Jump to content

Allure of the Seas May 12-19 Eastern Caribbean - First attempt at Live Blog!


spiralqueen

Recommended Posts

8 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

Our server tonight was not quite as good as Andrew last night and while the host thought he was doing us a favor by sitting us near a window, I think we may request to be put back in Andrew’s section for the rest of the nights. 

This is interesting. When my wife and I were in CK we had the same waiter every night, even as we changed table locations from window-side to central and back. He just followed us around without any issues. Maybe we were still inside his section, but if we were then his section was kind of large!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

This is interesting. When my wife and I were in CK we had the same waiter every night, even as we changed table locations from window-side to central and back. He just followed us around without any issues. Maybe we were still inside his section, but if we were then his section was kind of large!

It might have been because the table was on almost the other side of the room. Our table night 1 was along the wall where there are padded booth seats on the one side - to the right when you walk in. Night 2 was to the front left, near where the 2 walls of windows met. I think we were actually on the edge of our other waiter’s section since the table next to us had a different server. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, DDaley said:

Thanks to this comment I have 4 RCL-sized luggage tag holders on their way from Amazon! Never would've thought of that.  ? Thank you! 

I always thought they’d be unnecessary, but I absolutely love them. Even went ahead and bought the other size for our December cruise on NCL. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The internet has been a bit spotty today and so I couldn’t do some of the smaller updates I wanted to. I was only JUST able to access the blog (though for some reason CC would load. Unfair!) 

This morning we went for breakfast in the Solarium Bistro around 8 since we knew that we wanted to camp out in the Solarium for the morning. They had a buffet set up that had fruit, pastries, various types of eggs (scrambled, fried, hard boiled, etc), different breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes and circular hash browns. The food was just OK and the hash browns were definitely the best part. They honestly reminded me of fresh McDonald’s hashbrowns. But not as greasy. That is a high compliment. After eating, I went scouting for a padded chair in the shade since I am a translucent Irish woman who sunscreen only does so much for. Since it was so early, I had quite a lot of options, though I was surprised at how many chairs were already reserved. This was taken at 8:30 am

C76DFC23-3E3F-46E7-8355-EDB29E91DE3D.thumb.jpeg.480beb64f9695f495476d4cad7047868.jpeg

The seat I ended up claiming was PERFECT. It was right next to a side table and located under a fake palm tree in front of the hot tub. While I had no intention of using the hot tub, I did get a delightful spray of water to cool me down a little when the wind blew the right way. 

7F4FCB38-076C-46AF-95BC-A3EFB79E3770.thumb.jpeg.5c77819ce03c9f3c2f712b2918f32dc5.jpeg

5A4C1539-8015-4FB8-B034-877D1F1BBC16.thumb.jpeg.484de59ea2b9a99002a864177a07fc72.jpeg

I was able to hang out here reading and enjoying the weather until noon when the sun found me and I started to cook. I then retreated to our shaded balcony like some sort of vampire. But before I did that, I stopped by Sorrentos to try for myself the new and improved pizza. I have to say, it’s not the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, but it is quite tasty for what it is and it was fresh and hot. I got the BBQ chicken because that was what was ready then and I didn’t feel like waiting for a fresh pie. 

98CD37C5-C311-40FA-B027-BC24A84AB829.thumb.jpeg.c4d980f4527d3b7bdc74e20aa7831c84.jpeg

I ate the pizza there and went up a deck to grab a fresh squeezed juice from Vitality Cafe on my way to the room. This time I got the carrot lemonade.

351A0DB6-12E8-4C65-90E3-97E12BEE4141.thumb.jpeg.31031ef9887645e956da1ec4d174224e.jpeg

16B168DD-E92C-41BB-ABE3-E3997B62CDF5.thumb.jpeg.6ae3f5e2a5070d5bcd2e18b4a3b6820e.jpeg

 It tasted better than it sounds, but I still liked the apple mint more. It was more complex and interesting flavor wise. 

C1F3BB00-79C6-49D9-9F63-A54979D95EC8.thumb.jpeg.ca139817f5990f5369434c7a995044c0.jpeg

PS keep an eye out for one of these machines to see if a place has fresh squeezed OJ. I know Windjammer has it and the MDR, but so do Park and Vitality Cafes. 

The afternoon was quite boring to cover in a blog but very needed as I alternated between “resting my eyes” and reading. I had not really gotten good rest leading up to this trip and I’ve been operating on a sleep deficit. Protip: make sure to be as well rested as possible before starting vacation because doing nothing in the sun is exhausting. Eventually it was time for dinner in CK! 

45B47AE5-63CE-4C86-AE36-5D9EAB5828F8.thumb.jpeg.cc3abbb4b53c352dc06ab433fb94396b.jpeg

We had yet another server today. This one was very good about recommending things and was very attentive, but she wasn’t very chatty and it felt rushed at times. I’m sure we could have asked for the pace to be slowed down so that is likely on us. For this meal I got the braised beef gnocchi and the Moroccan spiced chicken breast. 

7C2F1B9C-5EBF-482F-9F0B-C891A4E2737B.thumb.jpeg.e8a670eddaf714bab9824da282a35c7a.jpeg

The braised beef was good and hearty. I had never had gnocchi before though I knew what they are in theory. They were quite nice and I could see myself ordering that in the future. 

51457AD6-BFA7-4228-A92B-079B0F432B1D.thumb.jpeg.72ad8e7047962b3c5d5e35fbed64a907.jpeg

The chicken was extremely moist for a breast and was perfectly cooked. I loved the spice level in the sauce but it was a bit much for my dad and my mom refused to even try it (she always gets mild wings). I also tried a bit of my dad’s strip steak as I was curious how it was. I was glad I didn’t end up getting it as my main course since it was good, but it paled in comparison to last night’s ribeye. 

93F51562-DBFB-4782-A506-F67C676DA21E.thumb.jpeg.5dfe65f0fcd4a3216611437eb06af171.jpeg

For desert, I got the chocolate napoleon. 

96B144A2-7A39-41E4-A269-08A7C9631674.thumb.jpeg.6c6e10663a4b93873c3ba6c48ce52567.jpeg

While it was good, I was a bit surprised that it was only chocolate. I think I was expecting different layers besides a moussey fudge on top of a very thin sponge. 

Which brings us to now. With 2 port days coming up in  a row I really wanted to crash early and try to get some proper sleep so I can fully enjoy those ports. Tomorrow we have booked the Thenford Grey Grand Tour  of St Kitt’s which is a 3rd party excursion that comes highly recommended. I hope because of this tomorrow’s blog post will be more interesting to read! 

I leave you with a shot of the made up sofa bed with the curtain across the room drawn. I love the separation it provides and I have taken to announcing that I’m “closing my door” when I go to draw the curtain at night. It’s the little things in life. 

