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MO & LO on the go!

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  1. Man was it ever! Busiest we have ever been. All our excursions were 0645 or 0700 meeting times too which made for LONG days. We need this second half to chill, LOL. Might be a lot of balcony time and staying on the ship if the weather is as bad as it's predicted to be.
  2. Ok trying to catch up a bit. We finished the back to back portion and here is what we got.... 0915 was meeting time in dining room. Got a little continental breakfast too. We then got checked in/signed off and handed our new cards along with a sticker (like the shore excursions) so they knew who we were We waited in the area until all B2B people came in and then started the journey. We were back on the ship by 1015 so less than an hour. We walked off deck 5 (promenade) like everyone else. Handed our sea passes to security and then down to the terminal. We walked through security and then once everyone else was done, walked back to the lobby where everyone else coming on was checking in and waiting. We sat off to the side for about 10-15 minutes and then boarded again. Such a smooth process!!! We saw this line of employees which we have no idea was for. Kind of weird because the cooks even had their chef hats on. Not sure what this was about. We then went to the main dining and had our consecutive cruiser lunch at 1100 which was very good. Wayyyyy better than going with the masses to the mouth jammer! Unfortunately it is raining, cloudy, and not very warm......we went back to the room (before everyone else can) and are just hanging out on the deck listening to the rain. Also unfortunately every stop is showing rain/thunderstorms as of right now so hopefully that changes. Coco Cay tomorrow shows 20-30 MPH winds again and thunderstorms. Weather has not been outstanding.....could have been worse but could have been better. Sucks because home is almost 50 when it's normally 20-30 and sometimes -20..... I will try to get more posted of a recap. The B2B experience was quite interesting for us and fun to try!!! Of note, there are a lot of sick people around on this ship! The ship was a sea of coughing this morning and the B2B had many coughing too. We even moved seats and ducked and dodged in the line when getting back on to stay away from them!!!!!! People have been coughing like crazy so we are avoiding them.
  3. No, we didn't see her until about 3 days in. She came every morning at some point. Everyone else was greated and knew the attendant right away. Some even were able to make requests to have room done in evening rather than morning. I would prefer the evening if given the choice, during during is my preference. The people in our group in a suite got room service twice like the good ol days!
  4. Walked through one day at dinner and didn't see a special request area. Only see that at breakfast for the omelets (which I love). We will have more time the second half to check it out. Stay tuned! We had some family in a junior suite and they went to the CK one night. They actually mostly preferred main dining which we found interesting......
  5. So been busy but trying to get caught up.... Flight uneventful but left the Minnesota gray winter. Haven't seen much sun this winter but also haven't seen much snow or cold so I guess....... Made it to Universal Studios too. Learned that if you rent from Budget or Avis you get a parking voucher that upgrades you from basic to preferred (or whatever they call it) and allows you to park closer. This was actually very nice to have. We didn't have to use the trick to "sneak" in through the hotel! We got there an hour early and by the time we parked, walked, and everything else we got to the gate about 45 minutes early. So glad we did this! Got right in and went straight to Harry Potter and saved one of the express passes so we got to use it later in the day for a second ride. We enjoyed Universal but think Islands of Adventure might have been better for us, we got really sick of the 3D screen rides sitting in the "vehicle" that doesn't actually move anywhere but instead bounces you around. We also learned that Disney might be our preferred choice but glad we tried it out! We did 9 hours and that was enough! We then went to Margaritaville. We of course had to get the nacho volcano! So delicious!!! Jumped in the shuttle at 1000 and took a quick ride to the port from Orlando Sunday. One thing we noticed is it was SUPER easy to get to the actual port. No crazy line of cars or anything. Miami and Fort Lauderdale has been long long long lines of cars to get in but this was not like that and was soooooooo smooth and fast!!!!! We were on by 1100. Did our usually run to excursion desk to make sure cabanas were squared away, run to dining to make sure tables are what we wanted, and then head to mouth