Luly

Day 4
This morning hubby and I took S7 and D4 to the MDR for breakfast while the older two slept in. Of course the kids still got cereal but I always order the vegetable breakfast bowl with a side of bacon. Then we took the littles to AO and off to the fitness center. I was going to walk on the jogging track but deck 10 was closed due to wind. Then I watched a hip hop dance lesson. I had watched two of the dancers creating choreography in the fitness center yesterday afternoon and was curious to see if this was what it was for. Indeed it was. I enjoyed listening to them choreograph it while I did my workout yesterday. At one point the girl spoke up that she felt one of the moves was too sexy and adjusted the dance. Re-emphasizes the family friendliness of this ship’s activities. She did a wonderful job teaching the choreography. I tried to convince D4 to come with me. If she had come I would’ve learned the dance with her but alas my introversion got the best of me and I just watched. For lunch S12 went and saw his buddies at park cafe and got us a whole pizza to share for a snack in our room. Afterward D16 and I went to deck 5 to watch us pull into Old San Juan.
The ship arrived 20 minutes early but with a late afternoon arrival the line to get off the ship went up about 5 decks in every stair case on both ends of the ship. Once we finally got off the ship we started our walking tour on our own (https://www.thejellybeans.net/docs/WalkingTour_PuertoRico_SanJuan_OldSanJuan.pdf we only walked to number 13 then did our own thing) but very quickly got distracted by some food and drink carts. I had read to try Mavi/Mabi/Mauby (depends on the country). In Puerto Rico it’s mavi. Mavi is made by boiling the bark of the mavi tree with spices. When I ordered it the guy looked at my very pale skin and insisted I try it first because most Americans don’t like it. I thought that was very nice of him to not just take my money. I thought it was delicious. He insisted it was ok if I don’t like it, I don’t have to buy it. I insisted it was quite tasty. He muttered under his breath and shook his head “she likes it, I can’t believe it” many times as he poured it and as I walked away. Hubby and S7 also liked it. 
At another cart we bought empanadas, arepas, and sorullitos. Hubby spent two years living in Venezuela and loves empanadas and arepas. Sorullitos were new to us. The empanadas were the best I’ve ever had. The dough and the chicken inside were just amazing. I don’t love arepas but hubby thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Hubby and S7 liked the sorullitos. It basically tasted like a very sweet honey corn dog but with cheese instead of a hot dog. We were too enthralled to take any pictures. Oops. After much whining “it’s hot” “I’m sweaty” “Carry me” we finally made it to our main destination, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. The grass was quite dead as opposed to the crisp green in pictures I’d seen. Quite a few people were flying kites. The cool wind felt very nice after a very hot and humid walk uphill. We paid to go inside and explored for almost an hour. We then walked to look at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi Cemetery. The gates appeared to be locked so we couldn’t explore as I’d hoped. Then we walked to Castillo San Cristobal. I knew it closed at 5 so we couldn’t go inside but it was on the way back to the ship. Since we already enjoyed some local food we decided to get back on the ship for dinner. 
I wish that we had more normal port hours today. I really wanted to go to El Yunque Rainforest but the logistics of getting there and back with plenty of time to explore before dark were just not working out. I don’t like the hop on hop off type Royal Caribbean excursions so that wasn’t an option. I like to have plenty of time to hike and explore and I’d read the ship’s excursion really required staying close to the bus and minimal exploration. I also really tried to find a way to do a bioluminescence tour but they all got back at 9 or later and are 30-60 minutes away from San Juan. All aboard is 9:30. Guess I’ll have to come back to San Juan some time. 
Dinner tonight was taste of USA. The baked potato soup was good. I didn’t enjoy the zucchini fries and the Buffalo chicken dip would’ve been better without blue cheese, but that’s definitely a personal preference because I hate blue cheese. Littles stuck with plain pasta but S7 did get shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad this time. D4 wishes they had berries as an appetizer. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and wasn’t a fan. Hubby had to work and showed up late so I ordered him maple and bourbon glazed salmon. He said the sauce was tasty. D16 ordered the royal burger and loved it. S12 ordered the steak; I think the garlic butter is new with the steak on this menu? It was so good that I sent back my Mac and cheese and got the steak. For dessert kids and hubby got royal chocolate cake and ice cream. S12 was sad royal chocolate cake isn’t on the menu permanently anymore so he was most excited about it. I got no sugar key lime shortcake and vegan brownie. The shortcake was disappointing since I usually like the sugar free desserts. The vegan brownie was fine, just like a regular brownie. So overall today’s menu was just meh. 
