I'm sailing solo (as usual) and I have lot's of time to do recon work. Ask me to find things out for you. I like looking for details that other observers, podcasters, and vloggers don't talk about. You want me to count outlets and ports in the room? You want me to measure the shower enclosure, the sink? For those details, I'm your man!
We got our genie assignment… drum rolll 🥁🥁🥁 ✨Nityam ✨.
Its getting real you guys aghhh! I’ve been exercising again real! 👀.
A while back someone posted the spreadsheet they use for the star class. I have been searching the site and can’t find it. If anyone sees it can they please please repost it here. Time to get to business and plan this shin dig! 🙃🎉
We are in Orlando. My Covid test is negative. Cue the confetti. 2 more sleeps before we board.
We went to downtown Disney today. We are not going to the parks. I have a DIsney time share so it’s a convenient place to stay.
I’m very excited to be in the gated community. I have my new luggage tags and set sail passes printed. I just need to try and print my negative Covid test and repack.
You can let your new employer know you had already paid for a cruise before applying and accepting the job. Many will let you have the time off without pay or delay the start date. If you are exceptionally lucky, the new employer may advance your paid vacation time.
i don't have a huge problem with this. We were just on independence and the stories from the staff about how long they went without a paycheck are really sad. Remember most of the crew are from nations who didn't bail out the average citizen. I left a little more at bars, restaurants, and my stateroom attendant than past pre-covid sailings.
A few years ago I did a back to back, the first week with my wife and for the second she went home and our son joined me.
The beds were together for my wife and I, and they were separated when I went back in after doing the back to back turnaround despite not saying anything to our steward.
Ok, I don’t really think it’s magic. My point is that room stewards are very observant and want to make things right for your needs. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need more blankets, beds changed, etc.
After dinner we had the Adult comedy show. The opener was okay, while the headliner was very funny. Derick sent the kids some ice cream while we were at the show. Thankfully it was only 2 scoops each, and not the full sundae bar that I have seen other genies send up. I can only imagine how late the kids would have been up had there been more!
We came back to these guys to add to the zoo.
Then Julie and I did some laps on the track to feel less guilty....and fat...We thought this sign along the track was funny.
Yes, so much has indeed changed, but we (or I should say "I" lol) still love star class! We took our first SC cruise since the pandemic in December 2019 (blog link in signature) and I can pretty much say the experience has not changed too much. Sure there are some minor things but the fabulous experience is still intact. We are pretty excited as we are about to embark on our first ever group SC sailing in about 10 days! #MajorStarClassTakeOver, stay tuned! Let me know if there is anything you want me to find out for you.
Since I am already on this thread, wishing @Snotarnia hearty welcome, I will go ahead and post a small update of my own !!
Our "bird cage" (sans birds, @SpeedNoodles LOL) is finally done !!!! It took FORever to get it all done. Permits, inspections, installation, inspections....round and round we went for nearly a year. It will be the focal point of our home, when the new furniture arrives. At that time, I will post some pix.
I know the feeling with obsessing! My wife hates that I have to over research everything...and cruising is no exception. With our first cruise in less then a month...I can't get enough information!
Likely someone speculating.
Until it happens it's all conjecture.
All Royal needs to do is flood the casino peepole with offers for a free cruise. This will increase the number of vaccinated on board to pad the numbers. Likely a better approach compared to canceling guests and it's transparent to everyone involved. No one is the wiser.
Time will tell.
Guilty! First time cruiser and got excited every time I seen an email from Royal up to only be disappointed it was a cancellation as I would upgrade my stateroom as prices came down. Then had to sign back in and update my bids all over again. A few weeks ago at noon, bamn got the email that said my bid was accepted and I almost fell over. After reading all the stories, I felt it would never happen to me as a first time cruiser. Good luck! Hope u win a bid.
Now if they can just come out with a sale for Deluxe drink pkg and Internet, I’d be a happy camper.
I'm excited and ready to sail on Independence of the Seas on March 18th. It's my first RC cruise in many years and I'm ready to relax and enjoy myself.
