PRebecca

Great info Jenna, thank you!! I'll read both reviews and appreciate the links. Enjoy your April trip!

unvaccinated children without a mask will be chased around the ship and rounded up nightly by alternating housekeeping staff (taken out of their current four hours of down time), collected children will be thrown in a large cargo hold where they will remain until the following day or claimed by an immediate family member who has had four doses of pfizer and/or completed a 57 page health survey and waiver form and/or who has a healthy Body Mass Index of 25 or lower.

Day 9:  Disembarkation and Wrap Up (😪)
Sorry for the delay with the wrap up! Work gets in the way! LOL!
We tagged our bags the final evening of the cruise with the Key luggage tags provided and left them out in the hall for collection. They deliver them to an area of the terminal designated for the Key passengers which is next to the Star class banners/area.
This morning, there were a number of Celebrity ships in port including Edge, Equinox, and Infinity...





 
With the Key, you choose when you want to disembark the ship (no assigned time and you do not have to pick one). The Key breakfast in the MDR is available until 9:00am, but some folks were just arriving at 9:00am and were seated. Here is the menu:

 
We all had the freshly squeezed OJ... last use of the DBP! Two of us had the Royal VIP Signature (Crab Benedict) and my wife had the Buttermilk Pancakes with Bananas. All very tasty.


 
After breakfast at around 9:15am or so, we worked our way over to the Esplanade and walked off the ship and through the terminal to where our bags were waiting in the designated Key area. Surprisingly, the terminal was relatively quiet! A quick run through security (no lines) and through the cool facial recognition scanner and we were out of the terminal and grabbing a taxi. Very easy disembarkation!
 
Final Thoughts and Random Comments!
Odyssey is definitely an amazing, state-of-the-art, cruise ship that we all enjoyed. The service (as usual) was amazing all throughout the cruise. Every crew member seemed genuinely happy to see us! We had the same experience last OCT on Oasis. Itinerary:  We enjoyed our first time to Aruba and Curacao and look forward to booking another cruise to these destinations (Mariner maybe 😎 ?). We're a little bummed Grand Cayman was replaced with Nassau, but it is what it is as they say! We've been to Nassau so many times (including last OCT), so we stayed onboard. Solarium:  We felt the multi-tiered pool and two double hot tubs on Odyssey were much nicer than on Oasis class. We spent a ton of time relaxing in the pools and hot tubs! The solarium is climate-controlled since it is completely enclosed in glass unlike Oasis class. Just an educated guess, but I'm pretty sure the glass blocks much of the UV rays since my transition eyeglasses never darkened! Also, I loved the fact that the front of the solarium is much higher than the bow of the ship and unlike Oasis class, there is nothing visually between you and the view of the horizon. No extended sun deck and walls to get in the way!  

 
However, I do love the multi-leveled solarium on Oasis class too! Naturally, there are so many more loungers, couches, chairs and tables both in and out of the sun on those ships! Definitely, better for folks that prefer to just relax, take a nap, read a book, use your laptop, etc., and maybe stay out of the direct sun.