jammer for food! Rooms ready by 100. Of note now is that you only get the attendant once a day. We have not even seen the attendant and have no idea who it is. We really dislike this A LOT! I miss seeing them and getting to speak with them on a personal level, also having the room made up in the morning and then turned down for the night. This will be noted in the survey! The kids that had not seen this larger ship were quite impressed! The biggest thing for the first time cruiser girlfriend was the amount of food available and eating has been a bit overwhelming. It's basically non stop eating, or so it seems......or maybe really is . First stop was today (Monday) at Coco Cay. We started to go in to port but stopped. The Captain sat the ship nearby the dock and waited for the right opportunity to go in. Took an extra 30-45 minutes. The winds were between 25-35 knots. The stateroom doors were whistling it was so windy. We were in port with Odyssey and they sat nearby too. We thankfully were able to dock and Odyssey came after us. Norwegian next door sailed away instead. It was not a very warm day and was CRAZY windy with mostly cloudy skies. It was likely not even 70 degrees and was chilly when the sun was behind clouds (which was most of the day). We were given the opportunity to cancel the cabanas but chose to stay. It was nice but really would have enjoyed the day better with better weather. Oh well, just glad we got to dock! As we said, still better than sitting on the ship. Watched the ice show tonight, 365 Seasons on Ice, and this was very good! Highly recommend you go see if you get the chance, don't pass it up. Got our first experience with back to back related stuff tonight. The head waiter for our dining area came over during dinner and asked us what we wanted for the second part of our cruise. This caught us off guard and was really nice. We said what we preferred, where we preferred, and who we preferred and she said it will happen! This was AWESOME! Tomorrow is the first sea day. We have the escape room and Effectors show booked. NEED to hit the gym too!!!!! Island excursions start Wednesday so that will be fun!!! I am sure I have forgot something.....i will try to update more as we go. If I think of more I will add it as I can. So much going on with such a large group of people. Glad we have the second cruise to slow down and chill out...... Thanks for following along and reach out with any questions you might have! Now bed time! The huge waves rocking this giant ship should help put us to sleep
  6. Been busy working.....getting hours in before we go.... but had this happen so wanted to post it. We have noticed that on the first half the Coco Cay cabanas have been decreasing in price as it gets closer and the second half has stayed "full price" (Started at $1300). There are more available on the second half and they are more expensive ($1300). The first half has been $700 for the last few weeks. We are a bit neurotic and check prices everyday for deals and came across this for the first half..... We have never seen this before and been Diamond for several cruises. This was a GREAT deal and of course jumped on it. A bit confused on why the second half is soooooooo much more expensive even though there are many more available still than the first half. Down to 48 hours until we leave and 5 days until we get on the ship!!!!!
  7. Thanks! We are excited to check Wonder out and also see the family and kids reaction for those that haven't been on a big ship!!!! I think it's the house band again........Listed as "Temperature Band". We have enjoyed the cover bands we have seen over the years and was hoping for another...
  8. On 1/7/2024 at 8:48 AM, MO & LO on the go! said: Cozumel = All Terrain Buggy and Snorkel We did this tour on Brilliance last March, it was so fun. I hope you get to see a croc at Punta Sur! Any tips, things to prepare for, things that you weren't expecting that we should know? We went on the 4 wheelers once and didn't expect the dust so we had to buy an overly expensive piece of cloth for like $10 that if we had prepared would have been $1. Also bug spray was $20!!!!!! We have a Polaris at home so we plan to let our son do all the driving and just enjoy the experience .
  9. Great tips! Our rental car company says we should get "preferred" parking which is normally a $20-$30 upgrade but will check your tip out too, thanks! We only got a one day one park ticket because the cost was so outrageous.... Going to download the app tonight We are only doing Universal (not IOA), best rides there? Is Mythos there? Our plan in late lunch/early dinner in the park. Hoping for a cool themed (with good food) location if that is what Mythos is. Will have to google that
  10. We are staying offsite in the Lake Nona area (southeast of the airport) and have rented a car (which I think we get special parking pass for).
