Semi-Live Trip Report: Wonder June 4-11

[OCSC Mike]

Going to try to keep this brief-ish (or not, I’m long-winded) with few or no pictures. Too hectic with extended family & I eat too much to take pics of every item.

Background

This is a "bonus" family cruise for us after my generous FIL had such a good time on last year's family cruise (we normally take one every 5 years as the anniversaries of my wife's parents, her sister, and our own are fairly close together (May-June) and different multiples of 5 years apart).

My FIL splurged last summer b/c it was their 50th (our 20th) and got us all suites on Harmony. Now he's spoiled and when he learned about the suite neighborhood on Wonder he booked this cruise shortly after we got back from the last one.

Anyway, it’s my wife's parents, us (mid-40's, no kids), and my SIL/BIL (mid-40's) along with my 13 and 9-year-old nieces.

We may not leave the ship except for Cococay (love it there and we have a Beach Club cabana after getting an OTW cabana last summer before prices went nuts). This is mostly due to family preferences. When we cruise without the extended family we do things very differently (i.e. frugally, different eating habits, excursions, etc.)

That said, I am not ashamed to say I cruise primarily for the ship's amenities and the food & drink, especially since we've spent 20 years going around the Caribbean because it's just too damn convenient to drive an hour to Port Canaveral to go anywhere else. (With the exception of our 2018 Alaska adventure which was our best vacation ever.) So taking advantage of the suite perks for what will likely be the last time for a while works for us.

Day 1

-Parking & embarkation at PC went smoothly as usual. They actually began boarding well before 10:30, earliest I’ve seen.

-Unfortunately a 12:12pm SpaceX launch was scrubbed. Would have been cool to watch from the ship. 

-Redesigned WJ is nice. Not crowded at all if you go early (which has been my experience on most ships). No day 1 paella (my favorite) but selection was fine & I can always find stuff. Indian food was good as usual. Dessert was actually better than usual.

-Suite neighborhood is very nice and having everything in one area is very convenient. I only have that one previous experience in a GS on Harmony & the room, SL, & suite deck are nicer on Wonder (absolutely nothing wrong with them on Harmony, just having the suite deck above your room is very convenient).

-Park Cafe has a few less offerings (less paninis, no more quesadilla I used to get, no chips of course), but my 3 cheese panini was hot & crispy & I was served the largest kummelweck I’ve ever had.

-My first experience at El Loco Fresh was about as expected. The premade burritos & quesadillas weren’t very good. Making your own tacos was better but I thought the guac was pretty bad.

-Dinner at CK was very good. Had escargot & filet mignon.

-All staff in the SL/CK have been excellent. We have a favorite bartender named Ajit who has made off menu drinks including an adult milkshake for my wife who doesn’t drink much (he said he opened Wonder & is opening Icon). Our server, Jimmy, was friendly with a good sense of humor. We will have him all week. They have also taken great care of my 9-year-old-niece who has severe nut & sesame allergies. The CK manager asked my SIL to just order ahead & he’ll have them make whatever she wants.

-Saw InTENse, the aqua show. I understand why it has mixed reviews. It has a lot of non-diving aspects that some people might not like compared to other aqua shows. We liked it but most shows aren’t really my thing.

-Our cabin attendant is friendly & efficient, no noticeable difference from any past cruise but of course suites still get serviced twice daily so perhaps he’s still on the old schedule & not overworked.

-So far, in general, have not noticed hardly anything significantly diminished from past cruises. Just sharing my experience of course. Not trying to say the complaints of others are unwarranted.

-I’ll try to keep the updates coming but may not have downtime everyday like this. I just happen to be chilling on CocoCay today.

-Questions are welcome & I will get to them when/if I can.

[Neesa]

 Following....

Thanks so much for doing this! Was CK crowded night 1? Were you able to get reservations of your choice? Good to hear about embarkation, we have a 1030 time, first time ever I was able to get so early. Did they board Star, Pinnacles & then the rest of the suites? 

