Ogilthorpe

Go for it, I have another at 820 days.

I have Oasis of the seas in 764 days. Do a dare usurp the usurper on longest live blog??

I'm thinking maybe a hunger games type competition on the ship. That could really make it interesting.

But who would get the Star class suites? ?

Per this page http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/full-ship-charter-faqs/ Its only 6.5-11 million to charter an Oasis Class ship for 7 nights.  I bet @Lovetocruise2002 could YOLO that with @Matt for one heck of a group cruise
 

Raisins are disgusting. Waste of a perfectly good grape that could have been made into wine?

@Pookie I said earlier that I’m pretty laid back, and I really am.  If i asked for a Seafood Tower to be delivered to the Escape room while we were there and was told no i could roll with that answer.  But if I asked for a bag of M&M’s and was told to go the candy store...Me thinks I might not accept that answer.  I know that things differ from Genie to Genie and from ship to ship, but that’s an unacceptable response for your simple request. I’m hoping that changes for you!

I know what you are thinking.  January 2022?  Did I read that right?
In order to secure a great price on one of only two Star Class Ultimate Panoramic Suites on Oasis I booked this a couple of months ago when the itineraries where first released.  Within minutes of them going public I secured the 2nd of these two suites in the name of research and, well it seemed like a good excuse to book a cruise.
That's nice and all but why start a blog now?
I am so tired of @Matt beating up on my fellow Canadian @Lovetocruise2002 even though we all knew he has the record for starting a cruise blog the longest before any sailing in the history of these boards that I had to step in and take action.   So back off Matt!
Seven hundred and twenty nine days.  
Itinerary as it stands today includes Puerto Plata, DR, St Thomas USVI and San Juan Puerto Rico.  
This may be my only 2020 update.  I'll do my best to update this blog at least once in 2021.  
Until then, let it be known I hold the record for the longest pre-cruise early blogging award!

If you go to a casino on land the slot machines have better odds. The machines on the ships have terrible odds. With that being said, over the last 4 years on Royal I have broke even 1 time and lost over a thousand on my last 4 trips. Although this last trip was a 8 day trip on Oasis of the seas large balcony room was free and would have cost about $2500.

We met a couple on Adventure this cruise and their friend hit the slots for 20K ? 

Harmony of the seas in November cruise My husband hit $3,989 first night on $1.50 bet and I hit $1500 the next night on $10 bet. Was a good cruise for us!  Slots were good to us both!

We are home now. Cold and snow instead of sun and beaches. The overall trip was what I had been looking forward to. All of us had a great experience.
We had booked a 2 bedroom grand suite. We all appreciated all of the room. We didn’t use all of the storage we had even though we are part of the over packing club. 
My husband and I had the refreshment package. My daughter had soda package. Hubby had said he didn’t need package. I should have listened. He used it for water, soda and a couple mock tales. The mock tales I ordered where good but very sweet.  I used mine for water, coffee and hot chocolate. The people at cafe knew me after the 2nd day.

After lunch it was time to hit the wave. 

Here is the desk were you sign the wavier.

My Flowrider Friend On The Wave.
Ok now it is time of a mini cabin tour of cabin 7341. The Bed.

The sink.

Ok Here We Go!! 
I left my home at 8:00am and made it to PC by 9:45.

At 10:00 I was onboard the shuttle and was heading to the ship.
At 10:20 I arrived at the pier. 
And at 10:45 we were onboard!

Todays lunch!

 

Day Two - New Year's Eve Festivities
After hanging out on the sun deck to watch sail away and the little bit of sunset, I popped back down to my stateroom to quickly rinse off from the day's humid walking. When I had taken a shower the first time, I couldn't figure out why the water got so hot, despite adjusting the knob down as low as I could without turning the shower off. This time around, I realized there was actually a second dial, to the right of the one in the center, that controlled the temperature. The one I had been using was just for pressure, so I thought I'd include a photo for anyone else new to cruising.

The dial my hand is holding in the photo controls the water temperature. The dial in the center is just for water pressure.

I also found a flyer was left in the stateroom of all the activities going onboard the ship in celebration of New Year's Eve. 
I don't think Empress typically has formal nights, but as it was a holiday celebration, it was noted on the flyer and cruise compass as a "dress to impress" formal night. After my hop in the shower, I got a nice dress on (not a cocktail dress, but nicer than a sundress), and had a look around the ship to see what all was going on so far. The Centrum had quickly been set up for the balloon drop and DJ party.

Some reservation only seating for the party could be found on decks seven and eight.
I stopped by the Windjammer to see if they had any offerings for NYE, but it looked to be pretty standard. There were many staff at the entrances wearing crowns and hats clapping and wishing people a Happy New Year though. I knew that I would be eating in the MDR tonight, but I saw a delicious looking little cheesecake bite that was calling to me, so I had to try one.

Standard cheesecake, but so good. These were by the kid's section, on the side where the bar stool sitting area is.
I headed to the Royal Theater for the 7:00pm showing of Bailamos. I again sat on the right hand side, but in the upper balcony level this time. A decent view, but the railings do obstruct the view slightly. The show was wonderful, and I definitely recommend anyone sailing on Empress to check it out. The dancers and singers are all very talented! The show ended just in time for me to make it to my 8:30pm seating in the MDR.
The tables in the MDR tonight had some streamer/confetti type decorations on top, as well as some NYE hats, crowns, and blowers.

Even the menus got a little bit of decoration.

