OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 Standard warning: My intro posts tend to be TLDR. Intro In case you're new to the forum or my blogs, the Star Wars inspired title is because we booked a series of several Utopia B2B's so I wanted to play off of a large movie franchise. I started with Episode IV because that is of course the first Star Wars film so this will be our third Utopia B2B after doing two of them last summer. As the forum regulars know, I'm a creature of habit who enjoys sailing the same ship out of familiarity and I stick to PC because it's roughly an hour drive for us. Having spent 35N on Wonder, which is very similar, and now 14N on Utopia, my wife and I have our routine and know our favorite foods, drinks, lounging spots, shows, etc. Sure I enjoyed trying the new aspects of Utopia, which quickly became my new favorite ship, but I feel like I maximize my enjoyment with the familiarity rather than exploring. Others undoubtedly prefer to explore and try new ships but we all have our cruising preferences. With that said... Change of Plans So much for the routine. We booked this B2B about two years ago close to release along with the two we did last summer. Fast forward to last spring and my wife's parents decided to join us and turn this into a family cruise (which you already knew from the blog title and/or my mentioning it in the forums). My SIL and nieces (16 and 12) round out the crew. We've done a few family cruises over the years, with the last one being on Wonder in 2023, but they were all pre-planned. On Wonder we all had GS's and spent a large majority of our time in the suite neighborhood, lounging on the suite sun deck and eating most of our meals in CK. This cruise will be different on multiple fronts. Cabins We booked the same exact interior for all our Utopias. It's on deck 10 forward near the elevators with our preferred layout (bed on the side wall like a balcony cabin) and we always book group rates unless it's a last minute cruise. Between being a little late to the party and Utopia's inflated prices, there will be no GS's this time. We're keeping our group rate interior while our family's cabins are closer to the aft elevators on decks 6 and 9. Not only are we a bit scattered but my wife's parents have a Sky JS with my younger niece while my SIL and older niece have a CP interior. It may sound complicated with only some of us being in Sky Class but my wife's parents enjoy being able to go to CK for breakfast and having SL access and they feel comfortable taking my younger niece there with her food allergies b/c of the great experience we all had on the last family cruise. They put in a small RoyalUp bid for a GS just to have a bit more room and be on deck 17 by CK/SL but I don't expect them to win with how full the ship is. Itinerary Obviously we're going to Nassau and CocoCay again (twice). This one is a 3/4 and leaves on a Friday. Spring Break begins that Friday in the county where my wife teaches and she's looking forward to getting home the following Friday morning and having almost three full days to recover from the cruise before school resumes. She also has a conference in Atlanta the following Thursday-Sunday so this is a lot better for her than doing a typical 7N Sunday-Sunday. We've done both a 4/3 and a 3/4 and I think I prefer the 3/4 because it ends with a sea day and I've always liked not having much planned on the last day. Here's what it looks like... Day 1 - PC (Embarkation) Day 2 - Nassau Day 3 - CocoCay Day 4 - PC (Turnaround Day) Day 5 - Nassau Day 6 - CocoCay Day 7 - Sea Day Day 8 - PC (Debarkation) One highlight of a past family cruise was being treated to an OTW cabana. I was in charge of shopping, planning, checking on price drops, etc. for this one and I originally found a pretty good price for the cabana so my in-laws had me book it for the first leg. A few weeks later there was a big sale and the OTW cabanas dropped to some of the lowest prices I've ever seen. We were actually on a cruise at the time, lounging in the Solarium on Wonder when I noticed, so I called my in-laws and they not only had me cancel and re-book the original cabana but they decided to put the savings towards a 2nd OTW cabana for the other leg. Needless to say, everyone is pretty excited about that. My wife and I have been to PDCC maybe 15 times and always have a perfectly good time lying under an umbrella by the Oasis Lagoon and grabbing lunch from Snack Shack and Chill Grill while using vouchers at no additional charge when it's just the two of us but the beach club food and OTW cabana service and experience was pretty special. We haven't gotten off in Nassau in forever and the RBC wasn't especially appealing to anyone so we'll be staying onboard there as usual. Dining Since we won't all have CK access this time around, my in-laws treated everyone