 
I have heard this before, but now I can personally confirm... the traffic flow on Quantum class ships is terrible. The Esplanade is long and very narrow which is conducive to bottlenecks. We were only at approximately 60% capacity and the Esplanade and Pool decks were very crowded much of the cruise. I can't imagine how congested the common areas get when one of these Quantum class ships is at full capacity! Whenever a show lets out in the Royal Theater or in the Music Hall, you better settle in somewhere until the mad rush passes through! IMHO Oasis class does crowd dispersing best due to the neighborhood concept and the sheer size of those ships. Even at full capacity on Allure back in 2019, we never felt crowded except in the usual suspect areas (elevator lobbies, pool deck on sea day, directly in front of a venue when a show lets out, etc.). We don't recall traffic flow issues on the smaller Majesty, Explorer, or Liberty either. Just an observation, not a complaint... unless we missed it, there were no bars near the aft of the ship! We settled in on the glass walkaway next to the SkyPad for sail-away on embarkation day and we had to walk all the way to the Lime & Coconut bar by the main pools for drinks. Oasis class usually has the Wipeout Bar in the aft of the ship. Another random observation. It's interesting how the stateroom corridors follow the contour of the ship. On Oasis class (and most other classes from what I recall), the corridors are generally straight and the balconies on the bump-outs are larger to account for the bump-out. On Odyssey, the corridors twist and turn constantly for the entire length of the ship. Entertainment/Activities:  There is so much entertainment and so many activities that it's highly unlikely you can see and do it all on one sailing! We were disappointed that "Showgirls!" was cancelled for our sailing (original cast contracts ended and new cast was still in rehearsal). I'm glad we had the chance to see most of "The Effectors" on the last evening (preview showing with new cast). We missed most of the headliners in the Royal Theater, but Pete Matthews and the "Tap Factory" are definitely worth seeing! We only caught two shows in Two70... "The Book" and "The Two70 Experience". Maybe we're in the minority, but "The Book" was not one of my favorite Royal shows. Yes, the performers and technology in Two70 was impressive, but I'm not a big fan of shows that do not have some sort of story line... Basically, individual skits with no real connection or continuity. The other show we saw, "The Two70 Experience" was excellent. Mitch (Cruise Director) showed off all the bells and whistles of this $37 million venue. One funny moment... Mitch asked the audience if we had seen "The Book" and if it made sense to us. Most shook their heads and said "No!!!"... He explained it's not supposed to be one story, but separate chapters in many books and should not make sense! LOL! We enjoyed the North Star in Aruba and the bumper cars, but had to cancel Ripcord/iFLY due to an excursion conflict. We'll make sure to try it next time! We also missed out on Zone Zero (virtual reality room)... booked solid immediately! Missed SkyPad as well! So much to see and do the next time!!! Dining:  We choose My Time dining for this sailing and dined at 6:30pm on most evenings except when we had specialty dining or were in port. In our opinion (taste is obviously subjective), the food in the MDR is generally very good and the service was amazing. The Head Waiter (Rachelle), Waiter (Ronnie), and Asst. Waiter (Teekaswar) were amazing! The same could be said of the service for the Key Lunch in MDR (Chop's menu), Chef's Table, Giovanni's, and Teppanyaki. We were never disappointed in the quality and taste of the food. We also enjoyed the Windjammer and Solarium Bistro for breakfast, as well as, a quick bite at Cafe Two70. Playmakers was very good and Sorrento's and El Loco Fresh were as expected. The KEY:  This is our perspective as a group... We all purchased the Key at $19.99/person for this Odyssey sailing and for Allure (2019) which is marginally more than the cost of the VOOM Surf & Stream package and a Chop's Grille lunch. So for a few extra dollars each day, we enjoyed some of the other benefits. At that price, we will always purchase the Key (unless we book Sky or Star class in the future!). I would be much more hesitant to purchase it as it creeps toward $25-$30. Also, I agree that in the current climate and with reduced capacity sailings, it is not as valuable/necessary. Also, value may vary by ship class. We did not have the Key last OCT on Oasis, but we sailed at about 35% capacity! This was our experience on this sailing... YMMV! Arrival at Terminal:  We arrived almost 45 minutes before our check-in window (11:00-11:30) and we were allowed to immediately enter the terminal through a separate door and waited on a separate line with the suite guests to clear security. No waiting outdoors for someone to call our time slot, etc. Boarding:  We waited in the terminal right next to the suite guests and boarded immediately after them. Key Check-In: We headed right to the MDR and checked in and dropped off our carry-ons which were delivered to our cabin (left on bed inside cabin). Key Lunch - Chops Grille menu:  We were all very impressed at the quality of the food despite the fact that we were served in the MDR instead of in Chops Grille as on Allure (2019). The food, and especially the Filet, was excellent! Such a nice way to start a cruise! Voom Surf & Stream:  An absolute  must for each of us! Private Hours for Activities:  Not the best perk as they generally offer maybe two one-hour periods over the course of the entire cruise for SOME of the activities onboard. Due to reduced capacity, we did not have a problem making complimentary reservations for the North Star and Ripcord/iFLY (had to cancel), etc., without using those Key-designated time periods. Early Access to Shows (Royal Theater & Two70):  Once again, with reduced capacity not the biggest deal. What we did not care for was the change from a reserved section to early admission (45 minutes before show). We LOVED this perk on Allure as we could arrive just 15 minutes before the show and sit dead center of the venue (party of 4 back then). Must be a Covid casualty due to social distancing. I still appreciated early access as we would literally have the choice to sit anywhere in the theater (except first row which was closed for social distancing). To us, will be much more valuable with full capacity sailings and if they return to reserved Key and suite sections! Disembarkation Breakfast:  Nice throw in, but not a huge factor in purchasing the Key. Disembarkation:  Really loved that WE decide when we want to disembark the ship (within reason of course!). Our baggage was tagged and awaited us in the terminal while we ate breakfast and leisurely disembarked the ship. The terminal was relatively quiet when we disembarked, but I remember how awesome this perk was back on Allure (also Ft. Lauderdale) as we bypassed the crazy regular lines and were escorted through the Star class line and dedicated security desk out of the terminal.  NextCruise:  Very dangerous now as you can book through the Royal app! Apparently for my wife, our Wonder sailing early next JAN is not enough to combat the quickly developing post-cruise depression! 🤣  We booked 2 "Book Later" reservations to take advantage of the reduced deposit and OBC benefits. This is our first time trying the "Book Later" option. So for those not familiar with "Book Later", we pay a reduced $200 deposit and get a $100 OBC per booking/future sailing. We have 60 days from purchase onboard to book a specific sailing and maintain both benefits. If we fail to book within 60 days, we lose the OBC, but still keep the $200 reduced deposit benefit as long as we book within one year of purchase. After one year, you lose the $200 non-refundable deposit as well. The timeframes are for booking the cruise, not the actual sail date. We've started researching cruises for fall 2023 and possibly Alaska in summer 2024 for our 20th wedding anniversary (we'll have to forfeit OBC since Alaska schedule won't be out in time unfortunately!).  
I think that's it! I hope I didn't forget anything!
Thanks for following along!  😎
Please let me know if you have any questions!

