USCG Teacher

Just wanted to chime in to say that I *love* this viewpoint!

Not sure how long you've lived in the South, but as a Northener, I think waffle house has a special appeal. Simply put, there's nothing like it north of Maryland.

Yes, you still have to make reservations for each show you want to see.  Where the Key helps is with the actual seating.  Rather than having to show up 30-40 minutes ahead of a popular show's start time to get decent seats, you will have seating reserved for you in a "prime" seating area up to 15 minutes before curtain.

Thanks. Somehow the pics didn’t post with the original submission. They should be there now. Lots more pics on my Instagram accounts with more to follow — jay_spiegel_ and highseasnomad. 

Me too.  I'm dying to see how the wifi and app work.  We have the Key for our May 2020 sailing so I'm hopin' we can have all the latest tech bells and whistles.
Mike

This is a recap, and not a highly detailed live blog. If you have questions, please let me know in the replies
 
October 31 & November 1 — Pre-Embarkation
We flew from our home near Nashville to Miami on a late flight and were one of the last arrivals of the day. 
This presented a problem with getting a ride share to take us to the Mercury Hotel in South Beach as it is quite a distance. 
One Uber and two Lyft drivers bailed on us. While annoying, it is understandable. We ended up taking a taxi and ran into construction traffic on I-95 delaying our arrival. We entered our hotel room at about 12:30 am. 
We stayed at a quirky Art Deco hotel a block west of Ocean Drive near 1st Street. 
for brunch, we at at a Popular Cuban restaurant called Puerto Sagua. I highly recommend it. It was an easy walk to Collins and 7th where it is located.
After brunch, we walked along the shoreline to the southernmost ended of South Beach and watched Navigator sail away. You can see a time lapse on my Instagram at:
 
I got my dunkel bier fix for dinner at the Bavaria Bier Haus in Bayside Marketplace right on the water by the marina next to Port Miami. See the first attached pic for an incredible sunset effect by the surrounding skyscrapers. 
November 2 — Embarkation
We had breakfast at a local eatery called Big Pink, checked out and took a Lyft to Port Miami. MacArthur Causeway was closed and traffic was being routed to the Venetian Causeway and to I-195 to the north. Our Lyft driver was astute and chose the latter. While I missed driving opposite cruise ship row that morning, our driver did a great job with the circumstance. When we made it to Dodge Island, we dealt with the effects of getting to Terminal A caused by the construction of the Norwegian terminal next door.
Soon, were we curbside at the terminal and entering the building. A couple of months ago, I cancelled the Key due to reviews. I didn’t realize that the icon was still on my SeaPass in the app, and when I showed it, we were ushered into the Key line and found ourselves bypassing waiting guests and were on board immediately  it took five minutes  when I realized what happened, that somehow we still had the Key, I chose not to take advantage of the other perks it offered for the duration of the cruise.
We ate lunch at El Loco Fresh, and were set up for the rest of the day  our CP balcony room was ready right at 1:00 pm, and we were unpacked by 1:30 pm  my wife had a manicure in the spa scheduled for 1:45, so I did the slides on board starting with the Ultimate Abyss.
We chose My Time dining, during sail away. We watched Hairspray in the theater that evening. The cast was incredible. 
November 3rd & 4th — Sea Days 2 & 3
Readers of these boards will have varying styles of cruising on sea days. I love sea days because of the relaxation available.
Hi lites:
-we purchased a thermal suite package and started using it — very nice, however, the weight room in the fitness center is above the spa, so there are related sounds and bangs
-we ate dinner at Chops on Day 2. It was execellent
-Day 3 was the same with dinner at Izumi Hibachi — it was fun as always
November 5th — Day 4 — Sint Maarten
We chose to make this an easy beach day and took the water taxis from the port to the middle of Philipsburg for $7 round trip. We got off the water taxi after a five minute ride into the middle of the town. We turned right, headed toward the Lazy Lizard and rented two beach chairs and an umbrella for $20. It included a bucket of six beers or two cocktails. Lunch was extra for about $13 a plate. I had the curry chicken with voodoo shrimp appetizer. It was...BY FAR...the best meal I have had on a cruise vacation anywhere. We chose the Lazy Lizard because of reviews on Trip Advisor. Photos attached.
That evening, we watched 1977 in Studio B. The drones and the skating did not disappoint. 
November 6th — Day 5 –  San Juan, PR
I have been dying to get to this port for a while. We did the standard walk up the hill to Castillo del Morro and walked around absorbing some of the history of the magnificent place. We chose not to go to the other fort, and instead walked down the hill on the west side and and toured Casa Blanca where Ponca de Leon lived. The grounds were beautiful and the house was incredible considering how people of that time lived. 
We ate at the famous Barrachina restaurant near Cristo Street. I tried the mofongo combination with chicken, beef and shrimp along with a piña colada. It’s a little touristy, so it won’t be my choice for my next visit to San Juan. We did some shopping and headed back to the ship for a thermal suite session.
We watched Hiro in the Aqua Theater and were mesmerized.
Flowing Hiro, dinner was at Wonderland, an experience Royal Caribbean cruisers should experience once in a lifetime.
November 7th — Day 6 — Sea Day
- we lazed around and ended the evening watching Flight in the Main Theater  
November 8th — Day 7 — Perfect Day at Coco Cay

