GregD Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 12 minutes ago, Neesa said: I went to the Mason Jar on the Oasis I believe... You might be thinking of Portside BBQ Lovetocruise2002, CravingaCruise, OCSC Mike and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Omg…we are seasoned cruisers and are getting sucked in at the watch stand! We’ve been stuck here forever….. You all know why right? I can see why. I'm a big watch guy too, but so far have managed to avoid the Invictas. I do drool over the fancy ones in regalia, and other shops. I blame my brother. He has quite a few watches that cost more than our Star Class cruises. SweetPea, CravingaCruise and OCSC Mike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neesa Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 23 minutes ago, GregD said: You might be thinking of Portside BBQ Wait what?? Okay now I have to try the Mason Jar, so I officially take back my Mason Jar review at this time, lol!!! I was on the Oasis for sure, yikes!! OCSC Mike, asquared17, Lovetocruise2002 and 2 others 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 45 minutes ago, Neesa said: I went to the Mason Jar on the Oasis I believe... Definitely no Mason Jar on Oasis. Are you sure it wasn’t Port Side BBQ that you went to? Neesa and CravingaCruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 Loving your review. Looks like you and your hubby are having such a wonderful time. Can't wait for Wonder in March. I'm with you and love watching the water from the aft. So peaceful. And Dh too...he's into watches and I can't even count how many he has....so can relate to yours stopping by promenade and taking a look (and more!). Question about Mason Jar...is it a buffet? Or all you can eat family style where they bring it to the table as all you can eat? We usually skip specialty but that one does look kind of neat and you obviously really enjoyed it. SweetPea, CravingaCruise and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 Hubby has returned his watches lol. He came back and realize he can get all of them cheaper on the retailer website. Like way cheaper. So off he went back to Deck 5. The dumb things that people get themselves into on a sea day Sweety, Ampurp85, Mike6453 and 13 others 1 12 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 2 minutes ago, WannaCruise said: Question about Mason Jar...is it a buffet? Or all you can eat family style where they bring it to the table as all you can eat? Not a buffet but they do family style. That is what we have been doing, ordering a bunch and share between the two of us. They said family style sharing is common there. CravingaCruise, Neesa and OCSC Mike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 10 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Not a buffet but they do family style. That is what we have been doing, ordering a bunch and share between the two of us. They said family style sharing is common there. Thanks. Family style is nice as you can then try a bit of all that interests you. OCSC Mike, CravingaCruise and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 26 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: They said family style sharing is common there. Definitely. When we were a party of 8 I think we ordered about 75% of the brunch menu & our friendly server was encouraging it. CravingaCruise, Lovetocruise2002 and WannaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 33 minutes ago, WannaCruise said: Thanks. Family style is nice as you can then try a bit of all that interests you. That is exactly what we have been doing. Trying a bit of everything that looks good. 18 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: our friendly server was encouraging it. Both our server for dinner the other night and the one for brunch today encouraged it as well. OCSC Mike, WannaCruise and CravingaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Neesa said: I went to the Mason Jar on the Oasis I believe... You got my hopes up. I checked the app for our upcoming Oasis and no luck. You're officially a Dream Crusher! Neesa, OCSC Mike, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 It’s “Dress Your Best” night. ellcee, MaryS, Neesa and 12 others 8 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregD Posted July 28, 2023 Report Share Posted July 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Hubby has returned his watches lol. He came back and realize he can get all of them cheaper on the retailer website. Like way cheaper. So off he went back to Deck 5. The dumb things that people get themselves into on a sea day It's like he is on his first cruise ever such a noob. (a habs fan wouldn't make that mistake) you guys look great BTW!! OCSC Mike, Lovetocruise2002 and CravingaCruise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 7 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: The Voyager and Freedom class ones I am not sure how good those will be because of the obstruction…. They suck for privacy too. 4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: really liked the saltine crackers with whatever dip it came with. Mmmm..pimento cheese. They make an omelet that has that in it on the brunch menu, too. CravingaCruise, sammy79 and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 1 hour ago, GregD said: It's like he is on his first cruise ever such a noob. (a habs fan wouldn't