“Living the Dream” – Year 2 Day 219. Saturday, December 3, 2022. Day 7 Anthem of the Seas 7 night Bahamas cruise. Last day at sea. I learned today that one of the highlights on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class ships when they were introduced in 2014 was the air lubrication systems, which pump out air bubbles from the hull to reduce friction with the water surface and cut fuel consumption. In 2022, most cruise ships now have this kind of system. We attended the Captain’s Corner

in the Two70 aft facing theater. Two79 is unique to Royal Caribbean’s Quantun class ships. When there is no show in this venue, the view from the aft windows of the Sea is spectacular. The robo screen show before the Captain’s Corner entertainment was very cool

Captain Iv has been with Royal Caribbean since 2001. This is a question and answer session where I learned a lot of interesting facts.

1,580 crew members representing 60 nationalities. During covid-19, Anthem of the Seas picked up 3,500 Indian crew members in the Caribbean and brought them home to India. There were 98 crew members on board after that, maintaining the ship until cruising started again. Bridge is manned 24/7. Captain is on the bridge for every port arrival, departure, and important events. Coco Cay has two ships a day docked. There are 500 employees working on Coco Cay. The captain is on board 10 weeks and then goes home ten weeks. The ship has two Briggs. The ship has four diesel engines. The captain told this joke. The difference between a ship and a boat is that a ship has a licensed captain, and a boat has a frustrated husband. The ship is scheduled for dry dock in 2025. It will be out of operation for three months at that time. There are 16 life boats. Takes at least ten years to become a cruise ship captain. Icon of the Seas will have a lazy river. There are three doctors and six nurses on board. Crew has a lot of activities with an HR specialist that takes care of the crew. There are 20 crew family members on board currently. The ship is under water 24 feet. We then went to Cheers with the Officers for lunch. Met some really lovely people. Okay, today was an eating day.

We had our last evening main dining experience

before we packed up our bags and placed them outside the cabin door. They had to be out by 10pm. The crew will take them downstairs and unload them at the cruise port. Breakfast starts being served tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. We have to be out of our stateroom by 8am. Our departure time is 8:30am.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

“Living the Dream” – Year 2 Day 220 Sunday, December 4, 2022. Departure day at Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ from our 7 night Anthem of the Seas Bahamas Cruise. We were docked and up early for breakfast. Brenda and David always beat us to the Restaurant.

We had luggage tags 34.

Great views outside – see the statue of Liberty!

Inside the Solarium are the palm trees.

It was smooth sailing getting off the ship. Here are our friends strolling off the ship.  There are no crowds at all.

Steve is up ahead with our carry ons.

We located a porter and our luggage quickly and easily. Cape Liberty has facial recognition screens, which makes going through United States customs easy. As long as you have a US passport, you step on the yellow line, face the camera, and you are back in the USA.. We parked our car in the parking garage so we had a parking ticket. I went with the porter, and he left me and the bags at the lower level of the garage where Steve could pick me up. Steve went to and paid for the week of parking. You insert your ticket in the parking garage terminal machine and pay your bill. It was $175.00 for this seven night cruise. It is a cold, crisp morning. We are off the ship and driving by 8:15am. We had a lot of errands to run, and then we headed to see Steve’s brothers

and their families.

It was a really nice day. Great food, great conversation, and lots of love. Our niece Holly reminds me of our daughter Jenna.  Their sweetness and mannerisms are the same, and both are loving great moms.

Family is the best, including three  great brother-in-laws

two sister-in-laws,

youngest niece on Steve’s side and oldest brother-in-law.

Then the host, our sister-in-law who made all the great food. 

We had the best crackers ever.  if you are having company and want to impress someone, serve these. https://a.co/d/3iOKx0D.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

“Living the Dream” – Year 2 Day 221, Monday, December 5, 2022.

Last night, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway, NJ. I would not recommend this hotel. It is very old, worn down, and the rooms are very dark. Although, it was clean except for the bathtub.

There was no heat in the lobby. We ate breakfast in our coats.

The bacon and potatoes were overcooked and burnt. It cost $9.40 for two eggs with bacon. We arrived in the evening to a dark parking lot. There were no ouside lights on in the parking lot. The mattress on our bed was soft and ready to be thrown away. The bathtub was absolutely disgusting. I can’t imagine anyone taking a bath in it. Just standing and taking a shower was bad enough. The only saving grace was that the employees were very nice.

