SemperMom

It was a great post too. I’ll never be able to duplicate it. Haha 

It was a great post too. I’ll never be able to duplicate it. Haha 

Sorry! I’m a little behind. Lol
Day 6 turned out fairly uneventful. We met up with Freedom OTS and it looks like we will follow her to Coco Cay tonight.
The artist wasn’t up for the heat so I ventured out to Nassau to see the new port and it’s lovely! I bought a few trinkets and hopped back on to join the artists on the pool deck for some fancy drinks. We went to the Schooner bar to relax a little and tried a new drink there. I think it was a tropical sunshine and it was super yummy. 
Dinner in the WJ was a Chinese theme and very tasty. There was chow mein and fried rice and even a ramen station.
We had the cutest little stow away in our cabin when we came back. Isn’t he adorable?!
We ran a little late leaving Nassau due to a medical emergency. I really hope they are ok! We had to wait for the ambulance to arrive to pick them up so they could get proper attention. Capt. Diego let us know it would not affect our itinerary. I sincerely hope all is well with the passenger!
We turned in early so we will be well rested for Coco Cay!
 


IMG_9515.mov

I have done that.  SO annoyed at myself.  

Ugh. Just deleted my whole post by accident ! I’ll come back and repost in a bit. 

The ramen station was awesome. The spring rolls and chocolate chip cookies moist and good.

Sorry! I’m a little behind. Lol
Day 6 turned out fairly uneventful. We met up with Freedom OTS and it looks like we will follow her to Coco Cay tonight.
The artist wasn’t up for the heat so I ventured out to Nassau to see the new port and it’s lovely! I bought a few trinkets and hopped back on to join the artists on the pool deck for some fancy drinks. We went to the Schooner bar to relax a little and tried a new drink there. I think it was a tropical sunshine and it was super yummy. 
Dinner in the WJ was a Chinese theme and very tasty. There was chow mein and fried rice and even a ramen station.
We had the cutest little stow away in our cabin when we came back. Isn’t he adorable?!
We ran a little late leaving Nassau due to a medical emergency. I really hope they are ok! We had to wait for the ambulance to arrive to pick them up so they could get proper attention. Capt. Diego let us know it would not affect our itinerary. I sincerely hope all is well with the passenger!
We turned in early so we will be well rested for Coco Cay!
 


IMG_9515.mov

Sorry! I’m a little behind. Lol
Day 6 turned out fairly uneventful. We met up with Freedom OTS and it looks like we will follow her to Coco Cay tonight.
The artist wasn’t up for the heat so I ventured out to Nassau to see the new port and it’s lovely! I bought a few trinkets and hopped back on to join the artists on the pool deck for some fancy drinks. We went to the Schooner bar to relax a little and tried a new drink there. I think it was a tropical sunshine and it was super yummy. 
Dinner in the WJ was a Chinese theme and very tasty. There was chow mein and fried rice and even a ramen station.
We had the cutest little stow away in our cabin when we came back. Isn’t he adorable?!
We ran a little late leaving Nassau due to a medical emergency. I really hope they are ok! We had to wait for the ambulance to arrive to pick them up so they could get proper attention. Capt. Diego let us know it would not affect our itinerary. I sincerely hope all is well with the passenger!
We turned in early so we will be well rested for Coco Cay!
 


IMG_9515.mov

We met a waiter we had on Freedom 6/16-6/23. He was asked to help out Vision, because they were under staffed. When we saw him, we hugged like family. This is why I love the crew on Royal. Today we are at Coco Cay with Freedom. We are getting off the ship to meet Family on Freedom. I Love the Royal crew. This is amazing. Thank you Royal for them best crews.

I am having fun on my journey.

Thanks for posting these! 
My wife and I are booked on Vision for the Aug. 31st New England/Canada cuise, and it is nice to hear about your experience on the ship!
Happy Belated to the Artist (I am a sketcher as well!).
I'll be excited to hear more about your itinerary.
 

What a nice day 5! We had a great breakfast at the WJ then grabbed a fancy coffee and hung out by the pool for a bit. The artist brought a few crafts along so we made a beaded bracelet and sketched a little before ordering a couple of very tasty and colorful frozen mocktails!
I bumped into my old high school buddy and his wife again and turns out he’s a finalist in the superstar karaoke contest! We’ll go cheer him on during the finals on day 8. How fun!
We took a nice nap then had a late lunch at WJ. We saved room for chops though!
Chops was great. We both had the shrimp cocktail to start. The artists had the wedge salad and I the Cesar. Then I had the bone-in ribeye and the artist had the NY strip. The steaks were perfect but mine was huge even after leaving room at lunch! It was so good I completely forgot to take a picture! The cheesecake was as good as the steak!
A very good end to a fantastic day at sea, I’d say. Tomorrow we’ll be in Nassau around 10 am. 

