hoping to be reunited on harmony... (4.29.23-5.6.23 ~ harmony of the seas)

[asquared17]

37 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

It's too long !  Don't trip !

JK

raye, once again, J agrees with you.

(i told her what you said )

thankfully i did not trip

[Pooch]

17 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

update to the delivery: 

they would not let me leave the letter (much less the ducks) as i did not know @Pooch’s real first name. and when i said pooch, he checked the manifest and was very disturbed.

it’s okay, i sent her a PM

Did you not get my response?  My name is Gail.  Now I want my ducks!!!!

[SweetPea]

22 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

update to the delivery: 

they would not let me leave the letter (much less the ducks) as i did not know @Pooch’s real first name. and when i said pooch, he checked the manifest and was very disturbed.

it’s okay, i sent her a PM

Now you have an idea how my convo went with your TA!

[Pooch]

I would love to keep this conversation going next week but I will have very limited access to the internet.  But I will try!

[asquared17]

20 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Now you have an idea how my convo went with your TA!

i’m crying

at least you didn’t call me asquared17 to her

[asquared17]

25 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Did you not get my response?  My name is Gail.  Now I want my ducks!!!!

we will go there on our way back and deliver!!! he was game to take the envelope with my poorly written note but i will try to stuff the ducks inside

[melmar02]

Every time my kids say, "Can I ask a question?" I respond with, "42". 

[asquared17]

31 minutes ago, melmar02 said:

Every time my kids say, "Can I ask a question?" I respond with, "42". 

the answer to life, the universe, and everything!!!!!

[asquared17]

@Pooch i saved my favorite two ducks for you

[Lovetocruise2002]

2 hours ago, asquared17 said:

sounds like you guys are experiencing the thursday curse. 

i purposely HAVE NOT DISCUSSED THIS on the forum. mostly because every time i explain this to someone, they are suddenly inflicted with it/realize it is very real indeed

No!!!! My next cruise we fly out on a Thursday. Lol

[Pooch]

My husband is gonna think we’re nuts.  I met Twangster on the cruise last year (not gonna lie, gushed like a school girl).  Hubby was like “that was WHO??!”

[asquared17]

27 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

No!!!! My next cruise we fly out on a Thursday. Lol

oh god no. NO. 

[asquared17]

26 minutes ago, Pooch said:

My husband is gonna think we’re nuts.  I met Twangster on the cruise last year (not gonna lie, gushed like a school girl).  Hubby was like “that was WHO??!”

J already thinks im nuts. she’s like, WHERE are you posting all these notes and replies???

[asquared17]

UPDATE: the package has been delivered. i repeat, the package has been delivered. 

it’s in the stateroom attendant’s hands now. 

godspeed, @Pooch 

[Pooch]

Thank you my friend.  Now we just have to make it on board!!

[SweetPea]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

No!!!! My next cruise we fly out on a Thursday. Lol

 

56 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Thank you my friend.  Now we just have to make it on board!!

No whammies, no whammies, no whammies!!!!

 

(Pooch, i feel like you might get my reference )

[asquared17]

WELP.

the thursday curse finds me even on a ship in the middle of the ocean. 

i just had a notification banner pop down on my phone that there was a charge for $200 from RCI. and i’m going… but we already DID our next cruise credit. we used it. 

and i still have a negative balance on my account bc of lingering onboard credit. 

did they… double CHARGE me???

…. sure enough, seconds later, the email comes in. “thanks for booking, here is your next cruise credit!”

this ensued a series of calls to get connected to the next cruise office and they went, “oh. yep. it’s a double charge.”

they are refunding it, but even so. we all know how long it takes royal to do refunds. 

THURSDAY STRIKES AGAIN.

it was naive of me to think i was safe. 

[asquared17]

in other, non cursed news…

dinner tonight! we had carlos on deck 3 at the MTD accommodating us. he has been so kind and i stupidly forgot to bring tip money with me (so we had to run back later). carlos got us in to eat dinner all three nights we did MTD dining. 

