Peachykeen

So a big part of my job is nutritional counseling for weight loss. Hard alcohol (like vodka, gin, and whiskey) contains zero carbs so drinking any of these straight is the best bet. (However, these are not low calories).
That being said, if it were me, I'd follow an time-restricted feeding, intermittent fasting approach on the cruise where you limit eating/drinking to at least a 12 hour window, which includes the time you sleep. If you can limit it to 8 hours, such as drinking and eating between 11:00am - 7:00pm, even better. A low carb/keto diet works by limiting the amount of sugar we put in our liver so the body ends up burning more fat for energy. An intermittent fasting approach likewise works (and actually results in further reduction in waist circumference compared to keto/low carb diet - as well as a lot more other health benefits) in a similar way by increasing the amount of time we spend burning fat rather than relying on liver sugar reserves. Anyway, I wont bore you with the science on this...

So a big part of my job is nutritional counseling for weight loss. Hard alcohol (like vodka, gin, and whiskey) contains zero carbs so drinking any of these straight is the best bet. (However, these are not low calories).
That being said, if it were me, I'd follow an time-restricted feeding, intermittent fasting approach on the cruise where you limit eating/drinking to at least a 12 hour window, which includes the time you sleep. If you can limit it to 8 hours, such as drinking and eating between 11:00am - 7:00pm, even better. A low carb/keto diet works by limiting the amount of sugar we put in our liver so the body ends up burning more fat for energy. An intermittent fasting approach likewise works (and actually results in further reduction in waist circumference compared to keto/low carb diet - as well as a lot more other health benefits) in a similar way by increasing the amount of time we spend burning fat rather than relying on liver sugar reserves. Anyway, I wont bore you with the science on this...

Wow - we are nearly in the exact same situation! We are going on this same sail date, in a 2BR ATS, our first time in Star Class and first time on RCCL, with our DD5, getting a cabana at Coco Beach Club! I guess great minds think alike! 😉 Is Alan R your genie too? I'll see you onboard!

The forward deck area is a great place to sail into the sunset but after dark it's also a great place to stargaze.  On this occasion that included Milky Way gazing.
I caught some lightning on the horizon from a distant storm in this next photo.


Forget sailing into the sunset.  Tonight we sail away into the Milky Way.

I think masks are controversial because they are new to most people in the West. 
In the US the CDC flip flopped on masks.  Initially in early 2020 they said masks were not needed unless you were in contact with someone known to be infected.  I wonder to this day if they took that position due to the shortage of masks so that people wouldn't hoard masks like toilet paper and prevent healthcare workers from being able to get masks.  In doing so they ignored science themselves and that is where they went off the rails.  Later they flipped and said masks were beneficial. 
Anytime an agency like the CDC does a 180 it's going to fuel controversy.  
My personal believe is that masks are part of the solution but not the entire solution.  The virus is still out there, it hasn't changed in how it spreads so easily since the first cases eight months ago.  If a mask in public places gives me a 17% better chance avoiding spreading the virus that's good enough for me.  Does it solve everything?  No.  Do I need to wear a mask in my living room with family who aren't known to be infected?  No.  If a family member was known to be infected you bet I'd be wearing a mask around my home and they would be wearing one too.  If my mask isn't perfect maybe my chances of transmission drop to 10%.  That's still enough for me to wear a mask.  
In my past I have driven a car in situations where I probably shouldn't have due to drinking alcohol.  Over the years I've never killed anyone doing so, never even got in an accident of any kind.  Yet the awareness that I could kill someone despite feeling invincible caused me to change my ways.  Just take an Uber.  Could be the best $15 I ever spent.  It's a pain sometimes but probably the best thing to mitigate the horrible possibility that would come from taking a life in a DUI accident. 
Wearing a mask follows this logic.  Of course if I felt sick I wouldn't go out and risk spreading it.  The science tells us that you can be infected and contagious without knowing it.  I don't ever want to be in a position to know I passed it along and caused someone else to die but I still need to go shopping and do things in public.  When this is all said and done I want to be able to look back and know I did everything I could to not be part of the problem.  So I wear a mask when shopping.  My mask procedure isn't perfect but it's something I can do to be part of the solution.  When others see me wear my mask it reinforces that they should too.  That is when it is even more effective.  Lead by example, motivate others without overtly calling them out, shaming them or confronting their choice not to wear a mask.  Let my adult children see me do it so I lead by example.  
The virus hasn't changed in eight months with respect to ease of transmission.  We need much of society to open, we need commerce.  With the virus basically unchanged masks are a means to allow society to reopen in some limited ways that will improve our economy while reducing the chances of spread.   
If wearing masks outside of my cabin on a ship proves to be an effective mitigation that allows cruising to resume I will wear a mask on a cruise and proudly sport my mask tan lines.  It may be the step that saves the cruise lines so it's totally worth it but we need everyone to get on board.  If it's required to cruise it needs to be enforced and there should be ramifications for those that said they would do it but choose not to.  If you won't wear a mask on a cruise I respect your choice not to sail for that reason but don't board a ship knowing you intend to violate the mask policy.  That's just not cool.

