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This is my first time traveling with Royal Caribbean and I look forward to having a wonderful time wherever we end up. I have watched so many YouTube videos, that I feel as if I already understand every detail about the ship, LOL. I have my concerns about our Port location in Haiti, but I am sure this will be resolved with thoughts of our safety and the crews safety in mind. If there are changes, I hope that we will have more than three days to plan our excursions for another Port location.

So about the blog title. I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense. Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a So about the blog title. I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense. Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a restaurant. Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant. At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant ! So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically convert into the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. It was only April, surely we'd be open by September. Right? Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it? The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners! (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button. Now I told you all of that to tell you this: It's Aug 28, 2023. The restaurant is not open. There are no more partners. But by golly we're about to go cruising! Shortly after we returned home last year the partners requested we buy them out because the project was more expensive than they had planned. So that happened. (And yes, we're still all friends). And the construction, which I do myself, continued. As did the requests, requirements, questions, inspections and fees from our wonderful County Building and Safety, Planning, and Health Departments. Sometime around March or April I told the girls we needed to cancel. But we didn't. I said it again just before final payment was due. But we didn't cancel. A few weeks ago I told them to go without me because this is a critical time in this restaurant and I needed to be here. And then really just days ago I finally decided that this cruise is a go - for all of us! I need the break. Dealing with the County is like trying to un-ring a bell, wash a cat and put toothpaste back in the tube – all at the same time. I won't mention which County. (It's San Bernardino, California ). Their emails flow like blended Mojitos on the pool deck. Their direction changes as quickly as Captain Johnny trying to outrun a storm. I feel like I'm caught in the middle of the Escape Room and the Quest! I need a break. And I think a cocktail on the balcony as we sail out of Galveston will provide that. So,in just 12 days we will board a Southwest Airlines jet, with two good engines, and fly from Palm Springs, Ca to Las Vegas, NV, to Tucson, AZ, to Houston Texas. With the price of the room, budget air is a necessity ! I know this is an early start to the Blog. But after making the decision to go and reading @Lovetocruise2002live blog I need to switch from restaurant mode to CRUISE mode! I hope some of you will follow along as Stacy, Katie, Taylor, Melissa and I head out for 7 wonderful days on our favorite Allure of the Seas. Now I can spend a few days of not only thinking about it but writing about it. Makes it seem more real this way . Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant. At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant ! So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically concert in the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. it was only April, surely we'd be open by September. Right? Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an would hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it? The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners! (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button.

Hello! I’m new so I’m not sure if this is an appropriate place for such a post but I wanted to see if I could ask a big favor of somebody on the current (11/3) sailing of the Allure OTS. We are seeking a large ship model of the Allure (where we had our very first cruise!). We are currently on the Liberty OTS and we will be sharing CocoCay tomorrow with Allure OTS. If you’re onboard Allure OTS and would be able to pick up a model for us from the shop please DM me and we can coordinate how we can meet you on CocoCay, pay for it, etc. Thanks for reading!

Starting to plan an upcoming cruise in Allure. Sailing March 25th. I know that every bar has a specialty drink or two and I have a goal of trying them ALL. Does anyone have the list? Thx in advance.

If we keep our noses clean until Wednesday our little band of misfits will be headed to Suite 1740, The Royal Loft on Allure this Saturday - the very place this Star Class nonsense began! Four years ago we sailed in this suite and experienced Star Class for the first time. I truly believe they put something in the endless parade of snacks and drinks that attacks whatever lobe of the brain might contain common sense. Because from that time forward our cruise planning goes something like this: “ Look, we can snag a great balcony room on an Oasis Class for a week for under $2500! Nah, let’s go ahead and fork out the $1.2 mil for the Royal Loft so we get free laundry!!” It’s a disease. And I’m not sure there’s a cure. This trip will be our core group of regulars: my bride Stacy who will be celebrating the end of 30 years of service as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, daughter Taylor who will be celebrating birthday #23 and the end of her preschool teaching career, and daughter Kaitlyn who will be celebrating introducing her boyfriend to cruising Star Class. I think in last years blog from this same room I referred to her “new boyfriend” who didn’t make that trip. Now he’s THE boyfriend who will be joining us. Welcome aboard Victor! Rounding out the group is yours truly, Jim, who will be celebrating still waking up each morning! It’s important to note, as I’m sure I’ll refer to it later, that it was very doubtful that this cruise would actually take place. We booked it over a year and a half ago. Then in April of this year the one formerly known as Nurse Ratchet hatched the brilliant idea to buy a local market and convert it into a restaurant. So, with a partner, we purchased the property and the dream to build Just a Small Town Grill (thanks Journey) began. It was at that point we accepted the probability that opening a new restaurant and taking a cruise around the same time probably wouldn’t happen. We have spent nearly 5 months planning to cancel this one. But thanks to County Building officials it now appears that we can squeeze this one in while we wait for them to waddle through the governmental red tape and approve a Land Use Permit. I gripe daily about the hoops they are making us jump through but inside I’m a little grateful for their incompetence and other nonsense! I’ll write more tomorrow about our plans, travel, Genie Jay and other details. Hope you all come along for the ride!

I tried to utilize my current FCC certificates in their entirety for my future sailings. I have a "chunky one" left over (about $2,500.00) and then I believe an additional one that will have about maybe $160.00 or so when I step off the sailing I assigned the majority of that FCC to. My time is pretty much maxed out as far as sailing goes with sailings in 2021. In order not to lose any of the credits do I have to go ahead and book two additional sailings by 12/21 for sailing by 04/22? Do you think maybe that date would be pushed out a bit? I offered my family to take the hit and do a sailing alone so as not to disturb what they have going on LOL but I received a resounding very loud NO! darn darn darn.... Thanks everyone, any thoughts would be appreciated maybe I missed something!

Hi, We are doing a family cruise for Thanksgiving this year. First time cruise for everyone involved. It will be me and my 3 siblings, two brother in laws, my parents and 4 nieces (age 6, 4, and 1). Any tips people have would be great but really I am wondering about non-Royal Caribbean shore excursions. Are they hard to make and does anyone have a suggestion for what we should do? We stop in Philipsburg, St. Marteen, San Juan, PR and Labadee, Haiti. Not everything has to be kid centered so I'm looking for any and all possibilities. Thanks!

Hello All, I will be on Allure of the Seas in February and I am very excited. I am calling it the Superbowl Cruise since it is during the Superbowl! Anyhow, for those of you who have been on Allure before, can you tell me how the food at the Windjammer is onboard? I have heard that the Windjammer on Allure is not that good. I cruised on Vision of the Seas this past May and I thought the Windjammer was pretty good... Hit and miss but overall good. Also, what speciality restaurants are not to be missed? We stuck to the main dining room and Windjammer on Vision and would like to branch out more this time. Thanks in advance!