tonyfsu21

I’m actually most excited to see which Mod or @Matt opts to go down one of the multiple interior deck slides we discovered on the deck plans first! 

You are a Brave person. I can't even fathom Spring Break on that Huge ship! Looking forward to the trip report!
@AshleyDillo Can anyone access the suite sun deck, is it down a hallway like the Wonder set up? Also, I see CK but is there another suites/pins eatery in the suite area? 
Thanks so much! 

I will be on with my kids in late March for their spring break so I will let you know.

Is it possible the outdoor decks on Icon are so fantastic that the crowd has actually moved from the normal deck 5 congestion to the outside? 

That’s really great to hear. Thanks 

YES !
Look on your booking confirmation...see below.  On this one I had $100 Free Play (FP).  Sometimes both Dan and I will have FP so it will be listed twice in different amounts.  This is a pretty rare occurrence so I couldn't put my hands on one like that to show you !  LOL
I will also say that the FP is one of the things that the booking agents most commonly F-up.  You really have to check behind them very carefully.  As with all things, it's much easier to correct this while you still have them on the line than it is to try and call back and have it added, later.  This is NOT an intentional mistake it's just that most casino bookings (for us, anyway) are fairly tedious.  There are usually so many things to add and subtract...it's easy for the FP to be overlooked.  That's why  I NEVER EVER hang up until I have received the confirmation and looked it over carefully.  The only thing they screw up more often than the FP is the OBC that is supposed to be awarded as a function of your Next Cruise booking.  They almost ALWAYS forget to add that !
Since I had an issue onboard one time (and only once, thank goodness) with the casino not acknowledging my expected FP, I now make sure that I always bring along a copy (either printed or digital) of the confirmation that clearly shows the due FP.  Since I've started doing that, there hasn't been a repeat of them refusing to award my FP (of course).  😇

 

2:30pm and it's surprisingly uncrowded from my perch at Giovannis Wine Bar overlooking the Promenade.

I can't find a sailaway. But we have fireworks.

 

And here is proof that I did in fact eat in the WJ. 😂 I would eat here more often if every WJ meal was like this! 

It’s cruise day! 

I was wrong about tonite’s menu.  It’s Caribbean night….one of my least favorite menus.  I was brave and tried the jerk pork chop.  Never again.  I’m not a huge fan of jerk anyway but aside from that, the meat was basically inedible - full of fat and gristle.  <shudde>. 
 
Aside from my extremely good luck in the casino the first night, my subsequent luck has been abysmal.  I will go home with $4k but I should definitely have just stopped when I won the first time and called it a day.  Frankly, big gambling at this point in the casino year is a complete waste of time and money since the points are going bye-bye at the end of March and there is -0- chance that will reach Signature before then.

Couple of tidbits I missed in earlier posts…
 
Cunard’s Queen Victoria was in port at Port Everglades the day we boarded.  Not sure I’ve seen a Cunard vessel in port before.  Not overtly impressive ship but very unique for sure.
 
LIB still has complimentary spa access.  Dan loves to visit the steam room and sauna.  Many ships have removed these spaces OR they have them but they are not complimentary. Enjoy them while you can !
LIB still has the full service Sabor restaurant.  I am fairly confident that once she goes for amplification (whatever that means these days) they will remove this venue, which is a shame IMO.  I know I am in the minority here, but I have always loved THIS Sabor.  The fast food version on Allure truly sucks but this full service version has never disappointed.  We ate there last night (BOGO) and it’s still good !  It’s not a super awesome Mexican restaurant but at least it’s something different.  I left stuffed.  The margaritas were tasty !  I have no use whatsoever for either El Loco Fresh or Playmakers (sorry to the fans of those venues) and I feel sure that Sabor will morph into one or both of those venues upon amplification.  I will mourn.

My boarding day JOY !!!
 
YIPPEE !!!!  I scored a Royal Flush on Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em on the first night !  This is only the second time I have ever had one.  Dan has NEVER had one.   According to the internet (must be true, then) the odds of getting a RF on UTH is 649,739-to-1.  Here's the truly interesting part.  The LAST time I had a RF in UTH was ALSO on LIB a few years back !  I guess this must be my lucky ship !
The payout on this baby was ~$5500.  I was playing minimum bets.
I have a photo which I will try and upload.  I am having trouble toggling between browser windows so I will try later.  Yippee !!  Here it is.  