They did tell us they are slowly renovating the hotel. Some of the rooms were $100.00 more on the app at check-in. I guess they may be the renovated ones. In the morning, I met with a friend for a great coffee chat in a cold lobby. I really have missed seeing Betty face to face. It was so great to sit and catch up in person.

We then headed to Sparta, NJ, for a lunch date with some friends at Pizza One. 

On our way, we stopped at QuickChec for gas. Steve got out and pumped his gas. Got back in the car and said, “Is it still illegal to pump your own gas in NJ?”. LOL – Yes, it is illegal. We had lunch with a great group of old Selective friends. The food was good,

but the company was out of this world. It was so nice to see everyone. I just love this group of friends.

Then we headed down the road again. It is COLD!!!!@). We just passed HersheyPark on our way to Clarksburg, WV, to spend the night at another Hilton Garden Inn.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 35 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 178, Sunday, October 23, 2022. This is the fourth straight day at sea.

We crossed the international date line last night and we lost Saturday.

It is so weird to think that most people I know are living in the past. Lol, it is Saturday by them. We are starting to think about home now. Everyday those home security cameras are set off by bugs,

bees,

spiders, deer, dogs,

the yard guard cat making her daily day and night rounds,

and our son’s family. Last night was a rocking sea night. Today it is cold, windy, the waves are about eight feet high, and the barf bags are hanging.

Walking around everyone looks like drunken pirates. Most haven’t been drinking though at 7am. Maybe having a drink will help to set me straight. I heard a new phrase today. In Germany they say press my thumbs for good luck and in America we say cross my fingers. We had a special invite galley tour today.

It was a small group of about 12 people.

First part of the tour everyone in the group had to wash their hands before entering the kitchen. Interesting that they have a poster to educate the kitchen crew on the culture of the country that is their home port for the next six month. I have been on kitchen tours before and never saw this. I wonder if they have one for when their homeport is the United States.

Another interesting sign was about the food waste disposal at sea rules. I found it a really good educational reading. If interested read the sign below.

On the Bulletin board there is also a sign about drug use,

another a picture of the different table setups,

and a very good motivational poster. Very good information.

Outside the kitchen is the kitchen crew stairwell where there is a poster listing of all the decks and what is on them. Useful for room service delivery, I am sure.

There was also this bug killer. I have seen these around the ship in different areas. Kind of hidden in alcoves where they do not stick out. I guess they work I have not seen any bugs,

We found out that the ship had an issue with getting supplies due to the Florida hurricane. They have had to alter the menus due to these supply issues. They could not get all their supplies in Honolulu. They tried to get additional supplies in Papeete and in Wellington in two days from now will get more.

The huge ovens are incredible and so high tech and programable.

The kitchen crew all wear scarfs; the new hires wear yellow scarfs, and the station supervisors were red.

The height of the hats also tells the status station of the chef. The tallest hat in the kitchen usually belongs to the most senior chef.

Most food being prepared at 10:15am is for today’s lunch.

Don’t these sandwiches look yummy. Lunch time can’t come soon enough for me.

And now look at these fruit plates.

The bakery section smells so good.

They make 2,000 pounds of mashed potatoes a day and vats of sauces and soups.

There is a special section and a designated chef for dietary special orders. Allergies and dietary restrictions are taken very seriously. Anyone in the main dining room with a dietary restriction orders their evening meal the night before.

There are wash stations in every kitchen area.

Here the cooking is done for all the main dining rooms on both decks three and four, and the windjammer buffet. There are multiple server stations in each of the dining rooms. After a server takes the orders, he goes back to his designated server station and inputs his order into a computer, and it appears in the kitchen computers so the kitchen crew can get to work filling it.

The main kitchen is in the rear of the ship on both decks three and four behind the four main dining rooms (CHIC,

SILK,

GRANDE,

and the American Icon.

After the tour we were given a choice of glass of Champagne, or a mimosa and we headed to the casino.

To view the complete year 2 daily diary, click here: https://deestimes.com/living-the-dream-year-2-may-1-2022-april-30-2023/

To view more about Ovation of the Seas click here: https://deestimes.com/ovation-of-the-seas/

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 34 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 177, Friday October 21, 2022. Third day at sea. All crew has now been told they must wear masks. The cleaning crew has the extra heavy duty cleaning supplies out. The hand railings and bathrooms are constantly being wiped down with the cleaner.

