JohnK6404

I believe you get one burger/sandwich and unlimited refills of the sides (fries and onion rings). We did not go to Johnny Rockets for lunch this time (Allure last week), just for the complimentary breakfast.

Fingers crossed! ?

I really enjoy gambling on Royal's ships. The dealers have always been very friendly and are allowed, and more than willing, to give some advice (at least with blackjack). I wound up losing a little, but I had fun riding that wave. Thankfully I didn't start in the hole from the beginning of the cruise! I don't mind losing a little as long as I have fun doing it! We mostly played single deck blackjack and stuck primarily to the $15 minimum tables (there is nothing lower in the evening for blackjack... the other tables were $25, $50 and $100 minimum). My friend tried some of the other games (roulette, three card poker, let it ride, etc.), but he too always found his way back to blackjack.

I was just on Allure last week. The Bistro is on the same level as the Solarium pool deck. The Solarium bar is up the stairs on the next level. I did not take the time to read the signage too closely, but I can tell you on the two mornings we ate in the Bistro for breakfast, there were no children in the restaurant. I’m not sure of the official policy.

Thank you so much! After seeing all of the other amazing blogs, I still have a long way to go for sure! ?

... Day 6, FRI (5/24/19)... Cozumel, Mexico! My wife and I got up early and headed down to the Central Park Cafe for a quick, simple breakfast. It wasn’t very busy, which was nice! From what I recall (prior to my first cup of coffee that is, LOL!), they converted the create your own salad area on the left side to a create your own bagel area... different cream cheeses, etc. As far as hot food options, they were serving ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches on English muffins and some sort of breakfast burrito. I believe they also had other continental breakfast items like cereal, fruit, etc. They of course had the coffee, expresso, cappuccino, latte, etc., bar open... we also grabbed a nice blueberry muffin and fresh squeezed OJ from that station. For whatever reason, we never received a special early departure time letter for Key members for this port. We were in no hurry anyway since we did not book an excursion once again. Our plan was to simply rent a car and explore the island on our own. Just a couple of pics... I still cannot get over how HUGE and beautiful these Oasis class ships are! Only you would understand my excitement! ? Renting a car was so easy! At the end of the pier, there were a number of rental car agency representatives drumming up business. We followed one of the Alamo reps and rented a Jeep... we never opened the roof that day (the ladies did not want to fry in the sun) and enjoyed the air conditioning between stops. The Alamo rep provided us with a map, made some beach bar & restaurant recommendations for drinks and lunch, and explained that only half of Cozumel has paved roads and that we needed to stay on the pavement. ? We stopped at this little establishment right on the beach. We ordered mojitos... they were by far the best mojitos we have ever had! Don’t worry, we had a designated driver! Very labor intensive... he didn’t just muddle the mint leaves and lime, he crushed them effectively into a paste! No concentrated cartons of juice used here... all fresh squeezed fruit! I asked for permission to take a couple of pics... Just some beach pics along the way... strange brown seaweed washing up on shore all over the island. A shot of the two Carnival ships and the Allure in the distance... you can just make out the two whale tails from this distance! Eventually, we stopped at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s for lunch (recommended to us by the Alamo rep)... I had the fish tacos which were amazing! Grouper with all the typical fixings in soft corn tortillas... delicious!!! Just some more random shots along the coast... a little more exploring before returning the rental and heading back to the ship... I wandered around the ship a bit before dinner... took a few shots of Central Park from one of the observation balconies on Deck 9... OK... now we’re off to dinner... here’s FRI evening’s menu: ... a quick shot taken during dinner from our table of one of the Carnival ships off of our port side also leaving Cozumel... Tonight I had the Tomato soup and tried the Asian Style Pork Tacos... soup good... tacos not very good (they’re in a bun, not a tortilla shell)... My entree was the Garlic Tiger Shrimp... tasty, but not memorable... maybe I’m just at full capacity and suffering from food overload! I had the Cherries Jubilee for dessert... I requested the regular vanilla ice cream instead of the no sugar added. Forgot to take a pic... I liked it. After dinner we decided to skip the comedy show. The ladies went back to the cabins and we tried our luck once again at the blackjack tables. Almost there! Last full day of cruise (sea day) next!

