kimberussell Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 Hi! I'm Kim! You may know me from my Enchantment of the Seas trip report 2 years ago. We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Me: 47, cruised with Royal Caribbean 2 years ago for the first time and Disney 15 years ago. I love warm weather and palm trees. Mom: old enough to be my mother, cruised with Royal Caribbean 2 years ago for the first time. She also loves warm weather and palm trees. We both love to eat. She's gluten-free, I'm gluten-full. We get along very well. We are Basic. We have no Star, Pinnacle, or Diamond statuses going for us. We are our own Genies. We have matching t-shirts that say "Resting Beach Face." We accept every photo op. We lose money on bingo and gambling. All of those things that experienced cruisers laugh at and wonder who they're aimed for? Us! They're aimed for us! Our story: we took our first cruise 2 years ago because Mom had a medically crummy summer and I wanted her to look forward to something once she put in the necessary PT work. We had THE BEST TIME and at least once a week every week since she mentioned taking another cruise. Mom: Let's take another cruise!Me: We could do that. Or we could go back to Virginia Beach! Or find a nice place in Florida...Mom: But then we'll have to go out and FIND food instead of just walking to a restaurant and having all the food we want. Don't you remember just grabbing the bag of chips from that stand? And there's no Solarium. And just the hotel is more money than the entire cruise and that's WITHOUT food and... I created a monster who wants to be able to grab a bag of Sun Chips and walk away. She wanted to take the same exact cruise again, because this time since she's back to 100% and won't have to use a cane. She's even going to the gym now. I know, right? I also know who'll be lugging our suitcases. But our beloved Enchantment of the Seas moved to Galveston and the Navigator's 5-day doesn't include Key West. Mom: I don't want a smaller boat than Enchantment, though!Me, looking at Navigator photos: I...don't think that will be a problem. And here we are, booked on Navigator and headed to Nassau (day 2), CocoCay (day 3) and a day at sea (day 4). What we are keeping the same: Same ocean-view room. We were barely in it last time and I think that we'd really waste money on a larger room. Same VOOM 2-device surf and stream package. Still not booking an excursion in Nassau; we're using a map I found online to create our own walking tour with a goal to be back on the ship for lunchtime. I might purchase a bottle of rum to bring home. Still not booking fancy dining - we were completely happy with MDR and Windjammer last time and I'm excited to add free tacos to our lineup. Can't forget the free chips. Still not buying beverage packages - even when it goes to buy one, get one 50% off, neither of us can sustain the pace to make it break even. And we don't mind regular coffee. What we are doing differently: I kind of fibbed about the lack of STATUS. Because we are Crown & Anchor GOLD LEVEL, baybeeeeeee! ha-HA! We'll be strolling down deck 3 with our four points like this: (Which is why we'll never be let into fancy lounges.) I bought lanyards from an Etsy shop to replace the "Bristol Meyers Squib" medical conference ones we had before. They befit our GOLD status. My husband is my favorite person but NOT a tropical-loving guy so he is staying behind with my beloved dogs and retinol. He will be driving us to the airport. We are flying directly into Miami the night before to spare me the agita I had last time when we almost missed the plane in Philadelphia. I'll disclose the hotel once we've checked out because I'm paranoid. We are not buying Evian water to be delivered to the cabin - 12 1-liter bottles = WAY too much water. Instead, I'm going to pick up a 6-pack of bottles in Miami to carry on and satisfy Mom's bottled water demands. I'm sure the complimentary C&A Gold status sherpa will help us. (disclaimer: there is no sherpa) I was raised on NJ tap water, so my body has evolved its own high-end filtering system. I pre-rented a floating mat at CocoCay. But with the construction on CocoCay's South Beach we don't have the opportunity to rent a lounger for the day. For just 2 of us, dropping hundreds of dollars on a daybed or cabana isn't cost-effective. I'm very concerned about snagging seats with an umbrella. Even though the map shows little umbrellas all over, I don't want us to scorch. I have feelings about CocoCay. It's just ... we had the perfect day there 2 years ago before it became capital-letter Perfect Day. We're not doing the waterpark and my brother would kill me in my sleep if I hooked Mom up to a zipline. I just hope Royal Caribbean remembered that some people's perfect day entails just lying on the beach under an umbrella, drinking and eating. Other than weather, norovirus, airplane crashes, the softening of my jawline, and the ship catching on fire at sea, this is what I'm worried about. I am often wrong, so I'm hoping my wrongness streak continues. Goals: Flush myself down the Riptide slide. It looks to be 25 seconds long. I can do that. As long as I keep my mouth shut (tall order) I won't drown. Try a Lava Flow. Have a FANTASTIC time. All that's left is the packing, folks. tdcackler, teddy, Big Tule and 18 others 13 1 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 I love your style. Enjoy every second. Happy to follow along. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 Love your sense of humour have a great time kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 22 minutes ago, kimberussell said: Try a Kraken Lava Flow. Fixed that for you. Hope you both have a great trip! Like @ellcee, love your sense of humor and style in your writing. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 2 hours ago, kimberussell said: I kind of fibbed about the lack of STATUS. Because we are Crown & Anchor GOLD LEVEL, baybeeeeeee! ha-HA! We'll be strolling down deck 3 with our four points like this: (Which is why we'll never be let into fancy lounges.) Hahah this is me, too! NOTHIN SHIMMERS LIKE GOLD!! 14 big points and countin' kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 Following. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 I am so happy that you are back with another blog. The first one was hilarious! Looking forward to this one. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 @kimberussell, serious question -- are you going to get drunk on the soup again? Lovetocruise2002 and kimberussell 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 I Will Be Following This One. I Be On Her One Sailing After You. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Great pre-review and so nice you're travelling with your mom. My first cruise was with my dad and I won't forget it. We were on Navigator in August. Great ship...and I love what they've done with the amplification. Enjoy! kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 16, 2019 Report Share Posted October 16, 2019 Yippee ! Glad to have you back. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
741953 Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Oh my...I thought I time traveled and read my own live blog!! On Nov 4, I'll be on Navigator, with my mom, for a 4 nights cruise. It'll be our very first cruise. For package, we purchase nothing but internet for 2 devices. We both don't drink at all, but we LOVE to eat. It REALLY doesn't matter what to eat. We have pretty cheap taste anyway. Gourmet dining environment sometimes actually makes us uncomfortable. Our preferred style is "just give me the god damn food and leave us alone". My mom is suffered from chronic knee and back pain, so for Nassau we're just gonna walk around the port, take some photos and maybe buy some rum cakes for our friends back home. For CocoCay, I thought about getting myself a Waterpark Pass for the slides. But since it's our first cruise and my mom is not fluent in English, I wanna stay with her as much as possible. Again, we just wanna chill and EAT. That's all. I can already see my mom "stationed" at Skipper's Grill, snacking non-stop while watching her favorite videos and chatting with friends online. I have a question. How do you pre-rented a floating mat at CocoCay? I'm too thinking about renting one, but don't see it anywhere in cruise planner. It'll be great if you can also upload the Cruise Compass with your live blog. Only if you have the time. I seriously can't wait for your live blog! CFL, kimberussell, Srp431 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK2793 Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 We’re getting on Navigator on 10/25 after you get off ..... so don’t destroy it lol. kimberussell and 741953 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 11 hours ago, ChrisK2793 said: We’re getting on Navigator on 10/25 after you get off ..... so don’t destroy it lol. I'll tell Mom to leave the spraypaint home! 12 hours ago, zillono said: I have a question. How do you pre-rented a floating mat at CocoCay? I'm too thinking about renting one, but don't see it anywhere in cruise planner I had to look for it! I logged into Cruise Planner, then clicked on Perfect Day in the top nav. There's a section called Other activities that for me had parasailing, jet ski, etc. Under that there was a heading that said + VIEW ALL ACTIVITIES and when I clicked on that, it revealed more options (swimming pigs?!) and at the VERY bottom of that was the beach mat. Hope this helps! ChrisK2793, 741953 and JLMoran 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srp431 Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 Following have a great trip kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
