TomBryant

28 cruises with Royal, 3 with Carnival and 1 on the Dolphin IV on a cruise line that no longer exists.
All of them out of FL!
We have 1 scheduled for May on Wonder.

We're doing the beach club at Coco Cay. Also going a day early and going to Kennedy space Center.

Just stopping by to say hello. We are looking forward to the cruise. 

From Port Canaveral, visiting CocoCay, Roatan, Cozumel, and Costa Maya.
 
Photos will follow.😎

That is my assumption too. Thank goodness it's not a shady math booking lmao
Problem is, I was actually told I had to leave the ship! 😂 thank you for following along!

Thanks for this blog, the only problem is with it over, I feel like I've been told to leave the ship.
But you really do a great job bringing us in.

You can reserve your spot on the Cruise Planner. 25% Pre-Cruise savings!

Cruise Summary
I've waited a few days to post a summary so I can properly contemplate the experience.  In summary it was amazing. 
With my creative thoughts warmed tonight with a glass of Endurance Scotch I am ready to summarize this voyage.
I've enjoyed some special bucket list cruises on various lines to great destinations.  This experience on the Silver Wind to Antarctica has surpassed them all.
We had some great weather on this voyage but I have the feeling that the experience would be pretty fantastic with or without the weather we had.
I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the Silver Wind.   There is no disputing her age yet I was pleased with the ship and how it has been updated.   
The premium internet plan and the consistent internet experience throughout the voyage given the challenges of internet at sea well away from populated areas was a pleasant surprise for this tech geek.  
When I considered Antarctic itineraries I initially focused on Antarctica exclusively.  Fortunately I realized if I was going all this way, investing in this vacation as required, I should explore the greater area.  This was a great itinerary that included the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Elephant Island and Antarctica.  All of them are special in their own way and all of them worthy of being included on this special voyage.  
Boots on the ground in the Falklands, South Georgia, Elephant Island and Antarctica with a surprise visit to iceberg A23a.  Enough said.  Christmas in South Georgia, New Years in Antarctica.  Does it get any better than that?  
On the way home at the hotel in Santiago with new friends made on this voyage someone asked the best moment of this experience.  In truth there wasn't one, there were many best moments.
Being in a special place is all well and good but I learned the value of a great zodiac driver while in the Galapagos.  That lesson holds true in the Antarctic.  Great guides are equally important and our expedition team were all pretty great.  They all have impressive resumes and their passion for their work is hard to miss.  They were a large part of making this experience what it became.  I am quickly becoming a fan of Silversea expedition cruising.
The Captain along with his bridge and deck teams were also a significant factor in the making of this experience.  They all did a phenomenal job. 
Food is subjective.  I try to refrain from reviewing food because my tastes should mean little to anyone else.  I can't recall a bad meal and there were some pretty great meals on board.  How do they keep food fresh as long as they did?  The only meals that I was not enthused about were the two lunches in The Restaurant that were basically buffets.  Generally speaking the food in The Restaurant where I ate most of my meals was perfect for me.  
As far as my camera kit for this sailing I think I did pretty good.  When you own a boat and pull into a marina there is always someone in the marina with a better boat.   Photography is somewhat similar and I sometimes had some "PE" (photographer envy) seeing what other guests had in their hand.  Despite that I think I did okay and I'm pleased with the results.
I watched the ship provided video again before sitting down to write this summary.  I am so glad they provide the video.   Justin did a great job with it.   Every time I watch it the memories come flooding back.  
This was an incredible experience and I enjoyed presenting it here.  I hope you have found it informative and I thank you for viewing.  

The ship's position for our zodiac tour of Wilhelmenia Bay.

Given the snow storm and weather system moving across Drakes Passage above us we will turn South and cruise the Neumayer Channel for a ship cruise of the area.  This route will take us through another whale hotspot. 
Alas no more zodiac rides.

Information posted for our consumption:

We were on the ship just long enough to contemplate life and consider this next challenge.
The Polar Plunge.
They gathered victims, I mean participants by deck number.

Too late to back out now.




I survived!

Back in my suite I was able to watch some other participants enjoying the plunge.

I see redcoats!

 

 

 

 

Live from Antarctica aboard the Silver Wind.

so gorgeous!  Your pictures are amazing and I am just loving this blog.  I am pretty sure I will never get anywhere close to this part of the world but I feel like you’ve provided such an education for me!
Truly awesome!

