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I completely agree with water activities, especially close to the port. Those are times we leave our passport in the safe. We evaluate each port based on what we are doing, what country we are in, and how far away from the port we are going.

Today we are enjoying Frederiksted, St. Croix which is truly a beautiful place. It has been a very warm day but spotty showers helped us cool off when we needed it. The ship was cleared around 8:00 a.m. After breakfast in the Crown Lounge, we went on shore about 9:00 a.m. At the end of the pier, if you go left there is a market, the fort, and then a beach (with chairs I assume you rent). We started with a tour of the fort which cost $5 per person and is self-guided. If you go right at the end of the pier, there is a walkway through a park along the shore. At the end of that walk way, if you follow the streets for about two blocks, you come to a boat launch and a beach that continues for a long time along the shore. This is a really quiet beach and a little rocky. After touring the fort, we headed this direction and probably walked almost 2 miles before turning around. We had a chance to do a little bird watching along the beach. There were chickens wandering the city and beach, many had babies in their group. This is a Bananaquit. It is in the Tanager family and feeds of the nectar of flowers like this one. Back on the ship, here are a few photos of the port from the helipad. The fort, is the red building in this photo.

I get your point although this isn't just about making sure I have something I like because in some cases it was multiple orders of the same thing. This head waiter is maybe just a bit too pushy for my taste and takes it upon himself to add more to my order even when I say no. I left a lot of food on my plates last night that really seemed like a waste. I've worked with other head waiters who were happy to order more than one of each course for me at my request but weren't so pushy.

Usually an officer or crew will retrieve your passport (and anything else you might need) from your cabin safe and leave it with the cruise contact at the port. That said, I have heard some stories of where this doesn't happen which is why there are certain circumstances where we carry ours.

We walked back out to the port area to watch the Celebrity Reflection leave. The sun was low in the sky creating a golden hue over both ships which was just beautiful and it is amazing to watch any ship captain maneuver such a large ship out of port areas. Dinner tonight was A Taste of the Caribbean and the theme carried out in the attire worn by wait staff and other crew around the ship as well as passengers. I understand there was a Caribbean pool party up by the pool tonight. Our Head Waiter is Jean Paul and he has been really great at suggesting foods that meet my dietary restriction and assuring me they can modify just about anything I may be interested in which has been great. But he also doesn’t take no for an answer and seems to think I will starve if he doesn’t order me multiple dishes. Today it was three appetizers, two main dishes, and a dessert (I don’t know how I kept him to one dessert). It took some convincing at the end of the meal tonight for me to get him to only order me one of each course, although who knows what order he will actually submit - we shall see tomorrow. Tonight’s show was the ice skating show, Ice Spectacular: Cool Art…Hot Ice. It’s a late show for us (10:15 p.m.) and tonight is the only night the ice skaters will perform but one of our favorite forms of entertainment on Royal Caribbean ships are their ice skating shows so we weren’t willing to skip it. The show was really enjoyable and the skaters had so much talent. Here is just one small video clip. IMG_3263.MOV

These are all US territories. If you are a US citizen, any photo ID is sufficient.

Occasionally a country requires you to carry them (there will be a notice in the Cruise Compass and announcements made if that is the case). Otherwise, it is your choice. There are pros and cons either way. You are less likely to lose it if it stays in the cabin safe. If you get stuck in another country especially some distance from the port, it will probably be a little easier if the passport is on you. We bring them along when we have a long excursion that takes us far from the port. We leave them in the cruise cabin for shorter excursions or water activities. We always have some sort of photo ID on us (like a driver's license) and a photo of our passports in our phone (or a paper copy).

Today we had a late arrival in St. Thomas. A brunch was offered in the main dining room from 830 a.m. to noon but wanting breakfast earlier and looking forward to a quiet lunch after most people went ashore, we didn't go check it out. Instead we had both meals in the buffet and also spent some time in the Crown Lounge to see what type of continental breakfast they offered there for Diamond and above. It's a nice lounge and is nice to have access to the espresso machine. Here are a few photos of the continental breakfast. We picked up the pilot at about 10:35 a.m. for an early arrival into St. Thomas. The ship was cleared by about 11:40 a.m. The Celebrity Reflection had already arrived. We don't have any plans in St. Thomas today and being docked at Crown Bay (where Royal normally docks) means everything is a very long walk away. I stepped off into the port area just to get some photos of the ships and see what few shops there were. Meanwhile, my husband staked out a spot on the promenade with a view of the Reflection. My shoe had been rubbing and so took the elevator up to the buffet instead of walking the stairs and realized this was the first time we had stepped in an elevator all cruise. I had forgotten about the days of the week in the floor of the elevator. I guess it's Tuesday. My husband won trivia related to car maker logos but otherwise, we have just been relaxing in Schooner's. We'll probably go back out in the port to catch the sunset and watch the Reflection leave.

