DunkelBierJay

When I could connect the upload speeds weren't a problem. The files I uploaded ranged from 1.5 MB to 2.5 MB that I remember, and I always selected "small." For some reason, the on land regular transfers to Google Photos didn't work, and I couldn't do it manually either. I would love to get my pics to look as good as yours though... I Airdropped some pics to my wife's iPad...and then I couldn't log onto the Message Board on it. If it wasn't one thing, it was another....so, my phone ended up being the only thing I could use.

when you log into cruise planner at the airport immediately after getting off your last cruise you carry moisturizing lotion because you wash your hands 50 times a day your Evernote shortcuts is dominated with cruise related planning info

I just got off Brilliance, and had to occupy my time to get over the post cruise trauma. I logged onto the CP and found that entertainment for my June 17 Allure sailing had opened up. I booked everything I wanted to see, which was pretty much everything. Is it unusual for it to open up so soon?

Yep...I ended up using my phone for everything since transferring pics using Google Photos was out of the question. My laptop won't transfer pics with a cable...at least I haven't figured out how to do it.

If you are up to staying in South Beach, we stayed at Hotel Ocean booked through Kayak for the Navigator Group Cruise last February. We paid $149 plus tax and got a pretty cool room. Fortunately, we were far enough off the street that the partying sounds of Ocean Drive didn't filter to our room. That might be the only concern about staying in that location. The people watching in that area is very interesting. Our room was clean and nice. It was not a cookie cutter. The beach is directly across the street. There is no shortage of restaurants, it is definitely South Beachy and fun. We walked a few blocks to a Cuban restaurant called Puerto Sagua the night before, and it was spectacular food. It is close enough to the South Pointe Park Pier if you want to get up early enough for a walk to watch the ships come in. It's an amazing thing to see from the beach and the pier area. It is a 10 minute Cab/Uber/Lyft to Port Miami.

Thanks for asking. I just realized that I didn't grade VOOM above. I give it a C+. I used speed test in a couple locations, and when the area wasn't crowded, it tested pretty well. In our stateroom, the Solarium, and a few others spots, it was as fast as our home. The current version of Speedtest on my phone doesn't seem to have a history feature like the last version did, so I can't post it here. Here's the rub: It was extremely difficult to get my iPhone 7+ to connect. The staff at the VOOM desk helped tremendously by setting the ISP address for the login uRL (I don't know why that was necessary) and then going into Settings/Privacy/Location Settings, then scroll to the very bottom/System Services, and then turn off Share My Location and WiFi Networking. Ugh...without the crew member, I would still be trying to connect. Even as it is, I think there are too many steps to connect. Also, VOOM went out a few times completely at inopportune moments, and that was frustrating. I also think that when we were docked next to Liberty in Cozumel, that the VOOM on that ship was what appeared on the WiFI queue on my phone rather than Brilliance (it just said royal-wifi), because I kept getting an error message that my login was not valid when we were docked together. I would have investigated on board if I wasn't in a hurry to get to Nachi. Liberty was sailing away when we returned, and I was able to reconnect when we got back on board.

I asked for MTD so we could try it, and that was listed on our invoice, but I really can't tell the difference between MTD and Traditional the way it was executed on board. Our Sea Pass card showed a specific time on it, which was 8:30. Something about it wasn't quite right, and I haven't put my finger on it yet. We may have availed ourselves of it not quite right, but the management issues in the MDR may have had something to do with it. I'm really excited to read about your experiences on Brilliance when you sail on her later this month.

Your question made me curious, so I opened my Shipmate app on my phone to see. I have found it to be consistent with the ships I have been on and with the deck plans on the RC website. Jewel -- a movie theater is on Deck 6 in the same place where it is on Brilliance. Radiance -- a movie theater is on Deck 6 in the same place as Brilliance. There is an English Pub next to it as well. Serenade -- same as Brilliance So, it appears that all of the Radiance class ships still have cinemas. The moves we saw Logan Lucky -- there were five others in the theater of 48 Dunkirk -- there were only two empty seats I think that is would be more popular if they promoted it elsewhere on the ship in addition to the Cruise Compass. We probably never would have walked by it if the Pub wasn't on the other side from the elevators. and not far from our stateroom. If our room was elsewhere on the ship, I am not sure we would have gone to it other than touring the ship.

