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CruzOnBye

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  1. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to FireFishII in First Time in Bayonne, NJ - Anthem - 11/05 to 11/12/23   
    KB - know your audience.  We are so desperate for these blogs that we will take them anyway we can - written by a first grader, blurry pictures, days (ok years) late.  I know we will enjoy everything you are able to deliver.  But most important - enjoy your cruise!  
  2. Love
    CruzOnBye reacted to InmyElement in First Time in Bayonne, NJ - Anthem - 11/05 to 11/12/23   
    Its been 21 years since our last RCL cruise, sounds like an introduction at the start of a meeting..lol. Looking forward to the new generation since her Majesty of the Seas.Thanks everyone, including Matt for all the insight and packing advice. We live 5 hours away, so we drove down yesterday and staying at the Marriott Courtyard by the Newark Airport, very nice, clean, and 15 min from port. We'll park in the parking garage at the ship. Great YouTube videos on arrival and embarkation. Away bags are amazing..thanks everyone for your insight. We board at 10:30a and the extra hour is killing me, just want to get on and explore. Just my wife (Trish) and myself. Both boys Bman and Cman are in college, so we thought we would try it out just the two of us. We have Oasis booked for all of us in Jan during their break. Jenn @ MEI has been awesome..let me count the ways its been helpful with a TA. First time in a Balcony room, always had a ocean view in the 90s..CANT WAIT! Before I die I gotta try out this Genie thing you speak about..lol
    Thanks for listening..not much of a writer and education, but I thought I would give it a try. I'm an early riser and enjoy my coffee typing..
    7 Days - Port Canaveral and CocoCay - Nassau cancelled.
    Its a beautiful sunrise and suppose to be 65F and sunny. I'll take that for NJ...Grateful for this site, everyone's insight and being able to cruise again!
    Thanks KB

  3. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to FireFishII in Harmony November 5th 2023 Giraffe Star Cluster   
    As I am reading this post and munching on almonds, thank you for both the posts and being an almond farmer!!!!   If you have any favorite almond recipe, please share after your cruise. 🙂  
  4. Haha
    CruzOnBye reacted to AlmondFarmer in Harmony November 5th 2023 Giraffe Star Cluster   
    Stayed at Holiday Inn in Webster. Good place, but I don’t feel it earned photo posts. 
    Uber pickup scheduled for 8:45am, with expected arrival at pier ten at 9:35. Genie contact asked us to arrive at 10am for boarding. 
    Amazing gathering of all going on cruise last night. A friend from graduate school recently built a new house on the water. Kids had fun running around and parents started their Star class drink packages (I didn’t get a bill and the end of the night) Hotel gym for a good booze sweat then to try the award winning breakfast in hotel lobby. Lots of food options within walking distance if award was given in error. 
  5. Haha
    CruzOnBye reacted to AlmondFarmer in Harmony November 5th 2023 Giraffe Star Cluster   
    Flying from California to Houston Hobby today. Board Harmony tomorrow. 36 people in group. Most booked when itinerary released in March 2022. 5 Star class suites and two Sky class suites. One family in balcony.
    I titled live blog “Giraffe Star cluster” because if one draws lines between Star suites to be occupied by group the image takes the shape of a giraffe….sort of.
    I’m gonna skip the usual pre cruise stuff because it has been the standard Star class communication. Genie sent WhatsApp contact info this morning. 
    Week dining and activity schedule set. 
     
    Doing standard Galveston 7 night Oasis class loop. Did same in January 2023 on Allure. Different shore activities lined up.  Going again on Harmony Feb 2025 with 6 Star suites. My family prefers sailing out of Florida but 3.5 hour flight is nice compared to 6 hours. 
    A1 two bedroom Aqua suite for my family or 5. Twin boys almost 9 and daughter turning 7 during sailing. Genie arranging a party for her.
    I will effort to post info and pictures during sailing and try to answer questions. 

