Wonder of the Seas - Family Cruise! - July 2 - 9, 2023

[ZBrady]

I have gone back and forth about my first attempt at Live Blogging, but as the cruise approaches and more anticipation builds I’ve decided to give it a try! Both to share my experience but also as a way to help me document the trip. 

This 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & CocoCay cruise on Wonder was booked back in August of 2022 while my wife and I were aboard Harmony. We utilized NextCruise to make this booking for us, our 2-year-old daughter, my mother and father, my brother and his fiancé. In addition to CocoCay, the ship will visit St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

For my wife and I, this will be our fourth cruise together on Royal Caribbean, but our first cruise with our daughter and the first cruise for everyone else in our party! We actually had a family cruise originally scheduled on Freedom in July 2020, but those plans were cancelled due to the pandemic.

I am particularly excited for this cruise - generally, my wife and I love cruising, but I am looking forward to experiencing traveling with others on their first cruise. I have done my best to prepare them, manage their expectations, while trying to not be too overwhelming. Generally, this group is pretty easy going and likes to have fun, so I’m expecting a good experience.

Cabins

We have reserved three Oceanview Balcony cabins. The three rooms are located on Deck 7 Port near the Forward stairs and are adjacent with two rooms connecting. 

Cruise Planner Purchases

• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM 1 Device for myself, my wife, my brother and his fiancé.
• Refreshment Package and VOOM for my parents.
• 3-Night Dining Package for all guests.
• Xmas Cove Powercat - Snorkel, Turtles & Rays Excursion for all except my mother and daughter.
• 100 Photo Package (this was a splurge after we received OBC after the Premiere Pass event).
• Inky Plush for my daughter (surprise).
• Chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne for my parents (surprise). 

Pre-Cruise Travel/Accommodations

We will be flying into MCO the day before from Kansas City - this will be our first flight since the new terminal opened at MCI in our home town, so we are excited to experience the new terminal for the first time! 

Upon arrival in Orlando we will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Orlando Airport. We have stayed at this hotel previously for cruises - it is your standard no-frills hotel, perfectly fine for us for one night.

We have hired a 12-passenger van through Ace Luxury Transportation to transport us to the ship from our hotel, and eventually back to the airport after the cruise. This is our first time with this company, but I’ve seen great reviews online so I’m looking forward to the experience.

Pre-Cruise Thoughts

• Typically, we are fans of the Main Dining Room, which is why we find the 3-Night Dining package to be a happy medium for us. I’m anxious to experience the MDR for myself since the recent changes, and I’m also nervous about being able to get Specialty Dining reservations for a group of 7. Our ideal trio would be Izumi, Hooked and Giovanni’s. Most nervous about Izumi, so the plan is to head there first once we board.
• My mother has a history of motion-sickness, so that is one of her biggest worries. I have reassured her that you typically don’t feel much movement, but there have been some reports of petty rocky experience on Wonder lately.
• My daughter is in the typical Stranger Danger stage, so we’re a little nervous she may not be okay with being dropped off in the nursery. If not, we’ll take turns staying with her in the cabin during nap/bed time and also plan to bring an umbrella stroller that she can maybe sleep in out and about on the ship. If she is fine in AO, I’m not totally sure how we are going to game plan our time slots yet. 

I think that’s all for now. Check-in opened tonight - which is what lead me to start this Blog - and we were able to snag a 10:30 am boarding time (the earliest slot was sold out in 20 minutes!). Next on the list will be reserving entertainment, which should open in the next few weeks. See you then!

[JohnK6404]

Have an amazing time on Wonder with your family! We all enjoyed Wonder back in January and will be sailing on her once again in OCT/NOV for Halloween! 

We'll be following along!

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Looking forward to this blog.  
May I suggest having your Mom get a prescription for the Scopolamine patch from her doctor?  This patch works wonders for anyone prone to motion sickness.  My husband wears it every cruise and no matter the smoothness (or not) of the water…he has not gotten sick!  Our most recent cruise was with another couple and she began feeling sick after a late dinner (it was her 22nd cruise and Never got sick previously!) so I placed one of my husband’s patches on her and by morning she was completely fine for rest of cruise!  

