PPPJJ-GCVAB

Here’s a little bit of intel that I didn’t have 30 minutes ago…
If you forget to cash out a casino voucher (guess how I know this…) they can redeem it for you at Guest Services !   I almost left my voucher in the stateroom, certain that it was trash…but I told myself, “you have to at least TRY and get this money…”.   So I did…and nobody was more surprised than me that they could and did.  It wasn’t big money ($31.95) but it was worth the try.  I gave him a nice tip…
He did tell me though, that once you leave the ship there’s no way to redeem a voucher so even if you forget to cash it out at the casino, you must do it before you leave the ship.

First day only. Wind chill has been chilly. Not many folks out on lounge chairs. Today it was 58 degrees with 25 mile an hour winds.
its terrible about the emergency’s but we have seen 2 extra islands .
we can’t wait till it’s time for the excursions 
the 10 days of sea days have been very enjoyable I’m now thing about the transpacific  cruise.

We did not sleep well, but I came out to the living room just before 6 and DH had a cup of coffee waiting for me. He just went back downstairs to get second cups for us. He's a saint.
The inside of the hotel is just as humid as it is outside which is a little odd because the ac is doing a good job at keeping the temperature comfortable. It was just sticky all night.
The plan is the included breakfast for the kids, everyone get ready, and we'll head out about 9:45. It's 30ish minutes to Lighthouse Parking. It will be around 10:30 when we make it to the cruise terminal for our 11am boarding time.

I’ve been on just a few classes of Royal ships and enjoyed each one for their unique style.  Have truly never experienced feeling overcrowdedness (?) on any…so far.  Perhaps the other cruise lines do not quite match what Royal has achieved?
 Since the OP mentioned Mardi Gras…I look forward to seeing it for myself as it’s going to be one of 2 larger ships for me in September!
I am definitely partial to Royal!  I do hope @RCVoyager will give Royal another chance by taking the advice of the above comments!

Relaxing in the room after our wonderful dinner with @JustMeJoe and his wonderful wife.  We most definitely have made wonderful new friends with them.  What a great couple !
While enjoying our quiet and restful post- gluttony coma, I suddenly got a VERY strong whiff of skunk weed through the ventilation system !  At first I wasn’t sure where it was coming from but since we have NO balcony, there was only one possible source.  It went away quickly so I guess nothing to worry about.  For a while there, we were smelling it far too frequently on other ships but lately haven’t smelled it.  Was surprised when it happened tonite.  Hmph.

After a long drive and hitting lots of traffic in Houston, we made it to the hotel. We checked in dropped off our bags and headed to dinner. The Cheesecake Factory is just a mile or two from the hotel. 
The room is what we expected from the pictures. One bedroom and a separate living/kitchen combo. One bathroom. They only have decaf packets coffee in the room. We asked the front desk for regular, and they said they are out. DH said he doesn't mind running down to the lobby for coffee. He thinks it's better than what is in the room.
Tomorrow is cruise day!

How has the weather been since leaving Florida?  Warm enough for poolside sunning?  I am enjoying this post and look forward to your upcoming port stops!
Very sorry about this new medical emergency! 😔 

Umm...aren't you already living like this? LOL
I want to grow up to be like @WAAAYTOOO 🙂

Should I get out my tiny violin? Some of us only get to cruise 1-4 times/year 😭. I'd welcome your depression.
You can do it!
That's more like it. None of this depression talk, lol.

Yes, mommy.
🤪😍

A little later than we wanted, but we are headed to Houston. Should get there around 6.

Well, this is sure coming up fast now! 13 days until I fly to Barcelona, 15 until I board Oasis. 
My Amazon purchases arrived, I'm contemplating getting the dress I bought in another colour as it's so cute and I think will be perfect for evenings around the ship.
Hoping to get the majority of packing done tomorrow, and then through the week will print all the important stuff. 
I also need to get my cruise cash - something both Jamie and I were wondering is, if we tip on top of the daily gratuities, is it best to do this in dollars or euros? My brain says euros as we're on a European cruise, but I'm not 100% sure. 
I'm going through a lot of change and uncertainty at work, but the thought of being on board a ship again for the first time since 2018 is keeping my spirits up. 

We now have a second emergency on board. We are full speed ahead  to Azores island. Arrival will be approximately 7am tomorrow.

Carnival ships new and old were designed by a blind engineer. Horrible aesthetic and overall design regarding the routing of large groups of people across the ship. I find the Oasis class to be the opposite and have really never felt crowded. As far as other vacation options…. Hard NO WAY for us. We have recently tried some land based vacations that were horrible regarding the lines and crowds of people all fighting to get a spot at the pool. There’s so much more to see and do in a cruise which offers a higher overall value for my family. 

We have had similar thoughts about our cruising future.  We were on Icon and were blown away how great it was.  We have 7 RCL cruises on the books and 3 other cruise line bookings.  Celebrity / Princess / Holland America helps with your service preference and bumping up to Oceania / Azamara helps even more with fewer guests and better guest to crew ratio (and MUCH better food).
There are also RCL strategies that help as well; smaller ships, Alaska, and transatlantic are great.  We have Alaska B2B on Radiance OTS which has great open spaces all around the ship with super viewing opportunities.  We also have transatlantic on Independence OTS and our experience is the guests are older, fewer kids, less congestion, and better service on transatlantic sailings.  The tradeoff is a drop in entertainment / music venues which is my wife's hot button.  We are thinking for 2026 an Oasis class transatlantic.