    Finished almond harvest a week ago. 15 beers spread out over the 70 days. Seeing that this is my daily goal, I’ve told my liver to buckle up. 
  6. Thanks
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 5:  ST. MAARTEN - (THU, 11/2)… continued…
    Let’s wrap up Day 5 once and for all!
    After dinner, we went to see the ice show, “365: Seasons on Ice” in Studio B. As with every ice show we’ve seen to date, it was excellent! Only on RC can you see an ice show!
    I always marvel at how the skaters can skate on such a small surface that is rocking at times and often has colorful images/patterns projected on the ice surface!
    There is usually one fall during every show we’ve seen, but the audience always applauds and understands and appreciates the level of difficulty!























    After the show, we walked for bit and to my wife’s horror, I found room for 3 slices of pepperoni pizza at Sorrento’s!
    We headed back to the cabin and called it a night.
    -
    It’s now the final evening of the cruise. 😪
    Bags tagged and in the hall… heading to bed, but will complete the blog when I get home!
    Have a good evening!
  7. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 5:  ST. MAARTEN - (THU, 11/2)… continued…
    Once we returned to the ship, we walked around and spent some time at the Vue Bar and the Trellis Bar before heading back to our cabin to get ready for round two of 150 Central Park!
    Another frozen mojito and lava flow!


    This time, I tried the Braised Short Rib for my appetizer. Not as tender as I had expected… I’m used to fork tender braised short ribs. I had to use my knife to cut the meat.

    I could not decide on my entree, so the waiter brought out the Lobster Thermidor and the Pan-Seared Veal Medallions. He warned that the lobster dish was not very filling. 🙂


    I really enjoyed both, but the Roasted Tenderloin of Beef will alway be my favorite on the menu! One of the biggest benefits of this unlimited dining package is that you can try so many different menu items during the cruise since you can repeat speciality restaurants! The UDP on Icon looks a little pricey right now, so we’ll have to see if it drops on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Otherwise, we’ll likely get the 3-night dining package.
    For dessert, I had the Fried Cheesecake this time which is my favorite.

    OK… off to breakfast! Sleeping Beauty is awake and ready for breakfast!
    I’ll be back!
  8. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 5:  ST. MAARTEN - (THU, 11/2)… continued…
    Another long day, but no complaints when you’re on a cruise! Today (FRI - sea day) was unusually rocky! We’re not very sensitive to motion, but many folks were commenting on the rocking throughout the day and especially this evening.
    Back to Day 5… So, on Thursday, we all went on the “Philipsburg by Trolley Train” excursion through Royal. Definitely, a one and done experience for us!
    Saying goodbye to Wonder for the morning and entering the port area!


    The trolley takes us first to the Rusty Parrot and the pirate museum (“Sint Maarten Pirate Experience”). You first enter a small gift shop where you can sample locally made rum. Neat little attraction… the show is pretty high tech. You work your way through a number of rooms (directed by story narrative) as they tell the story of the fates of a pirate and the woman he loved. Each room is staged with props and they use projections and a recorded soundtrack to tell the story. 


    Some random shots taken during the show in some of the rooms…





    After the show is over, you can climb up to an observation area at the top of the structure to take in some views of the port. 
    Then you walk to another building in the same port area that sells Dutch Gouda cheese.




    Finally, you are taken through Philipsburg as the tour guides provides some historical information. You are then given the choice to stay in Philipsburg (need to make your way back on your own) or return with the Trolley vehicle.
    Clock is broken…


    We elected to stay and worked our way to ‘That Yoda Guy”… Nick and his wife were there (Gloria, I believe her name is). He is so very down to earth and friendly! Kept asking if we had any questions! 🙂
    A must see for any Star Wars or science fiction/special effects/creature fans! They encourage taking photos of the exhibits (no flash), but no video.
















