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Yes…it is

We always use Uber or Lyft. Cheaper and more comfortable!

Oh I’m now getting a bit nervous about my September Mardi Gras cruise after Utopia! Our friends talked us into booking this…they had been on Mardi Gras last August and loved it. We are booked in Cabana Havana rooms which have their own little area on the ship. We'll see how it goes as we don’t plan to cancel. It’s an expensive cruise…paying more than just about any cruise I’ve been on with Royal! All I know is our friends raved about their cruise experience so time will tell! I will say I am not impressed with any pre cruise things. Seems they charge for just about everything and doesn’t look like discount sales ever occur! Nothing about the website is easy! I am so used to Royal!

One of the families I am traveling with have a 9yr old daughter! It’s just her along with 5 boys! I am going to suggest to the parents to have her check out the kids’ club area! Wouldn’t it be funny if she happened to meet up with your daughter?

I love Labadee…been there twice. First time we stayed to the left and ended up at Adrenaline Beach… Second time we took a right and walked all the way to Columbus Cove. Best decision! Love that area and will be there again for this cruise. Since all the kids…and a few of the parents…have reserved the Arawak water inflatables, Columbus Cove is perfect for me to hang and still be right near them! Maybe I’ll see you there! Oh…while at CocoCay…I purchased the new Hideaway Beach access (was really cheap during Black Friday sale). Just me going to check it out for a little while to know whether or not I should keep it for me and my husband when on our Utopia cruise in Sept!

Anxiously awaiting your arrival and travel to the port. Looking forward to following along!

Two words are key! AIRPLANE MODE Purchase the internet package and there should really be no issues at all…as long as you keep that phone on Mode!

Happy early birthday! I guess I can include my birthday as early celebration too..mine is Oct. 2. But as I noted in my first post…my husband’s is 9/11…smack in the middle of this short cruise!

Very interesting! Wonder just how much clothing can be packed in there along with toiletries, etc!

Funny…I was just showing my husband what Odyssey looks like as she was sailing out of FLL! He is hooked on Central Park’s Park Cafe for lunch (he loves the salad you can have made!)! He has been quite nervous because I told him there is no Central Park or Boardwalk or Promenade on Odyssey and he is wondering what is going to keep him busy when we are sailing across the Atlantic in 2025! So reading this was perfect timing and when I told him about Cafe 270 he perked up a bit!

Raye…So I haven’t noticed heavier luggage but I do have very, very neat, tidy, and organized luggage! I still pack the same things I’ve always packed but these cubes just create individualized spaces for everything. Now…if luggage was compartmentalized or came with spacers to create your own sections…cubes probably would not be necessary. Oh, except for the part that with the cubes you can take them out and put them into drawers or on shelves to still keep everything organized and separated!

My latest update: I reserved Country Inn & Suites by Radisson (on Astronaut Blvd) for the night before our Utopia cruise. I think for dinner we are going to try and check out the Italian restaurant up the road…Zarrella’s. Anyone have reviews about that? I reserved the Home2Suites by Hilton, also on Astronaut Blvd, for the night in between getting off Utopia and getting on Mardi Gras! Both places had the best prices for these particular nights. LOL if anyone is interested…just 239 days to go for this Utopia Sept 9 cruise!!!!

Now I WISH I was on this cruise rather than the 9th! You are very gracious extending such a wonderful invitation! Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone else from the blogs is sailing on my dates and also has a suite! ENJOY!

As if I don’t have enough of these! LOL but after reading @need2cruz post I checked out the ebag website and they have a huge sale! Well…”huge sale” is my middle name!!! (According to my husband…lol) so I ordered a set of 3 and a set of 4 in turquoise! My excuse is I am preparing for my 21 day TransAtlantic(14)/ Land(7) vacation in 2025!

Yes I use them. My first packing cubes were gifted to me and from day one I was a fan! I have several brands and sizes and use them for every trip. My husband has his and I have mine. The smaller sizes are great for underwear…work out clothing…bathing suits/ cover ups…pjs. I use one larger one to pack all my clothing needs for my pre-cruise wardrobe. If I am flying, this one goes in my carryon. I also pack my embarkation day clothes in the same cube. Nothing gets touched in my suitcase! The cubes are great because there is no need to unpack most of them…just place them in drawers or shelves. The larger ones get packed with most of the daily and evening wear and are unpacked in order to hang up the clothes. They get repacked with “dirty clothes” along the way. Samantha Brown (HSN) has really good ones. My originals are from Amazon and I believe are from Veken. However, the ones they sell now are not like the ones I have. All of mine have see through plastic covers…not mesh. I prefer non mesh tops as well as sturdy outer shells.

I’ve been using packing cubes for years…best invention ever! I also pack them according to category and of course sometimes the categories change per the type of vacation! For cruising… having one specific for pre-cruise hotel stay and embarkation day is so perfect. A few years ago I gave these as presents to all my kids, their husbands, and the grandkids. Everyone got their own color! Never pack without them!

125 Days to go!

Same^^^^^

Wow that is something I have never been reminded about! And it is so easy to not think about those benefits…you’ve apparently had better wait staff than I have! I will just need to be extra cautious in remembering from now on because yes, I have left a cruise or two never having used my 50% off wine benefits …but did enjoy the !

I think I would rather die than be on Deck 3 on any ship! Ughhh. I remember my first “real cruise” on Brilliance (the one I won) going down to deck 4 just to check out the rooms (we were in a Balcony on 7). Oh My Gosh! We peeked into an OV room that was being cleaned and OMG when I saw how close the water level was to the window I almost felt seasick! I vowed from that day forward if I ever got to cruise again (and thank goodness it became reality!) it would NEVER be on a low deck! I realize there are so many cruisers who have no problems at all being on those lower decks (lucky for all cruise lines, I guess) but for me it just would be torture. Maybe an interior where I couldn’t see where I am would work but I’m not willing to try. Anyway…so happy you were able to escape Deck 3!

Congrats Raye! What did you Royal up to?

It was very awesome watching her arrive and dock! Ship looks incredible…maybe someday I will check it out…but for now staying with the Oasis class

I am going to check it out solo on my May Symphony cruise…paid $33.99 Black Friday. I also booked it for our September Utopia cruise. I believe it was $38.99? If I’m not impressed in May…I will cancel the September bookings. I am certainly not of the younger generation any longer so it will be interesting to see what the average age will be…most likely not mine!

Just WOW!

@foxrunner Great suggestion! My first cruise with my husband was 5 nights but it was on the Brilliance so not really a huge ship by any means! It was a decent amount of time for that ship. I think Oasis came next and it was 7 nights…awesome! 4 nights is really short for a larger ship…in my opinion…especially as the first time cruise and paying the price for the Utopia!