make that mistake) you guys look great BTW!! Thank you! And I know, we had a great laugh over it! I blame it on how chill we have been this week and we have lost our ability for critical thinking as well 58 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: Mmmm..pimento cheese. They make an omelet that has that in it on the brunch menu, too. I saw that earlier but I hate omelettes so the saltine crackers and cheese was perfect for me! CravingaCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 you guys look FANTASTIC!! CravingaCruise and Lovetocruise2002 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Hubby has returned his watches lol. He came back and realize he can get all of them cheaper on the retailer website. Like way cheaper. So off he went back to Deck 5. The dumb things that people get themselves into on a sea day Look what I saw as I was scrolling IG. Too funny Neesa, bellemiche, Robert M and 7 others 1 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Dinner Night 6 - Chops Any dinner at Chops is always a great meal! We got all our usual favourites, and I know I sound like a broken record, but Wonder took all the best crew, including the chefs! The quality and flavour here was fantastic tonight! While I always like Chops, this was the best Chops meal in a while. The lobster was so flavourful and texture was perfect! And @asquared17 & @SweetPea you could taste the truffle oil so much in the fries and they were fresh! We left Chops barely being able to walk. Sweety, asquared17, MaryS and 13 others 12 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 After dinner we saw the Effectors: Crash and Burn. I was worried that this would not make sense as much as @JohnK6404 had said a while ago that this show is the sequel to what is on Odyssey. Well, it was perfectly fine watching it out of order. This show is amazing! The vocals are so strong (but we already knew that from Voices), the special effects so awesome, and the drone work I cannot even put into words, especially that set with Lume. There are technical elements from Symphony (Flight) and Harmony (Columbus) that I recognized here but overall Royal went over the top with this show. Hubby was saying if they sold Effectors merch after the show, it would probably sell like hotcakes. We had no idea this was going to happen, but after the show, the cast stays on to take pics with the kids in the audience. Such a nice surprise. Hubby made his way down to the front with the kids for a photo op. So yes @Jax, my husband is my oldest child I will upload video clips to Instagram tomorrow MaryS, Yesiamthere, OCSC Mike and 13 others 10 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMOKEY0202 Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Well watches returned, lesson learned to stay clear of any of the impulse shops. Window shop ONLY Just maybe with empty suitcase, you can take one of the chefs from CK home and squeeze in a supply of Ranger Cookies as well. Think in between chef duties, he can be the bartender for your Oasis of Canada pool retreat..... Wouldn't that be the life a CK filet whenever your heart desired ......... Lovetocruise2002, WAAAYTOOO, Sweety and 2 others 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 5 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said: Just maybe with empty suitcase, you can take one of the chefs from CK home and squeeze in a supply of Ranger Cookies as well. Not empty. Remember there was Galaxy’s Edge purchases lol And we always take home Ranger cookies 5 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said: Think in between chef duties, That is so comical! If you only knew…he can barely find food in the kitchen to pack for his lunches Neesa, OCSC Mike, CravingaCruise and 3 others 2 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 On 7/29/2023 at 12:44 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said: After dinner we saw the Effectors: Crash and Burn. I was worried that this would not make sense as much as @JohnK6404 had said a while ago that this show is the sequel to what is on Odyssey. Well, it was perfectly fine watching it out of order. This show is amazing! The vocals are so strong (but we already knew that from Voices), the special effects so awesome, and the drone work I cannot even put into words, especially that set with Lume. There are technical elements from Symphony (Flight) and Harmony (Columbus) that I recognized here but overall Royal went over the top with this show. Hubby was saying if they sold Effectors merch after the show, it would probably sell like hotcakes. See, I told you there was no need to worry! Bad guys go after good guys... good guys win in the end! That reminds me that we have to see the show again this OCT, but from the lower-level this time. I think it's naturally more immersive when the lasers, drones, etc., are over your head. I was not a fan of the Key seating in the upper-level last JAN. We could not see part of the stage (very front) and all the action was in front of us. Lovetocruise2002 and CravingaCruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 17 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: And we always take home Ranger cookies I usually get home and say I should have brought more home, lol. Lovetocruise2002, CravingaCruise and Neesa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neesa Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Okay