Ogilthorpe

Traded emails with Allan today inquiring if the entertainment schedule has been firmed up.  He sent a tentative line up for next week with the caveat that it was “being reviewed by the CD and staff and will change.”  I’ll share that schedule with you as soon as I know it’s really going to happen.  Seems strange to me that the entertainment schedule is still tentative this close to the cruise, but what do i know?  
We’re really counting down now to our departure for Miami Saturday morning.  My mind is already on the cruise.  I sat in a meeting today about a building project.  Others in the room thought I was using my IPad to research local fire codes when in reality i was looking at the weather forecasts for our ports.  ?  Two more work days....
Did some last minute shopping on the way home.

Day 5 - Miami Debarkation Day  ?

Finishing up our cruise course
On the last morning of the cruise, I woke up at 6:15am. I packed up the last few of my things and then took my camera and went to the sun deck to watch the sunrise. It reflected beautifully off the buildings in Miami as we got closer to port.

Sun rising over Port of Miami

Joining us in port was the Navigator, a Carnival ship, and a Norwegian ship
I grabbed a quick breakfast from Windjammer and sat out on the pool deck to eat while watching the ship come into port at Terminal G. Royal let guests know that they were providing a shuttle to the Terminal J parking area for anyone that had driven to port. The Empress came into port around 7:00am. I finished up my breakfast and popped back down to my room to gather my things before heading to the centrum. Once in the centrum, I was directed by staff to line up in the Royal Theatre once I had everyone in my party together. Check. In the Royal Theater, everyone placed their bags in a line, and then took a seat while we waited for debarkation to begin.

Waiting in the Royal Theater for the self-assisted debarkation to begin. Bags are lined up, rather than people.
We didn't have to wait very long. We got clearance to debark at 7:45am, and I was off the ship by 7:50am. Staff directed us down towards customs, which I got through in about 15 minutes. I was easily able to request a Lyft once outside. My Lyft arrived at 8:15am, and dropped me off at my departure terminal at the airport 20 minutes later. I had plenty of time before my flight, so I wasn't worried when I saw what looked like an intimidatingly long security line. It went much quicker than I thought it would though, and I made it to the end of security by 9:00am.
Post Cruise Thoughts
I really enjoyed my first cruise, and am glad that I had it with Royal! It was a fun trip and I would definitely do it again. I would probably give myself the extra day to get to port ahead of time if doing air travel, or make sure to utilize Air2Sea to make sure if there is a delay that Royal would get me there, as mentioned by @JLMoran. I think if you're a light sleeper, ear plugs are crucial. And I think it's completely possible to have an enjoyable cruise vacay without needing to shell out the big bucks for additional excursions!
I hope you all enjoyed this recap, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Snack Shack's Chicken Sandwich with all the fixins  with side of fries. I do not know how they make it so crispy outside and so fluffy inside.
 
 

Laser Tag
Ok so here is a mini review about the laser tag on the Mariner OTS. So this was my second time ever doing laser tag on a RCI ship. The first time I did it was back in 2018 on Mariner when she first got it right after dry dock. Now back then the line was very short. And when I say very short. I mean no line at all. But today there was about a twenty minute line to get in. So right after you walk into Studio B. You are greeted by your first look's of the Laser Tag area.

Right after that they do make you sit down and wait on the team that is playing now to finish before you are let down to get your vest on and view the safety film. In this film they do a good job of telling you the rules and giving you the backstory about the game. 
And the right before they let you out to play the commuter will automatically pick your team. The two teams are the aliens and the robots. And then right after that it is time to play!
The game last about five minutes. But the whole experience takes just over fifteen minutes to do. Overall it is a great fun thing to do onboard the ship. And a matter of fact I did it a second time after that!

Glad you’re here @jensspark!  Hopefully you will be able to find something helpful here - if I ever get serious?

I’m super excited to follow along! We are Star Class in the ATS on Oasis over Thanksgiving week. 