3A84AED3-0342-4C01-9D36-91E1F9B25A01.thumb.jpeg.8ad33e1d3d95c26b1b2b24b80b14e6a1.jpeg

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today we were in St Kitt’s from 8:30a-4:30p and we had booked the Grand Tour of St Kitt’s with Thenford Grey’s touring company. Before getting off the ship, we went to Park Cafe to grab some breakfast. They had a make your own bagel station where the lunch salad station is and some breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos.

809D1ADE-2251-493F-AAB3-FD310B35DC0F.thumb.jpeg.0911bdcf517cff8f7aca41daf741417c.jpeg

3434587F-1E48-4B7A-B0D4-DF0124E6A907.thumb.jpeg.00ea7a815b81a19c8ced63261b3f77ed.jpeg

FF04C47E-BF66-4518-9B85-E581227D79D8.thumb.jpeg.1b5236a2a0b4d146b3d7cc108d7c38ad.jpeg

I got an English muffin sandwich which had a fried egg,  a slice of Canadian bacon & some cheese on it. It was pretty good. The banana muffin was nowhere and I make a far superior one so it lay abandoned after one bite. 

After debarking, we saw that we were docked next to the Carnival Magic. 

370C6373-4E8B-4DBE-90AB-B7E45917E469.thumb.jpeg.20361749d3f5d57a970b91cd211eaea2.jpeg

3FC871A0-8FA7-4617-B06C-B620D07BBB50.thumb.jpeg.f014ca29e2c9f889f830f81eabc6ec20.jpeg

(the tiniest little roller on the end of the longest pole to allow them to paint the side of the Magic. She definitely needed more paint than they were able to apply that day)

We were supposed to meet the tour at the Welcome center at 9am. We go off around 8:40 to allow time to find the tour group. We didn’t have to worry since it was beyond easy to find them. 

A35A4401-A7F7-4DF3-BCBD-C9872A5F3D00.thumb.jpeg.57fac5b1181b4e6a679b42a315d17fe8.jpeg

0761EBF1-1E4D-440C-9B61-C28C8F3ACD56.thumb.jpeg.4849d32a6e3a02e0682cdcc02cb78c1e.jpeg

4348841B-1E47-47A1-ABFE-671D68085CD3.thumb.jpeg.c2a1407e17468ef2c0ce784098df0ccd.jpeg

The yellow building is the Welcome Center we were supposed to find and the woman in the last picture had a sign for Grey’s excursions and checked us off a list of booked people. We then waited as instructed in front of a big mural until it was the start of the tour. 

85F588D8-3C51-4D87-8383-D4D7A839AE6F.thumb.jpeg.1b560cf08112b508f2d77049064b3501.jpeg

FA6F8589-55A2-406E-A226-958DBCBE6088.thumb.jpeg.d140ced759b6fd7933f2bb11e0f1ae19.jpeg

We ended up having Thenford himself as our tour guide and he led us behind some buildings to a parking lot that had all the tour busses parked there. The bus we had was small and fit about 20 people in it. Most importantly, it had excellent, adjustable air conditioning. 2DC59FD7-56B0-4D01-8F7C-ABD2945D9F85.thumb.jpeg.553086a5bc75453dfd2e4917ea7e6cf3.jpeg

1F8C2DDF-065F-4568-8873-957E6C644875.thumb.jpeg.85240369e5479bb00c43b4e02ea6d5ab.jpeg

F8F7EB25-7529-4269-9B7F-C6F399B28B61.thumb.jpeg.82fb67ede7e4597ed27ab141f4a10028.jpeg

To be continued in another post which will be very picture heavy. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

St Kitt’s recap continued: 

We first drove around the city of Basseterre a bit to see some of the important sites. Thenford was great about sharing background information on everything and he seemed to know half the island as he would constantly point people out like “that man walking there is a prominent lawyer on his way to work. His son and daughter are also lawyers and his brother is the Attorney General of the island”’

8F9F111D-BA8A-4240-89FC-AA606A87A260.thumb.jpeg.02ba8732fde13b21ff4b9e70e61b0060.jpeg

F8EA79A4-F93A-45C8-90CA-8D507EEC1451.thumb.jpeg.313664619c03dad2c7d68095266f179e.jpeg

CB140910-6778-483E-B0A8-193839799F2C.thumb.jpeg.f2218ac7660445e4e4d140d3a7e00bb1.jpeg

The jail, also featuring a prisoner (in the dark blue in the shadows) being led out. 

456EFED1-1CEB-4A1C-A6BC-06C84D787F46.thumb.jpeg.f7108bfedc1d752578e5fd01ce5051f5.jpeg

B9EBC0D8-ED76-4FF7-AB65-6A07127093CE.thumb.jpeg.7d5c60467e9c00c0a065d9742e21a27c.jpeg

The home of many prominent law offices. These buildings used to be where the wealthy families on the island lived. Then they moved to Frigate Bay. 

0FE64E98-A99A-4433-9921-29528D465360.thumb.jpeg.f256602b108b2bdc48f43983dbd3f0d2.jpeg

HQ for the labor unions which were vital to the growth of their economy. 

BDD09C32-82EE-4DE8-957E-3412179E63B8.thumb.jpeg.258f8d37ad3ddc8328cd5747100eb8e2.jpeg

A9024D2E-9BD1-4981-941A-F0193AACB403.thumb.jpeg.5d21808f8b3d538a9ccd693721aad53a.jpeg

War memorial for fallen soldiers who served in the British West Indies troop in the World Wars. 

We then left the city and made our way over to Romney Manor/Caribelle Batik

14DC7DB1-2310-43FA-8105-9D6A7A49BF57.thumb.jpeg.5177df37a0a101e05a47aa09d8066af0.jpeg

F483C789-4AAC-4E19-B044-F1DE4A719A3A.thumb.jpeg.350b29879ba872f228850b01ec53cfac.jpeg

9124DD4D-3BF4-488A-941D-3AB808A98521.thumb.jpeg.5b6440931d6b0387ab178c575d25c2ad.jpeg

AB8F8ACB-EE49-452F-933F-093DE2D94804.thumb.jpeg.9082fa11e7b3e6039bab4114bf87f1fe.jpeg

F12E22A9-3A80-4E3C-AD88-20DF6DD88D04.thumb.jpeg.b3bf9f05ef6ec4d22f878ec01cbd336f.jpeg

FB58D708-7CE7-42CF-953D-58F7DFDAC7FC.thumb.jpeg.f8054fb92ecdbc0b135819a958563a6c.jpeg

AE91496E-6719-4BF4-901D-7FF69E866325.thumb.jpeg.14e6352ece7c3dbf886752fc04dd6006.jpeg

42839647-D592-49EF-9F09-22DC492CBFCC.thumb.jpeg.53feb191a49a1b4eaa3da9d47ff202fe.jpeg

Lots of little plaques to show what plants were in the garden and their origin. Very interesting and gorgeous. 

