JLMoran

?：D12

Have a great trip!
 
And although my wife doesn't know it, she hates you for inspiring my YOLO-book-it Christmas present to her and her sisters (but secretly loves you for it, too) ?

Day 5 - Aruba
The WiFi still isn’t great, so no pictures until I get back home.
After sleeping awfully last night, I slept in a bit late and didn’t wake up until 9:15. For some reason, my allergies always get bad in desert climates, so as soon as we docked in Aruba, I started getting stuffy. I grudgingly made my way down to the Windjammer and grabbed some breakfast. Then my mom and I got off the ship to meet my dad at 10:30 at diamonds international since he had already gotten off the ship before us. After some shopping (most of the stores were closed because of Christmas), we went back to the ship to grab some lunch for our 1:30 trikes tour.
We booked the tour through Aruba trikes and had a blast. It was a fun way to see the island, and we loved our tour guide Ramses. He was originally from the Netherlands and he spoke SEVEN different languages.
We didn’t finish the tour until 6:30 so we were stuck with my time dining. We were happy they could fit us in, but we still missed our normal wait staff. Our assistant waiter during my time dining was pretty good, but none of us were a huge fan of the head waiter. We understand how much harder being a my time dining waiter is, so we didn’t hold it against her that much.
I stuck with the kids vegetables for my appetizer (they were forgotten at first), my mom got her French onion soup again, my grandmother and her friend got ceaser salad, and my dad got the bay scallops. He was the only one to try something new and he said they were delicious. The portion size was a bit small, though.
Then for the main dish I got another kids grilled cheese which was fine. My parents got the coq au vin which they thought was pretty good and my grandmother and her friend got the prime rib which they also enjoyed.
For desert, my grandmother and I tried the brownie. We both enjoyed it. My dad got the citrus berries cheesecake which he liked more than yesterday’s cheesecake, and my mom and grandmother’s friend got their favorite again - the apple pie.
After dinner we ran to the 9:00 show and barely made it in time(dinner took forever). The show tonight was called, Now and Forever, which just showcased the singers and dancers doing broadway songs. The show was pretty good. I especially liked the part at the end where they did a compiliation of ABBA songs.
When the show ended we went back out to Aruba and caught a taxi to ride around and look at Christmas lights. Since we only had an hour before we needed to be back on the ship, we couldn’t go to black mountain which is where they said had the best lights because it’s an hour round trip to get there. Instead we just rode around the downtown area. The lights were pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. We really liked our taxi driver, though.
We got back at 11:15 and got back on the ship. Then I just met up with friends and hung out with them until 1.

Like @ellcee, I too had no clue what the issue out of the suite folks would be.  That's the most ridiculous complaint I've ever heard.
I'd like mine with coffee and Bailey's please.

Have fun "roughing it", @Lovetocruise2002! I'd take 5 days of that over work any time!

As a solo cruiser, it's worth it to me.  When you start looking at a family of 4, I don't see it, but everyone is different.  As an added bonus though, it might annoy the suite guests to have an inside cabin guy(me) sitting with them.

Booked Enchantment a week or so ago over Labor Day (5 nights to Yucatan and Cozumel) as a surprise for husband because I've done too much work travel and having something relaxing on the horizon helps. We've accidentally become suite people, and realized a JS on this sailing would carry us in to Diamond. 
Checked the booking again - saved $160! It was already a pretty good price for 5 nights in a JS, so that price drop was super nice! Also thanks to work travel help, I got our flights and hotel already covered! Looking forward to flying in to Houston and grabbing some Torchy's Tacos before the rest of the trip down to Galveston. 

Do you want to start a fight on the RC Blog forums? Because this is how you start a fight on the RC Blog forums. 

So does being a Diamond on this site allow me 3 free drinks in the D Lounge?  Or a balcony discount?  C'mon Matt, show us the money...  ?… ?
 

