CAD (which would be $47 USD - $50 USD).  It would be worth it for DH but not for me...but would love to have it on the cruise DH and I are on without our kids just for being able to order a drink without thinking about it.  But even at $47 USD, it's still a bit high.  Do you think it would drop lower?  (Then again, who knows if any Black Friday sales this year after the $18 mix up)

Navigator September 13th! ? 
My wife and I are SO VERY ready for a vacation with just the two of us!

Hi all!
Now for the cliche line: long-time reader, first time poster ?
I was lucky enough to be on one of the first visits to Perfect Day on Navigator back in early May, and I put together this overview of the Cabanas.  I know there's a fair amount of scattered info on the forums already, and I should have thought to share it here earlier, but oh well.  Better late than never.  Hopefully this will be helpful to everyone, or perhaps to less informed friends and family ?
 

It looks like you're sailing on the Starship Empress rather than Empress of the Seas!

Lucky you to catch this event. It is definitely a stunning Milky way.  Hope I see it up on the sky one day. I guess that another bucket list. Thanks for the pictures.

With our fabulous dinner over around 10pm I was too full to retire so I changed into shorts and went for a walk outside on deck 6.  Venturing forward we were sailing into some sea mist from the warm waters yet cooling air and there were some clouds in the sky but I also glimpsed what I thought was something I've photographed before in the night sky.  So I went back to grab my camera and mini tripod.
I've often sailed into the sunset but tonight we were sailing into the milky way.

Capturing the milky way requires long exposures but on a moving ship in the ocean it took some playing around to find some settings that worked.  With the 10 to 15 second exposures I was using I managed to catch some lighting in a distant storm on the horizon.
The bow is dark at night so the bridge crew can keep watch.  The long exposures captured enough light to make the bow look like it's illuminated but it isn't, that's just low levels of ambient light 

The sea mist, clouds and moving ship didn't make for the best astrophotography conditions but I'm pleased with the results.  More lightning:

On land the stars would be more precise and clear, that's the problem with shooting from a moving platform, but I'll take the results.

Earlier I mentioned an invitation to the Hotel Director's Table for dinner.  With only two Pinnacles on board I managed to make the cut.

We met the Hotel Director Julie and Guest Services Manager Jorge where we enjoyed a beverage in the lounge by the Schooner Bar.  Shortly after we were led to the Captain's Table in the main dining room.

Our menu for tonight:

The meal was excellent and the conversation with fellow guests, Julie and Jorge was wonderful and engaging.  So much so that I forgot to take any more pictures.
Julie and Jorge have a lot of experience and time with Royal Caribbean and it was very interesting to hear their stories from over the years.
Jorge is the voice over the PA for many announcements such as "The ship has been cleared by local authorities and you are welcome to go ashore on deck....".  I also caught an announcement back on the day 1 of the 2nd leg that at the time made me go "hmmm".  Jorge will address the crew over the PA before general boarding starts but since I was a consecutive cruiser I caught the announcement.  Since Julie is from the UK Jorge specifically called out the number of UK guests coming on board and made another humorous related comment.  Tonight Jorge explained he does these little off the wall comments to make sure the crew is paying attention and engaged.  It's a long running thing he does every week and the crew will pay attention each week to what little quirky thing he'll throw in this time.  It's all in good fun and a great way to keep the crew happy and engaged. 
Julie is the third female Hotel Director in the fleet and she has done an amazing job here on Empress.  Sitting next to her at dinner I asked about her rise to Hotel Director and being in this role as a female.  She is very proud of her accomplishment and clearly has earned it.   It's great to see Royal Caribbean advancing more women into senior positions.
After an incredible dessert we were presented with a memento of the occasion. 


Julie and Jorge are both nearing the end of the current contracts with just two more sailings to go, but they'll be coming back.
The future of Empress was discussed and there will be an announcement very soon with some new and different itineraries for Empress.  She isn't going anywhere just yet and they are taking advantage of her small size to return to some more interesting destinations that larger ships can't visit.  Out of respect I won't say more but I'll be keeping an eye out for them very soon and I know I'll be booking more cruises on Empress.
Wow!  What an amazing evening! Loyalty does have it's rewards.