Day Four - Perfect Day at Coco Cay - Back to Chill Island & Departure
I made my way back down towards the area of Chill Island by Diver's Den. I passed by some live musicians playing near the Chill Grill that were very good. I found more lockers for use on the back side of the rental area, again with nothing indicating that they were an added cost. At 1:00pm, much of Chill Island was packed, but I managed to grab a chair by a lifeguard stand as a couple was leaving.

Wayfinding map of the island

Musicians playing by the Chill Grill
I decided to go back out snorkeling again. The water was much cloudier up near the shore this time since there were many people there, which stirs up the sand. Farther out though, it was just as clear as the morning and there were still many fish to be seen. If snorkeling at Coco Cay, I'd still recommend doing it earlier in the day though, just because so many other people were out snorkeling as well later in the day. It's a little more magical when there's fewer people about. I came back in and read for a little while longer before deciding try one of the beaches a little farther back.
On the way there, I stopped by the bar next to Snack Shack to order one the island's specialty drink, the Coco Loco. This drink consists of a shot of rum at the bottom of a fruity slushy that I'm not sure the contents of. It was very good, though a little on the sweet side, even for me. I found an empty chair not too far from the Snack Shack, but it took a while to find. This part of Chill Island only had two rows of chairs, compared to the six or so back toward the snorkeling area.

Chill Island beach by the Snack Shack
I continued to read my book until I had finished it, and then decided to get one last swim in before making my way back to the ship. Since I was not snorkeling this time, I had my feet below me walking out, rather than floating. I realized the farther you go out, the finer the sand becomes, and takes on almost a mud like quality that you sink into, rather than pushing off of. The water was clear enough to see the footprints of people that had walked out still stuck in the mud-like sand.
Happy with my time on the island, I went back to the area with the showers to rinse off and then waited by the tram area to be taken back to the main entrance. The tram arrived a little before 4:00pm. We waited about five minutes before departing. The tram was a nice way to see other parts of the island, though I still wasn't able to find any signage that South Beach was open while on board.

Sandcastle by the tram stop

On the tram back to the main entrance
Back at the main entrance, many guests were heading back to both ships. Empress had an all aboard time of 4:30pm, but I don't know what Anthem's was. There was music playing us out, as well as some staff holding a limbo stick for people to do on their way out. Walking down to the ships, some aquatic life (possibly rays?) was spotted jumping in the water. I made it back to Empress around 4:10pm.
I dropped my bag off at my room and changed before heading up to the sun deck to see us sail away from Coco Cay. It was a beautiful sight to see as the sun continued to set. 

So long to Coco Cay and the Anthem

Sad that my last day of vacation was coming to a close, but appreciative of the beautiful sunset
After taking my obligatory sunset photos, I went to the Windjammer for dinner. They had a bunch of different cakes set out at the dessert area, so I got the black forest cake, which was very good.

Red Velvet Cake, Key Lime Cake, Black Forest Cake, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Cake at the dessert station on our last night
After dinner, I went to see the 7:00PM showing of the Production Showtime, which was something about the past, present, and future of showgirls. I found a nice seat at the front of the upper level that actually seems to be perfect for a solo traveler, as next to the seat is a pole that would block the view of a second guest. There is a similar seat on the right side of the upper level. The show was very good, a very big production. The entertainers continued to be wonderful, as they had been the entire trip.

A seat made for the solo traveler.
Once the show was finished, our cruise director, Elvis, invited us all to go to the centrum to see the Crew International Parade of Flags. I found a nice spot to watch, and really enjoyed seeing where the crew is all from.

In the centrum for the Crew International Parade of Flags
After the parade, I went to the back of the ship to Boleros, to check out something that had interested me in the cruise compass, Kamikaze Karaoke. I wasn't around when it started to see how it was set up, but the idea is that you put your name in and a song will be randomly selected for you. When I came in, the crowd was being serenaded to the tune of All-Star by Smash Mouth. Everyone was very good sports about the songs that they were given to sing, and the staff picked new songs for some people that had never heard of ones they were originally assigned.
Around 9:30pm, I headed back up to the pool deck to see the last movie on the big screen, Rocketman. There were no captions on this one, so it was a little difficult to know exactly what was being said at some times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Once the movie ended, I made my way to my stateroom to pack up my suitcase so I could be ready to do the self-assisted debarkation the next morning.

