Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas made her first stop ever at Laem Chabang in Thailand, according to TravelDailyNews.

Mariner of the Seas arrived yesterday and stayed overnight in port and will depart today, February 18.  She is on a 7-night cruise from Singapore which will also call at Ho Chi Minh City. 

As part of the tradition when a cruise ship visits a port for the first time, plaque exchanges were conducted between LT. Sutthinan Hatthawong, Managing Director of Laem Chabang Port and Captain Flemming Nielsen of Mariner of the Seas onboard to commemorate the ship’s maiden call in Laem Chabang.  

Royal Caribbean Executive Vice President of Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo hinted in a blog post a couple of dining options making their debut first on Navigator of the Seas that we can expect to see on Royal Caribbean's brand new ship, Quantum of the Seas.

Lutoff-Perlo writes, "Meanwhile, Navigator of the Seas’ guests will be the first to get a sneak peek of some of the dining options making their debut on Quantum of the Seas this fall.  Guests on board Navigator will be among the first to enjoy the fully revamped Chops Grille: The New American Steakhouse, featuring traditional steakhouse offerings with a contemporary flair.  Chops Grille on Navigator of the Seas will showcase brand new selections, such as the Veal Chop Parmesan and a Slow-braised Short Rib of Beef with Bordelaise sauce."

Royal Caribbean has been quiet regarding the dining choices coming to Quantum of the Seas and this is the first indication that we will likely see Chops Grille onboard and its new menu.  

Chops Grille has been a staple of Royal Caribbean cruise ships fleetwide, so it's inclusion on Quantum of the Seas is hardly a surprise but one more piece in the puzzle for guests trying to get a sense of everything that will be on the new ship.

Today was our last day and I wish I had a lot to report to you but I spent most of the day either sleeping, eating or lounging.  There's nothing wrong any of that but I think the events of the last 7+ days finally caught up with me.

We slept in, or as parents with young children call it, sleeping until our kid woke us up.  So about 9am we all got up and started getting ready and made it up to the Windjammer closer to 10am.

With such a late start, it didn't make sense to bring my daughter to Adventure Ocean because today the morning session ended at 11am.  So we roamed the ship, taking a walk on deck 4, the Royal Promenade and the pool deck.

Lunch came around again so we had a quick bite to eat in the Windjammer, which was actually my first time this cruise eating lunch in the Windjammer.  That is really odd for me.

After lunch, my daughter took her nap so I went up to the pool deck to lounge.  It was one of those weather days where in the shade it was cold but in the sun it was hot.  So I managed to snag a chair in the Solarium that had my legs in the sun and put a towel over my legs so I could warm up without getting sunburned.

I took my first of many naps here and eventually woke up to go downstairs to gather the troops.  My daughter was still asleep so I took the opportunity to take yet another nap.

When my daughter woke up, I woke up too and took her to Adventure Ocean for the afternoon session.  Then my wife and I took a short walk and then decided to start packing now rather than leaving it to the end. Packing the night before your cruise ends is the second worst feeling ever (with the last day and leaving the ship being the worst feeling). 

Since I really didn't do much to report on, I wanted to share my overall thoughts of the cruise and some observations that may benefit others looking to take this cruise eventually and/or a cruise out of Galveston.

It's an older crowd. Much older crowd.

On our cruise, the vast majority of cruisers were people at least 50 years old or older.  And emphasis on older.  

If you're younger, that may or may not be a problem.  I'm not someone who needs to make dozens of new friends on a cruise to have a good time.  And there are advantages of cruising with older people, namely older people don't care nearly as much about getting a chair on the pool deck, so chair hog issues weren't much of an issue.

The downside to cruising with older people is the elevator situation is worse than usual.  I don't judge people if they take the elevator instead of the stairs but it just felt like the elevators were more crowded than usual.

We were also cruising during a time of year when kids are in school so not a lot of school-age children here, which may have contributed to the older crowd.

Hope you like country western music

By far, a majority of the live music and even recorded music played across the ship was country western music.  

I'm talking Glen Campbell, Alan Jackson and the sort of old-timey country western songs.  Heck, even in the bars in ports they were playing country western because the vendors knew the people on the ship want that and not Miley Cyrus.

At first I didn't really mind the music, but about half way through the cruise I really wanted something different.  Events like "Name this tune", "dance it if you know it" and others were predominately country western.  The only place that did not play country western was the Cosmopolitan Club on Deck 14.  

Forward cabins: the good and bad

As you may know, we had booked cabin 6500, a family oceanview stateroom all the way forward.  Looking back on it there was good and bad to it.

The good is the amount of space we got.  It's insane how much space we had in the stateroom and my daughter having her own room was very nice.  To get a similar amount of space in a different kind of cabin would have required a suite of some sort.

The bad is the motion.  I can't tell you how many times I'd be somewhere on the ship and feel little to no movement only to get back to the room and feel like I'm on a turbulent airplane ride.  My wife didn't feel the effect nearly as much as I did and thinks I'm too sensitive.

One thing we can both agree with about the room is the random noise that occurs. The room is close to the crew relaxation area near the bow of the ship and you will often hear a loud bang or clang sound.  It's enough to wake you up at odd hours of the night.  I'm not sure it's that big a deal but worth noting.

The renovations make a big difference

There aren't many ships left in Royal Caribbean's fleet that aren't refurbished but I cannot imagine cruising on any of the "old" ones now.  The upgrades to Navigator are unbelievable.  It's made the ship so much better and appealing.