The theme was white night and we all looked so cute in our white shirts and dresses but dinner took longer than past evenings and kids were not cooperative for a picture. So I will be requiring our very own white night again in a few days to attempt that family picture. Yes I’m that mom  
No show in the theatre tonight, just Top Gun: Maverick showing twice, but actually in the theater and not on the pool deck. Speaking of the theatre, I LOVE the Masquerade Theatre. The only downside is it’s not as big as the theatre on other ships so it’s harder to find a seat last minute, but we’ve found one every night and we’re usually 5-10 minutes late. The seats are SO much more comfy than newer ships! 
Tonight we’re requiring an early bed time. We have 4 straight days of needing to be first off the boat for excursions. While this is vacation, my kids are not functional without 8-11 hours of good sleep. Littles were in bed by 8 and the other two have been asked to go to sleep at 10. D16 headed to the solarium hot tub after dinner and S12 to the teen club. He made a friend last night and didn’t get back until 12:30am! Park cafe is open until 1am so they were hanging out eating pizza together. I was so tired but moms can’t go to sleep without knowing their babies are safe in their beds.  
Tomorrow we’re in St. Maarten. S12’s BFF is on Harmony of the Seas which just so happens to be in port the same day as us. His family is joining us on our excursion. The two boys couldn’t be more thrilled! I’m excited to be able to start sharing about specific excursions. I do extensive research planning these things so I have high expectations. 

Day 4
This morning hubby and I took S7 and D4 to the MDR for breakfast while the older two slept in. Of course the kids still got cereal but I always order the vegetable breakfast bowl with a side of bacon. Then we took the littles to AO and off to the fitness center. I was going to walk on the jogging track but deck 10 was closed due to wind. Then I watched a hip hop dance lesson. I had watched two of the dancers creating choreography in the fitness center yesterday afternoon and was curious to see if this was what it was for. Indeed it was. I enjoyed listening to them choreograph it while I did my workout yesterday. At one point the girl spoke up that she felt one of the moves was too sexy and adjusted the dance. Re-emphasizes the family friendliness of this ship’s activities. She did a wonderful job teaching the choreography. I tried to convince D4 to come with me. If she had come I would’ve learned the dance with her but alas my introversion got the best of me and I just watched. For lunch S12 went and saw his buddies at park cafe and got us a whole pizza to share for a snack in our room. Afterward D16 and I went to deck 5 to watch us pull into Old San Juan.
The ship arrived 20 minutes early but with a late afternoon arrival the line to get off the ship went up about 5 decks in every stair case on both ends of the ship. Once we finally got off the ship we started our walking tour on our own (https://www.thejellybeans.net/docs/WalkingTour_PuertoRico_SanJuan_OldSanJuan.pdf we only walked to number 13 then did our own thing) but very quickly got distracted by some food and drink carts. I had read to try Mavi/Mabi/Mauby (depends on the country). In Puerto Rico it’s mavi. Mavi is made by boiling the bark of the mavi tree with spices. When I ordered it the guy looked at my very pale skin and insisted I try it first because most Americans don’t like it. I thought that was very nice of him to not just take my money. I thought it was delicious. He insisted it was ok if I don’t like it, I don’t have to buy it. I insisted it was quite tasty. He muttered under his breath and shook his head “she likes it, I can’t believe it” many times as he poured it and as I walked away. Hubby and S7 also liked it. 