    In hindsight, I should have purchased something or made a donation so we could have taken a photo with him. Definitely, next time! I had to settle on a quick shot of Nick (front of pic) and his wife (wearing glasses behind the counter) speaking with some other folks that just arrived at the museum. 😐

    When we left, it was lunch time. I had heard there were a number of decent restaurants along the beach, but we just walked into one of the first we came across. We had lunch at “The Blue Bitch”… we all had fish tacos which were excellent.




    We walked around for a bit and then headed to the water taxi to take us back to the port ($5 one way or $7 unlimited for day).



    A marine iguana hanging by the docks near the water taxis…

    Heading back through the port area to return to the ship…




    I think next time we’ll just buy the full-day water taxi pass ($7) and take it directly to Philipsburg if we plan on spending time in town.
    I’ll stop here… it’s past midnight! 
    Have a good night!
     
  9. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to teddy in Post Cruise Report - Explorer Oct 22-29 - Italy/Croatia/Greece   
    Thank you for your patience.
    I started a new position within my company (still a butcher, but now I’m in charge again)...the department I took over has a lot of......opportunities.   Unfortunately that means I work a lot for a few months.
    Anyway, back to Italy.
    Saturday October 21, 2023 - Venice to Ravenna
    We checked out of our hotel sometime around 900.  It was a short 5-6 minute walk to the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop. We rode the 5.2 boat and paid 7.50 € each for tickets at the window.  I asked for two tickets in Italian and the woman at the counter talked back to me in English....it's a trend here in Venice.
    After buying, you must validate your ticket.  It was quite simple since you had to validate them to get through the barrier to the loading dock.  The process is very easy and intuitive.
    Vaporetto Route 5.2 runs in a clockwise direction around the main island (and stops at Lido).  According to the signs, we needed to take it six stops to get to the train station (Ferrovia stop - I believe it translates directly to "rail" or "railroad").  This stop is right in front of the Venezia Santa Lucia train station.   It was ended up being only four stops, which was stressful since it was difficult to look out the windows to see where we were.
    The whole process seemed simple to us, and it was...except for the crowds.  The boat was crowded....think "I can't move" crowded.  I don't know what the capacity is of a vaporetto, but it must be "as many people as you can stuff in it".  All I could think of was the headline..."Venice vaporetto capsizes, no survivors".  I'm not sure how it could have been evacuated if it swamped. Yes, it was that full.  My wife was sitting and I was standing next to her, trying to keep an eye on our bags and pockets. 
    It appeared that most, if not all of the other people were locals.  No one seemed upset with us having bags, but we definitely felt out of place.  At the second stop, a woman got on with a young boy, physically pushed and shoved her way to the back (where we were), and was screaming at everyone to get out of the way and give her son a seat.  It was uncomfortable.  I could understand the gist of what she was saying, but there were a lot of things that I assumed were obscenities.  She was very aggressive and I shrunk out of her was as much as I could.  Once she bullied someone out of their seat and her son sat down, she was all smiles.
    Anyway, at the Piazzale Roma stop, most people got off.  The train station was the next stop.  The whole process from hotel to train station took about an hour.
    We took no pictures of the whole vaporetto process.  It was kind of stressful and unfortunately, pictures were the last thing on our minds.
