CGTLH

The great Royal mystery! I have booking on Harmony for the end of October and all dining options are available to book.

Info about room service https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/03/16/royal-caribbean-shares-new-fleet-wide-room-service-menu During breakfast hours the continental breakfast items are included in the cruise fare. Room service during non breakfast hours and if American breakfast items are ordered will incur a $7.95 (plus 18% gratuity) delivery fee that is assessed per order. No restrictions on number of items that can be ordered, still one set fee. For those staying in a Grand Suite or better is it included in the cruise fare. Grand Suite or better guests can also order from the main dining room menu during the hours it is open.

Sounds like my ideal standing breakfast order as well.

Going to take this moment to post the pictures of the stateroom. Located in the very back of deck 12 and what seemed like a long journey from the the elevators was my humble room Sky Suite 12260 (S1) for the sailing. This was an interesting setup due to the room sharing a small hallway with another room. The entrance to this hallway also had a locked door. For whatever reason never had much success using the app to unlock the hallway door. From what I read for certain sail dates both rooms are combined to make another type of suite where both rooms can access The Retreat areas. However only the S1 room would have use of the Butler. Same time I'm not 100% sure on this. Entering the room you get the full impact of the room. Stepping more in towards the middle of the room you get in sight a door the leads to the bathroom and flanking it is drawers and closet space. Moving around some more is the room... Provided is a full length mirror, just have to move the chair out of the way and push in the desktop. Inside of the white box was a single multi Euro 220V outlet, two 110V American style outlets, and two USB ports. Also to make note the bed next to the couch also had a 110V American style outlet and I think two USB ports. The bed over by the bathroom had nothing, the phones does have a USB port that could be used for charging devices. The three drawers on the dresser were split in half to give a total of six compartments. The white door on the dresser hides the fridge that actually keeps stuff cold. Bottle of sparkling wine was compliments of the room. Now you don't get an aft room just for the long walks. You get the aft room for the view. Plus in this case the ample deck space Also requested a lounger that was bought that evening Now for the final room, the bathroom... If I had to guess the size of the bathroom would be almost the same as one in a Grand Suite on a Royal ship. To the right is a small vanity area with magnifying mirror. Also has an outlet that a 110V hair dryer could be plugged in to. Also note a hair dryer is provided in the bathroom. Was in the middle drawer under the sink. Another view of the sink and vanity area Closeup of the sink area Word of warning about the bathroom door, it is magnetic. The strength of the magnets used keeps the door firmly closed. The door will also close with some force once the magnetic pull starts. Now for a better view of the shower/tub combo See that door to the left... It hides the last feature of the room... Time to open it... Final shot is the light switch. The bathroom has two light controls, one switch controls all the light other than one in the shower. That other switch is for the light in the shower. When no lights are on a very soft light can be noticed from under the sink counter area. Subject of lights, all the lights with the exception of the bathroom could be controlled with the app. You also didn't need to be in the room to control anything. All room controls could be done anywhere as long as you were connected to the ship's wifi network. Purchase of an internet package is not required to use the apps features.

Great starting point, soda will run around $3 to $3.50 for a 12oz can. Don't for get about the 18% gratuity.

Could see the potential in replacing Vintages with the Bamboo Room. Just wonder if Central Park is the right vibe for it. Vintages does have one parallel with the Bamboo Room, offering small bites for purchase. I'm sure if Vintages does still stick around the tapas selection will be replaced with the Jamie's offerings.

One of the nice things, at least on Edge, is they allow your carry on bags to be dropped off in the room upon boarding. None of this hallways closed off until 1 PM stuff. All doors were closed and locked so for the most part dropped off bags were secured. At this time I did bump into the stateroom attendant and he mentioned that just some final touch ups had to be completed and kindly asked not to linger around too long.