End of the Last a Sea Day and Reflections on the cruise: After killing a couple hours on deck 12 after the Sexiest Man competition, which had some alcohol induced cringe moments between one of the judges and Flavio, the Activities Manager, we did some much needed napping there and a little later in the Solarium. I was sad that I was still too full after Chops to have another Kummelwick. More napping was to be had, so that continued to happen into the evening. We had intentions of going to the farewell show before dinner. That did not happen, so we opted for the drawing to guess the carat weight of a piece of tanzanite jewelry in order to win it. I missed it by a half carat, and someone else nailed it. Congrats to him! We listened to some music by the Kronos Band, and I shared a couple of scopes. They moved from country to Jimmy Buffet, and are my favorite musical ensemble I have heard at sea. Their range goes from Sinatra to Otis Redding, and country to metal. They were extraordinary. Screenshot from the Periscope When 8:30 pm came around, we headed to the MDR for dinner. When we arrived, we made sure that we expressed our gratitude to two amazing waiters, Arturo and Lyudmylla. One of my favorite parts of cruising is this connection that develops which I believe is sincere on their part. I have yet to experience a cruise where a short, temporary friendship develops at a minimum and some are Facebook friends to this day. So, we love giving some extra to these fantastic people! We also had a chance on disembarkation day to express the same gratitude to Bernardo, our stateroom attendant. I hope that everyone appreciates how hard they work to make guests’ experience wonderful. I will make sure they get our highest evaluation on the email request to do a survey. Final Thoughts Embarkation — A+ There’s something about Terminal 6 in Tampa that has it over on Terminal 3. I certainly don’t know all of the behind the scenes contributions to the experience for guests, but it was superior than my previous experience embarking on the Empress. Stateroom 4014 — A+ access eas early layout was perfect size was perfect everything worked it was close to the forward elevators the Centrum was easily accessible This is by far my favorite stateroom in any of my cruises. I have stayed in a jr suite, Superior OV with balcony, Inside Promenade, Inside. I think it is easily the best value I have experienced, and while balconies are nice, I have rarely used them when I had them. Stateroom Attendant, Bernardo — A Main Dining Room — B while beautiful, it is over-crowded and there were some organizational and procedural issues that affected others as well as us. I think it had to do with communication between the Head waiters at the two seatings Waiter and Assistant Waiter, Arturo and Lyudmylla — A ++ I cant speak highly enough of them. They made what could have been a difficult circumstance into not a big deal. In my view, they should run the dining room. They were that good. If you are sailing on Brilliance within the next two months, ask for them. Food — B++ I could be wrong, but I sensed that some of the organizational issues affected the food quality at times. It was never bad, it just wasn’t as good as I have experienced on other ships. Windjammer — A The Windjammer on Brilliance was my favorite I have experienced. It may be because the honey stung chicken was as good as billed, and I finally knocked it off my bucket list. They executed breakfast really well. The made to order omelets were the best I have had at sea. I love the open area at the back. Love. It. I consider Rita’s part of the Windjammer and would like to see Royal Caribbean commit to it or change it into something more appealing. It seems like they are just letting it sit there without any availability of their old menu except on certain days in the Windjammer. Specialty Dining (Chops) — A i would rate it higher if the Chops on Empress didn’t edge it out by a smidgen. Solarium — B++ I would rate it higher if it was a little larger. I think the Solarium in Enchantment is larger, and remains my favorite. It is a very beautiful spot on the ship. I really like the Park Cafe and the offerings there. They do Kummelwick roast beef sandwiches during lunch, which was a very nice surprise. Gym — A good staff, layout and assortment of exercise options Shopping — B- they didn’t have a good selection of logo gear, and a limited size availability. I didn’t really look at anything else. Bars Pub — A+ — favorite pub I have experienced in a ship R-Bar — A Vintages — B+ — the liquor package seems to be a necessity because the a la carte pricing is quite high. The ambience and location on the ship is great. Schooner — A — great spot for a cocktail. I really like the location on this ship Solarium Bar — A- — its a little small. The service is really good. Entertainment — B+ what we saw was nice, but not set apart from other experiences. Music — A The Kronos Band was just great. The options at Schooner are mixed. The Pub singer was pretty good, but we didn’t listen that much. Movie Theater — A we saw two movies here, and this is such a great amenity. When you want to chill out. I’d like to see more of these in the fleet. Special Events - A+ The effort and fun out into the College Football National Championship game experience on board was far over and above expectations. It was great, and I would have rated it the same had my team not won. Dis-embarkation — A + We self assisted with our luggage. Actually, we have never used the ship’s service. That’s what wheels are for. We were able to walk off with no lines at about 8:45. There was a five minute line at customs. This is the first cruise where we did not have to fill out a customs form. We were in our Lyft 10 minutes later, and having breakfast #2 by 10:30 am. Other — This is just an observation I’ve never seen so many Pinnacles in one place as on this sailing. Everywhere I turned, I saw a name badge with Pinnacle Club on it. Overall — A- Some aspects of this cruise could have been better. The ship has an overcrowded feel, especially in the MDR. The beauty of the ship, the well known connection to the sea, the many amenities and especially the crew make for an amazing experience.

