Today we drove from the Hilton Garden Inn in Lake Buena Vista to the Port Everglades Cruise Port in Fort Lauderdale.
It took us about 3 1/2 hours. We took the Florida Turnpike and the tolls were $16.50. There was also a charge to get off the Turnpike at the Fort Lauderdale exit. The exit is a Pay By Plate exit. We don’t know how much that cost us yet.
I now understand how Florida can afford to keep their roads so clean and beautifully landscaped. “TOLLS“
I am not fond of Port Everglades Cruise Port. It is very congested and security is tight even to get into the port. You go through gates where U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents look at your passports and it appeared today were randomly opening vehicle trunks.
There is an electronic sign over this entranceway that has the name of all the ships docking today and what terminal they are docked at. There were many ships listed. I took numerous pictures of the sign and this is what I got. The sign must be designed so you cannot photograph it. I’m assuming this is for security reasons.
Once in the port dropping off our luggage was easy. Serenade of the Seas was located at terminal 29 and we parked in the midport garage. This garage is not really close to the ship. You pull in the garage and take a ticket. There are no attendants and no sign saying how much the charge is or really what to do.
We parked on level 4. I think there were 2 more levels. Shuttles are waiting outside to take you to your ship. Be sure and read all the signs as it is a bit confusing as to what you need to do.
Quickly though we were on the ship.
It was a beautiful day and we ate outside in the back of the Windjammer Cafe.
Here’s a video of Port Everglades from the rear of the Serenade of the Seas Windjammer Café – Enjoy!!
After lunch I had my hair colored and styled in the salon. They did a fantastic job. It cost about $130.00.
Then on to our room at 2:30pm. Our luggage was already there.
We unpacked and headed to the 3:30pm muster drill which for our room was held in the theatre
We recently were on the Brilliance of the Seas for nine nights and on the sixth day we finally found the Schooner bar, Chops, Giovanni’s, and the Colony club. How funny is that.
Be sure and take advantage of the great picture opportunities on the way into the entrance of this area.
The entranceway has many opportunities for splendid pictures.
The schooner bar is home of Trivia. Multiple times a day there is some kind of trivia taking place there.
The Schooner bar menu is on each table and pretty uniquely designed.
Giovanni’s is also located in the Starboard Aft area. We ate there one night. We do like Jamie’s on other ships better as an Italian specialty restaurant.
Here’s a video of Brilliance of the Seas, Deck 6 Starboard aft from the Centrum to the Colony club – Enjoy!!
On Brilliance of the Seas visiting George Town, Grand Cayman. Lovely warm day.
Everyone must tender into George Town. There is no dock. This is a picture of our ship sitting out in the water from our tender.
There is talk of a dock being built and the cruise lines funding it. I have also read that there are a lot of people against it due to the environmental impact.
We booked the Amphibious Bus Land & Sea Adventure on February 24, 2020. This is a duck bus tour that we have done before and really enjoyed.
The tour was cancelled after we had gotten to the Island by the tender and waited for about 45 minutes. The bus was in an accident.
We have been to Grand Cayman many times so we decided to just walk around for awhile.
The town is loaded with chickens, roosters, and baby chicks. You should not have anyone trying to panhandle here. Everyone gets an education and has a job in Grand Cayman.
Walk out of the pier, go to the left and walk a few blocks up to the craft market. There you will find all local vendors with very nice handcrafted items.
If you stroll further away from the water into town you will see many nice statues like this one.
Or this one honoring the ninth national hero of the Cayman Islands Dr. Roy Edison McTaggart.
You can also take a taxi and go to Hell. Hell was kind of disappointing though. Not much to it. But the novelty of sending that postcard from Hell is fun. We have also done the Tortuga Rum Cake Factory Tour and a trolley tour on other visits. Whatever you do you will enjoy this lovely Island.
1) Dining room staff will entertain you a few different evenings.
2) Main dining room will open for lunch on sea days. Here you will have 3 options. 1) Salad bar – pick the items you want and they will make your salad, 2) Serve yourself from the buffet, and 3) Order from the short menu. Choose one or all of the options. The menu on our 23 day cruise was alternated between these two. Much nicer and less hectic than the Windjammer Buffet lunch.
3) A constant sale will be going on in the promenade and/or food will be served.
4) The screens by the elevators will be updated daily with the current port and temperature information.
5) Towel animals will be placed in your room, but not every night. Until recent years they were in our room every night.