J and i were remarking how we basically straddled the line between the early seating and the MTD seating bc we’d roll in at 6:30 and get seated within minutes. 

it is lobster night! and yes, it is indeed a maine tail. (word to the wise; the melted/drawn butter is VERY salty.)

tonight’s crew serving us was new, so they wouldn’t allow me to have the tortellini until i’d finished the lobster — which, i mean, i understand to a degree. but i wasn’t ordering dessert and we also started with very light starters — salad and tiny shrimp cocktail — that i kind of wanted to cry in carb deprived frustration. 

also instead of firing the order of pasta fresh, it sat on a tray directly across from me with the “hat” or as @Ampurp85 put it better, the cloche overtop for ten minutes until they swapped out the plate. so it was no longer al debate, but mush. 

don’t get me wrong; i was HUNGRY, so i ate it. but if you’re going to hold back my food, please hold it back all the way and throw those tortellini in a quick pan with sauce for 30 seconds — or just let me have them when they come out instead of letting them sit like i’m in detention, waiting to be freed

also!! there was a proposal at dinner, two tables away. 

thus ensued a lively discussion between J and i, where i told her if i needed to drop the hammer on anyone re: her (hypothetical) proposal wishes, i was all too willing and able to do so. J knows i am not one for a public proposal. i love them for folks who love them. and this was not even done in a wild/outrageous way. but for me, it’s like a raw nerve exposed. i just don’t want that special moment splashed in front of everyone. 

i digress. 

we also saw our one main guy from jamie’s i the MDR!! he was visiting and saw us and said hello and asked if we would come later for water

i got some almond milk for the morning, J finished her molten chocolate dessert bomb — i’d always rather have carbs/pasta than dessert — and we ran back to the cabin to get top money and ducks. 

we went duck hiding on deck 6, specifically the boardwalk. i like to hide them in the middle jungle gym section outside johnny rockets. a mom definitely saw me hide one and called her daughter over right after

from there, we hit the picture center to get my one free diamond pic (and thus avoid the chaos of chasing it down tomorrow night) and then, of course, jamie’s for water. 

we actually ran into half our tablemates from night one when we did traditional early dining who were wondering where we’d been all cruise we had to explain The Fall and also our dining time debacles. 

now it is a little after nine and we are in PJs reading. well. i am reading after this post, and J is watching a movie i think. 

this is the perfect kind of night for us. we are far from wild on cruises

[SweetPea]

How many cruises can you book with Next Cruise?

 

(This is only funny to me because Norwegian calls it Cruise Next and you can book a max of 3 Cruise Next pp on board).

[asquared17]

16 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

How many cruises can you book with Next Cruise?

 

(This is only funny to me because Norwegian calls it Cruise Next and you can book a max of 3 Cruise Next pp on board).

you can do up to a total of three reservations also

but if we need another one, we’ll just grab it on oasis in december. otherwise we’re booked solid for everything else

[SweetPea]

Sounds like you had a perfect day, and clearly have another scheduled for tomorrow!

When we used to sail Disney, castaway cay was always our last stop (unless we did a double dip). We'd rent a cabana, and I'd bring along a bottle of champagne in a clear plastic bag I'd fill with ice and share with our cabana neighbors. It was always so fun!  I'm anxious to try PDCC in the fall!

[Neesa]

9 hours ago, SweetPea said:

 

No whammies, no whammies, no whammies!!!! 

Wow, that was a fun one! I get it, I do, I do!!!

@asquared17 you will have a beautiful day today, looks like Adventure is joining you today at PDCC ! They are pulling in now. You are right on their tail. I prefer when there are NOT 2 Oasis class on the Island. (I'm glad it's a bit smaller class of ship joining you today, for sure.) I feel like at that point (when there are 2 Oasis class) there's just to many people, just because the Island reports holding 10,000 doesn't mean it's wonderful for the guests, I don't enjoy that. Have a perfect day!! Oh no, I'm now singing that song in my head

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Neesa
Added pic

[Pooch]

I failed at the packing light!  Darn dress clothes/shoes take up too much room.  Yup, that’s my excuse & I’m sticking to it.

[Robert M]

Pooch..."I failed at the packing light!  Darn dress clothes/shoes take up too much room.  Yup, that’s my excuse & I’m sticking to it."

