cruiselife

Afternoon report:
Pretty lazy day at sea today. The ship is really moving today. The Captain came on earlier and reported that they are already taking a detour back to Cape Liberty but still warned everyone that this ship is going to move a lot more into the night as we pass by Hatteras. He also suggested that everyone takes their medication for sea sickness if needed.
After taking mine before going on North Star, I'm good with the motion but very sleepy. First afternoon nap I have had in years!
Here are some photos from this morning:
?: Hubby

Photo evidence of the dedication to this blog ?


It was interesting to be able to ride it today and yesterday in port. The experience was way better in port. Views were better and less motion. The operator said that winds were at 29 knots when we rode it. That capsule was moving! They shut the ride down at 46 knots. I also witnessed someone without reservations trying to get on the NS. No go. Completely booked. So make your reservations ahead of time. 
This was in our stateroom today ?


 

Dinner photo dump:
Jamie's Italian tonight. What can I say? I love Jamie's. Everything was delicious! 
No menu pic as @twangster already included one. Here is the kids menu though.

Vegetarian Plank:

Arancini:

Garlic Bread:

Mini Sliders:

Penne Carbonara:

Eggplant Parmigiana:

Funky Chips and Polenta Chips:

Tiramisu:

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake:

Epic Brownie:

Off to see We Will Rock You. I ate so much I can barely move! 

Blue Lagoon Dolphin Excursion:  RC Excursion
This excursion is available in several forms.  There is the Blue Lagoon Beach Break.  This gives you access to beach only.  Then there is the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Swim where you can actually swim with a dolphin.  The one Hubby and D2 did was the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter, which basically lets you play with a dolphin in waist high water.
The excursion started at 7:45am with the meeting spot at Station 1 on the pier.  Hubby reported that it took a long time to actually get on the ferry to Blue Lagoon Island.  They waited pier side until about 9am.  People were separated into two groups (beach people, animal encounters) and bands are given out before boarding the ferry.  
The ferry ride to Blue Lagoon Island took about 45min.  Hubby and D2 reported a smooth, slow ride.  There is a washroom available on the ferry.  You can even purchase drinks and snacks on the ferry.

After arriving on Blue Lagoon Island, there are a few dolphin locations and staff direct you where to go.  There is slight confusion but no one got lost.


Once arriving in your location, there is a consent to sign off on.  Then your belongings are stored in a locker.  Hubby reported that these lockers are small and difficult to lock.  If you have a large backpack, it won't fit and you have to put it off to the side.  The locker can fit approximately a mid-size handbag.  Hubby says the locker is ancient looking and rusted.  It locks with a key.  After securing your belongings, everyone is provided with a life jacket.  Then you are taken to the area for the Dolphin Encounter.  Here the dolphin trainer gives instructions on how to interact with the dolphin and safety.  There are about 16 people in each group.  No personal cameras or recording equipment allowed.
Interactions with the Dolphin includes hugging, kissing, dancing, rubbing, and touching its teeth.  You are also given a fish to feed to the dolphin.  Sometimes the dolphin squirts and splashes you.  After, the dolphin does a few tricks and then you are given to have the opportunity to take a group photo with the dolphin.
Change rooms and showering facilities are available to clean off.
Kiosks are available in the gift shop for purchasing photos and videos. 
Single pics are about $14
Videos are about $58
4 pics + video is $97
All inclusive pics through email was $79
7.5% tax is charged on all purchases and if paying with a credit card, you have to show picture ID.
Beach time is included with the excursion and you have the option to take selected ferry times back to the ship.


Overall thoughts:  Hubby felt this was worth the money.  We paid $119.70 CDN (on sale during Black Friday).  He reported that some parents had children who ended up being afraid and not wanting to go in.  So, buyer beware.  Know your children.

Photo credit: all Hubby
Excursion recap:  Hubby and D2 ?