211FDCEB-46B6-44BD-A813-DD18973E7F1C.thumb.jpeg.dcad85862ad9d1829f6b9fd0d2fb7273.jpeg

14659996-02D8-403E-8DE0-45A2AC36C99F.thumb.jpeg.1697695c384aed5232ffa4de9fa226f0.jpeg

09D19495-9BCC-4802-8703-678A31A5A6DD.thumb.jpeg.e608e2483f3e40e51738df475bf7d204.jpeg

4E40CFC9-8B33-4C80-A9A2-DAE0220B0892.thumb.jpeg.8f9b3b2b22e3812a6c1b91cbba10177f.jpeg

180101FA-4B96-47BC-8AB9-EAC44F830027.thumb.jpeg.6543826e968bfe538d10f4cdf3a6d9c3.jpeg

We then saw a batik demonstration which is where they use wax and dye to create patterns on fabric. They had a shop attached with lots of batik made items. 

5C7948D6-6D5F-484B-85CE-8A2F0D16735C.thumb.jpeg.7ee6be0d256112461d676e95153fc1ea.jpeg

E8BCA1AB-3273-4938-BDB2-48027935F224.thumb.jpeg.a8cf7813d8b4ed6b413bd3bc469a8362.jpeg

2E4AF8E0-0C6F-448F-B12F-97042BDE43FE.thumb.jpeg.3fdac768c8900d75c1f861791cb31b5e.jpeg

9D4AFDB5-E667-4ED4-A63C-648AF9E7A511.thumb.jpeg.34af6813c8f1d9670b1fcd4c51b8fadb.jpeg

9C0C53A2-E427-4ABA-8113-1D8FEDA9268B.thumb.jpeg.9e7cac8df697b355f9729b6c9a7cd5af.jpeg

Watch tower for old plantation. 

77363F44-E6FE-45C2-B88E-564798383B5A.thumb.jpeg.8c8737caf68cf9b8b6fb418c7cc9c7c6.jpeg

1449E71C-9D1D-4E65-B1C7-EF62AF996F94.thumb.jpeg.b5d99a5162e8f1814b31364ee74fbe84.jpeg

6EBF0610-A28E-44D1-8CC0-DA1464E707ED.thumb.jpeg.4145be555ab3077f3169cb489c0b4a63.jpeg

07842ABC-0987-4CD3-8E7C-728A92520BD7.thumb.jpeg.127bc2fab17b6d10d9220f82810d8ce4.jpeg

Next stop was Brimstone Hill Fortress. It had phenomenal views but a killer walk to the top. Out of the question for anyone with mobility issues. On our way down I heard an 8 year old going the other way say to his dad “dad, this is HARD” and I muttered “you said it kid”. It wouldn’t have been as bad as it was if it weren’t for the heat and humidity. But....it was worth it. 

65A9AE26-EAA9-43B6-8A99-64B3BF5884F2.thumb.jpeg.78dbf023f3b2bd58806d012aaf7dbd60.jpeg

4A5ECE5D-E233-4022-9C1B-AF1083693CAD.thumb.jpeg.cef98e88a1dffcb806f2df008bb0dd83.jpeg

C0DE8F7C-6394-4BDD-99D1-9B8D13C55030.thumb.jpeg.d1b3ecba8290859b4ef2f6ce24fdf138.jpeg

851AA20A-9C87-43E6-A515-1B28E69C0353.thumb.jpeg.3cdc3ded6b4644344d11b6775563e195.jpeg

053693DE-D177-4ADF-9C9A-36BFE29941FD.thumb.jpeg.007c2c1cdf55f13eedc97201393ee554.jpeg

14C32358-9BE9-45AE-9AC4-FD698ED4C102.thumb.jpeg.421347e29a6b3d1fa98fd51d26cafc60.jpeg

12B189F1-ADA4-47C9-83A1-DADA1AAE17AF.thumb.jpeg.43beb1d7aa03c0362822970c9034e3ee.jpeg

EF1FFEDF-69F7-43E8-B813-5028AA969EBF.thumb.jpeg.517864a1e217a3f251a6fee8cbf902c3.jpeg

6DCC2631-5C15-421C-82FE-635200C8707B.thumb.jpeg.a598bd41b1a33cacb3085da1bc41a689.jpeg

AB211B2A-9299-459A-82A8-4889C2073E9E.thumb.jpeg.2038cc135ffdf859e4505698e48c0be3.jpeg

9F4EFF70-EA13-4744-8667-18B26F6F5F72.thumb.jpeg.3bf563c8cf14bda43acf01a8275a2765.jpeg

2A7E0620-0ABD-4DEC-BE9B-1FEFD7ACBC86.thumb.jpeg.f013e25492e9cec6b87fa04b483c3149.jpeg

If you go here with small children, please please PLEASE keep them close as there’s many tall drop offs without railings or ropes and stone at the bottom of the hypothetical fall. I saw this one little boy running around and my second hand anxiety was through the roof for him. 

After the fortress our next stop was a lookout point where you can see both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea at the same time. There were lots of vendors here including men with monkeys and a donkey. That part was upsetting watching the casual animal abuse like dudes feeding the monkeys beer or a woman GRABBING the donkey roughly by the face and clinging onto it. I’m shocked it didn’t bite her. But the view was amazing. 

C5DF68F5-49BC-4BB8-9A8D-497FDE94ACE8.thumb.jpeg.24a1b500d3220ed9572a17437a29e515.jpeg

After this stop it was time for the beach drop offs if you so chose. The first option was a place called Shipwreck bar and the attacked beach. It looked really neat, but we were beat and ready to go back to the ship. 

021E7271-59FD-4578-BF61-EDFE2C5DFC26.thumb.jpeg.6a6a60eef47debaa0d5d03b908761700.jpeg

0A5B54B7-6432-49A3-A5F6-7A4B48137863.thumb.jpeg.0137741d859a479adea76eb830607c38.jpeg

085013C5-922C-460B-8C0A-CF555D162A8F.thumb.jpeg.8b336e7f28ba08e6c766d5ab68c2eb29.jpeg

BAB0C83C-23DA-4CF9-AFCB-3EEF3A6A426D.thumb.jpeg.b9b86c2c9989d42a6155aa9e44776e9b.jpeg

Since I was curious about this, the way it worked out was Thenford told the people who wanted to stay what time he would be back for them (3:15) and the rest of us went on to the next stop. The other beach option was Carambola. They were told a 3:30 pick up time. The rest of us went back to the port for shopping time or ship time. 

