Jax

Arrival into San Juan
In port with Odyssey and Carnival Mardi Gras. We have never been here before so we plan to explore as we make our way to El Morro. 

I haven’t mentioned the lines but they are noticeably longer than last years sailing because the ship is full. The elevators have been particularly bad.  Thankfully Berty bypasses most of the lines for us … a great star class perk. ❤️ Picture lineups have been bad but Berty suggested a few less busy times after speaking to the photo team.  I would love if priority access extended to picture lines   
📷 WJ at 10am. 😳

Arrival into San Juan
In port with Odyssey and Carnival Mardi Gras. We have never been here before so we plan to explore as we make our way to El Morro. 

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

Hibachi Night 2  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is always a fun experience and the food was delicious.  We added dumplings and udon noodles to go with our meal. 

Random pics of the ship before it fills up. 

Suite 8730
Our room was ready when we boarded at 11am. Luggage arrived within 20-30 minutes and I have already filled 7 laundry bags.  Love the laundry star class perk.  
 

It felt like we were on Amazing Race looking for the star class purple banners.  But we made it and our luggage is in the star class porters hands. 
 

Happy to report that our friends respite worker and her son arrived in Orlando tonight!  They were re routed from Chicago to Newark in the hopes of missing that winter storm and then got stuck in Newark overnight due to a missed connection.
13 people, 5 families travelling from various airports and we all made it to Florida! That’s a Christmas miracle. We are going to have a great week! 🎄🎅⭐️

Genie news 🧞‍♂️
I was not expecting to hear from Berty again but there were some last minute changes to the shows.  The biggest change was the cancelling of the aqua shows for nights 1-3. No idea why. We are now hosting our friends in our suite on night 4.  This makes me a bit nervous as I know that so many variables can cancel the show that late in the cruise but we will hope for the best.  Basically I went with Betty’s recommendations.  I have learned to trust them and let them do what they do best. I told Berty he is always 10 steps ahead of me so he is in charge! Lol 
A second star class flow rider session has been added on day 6. This was welcome news! 
I have to send Berty our lunch order tonight for delivery to the suite at 1pm.  

Today was a fun day! We booked a Private Tour; Everglades Airboat Ride. This was a favorite for all 5 of us.  We saw various birds and an alligator. Surprisingly they are not as easy to spot as I thought.  I was nervous about doing this because I don’t like critters of any kind but I had a lot of fun.  I had heard of alligator alley but today we were on it on our way to our tour. 
We had an early supper at Bo’s Pub. 
Now I need to pack for tomorrow! 

The wind finally died down a bit yesterday so we went to the beach in the morning and kart racing in the afternoon, followed by a great supper at Louie Bossi’s.  The boys had so much fun kart racing and finished at the top of the leaderboard. That was some of the best Italian food; everyone raved about their meals.  

Today we did a private waterways tour. Highly recommend! It took us through many of the waterways and it was so interesting to hear the history surrounding the properties and see the multi million dollar homes and yachts. Praying we win the Powerball. 🙏 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Another Christmas Miracle! Our friends Robert & Tammy left Vancouver Island a day early to beat the winter storm impacting them and Seattle.  They were able to get on Delta’s direct flight this morning and have just taken off.  Such a relief and looking forward to seeing them tonight! 
Our other friends arrived Sunday and are spending the week in Orlando at Disney.  We will see then Saturday. Getting excited to see everyone. 🎉🎉

He sends a fun GIF too! 

Love this! These are fun. I remember Leroy did one of these each morning as well. They don't all do it.

Or you can join us on Odyssey 12/31/2023 😉 there is a Playmakers onboard lol

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

Paradise 🌝🌝
📷 #8730. 

Any guesses on the number of times our door bell has rung??  
We actually said it was too bad maintenance didn’t disconnect our doorbell instead of our thermostat.  Lol 

Thermal Suite ✅✅
We have used the thermal area twice and so far so good. Yesterday was understandably  busy but this morning was quiet. The steam room is hot hot hot and the dry sauna is a nice option too.  I always return to the suite to shower but Lindsay says the men’s area has basic shower amenities of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Water is available in the relaxation area and then you can take it into the thermal area.   

After our HVAC issues yesterday this seemed like the perfect card to start things off with Berty.  It should be fun!