melski94

Day 5 – Mykonos: Sangria, Souvlaki & A Very Strange Show Today was exactly what we needed-a sleep-in day. After several long excursions, we decided to take it slow. The ship was docked in Mykonos from 7 AM to 6 PM, but we didn’t get off until around 11:30. We were docked at the new port, and from there we took the sea bus into town. It was €2.50 per person each way, took about 15 minutes, and dropped us right where we needed to be. And let me say-Mykonos surprised me. The town was gorgeous, and honestly, I was more impressed by it than Santorini. We wandered through the winding streets, did some shopping, and eventually grabbed lunch at a very touristy spot—but I wanted a view and a table outside, and this place delivered. The food was great: we split a bottle of sangria, shared the hot and cold appetizer platters, and everyone ordered souvlaki skewers to build their own little wraps. Hubby had the grilled squid. Relaxed, fun, and delicious. After lunch, we walked some more, stopped for baklava, and picked up a few souvenirs my boys collect playing cards from each stop, so we found a local deck to bring home. Back on board, we had dinner at Coastal Kitchen, and it ended up being one of our family’s favorite meals of the trip. One kid ordered the lobster, two went with the duck breast, and my dad and I had the short rib. It was a solid food day all around. That night, we decided to catch the show at Two70, called The Book. We didn’t have reservations, but they opened the standby line about 8 minutes before the show started and let us in. The first few minutes were… very slow-so much so that my husband and boys were ready to walk out. But they stayed, and it got better. It’s a typical Royal Caribbean variety show: beautiful effects, kind of random plot. Our 14-year-old daughter leaned into her literature nerd side and tried to explain the storyline to us, which honestly made it more enjoyable. We ended the night late, but since tomorrow’s a sea day and we gained back the hour we lost before Santorini, no complaints here.

Day 4 – Ephesus: Ancient Ruins, Turkish Rugs & Unexpected Favorites Today was Kusadasi, and we had a private tour to Ephesus booked through Viator. It ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip. Our guide, Mustafa, was fantastic-he’s a dual U.S./Turkish citizen who lived in the States for 20 years and used to give tours there. Now he’s back in Turkey, and you can tell he genuinely loves sharing his country’s history. (DM me if you want his WhatsApp-we’d highly recommend him.) We were picked up in a large, air-conditioned van, and off we went. Like most tours in this region, there were a few shopping stops sprinkled in-no pressure to buy, but we picked up some things we genuinely liked: olive oil, Turkish treats, baklava, and yes… I bought a rug. But in my defense, I already had the perfect spot picked out, and we’ve collected Persian rugs from other travels, so it’s not my first rodeo. Our first major stop was Ephesus. It was impressive, and it’s definitely nicer to start at the top and walk downhill through the ruins. Mustafa gave us the option of a short 45-minute tour or a full 2.5-hour deep dive-we picked the long one, but it only took about two hours, and he made it so engaging that even our teens stayed interested. We were close to the House of the Virgin Mary, but by then, my crew was hangry, so we made a stop for a traditional Turkish lunch-simple, fresh, and delicious. I especially loved the vegetables and hummus. This picture is just the appetizers. They also brought meat (beef and chicken) and a bulgar (wheat dish). . After lunch, we did a quick stop at the Virgin Mary’s house (about 25 minutes, very peaceful), and finished at the Temple of Artemis ruins. Beyond the history, we all really enjoyed just learning about Turkey…its culture, politics, and people. It was so different from what I expected, in the best way. I’d go back in a heartbeat and explore more. We had a little excitement on the way back to the ship…a car fire had shut down the main road, and traffic was completely stopped. Luckily, our driver knew the back roads and navigated us around it without any issues. We always build in a two-hour buffer when doing non-Royal excursions because we are not looking to be those people sprinting down the pier. It paid off today.

It was so hot the water was very refreshing…yes that initial cold but then you get used to it. I’d say most people swam at some point. It’s not Gulf water where it is too hot to swim!

I was mistaken. CK is charging a diamond voucher with every pour. Very irritating and first ship thats done that.

Day 3 – Santorini: Beaches, Buffets & Blue Domes Today was Santorini, one of the most anticipated ports—and also one of the most logistically tricky. We booked the Ultimate Santorini tour through Royal Caribbean. Our meeting time was 10:45 AM, and even though the ship’s tenders weren’t scheduled to start until 11:30, they actually began releasing groups around 11:15. We waited in the Royal Theater, and it moved surprisingly fast. No long delays, which was a nice surprise. The tour itself was described as visiting two villages and the beach-but the order was switched, and we headed to the beach first. We had about two hours of beach time, followed by lunch at a beachfront restaurant. It was buffet-style, but you were called up by table and only allowed one plated serving. It was fine-nothing amazing, but it got the job done. There was another group just arriving as we were departing and I wish that was our group. We were hot, sweaty and salty. Changing rooms but no showers. The beach was black pebbles, if you have kids definitely get water shoes! Next, we headed to Oia (yes, the postcard-famous white and blue dome town). While it was pretty, it honestly felt a little underwhelming. It was crowded, hot, and we were just kind of turned loose to wander on our own. After that, we went to a second village-again with about an hour of free time before heading back to the ship. We ended up sitting at a restaurant eating appetizers. In total, the tour lasted a bit over nine hours. We walked back onboard just after 8:00 PM, which meant we missed our Coastal Kitchen dinner reservation. Luckily, Windjammer was open until 10 PM, and while it was absolutely packed, we were able to grab dinner there and regroup. It was an exhausting day, and while I’m glad we got to see Santorini, it confirmed (again) that Royal excursions just aren’t our thing. I didn’t pay much attention to how the non-Royal tenders worked-something about being dropped at a different port and needing to take a cable car-but if we ever come back, I’d dig into that more and probably go DIY or book through a third-party guide. Sunset from our balcony. Probably one of my favorites. It was a really coolish night with a good breeze and we loved just sitting on our balcony.