So previously I have only sailed on Liberty and some of the differences are subtle and some are drastic.
Check in was super smooth and ran nearly an hour early. We were scheduled for 11:30 and parked the car just after 10:00 and were at the terminal about 15 minutes later and in line. We waited for maybe ten minutes and were brought into the terminal and went through the x ray and metal detectors in less than ten minutes. Checking in at the counter was a little slow mainly because I was just enjoying chatting with the ladies at the counter who were basically waiting for people to show up. We then went upstairs and waited for around 20 to 30 minutes before getting on the ship.
The first thing we did was a quick tour of the ship. I am traveling with my girlfriends son and he has barely been out of the western Pennsylvania area until about 6 months ago when they moved to Oklahoma. We had already went over the deck maps a few times but I wanted to get him used to being on the ship and getting around together. We started with a walk through the Promenade with quick glances down towards the Lyric Theater as well as the Casino and Studio B. Having been on a Freedom class ship already it was easy for me to get around and I gave him some basics on finding main area's like the pool deck and the Promenade as well as where our room was. After a couple days he has now become comfortable getting to the Windjammer on his own from the room and I am not worried that he is going to get lost. I reiterated many times that all he has to do is get to a main area and there will be staff members around who can help direct him or he can find a touchscreen.
The internet is a bit slower this time and the number of people on the ship is pretty close to the same as it was on Liberty a few months ago, it could be me but I kinda doubt it as i generally have a pretty good feel for internet speed based on how long it takes for a request to complete. Even going onto reddit and seeing a few video clips was a pain this time while last time there may be a little lag here and there but it was still a mostly painless endeavour. Using the Raspberry Pi 4 that I have with a few emulators and roms was just as easy as it was on Liberty so if you need to hook something up on either ship I would not forsee an issue and honestly would expect a similar experience fleet wide unless the TV's are mounted differently in a particular room.
On this cruise I took the plunge and signed up to try out the Flowrider. I have a total of 21 nights on Liberty but with a bum shoulder I really have to weigh the risks of certain activites. Anyway after watching the video and doing the stretches I got in line and went for it. It was very interesting for a first time run and I was actually able to get up on my knees with the bodyboard but once there I wiped out pretty quickly but had a ton of fun sliding back and forth across the water before that while I got a feel for things. I started from the top and dove into the wave on the reset and was struggling to get back up as I was a bit winded and my shoulder was giving out. I was almost up and wiped out, I was plain wore out. A few people afterwards were asking me how it was and I told them it was fun but boy does it beat the crap out of you, lol. I caught my breath and went back into the line to do it again. I had a lot of fun overall and will be doing it again sometime tomorrow or Sunday on the way back after visiting Cozumel.
Today was Progreso Mexico and we waited till things had cleared out quite a bit since we didn't really have a lot planned. Mainly I wanted to walk on the beach and explore a little bit in town since I had never been there. We walked through the port area doing our best to dodge the offers to look around and shop as we DIDN'T want to carry stuff around while in town. We got to the exit and a nice gentleman asked where we were going and after we told him to town and to walk on the beach he pointed us to the shuttle bus which was slightly hidden behind some planters and trees. We boarded the bus and headed into town. All I can say is BOY that is a long pier for sure.
Once in town we walked over towards the downtown area a block or so then headed around the block to head towards the beach and braved the gauntlet of cigars, tequila, and massage offers. I do have to say there was one very funny guy in a wheelchair who popped off about me being his "brother from another mother" and wanted to sing me a song. I gave him a fist bump and told him maybe on the way back. The walk otherwise was not bad at all to me and the beach was nice to see. It's been a couple years since I have walked barefoot in the sand so it was a nice feeling. Not that I haven't been on beaches mind you but usually I have my dive boots on and peeling those things off is a pain when they are wet and putting them back on sucks just about as much. Anyway we got down to the sand and slipped our shoes off and just walked along a little ways. While walking we saw a few of the pelicans doing dives into the water and took a few pictures together. I think Max had a pretty good time and on the walk over he spotted something he wanted.