to the UDP. Needless to say, no one eats like me and they didn't even realize how much food it entails until I explained it to them, they just wanted something other than the MDR/WJ for various reasons so that left the UDP. My wife and I tried it for the first time on our last B2B when there was a 55% off sale shortly before the cruise but we only got it for the 4N leg for fear that 7N was too much even for me. I also have no problem with the included food, especially on Utopia with all the lobster/seafood in the WJ. Planning our reservations wasn't as tricky as I expected because we ruled out a few restaurants due to either my younger niece's food allergies or personal preference. I'm sure they will look repetitive to many but this is what worked for us. We've always been big fans of Giovanni's Kitchen and Mason Jar which both have large, varied menus so going to those multiple times doesn't bother us. It was also somewhat of a logic puzzle because only certain restaurants are open for lunch in Nassau and I was trying to separate the restaurants (and beach club) where some people are likely to get filet so as not to OD on steak. We're eating a little on the early side most nights so we can go to shows in the 8:30-9:45 range (10:30 aqua is a bit late for my wife's parents). The one exception is when we're at PDCC enjoying those cabanas and the beach club food. So as not to rush and have more time to digest, we're eating a bit later on those two nights. Doesn't matter to me, of course, as I plan to enjoy lunch everyday no matter where I eat and then usually use my Izumi in the Park Credit for sushi as an afternoon snack. I'm totally fine with eating dinner later though. I've since been told that several people may (GASP!) skip certain lunches and just go to Johnny Rockets with my younger niece (her favorite place). Maybe I'll change my mind once onboard but I'll have a hard time going to JR's over say GK. I have nothing against JR's, I can always eat a burger, but it's JR. So if I wind up dining alone or grabbing a pizza & dessert with my Wine Bar credit, so be it. It will be my version of a solo cruise if no one wants to join me. On the plus side, I may have company using my Playmakers credit for a late night snack like I did last cruise. My SIL and nieces all stay up late and there are allergy-friendly items there that my younger niece will eat so they liked the idea when I told them that's what I did last time. The only difference is I'll be ready to crash after that like the pre-vintage I am. Anyway, here's what we came up with for the UDP... Day 1(1) - MJ brunch / GK dinner Day 2(2) - GK lunch / Chops dinner Day 3(3) - PDCC Beach Club lunch / MJ dinner Day 4(1) - MJ brunch / GK dinner Day 5(2) - GK lunch / Chops dinner Day 6(3) - PDCC Beach Club lunch / MJ dinner Day 7(4) - Hooked lunch / GK dinner One last note on the UDP... Despite making reservations pre-cruise last time, when we boarded and made our way to Mason Jar for our first meal, we learned that our reservations never made it into the onboard computer system even though they were all still showing in the app. The manager there (Susan) had to re-book them all which wasn't a big deal since it was just two of us for 4N but it will be a bigger deal for a party of seven for 7N and I've been reading that this unfortunately isn't a one-time rare occurrence and has been happening to others on various ships. Fortunately, and this is another aspect of sailing on the same ship multiple times that I enjoy, my wife became friends with Susan during my many stops into MJ for a drink (along with our meals) and has kept in touch with her via social media. She's already messaged her over the past couple weeks to see if she was onboard (she is) and ask if there was anything we could bring her (we like to bring small personal gifts to those crew members we've really gotten to know). My wife plans to message her shortly before the cruise and mention our reservations in the hopes of preemptively taking care of the potential issue. Entertainment My wife and I have obviously seen every show on Utopia (some 4-5 times) and have our own opinions... Aqua80Too is our favorite aqua show so far and we really liked the ice show while you couldn't pay me to sit through All In again. No strong opinion on Name That Tune which is really just a game show that involves the singers and dancers. It was somewhat entertaining. The rest of the family hasn't been on Utopia before so I of course made reservations for everything (as best I could fit them in). What they want to see is up to them but I'd only go out of my way to see the aqua and ice shows again. We also usually go to adult comedy but my nieces are underage and my wife's parents don't usually go so I'll leave that one up to my wife. FWIW, reservations opened over three months before the cruise on December 