Luly

Day 2: Sea Day. Things I forgot to mention yesterday. S7 and D4 needed a snack before dinner so we went to the windjammer yesterday. S7’s roll was hard as a rock. I thought he was exaggerating when he tried to bite it but then I hit it against the plate. D4’s slice of bread was the same. What reminded me of this is that the kids informed me that the pancakes this morning were more of the same, rock hard. We usually eat breakfast in the MDR but it didn’t open for brunch until 9:30 and my kids thought they’d starve to death by 8. I convinced the littles to go to AO for 75 minutes this morning so I could go to the fitness center. Along the way they found two hidden ducks, one of which was Jasmine so D4 was just thrilled. They had fun at AO but were ready to leave when I picked them up. Lunch took us to Chops. Again, first time here. I shouldn’t have read people’s reviews because I had grand things in my head. They couldn’t find the kids menu and it wasn’t on the app so littles ordered from the regular menu. As I was ordering the food I had to ask if we could get something to drink which I found odd. I got the blueberry nojito which was delicious. I got the mushroom soup and everyone got the beef carpaccio (me too). Both were delicious. I already knew I loved Royal’s beef carpaccio so I wasn’t surprised I enjoyed it. Everyone except S7 got the 8oz filet which were all over cooked but by the time we got them we had been waiting so long, I was wet from S7 knocking his Shirley temple into my lap, and it just wasn’t worth saying anything. They were still tender and delicious. S7 got the steak burger. It was huge and while tasty, not anything special. For dessert between all of us we tried all of the desserts. None of them were all that great. Overall the meal was good, and with the Black Friday deal I got the price couldn’t be beat for just the 8oz filet. However we were there for 2 full hours which was way too long for young kids. By this time S7 was getting very hard to get along with so we made him go to the room for a nap. Letting him stay up for last nights comedy show was coming back to bite me in the butt. He snuggled between hubby and I and zonked (as did we) while the other kids watched TV or shows downloaded on our iPads in the other room. D4 had been dying to go to the hot tub but I just couldn’t stay awake. I woke up an hour later and guiltily went to get her to go to the pool and found her and D16 asleep. No wonder she stopped bugging me. She woke up later and we headed to the pool deck for 45 minutes before we had to get ready for our first formal night. At the pool hubby ordered the tropical crush which we found super tasty but not quite with the caffeine count we hoped for since they only use a portion of a Red Bull can and supplement it with sugary juice to try to make Red Bull taste good. He later tried the Red Delight, also Red Bull based. They didn’t cover the Red Bull taste that time. Yuck. Side story: S12 had his first “Karen” encounter. I warned him that when he gets pizza in the Solarium this might happen and what to say. Sure enough a woman said “you can’t be in here, you’re just a young boy!” He told her he was just getting pizza then would leave. She told him he still wasn’t allowed and needed to leave. An employee stepped over and informed “Karen” he could indeed get pizza as long as he left after. She gave him a final glare and walked away. Dinner the rest of the cruise will be in the MDR. The menu tonight was “a taste of France.” It was a lot of meat options and since I ate my entire steak at lunch none of the options were appetizing. My family really got a laugh when I ordered the grilled cheese. I also got the calamari and dark chocolate chip cookie which was just a regular chocolate chip cookie. I thought the dough would be chocolate. All of the kids got spaghetti, two with sauce and two without. My littles were thrilled they could order pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese. I had read on a forum that the MDR staff wouldn’t entertain custom requests like this anymore but since spaghetti is always on the kids menu I simply asked for pasta with no sauce and Parmesan cheese on the side. Hubby got the warm apple cobbler but said it wasn’t as good as the old apple blossom before the menu change. D16 got the almond cream puffs and said they were good. The show tonight was your typical song and dance from royal. The singers and dancers were some of the best I’ve seen on a cruise ship and the kids were entertained. Then D16 and I went to Finish the Lyric in the Centrum. I’ve really enjoyed all of the entertainment/activities we’ve seen in the Centrum. It’s been so kid friendly. We also watched a salsa dance class earlier today and at 10:15 they’re having a dance party (SO glad we didn’t get those rooms by the Centrum). Tomorrow we’re in Labadee. I’ve reserved a beach bungalow for the day and D16 can’t wait to get her hair braided.