For @firebuck @SeasTheDayNJ, and @KLAconQueso in the name of research. My waistline is paying for this ?
Fried pickles: just ok, it wasn't spicy, it was fresh and hot. Basically just a breaded pickle. Rating: B

Poutine: this was just ok too. As a Canadian, I have had much better poutine but it was by no way terrible. One step up from cafeteria poutine.  Rating: I say "B" but D1 says "A".

And for @Sweety, look what we found! A super fancy one!

Coffee card is $31 onboard.

 

Best towel animal!  My wife let out a small scream when we walked into the room, and I jumped back when I saw it, then we both laughed and kept it up the rest of the week.

I loved the pictures in the Schooner Bar menu.

D1 and I rode the NS while in port in Nassau. This was such a nice surprise to find that there was not only no wait but that it was offered today in port. Our reservations are actually for tomorrow (at sea) but this provided a much more enjoyable experience and stunning views. 
D1 is sensitive to motion and was worried but I am happy to report that it was much like riding an elevator. Perhaps at sea it is a different feeling. It does get a bit hot in there after a while. 
I had an interesting conversation with the operator on the way up. He mentioned that  only Quantum and Ovation take the NS over the edge of the ship, not Anthem. The reason being that it would make for a 30min ride as opposed to 9min on Anthem.  With a 30min ride, they would not be able to accommodate all the guests so that option is not available on this ship. Ovation and Quantum also charge for NS due to the extended ride. 
Here is a short video of our experience this morning. Pardon the shaky hand as I was busy chatting as well ?
?:D1

Current mood: ?☺️
Enjoying the warmth on the balcony while having a halzelnut mocha. Keeping it light and skipping lunch today. Tonight is Jamie's followed by We Will Rock You. 

Oh, and I just watched this sail by. Someone important must own this....


 

Day 5 CK Menu:

We kept dinner pretty light tonight as most of our day was already filled with eating. Kids started with their usual tomatoes in a martini glass and we kept it light with a Caesar salad. I did not take a pic as I already have one from an earlier post. Then, hubby and I had another appetizer that we have tried before.
Shrimp Cocktail:  according to Hubby, it's "typical". Rating: B

Wild Mushroom Consommé: I really like the flavouring in this. It is saltier than I would normally eat but I make the exception for this one. Rating: A

Kids each had a burger:

Hubby and I had one of our most favourite entrees in CK. 
Braised Short Rib: tender, moist, soft, falls right apart, excellent cut of meat. This seems consistent as it was the same quality on Harmony too. 
Rating: A+

Dessert!

Royal Chocolate Cake: Very rich but delicious. Hard to eat the whole thing. Rating: A

Coconut Custard: light & airy. Not too sweet and the coconut taste is faint. Surprisingly good!

The CK staff here on Anthem continues to impress me. The head waiter here is like no head waiter I have ever seen on any cruise. Tonight we witnessed him sweep the floor in addition to bussing tables, greeting every table, running around. The rest of the CK staff here seem to follow his lead as they are all excellent with service and so personable. 
Calling it an early night tonight as Hubby and D2 have the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter tomorrow. Meeting time is 7:45am. I will be relying on hubby to give an excursion summary as D1 and I are staying on board. 
 

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

Regular breakfast in the WJ today. Grabbed a few photos. I have noticed that for lunch and breakfast they always have a section of Asian food. I don't remember seeing this that regularly on other ships. @jurrjurr no dim sum though. 





Sorry for all the slanted shots. It was crowded as usual. I am certain I don't like the WJ here on Anthem. The food is good but the poor flow of traffic really bothers me. It is consistently like this. 
I did find this which I thought was very interesting....

And here on Anthem, mimosas can be found on carts that look like this...

Trying to decide what to do now. Hubby might take the kids to the pool so I might go check out the solarium finally. ?
 
