CruisingAndy Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 Hi all - checking back in and getting caught up on all of the wonderful blogs that I’ve missed. Since last we sailed, we’ve followed our beloved Hoosiers from Pasadena to Atlanta to Miami to witness the greatest sports story of all time. We were so fortunate to be in Miami to watch IU claim its first football national championship. And now, just a few weeks later, we’re headed back to Miami . The Details - DH, DD, me, and my mother-in-law are embarking on a 4N Star class adventure on WOTS. Staying in ATS 10734. This is DD’s and MIL’s first Star class cruise. Dining is a little complicated on a 4N, but we figured it out… we’re skipping Coastal, Wonderland, and Hibachi. More to come on the rest. Doing the Beach Club at PDCC but otherwise not getting off the ship. We had a really positive experience with our shoreside genie and have Hossain as our ship genies (he’s been insanely responsive so far). Flying Indy to Miami on Sunday morning and staying at the TownePlace Suites near the airport. Looking forward to another great trip and excited for DD’s first Star class experience. The title refers to the fact that DH and I will be on Wonder three times this year . Pics from our last trip to Miami… OCSC Mike, Jamesszy94, KristiZ and 4 others 5 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 13 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Dining is a little complicated on a 4N, but we figured it out… we’re skipping Coastal, Wonderland, and Hibachi. More to come on the rest. Doing the Beach Club at PDCC but otherwise not getting off the ship. I could have helped you out, lol, but sounds like your 4N plan will be similar to our 4N UDP plan from Utopia last July. We also skipped Hibachi & there is no Wonderland (or CK for us genpop folk). Really looking forward to this one since we have the UDP on Utopia again in 5 weeks but as a 3/4 B2B along with an OTW cabana during each PDCC stop. I was stuffed from 4N worth of UDP & no beach club so 7N plus 2 beach club lunches has me both excited & afraid. Congrats on the IU experience! I can only imagine how amazing it was for you. I’m going to mess up this story but my wife is asleep so I’m on my own. She has a friend from Indiana who lives here now. Her friend’s dad (who I’m guessing is 70-80) still lives up there and has been a season ticket holder for 50 years or something. They went to the Rose Bowl & IU gave him 4 tix to the national championship game. CruisingAndy, Jamesszy94, Ogilthorpe and 3 others 5 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 7 Author Report Posted February 7 23 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: I could have helped you out, lol, but sounds like your 4N plan will be similar to our 4N UDP plan from Utopia last July. We also skipped Hibachi & there is no Wonderland (or CK for us genpop folk). It’s mostly complicated by the fact that I do not eat seafood so we debated Hooked vs Wonderland for a long time. Ultimately, while I actually really like Wonderland, we’ve been twice and trying Hooked was important to DH and MIL. I’ll survive (I suppose). I should also add that I don’t think we’ll Do Playmakers. The experience on Freedom in May was so bad that DH and I still have some PTSD. But if we feel up for it in the moment, we may try for lunch on day 3. 27 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Congrats on the IU experience! I can only imagine how amazing it was for you. I’m going to mess up this story but my wife is asleep so I’m on my own. She has a friend from Indiana who lives here now. Her friend’s dad (who I’m guessing is 70-80) still lives up there and has been a season ticket holder for 50 years or something. They went to the Rose Bowl & IU gave him 4 tix to the national championship game. It’s honestly pretty hard to put into words what the experience was like. Beyond surreal. It’s been really fun to read about all of the family stories of folks who’ve been fans for decades and were able to travel with the team this year. Thinking about my grandfather who passed in 2006, and who started our family’s obsession many moons ago, led to my puffy eyes in the photos above . OCSC Mike, Ogilthorpe, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 3 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 11 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: It’s mostly complicated by the fact that I do not eat seafood That’s funny. My wife doesn’t eat seafood either but she was fine with Hooked b/c they have filet. We didn’t love it but others do, one experience, food is subjective, etc. Her limited palate & my niece’s food allergies (and even more limited palate) really made planning the UDP for March complicated for me. It’s a 3 generation family cruise but I did most of the planning. We’re going to Giovanni’s & Mason Jar multiple times each b/c they’re our favorites & the menus are large & varied. It was like doing a logic puzzle… no filet for dinner on beach club days b/c most of our family gets filet there, no doubling up on the same day, GK had to be lunch while in Nassau, etc. After all that, I’ve been told that it’s too much food and some people may not even want to go to every lunch I booked. If