Lexster Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 (edited) Was reading through some of the live blogs and figured I might as well do one for my upcoming cruise! We'll see if anyone is interested in reading it. Currently 21 days, 18 hours until vacation begins! We went on Oasis of the Seas last May and this year we decided to shake things up. My husband's dad (Dave) and brother (Will) will be coming with us. This cruise is kind of our anniversary and his college graduation all wrapped into one. His dad has been on a Royal Caribbean cruise before, but his brother hasn't. Dave's definitely excited. He told me he's been working the memorize the deck plan and had routes memorized from his cabin to various places. It's funny because I did the same thing, but planning means nothing once you're on the ship. It's super easy to get turned around. Itinerary/Thoughts on Day 1 - Miami Day 2 - Sea Day Day 3 - Costa Maya, Mexico Day 4 - Roatan, Honduras Day 5 - Cozumel, MX Day 6 - Sea Day Day 7 - Perfect Day at Coco Cay Day 8 - Miami I'm very excited for this itinerary since I've never been outside the US other than to the Bahamas. We've booked Nachi Cocom in Cozumel, so that should be a lot of fun. We're doing a rainforest excursion in Roatan and in Costa Maya, we're mostly going to wander the port, I think. There wasn't anything that really stood out to us that we wanted to do other than the Mayan ruins, but the trip is so far, we didn't want to be on a bus for multiple hours. I also like that the sea days are the bread on the cruise sandwich. It gives us a day to relax after getting on the ship and a day to relax near the end before going to Coco Cay on the last day. Our last cruise was a bit of a disappointment due to the weather. It left out of New Jersey and all along the coast, we were basically chasing a storm system which made everything cloudy, cold, and rainy. This meant we never really got to enjoy any of the outdoor activities on Oasis of the Seas, so I'm hoping this year to get to do the water slides and FlowRider and things like that. Coco Cay was also great, but hampered by the bad weather, so again hoping it's just perfect and gorgeous this year. Pre-Cruise Preparation As I've begun doing as of our first cruise, I created a spreadsheet to track budget, items to bring, meal planning for the cruise, everything. It helps keep me excited as the days tick down. I like to plan out my meals so I can make sure we hit a bit of everything on the ship throughout the week. I've ordered the Chops +1 meal plan. I plan on us going to Wonderland for the +1. I have wanted to try it from the first time I saw what kind of place it was. I love cuisine like that. We also got the Refreshment Package since none of us really drink. I probably will get a couple cocktails, but for the most part I'm happy with mocktails. I also love that it comes with smoothies and milkshakes. I've already got my luggage tags all set up and did Dave and Will's as well. I've basically taken charge of planning everything. I have a hard time giving up control sometimes, especially when it comes to my vacation! Dave's not the most tech-focused individual, so I got everything printed out for him. We've got the car reserved and the hotels. Yes, we're DRIVING from Northern Kentucky to Miami. Insane, I know. It's like 16 hours. But, hear me out. It may be slower, but plane tickets would have basically been the cost of a cruise. It's crazy how expensive flying is now. So, our plan is to drive 8 hours on Thursday and then 8 hours Friday. i think it'll be a fun adventure, at least. I've driven to Jacksonville all in one before which is like 12 hours, so I knew we wouldn't make it going 16 hours straight. At this point, it's just a matter of waiting. Only other things left are to get some new vacation clothes and some road trip snacks once it's much closer to the trip. I'll keep up to date with anything new or exciting happening! Edited April 12, 2023 by Lexster changed the wording slightly to make it clearer about who is coming. Before it read as if my husband wasn't there last time. He was :) JohnK6404, PPPJJ-GCVAB, She Sails Away and 6 others 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 YIPPEE !!! Sounds like great fun. It will be wonderful to introduce newbies to cruising !! PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexster Posted April 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 Yeah, his brother is a bit laid back, but I think he'll have fun, too. I think this is Dave's first time on an Oasis Class, at least, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 Have a great time! We'll be following! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdRingo Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 Nice! We're doing this exact same cruise in....3 days. April 15th sailing. I'll be interested in reading your notes about it and comparing it our own experience. Lexster, WAAAYTOOO and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFishII Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 Definitely following. Great start. I have not been to Wonderland so I am interested in your report about the restaurant. I totally get driving 16 hours instead of flying. Driving can be an adventure in itself. Warning about Costa Maya - it is called Costa Maybe for a reason. Last year, the cruise I was on had to abort that port. I just read that someone else's cruise had to abort. I believe in my case, it was due to the unrest in the area. For the other person, it was due to rough seas. But with or without Costa Maya, you will have a fantastic time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 Whoo! Have all the fun with the newbies. I've done Wonderland twice on Harmony and