asquared17 Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 42 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: UMMMMMM how did I breeze past a nearly naked man?????? yeah IDK bc you are a shenanigans magnet so i was kind of thrown by your lack of reaction. and then i thought, well maybe it just doesn’t even faze her anymore???? GLAD TO SEE I WAS CORRECTED. 43 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: why do people go on cruises and lose their minds unsure but inquiring minds WANT TO KNOW. 4 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: I just have this mental image of you with your arm out and your hand in a stop motion saying that to the person. I can't stop laughing now. LITERALLY ME THO!!!!!!!!!! SIR. NO. STOP. Ampurp85, MaryS, Cactus527 and 1 other 4 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 MDR for dinner tonight. I typically do late dining, but for some reason I think my TA put down early dining this time. Whatever, it's fine, and the table was absolutely appropriately placed because I get to sit by Arizona. For reference, I got a two-person table on Deck 3. I am going to nickname tonight's dinner the Indy 500. It's called that because from the time that I walked into the dining room to when I exited was a total of 35 minutes. I kid you not. The amount of attention I got from my wait staff as well as the head of the dining room was bordering on ridiculous! It's the welcome aboard menu, and I went with the Caesar salad, the fish for my entree (tilapia), and got both the royal cheesecake and key lime pie for dessert. All of it was great, but none of it was over the top terrific. And now I present......food porn. MaryS, SweetPea, Sweety and 3 others 5 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Came back to my room and unpacked for a while, then I headed off to watch Blue Planet: Home in the main theater. I'm really glad I got there about 20 minutes early because it got totally filled. The show itself was fine, definitely an original production: A girl is led through the world by all of the different parts of the world, like the Sun, fire, water, etc. Essentially, it's a message that we need to take better care of our Earth because it's also their home. The music is popular stuff but with lyrics changed a little bit to reflect the theme. Every time the girl that was the sun sang, I wanted to strangle her because she was a half step off, but maybe that's my problem because I'm a musician and no one else noticed? Definitely kid appropriate and great energy, I would recommend it if you haven't seen it before. Yesiamthere6, twangster, Ampurp85 and 4 others 7 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Stray observation: I have yet to see the Royal Promenade not packed with people. #itmustbethepizza SweetPea, MaryS, Ampurp85 and 1 other 4 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 1 hour ago, asquared17 said: you could do pirouettes in that space! I decided to attempt a cartwheel in the space. Good news = You can definitely do one. Bad news = I'm not sure which deck medical is on because I'm too old for this cartwheel s***. I'm brilliant. Ampurp85, Sweety, BobbieS and 4 others 7 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Suitcase story: I have a Monos Carry-On Plus that I have been carting around with me since January 2023. Over the summer, with one of the trips that I took, one of the straps that does the compression on one side snapped off its base. I took pictures of it and, since it's under a lifetime warranty, filed a warranty claim with the company to see if they might be able to send me a new strap/connector. It's been a couple weeks, and I got an email today saying that they would be able to send me a new strap/connector, but it wouldn't be able to be at my house until late October. Would that work for me? I emailed back and said no, it's really annoying having to work with the broken strap and I am traveling multiple times before the replacement strap would arrive. Customer service emailed me back and said that they are sending me a new suitcase free of charge to replace the one with the broken strap. That's customer service! I think I may give the one the broken strap to DQ since she has her school trip this coming spring, and then I get a new one in that beautiful ocean blue color I love. Score for customer service! WAAAYTOOO, Lovetocruise2002, asquared17 and 3 others 4 1 1 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 Congrats on the luggage. I am so looking forward to the seed rolls. Also, I love your dessert strategy, get at least two and enjoy. But also, 35min in the MDR is the best thing about being solo. But Blue Planet........it was weird because the sun during my show was the only one not on key as well. I liked the show for what it was, but I doubt I would see it again.......except for the acrobatics towards the end. Cactus527 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 9 hours ago, Ampurp85 said: It was weird because the sun during my show was the only one not on key as well. I liked the show for what it was, but I doubt I would see it again.......except for the acrobatics towards the end. I actually wonder if maybe she can't hear the music well enough? It was definitely odd. Everybody else was fine. SweetPea 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 I forgot to relay a not-so-great story from last night in the Amber