No drink card, sadly

I wish I remembered, but I can’t...I only recall that it was selection 675 from Argentina and that it was a Malbec.

Day 5 — Sea Day When you pay for several hours in a hot tub losing count of piña coladas, you enter coma land. So, we didn’t venture outside our cabin after dinner. My wife watched a movie while I nursed a serious hangover until I finally fell asleep. I woke up and felt ok, and wandered the ship while most were still asleep. I took some video on my GoPro and will post a link in a wrap up after I have had a chance to edit it a little. After the walk, we went to the main dining room for breakfast, which hadn’t yet done on this cruise. I always like talking to the people we sit with in the MDR at breakfasts, and wish we had done it a little more on this sailing. although it isn’t on this menu, eggs Benedict was available, and that’s what I ordered. I seriously don’t think I ever order it on land, but it’s my default at sea for some reason. Following breakfast, I was concerned about still being too full to enjoy Chops lunch, so I headed to the gym to burn some calories. It might all be in my head, but no one can convince me it didn’t help, because Chops was amazing. I cannot think of a better value than pre-booking Chops lunch on the cruise Planner for $19 each Mushroom Soup — OMG Filet cooked medium — Perfection I paired it with a Malbec from Argentina which was nice, and dessert was warm chocolate cake with raspberries and vanilla ice cream. Next, it is to the pool deck to waste away the food coma. The next post will wrap up the last sea day, List some final takes and hopefully include links to some video if anyone is interested.

Loved it! The hard part is not booking it on future visits. I want to see the rest of the island!

Wrapping Up Day 3 and Day 4 in Cozumel After the delicious Kummelwick, we cleaned up and went to the matinee production of Showtime, the Broadway review show on board. It was what one would expect, and if you like showtimes, it’s a fun show. I especially liked the three ABBA songs that concluded it as shown by how weepy I get every time I hear ABBA. I don’t understand why except that it brings me back to the years when I crushed on Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The next decision was pivotal. As usual, missing out on our waitstaff interaction is a serious thing for us. We’ve grown quite attached to Arturo and Liudmylla. We didn’t want them to think we were cheating on them eating someplace else. *confession — we did* The national championship game was being shown in the main theater and the pool, and the crew put on a big production for the guests with hamburgers, hot dogs, buckets of beer, and a cake for halftime. My Crimson Stripe beer brought good luck! Day 4 in Nachi Cocom I looked at the prospect of Cozumel with a little fear with seven ships in port. Geeky Jay looked up what was in port and totaled the capacities to get a potential of about 21,000 people in port. We docked with the Liberty and it was fun seeing the passengers in the two ships wave at each other. Since VOOM went down at this point, instead of scoping, I did a time lapse of our vessel coming alongside. I’ll put a link to it when I upload it to YouTube later...VOOM issues Somehwat familiar view Nachi Cocom The Intenrational Pier, for those who have been there, know that it is a maze of shops with people begging you to come into them. It was crazy busy when we navigated to the taxi stand. Fortunately, there was no line for taxis, and we were on our way in no time For lunch we ordered the shrimp and rice and enchiladas verde. We ordered from this menu. I’m not sure what a burguer is. They haven’t updated it since the last time I was here, and that’s no problem at all. The food is really good. Consistent with Matt Hochberg’s new tradition of finding hairy little creatures, I found one too, but there wasn’t any arachnophobia. Jose (Joseph), our waiter told us they don’t mind the big hairy tarantulas, but they don’t like these little raccoons because they steal. I’ll take my chances with the raccoon. After lunch, I went to the hot tub, and was there over two hours. I may or may not have had more piña coladas than I can remember. I paid for it later when I had to wake up from a nap for dinner. The trip back to the pier was uneventful, and we got out of the taxi across the street so we could do some shopping. We also saw part of a Mayan pole ceremony.

In the Cayman’s the air temp was in the 80s. I heard he water was a little cold. The water in the Solarium has been fine all along. In Cozumel, it’s fine after the initial shock.

I really enjoyed the Kummelwick. I had it with horseradish. I will try it with mustard next time, and I look forward to comparing it with my trip on Allure this summer.