they want to go with my younger niece to Johnny Rockets (her fav), great, I’ll catch up with them after lunch, lol. Nothing against JR’s, I can always eat a burger, but I’m not going there over an actual specialty restaurant. Maybe my wife or older niece will want to go with me… if not, oh well. 30 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: should also add that I don’t think we’ll Do Playmakers. The experience on Freedom in May was so bad that DH and I still have some PTSD. But if we feel up for it in the moment, we may try for lunch on day 3. We love Playmakers but I get it. We haven’t had any major issues there, knock on wood, but I know others have. I used it for a late night snack in July since we had the daily credits… as if I really needed bar food at 10:45pm after two specialty meals. WAAAYTOOO, JohnK6404, Ogilthorpe and 1 other 3 1 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 12 hours ago, CruisingAndy said: are embarking on a 4N Star class adventure on WOTS. I feel like I keep following you in our adventures. First Freedom back in June, now WN. We sail WN next month. Happy sailing! OCSC Mike, CruisingAndy and lovetheplaya 2 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 7 Author Report Posted February 7 11 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: It was like doing a logic puzzle… no filet for dinner on beach club days b/c most of our family gets filet there, no doubling up on the same day, GK had to be lunch while in Nassau, etc. I was doing the same puzzle for this exact reason . Much easier when it’s essentially 3.5 people. 53 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I feel like I keep following you in our adventures. First Freedom back in June, now WN. We sail WN next month. Happy sailing! We’ll then follow you back to Wonder in April. And finally trying #TeamDeck17! OCSC Mike, Ogilthorpe and Lovetocruise2002 2 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 29 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: We’ll then follow you back to Wonder in April. And finally trying #TeamDeck17! Wonder was one of my only two deck 17 experiences. It's so nice on Wonder/Utopia being right outside the SL/CK and right below the suite sun deck. We only left the suite neighborhood to see shows on that family cruise since we almost never have access. I still didn't really care about the cabin itself (yes, it was nice) but loved the Sky Class perks. Ogilthorpe, WAAAYTOOO, Lovetocruise2002 and 2 others 5 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 @OCSC Mike time to upgrade to baller status. Suite-life awaits ! Jamesszy94, Ogilthorpe, CruisingAndy and 3 others 1 4 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 3 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said: @OCSC Mike time to upgrade to baller status. Suite-life awaits ! Hard pass. It really doesn't make sense for us even if I was willing to spend the money. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 8 Author Report Posted February 8 A quick midair update. Made it to Indy around 6:45 this morning and were through security in a snap. However, we did have our first mini crisis (very mini) before security. Get up to drop off our bags, and my MIL’s is gigantic. Turns out, that’s an extra $200 per flight . Thankfully, the attendant was nice enough to suggest two Southwest bags, saving about $120 one way (and only paying to stow the extra bag on the return flight). We had a short layover in Nashville. Boarding our second flight brought our second mini crisis. DD of course wanted to sit by the window. Board the plane and our row is a no window row . After a slight meltdown, she’s handled it very well. We’re about 45 minutes to Miami and hoping for a quick baggage pick up and shuttle ride as we’re all pretty hungry. OCSC Mike, JohnK6404, Lovetocruise2002 and 3 others 5 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 8 Author Report Posted February 8 Forgot to add - the two people sitting next to my MIL are sailing out of Miami (I believe on X) on a sailing leaving TODAY. We land at 1:30! I’m having a mild panic attack on their behalf (but they seem very chill). OCSC Mike, Ogilthorpe, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 4 others 7 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 12 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Forgot to add - the two people sitting next to my MIL are sailing out of Miami (I believe on X) on a sailing leaving TODAY. We land at 1:30! I’m having a mild panic attack on their behalf (but they seem very chill). Wow, bad call by them. Violating cruising 101 axiom. CruisingAndy, ScottD, Ogilthorpe and 2 others 2 3 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 8 Author Report Posted February 8 4 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: Wow, bad call by them. Violating cruising 101 axiom. Indeed. Thinking about them and hoping they made it! After picking up our bags, we waited 15-20 minutes for the hotel shuttle. Thankfully, it’s just a 5 minute ride once picked up. Staying at the Towneplace Suites, which is basically part of a large Marriott complex with 5 total properties. We’ve stayed in this group of hotels before and always enjoyed it. There are several