We are doing our own family cruise end of July and of the 17 coming 8 have never cruised.  We plan to make sure everyone has patches in their possession!

 

[OCSC Mike]

We'll be on Wonder in 2.5 weeks so wish you were sailing sooner, lol, but I'll follow along regardless. We have two more Wonder cruises booked after this one but they're not for a while.

I, too, considered doing a live or semi-live blog but this one is a family cruise with three generations (like yours) and I think I'd better off saving that for when it's just me and my wife. I've done long trip reports post-cruise before so perhaps that's what I'll do if time allows.

We've been doing these family cruises about every five years and they are very different than when we cruise alone between the different preferences of my wife's parents (who generously pay for the family cruises) and having my young nieces aboard (we have no kids). None of this is a bad thing but it usually leads to us going back on a cruise alone later that summer to do things "our way", lol. Unfortunately we won't be able to this summer but we'll survive.

Keep an eye out for those show reservations. The opening time has varied. It was 30 days for my sailing but much earlier for others.

[FireFishII]

Thank you for deciding to do a live blog.  Don't worry if you are 'live'.  Any little crumb, we will appreciate it.  This is usually my lunch time entertainment.  

I love the 3 specialty dinner plan.  I have used that in the past - just enough.  But I have been know to throw in a lunch or two at a specialty restaurant on top of my 3 dinners.  Lunch prices are much cheaper and should not break the bank.

For your mom and motion sickness: I get motion sick being a passenger in a car so I know it well. As far as not feeling the motion - cow mature.  I can feel the motion even when the ocean is a clear as glass. July is Hurricane season so there is a good chance you will have some movement. Here are some suggestions going from least invasive to most invasive:

1. Acupressure bands - aka SeaBands.   I have not heard of anyone who said this works.
2. Green apples: I know - sounds weird but people on this blog swears by them.  I have never tried it.
3. Acustimulation Bands - aka Relief Band. I just read a study that says it may delay symptoms but it won't stop symptoms.
4. OTC Meds: Dramamine and Bonine. Dramamine last 4 to 8 hours while Bonine last 12 hours.  Works well but may make you sleepy and may not mix well with alcohol. 
5. Prescription Meds: Scopolamine (Transderm Scop). This is a patch that you place behind your ear.  It will last up to 3 days.  You put it on the day before your cruise.  WARNING: Make sure you wash your hands immediately after applying.  If you get the medication in your eyes, it can cause temporary blindness or blurry vision. Trick that no doctor will tell you about: I will cut 1/3 off the patch and apply the remaining 2/3 of the patch.  A full patch makes me feel slightly ill.  Each person is different. 

What do I use? Scopolamine!!  Love it.  Never get motion sickness and I have been in some very BAD seas. 

Good luck!  Have fun!  Try to keep your 2 year old on nap and eating schedule.  I look forward to your blog. 

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by FireFishII
Added hurricane season.

[ZBrady]

7 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

We all enjoyed Wonder back in January

That is great to hear! We definitely splurged a little bit on this one, but Wonder seems like the absolute perfect ship for this trip. Well, until January, of course 

6 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

May I suggest having your Mom get a prescription for the Scopolamine patch for her doctor?  

This is a great shout - when I called and talked to her today I mentioned this and coincidentally she got a prescription for it just yesterday! He recommended putting the first one on at least a day before so its in effective when you actually need it. 

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

I, too, considered doing a live or semi-live blog but this one is a family cruise with three generations (like yours) and I think I'd better off saving that for when it's just me and my wife.

That was my main hangup, too. I'm a night owl so I figure I'll mostly news/photo dump then; I figure a good way to decompress. 

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

We've been doing these family cruises about every five years

I'm hoping this is a good enough experience for everyone that we can start doing something similar 

18 minutes ago, FireFishII said:

Thank you for deciding to do a live blog.  Don't worry if you are 'live'.  Any little crumb, we will appreciate it.  This is usually my lunch time entertainment.  

I love the 3 specialty dinner plan.  I have used that in the past - just enough.  But I have been know to throw in a lunch or two at a specialty restaurant on top of my 3 dinners.  Lunch prices are much cheaper and should not break the bank.

