HAK1906

Hello, you have May 23-30. Do you mean the May 26-June 2 cruise going out of Barcelona?

Just a few more observations:

- Ate in Coastal Kitchen for dinner for the first time.  Really liked the experience and it definitely felt like a more intimate experience and this is where we spent our day six lobster night to eat, and the lobster was great.  The bread-and-butter options are different than MDR and the menu is slightly different, overall, when we stay in a junior suite, we will do it again.

-I like the paper copies of the cruise compass and simply asking my room attendant for one she provided it to me daily.

- On CocoCay hung at Breezy Bay which is next to the over the water cabanas and the chicken shack.  Then went to the Oasis Lagoon, that Lagoon is the biggest party in the Caribbean, insane, but a bunch of fun.

- In St. Thomas went to Coki Bay and greatly enjoyed it.  It was crowded but not like Meaghan's Bay.  You were still able to get chairs and an umbrella.  Our friends who went to Meghan's Bay said they were only able to put their towels down in a small area.  Morale of the story:  There are other options outside of Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas.

6 hours ago, BB1 said:

What day of the week was your flight?

We left yesterday on Sunday the 19th.  During a Spring Break week.  The ship was at full capacity.

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 .  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.

On 1/12/2023 at 2:51 PM, Matt said:

Can I email you some questions for a blog post?

On 2/8/2023 at 12:23 PM, lkg276 said:

Matt, what questions do you have?

On 2/23/2023 at 8:44 AM, lkg276 said:

I live near Port Canaveral and do private rides to and from MCO, along with Uber/Lyft. My rate is $100 and I drive a Black Chevy Tahoe that carries 5/6 people depending on luggage size. I'm a registered Port Canaveral driver and would be happy to accommodate your family for your trip.  [email protected]  (retired firefighter)

We arrived at our WOS earlier than our 12:30Pm check-in time and had zero issues going out of Port Canaveral.  It was kind of a mad house getting into the drop off area since it was a full cruise and we arrived via an Uber.  We of course were in a Junior Suite and we were shown right in and had zero waiting.  We were on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving at the terminal and entering.  I was told since it was a full cruise that they relaxed the check in times, not sure if it was true, but 15 minutes and through security, checked in and on the ship you can't beat that.  Now this is all predicated on doing all of our pre-check in paperwork prior to including entering our photos, passports, etc... before the cruise, saves a ton of time.

We just came back on Wonder of the Seas and as a suite guest (Junior Suite), we went directly through, seamless.  We went to the Suite Lounge and they did not look at our check in as we arrived early.

A few additional observations.

-  Went to Chops on the last night and it was great as always.  Ordered the filet and Salmon and made my own surf/turf.  The chocolate lava cake is amazing as well as the red velvet.  We had the mac/cheese, fries and creamed spinach and they were all spot on.

- the HDMI1 port was available on the back of the tv's and via the remote you can access with channel 0, which leads me to believe you can hook up a console or other HDMI compatible devices.

- Mason Jar is as good as advertised.  The food was really good and the bread and butter they provide prior to the meal is only rivaled by the break at 150 park.  The chicken and greens were fantastic, and the gumbo was good, wish it was roux based versus tomato based but still good flavor.  Even came with two crawfish in the gumbo.  The chocolate pecan pie and bourbon ice cream were great and just an overall great experience.  The bar has very unique drink options and the smokey old fashioned was on point.  Only bad thing was even with a reservation we still waited an additional 30-40 minutes to be seated. 

- As on most cruises the casino was packed every night, I played blackjack the majority of my time while there.

My family and I had a 9:35am flight out of Orlando yesterday and made it there in plenty of time.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55 and through the port terminal.  The "passport re-entry was via facial recognition and was an absolute breeze, very seamless.  The fact that we disembarked was the key to everything and we were able to see people getting off the ship as early as 6:30am.  We had our Uber waiting for us and we wERE are the airport by 7:40am.  There was no traffic on the way to MCO (Orlando Airport).  We had big concerns of whether our 9:35 departure time was going to be too early, but we made it work.  Going forward we will probably self disembark since it saved so much time not having to find our luggage and waiting.  Wanted to provide our perspective.  

OH, AND THE SHIP IS AMAZING AND THE CRUISE WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!

On 2/23/2023 at 10:44 AM, lkg276 said:

I live near Port Canaveral and do private rides to and from MCO, along with Uber/Lyft. My rate is $100 and I drive a Black Chevy Tahoe that carries 5/6 people depending on luggage size. I'm a registered Port Canaveral driver and would be happy to accommodate your family for your trip.  [email protected]  (retired firefighter)

Please check your email I sent you a note. Thanks. 

