Jax

Reyd’s birthday celebration was perfect! We came back to the suite after pictures and karaoke to this amazing chocolate mousse cake. You may remember me mentioning that Berty decorated the suite with a bunch of pictures he got off Facebook. Well he also got creative with decorating Reyd’s birthday cake. Reyd is a high school RAP student enrolled as a heavy diesel tech so the decorations were well done. We have made so many memories this week that we will cherish for many years.

Our group at Chops tonight. A much better experience than when the 3 of us ate there on Christmas Day. Food quality and service was excellent. I should know better but one of the managers was chatting with us while we waited for our group to arrive and wondered if we were celebrating anything tonight. I mentioned that Berty arranged for a cake to celebrate Reyd’s birthday in our suite later tonight. Well sure enough they surprised Reyd with a dessert and singing of happy birthday. Very nice of them . Posted a video on IG stories. Although I was tempted by the organic chicken I stuck with my usual; ribeye and lobster and a bunch of sides that we shared. We went for pictures after dinner and Lindsay was up to his usual antics. I will post a couple more of the funny group shots. There are some real doozies.

Delayed departure in Cozumel We saw the ferry pull up and said to ourselves “I bet that’s why we haven’t left yet”. Minutes later the captain announced the ferry had weather related delays but had just returned and we will be leaving shortly. Just another reminder why you should book Royal excursions especially when your excursion is not close to the port. Fortunately the ferry is docked in our area so it’s short walk.

I think that’s a good plan. I hope you enjoy your day as much as we did.

In other news I have heard varied reports that some star class guests are now being required to put luggage out the night before. I will report back what our process looks like. But if this process has changed it will definitely be GITCC.

We didn’t notice any foot traffic in daybed #14. It’s located close to the pool, beach, bathrooms, water equipment and massages. The pool cabanas are louder due to music and more people in the pool area. Our group wasn’t interested in the pool but if the pool appeals to you and you don’t mind a higher energy vibe you may love it. Our daybed was definitely quieter than the pool ones. Hope this helps.

Yes I don’t think the taco truck would be an issue however there is an access point to the pool and bathroom areas between 16 and 17. I wouldn’t not reserve them if that’s all I could get. But after being there #14 was my favorite. So I picked well!! Coming soon! Just got back onboard.

So what did Jessica and I do when everyone else went ATVing….MASSAGES I walked, more like stumbled out of there not knowing who or where I was. Sign of a relaxing massage Because we have the all inclusive rates are discounted from $45 for 30 minutes to $30. We each had a 1 hour massage. Followed by lunch. More on food in a bit.

So due to windy conditions sea doos and parasailing is closed. In fact all docks on the island are closed meaning no fishing or boat excursions either. BUT plan B was probably better than sea doos so the day was saved!!! The guys booked ATV’s and went out for close to 2 hours. They left from the resort and after a short ride they were on trails. Unanimously this was the highlight of all of their trip. Sometimes plan B works out. They paid $75 and were gone close to 2 hours.

Pool area This is a much busier and louder space. So glad we opted for beach daybeds. Views of the pool area and daybeds from all sides.

More Paradise Beach @OCSC Mike there is distance between daybed #16 and 17 that the map doesn’t clearly show. It’s about 15 yards. This picture was taken from daybed#14. This was taken from daybed #17 looking back to my daybed.

Paradise Beach We met Berty at the elevators at 8:30am for an express ride to deck 2. We grabbed some pier pics and met our friends at Margaritaville. Getting to the cab area was easy peezy. The 8 of us got put into a van. Cab rates are set and it was $45 for the van. The ride to Paradise Beach was very fast, maybe 20 minutes. Upon arrival we were greeted and taken to the check in area. First impressions were great, everywhere is clean and staff are so friendly. Service is fantastic. Here are some initial photos Arrival area. Check in area and shops looking back to arrival area. View of day bed 14, 15 and 16 Our daybed 14 which includes a dedicated dining table Ocean view from daybed #14 View of equipment rental from daybed #14

What the heck!! Is this in Cozumel?

