Marc Van Niekerk

Alright, I finally managed to get those pictures uploaded from when I first boarded.  Voom is pretty sketchy in the Southern Caribbean so I apologize for bouncing all over like this but here they are in no particular order:
The temporary fitness area in the Solarium:


Blaster tube conveyor belt so you don't have to carry tubes up the stairs:









































































 
This area on deck 12 port is a smoking area.  




And now back to our regularly scheduled cruise blog...

Day 4 - St Thomas
Our day in St Thomas got off to a relatively quiet start. We were scheduled to arrive in port at 10 AM and so we had a nice breakfast before heading out to take some phots as we arrived. 








After the ship had docked we got ready for our excursion.  We had booked the Magen’s Bay Beach Getaway.  This consisted of a van ride to a lookout overlooking the beach and then on the the the beach, some free time at the beach and a ride back to the port.  The vans were an open air type where you ride in the back of a truck converted to a bus. Note to self for next time, get a picture of the vehicle.....
Here are some photos from the ride to the lookout.



As you can see from the photos there were 6 ships in port.  There was actually still one to arrive.  This was going to make for quite a busy day at the beach.  
Once at the lookout we could see the beach and it’s unique heart shape.

After a brief stop to allow for photos we made our way down to the beach itself.



On the return to the ship our driver stopped briefly so we could get a better view of Symphony as we approached.

Back aboard the ship we were greeted with some chocolates and treats for my birthday.

Dinner was a Chops.  The food was great, unfortunately the service was a little off as there was a large group dominating the staff’s time and there was a family with two young children who didn’t really want to be in a restaurant and weren’t afraid to make their unhappiness known.
After dinner I caught a sunset photo as we left port as well as an evening shot of the Big Wonder.

Wonderful photos!

Day 4 - St Thomas
Our day in St Thomas got off to a relatively quiet start. We were scheduled to arrive in port at 10 AM and so we had a nice breakfast before heading out to take some phots as we arrived. 








After the ship had docked we got ready for our excursion.  We had booked the Magen’s Bay Beach Getaway.  This consisted of a van ride to a lookout overlooking the beach and then on the the the beach, some free time at the beach and a ride back to the port.  The vans were an open air type where you ride in the back of a truck converted to a bus. Note to self for next time, get a picture of the vehicle.....
Here are some photos from the ride to the lookout.



As you can see from the photos there were 6 ships in port.  There was actually still one to arrive.  This was going to make for quite a busy day at the beach.  
Once at the lookout we could see the beach and it’s unique heart shape.

After a brief stop to allow for photos we made our way down to the beach itself.



On the return to the ship our driver stopped briefly so we could get a better view of Symphony as we approached.

Back aboard the ship we were greeted with some chocolates and treats for my birthday.

Dinner was a Chops.  The food was great, unfortunately the service was a little off as there was a large group dominating the staff’s time and there was a family with two young children who didn’t really want to be in a restaurant and weren’t afraid to make their unhappiness known.
After dinner I caught a sunset photo as we left port as well as an evening shot of the Big Wonder.

Day 4 - St Thomas
Our day in St Thomas got off to a relatively quiet start. We were scheduled to arrive in port at 10 AM and so we had a nice breakfast before heading out to take some phots as we arrived. 








After the ship had docked we got ready for our excursion.  We had booked the Magen’s Bay Beach Getaway.  This consisted of a van ride to a lookout overlooking the beach and then on the the the beach, some free time at the beach and a ride back to the port.  The vans were an open air type where you ride in the back of a truck converted to a bus. Note to self for next time, get a picture of the vehicle.....
Here are some photos from the ride to the lookout.



As you can see from the photos there were 6 ships in port.  There was actually still one to arrive.  This was going to make for quite a busy day at the beach.  
Once at the lookout we could see the beach and it’s unique heart shape.

After a brief stop to allow for photos we made our way down to the beach itself.



On the return to the ship our driver stopped briefly so we could get a better view of Symphony as we approached.

Back aboard the ship we were greeted with some chocolates and treats for my birthday.

Dinner was a Chops.  The food was great, unfortunately the service was a little off as there was a large group dominating the staff’s time and there was a family with two young children who didn’t really want to be in a restaurant and weren’t afraid to make their unhappiness known.
After dinner I caught a sunset photo as we left port as well as an evening shot of the Big Wonder.

