dmattinson

I have a Samsonite nylon soft-side carry-on bag that has been my trusty travel accessory for nearly a decade now - picked it up in a 2-piece set from Costco. It has 4 wheels for stand-up or pull rolling, is expandable, and is about the max size for domestic carrier overhead bins (travelled to Mexico a few times by air with this bag on JetBlue and never an issue along with hundreds of domestic flights on American, Southwest, and JetBlue). I can fold and roll a week's worth of casual clothing (underwear, socks, golf shorts, fishing shirts and polo shirts), travel sized toiletries in a quart bag, flip flops, and bathing suits for 8 days in this thing. I could even cram a bottle of sunscreen in there too if I really wanted. I suspect that someone that wears smaller clothes than I do (I'm an ample traveler) would be able to get more in there, perhaps even some MDR wear (slacks and a couple button-downs) without wrinkles if you just folded and laid on top. Coupled with a backpack for electronic items like GoPro, laptop, phone chargers, etc. make for a pretty worry-free boarding experience, especially once the room is open and I can quickly unpack for the week. I'm also a fan of the older EBags stuff (mainly the Mother Lode line) but the bag I love the most is a duffle/over the shoulder sling bag and that can get heavy and wear on me for a couple of hours of walking around the terminal and the ship. The carry-on roller I have from them was nice until a dog soiled it and it is now relegated to the garage for shop-vac accessory storage.

the pub on Oasis class ships often has big games on if they are set-up with a TV but arriving early to Playmakers is probably the best bet in getting a seat to watch

In December, it was rocky, murky and filled with seaweed - people that wandered out to the bar either were athletic enough to pull themselves up onto the short ladder or got a boost from below or a pull from on top. Coming off the ladder, people were taking that big step off into a murky unknown and a few hit rocks as they took a step of faith from the bottom rung of the ladder. It was enough for me to look and say "nah, not worth it" and just stick to being served from the loungers.

US school breaks are all over the place - good thing is that cruise leaves on a Monday so it won't be a weekend booze cruise crowd. However, depending on college breaks, you may get some of that demographic on board. Depending on what school systems or states have that week off, the cruise can be lots of families, lots of college kids, or lots of DINKs and retirees. Its a dice toss honestly

Forget the midnight buffet...bring back the $1.95 Planter's Punch!

It went from $13 to $14 - sailed in December on Odyssey - as long as I wasn't ordering higher tiered scotch or cognac, everything was covered (note I don't drink wine so I don't know about the higher priced wine options).

Wake up? That was for those that howl at the moon and need a little brekky food to absorb some alcohol.

How about just keeping the buffet open longer? Maybe I don't want just pizza, Mexican, or BBQ (where those last 2 are an option) if I'm a little late on lunch, especially when I have an 8P MDR seating. Or maybe I'm feeling a little peckish around 9-10P after a 5P dining time... I don't need a midnight buffet...what I'd prefer is an hour or two longer on the dinner time and/or maybe not shutting down between lunch and dinner (or keeping the break lower to 1-1.5 hours). Spacing out the load on the buffet will make it more enjoyable to the guests and hopefully alleviates food waste over the longer period of time as they don't have to process so much food for the short window and can assess throughout and have more time to determine need based on passenger demand.

There are better cards out there for travel perks / cash back options compared to the BoA RCL card. The earning rate of 1-2% is low overall but better than not earning anything. Personally, I try to use my Costco Visa card as much as I can as I earn 3% on travel and dining related expenses. But it goes to be used at Costco only, so I am deferring my earnings to a 1-time a year payout and will generally only spend that amount in-store. No matter what card you use, if you get something back its good - now whether you apply those savings to the vacation purchase vs. being forced into OBC with the BoA card, that is the bigger question...like my Cap One card allows real-time redemption once the charge clears. The Discover, only at statement close. Costco, once a year depending on when you signed up and it comes in via a rebate check only valid at Costco (but can be exchanged for cash there). Pick your poison...