Who’s Going?
The usual crew:  Hubby, our 2 girls, D10, D12, and myself.
Flight
Our plan is to fly from DTW to FLL the day before.  We booked through Air2Sea this time as it was about $140 cheaper (total) to do so.  In the end, I don’t think I will use Air2Sea again unless it is for a cruise outside of North America or unless I don’t plan on ever upgrading.  More on why later.
Pre-Cruise Stay
Once again, La Bamba dictates where we stay, so it’s back on 17th Street again.  Our usual, with kids, is Hyatt Place Convention Center but since we booked so late and it’s a holiday, that property was already sold out!  We grabbed a room at the Holiday Inn Express on 17th Street (red flag…2 star…out of comfort zone again) and the only thing that was left was a King bed room with a sofa bed.  We figured we’re already “roughing it” for the cruise so might as well “rough it” for the hotel as well.  This hotel recently underwent major renovations and a new addition was added to the hotel.  To our surprise, the week of Black Friday, they opened bookings for the new section, which included suites, and we were able to grab a suite for more space and more beds and at a lower price than we initially booked for.  Win-win.  Love those scenarios.  The suite snob in me was now a little less tense.  Fast forward to a week ago, I called to confirm my reservation, only to be told that while we still have a room, the suite section is not yet ready.  So back to roughing it.  They confirmed that I have at least 2 beds and they can throw in a cot.  Oh well, I am so desperate for a getaway at this point to really care.
Itinerary
This 5-night sailing brings us to Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica.  The ship is the destination for us, so we are likely staying on board the entire time.  We might take a walk around Labadee since D10 loves the beach, but we are also visiting these exact ports again in March so not too worried that we will miss much.
Cabin
We are booked in…gasp…an Oceanview cabin!  Booking this cruise 3 months out left us with little selection and crazy high prices.  Just to give you an idea how high, we booked Indy for next NYE too and the cost we are paying for our Panoramic suite (VP-full suite benefits) next year, is less than the cost of this year’s Oceanview.  Lesson learned here…. book early for holiday sailings.  Another thing I learned about holiday sailings is that the usual price drop after final payment doesn’t happen.  I’ve tracked the price on this sailing right up until this week and it has done nothing but increase over time, even after final payment.  Cabins also didn’t open after final payment either, meaning people are not changing their minds about their holiday sailings.  So, the wise @twangster and fellow Insiders were correct again, holiday sailings are an anomaly.
Pre-Cruise thoughts
-          This is our first time without a balcony since 2003!  The suite snob in me still has not come to terms with that.
 
-          This is our first time sailing Freedom class.  I have heard so many good things about this class of ship from so many of you that I am very excited to check it out for myself.
 
-          We are #TeamNoDrinkPackage on this one because we have kids with us, and because this is our first cruise as Diamond members with Diamond benefits.  We will see how this works out.
 
-          We have purchased our usual VOOM 2 Device plan again.
 
-          Dining mainly in the MDR again.  I did not love it on Mariner but for a short sailing it will be fine.  Anything is better cooking on my own.  We are trying Giovanni’s for one night.
 
-          This is our first time sailing over the holidays.  I’ve always been hesitant to travel over the holidays for various reasons so I’m outside my comfort zone on this one too. 
 
-          Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.
 
-          When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.
 
-          Lastly, I will do my best to bring the cruise to you LIVE through Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002.