Enjoy PDCC!!!

Edited June 5, 2023 by Neesa
Added thought

[OCSC Mike]

On 6/5/2023 at 3:20 PM, Neesa said:

 Following....

Thanks so much for doing this! Was CK crowded night 1? Were you able to get reservations of your choice? Good to hear about embarkation, we have a 1030 time, first time ever I was able to get so early. Did they board Star, Pinnacles & then the rest of the suites?

CK wasn’t overly crowded, no. And by 7:30 it was empty as was the SL. Yummy pre-dinner snacks in the SL, btw.

Pre-cruise I asked via e-mail for 6pm every night & 7pm for tonight (PDCC recovery time, lol) & was given exactly that. Night before the cruise the suite concierges sent me a screen shot of our reservations. We were originally given two 4-tops pushed together to seat the 8 of us. Someone in my family  requested one of the two 8-tops instead on day one. They not only moved us there but also said that would be our table for breakfast every morning. Not sure if my niece’s allergies played a role but they were super accommodating on all fronts.

I wasn’t even there when boarding started, lol. It must have been very early. But I’m pretty sure Pinnacle and suites go first, or close enough.

[Neesa]

@OCSC Mike question regarding menu at CK please? If you remember to ask I would appreciate it. My CK menu is available in the app but gone are the vegetarian dishes. Do they still offer these dishes? Have your nieces found any ducks? Have a great evening!!!

[OCSC Mike]

2 hours ago, Neesa said:

@OCSC Mike question regarding menu at CK please? If you remember to ask I would appreciate it. My CK menu is available in the app but gone are the vegetarian dishes. Do they still offer these dishes? Have your nieces found any ducks? Have a great evening!!!

I’m not well-versed in vegetarianism but it looks to me like the last entree in the list each night is vegetarian…Cauliflower steak, Zucchini spaghetti, Grilled tofu, etc.

My nieces are more interested in using their Diamond vouchers for virgin daiquiris than finding ducks, lol.

CK was even less crowded tonight, btw. My best guess is lots of suite guests are doing specialty dining.

[Neesa]

7 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I’m not well-versed in vegetarianism 

Hahaha, nor I, but sometimes something interesting is offered so I'll try it on the ship because well...why not? It seems like they have tinkered with or streamlined the CK menu as well. Darn it, now I'm hungry! Thanks again

[OCSC Mike]

Day 2 recap coming later.

Finishing brunch at Mason Jar & the whole family loved it. We must have tried over half the menu, so much food, chicken & waffles and peanut butter stuffed french toast are the consensus favorites. Our server is amazing & the band even took a request from my 9-year-old niece.

[Ampurp85]

I am enjoying this, I am doing Wonder in Jan. I got the UDP at a good price right before the increase and Mason Jar is the one thing my mother is excited about as a person from the south. 

[OCSC Mike]

Day 2

-We got up early and fell into our usual morning routine. Wife went walking on the track (she switched from running earlier this year) while I went for cappuccino & what I normally call pre-breakfast.

-The coffee machine in the DL or SL has always been one of my favorite perks (insert broken machine joke here) and the machine in the Wonder SL is new to me and the best one yet (not just b/c it’s working). I usually have multiple cappuccinos every morning but this is the first machine I’ve used onboard that lets you increase the size so you can actually make one that fills a to-go cup to the very top. I’m assuming the DL has the same model but will have to check later.

-The SL staff continues to impress. I often go to get my coffee pretty early & on my recent cruises the machine was sometimes down for servicing until 7am or so. I wasn’t there crazy early (for us) but at 6:40am, not only was the machine ready but breakfast was already out. So I grabbed my 1st large cappuccino & took a couple chocolate croissants for my wife b/c they’re her favorite & you never know when one flavor will appear or disappear in our experience. Then I went down to Park Cafe for a “McMuffin.” Yes, it’s just a premade egg sandwich that they quickly heat up but the runny egg does something for me & I have simple tastes. Central Park at 6:30-7am is also so quiet & peaceful.

