Christie

Day 4- Falmouth It was a sticky one today. Luckily, we weren't due to arrive in Falmouth until 10 AM so that allowed us to take it easier this morning. We tried out breakfast in the MDR, and while it was more laid back than the Windjammer, I think I prefer the variety of the Windjammer better. We decided to bring Kenzie to the nursery while we enjoyed the port area some. On the way down to the gangway, we heard the announcement for the crew drill. My husband has a degree in emergency management and was extremely interested in watching it, so we sat in Boleros and watched through the port holes. I was able to catch up on some emails. Afterwards we went onshore and checked out Margaritaville. Nice place, but we didn't really feel like getting in the pool. We had a frozen drink each and decided to head out because it was so warm. We stopped in a few shops and hit up patty port for a Jamaican patty and came back on the boat. We did what any person without their 2 year old would do- relax. Well, my husband and I are pretty big Apple fans, so we went up to the Viking Crown Lounge to watch the live Apple keynote. We had a great view of the storm rolling in over the mountains. Everything was going great until the cool looking storm wiped out our satellite internet :-). We caught most of it though. After we picked her up, we stopped at Sorrento's for a quick piece of pizza and headed back to the room. It was raining pretty good but we decided to make a dash for it and join the group for the Blizzard meetup at Dairy Queen. Once back on board, it was time to get cleaned up at eat dinner at the Main Dining Room. The rack of lamb was excellent tonight, as was the pavlova. Kenzie did great and the waiters really try to entertain her. She's a pretty serious child, so it's quite funny. We had about an hour until the nursery had room to drop her off, so we enjoyed walking the Royal Promenade and then around the outside of the ship on Deck 4. It was a beautiful night despite the rain. We finally dropped her off and headed to R Bar for the first time. I chose the Raspberry Ricky per Matt's recommendations. We tried our hand at trivia and did decent, although we didn't stick around long enough to find out how we did compared to others (I know it wasn't good enough to win the free pens ooooooohhhhh). The highlight of the evening was the headline act, a magician named Drew Thomas. He was SO GOOD. I highly recommend this if he's on board during your cruise. We picked Kenzie up from the nursery and headed back to the room to call it an evening. We have a fairly early morning tomorrow in Grand Cayman, so it's time to get some rest. Random thoughts- - Isn't it funny how you always see the same people on the boat? - The cruise is now halfway over. Boo

When we got on Freedom last Sunday, we arrived at the port around 10:30. It was 15 min from stepping foot in the terminal to stepping foot on the boat. Good luck!

Day 3- Labadee I'm beginning to learn that the best way to cruise with a toddler is to have very minimal plans. Thankfully, today went well because we didn't try to overbook the day. We woke up and we're excited to see that we could see Labadee out in front of our stateroom. The captain pointed the nose straight to the dock for most of the approach then swung the nose out to the left and back in. All ashore was right on time at 8 AM. We didn't feel like dealing with the crowds in the Windjammer this morning, so we put out the room service flyer the night before. While the variety wasn't as good (especially since I can't eat eggs), it was nice just snacking on some food as we got dressed. They were even nice enough to call us when they were on their way as to not surprise us. We got off right after the initial rush at 8 and walked straight to the area to check in for the beach loungers for two. These were only $35 and were in a roped off area on adrenaline beach. Because we got there early, we were able to choose one underneath a huge tree. We pulled one lounge chair out and used it to block the entrance to the lounger, and let my daughter play in the sand underneath the shaded area (I will upload pictures when we get back home). This kept her out of the sun and prevented her from wandering off on us. We spent a few hours playing in the sand and going down to the water. I would definitely recommend water shoes for adrenaline beach as it can be quite rocky. We started to notice Kenzie getting "tapped out" so we hosed ourself off at the showers and headed back to the ship. We got to the room and cleaned everyone up. We had originally planned to feed everyone in the Windjammer, drop Kenzie off at the nursery, and head back on shore. I was like "wait, let's let the nursery feed her and actually enjoy lunch together". We didn't have reservations, but they were able to take her as a walk in. Lunch in the Windjammer was great with make your own tacos and ribs. We then decided to bum around the ship instead of going back on shore. We made a trip to cafe promenade, checked out the library, and then went back to the room for a nap. Perfect parent's day out :-) We hung out in the room until it was time to bring her back to the nursery for Nick and I to enjoy Chef's Table together. We did this on Oasis and really enjoyed it. There are 16 people at the table, and a 6 course meal paired wine. The chef introduces each plate with a detailed description of how they prepared it and the server presents the wine to the table. A very nice experience despite some disruptive guests, which the staff handled well. I will post details about all the courses when I get back home. Plan for a 4 hour experience, but it is so worth it. I was nervous about how the nursery would handle night time with Kenzie. When we dropped her off, they asked us questions about dinner, pre bed rituals, and when she would go to sleep. We have a bed time routine that I'm heavily involved in, but they said she did just fine and didn't fuss. Because of this, I'm looking at dropping her off a few more nights so that we can enjoy the nighttime entertainment on board. No amazing revelations today except that you should definitely take off your swimsuit in the shower after spending the day at the beach.