Swear all I ever post about is food... So it is now the depressing final day of the cruise. With it being a day at sea one goal was to finally visit Eden Cafe for breakfast with one goal in mind, a cinnamon roll. Eden Cafe is tucked away inside of Eden in the back of the ship. During the day it has the stunning wake views that are reminiscent of 270 on the Quantum class. At night Eden all about performance, both acting and culinary. Still I'm here for breakfast... You know your journey towards the back of deck 5 is complete once you pass thru the forest... and then spot the first Eden sign... once the second sign is spotted, just keep a careful eye out it might disappear on you, hang a left. The breakfast goal was finally insight, the Fresh Baked Cinnamon roll. If I wanted the also had some breakfast sandwiches that would be heated/press to order. Also had some cold options such as Muesli, Yogurt parfait, fruit, or just plain yogurt. Nope, I had one goal and was going to stick to it. Finally the warm baked goodie was on plate and in hand. After enjoying my cinnamon roll I took the time to browse the Eden area in the daylight. Some views from deck 5 Moving up to deck 6 The primary way up to deck 6 is via a ramp. All along the ramp are little seating areas to be out of the way. At the time others were enjoying their privacy, so sorry no pictures of those areas. After what might have been my final visit to Eden I was off towards the Main Theater for the Captain's Navigation Talk.

Time to play dinner catch up, I'll be covering Friday and Saturday. Due to dining in Lumane and Blu I didn't go wild on the picture taking. In Fact I kinda forgot about taking pictures altogether at Blu except for the entree. Friday night was the second Chiq Night of the cruise, also the traditional lobster night. Forgot to take a picture of what would have been my appetizer, so I'm not going to bore with any details. First Entree (or second appetizer in my opinion) were the Seared Scallops. To the order is four scallops, after eating the first one started remembering to take pictures... Second Entree, Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb The person I was dining with ask for a lobster tail and the 4oz filet (the filet could be found on the kids menu). I did sample a bite of the tail and it was cooked just right. Texture wasn't that of chewing rubber bands and had a slight roasted flavor. Overall saltiness was overpowering. I'm not sure if it was the butter poached version from the menu or steamed/roasted tail removed from the shell prior to plating. Between the main course and dessert a Chef's taste was brought out. It was orange or tangerine segments in some type of syrup. I'm not really recalling the flavor profile off the top of my head. This also occurred before appetizers were brought out. In that case it was some type of chicken liver mousse. Dessert time! First dessert sampling was the Chocolate Bar served with peanut butter gelato Yes, a small bite was taken before the picture was taken. Next dessert was the Luminae Baked Alaska. Presentation of it was phenomenal, was not expecting a meringue spiked cube. Digging in for a cross sample Now for the only picture I took in Blu at Saturday night's dinner. Only reason I did, in honor of @WAAAYTOOO's husband and his love of lamb shank. Taste is always a subjective topic. Luminae vs Coastal Kitchen, I might give a slight nudge towards Luminae. Still between to the two it was very close, menu similarities run very close between the two. Keep in mind I only dined twice in Luminae. Blu, I did feel Luminae was better. On a service level, I would say Luminae.

Some post cruise thoughts... Edge is a very sleek and modern ship (yeah yeah #modernluxury). No point did the ship feel like it was crowded, maybe at the end of a show. It also didn't seem like it was that much a late night ship. Casino was usually the latest place open, not sure about The Club. Know most times late night when I passed by it didn't seem like it was open. Outside of room service no other food options were available past 1 am. However they did have a 24 hour beverage station in Oceanview Cafe. Only major problem I felt was the lack of bars. Can't vouch for Resort deck or Solarium service, but the roaming waiters were plentiful and quick. Other problem was lack of shade at the outside bars. Sunset Bar, unless the ship happened be sailing towards the sun you were getting toasty. Felt shaded areas were in general a bit lacking. Even up on The Retreat sundeck there were only a few spot that were fully shaded. Looping back to the bar discussion. I felt there were really only three main spots, four if you included The Retreat Lounge. One of those I'm not 100% if the were completely full service. On deck 5 you have Cafe al Bacio, at first glance it is primarily a coffee bar with spirits and complimentary snacks. Deck 4 introduces the Casino bar. Then finally on deck 3 the Martini Bar. Other bars include Sunset bar 15 aft, pool bar 14 midship also on 14 was the bar in Oceanview Cafe, the the Magic Carpet that could be on either deck 5, 14, or 16 at any given time.

Thanks again for following along. Still have a bit more stuff to post in the upcoming days.

Disembarkation thoughts... Toss up between Terminal A and Terminal 25, edge might be towards T25. Both use the facial recognition system, however luggage pickup is after the scan. So at that point it is grab bag and head towards the exit. Still the disembarkation off the ship was fairly painless just a bit after 9am. Also the private vehicle pickup wasn't that bad. Big challenge is trying to find a spot to pull in. Pricing: Lyft to Miami airport $38, time 40 minutes.