The alarm went off entirely toooooo early. The ship arrived in Grand Cayman at 7:00, and yes, we were in the Windjammer at that time eating one of Ludmilla’a omelets. We were off the ship by 8:15 and the three block walk to Cayman Auto Rentals commenced after some scoping on the tender. We rented a Kia Rio after I REALLY wanted a Jeep, but for $50 more, what do you really get. Driving in the Cayman’s was much easier before the explosion in hotels, cars and people over the last twenty years. So, gps was the best thing ever since driving on the left side of the road is a rare occurrence, and there are about three round-a-bouts for every traffic light on the island. We pulled into Crystal Caves’ parking lot and redeemed our ticket and waited to board busses to take us into the forrest where a gift shop, nasty poison ivy that grows up in the air and can melt your skin off as well as the famous crystal caves. Do not touch this plant. Seriously. Chief Heckowie — as in “Where in the...” I took oil far too many pics to share in this live blog, so I’ll spare you just like I’ll spare you pics of my kids when they were babies. At the end of the tour, I told our guide, Robert that we planned on going to Rum Point and what should we order there. He said get nachos and a Mudslide, but if we wanted authentic island food, go to Over the Edge for steamed fish and CayBrew. It was only a quarter mile west of where we were, so we changed up our plans we did not regret it! mid you ever find yourself on the North Side Of Grand Cayman, Over the Edge would be a great choice for a meal After spending some time on the deck “over the edge,” we decided to head back to Georgetown and turn in the car. We topped off the tank on the way $4.42/gallon and dropped it off without a hitch. As we were walking back, there is a Cuban cigar store where I bought a few. Fatigue was setting in from the walking at Crystal Caves (a little over a mile), the huge meal, and lack of sleep. The ship was rocking last night, and our cabin creeks like crazy in heavy seas. We changed into swimsuits and headed to the Solarium to get in the pool and snooze a little. *I found something!* i must have walked by it a half dozen times, but Park Café is in essentially two separate spots on board there’s an assemble your own salad station which I was aware of, but there’s also a sandwich and proteins section. What did they have that I haven’t tried in a Royal Caribbean ship? The Kummelwick! I grabbed one in a frenzy of anticipation. In the next post, I will wrap up our evening and share about our day in Cozumel. Thanks for reading!

I prefer ginger candies and green apples to bonine, so I always have them nearby. I was fairly dehydrated when I woke up, and I was feeling it. A glass of water and a ginger candy took care of it so I could have a great breakfast. I felt queezy on Empress one night and a little on enchantment a few years ago. For me, if I stay hydrated, I usually keep it at bay.

Day 2 We woke to a rocking ship with whitecaps outside. Queeziness is not welcome, so I popped a ginger candy and went to the Windjammer to drink water and eat. Our Assistant waiter, Ludmilla (Milla) is Ukrainian and is as sweet as can be. I remembered some Ukrainian words fro a past life, and said дякую (thank you) for bringing me some iced tea the night before. She made a point to have me come to the omelet station in the Windjammer, and she would take care of us. Here’s the best omelet I have had on a ship! After lounging around the AstroTurf deck just forward of the spa for a couple hours, lunch #1 was calling, so I grabbed a cheeseburger and topped it off some soft serve and a couple eclairs. Lunch#2 was a serving of some Irish stew in the Pub. That was all I needed for the day, but you guessed it, I kept eating after the headliners show. Headliner — Joe Grimm — blues who won America’s Got Talent In year five. He performed a lot of Otis Reading and some other bluesy numbers with the ship orchestra and did some numbers with his wife. He said it was his second cruise, and it was noticeable that he was bothered by the rocking of the ship...he still soldiered in and out on a great performance. Please take a look at the Periscope that I posted last night for more of you like. @DunkelBier_Jay Dinner was in the Main dining Room followIng the Captain’s message in the Centrum. Melon and yogurt Spinach and shrimp ravioli Pistachio ice cream and coffee After dinner, we had ambitions of dancing, but we were beat, so we called it a night. The next post post will be of our day in Grand Cayman which we finished just before I finished this post. I’ll do my best to get it posted before Alabama and Georgia plays tonight. There’s a lot of buzz about the game around the ship, and I feel like there’s a lot of hate for the Tide aboard, so we will proudly wear our Crimson!

Thanks for the kind words. I snapped a pic of the tap on day 1...