Wifi is being super finicky and it took me about 10 attempts to upload images. Never had a room with Pullman beds. We usually sleep 3 and 3 with sofa beds. Kids seem happy.

Day 1 In my first post of the live blog I asked questions about what to do about getting refunded for dining reservations for D4 that should’ve been free since she’s under 5. I never did find a good answer online after months of searching. So first I went to guest services who directed me to the my time dining desk who directed me to Chops. At Chops they struggled a little and just asked to comp me with some wine instead. I said no thank you I don’t drink alcohol. I told them I don’t need a refund, OBC will do and they were able to figure it out. What’s strange is that I was only charged for her at Izumi and Chops, but not for Giovanni’s. I’ve been trying lots of mocktails today (we don’t drink alcohol). I’ve had the strawberry limeade (which I’m pretty sure he made wrong) a watermelon mint lemonade (also made wrong, I’m pretty sure he used blueberry syrup like a blueberry nojito but with lemonade instead of club soda). My kids have all enjoyed daiquiris, my favorite being the mango strawberry. We couldn’t get through all of our drinks so I went to the bar and got water bottles for the remaining vouchers. The kids room had no complimentary Diamond water bottles, but hubby and I got ours. I asked the stateroom attendant about it and he wasn’t helpful so I’ll go to the Diamond concierge tomorrow. Also no Diamond pins in our rooms. I know there’s lots of discussion about who and why anyone would wear the pins but my kids were sure disappointed. For dinner we went to Izumi. I reserved on a Black Friday deal. My total for 6 of us (after the above mentioned refund) was $109. As mentioned before this was the kids first time dining in a specialty restaurant. I ordered the She’s a Geisha drink (virgin) and really enjoyed it. Everyone else ordered Japanese Strawberry (also virgin). Hubby got 2 of those and S7 got 3! The waitress brought him the third and whispered to him “this one’s on me.” Super sweet and I checked later that she did in fact provide that one for free. For small plates the kids gobbled up the edamame, we probably should’ve asked for more because I got one single pod. Mom sacrifices. Nobody particularly enjoyed the Miso soup, it just tastes like liquid seaweed which is just not our thing. D16 ordered the crispy chicken. Everyone liked it, especially the kids because it’s basically just chicken nuggets. Very yummy with the sauce, which the kids wouldn’t try. S12 ordered the shrimp and veggie tempura. I wasn’t sitting by him or else I would’ve warned him it was just a big plate of fried food. He didn’t enjoy it. Hubby ordered the crispy rice spicy tuna and I ordered the dumplings. Both were absolutely delicious. On to the main dishes. All the kids had ramen and enjoyed it. Between Hubby and I we ordered lots of stuff so we could share. We got the baked snow crab and salmon dynamite roll, champagne lobster roll, seared tuna tataki roll, and the udon noodles. The dynamite roll was dynamite. I’d go back and order that to go. The udon was good, but the steak on top of it was especially delicious. For dessert hubby and I got molten lava cake. I really need to stop ordering that on cruises. It’s never molten lava and my homemade recipe is a thousand times better. The kids all got mochi and completely consumed all of it. I’m not sure I would book this again for the whole family. It’s just a little too authentic for my kids and just so much food ended up wasted because they just don’t eat that much. I think I would book for hubby and I again. After dinner D16 and S12 went to the teen club then quickly went back to the room. They didn’t end up going to any of the activities because they wanted to go to the comedian at 9:30 and then were too tired. The comedian was Nate Weatherup. His show was so family friendly, S7 was just cackling and I never felt uncomfortable with my kids being there. No bad language or inappropriate jokes, highly recommend. A couple stray observations: Of all 24 drinks ordered today we never received a receipt stating our Diamond drink balance. However, the app does show each drink, which I had never read about happening anywhere on the blog so that will be helpful. My TA originally booked us 4572/4574. After seeing how close to the centrum they were I asked her to move us elsewhere. I am SO glad we did!! The centrum is not a quiet place. At 10:30 it was still hoping with live very loud music. I don’t know how anyone in those rooms could sleep or put young kids to bed. There is a small door to mute the noise from the centrum down the hallway but then you’re also dealing with a constantly slamming door and constant steam of people loudly walking by in addition to the music. Tomorrow is a sea day. I’m most excited about signing up for the egg drop challenge. I always tell myself I’ll go to various activities like jogging around the track with the cruise director and water aerobics but I’m so introverted that I never end up going. I’m challenging myself this cruise to attend/do something that might make me uncomfortable but that I know I’ll enjoy.