Menu for New Year's Eve Dinner
Tonight I had the beef tartare, the oven-roasted turkey, and the spice cake. I'd never had beef tartare before, but I did know it was a raw dish. I tried a majority of it, but it's not my favorite. The turkey and spice cake were both very good. My table mates were a little more talkative this evening. The solo traveler had purchased a $15/day Voom package earlier in order to text family, and said that it was working, but was extremely slow. This complaint was echoed by the family as well, so I'm glad I ended up not purchasing the package.

Spice cake for dessert
With dinner over, I went back to my room for a quick power nap. I'm usually asleep by 10:30pm, so I figured I could use the extra energy to make it midnight. In the room waiting for me was tomorrow's cruise compass, and a towel friend! It made my smile, it caught me by surprise. I was also happy to get a map of Coco Cay, so I could start making a plan for my Perfect Day.

A frog? Or crab? Maybe both.
With my catnap finished, I made my way back out, ready to take on the NYE celebration! Live music was happening everywhere, and the Centrum was starting to get people waiting right at the ropes to get choice spots for the balloon drop.

Some folks waiting for the DJ party to start at 10:45pm. 1hr and 30 minutes until midnight!
After checking out the music in the Schooner Bar and Boleros, I went up to the pool deck. I decided I'd ring in the new year up there, as I expected the centrum to get pretty crowded (which it did). Mass Effect was playing great music, once again. I also took this time to try out the hammocks, which had always been occupied when I'd go by them in the day. The clouds had cleared up, so the hammocks made great spots for stargazing. I'm not super familiar with astronomy, but I was able to clearly see Orion's belt. It was very beautiful, and I was happy to be starting 2020 this way.

Dancing our way into 2020. Was glad that it wasn't as crowded up here.

A look down at the balloons ready to be dropped from the windows of deck eleven. 
The giant screen by the pool had been turned into a countdown clock. When I saw it reach 45 minutes to go, I made my way over to the pool bar to grab a drink. While I waited for my drink, I took a look at the rest of the menu. I remembered someone on here asking if there were ciders and non-alcoholic beverages served, so I snapped a couple pics of the Empress' offerings on both.

Cider, Gluten-free beer, and non-alcoholic beer available on Empress.

More non-alcoholic beverages available on Empress.
With my Sparkling Sombrero in hand, I was ready to ring in the new year. Mass Effect played right up until the minute mark, and then everyone got ready for the countdown. It was a great celebration, and although I went to bed a little while after midnight, I understand that multiple parties went on until 3:00am or so. If you really like to party and go all out for NYE, I'd definitely recommend celebrating it on a cruise!

Cheers to 2020!

Well, this was a bad news/good news kind of day. First, I received an E-Mail telling my March 21, 2021 cruise on the Liberty had been canceled due to a longer than expected refurbishment. I had picked that cruise because it was fairly inexpensive two years out and it was out of Galveston (near my home in Spring, TX). The good news was that RCL was going to honor my original price for a similar cruise and throw in a $400 OBC because it was a junior suite. So, I got a better date for the same price and an additional $400 OBC. Good day with Royal Caribbean!

This is exactly how I feel.  I feel for the child that her life was taken from her.   In honor of Chloe the grandfather should have admitted guilt and spoke to other people about how he made a terrible judgement in lifting Chloe up and putting her at risk.  I could of felt more sympathy for him and Chloe’s family, but the rush to sue and make excuses for what happened changed my feelings toward the grandfather and family.  After that it was about Chloe and no one was taking responsibility for what happened to her and her fear during the last seconds of her life.  

We are on the 8th and the 15th. A B2B2B seems like a great idea!  Don't  wait too long to book. The 15th is filling up fast (not that I obsessively check frequently to see what may be available.. ??)

I will do some research, but my first reaction is (as a born and bred Montrealer):
Montreal is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Similar to Quebec City, it is a little slice of Europe in North America. You are there in June!!!! This is prime time Montreal.  Terraces are open, the bars are hot and the livin' is easy. The US Dollar is so high that you can buy the entire city of Montreal for $4.72 USD. ? I would stay downtown, soak up the nightlife of Montreal ... it's like a slow rumba in a secluded bar with a fascinating person you just met. Curt from Canada

Good time for the deluxe drink package! ? ? ? Bottoms up! 

Thank you!!!
It started out great....when we landed at FLL, it was 70 degrees warmer than when we left home. 

That’s why I love living in Florida! I’m not a fan of the cold! Have fun! 

Yes, full bar service is available at your table in the dining rooms and the Deluxe Beverage package applies. 

Yes, full bar service is available at your table in the dining rooms and the Deluxe Beverage package applies. 

I honestly can’t imagine more than two ships there at a time. Just because the capacity is “technically” there doesn’t mean they should exploit it. I’d probably recommend taking down the “Perfect Day” letters at that point. 
We've been there twice now, on Harmony in August and Mariner last week. We noticed quite a difference with the two smaller ships (us and Navigator, about 8,000 guests max). We got off around 8:30 and got a prime spot, but by 10:30 people were walking around searching for chairs hopelessly. With the beach club construction going on, there were literally people using chairs that were set up along the scrim facing the bathrooms. Not sure they thought it was so perfect. 
Of course once everything is open later this month there will be a lot more capacity, and we can’t complain about either of our days there (I’d be reluctant to choose a cruise not visiting the island at this point). I understand they want to capitalize on this demand, I just hope they don’t ruin it in the meantime.