whoa

I do enjoy sitting outside of Park Cafe with my breakfast. Great ambiance and if the breeze is blowing, it is wonderful.

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So Day 2. Let's think back.
Ah it started with the alarm going off at 7am. And then again at 730. Why you might ask (and so did Rebecca, but not so nicely)? Well you see - and this became a trend over the course of the week; each night before going to bed and after maybe one to many vodka soda... I had this preconceived notion that I was going to get up and go to the fitness center for the sunrise yoga and core/ab class. Keep in mind, I purposely do not bring sneakers and in my two previous cruises I could not even tell you where the fitness center was. And this trip was no exception. Needless to say, I kept my record perfect of never setting foot in the fitness center. But after my second alarm and Rebecca deciding she really didn't want to kill me, we got up and decided to try breakfast at Park Cafe which is a great change of pace in the morning compared to the windjammer. While I scarfed down my third breakfast panini (dont judge me, they are small) and Rebecca ate her frosted mini wheats (loser) we planned out our sea day.
Looking through the cruise compass we saw a few different things we were both interested in. First being rock climbing. Then following that up with a mini-golf competition. Rebecca saw that there was some spa event later in the morning so she made note of that and then I noticed a dodgeball competition that afternoon. Seemed like we had a tentative game plan. So with a coffee in hand  we made our way over to the boardwalk to hit up the rock wall.
Upon arriving, we found ourselves to be the only ones there. This was done intentionally. I do not like lines or crowds (when I can avoid them). My logic was, who the hell would want to rock climb at 930 on first day at sea. Well that answer was pretty simple. Me. Now I am by stretch of the imagination and rock climber/outdoor adventure junky. I have only done this three times in my life, all of which were on cruises. I really just do it to say I did it (and to get a sweat to make me feel good that I did something athletic before I eat a gazillion calories). But when it comes to athletic challenges, I don't like to lose. So you can bet your butt that I am making it up that wall no matter what, even if I have to Freesolo the crap out of that wall. But here is the difficult thing. I kind of had a headache if you know what I mean. I probably needed to cycle in maybe a few more waters that morning before hauling myself over three stories in the air. But you know what. I'm a big boy (whether Rebecca agrees with that or not). Annnnnd I decided I was just going to do the kiddie wall. OR so I thought. However, for some reason if you are a somewhat 'kinda' in shape 20 something wearing a basketball jersey, the activity staff will stereotype you and they will make you go to the advance wall. Oh boy. Well long story short (I also think I blacked out at some point half way up the wall)...I did it. And quickly high tailed it out of there before they peer pressured me to do it again.

After rock climbing we decided to do a more low-key activity and and enter the oasis dunes mini-gold tournament. I mean I am not one to brag, but last year on Oasis I did get first place. Sure, there were only two other people, one of which was Rebecca, but that is neither here nor there. So we show up to the sports deck and got paired with one other gentle man who was quite nice. To be honest, we all sucked. I think Rebecca may even have won. But I think we all mutually agreed that keeping score was pointless. 
From the mini golf course we decided to make our way to the Solarium. Given it was probably 1030/11 by this point, we were fully expecting slim pickings when it cam to finding a chair, especially since it was a little windy and the front outdoor area was closed. But by the grace of the cruise gods, we were able to snag two loungers. From there we pretty much chilled. Had a drink or two and just people watched (one of my favorite and sometimes infuriating activities). Why infuriating? Well I will tell you. Like I mentioned, the outside deck was closed. "But Ryan, how do you know it was closed?" Well it could have been for a multitude of reasons. Maybe it was the fact there was no one out there. Maybe it was because none of the chairs were set up. Maybe it was because none of the chairs had cushions on them. Maybe it could have been the chairs being stacked and bungee corded together. Or quite simply it could have been because there was a rope blocking off the entrance. But I mean, who am I to speculate, right? Anyway, the amount of people I witness attempting to go out and try setting up a little sitting area was both comical and frustrating. God bless those crew members who had to keep dealing with those people. But the best was those same people thinking they were entitled enough to unstack and transport chairs from the deck back into the Solarium. I mean I kind of respect the power move. I am too much of a rule follower to even think to move a chair out of line let alone drag one across the entire Solarium and block the walk way so you can have you own special seat. So kudos. Now my other favorite people watching pass time are those with the unlimited drink package who shoot out like a bat out of hell on the first/second day of the cruise. I mean, I am not judging (but I kind of am) so I am sorry. It is your vacation. But when you get white girl wasted before 12pm on day 2 off of pina coladas, I get to laugh.
So while my 'catty 18 year old mean girl' subsided, Rebecca ditched me for that event down in the spa. Once she came back we decided to give El Loco Fresh a try for lunch. Since it was probably around 2 at this standpoint, we missed the massive lines and crowds that usually tended to form. But as far as food and concept, Royal really hit it out of the park. The best description I can give is if Taco Bell and Chipotle had a baby. From pre-made burritos and quesadilla's to make your own tacos and taco bowls, everything was just awesome. Also the salsa and guacamole bar really puts everything over the top. After lunch, we decided to not wait 30 minutes and head back to the Solarium and do some soaking in the hot tubs until dodgeball.
At around 430 we headed to the sport court. After getting placed on the team of misfits (other randos who showed up without a team), we decided in the five minutes before we played to bond and go out there and give it everything we had. And everything we had lasted about 1 minute. So by 435 we were back at the Solarium. We hung out there for another hour or so until we decided to head over to the water slides and give those a go as most people started to head back to their cabins. As previously mentioned, Rebecca decided to head back to the room around 6ish as we had dinner reservations in the MDR at 730. After Rebecca left I headed back over to the flow rider and then made my way back to the room.