Overall it was a great excursion option that offered a lot of bang for your buck. Make sure to rest up though as it’s a bit tiring. 

 

0B4A3D0F-8914-4736-9BB8-7D468CDA2AD6.jpeg

2F5408A0-4873-4276-B99F-B213E7388868.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

 I am a shameless sucker for chocolate!

I must be the most unlucky woman in the world.  I do like chocolate but I have what MUST be a slight allergy to it.  If I eat a piece of solid chocolate - like a Hershey bar (YUM !) my throat starts to constrict just a little and I begin choking.  I have never had my throat close entirely but it is enough of a problem for me that I just stay away from solid chocolate.  What a curse !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recap of the rest of the day: 

8F040903-356D-4208-96CE-C6816F0CAB12.thumb.jpeg.8eaef242f1b8f438a6a2bdb962c943ad.jpeg

Ship neighbors view as seen from our balcony. B4F032B4-EA6E-4133-B414-A057B87606B3.thumb.jpeg.fe95d67abdd05970c0412f92513a2350.jpeg

And view of the dock and Magic after sail away. 

We ended up much more tuckered out from the St Kitt’s trip than anticipated because I came in from hanging out on the balcony to find both of my parents napping around 5:20. I asked if they still wanted to go to Coastal Kitchen at 6 because they did not look like they had any plans to start getting ready any time soon. They gave noncommittal answers until I finally said that I was fine skipping it today if no one else wanted to go, but we should make up our minds soon since we should tell them in advance so they aren’t holding a table for us. This next saga was quite annoying. I finally got a straight answer at 5:30. I went on the app to cancel the reservation but by that time it was 5:31 and I got an error message that it’s not possible to cancel that way within 30 mins of reservation. I tried looking around for a CK extension to no avail. When I pressed the “dining” key on the phone, it was not a named option. I tried to dial the operator and it rang without answer for 5 mins. I gave yo on that number and tried guest services. This time the phone rang for 4 mins without answer. Since I had now been trying for almost 10 mins to cancel this table, I finally dialed another specialty restaurant (it happened to be Giovanni’s) and pretended I got the wrong number and asked to be transferred to CK. They told me to dial 0 and I said I tried that and no one answered (0 is the operator). I then said I just wanted to let them know we wouldn’t be able to make it tonight. When he found out I was just cancelling and not making a reservation he said he could do that for me. So that was nice to get taken care of but honestly way too much effort. I wish the direct extension was posted somewhere in the app or the room. 

We eventually decide on grazing at the Wind Jammer for dinner. Quite a step down from Coastal Kitchen, but what are you going to do? Though I did start laughing when I saw this sign walking into the WJ as it made me think of @hayley_bopp‘s comment about noting a them with my desserts. I swear I didn’t plan this!!!

C11F2103-37AA-4D54-B205-A68038CA63C9.thumb.jpeg.1f31db7bb8c982ee559eb873ed72fa01.jpeg

So this was my first time in the WJ since boarding. It was quite overwhelming and I didn’t know where to start. I ended up getting some chicken wings and fries and other related comfort foods. The shrimp at the buffet are the same as the ones in Chops and CK, but the cocktail sauce is inferior. 

8D308D4F-E113-43C8-A4CC-04DA4D00E8C9.thumb.jpeg.0e1b3aac4f7dd571aa71be24e1be6473.jpeg

09D92C9E-8FD5-4096-943D-7FE3A8347A9B.thumb.jpeg.369c13e3de5267454cd9084e1f5f1ea7.jpeg

126E5875-4F70-4105-804E-C80ABD929314.thumb.jpeg.285f1b748671de900946ec1f8d6d6f54.jpeg

My mom’s fixings. I tried 2 different cakes and the ice cream was the best part. I have yet to try a truly phenomenal cake on royal. But again, reminder that I’m highly critical of desserts since I bake. 

We went back to our room just to discover that it hadn’t been done yet. I think us leaving an hour later really threw off our attendant. To waste time, we went off to read and listen to music in Central Park. I have to say, you can’t beat a cabin in deck 8 on an Oasis class ship in my opinion. Just so convenient! 

95D5B401-CA0C-45F2-85A6-4DCA6DCB99D4.thumb.jpeg.041d4b5cb1dd051a182b1818f131958b.jpeg

After about 35 mins we figured it was safe to check again. This time he was done and I knew this because of our little pal hanging out on the ceiling. 05355810-E2C1-4025-984B-3FF3775FFC45.thumb.jpeg.eeab685167c36c336581ff6669618610.jpeg 

This is another early night because San Juan starts at 7am tomorrow. I have some shops I’d really like to hit up. I’ve adjusted my itinerary since my mom has expressed interest in getting back to the ship for pool sun time ASAP. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

Grand Tour of St Kitt’s with Thenford Grey’s touring company

 

4 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

We ended up having Thenford himself as our tour guide

We have been recommending this tour since we took it 2 years ago. He is quite the gentleman and sooooo knowledgeable.

@spiralqueen , your photos are @twangster like amazing! Great job! I may actually replace my own pictures with yours ☺️  (But I didn't steal my avatar from your review--did that quite a while ago).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

Though I did start laughing when I saw this sign walking into the WJ as it made me think of @hayley_bopp‘s comment about noting a them with my desserts. I swear I didn’t plan this!!!

C11F2103-37AA-4D54-B205-A68038CA63C9.thumb.jpeg.1f31db7bb8c982ee559eb873ed72fa01.jpeg

You were obviously destined to go to the WJ that night ?

I'm looking forward to trying the bagel station on my cruise so thanks for the pictures ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Cindy Leslie said:

 

Your pictures are wonderful! We went to Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik when we were in St. Kitts 2 years ago (Regal Princess). The area was beautiful and the batik work was quite stunning! Watching how it’s done was interesting (a lot different than the way we did it back in art class!). Thanks for sharing! 

 

Thank you so much! And yes, the whole island is stunning, but especially the gardens in Romney Manor! It’s really a cant miss in my opinion. Maybe not every time, but at least once. Just stunning.  

14 hours ago, Skid said:

 

We have been recommending this tour since we took it 2 years ago. He is quite the gentleman and sooooo knowledgeable.

@spiralqueen , your photos are @twangster like amazing! Great job! I may actually replace my own pictures with yours ☺️  (But I didn't steal my avatar from your review--did that quite a while ago).

Oh wow, that is the highest compliment! The new iPhone is just very good at taking pictures in full light and I admit to using a bit of after editing software on my phone so it’s less @twangster like skill and more just good lighting and photoshop express. And yes, your recommendation of Thenford made me feel much better about our choice in him and more excited for the trip ?