-Fast forwarding, my family had actual breakfast in CK later that morning but most everyone had something small like a pastry or parfait in anticipation of our Beach Club cabana & snack shack food.

-We got off the ship around 9:45am & walked to the Beach Club. Someone in my family actually requested our cabana attendant from a year ago when we had an OTW cabana b/c he did such a great job & to my surprise the request was granted. He seemed to sort of remember us but not really important either way. We had cabana 21, one of two beach cabanas secluded from the rest on the left side of the beach club if you’re facing the ocean. While it was missing some of the features of the OTW cabana, it provided even more shade thanks to the surrounding trees and everyone enjoyed it.

-Lunch was very good, just like last time. Everyone agreed that the lobster from last time was overrated but the coconut crusted lobster sandwich was really good so just about everyone had filet mignon (yes, most of us had it last night in CK, oh well) & a sandwich. My picky wife is happy just to have something she likes so she even had 2 filets since she won’t eat seafood. Everything was similar to last year. The apps were good, especially the ceviche, the mains were excellent (we wasted so many potatoes & fries), & the desserts were lacking. The good news is no one cares about the desserts b/c the funnel cakes from the snack shack are so good. When our cabana attendant (Ready from India btw) brought the funnel cakes, we noticed they had shrunk to individual size from the standard carnival size. He explained they decided the old ones were too big, people wasted them, & they could only make 2 at a time in the fryer. Nice tweak by RC here. The smaller ones are crispier, they keep the lines moving, & you can always get more than one if you want more.

-Not much to share about being on CocoCay itself. We normally sit by the Oasis Pool in our favorite spot making food runs, sitting on the underwater bench to cool off, etc. We did have the snack shack chicken sandwiches & they were crispy & delicious as usual. I spent most of my time chilling in the cabana (I can’t handle much sun or heat) while my nieces spent plenty of time on the beach or swimming in the pool. We headed back to the ship around 3:00, hot, tired, & stuffed.

-Dinner in CK was fine, nothing bad, nothing great. Several family members ordered chicken parm from the MDR to be sent up to CK. They liked it but it was not as hot as it could be after making its way all the way up to deck 17.

-We had reservations for Voices at 9:45 (there was only one showing on the earlier side & it didn’t fit with dinner) but the long day caught up with half the family so we called an audible & decided to see it at 9:30 the next night right after the ice show. I grabbed a drink & called it an early night.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Thanks for mentioning that some in your group had MDR food delivered to the CK.  That’s the first time in a long time that I’ve heard of that happening.  Good to hear.

[OCSC Mike]

Day 3

-Wife went walking again so I went to get SL cappuccino at 7am & was a bit confused when I saw no breakfast out since it was out so early the day before. We hadn’t done the Western Caribbean since pre-covid & I hadn’t opened the app yet. See where this is headed? I got a laugh & shot my wife a text letting her know that we “gained” an hour last night. Nothing like forgetting time changes after 20 years of cruising.

-We had brunch scheduled at Mason Jar for 10am, a somewhat last minute purchase by my SIL (we likely would have chosen a later time), so the time change worked out. No one really had breakfast, just coffee/juice & pastries.

-Everyone except my FIL loved the brunch. He’s not a huge eater & I guess southern isn’t his thing. We must have ordered 75% of the brunch menu (including the kids menu, mainly by my wife & niece, lol, but I’ll explain) for the table to mostly share & our server couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. She let us know which items were large & could be split many ways & which were more individually sized. Chicken & waffles (your choice of dark or white meat) were a big hit as was the peanut butter stuffed French toast. The cinnamon roll covered with what seemed like candied pecans was very good too. The kids menu has some more lunch/dinner type items that appealed to my wife & would also let us know if we wanted to have dinner instead of brunch here when we’ll be back on Wonder next year. She loved the chicken pot pie & mashed potatoes so that’s a yes to future dinner. I’m not a bourbon drinker but I had to try something unique to Mason Jar so my BIL & I both had the blackberry moonshine lemonade (seemed like more of a morning drink anyway, sort of). It was very good. Not strong, tons of fresh blackberries floating around, served in a mason jar (obviously). They also have some boozy adult milkshake/float options that I plan to try randomly one night since you can always just hit up the bar there. I know the PB&J bourbon drink is popular so I may try that too. That’s what Diamond vouchers are for, right? We were all stuffed but the fried Oreos & banana parfait type dessert were both so good too. I know Mason Jar gets mixed reviews but I highly recommend the brunch… just don’t eat breakfast that day & don’t plan on being hungry for a while after.