We are crossing the international date line and skipping a day. Today is Friday, October 21, 2022,

and tomorrow morning when we wake up it will be Sunday, October 23. 2022. Talk about confusion with trying to call family. It is going to get worse. Since it is sea day, they are serving lunch in the American Icon main dining room restaurant. This ship has four separate main dining room restaurants and not the traditional ballroom style restaurant. This is a very long cruise and we have eaten all the Main Course dishes except the Salmon on this day’s lunch menu. They alternate three different lunch menus in the main dining room. The Classics are on every lunch menu. The Royal Burger is excellent, the Lasagna is also very good, the Chili is so spicy I could not eat it, the chicken Sandwich was edible, and the Steak Frites was okay.

After lunch we played in the casino for a little while. We are prime in the casino and there are many benefits to being prime. Free drinks while the casino is open, which includes bottled water. We each get a free 7-night cruise every year in an interior room. We do pay the difference and upgrade to balcony rooms. We book all our cruises through the casino, and we get super rates. Additionally, through the year we get many offers for free cruises.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 33 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 176, Thursday, October 20, 2022. It is cloudy and cold outside today. A high of 63.

I hear that it will be cool in New Zealand. I guess it is back to jeans again. They have brought the extra cleaning crew out today and people are advised to wear masks if you can’t be six feet apart. Apparently, there are a lot of cases of covid. I hope New Zealand allows us to go ashore. The Medical facility is located on deck two and is very crowded.

There are four doctors on board in medical.

I am loving my towel animal collection. We have a great stateroom attendant.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 32 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 175, Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Woke up this morning and the ship had hot water problems. There was no hot water. Took a cold shower. That will wake you up. Good thing the cold water is not very cold. Went to the Solarium Bistro for breakfast and the water all of sudden started working. The steam tables started overflowing all over. We got our passports back today. I am starting to feel like the humans that the robots cater to in the movie WALL-E.

There is constant cleaning, painting, and maintenance being done every day.

We have been told now that they are not sailing out of the United States, they don’t deep clean as much though. The United States is very strict with inspections. We had lunch at Chops at 12:30pm and we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Their pretzel rolls are weirdly shaped but delicious.

A dining room and a waiter to ourselves. Couldn’t ask for anything better.

In the afternoon we just hung around, watched the ocean go by, and looked at the strange artwork around the ship.

Then off to dinner at the Solarium Bistro with some new friends. I am so glad that we went on this trip. We think exactly like this quote

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 31 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 174, Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Last night we walked on the 15th deck. There were two super yachts parked next to our ship. The SURI and the Lonian. The 208-foot SURI is a charter yacht built in 1978 and refurbished in 2022. It accommodates twelve guests in seven staterooms. The boat has 22 crew, lots of toys both large and small: from fishing equipment to aerial toys including a helicopter with a commercially certified helipad. There is also a masseuse. Her owner is the investor and billionaire Richard Kayne, who makes SURI available as a charter yacht for a price of US $350,000 per week in both the high and low season. The Lonian is a 285-foot superyacht owned by Lorenzo Fertitta. The ship has a glass swimming pool with a built-in movie screen, chilled plunge pool, spa and its own helicopter. The five-deck interior can sleep 14 guests across seven cabins. Today is day one of six sea days before we get to our next port day in New Zealand. At breakfast in the Slolarium Bistro today there was a man getting eggs repeating to himself okay don’t eat so much. OMG. that is what i am saying every day, but not out loud. Steve loves the cream filled donuts and Haffnar always makes sure there are two available for him in the mornings. We are getting spoiled. Haffner is the most fantastic concierge. He reminds me of Michael J Fox in that old movie “For Love or Money”. He anticipates your every need.

We had another North Star reservation scheduled for 10am. It was canceled due to rough water and high winds.

We will be traveling 2,319 miles to our next port and we are cruising at 19 miles per hour. The Ocean’s depth at noon was 13,500 feet and it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Captain Ron says the winds should calm down tomorrow. You never know what kind of entertainment the servers will provide at dinner time.