Come on an Instagram adventure with me, as I take you around Labadee.
 
 

There were reports of RCI having itineraries with multiple stops at Cococay. I wonder if they are planning an itinerary modification. Or ... it could be the IT interns again. Either way I'm going to check for an $18 drink package right now! ??

Prediction: not long after the trial concludes, this will be on Dateline.

Doing shots in the morning?  Again?

Aha! That explains why the drink package suddenly dropped about $80.. I certainly won't be complaining.

Prediction: not long after the trial concludes, this will be on Dateline.

Very good point.  ...and be aware that the luggage handlers at Bayonne are Longshoremen and they can be grumpy.  ?

I pray for that man, and his family. Pointing a finger is natural, and not surprising, as its nearly impossible to come to terms with admitting fault in such a tragedy. Unfortunately, the legal system is tasked with pointing the finger in the appropriate direction....and im not envious of anyone that has to participate. I feel for RCCL and the people that work for them, that are tasked with fighting it. THERE IS NO GOOD THAT COMES FROM ANY OF THIS, unless it prevents such a tragedy from happening to anyone else in the future. 

Would have to be a hell of a defect, he stuck his head though the opening a minute or so before holding the child up to it
If his short term memory is that bad I wouldn't let him watch over my pen, never mind a kid

I'm reading an essay in The New Yorker by Atul Gawande about brain function, and it says, ". . . visual perception is more than ninety per cent memory and less than ten per cent sensory nerve signals." Also, "The mind integrates scattered, weak, rudimentary signals from a variety of sensory channels, information from past experiences, and hard-wired processes, and produces a sensory experience full of brain-provided color, sound, texture, and meaning." and the bottom line, "Perception is inference."
We know this to be true. "Green" is only what our brains tell us, not necessarily what's out there. Maybe Grandpa really thought there was glass there, because of a defect in his neuro-perception or the information stored in his brain. 
Still, that's not RCCL's fault. RC cannot know what defects of thinking a passenger might have. So maybe it was just an unavoidable tragedy that's no one's fault. In time the family will catch on to the fact that Grandpa often doesn't know what's in front of him.
Poor Grandpa. Poor Chloe. Poor family. It's just sad all around. But certainly not RCCL's fault!!!!!!!!!!!

I would LOVE to get an $18 drink package LOL I guess I will have to settle with the soda package this trip HA HA HA

Today started a new promo for Pre booked excursions, drink packages, dining packages and more. What you are seeing is probably just a mistake due to the fact that there are some ships that do 2 stops in CoCoCay!  
Be sure to check your cruise itinerary to see if your ports have changed which they tend to do sometimes due to outside factors! 

Wait, is @Lovetocruise2002 that wealthy? 

Oh heyyyyy Sabrina....your eyes look lovely this morning!

I hope so – I love Dateline! One of the things I love about it is the guilty party is always found out and pays the penalty.

Prediction: not long after the trial concludes, this will be on Dateline.

This made me chuckle.

Have not tried it personally but I would think you could as long as it is ONLY 750mL and is labelled as such, completely sealed and not tampered with.  
I didn't even know they made 750mL sized boxes, though.  Most I have seen are 3L boxes or smaller singles.
They have to go in your carry-on, so it's really up to the people at security that are scanning the carry-on bags through.
If they won't allow it you will either have the chance to bring it back to your car, toss it, or they can store it until you get off the ship and retrieve it with the other confiscated contraband electric cords, surge protectors, and rice cookers.

Note that if you used any onboard credit for your original purchase, it will be available  immediately to reuse for your repurchase.