Theater. As you know, there are waiters wandering around to take your drink order. The guy that came by my section took the drink order for the two people beside me, and then asked me if I wanted anything. I asked. Do you have Coke zero? He said no, we only have diet Coke down here. I said that's fine, and went to hand him my card. He asked so you want a diet Coke? I said yes, again, and held out my card. He didn't take the card, he wandered away, and when he came back with drinks for my section, I could clearly see there was a diet Coke on there. He gave everybody their drinks, and then WANDERED OFF. I swear he looked right at me at one point, and then just went away. I watched him wander around the rest of the theater taking drink orders from other people with my diet Coke on his tray, and then he just disappeared. Never got my drink. Sweety, MaryS, Lovetocruise2002 and 5 others 1 1 6 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Guess who's parked next to us in Nassau this morning? asquared17, Sweety, MaryS and 4 others 2 5 Quote
Smokey79 Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 11 hours ago, Cactus527 said: It's amazing - I haven't been out of my room a huge amount today, but the things that I have seen make me question what's going on with humanity. First the naked man in Central Park. Then, plenty of women walking around that I don't think they realized that their top parts were out quite that much. I haven't even ventured up to the pool deck yet cuz I'm afraid of what I'm going to see! This ship is absolutely packed. We were on Allure during Spring Break. No naked dudes thankfully but except for the sail away party, the pool deck was only PG rated with the only questionable attire appearing that day. The crowds at the pool didn’t get bad until we left Nassau early and then on the sea day. Cactus527 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Johnny Rockets for breakfast. I got the B.E.L.T. sandwich that I love and it did not disappoint. They apparently only seat outside for breakfast, not inside anymore. Or maybe it was just a thing for today? Unknown, but it was a little annoying to be in all the humidity. That's just me. Sorry, I took a bite of my food because I was so hungry before I remembered I needed to take a photo of it. Sweety, SweetPea, Lovetocruise2002 and 5 others 6 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Another story: I am actually a very clumsy person. I trip over my own feet, am constantly doing sidewalk checks, and run into door frames regularly. There was one time I was even walking by the dining room chairs at our table and hit my hand so hard on a chair (accidentally) I sprained my wrist. Keep this in mind. When I realized that I had a forward-facing ocean view room for this trip, and that they kept the helipad area super dark at night for navigation reasons, I was really excited by the idea of making my room as dark as possible so that way I could open the curtains and sleep that way. I could wake up naturally with the sunrise! Last night, I did exactly that - I made the room as dark as possible, and then I went over to open the curtains. In my darkness and not knowing the room super well, I started opening the curtains without realizing that there is a huge down hang between the window and where the curtains are. I turned to move the curtains as far to the side as I could and slammed my head into the overhang. OOWWW. I really did see stars for a second. Managed to get the curtains open, went back to bed, and then cursed myself for being so clumsy. This morning, I have a nice bruise just barely covered by my eyebrow. Like I said before, I am brilliant. SweetPea, Ampurp85, MaryS and 3 others 3 3 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 13 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: A slammed my head into the overhang. OUWEEEE ! That sounds like something I would do ! I am so sorry to hear it. Did you see any REAL starts out your window ? Cactus527 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 31 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: OUWEEEE ! That sounds like something I would do ! I am so sorry to hear it. Did you see any REAL starts out your window ? To be honest, I wasn't really looking. I'm going to tonight though! You're full of great ideas!!!!!! WAAAYTOOO, Ampurp85 and Sweety 3 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Decided to get off the ship and actually just explore the port area in Nassau. I'm glad I did. It was completely overcast when I stepped out, which was perfect for tamping down the heat and humidity a little bit. It has since started raining, but it was dry while I was out there. I'd forgotten how colorful the port area is. Lots of people wandering, lots of different shops, lots of music, and lots of people shouting for you to try out their excursions or take their taxi. A fun cacophony of sounds. Found a couple souvenirs for the family, dashed across the street to the straw market for a literal run through it, and enjoyed the exploration. As musician and music teacher, I have been wondering about the Museum of Junkanoo for a while since it opened. I decided to venture in. It was $11 and I think it was well worth it. If you are a costume designer or into fashion of some sort, you definitely want to check out all of the stuff in here. It's a small museum, but there is plenty of historical and informative signs, tons