Good morning! Day 5 already and it Looks like we’re going to have a beautiful sea day! 
We ended up eating in the cabin last night. The MDR was just a bit too overwhelming for the artist and the windjammer had already closed by the time we got back to the cabin. Anxiety sucks, but room service was yummy and we had a lovely time together! 
We have no plans today which is my preferred kind of schedule. Lol My work is nothing but deadlines so being able to NOT look at a clock is my favorite way to unwind and relax and one of the many reasons we like to book cruises with lots of sea days! 😉. There were a couple of activities that looked interesting so maybe we’ll check them out or we might just plant ourselves by a pool. We’ll keep you posted. 
 
 

We agree! 
I bet! I am really looking forward to our February cruise when we’ll have an aft balcony. 

Well, it was a lazy rainy day. We ended up just staying on the ship. The amount of time we had left when the rain finally slowed just wasn’t enough to do much. We had gone up to the pool deck to refresh our towels. When we left the room we had just seen our rainbow and the sun was peeking but by the time we got to the towel station the sky opened up again. The pool deck was pretty darn wet.
Our room steward is really great. I have no idea what this towel creature is supposed to be but he’s sure cute. Reminded me a little of baby Yoda! 😂
The bummer about visiting Bermuda over the weekend is that the ferry runs an abbreviated schedule on Sundays and while the bus is fun, we just weren’t up for paying such close attention to time. I’m a little anxious when it comes to boarding time. We aren’t built for pier running. Better safe than sorry, I say. Hahaha
Going forward, we will really scrutinize when Bermuda cruises will be in Bermuda before we book. Not all Bermuda itineraries are the same. Weekend visits limit you to an extent when you plan to self tour and use public transportation. I would definitely recommend booking Royal excursions although I heard that many of them were canceled due to the weather.
Regardless, being in Bermuda is the best no matter the weather and I would choose an overcast view from my balcony over being at home any day! And the artist was happy too so win win! 
Tonight we will check out the main dining room and if we get done with dinner in time, the Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme show. 
Our steward has been leaving us a traditional compass every evening so when we get back, we’ll take a look and see what fun things are in store for tomorrow. I didn’t think to post them but if anyone is interested let me know and I’ll take pictures in my down time  
 

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! The artist loved them. 
 
Well, the sun is trying to overcome the clouds and we hope she wins! We got a little rainbow for her efforts too! That’s 3 outta 4 for Bermuda rainbows. 
 
I think we will take a ferry ride just for the fun of it and see where that takes us. 

As soon as they were letting folks off the ship the skies opened up. It was quite the downpour. It had rained every time we’ve been here before so we had ponchos and umbrellas just in case. We had hoped since we remembered them it wouldn’t rain. 😜
We decided to just grab lunch and do a little shopping which turned out for the best since as we got back on to the ship, the lightning started and gave us a few good cracks. I thought I was recording but it doesn’t record if you don’t hit the record button. Maybe we’ll do the ferry to St. George instead of the beach tomorrow but we’ll see. 
Anyway, we went the the Frog and Onion. I had the Cornish Pasty and the artist enjoyed the Chicken pot pie. Very yummy.
There is a  lazy but sweet black cat that hangs out at the Frog and Onion. We met him last year when we visited and as luck would have it, we met him again! 
It was still raining as we made our way to the clock tower mall. We bought a few souvenirs for family and friends then stopped for ice cream on the way back to the ship. 
Even though our plans changed a little we still had fun, rain and all. 
 

So…Day 3, we’re now caught up! 
 
It’s Bermuda day! We decided to do the full breakfast on the balcony again. Another beautiful sunrise!
We wanted to conserve energy for our adventure in Bermuda so we are very lazily getting ready for our 1 pm arrival. 
 
Our plan is to ferry to St. George for sightseeing and then make our way back down to Hamilton where we’ll have dinner at Flanigans. This is now a family custom for us. This is my 4th visit to Bermuda and the Artists 2nd and each time we have a meal at Flanigans. The food is amazing and the Guinness is perfection. After that, who knows?! We’ll just play it by ear. 
 
Tomorrow will be our beach day. We brought snorkeling gear and will explore Horseshoe Bay and it’s connecting beaches a little further than we’ve done before. 
 
More to follow!