741953 Posted October 17, 2019 Report Share Posted October 17, 2019 8 hours ago, kimberussell said: I'll tell Mom to leave the spraypaint home! I had to look for it! I logged into Cruise Planner, then clicked on Perfect Day in the top nav. There's a section called Other activities that for me had parasailing, jet ski, etc. Under that there was a heading that said + VIEW ALL ACTIVITIES and when I clicked on that, it revealed more options (swimming pigs?!) and at the VERY bottom of that was the beach mat. Hope this helps! Ah ha! Found it. Thank you so much kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaMc Posted October 18, 2019 Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 I will be on the same trip! Worried about the weather though. Doesn't look good from what I've seen in the forecasts. I wonder what a cruise would be like if it rained the entire time. Anyone had this experience? Will the water attractions still be open? Haven't cruised in 20 years so I am excited and will make the best of it regardless. Celebrating 34 years of marriage on this trip! Vwjo, WAAAYTOOO, kimberussell and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 18, 2019 Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 Welcome to the blog, LisaMc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaMc Posted October 18, 2019 Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 Thank you Waaaytooo! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 I'm trying to keep upbeat about the weather. Monday I see about a 10% chance of rain in Miami, Nassau looks to be between 5-7% on Tuesday, Wednesday in Nassau is 20%, but we'll be at CocoCay. I know it's a crapshoot, but I"m thinking Nestor's going north of where we'll be. Keep the faith! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 Greetings from Miami! After reading the review here and watching the port webcam for months, InterContinental seemed like the best choice. Our flight was easy and the drinks are cold. Let vacation begin! monctonguy, Lovetocruise2002, Sweety and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 Only one day til you go on the cruise, only one day til you gooooo! kimberussell and PRebecca 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 1 hour ago, kimberussell said: InterContinental seemed like the best choice I approve that choice! rjac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Holy cats were you all correct about arriving early. We left the hotel at 10:45 and with expedited boarding we were on the ship about 11:15.(Our set sail passes told us to report at 12:30, btw) She’s gorgeous. Detailed write up later but here’s Mom and me holding court in the Gold Lounge (there is no Gold Lounge) on deck 12. MotleyCruiser, Lovetocruise2002, Vwjo and 14 others 11 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2019 Greetings from Nassau! Last night we sat in the solarium until dinner, then met the other 2 lovely couples at our 6-top in MDR. After that we saw the Ice show (great!), hit the casino, (not so great), and collapsed at 10. This morning we ventured out for a Kim-planned walking tour. We visited the Watling Distillery, Greycliff, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Straw Market. This afternoon brings and appointment at To Dry For for mom, and a trip to the spa for me. The special is a full body massage, skin brushing, facial, and scalp massage for $149. Maybe it’s the rum talking, but that seems much more reasonable that what I saw in the planner a few weeks ago. Full write up at a later date ...VOOM is not great in our cabin this time. Must be the GOLD plating . This is me completely blending and not looking like a tourist. Classy broad. Vwjo, Lovetocruise2002, JLMoran and 9 others 6 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Royal should pay you to do cruises you are such fun kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Thank you all for the kind words. We just left CocoCay in a few (stragglers!) and it was truly the Perfect Day! We had zero problems finding chairs underneath an umbrella. I kept my floating mat all day. I had multiple Coco Locos and I always swear off souvenir cups until I’m presented with one. Somehow I now have not one but 2 CocoCay cups. Well done, Kim. Currently: on deck 12 listening to One to One play us out of the island. Next up is 6 pm dinner, a Beatles tribute in the promenade, (eyeballs Mom), and watching karaoke. Photo is of the end of the balloon solar eclipse. MaryS, JLMoran, PRebecca and 9 others 7 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2019 I promise the entire 'blog' is forthcoming...re-entry into the real world has been bumpier than I planned on! tdcackler, Big Tule, WAAAYTOOO and 3 others 3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted October 30, 2019 Report Share Posted October 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, kimberussell said: I promise the entire 'blog' is forthcoming...re-entry into the real world has been bumpier than I planned on! I think we all get that. rjac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Remember me? Welcome to my ... not so much LIVE blog but a blog that was put into suspended animation for a month. **** Day 0 - Miami Sunday It’s on! My devoted husband had the privilege of driving a maniacally giggling me and my equally excited mother to Philadelphia International Airport. We checked our bags and sashayed through TSA PreCheck. I paid for it and it was literally the best money I ever spent on travel. Mom