dmattinson

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 2^nd or 3^rd 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 1^st (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…

(This is going to be long – sorry in advance)

We booked the sailing on Odyssey in June after coming back off a sailing on Harmony, overcoming COVID and finally being able to talk with family about our cruise experience.  We had been to Aruba and Curacao before in 2005 but hadn't been back since and were really looking forward to seeing these islands again.  Plus, a stop in Labadee sounded great in addition to the 4 sea days to have a fine balance of cruising and port stops to get off an explore.

Our trip had a couple days of pre-stay in Miami (Coconut Grove) using some Marriott points I had from business travel this last year to make the trip more cost effective.  We drove from our home outside of Orlando and made it to Miami in good time, about 3.5 hours which is typical for this trip down the FL Turnpike.  We arrived at the Marriott Courtyard Coconut Grove and spent Friday evening and all-day Saturday in the area, enjoying the local dining scene, using the pool and just catching up on sleep and relaxation after a very busy few months on both the personal and professional side of things.

On Sunday, we checked out of the hotel, hoped in the car, and drove up to Port Everglades.  Driving up US 1 and then onto I-95, we made quick time.  We arrived into the port area around 10A and queued up to drop bags with the porters while so many others were still getting off the ship and awaiting their pick-ups.  To say it was chaotic was an understatement but I think if we had timed it a little better and arrived 15-20 mins later, we would have had much less traffic to deal with.  Unfortunately, for some reason, we weren’t able to park in 18 and they made us exit the port area.  I needed to turn around and head to 19 where we found a spot right near the pedestrian exit and quickly made our way into the terminal area.  The problem with 19 is that it is essentially at the end of where the ship is docked and the walk is along the length and the width of the terminal building vs. the entry just across the road from 18 into the entry doors.

We arrived at the doors right around 10:30A…we had an 11A boarding time but we also had The Key so we were hoping to get in early and just sit down for a bit as the party had a 70 yr. old MIL with bad knees and hips, and my wife in a scooter with an air cast following reconstructive foot surgery.  We were granted immediate access, did a quick document check and off we went to the waiting area.  We waited maybe 20 mins or so before boarding started where they called the suite guests first and then allowed The Key members to board.

It was still a little bit before the Chops lunch was being served (plus carry-on drop-off) in the MDR so we did a little house-keeping.  Internet wasn’t automatically working so I queued up at the Voom kiosk to get everyone’s phones connected.  I went to the Crown and Compass and got our Coke cups and went to the bar to get a pour of Buffalo Trace while we waited for muster to open up and to take guests for the e-muster. 

This is where an inconvenience happened…we sat in the chairs outside of Giovanni’s Wine Bar adjacent to the Park West display.  This was a great spot as MIL’s muster station was in Two70 and ours was right at the Wine Bar.  Well, MIL was told at muster station that she wasn’t able to check-in there and that her station had changed to the Royal Theatre on Deck 4.  That made absolutely no sense as all her documentation specifically had her muster in Two70 as she was on deck 7, aft in 694.  So, she got a little panicky and we made the call to just go to the lunch for The Key members and we will sort it out afterwards. 

So off we went to lunch…the carry-on bag drop process left a little to be desired.  One crew member checking in guests, giving them their envelopes, writing out luggage tags and then taking the bags to the pile of bag in the small room.  Once we got sorted, we were seated at the table and had a nice lunch, arguably, the best steak of the week came at lunch on embarkation day on this menu.  The servers were great and once we were done, off to find the “new” muster station. 

Well, muster at the Theater wasn’t the place where she needed to be but they checked her in anyway.  They/we seemed to think that perhaps the crew member was new and between that and her inexperience of cruising in a new, digital age (and her Boston accent), perhaps there was just a mix-up.  No worries though, she was sorted.  My wife and I went to our station, checked in and went to sit in Two70 to await the room-ready announcement.

Well, we never heard the announcement so off we went to our room, 8668 (accessible balcony, starboard).  Our carry-ons were waiting for us and our checked bag was down in the middle of the hallway awaiting the stateroom attendant to deliver – I saved him the effort and grabbed it (I think it weighed half of his weight).  We had an accessible room so my wife could get in and out easily on her scooter, and with her reconstructed foot, being able to sit in the shower helps from time to time as she continues to recover.  This room was nicer than the one we had on Harmony and seemed more spacious.  The finishes were very nice and the hydraulic hinged above bed and sofa storage became my casual clothes dresser for the 8-nights.  The TV didn’t pivot or move which made watching from the couch more difficult than in bed.  Side note - don't unplug the call button from the side of the bed unless you want to be greeted by security in about 5 minutes.  Body cams rolling and coming to the room to check on things because the emergency call went off.  Ooops  

While sitting on the balcony, our doorbell rang (what’s that chime? – we have a doorbell?) and our stateroom attendant, Imade, met with us and let us know about a quirk in our room…the shower.  It is a zero-entry shower but the pitch doesn’t seem to drain inwards to the floor drain, especially when docked and the ship is being pulled by the lines to the starboard side.  He told us to make a towel dam to hold the water in and he brought us extra towels, both bath and pool to clean up the inevitable water spillage we would experience over the cruise.