Day2: 
I ended up awake at 4:30 am so I decided to take an early morning walk around the ship. I took video but it’s kinda boring but if anyone would like to see it, let me know and I’ll post it if it’s not too long. I think it’s mostly deck 5 and 6. 
 
We ordered room service and splurged on the American breakfast and ate on our balcony. It was delightful! Food was hot and tasty. Balcony breakfasts are our favorite! It was a whopping 9$ and change including gratuity. Totally worth it especially when it’s accompanied by a beautiful sunrise!
The artist loves fancy coffee so we ventured out to find Cafe Lattetudes. Mocha Lattes to go. The best way to start the day  
We decided to take advantage of everyone being on the pool deck to get our reservations for dinner straight. We have the Chops plus one package and purchased a BOGO deal for an additional night on day one. We decided for Izumi tonight, Chops on Monday and the Artists favorite, Giovanni’s Table on our last night. 
We hung out on the pool deck for a while chatting with new friends. There is nothing better than that breeze and the smell of sun lotion and Pina Colada mocktails! 
 
We decided to tour the top deck and watched a little girl kick butt on the rock climbing wall. She was killing it and rang the tippy top bell! Very impressive. 
 
We ate lunch again in the windjammer. The cream of broccoli soup was very nice and the artist enjoyed the cheeseburger and fries. 
There is something about the cookies on a cruise ship. I discovered this back on my first cruise in 2013. I later found Emma Cruises and felt validated when I learned I wasn’t alone in understanding the cruise cookie phenomenon. I never eat oatmeal raisin cookies on land. But, on a cruise ship? I can’t get enough of them.  
After lunch, it was siesta time. A little nap before dinner was the perfect recharge. On our way back to the cabin, I bumped into an old friend from high school! I couldn’t believe it. We hugged and caught up in a hurry in the elevator and vowed to find each other again so we could catch up properly. 5 cruises under my belt and never met anyone I actually knew. So fun. 
 
After our nap it was time to get ready for dinner at Izumi. It was dress to impress night so we gussied up a little and headed out. Izumi is a very lovely space at the top of the ship. We were sat right at the front window and it was amazing. 
 
I ordered the crispy rice with spicy tuna aioli (amazing) and the artist had the shrimp and veggie tempura (also amazing). Our server, Ryan, gave us Miso soup on the house. The artist loved it, me not so much. Lol I’m sure it was good if you like miso soup though. 
For our large plates, I had the dynamite roll and the seared tuna tataki roll. The artist had the rainbow roll and ramen. We shared between us and absolutely every bite was heaven. Not even exaggerating. 10 outta 10. We’d do it again. 
For dessert we each had a lava cake and could barely look at them we were so full. But we were brave and forged on! When, to the artist’s surprise and my delight, Ryan and the hostess started making a scene and placed a plate of Mochi ice cream with Happy Bday lovingly scrawled with raspberry sauce before the artist and proceeded to sing happy birthday! The whole restaurant joined in and it was wonderful! 

Needless to say, it was a beautiful day so when the artist told me they were full and sleepy, we called it a day. Back in the cabin we sat on the balcony for a little while then passed out. 
 
It just doesn’t get better than this, or maybe it does  that was only day 2!
 

 
 

I wasn’t going to do this but sitting here this morning I figured why not? I’m a little late getting started but we’ve had such a nice time so far, I thought I’d share. Please forgive the million typos, I’m using my phone. Thanks in advance! 
 
This cruise is my middle child’s (We’ll call them the Artist) sweet 16 gift and our first opportunity for just the two of us to hang out and have experiences just between us. I’m pretty proud of the fact that my kid would even want to be stuck with me for 9 whole nights and not be embarrassed to be seen in captive public with me. I’d say I’m lucky! We only “kind of “ feel bad that we left Dad and the other two siblings at home. They’ll get their chance. 😉 It’s the artists time to shine. 

Day 1: We stayed at the McHenry Row Courtyard by Marriott right across the highway from the port. So convenient and a very nice place to stay. Dad dropped us at the port around 9:30am  we had an 11 am boarding time. We were the second group in line. They opened the doors for us at 10:15 and holy cow, we were checked in, on the ship and mustered by 10:48! 
We checked out the solarium and the artist took a dip then grabbed a snack in the windjammer to pass the time until the cabin was ready which turned out to be perfect timing. They were ready by 1:30.  