Day 2 – Sea Day Vibes, Pool Chair Battles, iFly & A Superhero Show Today was our first full sea day, and after a packed week in Rome, we were more than ready for some downtime. First up: iFly! The kids had a blast. It’s a quick experience—short intro and two turns each in the tunnel—but they loved it. If you’ve got shoulder issues, it’s probably not for you. Also, book early if you want the whole group together—we didn’t, and had staggered time slots. Each slot lasts about an hour. We hit the pool deck around 9:00–9:30 AM. Most chairs were already taken, but we found four together, which worked fine for us. Still, it was crowded and not especially relaxing—hoping to enjoy more quiet time on the balcony next sea day. One perk I miss from a full suite is the suite sun deck. We had dinner at Coastal Kitchen- Pollock with the seafood topping, and it didn’t disappoint. That night, I also found out I could get free refills on my wine without using extra Diamond drink coupons, which was a nice surprise. After dinner, the boys wandered down to Playmakers for a bit. It was lively, casual, and a fun place to hang out. My daughter and I also went to see The Effectors, the superhero-style show. Cool effects-especially the drones flying over the crowd-but it was cut short by technical difficulties about ten minutes before the end. Classic Royal entertainment-we gave it a solid B-. One note for cruisers: the clocks moved forward an hour overnight as we head into Santorini tomorrow. Santorini time changed prior to sailing. We arrive at 11:30 am not 1:30 pm.

Last night we had a great filet in CK. I’m always amazed at what the waiters recommend (which wasn’t the filet) as imo the Filet is the best thing all week. One surprising thing was I was charged for each glass of wine in CK (reminder in a JS and using diamond drinks). Other ships have charged me for one and then will fill up my glass. We’ll see if that happens again tonight. Headed to the pub after dinner. We really like the vibe of sitting outside this pub and seeing everyone. It’s a larger pub with quite a bit of seating. Singer was just ok. Unlike the cruises out of the US, I don’t think he knows any country songs and he wasn’t asking for requests. Passed through the Straits of Messina this morning between 8 and 9. I couldn’t figure out our iFly reservations. They didn’t show up on my cruise compass and by the time I found my receipt we had 20 minutes to wake up the DS18 to get there. He enjoyed it. The entire process took an hour. DD14 will go later today. I waited too long and couldn’t get reservations together. @tonyfsu21 I think that’s our excursion. I need to do a bit of work today and so sitting by the pool working.

Yes. It matches the drinking age.

Headed to IU in the fall

First impressions of Odyssey of the Seas? Very impressed. The ship feels fresh, clean, and modern-definitely a step up in terms of design and layout. Our Junior Suite is huge, with plenty of space to spread out, but seriously… can we talk about the closet setup? So much hanging space, but barely any shelves. A few more drawers would’ve made unpacking way easier. This is our first time on a Quantum class ship, so we’ve been spending the day exploring- checking out all the venues, scoping out pool loungers, and basically just getting our bearings. So far, we’re loving it. Didn’t know there are 2 separate toilets in the JS! First thing we did after boarding? Headed straight to make our Coastal Kitchen dinner reservations. Since Junior Suite guests only have access at dinner, we wanted to lock in our preferred times early. This isn’t our first time in a suite, so we knew the drill and while we do miss full access, having Coastal Kitchen for dinner is still a great perk and a much calmer alternative to the main dining room. Plus, filet is on the menu tonight, so it was an easy yes! since we have CK reservations, we don’t feel the need to eat at specialty restaurants. One question we had was if my 18 yo Diamond son would be able to get 4 free alcoholic drinks daily. The answer is yes. We have the refreshment package for 2. Hubby and son wanted protein shakes and soda. No deluxe package as it’s not needed with 3 of us getting 4 free diamond drinks. DS 22 isn’t diamond but we brought 4 bottle of Italian wine onboard and he can get drinks on his own. The deluxe package was $55 when I looked.