I just went on a cruise with my 70 yr old MIL - after this cruise, she has relegated herself to the fact that she will likely need a mobility scooter for port days. It might be something to look into if you are concerned about her getting around. You can rent them from companies like Special Needs Group who will deliver them to the ship on embarkation day. While she isn't disabled, her knees and hips were really bothering her. She didn't heed the advice to walk a lot in advance of the cruise and she parked her butt down on any wall, stool, bench, or shuttle that she could find. Lots of stopping and waiting during the trip...

The Chophouse at Manchebo is a short cab ride away in Aruba - I hear that it is the best place, hands down In the fort in Curacao, there are some shops but I didn't see a full blown restaurant. There may be one or two but I didn't specifically notice.

They have signs up about utilizing re-usable cups to dispense drinks - I think as long as you don't touch the cup to the spout, no one will care. But Bubba mugs or Yeti tumblers are on the list for next cruise.

Last cruise, I had some MDR table mates find it on the main street shops in town. They over paid for it, but they got it. The score is going on the ship shopping pier down by where the ferry dock is - there is a liquor store there with Havana Club for cheap. 3 and 7 yr for $50 total.

Thank you - I try to be funny in writing as I tend to be in person... No mention of any unrest at all. Just enjoy the day on Labadee - be back by 4:30 because we are leaving then (and they pulled away at 4:30). It was nice to see the dancers and percussionist play a farewell to us all as the ship pulled in the lines and moved away from the dock. I don't think the GoPro picked it up though given the angle of the camera to oversee the lifeboats 3 decks below.

No, it was just nature of the zero-entry shower for the accessible cabin. We knew what it was going into it on day 1 (Imade our cabin attendant made sure to let me know and proactively brought extra towels to make the flood dam around the shower itself. We didn't find it to be bad and we liked the location so no need to move nor any reason to ask for a OBC. We had a stack of 6-8 beach/pool towels on hand to lay day plus 5 bath towels morning and night to take care of it. Basically, it was floor pitch, shower curtain that wasn't long enough, and pitch of the boat that would make the water run away from the drain in certain circumstances. Happened 5 of 8 nights due to the ship rolling on the sea or docked pitch pulling the ship slightly starboard.

I like it too but when it is pretty much the only one they have (last cruise had Whistle Pig Rye, BT and Wild Turkey 101), it gets old over the week. They also had Balcones TX bourbon but it wasn't in my preferred flavor profile (tasted like a scotch).

70's music in elevators but it changed once you went to the rear of the ship - I didn't mind a little Fog Hat in the morning to get coffee