You are very welcome! Yes, as far as I know they are identical menus... My Time and Traditional dining are both in the MDR, just seated on different levels (MDR usually has three floors). On our cruise last week on Allure, we were assigned Deck 3 (a.k.a. American Icon Grill) for My Time dining.

Hi @DDaley ! The themed nights in the MDR (Casual / White, Caribbean / Casual, etc.) appear in the Cruise Compass on the cover page (see bottom right corner in these pics under "Tonights Dinner Dress Code")... Take a peak at this prior thread for info on the Prohibition party... it appears in the Cruise Planner under "Activities"... cost was $35 / person...

@spiralqueen, thank you for your awesome blog and for taking good care of Allure for us! LOL! ?

I don't recall having raisins in my dessert... hmmm... just that it wasn't a traditional slice of apple pie.

... Day 5, THU (5/23/19)! Another day at sea and our second formal evening... a truly packed day onboard! We ate breakfast at the Solarium Bistro again this morning. We like to think of it as Windjammer, Jr., and much less crowded. After breakfast we decided to relax in the solarium for the morning. We were able to grab some of the nice lounge chairs right up front overlooking the sun deck and ocean. Just a couple random shots I took... just another reminder to make sure you have some sort of footwear as the decking gets super hot as the sun beats down. ? Next we went to Giovanni’s Table to take advantage of the complimentary specialty lunch that comes with the Central Park balcony reservation. Our waiter was outstanding (I can’t believe I forgot his name!) and the food was excellent! Here is the lunch menu: The lovely ladies! A little Central Park view from our table inside the restaurant... doesn’t feel like we’re on a cruise ship! ? I went with the Italian Cheese and Meat Plank (forgot to take pic again!) for my appetizer. My main course was the Polpettone... basically, a huge meatball made of ground veal and pork with a ball of mozzarella melted inside! Loved it! We ordered a side of pasta thinking the entree would not satisfy us... rookie mistake! I forgot to take a picture of the desserts! Our waiter brought out a sampler (full portions) all of them including tiramisu, cannolis, etc... delicious! We relaxed and wandered the ship again after lunch and eventually headed back to the cabin to get ready for our last formal evening... lobster night! ? Here is the menu... I went with the French Onion soup for my appetizer and of course the Lobster tails for my main course! I cut my waiter, Kadek, off at four tails... my capacity this evening! LOL! They will remove the meat from the tail for you... the butter comes shortly after! Baked Alaska for dessert.... yum! My my wife told them it was my birthday for some reason... it’s a milestone one this year, but not until the end of NOV... don’t rush it! We we also got one of the RC 50th anniversary desserts... After dinner we headed to the Headliner Show. Arrived 15 minutes before the show started (nice perk with the Key) and we were seated in the same reserved section as Sunday (Mamma Mia)... in the center, two rows behind what I believe is the sound booth. The act was the young Elvis impersonator, Travis Ledoyt. He was really good and played well off of the audience. After the Headliner show was over, we headed back to the cabin to change into our 20’s garb for the Prohibition Party held at Jazz on 4. Once again, these were the invites we received the night before in our cabins... We walked around a bit and had our pictures taken in front of the car in the Royal Promenade before heading to Jazz on 4 around 10:30 PM. They have you check in outside the club and give you a pin to wear inside. The MC of the event questions you and finally shows you a side entrance to the club. Inside, they set the club up in a theater seating format and since we did not arrive early enough, we were stuck off to the side of the room in the second to last row. We were very disappointed that the seating was set up theater style instead of like a club with tables and chairs. When we watched some YouTube videos of other Prohibition parties on the Allure prior to our cruise, it appeared they were set up with tables and chairs. Maybe they sold too many tickets and could not configure the room that way? They offer you various drinks or “tea” served in white mugs... we were not big fans of the drinks. The hors d’oeuvres were not very appetizing either, but fortunately we were all still stuffed from the lobster dinner! They bring out the jazz band and singer, which was very good, and the MC kicks off the event. Unfortunately, the MC was difficult to understand from where we were seated, especially since he had a thick accent. They call the guys to the dance floor and teach us some funny dance moves and then call the ladies up to teach them the basics as well. Maybe it was just us, but we were expecting more jazz music and dancing and less talk. The event seemed to drag on endlessly with lapses in music as they tried to create the atmosphere by telling a story. A lot of people got up and left early so we moved a little closer. Bottom line, we enjoyed dressing up in the 20’s garb, but we will never do the Prohibition party again. After the party, the ladies once again retired for the evening and the we headed for the casino for some more blackjack! Next is Cozumel... Day 6!