The card room.



café promenade lunch snacks

Thank you for your reply. That stress and anxiety of testing at port was insane, and leading up to the trip. It was sad to see families and kids crying because they were denied.  With the other sailings, everting was put into a QR code which made it easy, we didn’t need anything additional at the port, just passport or ID. 
 
I just need to relax! We can check in online next week - once that’s complete and everything approved there, perhaps I can relax.

We are sailing on Allure this Sunday. I found a great deal on a Central Park Balcony, and was happy with my selection (11th deck, midship), but I kept getting Royal Up emails. The minimum bid for a Ocean View Balcony was only $35 a person, so I decided on Monday night to go for it. We got approved this morning and are on the 10th deck aft! The going rate for an Ocean Front Balcony is over $600 more than what I originally booked, needless to say we are very excited!

Who doesn't love a balcony cabin?   It seems a lot of people do because balcony cabins are one of the most popular types of cabins offered to cruisers.  What could be better than reading a book, eating breakfast or enjoying a favorite beverage on your very own balcony overlooking the ocean?
Budget minded cruisers can't always afford the extra cost associated with a cabin that includes a dedicated balcony exclusively for that guest.   Enter the obstructed balcony.
Cabins with obstructed views are nothing new to the cruise industry.  For decades cruise ships have had oceanview and balcony cabins in places where ship equipment or superstructure ends up blocking the view.  The obstruction could be a lifeboat, window washing equipment or structural pieces that are required in various places around a ship.  
Quantum class ships feature a design where the lifeboats are stored near the level of deck 5 for quick access in the event of an emergency.  Their location while optimal for quick and easy access in an emergency it does mean they obstruct some views for select balcony cabins on deck 6.
The good news is these deck six cabins are offered as obstructed balconies at a discount perfect for budget minded cruise guests who are willing to accept an obstruction in the name of saving money. 
It's pretty clear when selecting these cabins they are obstructed so no one should be surprised the first time they walk into their cabin.