Yesterday, we sailed away from Puerto Plata about 4:00 p.m. Since we had backed into the pier, I found a spot on deck 4 in the aft to watch sail away. I really love how this class of ships has a full wrap around promenade deck (with stairs to deck 5 for the forward portion) plus access to the helipad. Here's the pilot boat heading out to follow us out so he can pick up the pilot when we are far enough out and then a few photos from sail away. My husband enjoyed some Harry Potter related trivia and I was able to catch the afternoon parade from the window of our cabin. It's an interesting view looking down on the crowds and characters in the parade. Before dinner we went to the headliner show staring Comedy Juggler Billy Prudhomme. For a juggler, he sure dropped a lot of items and the jokes about how bad of a juggler he was got old really quickly. We slipped out about half-way through the show. The dinner menu was a Taste of Italy. We enjoyed the minestrone and polenta fries as well as the sole fillet. They had backdrops and photographers on decks 3, 4, and 5 near the main dining room this evening as they have had other evenings. It's really nice how all your photos show up in the app (pretty quickly after you take them) so you can review them at your convenience. I'll end this post with an attempt at a little humor. As I'm sure you have seen on many Royal Caribbean ships, they have these magnets for your door when you don't want to be disturbed. When you are on the actual Adventure of the Seas though, they can take on a different meaning. Personally, I don't advise sleeping off the (capital A) Adventure.

We chose the Xpedition because having been built for 100 but only holding 48, we figured it would give us space. Additionally, this trip is more about the ports, so spending more money for Flora just didn't seem to make sense to us. We were a bit intimidated by a ship so small it had only 16 total passengers. I would book the Xpedition again. See my signature if you want to read my live thread from last November. That said, you really can't go wrong. All three ships have amazing excursion programs that are roughly the same, with great naturalists. With any of the three ships, you will have the trip of a lifetime.

Today we are in Puerto Plata (Taino Bay), Dominican Republic. We had a very early excursion with a meeting time in the theater of 7:00 a.m. so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the buffet. Our excursion was Eco, Wild & Furious Polaris Trail. Here is a link to the excursion on Royal's website. This excursion was really for my husband who clearly had the time of his life. There was a short ride in an open air bus to the ranch. The buggies hold two people. A couple people wanted the buggy to themselves and so purchased two tickets. We got a chance to change drivers half-way through, if we wanted - I just let my husband continue driving. It is an off-roading experience through puddles and dust so we finished the tour with quite a bit of mud on us. Sunglasses and bandanas (to cover your nose and mouth) were recommended and you could purchase both at the ranch. There was a short stop (about 20 minutes) at a beach where a few people chose to swim. We also had a stop at a coffee plantation where we were able to taste some coffee. Locals sold their products at both stops plus the ranch. The Dominican countryside is really pretty and you get a chance to drive through a small town to see a little of the culture. After our excursion, we had a chance to walk through the port area. There is a pool and beach area with a lazy river and a number of bars. There is also plenty of shopping and restaurants. Today we are docked next to the MSC Seascape. They arrived about an hour after us. It was neat to see the Seascape up close as we will be on her sister, the Seashore this fall. And here is a great aft view of our ship.

Here are a few more photos of the port from sail away when the lightning was better. Last night's dinner was a Taste of the UK which I think is the addition from the typical 7 day sequence since this cruise is 8 days. They made me a dairy free potato and leek soup that was really good and both my husband and I really enjoyed the Chicken Tiki Masala (his was the unmodified version).

Hello from Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos. I don't think this is a port that makes many Royal Caribbean itineraries. I understand Carnival Corp invested a lot in the docks and port area so I believe all their brands have priority. We had stopped once before on a Princess ship. Carnival must not have needed the port today because we are docked next to Virgin's Scarlet Lady. Right at the end of the dock is beach in both directions. If you go right, it is rockier and because of that a bit quieter. Snorkelers seem to head this direction. We liked to walk this way as both times we have visited, we have had a chance to do a little bird watching. I am so excited my husband spotted this Mangrove Cuckoo, a pretty elusive bird that we had never seen before. If you go left, there are a lot less rocks and plenty of chairs and umbrellas for rent. The port area also has plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars. We arrived first which gave us a chance to watch the Scarlet Lady come in from the beach. They cleared the water of swimmers just before this ship arrived because of how close the dock is to the beach. The port area also has a neat little John Glenn exhibit. The Friendship 7 capsule he was in splashed in the Atlantic not that far from Grand Turk when it experienced problems with reentry. Being a port day, we experienced both breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer - we had managed to avoid the buffet the first two days. There are identical stations towards the back so if lines are long in the front, keep walking. In the very back is the bakery (breakfast) / dessert (lunch) station. About halfway back (at least on starboard side), I found a station with avocado toast with smoked salmon that was really good. A station for made-to order omelettes (breakfast) and stir fry (lunch) can be found towards the back on the starboard side. Food wasn't bad but nothing to write home about. I'll close this post by talking about our cabin. We are staying in a Promenade View Interior cabin. This is our first time in this category of cabin. The layout makes it feel larger than it is and I love the window seat that allows me to people watch those on the promenade. People can see in, so it is important to keep the curtains closed when you need privacy. We do hear any music from live acts performing on the promenade which we were worried would keep us up last night with the 80s party but we must have been tired enough to fall asleep easily. The cabin is generally in good condition although there are a few minor issues, like a drawer that's track is broken and missing sheer curtains. It's a little limited on storage with very small drawers. We love the location.