I'm just going to throw this out there: It was only after reading @twangster trip reports that I decided to book a star class cruise with Royal (formerly went with DCL). I'm sure I'm not the only one either. For someone providing Royal with essentially free advertising resulting in who knows how much additional income, you'd think they might want to treat this person a little bit better in this situation. Don't they know who you are!!!

I'm just going to throw this out there: It was only after reading @twangster trip reports that I decided to book a star class cruise with Royal (formerly went with DCL). I'm sure I'm not the only one either. For someone providing Royal with essentially free advertising resulting in who knows how much additional income, you'd think they might want to treat this person a little bit better in this situation. Don't they know who you are!!!

I'm just going to throw this out there: It was only after reading @twangster trip reports that I decided to book a star class cruise with Royal (formerly went with DCL). I'm sure I'm not the only one either. For someone providing Royal with essentially free advertising resulting in who knows how much additional income, you'd think they might want to treat this person a little bit better in this situation. Don't they know who you are!!!

I'm just going to throw this out there: It was only after reading @twangster trip reports that I decided to book a star class cruise with Royal (formerly went with DCL). I'm sure I'm not the only one either. For someone providing Royal with essentially free advertising resulting in who knows how much additional income, you'd think they might want to treat this person a little bit better in this situation. Don't they know who you are!!!

I'm just going to throw this out there: It was only after reading @twangster trip reports that I decided to book a star class cruise with Royal (formerly went with DCL). I'm sure I'm not the only one either. For someone providing Royal with essentially free advertising resulting in who knows how much additional income, you'd think they might want to treat this person a little bit better in this situation. Don't they know who you are!!!

I thought of that myself - but certainly they could increase the number of upsell options with room service like alcoholic drinks, specialty foods, brand name prepacked goodies, etc. Sort of like, after making your order, "do you want to add fries to that?" but "Do you want to add a kraken pina colava to that for only $xx more?"

I thought of that myself - but certainly they could increase the number of upsell options with room service like alcoholic drinks, specialty foods, brand name prepacked goodies, etc. Sort of like, after making your order, "do you want to add fries to that?" but "Do you want to add a kraken pina colava to that for only $xx more?"

Well, walk off was a breeze. Araceli came to pick us up in our cabin at 8:30 am. We were at the curb waiting for Lyft by 8:45 am. There is no wait time with the SC departure. She bypassed all lines and elevators.  No drama from any other guests, and since we had LV, there was nothing to pick up either.
Last sad sight...

FLL is another story, it is packed here. So far everything is good at the gate and our flight home is on time.
Happy to answer any other questions if there are any. If not, thank you all for following along with us. It has been a wonderful week and I have loved sharing the experience with all of you. ?

It varies big time.  Right now, prices are all over the place.  On my Oasis 08/23/2020 sailing, you wouldn't believe it if I told you that a Sky class cabin is even more expensive than star.

Speaking of prices, this post is makes me want to know: in general, which ships/ports have the most affordable star class? I know time of year matters and I assume older ships would be less, but anyone have a read on this? 