At another cart we bought empanadas, arepas, and sorullitos. Hubby spent two years living in Venezuela and loves empanadas and arepas. Sorullitos were new to us. The empanadas were the best I’ve ever had. The dough and the chicken inside were just amazing. I don’t love arepas but hubby thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Hubby and S7 liked the sorullitos. It basically tasted like a very sweet honey corn dog but with cheese instead of a hot dog. We were too enthralled to take any pictures. Oops. After much whining “it’s hot” “I’m sweaty” “Carry me” we finally made it to our main destination, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. The grass was quite dead as opposed to the crisp green in pictures I’d seen. Quite a few people were flying kites. The cool wind felt very nice after a very hot and humid walk uphill. We paid to go inside and explored for almost an hour. We then walked to look at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi Cemetery. The gates appeared to be locked so we couldn’t explore as I’d hoped. Then we walked to Castillo San Cristobal. I knew it closed at 5 so we couldn’t go inside but it was on the way back to the ship. Since we already enjoyed some local food we decided to get back on the ship for dinner. 
I wish that we had more normal port hours today. I really wanted to go to El Yunque Rainforest but the logistics of getting there and back with plenty of time to explore before dark were just not working out. I don’t like the hop on hop off type Royal Caribbean excursions so that wasn’t an option. I like to have plenty of time to hike and explore and I’d read the ship’s excursion really required staying close to the bus and minimal exploration. I also really tried to find a way to do a bioluminescence tour but they all got back at 9 or later and are 30-60 minutes away from San Juan. All aboard is 9:30. Guess I’ll have to come back to San Juan some time. 
Dinner tonight was taste of USA. The baked potato soup was good. I didn’t enjoy the zucchini fries and the Buffalo chicken dip would’ve been better without blue cheese, but that’s definitely a personal preference because I hate blue cheese. Littles stuck with plain pasta but S7 did get shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad this time. D4 wishes they had berries as an appetizer. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and wasn’t a fan. Hubby had to work and showed up late so I ordered him maple and bourbon glazed salmon. He said the sauce was tasty. D16 ordered the royal burger and loved it. S12 ordered the steak; I think the garlic butter is new with the steak on this menu? It was so good that I sent back my Mac and cheese and got the steak. For dessert kids and hubby got royal chocolate cake and ice cream. S12 was sad royal chocolate cake isn’t on the menu permanently anymore so he was most excited about it. I got no sugar key lime shortcake and vegan brownie. The shortcake was disappointing since I usually like the sugar free desserts. The vegan brownie was fine, just like a regular brownie. So overall today’s menu was just meh. 
The theme was white night and we all looked so cute in our white shirts and dresses but dinner took longer than past evenings and kids were not cooperative for a picture. So I will be requiring our very own white night again in a few days to attempt that family picture. Yes I’m that mom  
No show in the theatre tonight, just Top Gun: Maverick showing twice, but actually in the theater and not on the pool deck. Speaking of the theatre, I LOVE the Masquerade Theatre. The only downside is it’s not as big as the theatre on other ships so it’s harder to find a seat last minute, but we’ve found one every night and we’re usually 5-10 minutes late. The seats are SO much more comfy than newer ships! 
Tonight we’re requiring an early bed time. We have 4 straight days of needing to be first off the boat for excursions. While this is vacation, my kids are not functional without 8-11 hours of good sleep. Littles were in bed by 8 and the other two have been asked to go to sleep at 10. D16 headed to the solarium hot tub after dinner and S12 to the teen club. He made a friend last night and didn’t get back until 12:30am! Park cafe is open until 1am so they were hanging out eating pizza together. I was so tired but moms can’t go to sleep without knowing their babies are safe in their beds.  
Tomorrow we’re in St. Maarten. S12’s BFF is on Harmony of the Seas which just so happens to be in port the same day as us. His family is joining us on our excursion. The two boys couldn’t be more thrilled! I’m excited to be able to start sharing about specific excursions. I do extensive research planning these things so I have high expectations. 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

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. 

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. 

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.

The horn just blasted and I just had my first experience watching a pier runner. A security officer was guiding her and as she made it he blew his whistle (which he’s been doing all day) and bowed to a round of applause. 