“Into the Unknown” … Independence OTS (Holiday sailing) – 12/29/2018-1/3/2019

Let me start by explaining this quote.  Stepping outside my comfort zone…this is the theme surrounding this cruise…
The Backstory
One evening, near the end of September, Hubby, the girls, and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating a bland dinner.  Tired and weary from lack of sleep, and the usual craziness of September (I’m a teacher), we looked at each other in silence.  Out of nowhere, Hubby tells us that he really wished we were eating at La Bamba, our favourite pre-cruise restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.  To the cruise junkie in me, that only meant one thing…YOLO moment! 
I half jokingly mentioned to him that we could eat there sooner if we went on a cruise out of Port Everglades.  Wait a minute…we are cruising out of Port Everglades…in March 2019!  That 6-month wait from Sept-March seemed almost unbearable at the time, so I gently proposed the idea of taking a cruise on my next available break, which is New Years.  We tossed around the idea of a short sailing over the holidays and it just so happen that Indy fit the bill.  Never sailed her before, so good for Hubby.  Kids loved the newly amped Mariner, so Indy should be similar.  And for myself, I’ll take any cruise, so Indy looked great!
Still not totally serious yet, I sent a quick email to my TA “just to price it out”.  First shocker…expensive!  Second shocker…. Suites…Sold Out.  I have never paid attention to holiday sailings in the past so this was new to me.  I have never priced out a cruise so close to sailing either.  We are usually the “book when itineraries get released” type.  Our choices for cabins (for 2 adults; 2 kids) were:  Interior, Oceanview, Balcony, no connecting rooms available. 
At that point, I told Hubby, “forget it”.  I even polled the Insiders and asked if they would cram 4 people in one of those cabins.  The suite snob in me was cringing at the thought, the kids were saying book it, and Hubby looked on in half amusement and half in fear for his bank account.  I tried to explain to them what sailing in one of those cabins would mean…one small washroom for all 4 of us, you can likely reach the sink while sitting on the toilet, telephone booth shower, must share a bed, small space.  All outside of our (my) comfort zone!
Here is where things took a surprising turn…Hubby was the one who said YOLO, we should book it.  Wait? What?! 
Those of you reading this who are rolling your eyes at this point should probably stop reading and stop following this blog.  It’s about to get worse.  Those of you who know me well and are not taking my slightly sarcastic, embrace the suite snob tone too seriously, or are curious or are amused, read on. 
Here was Hubby’s rationale for booking it: 
a)  We have never done a holiday sailing or sailed Freedom class.  Hubby is all for doing things that are new.
b)  He could tell that we, me especially, needed a getaway sooner rather than later.  If you read my previous blog, I mentioned that I am “Blessed by God and Spoiled by my Husband”.  This still holds true.
c)  The most ridiculous and logical reason…we are sailing Star Class on Harmony in 74 days.  Our kids have never sailed without a balcony in anything less than 300 square feet with at least 1 ½ bath.  It was time to “rough it” and “teach them a lesson” so that they could appreciate Star Class more when March rolls around.  I’m still laughing at this one!
d)  The most important (according to Hubby) and comical reason (according to me), and the reason for the quote choice above: It has been so long since we have sailed in a regular cabin.  Hubby hopes that we (he means me) might like it and we will no longer need to book suites in the future.  In turn, that will save him money.  If this is what Hubby needs to say, “YOLO and Book It!”, then so be it.
So, with that, we said YOLO, and booked ourselves on Indy for New Years.  In what?  Read on.

Or your panties!?

Looks like you've already done that change. What are the new thresholds? 750,000 posts to reach Pinnacle? ? 

As the Grandeur Poo-Bah, I can honestly say, @JLMoran did NOT make that up ....

I think you have Newbie rank until you've made around 50 posts. Then you get rank 2 (I forget that's called) until around 250 or maybe 500 posts, at which point you hit the top rank (Master?).
Any unusual titles you see, like "Oasis Class Denier", "Stubborn Canadian Scorpio", "Kraken Absconder", "Grandeur Poobah", or "Wants to be the Next Michael Poole" are all honorary titles given by @Matt to frequent posters who've become well known here. (and got on his very good side ?) 

I think you have Newbie rank until you've made around 50 posts. Then you get rank 2 (I forget that's called) until around 250 or maybe 500 posts, at which point you hit the top rank (Master?).
Any unusual titles you see, like "Oasis Class Denier", "Stubborn Canadian Scorpio", "Kraken Absconder", "Grandeur Poobah", or "Wants to be the Next Michael Poole" are all honorary titles given by @Matt to frequent posters who've become well known here. (and got on his very good side ?) 