    At the station, my wife used the bathroom and paid 1 € for the privilege.  Interestingly enough, our credit card considered it a travel related charge, so we earned extra points.  After my wife came back, I went in and bought our tickets to Ferrara (where we change for Ravenna).  I went up to the first ticket machine I came to and bought our tickets.  Turns out, the machine was for ItaloRail, not Trenitalia, so we paid a bit more for high speed train from Venice to Ferrara rather than the cheap regional train.  We had to wait two hours for the train, and while that sucked, having assigned seats (as opposed to first come, first served on a regional train) was great.  Since the tickets for the high speed train had assigned seats and a specific time attached to them, validating was not necessary.  I bought our tickets on the regional train from Ferrara to Ravenna through the Trenitalia App on my phone.  It was very easy, and doing so meant the tickets did not have to be validated at the station.  I simply clicked the "Check In" link on the app and that validated them.
    The change in Ferrara is easy.  There are six tracks there (as opposed to 20+ in Venice).  There is an underground passage to access the track you need, and the displays are in both English and Italian.  We found our track with no problems and boarded easily.  I asked a woman a question in Italian, and she ended up telling us about the area while we waited.  She was happy to talk back to me in Italian, and explained things I didn't understand in English.  Finally!!!  Someone who appreciated my learning Italian. 😄
    The train rides were great.  We really like seeing the countryside and non-tourist areas.  The scenery was awesome, although by this point we were both trying not to nod off.
    Ravenna station is a small station as well, and it's the end of the line, so you don't have to worry about missing it.  Like Ferrara, you descend into an underground passage to go below the tracks, then go back up to get to the main lobby and exit to the street.  There are elevators for those with large luggage or mobility issues.
    We walked 15 minutes to our B&B, the M Club Delux.  It was an easy walk, although we found out after that there was a city bus we could have taken for 2 € each.  We'll do that next time.
    The B&B was absolutely amazing.  It's been in the owner's family for 200+ years and it's quite obvious he takes pride in not only his B&B, but also in the city of Ravenna, where he has spent his life.  I'm not sure how to put into words how incredible the place is.  The rooms are modern, immaculate, and have a private balcony overlooking a private courtyard.  I hope the pictures below convey some of how nice it is.  It's located in a small piazza right next to one of the old gates to the city center.
    The owner checked us in, showed us around, showed us to our room, and gave us some advice on things to see and places to eat.  He gave us his cell phone number in case we ran into any problems in the city, and told us to call at any time.  We will go back and stay there again.
    After changing, we went out to explore Ravenna.  We didn't have a ton of time, but we did manage to see the Basilica de San Vitale and the Mauseoleo di Galla Placida.  Both are a block or so from the B&B.  The owner had made us a list of important things to see in Ravenna, and these were numbers 1 and 2.  We also got some gelato and fries, and my wife bought some.....underwear 🤣 ( @SweetPea ) For dinner, we went to a restaurant on a side street called Babalus.  We didn't have a reservation but there was table available outside for us.  The waiter humored me and let me speak Italian, and we ended up with what we wanted, so that was good.  We ordered and split their "Third Foccacia which was burrata, proscuitto crudo, and extra virgin olive oil.  It was excellent and only cost 15 €.
    From what we could tell, we were the only non-Italian speaking people there.  Again, we like being in non-tourist areas and seeing how regular people like us live their lives.  After some observation, we saw that people were taking their ticket and going inside to pay, so I did that.  A big, gruff guy came out from the kitchen and barked the total to me in rapid fire Italian.....I'm not sure which one of us was more shocked that I understood.  Anyway, we liked the restaurant and would eat here again.
    From there, we slowly wandered back to the piazza, sat there a bit people watching, then around 2100 we went in to bed. It was a beautiful evening, and we were left wanting to come back to Ravenna and spend more time exploring.
    Tomorrow:  To the ship!!!
     