again with another stupid question. First finding out I missed out on the Mason Jar last month because I mixed it up with Portside Barbecue (gees) @OCSC Mike and @Lovetocruise2002 what are Ranger cookies? Seriously, you need to take away my RCCL membership card As an aside, my server last month also came from the Symphony. He said he believes Vinay and the "team" will be going onto Icon. When I inquired about the Utopia even the concierges said " no way!" Reason being they hated the quick turn around, they prefer a longer itinerary. Turn around days are the hardest and most stressful for them. I was surprised I thought that would be the opposite as new and more frequent wallets onboard, who knew?! OCSC Mike, CravingaCruise and asquared17 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 27 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said: That reminds me that we have to see the show again this OCT, but from the lower-level this time. I think it's naturally more immersive when the lasers, drones, etc., are over your head. I was not a fan of the Key seating in the upper-level last JAN. We could not see part of the stage and all the action was in front of us. We usually like to sit right behind the rail, just behind the sound board guys. 3 minutes ago, Neesa said: what are Ranger cookies? Royal’s coconut Ranger cookies are the best thing ever. Over covid, Royal even put out the recipe for people to try at home. Sadly, mine did not turn out lol. But they freeze well so we pack them home and freeze them. 5 minutes ago, Neesa said: As an aside, my server last month wmonthso from the Symphony. He said he believes Vinay and the "team" will be going onto Icon. When I inquired about the Utopia even the concierges said " no way!" Reason being they hated the quick turn around, they prefer a longer itinerary. Turn around days are the hardest and most stressful for them. I was surprised I thought that would be the opposite as new and more frequent wallets onboard, who knew?! This is true. Even for genies. The short turn around is hard for all of them because now you are doing 2 turn arounds per week instead of 1. It will be interesting to see who goes to Utopia because of that. Many here on Wonder are headed to Icon. Again, they are taking the best. Neesa, OCSC Mike, CravingaCruise and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 4 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: But they freeze well so we pack them home and freeze them. Why have I never thought of this? That info could lead me to bring home pounds of them! CravingaCruise, Neesa and Lovetocruise2002 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 On 7/27/2023 at 11:29 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said: Because we are in St. Maarten today, our options for lunch were: WJ, Park Cafe, Sorrento’s, CK, or room service. We ended up in CK because we like their lunch menu today. Like many of you already know, CK varies between several lunch menus, it is not the same from day to day. Today we had Spinach Salad, Mushroom soup (same as Chops, I love this soup!), Royal Chicken Sandwich, and the Seafood Linguine Alfredo. That Mushroom soup! Each cruise I email the requests to the Genie for the girls. Snacks they want in the room, favorite drinks, Starbucks orders, which restaurants and shows to book. For me I always have one request: mushroom soup. From the moment I board. Hang a bucketful around my neck. Leave a bowl on the nightstand. Fill a Starbucks cup. I wonder how many gallons that jacuzzi tub in the RL would hold? I just can’t get enough of it. I knew there was something I liked about you WAAAYTOOO, Lovetocruise2002, CravingaCruise and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 6 minutes ago, Rags1 said: That Mushroom soup! Each cruise I email the requests to the Genie for the girls. Snacks they want in the room, favorite drinks, Starbucks orders, which restaurants and shows to book. For me I always have one request: mushroom soup. From the moment I board. Hang a bucketful around my neck. Leave a bowl on the nightstand. Fill a Starbucks cup. I wonder how many gallons that jacuzzi tub in the RL would hold? I just can’t get enough of it. I knew there was something I liked about you +1 Rags1, Jax, CravingaCruise and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Sounds like you are having the perfect date vacation! I think that taking the best crew to a new ship is pretty standard practice in the industry. Just my gut. I'm sure Royal does it seamlessly because they have a larger crew to pull from. I remember Disney taking their best from Magic and Wonder when the Dream was launched. Service i think then suffered on the older 2 ships because the rhythm was thrown. We did the obligatory B2B on the Dream (3/4 night cruises like Icon ... Utopia?) because i don't get out of bed for < 7 nights, but the sentiment was the same. The crew preferred longer cruises. They towed the Disney line and said it was because they could get to know their guests better. But if you've been on a B2B, you know what turnaround day is like. Even if you haven't don't a B2B, you can get the idea. We've all received that "it was a pleasure serving you. Have a safe trip home. We hope to see you again. (Now please, get the heck out, i have new guests to prepare for)" spiel from staff on turnaround day. The last part is implied. Heavily. Because