6) You will see and talk to the captain around the ship.
7) Employees will be constantly cleaning and maintaining.
8) You will meet extraordinary employees just like Caroline the photographer.
Last and most important – YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT VACATION!!!
Rainy day today. Lots of excursions were cancelled.
We walked around and made our way back to the ship early and drenched.
A good day to read my kindle. I usually don’t read during the day. I am an every night before I go to sleep reader. Would never ever travel without my kindle. Before leaving on a cruise be sure and download some good books for days like today.
This kindle is waterproof great for the beach, bath, or days like today on the balcony.
So after reading for about an hour, I headed to the fitness center. Here’s a video. Next cruise is the fitness center challenge.
We stayed around St Johns today, which is full of uneven sidewalks.
Fresh produce is always being sold on the sidewalks.
and security is present in the streets
We have toured out of the city of St Johns in other trips and the countryside is wonderful. This trip we just walked the streets and talked to the locals. Nice way to try and understand how people think and live in other regions of the world. I like to step into their world not as a tourist.
Other ships docked at another dock. There is a huge waterfront walkway that connects the different ships docks. There are clothes stores located there with nice clothing if you need shorts, shirts, etc. Not the normal tourist wear.
Another beautiful day in Philipsburg, St. Maartin. Arrived at port 6:30am. Costa Magica is sitting next to us.
It is a lovely sunny day to walk into town.
We have been to this port many times. Wonderful safe friendly port to just go for a long walk.
After walking 4.5 miles we are back by the ships. Time to sit and have a nice cool drink.
I am determined to keeping active on vacation. I use the Fitbit Inspire to calculate my steps and miles. I love it and have attached a link to the one I have.
Getting back on board after a great relaxing day. Look at these ships side by side – incredible.
St Maarten is a great place to relax and explore. Walk into town, explore the shops, the churches, walk by the beach, spend some time relaxing, and have a cool drink by the waterfront enjoying the views.
Another beautiful day in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I love this port, but don’t like getting here late in the afternoon.
It is so beautiful and awesome coming into the area.
Then the pilot boat pulls up. No matter how many times you pull into a port, it is exciting to watch the pilot boat and the action in the bridge wing.
Getting closer.
At every port there is at least one ambulance waiting for the ship to pull in. Here in Puerto Rico there are two today. It is sad to see families getting off the boat, due to a loved one being sick or deceased.
Another fun thing to do is check out other cruise ships. The Carnival Fascination is already docked. It is almost unbelievable that these ships float and contain thousand of passengers.
We are getting more fuel today. Not sure how much fuel is used per day on this ship, but it is a staggering amount I am sure. I have read that cruise ships can use 30 to 50 gallons per mile.
Puerto Rico is a good stop to easily and quickly get off and buy items you need. There is a walgreens across the street. We always buy some bottles of water for our room there. This time was no different.
There were many new employees boarding today and they had a k9 unit sniffing everything.
This was a first for us in any port. We have never been sniffed by a dog to get back on a cruise ship.
Even our water was sniffed and labeled with a K9 inspected sticker.
I also saw many motorized scooters with that sticker attached.
So I figured today was a good day to reevaluate our packing. Recently, I was viewing some of my old videos on packing and realized that things change as you become a more seasoned cruiser.
I don’t want to lug around unnecessary items, but want to ensure I am prepared. Bringing one medium size suitcase is the right amount. Pack it full, if there is no airline involved and the cruise line has no weight limit. Royal Caribbean has no weight limit. Remember the shoes are important!!!
Since this was a back to back cruise. We each had a bag of laundry done on each cruise. You can really get a lot into one of their bags by rolling your items. A few dresses, tops, shorts, socks, and under garments fit nicely. They came back very clean and in good shape.
For us this laundry is free due to our diamond plus status. Each cruse we each had a free bag of laundry. The bags normally cost $34.99.
So now lets look at:
1) A few items necessary and recommend be brought: The links where provided will bring you to Amazon for the items I use.
Sea Bands – This was a rough trip and I used them for a few days. Would never ever cruise without these.
Lanyard – Have to have a lanyard. Bought a new one on the ship and replaced the card holder with one of these. These are resealable and you can easily take the card in and out as needed.
Small Bills – We bring small bills for tipping. When we get served in the Diamond Lounge or the Casino the drinks are complementary and therefore there is not gratuity added. These small bill as for that purpose. Also in a lot of places small shop owners do not have change.