Will do! We’re eating at all specialty restaurants. Izumi for dinner because lunch and dinner were the same cost but the others will be for lunch.

We’re on board! Boarding was a breeze. Kids are content with the quality of pizza in Park Cafe and have already consumed an ice cream cone each and their very first free Diamond drinks ever and really their first drinks onboard. I never buy them. D16 is shockingly planning her evening around the teen club activities. She has never in all our cruises been inside the teen club. Having extroverted S12 in there with her helps. S7 and D4 are enjoying some pool time until the rooms open up. The first night’s menu didn’t seem to change much with the menu changes and has never been one I particularly enjoy. So we have reservations at Izumi for dinner, again a first time experience for all of us. With how cheap the cruise fare was I made up for it splurging on a few things we don’t usually do.

I just posted this question as a separate thing on the excursions forum, but maybe you can help @ChanaC. How far before your cruise did the excursion show on the cruise planner? I'm about 10 weeks out and it's not an option yet.

I've been on 2 Alaska cruises through Royal and never have seen this Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier Explorer excursion or anyone leaving the ship near the glacier. I'm now reading about it and see videos of people going on it off of Quantum and am very interested. It's not on my cruise planner for Juneau, and Endicott Arm doesn't show as a "port" to choose from on the excursions page. Does this excursion option not appear until closer to the cruise? Any idea approximately when it might show up? Our cruise is May 29 on Quantum so we're not that far out. Do you know if there's an age limit? My youngest will be 5. I've read it's pricey but worth it, and sells out quickly. I'm sailing with a group of 10 so want to book it as soon as it becomes available.