Hi @hsweat22 ! Here are all of the MDR (dinner) menus from my cruise last week on Allure (5/19/19-5/26/19)... Western Caribbean itinerary w/ formal evenings on MON and THU... Day 1 (SUN)... + Day 2 (MON)... 1st Formal Evening... Day 3 (TUE)... Day 4 (WED)... Day 5 (THU)... Second Formal Evening... Lobster night... Day 6 (FRI)... Day 7 (SAT)... final evening...

... Now I’ll move on to WED, 5/22/19... Day 4: Falmouth, Jamaica! With our early Key departure meeting time of 10:30 AM set at Blaze, we decided to try Johnny Rockets for breakfast. As an FYI for those that were not aware, breakfast at Johnny Rockets is complimentary for everyone. We were seated at a booth inside the restaurant. The restaurant was packed and our waiter and the kitchen staff could not keep up. The atmosphere was a little hectic and our friends were getting a little aggravated as many tables that were seated after us received their food first. I think I’m just a little more patient with my restaurant background. Here are a few quick pics including the breakfast menu... I had the French Toast with bacon, orange juice and coffee. The food was fine as it was of course cooked to order. We then headed to Blaze and waited a few moments until a crew member lead us to the gangway and escort us off of the ship. Our friends had arranged a surprise third party “excursion” for us. This is the first cruise that we elected not to book an excursion through Royal. They had previously spent time here while on their honeymoon and met a gentleman named Warren that had provided transportation for them while they were in Jamaica. We walked through the port and the many shops and met Warren and his vehicle just outside the port. We found out that our destination was the famous, Rick’s Cafe, in Negril. It was a hike, but Warren was an excellent driver and was very informative and kept our attention. As an FYI, we had to pass through three military checkpoints between Falmouth and Negril. I took a pic of an armed soldier in uniform at one of the checkpoints, but I’ll leave that one out if this post! They were all friendly and after rolling down the windows, we were allowed to continue on at each checkpoint. Warren explained that Jamaica, and the Caribbean as a whole, is a hot bed for phone scams/fraud. He explained that many of the leaders of these scam rings were arrested and jailed, but they are still looking for the many that got away and have been evading the authorities. We passed most of the famous resorts on our way to Negril and passed through Montego Bay, etc. We made a quick stop at the Harley Davidson store (located in Montego Bay I believe) and eventually made it to Rick’s Cafe. The area where you can jump or dive into the water. There are multiple platforms at increasing height up to the high platform... Only the resident diver, Spider, is allowed to make the high jump/dive from the platform with the flag. He was amazing... he would usually scale the cliff to get back to the main patio level after each jump/dive. After watching one of his dives posted by another tourist on YouTube while holding their GoPro, I should have taken him up on his offer! We had lunch here... I ordered jerk chicken which was very tasty. The weather was iffy as rain passed through while we ate our lunch (you can see it coming in from the ocean in some of the pics), but we had a good time! Warren took us back to the port with plenty of time to spare. We did a little souvenir shopping and headed back to the ship. After relaxing a bit onboard, we headed to the MDR. Here is the menu for evening #4: I went with the Baked Potato soup (tasty), the Beef Stroganoff (it was OK), and the English Trifle which was also tasty. Later that evening, we went back to the cabin and found our invitations to the Prohibition Party waiting in the cabin... Time for me to hit the pillow. I return to reality tomorrow - first day back to work!

