PRebecca

Thank you for bringing us along!

Very Excited!  12/31/21 - Anthem of the Seas

Sitting at FLL now waiting for our flight back to DTW and feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been able to get away if only just for a few days. My glass block and ship model are safe in my carry on bag, and I already got the best Christmas gift ever this year!
Thanks for following along. It’s always fun to blog. Ask away if you have any other questions. I will post all the “literature” from this sailing when I get home. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 

Final thoughts on the Grand Panoramic Suite - 1758
We booked this suite to try something different. Many of you know that I am #teamDeck17 and we have done the lofts and have more of those in future reservations. This sailing, because it was just Hubby and I, it was the perfect opportunity to try since it’s just the two of us. We are glad we did. 
This room is not as ideal for a family. It is very open concept. Perfect for a couple.  The only room that is closed off completely in this suite is the second guest bathroom.  I would 💯 book this suite again if it was just the two of us. If we had our girls with us, it would be a definite no. 
I was worried about noise from CK, that has proven to be a non-issue. You do hear some noise from the bedroom when there is music on the pool deck. But nothing major. 
The one and only downside about this suite is the lack of privacy. Anyone standing on Deck 16 below can see you on the balcony and slightly into the windows. If your lights are on at night, things are even more visible. And these are not one way windows. People can see you just as well as you can see them 😉 The lack of privacy still would not deter me from booking this again. 
Smitha was our genie on this sailing. I personally do not feel that covid restrictions have dampened our Star Class experience at all. If anything, Star/genie is an huge advantage to navigate through the restrictions. We have wanted for nothing. Everything we have asked for was granted. 🙂 

Day 8,9,10 conclusion.
Let's start from the end I'm currently writing this post back from home where we are both now under the mandatory quarantine for 3 days to whoever came back from international travel. So far two test our negative (one that we done on the ship and one week that we done immediately after we landed at the airport) Third and hopefully the last one will be done on Wednesday to get out from the quarantine.
I read allot of posts and newspaper articles about our cruise. Every article in posts were more dramatic  than the other I had to ask myself few times have they been on the same cruise that we were on ?. So yes they were cases on the ship and that's expected considering the new omicorn variant but we almost did not felt anything nothing almost canceled beside postponing the hair spray show but that was due to technical issues. The fact is the protocol were working and we can see it by the low number of crew members that were found positive. Listen back from the ship was very easy and quick no lines at all. Immigration was done using the automatic cameras even for  none US citizens. The main issue was the taxi line , we waited more than 40 minutes to get into the taxi , huge lines and not so many taxies. That can explain why for Uber XL for 5 minutes ride to the Intercontinental it showed 88 $! , For the airport more than 100$ . We took the taxi to the airport rental center and pick our car. Our flight was the day after. From the airport and since the hotel was not ready yet we went to do some shopping in one of the bigger Mall. Surprisingly we were not requested to do C19 test before entering to the mall nor we requested to do one after. Around 40% of the people did not wear masks I don't want even to start about social distancing. If I was afraid catching c19 it was not from the ship it was from our visit to this mall... Still didn't read any article or post regarding mall C19 outbreak. Maybe Royal need to rename it ships from of the seas to mall name . Something like Symphony mall , Odyssey Walmart, Allure Macy's  etc...  
We used the Intercontinental Doral hotel as it had free parking and near the airport. It's Ok clean  hotel and we got what we expected but don't let the name confuses you as it's more Holiday Inn than Intercontinental. Early morning we have done our way to Miami airport. The security lines were crazy almost 45 minutes. I start to think that the airlines paying money for the Miami airport security to hold people as much as they can so they will not need to pay money for the airline  lounge :-). Flight back went smoothly.
Let's conclude this cruise , if everything goes okay the next Cruise will be on Wonder of the seas , I do hope we will not see any delays or change in the cruise industry (oh well just good changes) 
Hope you enjoyed the short version blog and I hope the information will help other people. Let me know if you have any questions. 