For Christmas we prefer to give our kids experiences instead of random gifts. Either we're on a cruise on Christmas or we give them a trip as their gift. This year they got a Quantum Vision of a Christmas gift: TWO cruises, Southern Caribbean on Vision and Alaska on Quantum May 31-June 5, hence this is Part 1. I'll start to post Part 2 in May as we get closer to Alaska. We're staying in adjoining OV rooms on Vision on deck 3. This will be our first time not in balconies, but with the limited balconies on Vision they were way too expensive. This sailing was a shocking $4k for all 6 of us for 10 nights. I could not pass up that price. It's over Spring Break locally, so my kids wont miss much school, just 3 days. Flights to Florida from SLC are in the $550, or 60,000 skymiles range so I watched them like a hawk for months and was able to get them for I think 34,000 miles. I booked refundable deposits for the cruise; if we hadn't found reasonable flights I would have cancelled this trip as flights would have cost as much as the cruise. This is my first time booking through a TA, and of course I used MEI (thanks Kelley!). Who's sailing: Hubby and I and our 4 kids: D16, S12, S7, D4. D16 has minimal time to enjoy Diamond benefits as she'll be relegated to Emerald when she turns 18 next summer, as I understand it. This is our first Diamond sailing. We never buy drink nor dining packages. This time around we will be eating in every specialty restaurant (Chops, Izumi, Giovannis), mostly for lunch, due to Black Friday deals and the fact that I really enjoy the MDR. However, maybe someone can help me with a dilemma. Kids 5 and under eat free, but the site made me pay for D4 when I booked. Do I go to customer service once on board and ask for a refund/OBC for her meals? If so, do I need to bring the email to show I paid for her? I had read the other option was to book the 5 of us and let them know it would be a 6 top when we arrive, but I already booked it and can't cancel just her reservation. I also read it'll be auto refunded once on board, but definitely don't trust that. Excited for 4 free drinks a day! In all of my sailings I've only bought 1 virgin daiquiri, 1 blueberry nojito, and 1 Johnny Rockets shake. I'm a bit of a cheapo when it comes to these things and stick with water and tea. We don't drink alcohol but I have a list on my phone of every mocktail and virgin daquiri/concoction I've read about on the blog and on other forums. Minor Concerns: D16 and S12 are concerned about the lack of activities. The teen lounge is only open 8pm-12am which I find quite bizarre for sea days. As far as I can tell from reading Cruise Compasses the only organized teen activity is teen only rock climbing. D16 is incredibly shy and introverted and has never set foot in the teen area on any ship. S12 is extroverted and makes a bunch of friends to run around with and play card games in the Library. Hopefully now that S12 can join D16 in the teen area he'll help her make friends, though he is sad to not be able to play gaga ball in AO. Overall though, I realize this is a small ship and we have minimal sea days so I'm not too worried about the lack of activities since we'll have plenty to do in port and can look forward to all the activities on Quantum in a couple months. D4's favorite meal on board is spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese, though I've heard one anecdote that with the new menus the MDR staff aren't as willing to do "custom" orders like this. Anyone had experience getting a custom meal like this with the new menu? Seems like it shouldn't be all that complicated. Itinerary: Day 1 At Sea Day 2 Labadee Day 3 San Juan Day 4 St. Maarten Day 5 St. Kitts Day 6 St. Lucia Day 7 Antigua. Day 8 At Sea Day 9 At Sea We have been to Labadee on Anthem Christmas 2019 and Hubby and I have been to St. Maarten. We have third party excursions reserved everywhere except San Juan where I have Old Town walking tour maps on my phone for us to do on our own. Labadee I've reserved a Bungalow (shhh don't tell the kids, it's a surprise). I'll go into the details of each excursion when I post about them on the trip. In St. Maarten S12's best friend will also be docking on Harmony so his family will be joining us on our excursion. The boys are nearly inseparable so we were thrilled to make this discovery a couple of weeks ago. We fly out in 16 days and on board in 18! My kids have a light up countdown board that D7 updates before he goes to bed and D4 is already trying to give me some of her favorite clothing items to pack. This is my first live blog and I've never put a picture in a post so I'm a little nervous but going to give it a whirl! Any questions/advice/critique is welcome.

At Izumi the second time what is the sushi in the middle right of your picture. The huge one with the stringy things below and on top of it. We'll be at Izumi on Vision in a few weeks.

I think it means that if parents are gold and get 10% off a package then kids do too. Or Diamond level get one free day of internet so each minor does too. Not buy an internet package get one free for your kids.

Thanks for the reassurance! I think I’ll give it a go!

Weird question, is there some sort of qualification to live blog your cruise on this forum under the Live Blogs section or is it just for anyone? People always seem to be so witty and entertaining, but I am not. I mostly want to do it because I've had so many questions about sailing on Vision with little kids and there isn't a wealth of info out there about the smaller/older ships it seems nor the AO or teen activities. I want to share our experience with young kids on a longer sailing on a smaller ship. I also research for hours on end about excursions and am SO excited about the ones I've selected (one of them brings their monkey on every excursion, which is my DREAM) that I want to share my experiences with others as they do their own research. 21 days until we head out on our first Diamond cruise!

This is what I'm finding regarding vaccination: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-vaccines-are-required-to-travel-on-a-cruise

We originally had one ocean view room then upgraded to adjoining balcony rooms so they had to switch up the arrangement of who was on what reservation and it totally messed up the excursions. The systeme cancelled and refunded all excursions in my 15 year old's name. After calling multiple times to rebook it never did show up right in the cruise planner. Someone had to email me proof that she was back on the excursions and I printed that and had it with me just in case. There didn't end up being any issues on board.