A quick note about the sites that we will visit in Antarctica.  
They determine the sites that will be visited a day or so before we visit them.  Weather changes rapidly.  Ice conditions change daily.   They don't know exactly where they will or can take expedition tours that far in advance.  Instead they pick from sites that are available, or they hope will be available, for the conditions that day.  
The sites I visit on this voyage may be the same or different from other voyages in the past or future. 

Here is a 360 photo from Point Wild.
Point Wild, Elephant Island 360 Photo

We arrived at Grytviken in a snow storm.


Soon the first group was called.

I could make out structures in the distance.



The Silversea highway of humans visiting Shackleton's grave.

Then it started to clear a bit more.

Busy day in the Dallas area. 
We started the day off by stopping at AT&T Stadium. Unfortunately there were no self guided tours today and the field was not open because they are changing it out for college football next week. We didn’t want to wait for a VIP guided tour knowing the field wasn’t open. Plus Lindsay has visited the stadium previously and toured locker rooms and the field. 
Next was a stop at the JFK Assassination site. 

 Then a quick drive by Turtle Creek Lane in Dallas. This is a fun account I follow on Instagram that loves going all out with seasonal decorating.  
Next stop was Gas Monkey Garage. Terrible luck; they closed 30 minutes before we got there for a staff party. 😞 So I think we will stop in tomorrow morning on our way to Galveston so Lindsay can buy merch. 

Next stop, the Texas Motor Speedway. This was a highlight for me. We were able to book a private tour which included stops in the owners suite, trackside and 3 laps around the track. I posted 1 of my laps on IG stories.  For the money this exceeded expectations. I am going to look into coming back when I can schedule a driving experience for Lindsay and Reyd. Maybe a high school graduation celebration; who knows. They were not offering any this late in December.  

Then we were off to see Fort Worth Stock Yards with a stop at Billy Bobs. Lindsay has been here before but I had no idea what to expect.  It definitely exceeded my expectations.  So many restaurants and shops.  I said the Calgary Stampede should create something like this.  

We are back at the hotel now resting. lol 

Summary:  Food Expectations can be out of line with your life
This is a blog about my cruise experience.  Today the quality of food came up with 3 different people/groups in discussions I was in.  The first was a man in his early 50's that came sat next to me at the Martini Bar.  This was his first Celebrity cruise and he asked me what I thought about the food.  Before I could answer he told me that he felt the food was subpar, and he thought Celebrity food was much better.  The I had dinner with two couples that were in their 80 that have been cruising forever.  They asked where I ate my Thanksgiving meal and when they found out I was at the specialty restaurant they both had the opinion that specialty restaurants were not worth the cover charge.   The last one was a just now I had 3 girls in their teens that was asking me where to find good food in-between meals.  
Now I am going to share my opinion on food on cruise ships and this cruise ship.  They way I look at food on a cruise ship is the food better than what I get at home.  Sence I am the cook at home most of the time it is yes.  The second level is the food better than what I get at Denny's or the local restaurant.  It is like looking at Pizza; I like Little Cezar's but I also like Me N Eds Pizza, but I do not expect them to taste the same.
Overall, the food on the Celebrity Beyond is very good.  I do not cruise for the food, but it is much better than I would eat at home or get on most other cruise lines. Someone pointed out that you do not have to pay and upcharge and eat at Specialty Restaurants, but would you eat at a 4- or 5-star restaurant back at home for $40 or $50.  Last night I had dinner at a restaurant that would cost me $150 or more back home and it only cost me $35.  Back home I would not be eating at a 5-star restaurant because of the price but on the cruise ship I can because I only see the upcharge. I know the other meals are free, but I choose not to look at it that way. The hamburger place by the pool is very good.  I would rather have an In-N-Out Burger, but they do not have it on the ship.  The one on the ship is about the same as I can cook at home, and I am happy with that.   The pizza place is both really bad and really good.  I have been there in the middle of the day and the pizza had sat there for 20 minutes and it turned to soft flappy cruise.  For a think cruise handmade pizza that is not good.  I showed up at 12:30 am two nights ago and got one just out of the pizza oven and it was the best pizza I have had in a very long time.  Today I went by there at the start of lunch, and they pre-made pizza's getting ready for the start of lunch rush.  I knew better than to get it.  Instead, I asked them to create me one with all the meats from the for different pizzas they were cooking.  I sat and waited for them to make it and had a great pizza for lunch. I have had really good food at the main dining rooms.  The main dining rooms are different from what I am used to.  There are four of them and each one is the same and different at the same time.  They all have a few items that are just for that restaurant but then 80%of the menu is the same in all of them.  I have found from past experience to ask the waiter.  The first night I thought I knew what I wanted but when I asked the waiter her steered me away from the items and we selected something else that was very good.  Tonight, I did the same thing and the waiter told me I had great selections.  The appetizer was not very good but that is because it was octopus and I found out I do not like octopus.  The main dish was lamb shank, and it was very good. The problem I see with most people that are unhappy with cruise food is they have very high expectations and they do not help at meeting them.  They want to sit down and get served 5-star food prepared the way they like it.  In my opinion most people would be much happier if they lowered their expectations and worked with the cruise to find high quality food that they like.
 