After getting ready for dinner (and I believe this was formal night judging by the chronological order of photos in my phone) we headed back out to Central Park to grab a glass of wine at Vintages. But we also enjoyed a nice bottle of wine courtesy of Rebecca's parents on the balcony in between Rebecca doing her hair and makeup.

 Dinner tonight was in the MDR and it ended up being our only night there. Not because of anything bad, we actually had my time dinning set for the four other nights. But like I mentioned at the beginning, once we got a taste of that forbidden fruit (and looked past the whole paying for food when we already paid for food), we ended up cancelling and going to a few other dinning venue's. Anyway, back to dinner. I think the orders were: french onion soup for Rebecca and the wedge salad for me. Rebecca then got the seafood pasta and I had the duck a l'orange. For dessert it could be anyones guess (I am sorry I am letting you guys down - I thought my elephant brain would remember). Looking at the menu for what would have been the night, and knowing me, I maybe got the grand marnier souffle and let's say Rebecca got the cheesecake. Now for me, dinner was just spectacular. Including this occasion, I have had duck a l'orange 2 times. And let me tell you, it ranks in my top 2. However, Rebecca was not too keen on the seafood pasta. Maybe it was because she had homemade gnocchi the night before in Giovanni's, but that is just a guess. I had a bite, but I am not a fair critic as I eat leftovers that are three weeks old and think they are just fine. Anyway, it was fine though. Didn't ruin the dinner by any means. As far as service, even though we were only there one night, was amazing. We absolutely loved our servers and honestly that was the hardest part of when we were making our dinner reservations to go elsewhere because our waiters were such great guys. Usually it takes by the third night for us to really get a feel for our serving staff but these guys were just phenomenal. For example, when Rebecca didn't finish her plate of pasta, they had some sixth sense that told them she was not wild about the dish. Over and over they apologized (which they did not have to do - the food was fine, just not her cup of tea). Offering more times than we could remember to bring her something else. Just really showed that not matter how busy and overwhelmed they can be with all there tables, they do care about every person they are serving.

Now after dinner we had reservations for One Sky which was very good. For the rest of the night we just kind of jumped around from all the different venue's: schooner bar, jazz on four, globe and atlas pub, etc.

Now for a 'small world' moment. Back on Freedom, we spent most of our time in Bull & Bear (I hope that was the bar on freedom and not adventure - I am too lazy to search via the google). The main musician in there was Adam Coe, of which I am sure many of you reading this may know of him. Whether you like him or not... that is of no concern to me and keep your negative comments to yourself. Why? Because I run the Adam Coe fanclub and this is my blog so kind words only. Anyway, the fanboy that I am made sure anytime he was playing, me and Rebecca were there. So now back to Oasis. Rebecca and I walk in, but at this point in time there is no one playing. Doesn't matter though, we just really like the spot and figure whoever is playing will be good. So after sitting for a while and chatting up storm with our server, Rudy (more to come on him later), I notice up by the music stand, a flag. And not just any flag. But a Canadian flag. Well if you could have seen the grin that appeared on my face. And a mere five minutes later who comes walking back up on stage but no other than that Tom Petty playing, Dave Matthews singing, Bob Dylan storytelling handsome devil of man. It is not an exaggeration that if I could make a decision of which cruise I go on based on where Adam plays, it would definitely play a factor.