enjoyed the experience. I would suggest saving a drink to get the Cheshire cosmopolitan, it's delicious. So far Harmony is my favorite Oasis class ship, so much to see and do. All the rooms are modern and clean. Ship is also fairly easy to navigate once you get your bearings. asquared17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 yes!! another harmony sailor!! you will be getting on as we are getting off - we are doing eastern itinerary maybe i’ll try to hide a cruising duck or two for you all Lexster and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 We are also going to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel. It’ll be our second visit. See you there! Lexster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesiamthere6 Posted April 12, 2023 Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 It’s gonna be fun, hopefully in the sun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexster Posted April 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2023 2 hours ago, FireFishII said: Definitely following. Great start. I have not been to Wonderland so I am interested in your report about the restaurant. I totally get driving 16 hours instead of flying. Driving can be an adventure in itself. Warning about Costa Maya - it is called Costa Maybe for a reason. Last year, the cruise I was on had to abort that port. I just read that someone else's cruise had to abort. I believe in my case, it was due to the unrest in the area. For the other person, it was due to rough seas. But with or without Costa Maya, you will have a fantastic time. Yeah, luckily like I said we don't have any planned excursions there, so if we have to skip it, I won't be super sad or anything. FireFishII 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexster Posted April 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2023 20 Days Left Today we went shopping for some new vacation clothes and also got a bunch of snacks for the road trip. We'll be doing a two week quarantine before the trip starting Tuesday. I did this last year and figured I'd do it again even if there aren't covid tests anymore. I don't want to risk getting sick. FireFishII, JohnK6404, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
She Sails Away Posted April 16, 2023 Report Share Posted April 16, 2023 Following! Sounds like lots of fun! Lexster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexster Posted April 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2023 6 DAYS LEFT!! I am so happy! Yes, because the cruise is close, but also I FINALLY got my license in the mail. It's been an issue since March and they had to resend it once. I was so worried because since we're driving, we're renting a car and I wasn't sure if they would accept what the DMV had given me. I'd already experienced another business not accepting the "issuance" I got, but either way, I have it, so I'm good to go! I have a feeling this week is going to go by so slowly, but on the plus side, my vacation starts on Thursday since that's when we're driving so I only need to survive three days of work. We're all so ready for this vacation. Also, since I'm not getting internet, my live blog will likely be everything posted at once after we get home. Sweety, WAAAYTOOO, JohnK6404 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted April 30, 2023 Report Share Posted April 30, 2023 (edited) May peace be your journey. Edited April 30, 2023 by Sweety johnbaringer and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexster Posted May 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2023 PRE-CRUISE TRAVEL Well, yesterday was the first leg of our 16 hour journey. It was relatively uneventful. We made a couple stops. We did get a really nice vehicle, so it's been fun driving that. We stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Perry Georgia and it was...yeah, it was bad. I've never stayed in a hotel quite so bad before. There were large puncture holes in the wall, the bed was a super bouncy spring mattress, and our traveling partners said they had bugs in their room. Would not recommend. The drive today was also relatively uneventful, though once we hit Florida there was a ton of traffic pretty much all the way down the Turnpike. I'm guessing it's normal, but I have no idea how there is traffic on a road with barely any exits. Once we hit Miami and got off the highway, it took a half hour to go 10 miles. It was pretty ridiculous. We were considering going out to see a movie or something, but nah we're all just staying in. We did get food from the Flatbread House and it was pretty good! Radisson RED here in Miami is a nice hotel. I really like the asthetic. It has bare concrete ceilings and brick walls in the hallway. It's fun! Not too much else to go one about, but tomorrow we get on the ship! So exciting! Ampurp85, MaryS, Sweety and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFishII Posted May 6, 2023 Report Share Posted May 6, 2023 I will NEVER stay at a Red Roof, Super 8, Motel 6, Econo Lodge, and a few others. I had a similar experience where my husband thought it was a good idea to get a cheap hotel for my daughter and myself as we were traveling across country, visiting countries. Boy did I give it to him with both barrels. It was differently not a safe place for 2 women to stay at. I swore the walls and door were made out of straw. Another time, the light from the hall leaked into the room and I could hear doors slamming all night long. UGH! Give me that CC and I will book the rooms for now on. LOL! Hopefully, you got the bad stuff out of the way. Here is hoping for smooth sailing for you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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