JohnK6404

Usually, immediately after boarding once you connect to ship WiFi to use the Royal app. Some events/activities may pop up later after boarding.

You generally put them on yourself and can choose which wrist and how tight to secure. I made the rookie mistake of putting it on my right wrist back in OCT and kept dipping the ends into my food since I’m right-handed. This current cruise I placed it on my left wrist… no issues of course.

Day 4: Sea Day (cont.) Some random shots of Playmakers and the SeaPlex while we ate lunch this afternoon. Have to come back for bumper cars! MDR once again for dinner this evening… menu: We got our warm, fresh savory bites! Tasty! My wife had the Roasted Tomato Soup and Shrimp Cocktail while our friend had the Caesar Salad. I went with the Asian-Style Pork Tacos and the French Onion Soup. The pork tacos were very tasty this time… I had them on Allure back in 2019 and was not impressed. I’m glad I gave these another shot! We all had the Steak Diane with a side of Garlic Tiger Shrimp. We thought the Steak Diane was just okay, but the Garlic Tiger Shrimp was tasty. Another dish I had in Allure (Tiger Shrimp) and was not too impressed: We all finished with the Tiramisu… also very tasty. Not Giovanni’s tasty, but we enjoyed it! After dinner we made out way to the Royal Theater. We joined the “special” line for early entrance with the Pinnacle, Diamond Plus and suite guests since we have the Key. Although we would have had no problem getting decent seats on this sailing, we were happy to be able to sit exactly where we wanted to… dead center just a few rows back. Of course, there was someone tall sitting a couple of rows in front of me, LOL! The show tonight was “Tap Factory”… synopsis from Royal: “TAP FACTORY is an explosive high octane show that merges percussion, acrobatics, hip hop, music, urban tap dance and comedy.” We all enjoyed it… dare I say more than The Book! The crowd was cheering throughout and gave the cast a standing ovation. Here are a bunch of shots from the show: Headed back to our cabin as tomorrow is a long port day (Curaçao)… this guy was waiting tonight: Have a good night everyone!

Day 4: Sea Day (cont.) We had breakfast in the MDR this morning. Service was excellent as usual. We were seated next to the window. Choppy seas today. MDR breakfast menu… Since we all have the DBP, we ordered fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream! My wife and I started with the Granola Parfait. Two of us had The Classic Benedict and my wife had the Omelet Your Way with spinach and mushrooms… The Captain came on early today to notify us that today will be windy. As I write this post, the wind speed has fluctuated between 21-26 m/s (or 47-58 mph)! After breakfast we headed to the Solarium, but due to the late start and windy conditions it was full. We headed to the Forward pool (partially covered as structure and the North Star crane rest above), but it was freezing! We settled in by the Aft main pool which was warmer since it remains fully in the sun. For lunch, we headed to Playmakers in the SeaPlex for lunch. Here is the menu: We shared the Chicken Tenders… very good! Not the frozen stuff you generally find elsewhere. We did not eat the fries since all of the sandwiches come with the Playmakers fries. My wife had the Truffle Burger… Our friend had the Chicken Sandwich… I had the Playmakers Burger… My wife has been dreaming of the Campfire Cookie since she first had it on Oasis last OCT… We enjoyed all of the food. I’ll have to come back at some point to try the wings and nachos! The ladies went back to the Solarium and I headed back to the cabin to relax for a bit!

Thanks Raye! You are too kind! I try my best to share and hope it either helps someone or raises their excitement level! You, and so many others, on this forum have been so kind and have been invaluable resources for all of us! I love to plan, but sometimes you have to just relax and wing it!

Day 4: Sea Day Good morning! Thankfully, we awoke from our food & wine coma! Getting ready now to have breakfast this morning in the MDR. We like to fit that in once or twice during the cruise. Not sure what the plans are today, but I’m sure it will include more pool and hot tub time! Here is today’s Cruise Compass:

Cats was painful to sit through last OCT, but I had to see it to form my own opinion and I agree it HAS TO GO! My wife loves Cats and saw it on Broadway as a child, but could not stand this adaptation.