Arrival:
It's about a 1.5 hour drive for us to get to Port Everglades from our home.  I was somewhat concerned about our morning commute as it was Monday morning but my worries were unwarranted.  Some traffic, but still arrived at PE before 9:30.
Port Everglades, Terminal 18.
Since pax were still disembarking, the parking lot which we normally use (Lot A) was closed.  We were directed to Parking Lot B which was a bit confusing but after a couple of loops around the terminal we finally found it.....and of course, the gates were still closed on it, too....so we just parked in front of the closed gates and patiently waited for one of the attendants to notice us.  Maybe 5 minutes later one of the attendants opened the gates and let us in.  We were able to park very close to the terminal so our return should be very easy.
At PE you get a ticket when you enter the parking lot and pay when you leave.
We waited outside of the terminal for just a few minutes.  We were first in the Suites/Pinn line and very quickly we were let in to go through security and up the escalators to the Suites/Pinns waiting area.  Very comfortable and convenient. The wait to begin boarding was short.  All-in, we were onboard by 10:45.
We were able to complete our safety drill info prior to boarding so all that was left was the muster station check-in.

I wish! It was melon juice. I did not try it. 

Obligatory La Bamba post 😋

With that, it is time for bed. It has been a super long day. 😴

So this “Mod” is completely packed and ready to go, expect for the last minute morning stuff. Hubby, as you can probably guess is 0% packed. In fact, he has hit an all time low.
Last night (Tuesday), my sister asked us over family dinner how early we plan to drive to DTW tomorrow (Thursday). Hubby looked at us and said, “Wait, you mean Friday morning right?” I kid you all not, I cannot make this stuff up!
Needless to say, he had to do some rearranging at work today. In my defence, travel arrangements were given to him verbally, and in writing, many times. It is also marked clearly on the fridge family calendar. Everyone also seems to be aware that tomorrow is travel day. In Hubby’s defence…he said he never looks at the fridge calendar! 🤦🏻‍♀️And apparently tunes out my voice too.
In the words of @asquared17 GOODBYE 😂, and in the words of @Ampurp85, “Reading is fundamental” 😂😂

It’s not really a unicorn. After final payment, a lot of suites came back into inventory. When the RU email came out on December 12, there were still just as many suites left in inventory. The prices were absurd, there was no way I was upgrading. However, I was tracking the suites and the number of them.
Because there were so many left (in all different categories of Sky and one Icon loft), I decided to try my luck and bid. Shortly after Christmas, all the suites disappeared all at once. I was not the only one to notice that. They never came back. I knew there was no way they were booked all at once so my guess was that they were pulled for RU or GTY suites, or both. As with all things RU related, I cannot confirm, however, the VP that I won the bid on, was the one and only VP that was leftover after final payment. Same room number. So I know for a fact that one I got, was the one that was pulled. 
 
I am super grateful though, because I know that I was not the only one to bid on the VP. 

You have the best luck! Seriously an Icon inaugural sailing RU win is a unicorn. I wish I had that kind of luck. 

You have the best luck! Seriously an Icon inaugural sailing RU win is a unicorn. I wish I had that kind of luck. 

You have the best luck! Seriously an Icon inaugural sailing RU win is a unicorn. I wish I had that kind of luck. 

You have the best luck! Seriously an Icon inaugural sailing RU win is a unicorn. I wish I had that kind of luck. 

See ya later “Tot Town”! 😂

Confirmed on Symphony NYE cruise at Playmakers and the Pub. 

We have sailed NCL maybe a handful of times and the major difference is the ships. I haven’t found a cruise line yet that can compete with RC ships on any level. The food, Haven, itinerary and overall experience is probably not going to be much of a drastic change for you. IMHO you will find what you are looking for with Regent and possibly Tauck tours but these options are at a drastically different price point. My parents have been on the Arctic sailings with Tauck and still rave about it to this day and they can’t get enough of the higher end experience on Regent.