It sounds like we're very similar! The Live Blog forum wasn't really on my radar until recently, but I've discovered I really enjoy them - and its definitely encouraging that it seems like others are interested in this one! Hoping I can deliver 

We're thinking about some lunches as well! We'll have to see what the dynamic becomes in terms of doing stuff on our own vs. the whole group. Once everyone else gets more comfortable on the ship I figure it will be easier for my wife and I to sneak away. Right now everyone else is very much leaning on us as they learn the ropes. But we all started at the same place!

[Ampurp85]

I love all the live and not so live blogs. They are perfect for reading during downtime.  I also love to read someone's experience. I am on Wonder in Jan, I have the UDP for that one because I am on a Mariner sailing before and an Allure sailing after. I think Wonder has so many good dining options.

[asquared17]

22 hours ago, ZBrady said:

100 Photo Package (this was a splurge after we received OBC after the Premiere Pass event).

premiere pass shenanigans I AM HERE FOR THIS!!! 

22 hours ago, ZBrady said:

Inky Plush for my daughter (surprise).

selfishly i wanted this, so can’t wait for her to get it

looking forward to hearing about your experience onboard wonder!! 

[Xaa]

9 hours ago, ZBrady said:

We're thinking about some lunches as well! We'll have to see what the dynamic becomes in terms of doing stuff on our own vs. the whole group.

Totally get it.  When I'm sitting here during the day, I think I'm ready to eat every meal at specialty, but when I get onboard, I start to reach the point of "holy crap is it time to eat again?".  Like you, we enjoy the MDR so find the 3 night package just about right.

My wife said that we can't visit all of the restaurants on Icon with 3 nights so we should get UDP.  My retort was that we could visit them all, it just takes a few more cruises.  

Looking forward to the blog.  Love this part of the forums.  It's great to see more of every poster's personalities as well as experience the cruise through their eyes.

[WAAAYTOOO]

4 hours ago, Xaa said:

I start to reach the point of "holy crap is it time to eat again?". 

^^This^^

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

4 hours ago, Xaa said:

I start to reach the point of "holy crap is it time to eat again?". 

^^This^^

Not this for me, lol. If it's been 30 mins, it's time to eat again!

[ZBrady]

4 hours ago, Xaa said:

My wife said that we can't visit all of the restaurants on Icon with 3 nights so we should get UDP.  My retort was that we could visit them all, it just takes a few more cruises.  

This is the absolute right mindset to have!  Any excuse reason to book another cruise.

[ZBrady]

We have a small update! We are 31 days out, and I was expecting Entertainment to become available soon - either today (first day of the prior month) or tomorrow (30 days out). Noticed this morning around 9:00am EDT that Entertainment and some additional Activities became available to reserve. 

The past several months I had been tracking the show schedule on Wonder and figured our sailing would be largely the same - with that knowledge I was hoping to have a game plan going in on the day reservations were available. Turns out the schedules I had seen previously were nearly spot on, which was nice, so I was able to make those reservations quickly. Generally, we booked shows for their first showings in case of cancelations. Here is what we ended up with - 

Day 1 - inTENse Aqua Show (8:30p), Adult Comedy (10:00p)
Day 2 - Voices (9:30p)
Day 3 - 
Day 4 - 365 Seasons on Ice (8:30p)
Day 5 - Tap Factory (7:45p)
Day 6 - The Effectors II: Crash & Burn (8:00p)
Day 7 - Royal Society of Puzzles (1:00p)

Hoping () we will be able to work Specialty Dining around those times once we are on board, but I figure some things may change since we'll prioritize getting the Dining reservation we prefer over a particular show time. 

A month from today we'll be flying out - exciting times!

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, ZBrady said:

The past several months I had been tracking the show schedule on Wonder and figured our sailing would be largely the same - with that knowledge I was hoping to have a game plan going in on the day reservations were available. Turns out the schedules I had seen previously were nearly spot on, which was nice, so I was able to make those reservations quickly.

You were more organized than I was, nice job. Our schedule for next week is pretty similar, some times are slightly different.