So once Rebecca threw a bucket of cold water on me we decided to check out the silent disco down in Blaze. However, before we did that, we needed to down an adult redbull vodka to keep us going. So we stopped at the cafe promenade and got an espresso each and then walked up to the schooner bar to have Trisha and Luis (some of favorite bartenders on the cruise) make us an espresso martini. (disclaimer: if you do this, do not tell them you found out about this idea from Ryan and Rebecca - jk). Yeah, I hate to say we were those people, but to be fair we only did it once a night (when they were slow towards the end of their shift) & they were the ones who told us to do it! OK I feel better getting that off my chest. Anyway, after a drink and a picture or two


we headed down to Blaze. Now after doing the silent disco on Freedom last year and being two of five people actually dancing, it was refreshing to see a packed dance floor when we walked in. As could be expected, we had a blast. I mean what could not be more fun or funnier than seeing a bunch of people shaking their tail feathers in a dead silent night club. After Blaze I did my 45 minutes of roulette until I realized that 22 black did not want to come out and play. I think we maybe had one more drink and decided to finally make our way back to the room so we could be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our 830am jet ski tour (it sounded like a great idea fourth months ago)...
...and for me to make it to sunrise yoga before hand.

There's that pretty lady...

Well before we get to the good stuff, figured I would mention the lead up heading to the terminal. We probably got up sometime around 730 and headed out for quick bite to eat and to grab some coffee. That was then followed by one last trip to CVS. At around 930/945 we decided to get an uber and head to the port. The hotel to the port it was probably about 10 minutes. Easy peasy.
So like I mentioned above, from our first cruise to now, we have learned a bunch of useful tips, one of which is getting on the ship as soon as possible. But given we are mere peasants (low men on the cruising totem pole), I needed to figure out how to get ourselves on that ship ASAP. From past experiences of going out of Puerto Rico, it is pretty much organized chaos when you checkin. So we really had no issue just walking on the ship at whatever time we wanted previously. However, since this was our first time going out of what I would consider a 'legit' port, I was worried that they would be a little more strict with boarding times. So what would the logical thing be? You guessed it, just buy The Key! 
And now here is my review of the said 'Key' program.
Was it worth it? Meh It was great for someone like me (crazy neurotic person) the peace of mind knowing that we could board right after the fancy star class people. So this was the main draw for me. Rebecca was thinking of getting the internet package just because she needed it to briefly check work emails in the morning to ensure the world was not going burn. So this was beneficial for her. The chops lunch was very nice (and tasty) but I would not say it was a huge selling point (*I am still a huge windjammer fat boy). Other than that we didn't really use the other perks. Rebecca dropped off one her smaller bags to be deliver to the room which I guess was nice. There were some (not a lot) set times for some activities like ice skating, flow rider, rock climbing, etc. But truth be told, we never needed the private times because we were able to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted without a huge wait. I think we used the "special seating" once for a show in the royal theater but other than that we had no issue getting seats (and typically in a better location). Overall we probably would not purchase it again. Like I said, for me getting the key was about getting on the ship early. Possibly, if we do a cruise in the future where you needed to tender to shore... but other than that we really did not see a need for it (unless Rebecca is being a party pooper and checking work emails again...tisk tisk). So all that said, we now arrive at the port. I must say, complete 180 from Puerto Rico. However, the traffic getting to the drop off point was a little congested. But after a mind-numbing 5 minute wait we were dropped off and headed up the escalators. From the curb to the waiting area it legit probably took 5 minutes. It helped that we had the key as we had our own little check in area and the customer service was quite enjoyable. But I will say even if we didn't have the key, the general public line was pretty much non-existent. And in addition to all of this, we had done pre-checkin so we flew through this entire process. So after that we get up the waiting area to board and it was probably 10:25. At 10:30 they make the announce that they are starting boarding and at 10:35 we are walking onto the promenade. *definitely helped we were cluelessly walking around right by the entrance doors when they made the announcement.