Day 4
This morning hubby and I took S7 and D4 to the MDR for breakfast while the older two slept in. Of course the kids still got cereal but I always order the vegetable breakfast bowl with a side of bacon. Then we took the littles to AO and off to the fitness center. I was going to walk on the jogging track but deck 10 was closed due to wind. Then I watched a hip hop dance lesson. I had watched two of the dancers creating choreography in the fitness center yesterday afternoon and was curious to see if this was what it was for. Indeed it was. I enjoyed listening to them choreograph it while I did my workout yesterday. At one point the girl spoke up that she felt one of the moves was too sexy and adjusted the dance. Re-emphasizes the family friendliness of this ship’s activities. She did a wonderful job teaching the choreography. I tried to convince D4 to come with me. If she had come I would’ve learned the dance with her but alas my introversion got the best of me and I just watched. For lunch S12 went and saw his buddies at park cafe and got us a whole pizza to share for a snack in our room. Afterward D16 and I went to deck 5 to watch us pull into Old San Juan.
The ship arrived 20 minutes early but with a late afternoon arrival the line to get off the ship went up about 5 decks in every stair case on both ends of the ship. Once we finally got off the ship we started our walking tour on our own (https://www.thejellybeans.net/docs/WalkingTour_PuertoRico_SanJuan_OldSanJuan.pdf we only walked to number 13 then did our own thing) but very quickly got distracted by some food and drink carts. I had read to try Mavi/Mabi/Mauby (depends on the country). In Puerto Rico it’s mavi. Mavi is made by boiling the bark of the mavi tree with spices. When I ordered it the guy looked at my very pale skin and insisted I try it first because most Americans don’t like it. I thought that was very nice of him to not just take my money. I thought it was delicious. He insisted it was ok if I don’t like it, I don’t have to buy it. I insisted it was quite tasty. He muttered under his breath and shook his head “she likes it, I can’t believe it” many times as he poured it and as I walked away. Hubby and S7 also liked it. 
At another cart we bought empanadas, arepas, and sorullitos. Hubby spent two years living in Venezuela and loves empanadas and arepas. Sorullitos were new to us. The empanadas were the best I’ve ever had. The dough and the chicken inside were just amazing. I don’t love arepas but hubby thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Hubby and S7 liked the sorullitos. It basically tasted like a very sweet honey corn dog but with cheese instead of a hot dog. We were too enthralled to take any pictures. Oops. After much whining “it’s hot” “I’m sweaty” “Carry me” we finally made it to our main destination, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. The grass was quite dead as opposed to the crisp green in pictures I’d seen. Quite a few people were flying kites. The cool wind felt very nice after a very hot and humid walk uphill. We paid to go inside and explored for almost an hour. We then walked to look at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi Cemetery. The gates appeared to be locked so we couldn’t explore as I’d hoped. Then we walked to Castillo San Cristobal. I knew it closed at 5 so we couldn’t go inside but it was on the way back to the ship. Since we already enjoyed some local food we decided to get back on the ship for dinner. 
I wish that we had more normal port hours today. I really wanted to go to El Yunque Rainforest but the logistics of getting there and back with plenty of time to explore before dark were just not working out. I don’t like the hop on hop off type Royal Caribbean excursions so that wasn’t an option. I like to have plenty of time to hike and explore and I’d read the ship’s excursion really required staying close to the bus and minimal exploration. I also really tried to find a way to do a bioluminescence tour but they all got back at 9 or later and are 30-60 minutes away from San Juan. All aboard is 9:30. Guess I’ll have to come back to San Juan some time. 
Dinner tonight was taste of USA. The baked potato soup was good. I didn’t enjoy the zucchini fries and the Buffalo chicken dip would’ve been better without blue cheese, but that’s definitely a personal preference because I hate blue cheese. Littles stuck with plain pasta but S7 did get shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad this time. D4 wishes they had berries as an appetizer. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and wasn’t a fan. Hubby had to work and showed up late so I ordered him maple and bourbon glazed salmon. He said the sauce was tasty. D16 ordered the royal burger and loved it. S12 ordered the steak; I think the garlic butter is new with the steak on this menu? It was so good that I sent back my Mac and cheese and got the steak. For dessert kids and hubby got royal chocolate cake and ice cream. S12 was sad royal chocolate cake isn’t on the menu permanently anymore so he was most excited about it. I got no sugar key lime shortcake and vegan brownie. The shortcake was disappointing since I usually like the sugar free desserts. The vegan brownie was fine, just like a regular brownie. So overall today’s menu was just meh. 