Packing cubes – Love, love, love these. First trip used and would never go away without them again. I could pack so much more, was organized, and could take them and put them right in the dresser drawers.
Extra sneakers – If you walk or exercise a lot you may want to bring an extra pair of athletic shoes. I definitely will next time. We walked everyday at least 12,000 steps and I find that it is better to switch up your shoes and not wear the same ones every day. The front of my feet are wide and Merrell’s are my go to athletic shoe.
Evening flip flops – In the evening I wear a dress and a pair of nice high shoes. This does not work after you have been walking all day. You really need a nice open comfortable flip flop. Flat flip flops gross me out as you never know what you are stepping in. We were in Antigua and I was wearing a pair of flat flip flops. I stepped off the curb and my toes were in mud that smelled like sewer. Gross – gross – gross. I love these. They are dressy looking and most importantly up off the ground.
Today we are in Bayonne, NJ dropping off passengers and picking up new ones. Our new itinerary is the same as the last cruise. Although, we missed Antigua due to rough seas in the channel last cruise.
We are switching rooms from a semi forward port side balcony to a forward starboard balcony The switch of rooms is easy. You pack everything in your suitcase, except what is hung up in the closet. The stateroom attendant moves your luggage and the hung up clothing to your new room.
We received our instructions two nights ago for staying on board for the next cruise.
This morning we took our time and went to breakfast in the Windjammer. People were getting off the ship by 7am. This ship is remarkable in how efficient the turn around days are. All crew members are hard at work.
After breakfast we went to the diamond lounge which was the scheduled place to meet for people staying on board. Our old sea passes were taken and we were scanned out. There was around 50 people staying on board. Some were actually staying on the ship for three of these same cruises. These people were passing the winter by. Very interesting was the number of younger people doing the back to back.
Customs came on board and reviewed our passports. New sea pass cards were issued and we were scanned back into the ship. Our old sea pass cards were also given back to us if we wanted them. I keep all of ours as souvenirs.
Captain Srecko Ban from Croatia came into the diamond lounge and welcomed everyone to the new cruise. This was a vey nice gesture.
This Captain was around the ship a lot the past eleven days and spoke with many passengers. Very impressive. The only issue was his noon time messages were hard to hear. Everyone seemed to complain about that. After awhile it seemed people just gave up and ignored his noontime message. It was just too difficult to bother.
The passengers staying on board were treated to a special lunch in the CHIC dining room. Excellent food and service.
We then moved to our new room and saw this huge container ship. Never saw one so big. There were five tug boats moving it out of the harbor.
Today is he last day at sea before we are back to Bayonne, NJ to pick up and drop off passengers for the next 11 night cruise.
This is always a sad day for me. It is time to say good bye to:
1) The wonderful people we have met and spent many hours on board with. We always get their face book page , and email address, and keep in contact. We do meet a lot of the same people on cruises also.
2) The exceptional employees as well. Our Assistant waiter helped to make this trip enjoyable. Excellent service.
There were plenty of other employees that went out of their way for us. They are too numerous to mention and I didn’t get everyone’s name. I do want to mention our Stateroom 11208 Attendant, Wayan who was fantastic. I just never got a picture of him. He was always there for us, anticipated our needs, wonderful to talk to, and is moving our stuff to our new cabin tomorrow. We will miss seeing and talking to him.
3) Shorts and t-shirts, if it is a winter cruise from NJ. Today is the day you are usually back to jeans and a sweatshirt, and already missing shorts and flip flops.
4) The laid back life of not following the news or thinking about your job. Today is the day you start thinking about the world again and all you have to do when you get home. I added this even though it is a back 2 back and I don’t have this feeling today.
Here’s the rest of Deck 5 for you. Sorry it took me so long to get it out. I promised it on day 4 when I videoed Deck 5.
Today is a a low key at sea day. We just lazed around. It is still shorts weather but getting cooler. On our walk this morning, I noticed that the flooring on the venues is different. So I took pictures of the flooring in them.
So call me crazy, but it is a sea day and I am trying to avoid eating, drinking, and/or gambling all day long So lets play this game. Here are seven different locations.
Leave me a comment and let me know how you did. Enjoy
Where am I on deck 5 based on the floor covering?
Where am I? You can really enjoy yourself here.
Royal Theatre where you can see movies, magicians, comedians and shows like the Gift and We will Rock You.