Day 2- Sea Day I love sea days. There's just something about waking up and not having anything to do. I was so anxious to rip open the curtains of our stateroom this morning and see the beautiful ocean. It had a special sparkle to it today. We relaxed in the state room until it we decided to go get some breakfast in the Wind Jammer. I have this special affinity for the hash browns and the corned beef hash. I noticed the custom omelet station, which they did not have on Oasis. After breakfast, we went down to Cafe Promenade for my husband to get his Starbucks. While he did that, I waited in line at the shore excursion desk to book a beach loungers for two on Labadee. For $35, it seems like a steal. We are planning on doing an early beach morning with our daughter and then bringing her back on board to the nursery so we can do some adventurous stuff, so booking a whole cabana didn't really make sense to us. We walked around until it was time to bring Kenzie to the nursery while Nick and I joined the group for lunch at Sabor. Sabor was knock your pants off good. I have only had Sabor on Oasis, which is a slightly different variety. This was a completely different experience and the avocado margarita was to die for. Everything was delicious. I had the empanadas for my main course, but honestly I was stuffed by the time we got to that point. At the end of lunch, they pitched to us a guacamole and margarita making class on the last sea day. Normally $35 pp but because we were eating there, they would do it for $30. Includes the guacamole making tool, lunch, and unlimited margaritas. We signed up. We really enjoyed having lunch with other RCB fans and making new friends. We had some more time to kill after lunch before our reservations at the nursery were up, so we paid a visit to the Next Cruise desk and booked a Thanksgiving 2017 cruise out of Galveston on Vision of the Seas. We picked up our daughter from the nursery and then headed back to the room. I think two days of very short naps had her in a foul mood. I took a post-Sabor cat nap and Nick and her went for a walk around the pool. Apparently she only wants to be in the splash pad. It was getting close to dinner time (first formal night), but we were both still stuffed from Sabor. We decided to let Kenzie burn off some energy in the splash pad and then order room service. After the splash pad, I ran into Windjammer to make a plate up for Kenzie in the room, and decided the food looked halfway decent. So I brought her the food, let her eat in the room, put her in the stroller with an iPad, and then headed back to the Windjammer with Nick to have dinner. This plan worked out well as she stayed still and quiet while we ate. I knew she was super tired, and even though it was early, I decided to bring her back to the room for bed. Nick went down to get some work done on his laptop and Kenzie was bathed and asleep by 8. This is probably just fine because we have an early day at Labadee tomorrow. I'm going to catch up on some z's too. A Few Musings from Today: - Pro tip: don't walk on the upper deck with a plate full of food while you're at sea - My cabin attendant is always in my room when we return. - The ladies in the nursery are a God send. They are so patient with the children. - It is possible to win a stack of 100 $1 bills out of a claw machine. I watched it happen - Specialty dining seems to be better booked onboard as they are always running specials. Same goes with the spa - I hope my kid is in a better mood tomorrow

Everybody in your stateroom is on one set sail pass

Do you mean sea pass card? Yes, they do.