Day 6 has brought us to Cozumel. On tap for the day...
ATV excursion + lunch & snorkel Impromptu trip on our own to Paradise Beach Portside BBQ 20 Minutes of Cats Cruise Ship(s) gone wild We had our excursion booked through a third party and it was pretty much scheduled for right when we got into port. So Rebecca and I needed to get up even earlier to make sure that we could be in the first wave off the ship and get to our meeting location in time. After navigating through the endless maize that is the Cozumel port terminal, we made it to our meeting spot... Carls Jr. When we arrived we met our guide for the day, Omar. Along with Omar there were four other tour participants, all of which were friends who were on Empress (or maybe Majesty) of the Seas which was docked directly next to us. From our meeting spot (which was directly across from the port entrance) we walked about a block to where their excursion headquarter was (I say headquarter very loosely). 
Before I continue about the excursion, I am going to preference that I am going to crack a lot of wise-ass one liners. The reason being is because this was no Royal Caribbean all buttoned up, no cutting corners, excursion. Things were... let's say very lax. Which honestly, was not bad. We had a great time. The excursion made our time in Cozumel and was one of the highlights of the trip. But I will say this would not have been for everyone. It was a few notches above organized chaos, but it worked. We never felt not safe or uncomfortable. Honestly, we felt more uncomfortable and on edge when we did our beach break excursion in Jamaica and we booked that through Royal. On this excursion, you could just tell this is the way they operated. Just go with the flow. Which given the cost for what we were doing, that was more than ok with us. And, we were very lucky in that the group with us, had the same personality as us in that they were there for the experience and not going to get caught up with the unorthodox flow of the excursion.
Ok, so back to the excursion. Once we finished providing final payment and filling out some paper work (may have forgotten our drivers license - oops) Omar comes over and asks who in the group knows how to drive shift. A girl in the other group raises her hand. So Omar points to her, one of her friends, and then to me and Rebecca and ushers us over to a small little compact car. Then Omar jumps in another car with the two other members of the group. Odd. One would think you all would load into a van/vehicle - together. Not the case here. But hey, maybe it is only Omar working and he needed to drive one of the cars? Nope. Omar hops in the back seat of the other car and makes one of the other guys drive. The one girl in our group cracked a joke that either Omar doesn't know how to drive or got his license revoked. As bizarre as it was, it was also pretty hilarious (we have an odd sense of humor). But we all got an even bigger chuckle as we can see Omar in the car in front of us, reclined in the back seat just enjoying the drive. After about a 20 minute drive we arrived at a little side of the road shack where we got an extensive (and completely thorough) two minute introduction on to how to operate an ATV. Again... just going with the flow. From the shack, we headed down the road until we reached the beach. Then from there we entered onto the trail. Now let me say this. The ATV experience was exactly what was advertised and exactly what we were looking for. The trail ran through the jungle all along the coast. There were pockets where we would come out and see pristine beaches and coastline before zooming back into the jungle. And as far as the terrain, it was a fairly smooth ride. There were some bumps and rocky areas but overall the ride was pleasant. At the half way point we stoped at an area where would could walk out onto the beach to snap some pictures as well as view an ancient ruin. Finally from there were headed back the way came. All in all the ride was probably just over an hour and a great experience.



 




Now next up was a... tequila tasting? ?This kinda came out of no where. I mean, we all welcomed it with open arms, it was just out of the blue and definitely not part of the excursion itinerary. Anyway, it seemed to be a little "I scratch your back you scratch mine" between our excursion provider and the tequila guy. Again, Rebecca and I along with the others from Empress all took it in stride and had a great little experience. At the end when they try to get you to buy some of the tequila that you sampled, our counterparts could not have flown out of the room faster. But we ended up buying a coffee infused bottle... so nice that TSA on the the flight back home wanted a sample apparently. I just wish they completely closed up the bottle after they were done.
As we were about to head back into the car we heard Omar talking about two cruise ships colliding in port. At first we thought he was talking about a different day. But then he confirmed it was that morning. After watching the video (which I am sure everyone on her has seen - i.e. the two Carnival ships hitting), Omar then mentions that a Royal ship may have been hit (and then he shows us the other clip). Now image, you are on island in Mexico, on an excursion, with no idea if what is going on and you hear that your ship was in a possible collision. I had visions of my mother freaking out and looking to buy a flight that day to come to Cozumel to make sure we were ok. But now I have  Rebecca starting to freak out and trying to send emails to her mom to let them know we were ok. Me on the other hand? Not going to lie, I was hoping our ship got hit ?(of course it goes without stating while with the intention of hoping no one was hurt). I am hoping for an extra night in Mexico. Envisioning an extended vacation. I'M THINKING CRUISE CREDIT!... However (as we all know), my hopes and dreams were crushed and our ship was spared.
From the ATV spot we rode back towards town and to the beach club where we were set to have lunch and to snorkel. The spot was super nice, however because of the wind, we were just limited to having lunch and to walk along the beach.