I usually let the cruise line know through the special needs e-mail address before the cruise (I don't know if this really makes a difference) and then I talk to my waiter the first night and the head waiter came to our table before that first dinner was over. I've done two cruises with the new menus with vegan options and still have had the option to order just about anything off the menu. First night is a bit harder as they don't get advanced notice but after that I pre-order each night for the next day just like I have always done in the past. Night one from the Welcome Aboard menu, they were able to modify the Pan-Roasted Fish Fillet to be dairy free. I was looking forward to fish and was happy with the vegan appetizer and dessert so didn't ask about any other options. FYI - Almond and soy milk are available at Cafe Promenade and in the main dining room (I haven't asked at the buffet but I imagine they are available there too).

We attended the top tier event for those platinum loyalty level and above. Here is who is on board. I haven't had a chance to ask what the total occupancy is yet so I don't know how many new (to Royal) cruisers but based on my math it seems like a fair amount. The event feature the Adventure Orchestra which is really good and included a showcase of the ballroom dancers from tonight's production show. Afterwards we spent some time in the Crown Lounge where we discovered cookies and then had lunch in the main dining room with two women from Michigan, currently living in California. We enjoyed some downtime this afternoon just people watching and then before dinner took formal photos and enjoyed some music by guitarist, Jorge Garcia. He plays a really soothing style of music and was located right outside the Duck and Dog Pub. This afternoon, we also walked up to deck 11 forward to find the spot where you can peek into the bridge. It's really a neat perspective. Right near there, a group of Brown Boobies (sea birds related to Northern Gannets that spend most of their time at sea, rarely stopping on land) were fishing and soaring off the port side of the bow. I didn't have my camera with me so didn't get any good photos but they were so fun to watch. Dinner tonight was a Taste of France. Food was as good as at other meals but where I think this ship really shines is in their dessert/pastry chef. My husband's cream puffs were really good and this flourless chocolate cake the chef made special did not disappoint. Being formal night, I enjoyed seeing some people dress up in their best, although we saw the whole spectrum of attire. It's one of those nights where those who love getting dressed up get to enjoy their moment and the rest just enjoy another great night on a cruise. We are calling it an early night tonight. I want to be up for tomorrow's sunrise and sail into Grand Turks. The ship is still really busy though. I gaze down at the promenade which is full of activity. With all the people we see getting pizza at Cafe Promenade (this ship doesn't have a separate Sorrentos), I have to wonder how much pizza they go through.

There were a number of early risers already roaming the ship when I got up to go watch the sunrise from the helipad. Access to the helipad is my favorite feature of Royal's medium to smaller sized ships. We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the main dining room. Food has been very good so far. Service was a good pace and the staff were attentive. We did have a good laugh though as the assistant waiter didn't listen all that closely to my husband's "no" to various questions so he was poured a cup of coffee he wasn't interested in and handed a glass of juice he didn't order. But no harm was done. We have found Champagne Bar to be a fairly quiet place to sit in the morning yet still do a little people watching and be able to see the ocean. I'll end this post with this amazing sculpture that spans 6 decks (3-7) in the atrium between Guest Services and the Champagne Bar. I understand it is called "The Dive" and is by American artist Lawrence P. Kirkland. The tornado like form is supposed to replicate the form schools of fish can sometimes take and thus something a diver might see from their point of view.

Yes, I had seen one scheduled and meant to go up on deck to see if we could see it but forgot. We did see the SpaceX ships Megan and Shannon parked at Port Canaveral that I understand are used to recover the capsules.