  11. Thanks! We have been saying that for awhile too.....and now trying it Thanks! This room was the ONLY room left that was the same for both so we got lucky! Any Universal tips are appreciated! We did get the "fast passes" to avoid huge lines
  12. Continuing on.... We have a balcony room on deck 14 near the middle. Our perfect spot. We like being high up and near the middle, helps with some rocking and has better views. We also like being away from the hustle and bustle of everyone near the stairwells. One son got a GTY balcony room which was a bit scary for us since we have never done that before and have read horror stories of people being kicked off for overbooking. Well it turned out ok, we found out his room almost 30 days ahead of time and feel better. he ended up on deck 10 in a balcony somewhere between middle and front (near the front stairs). It will be interesting to see how he likes that. This is his first balcony experience too since he was in an interior on Serenade and his girlfriend's first ever cruise. Our other son has an interior on deck 11 in the front.......that's a long story . He has that room all to himself. I should include we are Diamond Crown and Anchor. I mention this because we LOVE our free drinks. This is the only time either of us drink alcohol! Our last drinks were at our last dinner on Oasis in January 2023. Nothing since then so the next drinks will be at our first dinner of the cruise! We have recently started to find we enjoy getting the drink of the day at dinner.....and if we enjoy it we make it two!. The rest usually get used up at an evening show. 4 drinks a day is more than enough for us.......unless there is rum punch on an excursion.......then it's game over!!!! That is my favorite, locals make it soooooooo good. Might end up being a bit tipsy after this All shows have been booked! Also booked the escape room but could only get 6 in at a time slot so will try to add more once on the ship (assuming they hold some slots for on board sign ups). We really enjoyed the water show on Oasis so looking forward to what Wonder has. Loved the comedy club too, can't wait for some laughs. Curious about the Music Hall band, last time on Oasis was an Aerosmith cover band that was pretty good, but loud (I feel so old saying that). The excursions we have are: Cruise #1 Coco Cay = Chill Island Cabana Cozumel = All Terrain Buggy and Snorkel Roatan = Two Reef Snorkel (third party) Puerto Costa Maya = Chacchoben Mayan Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon Cruise #2 Coco Cay = Nothing yet, just chill on chair somewhere or see if they lower the price on a beach bed (they are crazy stupid expensive still) St Thomas = Skyride & Pirates Treasure Museum St Maarten = Plane Spotting at Maho Beach We will be recording these excursions and posting videos of them later (when I have time to put together). We fly out Thursday January 25th to Orlando in the afternoon and then have a hotel in the Lake Nona area (best price at our preferred chain). We picked the afternoon flight for price and then we don't have to get up crazy early. We rented a car for the couple days we are there, so that will be interesting. Friday January 26th is all day Universal (any tips appreciated). Unfortunately they close at 6pm for some special event (super bummer). We binged watched Harry Potter to get refreshed on it for this day!!! Saturday January 27th we will drive to Downtown Disney and check that out and see what has changed. My parents fly in that day also so we will meet them and have dinner. If anyone has suggestions near the Lake Nona area for dinner, we are all ears to it! Sunday January 28th is cruise day with a shuttle taking us to the port (they said about an hour or so). We plan to get to the port early to get on and start eating and check out the ship. We also need to check the dining room seats to see if they honored our requests...... As more happens and I think of details I will post them.
  13. We are going on our first ever back to back cruise in three weeks! Two 7 nights! We are on Wonder (if you hadn't guessed that by title) out of Port Canaveral. The first half of the cruise has 15 people (kids, parents, sister and family, aunt, cousin). We fly in three days early and are spending a day at Universal (never been there) and one day at Downtown Disney (been over 10 years since been there) with the kids. I say kids but they are in their 20's... One son has been on several cruises to included Oasis so he knows what to expect. The other boy has been on one cruise on Serenade so he's in for a treat. And his girlfriend has never been on a cruise or been to the Caribbean! She's in for a HUGE treat!!! The second half of the cruise is just us two, everyone else is only doing the first half. We have the same room for both cruises so no need to switch in the middle which is nice! Cruise #1 Coco Cay, Cruising, Cozumel, Roatan, Puerto Costa Maya, Cruising, Port Cruise #2 Coco Cay, Cruising, St Thomas, St Maarten, Cruising, Cruising, Port We have been to every port so far except Roatan so very curious about that one. Obviously we have never done this back to back thing and welcome any tips, tricks, or what to expect advice. This will be as much of a live blog as possible.....first half will be less "live" because we want to enjoy the family as much as possible in the moment. The second half will be much slower and able to post. Wanted to get this started.....More to come.......
  14. https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com We have used a few times on previous cruises for various ports and for our cruise this month coming up
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