We have received the same email... I think I'll send them an empty envelope.

Those upside down pineapple magnets are real popular.

Like it or not, these decisions to build floating amusement parks is Royal's (And other cruise lines) attempt to take market share and revenue away from traditional vacation destinations like Disney, Universal, and other parks.  Icon is a perfect example of this, and I have no doubt Royal will be successful in this.  This works well for shareholders and families that would already be considering amusement park vacations.  These families generally spend a lot of money on vacation and will be a huge revenue generator for Royal.  They may lose a few, once loyal, customers that do not appreciate the changes, but the number of new passengers will certainly outweigh the loss of existing customers.  Businesses call this churn, and as long as the customer churn results in positive revenue, businesses will take the risks and continue to introduce change in attempts to generate even more revenue.  Also, a big trend in most business is more self-service (through technology) and less hand-held personalized service (as this is costly). As an investor, I appreciate it when companies are innovative, competitive, have increasing revenue streams.
Currently, die hard cruise traditionalists have choices by choosing older ships that accommodates their no-frills vacation expectations, but as time goes on and older ships are sold, updated, or decommissioned, they will be forced into adapting or abandoning cruise life.  Yes, we can romance about the old days of cruising, but at the end of the day, we just need to accept that the industry is going to change.  Cruising used to be seen as "an old person's vacation", but by making these changes, cruising has become more inclusive and is quickly becoming a "family vacation".  We saw a similar conversion in Las Vegas.  It used to be just a destination for gamblers and buffet enthusiasts.  In the 90's and early 2000's, the Vegas strip began a huge transformation and started to become a family destination.  Prices went up, demographics changed, and more customers were attracted which brought in a lot of money to the casinos outside of gambling revenue.  As long as the majority of customers are willing to pay the new prices, the change will occur.
Personally, I love these changes in the cruise industry.  I am a proud grandpa and happy to take my kids and grandkids with me knowing that everyone will have a great time on board.  I am the grandpa that loves to surf and boogieboard on the flow rider with the kids and grandkids (and I am getting good at it).  I am the grandpa that loves seeing the "fright" on the kids' faces as they zipline over the boardwalk.  I am the grandpa that loves trying to teach the grandkids to ice-skate in the middle of the ship on sea days.  I am the grandpa that loves snorkeling and beach time with the kids in various ports.
I guess in summary, you are not wrong to fell as you do.  If you find a cruise line that is a better fit for your expectations, then by all means, try it out and possibly change your loyalty alignment.  Royal will more than likely continue to push forward with technology and enhancements regardless of how you fell about it as an individual -- they will not remain loyal to those that cannot adapt to these technology changes over time.

This is wedding number 6 for Lorenzo. Invite said:  October 29th at 9:45 in the morning on the Wonder of the seas. He is almost 65. New wife is 38.  So, if you see what looks like father and daughter together, it’s them. 

Who else immediately went here:
 

We use Park n Cruise. They have always been good for us.

Thank you for taking us along on this cruise. I caught myself checking up on your progress to the ship and your time on board for the last almost 10 days. Thank you! And hope you have a pleasant re-orientation back into the real world.

Thank you for taking us along on this cruise. I caught myself checking up on your progress to the ship and your time on board for the last almost 10 days. Thank you! And hope you have a pleasant re-orientation back into the real world.