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MO & LO on the go!

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  1. Like
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to Mike P in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Looking forward to pics!  I'm doing ABC's (I wish it included Labadee!) on Adventure on 2/29 so I'm starting to get excited!
  2. Like
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to Lovestotravel in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Can't wait to follow along!  We are doing the ABC's plus St. Marteen in May on Freedom! 
  3. Love
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from Mike P in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Can't wait to be there to take them!  We will try to get lots of them!  Hopefully this live blog will get you even more excited seeing it right before you leave!
     
    That should be an awesome trip!
  4. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from monctonguy in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Internet:
    We originally booked 1 device Voom Surf and Stream at $12.99 and thought that was a good deal........well we checked again, like we always do on things we book, and found it went down to $11.99!!!  We called Royal and got the $9 adjustment (Hey $9 is $9! ?)
     

     
    Excursions:
    So far we have 2 excursions booked.  We booked the highly recommended Trikes in Aruba.  We normally don't book non RCCL excursions but since we are in port until 9pm we should be safe. 

     
    And the second one we booked was a RCCL excursion in Bonaire.  We booked the Land and Sea Adventure.  This excursion has a 4x4 ride, sailboat, and snorkel and says it is all day.  This covered several things we like to do and thought we would get a good overview of the island combining several different types of adventures. 

     
    As far as Labadee we just plan to hang out on the beach and chill (not Minnesota chill)!  Maybe we will find something that interests us but for now its just fun in the sun!!!
    We are still doing research for Curacao but are considering a tour (based on recommendations) or just walking around on our own.  We haven't decided yet...
     
    Final thoughts for this post:
    We have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up before we leave with a 5 day trip to Arizona to see family and some overtime at work.  We will continue to update any new info but are looking forward to this 2 week adventure in sun and warmth!!!!!!!  We are looking forward to bringing everyone along!
    ........until the next post ??️
     
  5. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from Guy Gadwa in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    So with the holidays and some big changes at work we have not been very active on the blog lately and haven't kept up with the pre-cruise info here.  So here is a little update!
     

     
    26 days to board but 25 until we leave sunny, warm Minnesota...................but who's counting........?
     

     
    Of course we did our check in the first day it was available and have our set sail passes already!  One thing to note on this cruise, we can not use the Royal Caribbean app because it is not available on this sailing so paper and a folder it is!
     

     
    I have noticed that some people pack weeks before they leave, this is not us!  We won't pack until the night before, but will start making sure we have the little things needed about 1 week prior.
     
    .....continued on next post..... 
     
     
  6. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from Guy Gadwa in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Internet:
    We originally booked 1 device Voom Surf and Stream at $12.99 and thought that was a good deal........well we checked again, like we always do on things we book, and found it went down to $11.99!!!  We called Royal and got the $9 adjustment (Hey $9 is $9! ?)
     

     
    Excursions:
    So far we have 2 excursions booked.  We booked the highly recommended Trikes in Aruba.  We normally don't book non RCCL excursions but since we are in port until 9pm we should be safe. 

     
    And the second one we booked was a RCCL excursion in Bonaire.  We booked the Land and Sea Adventure.  This excursion has a 4x4 ride, sailboat, and snorkel and says it is all day.  This covered several things we like to do and thought we would get a good overview of the island combining several different types of adventures. 

     
    As far as Labadee we just plan to hang out on the beach and chill (not Minnesota chill)!  Maybe we will find something that interests us but for now its just fun in the sun!!!
    We are still doing research for Curacao but are considering a tour (based on recommendations) or just walking around on our own.  We haven't decided yet...
     
    Final thoughts for this post:
    We have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up before we leave with a 5 day trip to Arizona to see family and some overtime at work.  We will continue to update any new info but are looking forward to this 2 week adventure in sun and warmth!!!!!!!  We are looking forward to bringing everyone along!
    ........until the next post ??️
     
  7. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from JohnK6404 in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Hello everyone!  We are Matt and Lisa (or MO and LO)!  Matt is the main typer and poster with input from Lisa.
    We are now down to double digits for this cruise after booking it with more than 400+ days until we boarded.  We don't remember the exact number of days because it was so painful to see such a high number so we did not pay attention until recently ?.  We booked it at Next Cruise on a previous cruise and got a $100 OBC!  Next Cruise is our preferred booking location for obvious reasons!  
    Only 98 days until we board, 97 until we fly out!  We are flying from Minneapolis to Miami so you can imagine how excited we are to leave Minnesota in February from the cold and snow!  We initially had this booked on the itinerary right before this one but changed it after we figured out that the Super Bowl was in Miami in 2020.  We would have been flying in to Miami on the Saturday before the big game so we decided that it would have been EXTREMELY expensive, busy, and not relaxing or enjoyable for us so changed it to the week later.  Very glad we did this.
     