A few additional notes:

- overflow for Windjammer during at stop at St.Thomas today. The overflow is Mason Jar, never knew that was the overflow space for the expanded Windjammer

- the current best show so far on the show has been the Intense Aqua Theatre show. It was fantastic.   
- the Caribbean might good may have been the best MDR meal I have ever had. From the Coconut Shrimp, to the rice and beans, plantains, JERK PORK CHOP and the deserts. Fantastic.  

A few minor differences from when I cruised on Symphony in March ‘20 to this cruise:

- Breakfast is an option at El Loco Fresh

- No made-to-order egg station at Solarium Bistro (still the best place for breakfast and often crowded)

- more options at playmakers (ping-pong, pool, old arcade games)

- No Jazz on 4, now the Gold Room, I preferred the live Jazz

- A Bar in the casino (Symphony may have had this but I did not notice)

- wow Bands everywhere

- the myth is true, if you want to run into Matt H. On a cruise, go to the Pub mid-evening  

Wi-Fi speeds by the vue bar during sailaway. 

I did ask and it was confirmed when I got onboard that I could use my wow band from my previous cruise or I could buy another. Wow bands are back in and in affect.  

The time is nigh, we are here it’s like Christmas in March, it’s sailing day.  I’m like a kid waiting to get the G.I.Joe with the Kung Fu Grip or my first Atari (yea I’m dating myself but those who were born in the 70’s you get what I’m saying).  Getting the family together and all the documents secured and we will be off.  Look forward to seeing and meeting my fellow Royal Caribbean Blog fans. I’ll be the guy in the Star Wars, Texas or Buccees shirt   

Looking forward to see the differences on the Wonder than what was on the Symphony when we went in 2020. Definitely scheduling time with next cruise early in the cruise to get that added benefit credit.   

I had been wondering why my calendar had not updated on the app with the things I had added as well as my check in information I did the website.  I did a common thing called “sign-out and sign back in” and all my information including the daily calendar details of ship activities, etc.. were loaded. Who knew that simple trick would load all the things that were missing. This is your FYI moment of the day. 🫢🫢🥹🥹🥹. DUH!!!

Prior to the cruise the family and I (16yo, 14 yo and wifey) are going to Icon Park in Orlando to hang out. Any thoughts on this area and any other places in Orlando you suggest outside of Disney and Universal? Thanks. 

7 hours ago, Matt said:

No meetup planned, but I'm usually in the pub or Mason Jar bar after dinner. Just depends on who the performers are.

Hope to be able to meet you all onboard. Don't be shy, happy to meet everyone (unless I'm reprimanding my kids, then it's super awkward so try again a few hours later )!

Matt I usually don’t go to the pub often but definitely will be looking out for you there or even the trivia in the schooner bar (love the trivia). 

We already have a Japanese hibachi restaurant in TX we go to. How good is Izumu, is it a must go-to. We are planning on Mason Jar for sure and Chops (our fav) for speciality restaurants but on the fence regarding Izumu. 

3 hours ago, Matt said:

I'll be onboard with my family!

The great Matt H. (The Yoda of all things Royal Caribbean). Would definitely like to meet you and let me know if there is a meet up you are doing onboard as well. Thanks.  

Looking for a great beach to go to for our stop in St. Thomas in two weeks.  We are on the wonder of the seas and the last time we were there in 2020, the beach was beyond packed and extremely difficult to find a spot to put our stuff and walk around.  There are two other cruise ships there when Wonder is there and envison it's going to be overly packed like it was in 2020. Any suggestions for another beach in St. Thomas would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

On 2/27/2023 at 5:10 AM, Morris Family said:

I feel like they were pretty strict. You definitely were not allowed in the terminal until your time and they checked your time on your sail pass.  It is definitely worth it though because it makes the whole process extremely smooth. We had a 1030 time and we were onboard by like 1045! My advice would be to not arrive until your time. 

Does the same hold true if you are in a suite, for example a Junior Suite?

23 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

This has been my experience as well.  Suites board first regardless of boarding time on your set sail pass.

Is this due to your Pinnacle status or your Suite status.  I am Platinum and as mentioned above in a JS.  I would like to get there around 10:30 vs my 12:30 check in time.  I just don't want to be stuck waiting outside the terminal until my 12:30 time.  Appreciate all the feedback.  

How strict were they in regards to check in time?  If you have for example a 12:00 noon check in time would there be any issues checking in around 11 or 11:30?

How strict were they in regards to check in time?  If you have for example a 12:00 noon check in time would there be any issues checking in around 11 or 11:30?