Where am I? You can start a new adventure here
NextCruise area where the NextCruise team can set you up with a future cruise or 3 with reduced deposits and other benefits.
Where am I? This place is elegant and romantic.
Chops Grille is a lovely place to dine with a wonderful atmosphere.
Where am I? This is the only place where you can get small bags of potatoe chips.
The Café @ two70 where you can get salads and paninis.
Where am I? Remember to look your best.
Focus Photo Gallery. Pick up your photos or photography equipment.
Where am I? Which pill did I take?
Wonderland a unique unusual dining experience.
Where am I? Swirl and taste.
Vintages the place to go for wine and wine flights.
Leaving St Kitts yesterday was a rocky experience. The captain lifted the stabilizers and took the ship at full speed to get us through the rough seas during the night. Apparently, during the night there were 15 foot waves. I actually read the next night there were ships in 27 foot waves in the part of the ocean that our captain moved us through very quickly..
Even though I don’t get seasick, I still put on my sea bands last night before bed. I get nervous when the barf bags are hung by the stairwells. Also, the captain strongly suggested taking sea sickness medications.
The pools were closed a large part of today. Although, as the day passed it got calmer. We ended with a beautiful day.
Today I had an appointment for a manicure and pedicure in the spa. Both nail technicians had taken seasickness medicine and were not feeling very well.
After the manicure we walked deck 5 inside. It seemed like a good day to take pictures of the specialty dining on Anthem of the Seas.
This is the central reservation desk for specialty dining and is located on your way to two70. There are five specialty restaurants. Chops Grille, Jamie’s Italian, Izumie’s, Wonderland, and Chef’s Table.
The first 2 nights on board there are specialty dining packages you can purchase. Prior to boarding you may be able to find some good specials also. We booked a three night dining package on our first night this trip. It was $99.00 for three nights to any restaurant except the Chef’s Table. They also give a 15% discount on that price. the 15% discount is available offered the first two days of the cruise. Towards the end of the cruise they will offer more discounts on specialty dining.
Here are some pictures and the menus from the restaurants:
We ate one of the nights at chops.
Everything on the menu is fantastic
and the service is exceptional
We ate two nights at Jamie’s Italian. Jamie’s is my favorite of the Specialty restaurants.
Great food. Love the Arancini balls and the Truffle Tagliatelle.
Fantastic waiter.
There is outdoor seating at Jamie’s, but we have never sat outside. We always sit in the booths.
We didn’t go to Wonderland this time. It’s not one of favorite restaurants.
Here’s the menu for Wonderland. Very unusual food with a strange presentation. Everyone should try the Wonderland at least one time
We have never been to Izumi and probably will never go.
Izumi menu
Specialty dining is okay, but personally I like going to the main dining room better. I would say that for something different try the specialty restaurants, but it is not necessary at all.
Today we are in Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis. We pulled in at 7am.
We opened our curtains to the Norwegian Dawn right next to us. It is always fun to see other ships and to wave to the passengers on board.
Then went for our morning walk and saw this beautiful rainbow. Glorious day today!
We got off the ship and entered the port around 8:30am.
To the right is a casino and bar that we always spend a little money in.
There are many people with monkeys and they want you to hold and pay them if you want to take pictures. The port is very large with many stores.
These transformers made out of junkyard parts were in front of two different store. They are very cool.
If you go all the way to the end of the port, you will find the local craft market. Many artists are there painting and have lots of really nice painted articles, shirts, shells, boxes. etc. for sale. They will also paint specific things for you.
After walking around the port and purchasing some stuff from the craft market we headed to the casino. It was a quick trip in and out of the casino and then back on the ship.
Why you ask? Well here’s the story: I walked up to a machine. Someone had left a card in it. I removed the card and set it aside and started playing. My assumption was that someone had forgotten their card and would be back for it. I immediately got the bonus and free games. A young man came up very upset and said my card is in that machine. I said I put it over there. Then he said that is my machine. We told him after the bonus he could have it back. He was mighty upset and kept pacing behind us and told us that was his bonus. We took the winnings and got back on the ship.
Okay enough of St. Kitts for us this trip. We will be back next week. Hope that man does not remember us.
This morning we pulled into St, Lucia. Here’s a video of our walk around the deck 15 walking jogging trail.
Beautiful day! Enjoy, we really did.