restaurants inside the various hotels to choose from. We had a very late lunch at their sports bar. It’s pricey but the food is good. Apologies for the lack of photos as we were starving and I totally forgot. At DD’s request, we spent some time in the pool and are now enjoying snacks and a few drinks at our hotel’s restaurant. I anticipate an early turn in as we’re all zonked. We’ve had multiple contacts with Hossain throughout the week and started our WhatsApp chat yesterday. Looking forward to boarding in the morning! OCSC Mike, WAAAYTOOO, JohnK6404 and 3 others 6 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 Thanks, all! As predicted, early to bed for all of us. Literally asleep by 8 pm . The hotel has a great breakfast and we’re all packed up and waiting for our ride (scheduled for 9:45). Ready to be onboard and looking forward to lunch at Mason Jar . Lovetocruise2002, Southern Dan, MaryS and 2 others 5 Quote
ScottD Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 2 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: The hotel has a great breakfast Cue @OCSC Mike's no breakfast on embarkment day speech... lol... Excited to follow along!! CruisingAndy, Southern Dan, OCSC Mike and 1 other 4 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 5 minutes ago, ScottD said: Cue @OCSC Mike's no breakfast on embarkment day speech... lol... I've been so disheartened by @Southern Dan not even using his UDP for the first two days that I won't bother. @CruisingAndy is also well-versed in UDP and Star Class and we discussed the UDP earlier so I trust he'll put it to good use. Ogilthorpe, CruisingAndy and ScottD 2 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 29 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Literally asleep by 8 pm I'll admit I dozed off watching that snooze-fest of a SB but 8pm is impressive! 31 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: lunch at Mason Jar Great start! That's our embarkation day lunch (and turnaround day lunch when applicable). Looking forward to several days of specialty pics between you and @Southern Dan. Ogilthorpe and CruisingAndy 1 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: I've been so disheartened by @Southern Dan not even using his UDP for the first two days that I won't bother. @CruisingAndy is also well-versed in UDP and Star Class and we discussed the UDP earlier so I trust he'll put it to good use. Dying . Yes, I did eat a light breakfast but I am very prepared for food coma lol. Unloaded at the port around 10:15 and through security at 10:25. Hossain immediately greeted us and onboard at 10:30. Snacks being delivered now! Interesting tidbit - they’re out of purple star class bands in Wonder so they’re using yellow this week. OCSC Mike, JohnK6404, Lovetocruise2002 and 4 others 5 2 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 12 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: they’re out of purple star class bands in Wonder so they’re using yellow this week Ooh, does that make them a rare collectible? Hold on to them. Purple and yellow also go well together (nod to my MLS team whose crest is my my avatar). Ogilthorpe, WAAAYTOOO and ScottD 2 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 22 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Ooh, does that make them a rare collectible? Hold on to them. It makes them reusable on non-star class sailings (we technically already had these from our genie weekend on Freedom, but still). Ogilthorpe, WAAAYTOOO and OCSC Mike 3 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 Mason Jar did not disappoint. Cinnamon roll for DD, French toast for me, po’ boy for DH, and pimento cheese and spinach omelette for MIL. Plus PB&J old fashioned, maple bacon, bd Mississippi moonlight to drink. We did skip dessert . Pool time now at DD’s request. Lovetocruise2002, Ogilthorpe, MaryS and 4 others 6 1 Quote
JohnK6404 Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 2 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Mason Jar did not disappoint. Cinnamon roll for DD, French toast for me, po’ boy for DH, and pimento cheese and spinach omelette for MIL. Plus PB&J old fashioned, maple bacon, bd Mississippi moonlight to drink. We did skip dessert . All excellent choices!!! CruisingAndy, Ogilthorpe and OCSC Mike 2 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 5 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: French toast for me That was my go-to but it's SO rich and heavy that I eventually abandoned it so I could order more smaller items (I like variety). That's my problem with the UDP compared to just doing a few specialties... I have to order less than I normally would. 7 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: po’ boy I always wanted to try it but knew I could never eat that whole sandwich plus the other stuff I like. Eventually I did... I think I took two bites and then just plucked the shrimp out with a fork, lol. I enjoyed it but I was right about it being too heavy if you want a few other items plus dessert. Hope DD enjoyed her cinnamon roll. She certainly looks happy to be on those slides! Ogilthorpe and JohnK6404 2 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 Late...but Happy Cruise Day! CruisingAndy 1 Quote