The theme was white night and we all looked so cute in our white shirts and dresses but dinner took longer than past evenings and kids were not cooperative for a picture. So I will be requiring our very own white night again in a few days to attempt that family picture. Yes I’m that mom  
No show in the theatre tonight, just Top Gun: Maverick showing twice, but actually in the theater and not on the pool deck. Speaking of the theatre, I LOVE the Masquerade Theatre. The only downside is it’s not as big as the theatre on other ships so it’s harder to find a seat last minute, but we’ve found one every night and we’re usually 5-10 minutes late. The seats are SO much more comfy than newer ships! 
Tonight we’re requiring an early bed time. We have 4 straight days of needing to be first off the boat for excursions. While this is vacation, my kids are not functional without 8-11 hours of good sleep. Littles were in bed by 8 and the other two have been asked to go to sleep at 10. D16 headed to the solarium hot tub after dinner and S12 to the teen club. He made a friend last night and didn’t get back until 12:30am! Park cafe is open until 1am so they were hanging out eating pizza together. I was so tired but moms can’t go to sleep without knowing their babies are safe in their beds.  
Tomorrow we’re in St. Maarten. S12’s BFF is on Harmony of the Seas which just so happens to be in port the same day as us. His family is joining us on our excursion. The two boys couldn’t be more thrilled! I’m excited to be able to start sharing about specific excursions. I do extensive research planning these things so I have high expectations. 

The horn just blasted and I just had my first experience watching a pier runner. A security officer was guiding her and as she made it he blew his whistle (which he’s been doing all day) and bowed to a round of applause. 

Day 4
This morning hubby and I took S7 and D4 to the MDR for breakfast while the older two slept in. Of course the kids still got cereal but I always order the vegetable breakfast bowl with a side of bacon. Then we took the littles to AO and off to the fitness center. I was going to walk on the jogging track but deck 10 was closed due to wind. Then I watched a hip hop dance lesson. I had watched two of the dancers creating choreography in the fitness center yesterday afternoon and was curious to see if this was what it was for. Indeed it was. I enjoyed listening to them choreograph it while I did my workout yesterday. At one point the girl spoke up that she felt one of the moves was too sexy and adjusted the dance. Re-emphasizes the family friendliness of this ship’s activities. She did a wonderful job teaching the choreography. I tried to convince D4 to come with me. If she had come I would’ve learned the dance with her but alas my introversion got the best of me and I just watched. For lunch S12 went and saw his buddies at park cafe and got us a whole pizza to share for a snack in our room. Afterward D16 and I went to deck 5 to watch us pull into Old San Juan.
The ship arrived 20 minutes early but with a late afternoon arrival the line to get off the ship went up about 5 decks in every stair case on both ends of the ship. Once we finally got off the ship we started our walking tour on our own (https://www.thejellybeans.net/docs/WalkingTour_PuertoRico_SanJuan_OldSanJuan.pdf we only walked to number 13 then did our own thing) but very quickly got distracted by some food and drink carts. I had read to try Mavi/Mabi/Mauby (depends on the country). In Puerto Rico it’s mavi. Mavi is made by boiling the bark of the mavi tree with spices. When I ordered it the guy looked at my very pale skin and insisted I try it first because most Americans don’t like it. I thought that was very nice of him to not just take my money. I thought it was delicious. He insisted it was ok if I don’t like it, I don’t have to buy it. I insisted it was quite tasty. He muttered under his breath and shook his head “she likes it, I can’t believe it” many times as he poured it and as I walked away. Hubby and S7 also liked it. 
At another cart we bought empanadas, arepas, and sorullitos. Hubby spent two years living in Venezuela and loves empanadas and arepas. Sorullitos were new to us. The empanadas were the best I’ve ever had. The dough and the chicken inside were just amazing. I don’t love arepas but hubby thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Hubby and S7 liked the sorullitos. It basically tasted like a very sweet honey corn dog but with cheese instead of a hot dog. We were too enthralled to take any pictures. Oops. After much whining “it’s hot” “I’m sweaty” “Carry me” we finally made it to our main destination, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. The grass was quite dead as opposed to the crisp green in pictures I’d seen. Quite a few people were flying kites. The cool wind felt very nice after a very hot and humid walk uphill. We paid to go inside and explored for almost an hour. We then walked to look at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi Cemetery. The gates appeared to be locked so we couldn’t explore as I’d hoped. Then we walked to Castillo San Cristobal. I knew it closed at 5 so we couldn’t go inside but it was on the way back to the ship. Since we already enjoyed some local food we decided to get back on the ship for dinner. 