The new paint, furniture, restaurants and more all make this ship feel like it's brand new (again). Regardless of if it's Navigator or some other revitalized Royal Caribbean ship, do yourself a favor and stick with the upgraded ships for now.

The internet is still ship internet

The internet WiFi connection is ship-wide, which is nice, and there are two unlimited internet plans, which is great but the speeds are still the kind of speeds you expect to get at sea.

I'm not 100% certain if the 11ac network upgrades we posted about previously have been implemented but as it is today, the ship internet works in bursts, with nothing for a second or two and then a lot coming in, and then more waiting and then another burst of download.

For using the internet for Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, it's great.  I can post photos, update timelines and other common social media functions quickly. But booting up the laptop and going surfing still has noticable delays.  

Still, if I were going back on Navigator fo the Seas next week I would buy the unlimited plan again for the ability to use it whenever I want and stay connected with friends and family.  I mean, how else can I send them photos of the pool deck while they are stuck in snow?

Everyone is from Texas!

Or Oklahoma, Lousiana or Kansas.  But when you tell someone you're from New York (or anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line) they look at you like you are crazy for having booked this cruise.

Most often they ask why we booked the cruise.  It's fine and all but again it feeds into the first two observations I made of an older cruising age and the country western music thing.

Fog!

You may remember from earlier this cruise when we were delayed about 7-8 hours because of fog getting onboard.  If you are cruising out of Galveston in the winter, keep in mind it happens. 

Unfortunately fog is out of your hands, so my advice is fly in a day before and enjoy what Galveston has to offer if you are delayed.

Adventure Ocean is wonderful

My daughter had a blast there and every time we picked her up she was having the time of your life and often cried when we told her she had to leave.  To me, there is no more ringing endorsement.

As a parent, it was great having 5-6 hours a day to ourselves and it made a huge difference for me and my wife's ability to have as good a time as we had. I would not hesitate to recommend bringing your kids to Adventure Ocean, especially on the revitalized ships.

I love the R-Bar

Maybe it's the retro-cool furniture or maybe it's fact it's new to me, but the R-Bar quikly became my favorite place to grab a drink onboard Navigator of the Seas.

What's especially neat about R-Bar is the bartending staff really know their stuff.  Forget the drink menu, just tell them sort of liquor or juice you like and they will make up a drink based on that.  I have yet to see this fail.

I still love cruising with Royal Caribbean

'Nuff said.

Today we are in one of my favorite ports to visit in the Caribbean, Cozumel, Mexico!  What I like about Cozumel is it offers a lot to choose from and in terms of the port being able to support cruisers well, there's a lot of great infrastructure.

We were docked in Cozumel at 7am but we decided to sleep in today make up for getting up early the day before and hoping to wait out the masses leaving.  

Navigator of the Seas was hardly the only ship in port.  We were across the dock from Allure of the Seas and there were two Norwegian ships (Epic and Dawn) at the other dock in town along with the Carnival Sunshine.

As per usual we had breakfast in the Windjammer but after breakfast we were going to do something different and leave our daughter at the kids club while we left the ship.  My wife suggested it the other day because we were planning a day in Cozumel with shopping and walking, two things that my daughter doesn't deal well with.  Plus, my daughter's acclimation to Adventure Ocean made it an easier decision knowing she was going to enjoy it.

So we dropped her off, when at the time she was the only one there although later more kids did show up (only 4-5 total).

We disembarked from Navigator of the Seas and walked into the port area, which was packed.  Also, the port has become a maze (on purpose) to try to get out of. I've been to Cozumel at least 4 times and I had trouble finding the exit to the street.

We made a bee-line through the port shops and out to the street only to find a gargantuan line for taxis! I called an audible and grabbed my wife and we exited the port area, walking about 30 feet up the street and nabbed a taxi waiting at the El Cid hotel next door.  No wait and we were on our way!

Our basic plan was to do shopping and eating, with emphasis on eating.  We love good Mexican food and over the years we have come to really enjoy Cozumel's authentic Mexican food.  

Our driver dropped us off somewhere we'd never been, well into town.  There was a detour on the main road but I told him in my terrible spanish "Center mercado", which may have contributed to it.  Regardless, we were dropped off right in front of an amazing open air restaurant and instantly regretted having a full breakfast onboard. I vowed to my wife next time in Cozumel we would skip eating breakfast onboard.

We walked through town, turning down various streets to see what they have to sell.  We didn't have anything in mind to buy, we just like window shopping.  

My advice for anyone shopping in Cozumel is get off the main street and do your shopping on the side streets two to three blocks from the main street.  It's far less crowded and the prices are better in my experience.  

We did stop when we came across my favorite bakery in Cozumel.  We had been here a few times before after also stumbling upon it.  They sell fresh baked breads, croissants and rolls of all kinds for pennies. You just grab a large metal saucer and tongs and then place what you want on the saucer, give it to the person behind the counter and wait for them to tell you how much.  I think we paid $3 for two rolls and a bottle of water. So worth it!

It was time for our first food, which was a stop at the Chocolateria Isla Bella.  It's a chocolatier I found on TripAdvisor that was insanely high rated.  After a bit of searching, we found it and walked into a small store and greeted by two American ex-pats.  These women live in Cozumel, one living in Mexico for almost 25 years.