Tonight the clocks get turned back one hour. This is getting crazy. We will be seven hours behind our kids back east tomorrow. Everytime I want to text or call they are asleep or at work. Starting to really miss them. So I am really enjoying our long vacation, but starting to count the days that we will be going home also. Very strange mixed feelings. We have completed 2/3 of our trip.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 30 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 173, Monday, October 17, 2022. Opened the curtains today to a totally different view. We are at a port with many oil/gasoline holding tanks. Quite a difference than the last two days in Moorea. We are in Papeete on the northwest coast of the island of Tahiti. Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia and Tahiti is the largest and most populated island of the Polynesian islands. The island of Tahiti is 403 square miles and 33 miles long. It is fringed by coral reefs and lagoons. Natural vegetation includes coconut palms, pandanus, hibiscus, and tropical fruit trees.Tahiti lies within the easterly trade-winds belt. This climate lends itself to the cultivation of coconuts (for copra), sugarcane, vanilla, and coffee, all of which are grown on the coastal plain and are shipped from Papeete.More than 2/3rds of the population of French Polynesia live on this island. They were taking waste materials off the ship in the morning and in the afternoon bringing supplies on. We were given a tiaré flower as we walked down the pier. This flower is the symbol of The Islands of Tahiti and is worn by both men and women as a necklace, head ornament, or behind the ear. Which ear the flower is placed behind is determined by whether one is single or taken: Place the flower on your left ear if you’re attached. I learned today that the Polynesian islands were among the last places on the planet to be settled by humans. Another interesting thing is
that the word “tattoo” originated here. In Polynesian culture, tattoos have long been considered signs of beauty, and in earlier times they were ceremoniously applied when an individual reached adolescence. Even today, about 60% of French Polynesians have a tattoo. The word originated here with the god of tattoo.
We walked a long way and did see a lot of tattoo parlors. At first we were very disappointed. What a difference from Moorea. I take it back Moorea was so nice and relaxed. This time we got dropped off in a city.

The city is very old. We visited the market for awhile. Steve liked looking at the whole fish and all the food. But then we found the higher end shopping district. My turn to enjoy the shops. I bought a few things. Most everyone speakes French and no English. Shop owners did not understand us. American money is not taken anywhere. Thank goodness for credit cards. We did not want to exchange any usd for Francs for one day here. The clothing here is beautiful. The French styles are so nice. I needed some new things to wear. Getting my clothes laundered on a cruise ship is not ideal. My whites are no longer white. I guess that is okay, since I probably will dispose of some of it before we fly home. We found where the officers eat lunch. Always watch what they eat for the best food at the buffet. There are a lot of sail boats in the port. It appears that people live on them. There are huge cranes working on construction. It looks as though they are building a new cruise port. After we got on the ship we went to the back of the Windjammer on deck 14. What a gorgeous view.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 29 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 172, Sunday, October 16, 2022. We went to the public beach today in Moorea. It was not what I expected.
It was about 3 miles from where the tender brought us in. We shared a taxi with a couple from Australian and paid $5.00 each. The sun is really hot, but it was breezy and cool in the shade. The beach is narrow with little rocky jetties. The water is very different than Hawaii. It is gentle and calm here. Very easy to swim, not like our favorite place “the Outer banks”. Walking in was very rocky and cold. The ground in the ocean is made of very sharp coral. We have decided hands down we like the Caribbean and Aruba beaches better. We spent the morning talking to a ship employee. He is a server and has been with Royal Caribbean for 17 years. It was a nice morning. Early afternoon we moved on to what is called the shopping district. Mostly restaurants and outside bars. Things were a little loud and people were pretty intoxicated. Everything is priced in Francs but they do take American money. Looked in a few shops and walked back to the beach and caught a taxi back to the port. The dogs on the island are so cute. There are a LOT of them. Back at the port we looked at some local craft items and walked by the water. Nice place, but been there done that. Probably not going back. Your total life you dream about visiting different places and they very rarely match your dreams.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 28 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 171, Saturday, October 15, 2022. I was so excited to open my curtain at 6am and see land after five days at sea. We are in Moorea, French Polynesia till tomorrow night. This is the farthest we have ever been away from our home. We are 5,713 miles from home. French Polynesia is commonly referred to as The Islands of Tahiti. French Polynesia is a collection of 118 islands scattered across an impressive nautical surface area the size of Western Europe. Many of these tiny islands remain uninhabited. They make up a total landmass of only 1,600 square miles. It is a French territory and most people speak French, but is located almost 10,000 miles from France. Moorea means Temple and is an island of Volcanic origin. Less than 20,000 people live on the island. We are situated eleven miles northwest of the island of Tahiti. The circumference of Moorea is 37 miles. This is a tender port and when we got off the tender there were people playing music,