10th. The opening schedule seems to change over time and varies by ship but I had never seen them open that early before (they also opened three months before our June B2B as well just yesterday). Miscellaneous General Thoughts - With the change in dynamics, I'm not sure if I'm going to have more, less, or the same amount of down time to blog. As an admitted creature of habit who enjoys our usual cruise routine, I know I'll have a great time no matter what, I'm just a bit apprehensive as far as how parts of the cruise will go, logistically-speaking. Splitting Up - We will almost certainly be splitting up at times. We'll obviously spend the PDCC days together in the cabana and meet for dinners and shows but I'm really not sure what the daily routine will be on the ship. I'm guessing my wife and I will always be up earlier than anyone else so I expect to make my usual solo early morning CL coffee runs while my wife goes walking on the track however many mornings. That's often when I catch up on blogging (as well as in bed when my insomnia kicks in). We kept our breakfasts small when we had the UDP last time so I don't see us gathering for an actual sit down breakfast between that, the difference in wake-up times, some of us going to CK, etc. The 16-year-old keeps talking about tanning and I know she's moved on to disappearing with newly made friends on cruises so she may go do her own thing. My wife is very close to her family so I'm not sure she's going to want to ditch them to go hang out with me in the Solarium like we normally do (which is totally fine). Don't get me wrong, I get along great with them, I just may or may not wind up on my own a bit more than usual (which could be a good thing since I'm never going to actually cruise solo and some aspects are appealing). I guess I'm just thinking out loud here and it may not really be interesting to others... moving on. Traveling/Parking - My SIL lives near Bradenton on the western side of Florida and it can take her over two hours just to get to our house (near Disney) if traffic is bad. Given that this cruise leaves on a Friday, she's coming here Thursday night to stay with us the night before. My wife's parents live about an hour from us so they're coming here early Friday morning and we'll drive with them while my SIL follows with my nieces. They're all used to parking in the garage at PC but since it now opens later and we much prefer the convenience of the closest surface lot, everyone has agreed to use the surface lot this time. One small catch is that it reportedly may also not open until 10am now (it was open much earlier last summer as we had parked by 9:30am and boarded Utopia before 10am) so we may leave a bit later than we normally do but we will still be at the port on the early side no matter what. I need time to get some lobster from WJ before our noon Mason Jar reservation. Blog Photos - Expect mostly food/drink pics as usual and I'm not sure I can be bothered to get pics of everything given that there are now seven of us but my MIL usually takes pics to make an album post-cruise so I could possibly use some of hers. If nothing else I'll try to take pics of the OTW cabanas. Jen the Concierge - We met her on our first B2B last June when she was in the CL and got to know her. She's another crew member with whom my wife has kept in touch. She's onboard but still wasn't sure whether she'd be in the SL or CL for our cruise last I heard from my wife. She was in the SL for our 2nd B2B so we didn't get to see her other than to pop in to say hi and drop off a gift on embarkation day. She's already told my wife she'll take care of the entire family no matter which lounge she's in and I'll leave it at that. Personal Note - I've had a rough two weeks or so and it's really prevented me from focusing on the cruise and my usual excitement, especially after an eight month dry dock. We're healthy and it will be fine in the long run so I'm trying to focus on the big picture but that's easier said than done. It has also really been screwing with my sleep schedule, which is already erratic to begin with, so hopefully I can get back to a more cruise-friendly schedule between now and then. I'm an early riser and enjoy my early AM walks to get coffee from the CL and I don't need eight hours but I also don't want to be waking up at 2-3am. As always, questions, comments, and tangents are welcome both pre-cruise and during. With no significant travel I don't normally have much to share in the week leading up to embarkation day. JohnK6404, perfect match, InmyElement and 25 others 22 6 Quote
asquared17 Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 HERE WE GO!!!!! JohnK6404, OCSC Mike, ScottD and 6 others 9 Quote