-A couple more non-food Mason Jar anecdotes… The country band started playing partway through our meal & even though I’m not a country music fan they did a good job & spent some time talking to the crowd. I’m blanking on her name but  our sever was so nice that she took my 9-year-old niece up to the band to make a request (they listen to way more music than I do) which was honored along with a shout out. It was that song about Applebees (told ya I don’t do country but even I’ve heard that one) & their rendition seemed pretty spot on to me. The lead singer even stopped by the table after their short set to see my niece & tell us to come back as they play every night. I’ll be back to try a drink or two at the very least & we’ll almost certainly try dinner here when we’re back on Wonder without the family.

-That was much longer than intended, per usual, so I’ll cut this short. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful anyway. Dinner in CK was fine again, nothing amazing nor bad. MDR items were again brought up when requested.

-The ice show, 365, is probably my favorite of any ice show I’ve seen. They all have great skating but this show added some very cool special effects.

-I didn’t care for Voices. It’s not my kind of show anyway but my wife didn’t love it either. 

-We have 3 straight port days coming up without much planned other than enjoying the ship which I’m kind of looking forward to. Time to check out anywhere I haven’t yet or have barely been and/or revisit new/old favorites as far as food & activities. I’m sure the family will spend a bunch of time on the suite sun deck, which is fine with me in shorter doses, but I can’t just lay there for days. A few hours in the morning maybe then I’d rather be winning more coveted RC highlighters in between snacking & drinking (we kicked butt on Indy last July & October, lol) I’m not even sure if we’re getting off just to walk around any of the ports. I may be the forum reader of the family & my wife & I have the most C&A points, but I take a back seat on most things when it’s a family cruise unless my knowledge can enhance something. Speaking of C&A points, my wife’s parents earned their 1st crystal block this cruise. They haven’t dealt with it yet but they’ll ask for it onboard as long as they are in stock.

-Crap, I knew I was missing something. The SL concierge invited our entire family on a bridge tour. We’ve never done one before and it was very cool. It was led by a female officer who said only 7% of bridge officers in the fleet are female.

-Random thoughts… Spotlight Karaoke is way too small for trivia, internet has been excellent (having a WAP in each cabin makes a big difference on that front), the service continues to be excellent (and not just from staff we see everyday like in the SL/CK).

[OCSC Mike]

Day 4

-I was already getting that “I’m eating too much” feeling so I skipped an actual pre-breakfast while wife went walking with our 13 year-old niece who was up early. I decided to wander through the WJ & Solarium Bistro just to see if there was anything interesting. WJ really doesn’t change for breakfast but I passed some streisel bread (basically raisin bread), which someone turned me onto a while ago, so I asked for a couple slices to be toasted, added butter, and had a pre-breakfast snack. When we’re actually having breakfast in the WJ I have some most mornings. Moved on to the Solarium Bistro & it was actually more crowded than WJ. Small venue, sure, but for the longest time many people have advised going there to  avoid WJ crowds. Not sure that advice applies as much on Wonder but it likely varies. It’s El Loco Fresh that seems to be the empty breakfast spot. Anyway, they had some fancier looking sausage & blueberry smoothies, otherwise it’s basically the usual spread. I grabbed a smoothie & went on my way (I do like their premade smoothies in tiny juice glasses). If they have one that’s especially good I’ll take a few & pour them into a bigger cup with a bit of ice.