Day 4 - At Sea
The WiFi has become absolutely terrible, so I’m unable to upload any pictures. I’ll add them when we get back to the US.
Because of the time change last night, I slept in once again. I wasn’t up until 10:15 and since my family had already eaten, I went to the Windjammer by myself. Breakfast was good again.
After breakfast, I headed down to the arcade to meet some friends and we played air hockey for about an hour. Air hockey was fun, but I think it’s safe to say that I’ll never become a professional air hockey player lol.
After air hockey, since I had been having good experiences at the Windjammer, I headed back down there for lunch. It wasn’t bad, but I definitely still prefer the MDR. It was nice they had veggie burgers, though.
Then when I finished eating, I headed down to Studio B to meet back up with my family for the ice skating show, Ice Dancin’. It was spectacular as always. Finding a seat was a bit hard though since it was first come first serve, but I was lucky enough to find a great seat on the second row by myself.
When the show was finished, I met back up with my friends and we hung out around the ship until 5 when I headed back to my room to get ready for dinner. 
We were running a bit late and didn’t get to dinner until 5:40. Since it was Christmas Eve, they had the special holiday menu.
I got the same appetizer as last night - just kids vegetables. My mom got the French onion soup again (she really likes it lol), my grandmother’s friend got the ceaser salad again, and my grandmother got the shrimp cocktail again. My dad was the only one to change it up and got the fried brie which he thought was good.
For our main dish, I got the Tagliatelle which I thought was awesome. It was a huge portion, though so I wasn’t able to finish it. My dad got the turkey and my mom, grandmother, and her friend got the beef Wellington. They all enjoyed their meals.
For desert I went back to the royal chocolate cake from the first night, and it was just okay. I’m never a huge fan of deserts on cruise ships, though. I love desert normally, but for some reason the ones on cruise ships have never been great to me. My mom got the spice cake which she wasn’t a huge fan of, but she’s picky about deserts. My dad got the cheesecake and thought it was pretty good and my grandmother’s friend got the buche de Noel which she also liked. My grandmother got the apple pie again. We also got to see the dancing waiters tonight. It’s always so much fun and it’s nice to have the opportunity to thank the chefs and wait staff for the great job they do.
Since we had the dancing waiters, dinner went a little longer than usual and we missed the 7:00 show. We still went to the 9:00 show to see Aaron Bonk who’s a juggler. I thought he was pretty good. His show was definitely made for children, but he had little bits of adult humor thrown in that were pretty funny. It was also pretty cool to watch. He juggled clubs, knives, and whips.
After the show I met my friends at the hot tub, and stayed there until it was time to head back to the room.
 

Look what my Grands gave us for Christmas.  We can't wait to use it!!

Newbie: 0 posts
Member: 10 posts
Advanced Member: 30 posts
As you can tell, I have not expanded this system terribly yet.  I probably should copy C&A statuses!

Not intentionally. But I’ll be the first to admit that my memory is often as secure as a steel sieve. ? And seeing as it’s now after Christmas dinner and I’ve had a few glasses of wine, I’ll have to chalk it up to lousy memory.

How would your parents feel about adopting a 48-year old dude and his family? ??

Not intentionally. But I’ll be the first to admit that my memory is often as secure as a steel sieve. ? And seeing as it’s now after Christmas dinner and I’ve had a few glasses of wine, I’ll have to chalk it up to lousy memory.

Not intentionally. But I’ll be the first to admit that my memory is often as secure as a steel sieve. ? And seeing as it’s now after Christmas dinner and I’ve had a few glasses of wine, I’ll have to chalk it up to lousy memory.

Not intentionally. But I’ll be the first to admit that my memory is often as secure as a steel sieve. ? And seeing as it’s now after Christmas dinner and I’ve had a few glasses of wine, I’ll have to chalk it up to lousy memory.

I think you have Newbie rank until you've made around 50 posts. Then you get rank 2 (I forget that's called) until around 250 or maybe 500 posts, at which point you hit the top rank (Master?).
Any unusual titles you see, like "Oasis Class Denier", "Stubborn Canadian Scorpio", "Kraken Absconder", "Grandeur Poobah", or "Wants to be the Next Michael Poole" are all honorary titles given by @Matt to frequent posters who've become well known here. (and got on his very good side ?)