    Why this cruise?:
    We have never been to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) and REALLY wanted to get there.  We really enjoy longer cruises since we feel like we really get to experience it and settle in.  For us, anything under 7 nights seems too short.  We also like the Voyager Class of ships so it was perfect.  From that class we have been on Adventure (March 2017) and Mariner (May 2019) in the past.  We recently did our first 9 night cruise which was on Serenade (Jan 2019) and learned that the boat was a bit small for us for such a long cruise.  This will be our 10th cruise together and give us a total of 100 points!  Our first together was our honeymoon in 1997 on Monarch out of Puerto Rico.  All our cruises together have been on RCCL.  I (Matt) have been on 1 extra cruise that I took as a kid with my parents on the Big Red Boat (if anyone remembers that one).   Flights: 
    We are flying on Delta from MSP to MIA on February 6th.  We always go atleast one day early because the weather is unpredictable in Minnesota that time of year and also because the stress of flying and boarding is just miserable......especially if something doesn't go quite right and we get delayed.  We will not land until late at night so that day is purely a travel day.  Unfortunately we learned something about companion fares........they only have so many allowed per flight so you need to book very early.  We did not realize they only allow so many per flight and got burned on this.  Normally we fly out a day or two ahead and hang out but they did not have that option available with the companion fares.  So with the companion fare issues in mind, we had to stay TWO extra days after the cruise to get the first flight available home.  We normally fly out as soon as we can on disembarkation day but now we will have 2 extra days in Miami.  We have never stayed more than a few extra hours after the cruise is over so this will be interesting to try.  We fly back on February 18th. Room:
    9th floor balcony  Excursions: 
    So far we haven't booked anything but will update on that as we continue the planning Dining & Drink Package: 
    We will be having every meal in the dining room because we love main dining.  We enjoy the personal connection and attention we get from getting to know the dining staff.  By the end of the cruise they have "learned" us  and our needs/wants and we love that!  We will be doing early dining (6pm on this cruise) so that we aren't eating so late at night!  That is always our preferred choice. We will be getting the Refreshment Package since we aren't heavy alcohol drinkers.  We WILL be taking part in the Diamond Lounge drinks every night though! ?  Full Itinerary:
    Travel Day from MSP to MIA Day 1 - Miami  Day 2 - Sea Day Day 3 - Labadee, Haiti (8am-5pm) Day 4 - Sea Day Day 5 - Kralendijk, Bonaire (9am-6pm) Day 6 - Oranjestad, Aruba (8am-9pm) Day 7 - Willemstad, Curacao (8am-5pm) Day 8 & 9 - Sea Days Day 10 - Miami Post cruise day - Miami Travel day from MIA to MSP Hotels:
    We are staying at the airport and downtown Holiday Inns.  Holiday Inn is our preferred chain because of quality and price along with consistency. This Live (or mostly) Blog:
    We will be doing our best to give live updates as we are doing them but obviously not everything can be live so some things will get posted when we have a chance. Vlog/Recording/Youtube/Twitter:
    We will be recording/vlogging as much as we can.  We have recorded numerous excursions for our personal collection and friends.  We recently thought that people, like us, would be interested in seeing some of these excursions so they know what they are like and what to expect.  It has helped us in our research of traveling/cruising.  This turned out to be very popular on our YouTube channel so we wanted to expand on that.  This will be our first attempt at that.  Our YouTube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-JW4jgv_suiK-NCHyhQIVA/ .  We will be posting these after they are edited and ready, which will probably be after we are home, but will try to get smaller/shorter things here.  Please subscribe to our channel so you will know when they are posted.  The videos will not just be excursions.  They will include lots of other stuff and we hope to have fun with them.  We will also post to our Twitter account with updates (https://twitter.com/MOLOonthego1).  We just bought the brand new GoPro Hero 8 Black to upgrade from our Hero 4 Silver to get some better quality videos (and not have them shake and bounce all over). Final Thoughts On First Post:
    We are excited to bring everyone along and showcase how we travel and what we do!!!  We look forward to everyone's comments and reactions to our first trip to the ABC islands!  If you have any questions, suggestions, thoughts please feel free to post on here or reach out to us privately.  
  8. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from JLMoran in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    So with the holidays and some big changes at work we have not been very active on the blog lately and haven't kept up with the pre-cruise info here.  So here is a little update!
     

     
    26 days to board but 25 until we leave sunny, warm Minnesota...................but who's counting........?
     

     
    Of course we did our check in the first day it was available and have our set sail passes already!  One thing to note on this cruise, we can not use the Royal Caribbean app because it is not available on this sailing so paper and a folder it is!
     