Day 4 - St Thomas
Our day in St Thomas got off to a relatively quiet start. We were scheduled to arrive in port at 10 AM and so we had a nice breakfast before heading out to take some phots as we arrived. 








After the ship had docked we got ready for our excursion.  We had booked the Magen’s Bay Beach Getaway.  This consisted of a van ride to a lookout overlooking the beach and then on the the the beach, some free time at the beach and a ride back to the port.  The vans were an open air type where you ride in the back of a truck converted to a bus. Note to self for next time, get a picture of the vehicle.....
Here are some photos from the ride to the lookout.



As you can see from the photos there were 6 ships in port.  There was actually still one to arrive.  This was going to make for quite a busy day at the beach.  
Once at the lookout we could see the beach and it’s unique heart shape.

After a brief stop to allow for photos we made our way down to the beach itself.



On the return to the ship our driver stopped briefly so we could get a better view of Symphony as we approached.

Back aboard the ship we were greeted with some chocolates and treats for my birthday.

Dinner was a Chops.  The food was great, unfortunately the service was a little off as there was a large group dominating the staff’s time and there was a family with two young children who didn’t really want to be in a restaurant and weren’t afraid to make their unhappiness known.
After dinner I caught a sunset photo as we left port as well as an evening shot of the Big Wonder.

While that may be, the last thing I want to do on a cruise is argue with the staff in a restaurant about what’s covered.  We bought our meal and enjoyed it regardless of the technicalities. 

We found on Symphony last month that the UDP did not cover Playmakers.

Will take care of it over the next few days ?

Day 3, Sea Day
First I want to commend the others who do this live blog thing.  Not nearly as easy as it seems.
Our sea day was spent quietly aboard.





Caught the stowaway piano player on the boardwalk.

More tightrope practice which I personally found fascinating and kept being drawn to watching.


Jazz Quartet on the Boardwalk

And finally the performance of Hairspary.  We had never seen this show before or really looked in to the story and we enjoyed it very much.  The performances were fantastic.




We had dinner tonight at Wonderland and I did not bring a camera which was a shame as they had the Hatter making the rounds.  What an interesting character.  He found out it was our anniversary during the cruise and brought a dessert and sang for us.
Tomorrow is the island of St Thomas and we have an excursion to Megens Bay for a Beach Break.

I'm just here for the nighttime @twangster photos

That is exactly what I use it for.  The nearest access point is down the hall a couple cabins.  In bed the ship wifi is very weak.  The travel router does a good job of boosting the signal so I have full coverage in my cabin.

The beauty of a Miami sailaway Deck 5 aft

Recap of day one tomorrow morning!  

Day 3, Sea Day
First I want to commend the others who do this live blog thing.  Not nearly as easy as it seems.
Our sea day was spent quietly aboard.





Caught the stowaway piano player on the boardwalk.

More tightrope practice which I personally found fascinating and kept being drawn to watching.


Jazz Quartet on the Boardwalk

And finally the performance of Hairspary.  We had never seen this show before or really looked in to the story and we enjoyed it very much.  The performances were fantastic.




We had dinner tonight at Wonderland and I did not bring a camera which was a shame as they had the Hatter making the rounds.  What an interesting character.  He found out it was our anniversary during the cruise and brought a dessert and sang for us.
Tomorrow is the island of St Thomas and we have an excursion to Megens Bay for a Beach Break.

What can I say Matt?  No Drink Package, no bad influences on a Group Cruise (and yes, i'm looking at you) maybe there is a reason....
In truth, we had a great cruise just the two of us.  I will note that I got on her good side by waking every morning and heading down to Cafe Promenade to get her a Soy Latte.

Day 2 - Nassau Bahamas
I pick up on Day 2 where we were scheduled to be in Nassau from 7 am to 2 PM.  This was a rather short day and since we have been to Nassau several times and are scheduled to be there twice more this year we elected to stay aboard.
I got up fairly early to try to catch the sunrise as we came in to Nassau only to find that we were already tied to the pier.  Thankfully the lighting was agreeable for some photos.





We chose breakfast at Johnny Rockets.  JR is probably my favorite place to grab breakfast on an OASIS class ship.

Since we weren't going ashore we visited the hot tubs.

While there we noticed that the crew were practicing their lifeboat drills.