-Caught up with my wife via text. Somehow she lost her sea pass card putting our niece’s phone in herr pocket & moving things around. I told her no big deal, just get a new one, which she did.

-Had a feta & spinach frittata in CK with the family. I try to order stuff I can’t get elsewhere on the ship since we’re so rarely in suites. It was good, never had feta with eggs before, only in Greek salad/pitas mostly.

-Rest of the day was mostly spent between the suite deck & trivia with the nieces. We won some drink coozies playing scattergories & some highlighters for finishing 3rd at logo trivia. RC is getting generous with the cheap prizes.

-We had lunch in CK specifically b/c they had sticky pineapple & rum ribs. We had them on Harmony & thought they were one of the best things we tried all week. Large, no fat, and fell off the bone. Same experience this time. Sadly, they’re only on the menu once. We had them twice last year. I also went to check out the WJ after (should have ordered more ribs). Not crowded, still a bit limited but enough that someone should be able to find something. I had some chicken curry (Indian food is always good on my experience) & tried a Philly burger (burger of the day with grilled onions & provolone) b/c I had heard the burgers had improved (they used to be pretty bad imo). This one was indeed much better. I’m not saying it’s amazing (go to Playmakers for a great burger), but it’s another option at least.

-Back on the suite deck, I dozed off for a bit in the afternoon in one of the the day beds, woke up at 3pm or so, and went to get ready for pictures and dinner. My SIL is picture crazy & has the 100 photo package so we need to take pictures for her. At least she bought it during Black Friday for $149.

-Dinner in CK again & it was my turn to try ordering from the MDR b/c they had butter chicken on the menu, my favorite Indian dish. My BIL followed my recommendation & ordered the same. So as it turns out, there’s at least one Indian family eating dinner in CK nightly & the chef (who is from India) has been making them their own Indian dishes nightly. So our butter chicken didn’t actually come from the MDR, it came freshly made from the CK chef & it was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had on a RC ship. We relayed how much we liked it & appreciated it. The CK manager said he’d let us know for the rest of the cruise what the chef was making for the Indian family in case we wanted it. I’m not very knowledgeable about Indian food but if it sounds good, I’ll likely be trying some more.

-Some of us saw Tap Factory while others went to bed. I wasn’t a fan but it’s again not my type of show. It got mixed reviews from others. I’m looking forward to Effectors II, our only show left besides comedy, since I’ve heard good things.

 

-Day 4 ending is when I start to feel the cruise flying by. I’ll try my best to try stuff I haven’t yet & revisit favorites before it’s too late. One thing definitely on my list is to try a couple signature drinks from Mason Jar. Recommendations for anything on the ship to do, see, eat, drink are welcome.

[OCSC Mike]

Day 5

-Usual morning, wife went walking, I got an egg sandwich from Park Cafe & my SL cappuccino. Then we met up with the nieces & my BIL to watch the ship dock in Roatan from deck 16 forward above the Solarium. Took a while with the smaller pier there. Solarium Bistro was again crowded (note: there are tables outside the Bistro in the Solarium that look like a good option). It was strawberry smoothies this time so I poured a few into larger cups with a couple ice cubes & brought them back incase my wife wanted one.

-Rest of the morning involved CK breakfast (I had a bagel with salmon) & the suite deck. Not being one to lay out a ton, I cut it short around lunch time. My wife decided to join me on my lunch wandering. WJ was too appealing so we moved on to Park Cafe. Apparently they rotate the paninis now and the Cuban (my old favorite) was back. Unfortunately it replaced the standard 3-cheese, which of course the only one my wife eats. So she ended up texting the fam who were in CK to order her something while I had my Cuban & a kummelweck. Both were good as usual. I hung out for a bit before heading to Spotlight Karaoke to hold seats for a 2:00 word puzzle/rebus type trivia called Dingbat Trivia.