[ZBrady]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

You were more organized than I was, nice job.

I had quite the sophisticated planning document  

[OCSC Mike]

Hey, mine started totally blank and was all pencil and paper; you used color! 

[FamilyCruiser123]

This will also be our family cruise! First time we all will be traveling together, and first cruise for 4 of us. We have a party of 13 with 4 adjoining oceanview balcony rooms on Deck 6- Well 3 adjoining rooms and one room in between the fourth. We booked this cruise a year ago so seeing the numbers drop from 350+ to only 30 days has been very exciting. This will also be my first time on Wonder and am looking forward to comparing it to the other Oasis Class ships we've been on. Have our excursions, shows and escape room booked and ready to go!

[BobbieS]

Following along! I can't wait to hear about your journey!

[ZBrady]

The time has finally come! Tomorrow we begin our journey towards Port Canaveral, traveling into Orlando one day early and staying overnight.

We don’t fly out until 5:30pm Eastern, which in retrospect is fairly late in the day. I’m wondering if that was either by far the cheapest option or the only direct flight that would somewhat cooperate with our youngest’s nap time.

Speaking of our youngest, having her tag along has drastically altered our packing experience. As Matt often recommends, we have 50% more supplies than we would think is necessary packed into every crevice of our luggage. My wife - who I am eternally grateful for and would have totally and completed failed without - has done a great job packing an organizational kit with first aid supplies, various medicines, and various other items that I have a feeling may come in handy when traveling with a young one.

This will be the first “big” vacation with my parents and brother as a whole group since probably the mid 2000s. As a result, we’re taking advantage with some themed outfits that I am looking forward to.

I believe I mentioned that we elected for Early Dining. My family - being first time cruises - conveyed that they would really like to enjoy Sail Away, so that’s an obvious conflict. I am going to do my best to book a specialty restaurant later on Day 1. I suggested the Windjammer for dinner as an alternative, but based on my wife’s response we will be hoping to avoid that situation

Super fired up for this one. Excited to experience Royal’s newest ship, but more so excited to share the experience alongside so many first-time cruises. I have server as a guide of sorts for them throughout this process, so I think the payoff will be particularly rewarding when this ultimately becomes such a rewarding experience for them. I have a bet made with my wife about whether or not my parents will say they will want to cruise solo in the future - my bet is YES! 
 

Plan to share some pictures tomorrow alongside updates of our journey from MCI to MCU. First time visiting the new terminal in Kansas City!

[OCSC Mike]

Safe travels!

Will be following along of course.

[asquared17]

10 hours ago, ZBrady said:

My wife - who I am eternally grateful for and would have totally and completed failed without - has done a great job packing an organizational kit with first aid supplies, various medicines, and various other items that I have a feeling may come in handy when traveling with a young one.

excuse me for a second, im about to get sappy, but — i love this.

i love this because you are a supportive partner and you openly recognize how much work goes in to the planning and organization/backend of it. the not so glamorous but very necessary behind the scenes work. you guys clearly are putting a lot of thought and care into this vacation and it is heartwarming to see it is evident based on what you’ve shared so far that you are no slacker either and it’s so nice to have that partnership especially when traveling!!

10 hours ago, ZBrady said:

I have a bet made with my wife about whether or not my parents will say they will want to cruise solo in the future - my bet is YES! 

  cruising for all!!!

safe travels to you all and can’t wait for embarkation!!

[ZBrady]

Travel Day! Probably the most we have ever packed for a week-long vacation, but not totally sure what to expect on board with our little one. We have a stroller that is fairly compact and folds up well. One suitcase and one carry on each, which is pretty good I'd say. The large black duffle is for our youngest daughter that is staying with grandparents for the week.

For the uninitiated - the Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972 and featured a unique design; the "Airport of the Future" has separate terminals but did not feature people movers, instead opting for a drive-to-your-gate model, with flight gates as close as 75 feet from the road. The major flaw of this design was a lack of centralized security, as each gate area had to have its own security check with limited services inside of the security gate. In 2019 construction began on a single-terminal airport, which opening in February of this year.

