wannabecruiseexpert

I just received a complimentary cruise from the casino. My level is only Choice with barely 700 credits. I thought only Prime received comped cruises. I'm not complaining, just trying to understand why I got it. Any ideas?

I just received a complimentary cruise from the casino. My level is only Choice with barely 700 credits. I thought only Prime received comped cruises. I'm not complaining, just trying to understand why I got it. Any ideas?

Let’s try this again. Hopefully I won’t lose internet this time. 
 
Our room is beautiful. Allan had cookies,  a fruit tray, and some champagne waiting. The second bedroom was made up as a queen, but room steward Gusti had it changed to twins before bed 

Dinner in Coastal Kitchen

Not a huge fan of the QR code menus.  Something about holding a menu and looking it over.  Oh well, it is what it is.


Caesar salad.

Filet night!

Back to my cabin just in time for sunset.

This post will be all about communications with our Genie.
Being that this is our first time, I had no clue what to expect other than what I've read on here. I did, however, know to expect a questionnaire. It came via email August 25, or 46 days before sailing. Honestly, I didn't fill it out. Seems to me that they don't give the genies useful information so we didn't take them time to complete it.
On September 4 (36 days before sailing) I received the first emailing from our Genie. We will have Smitha. It was a welcome email with a few attachments of all of the star class benefits and some regulations (such as not being able to enter stateroom if we are there). I replied to this email with a few generic requests and questions. Nothing worth noting.
A few days later I received a very detailed email. A few things that surprised me to note -
1. At this point, our official check in time was 1:00. I knew we could arrive 1 hour earlier. Smitha's email said:
Arrival:
When arriving to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral please find the purple Star Class flag where two Terminal Genies will be greeting Star Class guests outside the entrance of the terminal.  They will escort you through security ensuring that a porter follows with your suitcases (please do not hand over your suitcases at the regular drop off area as we won't be able to expedite it). I will be at the second level of the terminal,  by the check-in area where you will be escorted to.  I will then escort you to your suite and will be delighted to assist you in any way desired, making sure your arrival experience is the best of what Royal Caribbean has to offer.
 Thank you for advising your arrival time confirmation to ensure a seamless boarding process and avoid any unnecessary wait. Boarding usually starts as from 11:30am so you may arrive at 11:00am and start check-in so you may board early.       I wasn't expecting to be able to arrive 2 hours early. I wonder if that's because we have a little one who needs to be tested at check-in. Not sure.
2. In the prior email I sent, I mentioned some candy the kids like - m&m's, etc. She replied merchandise sweets are not included unfortunately.      I was a little surprised by that one because I’ve seen countless photos and posts of bowls of m&m’s and candies.
3. She included a list of options for the mini bar.  As your mini bar is included, please let me know your beverage preferences in advance from the following options: Evian Water | Tonic Water | San Pelegrino sparkling water | Club Soda | Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Coke Zero | Sprite | Sprite Zero | Fanta | Ginger Ale | Minute Maid Juice orange & apple |  Beer: Amstel Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Guinness, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella.

May I also ask if you prefer to be greeted with one of the following bottles: Champagne Moet Chandon Brut 750ml | Wine Chardonnay Cakebread Napa 750ml | Wine Pinot Noir Belle Glos Las Alturas Monterey 750ml | Wine Sauvignon Blanc Cloudy Bay New Zealand 750ml | Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Sequoia Grove Rutherford 750ml | Wine Merlot Duckhorn Vineyards Napa 750ml
 The rest of the email was basically describing all of the specialty restaurants and she did give us a preliminary dining and show schedule.
Countdown: 14 days until flight ; 16 days until boarding 