 What isn't clear when selecting a particular obstructed balcony cabin is how obstructed one cabin may be compared to another in the same category.  Not all obstructed balcony cabins are equally obstructed.
Lifeboats are supported and lowered into the water by davits.  Davits are very strong structural towers that can raise or lower a fully loaded lifeboat.  The davits that support lifeboats themselves are an obstruction that also block the views for some deck 6 balcony cabins on Quantum class ships.  Davits can block more view compared to a lifeboat since davits are taller than the lifeboats they support.  
Consider this picture of Ovation of the Seas.

The deck 6 obstructed ocean view cabins within the green area in the picture merely have to look over the lifeboat which sits close to or just below the height of the balcony railing.  A few cabins in either direction the lifeboat davits impose a much greater obstruction.  The cabins highlighted in yellow may be partially blocked by a davit towards one end of the balcony.  
For someone picking a cabin on a deck plan it isn't immediately evident which obstructed balconies have less obstruction versus cabins that have greater obstruction.
Now we get to the whole point of this post.  Here is a preliminary guide to which cabins have davits in front of them and are therefore more obstructed.  

Using various videos and photos from Odyssey of the Seas during her construction and conveyance I've estimated which balconies are more likely to have a greater obstruction.  Since no guest has actually sailed on Odyssey when this post was written this is a preliminary version until guests can begin boarding and provide feedback with respect to these obstructed balcony cabins.
Since this is a preliminary guestimate follow through with your own research to make sure you pick the best obstructed deck 6 cabin for your needs.
Note that each ship within this class has slightly different variations of lifeboats and where davits are placed.  In addition there are at least four different types of lifeboats used on each ship.  Consequently you need to be careful drawing conclusions based on guest feedback from other ships within this class.
The image above may be a little blurry from web page compression so I am also including a PDF version that should be easier to read.
Odyssey Deck 6 Obstructed Balcony Guide.pdf
Obstructed ocean view cabins are a great way to enjoy all the benefits of having your own balcony while saving money if you don't mind an obstructed view.  If you book early you can often enjoy your pick of cabins within this category all at the same price.  By selecting carefully you can enjoy a much less obstructed view while saving hundreds of dollars that can be put into beverage packages or shore excursions.  

More to come but right now it's the last night of the cruise so I'll come back after flying home to finish up.  

Last one... 2nd formal night.
Cheese plate. DD ordered one of these on night one, and 2 showed up at our table every night thereafter. 

 
Shrimp cocktail, Vidalia onion tart, fruit salad from the kid's menu.



 
Everyone ordered lobster and DH and I were talked into also sharing the roasted beef tenderloin. 


Pineapple sunshine cake and baked Alaska - DS ate both of them! Everyone else got the molten chocolate cake.


 
Thanks for following along!

Just did a slot pull with some members of the Facebook group. We lost, oh well. We have the escape room in a few minutes. Here is an example of getting an official by the rules answer in pre-cruise communication, and getting a different result on board. We were told Johnny couldn’t participate because he was too young. Last night Derick let us know he could come in with us so that we didn’t have to find something else for him to do. 

The escape room was a lot of fun. It was a group of all star class passengers. It was challenging and the host did give us some pointers. We were able to finish with 9:14 remaining. 
 

Now we are putting a hurting on some tacos in celebration of taco toosday for 2/22/2022.
Julie is dressed for the occasion!