They had a wide assortment of chocolates to choose from such as guava, white chooclate, nutella, peanut butter, coffee and more. The owner offered us a few samples as well and we picked up a half dozen chocolates for $8.  Taking them outside would risk it melting, so we had "no choice" but to eat them there.

You could tell quickly why Chocolateria Isla Bella was so highly rated.  Once again, freshness made a difference because I watched the other woman pounding cocoa into chocolate and there wasn't anything we bought that wasn't very good.

Back to shopping we wandered some more and something caught my eye, which was a Mexican/Spanish style dish that I thought looked nice. My wife and I looked over the wares and decided on a nice looking spoon rest and split dish.  

We haggled with the owners, like any good shopper in Cozumel should, and got them down from their asking price.  I don't think I got the rock-bottom price that perhaps I could but I thought it was a fair deal and bought it.

We came across an internet cafe next and jumped in to use their wifi.  Two devices on their wifi for about an hour, plus a bottle of water cost us $3. I love Mexico!

By now it was time to eat lunch and I had planned earlier to go to Diego's, but realized it was very far from town and decided let's stick with our absolute favorite Mexican restaurant Comida Caseras Tonita. 

We had eaten at Tonita back in 2011, loved it and dreamed about going back so despite my yearning to always want to try new things, I was happy to go back.  The place looked exactly as I remembered and we sat down to look at the menu.

Without even thinking about it, we knew we wanted guacamole, salsa, chips and two cokes.  Did I mention fresh food makes a difference?  Right away the women in the kitchen started making all of it from scratch (minus the cokes, those came in sweet glass bottles).  Even the chips were made fresh for us. Amazing!

We looked over the menu and decided for entrees to get grilled chicken for my wife and Mexican style fish for me.  The staff does not speak English at all but with enough broken Spanish we managed to order.

The guac and salsa did not disappoint and were so fresh. I'm pretty sure they had to wait to make the salsa because another woman brought a bag of groceries including tomatoes and our salsa came out right after that.

Another table ordered a whole fish and the woman actually brought over a platter of fresh uncooked fish for the men to choose from.  That is something to see.

Our entrees came out and once again very good all around.  My fish was a white fish of some kind and was delicate and juicy. I really can't convey how good the food was in this post so it's just somewhere I cannot more highly recommend for lunch if you are in Cozumel.

After lunch we picked up a necklace for my daughter from a shop owner and grabbed a taxi back to the pier.

Back onboard, we went to pick up my daughter from Adventure Ocean. I wasn't sure what to expect because it was about 2pm and she hadn't napped so she might be out of her mind exhausted and crying.  When we arrived she saw us, made a sad face, dipped her head down and covered her face with her hands.  

I asked her if she wanted to stay longer, to which she instantly sprang up with a resounding "yes" and we said okay, we will be back later. My wife and I decided to go to the pool alone and get some time there together.

We changed quickly back in the stateroom and went to the Solarium to have a round of drinks and opted for the hot tub instead of the very cold pool.

After we picked up our daughter from Adventure Ocean, this time she had to leave because she needed to nap (although she refused to admit it) and of course cried until we told her we bought her a present.  Then she was all too eager to leave.

Back in the cabin, she got her present (which she was disappointed with because it was not a toy) and took a nap while we showered and relaxed.

At 4:30, Navigator left Cozumel and we began our slow trip back to Galveston.  Where did this week go?!

Right at 5:30 I raced up to deck 12 to get the best sunset photos I could finally get. Each time this week sunset has been blocked by clouds or land but today we had no clouds and an endless horizon. Success!

Like every other night, we took our daughter up to the Windjammer for dinner and then dropped her off at Adventure Ocean.  I have to say that Adventure Ocean has been wonderful and she's really enjoyed her time there.

Tonight was the top tier Crown and Anchor Society event where all Crown and Anchor Society members Platinum level and above get another hour of free drinks.  That's really what it amounts to because otherwise you have an officer or two talking about booing more cruises.  It's nice and I appreciate it but I won't make it into something bigger than it is.

It is Valentine's Day and so we had booked Chops Grille a while back to celebate.  

Chops is not new to Navigator of the Seas but it does have an all-new menu that is only on Navigator of the Seas.  Among other changes, it offers now dry-aged steaks. If the new menu proves popular enough, it will be rolled out to other Chops Grille's across the fleet.

When we arrived at Chops, it was packed and you could tell they were running at capacity. Luckily they had a table open for us and we got right in.

Food-wise, the new menu isn't a huge departure from the old menu, with many old favorites back again.  The big difference is the dry-aged steaks have been added and they have an additional fee. $18 for the dry-rub NY Strip Steak and $19 for the dry-aged portherhouse.

As per usual with these live blogs, I will save the full review for a different blog post in the coming few days but I can say the food was great and service good despite the crowds.  I will be the first to admit I am not an expert at gauging how good or bad a steak is.  For me, there's a certain point in the "how good a steak is" scale and once I pass it, I can't tell the difference between a $20 steak and a $50 steak.

I think the big thing is the dry-aged steak additions and the fact the additional cost nearly doubles the cost of eating at Chops.  At $35 per person to start with and then add another $18-19 for the dry-aged steaks, you are running into an expensive meal.

I'll save the debate for another day but is an interesting change.  Also, for those keeping score at home, the red velvet cake is still on the dessert menu.

After dinner we went to the casino and once again won a little bit of money on roulette and then promptly lost it all when trying to double it. Best 4 minutes of the night.