got it for free. She said it’s because she was traveling with me. I say it’s because she’s Of An Age. We had breakfast at the terminal. Yogurt and coffee for me, a scrambled egg bowl and coffee for her. We boarded the plane without incident, left early, and arrived in Miami a little after 1pm. Mom watched the first part of Rocketman. Mom: This is depressing. Me: I’m sure his story gets better. I think he makes it big. Mom: Eh, I know how it ends. (closes movie) Us. Our luggage was within the first 10 bags that dropped onto the belt. We hailed a taxi and sped to… InterContinental Miami! Huzzah! I picked it strictly based on this blog’s recommendation. Thank you! Our standard room on the 18th floor was ready when we arrived. We changed into more comfortable duds and hit the pool bar for lunch. There were chairs along the railing and we stared at PortMiami (and drank) for the afternoon. It’s a much nicer view in person than via webcam. After whiling the afternoon away, we walked to Bayside Mall for dinner. The walk was gorgeous, with a water view the whole way. There was live music at the mall. We ate at Chili’s, which would not by my typical first choice in a new city, but it was familiar and had a short wait. Compromise. Bayside Mall. There’s a construction wall bragging that a giant Ferris Wheel will open at Bayside “Holiday 2019.” I’m a sucker who will ride any Ferris Wheel she sees, so that only means I have to come back to the Intercontinental (and I guess PortMiami) eventually. The walk back to the hotel felt 100% safe, even in the dark. We headed back to the pool bar, but it had closed due to lightning. The Starbucks inside the hotel was also closed, so we headed back to the room to relax. Day 1 - Embarkation Monday Today! Today we go on our cruise! I woke up and went outside to wave fanatically at Navigator. I loved having the hotel right on the water. Mom and I had breakfast at Ole, which is the Intercontinental’s breakfast buffet. It was pretty expensive ($29pp for the non-continental version) but the food and service were amazing. Before we left for port, we bought 6 bottles of water at Miami One Market for $1 each. That with the free bottle from the Intercontinental meant Mom was set with water for the trip. For embarkation, I wore a Roxy sundress that I coveted at one of the shops on the Enchantment 2 years ago (it was cheaper to buy online rather than in the ship’s store), my casual flip flops, and a beach hat. Mom also wore a sundress and a beach hat. We looked so touristy that the bell services agent immediately said, “taxi to the port?” Mom laughed, and I said, “I guess we don’t blend with the IBM AI conference that’s happening?” “Yes, but I also saw your luggage tags,” he replied. We arrived at Port at 10:50 and left our bags with the porter. Our SetSail passes indicated that we had expedited arrival. We entered the (short) line, had our photos taken and our passports looked at, and then we were okayed to board. Of course we took the gangway photos, because I will NEVER turn down a photo. We boarded the ship at 11:15 and I cried. Yes, I’m a big baby, but it’s not just that. I had a mammogram that came back problematic and then a breast biopsy 11 days before the trip. That came back clear. I would have come on this vacation either way (I didn’t buy that deluxe of a travel insurance plan) but I know “death doesn’t discriminate” (Miranda L, 2014) and I was thankful to be here AND healthy. So go get your mammograms if your breasts are of age. But maybe don’t do it 3 weeks before your cruise. And then Mom cried because I was crying and I was glad we already had the photos taken. After I got myself together (am big baby) we marveled at the ship. Enchantment was certainly beautiful, but Navigator is spectacular. It was a little overwhelming, but in an “everything is the same but different” way. Our first order of business was to go up and see the pool deck. Mom: It means so much that we travel tog- Elevator: DOORS CLOSING! Us: (simultaneously scream) Elevator: DOORS OPENING! Me: Okay. That’s helpful. We stopped crying. I loved the amplification efforts - the happy colors, the beds and the chairs and the shade that was built in. Naturally, we had to check out the Windjammer. Where Enchantment had hand sanitizer stations, Navigator has a giant handwashing area complete with fully-functional sinks and a staff members singing songs about washing your hands. This would by my mother’s perfect cruise ship job. Mom grabbed a sugar free gluten free coffee mousse and I had a little plastic cup of jello. It was only 11:30, so we weren’t super hungry. There was a giant cake welcoming us all to the Windjammer. It had to be 4 feet long. We took the stairs to the 12th floor and found a covered seating area near Lime & Coconut. Mom classily drank a pinot grigio while I slurped down the signature Lime & Coconut drink. This is not Lime and Coconut And I need to say this for everyone to hear: OH MY GOD YOU ARE ALL RIGHT ABOUT GETTING HERE EARLY. At 1pm, when the announcement was made that the cabins were ready, we headed to Windjammer for