Had the same question 2 years ago while we were going through the process for my son. He had to have his dead name on the sea pass because it matched all of his documentation at the time. It sucked for him but once on board we put a sticker (brought it with us because we expected this to happen) over the dead name and the crew was great about using his preferred name and pronouns. When we booked the latest cruise it was a simple matter of telling RC that everything had been legally changed and they were super easy to work with to have everything updated. To all the parents walking this path with their kiddos, good luck and warm hugs! 
Kate

We are onboard! Smooth check in process but there have been some hiccups onboard. Connecting to Voom is not working great and I’m having issues with the app and ship wifi. Im sure we will get it sorted out! Rooms were ready around 1:30, we love our staterooms and looking forward to meeting our attendant. Currently enjoying some food in the Windjammie and sail away is in about 2 hours.
 

First Day (sea day)
Time has changed... I am running late 😞.  I got up this morning and dressed to go walking and get my base weight for the cruise.  Brought up the cruise app to see where I was going and found out it was an hour later than I thought, and our slot pull (that I was running) was starting in 40 minutes.  I decided to just make a quick trip to the gym and check my weight.  When I got on the scale it was 20 lbs lighter than I expected.  There was a fellow cruiser next to me and he checked his weight, and it was what he expected.  The short of this story... I do not know what I weigh until I get home.
Slot Pull of Fun
I got to the slot pull and the Casino Manager was there to help me with anything I needed.  He had setup a slot machine for us to use and saved the area.  He had compiled 4 prize packages that were very nice.  I got everyone's names and collected their money.  We ended up with 45 people putting in $20 each.  We had lots of fun, and everyone got 4 pulls for their money.  Some did good and some did not so good.  At the end we ended with everyone getting $15 back.  So, the slot pull cost them $5 and they had lots of fun.

There she is!

Road Trip Update: Well, Thursday night was busy! I picked up the rental car, and as I walked up to the counter, I got an "Oh, you are the one looking for the van" and I thought to myself, oh that's not good. Turns out, the vans that were due to be returned that day didn't. We were hoping for a van, so that we wouldn't have to play Tetris with ourselves and luggage for the two day trip to Florida. We ended up with a fully loaded Ford Explorer. I'm loving the massaging seats!! This is making their road trip much more enjoyable. We are playing Tetris with the luggage a bit, but it's not horrible.

We left our house at 9am and hit the road. Traffic wasn't bad until we it the DC area. We diverted around DC and went over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which was cool for an engineering nerd like me.
We all thought he looked like the creepy restaurant critic from Ratatouille, what does everyone think?

Later he looked like this...Even my neck hurts looking at this
.
More to come, time to load up again!! Next stop Florida!!

Lunch and layover in Midway. First leg was uneventful, though we nearly had a bathroom emergency right before landing.
Everyone's all full up now and ready for the second leg to Florida. The energy is building!

Wrap It Up
This is my summary of the week.  Just remember these are my impressions and I am very different than most people.  If you have questions, please ask.
Counting Calories:  It is very hard.  The one restaurant said the chiefs should know the calorie count, but I found out it is "Should".  They don't know and don't care.  I the app I use I was able to guess on things that were close to the same thing I was having and chose the ones with higher calories.  I weighed in the gym the first day and weighed today and ended up losing my 2 lbs.  At home I have an expensive scale that tells me everything and last Saturday when I weighed it showed me 8 lbs. heavier than at home.  I just used that as a baseline and my goal was to stay that same weight.   The Shows:  I try to understand that this is covid times and the ship is under 50% full.  I felt the live music around the ship was very good.  I really liked the bands that were in the promenade on the center stage.  The comedians were just OK.  Nothing to write home about and their act did not change during the week.  The stage show last night was top notch.  I would go back to see it again and you could tell they spent a lot of effort on the show.  The Aqua Theater was great.  My room overlooked the theater so i was able to watch the show every night it played.  I just wished they did a little more from the high platforms.  The walking/jogging track:  All ships should design their track the way it is on the Symphony.  I think one of the best things about the ship is the walking track. FOOD ** in order of best to not best Chops:  I feel at home and the steaks are great.  Not fancy just good food. Playmakers:  The service is great.  The wings were very good and kept me on my diet. Wonderland:  Not an every night thing but what an experience. Johnny Rockets:  Even with them destroying my diet they had great service and really good burger (#12) and onion rings.   Jamies Italian:  Great service and good food.  My son is the big pasta eater, but I enjoyed my meal here. Hooked Sea Food:  Good Sea food but all I can remember is how bad the french fries were. 150 Central Park:  To fancy for me and not my cup of tea. El Loco Fresh:  Not bad for a quick bite Sorrento's Pizza:  OK pizza but not worth the calories  Windjammer Buffet:  Not a great buffet and hours of operation were terrible.  I like the buffet late at night and they are closed. Central Park Cafe:  The food was so bad I did not eat it and left to go find something else to eat.  
Note:  Overall I love the ship.  I will be coming back and next time bring my son and part of my extended family.