 

Please keep this thread directly related to cruising. This is not the place to debate covid/vaccines/effectiveness of masking etc. And yes, mods are biased, to cruising. 🙂

I am from Canada and we have to wear masks everywhere indoors anyway. I believe it is all theatre but am so used to wearing it now that it won't deter me from cruising. I am next scheduled to sail Jan.8 (after the stated Jan.5 end) but I doubt it will change. I will not be cancelling and will enjoy the limited capacity from all the cancellations.

Just remember: This isn't about you or your vacation. This industry cannot stomach a huge outbreak right now. It could kill them if they can't continue to prove that cruising is safe. We should understand that they know more about this than we do (these cruise execs have spent their lives focused on this for the past 22 months), and if they think it'll help they're probably right. At least more so than we can claim to know.
They are FULLY aware that people don't like wearing masks and that it drives down demand to make people wear masks any more than they have to. They know this will cause people to cancel. So obviously they feel this is necessary or they wouldn't do it. 

It’s 3:30 am the day we leave for our cruise.  Don’t check for the time I posted this. I wrote it early killing time. No, we don’t have an early flight.  We are taking a leisurely 7 hour drive to Savannah today. But, I’m like a 5 year old when it comes to travel. I get so excited that I can’t sleep. Thank God for eye cream, because I’m going to have some serious bags this afternoon.
 
I’ve always been this way about travel. Ever since my first long trip with Grandma and my cousin Mary when we were both 13 years old. Grandma took us to visit family in Baltimore.  Grandma loved travel too, and she booked the 3 of us on the Amtrak train round trip.  I remember the excitement of being on the train…and wanting to seriously hurt Mary because she cried every day for her Momma. I was worried that Grandma would cut our trip short, but obviously I get my travel attitude from Grandma, because she wasn’t budging on our schedule. Mary was allowed to call her Momma every day, but there was no going home early, thank goodness.  That trip was when the travel bug bit, and I have been sold out ever since.
 
I’m sitting here in the living room, dressed and trying to figure out how to wake my husband without being obvious about it. I would bounce on the bed, but we have a memory foam mattress.  I realize now that was a poor choice.  If I am “accidentally” a bit noisy, like when I was unloading the dishwasher a bit ago, he sleeps right thru it. And he gets annoyed when I cheerfully lift one of his eyes to “see” if he is awake.  I don’t understand how he can be so blasé.  We haven’t cruised in 802 days…not that Im counting.  He knows how I am about travel, but does he accommodate this infantile behavior?  No!!!  Whatever.
 
We will be taking our Covid tests as soon as I wake him…I mean, as soon as he wakes up.  And he wants to pick up his new reading glasses on the way out, like it’s that important for him to see.   Whatever.
 

January 28, 2022 Freedom oTS

FINALLY!!  The PROOF that this is RCI.  😂

Well seeing that I don't have the same luck as @tonyfsu21, I went ahead and cancelled all my bids and upgraded myself to star when I saw it pop up last night!  First cruise back from dry dock, might as well go big or go home right? lol

Day 4 - St Thomas! 
We woke up and had a delicious breakfast on the balcony as per usual! The chef actually made us delicious breakfast burritos with Spanish chorizo! They also brought us some extra eggs and bacon in the side….the food just keeps coming with Star Class! 
After we finished it was time to disembark the ship and head to Magens Bay! We love St Thomas and were excited. Shane had us off the ship in less than 10 minutes! 

We quickly found a taxi and made it to Magens Bay. It was ok….though on this day it was a bit over cast. This was our first time at this spot and it was a bit lackluster in amenities. Nobody selling you chairs or drinks on the beach and the only place to get food was FAR down the beach. Regardless the water was beautiful and we spent the entire day floating until around 5pm when it was getting dark and time to head back. 
 