-Ran into an older gentleman who grew up in the Philly burbs as I did & attended a HS not far from mine whom we played in sports. He was decades ahead of me of course but small world. The trivia itself was pretty challenging for a cruise & puzzles are a strength of mine but we go our butts kicked.

-Rest of afternoon was random. Watched the 9-year-old try the rock wall after I grabbed a Goalpost Margarita from Playmakers. It was similar to several I had on Indy in July & October but this bartender left so much pineapple in the bottom that I was eating a fruit cup once the drink was done. Also decided it’s a better drink while sitting inside Playmakers  rather than outside in the heat. I still recommend it if you like spicy.

-Made a taco & grabbed some tortilla chips & cheese from El Loco Fresh at some point. The cheese was bland, the taco was fine. My final recommendation is to just make tacos or nachos there (minus the guac or nacho cheese). I decided to stop by a couple more times over the last two days.

-Moving ahead… dinner in CK. I again asked for whatever Indian dish was being made special & it was chicken tikka masala. Most others ordered the short rib. Both were excellent. The 13-year-old actually loves spicy food and tried mine & liked it so I shared with her & she gave me the rest of her short rib. The short rib was so soft you could cut it with a fork.

-Nothing to share until the four 40-somethings went to adult comedy at 10 while my wife’s parents watched the girls. Steve Thomas went 1st and was so-so. I think he would have been funny if he ditched the generic cruise jokes. Jokes about eating a lot on a cruise or cabins being small should be banned. Paul Orgata, however, was freaking hilarious! Much of his act was improvised as he interacted with the crowd (always our preference at any comedy show, at sea or back home). I could easily see him more than once & we probably would if it was just me & my wife.

-The Quest was going on when comedy ended so we wandered in to watch for a bit. We used to go to it every cruise back in the day but started skipping it as time went on. It was pretty much just as we remembered. That ended our night & now way too much of the cruise has passed.

[AshleyDillo]

On 6/8/2023 at 12:57 PM, OCSC Mike said:

One thing definitely on my list is to try a couple signature drinks from Mason Jar. Recommendations for anything on the ship to do, see, eat, drink are welcome.

My go-to Mason Jar drink was the Pretty in Peaches.  I used plenty of my Diamond vouchers on those.  I wasn't a fan of the PBJ Old Fashioned that everyone else seems to love.

[OCSC Mike]

26 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

My go-to Mason Jar drink was the Pretty in Peaches.  I used plenty of my Diamond vouchers on those.  I wasn't a fan of the PBJ Old Fashioned that everyone else seems to love.

I just can’t do whiskey/bourbon for some reason. I tried the all shook up & it tasted like peanut butter but then came the whiskey taste & it’s just not for me. The blackberry moonshine was good with a 10am brunch.

[OCSC Mike]

Day 6

-This one will be brief for a change.

-We did the escape room at 1pm. Our group of 8 & 4 others. It’s held in a room with blank walls in Adventure Ocean. As the entertainment staff member running it explained, it was originally all decorated in Chinese and so when Wonder never made it there they stripped the room. She said it was supposed to be redecorated but hasn’t happened yet. Anyway, the puzzles were incredibly challenging and it took all 12 people working on different parts simultaneously. We managed to solve it & “escape” with one second left (you’re given 35 minutes). She told us we were only the 5th group in 115 sessions this week to solve it.

-We took pictures on the Promenade then had dinner in CK. It was lobster night & they serve a poached lobster dish rather than the lobster in the MDR & it was very good. Across the table I think we covered every entree & many thought it was the best meal of the cruise.

-We saw Effectors II after dinner and most everyone enjoyed it, especially my nieces. I’m not a broadway guy, haven’t actually seen a single broadway show on any cruise. I thought this was a good mix of broadway type singing/makeup/dancing along with some special effects.

-As usual this cruise has flown by. Very much looking forward to going back on Wonder with just my wife to enjoy the aspects that don’t fit with my family’s preferences (not a complaint, I’m very thankful & the suite neighborhood is great, we just do things differently). Waiting until next March is the hard part.