Once we got on the ship and had our 'oh sheet' moment, we decided to get all of our un-fun business (reservation making) out of the way. Now this is probably the only 'negative' thing I will say this entire blog. Like I mentioned in the first post, we did the room upgrade. And this ended up being a slight pain in the butt as we tried to book our specialty dinning reservations. And to be honest, we weren't really frustrated, the same thing happened last year on Freedom. But what happened you may ask? We go and get in line at guest services... which is already packed (you can somewhat see in the pic above). While in line they have a few employees walking around seeing if they can help assist so you dont have to waste an hour of the first day of your cruise in line. We tell the crew member we are trying to make dinner reservations and they so kindly tell us we can leave the line and head to Izumi (n00b move on our part) and book our dinners for the week there. Awesome! So we get out line and head to Izumi which was perfect, no one was there and walked right up to the host stand. But here comes the problem. We tell them our room number but since we did room change, the old guests names were still appearing and tied to the room. Like I said, this happened on Freedom and the system seemed to not have been updated to change the rooms and room names. Because of that we could not book anything and had to go back to guest services to get the room situation sorted out. Annoying? Yeah, but TBH I didn't really care. I was more concerned with the boardwalk dog house running out of sausages before I could get there (did I say I was neurotic?). So we go back to guest services and wait in line. And wait some more. And a little more. But we finally get things sorted out (side note - is it just me or does it seem like when you stand in line at guest services that your issue only takes like 1 minute to resolve but everyone else seems to be a half hour effort?) So we head back to Izumi and book Giovanni's for that night, chops for Tuesday and 150 Central Park for Thursday. Once we wrapped that up, we confirmed our show times, MDR reservations and then got those key card bracelets (was not a huge fan - mine seemed to never work but Rebecca had no issue). Now with all the business settled we set out to explore the ship. But first I can confirm they did not run out of hot dogs.


  
So in typical first day fashion we set out explored as much as we would. The boardwalk, Central Park, the pools, slides, etc. All while making sure we were picking up our jaws up off the floor around each turn.






 
Of course needed to partake in some of the activities while the lines were short and just lounge around until we were hungry for our 'key' lunch...
(*I am absolutely terrible at the surfing on the flow rider. When 10 year old girls and 65 year old grandpas show you up, you just avoid the embarrassment) 


 





At around 12:30 we decided to head to the MDR for lunch. Rebecca decided to take the abyss slide as a short cut while I decided to make a detour to el loco fresh to sample a chicken burrito (whoops). Lunch was very good. Uncrowded (we were towards the tail end of the key lunch crowd). I got the bronzino and Rebecca got the filet. Once we were done with lunch we decided to make our way to our room. And in a shocking turn of events we did not get lost and found our luggage down the hall! The room overall was very nice. No complaints on anything. And with having our luggage we were able to unpack and not have to worry about making a pit stop back at room until dinner time. After that we did some more exploring until the muster drill which had us meeting in the royal theater.
Now, being the clever guy I am, I made sure that we sat at the end of the isle. Why is that you ask? Muster drill was at 330 and the sail away time was 4pm. Needed to make sure we high tailed it back up to the solarium to grab that prime real estate for sail away. So after the all clear we booked it out of seats and more or less sprinted up 6 flights of stairs of which Rebecca was not too thrilled about. But I think she then forgave me when she realized what I was doing...


After making our way out into the Atlantic we pretty much just ventured around the pool some more, hit the hot tubs and enjoyed a pretty snazzy sunset.


As the sun set Rebecca decided to head back to the room to begin getting ready. *As we go though this blog you will see a trend with our evening activity as Rebecca typically needs a hour head start getting ready for dinner... 
So while the cat was away the mouse played. I decided to give the flow rider another unsuccessful go, hit the slides (yes I crossed my arms and legs with my head back and if I got stuck I used my hands to scooch myself down) and maybe tested out the bionic bar. With dinner at 8 I decided it was probably best to get back to the room and shower. Before dinner we did a little more exploring of the boardwalk + playmakers and then took in the sights and sounds of central park while enjoying a glass of wine from Vintages.