The windjammer was nice as buffets go. The usual fare. The crew was all smiles and very helpful.
The solarium was quiet for the first day. I thought it would be busier. It took the Artist 10 full minutes to get submerged because the water was so cold! Haha
I ordered a couple of surprises for the birthday kid for the cabin and they were there waiting for us! The artist was so happy and really felt like a star.  Goal achieved!!!! Points for mom! 
We got unpacked and had dinner again at the windjammer. Hung out on our balcony for a bit and called it a night. Slept like a baby knowing my baby had a great start to a special trip. 

What a nice day 5! We had a great breakfast at the WJ then grabbed a fancy coffee and hung out by the pool for a bit. The artist brought a few crafts along so we made a beaded bracelet and sketched a little before ordering a couple of very tasty and colorful frozen mocktails!
I bumped into my old high school buddy and his wife again and turns out he’s a finalist in the superstar karaoke contest! We’ll go cheer him on during the finals on day 8. How fun!
We took a nice nap then had a late lunch at WJ. We saved room for chops though!
Chops was great. We both had the shrimp cocktail to start. The artists had the wedge salad and I the Cesar. Then I had the bone-in ribeye and the artist had the NY strip. The steaks were perfect but mine was huge even after leaving room at lunch! It was so good I completely forgot to take a picture! The cheesecake was as good as the steak!
A very good end to a fantastic day at sea, I’d say. Tomorrow we’ll be in Nassau around 10 am. 

Good morning! Day 5 already and it Looks like we’re going to have a beautiful sea day! 
We ended up eating in the cabin last night. The MDR was just a bit too overwhelming for the artist and the windjammer had already closed by the time we got back to the cabin. Anxiety sucks, but room service was yummy and we had a lovely time together! 
We have no plans today which is my preferred kind of schedule. Lol My work is nothing but deadlines so being able to NOT look at a clock is my favorite way to unwind and relax and one of the many reasons we like to book cruises with lots of sea days! 😉. There were a couple of activities that looked interesting so maybe we’ll check them out or we might just plant ourselves by a pool. We’ll keep you posted. 
 
 

We agree! 
I bet! I am really looking forward to our February cruise when we’ll have an aft balcony. 

I wasn’t going to do this but sitting here this morning I figured why not? I’m a little late getting started but we’ve had such a nice time so far, I thought I’d share. Please forgive the million typos, I’m using my phone. Thanks in advance! 
 
This cruise is my middle child’s (We’ll call them the Artist) sweet 16 gift and our first opportunity for just the two of us to hang out and have experiences just between us. I’m pretty proud of the fact that my kid would even want to be stuck with me for 9 whole nights and not be embarrassed to be seen in captive public with me. I’d say I’m lucky! We only “kind of “ feel bad that we left Dad and the other two siblings at home. They’ll get their chance. 😉 It’s the artists time to shine. 

Day 1: We stayed at the McHenry Row Courtyard by Marriott right across the highway from the port. So convenient and a very nice place to stay. Dad dropped us at the port around 9:30am  we had an 11 am boarding time. We were the second group in line. They opened the doors for us at 10:15 and holy cow, we were checked in, on the ship and mustered by 10:48! 
We checked out the solarium and the artist took a dip then grabbed a snack in the windjammer to pass the time until the cabin was ready which turned out to be perfect timing. They were ready by 1:30.  

The windjammer was nice as buffets go. The usual fare. The crew was all smiles and very helpful.
The solarium was quiet for the first day. I thought it would be busier. It took the Artist 10 full minutes to get submerged because the water was so cold! Haha
I ordered a couple of surprises for the birthday kid for the cabin and they were there waiting for us! The artist was so happy and really felt like a star.  Goal achieved!!!! Points for mom! 
We got unpacked and had dinner again at the windjammer. Hung out on our balcony for a bit and called it a night. Slept like a baby knowing my baby had a great start to a special trip. 

What a nice day 5! We had a great breakfast at the WJ then grabbed a fancy coffee and hung out by the pool for a bit. The artist brought a few crafts along so we made a beaded bracelet and sketched a little before ordering a couple of very tasty and colorful frozen mocktails!
I bumped into my old high school buddy and his wife again and turns out he’s a finalist in the superstar karaoke contest! We’ll go cheer him on during the finals on day 8. How fun!
We took a nice nap then had a late lunch at WJ. We saved room for chops though!
Chops was great. We both had the shrimp cocktail to start. The artists had the wedge salad and I the Cesar. Then I had the bone-in ribeye and the artist had the NY strip. The steaks were perfect but mine was huge even after leaving room at lunch! It was so good I completely forgot to take a picture! The cheesecake was as good as the steak!
A very good end to a fantastic day at sea, I’d say. Tomorrow we’ll be in Nassau around 10 am.