Afterwards we wandered between bars to find something to do.  Probably the best option was the Cosmipalitan Club on Deck 14 that was playing nothing but love songs to dance to in honor of Valentine's Day.

Tomorrow is our last day on the cruise and it's a sea day.  The last day is always bitersweet but I keep reminding myself it's one more day I'm not at work!

We were up bright and early today, 6am to be exact, to be ready for our day in Belize City.  

We ordered room service for the room for 6:30am but at about 6:08am room service called to tell us the food was on its way. I didn't need to sleep those extra 20 minutes anyway, right?

We ordered the usual assortment of room service breakfast and it wasn't anything I'd write home about.  Mass-produced eggs never turn out well and this was more of the same.  The hasbrowns and toast were fine but we needed something to eat to get us going and quick so it worked.  

You may be asking why we got up so very early and the reason is Belize is a tender port, which means we have to take ferries from Navigator of the Seas to the port.  Complicating things is the port is about a 20 minute ride away, which is long for a tender.  

I had also read horror stories about the lines for tenders in the morning and we were concerned about making our excursion on time.  So by 7:30, we were walking down to deck 2 to get in line.  When we got there (about an hour before first tender was estimated to leave), there was just one couple ahead of us. The line started to build slowly but surely and by about 8:00, the line started snaking back up to deck 3 and beyond.  

Despite the fact we did not have a Royal Caribbean excursion, we were not forced to let others with Royal Caribbean excursions go through.  A little before 8:30 we were on the first tender with no problem.  The takeaway for Belize is either be like us and show up an hour early or wait for the lines to die down and roll in after 10am to avoid the lines.

When we got on the tender, I can tell you the sea was angry that day because the ship was bobbing up and down and I was getting nervous this would not be a pleasant trip.  Luckily once we started moving the boat stopped swaying as much and there was no issue with being sea-sick.

We had booked a private beach experience on Goff's Caye, a small island accessible by boat about 30-minutes from port.  It had lots of good reviews online and seemed like a good choice.

We got to Belize City's port area and found our excursion at the dock.  We were escorted to a desk to make the final payment, get our wristband and instructions.  It turned out the boat to Goff's Caye would leave at 10am, leaving us with an hour to spend in the port. We walked around the shops and part of me wishes I had left the port area to at least see the real Belize City but my wife wanted to take it easy and just wait in port.

By 10am, we were on our boat and on our way to Goff's Caye.  We were on more of a speedboat, so the wave factor was less pronounced and we made it to Goff's Caye quickly.

The island is basically a reef with sand on it.  It's very small, perhaps a quarter to half an acre in size with a restroom and kitchen area. There are chairs for rent for $5 each (no umbrellas).  

Most of the people on the excursion took part in a snorkeling trip around the island.  We did not because of our 3 year old, so we just hung out at the beach all day.  Once again, your fearless blogger managed to fall asleep after a few beers and much of the afternoon disappeared.

Another valuable lesson I learned on Goff's Caye: Before you take a nap on the beach, remember to apply sunscreen. I will be remembering Goff's Caye for a few days quite painfully.

They do have fruit punch and water included in the price of your excursion with the option to buy drinks and food for additional cost.  The lunch is a bbq and had the choice of chicken kabobs, hot dogs or lobster tail.  All come with rice and corn.  For 2 kabobs and a hot dog, it was $19.  Two beers were $5.  The food was basic but did the job.  It won't amaze you but if you're hungry, it's the only choice.

The island is beautiful and it was cloudy when we got there, but as the day wore on the sun came out and it was a lot of fun.  Everyone in our group really had a good time relaxing, having some drinks and taking it all in.  

At 2pm we boarded our boat back to Belize City and then we turned around and took the tender back to Navigator of the Seas (with a pit stop when we got onboard at Cafe Promenade because why not).

Looking back, I thought the tender process in Belize wasn't as bad as many made it out to be.  The key is to arrive very early or take your time and go later in the morning.  

Back to Navigator of the Seas and it was time again for showering and changing for dinner.

I took a stroll around the Royal Promenade and snapped up these two photos that may be of interest. Cafe Promenade has a very smal Cupcake Cupboard available.  In addition, here are the current Ben & Jerry's prices.

I also went out to the bow of the ship to catch the sunset but I was thwarted by clouds.  Still pretty to see but was hoping for that perfect shot.  Some day!

We went to see the show for the evening, which was "Now and forever" a musical tribute to Broadway.  My wife is a Broadway fanatic so this was all for her.  

The show features songs from a wide selection of Broadway shows over the years and while it isn't as good as full-fledged Broadway shows that can be found on other Royal Caribbean ships, it has enough to hold your attention, especially if you are a Broadway fan.

After the show we took our daughter to dinner in the Windjammer and then dropped her off at Adventure Ocean.  Tonight, we had the opportunity to check out the brand new Sabor Modern Mexican restaurant, arguably the one new addition not named virtual balcony that people are talking about the most.

I will save the full review of Sabor for a seperate post but I can safely tell you it blew away my expectations.  In short, Sabor served up some of the tastiest food I've had in a while.

Everything about the experience eating here was centered around authenticity and freshness.  You can tell Royal Caribbean has put their best foot forward with Sabor because it's one of the best specialty restaurants I've ever eaten at.

From when you are seated and the guacamole is made in front of you to the hand-made salsa and chips to the margarita cart where you see your drinks made, Sabor amazes because of its simple yet elegant presentation.