Ahhh... that makes sense! I hope the passenger is doing OK.

Yes, the LIE stinks! Thankfully, I work only 7 miles away in Hauppauge and can take alternate routes or the service road which moves. Islip/MacArthur Airport is only 5-8 minutes away... nice to have Southwest so close. Love all the towns on the water too, as well as, the relatively short trip to NYC... just so expensive and I can see us moving off the island when we retire. Need to cruise and travel more one day! ?

Hi @VinceC ! I'm so sorry! I don't know how I missed the notification for your post... we live in Holbrook. I grew up in Smithtown and my wife grew up in Farmingdale.

Yes, I can also confirm it's definitely available on Allure... my friend had one mixed in one of her drinks last week.

... a few more pics from Labadee... We had an amazing day on Labadee. The BBQ was decent... mixed opinions among us, but it’s BBQ for the masses! When we were ready to go back to the ship, we asked Regis to have Willie stop by the cabana area and he took us back to the ship. We all agreed that the cabana was amazing and added a level of luxury that made Labadee that much more enjoyable. My wife and I would never have considered a cabana on our own, but sharing the cost with our friends made it doable. When you compare the cost to other activities, excursions and spa treatments, it’s a steal for small groups. Remember, you have it for the entire day along with the services of an attendant and a cart driver (no need to take the trams). Once again, Regis was amazing... he was always there anticipating our needs and we never had to look for him the entire day! And yes, we all avoided the Artisan's Market like the plague based on all of your recommendations! Once back on the ship, we got ready for dinner in the MDR... this night was Caribbean casual night. I was surprised with this cruise... with the exception of the two formal evenings, every night was some form of casual dress (we were not complaining!). I never had to pull out my Dockers, etc! Casual, Caribbean casual, white casual, etc. Here was the menu for evening #3... I forgot to take pictures of the food before I started eating each course! I started with the French Onion soup and the Seafood cake. I liked the Seafood cake better than the Crab cake from the first evening. I went with one of my favorites, Chicken Parmesan, and was pleasantly surprised. For dessert I tried the Apple Pie a la mode... interesting presentation, but I liked it. We walked around Central Park again after dinner... love Central Park! I went up top later for these pics. Underneath the bridge... When we went back to the cabins, we had our Key early departure info for Falmouth. Whoo hoo! Our wives called it an evening and the husbands headed to Casino Royale! ?

Just an update and FYI... last night (SAT, 5/26) when we got back to our cabin to finish packing ? we were cruising at 22.9 knots as we approached the keys and Miami. We were consistently over 22 knots for some time and then we almost came to a complete stop as we got closer to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale (last time I checked we were below 5 knots). I’m assuming they were slowing down for the evening for passenger comfort since we were so close to port. So she can still move when needed! Likely due to the speed of the ship and the seas at that time, there was some felt rocking/movement of the ship, but I truly don’t believe it had anything to do with the compromised azipod. Overall, it was by far the most comfortable cruise I’ve been on from a ship motion perspective (our first time on an Oasis class ship). All of us kept saying throughout the cruise that we can’t believe we’re at sea... only when you look at the water do you realize you’re moving. I know some folks are concerned about how their upcoming cruise would be affected by this issue. The only vibration I ever felt was when I was standing directly behind the AquaTheater looking toward the Boardwalk and the carousel... I’m going to assume that’s normal due to the location. The vibration stopped when we move a few yards away in either direction.