Eventually we turned around to head back and actually walked past where we had gotten onto the beach at as we were avoiding yet another offer of a massage. On the way back to the shuttle area we stopped at a shop and he picked up the figure he found for a decent price. He spent half of his spending money for the trip but the smile on Max's face was worth it. I did the haggling for him as he really didn't know what to do and his hesitation worked out in my favor anyway. I also bought a nice big bottle of vanilla to take home. We again saw my new "brother" and I slipped him a dollar and told him to keep his song for someone who really needed it, the little smile on his face made it worth it.
We had to wait a bit at the terminal for a shuttle back to the ship but that gave us a chance to just sit down in the shade and relax. And I saw the prices for the tours offered there so next time I may be doing the little Cenote tour they have listed. Boarding the bus back was pretty easy as was getting back to the ship. I say easy compared to Costa Maya where the walk back from the bus/taxi area is a major endeavor if you are not used to walking much and I did that carrying all of my dive gear including about 20 pounds of lead weights.
We have watched a couple of the shows so far and was able to see the ice show this evening in fact. I have learned a couple things so far on this trip because I had no clue the house bands played different songs when they opened up. I guess I am a little biased in a way as I like the Liberty of the Seas house tune better than the one on Adventure of the Seas, the Liberty one just seems a little brighter in a way. The Lyric Theater production show "Invitation to Dance" was very interesting and it was cool to see the band actually playing all of the music for the show, I really liked that and a few times ended up just watching the drummer instead of the show while he got really into the groove. Again the show doesn't feel as nice as Liberty of the Seas' Saturday Night Fever. The ice show tonight in Studio B was very enjoyable however and while different was just as good as the one on Liberty, sadly can't remember the name on Liberty but either one I would enjoy watching again. And I have to say that after watching the show Max's word of the week is "Legs", LOL.
Adventure of the seas so far overall seems to have some better lighting in the Windjammer and the sinks were for sure a change after always doing "washy washy" with hand sanitizer on Liberty though the first day the exit being in a different area threw me for a little loop. And you can tell it's a bit shorter after walking through the combination art studio and picture studio and instantly being at the doors of Studio B where I was used to walking through the full art studio and then the On Air Club as well and having the picture studio outside of the Casino.
A couple things I really didn't like however. Every time I walk through the Promenade and go past the stairwell down to the Casino I smell cigarette smoke. Personally I think the habit is a dieing trend and one that Royal needs to put the breaks on. Maybe the will loose a couple bucks on the smokers but lets be honest they will probably gain that back and then some when the rest of us who don't actually want to be in the casino. I personally hate even walking though and will often bypass it on the deck outside of the casino and will even avoid the smoking area's outside. The air draw from the casino onto the Promenade though is a killer for me for sure and I never noticed it on Liberty so maybe something needs to be done with the air handlers to fix the issue though I know that getting rid of smoking inside the ship will fix the problem once things are cleaned and aired out.
So tomorrow is Cozumel where I have been quite a few times and I am hoping that my dive will still be good to go but it looks like the wind and waves may put the breaks on that one. I was able to dive there on my first cruise ever back in 2019 which was a few months after my wife passed away and was very bittersweet to say the least. I know I mention it a lot but that event changed me quite a bit. Then on Sunday I think I will try and do a livestream early in the morning from the ship however the internet speed is slower than I had while on Liberty in October and November so I am not sure how well that will work out. But I hope to do a quick walk around starting near the top of the ship and then head down towards the Promenade and finally stop on Deck 4 for a little question and answer time. Hopefully I can figure out how to get it all done this time.
Anyway I have no issue at all coming back on the ship sometime in the future and can't wait for my Vision of the Seas sailing in November to see the differences it has a well. I will stop back and add a little more information on Sunday as well and I am sure I will have a few more things to add after I get home and have a few days to rest.
@Pattycruise they're like fan ran pages for each ship, some have more than one page. Just the pages for the specific sailings on a ship if you're familiar. It's literally the only reason I have a facebook account 🙂
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