     
     
     
     























  10. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to DoomSlayer in xSAILEDx Allure of the Seas - January 5, 2024 - January 8, 2024 (3 Night Bahamas/Perfect Day)   
    Counting down the days...   T-62 days and counting.
  11. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 5:  ST. MAARTEN - (THU, 11/2) 
    I woke up to find the pilot boat approaching the ship to take us into the harbor. What a beautiful view to wake up to in the morning!






    We had breakfast in the solarium bistro and then met in the Royal Theater and were escorted off the ship. We met our excursion group (“Philipsburg by Trolley Train”) on the pier.
    I’ll pick up in a bit!
  12. Love
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 4:  ST. THOMAS - (WED, 11/1)… continued…
    This evening we went to the Mason Jar for dinner. We sat at the bar for a bit and my wife had another Mint Julep and I had another PB&J Old Fashioned. Delicious! 😎

    As usual, they start you off with buttermilk biscuits and jalapeño cornbread served with Cajun and whipped honey butter. I liked both! 

    We ordered Lobster & Crawfish Gumbo, Smoky Deviled Eggs, Caesar Salad, and Crab Beignets… Christine was creeped out by the crawfish!





    I wasn’t a fan of the crab beignets… rather bland to me. I don’t think I’ll ever order these again.
    I wanted to try another signature drink so I ordered the Mississippi Moonlight which refreshing and went down a little too easily! 🤣

    Most of us tried the “Meat n’ Two Fixin’s”. I had the beef brisket with sweet potato mash and mac n’ cheese… also very good!

    For dessert we ordered the cherry pie, deep fried Oreos, and chocolate pecan pie… all delicious and decadent!



    The house band (“The Country Crew Trio”) was playing during dinner. They were excellent!


    After dinner, half our our party retired to their cabin after the long day. Christine and I wandered around the ship for a bit.
    Before we crashed back at the cabin, we stopped by Next Cruise and purchased a Book Later reservation for our friends. We are going to look closely at a Mediterranean cruise for 2025 and the schedule is supposed to open up next week.
    We had another port day coming up and had to be off the ship by 8:00am so we called it a night.
  13. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to PPPJJ-GCVAB in Happy Sailing November 2023 Cruisers!   
    I just added my info to the other blog…it’s on page 67!  😜 
    For this month we are cruising on Independence Nov 6, 2023 
    Hoping to say Hello to @WAAAYTOOO while onboard!
  14. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to HollyQueen in Honeycruising on WoTS - Eastern Caribbean 10/29/23 - 11/05/23   
    Wonderland (day 4 part two)
    We were moderately happy with dinner tonight. I’m not sure if the norm is to have the appetizers chosen for you, or if it was because we had a later dining time (8pm), but we were only given the choice of entrees. 







  15. Love
    CruzOnBye reacted to WAAAYTOOO in Happy Sailing November 2023 Cruisers!   
    11-6-23 - Independence
    11-26-23 - Independence
    11-30-23 - Independence
  16. Thanks
    CruzOnBye reacted to mscinmia in Express Boarding on app   
    As far as I know they are random, but all facets of the pre cruise check in must be completed, including health questions.  There will be a separate seating area until boarding commences and from what I was told will be boarded after Suites/Pinns/Key.
  17. Thanks
    CruzOnBye reacted to mscinmia in Express Boarding on app   
    I work at Port Everglades.  This is a TEST program only on Freedom at the moment.  It is similar to the Expedited arrival that Royal was doing prior to Covid shutdown.  We have not heard results from the test yet, but if all goes well they will be rolling it out ship by ship.
  18. Haha
    CruzOnBye reacted to FireFishII in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    Just tell your wife that she is dreaming.  You are already in bed, fast asleep.  LOL 
  19. Thanks
    CruzOnBye reacted to JohnK6404 in A Year of Wonder! One More Time! (10/29/23-11/05/23... 7-Night, Eastern Caribbean)   
    DAY 4:  ST. THOMAS - (WED, 11/1)… continued…
    OK, let’s see what I can cover tonight before I crash  from exhaustion! 😄
    We disembarked the ship and met our excursion group on the pier. We decided pre-cruise to book the same excursions. Today, we went on the “Mountain Top & Villa Botanica” excursion booked through Royal.
    I love that double hot tub cantilevered over the starboard side of the ship just inside the Solarium!


    We entered the port area and boarded an open-air vehicle and headed to the first stop, Plantation Crown & Hawk & Villa Botanica.


    Looks like a Costa and Disney ship at this pier… some really nice views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea (in this picture) sides of the island.





    Atlantic Ocean side of the island… very hazy!

    We walked the gardens after we received a little orientation. Pretty gardens, but do not expect the same level of most of the nicer gardens and arboretums in the states. 