There is also legitimate danger to your bank accounts when you read and follow a @twangster live blog, even if you don't understand the camera talk ?

Yes!!!!  And the Indian style grits were amazing too.

I made good use of the beverage package on day one but didn't keep score.
Lacking a pub the beer choices on Empress are a little lacking beyond the large scale brands.  At the Schooner Bar I asked for a Guinness.  They have only a small stock on board and it was being saved for a beer tasting event.  #disappointed  
Returning later the bartender had asked the food and beverage manager and obtained special permission to offer me Guinness.  Outstanding!  #winning   

This just triggers my natural instinct of one-upmanship...

I'll start the pre-blog soon as I'm off work. ?

Navigator September 13th! ? 
My wife and I are SO VERY ready for a vacation with just the two of us!

Amen to that!  +1 for leaving those kids at home once in a while.  I can't wait to cruise without mine in July for Symphony!
Umm...you mean to say @Matt started a serious trend. 
Although, @StayFrosty is way ahead of the game compared to both of us!  Must be itching to get the school year over and done with.  I know I am!

Hello everyone,
I have been enjoying these live blogs for over a year so I thought I would contribute. So let's start with some background.
Who: Me and my wife (Teachers!)
What: A cruise on the newly refurbished Navigator of the Seas
When: June 24-28, 2019 + flying in the day before.
Where: Nassau and Coco Cay
Why:  We just booked this trip (practically last minute!) as we decided we wanted to have a getaway before we think of expanding our family but didn't want to spend too much time away from our lovely toddler-aged daughter.  Why not bring her, you ask? Well, even though people have shared wonderful experiences that they have had with their young children on board, it was not the type of vacation we were looking for.  We have done short cruises on Enchantment and Majesty before and wanted something more modern but on a short cruise and Navigator fit the bill nicely.  If they wouldn't have upgraded and larger ships on these itineraries, I don't think we would be doing a cruise (someday our child(ren) will be older and we will do a longer cruise)!
Excursions: Nothing planned.  Maybe the flight sim for me in Nassau and a massage for my wife.  We were big fans of the "rustic" Coco Cay and were hesitant about all of the upgrades to the island.  But after hearing such glowing reviews, I am excited to give it an honest try.
I am excited to try all of the new amenities on Navigator: Bamboo Room, Lime and the Coconut, Playmakers (Team Drink Package), the waterslides, FlowRider, escape room, and ice skating. We might even try some specialty dining for the first time.  Maybe Hooked for lunch and Jamie's for a dinner?
56 days to go! I'll leave you with a "historical" photo of Coco Cay.

Navigator September 13th! ? 
My wife and I are SO VERY ready for a vacation with just the two of us!

Our daughter is getting married on the Allure of the Seas - Sailing September 22, 2019. There are 11 of us now.
We signed up for the Prohibition Event for the first time ... looks like a blast. I'll send pics. ?

Yup..just did a thing..no more FOMO and YOLO.

Sept 16th Navigator of the Seas

Navigator September 13th, in 44 days!
Preparing/researching for this has provided me with so much excitement and joy! I can only imagine the blues when it's over but it's not dampening my spirit ? I think a good solution is to try to always have one booked; I would be happy if cruising is our forever yearly vacation plan. Wondering (sorry if this isn't the right place) the routes people take to book future cruises? It seems like I may get more benefits (OBC, less deposits) by using a TA (I have reached out to the website's sponsor a few minutes ago) and wondered if there is a method that anyone else uses, or if it's strictly on personal preference for booking?

The Family and I are going on the Navigator of the seas in January. Of all the cruises that we have taken. I have never sailed out of Miami before. Can anyone give me some ideas of where to park. We usually use a park and go or some other offsite parking. However the reviews of parking in the Miami areas have been less than stellar so for. Any help would  be most welcome! thanks Paul