GregD Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 I'm excited to follow along. I have been out of the cruise mindset for so long because I've made myself important at work and it's ruining my life. We are on adventure in 4 weeks so I have to get myself psyched up here. Nothing like some food and cabana photos to get me there!! Ogilthorpe, Southern Dan, OCSC Mike and 8 others 11 Quote
ScottD Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 Looking forward to tagging along, interested in seeing how the family dynamic works out, I know you've done the family thing before, so I'm sure it'll be fun! Here for the food and cabana pics... and like @GregD will be living through your cruise pics to get pumped for ours a week later! Ogilthorpe, Southern Dan, Sweety and 6 others 9 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 Just now, ScottD said: interested in seeing how the family dynamic works out Not as much as I am. We all get along fine but we of course have some different preferences as far as how to spend some of our free time. I just get in my head as you can probably tell. I've made plenty of solo snack/drink runs while my wife is napping or whatever but they're usually fairly short and not super frequent. I need to be prepared to channel the many posters (like you) who wind up with alone time or the solo cruisers like @Southern Dan in the event that I'm not into whatever the fam is doing. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate the stuff we would never pay for like the cabanas, and Sky Class on Wonder was amazing, but I remember getting off that cruise and thinking that I should have spent more time exploring (it was our first time on Wonder so it was actually new) rather than spending SO much time in the suite neighborhood just because everyone else was content to stay there. I wanted to take advantage of it since we rarely have access but in hindsight I would have preferred a little bit more of a balance. TessFromFlorida, Southern Dan, Cactus527 and 3 others 6 Quote
JohnK6404 Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 4 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: One last note on the UDP... Despite making reservations pre-cruise last time, when we boarded and made our way to Mason Jar for our first meal, we learned that our reservations never made it into the onboard computer system even though they were all still showing in the app. Same thing happened to us with Chef's Table via the UDP in JAN. CP and RC app reservation confirmations galore, but not showing in Chop's system. It all worked out, but it was a little annoying... we all learn to roll with the punches, LOL! 8 days to go!!! You know we'll be following! Enjoy your well-deserved vacation and try to forget about any stress back in the "real world"! perfect match, OCSC Mike and Ogilthorpe 3 Quote
JohnK6404 Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 13 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Not as much as I am. We all get along fine but we of course have some different preferences as far as how to spend some of our free time. As you already know, it's always a different experience every time the group dynamics change. Family vs. friends vs. just you and your wife. It all works out in the end, but as you know once again, it can be interesting trying to coordinate plans for the group. Sweety, perfect match, ScottD and 2 others 5 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 16 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said: Same thing happened to us with Chef's Table via the UDP in JAN It was just that one meal for you, correct? We have 12 meals booked and if one or two reservations get messed up, I'm not overly concerned about dealing with that. The issue is that some people have been posting that NONE of their reservations made it onto the ship, which happened to us last July... and that's what I'm hoping/trying to avoid with the help of our Mason Jar manager friend and/or the suite concierge. I just don't like wasting any of my cruise dealing with issues and availability for 7 isn't always as easy as availability for 2. perfect match, Cactus527, Southern Dan and 2 others 5 Quote
JohnK6404 Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 32 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: It was just that one meal for you, correct? We have 12 meals booked and if one or two reservations get messed up, I'm not overly concerned about dealing with that. The issue is that some people have been posting that NONE of their reservations made it onto the ship, which happened to us last July... and that's what I'm hoping/trying to avoid with the help of our Mason Jar manager friend and/or the suite concierge. I just don't like wasting any of my cruise dealing with issues and availability for 7 isn't always as easy as availability for 2. No, thankfully the other 16 or so lunch/dinner specialty reservations we booked with the UDP via the CP all made it to the ship