From what I understand, Sabor is a test on Navigator of the Seas and if she is well received, the changes could make their way to other ships in the fleet (coughQuantum of the Seascough).

Food-wise, the appetizers and entrees are all included in the price of your cover charge ($25 per person).  We tried a lot of food and despite the groans of trying to walk around after the meal, it was all worth it because everything we ate was anywhere from very good to excellent.

When we were there the restaurant was nearly full and speaking with the manager and the wait staff, the place has been slammed since it opened, which is a good sign.  I flat out asked the waiter how did their predominately Texas population, who are used to great Mexican all the time, respond to the food.  He simply said, "they keep rebooking for more reservations."

I'll have much more in my full review of Sabor next week but if you have Navigator of the Seas booked currently, do yourelf a favor and book it now.

After dinner, we walked around and had another drink or two around the ship.  We stopped in at the Two Poets British Pub to take in live music and then went up to deck 12 for some fresh air and to watch the "Dance it if you know it" song trivia.

Tomorrow is our last port stop, and that's in Cozumel, Mexico.  It's also Valentine's Day so happy Valentine's Day to all you love birds.  I'm taking my wife on a date to Chops Grille to try their brand new menu out, so we will have details to share tomorrow (about the menu, not our sappy chit chat).

If you were wondering why yesterday's post was later than usual, it wasn't because I was partying it up and passed out somewhere (unfortunately).  Rather, the internet was essentially out from about 8pm last night until I left the ship this morning.  It appears to be back now so let's cross our fingers it doesn't happen again.

Today we woke up still at sea on our way to Roatan in Honduras.  The Captain gave us an update that we should be in port at about 10:30, which is behind the posted schedule but it's all because of our fog delays back on the first day that were still wreaking havoc.

I knew beforehand we wouldn't dock until 10am at the earliest so we slept in a little bit (8:30am!) and then got ready for the beach and headed up to the Windjammer for breakfast.  As we ate, the ship was pulling in alongside Roatan until we reached the port.  There was a Costa ship tendering between us and the dock so the Captain said it would take a few more minutes to navigate around her.

Disembarkation was a mess because everyone and their mother wanted to leave.  The problem with late dockings (late = after 9am) is everyone is up and everyone wants to leave.  The Captain asked everyone to not wait in the hallways or staircases but when the all clear was given, we found the staircases starting at deck 4 jammed up.  

Honestly, the bigger problem was the elevators because the stairs were backed up and then elevators would come in and drop people off that would create an even bigger bottleneck. So the lesson here is you either don't listen and line up in the staircases or you take an elevator down.

Once off the ship, we took a short walk through the Roatan port area which was small and unremarkable.  I don't think there's much worth seeing here unless you need a Diamonds International fix. Gangway to exit is probably five minutes at the most if you don't stop along the way.

We had arranged beforehand to hire a driver named Herman to take us around the island and be our guide.  He was recommended to me by a blog reader here and I had arranged via email to have him drive us around for the day for $85.  

We met Herman who escorted us through the port area and to the taxis.  He then informed us his brother, Ernesto, would be our driver.  Fine, it was still a private driver and his brother's English was quite good.  I will admit the only problem we had was Herman brought the car around while we waited with Ernesto, and that took around 15-20 minutes for the car to arrive due to traffic. Not their fault because they can't control traffic but I would have preferred to have the car closer so we didn't have to wait in the heat.

Once we got in the car, we were off to Parrot Tree beach.  Herman had recommended it earlier and said it would be good for the family and vastly less crowded than the west end of the island.

Parrot Tree is basically a resort that allows day guests. Ernesto drove us there (about 40 minutes with traffic, 20 without) and escorted us to a palapa that included 3 beach chairs and an ocean couch.  The cost was $15 per adult ($30 total).

I have to say the beach was quite beautiful and we had great weather.  In addition to the beach, there was waiter service to your palapa that offered food and drink at moderate prices.  For 3 entrees and probably 4-5 drinks, our bill came out to $66 before tip.  Not terrible.

The beach was fun and my daughter had a blast because the cove you are in has no waves and you can wade in pretty far before it becomes deep. I was content with having a few drinks and then falling asleep for the rest of the time there.  I can only assume the rest of my family had a good time too because when I woke up they were also asleep.

At 3pm we decided to get going back to the ship.  I was concerned about traffic getting back and we wanted to have time to shower and change before our evening activities.

Overall, I really liked Roatan and think it lived up to the hype regarding how pretty it is.  Sure the taxi drivers are aggressive salesmen in the morning and the town doesn't have a whole lot near port to see if you want to walk around, but taking a taxi or bus around the island to a spot or two is the way to go.

Again, we picked Parrot Tree on the east end to avoid the big crowds on the west end.  Even Ernesto admitted the beaches are better on the west end but I'd rather not feel like a sardine on the beach with the crowds and Parrot Tree fit the bill.  For kids, the unintimidating waves really did make for a perfect outing.

Luckily getting back was easy and there wasn't any traffic.  We got back onboard and showered and changed.

Back onboard and showered and changed, I went up to deck 12 to hopefully catch the sunset.  Good news, I did. Bad news, Roatan was in the way.

Next up was the ice show, which my wife absolutely loves. I always have the same situation: I roll my eyes at going and then really enjoy it. Sure enough, same situation here.  The performers are really good and I particularly enjoyed their interpretation of the song "Roxanne" by the Police.

