Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Good morning! Out of dry dock! This hotel provides a hot breakfast selection: the usual, sausages, pancakes, waffles, omelettes, etc. Nothing photo worthy. Snapped a few pics of the dining area. Would I stay here again? Yes. For the price, value, and proximity to Port Everglades it is decent for a one night pre-cruise stay. Just know that you won’t be getting the Renaissance or Conrad and it’s all good. Just finished with breakfast. Going to pack up the room and headed over to the port. It’s cruise time! JLMoran, The Cruise Junkie, Skigoofy and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralqueen Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 I’m almost regretting looking at the updates this morning because now I’m STARVING for Mexican since those pictures look so good! But in reality I have no regrets and I’m very excited to follow along with you on your trip. Have a fabulous time and I’m looking forward to seeing how you cope without a suite! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Greetings from St Kitts. Raining off and on but our train excursion isn’t until this afternoon. Have a great boarding day ! Lovetocruise2002 and The Cruise Junkie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Greetings from Terminal 18! Lyft Plus to Terminal 18: $11.83 Noted that at terminal 18 there is a separate security line for Diamond and above. They still took our pictures at check in even though we uploaded ours already. Currently waiting to board. 10:43pm. No one has boarded yet. JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Woot! It's cruise day! Very envious. Enjoy your cruise! The Cruise Junkie and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 19 minutes ago, twangster said: Woot! It's cruise day! Very envious. Enjoy your cruise! Lol. This coming from the guy who is at sea more than on land! Firemanswife2 and Floski 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 11:12am...still no boarding. I don’t recall a time in our cruising history where it has been late like this. WJ is going to be packed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: 11:12am...still no boarding. I don’t recall a time in our cruising history where it has been late like this. WJ is going to be packed! Well I Was On One Cruise And They Boarded At 12:15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaya luvs to cruz Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 On 12/28/2018 at 9:40 PM, Sweety said: So you are the one kicking us off the cruise. We are on the New Year's cruise. Best way to ring in the New Year is on a cruise. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: 11:12am...still no boarding. I don’t recall a time in our cruising history where it has been late like this. WJ is going to be packed! I had friend that was cursing on Liberty in December, they were not allowed on until 1:15-2:00, he was texting back and forth with me, he was furious, it was his first cruise as a Diamond, all types of reasons were being floated around in the boarding area. It ended up being a family of 4 that had been diagnosed with one of the "Pox" disease on board and then quarantined, immigration would not release the ship until the family was off and the ship had been deep cleaned, hence the delay. My meaning is that the delay may be for a very good reason. SteveinSC and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Boarding started at 11:30am. Standard suites/pinnacles first then by C&A status. Finishing up in the WJ now. It is a complete madhouse here. There are people standing to eat. Indy WJ looks identical to Mariner. bellemiche, The Cruise Junkie, cruiselife and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 Room Tour: Surprise! It’s an Ultra Spacious Oceanview. Still roughing it but at least the kids get a bunk. There are only 2 with this configuration on Freedom class ships. The rest are more like the standard JS with the bunks in the walk in closet area. This setup allows for more separation between the living spaces. I found this room about two months ago. It just randomly popped up one day and it was $200 to upgrade from our original 1L. This is a Cat. 1K. It sleeps up to 6. I kept it it a surprise from the kids until 1pm today. They love it! I still desperately miss the decor of the newer ships. And the bathroom is small! For those of you wondering, the suite snob in me is still struggling. tdcackler, Guy Gadwa, Traveler and 9 others 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Just came across your review. We were on Mariner in summer and DH and I got off Indy a few weeks ago. We loved the ship...and perfect for your kids ages. Looking forward to hearing more. Ps - we stayed at Holiday Inn Express too. Decent hotel for the price. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Dinner Night 1: Dinner was slow tonight. Even though we ate at 5:30pm and asked to hurry so we could make the 7:15pm Welcome Aboard show, it still moved at snail’s pace. We were a few minutes late for the show. Nothing special to report. It was the standard MDR fare. Caesar Salad: They had savoury bites! @Matt‘s favourite...Spaghetti Bolognese: Fish, Seafood, and Mash: Just need to vent on this one. We had this dish on Mariner and it was ok. Tonight on Indy, the breaded shrimp was barely edible. It was so dry and almost chewy. Hazelnut Chocolate Cake: After dinner we went to see the Welcome Aboard show, mainly because I have heard many good things about the CD, Jamie Fentiman, and I wanted to see if what I had heard was true. He’s good. Lots of energy. Quite comedic. After the show, D10 wanted to check out Sugar Beach. The prices there are ridiculous. However, as luck would have it, we got stuck in there while they were filming the morning show. Both girls ended up on it! And they got some free candy too! Win-win! D10 with Jamie (CD; right) and Daniel (AM; left). Going to call it a night now as we are all quite tired. Goodnight all JLMoran, Traveler, The Cruise Junkie and 7 others 6 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandstromCruise Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Have a great time! Enjoying reading along. I’m on Symphony Jan 5th and hoping to do my first live blog to give back as well! Lovetocruise2002 and WannaCruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hope the "cramped" space isn't cramping your style. Looks like the perfect room for my troop of 6. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Great review so far. The CD was quite funny. Neat you got a picture of the two of them in the candy shop. Your room looks great...and although not a JS, at least its a step up from oceanview. Spacious and great views with those windows. How was the welcome show? We found it odd that they only had one show first night and it conflicted with dinner time. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 9 hours ago, LandstromCruise said: Have a great time! Enjoying reading along. I’m on Symphony Jan 5th and hoping to do my first live blog to give back as well! Live blogs are a great way to learn from each other 9 hours ago, Auto said: Hope the "cramped" space isn't cramping your style. Looks like the perfect room for my troop of 6. Haha! I was just saying to Hubby that while the separation is great, I am 100% hating the washroom. I have in the last 24hrs or so managed to flood the washroom with the shower head (don’t ask) and knock over a multitude of things while at the sink! There is space for 6 but I find that the storage space would be lacking if you had 6. 40 minutes ago, WannaCruise said: Great review so far. The CD was quite funny. Neat you got a picture of the two of them in the candy shop. Your room looks great...and although not a JS, at least its a step up from oceanview. Spacious and great views with those windows. How was the welcome show? We found it odd that they only had one show first night and it conflicted with dinner time. Welcome show was standard. Agree about the odd time. We had dinner right at 5:30pm when MDR opened and it was a stretch to make the show on time. The Cruise Junkie and bellemiche 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Good Morning! Day 2: Mornings are way better in the Diamond Lounge. Sitting here in peace and quiet (without WJ madness as I write this). Love the espresso machine and not sure if it’s in my head or not, but the standard continental breakfast offerings seem to be a bit higher quality than WJ or Cafe Promenade. A few notes from last night. Not sure if it was the weather or our room location but motion was more noticeable compared to our forward cabin on Mariner. Still not bad enough to deter me from booking a forward cabin though. Will keep you all updated on how this continues to progress throughout the cruise. Today is a sea day. No set plans for today. JLMoran, The Cruise Junkie, iluvwineandtravel and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Random observations so far: Boarding Day quick guide also available on Indy. On board VOOM and Drink package prices: cruiselife, The Cruise Junkie, Matt and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 The room looks a lot like the room we had on Radiance (or Seranade...can’t remember which) on out TransAtlantic a few years ago. Very spacious. Agree about the bathroom. The Diamond Lounge looks huge ! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 I think we boarded at 11:30 too in November. It seemed rather late to me too. I was hoping the MDR would be faster for you and the slowness was a MTD thing for me. Hopefully, it will get better for you. I agree about the decor of the rooms. The old couches really need to be replaced! I never even walked into Sugar Beach as it seemed that paying for Ben and Jerry's would end up being cheaper! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 25 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: The Diamond Lounge looks huge ! Agree 110% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Can’t get over those on-board prices for the Deluxe ($63) and Refreshment ($26) packages! Makes me really glad I caught the Refreshment package at $17 on Black Friday! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Our day so far... After leaving the Diamond lounge we took a walk up on the sports deck. Did a couple of scopes of the area. https://www.pscp.tv/w/bvjynDF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MXpxSlZPellqVkF4Qh4wLFQ7wq87p6FDDhDEfBJBVXXAqWkRKz8nMsItUqcv?t=1s https://www.pscp.tv/w/bvjywTF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MXlOR2FPZUxvWWd4ahlO1jMvOVpdxk1u8VfHudGR16CS2dI1HrrNzTY-z6m7 Johnny Rockets and Flowrider: Mrs. RoyalMoyal, cruiselife, FlowBro Ty and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, JLMoran said: Can’t get over those on-board prices for the Deluxe ($63) and Refreshment ($26) packages! Makes me really glad I caught the Refreshment package at $17 on Black Friday! Exactly! As @Matt always says, smarter to pre-purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 After being completely wind blown we strolled down to the Promenade on Deck 5. I will take pics and do a scope during a port day. Met @CHRIS WONG! Great guy! I can confirm that Sorrentos is much improved from before. Grabbed a quick bite there. Lunch anyone? cruiselife and Guy Gadwa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 So glad you are doing such an awesome job blogging this cruise. Now I don't need to in 3 weeks on Indy. rjac, Lovetocruise2002, betatke1480 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Current location: Also find it a bit odd that Freeze Frame (Ice show) is only offered in the afternoon. I have never watched one of these in the middle of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Just now, twangster said: So glad you are doing such an awesome job blogging this cruise. Now I don't need to in 3 weeks on Indy. Again, I only learn from the best I cannot do your photos justice. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said: The Diamond Lounge looks huge ! Seeing that this is my first diamond lounge , I cannot compare. It doesn’t feel that big though. 1 hour ago, melski94 said: I was hoping the MDR would be faster for you and the slowness was a MTD thing for me. Hopefully, it will get better for you. We are currently considering the WJ tonight.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thetechie Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 This is an awesome blog. Making me more and more excited for our first ever cruise on Navigator next March! Loving all the info and pictures! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 37 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Also find it a bit odd that Freeze Frame (Ice show) is only offered in the afternoon. I have never watched one of these in the middle of the day. Shorter cruises often require they run a modified show schedule. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Just now, twangster said: only offered in the afternoon Doesn't this interfere with using your drink package to the max extent? Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Thetechie said: This is an awesome blog. Making me more and more excited for our first ever cruise on Navigator next March! Loving all the info and pictures! Let me know if there is anything specific you are looking for. 1 hour ago, twangster said: Shorter cruises often require they run a modified show schedule. That’s what I figured. And they have to share that venue with Laser tag and free skate. 1 hour ago, rjac said: Doesn't this interfere with using your drink package to the max extent? My kids interfere with that John Blahnik 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Freeze frame takes you through the era of the 40s through the 50s. No scopes as it was asked that no photography or video of any kind be taken. The show on Mariner was more fun and entertaining while this one was still good but different. It focused more on the actual skating. We wandered into the MDR after and stumbled upon yummy desserts. That meant snack time! For @Sweety Currently back in the Diamond lounge. Afternoon snack offerings: I think we are headed to watch Sexiest Man soon out on Deck 11. Guy Gadwa, cruiselife and ellcee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Fish, Seafood, and Mash: That was I got on my Thanksgiving Dinner in MDR on November. It was really bad and I will never ever order it again. The Diamond Lounge is really big compared to Anthem OTS little room. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Wow, I miss a couple of days and have a lot of catch up. Looks like a fun cruise. So happy you are enjoying yourself even though you decided to join the ranks of us mere non-suite mortals! Happy cruising and happy new year! Lovetocruise2002 and mworkman 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 We almost got the ultra-spacious on Allure for Europe. Kept going back and forth. It ended up cheaper to get two Central Park balconies than to put four of us in it. We have a port-intensive itinerary so no time to enjoy the view...so why pay for it? LOL Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 8 hours ago, Susie said: That was I got on my Thanksgiving Dinner in MDR on November. It was really bad and I will never ever order it again. The Diamond Lounge is really big compared to Anthem OTS little room. Well I will appreciate it more from today onwards then! 6 hours ago, Skid said: Wow, I miss a couple of days and have a lot of catch up. Looks like a fun cruise. So happy you are enjoying yourself even though you decided to join the ranks of us mere non-suite mortals! Happy cruising and happy new year! Glad you found your way here @Skid! 4 hours ago, KathyC said: We almost got the ultra-spacious on Allure for Europe. Kept going back and forth. It ended up cheaper to get two Central Park balconies than to put four of us in it. We have a port-intensive itinerary so no time to enjoy the view...so why pay for it? LOL This room was cheaper than a JS and we did not have connecting options available. I actually don’t care much for the view from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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