Our 5:30pm Eastern flight has been delayed until 6:45pm Eastern - our plane coming from NY experienced weather which delayed its departure. So we have even more time than we anticipated to explore the new terminal. 

The new terminal is particularly spacious and definitely feels like a modern airport. One centralized security check for both "nodes" of the airport.

 

With lots of time to kill we found a place to eat a late lunch and opted for Smoke 'n Magic BBQ - despite KC being known for its BBQ, this restaurant isn't one of the popular ones and its original location is in a distance suburb of the city proper. The food was only mediocre - the best part of the meal was the fries, which you always hate to see. We drank a few Captains and Dr. Pepper (yum) - really looking forward to utilizing the drink package.

We spent quite a bit of time at the Inclusive Play Area. The airport also features a Sensory Room and a Flight Experience.

One of the coolest features of the airport is the addition of Gender Neutral Restrooms.

  

Airplane just arrived - we'll be in Orlando in no time 

[Ndfan89]

Following - I get on the Wonder 7/9.. Soooo excited 

[ZBrady]

Great flight, and made it safely to the hotel!

The boarding bridges at MCI are all-glass, which certainly makes for an enjoyable experience.

We flew Southwest, which has an open seating policy. We boarded between A and B group with Family Boarding and found 3 seats together near the back quarter of the plane. My parents boarded around B30, and managed to snag two seats in the row directly in front of us.

The flight was largely uneventful - enjoyed some podcasts and a magazine while my daughter enjoyed her favorite movies on her tablet.

The best part of the flight was certainly the drink service. We both enjoyed Dogfish Head Strawberry Vodka Lemonade tonight. Would definitely recommend! The best part was that we weren’t charged for them. In my experience they are less likely to charge you if you experienced any sort of delay. 

Our baggage arrived at the carrousel really quickly. We called our airport hotel for the shuttle service - turns out there is Ground Transportation at both terminals at MCO, and we managed to be at the wrong one. By the time we walked to the other terminal, we didn’t have to wait for than 5 minutes for our shuttle to arrive.

It brought us to Hilton Garden Inn Orlando Airport. It is currently under construction for a remodel, so that made me a little nervous initially. But after navigating through the construction structure we made it to the lobby where they were expecting us and already had our keys made out.

The rooms are clean and absolutely serviceable for an overnight stay. Didn’t manage to take a photo before we unpacked for the evening, so I may take one before we leave in the morning.

Hoping to fall asleep before midnight - big plans to board the world’s largest cruise ship (for now) tomorrow morning!

[OCSC Mike]

9 hours ago, ZBrady said:

We both enjoyed Dogfish Head Strawberry Vodka Lemonade tonight. Would definitely recommend!

Sounds like something I would drink... but what the heck is a honeyberry?

Hope embarkation goes smoothly! it usually does at PC, not to jinx you.

[asquared17]

it's CRUISE DAY!!!!!

also your daughter watching the movies on her ipad... girlfriend is living her best life and i am HERE for it

hope you guys are aboard by now, if not soon, and settling in your cabins!

[ZBrady]

7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Sounds like something I would drink... but what the heck is a honeyberry?

Not sure, but I think there is Blake Shelton song about it.

 

3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

also your daughter watching the movies on her ipad... girlfriend is living her best life and i am HERE for it

Thank you! We have created a little monster and she loves movies. Luckily she *mostly* will cooperate when it’s time to take away the screen. She is great.

[ZBrady]

It feels good to be home!

Our day started early in Orlando. Had breakfast at the hotel restaurant - pancakes, turkey sausage, scrambled eggs and fruit. When headed back up to our room to finish packing, I noticed Aziz from Ace Luxury Transportation was already out front waiting for us. I introduced myself and told him we’d be back down shortly.

We loaded up the van and made the short drive to PC. There was absolutely no traffic - combined with leaving a bit early, we were standing in front of the terminal at 9:20 for our 10:30 check-in. Were definitely some of the first but didn’t feel totally out of place as there were other groups already there. They had us congregate on the side of the terminal to wait.  Eventually, someone came over to first escort Pinnacle, then suite guests, then I think Masters, and then finally 10:30 check-ins.