After the ice show I quickly made my way across deck 3 to make it for the Crown & Anchor Society welcome back party. I seem to recall these events being far more interesting from a "what's next" perspective.  The loyalty ambassador did mention Allure of the Seas booking options for her European itineraries but otherwise nothing new.  

The real reason why most people go to the welcome back party is to get the free booze, which was plentiful.

Royal Caribbean did recognize two Pinnacle members, one who had over 1000 points and another Pete, who just got to Platinum and gave away his free cruise to the Make A Wish Foundation! Way to go Pete!

Dinner was next and we were in the main dining room.  The highlight for me was the moussaka, which was one of the best I've ever had.  Once again our waiter Daniel was quite funny. We told him we wouldn't be in the main dining room the next couple of nights because we are going to specialty restaurants and he took out his wallet and offered to give us a photo of himself so we could remember him.

Dinner was a little light and I was kind of craving a burger so I suggested to my wife we make a Johnny Rockets run and she agreed so we raced up to deck 12 to try it out.

If you've read this blog long enough, you may know my recent reviews of Johnny Rockets has not been favorable but I am happy to say Johnny Rockets on Navigator of the Seas bucks that trend! The food was fresh and did not taste like it was under heat lamps.

We ordered a grilled cheese, double burger and grilled chicken sandwich.  Everything was piping hot when we got it and it just tasted better than our previous experiences.  The "icing on the cake" was the fact there was no wait and walked right in and sat down in a booth.

As I write this I realize I did not go to R-Bar today, which is a travesty. I must make up for it tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are going to Belize City in Belize.  I'm mentally preparing for tendermageddon with long delays but hoping our day ends up being fun.  Weather may be iffy with rain but only one way to find out!

Hey everyone! Episode 28 of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

This week, Matt invites Michael Poole back to the podcast to discuss a few recent items of Royal Caribbean news and analyze why Royal Caribbean did what they did and how it can impact their guests.  It's the sort of fun exercise in "talking shop" that we wanted to share with all of you!

Here’s the podcast page for Episode 28. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think! Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes and leave your comments below!

Today was our second sea day and it was even better than yesterday.  I guess it helps when it begins not docked in Galveston!

I couldn't help myself and once again woke up early, at 7am.  I took the liberty of waking my wife and daughter up so we could get going.  Pro tip for all the husbands out there, don't wake your sleeping wife up because you really want to go to the Windjammer.

After getting ready we had breakfast at the Windjammer, which featured the usual selection of breakfast foods.  I, of course, opted for the omelette station and we enjoyed a gorgeous view of the ocean with our meal.

We dropped my daughter off at Adventure Ocean and this time were given a beeper just in case there were any issues.  We hadn't gotten one before so not sure why now but didn't end up needing it.

My wife and I spent some time walking around the ship some more, including checking out the Peek-a-boo bridge.  The peek-a-boo bridge is a window where guests can look in and spy on the ship's bridge.  It's up on deck 11 and offers a great view of the bridge's operations.

We also booked my wife a massage package for later today (making up for waking her up early I suppose).  She went with the special of the day, which is a five service spa pack that includes back massage, facial, ankle & foot massage, exfoliation and some other relaxing things for $139.  

At 10am we had a tour of the galley that Royal Caribbean invited us to partake in.  Full disclosure: Royal Caribbean provided this galley tour for free to members of the media.  Everything else, including the cost of the cruise, airfare, spa treatments and restaurants have been paid by me.

We met with the head chef for Navigator of the Seas and he took us through the galley on deck 4 to see how food is prepared. It's an impressive operation and very refined.  For cruise geeks like me, it provided some cool insight.

After the tour my wife and I headed back up to pool deck for drinks and sun.  Interesting side note, we first got a drink at the Sky Bar and got Margaritas for $10 each.  We then went down to the Solarium to get another round of drinks and they were $1 cheaper.  The tidbit to takeaway isn't that I was drinking at 10:45am but the discrepency in price.  I guess it does pay to shop around!

At 11:30am I had another media tour of Navigator of the Seas' bridge.  As cool as the galley tour was, the bridge tour was even cooler because we got to see how a ship like Navigator of the Seas works and meet the Captain!  

Lunch today was at Izumi, the sushi restaurant on Deck 14 that is new to Navigator of the Seas as part of her revitialization. Izumi used to have a cover charge but now has no cover charge, and just charges food a la carte.

I'll save the full review of Izumi for a different blog post but I will note that there is a different menu for lunch and dinner.  The lunch menu has just sushi, whereas the dinner menu has an expanded sushi menu and non-sushi items as well.  Moreover, there are no sushi specials during lunch.

I liked my lunch at Izumi, and being a sushi lover, I found their sushi to be of good quality overall.  The tuna roll pieces I recieved were small in size but the signature rolls I ordered definitely measured up.  And unlike Giovanni's Table yesterday, Izumi was busy! 

Next up I had an opportunity to see a functional virtual balcony!  Like many of you, I was excited to see one "in the flesh" and this was another Royal Caribbean tour for the media.  We saw the two possible views the virtual balconies have and had some time to talk with the outside firm, Control Group, that designed them.  

I have to say these virtual balconies are going to be really popular because they are pretty darn cool and the visual aspect is stunning. 