for both parties... just Chef's Table was an issue for some reason for both of our parties. perfect match and OCSC Mike 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 I hope the life stuff clears up so you can enjoy your cruises. Having family or friends really does change your routine on cruises. But it should be a good tome with your nieces . I hope all the reservations are there and you don't have any issues. I prefer the last day to be a sea as well. I'm currently on the fence about the UDP for my B2B on Allure in Sept. I really just want a few brunches and dinners at MJ and one or two dinners at GT and Izumi. In all honesty GK has gone down to a wouldn't pay to eat there imho. The menu is too basic for me and I struggle to find anything appealing since their pizza is at the same level as Sorrento's. But even the draw of having a Playmakers credit or eating lunch at JR isn't enough to sway me. Sweety, perfect match, JohnK6404 and 4 others 7 Quote
lovetheplaya Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: FWIW, reservations opened over three months before the cruise on December 10th. The opening schedule seems to change over time and varies by ship but I had never seen them open that early before (they also opened three months before our June B2B as well just yesterday). We're at 102 days to go and reservations opened up today (or maybe yesterday too, but I don't check I just got an email about it.) 7 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: I've had a rough two weeks or so and it's really prevented me from focusing on the cruise and my usual excitement, Sorry to hear!!! I hope you get excited and feel better soon. Once you're on the ship eating I'm sure you'll feel slightly better OCSC Mike, Cactus527, JohnK6404 and 3 others 6 Quote
Jax Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 Sounds like a fun week; food, not one but 2 overwater cabanas and family Looking forward to following along. Sweety, perfect match, JohnK6404 and 4 others 7 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 20 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I hope all the reservations are there and you don't have any issues. Ironically, my wife was just messaging Jen the concierge. She said she'll book anything we need so we're just going to give her our reservation list and ask her to make sure everything shows up in their system. In theory, we don't actually need her to book anything but she will if anything is missing. She's so nice that my wife had to ask her 3 times about what we can bring her... she kept saying nothing then asked for one small item so my wife is going to pester her some more b/c the whole family knows she's going to take care of us and would also like to bring her something. 24 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I'm currently on the fence about the UDP for my B2B on Allure in Sept. I really just want a few brunches and dinners at MJ and one or two dinners at GT and Izumi. In all honesty GK has gone down to a wouldn't pay to eat there imho. The menu is too basic for me and I struggle to find anything appealing since their pizza is at the same level as Sorrento's. But even the draw of having a Playmakers credit or eating lunch at JR isn't enough to sway me. I get it. We have complete opposite opinions of GK (as you know) which is fine. If we didn't love it I'm not sure we could book the UDP. We skipped Izumi b/c there are sesame seeds all over Japanese food (one of my niece's allergies) plus almost no one eats sushi but me and my wife didn't really like it anyway. 150 CP was always out... too fancy for my wife and the girls and I think her parents tried it once on their own and didn't like it. We didn't like Hooked so we're just doing the one lunch there. That leaves a whole lot of MJ and GK and a couple Chops dinners, but we're fine with that. Playmakers and Johnny Rockets was also a draw for various people and my MIL devours ice cream, lol, so I hope she likes the bubble cones. I like my sushi snacks from the window. Ampurp85, perfect match, JohnK6404 and 2 others 5 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 1 hour ago, lovetheplaya said: We're at 102 days to go and reservations opened up today (or maybe yesterday too, but I don't check I just got an email about it.) I don't get most of the emails for anything for some reason although recently I've been lucky enough to get the useless sale e-mails, yay! 1 hour ago, lovetheplaya said: Sorry to hear!!! I hope you get excited and feel better soon. Once you're on the ship eating I'm sure you'll feel slightly better Thanks. I'll snap out of it, just hopefully sooner rather than later. The blog is helping and I'm trying to come to terms with the issue. Like I said, it will be fine in the long run, so there's that. Ampurp85, Ogilthorpe, perfect match and 2 others 5 Quote