Day 9 - Disembarkation Day I wake up at 6:30 and look outside...did we dock in an oil refinery? Oh...we docked opposite of how we departed. It was Captain Per's last sailing before time off and I wonder if he just wanted to pull in and leave it for the next guy? It was the end of the Odyssey's 100th sailing. We were bittersweet to leave. We wanted to be home with the pups that we left with a sitter for 10-days but the idea of vacation was still good in our heads and we weren't completely sick of it. We had our last Key benefit to use, departure breakfast...which is regular breakfast with no wait to be seated in a separate part of the MDR. Take that you line-waiting people. So after a little hemming and hawing, we finally get up and make our way to get off the ship. We hear self-appointed line monitors tell people if they aren't number 34 or lower, they can't get their bags and people have to wait right there! Karen wasn't pleased when I asked the attendant if Key bags are available and he soundly said "Yes, sir! Right down here...", I think her brain may have cooked a little. We grabbed a porter, got our checked bags and made our way out to lot 19...this is it, its over. Time to load up the car and make our way back 200 miles or so north. MIL wasn't pleased that the back seat now had large roller bags on it next to her but better than sitting on the roof, aunt Edna! Seriously, I don't know why I bought a sedan...I should have just got the Highlander instead of the Avalon. Once the wife's scooter gets broken down, its tough getting other things in the car. So off to Costco in Davie for gas and back on the highway to home. Trip is over...time to do some laundry and prepare myself for the storm I'm about to walk into at work in the AM. So, final thoughts. I had a love/hate experience with this ship. Nice and new, rooms were nice. Public spaces were nice until they weren't. The Promenade isn't ideal on deck 4 - I don't like how it bottlenecks outside the Starbucks and Sorrento's and forces you around the side of the pub to get to the theater and the front elevators. On deck 5, its OK but I wouldn't be a fan if I was dining at Izumi and someone walked by me staring at my food while I'm dining. The opening at Giovanni's was better planned than the Promenade and handled traffic flow much better. I didn't sit in the MDR where people could see me while eating so I didn't mind it being open to deck 5. Seaplex / Playmakers just seemed out of the way and forgetful. I only went the one day and it never crossed my mind to go there for drinks again, maybe because the wife needed to find the special elevator? Don't know... Solarium was nice - adults only the entire time (there were only 300 kids on this sailing). The main pool was busy...plenty of seats crammed in, side-by-side but there were seats on 14 and 15 available if you looked. Smoking area on this ship on 14 was right outside the Solarium...going to the men's room was like walking into an ashtray. Windjammer was only experienced during breakfast...why is their hash different than the hash in the Solarium? Giovanni's - probably the best meal of the cruise - we did a lunch seating on day 4. Wow! So good and too much food! The shows...oh boy, I was not a fan of "The Book"... "hahhahahahhaha" "oooohhhhh" "ackkkk" for 10 minutes and then who knows what the next two scenes were. Its like they developed a show with no language for international cruising but at the same time made it very weird and to fit into a specific theater. We got up and walked out... The Effectors - this one was OK - very cool display tech incorporated into the show. But it didn't have a story, just each of the "heroes" showing up, chasing around some flying monkey type characters while singing cover songs...OK I guess. Showgirls - this one was the best of the three. Used much of the visual display tech that the Effectors show used but at least you could understand that it was a show about Showgirls over the years with interaction between the characters. It wasn't a Broadway type show but was good for 45 minutes of time killing. People - listen, I know it takes all types to make the world go round but there were some people on this ship that I wondered if they were raised in a barn. Like the lady eating french fries from the tongs on the buffet, the guy taking candy off the gingerbread display houses outside the MDR, or the lady hacking up a lung in the Windjammer with no regard to cover up or move away from food or other people. This is just a sample...I mean 97% of the people were good but the standouts really made themselves stand out. I don't know that I will rush back to this class of ship. I think the Oasis class is laid out better (and needs to be for 25% more capacity) and even the Freedom class is laid out better with a more open Promenade space. I'm sure I missed some stuff so I'll post more comments as I think about stuff and as I gather all the pictures and videos.

Day 8 - Sea Day Up at 8A this morning (which is late for me) and off to get coffee again. Today we decide to dine in the MDR for brunch and find Esperanza again for service. I have a love/hate relationship with the MDR breakfast/brunch. Its nice to be served but I also feel like its essentially the same food as the buffets at a much slower pace. Could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Afterwards, we meander around the ship and eventually determine that we have to start the packing of the dirty clothes at least... So off to the room to do that and get ready for the casual evening in the MDR. Well, tablemate #2 is a no-show. Out of 8 nights, she was 25% in attendance. Maybe I scared her off last night? Oh well.... Close the MDR down again - but we left before 10P because we knew they needed to clean for the next sailing. Every server told us that...it was their sad tale of woe for this cruise. Off we go for one more night of drinks. Crown and Compass, too loud. Schooner Bar, packed with piano guy, Music Hall, PERFECT! Until 5 minutes later, the Latin music started up. No worries, we are upstairs and its not too loud. Didn't know they had pool tables in here - that would have been cool to discover earlier on. I got an Ice, Ice Baby - it was a nice little twist on the Curacao Cosmo. I'd order it again. We finish the conversation, exchange contact info with our tablemate and bid her a fond farewell as she needs to spend Sunday in FLL waiting for a 6P flight to Canada. We go back to the room with another bottle of booze in hand (me and tablemate #1 split the Bacardi buy 2 at a discount deal) and finish packing the carry-on bags. We lay out the clothes for the morning and go to sleep one more time with the waves rocking us to sleep.