After reading many wonderful cruise blogs on this site, I decided to be a follower and write my own. With me being too excited about this vacation, I need more people to talk about it. So, let’s go!
Parties Involved: My best friend, Kiesha & I (Ashley Joy)
Ship: Odyssey of the Seas
Cabin: Virtual Balcony
Dates: Monday, November 15 - Saturday, November 20
Ports: CocoCay & Labadee (at least, it is still on the itinerary)
Reason: Celebrating 25 years of friendship, but do you really need a reason to cruise?!
Cruise History: Kiesha did a Royal Caribbean cruise about a decade ago in a Balcony I went on a Symphony in April 2019 in a Virtual Balcony, which works with my irrational fear of heights and losing objects overboard. It was my only cruise to date, but I left addicted!!!!!
Backstory: This trip has been a long time coming. I would always say, “Kiesha, we hardly ever vacation together.” When we met our freshman year of college, we used to take trips all the time. As real adults, we have gone on a couple of long weekend adventures.
This past June, I had just returned from vacation and was needing another vacation (why is it always like that?!) so, I was researching the Royal Caribbean website. Luck would have it, I found a:
✅ great cruise itinerary
✅ set of dates that would work
✅ decent price
✅ new ship
✅ my favorite type of cabin
I asked Kiesha to join me. She only had one question, “is it Royal Caribbean?” I said, “is there any other cruise line?” The next day I reached out to Caroline at MEI.
Now, we only have 50 days to go! I told you I am too excited to not have anyone to regularly talk about this trip. 🙂
To keep things interesting, my doctor and I decided this a great time to have surgery. In about ten days, it will be operation day. The cruise will be six weeks into a seven week recovery plan. I am thankful that my doctor believes my only underlying issue will be tiredness.

How fun! I love reading the blogs that have little ones (Well I love reading all of these blogs but with a little one myself, I really enjoy reading how the kids enjoy everything). Only a few more sleeps!

Excited doesn’t begin to describe our feelings for our cruise taking place on 10/2 aboard the symphony of the seas!  There are a total of 5 of us going: me, husband, 2 girls (5 & 10), and my mom.  We’re booked in a balcony room and mom is in an ocean view.  Both rooms have pending bids on upgrades.  Hoping for that 2bdr grand suite! 🤩

This will be my 8th cruise total, 2nd on RCL, and 1st cruise since 2018. Most recent cruises include the Oasis on RCL and Horizon on Carnival.   
 
Welcome to our journey!
 
7 days till boarding:
    Mission 1) Get those negative tests!
Husband and I are doing telehealth sessions Thursday morning (2 days prior to sail) and the kids have appointments scheduled for Wednesday evening (3 days prior to sail for kids 2-11). Wish us luck!    
 
 
 
 
 

This post will be all about communications with our Genie.
Being that this is our first time, I had no clue what to expect other than what I've read on here. I did, however, know to expect a questionnaire. It came via email August 25, or 46 days before sailing. Honestly, I didn't fill it out. Seems to me that they don't give the genies useful information so we didn't take them time to complete it.
On September 4 (36 days before sailing) I received the first emailing from our Genie. We will have Smitha. It was a welcome email with a few attachments of all of the star class benefits and some regulations (such as not being able to enter stateroom if we are there). I replied to this email with a few generic requests and questions. Nothing worth noting.
A few days later I received a very detailed email. A few things that surprised me to note -
1. At this point, our official check in time was 1:00. I knew we could arrive 1 hour earlier. Smitha's email said:
Arrival:
When arriving to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral please find the purple Star Class flag where two Terminal Genies will be greeting Star Class guests outside the entrance of the terminal.  They will escort you through security ensuring that a porter follows with your suitcases (please do not hand over your suitcases at the regular drop off area as we won't be able to expedite it). I will be at the second level of the terminal,  by the check-in area where you will be escorted to.  I will then escort you to your suite and will be delighted to assist you in any way desired, making sure your arrival experience is the best of what Royal Caribbean has to offer.
 Thank you for advising your arrival time confirmation to ensure a seamless boarding process and avoid any unnecessary wait. Boarding usually starts as from 11:30am so you may arrive at 11:00am and start check-in so you may board early.       I wasn't expecting to be able to arrive 2 hours early. I wonder if that's because we have a little one who needs to be tested at check-in. Not sure.
2. In the prior email I sent, I mentioned some candy the kids like - m&m's, etc. She replied merchandise sweets are not included unfortunately.      I was a little surprised by that one because I’ve seen countless photos and posts of bowls of m&m’s and candies.
3. She included a list of options for the mini bar.  As your mini bar is included, please let me know your beverage preferences in advance from the following options: Evian Water | Tonic Water | San Pelegrino sparkling water | Club Soda | Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Coke Zero | Sprite | Sprite Zero | Fanta | Ginger Ale | Minute Maid Juice orange & apple |  Beer: Amstel Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Guinness, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella.