    Wow, the roads in these mountains are so steep!

    Next we were taken to Mountain Top… Absolutely beautiful views of Magens Bay and the surrounding islands! This was the highlight of the tour!





    Mountain top has a HUGE gift shop and sells what they call a “world famous” banana daiquiri… not impressed! 😏 Very little banana flavor and too much Cruzan rum!
    After some time at Mountain Top, we were taken back to the ship. The tour guide/driver was very entertaining and knowledgeable!
    Here’s a shot of the ship taken on the way down. It was really hazy up on the mountain.


    Walking back to board the ship at the port…


    Sorry for dragging this out, but it’s been another long day and my wife is yelling at me to go to bed. LOL! 😬
    Have a good night!
  20. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to TimeRacer in When is your next cruise?   
    Hubs and I think that we're cruise people now.

    Ovation - May 17, 2024
  21. Love
    CruzOnBye reacted to SpeedNoodles in When is your next cruise?   
    Icon of the Seas Inaugural sailing (Jan 27, 2024)!
  22. Love
    CruzOnBye reacted to KJ777 in When is your next cruise?   
    Wonder of the Seas
    December 3, 2023
    Family cruise with Hubby, BIL, SIL and a couple more!!
  23. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Happy Sailing November 2023 Cruisers!   
    November 2023
    6 - Melmar02 (Liberty)
    9 - FJ28 (Jewel)
    10 - Snotarni (Allure)
    10 - RWDW1204 (Voyager)
    10 - SeniorCruiser (Ovation)
    10 - ScottishRobbie (Ovation)
    12 - Crusin and Boozin (Harmony)
    13 - SeniorCruiser (Ovation)
    17  - MarcD (Navigator)
    20 - CowboyMedic (Freedom)
    26 - SpeedNoodles (Harmony)
    If you would like to be included in this list in the future, please add your information to the following thread. 
    https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17-when-is-your-next-cruise/
    PSA: If you do not include all your info (ship, sail date, year), it will not be added.
  24. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to HollyQueen in Honeycruising on WoTS - Eastern Caribbean 10/29/23 - 11/05/23   
    Day 4, St Thomas! (The day I was too tired to update after 😅) 
    Stsrted the morning off easy with room service continental breakfast, made for a good excuse to sleep in since we didn’t arrive in port until 12:30pm, DH also got a chance to do the zip line. Still need to hit up the rock wall on our sea day.
    We booked Magen’s Bay, Drakes Seat, and Skyride excursion. We had a nice small bus well air conditioned that took us up to Drakes Seat for breathtaking views of St Thomas. I was not prepared for the narrow roads up the mountain. DH got a kick out of my nerves but we made it just fine.
    Then onto Magen’s Bay for a few hours, we really enjoyed this small stretch of beach, although we were spoiled with our CCC beach Bed, we didn’t opt for a chair here. They wants $20 a person so we just laid out of towels and joined the crowd in the sea for awhile. 
     
    The Skyride up to Paradise Point was a great final spot to watch sunrise over the island. There were four ships in port today, but we got lucky and had the Skyride virtually empty as they left before Wonder. Had just enough time to grab a quick bite before returning. While the food was good, we probably could have gone without as we had Wonderland for dinner at 8pm. It was an emergency option in case we didn’t enjoy Wonderland, but we ended up getting more than our fill there. 
     
    I’ll make that a separate post after dinner. Enjoy some photo spam. 









  25. Like
    CruzOnBye reacted to melmar02 in PDCC Twice, Our First B2B - Liberty OTS 10/31/23-11/10/23   
    We're in Costa Maya. That's what we thought they were, but my family is going to forever call them the quidditch goals.😁
     
    We got off the ship about 12 and ate a snack in the port area then went to the aviary. I may have found a jalapeno that was too hot, even for me. 🥵 They used to give cups of bird seed at the aviary, but we did not receive any this time. Still had a good time off the ship killing a couple hours.







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