ScottD Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: Not as much as I am. We all get along fine but we of course have some different preferences as far as how to spend some of our free time. I just get in my head as you can probably tell. I've made plenty of solo snack/drink runs while my wife is napping or whatever but they're usually fairly short and not super frequent. I need to be prepared to channel the many posters (like you) who wind up with alone time or the solo cruisers like @Southern Dan in the event that I'm not into whatever the fam is doing. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate the stuff we would never pay for like the cabanas, and Sky Class on Wonder was amazing, but I remember getting off that cruise and thinking that I should have spent more time exploring (it was our first time on Wonder so it was actually new) rather than spending SO much time in the suite neighborhood just because everyone else was content to stay there. I wanted to take advantage of it since we rarely have access but in hindsight I would have preferred a little bit more of a balance. I hear ya, I end up on my own a lot even just with the three of us, wife runs out of steam a few days in and the kid is off on his own, so I end up roaming the ship and hitting the buffet a few times on my own. I'm not a big fan of traveling in groups, you seem like you have kind of the same plan I would, meet up for meals and set plans like cabanas, but other than that-see ya when I see ya. Ampurp85, OCSC Mike, InmyElement and 3 others 6 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 2 minutes ago, ScottD said: I'm not a big fan of traveling in groups, you seem like you have kind of the same plan I would, meet up for meals and set plans like cabanas, but other than that-see ya when I see ya. I'm fine with this small group but I agree in general. I don't really see them splitting up a ton once the day gets going (except the 16yo b/c, well, she's 16) and if they wind up up lounging somewhere I don't want to be or going to Johnny Rockets, I need to be like you and go get food elsewhere and/or grab a specialty drink you can only get at certain bars. 12 minutes ago, ScottD said: I end up on my own a lot even just with the three of us, wife runs out of steam a few days in and the kid is off on his own I had you in mind from you mentioning that in your blogs. It's not like I mind being alone, I just have to embrace it if and when the situation calls for some solo time. ScottD, JohnK6404, Cactus527 and 2 others 5 Quote
Ogilthorpe Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 1 hour ago, ScottD said: I'm not a big fan of traveling in groups... I feel the same way. I went on a cruise with extended family one time, and, based on that experience, only as a couple every time since. I'm reminded of the recurring bit in Johnny Dangerously! Ampurp85, InmyElement, MaryS and 8 others 11 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 I am glad that my family is small but I have cruised a couple of times with groups . I do not recommend. Solo is a bit rough but anything more than 4 people can be way worse. I primarily started doing the UDP because I'm a picky eater. But I soon realized I was forcing myself to eat places because I had the UDP. After the 2 experiences at GK on Icon, I realized that nothing about GK calls to me. I am glad that other people enjoy it and other restaurants i might not because it takes all kinds. I also realized I don't want to sit through a long dinner and the survey spiel every night when you are cruising 2+wks at a time. I'm looking forward to UT next Jan. Just being able to get my MJ fix alone will be worth the extra cost of me sailing out of PC. Debstr66, Cactus527, perfect match and 8 others 11 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 13 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I primarily started doing the UDP because I'm a picky eater. I'm sure you already know this but that's the part that makes it work for my wife. She's fine with our old routine of a couple specialty dinners, Playmakers one night, and the one MDR menu Utopia has that she likes but I still feel bad when we go to WJ and she doesn't really find much. It's a little better with the standard US 7N MDR menus b/c there are 3 menus she's OK with. She doesn't necessarily love any of them but at least they have entrees she will eat. Utopia just happened to drop 2 of the 3. We currently have the UDP booked for the 4N leg of our June Utopia B2B but we'll consider dropping it if we get specialty'd out from this upcoming cruise. I'm fine either way but I'm thinking I may want to go back to my old routine of randomly snacking at ELF, WJ, Cafe Promenade, etc. instead of having all big meals. I'll wind up letting my wife decide and she'll say she doesn't care... we've been married a while, lol. JohnK6404, perfect match, WAAAYTOOO and 4 others 7 Quote