-NOTE: I may have a photo dump, mostly of food & drink, that I would post after we get home.

[AshleyDillo]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I just can’t do whiskey/bourbon for some reason. I tried the all shook up & it tasted like peanut butter but then came the whiskey taste & it’s just not for me. The blackberry moonshine was good with a 10am brunch.

My regular drink of choice is Gentleman Jack and diet, so I'm ignorant of the whiskey taste when it's in a drink. 

The Suite Sun Deck on Wonder made a good blueberry mojito if you're looking for something refreshing and sweet. They also do the nojito version for the non-boozers.

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

My regular drink of choice is Gentleman Jack and diet, so I'm ignorant of the whiskey taste when it's in a drink. 

The Suite Sun Deck on Wonder made a good blueberry mojito if you're looking for something refreshing and sweet. They also do the nojito version for the non-boozers.

My FIL/BIL are whiskey drinkers. When not on a cruise trying fun, interesting stuff, I mostly drink vodka/sprite or vodka tonic.

Blueberry mojito sounds good. I’ve had coconut & kraken mojitos so far.

The SL bartender we all love has been making me The Pitch from Playmakers (and doing a good job). 

[OCSC Mike]

55 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

The Suite Sun Deck on Wonder made a good blueberry mojito if you're looking for something refreshing and sweet.

Having one from our guy in the SL as we speak. He makes nothing weak, lol, but it’s still good. Thanks for the suggestion.

[OCSC Mike]

Back home by 10am after the suite concierges took us down from the SL around 8:30 and a routine hour or so drive home. We've always found disembarkation at PC to go very smoothly (and usually that's via self-assist, not b/c of the suite perk).

I'm going to end the report here. Nothing too exciting happened on day 7. The CK staff brought my MIL an entire chocolate birthday cake at dinner even though we just asked for a candle in her dessert. The crew up there could not have been nicer, more accommodating, or excellent at their jobs. We truly got to know the manager, Vinet, our server, Jimmy, and our favorite bartender, Ajit... to the point of hearing stories of their lives and seeing pictures of their families. As I mentioned, my wife and I only sail in suites if my FIL is treating, but even if we did, I can't imagine ever matching this experience.

I get a bit disoriented after a cruise and have some real life stuff coming up on my mind, but I still plan on posting some photos, just not sure when that will be.

I appreciate those who took the time to read my long-winded, picture-less ramblings. Questions are still welcome.

[OCSC Mike]

Some random drink pics…

 

[OCSC Mike]

I didn't have the patience to caption them so just ask if you want to know what something is.

The ones that look like milkshakes (some have chocolate chips on top) basically are chocolate milkshakes with a shot of banana liquor... custom made for my non-drinking, big kid of a wife by our amazing SL bartender, Ajit. My wife brought him the chocolate chips from the waffle topping area in the WJ at breakfast. Later on she also brought him actual bananas from WJ.

[SweetPea]

I'm late to the party, but i enjoyed every paragraph. Thanks the sharing your trip with us!

[Ndfan89]

Great review.. I will be there July 9 - July 16.  I am so excited 

[OCSC Mike]

CocoCay Beach Club food (plus funnel cake). Lots of filet & coconut crusted lobster sandwiches plus one grouper…
 

[Ampurp85]

Wow the new funnel cakes are small. 

[OCSC Mike]

22 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Wow the new funnel cakes are small. 

I mentioned that in my semi-live review. Our cabana attendant explained that they could only fit 2 of the old large ones in the fryer at a time which was creating lines, plus many people weren't finishing an entire large. This way they can fry up 6 at a time, they came out crispier all the way through, and if you want more you can of course order as many as you want.

We preferred the smaller ones.

[OCSC Mike]

Mason jar brunch…

 

[OCSC Mike]

Surprise birthday cake for my MIL in CK (we only asked for a candle in her dessert)…

 

[OCSC Mike]

A few shots from our bridge tour courtesy of Suite Concierge, Kenny…
 

[Neesa]

Question please? We're there any tribute bands? I love live music and prefer a tribute band usually to the house horns etc. 