Day 7 - Sea Day I'm up early again today so off to get coffee and grab some chairs. Off to Windjammer today for coffee (because the Splenda is on short supply elsewhere) and then to the Solarium. I save 5 chairs today thinking that our newest table mate will actually join us as I offered the evening before and a gentleman holds true to his word. Our 1st tablemate is the 1st one to join me this morning. The wife is the last with MIL showing up around 10A. Thankful for having internet to kill time waiting for people but after tablemate #1 shows, we get into conversation about soccer and football that went on for a while. The Solarium is a little cooler today...the A/C is cranked and the sun is hiding behind some clouds. When everyone lays down, they cover up with towels to take their pool-side naps. Me, I'm enjoying the bar service today...more tequila sunrises to start and then some rum old fashioneds. We spend a good portion of the day here today and we eventually wander off to head back to the rooms to get out of the bathing suits, shower and get ready for the evening. Dinner mate #2 shows tonight...she slept in again today (although there was a lady walking around that looked like her in a hat and sunglasses that I am not exactly sure it wasn't her). It's wave the napkin night in the dining room and the 2nd of the formal nights. No tie tonight but suit and dress shirt is the clothing choice. Close the MDR down again (man, we are annoying) and off to the Crown and Compass for music and drinks. Bedtime comes around midnight and the inevitable sets in - tomorrow is our last day!

Day 6 - Curacao Today we get up and meet in Windjammer. The ladies have a Northstar appointment this AM (my ample tookus is apparently too ample to ride this) so I spend time walking deck 15 and getting some shots from on high. We are in dock with Rhapsody today (only time we are in port with another ship this sailing) so its still a very manageable port day people-wise. I head down to get some bottles of water and go meet the ladies off the ship. MIL quickly finds the golf cart shuttle and wifey and I make our way along the dock to the Fort. The last time we were here, they made you exit and head up to the main street which took you to the ferry and bridge. Now that the fort is open with the shops all set-up, it makes for a nice walk-through in shaded areas as you head to the old side of the town. We headed over to the floating bridge and made it over the bay. We needed to stop (old knees and hips) so we parked at the Iguana Bar and had a few drinks. After that, MIL found her tablecloth store to get some napkins and runners. We left the store and headed down to the customs house when MIL tapped out. She went back to take a seat and wait for us to make our rounds through the back streets. We walked down past the Drijvende market and down the back pedestrian shopping streets to check out the shops and listen to music. On the way out of that area, we came across the Curacao and Dushi signs in the park. Just a good afternoon of walking around and checking things out. Once we made our way back to the bridge, we picked up the old woman, errr, MIL and headed back to the ship. We stopped in the fort for some Royal Deflt souvenirs, a bottle of Alcolado Glacial, and to take pictures of the Christmas decorations (Curacao was MUCH more seasonal than Aruba). As I'm headed back to the ship, I stop for a cheese sample and I wind up buying a wheel of aged gouda. I load that into my backpack and lug another 10 pounds back to the ship. We get on board and head back to the room to drop off our stuff. A trip to the pub is in order...Sorrento's? Sure... drink a little more and head to dinner. Tonight we have a new person at our table...where has she been all week? Sleeping apparently... We make plans for the next day (Dennis the chair donkey is back to saving chairs for everyone) and we close down the dining room. I'm a lucky man...I get to escort 4 ladies out of the dining room this evening. Some more drinks and then settle in for the night.

Day 5 - Aruba I get up early enough to get some footage of us making the turn and backing into the dock in Oranjestad. Only ship in port today (besides the Scientology ship docked there). I had a car rental all lined up...until I realized we docked further down than I anticipated. I really didn't feel like getting a cab down to the rental car place and honestly, we had no where we actually wanted to see. Last time we ignored the downtown and explored the island. This time, we explored the downtown. We made it down Smith Blvd. stopping at shops along the way and hitting the Starbucks at the Renaissance Market Place for some iced teas. MIL was feeling done and went to get a cab back to the port. She didn't heed the advice to get out and walk around all autumn to loosen things up and get used to the walking distance. I stopped at the La Casa De Habanos right around the back of the Starbucks and picked up some sticks to bring home. My wife and I made our way back and shopped for tree ornaments on the way back. When we got back to the port, we saw the trolley and hopped on once we found MIL. Its free but the guys were nice enough to help me lift the wife's scooter on the deck so they got a nice tip. The trolley just makes a quick run to the Renaissance Mall (not to be confused with the Marketplace which both have a Wind Creek Casino) and back to the port. Takes about 30 mins or so with a stop at the Mall to let people get on/off and perhaps pick up more people who took an earlier trolley. On the way back, it makes a stop at the bus station (which it also does on the way in). It was a nice ride for a railfan like me but don't hop on for a tourist experience. It just doesn't run the full length like it might on a busier port day. Once we get back to the ship, we get back on board after MIL does a little shopping at the stands outside the port. We spent about 3.5 hours or so on land. Next time, we are going to the Riu I announced as my wife should be able to walk better by the time we get back in September. Sorrento's for lunch, beer at the pub and eventually to the room for clean-up post a warm port day. Dinner in the MDR again with our friend and we close the MDR down yet again. Tonight, there is a Caribbean party on the pool deck so we head up there, enjoy the music, grab some drinks and just talk for a while. We sail away from Aruba (missed the departure on GoPro) with the music playing as we head out to sea. The band stops, we realize its 1A and we head back to our staterooms. Rest up for Curacao...

