J_Keeble

This. 110%. Even if it’s double the price, which it won’t be!
Was great and so so so so so so easy. 

the end is near

the end is near

After the presentations we were given some free time to explore on our own.
We had been told there area is dry right now and in need of rain.  Normally these would be mud puddles bubbling with steam.

The geysers were going off again.




It's kind of weird seeing steam coming from the ground in every direction.




With that it was time to meet our driver and move on to our lunch stop.

the end is near

While in the solarium I was surprised to see it empty at 8:15am on a sea day.  I think the time change last night escaped some people.  Regardless, I took advantage of the opportunity to grab some pictures. 
The Quantum class solarium is the nicest in the fleet and with the indoor family pool area it truly can be adult only.  Very similar to Anthem but different in subtle ways.

Back down to the ship I could see boarding was beginning.   


The cruise terminal has no waiting area inside so appointment times are strictly enforced.  Once the ship is ready to board they’ll open the doors and start looking for early appointment times.

With the new expedited arrival feature boarding is pretty quick and pretty much a non-stop flow through check in, Australian immigration and finally security.
To give you an idea how my timing went this morning, this next picture was at 10:15am as I walked towards the Pylon to start my climb.

This next picture was at 11:41am after I had cleared security and was on the gangway about to walk on the ship.

And with that the cruise can finally begin!

Still not CK pics. But got pics before we ate this time. Formal night!
MDR has been conistantly adequately satisfactory.
 
Our 8 year old had her first meltdown after dinner. Had to take her up to the room for a stern talking to. We got things sorted out just in time for Fine Line

Here are some photos of the work being done on Freedom

Day 3- Boarding Day
Today is the day, we finally board the Oasis of the Seas.  It may not be a Disney ship, but it's a ship and it can't be too bad right?  
Again I wake around 2a to watch the ship dock, these windows are giving me insomnia!  I wait until she turns in the basin and makes her way back to Terminal A until I lay back down.  We have our alarm set for 8a and plan on leaving the hotel at 10a.  Usually when we sail with Disney we leave the resort area around 8:30 to get to the port and return rental car by 10a just to sit in the terminal until 11:30 but that is what my mother wants to do and well we do it.  So sleeping in and just going at our leisure is new and feels odd.  But who needs an alarm clock, I just woke around 6:30a and showered and was gonna let Scott sleep and go to Starbucks for my coffee and egg white bites.  But Scott woke up and wanted to go, not sure why as he hates their coffee and didn't get anything but across the street we go.  Once I ate and then brought my coffee back to the room Scott showered and then we sat around the room waiting to leave.  We make sure everything is packed, luggage tags on luggage and excitement in check.  I hailed a Lyft at 10:09a and was getting into the car at 10:11, arriving at the terminal at 10:41.  Traffic was a nightmare but its what you expect when 5500 are getting on the ship while the last cruise is also leaving.  We were graced with the "Expedited Arrival".  First impressions at the bottom of the escalator is this place is HUGE!  Love the propellers and lighting as you transcend up to the next level.  Once at the top we show those Expedited Arrival Sea Pass cards and are sent to the far left where they were scanned and then told to move on to security.  Security was empty and we put my backpack and Scott's "murse" (man purse) through and walk through.  Wow these security bins are high tech and really night.  It appears there are 2 lanes set up for the Expedited Arrivals and the rest were the others as there was a big line that appeared to move swiftly.  Up to level 3 and bingo we found all the people, we walked toward the toward front and low and behold they start calling for boarding.  I don't know the levels but when they called Diamond they also called for Expedited arrivals and luckily we were right there so we just walked forward, again Expedited Arrivals had the 2 far left lanes but they announced you could use any lane.  We walked up to the Facial Recognition cameras and were told we were cleared to board.  There must be another line someplace as this is going extremely to easy!  Next is photos and we passed by them and then just kept walking, then onto the gangway and then on to the ship.  It is now 10:55 and we are on the ship!  Holy crap that was so easy and a much better process than Disney at any of their terminals.  
Once onboard it is time for lunch as Scott only had the left over donuts for breakfast from 2 nights ago.  We walk through the beautiful Promenade and then up to the Boardwalk to look around.  Wow this ship is so big but so beautiful.  Every Crew member we encountered were very friendly and almost always said Hello.  Next we head to El Loco Fresh as we both LOVE mexican.  Not sure what all was eaten but it is a great meal and we are in love with the place.  After lunch we head up and went to check out Windjammer.  Scott something else to eat, something small.  Then we headed out to explore the ship and low and behold we are now at The Solarium Bistro where you guessed it Scott got something to eat!  Again if we are on vacation Scott needs to eat and he was worried about going hungry with not being on Disney....so far so good he is full.   The Solarium is beautiful and peaceful.  I love the new sun deck on the front but it is still quite windy and we just look around and head back in.  We now head back down to the Promenade and walk through like 2 salmon going up stream since this is ground zero for boarding.  We take a look into the theater and then down to the casino.  They announce the staterooms are ready so we head  up to Deck 6 to our room.  As we are walking down the hall our luggage is there so we grab it and take it with us.  Our keys our on the door just like everyone said they would. Open the door and explore our home for the next week.  It's a nice room, clean and everything we need it to be.  Once unpacking there is plenty of storage for both of us and we have a few cubies and could easily make more room in the closet for another person or for even more clothes and our luggage fits nicely under the open bed frame.  Scott lays down and takes a nap and I just sit on the balcony and FaceTime my momma until the life boat drill.  When it is time we are already on Deck 6 and our station is at the Aqua Theater so it is a quick trip.  The drill was painless and over in no time.  Scott heads back to the cabin and I head to the Sailaway Party.  I was shocked with such a small stage and entertainment for 5500 people but most people just watch us leave port anyway so the music is good background as we float away.  Sure I am used to a big production and a few characters but I went to the side of the ship and just watched the land drift away.  
Dinner is at 7p (My Time Dining) so I head back to the cabin around 5:30 to shower and get ready.  If the cabin was lacking anything the shower made up for it, the water pressure was amazing and after one shower I am in love!  If you enjoy lots of water pressure you will be so happy, I hope that is throughout the ship after saying that ?
Dinner was good, only 3 course meal as Scott pointed out as opposed to 4 course on that other ship.  Food quality was good, temperature of the food was hot and service was good as well.  Very friendly wait staff and we were in and out in under an hour!  I hate to keep bringing up that other ship but dinner always took at least 2 hours and was so annoying to me.
After dinner we walked around the ship and strolled through Central Park, are we even on a ship?  Everything is just so lovely and first day impressions are looking great!  Love the Royal App and being able to check your room charges as I did this frequently.  On the first night when I checked there was a charge for a cocktail on Scott's card for a mixed drink, a quick call to Guest Services and it was removed.  The Promenade is hustling and we check out a few shops and then back to the Boardwalk to walk around some more.  We decided it is an early night and time to get some rest.  Before going to sleep we order some coffee and pastries for the room in the morning.
Day 2 coming up, its a Day at Sea.  ?