I wish that we had more normal port hours today. I really wanted to go to El Yunque Rainforest but the logistics of getting there and back with plenty of time to explore before dark were just not working out. I don’t like the hop on hop off type Royal Caribbean excursions so that wasn’t an option. I like to have plenty of time to hike and explore and I’d read the ship’s excursion really required staying close to the bus and minimal exploration. I also really tried to find a way to do a bioluminescence tour but they all got back at 9 or later and are 30-60 minutes away from San Juan. All aboard is 9:30. Guess I’ll have to come back to San Juan some time. 
Dinner tonight was taste of USA. The baked potato soup was good. I didn’t enjoy the zucchini fries and the Buffalo chicken dip would’ve been better without blue cheese, but that’s definitely a personal preference because I hate blue cheese. Littles stuck with plain pasta but S7 did get shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad this time. D4 wishes they had berries as an appetizer. I got the lobster Mac and cheese and wasn’t a fan. Hubby had to work and showed up late so I ordered him maple and bourbon glazed salmon. He said the sauce was tasty. D16 ordered the royal burger and loved it. S12 ordered the steak; I think the garlic butter is new with the steak on this menu? It was so good that I sent back my Mac and cheese and got the steak. For dessert kids and hubby got royal chocolate cake and ice cream. S12 was sad royal chocolate cake isn’t on the menu permanently anymore so he was most excited about it. I got no sugar key lime shortcake and vegan brownie. The shortcake was disappointing since I usually like the sugar free desserts. The vegan brownie was fine, just like a regular brownie. So overall today’s menu was just meh. 
The theme was white night and we all looked so cute in our white shirts and dresses but dinner took longer than past evenings and kids were not cooperative for a picture. So I will be requiring our very own white night again in a few days to attempt that family picture. Yes I’m that mom  
No show in the theatre tonight, just Top Gun: Maverick showing twice, but actually in the theater and not on the pool deck. Speaking of the theatre, I LOVE the Masquerade Theatre. The only downside is it’s not as big as the theatre on other ships so it’s harder to find a seat last minute, but we’ve found one every night and we’re usually 5-10 minutes late. The seats are SO much more comfy than newer ships! 
Tonight we’re requiring an early bed time. We have 4 straight days of needing to be first off the boat for excursions. While this is vacation, my kids are not functional without 8-11 hours of good sleep. Littles were in bed by 8 and the other two have been asked to go to sleep at 10. D16 headed to the solarium hot tub after dinner and S12 to the teen club. He made a friend last night and didn’t get back until 12:30am! Park cafe is open until 1am so they were hanging out eating pizza together. I was so tired but moms can’t go to sleep without knowing their babies are safe in their beds.  
Tomorrow we’re in St. Maarten. S12’s BFF is on Harmony of the Seas which just so happens to be in port the same day as us. His family is joining us on our excursion. The two boys couldn’t be more thrilled! I’m excited to be able to start sharing about specific excursions. I do extensive research planning these things so I have high expectations. 

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. 

 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

Learned last night that I have zero issues uploading images if I go to the centrum. I tested the wifi speed in the room and it was 8mbps download and .86 upload. Screen shot included when I’m in the centrum. 
We had a beach bungalow on Columbus Beach in Labadee today. I didn’t check the price on Black Friday so don’t know what could’ve been but a few weeks before the cruise I got it for $350, then a few days later it went down to $328 so I cancelled and rebooked. Next day it was $447 and never went down. 
I had read it’s best to get bungalows 3, 4, or 5 so I headed off the ship as soon as the gangway opened at 8 and everyone else went to the windjammer. I’m not a breakfast person so this was fine by me and I got an hour alone at the beach in bungalow 4. 