Day 4 - Sea Day As we make our way around the long leg of Haiti and head on down to the Dutch Antilles, we decided that today will be a pool day. Being the one that is most functional in the morning, I volunteered to go get some seats in the Solarium. I'm up early, head down and await the cafe at Two70 to open, get my morning caffeine, and go scope out some seating in the Solarium. I drink my coffee and when that is done, the bar is opening...time for a morning cocktail. They got to know my order, tequila sunrise with Patron. Around 9:30, MIL showed up and she got breakfast. I grabbed something to eat too and then the wife made it on up. We spent a good part of the day here in cool daylight. The hot tubs were busy but not jammed and the pool was nice to wade into to shock the system after soaking in the hot tub. In the afternoon, back to the room to get changed for dinner, off to get some drinks and to play big band trivia (we won - luggage tags ). Dinner with our tablemate again and we close the MDR down again. Off to get some drinks and get to know our new friend better and around midnight, head to bed.

Day 3 - Labadee We start the morning off with room service...I'm up early today because it has been my goal to set-up time lapse videos from my GoPro on the balcony for arrivals and departures. As I'm on the balcony, I get a text from the wife - room service is here...early. OK, bring it in, here's a tip, ignore the grumpy snorer in bed . Continental breakfast and brewed coffee - its fine for what it is. We take our time and get off the ship around 10:15 or so. We make our way down the path, being cautious to stay on paved surface because last time we went on sand, the wife blew a fuse in her scooter battery and I was off on an adventure around St Thomas looking for the NAPA auto parts store (just a half mile or so up the street from the cruise port). We are trying to get to Columbus Cove...the ferry wouldn't let her scooter on so we went down the path. We should have stopped at Barefoot beach because once you get past Barefoot, the local merchants are out there in force. They are even before the hut and they know how to look angry and insulted even if you tell them no thanks. This is one thing Royal needs to manage better. I don't go to cruise line owned ports to get harassed. Because we couldn't find a way onto the beach that was paved, we crossed over to Adrenaline beach. It was fun seeing the zip line folks go over head but I wasn't a fan of the beach. I had no problem tipping the guy that took us to the chairs and dusted the sand off but the beach wasn't enjoyable to me. Too many rocks, shells and coral. Plus, tons of seaweed and cement chunks in the water that broke off the rocks used to create the wave breaks. The swim-up/climb up bar was constantly busy but I was fine with waiter service. The water was warm but cloudy and seaweed filled. Enough to wade into but not enjoyable to stay in. I had a beer and a labadoozie and my wife asked if I wanted to head back and I gladly said "Yes!". On the walk back, we ran into my MIL who was at Barefoot beach (via the ferry). She wasn't staying much longer herself and would head back to the ship shortly (we later found out that the ferry is 1-way only - she befriended a shuttle driver and made her way back to the ship. We caught up with her at El Loco Fresh. Lunch was very good - we were there right around noon and sampled the cuisine. We liked that you could make a little salad by getting lettuce from the taco bar and getting some protein on it with salsa and cheese to round it out. Dressing would need to come in the form of sour cream or hot sauce (or a combo). Vegetation on the cruise, particularly in the dining room outside of salads, was lacking overall on the cruise - I get it, its more perishable than other items like proteins and starches, but having something other than a couple slices of carrots would have been nice for the week. We got changed, showered and made it to one of the bars. We then went to Two70 and saw the big band performance before dinner. I was very impressed with the big band / jazz group on this cruise. Every time I ran into them playing somewhere, I stopped. Tito on trombone was AMAZING. Dinner in the MDR - our table mate was glad we came back and we had an enjoyable dinner. We closed down the dining room that evening. We parted ways and went to the room for sleep for tomorrow is another sea day.