I sit in the window seat of our promenade interior cabin watching people below as I reflect on our day. We couldn't have asked for a better day. We arrived at the terminal a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. Our ship was leaving from terminal 5 at Port Canaveral and as always it was signed well. They directed us to first drop off luggage before continuing up the parking ramp. We walked into the terminal at about five minutes after 11, the security line moved quickly and we waited no time at all to check in. The seating area was already full so we were directed to a line to wait. Not too long after we got through the whole process, they paused letting people into the terminal and so the line built up outside and continued to be long for quite some time. About 11:50 a.m., those with priority started boarding. We ourselves were on the ship about 12:15 p.m. After stopping by our Muster Station, we headed up to Johnny Rockets. We don't generally spend money on specialty dining but we make an exception for embarkation day lunch to avoid the craziness of that first buffet. There was a breeze and it was quiet, just what we were looking for. The food was decent, we especially enjoyed the onion rings, but it was the ambiance that made it worth it. After lunch, we played a round a golf and then explored the promenade, making a stop by the dining room to check out our table. We were so pleased to find we had been assigned a table in a fairly quiet location at the window. Royal's dining rooms always take our breath away with how beautiful they are so we took a few moments to enjoy the view. I found my first drink at Bolero's, a Coconut Mojito which was very good and then our cabins were ready a little after 2:00 p.m. We enjoyed sail away on the helipad - we followed the Allure out of Port Canaveral. We had hoped to see the Disney Wish leave first but they are still doing traditional muster drills which delayed them (you could see the passengers lined up on deck). It made me really appreciate the eMuster Royal has switched to. Our luggage showed up sometime during sail away. We skipped the show tonight, instead checking out the Crown Lounge, and then catching the sunset on the promenade before our late seating in the main dining room. Service at dinner was a bit slow but the servers were really attentive and the quality of the food was better than what we had experienced on the Freedom last year (and it wasn't necessarily bad that cruise). Our assistant waiter did manage to bring me the wine I ordered which was a huge improvement over last year's Freedom where a Chardonnay might as well be a Riesling or a Pinot Grigio since the staff dining room staff didn't seem to know the difference. The Head Waiter introduced himself and took my order for tomorrow since I have a dairy allergy. He promises me some decadent flourless cake tomorrow night. We wandered the promenade to look for some music but didn't really find any that lured us in so we were soon cashing in our last couple diamond drinks for bottles of water so we could head up to relax in the cabin. Tomorrow's a sea day with not much on the agenda. Maybe I'll be up to catch the sunrise, it's one of my favorite times of the day while cruising, before most of the ship wakes up.

Both my husband and I had the same problems this morning with both our Celebrity and Royal apps. Resetting the password on the website fixed it.

Hi all! Today my husband and I embark on the Adventure of the Seas. This is going to be a relaxing cruise for us with only one excursion so quite a bit different from our last cruise in the Galapagos last fall. We booked this cruise 2 years ago when it was originally scheduled to sail on the Voyager of the Seas. A few months after we booked they swapped ships to the Adventure of the Seas. We were originally scheduled to stop at Labadee but due to the current political situation in Haiti that stop has been replaced with Grand Turks. I'll start this thread with a photo from our last stop at Grand Turks (in June of 2022 on a different cruise line) to get in the cruise mood. Here is our itinerary. We made the drive yesterday and our staying at the Courtyard Inn in Titusville with views in the distance of the Kennedy Space Center. We had stayed here once before in December of 2022 and even were able to watch a rocket launch from the rooftop bar of the hotel at that time. No rocket launches were scheduled for our stay this time but we did get a room with a view of the river and were able to catch the sunrise this morning. If you are looking for a hotel that is a bit quieter than the hotels right at the port and that has easy access to the Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (with a great auto tour if you enjoy wildlife and/or birds), this is a great choice. We have completed the safety videos in the app so all that is left once we board is to find our muster station. It is almost time to pack up our stuff, check out of the hotel, and head over to the port. Our arrival time is 10:30 a.m. but we have been warned that the annual coast guard inspection will be happening today so have been asked to arrive a bit later. We still want to get there fairly early to get a parking spot we like and take our time capturing some photos of the ship before we check in. We'll just make sure to bring our patience with us today as well.

In airplane mode you can definitely take photos. Photos don't require any type of signal or wifi. If you purchase an internet package through the cruse line, you can send and receive e-mails while on the ship. You would turn airplane mode on, turn wifi on, connect to the ship's wifi, and log in. In port, you need a cell plan that covers the country you are in. Many US plans already include Canada and Mexico (and sometimes certain other countries). And if your plan doesn't already cover the countries you are visiting, you would need an international plan.

An international plan doesn't cover Cellular at Sea (while a ship is at sea). There is a separate plan for that which can be costly if you use a lot of data. International plans are only good for cell towers on land in foreign countries.

While docked in Miami you would still be connected to US cell towers. Any Cellular at Sea receptors on the ship do not get turned on until you are 12 miles out at sea (which would be the first opportunity to hit an "international" cell tower). So something else happened here.

And to add the pier doesn't ever close so if you want to go out and enjoy the night life or just get a good night photo of your ship, you can.

I enjoyed it on the Eclipse last year. It definitely is a lot of alcohol so would have been better if I had someone to share with. But when you don’t have a drink package, it is worth the price.