Floski

Lots of suite talk in this thread...must be close to Valentine's Day. WHERE DA PICS???

I have never seen the option to book a guarantee cabin on the RC website. Can you only get one via calling RC? I'm looking at Adventure from Bayonne to NE/CAN in July of next year. Of course, if it were up to me, I'd never sail anywhere not named Caribbean, but this one's for my wife. She's been a good trooper on our 3 trips to the islands, despite her disdain of the sun and hot weather.

Absolutely! We got back from the tour and hung out in Phillipsburg for a good while - it's a wonderful little town to walk, shop, and eat/drink. There are a lot of tiny bars right there on the boardwalk, about 25 feet from the beach. There is also a nice shop on the pier (well, there used to be ) that has a lot of liquors you can buy if that's your thing. Below is a pic from the spot downtown where we grabbed a bite and a drinky (it was actually 4/2015). We loved St. Maarten and St. Thomas so much in '15 that we went back again in '16! I've added a pic from the water taxi that gives you a good idea of the boardwalk. So nice...

We did this tour in '16 and it was fantastic. Although my back was absolutely killing me, I still had a great time. Going to Maho and getting some video of arriving airplanes was a bucket list moment. Marigot was very nice, and we had time to eat a nice French lunch (of course with macaroons, silly!) and a little time to walk around. They also have Caribs and mixed drinks on the bus!

When we got off the ship, we saw the tender and said "I don't know where it goes, but what the heck?". It took us straight across and it was a short walk straight to the beach. It actually was a happy accident, but I'm glad we did it. Taking the tram back was longer than I expected (the artisan village is huge, and I know some poor souls had to walk it (being hounded the whole time)) but Labadee is so nice, we enjoyed it. I definitely recommend taking your friend on the water taxi, as it is also very near the food venue.

Full disclosure: I am not a food snob and like pretty much all gastronomic delights (even an occasional slice o' Sorrento's). The very first thing we did on the 21st was go grab a Kummelweck for lunch. Honestly, I wasn't blown away nearly as much as I was expecting. It's good, but not amazing. So being the fair and reasonable guy I am, we had another later in the week. Same thing. It just ain't that awesome.

I'm also doing some preliminary research on this cruise. My wife has been a good sport for our first three, all to the Caribbean (where I'd happily go every time!), but I think she would really love to see New England and Canada. I'd love to go in the late summer, but with us living on the SC coast, I'm a little concerned about a hurricane heading this way and not being home.

We don't recall it being on the Oasis last week, either. Sorry.

You keep on bragging like this and our Canadian contingent is going to hunt you down and stick you in a freezer!!!!

I'd be surprised if there were 40 people there last week. It was blissful.

Went there last week; it was such an easy and pleasurable experience. Nice place, but the weather wasn't super - overcast and the surf was pretty cool. We weren't hassled at all by any vendors, which was a very welcome change.

Okay. I made sure to hit Sorrento's last week on Oasis. It wasn't awful. I'm not sure why everyone bashes it so much, as it's not much worse than Domino's. It's quick and easy, which is always a plus when you have things to do and places to see!

I apologize as I did not eat at Chops for lunch last week, so can't accurately answer your question...but I will say that the dinner we had there for First Night was absolutely killer! All four of us were ridiculously happy with our meals and the service. I had the 9oz filet and it was as good as I've ever had anywhere.

aaaaand away we go!

You have a friend on her next week, too; it's just that we haven't ever met!

Okay, call me an idiot (not literally, rjac!), but how do I pay for my gratuities in advance? I can't find it anywhere on the website. Do I have to call? We sail next week!

Sometimes, when you guys get to talking, I feel like this I feel like such a noob...

So, on Oasis, where can one get a cucumber margarita? Last time on Freedom, we couldn't find one anywhere.

Sadly, I can definitely relate from experience. Darn that Coco Cay!

So, did you enjoy Nachi? I can't wait to get there. I also want to go to a grocery store or someplace off the beaten path to look for some tequila. Hoping everything works out!

That's a sad beer list; I wonder if the bartender knows how to make a Bumblebee. Loving the blog!!!

I'm two weeks behind you, so I'm really looking forward to your blog! Not Diamond or UltraPlatinum class, but I did get an e-mail saying that they just got in a new shipment of oars, whatever that means....

But did you like my ALF costume??? I made it myself! Oh....and how about next year give out some name brand candy? Sheesh.