     
    I have noticed that some people pack weeks before they leave, this is not us!  We won't pack until the night before, but will start making sure we have the little things needed about 1 week prior.
     
    .....continued on next post..... 
     
     
  9. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from JLMoran in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Internet:
    We originally booked 1 device Voom Surf and Stream at $12.99 and thought that was a good deal........well we checked again, like we always do on things we book, and found it went down to $11.99!!!  We called Royal and got the $9 adjustment (Hey $9 is $9! ?)
     

     
    Excursions:
    So far we have 2 excursions booked.  We booked the highly recommended Trikes in Aruba.  We normally don't book non RCCL excursions but since we are in port until 9pm we should be safe. 

     
    And the second one we booked was a RCCL excursion in Bonaire.  We booked the Land and Sea Adventure.  This excursion has a 4x4 ride, sailboat, and snorkel and says it is all day.  This covered several things we like to do and thought we would get a good overview of the island combining several different types of adventures. 

     
    As far as Labadee we just plan to hang out on the beach and chill (not Minnesota chill)!  Maybe we will find something that interests us but for now its just fun in the sun!!!
    We are still doing research for Curacao but are considering a tour (based on recommendations) or just walking around on our own.  We haven't decided yet...
     
    Final thoughts for this post:
    We have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up before we leave with a 5 day trip to Arizona to see family and some overtime at work.  We will continue to update any new info but are looking forward to this 2 week adventure in sun and warmth!!!!!!!  We are looking forward to bringing everyone along!
    ........until the next post ??️
     
  10. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from The Cruise Junkie in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    So with the holidays and some big changes at work we have not been very active on the blog lately and haven't kept up with the pre-cruise info here.  So here is a little update!
     

     
    26 days to board but 25 until we leave sunny, warm Minnesota...................but who's counting........?
     

     
    Of course we did our check in the first day it was available and have our set sail passes already!  One thing to note on this cruise, we can not use the Royal Caribbean app because it is not available on this sailing so paper and a folder it is!
     

     
    I have noticed that some people pack weeks before they leave, this is not us!  We won't pack until the night before, but will start making sure we have the little things needed about 1 week prior.
     
    .....continued on next post..... 
     
     
  11. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from The Cruise Junkie in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Internet:
    We originally booked 1 device Voom Surf and Stream at $12.99 and thought that was a good deal........well we checked again, like we always do on things we book, and found it went down to $11.99!!!  We called Royal and got the $9 adjustment (Hey $9 is $9! ?)
     

     
    Excursions:
    So far we have 2 excursions booked.  We booked the highly recommended Trikes in Aruba.  We normally don't book non RCCL excursions but since we are in port until 9pm we should be safe. 

     
    And the second one we booked was a RCCL excursion in Bonaire.  We booked the Land and Sea Adventure.  This excursion has a 4x4 ride, sailboat, and snorkel and says it is all day.  This covered several things we like to do and thought we would get a good overview of the island combining several different types of adventures. 

     
    As far as Labadee we just plan to hang out on the beach and chill (not Minnesota chill)!  Maybe we will find something that interests us but for now its just fun in the sun!!!
    We are still doing research for Curacao but are considering a tour (based on recommendations) or just walking around on our own.  We haven't decided yet...
     
    Final thoughts for this post:
    We have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up before we leave with a 5 day trip to Arizona to see family and some overtime at work.  We will continue to update any new info but are looking forward to this 2 week adventure in sun and warmth!!!!!!!  We are looking forward to bringing everyone along!
    ........until the next post ??️
     
  12. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from Ogilthorpe in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    Internet:
    We originally booked 1 device Voom Surf and Stream at $12.99 and thought that was a good deal........well we checked again, like we always do on things we book, and found it went down to $11.99!!!  We called Royal and got the $9 adjustment (Hey $9 is $9! ?)
     

     
    Excursions:
    So far we have 2 excursions booked.  We booked the highly recommended Trikes in Aruba.  We normally don't book non RCCL excursions but since we are in port until 9pm we should be safe. 

     
    And the second one we booked was a RCCL excursion in Bonaire.  We booked the Land and Sea Adventure.  This excursion has a 4x4 ride, sailboat, and snorkel and says it is all day.  This covered several things we like to do and thought we would get a good overview of the island combining several different types of adventures. 

     
    As far as Labadee we just plan to hang out on the beach and chill (not Minnesota chill)!  Maybe we will find something that interests us but for now its just fun in the sun!!!
    We are still doing research for Curacao but are considering a tour (based on recommendations) or just walking around on our own.  We haven't decided yet...
     
