Jax

When you get the time, even if it's post-cruise... please don't forget this part from Paradise Beach. 😋

We were just talking about this tonight and I share your sentiment.  I think if we did this itinerary again we would not get off on one of the days.  We are all pooped and as we all know day 7 is always so busy.  

Just following up on the discussion relating to the up charge on Dec 24 & 25 for our friends that purchased the UDP.  Our friends found out when they boarded that their night 1 reservations were at Chops.  As long as they didn’t select the surf and turf option there was no additional charge but had they scheduled Chops themselves the uncharged would apply. This whole up charge fee should be reconsidered.  It’s GITCC. 

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.   ❤️

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. 🤣 
 

Just following up on the discussion relating to the up charge on Dec 24 & 25 for our friends that purchased the UDP.  Our friends found out when they boarded that their night 1 reservations were at Chops.  As long as they didn’t select the surf and turf option there was no additional charge but had they scheduled Chops themselves the uncharged would apply. This whole up charge fee should be reconsidered.  It’s GITCC. 

Christmas is gone 
I don’t remember Christmas decorations being taken down during our cruises in previous years but it’s possible I missed it.  #blamethestarclassbubble@Lovetocruise2002 is this the norm? Are decorations gone before New Years?? We woke to no Christmas decor. 

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. 🤣 
 

Just following up on the discussion relating to the up charge on Dec 24 & 25 for our friends that purchased the UDP.  Our friends found out when they boarded that their night 1 reservations were at Chops.  As long as they didn’t select the surf and turf option there was no additional charge but had they scheduled Chops themselves the uncharged would apply. This whole up charge fee should be reconsidered.  It’s GITCC. 

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.   ❤️

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. 

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.  

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.  

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.  

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 😆

@Jax Thanks for the great pictures of Paradise beach. I booked a pool daybed, but your posts have me second guessing this. When you say it was loud, was that because of loud music playing or just loud people? Did you find #14 to be quieter? (less music? less crowded?) I was worried about 14 being right next to the path between the pool and the beach, but your pics looks really appealing.

Christmas is gone 
I don’t remember Christmas decorations being taken down during our cruises in previous years but it’s possible I missed it.  #blamethestarclassbubble@Lovetocruise2002 is this the norm? Are decorations gone before New Years?? We woke to no Christmas decor. 

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. 🤣 
 

By the time we finished getting settled, it was 5pm. At first the kids wanted to take a walk along A1A, but by 5pm everyone was hungry so off to La Bamba we went! 

I cannot explain how happy I am to go back to La Bamba. We have searched all over for restaurants that are similar to this and not one compares. We just love this place! 

By the time we finished, we realized that we were exhausted. Made a quick Publix run for some yogurt, muffins, and fruit, and back at the hotel to call it a night. 

Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach - Oceanfront One Bedroom King Suite
Main living area



Bedroom



Master bathroom inside the bedroom 


Second bathroom 


Balcony and Views