May I also ask if you prefer to be greeted with one of the following bottles: Champagne Moet Chandon Brut 750ml | Wine Chardonnay Cakebread Napa 750ml | Wine Pinot Noir Belle Glos Las Alturas Monterey 750ml | Wine Sauvignon Blanc Cloudy Bay New Zealand 750ml | Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Sequoia Grove Rutherford 750ml | Wine Merlot Duckhorn Vineyards Napa 750ml
 The rest of the email was basically describing all of the specialty restaurants and she did give us a preliminary dining and show schedule.
Countdown: 14 days until flight ; 16 days until boarding 

This post will be all about communications with our Genie.
Being that this is our first time, I had no clue what to expect other than what I've read on here. I did, however, know to expect a questionnaire. It came via email August 25, or 46 days before sailing. Honestly, I didn't fill it out. Seems to me that they don't give the genies useful information so we didn't take them time to complete it.
On September 4 (36 days before sailing) I received the first emailing from our Genie. We will have Smitha. It was a welcome email with a few attachments of all of the star class benefits and some regulations (such as not being able to enter stateroom if we are there). I replied to this email with a few generic requests and questions. Nothing worth noting.
A few days later I received a very detailed email. A few things that surprised me to note -
1. At this point, our official check in time was 1:00. I knew we could arrive 1 hour earlier. Smitha's email said:
Arrival:
When arriving to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral please find the purple Star Class flag where two Terminal Genies will be greeting Star Class guests outside the entrance of the terminal.  They will escort you through security ensuring that a porter follows with your suitcases (please do not hand over your suitcases at the regular drop off area as we won't be able to expedite it). I will be at the second level of the terminal,  by the check-in area where you will be escorted to.  I will then escort you to your suite and will be delighted to assist you in any way desired, making sure your arrival experience is the best of what Royal Caribbean has to offer.
 Thank you for advising your arrival time confirmation to ensure a seamless boarding process and avoid any unnecessary wait. Boarding usually starts as from 11:30am so you may arrive at 11:00am and start check-in so you may board early.       I wasn't expecting to be able to arrive 2 hours early. I wonder if that's because we have a little one who needs to be tested at check-in. Not sure.
2. In the prior email I sent, I mentioned some candy the kids like - m&m's, etc. She replied merchandise sweets are not included unfortunately.      I was a little surprised by that one because I’ve seen countless photos and posts of bowls of m&m’s and candies.
3. She included a list of options for the mini bar.  As your mini bar is included, please let me know your beverage preferences in advance from the following options: Evian Water | Tonic Water | San Pelegrino sparkling water | Club Soda | Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Coke Zero | Sprite | Sprite Zero | Fanta | Ginger Ale | Minute Maid Juice orange & apple |  Beer: Amstel Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Guinness, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella.

May I also ask if you prefer to be greeted with one of the following bottles: Champagne Moet Chandon Brut 750ml | Wine Chardonnay Cakebread Napa 750ml | Wine Pinot Noir Belle Glos Las Alturas Monterey 750ml | Wine Sauvignon Blanc Cloudy Bay New Zealand 750ml | Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Sequoia Grove Rutherford 750ml | Wine Merlot Duckhorn Vineyards Napa 750ml
 The rest of the email was basically describing all of the specialty restaurants and she did give us a preliminary dining and show schedule.
Countdown: 14 days until flight ; 16 days until boarding 

This post will be all about communications with our Genie.
Being that this is our first time, I had no clue what to expect other than what I've read on here. I did, however, know to expect a questionnaire. It came via email August 25, or 46 days before sailing. Honestly, I didn't fill it out. Seems to me that they don't give the genies useful information so we didn't take them time to complete it.
On September 4 (36 days before sailing) I received the first emailing from our Genie. We will have Smitha. It was a welcome email with a few attachments of all of the star class benefits and some regulations (such as not being able to enter stateroom if we are there). I replied to this email with a few generic requests and questions. Nothing worth noting.
A few days later I received a very detailed email. A few things that surprised me to note -
1. At this point, our official check in time was 1:00. I knew we could arrive 1 hour earlier. Smitha's email said:
Arrival:
When arriving to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral please find the purple Star Class flag where two Terminal Genies will be greeting Star Class guests outside the entrance of the terminal.  They will escort you through security ensuring that a porter follows with your suitcases (please do not hand over your suitcases at the regular drop off area as we won't be able to expedite it). I will be at the second level of the terminal,  by the check-in area where you will be escorted to.  I will then escort you to your suite and will be delighted to assist you in any way desired, making sure your arrival experience is the best of what Royal Caribbean has to offer.
 Thank you for advising your arrival time confirmation to ensure a seamless boarding process and avoid any unnecessary wait. Boarding usually starts as from 11:30am so you may arrive at 11:00am and start check-in so you may board early.       I wasn't expecting to be able to arrive 2 hours early. I wonder if that's because we have a little one who needs to be tested at check-in. Not sure.
2. In the prior email I sent, I mentioned some candy the kids like - m&m's, etc. She replied merchandise sweets are not included unfortunately.      I was a little surprised by that one because I’ve seen countless photos and posts of bowls of m&m’s and candies.
3. She included a list of options for the mini bar.  As your mini bar is included, please let me know your beverage preferences in advance from the following options: Evian Water | Tonic Water | San Pelegrino sparkling water | Club Soda | Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Coke Zero | Sprite | Sprite Zero | Fanta | Ginger Ale | Minute Maid Juice orange & apple |  Beer: Amstel Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Guinness, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella.