*Beware of those arcade games. The amount of times I just said, "oh just one swipe". Next thing I knew I was on my 10th game of quick shot basketball. And it showed on the last day bill and seeing a zillion $1 charges. (had to hide that bill from the mrs).
Anyway Playmakers was very cool. We were a little skeptical as we are/were big Sabor people (and of their margaritas). But overall Playmakers is a great addition, especially as a bigs sports guys to watch the games. And of course Central Park was amazing. We think Royal tapped our phones prior to coming on because they put our room on the same deck as Central Park and it was just perfect. By far our favorite neighborhood. And we also love Vintages. On Freedom, you could always find us there before dinner. So it worked out perfectly that our favorite venue was now on our new favorite deck and we didnt even have to walk up or down a flight of stairs. While we sat in Central Park waiting for our reservation, we experienced our only time being up-sold on something (chefs table). To which we really didn't mind it. After politely declining we ended up having a great 15 minute convo with the cruise member as his last contract was just on Grandure.
Now dinner. We lets just say after being in the restaurant for 5 minutes I knew I was in trouble. From the service to the food, everything was top notch. Definitely set the tone for the rest of the trip (and also made me have to undo a notch in my belt). I cannot remember exactly what we had, but it is safe to say we almost had the whole menu. I think Rebecca got the gnocchi, I got the shrimp and polenta. I think we also had the antipasta platter, bread basket, salads and possibly a meat dish to share. Who knows, I was practically in a food coma. After just sitting back and relaxing and having some great conversation with our waiter we decided to skip dessert. Or at least we tried. Our waitress decided that was not an option and actually had some small little samples come out just so we could try. And of course they were amazing. Leaving dinner Rebecca had that look in her eye of "I told you so" since I may have been a little grumpy prior to dinner that we were not doing our traditional first night dinner in the windjammer. However, I was proved wrong (again I am big enough to admit - although I hate admitting it) and now could not wait for Chops later in the week.
As we waddled out of Central Park we made our way down to the boardwalk as we had the aqua show booked. With seats already reserved we made our into the theater and caught what was probably our favorite show of the trip.



 


 
After the show we did some more exploring of the entertainment venues (music hall, jazz on four, karaoke, etc.). We are not big Aerosmith people so the cover band in the music hall was not our go to spot, but the venue overall is pretty cool. Karaoke was always a popular spot thus never got the chance to light up the floor doing my best Frankie Valli. But jazz on four was one of our favorite spots enjoying some of the most talented  musicians we have seen/heard, enjoying a nice cocktail in a very unique setting. This place became a main staple each night for us. 
We finally made it back up to the promenade to catch the ballon drop, check out the pub  all before heading down to the casino to finish out the night definitely not breaking even on the roulette table and then finally heading to Blaze to grab another drink and do some ridiculous dancing before calling it a night... but not before making a pizza stop on the way to the room

 
 
 

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While I agree that I don't want my tax dollars and future debt of the country inflated to bailout non-US companies, the refusal to offer medical aid to a ship is another matter.
For centuries ships of many flags have sailed the seas.  Merchant vessels have long sought medical assistance when passengers or crew become ill.  The long standing tradition has been to offer medical assistance regardless of the flag on the vessel.
It goes to show just how desperate the situation is in America when they have to refuse to offer medical assistance for ship crew or passengers.  That is particular eye-opening when there are U.S. citizens involved.   At the state level it was blocked to ensure limited resources were reserved for state residents then at the local level when it became apparent that Florida residents were on board, local counties interceded to ensure local resources were reserved for local county residents. Desperate times indeed.
The U.S. wasn't alone in refusing medical assistance.  Many countries along the ship's route did the same. 
Right or wrong isn't important.  The fact that Florida is so ill prepared is eye opening.  Not that Florida is the only state not prepared for this so that isn't important either.  The important takeaway during this extreme medical situation is - do not venture far from home.    I can't afford to find myself vacationing somewhere where I might be turned away from a hospital in my hour of need because I'm not a resident of that state.
Sadly since this won't be over until a vaccine is available I'll have to cancel roughly a dozen Florida based cruises.  I can't afford to find myself having a non-virus emergency medical need only to be told that since I am not a Floridian I will be turned away in my hour of need.   I don't blame Florida for this, few states are truly prepared for this but the result is the same - don't venture from my home state to ensure access to medical resources. 
Here's hoping by 2022 or 2023 we can return to a place we can travel beyond state lines.  Until then it's looking like staying close to home is the smart play.

Oooooo, low blow. ? ?

So cool!

Oooooo, low blow. ? ?

Oooooo, low blow. ? ?

Oooooo, low blow. ? ?

Harmony of the Seas, November 1, 2020

Harmony of the Seas, November 1, 2020

Harmony of the Seas, November 1, 2020

Chops dinner courtesy Empress of the Seas
Bread:

Crispy Goat Cheese Salad

Grilled Black Peppered Bacon appetizer.

Nine ounce filet.

Some sides

Ice Cream Sundae for dessert.

Agreed...LOL

https://tenor.com/view/poke-bear-gif-9854676
It's not wise to continue.....
 

Fixed

Fixed

Ham by any other name, is still ham.

Fixed

Fixed