Two sleeps to go! I just did my home test this morning before leaving for NYC, but I won't breathe easier until Husband and the SKs do theirs after school today. 1/4 of the way there though. 
Tonight and tomorrow I am hanging with my sister in Manhattan to see Six on Broadway tonight and 2 shows of New York City Ballet tomorrow. I'll share some pics and a quick review of my travel from Manhattan to the port on Sunday. 
Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Real Meal at 150 Central Park
I saved the calories and went for a full meal at 150 Central Park.  150 Central Park is a fancy restaurant that I would classify it as an "Above my class" restaurant.  I got the same waiter as the night before and he brought me the bread with my menu.  I am not sure what was on top of the bread other than butter, but it was too good.  You could destroy your meal with just the hot bread.  I decided this meal was going to be "everything I have never had" meal.  I started out with seared scallops.  I figured out scallops do not have a taste to me.  Next came the main meal.  I got Venison Loin.  If you are not failure with it, it is a very lean meat from deer.  I was surprised I did like it.  I just had to not think of it as beef because it had a completely different texture; think and dense.  The last think was my desert.  The waiter said I had to get the fried cheesecake.  In my mind I was picturing like they do at the fair with everything you can imagine, put a slice of cheesecake in batter and deep fry it.  What I got was not that.  It was cheesecake filling deep fried with a very light thin shell.  It was paired with something between a cream and meringue.  This was what I call a "One Bite Desert".  You can take one bite close your eyes and enjoy.  I can stop with one bite because it is so good.  I did not want to waste so I ate both of them.  If you have this desert have some black coffee with it.  That made the perfect pairing.
 
 

Chops Grille did it right
I wanted to put this on its own post because I liked it so much.  When I went to dinner it was pouring rain.  It seemed strange being in the middle of the ship on deck 8 and running to the restaurant to keep from getting soaked.  When I got into Chaps, they made me feel right at home from the start.  I knew this was a top fancy steakhouse, but it did not feel like it, it felt like friends.  Do not get me wrong, it looked like a fancy place, but I felt comfortable there in my blue jeans and polo shirt.  I started my meal with Grilled Black Pepper Bacon.  It was good but not what I expected, and I would not order it again.  They brought me bread and the one that looked like pretzel was very good and soft in the middle.  The other bread was very bad and hard, not my liking.  Then came my 16 oz Prime Bone-In Ribeye; It filled the plate.  This was easily the best steak I have had in a very long time.  I added on the mushroom to give me some vegies.  I took my time and really enjoyed the meal.  I finished the meal with the Key lime Meringue Pie.  I took the meringue off and at the key lime filing.
When I was done, I changed my day 6 reservation to Chops Grill.  I will end up eating here 3 times out of the 7 dinners.   If you get the chance come and let me know if it is as good as I think it was.
Note:  After my dinner, before I left, the main waiter of the "Main Dining Room" came over to talk to me.  He tracked me down to find out why I have not been to the main dining room for any of my meals.  Evidently if you do not eat any meals there it looks bad for them.  I tried to tell him when you are counting calories you are picky about where and what you eat.  Maybe they need to make it easier to keep track of a diet in the main dining room then I would eat there all the time.
 