They're just regular pack n plays as far as design and comfort, but they are miniature size. When my daughter was 19 months she slept in one and barely fit, her head and toes touched each end of the pack n play. She was generally in the 25% so on the smaller size for her age. If your baby is above average they might find the pack n play a little cramped. Our stateroom attendant provided no sheets for the pack n play due to, what he stated were "legal reasons" but said he could provide us with an extra sheet so we could setup the pack n play on our own understanding that he did not set it up and took no responsibility if anything happened. It was a little strange, but we definitely didn't want her sleeping directly on the pack n play mat. The sheet was a massive twin size sheet which didn't seem super safe, so I might suggest bringing your own water proof protector, sheet, and blanket.

I too love doing the research and planned a family cruise and booked all 7 rooms myself, it took SO long over the phone. Then had to lift and shift after it was cancelled during the pandemic and argue about why we still needed adjoining rooms since 11 out of the 20 people were minors even though we were moving to the same class of ship on the same dates just exactly a year later. Then I had to add a yet to be named infant to the reservation after SIL got pregnant, then had to call again to add baby’s name and birthdate. I was on the phone for HOURS UPON HOURS. After that experience I’ve done all the research on my own and just asked the TA to reserve it so she could deal with all the changes if anything were to come up. She has only booked the cruise itself. I’ve done all other research and booking of excursions. My point being you can do all the fun parts and let your TA deal with any of the not so fun stuff that may come up.

I agree about Navigators ice show, it is not to be missed. I’ve seen it three times now and it’s one of my favorites. Also agree on PV. After visiting on our Christmas cruise we decided to do a land based week long vacation. It was spectacular, highly recommend Casa Carole if you need somewhere to stay. Also agree about the Catalina tender situation, what a nightmare that was! If you’re doing a Mexico cruise in winter you should really try whale watching. We saw so. Any whales breaching during mating season it was just incredible.

For a largeish family, such as mine, cruises are still the most economical vacation. Our 10 nighter on Vision over spring break and Easter is less than $4000 for 6 of us. Adding 3 nights hotel on either side of that and excursions we’re probably around $6000. I priced that against 7 nights at Disney World the same week and that would have cost us at least $10K, and Disney is a much more exhausting non-vacation. Even our 7 nighter to Alaska is significantly cheaper than a Disney World vacation. Side note, if you have an Alaska cruise planned out of Seattle this summer the flight prices on air2sea are insanely cheap right now. I got 8 first class tickets on delta, round trip, nonstop for $137!! They showed up almost immediately in the delta app for us to pick our seats.

I went on a 4 night cruise in November and it was available and quite fun, but a little poorly run.

This is what we have booked for our upcoming cruise early April. https://myislandstours.shutterfly.com

I booked a cruise for 20 last April. We had 7 rooms all over the ship, but the reservations were all linked since I made them and we did have three tables together in the MDR. I made sure to check everyone’s seapass cards after boarding so ensure our tables were together. As far as customer service rep not knowing what you’re talking about, you just keep calling back until someone knows what you’re talking about. RC is notorious for that.

I’ve personally booked cruises with “unnamed” infant. Some time after they’re born just call back and update the name and birthdate. As others have said, they do need to be 6 months old to sail.

There is no calendar of activities in adventure ocean. Generally time there is organized group activities, just there’s no set calendar on what those activities might be. My son’s favorite is always Gaga Ball (I have no idea what that is but he loves it). Sometimes he’d come out of AO and they will have told him what they were going to do as an evening activity so he’d look forward to going back. He’s now 12 and will be in the teen club and is actually sad to be out of AO. Enjoy Anthem, it’s such a fun ship!! Make sure you do iFly.

So am i understanding that diamond is BOGO 50% off but d+ is bogo free? Or are they both bogo free? Family of 6, all diamond with an upcoming 10 night cruise so this could be a game changer. Kids have never eaten in a specialty restaurant before because I’m a cheapo.

It does look like the site is calculating funky, but the total at the bottom still shows correct. For example, I looked at an Alaska cruise and the subtotal is only $355 after their strangely calculates deductions, taxes and fees 502, but the total at the bottom of the page still shows as $2604. Is the total on yours similar?