After lunch, our excursion came to end and we started to head back to the port and the ship. However, when we were halfway through the maize on our way back to the ship, Rebecca and I both realized that we didn't want our day in Cozumel to end. So we ended up making a u-turn and heading back towards the exit and the taxi stand. We really didn't have a plan but we decided to take a ride and check out Paradise Beach club. Really cannot tell you why we chose to go there other than the price of the cab was reasonable and the name seemed somewhat familiar... probably from ready other peoples blogs. Upon arrival we decided just to the beverage and food minimum to gain access, which was perfect. We probably arrived around 1:30 and ended up staying until to just about 4 taking in the beach (the weather got much nicer), crystal clear water, and the pool. Getting a cab back was super simple (there is line waiting outside), which put Rebecca at ease since she thought we weren't going to get one and end up missing the ship.



One we got back to port and on the ship, we did a little more lounging in the Solarium and some other water activities up on the pool decks. Since we were planning to have dinner in Portside, getting ready for dinner was going to be a little less of a production. Which was nice because after being up super early for the excursion and being out in the sun all day, having a casual dinner planned was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Now onto dinner. Portside was awesome. This was probably what I was most excited for after reading about the amplifications. The whole concept, location, food, environment are just so cool.  And for the price, considering its BBQ (very very good BBQ) - you simply cannot beat it. And you get so much food. And as a proud member of the clean plate club, I had to have my membership revoked. Yes, I had to take a to go container. Between myself and Rebecca we probably got to try everything on the menu (excluding the ribs maybe?). It was all delicious. It was a little sad that the restaurant was more or less empty, because it really is a great concept that I think more people need to give a try. I will say that Royal does not do that great of a job marketing the restaurant when you are actually on the ship. Which I think they definitely should do given the hidden/tucked away location up on deck 15. We did get a chance to talk to the manager who was super friendly and engaging. We ranted and raved to him about how much we loved everything which I hope made him feel good. You could kind of tell he was just as confused/frustrated that it was not a little busier. Maybe over time as more people find out about and the word spreads, the crowds come. And hopefully Royal does add it to other ships.

As dinner came to end, Rebeca and I needed to roll ourselves down to the theater to catch the critically (not-cruiser acclaimed) production of Cats. But not before running into this guy...

 
Now let me just say this. I was fully prepared to ride it out for the whole show. I was going to prove everyone wrong. No way it could be that bad. Everyone was overreacting.
Well...
we lasted 20 minutes. But in my defense, I think if we weren't up at 7am (after going to bed at 2am), did two excursions, and just ate an entire cow & pig for dinner - we could have made it. But after almost falling out of my chair multiple times we decided it was time to exit. *We also strategically sat in one of the bar hight ops along the edge as to not to disturb anyone - I guess we were really foreshadowing our early departure, huh?
From the theater we ventured around and then settled down in Globe & Atlas to catch up with Rudy. As we hung out, we noticed that Adam was not performing (but we did catch his set during dinner in Portside ?)
Speaking of Adam... 
Now I know by now everyone is sick of hearing of how much of a fanboy I am. Deal with it. Every night, I am filled with envy when he sits down with a group in between sets and has a beer and shoots the sh$t. But at the same time, I am too shy to even go up and say hello. Anyway, there were are, just sitting there minding our own business and who comes walking in and sits down at the table next to us. After he chatted it up with a few guys next to us, I saw my opportunity to say hello. But every time I tried to form a sentence, nothing came out. I started to stress. What if he leaves? What if someone scoops him up and brings him to their table? I could not let that happen. So after a shot of liquid courage I made my move (sorry Rebecca). I cant remember exactly what I said, pretty sure I blacked out. But next thing I know, Adam is sitting at our table and we just chatted the night away. Literally. We shut Globe & Atlas down with him just talking about everything under sun. Quite literally a dream come true. We may have even gotten Sorrentos with him ☺️
So after we had to say good bye to my man crush (Rebecca could have not been more relieved), I think we may have tested out the casino. I believe the roulette gods were surprisingly in a good mood, which means Ryan is in a good mood, which means Rebecca is in a good mood. But this was probably the most fun I had in the casino on the cruise (of course winning helps). We had a table filled with a cast of characters, all of which were great people, which made for a fun time. From the casino we probably ventured maybe to Blaze before then calling it a night.
Tomorrow is a sea day on our way back to Miami. Highlights include: T-Shirt Sale, Trip to next cruise, Multiple food comas, And losing my sea pass card for the first time (on the last day no less!) 

