JLMoran

I've been on 2 Celebrity cruises last year (2018), one on Solstice (S class) (12 day Hawaii) the other on Infinity (M class) (5 day Western Caribbean).  On both cruises, I haven't noticed anyone turned away but I may have just not noticed.  I did not see anyone in the dining room not wearing 'unacceptable' clothing.  Both cruises had cruisers with an average age probably in the 60's which usually means they follow the rules better and dress up a little nicer than those on RCL.  

After some drinks in the Diamond Lounge, I literally stumbled my way back to the stateroom to meet my family for dinner. I was worried that I accidentally had too many Cosmos but it was actually the ship that was rocking like crazy! The motion is really bad tonight. Worse so far during whole sailing. I took some Gravol before dinner, so did D12, but unfortunately while that took away the nausea, the combination of Cosmos and Gravol made for a very sleepy meal at Giovanni’s.
Giovanni’s menu:

Soup of the day: Lentil soup

Gamberetti Alla Ligure

Pork Belly

Carbonara

Filet Mignon

Desert here is served off a tray. You pick whatever you want.

This is what we missed from the MDR.

Giovanni’s was good. Way better than eating in the MDR. I was fighting to stay awake so that was the only negative to the meal. 
A few things to note here. I know from these boards that there are many Giovanni’s fans out there. We came to a unanimous desision that we prefer Jamie’s over Giovanni’s. There was nothing at Giovanni’s that really stood out. Second thing is that for @Matt and all others who have not tried Coastal Kitchen given the opportunity, you need to try it! The filet that I had tonight was ok, but the filet at CK on night one still trumps it by a long shot! No comparison, in flavour and in quality. We have yet to try Chops. Will be doing that on Harmony but so far it is still #teamCK for us.
We are now settled in the Royal Theater waiting for Once Upon A Time. The ship is swaying so much it makes me appreciate what these actors/actresses do even more.
 

Current situation:
I am in my happy place ?
Happy hour in the Diamond Lounge




 

More people dress up than do not.  I am a casual fan and have a T-shirt or two with a StarTrek theme but that’s it.  I felt a tiny bit out of place dressed as a civilian human.  

All I am going to say is that it is good to be the king or the queen!  Unfortunately due to me still being in school and wifey looking for her next job our cruising future is uncertain until she finds a new job.  But please rest assured once she finds something and we know her schedule and are able to plan it out we will be right back on schedule!!  ? If you ever see some fool doing cartwheels as he is getting onboard it will be this guy right here!?‍♂️?‍♀️?

Now that I have given it some more thought, 2018 has been a great year cruising year for us. We started 2018 as once a year cruisers and took 4 cruises in 2018 and have 5 on the horizon for 2019! What more can a girl who loves to cruise ask for! 
In 2018 we tried 2 classes of ships for the first time, Quantum and Freedom Class, and revisited Voyager class for the first time since 2002. 
We finally made it to Diamond!
2019 is off to a wonderful start. We rang in the new year on a cruise for the first time ever and we have our first star class sailing coming up in 68 days. In July, we are going our first RCBlog GC. And if we don’t cancel anything, we’ll end our year on another cruise. 
My heart is so full! We are so blessed ?

Are these things sort of a floating mini-con? Do a lot of the passengers cosplay while on board? (or on excursions!)
I might almost pay to see a bartender’s reaction to their first Klingon cosplayer who storms up to the bar, slams his fist down, and orders a shot of something in Klingon. ?

For me, it was:
First cruise ever in my life First cruise on Freedom First cruise on Anthem After over a decade of trying, finally convincing my wife (with lots of help from the kids) to give cruising a shot Seeing her discover it’s as awesome as I’d always imagined it Getting to know the amazing, helpful, supportive people here!

Tell me something I don't know...if boarding fees and parking fees were out of the equation, we could book double what we have for cruises.  
We steeped up our game this year since the wife retired at the end of last year, 6 cruises and two weeks in Playa Del Carmen, St. Lucia and Myrtle Beach at resorts.  It was our first Oasis & Voyager class ship sailing. 
This has been a great year for traveling and best of all chatting with this group.  Loads of tips, tricks and experiences learned from all here!
Hang on 2019! It's gonna be a bumpy ride ?????

Yes, both the alcoholic (Deluxe) package and the non-alcoholic (Refreshment) package cover all for-fee coffees, whether espresso-based or regular coffee.

Thanks!
Go ahead and get a beverage and put it on JL's tab...

Great photos!   Now I definitely don't need to blog!   Thanks and happy new year!

Fish & Ships:
According to @mpoole3, this replaces a juice bar. On my own for these photos too ?



I don’t plan on eating here. I cannot bring myself to pay an extra $9-10 for this type of food. And if it’s anything like MDR Fish&Chips, it’s not going to be great.

As a fellow coffee-holic, I feel I t should be noted that the coffee in the MDR and WJ is only one degree removed from sludge. It’s really bitter, only drinkable while very hot, and isn’t even especially caffeine-heavy from what I can tell. You may want to look at getting your cups of regular joe from the Cafe Promenade / La Patisserie / specialty coffee shop on board. They serve Seattle’s Best or Illy, depending on the ship. You’ll have to pay for it, but it’s a lot better than the mass-brewed stuff served with meals.

Playmakers Deck 4:
I was on my own for this one ?



 

Maybe because parents need extra time to party? Lol

Some people have to pay for parking at the cruise port, I have to pay for parking at the air port.  I fly and put my dog in boarding when I travel.  That is simply the cost of cruising for me.  

Boarding Mariner on Friday - taking most of my family on their first cruise and I am SO EXCITED! 

I have 4 kids and fully pay the auto gratuities for everyone.  In fact, we leave our room steward an extra tip after dealing with my slobs (aka kids) room for a week.
Your kids will eat 3 meals a day, sleep in a bed and make as much of a mess as any adult if not more.  My .02 is to leave the auto gratuities as they are and if someone demonstrates great service then you can leave an extra tip.   

Yes.

For me, it was:
First cruise ever in my life First cruise on Freedom First cruise on Anthem After over a decade of trying, finally convincing my wife (with lots of help from the kids) to give cruising a shot Seeing her discover it’s as awesome as I’d always imagined it Getting to know the amazing, helpful, supportive people here!

For me, it was:
First cruise ever in my life First cruise on Freedom First cruise on Anthem After over a decade of trying, finally convincing my wife (with lots of help from the kids) to give cruising a shot Seeing her discover it’s as awesome as I’d always imagined it Getting to know the amazing, helpful, supportive people here!