Once back on board it was time to get ready for Chefs Table! This was the ONE hiccup we had on our entire cruise. We arrived at the Solarium with our friends for Chefs Table. They said they weren’t ready and sat us in a little enclosed dining space. They gave us welcome champagne and we were perfectly content. Then ten minutes passed….then 15….then he returned abs said are you dining with your friends? We have no record of you? So I texted Shane who was dropping another Star Class family off at a show and he immediately contacted the manager. After almost 30 minutes we were led in where some others were already seated.  They had pulled up two different chairs for my husband and I and we had no place settings or menus. Our friends and the group just laughed it off saying this was the humbling part of Star Class 😂😂 eventually they had us set up and Shane arrived. He spoke to the management and they had made a mistake as he had it all set up. Not the biggest deal however we were almost 40 minutes passed the original start time at this point. The waiter said that the last grouped enjoyed it SO much that they had a hard time getting them to leave. Only issue with this is we had tickets to see Aqua 80 after this and had 10 people waiting for us. We actually ended up leaving the dinner early before dessert and SPRINTING to the Aqua theater. We are all Broadway peeps and this show was said to be the BEST on board so we were not going to miss it. The dinner was ok….not sure I would spend to do it again but I am also admittedly not a foodie LOL The presentation was beautiful however abs the bread was one of my favorite things LOL 


oh and in case you’re wondering? Coastal Kitchen filet still wins over Chefs Table LOL 
 
Shane got us front row seats to Aqua 80 and I will say that it is hands down the
best show I’ve ever seen at sea. The performers were INCREDIBLE! They production value abs technology of this theatre is state of the art and I would say in line with Cirque! Not to mention the amazing 80’s soundtrack! Our entire group talked about this show for the rest of sailing….worth missing dessert! If you get a chance this show is a MUST! 

WHO:
Myself (mid-30s M)
Wife (mid-30s F)
Nanny (early 20s F)
Kids (5F, 3.5F, 2M)
 
WHAT:
Cruising on Anthem!
Two (2) connecting interior staterooms (2U and 4U)
One (1) Deluxe Beverage Package
Chef’s Table for two (2) (me and Wife)
No cabanas, no excursions
Other than Chef’s Table, no specialty dining (MDR and Windjammer all the way!)
 
WHERE: 
Day 1: Port Bayonne, NJ
Day 2: Sea Day
Day 3: Port Canaveral (not sure of gantry is 12pm or 2pm)
Day 4: Nassau, Bahamas
Day 5: Coco Cay
Day 6: Sea Day
Day 7: Sea Day
 
WHEN:
5 December (Sunday) through 12 December (Sunday)
 
HOW: 
Driving from Maryland the morning of embarkation (11:30am check-in)
 
WHY: 
I will try (and fail) to keep this brief. I’m a Disney Parks nut. I love planning, logistics, fast passes, dining, touring plans, and everything that goes into a Disney Parks trip. My first cruise was 2015 on Grandeur out of Baltimore, 7-night to Bermuda. I had never considered a cruise beforehand, but it was an invite from the Wife’s extended family. About 2 months out, I started researching cruising the same way I researched a Disney trip, and I was hooked on cruising. I started looking at cruise compasses to get an idea of activities, dining, etc. Fast forward to the cruise, and it completely changed my life. Looking back, I’m really glad my first experience was on Grandeur, because I’ll likely never sail on something that small/old again! 🙂
Not long after that cruise, we found out about another life-changing event: a baby! The next several years zoomed by: a blur of babies, jobs, houses, etc. 
When the Wife and I hit our 5-year anniversary (2020), we decided to do an adult Disney trip - just the two of us. Unfortunately, COVID hit and 2 months before our flights was when quarantine struck, parks shut down, and we’re dead in the water. 
This past summer (2021), we (Me, Wife, 3 kids) took a trip to Florida with the Wife’s extended family. It was hard. 3 kids, one condo, no car, limited things to do in walking distance. We had the beach and a pool, but during COVID times, there’s not much else. We cooked, we kept the kid entertained, but It’s not something we’d do again. 
When we got back, we needed a REAL vacation - what about our adults-only Disney trip? Perfect! I worked on a plan for flights, hotel, food…only to find out everything was at a premium price. None of my tricks were working. For everyone following Disney, you know they took advantage of COVID to restructure FastPasses (Genie+), Annual Passes, pretty much everything. Our 2-person 72-hour trip was becoming WAY more expensive than we wanted. Thus begins disillusionment with Disney, but now I need a new hobby…
Back to the drawing board: What’s something the whole family can do, that includes activities, but we don’t need a car, don’t have to cook, or don't have to worry about groceries? The Wife says, “What about a cruise?”. After some quick pricing, it turns out 6 people for 7 days on Anthem isn’t much more than 2 people for 3 days in Disney. We locked in a date (same date as our failed Disney trip), and I’ve been following everyone’s adventures here ever since!
This has been an incredible community to be a part of, and I can’t wait to give back! We’re already (loosely) planning another cruise in October 2022 - same route, but on Oasis, and having another family join us!