May I also ask if you prefer to be greeted with one of the following bottles: Champagne Moet Chandon Brut 750ml | Wine Chardonnay Cakebread Napa 750ml | Wine Pinot Noir Belle Glos Las Alturas Monterey 750ml | Wine Sauvignon Blanc Cloudy Bay New Zealand 750ml | Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Sequoia Grove Rutherford 750ml | Wine Merlot Duckhorn Vineyards Napa 750ml
 The rest of the email was basically describing all of the specialty restaurants and she did give us a preliminary dining and show schedule.
Countdown: 14 days until flight ; 16 days until boarding 

This post will be all about communications with our Genie.
Being that this is our first time, I had no clue what to expect other than what I've read on here. I did, however, know to expect a questionnaire. It came via email August 25, or 46 days before sailing. Honestly, I didn't fill it out. Seems to me that they don't give the genies useful information so we didn't take them time to complete it.
On September 4 (36 days before sailing) I received the first emailing from our Genie. We will have Smitha. It was a welcome email with a few attachments of all of the star class benefits and some regulations (such as not being able to enter stateroom if we are there). I replied to this email with a few generic requests and questions. Nothing worth noting.
A few days later I received a very detailed email. A few things that surprised me to note -
1. At this point, our official check in time was 1:00. I knew we could arrive 1 hour earlier. Smitha's email said:
Arrival:
When arriving to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral please find the purple Star Class flag where two Terminal Genies will be greeting Star Class guests outside the entrance of the terminal.  They will escort you through security ensuring that a porter follows with your suitcases (please do not hand over your suitcases at the regular drop off area as we won't be able to expedite it). I will be at the second level of the terminal,  by the check-in area where you will be escorted to.  I will then escort you to your suite and will be delighted to assist you in any way desired, making sure your arrival experience is the best of what Royal Caribbean has to offer.
 Thank you for advising your arrival time confirmation to ensure a seamless boarding process and avoid any unnecessary wait. Boarding usually starts as from 11:30am so you may arrive at 11:00am and start check-in so you may board early.       I wasn't expecting to be able to arrive 2 hours early. I wonder if that's because we have a little one who needs to be tested at check-in. Not sure.
2. In the prior email I sent, I mentioned some candy the kids like - m&m's, etc. She replied merchandise sweets are not included unfortunately.      I was a little surprised by that one because I’ve seen countless photos and posts of bowls of m&m’s and candies.
3. She included a list of options for the mini bar.  As your mini bar is included, please let me know your beverage preferences in advance from the following options: Evian Water | Tonic Water | San Pelegrino sparkling water | Club Soda | Coca-Cola | Diet Coke | Coke Zero | Sprite | Sprite Zero | Fanta | Ginger Ale | Minute Maid Juice orange & apple |  Beer: Amstel Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Guinness, Heineken, Miller Lite, Stella.

May I also ask if you prefer to be greeted with one of the following bottles: Champagne Moet Chandon Brut 750ml | Wine Chardonnay Cakebread Napa 750ml | Wine Pinot Noir Belle Glos Las Alturas Monterey 750ml | Wine Sauvignon Blanc Cloudy Bay New Zealand 750ml | Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Sequoia Grove Rutherford 750ml | Wine Merlot Duckhorn Vineyards Napa 750ml
 The rest of the email was basically describing all of the specialty restaurants and she did give us a preliminary dining and show schedule.
Countdown: 14 days until flight ; 16 days until boarding 