 

Hi all!  Sorry for the lack of live posts today.  It has been a busy day.  We went to KSC today on a shore excursion purchased through RC.  It is called "Kennedy Space Center Guided Tour".  It is pricey but well worth it in my opinion.  We got 10% off the Cruise Planner price during the sale at Christmas time.  Here's a short summary of our day...
Instructions were to meet outside the terminal building at 8:15am.  Upon arriving outside, greeters were there to direct you.
Greeter:  "What excursion are you headed on today?"
Hubby:  "Cape Canaveral"
Greeter: ...looking puzzled
Me:  We are going on the Kennedy Space Center guided tour.
Greeter:  "Oh, ok, down to the buses on the right."
More evidence to support the fact the I am the Genie, even on vacation...Ok, moving on...
The bus left promptly at 8:30am.  It took slightly over 20min to get to KSC.  The bus ride there and back was very interactive.  Our guide gave lots of info about the area and the Space Center.  We headed straight to the Saturn V Center.  The last time we were here it was about 20 years ago.  Hubby and I both noticed throughout the day that they have added many more attractions to the place.  At the Saturn V building, we watched a video on the lift off of Apollo 8 and there was plenty of time given to walk around, take pics, and tour independently.
Photo Credit:  All Hubby



After leaving the Saturn V Center, they gave us some time to view the launch pad from the viewing stands.  That's where my pic earlier today came from.
We boarded the bus again and headed over to the Visitor Complex.  Here we watched a short video at Journey to Mars and watched an 3D IMAX movie on "Journey to Space".  Many of the attractions here reminded me of the Epcot Center.  Our kids were surprisingly engaged and we were really pleased with that.  Free time was then given for lunch.  It was raining by this point so the break was welcomed.  The food choices here are standard theme park items.
D2 was quite inspired by this time.  She created this.  It's called "Mission Chicken"  or "Chicken Rocket", she couldn't decide.

After lunch, we met back up with the group and it was time to head over to Atlantis.  Here we had time to participate in the Shuttle Launch Experience and wander through other exhibits.

All in all, it was a very worthwhile experience at KSC.  Everything mentioned above was included except lunch.  It was a busy day.  D2 lost all steam by the end of the day.  In chatting with the kids at dinner, they had time to reflect on the visit and they enjoyed it.  It was eye opening for them to see the collective effort that goes into a mission.  It was also humbling for them to see the sacrifices made by others to get to the point where we are now in space exploration.  I am really happy that we took them now (at this age) and not earlier because they are at an age where they can see beyond the "fun" of the exhibits and process the information they took in today.  This excursion also provided a really good mix of guided exploration and independent touring. 
In answer to @Skid's question from earlier, if this excursion is worthwhile as a half-day tour, I feel that the answer is it depends on several factors.  If the tour is guided and includes both the Saturn V Center and the Visitor Complex, then no.  I fear it may be very rushed.  If it only includes part of it, then yes, you can still get some good time in.  If your tour is totally independent, then it is worthwhile if you are not visiting for the first time (and you are selective) or if you have researched it and have a set plan (no wandering).  Keep in mind that travel time alone is about 50-60 min round trip.  On our way back to the ship, we had to wait on a bridge for about 10 min because there was a barge that had to pass.  Things like that can eat up time if you only have 6 hours.  Our tour was listed as 8hrs but really it was 8:15am-5pm.
After we got back, the kids were wiped.  It was a quick stop at Sorrento's pizza again (kids like it lol) and then back to the stateroom to clean up for dinner.
Going to put the kids to bed then post dinner photos...

