Lovetocruise2002

1 minute ago, rjac said:

Definitely the way to get the party, excuse me, CRUISE started.... n'est ce pas? 

Yes

and maybe tomorrow if I squint hard enough, I might be able to spot @twangster on Empress.  So close...

We’re in Miami!  All checked and waiting for complimentary Happy Hour

I love this hotel.  Nothing beats the Bay view rooms.  This is the Club Intercontinental King room with Bay views.

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Shhh.  The Westin TSA security area is a secret best not advertised on the internet.  

Not that top secret entrance. This was the regular entrance to the Westin from the domestic check in area.

1 hour ago, bellemiche said:

Oh no!!! What time was your flight? We fly Delta next Saturday from Detroit to FLL. 

Our flight was 10am. We were at the airport by 7am. It was crazy town. They even sent us to the International check in counter because the line for domestic was all the way to the Westin entrance.  Then I saw areas open for TSA screening that I never even knew existed. Again, not sure if it was because it was earlier on a Friday morning, as opposed to Saturday when we usually fly out. 

Time to board.

I’ll check back in later after we are in Miami!

11 minutes ago, Skid said:

Wait, why would you call a feast like that unfortunate?

5 minutes ago, Matt said:

McDonalds? I'd rather rely on the chips on the plane for sustenance

McDonald’s always seems like a good idea until you are done. Then you feel gross. I would normal rely on the almonds on the plane but the next meal likely won’t be until after we check in at the Intercontinental so I needed something more substantial to hold me over

17 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

This is me, DW thinks it's a waste of time

Scorpios...it’s in our nature

Just now, tiny260 said:

Breakfast of champions, lol. You guys have a blast.

One of our recent cruises, I had everything planned out at the airport, where we wouldn't get to the gate very much before boarding started, but then we got to the ticket counter and there was a college soccer team checking in, then security was a zoo, thank goodness for Priority access and TSA Pre-check. Plans changed and we still had time for a coffee before boarding.

That is why we always leave way ahead of time. I still remember clearly the time we almost missed our flight because of a backup at the border. I would rather sit at the gate with time to spare.

11 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Safe flight! Maybe find an excuse to take a detour to La Bamba on your way to Miami. You know, just to make sure the margaritas haven't had the recipe changed.  

Would love to! The only problem is that we have our luggage with us and I can’t see how it would be ok to drive it all in. I will have to find tequila elsewhere.

Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sabrina, have a great trip and enjoy your Anniversary ! Envious, as we still have not made it to Symphony yet.  Cruise on !

Thanks Raye!

and don’t be jealous...your bank account is probably doing better than ours with the rates we have to pay to cruise in the summer

10 minutes ago, ellcee said:

Have a breakfast cocktail while you wait!

Unfortunately this was breakfast just now...

1 day out...

Getting to the airport was a breeze today. We made record time!  Got the kids dropped off and at DTW in just a few minutes over an hour.

When we arrived it was a different story here at McNamara terminal. Complete zoo!

It took us almost an hour to get 1 bag checked and to go through security. This is a process that normally takes us about 15-20min max here. Not sure if it’s just regular weekend traffic or if it’s something else but it is way busier than we are used to. 

5 hours ago, LandstromCruise said:

Enjoy!  I loved Symphony!  Will be following along. 

Hey there!  Haven’t see you around these boards lately! Glad to have you following along! 

26 minutes ago, Auto said:

Have a great cruise! #jealous

Happy Anniversary, too! My wife and I are celebrating 18 next week (hmmmm...she was teaching when we got married, so I guess we are in on the trend, too).

Thank you and Happy Anniversary to you too!

2 days out...

Nothing new to report today other than the usual “day before we leave” business. 

Mani/Pedi

Check in

Packed ... Hubby zero in this area

Eat “healthy” dinner while I dream of CK

Note of apology...all food pics following this one should be way better!

Headed to bed early tonight as we have a pretty early start tomorrow. Sleep should not be a problem as I barely slept last night.  

Yes, with the dining package you will have to wait until you get on board.  Unless you are in a suite, if that is the case, the suite concierge can make it for you ahead of time when they send their welcome email.

I had a dream that I missed the 10K mark on the counter because I've been trying to keep an eye on it.  I know...I have problems.  #devotedtoRCBlog

There is also legitimate danger to your bank accounts when you read and follow a @twangster live blog, even if you don't understand the camera talk 

On 5/22/2019 at 10:52 AM, ThyriC said:

I actually have a question about this.  And its going to seem REAL weird, but are you allowed to bring/use your own skates?  Yes I realize they take up valuable bag real estate but I used to figure skate and got very very accustomed to wearing my custom skates.  I think if I was allowed to bring my own I'd never leave the rink!  

My only concern would be Royal's desire to check all passenger brought skates prior to allowing them on their rink.  I mean if you get a hockey player bringing actual hockey skates it could be very dangerous with how thin and sharp the blades of those skates are (heck even my customs are super sharp), and then you have the potential of the other end of the spectrum of someone with a very poorly kept pair of skates hardly able to be used on a standard rink much less a moving rink at sea.  

On 5/22/2019 at 12:31 PM, Matt said:

Yes you can. In the past, if you did bring your own, you were supposed to skate at one of the advanced skate sessions onboard.

I can confirm this.  When the rinks first began on ships, Hubby (being Canadian and he plays hockey) was so excited he would bring his skates every cruise.  We laugh about that now because it was so cumbersome and ridiculous. 

Truth is, he stopped bringing them because he realized that the Studio B rinks are not your typical arena rinks.  The ice is not very smooth and there is not many "tricks" you can do in a small space with others.  However, it gives us an appreciation for what those ice skaters have to do each night under those conditions.  It's not easy on regular ice, let alone the ice on a ship.

11 minutes ago, Yo2slick said:

Where does one get a RCBlog magnet?

https://www.patreon.com/RoyalCaribbeanBlog

4 hours ago, Matt said:

Politics aside, his Trump impression is unbelievably good.

Cool...I have to pay close attention to that lol.

@CruisingKat(Kathy) also does personalized magnets.  That's who did mine.  You can contact her via PM.

Wow! 

Congrats @Matt on 10, 000 members on the Royal Caribbean Blog message boards!  

Thank you for this unique community that you had vision for and created.  What an amazing and welcoming place this is, not only to learn about cruising,  but to meet fantastic people and friends along the way.  Proud to be part of the RCBlog community.  

Cheers to “YOLO Book It!”!

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

If all goes well and the rules don't change it should be in 2020.

Nice! That did not take long at all! 

I’ve booked with Danette too and she is really efficient and quick with responses.

22 minutes ago, Tiffeven said:

Happy Anniversary!  Looking forward to following along on your adventure.

Thanks!  Glad to have you following along for another one!

3 minutes ago, WannaCruise said:

Simeon was our cruise director for our week on Symphony , filling in for regular CD.  He was quite funny.

Yes, I remember that week when the CDs had their conference. I read of couple of reviews of Simeon that week as acting CD. There were even some scopes of him with fellow periscopers. He was the comedian on Harmony in 2017 when we sailed. I just found him to be ok. Definitely looking forward to another chance to see him though.