Our day was rather leisurely and I took a little stroll to grab some photos of the scenery and activities aboard and to sneak a shot of my wife on our balcony reading.




Set sail was rather uneventful and I managed a couple more photos as we left port.




There was some setup going for the massive tailgate on the Boardwalk for the SuperBowl including this Ice sculpture.

I was also able to watch the tightrope walker practicing from our balcony.

Dinner was at Chops and as usual was fantastic, punctuated by my favorite appetizer the Tuna Tartare.  

Not being much of a football fan, we had arranged to cap the night with the ice show 1977 in Studio B





Tomorrow is a Sea Day.  We will pick it up there.
 

Day 3, Sea Day
First I want to commend the others who do this live blog thing.  Not nearly as easy as it seems.
Our sea day was spent quietly aboard.





Caught the stowaway piano player on the boardwalk.

More tightrope practice which I personally found fascinating and kept being drawn to watching.


Jazz Quartet on the Boardwalk

And finally the performance of Hairspary.  We had never seen this show before or really looked in to the story and we enjoyed it very much.  The performances were fantastic.




We had dinner tonight at Wonderland and I did not bring a camera which was a shame as they had the Hatter making the rounds.  What an interesting character.  He found out it was our anniversary during the cruise and brought a dessert and sang for us.
Tomorrow is the island of St Thomas and we have an excursion to Megens Bay for a Beach Break.

Day 3, Sea Day
First I want to commend the others who do this live blog thing.  Not nearly as easy as it seems.
Our sea day was spent quietly aboard.





Caught the stowaway piano player on the boardwalk.

More tightrope practice which I personally found fascinating and kept being drawn to watching.


Jazz Quartet on the Boardwalk

And finally the performance of Hairspary.  We had never seen this show before or really looked in to the story and we enjoyed it very much.  The performances were fantastic.




We had dinner tonight at Wonderland and I did not bring a camera which was a shame as they had the Hatter making the rounds.  What an interesting character.  He found out it was our anniversary during the cruise and brought a dessert and sang for us.
Tomorrow is the island of St Thomas and we have an excursion to Megens Bay for a Beach Break.

Day 3, Sea Day
First I want to commend the others who do this live blog thing.  Not nearly as easy as it seems.
Our sea day was spent quietly aboard.





Caught the stowaway piano player on the boardwalk.

More tightrope practice which I personally found fascinating and kept being drawn to watching.


Jazz Quartet on the Boardwalk

And finally the performance of Hairspary.  We had never seen this show before or really looked in to the story and we enjoyed it very much.  The performances were fantastic.




We had dinner tonight at Wonderland and I did not bring a camera which was a shame as they had the Hatter making the rounds.  What an interesting character.  He found out it was our anniversary during the cruise and brought a dessert and sang for us.
Tomorrow is the island of St Thomas and we have an excursion to Megens Bay for a Beach Break.

Day 2 - Nassau Bahamas
I pick up on Day 2 where we were scheduled to be in Nassau from 7 am to 2 PM.  This was a rather short day and since we have been to Nassau several times and are scheduled to be there twice more this year we elected to stay aboard.
I got up fairly early to try to catch the sunrise as we came in to Nassau only to find that we were already tied to the pier.  Thankfully the lighting was agreeable for some photos.





We chose breakfast at Johnny Rockets.  JR is probably my favorite place to grab breakfast on an OASIS class ship.

Since we weren't going ashore we visited the hot tubs.

While there we noticed that the crew were practicing their lifeboat drills.

Our day was rather leisurely and I took a little stroll to grab some photos of the scenery and activities aboard and to sneak a shot of my wife on our balcony reading.




Set sail was rather uneventful and I managed a couple more photos as we left port.




There was some setup going for the massive tailgate on the Boardwalk for the SuperBowl including this Ice sculpture.

I was also able to watch the tightrope walker practicing from our balcony.

Dinner was at Chops and as usual was fantastic, punctuated by my favorite appetizer the Tuna Tartare.  

Not being much of a football fan, we had arranged to cap the night with the ice show 1977 in Studio B





Tomorrow is a Sea Day.  We will pick it up there.
 

Really enjoying these photos, although it's lacking Dianne giving you the disapproving looks I have seen all too often on group cruises! ?