Don't Give Up the Ship
Yesterday was the port Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico.  For those of you that did not know this is one of those ports the Mexican Government created just for cruise ships.  They put in everything you would need just as soon as you get off the ship.  There are swimming pools, swim up bars, dolphin adventures and lots of shopping.  I had real attentions on taking a taxi over to the real town beach and have lunch, a massage and do some swimming in the ocean.  When I got up, I really did not feel like it and I did not want to eat food that I could get on the cruise ship and enjoy better.  This is why I love cruising; I changed my mind, and it was no big deal.  I sleep in and when I got up, I got off the ship and walked all of the port area.  I ended up walking 2.5 miles there and back.  I also confirmed that I did not like this port they setup; it felt like a tourist trap to me.
After I got back to the ship, I spent the day having fun.  With so many people off the ship I was able to do anything I wanted.  I ended up playing miniature golf, shuffleboard, swimming in the pool, reading an entire book and taking a nap.  I ended up the evening with dinner, listening to a jazz band and going to seeing Randy Cabral in the Royal Theater.  Randy Cabral was a juggling act with comedy.  If I knew he as a juggling act I would not have gone but I was glad I did.  His comedy was very good and entertaining.
The last thing I did for the day is booked a 4-day cruise during Thanksgiving 2022.  I was able to get a Balcony Cabin for $720 out the door and they are giving me $150 to spend on the ship.  It is out of Los Angeles so there is no flight, just drive to the port on Monday and enjoy a short vacation.
 

My family doesn't enjoy hearing me drone on about cruising for months on end so I hang out here with like minded cruisers to get me thru the in between time. 
As my next trip nears  I join the Facebook group for that sailing (if there is one) and also check in on the ships Facebook page to share in my excitement and check for ship specific tips. 
Other than planning and waiting for the next step (check in time! Luggage tags are ready! Bid on Royal Up! Etc) it's just an agonizing wait. 
My husband doesnt have the vacation time that I do, so I've recently started cruising with a friend for shorter sailings and it's great that she's wanting to talk cruising just as much as me. 
I agree, it's like waiting for Christmas 😊

My family doesn't enjoy hearing me drone on about cruising for months on end so I hang out here with like minded cruisers to get me thru the in between time. 
As my next trip nears  I join the Facebook group for that sailing (if there is one) and also check in on the ships Facebook page to share in my excitement and check for ship specific tips. 
Other than planning and waiting for the next step (check in time! Luggage tags are ready! Bid on Royal Up! Etc) it's just an agonizing wait. 
My husband doesnt have the vacation time that I do, so I've recently started cruising with a friend for shorter sailings and it's great that she's wanting to talk cruising just as much as me. 
I agree, it's like waiting for Christmas 😊

My family doesn't enjoy hearing me drone on about cruising for months on end so I hang out here with like minded cruisers to get me thru the in between time. 
As my next trip nears  I join the Facebook group for that sailing (if there is one) and also check in on the ships Facebook page to share in my excitement and check for ship specific tips. 
Other than planning and waiting for the next step (check in time! Luggage tags are ready! Bid on Royal Up! Etc) it's just an agonizing wait. 
My husband doesnt have the vacation time that I do, so I've recently started cruising with a friend for shorter sailings and it's great that she's wanting to talk cruising just as much as me. 
I agree, it's like waiting for Christmas 😊

Hi, we have a 7/2/22 cruise on Symphony that I already re-priced once in December.  I happened to check again today, and was able to save over $1700 for 2 connecting balcony rooms, plus get a $200 OBC.  And I was only on hold for about 2 minutes.  I call that a win for sure!