 

I saw the picture quickly and went "Why is she taking a trash can?" coffee hasn't kicked in yet sorry lol

[asquared17]

1 hour ago, Neesa said:

you will have a beautiful day today, looks like Adventure is joining you today at PDCC ! They are pulling in now. You are right on their tail. I prefer when there are NOT 2 Oasis class on the Island. (I'm glad it's a bit smaller class of ship joining you today, for sure.) I feel like at that point (when there are 2 Oasis class) there's just to many people, just because the Island reports holding 10,000 doesn't mean it's wonderful for the guests, I don't enjoy that.

you and me both; i’m glad it’s adventure and not another oasis class or even quantum class. i also like when we’re the first ones on the island but you can’t have it all  

we decided we’d get a good breakfast in the MDR this morning to tide us over at the beach club until lunch. we didn’t do that last time and i regretted it. 

ahahah that song will now also be stuck in MY head

53 minutes ago, Pooch said:

I failed at the packing light!

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE

[asquared17]

well, fam… we made it.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Sorry, A. but that pasta from last night looks....bad.  I hope it tasted better than it looks.

[asquared17]

31 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sorry, A. but that pasta from last night looks....bad.  I hope it tasted better than it looks.

it was a bit of a soggy mess, but i was truly hungry and desperate. i ate it all. 

don’t judge me.

ps: i really miss you and dan this time around however, jazz in the park is very loud and we probably wouldn’t have been able to talk anyway it’s no soothing guitar melodies, that’s for sure. 

[asquared17]

meanwhile we’ve got some fornicating seagulls here disturbing the peace…

i am hopeful they will relocate their activities elsewhere, seeing as there are at least two tiny smalls (kiddos) here. 

[Ampurp85]

OMG fornicating seagulls???? The seagulls at PDCC are some bold and spicy birds. They steal food like crazy and behave like sociopaths with just a touch of food. 

I still think the Beach Club is not worth any amount of money. But enjoy your relaxing time away from the masses. 

[FireFishII]

18 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

OMG fornicating seagulls???? The seagulls at PDCC are some bold and spicy birds. They steal food like crazy and behave like sociopaths with just a touch of food. 

I still think the Beach Club is not worth any amount of money. But enjoy your relaxing time away from the masses. 

I enjoyed the Beach Club but I agree that is was a lot of money.  I was able to get a pretty good deal because the ship that was supposed to join us on that day got moved.  So they had extra BC cabanas opened.  Since we were a large family reunion group, I snagged it. But if I was going with just my immediate family, I would stick with Chill Island. 

[Pooch]

Travel update-  everyone made it to Baltimore.  Next stop Fort Lauderdale.

[WAAAYTOOO]

25 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Travel update-  everyone made it to Baltimore.  Next stop Fort Lauderdale.

YAY !!!!!!!

[asquared17]

yay, @Pooch!!!!!!

28 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

The seagulls at PDCC are some bold and spicy birds

you ain’t lyin. they’re trifling.

 

29 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

behave like sociopaths with just a touch of food. 

to be fair… this can be applied to me as well when i am hangry

29 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

i still think the Beach Club is not worth any amount of money. But enjoy your relaxing time away from the masses. 

i get this. and we are fortunate enough to have done it for a BF sale. our oasis cruise in december, we have something insane like a $600 OBC so i have no issues shelling out for it on the next BF sale then

i think because we are such chill and quiet beach goers, this is ideal for us. but i agree that it is largely overpriced.

however… that air conditioned bathroom…. can’t be talked up enough. 

today i will try a caesar salad though and skip the hot food since it feels like a million degrees here already. 

26 minutes ago, FireFishII said:

But if I was going with just my immediate family, I would stick with Chill Island. 

i liked chill island, too. we did it the first time we came on odyssey this past december. i would actually be very interested in hideaway beach too. 

i do like that we have a solid home base though. food is close by, bathrooms, a pool, etc. 

there are more people in the ocean today at this point than there were last time but it still doesn’t feel overly crowded or loud. (minus the damn gulls )

i am happy with our choice, but i could never justify a beach cabana for the two of us. i am with you both on that.

[asquared17]

the shark just swam by my legs again. 

close enough to touch. 

just… call me aquawoman, i guess???