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

Food in general can be a pretty subjective thing. I recently returned from my first Carnival cruise and I thought the main dining room and buffet options were better on Royal Caribbean. On an Oasis class ship you will have even more complimentary options to choose from. Also keep in mind when you eat in the main dining room that you can order as many items as you want so if you don't like something don't be afraid to ask for something else. I have found that they are always incredibly accommodating and typically I order either two appetizers or two entrees at most meals because they're usually relatively small.
In terms of specialty dining I don't think it's necessary, but it definitely does add to the experience. My wife and I avoided it completely at first and always had great experiences in the MDR and Windjammer. Now we usually get a dining package for a few nights of the cruise and we have really enjoyed it, but we still enjoy the MDR and Windjammer as well. While there is no denying that the food in the specialty restaurants is superior in quality there are still tons of great complimentary options.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

I finally got around to editing some pictures and thought I would post a live blog style review of our day in Cozumel from this February even though it’s not so live anymore. I made a video but the image quality is so much better in the pictures. All of the pictures were extracted from the GoPro footage.
We were cruising with some friends and didn’t have any plans for the day except that we wanted to check out the East side of the island. We had heard that it was beautiful and since this was our third trip to Cozumel we wanted to try something a little different. We decided to rent some scooters by the cruise port and headed East. It was $55 for the day including full insurance coverage. I think it took around 20 minutes or so to get to the East side of the island but I did not actually time it. Once you get out of downtown there is a side road that is for designated for scooters and bicycles. The ride down the coastline was beautiful and the pictures don’t even do it justice.



 
We had pulled over to check the map, but we saw this little beachside bar and decided to check it out. The place was called Rasta Bar. It was free to enter and they had a full bar and menu. We weren’t that hungry so we just had some chips and guacamole and a few beers. The chips and guacamole were around $6 and the beers were $3 each.






 
There were miles of untouched beach and coastline in either direction of the bar. There was plenty of white sandy beach, hammocks, and a beach volleyball court. We had planned to just stop for a few minutes but we decided to stay a while because it was exactly what we were looking for. I can’t say enough about how beautiful the undeveloped beaches on the East side of the Island are. Our only regret about the day was that we hadn’t brought anything for the beach like flip flops or beach towels because we didn’t know what we were going to do when we set out.



 
It was a great day and it was probably our favorite thing that we have experienced in Cozumel. We went downtown afterwards to our favorite spot called the Thirsty Cougar. We didn’t take any pictures but it was great as usual. Overall the day was incredibly affordable coming in at under $100 total for the two of us. I would highly recommend renting scooters as a fun way to explore Cozumel. Not only was the ride exhilarating, but it was also incredibly convenient to be able to travel anywhere you wanted on the island without worrying about transportation costs adding up.
One tip I would give to anyone who decides to rent scooters is to take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental place. When we returned them at the end of the day they tried to charge our friends for a scratch that was already there. Luckily, he had taken pictures and we were able to resolve the issue without any problems. Rasta Bar was great and there were several other beachside bars on the Eastern coast that looked great as well. We look forward to seeing more of the island on our next trip to Cozumel.

Below is a link to a past cruise compass for Allure. The cruise compass is basically a list of all activities, entertainment, and dining for the day. People save theirs and send them to Matt to post on the blog. While your sailing may not be exactly the same, this will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect on your cruise.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/allure-of-the-seas/sun-2017-10-22-0000

Here is a breakdown of food on Allure:
Complimentary Restaurants
Windjammer: The main buffet. It never lets you down.
Main Dining Room: Complimentary sit-down service available for all guests.
Park Café: Casual café in Central Park some would compare to a Panera.
Solarium Bistro: Healthier dining in the adults only area. It is a buffet during lunch but converts to a sit down restaurant/buffet hybrid in the evening.
Vitality Café: Healthy quick-serve options located right outside the gym. Also has protein shakes.
Sorrento's: Pizza joint in the Promenade that is open 24 hours.
Café Promenade: Serves sandwiches and other items in the Promenade.
Dog House: Hot dogs on the Boardwalk.
Coastal Kitchen: This is a main dining room for suite guests only.
Specialty Restaurants
Chops Grille: Royal Caribbean's classic steakhouse. Usually around $49 for dinner and $22 for lunch.
150 Central Park: Farm to table style restaurant by celebrity chef Michael Schwartz. Usually around $49 for dinner and $22 for lunch.
Izumi: Great sushi. Also has a hibachi option like a Benihana. Pricing is a la carte for sushi and $45 for the hibachi experience.
Giovanni's Table: Classic Italian restaurant. Usually around $35 for dinner and $25 for lunch.
Sabor: Mexican restaurant with great guacamole and margaritas. Usually around $22 for lunch and dinner.
Johnny Rockets: A classic Johnny Rockets just like on land. There is a small charge for lunch and dinner but they serve complimentary breakfast.
Chef's Table: This is the Ferrari of specialty restaurants. It's a private 5 course experience. Usually around $95.
 