Day 4 - Perfect Day at Coco Cay  
It really was a perfect day today, except for how early it started!  Knowing we were going to be aiming to get off the ship as early as possible once we docked in Coco Cay, we got up early and went straight to Coastal Kitchen.  We learned this morning that we need to give ourselves 5 extra minutes when leaving the cabin because Raj and Agnel are always out in our hallway ready to greet us and ask about our plans.  We chat so often, they're becoming friends.  We're about to ask Raj to join us one evening for a soda and conversation, just because there is always so much to talk about.
Since we had a tighter time schedule, we arranged with Yen to have our Starbucks coffee delivered to Coastal Kitchen.  When we stepped off the elevator this morning, Jacob (CK Manager) was at the check-in desk, and he immediately got on the phone.  I didn't think much of it until we found out he was alerting Yen that we had arrived (for the coffee) and the chef to have him start the quiche he had promised the day before.  They are sooooo awesome!  Yen arrived with our coffee order and went over the morning schedule with us to get us off the ship.  Jacob came by and let me know that the quiche was taking a bit and I told him no problem. He made the chef come by a little while later to let us know about how much longer it would take because Jacob was uncomfortable with how long it was taking.  I know from experience that a freshly made quiche takes a bit, and we were a while from docking, so we sipped on our coffee, enjoyed the view, and didn't let the time bother us.
When the quiche was ready, we instantly had three or four people surrounding us to deliver breakfast.  It was really something.  The quiche was AMAZING!  It had to be the lightest quiche I've ever had - kind of bordering on a soufflé.  I was quite happy with it!  He made extras, so Tim and Kenzie each had one as well.  There was an extra, so I asked them to save it for tomorrow.  I'm certain it will heat up just fine.  Can someone say SPOILED??
As we were wrapping up our spectacular breakfast, we were just arriving at Perfect Day.  The captain said the waters were a bit rough, so he wasn't guaranteeing that we would be able to dock, but he was going to try.  The other ship that was supposed to be on the island today was unable to dock because of the level of tide, the high winds, and the rough seas.  I was sad for them because I know how much it is favored by so many.  However, it was nice to not have as many folks on the island at the same time.
Yen met us in our cabin at about 9:20am and we got to experience the magic genie card in the elevator.  Someone else had gotten on at the same time as us and they were so confused.  We didn't say anything but chuckled over it after they got off.  We got off the elevator and there was a huge line forming at the gangway.  Yen took us to the other side (two doors to get off), and left us at the front of the line while she checked things out.  
When they said go, we checked ourselves off the ship and yen met us at the end of the plank with a tram to take us to the Beach Club.  The folks from the Royal Loft were just behind us and they were on the same tram heading to a Beach Club Cabana.  So many others were trying to get on our tram and the genies had to keep explaining that it was a reserved tram.
We got to the Beach Club, checked in at the entrance, and were able to get one of the beds by the pool to lounge in throughout the day.  The bed was awesome, but it really was in the wrong location at the club.  It was super common for people to stand in the shallow end of the pool right in front of our bed - some to watch for people arriving at the club, but many times for people to just stand and take in the view - not realizing that someone behind them was trying to enjoy the view too.  That was such a tiny annoyance though, and I was very easily reminded of how blessed we are, which quickly brought a smile to my face again.  
We met two lovely couples while hanging at the pool, and we talked for hours.  We all combined our reservation so we could continue the conversation at lunch, then sat there for the rest of the day at the lunch table until it was time for us to go back to the ship.  Sergii, our server at the restaurant, was extremely attentive to our needs the entire time we were there.  He kept our drinks going the entire time - maybe too well, and made sure there was no hunger happening at our table.  We made sure to share our appreciation with him in the end.
The bartender (I forgot his name, but will provide it later as everyone is asleep now and I can't ask them), had been taking care of our group while we were waiting for our table to be set up.  We did a round (or two) of drinks, and then he lined up cups and we did shots of something he called white tea - which was very good.  After we were at the table for about three hours, he came over and offered us another round of shots - we did the white tea again, and then told us before we left that we had to do the farewell shot - so we did!  It was green, and I have no idea what was in it, but it too was very good.  
We all exchanged numbers and cabin numbers and have planned to get together in a couple of days.  We shared a tram back to the ship and took a few group photos to remember our day together.  
We got back to our room, showered, and headed out to dinner at Izumi.  Yen magically appeared to see how our day was on the island.  We chatted about our evening plans for a bit, and then she was on her way and the Izumi manager fawned over us.  He shared that Yen contacted him a couple of times throughout our dinner to ensure we were happy.  She's so good to us!  When we were finished, we headed back to our room and when we got to the elevator, Yen was there again!  I'm pretty sure now that she has a tracker on us. 😂😂
Tonight was movie night in our room, and she had popcorn and milkshakes sent up as requested.  The popcorn was just like I make it at home, and they even shredded fresh parmesan cheese over it.  Yum !!
It was most definitely a perfect day!
Here are the day 3 Cruise Compasses as promised.  Sorry - I just realized there are some glare spots.  I'll redo those pics and upload again when I upload day 4 and 5 tomorrow.
 

