WAAAYTOOO

Nice job, Twangbot !

I think you might be very fortunate to have gotten a solo cabin at the last minute. It is my understanding that these cabins sell out quickly so you’re starting off on a lucky streak ! I know you’ll have a blast. Sounds like it will be a fun cruise.

Me too !

Hey, WedNoMor. Welcome to the RCCLBlog

We I really don’t care for being forward so if given a choice of forward or aft I would choose aft

That makes 3 of us !

I didn’t know that Empress had any studios either !

Actually, it’s more expensive for the bigger ships b/c there is more competition for space and attractions with the large populations of the big ships.

I’ve never needed a receipt. ...but I’ve never had them fail to deliver my tickets to my room, either. Not sure what you would do if you booked and paid for an excursion and they had no record of it.

We’ve done this class twice now (once on Grandeur and once on Anthem as a gift from our Genie). Both classes were the same. They help you prepare a nigiri, a roll and one of those funnel-shaped things. For the first class, I followed sensei and made the sushi as he instructed. I was pretty terrible. Stuff fell out the ends of the roll and my shrimp did not stay with the rice for the nigiri. I shudder at the thought of my funnel-thing. It was horrible. It was at this point that I realized that I really just DO NOT like that nasty seaweed (forget the name of it) that they use in the rolls...and the funnel thing. ...so for my second class, I went rogue. I shoved that seaweed right back at ‘em. I made my roll without it ! Ha ! Of course, it was pitifully “flaccid” and you could only move it by pushing it along the plate, but by God I did not use that icky seaweed and it tasted GREAT ! The shrimp still did not stick to the rice like it’s supposed to. Haven't figured that one out yet. I completely ignored the sensei when he started doing the funnel-thing and created another roll (I had to steal some rice from off the sensei’s table b/c I had used all of mine) so I had another limp roll to push around. So the moral of this incredibly long sushi-saga is....do what you want to and have fun with it. If you don’t like the seaweed (and who would ? Ick !) just tell them you have a seaweed allergy.

This is really the only way to do it and as Spiralqueen noted, the % off is just a distraction. Last week I was randomly checking (as I do daily) and noticed that the price of the Unlimited Dining Package on my Anthem Feb 7 2020 cruise had suddenly slipped to $176 PP. Routinely, even on “sale” it never dropped below $199 PP so I snatched it and cancelled my previous $199 purchase. It has never re-appeared at $176. I think I caught an intern glitch !

Yippee !!

[at least for the slides on NAV] they have a ground scale that either lights up green or lights up red. There are no “weights” displayed. A bit of a self-respect-saver. When Dan and I wanted to go on the little raft ride together, we got the ol’ Red light so we could not do that one together. I was too much of a scaredy cat to go alone on that one so I went down on the face-first mat slide (I bruise both knees). After it was over Dan told me that I should have done the raft ride instead...that it was much “tamer” than the mat ride. Figures.

Most likely, they are still trying to figure out what they’re going to charge for The Key next year. That’s why drinks and dining packages aren’t published way out into the future.

The thing I enjoy the most about a sea day (besides not having to get up early if I have an excursion) is that the casino is open all day. I’m sure the casino staff loves this kind of itin change.

Boy I’m gonna hear about this one....but I actually like the hamburgers in the WJ. When I’m just looking for a “bite” I usually grab one. While they don’t look all that appealing (I’ll concede that), they taste pretty good.

We have done Sabor and Chops for lunch on embarkation day when we were SC. Bottom line - your Genie will make it happen no matter what you choose. I agree with Sabrina that lunch in CK is the least appealing meal but it’s not a bad choice. Chops used to be our go-to embarkation lunch but on our last SC Cruise (Anthem) it was less than exclusive with all the Key folks. I will say, though, that with the Genie taking you there, personally, the staff immediately takes special notice and our service was impeccable. We were given the full lunch menu (as opposed to the more limited Key menu). If you’re looking for something more fun and playful, Sabor is a good option but I find the food at the outside Sabor to be waaay below the quality of the full service Sabor. I’m not a sports bar kinda gal so I would probably avoid Playmakers but that’s a personal thing. There’s always the option of having lunch delivered to your suite. I always really enjoy just getting to my suite and relaxing and enjoying it. The only limitation to this option, really, is if you want to booze it up. That’s not going to happen in your suite unless you plan on guzzling beer. ...and that reminds me of something. If you want COLD beer (or sodas or your champagne) waiting for you when you arrive, make sure to have the Genie instruct the room attendant to have your drinks on ice well before you arrive. This one of the few consistently disappointing things I have encountered when sailing SC. Sure, they put a few beers in the fridge but that fridge is no better than any of the other fridges on the ship. It does NOT keep drinks cold. Chilled, at best. So make a special point that you expect your drinks to be cold WHEN YOU ARRIVE...not 2 hours later. ...and if you’re going to be doing a lot of cold beverage drinking throughout the cruise OR if you’re going to be hosting a party at some point, tell the Genie that you want an ice chest to keep in your suite for the entire cruise. That is really the only way to make sure that you always have cold drinks on hand. There will be tons of cans and bottles of drinks in your suite - all lined up on top of the counter hotter’n h.e double hockey sticks. They will do this for you but you have to ask and verify (with the Genie) before you board.

Vodka & Coke ? Is that even legal ? ??

Great googly moogly

I completely concur with your decision. Everyone must do stingray city at least once. Any of those would be fine, I’m sure.

Truthfully, I am so paranoid about missing the boat. I get back hours early.

He just hides in the computer closet and blends in with the other bots. It’s easy when you’re a bot.

We did our dolphin swim in Curaçao. Ver, very good. Lots of fun things to do in Curaçao. Love that island !

Travel Agents are all VERY good swimmers

Summarize: maybe yes, maybe no <shrug shoulders>