Cactus527 Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 I am ready for this! I'm also hoping that your blog helps me get excited about my cruise next month on Quantum. With the UDP, I found myself going to restaurants just because I had the UDP, not because I wanted to. Turns out my favorite things were Playmakers and Johnny Rockets. Go figure. Jamie's Italian is pretty good too. I totally understand wanting to go on the same ship again over and over, as I was doing that for a while with Navigator. There's that sense of familiarity and comfort that comes with being on the same ship repeatedly. Looking forward to your spring break cruise! Sweety, Ampurp85, InmyElement and 6 others 9 Quote
perfect match Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 I’m here and checking in! We just found out that some of our closest friends will be joining us on Utopia in 38 days! That worked out well for us on Wonder. A bonus for this Utopia cruise is that our friends have reached Elite status on Celebrity so they will be able to status match to Diamond and have benefits of their own on Utopia. We’re looking forward to to this cruise even more than we were when we first booked it! Following your review will be a good refresher for me of everything we most enjoyed on Utopia! OCSC Mike, MaryS, InmyElement and 5 others 8 Quote
InmyElement Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Great read, Mike. It popped up yesterday while I was sitting in the dr’s office, and once I started I got so wrapped up in it I forgot where I was like getting lost in a good book. Really looking forward to following along on your March sailing. The added family/relative dynamics should make it even more entertaining…maybe even a little spicy Hoping this blog is already starting to ease your mind and help you drop that real-life baggage…time to grab that carry-on size bag you tout and get ready for embarkation WAAAYTOOO, Ogilthorpe, Ampurp85 and 10 others 9 4 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 10 minutes ago, InmyElement said: like getting lost in a good book. I like that spin better than getting lost in an overly long-winded blog intro, lol. I'm gonna keep writing them either way but I always wonder if people enjoy them or their eyes glaze over... that's why I put that warning at the beginning. 10 minutes ago, InmyElement said: Really looking forward to following along on your March sailing. The added family/relative dynamics should make it even more entertaining…maybe even a little spicy Oh don't say that. If spiciness ensues it's likely because someone isn't getting along, a niece is unhappy, the older one is trying to break curfew, etc. I don't think our version of spice would be entertaining like say @Ampurp85's version. 10 minutes ago, InmyElement said: Hoping this blog is already starting to ease your mind and help you drop that real-life baggage The blog is a well-needed diversion. Also, knock on wood, there was finally some positive movement on the real-life issue so if that could continue (or just not get worse) that would be amazing but I have no control over it (sorry for being vague). Thanks for the feedback, well-wishes, and glad you actually enjoy my long intros. JohnK6404, Cactus527, Debstr66 and 6 others 9 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 In semi-related news, my TA Just paid off our June Utopia B2B since final payment is during this one and he's about to go on a cruise himself. He would have waited if I asked him to (he of course works while cruising) but it's gonna hit the same CC statement so doesn't really matter. JohnK6404, Cactus527, Jax and 8 others 11 Quote
Southern Dan Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Really looking forward to following along as I'm a long 206 days away until my 4Nt on Utopia. I hope you get to enjoy some Indian food while onboard too... perfect match, Ogilthorpe and OCSC Mike 3 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 Just now, Southern Dan said: I hope you get to enjoy some Indian food while onboard too That's the catch with the UDP for me (and why I was joking with you about not using yours for every meal)... we don't normally have it and I do enjoy the specialty restaurants (plus my credits for sushi and Playmakers) so even though I also love Indian food, I doubt I'll wind up in the WJ except to get some of the seafood. It's just how my brain works. That's also why I mentioned that I'd consider dropping the UDP in June... so I can enjoy all the included food I'll likely be skipping on this one. The UDP is lots of fun for me but so is seafood and Indian from WJ, actual breakfasts in Solarium Bistro most mornings, ELF taco & margarita runs, late night Sorrento's or Cafe Promenade sammies, etc. Ogilthorpe, perfect match, JohnK6404 and 1 other 4 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 17 hours ago, Ogilthorpe said: I feel the same way. I went on a cruise with extended family one time, and, based on that experience, only as a couple every time since. I'm reminded of the recurring bit in Johnny Dangerously! Farging icehole Ogilthorpe 1 Quote