This is really surprising.  We’ve cruise with our 4 children on the Adventure, Independence, and Symphony this year.  Zero problems and had a ton of fun.  The crew treated them like family and we all can’t wait to go back. Also other families were plentiful…. We’ve got Liberty booked in Jan.  

Day 3
We had a busy day of activities today, so we got up and showered before our coffee and fruit arrived (exactly at 7:30am).  
WhatsApp and the wifi were acting up for most of the day, so Yen made sure we had her extension for us to call her directly.  For the most part, she knew what we had planned, and would appear throughout the day to ensure things were running smoothly.  
Our day began at Coastal Kitchen, where Yen had arranged for Sid to be our server for the remainder of the cruise.  He's so funny!  Whenever Tim picked up the pepper to grind it onto his food, he would stop him and tell him that was what he was for. 😂😂 I had asked if they had quiche, and Jacob (CK Manager) got on the phone and called someone.  He said they didn't have it, but would have it for me the next day.  Wowzers!  That's service!
From CK, we wandered down to Two70 to check out the menu since we were thinking about that for lunch.  We checked out the venue - beautiful space at the aft of the ship.  Bingo was coming up, so we found a spot and decided to just wait it out.  As soon as the cards went on sale, I hopped in line and got us set up.  Five minutes later, the line was all the way down the hall past Vintages.  
Since we had a while before it began, Kenzie stayed behind and Tim and I went to find something to drink.  I wandered down to La Patisserie and got a couple of Starbucks drinks, and a box of a dozen macaroons (something Kenzie absolutely loves).  The gal even went into the back and pulled out some additional flavors for us besides what was in the case.  I'm pretty sure she is the kind of person who would have done that for anyone, but considering how everyone seems to react when they see our Star Class sea pass card, it could have been the reason.  I'm not gonna lie - I really like it !!
As we nibbled on the macaroons, we oohed and awed over them quite a bit and compared them to the shop inside the Eiffel Tower where we had the absolute best macaroons ever a few years back.  A gal from a nearby table came over and asked us what they were and where she could find them.  We offered her one and she declined at first.  Then she asked how much they were and we told them they were free to us since we were in a suite.  We asked again and she accepted the offer with a huge smile.  Tim noticed that there were four of them at the table, and took them the remainder of our box.  They were so excited over them !  It was so fun paying that forward !  Such a little thing, but it made them so happy!
We didn't win at Bingo, but had fun.  The Elton John performer called the numbers and he shared some funny stories.  As soon as Bingo was over, Yen appeared at our table and we walked through the rest of the day.  We made a couple of alterations to future plans, but then she gave us good news that she was able to get Kenzie into the Coco Beach Club.  I don't remember if I had mentioned before that we had added her back onto the reservation after it was sold out.  Yen put her on a "priority waitlist" and kept checking for us.  Had we not been able to get her in, we would have just cancelled our reservation so we could spend the day together.  Now we can all go together!  That was awesome news!
Since it was lunchtime and we wanted to grab food before our activities, we went back to the Brass & Bock Pub because Tim wanted the Cheddar Ale soup.  We got a new server who was rather awkward and he just didn't seem to understand that we needed a minute to figure out what we wanted.  We had told him our drink requests and the soup right away, but then said we needed more time.  It took him a while to come back with the drinks (which were just water with lemon), and then took him another 20 minutes to come back and ask if we wanted anything else.  We told him no, and about 15 more minutes went by and still no soup...and I still didn't have my sea pass card back - which was really bothering me.  