of costumes and props, music displays where you can push a button to hear things, and then a whole room where you can experience junkanoo. When I say experience, I mean there are giant screens on three sides of the room with junkanoo dancers and the parade displayed, lots of music playing, and a whole ton of costumes and instruments in the middle of the room that you can try on and play. The family I went in with had a ball, and I had a ball just watching them. It took me a grand total of 20 minutes to go through, but I was also trying to be super thorough. The gift shop was extravagantly overpriced, which is normal, but I appreciated learning more about the music, dance, and history. Things I learned: Junkanoo is named after John Canoe; the celebration happens around Christmas time; the parade takes 12 hours; all the costumes and floats are made by hand. WAAAYTOOO, Ampurp85, Lovetocruise2002 and 4 others 4 1 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Photos from the Nassau port. Ships in port today: RC Allure, RC Utopia, and Disney Wish. WAAAYTOOO, SweetPea, Ampurp85 and 1 other 4 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Lunch was a combination of things. First, pizza from Sorrento's (BBQ chicken & pepperoni). Second, granola bars and berry smoothie from Vitality Cafe. The barbecue chicken pizza was definitely better than the pepperoni. The berry smoothie leaves much to be desired, but I think I may have to go back down for more granola bars because they are A M A Z I N G. (Smoothies are free if you have the refreshment package or DBP. GRANOLA BARS ARE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Lovetocruise2002, MaryS, twangster and 4 others 6 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 And now it's raining! It's been raining for almost an hour, pretty steady ranging from medium to light showers. It's been pretty fun to watch, glad I'm not out in it. Ampurp85, MaryS, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 So, I will be super honest, my brother would show up sometimes with granola bars and I would be like of course as a chubby, picky eater I would ignore granola bars. Which is to say I was "today year's old" when I found out the vitality spa is where there are free granola bars. Also, I got off at Nassau for the first time in like 10+ years on my Freedom cruise this May. I actually enjoyed the port area despite the heat. The things (drinks, food and souvenirs) are overpriced but the place was clean and popping as far as people watching goes. WAAAYTOOO, MaryS, Cactus527 and 1 other 2 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said: So, I will be super honest, my brother would show up sometimes with granola bars and I would be like of course as a chubby, picky eater I would ignore granola bars. Which is to say I was "today year's old" when I found out the vitality spa is where there are free granola bars. Right? I've never heard people commenting on the quality of things at Vitality Cafe, so I wanted to check it out. Those granola bars are the bomb. I may have to stockpile those with the chips from Park Cafe. EDIT: The bottom is coated in a really thick layer of chocolate, if that helps. MaryS, Ampurp85, asquared17 and 2 others 2 3 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 25 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: I've never heard people commenting on the quality of things at Vitality Cafe, so I wanted to check it out. I can only remember stepping foot in there once and it was to take my young niece to get a smoothie a while back (which she hated and promptly went back to using her vouchers on virgin daiquiris, lol). The last thing I need is MORE snacks but if I happen to be near it... Ampurp85 and Cactus527 2 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 10, 2024 Author Report Posted September 10, 2024 Dinner at Sabor. I must just be hitting servers that don't want to actually serve me. While everything was good, I did order the yucca barrel fries and they never came out. Whatever, I guess. Chips, salsa, queso fundido, margarita, chicken/bacon/jalapeño appetizer, chicken tinga flautas, steak, and something con leche. If anybody wants to know what to get me for my birthday, get me about 100 of those chicken appetizer items and the con leche dessert. This restaurant is so not busy. I'm sitting here at almost 7:00 p.m. and the restaurant has about four tables in use. It is definitely not air-conditioned, but it's not terrible after the rain either. While I love the food, I kind of understand why RC would want to change it because it's probably not much of money maker at this point. Missing my dang fries. SweetPea, Yesiamthere6, OCSC Mike and 4 others 6 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted September 10, 2024 Report Posted September 10, 2024 27 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: 100 of those chicken appetizer items Love those things! 28 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: This restaurant is so not busy. I'm sitting here at almost 7:00 p.m. and the restaurant has about four tables in use. Similar experience for us on Allure last October. Felt bad for our server but she was super nice... and had plenty of time to chat since there wasn't much else for her to do until a large party finally arrived near the end of our meal. I'm a big fan of Playmakers but wish they could co-exist. Cactus527 1 Quote