And we are back with Day 3, which has put us in Labadee. Out of all the ports on our itinerary, I would say this was the one we were looking to the most. While we were excited for Cozumel (we had an ATV excursion planned), Haiti for some reason had us the most excited to visit (and it doesn't hurt the food and drinks are included).
So like I previously mentioned, needed to get up rather earlier (not for any fitness classes) to grab breakfast and make our way off the ship for our early morning jet ski ride. We originally had this excursion booked a little later in the day, but last minute we decided to add a trip to amiga island (have to love that mindset of money really doesnt matter (as much) on vacation). So to make this second excursion work with our schedule, we needed to bump up our jet ski time.
*We really wanted to do this adult sandbar party excursion thing where you take a boat out into the water where I guess it is around waist high and are able to hang out and have a good old time. I saw it for the longest time in the cruise planner, but it seemingly disappeared a few months before the cruise. After contacting Royal I guess they removed it as the tour operator decided to not offer that excursion. Guess we need to find another cruise to Haiti in the near futrure...
So after getting up we partook in a new tradition established on this cruise... Rebecca staying in bed while I go and have break by myself ?. I know, so sad, right?  But I sucked it up, stopped by park cafe and got a quick bite to eat and even brought a little something back for Rebecca because you know, chivalry is indeed not dead. Once we got off the ship it was pretty simple to find where we needed to go, sign-in, and meet our group (it is literally right off the ship when you get to the end of the pier). When we got close to our time, we headed into a room where our guide and instructor went through all the safety rules and other logistics. From there we got our life vests and headed out onto our jet ski's. In total there were about 12 people in our tour. We were assigned a number based on the experience (or lack thereof). 1 was if you had the most, 12 if you were a newbie. Rebecca, the speed demon, started at number 3 and half way through she was knocked up to number #1. Myself? I just will keep the number to myself (I definitely was not knocked down a number ?). Overall, the excursion was a little over an hour and we had a blast. It was interesting how they had it structured in that it was like follow the leader. Our guide would go first then we would all follow. So it wasn't like a free for all in one particular area. We were a little skeptical at first. But it ended up being perfect. We still got our need for speed and were able to jet ski around some pretty big swells. And you really couldn't beat zooming past the the Haitian coastline. Those mountains are pretty spectacular.


After we finished our excursion we decided to checkout out the rest of the island.


 

 
Overall Labadee lived up to our expectations and would have absolutely no problem coming back. For the rest of morning we just hung out at beach, ventured out to the floating bar for a beverage and then swam back in for lunch. After we ate, we needed to make our way back over to the dock to catch our ride to Amiga Island. The boat ride over to the island was about 20 minutes. Again was definitely very cool to get a different vantage point of the island, and to get a close up of the ship...



Once we got to the island, Rebecca and I took walk around and then a dip in the water. The excursion in my opinion was defiantly worth it. There were probably only 15 of us on the island so it was a nice quiet getaway. For the rest of the time we were there we pretty much just relaxed and caught a few Zzzzz's. If you wanted, they had a little hut that was used as cash bar but the complimentary rum punch and view was more than enough for us. After the ride back, it was unfortunately time for us to have to get back on board. 
*The ride back though was pretty eventful in that there were some pretty big swells. No one ever thought we were in danger, but it wasn't your average smooth ride back. It was almost like a two for one excursion. One being the island the second being the rollercoaster (I mean boat rife back).











As far as plans for the night, we only had dinner booked at Chops for around 8. No shows booked. That being said we did our traditional late afternoon solarium and jacuzzi session followed by a few runs on the slide. For sail away we did head to back of the ship to I think deck 5 for a little less crowded view (and maybe had a hot dog from the boardwalk). From there we ventured back to the room to get ready for dinner. After that, we did some walking around, probably spending more money on the hot-shot basketball and and football toss on the boardwalk. Rebecca (along with every 8-year-old kid) was also on the prowl to catch that piano guy in the elevators. At one point we spotted him, but to Rebecca's misfortune, he zipped right past our floor.

