CruzOnBye

Cruise has been fun. Spent sea days doing activities around the ship.
First port day today in Roatan. Group went to Maya Key. I highly recommend this for families with kids. Boat to island departs right by ship so one does not need to venture out. 10 minute ride to island. Nice beach and included lunch. Drinks for purchase. Beer buckets of 6 are $20. 

780 kids onboard according to the cruise director!

The kids spent time in the wave pool while DH and I spent time under our umbrella. We decided to call it a day around 1:30 or 2pm. DH and DS went back to the ship, and DD and I headed to the shops in search of a Christmas ornament. 



On our way out this morning we saw our cabin attendant and asked for a champagne bucket with ice for the bottle we got at Next Cruise. He found the bottle in our cooler and had it chilling for us when we returned. 
Juggler tonight, not sure of the dinner plans.

Lunch was at the Snack Shack. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and mozzarella sticks. We got a funnel cake to share, but we were so full we each only had a couple bites.

We had breakfast at Chops, and then went back to the cabin to change into our swim suits. We had tickets to Thrill Waterpark, and we decided to make the wave pool home base. We chose loungers somewhere in the middle of the pack, next to a tree so we would have a little more shade than the umbrella provided. 

We headed to Splash Summit and went on the racer mat ride 4 times so we could try each color. Then we did the tube slides. Next we headed over to Daredevil's Tower for a bit. DD and I both went to the Peak and we all did most of the other slides. I finally talked DS into the Slingshot, and I wish I had a picture of his face when we started the big descent! They are making progress on the new green slide - it looks like it may be another multi person slide like the sling shot. Daredevil's Peak had the worst wait time at about 25 minutes. All the other slides were 10 minutes or less with some, like the racer mats, that had no wait. Our legs are beat!

Hopefully not everyone feels they need to buy in the first hour. They're not Taylor Swift tickets 

Hopefully their website doesn’t crash like last year. 
 

Don't work too hard, it just says it it running from 9th-24th and we can expect "Up to 55% off on beverage packages, Onboard Activities, Internet and more!"

Ahem, [*cough*], [*cough*], cruisecritic, [*cough*], [*cough*]

DAY 7:  * SEA DAY * - (SAT, 11/4)… LAST DAY! 😪
We woke up and stepped onto our balcony to find the Caribbean Princess just off the port side of the ship. Today is the last day of the cruise, I’m assuming she is also heading back to Florida to conclude her sailing.

We had breakfast once again in the Solarium Bistro. My wife's uncle and GF headed back to their cabin to start packing. We also began packing, but then decided to head to the Solarium for some quality hot tub (and pool) time. My wife is a water baby and I can’t keep her away for too long! 😄
Here’s that double hot tub that cantilevers over the side of the ship on the starboard side (right side) of the ship just as you enter the Solarium. Amazing views from that hot tub!




Just a couple more pics of the Solarium…


For lunch, we all met at Hooked Seafood…




Nice biscuits…

Most of us had the Claim & Crab Chowder… also very nice…

Half of us had the Maine Lobster Roll and the other half had the Messy Fish Sandwich…




… a side of Cajun French Fries…

For dessert, I had the Coconut Cream Pie… My wife of course had the Decadent Chocolate Brownie…


After lunch, we all went back to pack some more. We met in the Solarium an hour or so before dinner to relax in the padded loungers by the windows.
Our final dinner was at Giovanni’s…

Round 2!

I’m seeing posts that Royal is starting Black Friday sales tomorrow Nov 9.
I see nothing in my inbox. 
Can anyone confirm this?

It's painful pricing out 2025 cruises and having to pick "adult" for my currently 11 yr old son.

We're still running pretty slow, but CocoCay is close, so we shouldn't have a delay. 
 
We were boring the rest of the day. Nap, casino, suite lounge, WJ for dinner. DS is in the kid's club, DD is watching TV, and DH is reading. I'm going to bed early for a long day tomorrow. 😴 

Great sea day. 150 Central Park for dinner. 

No that was deliberate.  🤪
That's the gin and tonic typing.......🤩

Wow! First, I know I already said it, but there are some really amazing pics in this blog. Second, this makes me want take an all access tour one day. It's quite detailed.

DAY 6:  * SEA DAY * - (FRI, 11/3)
I woke up early (a little after 6:00am) before Christine and started to explore the ship once again while most of the passengers were sleeping.
I worked my way to the Solarium… photo dump to follow! LOL! 😃



One of the two hot tubs in the main part of the Solarium…


I said this last time, but I still need to remember to grab a banana, place it in the gorilla’s palm, and take a pic one day! 😆

Lower level of Solarium… To us, Wonder’s solarium is a nice hybrid of the Quantum and Oasis class solariums. Enclosed (climate-controlled) and multi-tiered (pool and seating)!

Much nicer, although still relatively small, pool than on other Oasis class ships…


Lower level behind the glass is the Solarium Bistro and the upper level is Hooked Seafood…

Some panoramas taken in the center of the Solarium…




Quick shot of the best hot tub on the ship IMHO… the double hot tub that cantilevers over the starboard side of the ship. Nicer pics to come! It was closed when I was taking my pics. This one is just inside Solarium once again on the starboard (right) side of the ship.

Here are the pics I posted earlier of this hot tub from the pier! 😃

Next, I walked the entire pool deck… 
Looking forward… Remember, when walking the pool deck, the slides are in the forward of the ship and the video screen is aft…



Quick pano looking forward…

Now, looking aft…




Now, I headed further aft toward the Boardwalk neighborhood…






Will continue on…
 

You are lucky,  mainly because you are cruising soon but also because your group listened and responded 🤣😂🥰.

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!  

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

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. 🙂  

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. 

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. 

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!