I think it’s currently suspended… no balloon drop on Oasis last OCT either.

I agree… book The Book and make your own decision. Like other Royal productions (like Blue Planet on Allure) the technology and performers are amazing, but the story lacks any cohesiveness or continuity IMHO. We just saw it on Day 1 of our cruise (this past Saturday). Many people were confused while others loved it. I would see it and form your own opinion for sure.

Day 3: Sea Day (Valentine’s Day - Cont.) Wow! What a great experience we all had at Chef’s Table! Just remember it will take a good 3+ hours or so to complete all 6 courses! 3:30 from the time we met at the Schooner Bar (6:15pm) outside of Chops to the time we left Chops (9:45pm). The Chef’s Table room is in the back of Chops Grille. Because our friend’s husband could not make it, there were 9 of us in total. Here’s a bad pic of the group… my wife’s eyes are closed of course! Waiting for the last party of two to arrive… this is that awkward moment when you do not know the group you are about to spend 3 plus hours with! We had an awesome group to dine with and all had a blast! The constant flow of wine helped! LOL! It was everyone’s first Chef’s Table experience. Menu… 6 courses paired with wines! The various wines to be served during our meal… Our Chef… Our waiter… Course One: Scallop Carpaccio… just OK was the consensus. I’ll take broiled or seared whole scallops any day. Course Two: Smoked Tomato Soup… amazing… liked by all. Course Three: Maine Lobster Salad… also liked by all. Course Four: Roasted Branzino… liked by all. Our first time eating Branzino. Skin separated very easily from the filet. Very tasty as prepared. Course Five: Grilled Filet Mignon… loved by all. Not the best Filet we’ve had with Royal (Coco Beach Club is currently our favorite over Chef’s Table, 150 Central Park, and Chops Grille), but still tender and delicious! Course Six/Dessert: The World… loved by all… our first time since we have not dined in Wonderland yet. Paired with a Salted Caramel Expresso Martini. Screen grab from video I took… one day I’ll figure out how to post videos! After almost 3.5 hours of drinking and eating we were all wiped out and headed back to our cabin for the night. Definitely an experience we will book again possibly for our Wonder sailing. Tonight’s surprise waiting in our cabin… I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Have a great night everyone!

Day 3: Sea Day (Valentine’s Day) Last evening before we hit the sack, I went to Guest Services for the passenger count. They mentioned the pre-cruise count was as high as 3,300 at one point… they looked it up and confirmed that the total official count for this cruise is 2,724. Here is the Cruise Compass for today: My wife and I went to the Windjammer (Solarium Bistro does not offer breakfast like on Oasis class). We headed to the solarium a little before 10:00am to eventually meet up with our friend. The place was empty on a sea day! It did pick up late morning into the afternoon. It looks like my wife is being boiled alive, LOL! We set up shop right up front… very relaxing view! For lunch, we went to the Windjammer… retrained ourselves as we have Chef’s Table tonight and we did not want to destroy our appetite! This will be our first Chef’s Table experience. Tonight is also the first formal night of this sailing. OK, time for me to relax for a few and get ready for dinner tonight!

Day 2: Nassau (cont.) When the ladies returned from their massages, we went to El Loco Fresh for lunch and then back to the solarium for a bit. We had dinner once again in the MDR. Just a reminder that if you have a special diet or special requests to tell your waiter. My wife requested low sodium this time (elevated BP) so they bring over the menu for the next evening and you make your selections. They will then prepare your meal accordingly when you come the following evening. We also requested the famous “savory bites” for the remaining evenings in the MDR. I cannot remember if we’ve had these before, but everyone seems to love these little rolls! Here is the Day 2 MDR menu: Some pics of the entrance into the MDR… cool video walls! The ladies had the Seafood Puff Pastry and the Shrimp Cocktail. I had the Baked Potato Soup and the Shrimp Cocktail as well. Wow, forgot how tiny these shrimp are compared to the specialty dining restaurants like Chops! Not the best MDR menu this evening… we all elected to have the Beef Stroganoff. Just an FYI… not the creamy kind you are likely familiar with. It was tasty, just not memorable. For dessert, two of us had the Bananas Foster and the other had the Traditional English Trifle. We all enjoyed the dessert! We had no interest in watching the Super Bowl… I know, blasphemy! I’m a huge hockey and baseball fan. If the Jets could ever field a decent team and make the playoffs again, then I’d be interested! They showed the game in Two70 and the Forward pool on the big screen. Additionally, they showed it in Playmakers, but there was a $50 cover charge which included food, etc (not sure of all details). We explored the interior of the ship some more and visited Boleros to listen to a couple of bands (not just Latin bands) and then called it a night. This guy treated us when we got back to our cabin…