And the cruise is a GO
The 4 of us just took our COVID tests right after midnight and they all came back negative.  After having so many vacations cancelled in the last 18 months, I just kept waiting for something to go wrong.  The boys and I were originally scheduled for testing tomorrow at CVS but I just couldn’t wait..  So when Mike did his test using EMed, the boys and I did ours too using our backup tests.  My mom and Mike’s parents are still scheduled for testing tomorrow.  
That’s a big change since a month ago when I last posted.  In early September, Mike mentioned that it would be nice to bring his parents on a cruise with us.  He originally thought our May 22 Adventure, but I (jokingly) suggested why not this one as the prices were good and I had seen mentions of single pricing on Oasis.  @Sharlawas able to get us a great price on 2 connecting ocean view balcony cabins down the hall from us right by the elevators, so they also be along on the cruise.  
Now that were are a group of 7, our plans on CoCo Cay went out the window.  We had started with a beach bed on chill, changed to a water park cabana, then to a chill island cabana, and now we have a cabana booked at the Beach Club.  I was hoping to do the overwater, but they haven’t budged from $1700.  
 
Today Allan also sent us final instructions for arrival on Sunday along with his WhatsApp contact information.  We have the earliest check in time (noon) but we plan to grab Dunkin Donuts on the way and be to the port around 10:45/11 if we don’t hit any traffic.  It’s a 2.5 hour drive from my mom’s house through NYC so a little unpredictable.  
 
It’s now 2:45AM and my second wind is gone.  Tomorrow we will finally start packing.  
 

 

Maybe it’s not a good time for you to cruise.  RC allows you to cancel for a full refund (not FCCs) if you are not comfortable with current protocols or other passengers’ compliance issues.  Perhaps you should go that route.  BTW my comment was “snooty” which means entitled not “snotty” indicating rude.  Still think it applies.

Well said. 
Unfortunately some people think to get COVID to zero they must be a hero. 

Sorry but it makes absolutely no sense that the staff cannot ask someone to comply with mask protocols unless another passenger complains first.  That’s ludicrous.  You are not, nor is any passenger, the mask police.

Wow. There’s some in every group.
Hopefully the next 3 weeks go smoother and the staff will do THEIR job.

Thanks so much! And I am following gourd as well! Love the name LOL I think we are ALL wannabecruiseexperts ❤️❤️

Oh my goodness how exciting!! Congratulations! This is one I definitely will make sure to follow along with. 

Since we are still new to cruising (previously sailed another line Feb '19, Independence Nov '19 and Adventure's first Nassau sailing), I'm not comfortable booking private excursions yet. Since DD6 is unvaccinated, we would have to choose through the ship anyways for her. These are our current plans:
Cozumel - I am taking DD14 and her friend swimming with dolphins. We did the dolphin encounter in June and thought the swimming looked fun as well. DD22 and her friend will either do a tequila tasting through the ship or will just get off and stay around the port area. DH and DD6 are planning on doing the reef semi-sub. This one is kind of "iffy" as we aren't sure about the tight close space everyone will be in.
Costa Maya - This has been our trouble one. I have been working with private journeys and have chosen a ruins tour combined with lagoon swimming. In the beginning, working with private journeys was great but ever since we chose what we wanted to do, I feel like I'm being given the run around. It's been spotty email communication and computer broken and telephone not working type emails. It's on my to-do list for this week to actually call and try and see if we can finally get something finalized. 
Nassau - The 4 older girls are going snorkeling while we take DD6 on the pirate ship.
CocoCay -  We have a floating cabana at the beach club. Kids are excited for the slide. We had an over the water cabana at Labadee and loved it - it was my favorite day so far and I'm hoping this is just as good. 
Since we are arriving Friday before the Sunday sailing, that means we have all day Saturday free, other than picking up the older kids from the airport. We may go to Kennedy Space Center and may do Magic Kingdom. Or we may be lazy and stay at the rental.
Countdown: 18 days until flight ; 20 days until boarding 

Thanks! 