Departure Day and Pre-Cruise Hotel
Our departure had some interesting hiccups along the way but it all worked out in the end but highlights why we prefer to fly out the day before a cruise. 
We had made an appointment for my wife to have her NEXUS Global Entry interview the afternoon of out flight so we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.  After the interview concluded we took an airport train to the correct terminal and went through security.  As we were going through security just after we had passed through the metal detectors there was a power outage in the airport.  Thankfully our bags had already passed through the machine as anyone whose bags were in the machine and those who were waiting for the metal detectors needed to wait about 15 minutes for the systems to reboot.
As we approached the customs agents they closed the doors to clear the backlog created by this power outage but about 5 minutes later the doors opened and we were quickly through customs too.  For those who have never travelled from Canada to the US, you pass US customs in Toronto airport creating much simpler arrival at your US destination.
After security we found that our flight had been delayed by several hours because of weather 2 flights upstream from ours.  Our plane was delayed leaving Washington DC for Miami due to de-icing which delayed the Miami to Toronto leg and therefore our Toronto to Miami.  We made the most of it and found some nice lounges with outside views and relaxed in the airport knowing we had plenty of time.
Once in Miami we made the long walk through the airport to luggage claim where we quickly found our bags and headed out to catch a shuttle to the Hotel.
For this cruise we used points to get a free stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami - Airport West.  We had never stayed at this hotel before but I'm never going to complain about free.  One note was that due to our late arrival (after 11PM) the room I had requested was no longer available and we were given a room on the main floor about as long a walk from the hotel entrance as there could possibly be.  The room was quite spacious though and we quickly settled in for whatever sleep we could get before a cruise.
In the morning we made our way to the included breakfast and then for a quick relax in the warmth of the pool as it was still only 8am.  Below is a photo from the pool area of a let passing over the hotel.

Day 2 - Nassau Bahamas
I pick up on Day 2 where we were scheduled to be in Nassau from 7 am to 2 PM.  This was a rather short day and since we have been to Nassau several times and are scheduled to be there twice more this year we elected to stay aboard.
I got up fairly early to try to catch the sunrise as we came in to Nassau only to find that we were already tied to the pier.  Thankfully the lighting was agreeable for some photos.





We chose breakfast at Johnny Rockets.  JR is probably my favorite place to grab breakfast on an OASIS class ship.

Since we weren't going ashore we visited the hot tubs.

While there we noticed that the crew were practicing their lifeboat drills.

Our day was rather leisurely and I took a little stroll to grab some photos of the scenery and activities aboard and to sneak a shot of my wife on our balcony reading.




Set sail was rather uneventful and I managed a couple more photos as we left port.




There was some setup going for the massive tailgate on the Boardwalk for the SuperBowl including this Ice sculpture.

I was also able to watch the tightrope walker practicing from our balcony.

Dinner was at Chops and as usual was fantastic, punctuated by my favorite appetizer the Tuna Tartare.  

Not being much of a football fan, we had arranged to cap the night with the ice show 1977 in Studio B





Tomorrow is a Sea Day.  We will pick it up there.
 

Day 2 - Nassau Bahamas
I pick up on Day 2 where we were scheduled to be in Nassau from 7 am to 2 PM.  This was a rather short day and since we have been to Nassau several times and are scheduled to be there twice more this year we elected to stay aboard.
I got up fairly early to try to catch the sunrise as we came in to Nassau only to find that we were already tied to the pier.  Thankfully the lighting was agreeable for some photos.





We chose breakfast at Johnny Rockets.  JR is probably my favorite place to grab breakfast on an OASIS class ship.

Since we weren't going ashore we visited the hot tubs.

While there we noticed that the crew were practicing their lifeboat drills.

Our day was rather leisurely and I took a little stroll to grab some photos of the scenery and activities aboard and to sneak a shot of my wife on our balcony reading.




Set sail was rather uneventful and I managed a couple more photos as we left port.




There was some setup going for the massive tailgate on the Boardwalk for the SuperBowl including this Ice sculpture.

I was also able to watch the tightrope walker practicing from our balcony.

Dinner was at Chops and as usual was fantastic, punctuated by my favorite appetizer the Tuna Tartare.  

Not being much of a football fan, we had arranged to cap the night with the ice show 1977 in Studio B





Tomorrow is a Sea Day.  We will pick it up there.
 

Great photos!  I’m guessing you’re using a real camera, or were these from a phone?