mandyleighflies

Our flights home are not until this evening. The kids and I fly out at 430pm and my parents, 720pm. We were able to book a day use room and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who finds themselves with evening flights. We had a nice leisurely day at the Springhill Suites MIA. It’s by nothing, but they have a free shuttle that will take you to a mall nearby and also complimentary airport shuttle runs on the half hour. We chose to just relax on the covered patio with coffee and watch Iguanas. Hotel is clean. Staff are nice and rooms have microwave/mini fridge, large sitting area and a desk. Perfect for what we needed. We have the room from 9am-5pm today. Kids and I will be on our way to the airport in about 20 minutes. Will post from the MIA admirals club. ❤️✈️

Hey y’all!! Did not mean to abandon y’all but WiFi was once again iffy and I wanted to unplug and spend the last day or so with the family. Labadee was incredible. Cannot wait to go back, I wish Royal had a sailing that was just private islands lol We took in two shows on this sailing. The Broadway style Rhythm and Rhyme and the Farewell/comedy show. Both were entertaining, nothing breathtaking but enjoyable. Come with reasonable expectations, it’s not the Aquatheatre and not the most state of the art BUT it’s quality old school entertainment none the less. We enjoyed ourselves. We had dinner in the Windjammer the last couple of nights and I have to say, I was not disappointed. The quality was good and quantity/options were varied. I’m not typically a Windjammer fan but it was nice for a quick/easy meal.

Yes!! The loungers in the water are open for anyone to enjoy! They were lovely!!

Coming to y’all LIVE from our overwater bungalow on Barefoot Beach!! The walk to Barefoot Beach is an easy one from the ship. Lots of signs and it’s mostly shaded. There are trams available. If you’re hesitant on a Bungalow, don’t be. Do it. These are the ultimate splurge and so far, worth every penny. The staff at Barefoot Beach are so friendly and helpful. Just a JOY. Here is the bungalow menu and our waiter, Marlo, even suggest NA options for my daughter. Ava is clearly having a hard time.

My daughter got Butter chicken 😆😆😆

They played in Schooner Lounge last night and were incredible. Unfortunately, a rowdy family (who we also encountered at Chops) was in Schooner Lounge also allowing kids (1-9 age ranges and at least 6 of them) to treat the Schooner Bar like Adventure Ocean. They were eventually either asked to leave or just left but it was highly distracting and disrespectful of the parents to allow the behavior.

You guys will have a blast!! My kids have really had a great time but they are older so they have been ala cart style with Adventure Ocean. We honestly haven’t seen any shows and the shows haven’t really been offered. Last night was a Comedian but no dance/show numbers. The bands have been fantastic. Caribbean band by the main pool, modern/classic band in Centrum. Violinist and guitar duo, pianist and singer in Schooner on different evenings. The STAFF are INCREDIBLE. Everyone has been friendly, hardworking and happy. It’s such a breath of fresh air. Have fun next week!!!

Good morning y’all!! Sorry for the delay! WiFi was iffy last night. Back on target today though. Last night was low key for our family. The walk to Hemingways and the Sun exhausted everyone. We had dinner in MDR and it was Mexican night. Dinner was delicious!! The quality of food has been wonderful, but we are also not Michelin star diners so there is that. I hate an Applebee’s but I love a local fine option. Coffee on the balcony and breakfast at chops. Day at sea today. Workout complete. Lunch at Izumi’s next. The ship has not felt crowded at all. The pool is hectic today, but that is to be expected. We are a quiet group, so we are hanging out in the solarium. Hopefully Wi-Fi sticks around better today and I can keep updating.

Greetings from Key West!! The ship docks literally steps away from some of the more popular attractions in Key West. We walked to Hemingway’s house (.8 miles) and did the tour. $18 per adult I do not remember what kids pricing was (I know the ages were 6-12). They ONLY TAKE CASH so heads up there. The above cat is named Joe DiMaggio and he is a Hemingway cat descendant. He even has the infamous 6 toes. ❤️ We had lunch at First Flight Brewery on our walk back. It was decent food, little pricey but that’s also to be expected. Had to get this photo op. My daughter is terrified of birds. Needless to say outdoor lunch with free range chickens was not her idea of fun.

We will probably hit up shows on our sea days but we usually don’t go to the shows but as the kids get older they find them more enjoyable than they used to.

We are truly loving Lady G. I see Why so many cruisers love her. Beautiful covered promenade and classic feel. Honestly, everyone we have encountered has loved being here and that’s a huge compliment to the ship. She might be our new go to ship.

We are LOVING Lady G, she might be my new favorite. The ship is in beautiful condition, of course some wear and tear but nothing that would truly bother me. The crew are all friendly and happy, truly a wonderful home atmosphere. Rum Old Fashioned after an amazing dinner in Giovanni’s. The night is young ❤️😆

Grand Suites are my favorite cabin type when sailing with my kids. Two sinks. Plenty of elbow room. We are having the bed split tonight and my son is happy to take the couch, he says he doesn’t want it changed to a bed but we will see about that.