While my wife went to get her massage, I took my daughter swimming.  The air temperature was definitely warm enough for swimming, however the water temperature did not exactly match.  It was fine once you got used to it but my daughter does not believe in slow adjustments, so I had to jump in.

We had a great time swimming and she loved splashing around in there.  The pool wasn't terribly crowded either so it was a fun time for us both, although we did quickly towel off and run back inside the ship to warm up.

By now my wife was back and after I showered I took some time to take some dusk photos from the pool deck.  I'm not a great photographer by any means but I thought I got a few decent shots.  Plus I just love how Royal Caribbean ships look at night!

Prior to dinner I had the opportunity to talk to Tim, the lead developer for the virtual balcony project and spent the better part of an hour picking his brain about the virtual balconies.  My discussion with him will appear in a detailed blog post in the days following my cruise but I have to say my takeaway is the virtual balconies are undeniably cool and let's just say what we see today isn't the end of virtual balcony development.  Also big shout out to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Ronnie!

Some of you asked for photos of the R-Bar, which is my new favorite bar to hang out in.  Their bartenders are fantastic, to the point you tell them what kind of alcohol and/or juices you like and they will whip something up just for you.  Amazing!

Dinner was once again in the main dining room and it was Italian night.  Food was great overall and once again my wait staff was fantastic. Our waiter, Daniel, is really quite funny and the guy is a pleasure to talk to, especially because you aren't sure what joke he has lined up next.

Tomorrow we are back on land and it's our first stop of Roatan in Honduras. My first time there and we have a taxi driver hired to take us around the island.  It's a dock port and we are due in at 10.  I will have a lot to report from our adventure there!

Today is a sea day but we actually started the day docked in Galveston.  That's right, we never left Galveston last night due to fog. 

We woke up at 7am for no particular reason and noticed we were still docked.  By the time we started getting ready for breakfast, you could feel the ship's engines start up and minutes before 8am we left Galveston (finally).

The Captain made an announcement shorthly after telling us that we should be in Roatan (our first port stop) by 10am despite the fog delays.  Even after leaving Galveston, there was heavy fog and the ship was blowing its horn every few minutes.  By about 11am or so the fog dissipated and the day got progressively better as time went on.

We started our morning with breakfast at the Windjammer.  The upholstery, furnishings and pretty much everything in the Windjammer looked new. Like much of the ship, everything looked bright and new and it really makes Navigator of the Seas seem like a new ship.

After breakfast we dropped my duaghter off at Adventure Ocean.  Since we had pre-registered her last night, it was a quick process and she was more than happy to get going.

I had also discovered Navigator of the Seas has two new unlimited internet plans available. One unlimited plan is for two logins at once, whereas the other unlimited internet plan is for one login at once.  I opted for the single user unlimited plan but the two-user unlimited plan is good for families or uber-connected groups. The two-login unlimited internet plan is $229.95 and the one-person unlimited internet plan is $189.95. Both plans can have Crown & Anchor discounts applied to them.

I was also informed by someone that the Royal Replinish beverage plan does include Starbucks drinks, which makes the deal quite easy to "break even" if you ask me.

After dropping her off, my wife and I decided to explore Navigator of the Seas some more.  We started by walking around the pool deck and walked backwards to the sports deck where a lot of changes were made.  It was still cold and very windy so not many people were out doing anything here, but we saw the FlowRider as well as the re-positioned mini-golf course.  It's really amazing how much work they put into the ship!

We also took this kid-free opportunity to walk the Royal Promenade and see what wares were available.  The shops had a lot of the same things we were accustomed to seeing on Royal Caribbean ships like logo merchandise, designer clothing and of course jewelry. 

The fun thing about a sea day is there's something going on everywhere and it's up to you what to do.  Due to the cold weather, it wasn't yet practical to be outside so we walked the decks some more.  Enjoying the ambiance of a ship for me and my wife is a fun way to spend the day.  We wandered in and out of venues to see what, if anything, was different.

In the weeks leading up to the cruise, a few blog readers mentioned they would be on the same cruise as me so I set up a blog meet up in front of Ben & Jerry's at 10:30, and it was a lot of fun meeting other Royal Caribbean fans who I could "talk shop" with!  

After the meet, I made my way up to the Viking Crown Lounge for the CruiseCritic meet-n-mingle.  For those unaware, the meet-n-mingle's are semi-organized meets for members of CruiseCritic sanctioned by Royal Caribbean.  It's basically an opportunity to meet others you may have been talking with prior to the cruise.

This meet there were a lot of people at this meet, more than I've ever seen. Probably 40 or so, if not more.  There was also free champagne or alcohol fruit punch and a few snacks along with some Royal Caribbean giveaways.  I was lucky enough to win a Royal Caribbean branded laptop bag!

After the meet, we picked up my daughter from Adventure Ocean and went to our lunch reservation at Giovanni's Table.

Giovanni's Table is a specialty restaurant that is new to Navigator of the Seas, although I had the chance to try it on Oasis of the Seas a few years ago.  They are open for lunch and dinner, so I decided to try it for lunch.

When we arrived at about 12:15, the place was literally empty.  Even when we left, there was maybe one or two other tables occupied so draw your own conclusions.

I'll save the entire experience at Giovanni's Table for an upcoming review on the blog but I can say we enjoyed our time here.  The food is served family style, although most of it was small enough for just one person to eat.

The food was cooked fresh and I enjoyed the various sauces.  And you could tell the food was not previously frozen, which definitely added to the taste. Giovanni's isn't the kind of restaurant to turn what you know about Italian food on its head, rather, it's a celebration of classic Italian food.