their hands are on your shoulder as they guide you to the gangway ... CravingaCruise, asquared17, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: Why have I never thought of this? That info could lead me to bring home pounds of them! Glad I could be of assistance! Lol Your wife might not find me that helpful though 1 hour ago, Rags1 said: gallons that jacuzzi tub in the RL would hold? I just can’t get enough of it. Same! I think you, me, @WAAAYTOOO are all in that mushroom soup camp. I could have that for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be good with it 44 minutes ago, SweetPea said: But if you've been on a B2B, you know what turnaround day is like. Yeah, it’s crazy for most crew. However, in talking to some dining crew members, they are looking forward to short sailings on Utopia. For them, the short turn around means a chance for a bit more money. So I guess it all depends which department you are in. I think the short turnarounds are probably hardest on room attendants. asquared17, CravingaCruise, SweetPea and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Last aft view post SweetPea, asquared17, Jax and 4 others 4 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 This morning we slept in for a bit. Headed back to the Mason Jar for brunch. It was another great meal. Today, I didn’t even have to ask for the Mississippi Moonlight, they just brought it out as soon as we sat down. We had some of the same things as yesterday but the new things that we tried were the burgers, and the breakfast biscuits. This is definitely one of our favourite restaurants on this ship. It sits heavy in your stomach though so Hubby and I discussed going to the Mason Jar earlier in the sailing next time. Before food coma sets in. Robert M, SweetPea, Ampurp85 and 8 others 7 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 After brunch, we headed to Focus to redeem our free D+ photos. Each D+ adult member gets one loaded into their account. This is one of Hubby’s favourite Diamond perks. We are building quite the collection at home with our free photos since turning Diamond a few years ago. As many of you saw in my previous posts, the app now allows you to preview your pictures. Saves us some time now at Focus because we already knew what we wanted when we got there. Here is what we ended up with this sailing. Hannah knew that we were headed to Focus after brunch so she offered to pick up the photos for us later today. asquared17, Neesa, Skigoofy and 10 others 9 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 With that done, we headed down to the casino to redeem our $6 free play. This is why we never go to the casino…we cashed out with a whole $0.77! Hubby at his highest point: In the end, a $0.54 voucher for Hubby, and a $0.23 voucher for me. Jax, OCSC Mike, WAAAYTOOO and 4 others 1 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 Going to spend the rest of the afternoon chilling out on our balcony. Trying to soak it up the best we can. I adore this view from the back of the ship. I can totally see why people love these Aqua Theatre suites now… Yesiamthere, Jax, Neesa and 4 others 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 @Neesa Ranger cookies (not the ones with chocolate chips) Sweety, asquared17, Neesa and 6 others 4 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 28 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Hubby and I discussed going to the Mason Jar earlier in the sailing next time. Before food coma sets in More food strategy... I approve and agree. We didn't want to go on embarkation day b/c we like to get settled and whatnot so we have day 3 booked for March and will likely stick with that. 27 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: we headed to Focus to redeem our free D+ photos We're not big on photos but we always take them just so we can choose our 2 freebies. That tropical background was one of our picks last month too. It's currently the lock screen photo on my phone in fact. CravingaCruise and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 33 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: That tropical background was one of our picks last month too. It's currently the lock screen photo on my phone in fact. We almost always go with the white background but this tropical one was new for us and we thought “might as well”. OCSC Mike and CravingaCruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 2 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: We almost always go with the white background but this tropical one was new for us and we thought “might as well”. Looks good to me. We were randomly wearing bright colors that night and thought they looked good against the background but I mostly let my wife pick. I’m more concerned with food strategy than photo strategy. CravingaCruise and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted July 29, 2023 Report Share Posted July 29, 2023 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Going to spend the rest of the afternoon chilling out on our balcony. Trying to soak it up the best we can. I adore this view from the back of the ship. I can totally see why people love these Aqua Theatre suites now… Are you still #TeamDeck17 given the choice? Neesa, CravingaCruise and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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