Good morning from Cozumel. It’s cloudy and windy but no rain. Send positive vibes that the rain holds off. I have a feeling sea do’s may be cancelled. I’ll hop on when we get to Paradise Beach.

Tomorrow our group of 8 is off to Paradise Beach. This excursion was not offered by Royal so we booked it privately. We are looking forward to this one. I’ll check in tomorrow but our plan is to meet Berty at 8:30am for our usual express elevator ride. As much as we are looking forward to tomorrow, having 3 excursions, 3 days in a row is not great especially since all have had an early start. It makes for a very busy last day with star class bridge and galley tours, finalizing photo selections etc.

I know!! If I was not off eating hotdogs with Reyd I would have chucked it. Omg yes! We have never experienced this level of humidity on past eastern Caribbean sailings. It was 100% in Costa Maya yesterday and only 83% in Roatan. My ankles are swollen which never happens; my hair is a whole other story. lol

Hello, haven’t we established that I am an enabler. lol

Still can’t believe how much lower your RU offers were than mine.

1887 A Journey in Time Ice Show We missed this last year and we really enjoyed the show. I am embarrassed to say I always find it hard to follow their storyline. But regardless of why the show reed with a wedding I enjoyed it. Lol Bonus was being in a nice cold room watching it. Sorry but pictures and video were not allowed.

Tonight we visited 150 CP. Our friends joined us so it was another fun meal followed by more photo shenanigans. Oh and it was Caribbean night. We ordered a lot of items, short rib was amazing, pork belly yummy, pumpkin soup and leek soup so good, beef tenderloin and lobster thermador delicious. You are getting the picture. Everything was 10/10 including our server. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures; totally forgot. Lindsay took it easy tonight and stuck with the pumpkin soup and leek soup. Both were delicious. From there we were off for some photos before heading to the 1887 ice show.

It was really good. Being able to customize a pizza is a star class perk I really like. Ooh I will definitely mention this to my guys. I don’t like Sabor or spicy so that’s probably why they have only got nachos to go. I don’t put it in the dining rotation.

Berty arranged snacks for Reyd. He got a little bit from a few places. Nachos and salsa from Sabor with hot cheese from Johnny’s. Great combo but without Berty we wouldn’t have known where to get cheese. Ham & bacon pizza from Sorrentos. From the time I messaged Berty it was delivered within 20 minutes. I think that’s pretty impressive especially when multiple venues are involved.

Our departure from Turquoise Bay went smoothly. The van left right on time. It was a 24P van and there were a couple empty seats. The resort itself is very nice, offering a wide range of excursions. Very organized, great service. Food quality was the low point today. The VIP section is located at the far end of the beach. Overcrowding was not an issue. There were plenty of empty loungers available. I think for what we paid and the poor food quality, it was overpriced. I did get a chance to scout out the villas and overwater cabanas. Although sold out on cruise planner there were plenty available today. Glad we didn’t spend anymore on upgrades as food is a big part of our overall experience and theirs fell short.

Reyd and I didn’t order from the VIP menu; we opted for hotdogs, wings and fries. We felt it was a safer option. They were “fine,” nothing great. Lindsay ordered the surf and turf and chicken skewers and it was terrible. We weren’t there when his meal arrived but he said the lobster didn’t smell very good and it was rubbery. He only ate a couple bites and chucked it. I said why would you eat it at all? As we were returning to the ship he started feeling off and headed straight back to our suite while Reyd and I browsed the shops. We will see how it goes. Hopefully we don’t have an alpha alpha alpha on deck 9 suite #9730

Our arrival at Turquoise Bay It was about a 45 minute ride. The tour guide escorted us to the VIP area where there was a great selection of loungers. Umbrellas and towels are included. You are assigned a dedicated waiter. You can order off the VIP menu or grab hotdogs, fries, wings, burgers, nachos at the main eating area. VIP food and drink menu attached. More on the food and drink in a bit.