Lively the nights I was in it, did start to taper off around midnight. Tables had $10 minimums. For the number of guests onboard I felt the casino was on the smaller side.

Ain't tequila, but it is one of the last drinks served at the Casino Bar. #notjustsoda Still, 1:42 am and the Casino is closed with the bar cleaning up... Wanted to add, by 2 am the ship was pretty much shutdown. The Club, empty; Casino, sealed off; Oceanview Cafe, complementary beverages only. In contrast, some of my previous Royal sailings still had something going on celebrating the last few hours of the sailing. One highlight is one of the drink fridges in The Retreat Lounge was still available. If you don't mind decaf espresso/coffee the machine was still available (machine uses pods, only decaf was out) or a selection of teas (one of the brands is Tea Forte, I've kinda grown addicted to the Raspberry Nectar variety)

Last two slices of pizza... Wonderful, wonderful pizza made with fresh hand stretched dough.

Sorry again for the delay, hope they came out clear.

Haven't forgotten about this request, been a busy last day.

Fun tidbit: Every evening at 8:30 PM the bartenders at the Martini Bar do a quick bar flair show.

I'll give the bar staff at il Secondo Biaco (bar inside of Oceanview Cafe). Requested a drink that they were out of. Currently they are on a man hunt for it. Don't know if it is due to being a member of "The Retreat" or just flat out the level of service they are willing to provide.

Think I'd sail Celebrity just for this every night

Time to go over some of the dining venues I've visited. First off is Lumine This is located on deck 12, port side forward. This is the speciality restaurant for suite guests. By default when booking you are placed in what is called Celebrity Select dining, this is due to the exclusive use of this venue. If you want to bring in non-suite guests a fee will apply. At the same time if you wish to dine is any of the other venues you may do so by making a reservation. Next up is Eden Restaurant When entering Eden you'll find Eden Cafe to the left. Eden Cafe is open for lunch everyday and on sea days breakfast. In Eden Cafe you'll find sandwiches pressed to order, made to order salads, and a sandwich made with fresh carved meat. You can also find complementary beverages and made to order espresso drinks. Plus for a sweet tooth fix, complementary baked goodies. Our final stop for this journey is Fine Cut Steakhouse Fine Cut also features a semi-private dining room as well, keep in mind this is just left of the entrance.

Ask and ye shall receive

All comes down to what you're after. I couldn't find any faults with my meal. I really enjoyed the Truffled Tuna, might say a little bit more than the Tuna Wasabi. All the Izumi comment was implying is don't go in looking for say the Champagne Lobster wrap.

Dinner last night was at Raw on 5, an a la carte restaurant. Just like Izumi on Royal using, the dining package provided a credit for $35 a person. For once I actually have a picture of the venue. As with Fine Cut it is located just of the Main Plaza, so once again noise can be a factor. Tonight it didn't seem as bad versus the previous night a Fine Cut. Starting off the meal I was given a nice view of the sunsetting in Cozumel First round... Truffled Albacore Tuna ($9): Sriracha, white truffle oil, ponzu Shrimp Tempura ($10): Avocado, cucumber, pickled burdock, shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, sweet soy Next round... Alaskan California ($10): Snow crab, avocado, cucumber, roasted sesame seeds Spicy Tuna ($9): Sesame, soy Assorted Sashimi ($8): Tuna, yellowtail, salmon, sea bass Main dishes... Seared Filet Mignon Medallions ($16): Asparagus, mushrooms, scallions, garlic butter Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry ($10): Bok choy, peppers (omitted by request), sweet soy glaze For dessert Yuzu Sorbet ($4) Overall it was different than the Izumi fare. Guess you can say it was missing the Chef Travis touch with all the eclectic rolls.

I'm sitting here writing up this post with what I have to say is the most motion I've felt so far this cruise. The funny thing, we are tied up in Costa Maya. Also have a neighbor for the day I'll power on with showing off some of the photos taken the other day. Rooftop Garden area Also said "Hi" to our neighbor Brilliance Also a day and night shot of the main pool/resort deck. Tonight also happened to the The White Party Finally the design of the Main Theater isn't the classic proscenium style stage with an apron, rather it is a thrust stage. Performance tonight was comedian Billy Garan.