This trip was our way of celebrating two big milestones-our younger son graduated high school, and our older son finished college. We miss our eldest daughter, who couldn’t get time off, but decided to make the most of it with a full week in Rome before the cruise. Instead of hopping between cities, we stayed put-our crew does better with some downtime and some flexible days. Going in I had 3 tours planned: Vatican, Pompeii and colosseum. All were booked at the end of January. Day 1: Private Vatican tour with Manuela from Tours by Locals. She was amazing and even got us through the Jubilee Door. Day 2: Pompeii and wine tasting tour through Get Your Guide. Took the high-speed train to Naples, toured Pompeii in small groups, then headed to a vineyard for lunch. It was so good we decided to visit Herculaneum during our Naples port stop. Day 3: Slow morning, local lunch, and a visit to the Museum of the Liberation-a small, powerful WWII site focused on political prisoners. Day 4: Colosseum underground tour-absolutely the highlight of the week. Quick walk through the Forum, then the guided underground tour. Lunch followed by the Museum of the Reunification (our 18-year-old’s pick). Great views from the top, but it cost me 50 flights of stairs. Day 5: No plan-last minute decided to visit the Pantheon, wandered the city, shopped and stopped by the Steeler Bar for a drink. Day 6: Catacombs tour, laundry, shopping and packing up for the cruise. Thai massage down the street from our airbnb. Helped my legs and the price was right! Gelato everyday! and so needed my 12-15k steps every day. and now for embarkation.

Gods, Legends & Gelato—our Mediterranean adventure sailing from Rome to Greece on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. After a week exploring the Eternal City and ancient sites like the Vatican and Pompeii, we’re ready to trade hot cobblestone streets for cooler sea breezes. I don’t have my hopes up about the cooler sea breezes! Our cruise will take us from the port of Civitavecchia to breathtaking destinations like Santorini, Mykonos, and Kusadasi (home of ancient Ephesus), with a final stop in Naples before we return. It’s a journey that blends mythology and history, sunsets and tzatziki, and yes—plenty of gelato (and wine) along the way. We’re cruising as a party of five: me, my husband (DH), our two sons-ages 22 and 18-and our 14-year-old daughter. We’ve split into two Junior Suites this time around (a slight downgrade from our beloved 2-bedroom Grand Suite, but definitely easier on the cruise budget). Everyone’s excited for something different-some of us are in it for the history, some for the food, and some just for the thrill of not having to make our own beds for seven days. As for excursions, we’ve got a great mix lined up. In Santorini, we’re doing a highlights tour that ends in Oia…famous for its postcard-worthy sunset views. This will be our first Royal excursion after many cruises but with Santorini being a tender port and read mixed reviews about how crowds.. Mykonos is more of a beach and relax day, with the flexibility to explore the charming town or just soak up the sun. In Kusadasi, we’re diving into ancient history with a private guided tour of Ephesus through Viator, one of the best-preserved Roman cities. Our final port is Naples, where we’ll explore Herculaneum, the lesser-known (and better-preserved) sister site to Pompeii. We’re also hoping to squeeze in a visit to the archaeological museum and of course, we’ll be trying some authentic Neapolitan pizza, because we absolutely need to compare it to Roman pizza. All in the name of research, of course. Before we ever stepped foot on the ship, we spent a full week soaking in the magic of Rome and wow, did we make the most of it (despite the blazing heat). From standing under the Sistine Chapel ceiling to wandering the Colosseum’s underground tunnels, our days were filled with history, gelato, and a lot of walking (our step counts are thriving). We spent a full day at the Vatican, toured the Colosseum with access to the underground and arena floor (best tour ever), and made a day trip south (via high speed train) to explore the ruins of Pompeii. We also tossed coins in the Trevi Fountain, climbed the Spanish Steps, admired the Pantheon, went underground to the Catacombs, and even found time for a cooking class where we made fresh pasta and tiramisu. Each evening ended with a new restaurant, a scoop (or two) of gelato, and tired but happy feet. After seven days in the Eternal City, we’re definitely ready for a little R&R at sea-but Rome delivered everything we dreamed of and more.

Just to confirm, I spoke with the Suite Concierge regarding the charge to my Diamond voucher. Beer, wine, water, and soft drinks are complimentary in the Suite Lounge from 11 AM to 11 PM, so they should not have been charged. The concierge acknowledged the mistake and mentioned that the bar staff rotates every two weeks, which may have led to the confusion. They assured me they would address it with the team. The Suite Concierge reviewed my account and confirmed that my Diamond drinks were indeed charged in the Suite Lounge, for which they apologized. My husband suspects the bar staff may have processed the charge simply to generate a receipt and receive a tip. Additionally, drinks (beer, wine, etc.) are not included at the Suite Pool Bar. I recall that on some ships (oasis and allure) they were included, but I could be mistaken. Now we’ll see if the suite concierge has any real pull…I complained and asked to be put on a do not call list…just want the annoying sales calls to stop at 9 am. I’m awake but my teen is not!

I just uploaded the email. I will ask them later day and report back.

It did not mention the 11-11 on the email. I was wondering if that was an oversight . I’ll ask the suite concierge today to see if this is a permanent change.