If you decide to eat at multiple specialty restaurants I highly recommend a dining package of some kind. A dining package makes the cost per meal significantly lower. Usually around $20-$30 per meal depending on the package which is almost a 50% savings at some restaurants. There may also be an option for buy one get one free available depending on your sailing. Also, do not make a reservation for kids 12 and under. Just let them know onboard that your kids will be joining you and there is a $10 charge for kids rather than the full price you would pay online. You don't have to eat at a specialty restaurant at all if you don't want to, but it definitely adds to the experience.
You have found the perfect place to plan your cruise. There is literally no other resource like this blog out there, period. If I have questions about a Royal Caribbean cruise I don't call Royal Caribbean or go to their website, I come here. Check out the Royal Caribbean blog podcasts on the website or on iTunes for free. Matt also does live Facebook and Periscope Q&A sessions daily where he always answers everyone's questions in real time. They're fun to listen to when you have a question or just want to get excited about your vacation.

CK Night 3 Menu
Dinner tonight features another two of my favourite CK dishes.

Spinach salad: Fresh, healthy. Not much more to say. Rating...A

Scallops: Hubby's dish. It is raw. He did not expect that. I don't think he liked it. He said he cannot rate it because it wasn't his thing lol. 

Braised Beef Gnocchi: Love this dish! Braised beef is tender and falls apart. Excellent flavour. Rating A, not + cause it was slightly cold.

Veal Cannelloni: This came with Balsamic dressing. D1 did not like it. She thought it was chocolate sauce...oops ? No rating here.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken Breast: Hubby's dish. He said it had full flavour. I had this one on Harmony. The couscous is very light and tasty. Rating: A

Grilled Tofu: I adore this dish ? I like tofu. I've been eating it since I was young. I know fresh vs. not so fresh tofu and this one is perfect in texture and freshness. Even if you are not a tofu lover, you need to give it a try if you ever find yourself in CK. It is dressed with a sweet chilli sauce that is simply delicious. 

Dessert!

No dessert pics tonight...sorry. They were all repeats. Hubby and I got apple pie. It had raisins in it. D1 had ice cream (for the 3rd time today) and D2 skipped dessert cause she was too tired ? 
The head waiter here in CK continues to amaze me. He stops at every table, every night to have a chat. Not just a hello, but a real chat. So personable. On top of this I have also witnessed him do things that I have never seen a head waiter too. He refills water and buses tables while making his rounds. Super hard worker! In a chat with him last night we spoke about the pier at Coco Cay. He mentioned in passing that it might be slated for a late 2018 completion now. 
After dinner we headed to Spectra's Cabaret in 270. I had pretty much no expectations for this as I have read very mixed reviews about this show. I loved it! I find it hard to describe. It was a variety show of sorts. There was singing, music, acrobatics, dancing, and course the amazing technical and special effects in 270. It was psychedelic, futuristic, very Cirque du Soleil-ish at times. I loved the percussions and the musicality of it as well. Really well put together. 
Wrapping it up tonight as we have a pretty early start tomorrow. Meeting time for KSC  is 8:15am. That is way too early for us. Probably won't update much tomorrow until I get back on board. Canadian in the US without data.  Good night all.