A manager popped over and asked how things were, so Tim shared.  He clearly went to the back and spoke with the server because he came back out with my sea pass card and apologized.  Another 15ish minutes went by and still no soup.  Tim went back and told the manager to cancel everything.  We then went to the Windjammer to grab something quick before Kenzie had to be at the Rock Climbing wall at 2pm.  Incidentally, when we sat down with food, a server came over and asked if we wanted any drinks.  We ordered waters (Tim gets sparkling, which is an extra fee for those without a drink package), so I gave him our Star Class cards and in a minute we had multiple people clamoring over us.  It's really crazy.
We got to the rock climbing wall and Yen magically appeared again.  She got Kenzie up to the front of the crowd there, and Kenzie got into the harness and special shoes (she had brought socks with her).  Kenzie did her thing and then it was on to the IFly.  Yen got her all set up for that and we chatted for a bit while Kenzie was watching the video.  She asked how lunch was, so I shared some of the details, and she was so apologetic...more on that later.  Yen had arranged for Kenzie to go first in her group because we wanted to go to the scavenger hunt at 3:00pm.  
We made it to the Music Hall in time and I made a quick stop in the little girls' room.  By the time I got to the Music Hall, Tim and Kenzie were running around like crazy people.  The hunt was to capture photos of items beginning with each letter and bonus points for multiple items starting with the same letter.  We had a time limit, and it went fast!  We went as far as the casino trying to find something beginning with Q, and we worked up a sweat in the process!  We got back with 1 minute to spare and I was panting!  The gal counted our items and we had 82!  We were declared the winners and our prize were RC zipper pulls and bragging rights.
After that, we were exhausted and made it back to our room for some R&R - which means that Tim took a nap and Kenzie and I watched Maid in Manhattan while in a comatose state.  It was needed!  After a day of nothing and then being away from our cabin for over half the day and running around like lunatics, we were hurting.
Yen was able to get us onto the North Star today - third time is a charm!  The sun had already gone down and we saw the city lights for miles.  It was so cool!  Then it was Chops for dinner.  
After hearing that Jamie's wasn't all that fabulous and then hearing about our Pub experience, I think Yen was on heightened alert for us to have good food experiences.  She escorted us into Chops and to our table (that I believe she picked out) and I'm pretty sure had a chat with the server previously (because he addressed us by name when he came over).  Yen also brought us a bottle of our favorite wine on board (which was from Jamie's) and we nursed that throughout dinner.  That was a nice treat.  The food was fabulous!  Everything was really outstanding.  We did the same thing we always do which is to get several appetizers to share at the table, and then our main courses.  At the end of the meal, someone dropped off a dessert that wasn't ordered (the warm chocolate cake), and since it was at the table, Tim knew they would have to throw it out, so he saved it from going to waste.  He said it was absolutely outstanding - and that is a lot coming from him.  He never eats dessert !!
I'm pretty sure that Yen was keeping tabs on us, because as soon as we walked out of Chops, she was there to see how it went.  She really is fabulous!  We weren't super upset over the experiences or anything, but they were less than desirable, and since she knows we're total foodies, I think she wants to make sure we're satisfied.
When we got back to our room tonight, another bottle of our wine was waiting for us.  😊
Sorry - I wrote a book again!  There's just so much to share!  We're really having the time of our lives!  Star Class is truly amazing and with the special touches, we sometimes feel like the only people on the ship.
Tomorrow is Perfect Day at Coco Cay at the Beach Club!  We're excited!!
I can't seem to upload the day 3 Cruise Compasses right now because of the internet.  I'll get those up tomorrow.
 