We then headed up to Chops for dinner and as expected there were 0 complaints. I think we both got the crab cake appetizer, maybe salads...cant remember, filets with their various delectable sauces. And then for sides, if my memory serves me correctly, we did the creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and the mac n cheese, because you know...#health. For dessert, I know we got it, but gun to my head I couldn't tell you what. Maybe Rebecca got something chocolate and I got something apple?
After dinner was over and considering we had no real plans we decided to head to the Globe and Atlas to see my man crush. Again, our server Rudy made for great conversation. We always seem to luck out and get a great server in all the pubs when we've been on our cruises and Rudy may be our favorite. Would literally run over from wherever he was to greet us with a hello and would constantly be checking in on us. But like with most people, we just like talking to him about life, his family, about us, etc. Eventually Rudy needed to tend to some of the guests (how dare he). It was fine, I could let Adam start to serenade me. As the night went on, we ended up meting and joining forces with a group of 2 couples who were traveling together. So after chatting up a storm, having a drink or two we all headed to Blaze. From there me and Rebecca broke off and once again I needed to go and see if 22 Black wanted to be friends. While we did say hello once early on in the night, he then started to ghost me. From the casino we may or may not have stopped for pizza (ok i did, not Rebecca) and then headed back to the room to call it a night in preparation for Jamaica in the morning.

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.

Did the waterpark on our first visit, found a table and left our "stuff" at the table (threw a towel over everything so it wasnt obvious what was there but certainly not secure).
It was a decent waterpark but i have no interest in paying to do it again.
After the waterpark, wandered over to south beach, swam out to the tiki hut bar and floated for the rest of the day.
 
2nd visit, split time between floating at Tiki hut and floating in pool
 
3rd and 4th visits Tiki hut was not optimal with construction, grabbed seats at the big pool and floated all day.
 
Side note: Floating is a technical term meaning "to bob in the water while drinking beers and watching the scenery, occasionally drifting close enough to the bar to replenish the beer".

Well in the end we decided to forgo the beach bed and do the club instead. Reason being, far as I can tell, RCI seems to change things on a whim all the time and often unexpectedly. I've seen the beach beds moved around to many different places recently and different versions of the Coco cay map following the club opening that show them on different areas. Seems like they are just trying out different options. So between now and my Sept cruise, who knows if the beds will be moved yet again. At least they can't move the club as easily. Better to go with what is a certainty - the club - than take the risk of the very movable (therefore unpredictable) bed. 

Well in the end we decided to forgo the beach bed and do the club instead. Reason being, far as I can tell, RCI seems to change things on a whim all the time and often unexpectedly. I've seen the beach beds moved around to many different places recently and different versions of the Coco cay map following the club opening that show them on different areas. Seems like they are just trying out different options. So between now and my Sept cruise, who knows if the beds will be moved yet again. At least they can't move the club as easily. Better to go with what is a certainty - the club - than take the risk of the very movable (therefore unpredictable) bed. 

That's interesting, as Bloody Mary's (I refuse to use the initials ?) and mimosas are on the room service menu - it just says that they are priced at "current bar prices + 18% gratuity". So it seems like you could get them delivered, they just wouldn't be included in the drink package.

The only negative I can think of with the ATS......is noise from the shows will interrupt a sleep cycle that starts at 7pm
 
With the loft suite....you can
1. Ask for a cot so they can sleep upstairs so you could relax downstairs till you want to go to sleep
2. Use suit cases to block stairs if there is concern

We have two girls, age 11 & 13.  We are sailing in an ATS on Oasis in a month mainly because the kids want the second bedroom and because D11 loves the balcony so she is really excited for the wraparound.  We did the Star Loft last year with them.  You most definitely lose out on privacy with the loft.
If I could pick between the two, I would choose the Star Loft every time.  The pros of the loft far outweigh the cons for me.  When we travel with our girls, we don't have much privacy anyway, second bedroom or not, and so I would much rather be up on Deck 17.
I'll have a much more solid opinion in about a month but I doubt it will change much from where I am at right now.

So a big part of my job is nutritional counseling for weight loss. Hard alcohol (like vodka, gin, and whiskey) contains zero carbs so drinking any of these straight is the best bet. (However, these are not low calories).
That being said, if it were me, I'd follow an time-restricted feeding, intermittent fasting approach on the cruise where you limit eating/drinking to at least a 12 hour window, which includes the time you sleep. If you can limit it to 8 hours, such as drinking and eating between 11:00am - 7:00pm, even better. A low carb/keto diet works by limiting the amount of sugar we put in our liver so the body ends up burning more fat for energy. An intermittent fasting approach likewise works (and actually results in further reduction in waist circumference compared to keto/low carb diet - as well as a lot more other health benefits) in a similar way by increasing the amount of time we spend burning fat rather than relying on liver sugar reserves. Anyway, I wont bore you with the science on this...