Travel Day and Embarkation Day 1 After wrapping up a few things at work, we headed to the airport for our evening flight to Tampa. We landed in Tampa at 9:50 and walked into our hotel room at the Tampa Airport Marriott at 10:10. Nothing is better than walking from your plane to baggage claim to check-in. Getting to the hotel is easy. Adjacent to baggage claim is a bank of red elevators with the name “Sikorsky” above them. Just go back up to level 3 and follow the signs to “Hotel.” 1/06/2018 — Embarkation Day No alarms today, but we woke up at 9, got ready and we’re out the door at 10. Our ride share arrived at 10:30, and that was the longest wait of the morning. We arrived at Terminal 6 at 10:50 and were on board by 11:03. Here was a slight snafu with my SeaPass card bringing up my photo as I scanned in, so security had to retake my photo instead of kicking me off. Whew. Now, to Deck 11 Windjammer In all of my Royal Caribbean cruises to date, have yet to have found honey stung chicken anywhere. My wait ended today! I grabbed Honey stung chicken, zucchini salad and rice biryani, and all three were delicious! The Windjammer was bustling, so instead of braving the chilly weather on the open deck by Rita’s Cantina at the back, we headed forward to the Solarium and celebrated Embarkation with Kraken Lava Flows...slurp! After muster, I went to the helipad and hung out for sail away, and was able to see and be seen on Michael Poole’s Periscope (mpoole3) as I waved his way! A little after 4:30, we went to the Pub to watch the Titans play the Chiefs. We lasted until the Titans were down 21-3 only to find out as we headed to dinner that they came back and won! After resting and cleaning up, we headed to the Main dining Room for dinner. I ordered Shrimp cocktail Horseradish encrusted salmon Coffee ice cream (Really good iced tea) This concludes a great Embarkation day. Next will Be Day 2 at sea...we’re rocking it as I prepare this post, and our day in grand Cayman. Thanks for reading!

It’s on a fairly recent deck plan, so I will confirm when I’m on board.

We may hit Giovanni's one night for dinner. Other than that, we expect to be in the MDR three nights and Windjammer one night (I love curry too). We are booked for Chops lunch on the second sea day...I can't pass up an experience like that for $19 pp. I am particularly interested in seeing what Rita's Cantina is all about (I believe it is still on board). I love Sabor, so it may be a bad comparison.

I was starting my second Stella as my daughter and I walked through the door on deck 8 of Empress to the forward patio/observation area. I was excited for the quick 4 nighter to Cozumel and back. I was really liking this ship already after a not so perfect boarding experience due to some delays. I started a Periscope for sail away (@DunkelBier_Jay), and had some fun conversations with people as the ship dropped lines and we entered the channel. To our right was the now famous (or infamous) @mpoole3 pad and the mainstay American Victory ship. Tampa Harbour is really cool in that direction. In the other, its all industrial. It is a great sailaway into the Tampa Bay and eventually the Sunshine Skyway Bridge about an hour away. I wanted more of this port! *save your money* As we entered the Bay, we walked down the hallway behind us and to the stairs to deck 5. From there, we walked aft, and I had my first lavalflow in the Schooner Bar... But you're asking...the title says Brilliance, and he's writing about Empress...I'm getting there! The two beers and the lava flow were talking after we finished and started walking aft. What's behind the Schooner on Empress? *Next Cruise* *YOLO* The booking agent was there all alone, and I couldn't let her stay there all lonely like that. So, I booked a Fall cruise on Empress to Cuba with my wife. In the end, it didn't work out schedule wise, so we ended up changing it to the Brilliance January 6 sailing for five nights to Grand Cayman and to Cozumel. So, this coming Friday, January 5, we will board a plane for Tampa where we will spend the night at the Tampa Airport Marriott and then rideshare to the port as early as possible. This itinerary has two sea days to go along with the ports, and it is on a class we haven't sailed before. My goal is to sail every class before 2020. First Port -- Grand Cayman The plan is to rent a car and drive to the North Side and tour Crystal Caves and the nearby rain forest. Following that, we will drive to Rum Point for lunch and some beach time. We will stop by Cayman Brewery on the way back to turn in the car and then tender back to the ship. We chose this because we have been on diving vacations to the Caymans a couple of times, and just didn't want to do the same old thing. We're saving that for the next port. Second Port -- Cozumel I flip flopped a lot on what to do, and I even had Chichen Itza booked for a while after a cruise planner sail, but ended up changing it to a day at Nachi Cocom so that we could go into San Miguel to sample some food and fun before the ship leaves. So, my next posts will show whether or not we pull off these plans, and will show you some sights and sounds that are sure to excite one and all...woot *thanks for reading this far* Briliance, here we come!

The only ships that currently have the new app are Oasis, Allure and Serenade.