OK, I’m back! I’m sooo sorry for not being able to update while on the cruise! So busy... I don’t know how you all find the time to live blog! Let me take a step back to TUE (5/21) which was our day in Labadee! With the early day, we decided to go with the basic complimentary room service continental breakfast (no delivery fee). For those that have never ordered breakfast, they request that you complete the order on the door hanger card (extras kept in the cabin - see door hanger and menu below) and place it on your cabin door by 3:00 AM. If you prefer the American breakfast (omelettes, pancakes, etc.), the breakfast is not complementary as the normal $7.95 room service delivery fee (per order delivered regardless of size) plus an 18% gratuity applies. Our order arrived on time at exactly 6:00 AM (we requested the 6:00 am - 6:30 am delivery time). We never received information in our cabin regarding the Key and early departure from the ship on Monday, so that evening we stopped by guest services. They explained there was no early Key departure time for Labadee. We should just go down to the gangway prior to the scheduled time and they will escort us off of the ship first. In the end, we never had to mention the Key since we were the second group on line. We wanted to get off quickly so we could claim our cabana! Once we got off the ship we stopped by the information booth on Labadee (just through the main entry). They directed us to our assigned driver, Willie, who took us to the cabanas at Nellie’s Beach. Since we were first to arrive, we were able to pick any cabana and we looked at a number of cabanas and finally selected NW4 (pics to follow). We liked this cabana because we were not on top of the beach or facing the beach. We also did not have neighbors directly to our right (Barefoot Beach was through the trees to our right) and had some nice privacy since our neighbors to the left were at a slightly lower elevation. They actually left a little after lunchtime so we had the area all to ourselves. The sun exposure was absolutely perfect! We had the sun on the deck area, but never got blasted by the direct sun in the covered area, especially as the day went on, like the cabanas across Nellie’s beach. You’ll notice in some of the pics that the cabanas on the other side did not have an umbrella on their deck area! These pics were taken before we selected our cabana. We climbed up the hill to our right next to our cabana and took these pics. Later we realized that we were walking through the Barefoot Beach cabanas. We actually liked our cabana better since we had direct access to the water and could see the ship from the water, but did not have to look at it when we were in our cabana. Map of Labadee... Here is our cabana (NW4)... Regis was our attendant and he was awesome! The cabana came with a large ice chest filled with large bottles of Evian bottled water. We would later use it as a cooler for the beers, etc. We also received the floating mats for all four of us. The cabana had a nice ceiling fan and one electrical outlet with two receptacles which came in handy for charging phones, playing music on my Bluetooth speaker, etc. Shots of steps to our cabana (not for folks with mobility limitations)... we only left occasionally for lunch, bathroom breaks and to explore. This is the end of the beach on our side from the bottom of the steps. Steps and cabana shots... This ladder access may be too steep for children and folks that cannot swim will want to walk down to the beach to access the water... A bunch of shots from the cabana... non-stop Labadoozies! My my wife and friends having a blast! Some shots with my GoPro from the water (still learning how to use it)... our cabana is the one on the left with the tree in front (a little blurry)... ... have to start boarding our return flight... more later! Thanks for being patient!

They really need to be in the terminal since we are all separated into designated boarding groups in the waiting area and have boarding priority based on various categories like suite guests, the Key guests, Crown & Anchor designations, etc. We can’t get onto the ship without getting through the terminal personnel and none of them in the waiting area had printed lists or iPads, I would follow customer service’s recommendation and definitely be persistent at the terminal if they tell you to go sit somewhere outside of the Key waiting area which is right next to the suites waiting area.