Random musings from. day 1: -VOOM is definitely not the same on this boat as it was on Oasis. On Oasis, we had a access point in our stateroom and never once had an issue. It's a struggle to stay connected to the network in our room and a lot of common areas. Once connected, it can be super slow. Sometimes it handles things great, other times not. - We experienced a first today- a lady singing to her husband at the dinner table in the MDR. - Lots of discounts on specialty dining today. We booked chefs table for Tuesday night at 20% off. It includes a galley tour on the last sea day. - 1 standard RC pillow is not enough but 2 is too many. Anybody else feel me on that? - No wash your hands song during muster like on Oasis. Luckily it's on the room TV

Hi there! Thought I would start a live blog with our experiences with the group cruise with a toddler in tow! We have one previous Royal Caribbean experience (Oasis of the Seas), many Disney cruises, and a random smattering of other cruise lines. We were originally booked this week on Anthem of the Seas with just my husband and I for our anniversary, but changed itineraries when we found out that our 22 month old daughter would be tagging along as well. Group cruising is a new experience for us. I’m going to attempt to upload and add in some pictures as I can, so check in! Pre Cruise Like all smart and experienced cruisers, we arrived in Orlando the day before our scheduled departure. We decided to stay in Orlando in the Disney area and drive to the port on Sunday morning. We got a great deal on a one way rental car through Costco and Alamo and arrived to the cruise terminal right after 10 AM. My husband dropped my daughter and I off at the cruise terminal, the porters took the bag, he fueled up the car, returned it, and took the bus back over. Flawless procedure that took about 20 minutes. From the time he arrived back at the boat until we were walking on board was about 15 minutes. Terminal 1 is beautiful and the staff is well trained. Onboard We actually got on board prior to the Windjammer opening, so we hung out with other eager guests until they opened the doors. After a quick squirt of hand sanitizer (while my squirt from walking on board was still drying), we were off to the races! My daughter enjoyed her random smorgasbord of food, and my husband and I tagged teamed to get our own food. Surprisingly, we were out of the Windjammer in just about 20 minutes. The rooms weren’t ready until 1, so we wandered around the boat. Our daughter was pretty tired of being cooped up in car seats and strollers, so we set up a corner in R Bar and let her climb in and out of the port hole. We ran into (the fabulous) Annette who is coordinating everything, and it was nice to finally put a face to the name. We went up to check out where the first group cruise meetup was going to be located and discovered a quiet little area called Cloud 9. We were the only people in there and my daughter was able to roam free, so we stayed there until 1 when it was time to check out our state room. On the way down, we were able to get Mackenzie registered for the nursery. I appreciate all the details they want to know about her and for $6-8/hr depending on the time of day, you can’t beat it! You can pre book 16 hours and only one formal night, but can call for availability beyond that. We also checked out a bag of toys for the room which is a great program. Not only is it less to pack, but the toys are new to Mackenzie so she loves them! I think you can even switch out your bag later in the week. Now, on to our room! We booked a Family Panoramic Oceanview stateroom (PF). Let me tell you, this thing is amazing! My biggest concern was that my daughter cannot sleep if she can see us across the room. These rooms are wedged shaped and have a divider for the TV in the middle of the room. We figured we could put her crib directly behind it. It also has a sectioned off area with some bunk beds and a closet. We are using this for storage, but this room would be great for a family with multiple small children. It also has 2 bathrooms- the standard bathroom of a shower, toilet, and sink and then another bathroom with a toilet and sink. Tons of storage room as well. I think the only reason they can’t book this as a suite is because it doesn’t have a balcony. But the windows are incredible and I don’t have to worry about my rambunctious toddler climbing on the balcony. We spent a little extra after final payment date to book this room, and I’m so glad we did. We will be spending lots of time in our room for sure. Even though we had requested a crib for the room, it was not in there, so we called several times to get one. It was definitely nap time for our daughter, but no place to nap. Instead we handed her the iPad and headed off to the meet up where we enjoyed some lava flows and getting to meet names I know so well. We came back to the room (still no crib) and decided to head down to muster early to secure seats. Of course our daughter finally fell asleep during muster, but wouldn’t nap when we got back to the room. We watched sail away from our nice air conditioned room, cleaned up a little, and headed to dinner. We are booked with My Time Dining and decided to see how it would go with bringing our daughter to dinner. Dinner was just above “ok†for me, but my husband seemed to really enjoy it. Our main waiter was hit or miss. One second I thought he was the most attentive server ever and the next I was wondering if he jumped over board. Not sure if we will bring her back to dinner in the MDR or not. Ask me tomorrow :) It wasn’t quite time to head to bed, so we threw on swimsuits and took Kenzie to the H20 Zone, which she loved! It was a giant splash pad. It was a little windy so she got a little cold, but nothing unbearable. While we were out there, my nerves from traveling and getting established finally calmed down and I finally felt like I was on vacation. We came back to the room just in time to get her showered and to bed. She normally naps for 2 hours, but only had a 20 minute nap today and a very busy day exploring. A note about the crib- it did not come with a crib sheet, and when I asked my state room attendant about getting one, we were told that there was a problem in the past and she had to get special permission from her supervisor. I had brought her blanket, but it may be wise to bring a crib sheet as well to avoid the hassle. We’ve been up since 5:30 today and haven’t slept well all week, so we have decided to call it a night. Since we are all the way forward, there is a slight rock to the ship and I am looking forward to it rocking me to sleep. Tomorrow is a sea day, and I pray that the little one sleeps in some… Hah ha ha