LandstromCruise Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Enjoy the cruise!! I will be on Oasis the day after you get done with yours. Sweety, OCSC Mike and Ogilthorpe 3 Quote
lovetheplaya Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: actual breakfasts in Solarium Bistro most mornings, ELF taco & margarita runs YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Sweety, OCSC Mike and Ogilthorpe 3 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Man Mike makes it hard to do a competing blog. I thought about one for Star but probably nahhh. OCSC Mike, JohnK6404, Sweety and 2 others 5 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 1 minute ago, GatorCruiser said: Man Mike makes it hard to do a competing blog. I thought about one for Star but probably nahhh. It's not a competition. Fire up the Casio and blog away! JohnK6404, TessFromFlorida, GatorCruiser and 6 others 2 7 Quote
tonyfsu21 Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 1 hour ago, GatorCruiser said: Man Mike makes it hard to do a competing blog. I thought about one for Star but probably nahhh. I agree. Between Mike & Sabrina it’s hard to even attempt a live blog. I certainly enjoy following along. TessFromFlorida, mom2mybugs, Lovetocruise2002 and 3 others 2 1 2 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 1 minute ago, tonyfsu21 said: I agree. Between Mike & Sabrina it’s hard to even attempt a live blog. I certainly enjoy following along. All I do is post a bunch of repetitive food and drink pics, our loungers in the Solarium, and our loungers on PDCC (I'll have some nice cabana pics this time but that's unusual). I'm somewhat baffled by the following but I'm glad others enjoy my blogs. Ogilthorpe, Jamesszy94, MaryS and 6 others 9 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 28 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: I'm somewhat baffled by the following but I'm glad others enjoy my blogs. It’s because you guys are so nice. Cactus527, InmyElement, MaryS and 7 others 6 1 3 Quote
GatorCruiser Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 My Casio is so sick, digital and analog combo g shock with lots of chrome. The problem with no liveblog is where to place the blog pics with @smokeybandit @tonyfsu21 @dustfsu the people demand them. ScottD 1 Quote
OCSC Mike Posted March 7 Author Report Posted March 7 23 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said: the people demand them Which people exactly? 24 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said: The problem with no liveblog is where to place the blog pics I guess that settles it then, better start that blog. My readers expect food not pre-vintage dudes. Jax, perfect match, WAAAYTOOO and 8 others 1 10 Quote
perfect match Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 I’m glad you mentioned the bubble cone. We have been on Utopia twice already and I have yet to try one. I need to schedule one into my planned cruise feedings so I’ll have the room to eat one. There’s no way I can ever keep pace with Mike! OCSC Mike, Ogilthorpe and Sweety 3 Quote
dustfsu Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 6 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: My Casio is so sick, digital and analog combo g shock with lots of chrome. The problem with no liveblog is where to place the blog pics with @smokeybandit @tonyfsu21 @dustfsu the people demand them. You left out @Mike n Ky Quote
GatorCruiser Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 3 hours ago, dustfsu said: You left out @Mike n Ky I thought about him but I couldn’t find his name. Pre vintage dude pics rock ! ScottD 1 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 16 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: Man Mike makes it hard to do a competing blog. I thought about one for Star but probably nahhh. DO IT!!!! 14 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said: I agree. Between Mike & Sabrina it’s hard to even attempt a live blog. I certainly enjoy following along. ALSO DO IT!!! We just all need to sail together and do a joint one lol 14 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: All I do is post a bunch of repetitive food and drink pics, our loungers in the Solarium, and our loungers on PDCC (I'll have some nice cabana pics this time but that's unusual). Ditto...you all know how mine will go...get on ship, do not get off ship, go home lovetheplaya, Jamesszy94, perfect match and 7 others 5 3 2 Quote
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