11 hours ago, Cindy Leslie said:

Our cabins in July are also on Deck 8. We chose them for the convenience to Central Park venues...based on your comments, looks like we made a good choice! Still enjoying your review and photos! Photos give a personal feel, basically icing on the cake (chocolate cake, of course)!

You will LOVE deck 8! Park Cafe is especially handy throughout the day and I love walking past Trellis bar and grabbing a bottle of water almost every time I pass it. It’s also just a delight to walk through to get to your room. So peaceful. And thank you so much! I’m glad this is helpful for people since I found other liveblog super helpful and I just want to give back ?

11 hours ago, hayley_bopp said:

You were obviously destined to go to the WJ that night ?

I'm looking forward to trying the bagel station on my cruise so thanks for the pictures ?

Lol yes, it was destiny! Though really, the best chocolate experience was at Chocobar Cortez in San Juan this morning. Recap of that to come shortly but omfg omfg! And yes, I too want to try our the bagel station one morning. I’ll prob hit it up tomorrow. I didn’t want to eat breakfast this morning since I had plans to eat in San Juan. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, VinceC said:

Oh NOOOOOOO....  this is day 5....   I have a specialty restaurant scheduled on Thursday night on my August cruise....  I may have to change things around or go there afterwards just for the Chocolate Buffet.......   

You are in luck! The chocolate buffet was last night which was night 4. You should be safe for your specialty on night 5! We actually have a specialty tonight too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, hayley_bopp said:
15 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

Though I did start laughing when I saw this sign walking into the WJ as it made me think of @hayley_bopp‘s comment about noting a them with my desserts. I swear I didn’t plan this!!!

C11F2103-37AA-4D54-B205-A68038CA63C9.thumb.jpeg.1f31db7bb8c982ee559eb873ed72fa01.jpeg

You were obviously destined to go to the WJ that night ?

I'm looking forward to trying the bagel station on my cruise so thanks for the pictures ?

Oh NOOOOOOO....  this is day 5....   I have a specialty restaurant scheduled on Thursday night on my August cruise....  I may have to change things around or go there afterwards just for the Chocolate Buffet.......   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, spiralqueen said:

You are in luck! The chocolate buffet was last night which was night 4. You should be safe for your specialty on night 5! We actually have a specialty tonight too. 

I'm at a specialty restaurant on day 3, 4 & 5......   boo hoo....   My luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 5 is San Juan, PR from 7a-2p. Because of the hours, I didn’t have any breakfast onboard since I planned to grab some food in Old San Juan. We docked at 7am and the gangway opened around 7:30. Since most of the places didn’t open until somewhere in the 8-10 range, we decided to wait until close to 8am to get off. My mom really wanted to get in some pool sun time today so I modified our plans to exclude a tour through the governor’s house and a trip to various plazas and to simply hit up Cuatro Sombras for coffee, Chobobar Cortes for breakfast/buying chocolate and Spicy Caribbee for spices and teas. Those were the items I had as “must dos” and we could play everything else by ear. 

3A3D1675-ECA1-4BE5-92A6-483033B3759C.thumb.jpeg.4c54b49917c5c4a3c7cd2deff342667b.jpeg

A picture of us docked from our balcony. Note the blue pattern on the dock. I was able to use that to figure out exactly where we were on google maps. Which is here: 

7E9AE55A-E039-41A1-B8A5-3BC3DB536188.thumb.jpeg.5f567f076d78c54d43d05dad599da32e.jpeg

Also as you can see from the google maps screencap, there is a Walgreens RIGHT across from the pier. It has a ton of stuff and is great for things you forgot or ran out of. I got more icy hot lotion for my back/neck. They also have lots of wine and liquor prominently displayed. It’s been awhile since I priced liquor, but some of the stuff seemed rather cheap. It was around $50 for the biggest bottle of Patron and somewhere around $30 for the normal sized bottle. I thought I remember it being more expensive than that when I was drinking. Here is a panorama to show the placement of the Walgreens and how close to the pier it is. 

BDE5563B-5D1E-490F-A1E9-CBE7792314A1.thumb.jpeg.4d538895672fe2d80359f04588a74cbc.jpeg

As we were walking down the pier, I noticed that they were unloading trash which makes sense to do as you are in ports so you don’t have to unload it all at once. It’s interesting to see and think about cruise operations and logistics. 

729869A3-535B-4AEA-84CF-7CC1D720E1B1.thumb.jpeg.d1a04ce7def83b74dc02afab8d29ce2a.jpeg

B9A9E84A-170E-4FA9-9117-D7CEBDA37578.thumb.jpeg.edd6f139554d9fe895d4eebd7e969ad5.jpeg

Another debarking photo op that we successfully dodged. But it’s there if you are not like me and allergic to pictures. 

8485C808-0E3D-4860-B450-84E4C426F493.thumb.jpeg.413200363c4f67ee7d63a6a89d995e62.jpeg

E9092961-E674-483E-B408-D687C65B9B5D.thumb.jpeg.ad6a671063bcc49224c6130a4a34c31c.jpeg

3E44871C-C224-42DD-9643-A470803365AB.thumb.jpeg.169a94667ac094d89b0b653811d4a84b.jpeg

Our first stop was Cuatro Sombras (Four Shadows) Since it opened at 7am. My dad ordered the drip coffee and when I asked about if they sold bags of coffee to take home the cashier pointed to this sign: 

EC91702D-0515-4D65-A1F5-16C8F2E99283.thumb.jpeg.3f88c36236f395fd314353d3fafbd266.jpeg

In case it’s hard to read, Hurricane Maria devastated 80% of the island’s coffee crop and so they have had to start using coffee from other countries instead of their normal bean. This also means that they aren’t selling any coffee to take home right now. This is very sad news for PR but completely understandable and unavoidable. According to my dad, the coffee they were using was “like water” and a very light blend. However he vastly prefers dark blends so take that with a grain of salt. My mom got a brownie there that was very good. We all sort of split that since we knew more food was coming. 

C0BF40C2-5CC7-42D1-B74E-412718E44F95.thumb.jpeg.f03f43d1ef602df70baee3d530223920.jpeg

Our next stop was Chocobar Cortes which is known for their chocolate and opens at 8am. We saw some really cool buildings on our way over.

3E3C4424-6218-4ED9-8340-C38706E37FA9.thumb.jpeg.44bde94d47c43b50dc596e5d650d03eb.jpeg

8A3F836E-0A41-4F95-9D05-C91C2F1D93B4.thumb.jpeg.31b6572c2a05ab11f1a16d830526c104.jpeg

I forgot to take pictures of the exterior or interior of the restaurant, but it was quite easy to find and when you first walk in there is a sign telling you to wait to be seated. I think if you just wanted bars of chocolate to go you can walk past that sign to the display counter. We wanted to eat and were quickly led to a table. 