In Orlando we drop off one person and the luggage at the passenger drop off area and then one person goes and parks the car. Maybe this would work in NJ?

I'm done with work. Now I shall pack. But first, let's take a nap.

I feel ya. Earlier in the week I tried to move our flights to today, but it was super expensive. Glad it didn't work out because I need today to get everything done

Only 2.5 hours of work left today!!

Yea, you'll probably be getting married that week.

My husband I each received a text and email

You just bring both cards to the bar with you. No big deal :)

Curiosity got the best of me and I watched a ship your on YouTube. It's actually quite beautiful

There is so much to do on Oasis that I would enjoy the boat while you are in port at Nassau

Oh man, sorry to hear that you're dealing with this. I totally understand- I had a workforce commission audit yesterday. 😠Like really, can't I just prepare for my vacation in peace? Hope it gets straightened out. Since you have flights booked, I think you take priority

Has anyone ever heard of a travel agency buying up rooms to then book their customers on? For example, if all the suites are sold out on a certain cruise, is there a chance that a certain agency is holding them?

Nope. Disney cruise line has a couple community irons, but not Royal. I suggest downy wrinkle release spray.

In preparation for our next cruise, I'm trying to put together all the times where we may need to tip in cash. Please feel free to add to the list or let me know if I'm tipping too little/too much. Embarkation Day - Bus transfer to cruise ship- does anybody tip for this? - Private transportation to cruise ship- 15-20% of fare (sometimes included in total fee, so pay attention) - Porters- $2/bag On Board - Some people choose to tip extra with cash especially with drink package On Shore - Guided tours- we tip $10/person in our party assuming service was excellent - Cabs- We usually do a couple dollars to round it off to the next major denomination- what about you guys? Debarkation Day - Porters- I do a little bit more this time since they are with you all the way through customs, maybe $3-$4 per bag - Same with bus transfers or private transfers What am I missing?

This thread is fascinating to me as I am not a gambler at all.

I totally feel you on the chief deployment officer... I plan traveling with our daughter down to the smallest detail because I love it. I'm a sucker for baby gear for travel too. We've done Europe via cruising too (and planning another for next summer), so feel free to shoot me a PM!

Gotcha. I was hoping we could switch over from our private transport, but we have a very tight window to make our flight. A private car it is!

Also, in Europe it's very common to have transit times of 1-2 hours each way in port. Many excursions are 10-12 hours long. There are usually not many sea days to recoup either. All things to think about when looking at excursions. Many of the ports have uneven terrain that might make navigating with 2 smaller ones difficult. A double wide stroller won't fit in the door of a standard room, although the suite may have bigger doors. It won't fit down the hallways when the cleaning carts are out. Even my standard single stroller wouldn't fit. We have a smaller stroller we use for cruising (mountain buggy nano) that just barely fits past the cleaning carts when they are out. All fun things to think about! I'm sure you guys will have a blast.