Let’s see... next is yesterday, MON, 5/20/19... first full day and at sea! My wife and I got up and went over to the Windjammer for breakfast at around 8:30 AM. Unfortunately, we forgot from prior cruises how much of a circus it can become as the morning moves along and especially on a sea day! We had breakfast, making sure to get that fresh squeezed orange juice to maximize that DBP! LOL! ? The food was fine... we have always liked the Windjammer as far as buffets go... tremendous selection as usual. When we left, there was a line down the hall to enter the restaurant and the crew members were escorting people to tables as they cleared. After walking around the Royal Promenade, we went to Cafe Prominade and I got a cappuccino and my wife ordered an Irish Coffee... yeah, working that beverage package! Our friends joined us and we headed to the Boardwalk and the aft of the ship. So far we have not felt or heard any impact of the current propulsion issue. In fact, this ship is so smooth compared to our experiences on the Majesty, Explorer and Liberty, and we very rarely feel any motion at all (knock on wood). I posted a video of the wake on the current running “Allure Propulsion Issues” thread, but for here I’ll just post a pic. The compromised azipod appears to be on the starboard (right) side of the ship and appears on the left side as you look at the wake... If we did not look at the wake (and RC didn’t notify us of course) we would have ever known there was an issue. After some more exploring, we went up to the Solarium and staked our claim on some comfortable cushioned chairs and took a dip in the pool. Understandably, it was packed at that time on a sea day, but once we found a spot we settled in and relaxed for a bit. Note: unless you have iron feet, make sure you wear shoes/sandals when walking on the decking in the solarium... burns your feet rather quickly! When it got a little too hot outside, we grabbed some couches under the overhang in the solarium near the bar and relaxed some more. We decided to try Central Park Cafe for lunch (thanks to many of your recommendations) and everyone was pleasantly surprised. Very basic menu/selection of paninis, quesadillas, the famous Kummelweck roast beef sandwich, salads, soup, and a few sweets. We all tried the Kummelweck and it did not disappoint... very tender and tasty. I had it with what I believe was a peppercorn gravy. Between the group, We also tried the Cuban panini and various salads. The panini was a little sparing on the meat, but it was also tasty. It just hit the spot and satisfied our hunger. Will look to go back probably another day! We later headed over to Studio B for the 2:30 PM showing of the Ice Games! Ice Show. We showed our SeaPass card with the Key and were escorted to the reserved seating and were sat in the 3rd row, center. Very nice seats! The show was very good and we all enjoyed it. It’s funny how we always say we could skip the ice show if necessary, but when we go we enjoy it! We then headed back to Central Park and sat near the Trellis Bar for a bit. Love Central Park! Next we went back to the cabin to relax and get ready for our first formal night. Here are some pics of the menu and my group. Kadek, Oleksandr and Jose were awesome once again! I went for the lobster bisque and shrimp cocktail for appetizers, roasted beef tenderloin (which was tender and delicious) for my main course, and I had the Grand Marnier soufflé for dessert. Everyone enjoyed their meals! After walking around a little, and posing for formal pics, we went back to the cabin to change and get ready for the AquaTheater show... OceanAria! We pushed it this time and just arrived on time about 10 minutes prior to the start of the show. We showed our SeaPass card and were escorted to the reserved section for the Key. About 2 minutes later, they removed the rope and allowed general admission to fill the section. We enjoyed the show (so far all of the shows have been excellent). It was a beautiful night... nice light, cool breeze in the AquaTheater. Back to the cabin for some wine and conversation on our balconies while we listened to the piano/keyboard player down below in Central Park. Once again, our friends have the adjacent cabin and we had the attendant remove the partial divider. Here’s what the dividers look like on Allure CP balcony cabins... Here are a couple of shots taken from our balcony shortly after the performer finished last evening... we are on Deck 11 and Central Park is on Deck 8... Everyone retired to bed with an early morning ahead today in Labadee... OK, time for me to go! It’s time to head down to the MDR for dinner... I’ll see if I can catch up tonight! ?

Yes, amazing time so far! Thank you! From our perspective, being low in standing with Crown & Anchor and not being in a suite, all of us emphatically endorse the Key. However, we were fortunate to purchase it at $19.99 / person per day... as that price rises to a high of $37.99 or so, it becomes more difficult to stomach and justify the benefits.

Thank you all! Back from Labadee... will try to catch up a little more before dinner tonight!