lots of hand-crafted items, many dogs walking around, and lots of people selling excursions. There is no town here. The closest town is two miles away. We hooked up with Alberti Tours for a two-hour 4×4 excursion. We were in the back of a pickup truck with 6 others. The cost was $50.00 each. Four of the others were German so they spoke with each other mostly. The other two were a mother and daughter from Australia. They flew over to Honolulu to do shopping. They told us prices are too expensive in Australia, so they often make the trip to shop in Honolulu. So strange, because I thought prices were high in Hawaii. We traveled along the coast

and then up a very steep curvy road to the Belvidere lookout.

All six people told us to not tip. Americans are the only ones that tip. Australians and Germans do not tip. In fact, last night in the lounge, a woman wagged her finger at me after I ordered a drink and said don’t you dare tip. The view was gorgeous. We were able to walk around and take pictures. Of course, there were chickens everywhere. We stopped at four places where we got out of the truck and even stopped at a roadside homemade jam store. The walkway to the store had pineapple plants.

The driver guide was excellent. I would highly recommend this family-owned business for excursions. We stopped at an old temple.

This tree was very old and hollow, and we got to knock on it. The sound was loud and echoed through the whole area.

Of course, chickens were walking on the temple walls. You can’t get away from these chickens.

pineapple plantation, homemade jelly place for jelly tasting. Strange flavors, but delicious. Then a juice place for alcohol tasting. The island pineapples are small. When ripe they turn orange. They were so sweet. The large pineapples you see in the grocery stores are Hawaiian pineapples.

Tendering back to the ship the music in the tender was the song from the movie “Titanic”. Yikes, were they even thinking about what they were playing.

We then went up in the Northstar. I always thought it would be scary, but it was mellow.

To view the complete year 2 daily diary, click here: https://deestimes.com/living-the-dream-year-2-may-1-2022-april-30-2023/

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 27 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 170, Friday October 15, 2022. Last Sea day before we get to Moorea, French Polynesia. It was a slow day. Went to the spa and had a mani-pedi. Then just hung around.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 26 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 169, Thursday, October 13, 2022. Another sea day. It is very windy and the Northstar was cancelled for us again. A Princess ship was cruising out in the water this morning when I opened our curtains. That is the first ship we have seen in four days. We wandered around tgevship today and walked into the SeaPlex area.

The Crossing of the Equador Ceremony was this afternoon by the pool. The ceremony is a long-standing tradition of initiation that commemorates a first time crossing of the equator. No one really knows when the line crossing ceremony started. It dates back over 400 years ago with the Viking and Spaniards. In the ceremony, the sailor transforms from Slimy Pollywog, a mariner with no equator crossings, to a trusty Shellback, sometimes called a Son or Daughter of Neptune. This was a way for sailors to prove they are seaworthy. When a ship crosses the equator, King Neptune comes aboard to exercise authority over his domain and to judge charges brought against Pollywogs that they are only posing as sailors and haven’t paid proper homage to the god of the sea. This is a time honored tradition. Most every ship that crosses the equator has a ceremony of some sort. It was very crowded by the pool and the line was huge waiting to get the initiation.

I found the Vegemite in the Windjammer after I had already eaten breakfast. I have met a lot of people telling it is a must to eat in Australia. Vegemite is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria in 1922.