I should also point out how good the staff was here.  My daughter was less than exemplary in her behavior but the staff really went out of their way to cheer her up.  Our waiter in particular did a lot to entertain her, which was wonderful for us.  Royal Caribbean restaurant staff are always quite good but the efforts of the Giovanni staff were better than I ever remember.  Bravo!

In all, I liked Giovanni's Table and for lunch, the cost is less than dinner ($15 per person at lunch) and I felt on a sea day a good choice for something different.

After lunch, my daughter needed a nap in a really bad way so we went back to the room for a nap.  My wife and daughter napped while I decided I wasn't tired enough for a nap so I would go to the pool deck to people watch. Well, within about 10 minutes on a lounge chair and I was fast asleep.  

When I woke up, I went back downstairs to the stateroom and we lounged around the room some and then got my daughter a snack.  She felt special when we went up to the pool deck to get her cranberry juice from the bar and she got to sit at the bar "like a big girl".

Tongiht was also formal night so it was back to the stateroom to get ready for dinner.  Our plan was to get me and my wife dressed, then take my daughter to the Windjammer for her to eat and then drop her off at Adventure Ocean while we enjoyed dinner in the main dining room.

We went ahead with the plan and had her fed, potty'd and in Adventure Ocean a few minutes after 7pm. With my daughter take care of, we went down to R-Bar for a pre-dinner drink and I've become a fan of R-Bar.  Great vibe and the furniture is so odd and retro it's fun to be there.  Plus the drinks offered here are great too!  I think R-Bar is an instant Royal Caribbean classic.

We took a few formal photos too although I doubt we will buy them but the lines were short.  All over the Royal Promenade there was something going on.  Free champagne for the Captain's Reception and a brass band playing really set a fun tone across the ship.

Dinner we were back in the main dining room although it was the first time meeting our wait staff since last night's dinner was such a mess with the fog delay and was open seating.  Tonight we were at our table, which was a 6-top although me and my wife were the only people there.  Not sure if our tablemates skipped dinner tonight due to formal night or are just not main dining room people.  

Nonetheless we had a great time because our wait staff of Daniel and Gabriel were hillarious. Daniel has a dry humor and was very entertaining.  Tonight was also coffee ice cream night, which is my all time favorite ice cream and he brought me the biggest helping of ice cream I've ever seen.  Best dinner ever?

After dinner we took a post-dinner walk around Deck 4, a vested family tradition, and then picked up my daughter from Adventure Ocean.  She had an absolute blast and was sad to have to leave.  It's only 1 day in but she loves Adventure Ocean and tomorrow night they have a program of paying extra to keep the kids there as late as 2am! The gears in my mind are turning...

Tomorrow we have another sea day and we have some small plans, like perhaps trying to go for a swim now that the weather is improving.  Otherwise we will play things by ear and I'm hoping for another pool-side nap.

Royal Caribbean announced today that Adventure of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas will join Anthem of the Seas for a large Royal Caribbean presence in the UK in 2015.

Anthem of the Seas will offer 19 cruises to the Spanish, French and Italian rivieras, and the Canary Islands on three- to 16-night itineraries, and then reposition in late-October 2015 to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and sail five-night short Caribbean, six-night Western Caribbean and eight-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries through April 2016 for its first winter season. 

Anthem of the Seas’ summer 2015 Europe cruises will be available for member bookings starting Feb. 26, 2014 and the ship’s winter 2015-16 Caribbean cruises will be open for members starting Mar. 12, 2014. Bookings for the general public on Anthem of the Seas’ summer 2015 Europe cruises and winter 2015-16 Caribbean sailings will be opened on Mar. 3 and 20, 2014, respectively. 

Serenade of the Seas will also be operating in the North Sea in summer 2015, and offer a range of Scandinavia and Russia, as well as Norwegian Fjords, sailings from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas will open for booking on Feb. 26, 2014. 

Adventure of the Seas will sail three- to 16-night, roundtrip itineraries to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, or Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands. The ship also will sail two trans-Atlantic Ocean Voyages – a 12-night itinerary from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Southampton on May 3, 2015, and from Southampton to Port Canaveral, Fla. on a 15-night return itinerary on Oct. 16. 

Brilliance of the Seas will reposition from Tampa, Fla. to its homeport of Harwich, England, on a 14-night trans-Atlantic Ocean Voyage on May 4, 2015, and continue with 12-night roundtrip Scandinavia and Russia sailings from mid-May through August. A July 29 sailing will take guests on a special 12-night Norwegian Fjords and Iceland itinerary, featuring an overnight call at Reykjavik, Iceland. 

For its part, Serenade of the Seas also will offer vacationers seven- to 13-night Scandinavia, Russia and Norwegian Fjord itineraries from May through August. The ship will sail from Copenhagen from May through June and in the month of August, bookending sailings from Stockholm from mid-June through July. 

Vacationers also can choose four repositioning cruises on Serenade of the Seas. The April 11, 2015, sailing will take guests on a 13-night Caribbean itinerary from New Orleans, La., to Boston, Mass., followed by a 15-night trans-Atlantic Ocean Voyage to Copenhagen via the North Sea. Finally, a 16-night westbound trans-Atlantic Ocean Voyage from Copenhagen to Cape Liberty via Iceland will depart on Aug. 30.