4A28B8B9-FCB9-4CC0-92FC-E827E7540CFA.thumb.jpeg.a801e7e9b2ebf45304e108b6c391d73c.jpeg

The back of the menu with the fresh pastries and hot chocolates/coffee options. I ordered the traditional hot chocolate (puertorriqueño) and the mallorca breakfast sandwich with ham, sharp cheddar & egg, my dad got the mocha chocolate and my mom got the European hot chocolate. We also got the canasta of pastries which was basically an assortment with chocolate dipping sauce and some fruit marmalade. 

28A955FB-2E5D-4D9C-8221-8049872BCFF7.thumb.jpeg.17da9bdd876be019546469aafdf29463.jpeg

59DCA5A5-EB98-461B-9F07-00BB228F412F.thumb.jpeg.bfb1536182365a9b000edad723b5db67.jpeg

The breakfast sandwich was phenomenal and the mallorca was a great bun for it because it was nice and light so it didn’t weigh the sandwich down too much. The fruit was a great compliment to the hot chocolate for when I needed to refresh my palate. The traditional hot chocolate was great and incredibly rich and smooth. You can tell it’s made with actual chocolate bars and not from a powder which makes a difference. My mom’s European hot chocolate was very good and thick but I preferred mine. Hers was very very thick which is nice, but it seemed to be made with more milk chocolate than the semi sweet in mine. The pastries were all great and very fresh. I highly recommend this place for breakfast. The prices were also quite reasonable for the quality of the food. $3.25 for my hot chocolate was criminally cheap. I would have happily paid $7 for it. 

D80FA199-8068-4C19-8F7C-E8978B9FD9D7.thumb.jpeg.eb2417f9956a322cff53d68a479d78f6.jpeg

After we paid, we made our way up to the front. I bought 2 of each type of bar since I have plans for putting them in the freezer to make them last and they were quite cheap. Much less expensive than the chocolate on St Kitt’s. I think I paid about $28 for 6 huge bars of chocolate with tax. They had a normal bar, a bar with cinnamon (SUCH A GOOD COMBO) and a baking bar (I already have the brownies planned out). 

B4914095-F358-474C-828F-392A488D8D46.thumb.jpeg.825d1e25dfc2eaac3dfac94e5b40200d.jpeg

My mom grabbed the powdered version for easier hot chocolate

D49CD173-45B7-45CD-A678-61D88CB71E1E.thumb.jpeg.a1dadafa802eccbf350264c287158936.jpeg

The next stop was Spicy Caribee because I wanted to get some spices maybe and definitely some tea for my aunt who was checking in on my cats for me. Again, passed some wonderful buildings on our way. We also passed this green space with fun, whimsical statues and art. 

0F0E75CA-6317-4002-9EAB-436CC0EA93F8.thumb.jpeg.169600e573f6a50c2729c01110c72350.jpeg

50D91343-DE35-4B52-98AF-49ECD9FF374C.thumb.jpeg.f702d62c9dc7c7c8c727044c8058fa93.jpeg

047CD13B-2A34-462B-956D-DCC40F29A0B1.thumb.jpeg.c6dd81c9ad0a95465f300eda5342f539.jpeg

(This is a line of school kids all carrying kites I assume off to fly them outside El Morro) 

3CD73BD1-7A20-47E6-9A07-0D8DC8885483.thumb.jpeg.d3b156de93ec6eb9c278e30f17af08b1.jpeg

64391D3B-0C3A-4FC9-B932-441F9F17A960.thumb.jpeg.51efe6a2b3dea4faf7e88742b53f05d2.jpeg

6F8E0637-1789-487A-BF6A-9EDD93D7BEBF.thumb.jpeg.9c6f022d82bd5d99b49947b8ade761b3.jpeg

09FED6C6-46F5-4CE7-9EBD-57B56C9D5E1A.thumb.jpeg.b8e69c9c052195641c014b8f001177b0.jpeg

This shop was a bit tucked away so I’m including some pictures of what it looks like when you should turn. 

84B0111F-8319-46CD-9F3E-505B969BCA58.thumb.jpeg.40fbd3c88e9962514f596e3a0825f934.jpeg

DF9D9079-B0A1-4905-BA2A-F1AF5F83D6E7.thumb.jpeg.879791d6c96c1557d716b4d7749f3a14.jpeg

Then you turn into an archway and see this. Honestly, I could tell we were close because I could smell the store from the sidewalk through a closed door: 

ED0BE728-05E9-4CD1-835D-151AD357E9F3.thumb.jpeg.2ce58c18da29492c5e64faec5d46c51d.jpeg

92A285A5-28ED-432C-A4C2-A688050488FB.thumb.jpeg.ef784524831641205c7dc988b799d99d.jpeg

Again, I forgot to take pictures inside because I was busy smelling everything, but they had a ton of jams and hot sauces (that you could sample!) along with interesting local loose teas and Puerto Rican coffee. I was talking to the owner and I mentioned how we stopped by Cuatro Sombras for coffee and they didn’t have any because of the hurricane. She said that yes it’s very difficult to get local coffee right now, but she has a great supplier and relationships with local farmers and is still able to get some in. There was also a lot of local art and bulk herbs for sale. And they had fresh vanilla beans! 

57BA5F2F-9F4B-4733-84AA-D3CBE765FDBC.thumb.jpeg.17ad4755f4f0a18c2b5ada531e396b2d.jpeg

86B9B2DF-CC7A-4DC3-838D-B0210CA4CB47.thumb.jpeg.fc1e2508615e80d466aebbd9bc06a79c.jpeg

My purchases from there. After stopping by there, we slowly started to wander back to the ship since our (ok, my) “must do” stops were covered. Our walk back happened to bring us along Calle Fortaleza which is also...umbrella street! Stunning visual and such a happy accident that we stumbled across it. 

2BFEC87D-BB5C-4381-963F-25812428FC32.thumb.jpeg.53160c305e47d87176d2a424a6238a5e.jpeg

E45472C6-FB15-4AA8-89E0-FB82948FB6C2.thumb.jpeg.19fd9e14ea717cce1d182663d7d73023.jpeg

We also stopped into a souvenir shop that caught my parents’ eyes. I didn’t catch the name but it was located here: 

3A752B37-D4FF-483A-B7C7-0CC6DE7136DD.thumb.jpeg.7ed5f7f8eceff893db431defddbd7946.jpeg

and it had a TON of locally made art and crafts which were very nice looking and unique. Of course there was mass produce touristy crap in there, but there was also some great stuff and it’s worth popping in there. Also featuring these frogs that cracked me up: 

3DBDE339-F327-4060-91E0-9E623621EDF6.thumb.jpeg.b75a3a4b05d60ca823b7e111e9d4478a.jpeg

After that we were successfully back on the ship! We made it back around 11:20ish so lots of time for mom sun time. 