ScottD Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 I discovered the granola bars last year when going to try a smoothie. Big fan, they're realllly good! Cactus527, OCSC Mike and Ampurp85 2 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 Overheard: because Sabor was so slow, one of the servers was talking to another couple about the dry dock coming up in 2025. He said that he will still be on at that point, but once they reach Barcelona, they will go from having 2200 crew on board to 1500. The 1500 on board for the 45 days they are in dry dock will be helping the 200? 2,000? contractors with the amplification. The crew on board will be helping the contractors by moving things, packing things up, etc. He actually said he's looking forward to the transatlantic because the crowd on board tends to be much calmer. WAAAYTOOO, Lovetocruise2002, MaryS and 1 other 1 3 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 Ocean Aria! While I did see it last summer, it was still just as exciting and worth my time. I chose a seat kind of towards the back in the very middle - this will be key here in a moment. I just went straight there after my dinner, so when they opened up the seating at 7:25, I was among the first to grab a seat. Seat. The seat I chose was kind of under the overhang above Allure, and so I was just browsing on my phone. About 7:45, I noticed that it was starting to sprinkle just a teeny bit and began to wonder if the show was going to happen. That was about the time that they opened up the will call line, so the show went from being 2/3 full to completely full in about 5 minutes. At about 7:55, as the the comedy act began, it started to rain some more. Being under the overhang, I really wasn't noticing much except a few sprinkles on me. Just as the show started at 8:00, the sky's opened up and it POURED. The show was just getting started and I see these massive droves of people getting up and leaving the show in front of me. I turned to the woman next to me and asked her if there was something going on that I wasn't noticing? She said that we were under the overhang, so we weren't feeling the full effects of the rain that was coming down, unlike the people in front of us. All those people ended up standing in the back where it was dry to watch the show until the rain let up, and then most of them came back to their seats. The show itself was about 40 minutes in length. Definitely recommended, just don't sit where it's going to rain. (the video at the end was trying to show how much rain was coming down when the show started. I don't know how successful it was, and it's probably going to be loud) PXL_20240911_000445121.TS.mp4 MaryS, Lovetocruise2002, WAAAYTOOO and 2 others 4 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 Photos from out and about the ship. Rising Tides bar (Deck 5) Vitality Spa & Sauna (Deck 6) Torture Chamber, found in Vitality Spa & Sauna (Deck 6) Promenade on embarkation day (Decks 4 thru 6) Central Park (Deck 8 ) Main Dining Room (Deck 3) Noodle maker, Giovanni's Table in Central Park (Deck 8 ) Helipad, though inaccessible on Oasis-class ships (Deck 6, I think) Entertainment on the Promenade. They were fantastic! (Decks 5 & 6) Boardwalk (Deck 6) Aqua Theater (Deck 6) Zoltar, who can tell your fortune (Deck 6) My daughters' favorite friend on board, located just outside Cups & Scoops on the Boardwalk (Deck 6) Not on board, but Allure and Utopia in Nassau today. Boleros (Deck 5) On Air Club (Deck 5) Royal Promenade at night (Deck 5) MaryS, SweetPea, JohnK6404 and 6 others 8 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: I'm a big fan of Playmakers but wish they could co-exist. Agreed! I hope that they enclose Playmakers when they put it in. It could definitely be brutal if it was super hot outside. Sweety, SweetPea, ScottD and 1 other 4 Quote
ScottD Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 Not sure WHAT they do here, I assume some brows or lip stuff...but it looks way too much like a dentists office for me to feel relaxed. Also, here I am thinking the crew gets a break during dry dock...silly me. Ampurp85, MaryS, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 3 hours ago, ScottD said: Not sure WHAT they do here, I assume some brows or lip stuff...but it looks way too much like a dentists office for me to feel relaxed. Also, here I am thinking the crew gets a break during dry dock...silly me. It almost sounds like they're going to be even more busy than they were with passengers on board! I agree, the dentist chair is definitely not a relaxing place. I suspect they may do some teeth things here too, though I'm not sure what kind of licensing anyone needs to be able to work on someone's teeth! Quote
ScottD Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 21 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: It almost sounds like they're going to be even more busy than they were with passengers on board! I agree, the dentist chair is definitely not a relaxing place. I suspect they may do some teeth things here too, though I'm not sure what kind of licensing anyone needs to be able to work on someone's teeth! Rocking ship plus dental work- what could go wrong! SweetPea, WAAAYTOOO, Cactus527 and 1 other 4 Quote