Since we are still new to cruising (previously sailed another line Feb '19, Independence Nov '19 and Adventure's first Nassau sailing), I'm not comfortable booking private excursions yet. Since DD6 is unvaccinated, we would have to choose through the ship anyways for her. These are our current plans:
Cozumel - I am taking DD14 and her friend swimming with dolphins. We did the dolphin encounter in June and thought the swimming looked fun as well. DD22 and her friend will either do a tequila tasting through the ship or will just get off and stay around the port area. DH and DD6 are planning on doing the reef semi-sub. This one is kind of "iffy" as we aren't sure about the tight close space everyone will be in.
Costa Maya - This has been our trouble one. I have been working with private journeys and have chosen a ruins tour combined with lagoon swimming. In the beginning, working with private journeys was great but ever since we chose what we wanted to do, I feel like I'm being given the run around. It's been spotty email communication and computer broken and telephone not working type emails. It's on my to-do list for this week to actually call and try and see if we can finally get something finalized. 
Nassau - The 4 older girls are going snorkeling while we take DD6 on the pirate ship.
CocoCay -  We have a floating cabana at the beach club. Kids are excited for the slide. We had an over the water cabana at Labadee and loved it - it was my favorite day so far and I'm hoping this is just as good. 
Since we are arriving Friday before the Sunday sailing, that means we have all day Saturday free, other than picking up the older kids from the airport. We may go to Kennedy Space Center and may do Magic Kingdom. Or we may be lazy and stay at the rental.
Countdown: 18 days until flight ; 20 days until boarding 

Since we are still new to cruising (previously sailed another line Feb '19, Independence Nov '19 and Adventure's first Nassau sailing), I'm not comfortable booking private excursions yet. Since DD6 is unvaccinated, we would have to choose through the ship anyways for her. These are our current plans:
Cozumel - I am taking DD14 and her friend swimming with dolphins. We did the dolphin encounter in June and thought the swimming looked fun as well. DD22 and her friend will either do a tequila tasting through the ship or will just get off and stay around the port area. DH and DD6 are planning on doing the reef semi-sub. This one is kind of "iffy" as we aren't sure about the tight close space everyone will be in.
Costa Maya - This has been our trouble one. I have been working with private journeys and have chosen a ruins tour combined with lagoon swimming. In the beginning, working with private journeys was great but ever since we chose what we wanted to do, I feel like I'm being given the run around. It's been spotty email communication and computer broken and telephone not working type emails. It's on my to-do list for this week to actually call and try and see if we can finally get something finalized. 
Nassau - The 4 older girls are going snorkeling while we take DD6 on the pirate ship.
CocoCay -  We have a floating cabana at the beach club. Kids are excited for the slide. We had an over the water cabana at Labadee and loved it - it was my favorite day so far and I'm hoping this is just as good. 
Since we are arriving Friday before the Sunday sailing, that means we have all day Saturday free, other than picking up the older kids from the airport. We may go to Kennedy Space Center and may do Magic Kingdom. Or we may be lazy and stay at the rental.
Countdown: 18 days until flight ; 20 days until boarding 

Since we are still new to cruising (previously sailed another line Feb '19, Independence Nov '19 and Adventure's first Nassau sailing), I'm not comfortable booking private excursions yet. Since DD6 is unvaccinated, we would have to choose through the ship anyways for her. These are our current plans:
Cozumel - I am taking DD14 and her friend swimming with dolphins. We did the dolphin encounter in June and thought the swimming looked fun as well. DD22 and her friend will either do a tequila tasting through the ship or will just get off and stay around the port area. DH and DD6 are planning on doing the reef semi-sub. This one is kind of "iffy" as we aren't sure about the tight close space everyone will be in.
Costa Maya - This has been our trouble one. I have been working with private journeys and have chosen a ruins tour combined with lagoon swimming. In the beginning, working with private journeys was great but ever since we chose what we wanted to do, I feel like I'm being given the run around. It's been spotty email communication and computer broken and telephone not working type emails. It's on my to-do list for this week to actually call and try and see if we can finally get something finalized. 
Nassau - The 4 older girls are going snorkeling while we take DD6 on the pirate ship.
CocoCay -  We have a floating cabana at the beach club. Kids are excited for the slide. We had an over the water cabana at Labadee and loved it - it was my favorite day so far and I'm hoping this is just as good. 
Since we are arriving Friday before the Sunday sailing, that means we have all day Saturday free, other than picking up the older kids from the airport. We may go to Kennedy Space Center and may do Magic Kingdom. Or we may be lazy and stay at the rental.
Countdown: 18 days until flight ; 20 days until boarding 

We are all so excited! I think we have watched EVERY star class youtube video.
Yeah I remember seeing you were on it when we booked this one. It was either you or @Lovetocruise2002 that mentioned the deal a while back, which is why we booked. So thanks to both of you! Hopefully the protocols change soon and you're able to get back on a ship! 
I would have liked to work our way up. We have only been in an interior and a balcony so far and I would have liked to go on more before this one so my kids (and us) appreciate the difference more. 
I loved following yours as well!