Oh! I almost forgot.....I took this time lapse of us passing by Old San Juan on our way out and finally past El Morro. Very pretty sail away. 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh the other thing I forgot to mention, when we came back before my mom went up to the pool deck we made a nice little trip down to Next Cruise and....YOLO booked the Junior Suite for the Anthem 2021 11 night sailing! Worth it for the room, the balcony and the Coastal Kitchen access. Also we don’t have to pay for flights since it’s out of NJ. This is my logic and I’m sticking to it. Those 22 points aren’t too shabby either. The thing I was surprised by was that it’s still only a $100 per person deposit even for the longer sailing and now you have 2 months to make changes to your booking without penalty  instead of 30 days. Very good surprises. Booking confirmation! 

ED71DF61-5CFB-4C16-917F-79E5A195A4F5.thumb.jpeg.5dc907ae9d2ead7d39754bcb875940e5.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, tiny260 said:

@Lovetocruise2002 loves wild animals roaming loose on the streets...

You don't even know the half of it!  I have a story to tell you and DW involving many cows and bees and how I can never visit a farm again.  Ask me about it in 7 weeks over drinks ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

I took this time lapse of us passing by Old San Juan on our way out and finally past El Morro. Very pretty sail away. 

Loved this, thank you!! I'm going to be embarking from SJ in August but the ship doesn't leave till 8:30p and I am so glad to have seen this side of El Morro in the light of day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, kuruczpa said:

I'm curious to know about how early the pool chairs are 'reserved' in the morning - how have you (or other people) dealt with that? Thank you ?

I am probably the worst person to ask about this as I tend to avoid the pool deck a lot except for the Solarium, but I can tell you I have heard some people simply sit down on a chair that has a towel and see if someone says something to you. I imagine that’s not an appealing option if you aren’t a confrontational person but as long as you aren’t looking for chairs together for a huge number of people you should probably be fine. I do know that people also sometimes move chairs to create a larger group of chairs together. When I was camped out in the Solarium the other day, I asked my dad to watch over my kindle when I went up to the bar and when I came back, 2 of the padded chairs next to me had been kidnapped by a group of people on the other side of the hot tub. Other people just viewed that as more space to dump their stuff while they hopped in the pool. 6C2560DB-4276-4F11-84E8-93D56BA85AEE.thumb.jpeg.a8050be4b21cddc7c09ed420897b142e.jpeg

The newly empty space that turned into a hot tub staging area. 

Oh and I forgot I had this picture of the pool area at 10am on one of the sea days. As you can see, still plenty of chairs. That Solarium picture I took made it seem like the majority had been saved that early. It’s not the case, don’t worry! 

6453DBB3-1849-4A3C-910E-EB2FE9743E41.thumb.jpeg.ab89b73d46e7561f751e6baf3b2b2b71.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So for dinner tonight we had 6:30 reservations at Giovanni’s Table and that was going to be followed by a 9:00 showing of the ice skating show (Ice Games). We were seated quite promptly at Giovanni’s and overall had a wonderful dinner, though there were some culinary duds in the mix and some pacing issues which we later found out were due to some large tables slowing down the kitchen. That’s fine, but I would have preferred a bit more communication from our server on the delay and cause of it. 

851F2387-3F84-4ED8-92F0-19769657B951.thumb.jpeg.dfebfa9c75ea1d793a8678a99119b1ea.jpeg

A shot of the mostly completely attacked bread basket which was full of very good crusty Italian bread. I’m such a snob about Italian bread and this was very very good and fresh. The right contrast of crusty but pliable exterior and a light, fluffy interior. They give you olive oil with balsamic vinaigrette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for dipping. 

For my appetizer I got the pancetta (slow cooked pork belly). 

F0AC60ED-B4DC-4D2A-AB95-C1230D5DF2FA.thumb.jpeg.977fbed9d35dcf815424b559a0bc32a8.jpeg

It was good but not great. A tad dry and not as flavorful as I was expecting. 

B17851E9-51D5-4F4E-947B-0ACEC4CB25D1.thumb.jpeg.10007d4385131cb54e40357c4eb8c962.jpeg

My mom and I got an order of the bolognese pasta to split as our pasta dish. It was just....ok. I would definitely get another pasta if we went back. My dad loved his wild mushroom risotto but I’m not a mushroom person. You can see his pasta in the background of the next picture. My new love. Giovanni’s filet.

302FBDE8-0A9C-46C4-B134-A736EC232806.thumb.jpeg.6b5816a3d8bd1052034b65327d16042a.jpeg

Hands down, as a filet this beats Chop’s filet. The sauce is better, the mashed potatoes are better, and the steak is either a better cut or prepared better. It’s very juicy and tender with a lot of good flavors. As an overall steak, it’s the second best on the ship of what I’ve tasted. Number 1 is still Coastal Kitchen rib eye. 

To get back around to the pacing issue I noted earlier. We got there at 6:30. At 7:30 our appetizers had been cleared and we were still waiting for our main dishes. She asked if we wanted desert around 8:10 when I told her that we did, but as a note we had a 9pm show. She then apologized for all the delays and explained what caused them. She picked up the pace on clearing everything and taking our dessert orders. But before she took our dessert orders she brought out......a cake with a candle in it for my mom’s birthday! I had come by the night before and spoken to the host about getting a candle put in a dessert for her and brought to the table but *without any singing* because my family can’t stand that. I had asked if at all possible to have it be carrot cake because it’s her favorite dessert but said I totally understood if they couldn’t make it happen. Well, turns out they weren’t able to swing that BUT they did bring her over a dessert from 150 Central Park instead! 

F645D7AB-80BC-49F3-92CD-7D009D36D2E9.thumb.jpeg.bacc2eec1bf2aee292acd9f60f84b9af.jpeg

2DC0F0EF-4163-4267-914F-E14C441DA024.thumb.jpeg.84ecd6e1d512f96ccd99598c5aa27439.jpeg

It was very nice how she did it and very much appreciated. By the way, it was excellent and very refreshing. 

I got the hazelnut chocolate cake for dessert. 

D4817933-03D9-452A-916E-521F166D3C44.thumb.jpeg.8f2ddf4e2d0cb63c3ddc7da1055721d3.jpeg

Ok so I take back anything I said about not having had a phenomenal cake on Royal. Here it is. This cake. This very cake. Was so f***ing good. That I paused between bites to just savor it. So rich. So moist. Such a great crumb. The frosting. So decadent. I just. Y U M. Also my dad was obsessed with the tiramisu but since I don’t like coffee I was trying to clear my tastebuds after trying it. Overall, we finished with Giovanni’s around 8:30 so it took a good, full 2 hours to eat there. Time accordingly. 