 

I just upgraded my balcony stateroom to a Crown Loft Suite, as a solo cruiser! Am I crazy? It's on the Symphony of the Seas (Feb 5-12, 2022).

Look who I found on the Odyssey!

Ok ok ok OK….an apology! To say that I failed at the LIVE portion of this blog is a gross understatement. However I had NO idea just how busy and demanding it would be to film a vlog, host an entire group and oh yeah….get married while on a ship LOL After staying up till 2am writing and falling asleep with my phone IN my hand I knew it wasn’t going to happen!  However, fear not I have taken notes and will recount the experience now day by day…so just PRETEND I am on board LOL 
Day 2 (WEDDING DAY!)
We pulled in for our Perfect Day at Coco Cay at around 7am. We had a quick break fast on the balcony before Shane came to get us at 7:30am to get off the ship.  
 
Shane walked us off the ship and we were the FIRST ones to enter Thrill Waterpark! Of course after roughly 2 minutes of getting in it started a torrential downpour that got us all soaked (including Shane) we just could not stop laughing. We we to do all of the slides while Shane returned to the ship to set up the wedding magic. We managed to do ALL of the slides within an hour. We literally ran up all of the stairs which if you have ever been on Devils Peak you are aware is NO easy task…especially when you had been eating Star Class meals every 20 minutes since being on board LOL We managed it without needing any medical intervention….but barely. The tallest slide is an amazing experience but after breathlessly making it to the top and questioning my life choices we decided ONCE was enough. We loved the park and would absolutely recommend if for those of us who like thrills! 
 
After all of that climbing we decided to make our way to Oasis Lagoon! We are a sucker for a swim up bar! The pool was legitimately FREEZING! Lol All you could see was people stick their toes in scream before exiting or bravely accepting their icy fate. We did the latter and justified that the cold water just meant we needed to drink more as a source of mere necessity. Cruise logic ya see? And drink we did…and danced and laughed. The sun even that came out and it was a fantastic time! 
 
We eventually got hungry and I knew we had to go and try the iconic chicken sandwich! We first grabbed tacos because we needed some “walking food” to get us to South Beach LOL the steak tacos were AMAZING!! We Then made our way to South Beach where we got the secret chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks and let’s just say that I am forever changed! DELICIOUS! I unfortunately don’t have photos as I was trying to keep my phone dry and sand free because I didn’t want to take any chances of not having it for the wedding LOL 
We then swam to the floating bar and had a few long islands! This was such a fun little addition. The drinks were strong and you could watch the fish swim by. By this time it was almost four and we knew it was time to head back and see what magic Shane had created and then get dressed for the sunset wedding! 