Day 2 – Sea Day I woke up earlier in the morning, showered and made a water mess of the bathroom floor (despite my best efforts to make a dam), and ventured off to the Café at Two70 to get my morning coffee (and one for the wife too). I was the 2nd or 3rd in line, ordered my coffee and off I went. One thing that was consistent here all week was that only one person was manning the coffee service for the espresso drinks and the sweets case. He had to take orders, collect payment, make the coffee, hand out donuts, etc. It really bogged things down a bit. The Windjammer was slightly more efficient but only because it had to be with the amount of guests that are in the space. Having two stations on the same end of the ship 9 floors apart seems OK but if I were in the front, it wouldn’t be as convenient. I head back to the room and another problem; the room keycard doesn’t work. I had this issue the day before and went to guest services to get a new card. My wife’s worked, mine didn’t. No worries, I have her card since I got her an iced coffee too…no dice. I awoke my wife from a dead sleep, she hits the door switch inside the room and the door opens electronically. She’s wondering what the hell is happening as I’m standing out there, red-faced and a little ticked-off that something else is going awry here on this sailing. I call maintenance, they tell me I need to get a new card 1st (I did) and they say they will send someone up. The maintenance guy checks it out and says that the card reader does indeed need to be reprogrammed. This one isn’t the in-door type, but more like a security badge reader at an office building. Should be a tap and go but it wasn’t cooperating. It didn’t give us any more problems the rest of the week though, outside of maybe needing to tap it twice to get into the room. Warning about those doors with the electric close, I wonder how long until a child gets hurt by them – they close with some serious effort and even my ample physique didn’t seem to deter these things from closing. I liked that they would auto open and close to allow for the mobility scooter to come and go unencumbered, but they seemed a little strong for the task. Once we had our coffees in hand and were awake, we sat on the balcony and watched Cuba go by for a little bit before we decided to go to the MDR for brunch. Esperanza was our server this morning and she was great. Every time we ran into her, she remembered us and we went out of our way to sit with her on our next brunch morning on the last sea day. I had the butternut squash risotto…it was VERY good. Also had a muffin and a latte…get the most out of that DBP. After brunch, up to Playmakers…its time for football, both types We get up to the Seaplex and then had to look really hard for the accessible elevator. We found it in the corner and get my wife and her scooter upstairs. We find a table, sit down and order some drinks. It’s not too early to drink when sports are on when you are on vacation, right? I ordered a Black and Gold (very tasty) and my wife got a soda. She hangs for a little bit but then heads off to napkin folding class (she learned nothing ) – I sit back, relax and get ready to kill the next 4 hours. World Cup match finishes up and football starts filling up the TVs. I sit back and watch my Eagles take on the Titans and enjoy the afternoon. About 2:30, I ordered a chicken sandwich with fries. Switch over to beers and finish out the Eagles game before heading out. I catch up with the ladies and we eventually get ready for dinner. We head down to the dining room where we learn that no one made table changes…we press the head waiter and he finds us a table, the table we will share with a very nice Canadian lady for the remainder of the cruise. Thankfully, she didn’t dine in the MDR on night 1 so she didn’t sit alone for too long but she had already enjoyed her appetizer by the time we arrived. Our servers for the remainder of the cruise at 466 were Inengah and Pieter. Dorca was our head waiter. I forget our barman’s name, but he was on point all week. Inengah was genuine and sincere, Pieter was a little snarky…he was from South Africa so personality was different than we have been used to with servers being generally from Asia over the years but I’ve never had a server call me a vampire for ordering a medium rare steak…just slightly condescending without being rude. His accent almost sounder eastern European and everyone at the table was shocked when I said his badge said South Africa. After dinner, off to the Crown and Compass for drinks. Labadee tomorrow…