We stopped by the room to change shoes and somehow lost my dad to the siren call of the bed. My mom was a trooper though and joined me for seeing the Ice Show. We got there around 8:40 and used Key seats. Excellent seats there: 

BD5E2C38-A578-4FDC-845A-5F5449586395.thumb.jpeg.9037909ba976b4e1d655ea39845788e6.jpeg

overall the ice show was super fun and cheesy in the best way. I was surprised by how much they must have spent on song licensing because they had stuff from some pretty famous and varied musicians. From Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand to Elvis to Christina Aguilera. It was also fairly interactive so if you have no desire for them to interact and play with you, don’t sit in the front row. 

It was a great end to the night and now it’s BED.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 6: Warning that today is a pretty boring today to blog about because it was mostly hanging out in the Solarium and on our balcony reading. It sounds boring, but I have read 2 books while I’ve been here and hope to finish the 3rd before I get home. I rarely have time to read properly at home so I treasure this kind of uninterrupted time to catch up on some good books. 

My mom and I decided to do a leisurely breakfast in the MDR which was nice but only ok food wise. Buuuuuut it DOES have the fresh OJ available which of course I took advantage of. Twice. Love that stuff. 

0714B91A-527F-4874-9DC5-59C23BD0FA3A.thumb.jpeg.e6f6b5e9d6e44ff5af35919c1c320a2a.jpeg

331D36C8-D91B-465E-B0A6-1E9BC3C3451E.thumb.jpeg.c0a0c551a99e0dba04abdfc6316fe05f.jpeg

When I went up to the Solarium around 10 there were a decent amount of people already in there. However magically my favored padded chairs from the other day near the hot tub with the side table were still open so I immediately dumped my stuff and got settled in before someone else set their sights on the pair. Starting around 10:30 or 11 they had a couple of people wandering around the Solarium taking drink orders who were great and very friendly. They were good about being proactive about seeing if you wanted anything too. I didn’t even see the one woman approach, but she saw my empty drink and asked if she could get me anything else. Of course I said yes because you have to flex that refreshment package! I left around 1ish to meet up with my mom for lunch at Sorrentos. This time there was no line at all and they had a ton of pizza out and ready to serve. It was coming fast and hot. 

BABBD9A9-9EC6-497E-AA95-1CCBCC7B979A.thumb.jpeg.5c7b3901d266fb1462f1b8ba7e9d7170.jpeg

Since we both had a bit of a desire for something sweet, I let her talk me into some ice cream. She really had to twist my arm, let me tell you. I got a scoop of mint chocolate chip with mini M&Ms 

CEAA82C4-F062-4CB0-A8BA-A1A6937AC89C.thumb.jpeg.16d7aa4120643954bb79346aded6a236.jpeg

A00048D0-569E-4E32-BDD1-767A236229ED.thumb.jpeg.a895bfab9f1bc8da0e405e371f8c727d.jpeg

You could see where they were set up for a cupcake decorating class later. All the places were set up and the table was like....shrink wrapped with Saran Wrap to keep everything sanitary. 

I split from my mom so I could swing by the Vitality Cafe for another strawberry banana smoothie (bless real fruit!) to bring onto the balcony for my afternoon reading. I kind of wanted to nap too but since I have the sofa bed and it was during the day....I was out of luck since it was more sofa than bed at that point. So I might have been slightly crankier than normal before we went to dinner. Luckily we had Tanesha up at CK and she was all smiles and welcomed us back while remembering what we liked to drink. They must have access to your other dining plans because both her and Jose (CK host) asked how we liked Giovanni’s and wished my mom a happy birthday. 

C07F91FA-C577-46EB-AB39-6DB17BCE1CBF.thumb.jpeg.ce7e3065e0e3a990c46fbdb5fbaa037e.jpeg

I got the pizzette as my appetizer 

A7FC28AE-9C81-4DFB-9743-5386D3A27375.thumb.jpeg.4455690666e55f1fccc94f73770e1524.jpeg

It just wasn’t to my taste. Which isn’t to say it was bad but.....I’m not the biggest pesto fan so this just wasn’t for me. 

For my main I asked for a recommendation between the linguine or the veal chop. Tanesha immediately recommended the veal chop and my goodness was that the correct choice. 

1D5B3394-AAB2-4097-B580-FB238FF828D3.thumb.jpeg.d4db4531adb8497d7b5522d3832d76e1.jpeg

LOOK AT THAT BEAST. When she saw my face looking at it she told me that this isn’t even their biggest cut of this steak. I can’t imagine even bigger. As is, it’s about half the size of my head. It was incredibly, melt in your mouth tender and the sauce was very good and flavorful. Third best steak so far. Still 1. CK rib eye 2. Giovanni’s filet 3. CK veal chop. The real test should be tomorrow when CK is due to have their filet entry on the menu. Challenge accepted. 

0B67D316-DD36-495E-ADF9-B238CF9FBC84.thumb.jpeg.a5fcf8a7785ccd3bbee8b61e79e069ec.jpeg

B484FD37-EA9F-4B5B-B548-04DA3DDF7DD7.thumb.jpeg.1ee7a67f611b47b7cb1a94019cbab2f7.jpeg

Apple pie for dessert. I forgot about the raisin warnings and was surprised to see them pop out. Even with raisins this is definitely better than the apple pie from Enchantment’s MDR. I’m not sure if that’s a CK thing or an Oasis class thing. 

When we went back to our room we had some really sad items to greet us ? 

DACC1DA8-3A0C-4064-9B5A-78E2DA20A1A5.thumb.jpeg.8d8b035c6f5512bb38c8f0f363f91831.jpeg

6CD2CD21-BB2B-4D92-B162-7D7D066ECA3F.thumb.jpeg.d0e730945cf6d80b0d26609c3b42f28d.jpeg

But we also had some more uplifting things. 

A5227005-A3CD-447E-AB03-CA3001E4A957.thumb.jpeg.47ecf12edac3d81abd21439f02abd179.jpeg

C422A461-38AA-4C72-B527-F043930217C6.thumb.jpeg.bd80aa2b3262e0570a8a7bacf9445800.jpeg

This last paper surprised me because we didn’t get one of these for St Kitt’s or San Juan. I’m not sure what’s different about Nassau that we got this paper, but it’s nice that the priority debarkation isn’t ALWAYS tied to a tender port. More consistency would be nice but this is Royal after all. 

And with that it’s a bit more reading and then hopefully an early bed time because I have been waking up way earlier than normal and it’s throwing me off. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, spiralqueen said:

The real test should be tomorrow when CK is due to have their filet entry on the menu. 

Can’t wait to see what you think of it!  I have never tried the rib eye but I might have to now...

And I have had raisins in every apple pie from CK so pretty sure it’s a CK thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...