Ovation of the Seas, 11 Nights departing from Sydney Australia to New Zealand
For many years I avoided Alaska cruises on the premise that bikinis are better than parkas.  Then I finally did an Alaskan cruise.  Just wow!  Why did I wait so long? 
That experience got me looking even farther from home and I realized the same could be said for Australia and New Zealand.  Learning from Alaska I decided to just do it. YOLO! 
I've always wanted to visit both Australia and New Zealand so hopefully this will be a rehearsal for more cruising down under.  Practice makes perfect.
This is me doing my single digit dance.  

It's a long flight to Australia,  I take off early one day and land two days later.   Somehow it ended up being 2 days and a few hours to get there with a connection.  Fortunately it takes less than 6 hours to fly home.  Strong tailwinds I guess.
With the time change it's already well into tomorrow there.  I can never keep that straight.   All I know is that this cruise is costing me two days of my life just to get there so I have high expectations. 

This is an 11 night cruise but weather permitting we'll have one day sailing through Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds.  With the three sounds all on day 9 the itinerary looks longer than it is.  Here's hoping for good weather.
Just one tender port so that's a plus.  I tendered on Ovation in Hawaii so that doesn't concern me. 
With the time change it seems that Sydney always celebrates New Years Eve before North America so on that basis I'll get to watch the Super Bowl a day before you folks in North America.  I'll post the outcome here, get ready to place your bets.  Super Bowl Monday here we come.  The game starts mid-morning so there may be some day drinking involved.  At least it's on a sea day.  
Flying into Sydney two days prior and staying downtown my plan is to take the train into the city and sleep for the rest of the day.  Other plans include the Sydney Bridge Climb and a tour of the Sydney Opera House after which I'll either crash hard or have some gas left in the tank to explore a little bit more.  If I have time I may try to find Alice.  Maybe I'll get up early (or be up already) to watch Ovation come into port.
My bags are packed, I'm ready to go... 'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

with Celebrity Edge in too I think

Hi - I have just booked with Cruise.co.uk tonight to sail on Anthem from Southampton in October 2020. I was told I was unable to book MTD unless I paid the gratituities upfront. Was informed this was something new that had been introduced by RC. I could book set dining and take them off but the booking could not be made for MTD without paying them before the sailing. Will chase further in the morning as didn’t want to lose the booking...

Voyager is showing up in Los Angeles port schedule June 2021 doing 3/4 nights. 
 
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/01/23/spotted-royal-caribbean-ship-scheduled-sail-los-angeles-california-2021

I really can't wait for some artist renderings of this class of ship. I think this is gonna be revolutionary. I just feel Royal has something huge up their sleeve with this one.