To view the complete year 2 daily diary, click here: https://deestimes.com/living-the-dream-year-2-may-1-2022-april-30-2023/

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 25 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 168, Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Our shower is fixed. Yea, they took the gasket from an empty stateroom. We found two cruisin ducks today. We rehid both of them. One had a name and came from Taylorsville, Utah one had no tag. 6:30pm tonight we cross the equator. The ship took everyone’s passports today for the next stops in French Polynesia/Tahiti. They are tough and allow very few ships into their ports. We have another two sea days before we get to those islands. We walked the deck 15 walking trail today. It was very windy. We then walked on Deck 5 inside and outside. We have met so many new friends this trip. I am sure we will be in contact with them again. People tend to cruise over and over and over again. We did meet a couple where this is their first cruise. Wow that is brave to take a first cruise where you are at sea for this many days. I am impressed. My first cruise was from Fort Lauderdale with the next day in Key West. I was all prepared to get off in Key West if I didn’t like it. Needless to say it was our best vacation ever. We still find it very enjoyable. I am being told that we should do the Sydney Harbor Bridge walk. I am thinking about it. Steve is saying no way. He is not going and he says I will be at the top crying if I go. People always ask what is there to do on a cruise. So I composed a short list. What is there to do on a Royal Caribbean Quantum class Cruise ship.
1) Walk or run the trails on the top decks. It is exhilarating!!!
2) Walk the lower deck outside to get a closer view of the ocean and different views of the ship.
3) Go shopping
4) Try all the food venues
5) Try Karaoke
6) Try the rock climbing wall
7) Enjoy the theatre shows
8) Watch movies on the big screen
9) Talk to everyone on board including the crew and learn about different cultures.
10) Learn to play bridge
11) Play in the casino
12) Go to the gym
13) Go to the spa and get a massage, a new hairstyle, or get your nails done
14) Hit the hot tubs
15) Take a dance class
16) Learn how to make towel animals
17) Do a wine tasting
18) Play pool
19) Play ping pong
20) Play basketball
21) Go to the gym
22) Read a book
23) Sleep
24) Attend an art auction
25) Visit the lounges and make new friends
26) Try I fly
27) Go up in the North Star
28) Try the flow rider
29) Ride the Bumper cars
30) Play in the Arcade.
32) Play in a slot tournament
33) Do a slot pull
34) Learn to play casino table games
35) Go dancing
36) Hang out by the pool
37) Surf the internet
38) Go stargazing while at sea
39) Search the water for wild life
40) Order room service
41) Watch the sunset over the water
42) Get lots pf professional pictures taken
43) Dress up and dress down
44) Travel easily and comfortably to foreign ports
45) Play trivia
46) Play Bingo
47) Attend a lecture and learn something new
48) Hide a duck
49) Attend and play many different games – name that tune,
50) Play soccer
51) Go dancing
52) Do some alcohol tasting
53) Walk the ship and view the art work.

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture

Living the Dream” – Day 24 of our 1/2 world trip aka Year 2, Day 167, Tuesday, October 11, 2022. We walked the track this morning on the 15th deck.

Here’s a video of our new Balcony stateroom 13540 on Ovation of the Seas.

We have Captain Ron as our captain. I am so glad we are not in the Caribbean with this Captain Ron.

At noon time we had traveled 870 miles from Honolulu and have another 1,867 miles to go to get to Moorea, French Polynesia – Tahiti. We are in water that is 17,000 feet going over mountains in the ocean. Tahiti is in the same time zone as Hawaii and is about as far south of the equator as Hawaii is north of the equator. It is so beautiful and warm now. People often ask me why I love to cruise. It is the people. I love meeting and talking to people from all over the world. When you get on a cruise ship like this one. It is amazing how many different nationalities are represented in the passengers and the crew. I love learning about other cultures. On this cruise in addition to a large group of Australian passengers. We met some people from Germany and there are about 180 passengers on board from Germany. A lot of them do not speak English and we don’t speak German. Even though Steve’s grandfather was from Germany. Steve never learned German. The casino host is from Italy and there are a few other crew members from Italy. They told us when you visit Italy be prepared. Most people in Italy do not speak English. I think I need to do some Rosetta Stone language courses. Tonight is formal night.

To view more about Ovation of the Seas click here: https://deestimes.com/ovation-of-the-seas/

To view the complete year 2 daily diary, click here: https://deestimes.com/living-the-dream-year-2-may-1-2022-april-30-2023/

Today’s product recommendations are traveling essentials.                                                    1) Luggage hand cart – we love this cart for easy rolling for easy cruise carry-on bags.  Even when you can’t go to your room right away this is so easy to walk around the ship with.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3s37EOw

2) This large toiletry bag is the best.  Steve has the black and I have the pink.  We both absolutely love them.  Here’s the link https://amzn.to/3v1p6ok and picture