Seas were as smooth as a glass before sunrise. It was a beautiful and surreal experience walking onto deck 15 to see a Carival ship lit up as she passed by our starboard. A little later, a Norwegian ship sailed across our wake. They looked close enough to touch and were beautifully lit up.Sadly, I was dealing with condensation on my camera lenses, and didn’t have time to get a really cool photo.
-we found loungers behind the swim up bar  on Coco Cay and lazed around until lunch at the Snack Shack where we had the popular crispy chicken sandwich with fried mozzarella and marinara. It is a big step up from the standard fare from the old Coco Cay. The transformation of the island is mind blowing. 
November 6th — Disembarkation 
-I booked a late flight out of FLL, so we took our time getting off the ship
-we had breakfast in the main dining room and left the ship by 9:00 am
-we took a cab from the terminal to Miami Brightline on NW 1st in downtown Miami for $15. We bought Select tickets which gave us lounge access in the very nice, new train station

- the ride from Miami was about 30 minutes and included beverages and snacks served by an attendant in our carriage. The train experience on this line is as a good as any I have had in Europe. It was excellent. I was sad to have to get off in Fort Lauderdale.
-tickets may be pre-purchased online or at the station  — the process is pretty seamless  
-FLL is 3.5 miles from the Fort Lauderdale Brightline station, so a quick ride share will get you to/from the station and airport
-overall —> this short experience far surpassed dealing with a cab or ride share up I-95  — if you are flying out of FLL on a later flight, or if you are coming from a location near a Brightline station elsewhere in Florida, Orlando (future station planned) for example...THIS is how I would get to Port Miami, or Port Everglades — it is well worth it, especially considering the net cost was about the same as a cab would have been and a little higher than a ride share. I will be figuring other ways to use this service while in Florida in the future  — included are pics of the Fort Lauderdale Brightline Terminal and the inside of a carriage
 

Hi everyone,

I am leaving on my very first cruise tomorrow (starting the drive today) and I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Matt, and everyone else here! I feel so confident going into this cruise. Between these message boards and Matt's live videos, I had all of my questions answered. This community is so positive and it just makes me that much more excited for my vacation! So again, thank you so much and happy cruising to you all ?

Hi everyone! I pride myself on being very social when I meet people in person, but online, I’m a certified lurker ?. I read the message boards, take notes ?, and have learned so much from everyone on this blog (thanks @Matt for this awesome platform) but I rarely make a post or comment.

Maybe it’s because everyone has already said what I was thinking (and y’all don’t need to see my “ditto” response ?)... Maybe it’s because I can’t come up with any interesting new questions or topics that are worth posting ?... Maybe it’s because I’m afraid that my post will be the equivalent of the kid sitting alone at the lunch table in a crowded middle school cafeteria ??...

Soooooooo... This post is dedicated to all of the lurkers out there just like me! Say hi, hit like, or drop a comment of your choosing below! Or don’t. ? You are still loved and welcomed here!
 

