Lovetocruise2002

Back to Ice Games…I had mentioned initially that we had sailed Allure before in 2016. Since then, other ships that we have sailed with an ice show are Harmony (twice), Mariner, Indy, Symphony. What stuck me tonight was that Ice Games seemed really dated and then I realized about 10 minutes in why. All those ships we have sailed since are either newer, or have been amped (shows redone), making Ice Games seem a bit lacking in comparison. It was still a decent Royal Caribbean production, but tonight was probably the first night where I felt like Allure could have really benefitted if she had not lost out on getting amped.

I don’t know if it has anything to do with being in a “star class bubble” but we are thankful that this sailing has gone smoothly for us. I didn’t ask why it was gone. Sorry

Happening now: Ice Games

Dinner - Giovanni’s Delicious tonight and fabulous service! Menu and Wine List We ended up with a whole mix of items because everything looked delicious. Starter: soup of the day (Tomato Soup) Mains: Hubby got the Carbonara with a few prawns added in. I couldn’t decide so I ended up with a side of Carbonara (which ended up looking like a full lol), pork belly (no sides), and eggplant (no sides). Dessert: Chocolate gelato Tiramisu Irish Coffee As always, food coma is a real condition.

Much of the afternoon was spent just hanging out in our suite and trying to soak it all in before we have to leave tomorrow. I really do love this room. We spent some time chatting with our Loft attendant, Komang, he is fantastic by the way. He’s been a loft attendant for a while now alternating between Oasis and Allure. I am really hoping to run into him again. He has checked in with us more time than we can count, great sense of humour, and very thorough with a small problem that we had in our suite. Other than that, it has been a pretty uneventful afternoon, but for us, that has been perfect since both of us are usually always on the run. Off to dinner now and then we have plans to see the ice show. Trying not to think too much about leaving tomorrow but I do miss the girls, Christmas awaits!

They said it was due to technical difficulties.

I think @Matt needs to have Shane as his genie for that one reason alone!

Sea day today so it was Izumi for lunch. Delicious as always. Not sure how I will have even more carbs tonight, but in the words of my oldest, we will just “power through”. Drink: She’s a Geisha Small plates: Vegetable Fried Rice Shrimp Firecracker Spring Roll Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura Large Plate: Tonkatsu Ramen Dessert: Green Tea Ice Cream

Bummer…

Super speedy results from the PCR test earlier. Took our test just before 8:30 am. Results emailed by 9:30 am. Both negative! I am still slightly anxious for our last hurdle crossing back into Canada but hopefully all will go smoothly.

Blast from the past! Went to go redeem our free photo and Allure still uses the old “find your printed photo in your folder” system. Haven’t seen this in ages!

Choppy day at sea today. There is lots of movement here up on Deck 17 but views like this remind me of why I am forever #teamDeck17!

Day 4 It’s that time…. PCR testing for international travellers. Our appointment was booked for 8:30 am and Smitha offered to meet us in our room around 8:15 am. We were up earlier today so we met her outside the conference centre instead. She already had our papers waiting for us. There was no line so likely even without Smitha it would have been a fast process. She said that as the morning goes on that is when the lines tend to form, especially with little ones. The whole process took us less than 5 mins. Done before our original 8:30 am appointment time. Fingers crossed for negative results! Off to you know where for breakfast

I might have to wait for March to make that request lol. The amount of “snacks” she has sent each day, combined with all our dinners, we can barely move these days and our clothes are shrinking The mission today is Izumi lunch and Giovanni’s for dinner so no more food requests from us.

I don’t know exactly when it disappeared. I know that when cruises were restarting back in the summer, people were reporting that the seafood tower was gone. But about a month or two when I was going through the menus on the app for this sailing, I noticed that the mushroom soup was gone too. I was hoping that was maybe a glitch in the app but no such luck.

Yes. Tonight I have seen it on FB in multiple groups

Our cruise compass for tomorrow makes zero mention of smoking (allowed or not allowed). That section has just disappeared

Dinner brought us to Chops Grille tonight. While I am not a fan of their signature filet, I do love their lobster. They have made a few changes to the Chops menu. Sadly, as @calvink669 mentioned, the mushroom soup that @WAAAYTOOO and I love is gone. Also gone is the seafood tower loved by many. My once loved Lavender Tonic is now known as the Lavender Martini. Luckily, it appears to be just a name change. The taste remains unchanged and good. Menu Lavender Martini Butternut Squash Soup Because they got rid of the mushroom soup, I decided to give this a try. It was surprisingly good and flavourful. Not bad for a replacement. I still wish they kept the mushroom soup though. House Bread Caeser Salad Broiled Maine Lobster Normally there is an up charge for this but with SC, it is waived. Full of flavour and perfect texture! Spicy Jumbo Shrimp Sides - Truffle fries, Creamy Spinach, Mac n Cheese, and Tater Tots Dessert - Key Lime Pie, Cheesecake Bavarian coffee

This is new (for me at least). The famous Star Class laundry tags and the black bag are gone. Now you just fill out a sheet of paper and you get it back like this.

Not at all. No one had a mask on outside at Coco Cay today. Thanks! It was all cruise inspired right down the furniture. That daybed is similar to the one my daughter loved on the Star Loft balcony on HM.

This was in today’s cruise compass. At the moment, it is still allowed on this sailing.

Nope. This will be the first one. We just put that up in March 2021. I will keep you posted.

I know right?! This is our first time just the two of us but I seems crazy. I will be honest, there was none lol. Some of the snack shack locations were way too far and the thrill park one we did not have access to. And I just really wanted back on the ship. Hubby says we need to come back with the girls so he can have someone to go around with You know me well! Lol On this cruise, that is literally what it looks like each day so far….