 
The moment we returned to the Suite we were completely blown away. We brought some decor with us but only the aisle/runner and some greenery for the railing. The way that Shane set it up with the chairs and bringing in the flower stands took our breathe away! 

 
The entire Suite was FILLED with perfect little romantic touches! 

After seeing all of this it was time t shower and get in our tuxedos and meet with our amazing friend Matt who was going to marry us to go over things. Shane was in constant communication with us regarding food deliveries and when the cake would arrive which was shortly before the guests. We had custom Funko Pop cake topper made of us for the cake but when they brought it in I audibly gasped! It was STUNNING! Beyond perfect!! 
I mean…can you even stand it?! And the platters of food were PERFECT for our party! 
Then the time had finally arrived! Sunset was upon us and it was time for the guests to arrive and for us to have our DREAM ocean view wedding. It was truly perfect….intimate, beautiful, personal, heart felt and beyond anything I imagined could be done. We are not “groom-zillas” and put our trust in Shane. However, The magic he created will live in our hearts forever. The sun set exactly as the kiss happened as if it were a movie. Here are just a few snaps from the ceremony 

After the ceremony we cut the cake and had a champagne toast! We had the best time! We decided to eat in the MDR for the dinner because originally it was formal night. However, they changed it due to it being a port day. But it was no big deal. It was nice for us all to be able to eat together and the captains tables were very special. They made us feel like a million bucks and it was nice to be dressed up. We ordered off of the premium menu and it was delicious! 
After dinner we headed to see the headliner show which was a juggler/unicycle performer. VERY talented but yikes…the comedy portion was a HOT dated mess. However, it was very VERY rough seas so the fact that he was able to accomplish things like standing on a vertical ladder in the midst of it was very impressive! 
The day was MAGIC and we were EXHAUSTED! Speaking of that you must be exhausted reading this as it is SO long! Next up our first sea day! 
 
 
 
 

Currently its independent for fully vaccinated, but subject to change.  Its on-line.  Received an email from my TA for December Caribbean stops last night, but best to check on-line also as things are always changing.
 
This is what Azamara (still following RCL) published for December (fully vaccinated).     Ports that can be explored independently*: Antigua, Aruba, Bonaire, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Florida, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, St. Maarten, St. John & St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
Ports that can be explored with an Azamara Shore Excursion only: Barbados, Tortola & Virgin Gorda, B.V.I, Dominica, Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Lucia.

I cannot believe it is only five days to go! I can confirm the scientific theory that the days before a cruise are the absolute longest days EEEEEEVVVVVEEEEERRRRR!
Today, I received a double dose of cruise updates:
1. Earlier embarkation time slots became available. I was able to grab Kiesha and I an 11:00 AM. One hour earlier than before.
2. When the Royal Up bid email came out about five weeks ago, I secretly placed a bid for an ocean view balcony. If I won, I thought it would be a nice surprise for Kiesha. Well, my bid was accepted! We will be living that balcony life! Let me rephrase, Kiesha will be living that balcony life. I will be scared to get anywhere near the edge. 
My plan is to not tell Kiesha until we get to the cabin or she notices the room description in the app. Unfortunately, I am known as the girl who cannot keep her own secrets. It is really quite pitiful. Wish me luck! 😂

I am loving this thread!

 
Here’s my flex!

In June, I paid $1,818.08 for two ($909.04 per person) on Odyssey.
In August, I received $475 OBC. This made the price $1,343.08 for two ($671.54 per person).
This month, I received a $878 credit to the original form of payment. This makes the current price $465.08 ($232.54 per person).
To date, I have received $1,353 ($676.50 per person) in price drops. This is a 74.4% savings from my original price. I can book another cruise with that! Unfortunately, my job does not understand the unlimited vacation policy! 🤪

Yes, you can. Twangster was more eloquent than I.... 

It’s cruise day(again)!!!! Good morning from our mega balcony in South Beach. Boarding Freedom around noon. 


We are staying at the Penguin Hotel. Pretty cute but only stay here if you're getting the mega balc.



Scenic Miami shot