We were probably the 5th group or so in the 10:30 line. By the time we got inside we didn’t stop walking, which seems like par for the course at PC. Everyone was super helpful - the people operating the X-ray machines even gave our daughter a duck. By the time we made it though, we were the second group seated in the 10:30 group of chairs in the terminal. Boarding started right around 10:15.

The first hiccup was taking our picture with the WOS back group outside the terminal. When we gave our stateroom numbers, names other than ours were showing up. My guess it was still showing the previous passengers as it wasn’t 10:30 yet. So we’ll see if those show up.

Upon boarding, I went straight to Izumi to hopefully make reservations for Hibachi. I was the first person there which I figured was great. The lady working the desk first told me that Hibachi wasn’t included - which I guess is technically correct, but I told her I was happy to pay the up charge. She then told me  they were already completely booked for the sailing. That was fine, I had already mentally prepared for that. I wasn’t getting a great vibe from her, so I decided to cut my losses and make reservations elsewhere. Found a kiosk on the promenade with a short line. While in line, I *somewhat* panicked and booked everything in the app before getting to the front of the line. Once there, I explained that I made reservations in the app but was charged was wondering if she could just switch them to my package. She explained that they would be able to see my package and they could take off it once I was actually there at dinner. I’m in YOLO cruise mode so I went with it and we’ll see what happens.

Meanwhile, my wife made reservations in AO Babies. I also stopped by the MDR to ensure that everyone in our party was seated together. We are, but in one of the auxiliary rooms. Not thrilled about it but oh well. This all took maybe 45 minutes. 
 

The rest of the day so far has included several bars, pizza, hot dogs, the Windjammer and a tour of the main areas of the ship.

One moment to share from the Windjammer - my daughter had an accident and slipped and hit her head on the edge of the table. She screamed and cried but settled fairly quickly. One worker named Jam came to our assistance immediately to help comfort her, and offered to get her ice cream. Jam mentioned to us that she has a two-year-old. We are looking forward to recognizing her extraordinary service later this week.

We all unpacked and took a nap once the rooms were open. Changed clothes and are heading to the pool deck for sailaway before Giovanni’s at 6:15, followed by inTENse and the comedy show. Will be a fun filled evening! 
 

Photo dump:

 

[OCSC Mike]

Love the "don't sweat the small stuff" attitude. Hopefully the hiccups are behind you but I can tell it would take something far more serious to go wrong to really put a dent in your fun.

Embarkation really has been smooth at PC every time we've sailed (never been handed a duck though, lol, that's such a nice touch and those aren't even RC employees, they work for the port). Sounds like boarding earlier than 10:30am wasn't unique to my week. Hope that continues into the future.

Enjoy your evening. The OG Giovanni's was always our favorite restaurant (great filet there even though it's Italian). Haven't tried the new version but considering it for the future.

[Ampurp85]

Your daughter is adorbs.

But wow at hibachi being booked up. They normally hold back some reservations for the UDP folks.

[ZBrady]

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

But wow at hibachi being booked up. They normally hold back some reservations for the UDP folks.

Right? I don’t want to make assumptions but everything about the encounter just seemed off. 

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

Your daughter is adorbs.

You are too kind! She’s received a lot of compliments on the cruise, too. The staff are soooo good with kids.

[ZBrady]

Sail away was a decently good time - PC isn’t the most exciting port but I’m glad my family got to experience it. We snagged some comfy seats near Vue Bar. We also stopped by Bionic Bar before taking some pictures and then headed to dinner at Giovanni’s.

My only other Giovanni’s experience was on Odyssey and I made the mistake of not going with an empty stomach. This time I was much better prepared and it was incredible, start to finish. We all drank moscato, shared apps and each had a salad. Entrees included Chicken Parm, Fettuccine, Lasagna, Filet Mignon and pizza. We ordered three desserts to share and ordered seconds of everything. All around great times were had, the service was especially good - our waitress was especially attentive to my daughter, which has been great.