After this walk we went on a trolley ride into Castries, stopped at a church and went to the beach. The beach was on the other side of the airport runway. The water was very rough, large waves, and it poured for about 10 minutes. This was our first visit to a beach in St Lucia. I was not impressed at all. The beach in the Outer Banks, North Carolina are much nicer. I can’t quite grasp why people go to another country for a beach when we have beautiful beaches in the United States. Of course in the winter I understand that it is the weather.
After this walk we went on a trolley ride into Castries,
into Castries,
stopped at a church,
and went to the beach. The beach was on the other side of the airport runway. The water was very rough, large waves, and it poured for about 10 minutes. This was our first visit to a beach in St Lucia. I was not impressed at all. The beaches in the Outer Banks, North Carolina are much nicer. I can’t quite grasp why people go to another country for a beach when we have beautiful beaches in the United States. Of course in the winter I understand that it is the weather.
Today we were supposed to be in St. Johns, Antigua at 8am. The wind was high and the weather was rough in the morning. The captain tried to get through the channel into the port but decided it was to dangerous to proceed. The port of call was cancelled and we had another at sea day. Actually, they closed the port because no ships could get into it.
I did feel kind of bad for the crew. Their total day was disrupted and they were rushing to change things around for us. We met a young lady (salesperson) in one of the shops and she was really tired. Shops were supposed to be closed and she went to sleep very late assuming no work today. Then she was called at 8am and had to get up and go to work for us.
I want to give a sincere thanks to all of the Anthem of the Seas employees for coming together and opening all the bars, restaurants, and arranging events to keep us entertained and happy. The shift from a port day to a sea day seemed effortless to us as passengers.
There are lots of elevators that have a glass back and look like this when you step in.
The best elevators to ride though have fun animal pictures in back. I wanted to share these pictures with you. I spent some time making sure I rode the ten elevators that had an animal picture in the back today. Here they are for your enjoyment. They will make your day. They make mine. Note: The names are just my names!
Lucy the red hat dog!! Love those glasses baby.
Tillie the tattoo elephant princess
After work Martini time
Penguin groom
Ready to work Kangaroo
Kiss me baby!
Going out tanning Giraffe
Winter top hat on the town owl
Lovely Zebra lady
Big shopping day!
Hope you enjoy as much as I had today, riding the elevators and taking the pictures.
Philipsburg, St Maarten is always a nice port to visit and one of my favorites. It is hard to say that though, because I love them all.
The views are beautiful coming into port.
January is a busy time for this port. Lots of days there are many ships in port. Today there are two Royal Caribbean,
a Princess, a Costa, and an Aida ship docked. All of these ships are huge.
There is always some great music as you walk into port from the ship. Makes you feel welcome and happy to be here.
We usually walk to town to the shopping and the beach. It is an enjoyable walk if you like the heat and exercise. Just proceed through the port area shopping and make a left when you get out to the street. If you are not a walker you can take a ferry from the port to the town for $7.00 round trip. Today there are two very long lines at the booths for purchasing those ferry tickets.
With the five large ships in port, the sidewalk to town is very crowded along with the ferry booth ticket lines. When we left the ship we thought it would be cold to swim. It ended up that it was in the 80’s, sunny and very breezy. We should have packed those bathing suites. Oh well, next week we will be back.
Walking off the ship is really good for you though, so we walked around for about two hours up on front street and by the beach.
We visited this beautiful church “Philipsburg Methodist Church” So beautiful inside. Would be so nice for a wedding, but it was hot. Would have to be a 7am wedding before the heat.
This is the entrance off of the boardwalk to Front Street.
On the way back to the ship. The last two stores on the left are great to get things at. There are tables outside under cover. We usually buy a cold beer and some water from the store and sit and talk with others doing the same. We have met many local employees, ship employees, and other passengers from all over the world and shared stories at these tables.
Another great day at St Maarten. Bye till next week,
Today we docked at Old San Juan, Puerto Rico at 3pm next to the Oasis of the Seas and departed at 11pm.
We only got off the ship to walk across the street to the Walgreens and buy some bottled water for our room. This port is great for convenience to a pharmacy for items you may have forgotten to pack.
We walk deck 5 when the weather is too cold for walking track on deck 15. Many others like to walk this deck in the mornings also.
Prior to getting off the ship I took this video to share deck 5.
Today is an at Sea day, so I did a short video of our balcony stateroom. I love the Anthem of the Seas accomodations. The rooms seem better designed than the other class ships we have been on. They have more storage space and roomier showers.