ScottD Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 Dang that French toast and cinnamon bun both look great! CruisingAndy and Ogilthorpe 1 1 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 The French toast is amazing! But absolutely super rich. I ate maybe 2/3. The icing on the cinnamon role is not super sweet and DD didn’t love it. About to watch railway from our balcony before Hooked this evening. OCSC Mike, Ogilthorpe, MaryS and 2 others 5 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 9 Report Posted February 9 2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: just plucked the shrimp out with a fork Me too. Just waaaytooo much bread for me....and I am a bread LOVER. Ogilthorpe, OCSC Mike and CruisingAndy 3 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 9 Author Report Posted February 9 2 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Me too. Just waaaytooo much bread for me....and I am a bread LOVER. DH definitely did this as well. I can’t lie, I’ve really enjoyed Miami the last few weeks! (Extra pics from the national championship because I’m still livin’ that dream). Lovetocruise2002, Ogilthorpe, MaryS and 3 others 6 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 10 Author Report Posted February 10 Hooked was very good! They have a chicken sandwich on the lunch menu and I asked Hossain ahead of time if I could have it for dinner (thankfully, not an issue). Everything was a hit. Clam chowder, Cesar salad, lobster, chicken sandwich, fried Mac and cheese. Currently watching Intense from the balcony with popcorn, ice cream, appetizers from Playmakers, and specially requested Crème Brûlée. I know it’s been debated a 1000 times and ultimately, any aqua show is awesome, but what are we doing with Intense?? xaza, MaryS, WAAAYTOOO and 4 others 6 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 10 Report Posted February 10 44 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: They have a chicken sandwich on the lunch menu Just showed it to my wife who will probably be filet & burger’d out. We both thought it looked good, almost like a tempura/bread crumb type coating. 44 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Currently watching Intense from the balcony with popcorn, ice cream, appetizers from Playmakers, and specially requested Crème Brûlée. What a spread! You already know late night Playmakers is part of my UDP plan. 44 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: I know it’s been debated a 1000 times and ultimately, any aqua show is awesome, but what are we doing with Intense?? Yeah, only aqua show I really didn’t care for. By comparison, I liked Utopia’s so much we saw it 5X between two 7N cruises. On the plus side, Wonder has my favorite ice show. ScottD and Ogilthorpe 2 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 10 Report Posted February 10 3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Yeah, only aqua show I really didn’t care for. Agree. Worst AT show by far. FloatyBoaty, OCSC Mike, CruisingAndy and 1 other 4 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 10 Author Report Posted February 10 11 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: Just showed it to my wife who will probably be filet & burger’d out. We both thought it looked good, almost like a tempura/bread crumb type coating. This is why I got it as well and yes, it was excellent. Quick and easy breakfast in the room this morning so that we could get off quick and get our favorite seats at the Beach Club. We succeeded and currently enjoying my favorite view in the Caribbean. OCSC Mike, MaryS, Lovetocruise2002 and 3 others 6 Quote
CruisingAndy Posted February 10 Author Report Posted February 10 Coco Beach Club lunch never disappoints. Filet, lobster, Mac and cheese. On the way back we hit up Splashaway Bay so DD could conquer the water slides. Currently enjoy second lunch or first dinner (depending on your preference). Playmakers nachos and onion rings, cheese, fruit, etc. Giovanni’s for dinner. MaryS, Southern Dan, Lovetocruise2002 and 5 others 5 3 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted February 10 Report Posted February 10 41 minutes ago, CruisingAndy said: Currently enjoy second lunch or first dinner (depending on your preference). Playmakers nachos and onion rings, cheese, fruit, etc. Giovanni’s for dinner. Wow, now I'm impressed, although the beach club lunch isn't necessarily heavy if you mostly stick to steak and seafood (and only eat one entree). Our family loved the beach club lunch last time we had a cabana and I think we had two entrees each plus a bunch of funnel cakes from snack shack, lol. There were quite a few beverages as well. Those are the only nights in March we're having dinner on the later side so we can stay in the cabana as long as possible and have time to shower and relax before dinner, as well as digest. The logic puzzle told me dinner had to be Mason Jar on those nights to avoid filet or lobster. Shout out to how happy DD looks at another water slide. Despite my rep, while I obviously focus on food, I do enjoy other aspects of blogs. CruisingAndy, WAAAYTOOO and Ogilthorpe 2 1 Quote
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