Keksie

It was wonderful. I really enjoyed being on a ship again. I am already looking forward to our next cruise in May. Maybe earlier if I can talk my husband into something. It is going to such a busy fall that finding a time is difficult.

I have been on that ride and it is a great way to rest and cool off.

These are a few of my thoughts about our cruise. Pictures will come later once my husband can come inside and download his camera. He is mowing now that most of the storm damage has been taken care of. Still have 2 trees down and 1 that I think is too dangerous for him to attempt by himself. Embarkation and debarkation could not have been faster. Food: We had the key so lunch the first day and breakfast the last day were in the MDR. They both were delicious and peaceful. Breakfast and lunch everyday were in the Windjammer, we were very happy with the choices every day. We had Chops +1. Our 1 was Izumi. Both meals were great. I got the lamb chops in Chops. I got the Champagne Lobster Roll and the Tempura Lobster Roll. For dessert I had the Sesame balls with the red bean paste which was the perfect balance of not sweet/sweet. Two other dinners were in the Windjammer and 3 were in the MDR. All were good. The not so good was the Windjammer the last night. We wanted to go to the show so decided to eat first in the Windjammer. The food in there all week was really good with roast beef, brisket (my husband got the burnt ends which the carver was about to throw away). The last night however the food was not appealing at all. We then went to the show and ate in the MDR after. The staff was very friendly and service was as good or better then any of our other cruises. The cruise director was fun and the game shows were hilarious. The internet was horrible. We needed to keep in touch with our house sitters because of the bad weather. No way would it work in our cabin. My husband found one place that he could make wifi calls without them dropping. We found that if we were on the pool deck before the younger people were up the internet was fast, after that not even the app worked well. Since they don’t give out the compass any more you need the app to know what was going on. The game shows were great but the rest of the entertainment was not. The music was not anything that interested us. One night there was no show. The comedian had 2 shows. The first show he was funny but the second show he kept checking his notes, his watch and he seemed to be in a down mood. I know it is a small ship but seriously? The ports: Cozumel – Nachi Cocom – great as always Roatan – Maya Cay – the winds were up so we could not snorkel, the beach was nice and I got to spend at least 30 min. talking rescue animals with one of the staff. Belize – Took a river safari. The wind was still up so it was a good option to not be bounced around in a small boat. Costa Maya – 1st excursion was a catamaran snorkel, with the winds they refunded our payment because of poor visibility. It would have been awesome if the wind had not been so bad. 2nd excursion was the aviary at the port and it was very nice the way they had it set up.

It will be later this week. I was doing laundry all day and my husband who is the picture taker was busy cleaning up some of storm damage from while we were gone.

My two memories of the 1964 World's Fair are It's A Small World and Belgium Waffles.

Thank you. We liked the way they do the 4 drinks now, although most days we did not get them all.

Now that we are back my thoughts are turning to our next cruise in May, 2024. We have never been to CocoCay so don't know what to expect. We like to snorkel and have a shady place to hang out. What would be the best to reserve? Breezy Bay beach bed, Chill Island beach bed, Cocoa Beach Club, or South Beach beach bed? We are going to have a Jr. Suite and are also Diamond. What does a suite give us over Diamond We will be on Enchantment of the Seas which seems like a small ship so maybe won't need the Key this time.

We are back home and I am sort of caught up with this thread. The cruise was mostly great with a little not so good thrown in. In a few days I will get my pictures together and post a few along with some details about the cruise. Right now I need to pet the fur babies. @dani negreanu sending hugs.

The medical office will then know you are ill and may quarantine you. They may also preform a lot of unnecessary tests.

I don't have time to comment on all the posts but I can sometimes follow along and send virtual cheers and hugs to everyone depending on the circumstances. Other then really bad internet the cruise is wonderful. Staff has all been so friendly and nice. Food has been great.

Made it to the ship. The internet is super slow so probably no pictures until we get back. The ma stiff club was staying at our hotel for the dog show. Only 2 fit in the elevator at a time. LOL. The food has been good. The drink count so far is 1 BBC and 2 dark and stormy. The don't use real bananas in the BBC and the taste is just not the same. Sea day today probably around the pool.

Finally made it to Tampa. We couldn't leave until: The power came back on We got the big branches off the driveway We uprighted the potted plants We called the neighbor about their large tree that fell near the front of the property. We texted the house sitters to just ignore the leaves, small, medium and large branches plus the tree and to not park under any of the trees while we are gone It was an exciting morning. The hotel is nice and filled with dogs that are here for the dog show across the street. I love dogs!

We are taking Grandeur out of Tampa. It goes to Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya. I will try to post a little on the cruise and will have pictures and comments when we get back. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Fairgrounds tonight. Getting a late start waiting for a storm to go by.

Once on the ship I know we put our phones in airplane mode. Do we need to also turn off data?

We had a lighteningpalooza on Monday and our neighborhood was without power from 8:30 to midnight. My husband said he would hook up the generator in the morning if the power didn't come back. The only sad part is we were watching Crime Scene Kitchen and I still don't know if it was a pavlova or a dacquoise. I had it set up to record but it only recorded 34 minutes. I will have to wait until it shows up on demand. We had another lighteningpalooza last night. This time it was only our house that lost power. The power company showed up around midnight and replaced our transformer. The sad part this time is my garage door opener is a goner. My husband said he will replace it when we get back. I will have to point out the number of the power company on our frig for the house sitter. It even lights up in the dark. LOL

We are located in Northwest Florida, aka The Panhandle or The Emerald Coast. We will be driving to Tampa (6ish hours) to take Grandeur on Saturday. Florida is a very large state.

That was a scare. I am glad you found a new one you like that was in stock. I am really glad that she is ok now.

Thank you for the information. I am a novice as far as orchids go but I really love them.

@ReneeFLL My orchid finished blooming so I cut the stems back. Now I have leaves coming out. Should I try potting the leaves? Should I wait until I see roots? I have never been able to keep one alive this long and I am at a loss as to what to do now.

I am just glad it turned out well. Our cats meow at the windows when we are outside too. They have a catio during the day with a cat door so they can come and go. We lock it at night or during really bad weather.

I love my blocking squares. They give a much better edge then pins. I use pins to pull out picots or points when needed. To keep me from biting my nails when I was little mom taught me all kinds of fiber arts so my hands were busy. Currently knitting is what I am focusing on with a little bit of embroidery and spinning thrown in.

Off the needles in time for my cruise. The yarn is a silk merino and very soft.

Those eyes! How can you ever say no to them.

I am sorry about the poor lab results. I am glad he is still active.

Beach Day!