lunch. We figured everyone would charge to the cabins at that time and it would empty out. We were correct!! The Gluten-Free options continue to impress. Mom: vegetable medley, hamburger sans bun, fruit, another coffee mousseMe: hot dog (classy broad), vegetable samosas, seafood paella, fruit.. After lunch we went down to the bowels of the ship to our cabin on deck 3. The beds were pushed together, which could have been avoided if cruiseplanner had let me set a preference for it like I did 2 years ago. Our garbage can was GOLD because of our killer GOLD C&A status. Ocean view cabin, bed pushed together Our SeaPasses said we had My Time dining and to go to deck 3 to make our reservations. Hm. I had reserved traditional 6pm dining when I made our reservations. The app confirmed it. I went around the corner to the dining room, explained my predicament, showed the Royal App and the gentlemen said I had a 6pm reservation every night. Good! We explored the promenade on Deck 5. Mom and I played 2 games of giant Jenga at Playmakers. She won 1 and I also won 1. We decided it would be best to leave it tied. My family is very competitive. We returned to the room and met our steward, Miguel, who said he’d switch the beds before bedtime. Fantastic! Back up to deck 11 for -- Elevator: DOORS CLOSING! Me: Omg. This is going to be anno-- Elevator: DOORS OPENING! Back to deck 11 for the sailaway party. I had a Bahama mama and we slipped away from Miami so smoothly that if you didn’t see it, you’d never know we were moving. We found 2 comfy chairs in the Solarium and stayed there until I looked at my watch and said, “Um, we have dinner in 4 minutes.” We went to MDR on 3 and the maitre’d said, “Ma’am, you’re a My Time Diner so if you wait right here we’ll find a table and ---” And I took a deep breath, smiled, showed my app which confirmed I was traditional dining and I would like to have the same table every night. And with a swipe of a Sharpie, we were given table 521 on Deck 5. Mom took the elevator, I took the stairs. We were seated at a 6-top by the window with two other couples. Couple 1 was married over 20 years, and couple 2 were honeymooners. Both were from Florida and both were just the right level of talky. We went to the 7:30 ice show which kicked off with an amazing drone display! The skaters were fantastic and at 45 minutes it was just the right length. We arrived 10 minutes early, which was still too late to get seats together, so I sat in the row in front of Mom. After that we stopped at the Casino for Mom to lose her obligatory $20. The big draw was the game where for only a dollar, you had a chance to move a “key” forward into one of 12 ‘locks.’ Behind each lock was a fan of US bills -- some were $10s, some were $20s, some were $100s. You’ll be surprised to know that while MANY people were feeding MANY dollars into that, nobody won. We perused the shops on the 5th floor and then when headed up to bed, exhausted. The beds were split and I tumbled in. And almost broke my collarbone because I forgot how FIRM the mattresses were. Grade: A++ IRMO12HD, JohnK6404, JLMoran and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 (edited) Day 2 - Nassau and Glitter Tuesday I woke at sunrise and Mom and I headed to the Windjammer for our sunrise cups of coffee, which we have on deck 11. Because I’m a nerd, I pulled the Port Nassau webcam up on my phone and tried to find myself. And I did! Behold blurry me! This is a screenshot from the Port Nassau webcam. I'm in the purple circle and spent far too much time of my life trying to get this shot. We went to the Windjammer for breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, and the amazing Austrian Striezel bread that I loved 2 years ago and promptly forgot about. I’m an okay bread baker now, so I found a recipe on … um … another cruise board and I’m going to give it a try. Back to the cabin to get changed. Mom saw a spa special in the cruise compass: $149 for a body brushing , full body massage, scalp massage, and facial. Hmmm… okay. I could do that. Me: $149 plus tip and then I’ll probably buy something - that’s pricier than I thought. Mom: We just spent 11 days thinking you had cancer. Me: You win. Twist my arm and all. For herself, she wanted to try To Dry For. We headed up to To Dry For on the 5th floor and made our appointments: 2:15 for her and 2:45 for me. They were able to make my spa appointment there too. I blend. Wearing our matching “Resting Beach Face” tees and along with 2 bottles of delicious $1/bottle Miami water, disembarked at Nassau a little before 10am. We didn’t purchase an excursion. Instead, I created a small walking tour based on this site and this site. Evidence that I planned a route making my poor mother walk on strange streets without sidewalks. But I wanted to hit the distillery first, so instead of using those maps exactly, we went down (up?) West Street. It was very hilly, and no tourists. I didn’t feel unsafe, except when the cars went barreling by. Plus, a Disney ship was at port too, and I knew that even if we looked touristy in our matching shirts, there would