OK, my friends and my wife are tucked in for the evening (in their respective cabins, LOL!)... early rise tomorrow for Labadee, but let me see if I can catch up to today! Yesterday, SUN (5/19/19), we elected to take the port shuttle coordinated through the hotel... fortunately, we were the only pickup and made it to the port in short time. We got off of the bus and they unloaded and handled the checked baggage from the drop off point at the terminal. Now, this is where we all really got annoyed... the people at the port are mostly clueless about the Key! We were able to quickly get through security, but when we got to the next area and had our SetSail Pass scanned, we had to basically go through the entire check-in process again. We had already uploaded our pics using the app, added our credit card, and scanned our passports. However, she still completed the entire process (except for the credit card info) all over again... We were finally directed to the boarding waiting area, that’s where they really dropped the ball. We all had printed out our SetSail passes and had the app open, but because the SetSail pass did not clearly state we had the Key (only listed Expedited Arrival), a couple of the port employees would not let us advance to the suite and Key waiting area to board. These employees did not have the ability to scan our SetSail passes to confirm what we were stating. Even after we showed them a printed copy of our Cruise Planner purchases that clearly showed we purchased the Key, they escorted us to another waiting area and told us we had to wait there with everyone else. When they started boarding other C&A members after they cleared out the suite and Key guests, we got a little more insistent and tracked down another port employee. He finally let us by and allowed us to board the ship! We made our way to the Amber Theater and checked in with the crew member coordinating the carry-on drop-off... that was flawless. They took our carry-ons and tagged them and moved them into another area to be delivered to our cabin. We mentioned the problem we had in the port and she basically smiled, apologized and indirectly confirmed that there are issues (assuming educating/ training these port employees). ... and off we went to Chops to take advantage of our Key complimentary embarkation day lunch. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. Despite all of the unnecessary confusion and stress at the port, it only took us 45 minutes from the time we arrived at the port to the time we were seated at Chops. We all went with the filet mignon which everyone enjoyed including my friend who is very picky about his steak. Service was excellent and as expected for a specialty restaurant. Here are shots of the Key lunch menu, my steak (no sides on plate yet - not a great shot!), the delicious wild mushroom soup, some of our desserts, and a shot of my wife, Christine. . While we were there, we received the announcement that the cabins were ready... we went to the cabins and all of our luggage and carry-ons were there. We unpacked and then started to explore the ship. We stopped at the Trellis bar in Central Park and we started to break in our drink packages! My first, based on many of your recommendations, was a Lava Flow! We later had our muster drill in Studio B... by the time we made our way to the upper decks, the ship had already left port and was passing the beach and entering the Atlantic. Missed leaving port somehow... the ship was so smooth and we lost track of time so none of us knew she had already left port! Wandered over the the Sun Deck and the bridge wings... We explored a little more of the ship and went down to the MDR for our 6:00 PM, My Time dining... we had made all of our reservations months ago in the Cruise Planner. Here is the first night’s MDR menu... Although it’s only been 2 evenings, we absolutely love our waitstaff (Waiter: Kadek, Asst: Oleksandr & Beverage: Jose) and our window table for 4! Here is the view from my seat! I had the the French Onion soup (decent, not the best), Maryland Crab Cake (okay, not great) and the Chicken Marsala which was very good... everyone was overall very happy with their selections. We headed over next to the Amber Theater to see Mamma Mia for the 8:00 PM show. We arrived 15 minutes before showtime and just had to show our SeaPass, which had the Key sticker affixed from the start, and we were directed to the reserved section. Our seats were two rows behind the booth... loved the seats! A little less than 10 minutes before showtime, they started opening up the reserved section to general admission. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show! After the show, we wandered around a little more and the wives retired to our cabins. As a side note, we booked adjoining CP balcony cabins and they were able to remove the partition (about 1/3 the length of the partition can be removed) allowing us to walk between the two balconies. Pics to follow later I’m sure! My friend and I headed to Casino Royale and played some single deck blackjack for a couple of hours and finally retired after midnight... he won a little, me not so much! Not too bad though... ? OK... time for me to get to bed or I’ll be a zombie tomorrow! I’ll try to catch up as the week progresses!