Also, so random I know.....avocado toast available in #CK or anywhere else on the ship?

Did the concierge lounge offer complimentary soda, beer, wine from 1100  each day or is it the happy hour times only?

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, Neesa said:

Question please? We're there any tribute bands? I love live music and prefer a tribute band usually to the house horns etc. 

Also, so random I know.....avocado toast available in #CK or anywhere else on the ship?

Did the concierge lounge offer complimentary soda, beer, wine from 1100  each day or is it the happy hour times only?

@Neesa

I didn't notice any tribute bands. We don't listen to a ton of music but I do skim through the compass quite a bit. FWIW, my family thought the house band was terrible.

Solarium Bistro had avacado toast on the breakfast buffet.

Avacado toast from Mason Jar brunch...

11am-11pm... complimentary beer, wine, Truly hard seltzer, soda, bottled water.

Happy hour (5pm-8pm)... anything goes, even adult milkshakes if you're a big kid like my wife.

[Neesa]

Fantastic 411, thank you!

[OCSC Mike]

24 minutes ago, Neesa said:

Fantastic 411, thank you!

No problem. I was doing a lot of food recon for our future sailings when we won't be up on deck 17.

OK, that may be true, but as mentioned, I do quite a bit of eating and drinking on cruises.

I never understood why the 11-11 free beer/wine/soda isn't mentioned anywhere in writing yet obviously has existed for quite a while on Oasis class.

[ZBrady]

Mike - life has been crazy so haven’t had a chance to be on the forums lately. Loved catching up on this blog and experiencing it from your perspective! Thanks for writing that up - it’s so interesting to see how other people cruise. 

[OCSC Mike]

35 minutes ago, ZBrady said:

Mike - life has been crazy so haven’t had a chance to be on the forums lately. Loved catching up on this blog and experiencing it from your perspective! Thanks for writing that up - it’s so interesting to see how other people cruise. 

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope life settles down for when you actually set sail!

I know I likely mentioned it multiple times, but it’s kinda funny that you mentioned seeing “how other people cruise” b/c these family cruises in suites, with kids, with parents, etc. only somewhat resemble how my wife & I typically cruise. I felt like I was cruising like someone else when we had our first suites last year. This time we knew what we were doing, lol.

If I do a semi-live blog next time we’re on Wonder, it will be fairly different. Although it’s probably more similar than I realize just with different venues replacing others.

I got plenty of ideas over the years from reading other people’s trip reports or anecdotes. Now we’ve really settled into somewhat of a routine… although Royal keeps adding new places we enjoy like Playmakers & Mason Jar & suddenly we have burger night & southern brunch. How dare they mess with the routine like that!

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

On 6/14/2023 at 1:31 PM, OCSC Mike said:

Mason jar brunch…

 

 

@OCSC Mike what is the name of this dish?

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@OCSC Mike what is the name of this dish?

@Lovetocruise2002 That's chicken fingers with mashed potatoes and cole slaw off the kids menu (i.e. something my wife ordered). She loves mashed potatoes and gave them a thumbs up so that's saying something. She liked the chicken too which I assume is very similar to the chicken n waffles chicken (one of our favs), just cut into strips.

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

She liked the chicken too which I assume is very similar to the chicken n waffles chicken (one of our favs), just cut into strips.

Smart lady! Probably easier to eat too compared to the piece from the Chicken n Waffles!

[OCSC Mike]

15 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Smart lady! Probably easier to eat too compared to the piece from the Chicken n Waffles!

Fair point, lol, but she just had no interest in the waffles... or the hot honey sauce that comes with it for the chicken (which I'm sure you could get for the chicken fingers and I love).

One nice feature of the chicken n waffles is that you can get white or dark meat (it normally comes with one of each I think) and you can also ask for just one piece instead of two if you're trying 75% of the menu like we were.