[asquared17]

we basically closed down the beach club when we left around 4:30. if it wasn’t a closed loop royal port, i would have been much more twitchy about cutting it that close to all aboard (at 5pm). 

the first time we did the beach club, we took the tram in the morning and then went back on foot — it’s basically a straight like through — to depart. we walked there this morning and arrived before the tram and then of course, walked back before we left. 

i am equal parts happy and sad i couldn’t see us leaving coco cay. it is my favorite stop and we always have a wonderful time there. royal knows what they’re doing. also to have it be the last stop (you all know my feelings on this) means we end the trip on a super high note, so it takes some of the sting out of it.  

for lunch, i got the caesar salad but did not specify cold shrimp. the shrimp came out cooked and hot and full of some kind of seasoning/marinade. i am not about hot things in my cold salad, and i had requested dressing on the side, so i did have to politely request a redo. they were so gracious and quick and the food came back out in no time. 

of course you know i visited the air conditioned bathrooms  

we spent the back half of the afternoon just relaxing. i started and finished two more books, and swam around a bit to get some movement in my still semi sore limbs. tomorrow is going to be the real kicker; i refuse to surrender our bags — we had a scare and nearly lost my large suitcase forever once — and i am definitely not operating at max power. we will just be going slower than my usual new yorker clipped pace. 

 

[Ampurp85]

 I have heard how fast my little legs move by plenty of people when I visit other counties and states. I always fast walk to my destination and then slow down once I am there. My friends and family made a big deal about this on our first cruise/vacation in 2021. I didn't realize I walked fast but nothing compared to New Yorkers, maybe it's because of the sheer amount of people but you guys' hustle. 

I hope your body is starting to feel better, I am also glad everyone in Pooch's party was able to make the flight and get to their cruise destination this time. 

[asquared17]

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

maybe it's because of the sheer amount of people but you guys' hustle. 

my twin yet again!! when we visit NYC, the tourists always ask me for directions because i hustle like a local i don’t know how to walk slow. J is forever telling me to slow down

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I hope your body is starting to feel better

definitely improving still. the salt water and swimming helped. 

i was doing great at jamie’s until the place got packed out, the horn show started just outside, and we were seated right next to the kitchen, so i kept getting constantly blasted with hot air. it was major sensory overload for me and all the creamy pasta and i got a pretty bad headache.

but this is why i travel with an arsenal; i have some cooling balm on my neck and currently am resting it on a heating pad. it’s helping.

we’ve finished packing (as much as we can/not including stuff for tomorrow) and of course i have already separated my laundry into darks/colds, warm water wash, and bathing suits/other. they are in the ziploc compressed air bags. 

having dinner at 7:15 at jamie’s was a good move. i might have bumped up to 7 if i had known how packed it was going to get. legit every single table was full and there were at least three parties of 8+ people, all loudly talking over each other and facetiming friends in the loudness. 

our server was sairah ( @Pooch if you go to jamie’s, ask for her!! she loves the ducks and we gave her our last one — she said she only has 2 and they are hard for the crew to come by) — we’d had her earlier in the week and were so delighted to have her again. she took such wonderful care of us and even tripled the size of our pasta portions — much to our ultimate dismay. 

im a big fan of “no man left behind” when it comes to carbs aka clear your plate especially when truffles are involved — but i have to admit defeat here. i left men behind. there was just so much. 

sairah even got us a little dish of truffles!!!!! 

it was delicious. 

then we came back and i knuckled down to finish packing. 

theres always that point here it looks super chaotic, like there’s no return. and then, tide changes and things improve. 

somehow my suitcase was only 42lbs on the initial weigh in, so i was able to shift a few more things in there. hopefully it’s still under 50 by the AM. 

i did try to lighten the load, considering i am not taking home almond milk, cold brew, one less can of sunscreen, lower levels of all toiletries etc. 

i think we are going to shoot for a 10pm bedtime since we are doing self carry with our luggage. i wish i had brought a wrist brace or something to isolate my finger. 

now all that’s left is to hope for the best.

i honestly can’t believe this is the last night!! excited for pooch to get on board tomorrow and i’m REALLY looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. 

[asquared17]

forgot pictures!! 

jamie’s dinner and the pedicure going strong for @She Sails Away

[asquared17]

it’s 6am and the marathon of getting our luggage down the hallway, in the elevators and off the ship will begin all too soon.

i was up around 4:30 and dozed while i felt the ship turning around so we could park at terminal A. finally i gave up the ghost around 5:45 and just called it. 

we are hoping for a swift disembarkation; i’m aiming to be out of the cabin in about 45 mins or so to deal with the elevator traffic and then we’ll see what we see. i’ve heard the uber situation is a HOT MESS but last time we were off the ship, through customs out on the curb waiting for the uber and then IN the car in about 15 mins. 

this time i’m aiming to go to the forward end of deck 5 so that they don’t snake us around the walking track again. 

godspeed to us!