Made it to the Aquashow and found pretty good seats. The all-female cast is super talented and a lot of the water and lighting effects were impressive. We knew going in that it would be loud so we brought my daughter headphones. She wasn’t particularly interested in wearing them so

Adult comedy show now. My wife went back to the room with our daughter - I figure we’ll trade out who stays back throughout the week. One comedian I’ve seen at least once before (but was still mostly good) and the other is just okay. Also they could have designed the supporting columns for this venue slightly better. I’ll include a photo

Tomorrow we’re at CocoCay! Glad it is at the beginning of the week.

Going to share some cabin hacks my wife came up with - a roll up makeup bag she converted into a medicine bag and a shoe organizer she is using for all of our toddler gear. I wasn’t so sure we actually needed them, but turns out they have been really useful already.

Photo dump:

 

[Ampurp85]

I don't know why but I laughed at the photo of your daughter filming with the phone......she really looks like she knows what she is doing.

[OCSC Mike]

Sounds like we should give the new Giovanni’s a try. Filet & chicken parm are pretty high up there on my picky wife’s list of foods. Always a huge meal at the original & clearly no difference there.

The pics of your daughter really are stealing the show, btw. She looks like she owns Central Park chilling on the seat like that with her “drink.”

I had a great view of that exact pillar btw. Knew what was coming before I got to the pic, lol.

Enjoy CocoCay!

[asquared17]

it’s coco cay day!! my favorite!!

your daughter is killing me; she’s too darn cute. like @Ampurp85 said, the shot of her taking pics/video was too much and her seat in central park felt like her throne with her stuff and how comfortable she was. love it!! 

hope everyone got a good night’s sleep and will have a fun day in the sun

[Xaa]

Thanks for blogging @ZBrady.  I know you're an 8th grade teacher, do you teach English?  Your writing style is very succent and thorough answering possible questions as you go.

You and your brother resemble your father.  I really like the picture of your brother and his wife at Giovanni's.  That picture makes me think of how I feel about my wife everyday, but am somehow more able to easily and openly express when on a cruise ship.

[Neesa]

@ZBrady I agree 100% with @Xaa. You have an amazing family, I love the shirts. We are older parents I had kiddo in my 40's so not much family. I am always in awe of happy extended families living their best life together. I'm excited for you, I know you will have an amazing sailing, thank you so much for sharing! 

Oh and I for sure agree with @Ampurp85 and @asquared17 your daughter makes me smile, she is adorable! Enjoy, enjoy!!

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Sounds like we should give the new Giovanni’s a try. Filet & chicken parm are pretty high up there on my picky wife’s list of foods. Always a huge meal at the original & clearly no difference there.

We tried it on Freedom last summer and loved it! We ended up eating there several nights. They have some unique pizzas and the chicken parm is huge! I like Giovanni's Kitchen way better than OG Giovanni's. We're planning to do one night there on Wonder in a few weeks.

@ZBrady +1 for loving those shirts! I wish my family would go for stuff like that. It always looks like so much fun.

[OCSC Mike]

28 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

We tried it on Freedom last summer and loved it! We ended up eating there several nights. They have some unique pizzas and the chicken parm is huge! I like Giovanni's Kitchen way better than OG Giovanni's. We're planning to do one night there on Wonder in a few weeks.

Thanks for another endorsement. Looking forward to your thoughts from Wonder. "Unique" pizza means my wife won't go near it, lol, but we'd be going there for the filet, chicken parm, etc. so that's fine. If nothing else, we'll wait til we're D+ after our next cruise and try it with a BOGO.

[Ampurp85]

@OCSC Mike they have a multi-meat pizza and basic pepperoni as well. 

I loathe Givanni's table but really like the Italian Kitchen version. I ate there on Freedom and Odyssey. We did the mushroom pizza and the one with the egg. Neither were well received; the mushroom had a ton of different mushrooms but absolutely no flavor. The steak was amazing, Hooked also has an amazing steak, both are better than Chops imho. Ooooh the complimentary bread and the calamari are my favorites there.......also the meatball Gigante....and the panna cotta dessert. I am super excited for my Jan Wonder sailing.

I am now wondering if PDCC is our first port, I know a lot of people like having it towards the end, but I think I would like it in the beginning.