Embarkation at Cape Liberty Cruise Port. Arrived at pier at 10:50am. Waited in short line of cars.
Dropped off luggage walked pretty much straight through security, checked in, had a picture taken, and was on the ship at 11:10. Quick and easy
At the Windjammer by 11:15. It was super crowded and there were no seats. We walked around a few times and then asked to share a table with another couple. One of the best things about cruising is meeting new people. Great lunch.
Below video is after lunch walking on deck 14. Leaving Windjammer you walk through the outside pool area, and then the enclosed pool area to get to the Solarium pool area which is in the front of the ship.
What if my cruise ship was going down and I had to get in a life boat or raft.
Can you even imagine bobbing in the ocean in one of these.
While on the Allure of the Seas we would walk on the jogging/walking trail on Deck 5 every morning and pass the life boats and rafts.
This really started me thinking about how many life boats and rafts are on the ship. There are a total of 18 of these life boats, 9 on each side of the ship. They each hold 370 people.
Can you imagine how scared and sick people would be if they had to go into one of these. There are no bathrooms, but there is food and water.
The Allure of the Seas life boats can hold a total of 6,660 people.
There are also these drums which open into rafts. OH MY – worse than the life boats.
They are grouped in 2 sets of 8 on each side of the ship. Each raft holds 150 people. The life rafts hold a total of 2,400 people.
Located in the center of the cylinder drums is a set of double evacuation chutes. These are deployed so that people can get down to the rafts. What a ride!
There is also one of these Rescue boats on each side of the ship.
Let’s hope we never have to get in any of these, but it looks like we have plenty. But if the ship was listing and we could only use the life boats on one side of the ship. The capacity would be 7,860 people.
Most families are scattered all around the country. Work, school, and just life make it hard to stay close. Getting away from it all on a cruise to celebrate with the extended family is a great way to keep the love of your family together.
We just got back from a 60th birthday/Thanksgiving Caribbean extended family cruise on Allure of the Seas. It was fantastic and I would highly recommend it.
We have children and grand children that don’t live close to each other and a family cruise is a great way to reconnect a family. Only expectation was that we would meet for dinner in the main dining room every night.
The end results after this week was that family relationships were renewed. Although, the renewed family bonding really started prior to the cruise with all the planning.
Here is a little about our trip and things I recommend for a holiday cruise.
A few years ago we decided to do a family cruise party for my husband’s 60th birthday. His birthday is November 26th and it is always Thanksgiving week. In fact he was born on Thanksgiving day. This week worked well, since most schools are closed for the holiday. One thing to consider, traveling at this time is more expensive. Thanksgiving is the heaviest time of the year to travel and our cruise ran Sunday to Sunday. Therefore hotels, airlines, parking, and car rentals were priced higher.
As soon as the cruises were available we started looking and reserved our cruise rooms on Allure of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale. The prices on cruises seem to be the most reasonable when they first come out or at the very end right before sailing. We wanted balcony rooms and wanted to pick the exact ones. Therefore, our best option was to reserve the rooms as soon as the cruises came out. Also it gave us time to slowly pay off the cruise reservations. Big hint here: Watch the prices through the next 2 years and if the price goes down call. Royal Caribbean will honor the price drop.
There are 11 of us with 5 children (ages 4, 6, 8, 14, and 16) and we booked 5 rooms.
Four of these rooms connected and therefore the parents and children could be together but not in the same room. You have to reserve each room with one parent and one child. Every room on a Royal Caribbean cruise must have one person 21 years or older in it. The extra child we put in our stateroom since it slept 4 and there is only my husband and myself. The connecting rooms only slept 2. When you get on the ship, ask the room attendant to open the balcony dividers and connecting doors so the kids can sleep in one room and mom and dad in the other. Also, at that time you can request the beds to be arranged how you want them. If your children are young, there is a lock on the balcony door that you can use so they cannot go wandering onto the balcony from the room they are sleeping in.
Here are some highlights with a few pics.
Birthday
1) We had custom t-shirts made for everyone and met at the cruise port wearing them. This was fun, united us, made for great pictures, and designing the shirts together as a family created excitement for the cruise. We wore the shirts the first day getting on the ship and also on my husband’s birthday. These were created and ordered through customink.com. They do a great job and their website is easy to use to design your own. I have used this site before and am really pleased with them.
2) My daughter had magnets made from magnetgirl.com and placed them on the stateroom doors. They made everyday festive and finding your room easy. Funny thing though, I had a hard time remembering my room number. I always just looked for the decorations to find the room.