Coming to y’all live from Lady G!!! Security and Check in was a breeze, being suites guests helps with that significantly. From van drop off to ship took 10 minutes. My mom momentarily misplaced her passport, that was a harrowing experience but otherwise all went well. Our staterooms will be available around 1/130pm so after lunch in Chops we will head to the room to check it out. Ice cream machines operating with an assistant, very nice lady. Happy kids. Happy mom.

We are on our way to the port!!! Last night we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn MIA West. Free shuttle between airport and hotel. $14 per person one way from hotel to ship. Basic hotel. Clean. Friendly staff. Restaurant and bar open until at least 10pm. The majority of the people staying here are airline crew and cruise passengers. No complaints. Let’s get to sailing!!

We were the last flight to MIA out of DCA until this afternoon. They had storms and gusty winds last night in DC and no planes could get in or out apparently. They cancelled the flights after us and all the flights this morning. Once again, the motto of “fly in the day before” meets its reasoning. 😂

Y’all. WE MADE IT TO MIAMI. The crew took good care of us (as always) and we are officially on vacation!! Onwards to the hotel to meet up with my wiser parents who flew in this morning 😆🤦🏼‍♀️

The break even for me was when my total of all at cost beverages would equal more by spending ala cart versus having the package. I fell into a sale on the DX package that brought the ala cart pricing for my level of daily drinks to higher than the sale price. (I got it for $60 PPPD that equals 6ish coffee/club soda/alcohol beverages a day) That’s the math I use…everyone has their own way of doing things.

**updated** Hubby is leaving my car in case we need it (insert mantra “we are NOT driving to Miami” here) so he’s taking his car key from me and leaving us the car. *drinks wine…we are NOT driving to Miami, we are NOT driving to Miami* The new Admiral’s Club in E concourse in DCA is beautiful. *we are NOT driving to Miami, we are NOT driving to Miami*

Back at the airport. Liquids bags checked, currently sitting in the brand new Admiral's club in DCA concourse E with a sparkling water and a glass of red wine. Plane is on its way from Charlotte and landing in just under an hour. PRAYERS the wind holds off long enough for us to get out of here. My mantra for the evening is “We will NOT be driving to Miami, we will NOT be driving to Miami” OH and to make it even more entertaining… My husband…who is currently training on a new plane in Denver just landed at Washington-Dulles (IAD) and realized he left his car keys in his backpack…and his backpack is in his training hotel room in Denver. He is currently in an Uber to DCA to get both of our keys from me. He is going to take my car out of the lot, go home, Uber to IAD tomorrow to get his car and the kids and I will Uber home on Friday the 7th. I did warn him that if I do wind up needing to drive to MIA, I will be taking my car back. So here we are…say it with me “we are NOT driving to Miami, we are NOT driving to Miami”

TRUE 😅 weather is a funny thing. Now it is absolutely beautiful outside. However, it’s supposed to start getting very windy. Waiting it out at home, hopefully will be on an airplane in a few hours. Fingers crossed, positive vibes only from here on out.

The current situation at DCA from a friend of mine who is there now.

Well here goes nothing. It’s travel day and Mother Nature is having a “fit and falling into it” as my Nana would say. We are flying out of DCA this afternoon, just tried to standby for the 10am flight out of DCA this morning and no luck. We took ourselves home and we are waiting it out to see what happens with the weather and our flight. The rain/storms are moving out early, that’s not the issue…the issue is the wind. The wind gusts this afternoon are supposed to be hefty, think 38-52 knots…planes have limitations when it comes to this type of thing. I have two options. A. Wait it out and hope that our plane can take off at a decent hour this evening. B. Cancel our fully refundable tickets and make the 16 hour drive to MIA. I will be making the decision on one of these options by 2pm this afternoon. If the winds are not as terrible as predicted we will take our chances with the flight, it is still showing on time but it has to come from Charlotte (CLT) and they are getting the same weather as we are this morning. The HUGE advantage on our side for this flight is the crew operating this flight are starting their day with our flight, no worries on crew timing out. The drive would be rough as I’m the only adult who can drive and 16 hours (32 round trip) of driving does not sound like something I would ever volunteer myself for, but it is the safest way to go as we are in control of our traveling destiny. Positive Vibes for calmer winds and on time or only slightly delayed flights please 🥲❤️

Houston. We may have a problem. Rain and windy conditions are moving into our area tomorrow….just in time for our flight to MIA. This kids, is why I do NOT fly the day of my cruise. On hold now to see if there’s anything I can do here or if we will be driving from VA to MIA tomorrow morning. Part of me is tempted to wait and see, the other part of me does not want to possibly put off the inevitable. When I have a chance to speak to the representative, I will have a better understanding of my choices. I am going to see if it is possible to get to the state of Florida and then just rent a car from there, anywhere further south would be less of a drive. when it rains, it pours, on top of this, our normal nail salon had to cancel our appointment due to no electricity in their building. We went to a different one and they overcharged us immensely. When I told them we were going on a cruise the nail tech made some comment about how much did that cost? I asked for a price list at that point, and they somehow did not have one. Let’s just say, I paid significantly more than it was worth. However, my daughter is happy with her nails, and that is what mattered to me. Stay tuned!!!!

Human soup. “Thats all I’ve got to say about that”