Here are my two cents:  Due to finances, we started out looking for the cheapest, easiest cruises we could find. Inside cabin and even did bunks with my wife once!! Had a great time as we were never in our cabins but to sleep and shower. Over the years with increased income and available time we pick and choose what type of cruise and cabin we want based on the purpose of the trip. Is the cruise mainly for port visits or just to chill? Just want a 3-4 day getaway to combine with a pre-city visit experience(ex. FLL and then cruise) or an extended getaway? Alone or with family and friends. Cultural? Went to Europe so did B2B to  make more cost effective(if paying $$$ for flight why not stay longer in Europe). We have never gotten drink packages or specialty restaurants ever as we chose to put $ to excursions or to save for another day(cruise). That is just a personal choice. Always purchase when inventory is first released as I have found that is usually the lowest price. Pre book excursions or packages if wanted. Conclusion: We have run the gamut and have enjoyed things by making the best of any experience. No right answer, lots of personal choices. I would rather go on the cheap than not go at all.

Any restaurant that is literally used to measure the severity of natural disasters gets two enthusiastic thumbs up in my book!

Ok. Cruise leaves tomorrow morning. 
Finally got the call back today.  After days of "royal up" department working on it.
 
After all that they came back with well in the fine print it does say..... See below this is how they claimed they (3rd party company handling Royal Up) is not responsible etc
 
"The Upgrade will have the same number of berths as the original stateroom."
 
Do most people even know what a berth is ?
 
The supervisor I was dealing with from Royal Caribbean said he apologized and that they are working with the third party company on re-wording the description that appears. They offered me a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries. 
 
I laughed at him and asked for his supervisor.  After a long (5-7 minute) hold, he came back and said he was working with his supervisor on another option and needed a few more minutes. I continued to wait.
 
The final offer was to put them back in the original category and receive a full refund for the royal up bid ($860) they claimed a room just happened to have opened up today, apparently a cancellation.  It just so happened the only room available was on the same floor they were originally on, and same floor where my other 4 rooms are.  I accepted the offer, more so on principle, as they wouldn't offer me any discount/refund/room credit to stay in the junior suite.  The money didnt bother me, it was more the fact that before bidding the one sentence description of the junior suite says  "living area with sofa bed."
 
So that's how it ended. Still not happy, but satisfied with the way Royal handled it, as the supervisors I spoke to all agreed. The wording needed to change.

Just wanted to chime in to say that I *love* this viewpoint!

Just wanted to chime in to say that I *love* this viewpoint!

This too. Any OT DH works we immediately transfer into a vacation savings account. His thought is he has to take time away from the family to earn that money, so it should be spent on something that we do together.

Some of us are fortunate to be have flexible schedules so that we can cruise off-peak.  Like any travel activity there are peak times that cost more and off-peak times that cost less.  
Flexibility and willingness to make small compromises can translate into a less expensive cruise.  Like any travel activity supply and demand influences pricing.  Bucket list destinations in the peak of travel season come with bucket sized price tags.  A similar destination at a different time of year can cost a fraction of that.  
Some people prefer more expensive balconies or suite cabins and choose to put their travel funds towards a higher standard of accommodations over cruising more often.  Staying in cheaper cabins equates to cost savings that can be applied to additional cruises.  Once outside of an interior cabin the ships looks the same as it does for someone staying in a suite.  I've been fortunate to stay in some very nice suite cabins but I don't require them every cruise.  In some cases I can take two, three or four cruises for the price of one cruise in a suite.  
In some cases a guest may be in a position to cruise once every few years so going big and splurging on an incredible over the top experience makes sense.  The "dream vacation".  Frugality and containing cruise expenses leaves more money for future cruises.  If you've got it, spend it.  
Loyalty pays.  If you spread you spend across different cruise lines it will take longer to reach the point where loyalty discounts really help on any of them.  

Any restaurant that is literally used to measure the severity of natural disasters gets two enthusiastic thumbs up in my book!

If you've never been, Waffle House is a cultural experience.
Mai-Kai Polynesian Dinner Show is also a great choice for groups

All-Star, pecan waffle, hashbrown capped and peppered, bacon light, raisin toast, eggs over medium. Get it right. 

My favorite place is.
 
 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Waffle+House/@26.0908069,-80.2130711,15.25z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1swaffle+house!3m4!1s0x0:0x583d50e43cc00073!8m2!3d26.09024!4d-80.2274358
 

Nobody ever says this one;  bring a watch set to ships time. It gives us ultimate peace of mind when in port and out on excursions.
Cell phones can change time when the connect to the cell network at port and for us, we prefer to leave the phones off and locked up in the safe anyway.