3) My daughter-in-law decorated the cabin on Steve’s birthday from decorations purchased from Amazon. Here’s links to the items she purchased.
4) Steve’s birthday dinner was great my daughter and her husband ordered Champagne for the table, had balloons placed on it, cake with candle, and waiters sang Happy Birthday. I think Steve felt well loved and appreciated.
Thanksgiving
The decorations, events, and dinner on Thanksgiving day were just perfect. Just enough to make it festive and nice. There were 2 decorations on the ship for the entire week. A very large inflatable turkey and a Happy Thanksgiving sign on the promenade deck. Everyone loved the turkey and you saw many people taking pictures by it.
On Thanksgiving day they had a special menu and they made that night formal night. It was a really nice dinner.
The Cruise Compass did acknowledge Thanksgiving. Some of the events on board were Thanksgiving Trivia, Face painting, and of course the NFL football game showing in the Pub.
Port days
Philipsburg, St Maarten – Had a great day at the beach. I love this port to just walk and not take an excursion. There are many good excursions though. But for our family trip we We walked off the ship, through the port and followed the sidewalk to the left all the way to the beach on Front Street. We walked by people who were trying to rent us beach chairs and umbrellas to the Lazy Lizard Beach Bar & Grill 29 Front Street. I had read good things about this place online and felt comfortable using them. We rented beach chairs, umbrellas, and got a bucket of drinks (water, beer, soda, etc). The price was $20.00 for 2 chairs, one umbrella, and the bucket. Included in this price is wifi, buckets and shovels, bathroom use, locker use, and floating mats. We were in the second row of chairs from the water.
Advice: Get off the ship as soon as you dock in order to get ocean front beach chairs and check out beach towels on the ship.
On the beach you will have a great view of your docked ship, access to many merchants selling their wares, jet ski rentals, people wanting to do massages and hair braiding, and can easily walk to all the local shopping.
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – We were at this stop on Thanksgiving day for the morning only. We all wanted to go to the forts but since it was a holiday they were closed for the day. Therefore, we got off the ship and at the end of the pier walked to the left. There will be many vendors on the sidewalk. I prefer not to buy the common souvenir items so I pass these right by.
If you keep walking you will come to craftsman who are making and selling their own wares. This jewelry was beautiful.
A little further and you will be strolling along Paseo la Princesa which ends at the Raíces Fountain and the bay waterfront. Strolling to the Bayfront and fountain you find many stalls of vendors lining the road and cultural entertainment as well. Towards the evening it is much livelier, but this trip was a morning only stop. The products are wonderful and talking to the craftsman is fun. It is always hot here so be sure and bring water for your walk. Other trips we have done are a horse and buggy ride (they have been discontinued) and the Bacardi Rum excursion.
Perfect Day CocoCay, the Bahamas – This is a Royal Caribbean owned island and therefore you can use your card for drinks. There are many paid activities such as the water park, but we elected for the sit on the beach and relax day. We went to the left at the end of the pier and went to the second beach. Location is near bathrooms, bars and food venue. Water was nice clear and warm. There was a huge sting ray and a few shark swimming in the water. We rented snorkel and fins and had a great day hanging out. Had lunch no charge at the food venue and also saw a huge Iguana. Very hot but relaxing day. There is a little village of huts that sell items. I find them a little high priced and nothing unusual for sale.
Ship Activities
Water diving and ice shows were fantastic. Another show Blue planet was not to my liking. I was stuck away from the aisle or I would have left 10 minutes into it. There is also Karaoke, trivia, music and dancing every day for all ages. Rock climbing was so much fun for everyone. Zip lining was enjoyed and pools were really nice. Don’t forget the ice skating, flow riding, and arcade. Free to all was the face painting, carousel rides, parade, cotton candy, popcorn, balloon animals, scooped ice cream cones.
Children’s swim area was fantastic.
Shopping on the ship is great from Michael Kors, Coach, and $10.00 item sale.
We liked going to the complimentary breakfast dining in Johnny Rockets. It was quiet and food was excellent.
Food was all good in the Main Dining room for dinner. We had the very best waiters. These guys made us feel special every night. They made our trip. Thank you so much Iputu and Eduard.
All I can say is wow. Do it – you will not be sorry. It is something your loved ones will remember forever. One last piece of advise take lots and lots of pictures professional and non professional. Build those lasting memories.