    Final thoughts for this post:
    We have a pretty busy couple weeks coming up before we leave with a 5 day trip to Arizona to see family and some overtime at work.  We will continue to update any new info but are looking forward to this 2 week adventure in sun and warmth!!!!!!!  We are looking forward to bringing everyone along!
    ........until the next post ??️
     
  13. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from Ogilthorpe in Explorer | Feb 7-16, 2020 | First Time To ABC Islands!   
    So with the holidays and some big changes at work we have not been very active on the blog lately and haven't kept up with the pre-cruise info here.  So here is a little update!
     

     
    26 days to board but 25 until we leave sunny, warm Minnesota...................but who's counting........?
     

     
    Of course we did our check in the first day it was available and have our set sail passes already!  One thing to note on this cruise, we can not use the Royal Caribbean app because it is not available on this sailing so paper and a folder it is!
     

     
    I have noticed that some people pack weeks before they leave, this is not us!  We won't pack until the night before, but will start making sure we have the little things needed about 1 week prior.
     
    .....continued on next post..... 
     
     
  14. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from stephenkurucz in What to do in San Juan?   
    Check out the fort!  That was pretty neat and FREE!
  15. Haha
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from mworkman in Refundable OnBoard Credit???   
    We must be doing something wrong (or right) because we NEVER get a refund!  We even had almost $700 in OBC once and we still had to pay at the end (albeit very little)!  Refund?  What is that?!?!  ???
  16. Haha
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to twangster in ?????   
    Maybe try over at CC?
  17. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from RCVoyager in What to do in San Juan?   
    Check out the fort!  That was pretty neat and FREE!
  18. Like
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from JennyJenny in Snacks?   
    Some of our stuff was opened and we had no issues.  Maybe we got lucky!
  19. Love
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Snacks?   
    Some of our stuff was opened and we had no issues.  Maybe we got lucky!
  20. Thanks
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to codyh21 in ABC Island Excursion HELP!   
    Woodwind in Bonaire has always been exceptional and we’re going back in a couple weeks.  They ask the group your skill level beforehand and divide you up with staff spending more time while in the water with those less experienced.  
     
    We rented a car through Advance in Curacao so we can do some exploring.  I’m doing a live blog so will be sure to report on that experience as well.  ABCs are our favorite port stops!
  21. Thanks
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to Zeashore in ABC Island Excursion HELP!   
    In Curacao, we did the island tour that included the Hato Caves, a small museum, and the Curacao liquor factory. Very reasonably priced and enjoyable. It was through RCI.
     
  22. Thanks
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to Ken-55 in ABC Island Excursion HELP!   
    I'll second the recommendation for the Sea Cow! We've done a bunch of snorkeling excursions and the Sea Cow staff were the best we've ever seen AND they picked us up right at the cruise pier! 
  23. Thanks
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from USCG Teacher in ABC Island Excursion HELP!   
    Thanks for the suggestions!  We have been to most Caribbean ports EXCEPT these 3 so we are very excited!  Everywhere I research aruba the trikes are mentioned......must be very fun and popular.  We will check out all these suggestions!
     
    Thanks!  We are thinking a beach day also at one port to just chill and enjoy the sun!  Checking these suggestions out also!  Looking forward to hearing what you thought of these!
     
    Whatever we pick we are going to make sure we record/vlog so everyone can "experience" it and have a better idea of what its like!
  24. Thanks
    MO & LO on the go! reacted to micahd in ABC Island Excursion HELP!   
    We did a similar itinerary on  Navigator earlier this year. It was our ten-year anniversary and an incredible experience.
    In Aruba we rented a jeep and went all over the island, Conchi, the lighthouse, two or three different beaches, the house of cake and the flying fishbone restaurant.
    In Curaçao we rented a car and hit several beaches including Playa Grandi first thing in the morning where we swam with several wild sea turtles. That was the experience of a lifetime. We stoped at a local grocery store for lunch and hit a few beaches before we spent some time in the very colorful downtown area as well.
    In Bonaire we did discover scuba diving with VIP diving. I would highly recommend it, they are not available through RC but they were incredible and they got us back on the ship with plenty of time to spare.
  25. Wow
    MO & LO on the go! got a reaction from JustmeCindy in Excursions: Cruise Line vs 3rd party   
    As mentioned several times, if something goes wrong on your excursion booked through Royal (and it will sometimes) they WILL get you back to the boat at their expense.  This happened to a friend of mine.  The boat left port so they took a boat to catch up to the cruise and they boarded like a tender would as the boat was moving.  Worth the extra money to book with Royal in my opinion!  Lots of excursions you book with 3rd parties use the exact same companies and you go with the masses to the same locations.  Just like when you go on these booked through Royal you will have people from other ships and companies at port.  Im sure there are some 3rd parties that are not though.
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