Sweety Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 18 hours ago, Cactus527 said: Decided to get off the ship and actually just explore the port area in Nassau. I'm glad I did. It was completely overcast when I stepped out, which was perfect for tamping down the heat and humidity a little bit. It has since started raining, but it was dry while I was out there. I'd forgotten how colorful the port area is. Lots of people wandering, lots of different shops, lots of music, and lots of people shouting for you to try out their excursions or take their taxi. A fun cacophony of sounds. Found a couple souvenirs for the family, dashed across the street to the straw market for a literal run through it, and enjoyed the exploration. As musician and music teacher, I have been wondering about the Museum of Junkanoo for a while since it opened. I decided to venture in. It was $11 and I think it was well worth it. If you are a costume designer or into fashion of some sort, you definitely want to check out all of the stuff in here. It's a small museum, but there is plenty of historical and informative signs, tons of costumes and props, music displays where you can push a button to hear things, and then a whole room where you can experience junkanoo. When I say experience, I mean there are giant screens on three sides of the room with junkanoo dancers and the parade displayed, lots of music playing, and a whole ton of costumes and instruments in the middle of the room that you can try on and play. The family I went in with had a ball, and I had a ball just watching them. It took me a grand total of 20 minutes to go through, but I was also trying to be super thorough. The gift shop was extravagantly overpriced, which is normal, but I appreciated learning more about the music, dance, and history. Things I learned: Junkanoo is named after John Canoe; the celebration happens around Christmas time; the parade takes 12 hours; all the costumes and floats are made by hand. I have been to several of their parades. It was like a family outing when I was growing up. Cactus527 and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 I believe they offer teeth whitening onboard......hence the disturbing chair I also think many of the crew are probably happing to be working during the drydock, it keeps money in their pockets. I remember during the restart talking to crew, I was doing mostly solo trips then, and they always expressed how they love having people onboard but still appreciated being able to earn money if there wasn't. WAAAYTOOO, Cactus527 and ScottD 3 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 Definitely not expecting to see a visitor like this on the cruise ships. Don't jump, sir! (I also just noticed the donut on the couch. I'm stockpiling...) twangster, SweetPea, OCSC Mike and 6 others 8 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 13 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: (I also just noticed the donut on the couch. I'm stockpiling...) When your stockpile spills over to the couch, you may have crossed over into "hoarding" territory. I don't think Allure has them, but there's a grab n go section in Park Cafe on Wonder with wraps and sandwiches that come in plastic to-go containers with snap down lids. I would always get two wraps (you know how small they are) and combine them in one container and use the other one for my stockpile of items that don't do well in ziplocs. Yesiamthere6, ScottD, Hoppy2BHere and 3 others 5 1 Quote
ScottD Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said: When your stockpile spills over to the couch, you may have crossed over into "hoarding" territory. I don't think Allure has them, but there's a grab n go section in Park Cafe on Wonder with wraps and sandwiches that come in plastic to-go containers with snap down lids. I would always get two wraps (you know how small they are) and combine them in one container and use the other one for my stockpile of items that don't do well in ziplocs. Genius!! OCSC Mike and Cactus527 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted September 11, 2024 Report Posted September 11, 2024 1 minute ago, ScottD said: Genius!! Someone in the dining forum mentioned that they bring tupperware-type containers. I didn't want to pack extra stuff but their post inspired the idea. It was a game changer for certain items like iced/frosted desserts or pastries where the top touching the ziploc kinda makes a mess. Of course I'm not so wasteful that I was tossing the wraps just to get the containers; I like having something besides chips, cookies, pastries to snack on (when I'm too lazy to go get them of course). ScottD, Cactus527 and Sweety 3 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 Hit the casino for my $4 in free play. The non-smoking casino was basically vacant except for one lady, so I was glad for that. I made a whole 75¢, which I then promptly lost and had 65¢ left. Cashed out and handed my certificate to the lady in there, noting that it wasn't much but if she could use it she was welcome to it. And that is my 5 minutes in the casino for the entire cruise. asquared17, Lovetocruise2002, Gilley and 6 others 4 4 1 Quote
Cactus527 Posted September 11, 2024 Author Report Posted September 11, 2024 I went back to Vitality Cafe to stock up on granola bars. Same woman was working from yesterday. When I commented on how much I loved the granola bars she gave me yesterday, she gave me this entire box and told me to enjoy. WAAAYTOOO, Mrs. Regular, asquared17 and 8 others 6 2 3 Quote
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