Cruise Summary
When ever I sail a Quantum class ship I'm reminded about how much I love this class of ship.  I was just on the newly amped Oasis and that is a great class of ship but there is something about Anthem and Ovation that is really appealing.  I prefer both the balcony and junior suites on these ships more than Oasis class.  The balcony cabin layout and bathroom is just about perfect on this class. 
As it has happened to work out 80% of my 2020 cruises are on Quantum class and I'm okay with that. 
On this trip I hardly used the pool deck and for the first time I didn't use North Star or iFly.  I don't know where the time went but other than walking through the Solarium a couple times I lived on the lower decks this cruise.   I'm not a sun worshiper so that plays into equation.   I may dig through some of my older Anthem picture galleries to post some pictures because the Solarium is one of the nicest in the fleet and the indoor pool area for families is perfect for this ship.  I wouldn't be doing her justice to not show them off.  
I did walk through the SeaPlex with the goal of visioning how Playmakers will work on Odyssey when she arrives later this year.  I'm really looking forward to sailing on that ship with the evolution that has come with operating these ships for a number of years now.  I was disappointed when Spectrum went straight to Asia but was thrilled when Odyssey was placed in Florida for the end of this year.
A lot has been said about Diamond Plus being restricted from the Concierge Lounge.  I seem to pick my sail dates with increased number of top elite so that is something I've experienced a number of times on both Anthem and Ovation.  I've got to say the expanded Diamond Lounge has always worked really well for me on both ships.  I met some new friends and saw a many of them night after night.  As a solo cruiser I love that the Music Hall bar is available for happy hour.  It's much easier to meet and talk with new friends at the bar seating compared to a table somewhere by myself.  For me losing access to the CL is a non-event.  
The crew were amazing once again on Anthem.  I've sailed with Captain Srecko before and will always look forward to sailing with him again.   
Coastal Kitchen once again was a star and a highlight of the cruise for me.  The night one filet is one of the best steaks in the fleet.
I am really glad they occasionally do these longer itineraries on Anthem.  It's such a nice ship a 7 or 8 night is too short and the ports are more interesting on these longer runs.  Having to wear long pants on the first and last day in the middle of winter is trivial.
Bayonne or Cape Liberty is a great home port.  With sub $20 rideshare transfers it's second only to Fort Lauderdale for fly-in convenience.  Facial recognition is a welcome update since my last Bayonne departure that makes the debarking process so easy.
I'll post the specialty dining menus I have soon and I may go through some of my older Anthem pictures to find the best one to show off a few areas I missed this time around.
Until then I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing.  
Cheers!

Since we don't even know any hints about the ship's design, I would say that's at best a 50/50 chance. Quantum and Anthem were able to start off up here because of their cold-weather design that allowed them to sail from here year-round. If Icon is also designed with cold-weather sailing in mind, then having NJ as the initial US home port could well be a possibility. Royal has shown with Q class that they're willing to give the northeast the first ship of that class when the design makes sense, so... maybe?
At the same time, I look at Odyssey and how Royal decided to home port her in FL even though she'll be the latest Q class, where NJ or Seattle might have made better sense for the inaugural. Just shows that things don't always go the way you might expect them to. Although...
What if the reason Odyssey got placed in FL for her inaugural season is because Royal was thinking longer-term? They know Icon is coming relatively soon, and they know that the NJ / NY / CT area has had Q class ships for a long time. We got Oasis in 2020 and 2021, which while a nice change (for some, anyway ?) isn't new. We're "just" getting a decade-old ship that's gotten a facelift. What if Royal's plan was to give Floridians their own Q class ship because they also plan to give NJ the first Icon class ship, just like we got Quantum?
It's a stretch, I'll admit. This would mean that NJ / eastern seaboard got the inaugural ships of the two most recent designs. But if Icon was designed for it, and/or this region is the most prepared to support LNG fueling, it would make sense.

I disagree with that completely. 

I believe he did what he hated and what he loved about Oasis. Not just what he hated. Don't cherry pick. 

I just watch some rubbish on why he hates oasis class ships or something. what a load of rubbish that was.
 
20 minutes I will never get back. complaining about a $5 can of pop. don't buy it LOL

Before heading back to the ship. I was able to spot one of Coco Cay full time residents.

After that it was time to get back on Mariner OTS! 
Well guys after a few great runs on the wave I said it was time to go to Dimond club.

After a few drinks it was time to head to the MDR for dinner. here is  our table number. I forgot to take a photo about it in the first night.

Here Is Tonight's Menu.

I forgot to take a photo of my food. But I took one of the Tomato Soup.

After that awesome meal it was time to head back to the wave for the adult Flowrider Session from 9:45pm To 10:15pm.
Well that wraps up day number two. Tomorrow we are in Nassau. Also Forgot to add but the solarium pool has been closed since the first day.  

 

Hello Everyone And Welcome To Another Not Live Trip Blog. This Cruise I Booked In February And Well Originally I Was Going To Sail On The Week Of The Sixth But Due To The Price I Moved It To The Week Of The 13th.  On This Sailing I Am Doing A Four Night Cruise Back To Coco Cay, And Nassau And A Sea Day. Without Further Delay Let The Blog Begin!! 

I could not disagree more. He is excellent and has a ton of great information. 

Have you watched many of this guy's videos?  I did and I find myself incompatible with a lot of of his "information".  
It has given me a great deal of respect for @Matt who doesn't produce drivel just for the sake of getting "clicks" and "watches".  

The reason why is because RCI is tight lipped, watch the video below.