Yes, absolutely worth it at around $100 or so IMHO! We grabbed it on our last sailing on Oasis for $89 and had an amazing time. Even with reduced capacity back in early OCT, and the only ship in port that day, the Oasis Lagoon pool was packed. Only thing to consider is time of year. Recently, folks have pointed out that the water may be too cold to swim in and you would effectively be paying a fee for a little more space and a nice lunch. We have seen it as high as $199… not worth it to me, but it may be worth that price to someone else.

We’re on Odyssey right now (2/12-2/20). Only things to add is that you still need to book time slots for iFLY and the North Star whether paid (sea day) or complimentary (port day). We’re booked on both for complimentary slots. For our sailing at least, both Showgirl! and The Effectors are not on the entertainment schedule. Crew explained the original cast contracts had ended and the new cast is still rehearsing. They only have a “special preview” of The Effectors on the final evening of our sailing. I would expect both shows to return before your sailing. Also, if you are interested in Zone Zero (virtual reality room), book it right away on day 1! It did not appear right away on the Royal app when we boarded and when I found it the next morning it was fully reserved for the week! Have an amazing time!

Day 2: Nassau (cont.) We woke up early this morning in Nassau to the Carnival Conquest and the British Colonial Hilton off the starboard side… A busy day in Nassau as the Celebrity Reflection (starboard) and Celebrity Apex (port) followed us from Ft. Lauderdale… … and Indy (port) joined us as well! We decided not to get off the ship today and headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. After breakfast we headed to the solarium and used the hot tubs. The pool water was on the chilly side, so us lightweights didn’t last very long and went back to the hot tubs! We met this lady in the solarium… very friendly… The ladies had booked a massage in the spa, so I took the opportunity to explore the ship some more… OK… time to call it a night!

Odyssey… right now (2/12-2/20)… Just left Guest Services… they stated original/expected passenger count before set sail was 3,300. Actual count as of tonight is 2,724.

Day 2: Nassau I have a few minutes before we have to head down to dinner - once again in the MDR. Let’s start with today’s Cruise Compass: The Key letter we received at check-in yesterday, as well as, the Crown & Anchor (Platinum) onboard benefits/discounts: OK, off to dinner!

Day 1: Embarkation Day (Cont.) We had 6:30pm My Time reservations in the MDR. Tonight was Prime Rib night, but since we all had the Filet for lunch, we opted for the Herb-Crusted Salmon. We all had the Maryland Style Crab Cake… very tasty, but don’t expect the real deal with huge chunks of crab. I had the French Onion soup and the ladies had the Wild Mushroom soup. For dessert I had the Creme Brulee and the ladies had the Royal Cheesecake and the Apple Blossom A La Mode. Later that evening, we went to see the 10:15pm showing of The Book in Two70. Since we have the Key for this sailing, we were told to arrive 45 minutes before show time for the choice of seats. They formed 2 lines… one line for Pinnacle, Diamond Plus, suite guests, and folks with the Key. The other was for general admission (Diamond on down). We were actually first on line. The crew member recommended siting upstairs in the first row in the center of the venue. Good choice! The performers and production quality of this show was top notch, but we all felt it lacked something… continuity. Some of the other Royal-created productions we’ve seen in the past seemed confusing as well for the same reason. It’s seems like they create individual routines (chapters in The Book) and stitch them together hoping it will make sense. It is definitely worth seeing… form you own opinion as I have heard many people love it. That concluded the evening for my wife and our friend and they hit the sack. Here is a copy of the entertainment guide and Cruise Compass for Day 1:

Day 1: Embarkation Day (Cont.) During lunch we started reviewing the Royal app and the entertainment schedule. As mentioned in recent blogs, no reservations were required for any of the shows in the Royal Theater or Two70. The only show that required a reservation was The Book (Two70). What really annoyed us was that none of the major productions in the Royal Theater were on the entertainment schedule for this cruise. I spoke to a couple of crew members in Two70 and at Guest Services later that evening and they explained that the contracts of the original cast of both Showgirls! and The Effectors has ended and the new cast in in rehearsals still. They did not know know when these productions would be back on the regular schedule. I did notice there is some abbreviated “Special Preview” of The Effectors on the final evening of the cruise. I doubt we’ll be able to catch it. After we wandered around a bit and then headed to our cabin to unpack. Our carry-ons were in the cabin awaiting us. Here are some random shots we took before sail away. Elevator tower (aft) artwork… Two70… Solarium pool and one of the hot tubs… love the multi-tiered pools! Also love the two double hot tubs. Without a doubt, the tiered pool and double hot tubs on Odyssey/Quantum class are much nicer than those on Oasis class! Smaller, but nicer solarium IMHO for the water lovers. More pics to come. That playful cat! Aft main pool… Forward pool… generally less crowded so far… The Regal Princess, Celebrity Reflection, and Celebrity Apex were among the ships in port… We stayed on the glass walkway that wraps around the Sky Pad and extends over the ship… freaky if you have a fear of heights… Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale!

So, last evening we stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. Definitely a bare bones hotel with a good location. From our room we could see the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel & Casino in the distance. If you want a bed and a basic complimentary breakfast it will do nicely. Day 1: Embarkation Day For some strange reason, the first shuttle to the port left at 10:45am which was a little too close to our 11:00am check-in window. Instead, we just took an Uber which cost about the same for the the three of us (our friend’s husband was not able to join us this time). We arrived at the port a little before 10:30am. Checked the bags at the curb and headed to the terminal. Since we had the Key, they led us to another entrance just to the right of the main entrance where folks were lining up based on their check-in times. For some reason, they did not seem to care about our check-in window and just let us in! As we entered the terminal we could see people were still disembarking the ship. Our line was pretty short and the main line snaked around to our left. After a brief delay we went through security, completed the second checkpoint (check-in and negative Covid test verification, etc.), and then into the Key waiting area of the terminal right next to the suite folks. Only 15 minutes or so from entering the terminal to the boarding waiting area. Glad we did not have to wait for the 11:00am check-in and wait on that long, snaking line! There was another short delay which gave us the opportunity to start and complete most of the muster/safety drill. Suite folks lined up to board and we followed immediately behind them. I can say the Key was very helpful this time as we actually boarded the ship before our scheduled check-in window. We headed right to the MDR to check-in with the Key desk and drop off our carry-ons for delivery to our cabin. We then stayed for our embarkation day Chops Grille menu lunch. We were all pleasantly surprised how well it turned out in the MDR. Since we had the Key lunch actually in Chops back in 2019 on Allure, we did not know what to expect this time around. Everything was excellent! Excellent way to start the cruise! Heading to bed now before my wife kills me (it’s 1:16am)! I’ll wrap up embarkation day tomorrow! Goodnight!

Absolutely love Long Island/MacArthur (ISP) Airport. Literally 5-10 minutes from our home. We park in a resident parking lot. Small, clean, and modern airport. Quick and easy to get through security. Dread it when we need to go to LaGuardia, JFK or Newark. Lining up to board! Getting there!

Thank you! Looking for any excuse to post pics of them! LOL!

Soooo close! .... and YES! We all tested negative! Woo hoo! Time to finish packing... the dogs are probably not thrilled that they are heading to my sister's house tonight for the next 11 days! "Are you serious? Leaving us again!" - Jake "Enough of this cruising stuff!" - Bella

Hi @CruisnMike35! Have an amazing time!

Have a great time! B2B or S2S is on the wishlist!