likely be 1,000 people in Mickey Mouse shirts and ear hats behind us. You don’t have to look the savviest, you just have to look savvier than the person behind you. Soon, were were at Watling Distillery, sampling the rum. It was very hot and very sunny. We took the informative, free tour. The rum bottles were VERY HEAVY and as I mentioned it was VERY HOT so I opted for a beach towel as a souvenir instead. We are exhausted and sweaty and this is hands-down my favorite photo of the trip. Mom printed 2 copies of this, framed them, and gave me one. After the hike to the distillery, the rest of the trip was literally downhill. We poked into Greycliff and sampled chocolates. We walked by the Government House. We were stopped in our tracks by the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral. The stained glass artwork is breathtaking. Mom and I slipped inside a pew and sent up a few words of gratitude. We left donations and continued on our way to the straw market. Which was the same that it was last time. I waved to Twangster on the Majesty and as planned, we were back on the ship by 12:30. I'm glad we stopped in the Cathedral. Lunch was at our beloved WindJammer. A huge fan of buffets, I took a spoonful of every pasta available with a ladleful of every sauce available. Mom, more restrained, had a bunless burger and some vegetables. And tiny desserts! I dropped Mom off at To Dry For at 2:14 and hung out on a deck chair until 2:40 when I headed to Vitality. Elinor was my masseuse. I upgraded to hot stones ($20) and Elinor effortlessly took me from “OH GOD IT BURNS” to “more please thank you.” I told her my shoulders are where I keep my tension and she managed to work them back down from my ears. Then I bought the Elemis Instant Refreshing Gel ($50 on ship, $55 on Amazon, Icy Hot costs $8) and, suitably oiled up, slid down the hallways back to my cabin. Mom! Looked! Amazing! She had the best time at To Dry For and the curls in her blowout lasted 2 days. She would definitely go back and while I love my Mom ... she’s picky (Mom: “I’m discriminating”) about a great many things so any endorsement from her is automatically a ringing endorsement. Let’s talk about Formal night. It’s now called “Wear Your Best” and I’m 100% fine with that because it’s vacation. Do what you want. I choose to dress up. Not to a formal level, but to a holiday party level. Or a wedding guest level. Because other than my own (first) wedding, I’ve never been to a truly FORMAL wedding. I spent a whopping $17.99 on my dress at Ross Dress for Less - black with silver sparkle. I kept it in the Ross bag because I didn’t want any stray pieces of glitter to rub onto my other clothing. I bought a blingy silver bag for $13 on Amazon. My shoes are my trusty silver “wedding guest shoes.” Mom also bought her dress at Ross, for just about the same amount. Dressed in our finest C&A GOLD status duds. When I pulled my gorgeously cheap dress on, I noticed a few sparkles of glitter flutter to the ground. Okay. No big. We went to dinner a little early to take advantage of the photo ops. “You’re sparkly!” Mom said. “Thanks!” I replied.She continued, “No, really...it’s … on your arms. And your chest…” Remember the massage? And the massage oil? Yeah. Any glitter that my body came in contact with was adhering to me. Between that and the oily sheen I strode through the ship resembling either a gymnast or a stripper. Formal night breakdown: About 25% of the crowd brought the sparkle. Another 25% dressed up slightly. The rest are still wondering how they got glitter on them. Sorry! That was me. MDR: My dinner was linguine with seafood. Mom had almond crusted cod. After dinner we went up to the pool deck to kill time before the Ballroom Dancing show. I saw Super Mario’s cabana, which is blocked off from us peasants by a chain and enclosed with plexiglass. He was working. And smoking a cigar. That was the only time we saw him the entire cruise. Anyway, the wind blew as we walked by and I’m pretty sure I glitterbombed his cabana. Sorry, Mario! The ballroom dancing show as very good - maybe a tad bit long at a full hour. They even did a good job with Moon River, which is a song that usually makes me want to throw myself down multiple flights of stairs. After that we went to see Karaoke in the Cosmopolitan lounge on deck 14. I walked in and thought I had stumbled into a pinnacle platinum plus lounge but I was right. Either that or breathing Mario’s second hand smoke earned me some more points! (It didn’t) I tried my first-ever Dark and Stormy and enjoyed it! We stayed for most of karaoke, and then I went back to the cabin and tried to shower off the glitter. It was on my face, in my armpits, between my toes. The dress went back into the Ross bag and then zipped into a gallon ziploc bag and there it still remains, in the back of my closet, until I want to destroy somebody’s house this holiday season. Grade: A+++ and a pile of glitter. Edited November 25, 2019 by kimberussell added walking tour links and some missing punctuation JLMoran, Lovetocruise2002, Dan Curtis