We spent the time up to and through sail-away on our balcony which was facing out towards the water and watched 3 other ships depart before us.  After that, it was time to do some exploring.  We wandered around the ship, checked out the shops (when they opened), grabbed a drink or two and made our way to the dining room for dinner.

Well, despite having linked reservations throughout the booking and check-in process, the dining seating was fouled up and the reservations were not linked for the 3 of us.  We met with the head waiters and they accommodated us for dinner on night one at a table that was open.  We dined with another couple that, let’s just say, would not be people we would dine with the rest of the cruise.  She drank a little too much wine and he thought he was better than everyone else and yelled at a server for not bringing his iced tea.  Dinner was fine, the servers worked hard and after dinner, we went to change our table.

We had a few more drinks and headed to bed…next day was Sunday and I was going to spend my time in Playmakers for World Cup and NFL action.

do you like Indian food?  https://bombaydarbar.com/

On 11/19/2022 at 3:34 PM, Ksucat said:

I do screen shots before they get removed 

I did a video screen grab...

https://imgur.com/a/Ozp7y8Z

I did the math for package price of $67.99/day - 5 mixed drinks or 9 beers/seltzers per day (or any combination of them keeping in mind drinks are $14 ea. and beers/seltzers are $7.50-$8.00 ea.)  That is just essentially breaking even.  If you get coffee, soda, water bottles, smoothie, non-alcoholic (virgin) drinks, etc. those are all bonuses.  Port days this can be tough unless you like to get back on board early and don't mind closing down the bar past midnight.   

I drink high proof bourbon at home so over the course of an afternoon and evening, 5 whiskey drinks are OK to me.  If you are not a frequent drinker of the higher proof stuff, think about whether you really want to drink that much and if you will be functional afterwards.  

For most, buying the non-alcohol drink package for $20/day and then a la carte purchases of an adult beverage when you want one works for most people.

18 hours ago, mpoole3 said:

I've only been cut off by the DX onboard 3-4 times, usually if I hit 20+ drinks I start singing Rocky Top and that's it, bar staff cuts me off!

nooooo!!!  

On 11/8/2022 at 9:09 AM, SPS said:

I use a QR reader app to do this. The app will read the barcode and while the barcode may come up as "invalid", it will provide a series of numbers and the last 4 or 5 digits will indicate your deck and stateroom number. For example, the last four digits of this Set Sail Pass barcode are for stateroom 6226. (Deck 6, Stateroom 226).

If you have an iPhone and add the pass to your Apple Wallet, the barcode number gets populated at the bottom automatically.  The format is the same with the stateroom being the last 4-5 numbers (typically after the dash).

I have used a lanyard with a clip and a retractable badge holder on a couple cruises this year and I swear I will never go without one.  Search Amazon for "2-Pack Cruise Lanyard with Retractable Badge Reel, Waterproof Badge Holder, and Snap Buckle" and you can select from multiple designs.  $10-$12 for 2 of them.  

With the drink package its as simple as unclipping the buckle and handing the badge in the holder with the retractable reel hooked up.  It makes it easier to recognize when the server brings it back and it is noticeable if you forget to clip it back on (due to the limited extra weight of the retractor). 

I equate it to a Disney vacation, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to experience every single thing without multiple visits or a very long trip.  Just do what appeals to you and if you don't like it, just get up and move to the next thing.  I am not one to sit around and just be idle with my own thoughts (i.e. day at the beach or all day at the pool) but on a cruise, I am in such a relaxed state of mind, I don't feel like I am searching out the items of enrichment I do on land (I am a strong believer that everyone can learn something new each and every day and take advantage of the time we live in with the world's information at our fingertips).

Just enjoy it!  Have fun!  Take some pictures to make others jealous  and look to when you are going to book the next one!

If you have never been to Coco Cay, do not spend any money to do extras there on your 1st trip.  Plenty of beach areas, plenty of umbrella covered seating, plenty of food options, the pool is huge (and very nice), and any beverage packages transfer over to be used on-shore.  Explore the island and enjoy the included amenities.  Spending extra for a cabana or to wait in line for waterslides on your 1st visit to this stop is something I wouldn't advise.   