I’ve been on just a few classes of Royal ships and enjoyed each one for their unique style.  Have truly never experienced feeling overcrowdedness (?) on any…so far.  Perhaps the other cruise lines do not quite match what Royal has achieved?
 Since the OP mentioned Mardi Gras…I look forward to seeing it for myself as it’s going to be one of 2 larger ships for me in September!
I am definitely partial to Royal!  I do hope @RCVoyager will give Royal another chance by taking the advice of the above comments!

I’ve been on just a few classes of Royal ships and enjoyed each one for their unique style.  Have truly never experienced feeling overcrowdedness (?) on any…so far.  Perhaps the other cruise lines do not quite match what Royal has achieved?
 Since the OP mentioned Mardi Gras…I look forward to seeing it for myself as it’s going to be one of 2 larger ships for me in September!
I am definitely partial to Royal!  I do hope @RCVoyager will give Royal another chance by taking the advice of the above comments!

I’ve been on just a few classes of Royal ships and enjoyed each one for their unique style.  Have truly never experienced feeling overcrowdedness (?) on any…so far.  Perhaps the other cruise lines do not quite match what Royal has achieved?
 Since the OP mentioned Mardi Gras…I look forward to seeing it for myself as it’s going to be one of 2 larger ships for me in September!
I am definitely partial to Royal!  I do hope @RCVoyager will give Royal another chance by taking the advice of the above comments!

Just stick with the smaller ships that give you the connection you desire. We love Freedom Class, like smaller classes, tolerate slightly bigger, don't plan to set foot on megaships.

I've been thinking about this for several months.  I don't want to sound like a grumpy or winey old man. I think, in the end, my wife and I are done with the big ships.  I know many here love them, and I've been trying to put my finger on why we didn't like our cruise last October on the Mardi Gras... yes, I know this is a Royal fan site, but Royal even more than Carnival is in the big ship game.  If this post offends you, please back out of it while I try to make a short, but I think relevant point that I think some here will agree with.
For my wife, it was simply the number of people jammed onto the ship, the poor service associated with managing 6500 people in such a small space, ect.  She probably wouldn't go back for free if offered.
For me, it was something different.  I didn't like the crowds that were everywhere all the time.  I didn't like having to use my phone on the ship to make reservations, but that really wasn't it.  I think it was the loss of connection with the sea.  It used to be when on a cruise, you were one with the sea.  There were great vantage points everywhere, and people would stand at the rail staring at it, being part of it, looking a the horizon, perhaps daydreaming of what could be or what could have been.
Now with all the activities and people, the ships are more like an amusement part, and the people are everywhere.  On the Mardi Gras, in the public areas, the rails are higher and set back from the side by an extra foot... the panoramic view is substantially cut for people of average height.  On these ships, the sea has become just another interstate.  It's nothing more than a way for the cruise line to kill time while they fill you with food, drink, and activities that drive revenue.
I haven't been to this site or posted as much in the last six months, and I think, sadly, it's because I've lost a lot of interest in cruising.  Again, not wanting to be a winey child, I've really tried to figure out why I didn't enjoy that trip at all, and wondered if any of the long time posters here have any of the same thoughts.

It’s cruise day!

Ok, we made it to the JW Marriott Marquis.
I booked this with points and they were nice enough to upgrade us to a suite.














 
We don’t have a lot planned tonight other than dinner and bed.  Need to prepare the liver for this week 😉 

Sometimes I've thought we were the only ones who had actual dinner there. Almost every mention I see is for a snack or lunch. Between frugality, how picky my wife is, and how much we like it... that's one of our few specialty go-to meals. Enjoy!

Oh no! I cut DS's ear once, and we are still both a little gun shy around them. DH does his own.
 
It's about 5 hours - we're between Dallas and the Oklahoma border and we stay south of Houston in Clear Lake/Webster. Typically we stay at the Homewood Suites in Clear Lake because they have two bedroom suites for us, but the last couple times they seemed really overdue for a remodel. This time we are staying in the Hilton family but trying the Hampton Inn, just down the road in a 1 bedroom suite. Bedroom has 2 queens, and there is a separate living room and kitchenette for DH in the morning.
 
Yep, #31 comes out in November I think. It is a tad annoying, especially when they threw in Diesel from some other series Evanovich writes. Now she's trying to pick from 3 guys, but only when he's in town?
 
  When I grow up, I want to be like Grandma Mazur! Living off my kids and a give no sh!%s attitude.
 
I got the kids 90% packed this afternoon and had to stop because DH and I had a dance lesson. We just got home and threw the last load of laundry in the wash. We're probably 50-60% there. We don't really need to leave until around noon tomorrow, so I'm not stressing. Since we just did the mini vacation at Great Wolf, we're not going to do anything in Houston this time. We'll just check into the hotel and then go to dinner. There is a mall close to the hotel with a Cheesecake Factory. Right now the plan is to eat there - I have a few gift cards and everyone can just get what they want. 
Time for a glass of wine - we're on vacation!

Newsflash: I did not CocoCay today. Is anyone surprised? 😂
I stayed on the ship and worked. When I finally left my cabin I was greeted with another casino instant certificate..oops 😂
We are late leaving CocoCay because of a medical emergency but the captain assured us we will still make it back to Miami on time.
Saturdays at the Port of Miami are crazy, so that should be fun. I have a late flight home so I can wait out the crush and leisurely make my way to the airport. No plans to do anything to pass the time. I do have a car rental reservation just in case but I most likely will just hang at the airport for hours. Maybe ride TriRail back and forth like an excursion 😂