and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Day 3 - Coco Loco Wednesday Despite my week-long excitement about CocoCay, I slept until almost 8! Must have been the late night shower. Or the alcohol. After breakfast at the Windjammer, we disembarked around 10am. We took the tram to arrivals -- a BRILLIANT IDEA -- and then headed to Chill Island, where we secured 2 chairs under an umbrella AND under some palm trees for the warm, shady, morning we dreamed of since June. I picked up my floating mat and the experience was well worth the 12.99. The water was warm and peaceful. Mom also floated for a bit. It was a soul-replenishing experience. (I may have cried.) We took turns in the water and on the chairs, reading. Even though I swear off souvenir cups on every trip I take, this time I drank 2 coco locos and happily accepted the cups. One pink, one orange. By the way, if you purchase a Summersalt swimsuit in the colors “Pacific & Blue Lagoon & White Sand” you will match most of the CocoCay colorways and your pictures will look phenomenal. We were too chill to try and look decent for the selfie stick photo. There was glitter in my beach bag. I turned in floating mat and we went to lunch at Skippers, which was where the GF food was. A very helpful crew member took Mom around the buffet and showed her which foods were gluten free. She had tacos! I also had tacos and bbq ribs. And some corn. And some fruit. We spent the afternoon at the Oasis Lagoon pool where the party was. Front row seats in shade. I had another Coco Loco, sans souvenir cup. We saw a lifeguard save a kid! Me, matching the pool and sky, oblivious to the drunk, pasty guy behind me photobombing our photo. At 4:30, we reluctantly trammed it back to the ship. It was really, truly, a perfect day. All of my worries about shade and crowds were unfounded. Even if there were 2 ships there, we’d have still found seating. My version of the same picture everyone else takes. We showered up and headed to 6pm dinner. My chair still had glitter on it. Mom: Steak, SUPER WELL DONE. Me: Asian pork tacos, chicken cordon bleu, tres leches cake. And 50th birthday cake! And a glass of wine. We watched the Beatles tribute show in the Promenade, and then returned to the Cosmopolitan Lounge to watch another round of karaoke, where one giant family brought the house down with their rendition of “O Happy Day” from Sister Act 2. The drinks flowed, the crowd cheered, people were Saved. It was the Perfect Day. Grade: A+++ JohnK6404, Skigoofy, tdcackler and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberussell Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 (days 4 and 5 to come tomorrow!) Big Tule and Srp431 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Curtis Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Awesome blog, great job, we also had to find ourselves on the web cam as well, even called my mom to tell her how to pull up camera. Looks you all are having fun and enjoying the cruise. kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 25, 2019 Report Share Posted November 25, 2019 Wow ! You both looked awesome on Formal Night. You look great anytime but especially sophisticated and glitterish that night ! kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Tule Posted November 25, 2019 Report Share Posted November 25, 2019 8 hours ago, kimberussell said: (days 4 and 5 to come tomorrow!) Can't wait kimberussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted November 26, 2019 Report Share Posted November 26, 2019 On 11/24/2019 at 3:02 PM, kimberussell said: I blend. Every time you've mentioned blending in I think of that line of Marisa Tomei's from My Cousin Vinny "Oh, yeah, you blend." hahaha JLMoran, kimberussell, Big Tule and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdcackler Posted November 26, 2019 Report Share Posted November 26, 2019 Thanks for sharing! This has been a fun read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted November 30, 2019 Report Share Posted November 30, 2019 Thanks for sharing, @kimberussell! Can't wait to read the recaps of Days 4 and 5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StayFrosty Posted December 3, 2019 Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 On 11/24/2019 at 5:54 PM, kimberussell said: Our SeaPasses said we had My Time dining and to go to deck 3 to make our reservations. Hm. I had reserved traditional 6pm dining when I made our reservations. The app confirmed it. I went around the corner to the dining room, explained my predicament, showed the Royal App and the gentlemen said I had a 6pm reservation every night. Good! Same thing happened to me. They looked at me like I was crazy. We unfortunately were not able to talk our way into traditional. I am not a fan of MyTime Dining. We were seated at a two-top by ourselves every night. I like being seated with other people in traditional dining. I also felt like the waiters were much more rushed in MyTime. I am glad you got it worked out. Love Navigator! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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