The bungalows are so close to each other I don’t think it really matters which you choose. It was nice to have cold water bottles, towels, and floating mats already in the bungalow and to have a shady place to veg. The bungalows are very close to the lunch buffet. There are a ton of chairs for this private part of the beach and only those with wrist bands can use them. I haven’t decided yet if it was worth the cost. With just one small ship in port there are so many chairs available. I did like this area for the young kids because the ocean was so calm. A bungalow would definitely would be nice if there was more than one ship in port or if you’re on a larger ship. Our all aboard time was changed from 5 to 3:30 so we didn’t have as long to use it as I’d planned.
After everyone arrived D16 and I went on the hunt for hair braiding. We made the mistake of going through the market. I had read about it but it is so bad. I hated walking through there being hounded rudely by everyone, many even just yelling “HELLOOOOO?!?!l” as I continued to pay them no attention. We found the hair braiding and I’m sure I overpaid despite the signage but I know D16 will leave it in her hair for at least the rest of the trip if not longer and it’ll make her life easier. She has incredibly thick frizzy hair. S7 and D4 snorkeled for about 5 hours straight. There weren’t many fish but since they’ve never snorkeled they were thrilled and came to tell me every time they found a fish. “Mom we saw a big fish!” As they held out their hands about 3 inches. 😂 We loved the virgin Labadoozie drink. This was our second time in Labadee and some side by side pictures between Christmas 2019 on Anthem and now are included below. 
Once we got back on the ship the kids showered and decompressed in the room and hubby and I went to the fitness center. 
Dinner tonight was taste of Mexico. Hubby and D16 got the tortilla soup and said it’s good. I got the shrimp cocktail. Very tiny but the cocktail sauce was delicious. Hubby and I got butter chicken (not Mexican, but I’m so happy they put their amazing Indian dishes on the menu) and shared the pork enchilada. We really enjoyed the chicken. The enchilada was good but incredibly spicy with the sauce. D16 got the carne asada and said it needed more seasoning. S12 got chicken tenders and S7 and D4 stuck with the spaghetti with cheese again. I’m not sure they’ll eat anything else for dinner the entire cruise. I would never allow that at home but we’re not at home so enjoy your carbs kiddos! For dessert everyone ordered the warm chocolate cookie which is a new favorite. It was fresh and gooey. I also got the sugar free coconut cake and it was superb. I love royals sugar free desserts. Hubby also got the tres leches and said it was “pretty good.”
S12 has made friends with the employees in the Park Cafe. When they see him walk up they get him his pepperoni pizza and chocolate bar and off he goes quickly so as to not disturb any more Karens offended at his presence. 
As of last night at 11:11pm he’s had 9 pieces of pizza, 5 chocolate bars, and 4 ice cream cones. He’s keep tracking in his notes app. I haven’t received tonight’s update; he’s in the teen club  while I stay up writing this trying to stay awake waiting for him. I’m sure he’ll show up with some pizza some time before midnight. 
Tonight’s show was “Oh What a Night” by Jersey. I had read this was a show not to be missed and they were indeed fantastic. S7 said if he falls asleep to wake him up to go to the later show also. They said they’ve finished their contract on Vision and are getting off the ship tomorrow in San Juan. They are heading to Australia to tour.  
Then we went to the Guess My Lips game show in the Centrum. Once again family friendly. It took a while to get to the point but ended up being quite entertaining.  
D16 and I sat and enjoyed some live music until the Hush! Silent Party. S12 joined us when he heard about it and while they didn’t go on the dance floor they really enjoyed it from a distance (pictures below). If you’re not familiar, everyone gets some headphones and can choose to be on the blue or green channel to listen to music. They turn off all other music in the area and it’s fun to watch everyone sing and dance in silence, especially when they all break into song and dance like with YMCA or the Macarena. 
Side notes: we’ve been using the free chat feature to keep in contact with the kids. I read varying reports of some getting notifications and some not. In our experience whoever is signed into the single device Voom we paid for does get notifications. Nobody else gets notifications.  
Speaking of the Voom. I had a hard time uploading pictures on Day 1. I learned last night if I go to the centrum I have no problem. I went from 8mbps download in the room to 90mbps in the centrum and .86 upload in the room to 6.6 in the centrum.
Tomorrow we’ll be in San Juan. We’re planning to do a walking tour on our own from some maps and other links I’ve saved. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.