2 hours ago, MarcBerger said:

interesting, for me on Nov 19th on Odyssey, still shows they are "putting the finishing touches on"

What I've seen is that it mainly seems like December sailings are getting this ability.  Your cruise over Thanksgiving week may be constrained by the number of passengers booked and proximity to the sailing.  I'd be interested to see if they open it up sooner to departure date.

Odyssey on Dec 3 - "The Book" is available but "Showgirls" isn't - I booked what I could now

On Odyssey on Dec 3 and was able to book "The Book" last night for our sailing

I was on Independence and Harmony earlier this year and both had them - no one was buying them because at $200 or more for whiskey, that's a leap of faith hoping you will like them (hence the tastings) - but to have tastings and no bottles to sell seems counter-intuitive

https://www.zillow.com/house/royal-caribbean/

What a bargain at $10B!  

On 10/24/2022 at 12:04 PM, CrimsonCruiser said:

Probably in like...5+ years from now when there's 2 more ships in the class and the flagship one isn't as shiny, new or expensive anymore Lol

 

#notbitter #totallyokay #neveroneofthecoolkids

I don't know if it will be 5 years but definitely after the next Icon class launches.  Until then, I'll have my choice of other perfectly adequate Oasis and Quantum class ships if I want that big ship experience and Freedom and Voyager class ships that are nothing to sneeze at either.

On Apple Wallet, the barcode has the number right underneath it - that will update as RCL pushes updates for your reservation and should show the stateroom on the barcode in the format of 123456789-xxxx with xxxx being the stateroom number (1-9 is the 9-digit number assigned to you specifically for that sailing)

I'll also say that I spent over $3000 on a vacation in 2003 to the Dominican Republic for my honeymoon.  It was an all-inclusive resort and the package included airfare (direct from PHL to Punta Cana).  At the same time, I was able to cruise for about $500 pp for a week on Carnival or NCL in an inside room.  I had way more fun on the cruise, got to see a bunch of different places (GC, Cozumel, Jamaica, Roatan) and as a bonus, didn't get dysentery like I did at the Riu Palace in Punta Cana. 

I think if cruise lines drive comparisons to all inclusive resorts AND offer some type of beverage inclusion package, the rates could go up and be justified by a majority of the vacationing public, even if they don't drink.  Royal does a good job of touting the adventure aspect of the cruise vacation but very little about the cruise being a destination, a resort, a broadway venue, a casino, and by the way, stops at 3-4 exotic destinations during the course of your week long adventure.  I have in my head all the things that make all-inclusives seem great but after a bit, become boring and could be a bit dangerous should you try to venture out on your own.

Top Hat doesn't open until 8A BTW 

The diners may be open 24 hours. 

In the airport, the only thing open is Starbucks, Einstein bagels, Harvest and Grounds and the like (https://www.broward.org/airport/Passengers/Pages/terminals.aspx) - I'd camp out in Starbucks with a coffee or three and watch the world go by for a bit - depending on hunger around 7:30, hit one of the spots mentioned but note that even if you go to one of these places, you still need to stash your luggage somewhere.  

If you have the right AT&T plan with AT&T International Day Pass activated, the international fee is $10/day for the primary phone number and $5 per day for subsequent phone numbers on the same account - this doesn't count in US territories but will hit you on each day you are in a non-US port.  Some higher tier AT&T plans (i.e. Unlimited) have Mexico included as well.  So depending on Eastern or Western itineraries, you may have a day or two of included services (St Thomas and Puerto Rico on Eastern and Cozumel and Costa Maya on Western).   Coco Cay and the Bahamas are part of the $10/day coverage and you will likely connect to BTC for service once in port for a little bit (I suspect cell coverage in Coco Cay is turned on around 8A as it doesn't seem to work when we dock around 7A for some reason for me).  International does NOT include being on the ship!

DO NOT use Cellular@Sea.  Turn off roaming when on the ship and keep it in airplane mode!  Using Voom may let you make calls through WhatsApp or other Messaging apps but will be very YMMV depending on the bandwidth constraints at any given time.

That is a very generous balcony - congrats on that awesome space.  

On 10/17/2022 at 8:24 PM, mike2608 said:

I guess inflation has definitely hit the cruise ship industry. Drinks going up from $13 to $14 is a bummer, people with the Deluxe drink package are going to feel it

I'm not sure about that - if the standard drink is $14 vs. $13 previously, wouldn't the DDP people still have those standard drinks included?  It doesn't specifically say "up to $xx in value" on the website - the PDF does but old documents tend to live forever on some sites anymore.