CatLadyFemme

I always bring a small blow up air mattress pad for each of us, and definitely did last summer on the Quantum. Beds are super hard and uncomfortable.

Wait, really? Even if it as allergy? May I ask what ship you are on?

So I really love 150 Central Park, though that is a more modern type place. MxCatLadyFemme would say Giovanni’s: we went twice on our cruise because they loved the steak so much!

Super avoidable! I am pretty allergic to cigarette smoke, and while I was wearing a mask while indoors, never smelled it except on the area of the pool deck where smoking is (we were in the wrong side and walked through). There is also a small deck off of deck 4 or deck 5 that is smoking, but folks were rarely out there. Only real issue was the casino, and I don’t know if was the masks or that they’ve gotten better ventilation compared to older ships where it absolutely is an issue, but I didn’t smell it from there even once. I hope you have an amazing cruise!

Awww shucks. Thanks so much! I love MxCatLady’s dapper dandy vibes so much 🥰

Enjoy! And if you like interesting food, make sure to check out Wonderland. Such a lovely experience there.

Day 7 was basically a sea day. Started with room service breakfast plus some fruit that my love grabbed for me as well, and left over eggplant from the previous day. So beautiful on the water. I had preordered food in the dining room for lunch. WJ just didn’t seem safe in a COVID world, it’s always harder with allergies and potential cross contamination, and to be honest, lots of people spoke about how much food quality has gone down hill. MxCatLady enjoyed more cheese sticks and we both tried to go for a caprase salad. Like this sticks, however, this was not mozzarella. Unlike the sticks, this did not taste good. We both skipped the cheese (unusual for us) and just ate the tomatoes, which were surprisingly delicious. I also had the four lentil chili, which was a surprise with how much I liked it, and a cold strawberry bisque, which was very tasty. We then napped, and headed to the pools at 4, as we were pulling into Victoria. They had been crowded all week, but then Solarium upper pool (the accessible one) was empty, so we spent a lot of time chilling in there and watching the port of Victoria before we headed to our final dinner. We were the only diners in our area (we were only docked 5-9:30pm), so it was nice to get to know our staff better. I had the beet and orange salad which was super tasty; I almost ordered a second, plus an Indian veg plate of the day with added raita; so good! And of course, another cheese cake for dessert. MxCatLady had coconut shrimp, fish and chips, and Royal cheese cake. All in all, a satisfying end to the cruise. Back in May, I signed up for Port Valet; for $20/bag, they take your luggage that you put out the night before and check it direct through the airport home. This was so brilliant for disembarking the next day (though two bags came through on an earlier flight, and dealing with Delta at DTW was a nightmare). After our bags were out, tips had been delivered to everyone, we settled down for our last night of hearing they waves, and finished our book.

Both MxCatLady and I love dressing up, and in November 2019, I had purchased this lovely velvet smoking jacket for them. They hadn’t had anywhere to wear it, so when I found a matching dress and bolero on clearance at Torrid, it was a no brained! We had such a fun time dressing up, even though almost no one else seemed to. I had the vegan menu potato soup (GF version), which was pretty flavorless, a GF version of the vegan polenta fries (sometimes these are amazing, but this found, were tasteless to the point I took a COVID test when I went back to the cabin), a special request of GF pasta with a gorgonzola sauce (so yummy!) AND GF CHEESECAKE!!! This was also a special request, but they said it was easy to make, and I loved it. Had it both day 6 and day 7 because it was delicious! MxCatLady did the caprase salad, the lobster (they said they weren’t that hungry and weren’t even sure they wanted lobster, but they still brought them two tails. MxCatLady felt bad they only ate one, but what can you do), and more Royal Cheesecake. We also saw a humpback whale right outside our dining room window!!!! It surfaced for almost a whole minute. What a beautiful view and amazing experience. We walked around a bit, grabbed some hot chocolate, traded ducks with Bing Bing at Wonderland so I could get one with a hat, and headed back to the room for more Tamora Pierce audio book, and listening to the waves.

Day 6 was a sea day and we slept in till noon! Drank some iced chai on the balcony (it was rarely cool enough for me on this trip! I barely wore a cardigan or hoodie, and we brought a blanket, scarves, and gloves that we never used. Ope). We went to Jamie’s for lunch, having not been there before. The service, unfortunately, was not amazing. They had a few big tables and had been hit hard. After having had such a good experience at Wonderland, I was realized surprised at how inflexible they were. I had the burrata salad, the truffle sauce with GF pasta (a highlight of the cruise), had the eggplant to go (it wasn’t really traditional eggplant parm; it was more of a grilled half eggplant with some sauce and sprinkles of cheese), and a raspberry sorbet. The meat plank only has one cheese, so trying to get that as a vegetarian wasn’t possible (despite wanting all those olives lol), apparently not was the bruschetta. The server didn’t really offer anything else, so I suggested what I did, and he said it was fine. 🤷🏻‍♀️ at least it tasted great! MxCatLady got the garlic bread, the aranchini (rice balls), the fried squid and the truffle pasta (with gluten). They said everything was absolutely amazing! I wound up leaving early (hence the eggplant to go) to go host the magnet exchange; I ended up with ones from Montana and North Carolina, so that was nice, as I don’t have them from either place. After this, more audio book, balcony, and nap time, before getting read for formal night.

For Day 5, we had not been able to get a tour through Royal in Juneau after our first once was canceled, so I went with a local tour that took us to the Alaska State Museum, the salmon hatchery, the Glacier Gardens, and a photo op with Mendenhall Glacier (plus included 3 free fish tacos each at Deckhand Dave’s after). I had actually been most excited about the museum, because I am a nerd, obviously. However, I left not being sure how I felt about it. There was a ton of historical items from local indigenous tribes…however, no information on who provided the items, of any partnership with local tribes, etc., and one of their posts used the E word (esk!mo) that is often viewed as a slur (and also ch!nk in reference to the racist name of a piece of machinery). Neither were necessary and put me off quite a bit. I was surprised how much I loved the salmon hatchery. They had a ladder that was a little different than Seattle, people tossing salmon, open tanks with over 1 million baby salmon, an indoor aquarium, and a touch tank where I got to pet sea stars and sea cucumbers. So amazing 🥰 The gardens were lovely too, though by this point, I recognized I was getting physically and emotionally burned out. I leave the house so rarely that I wanted to fit in All the Things (tm), and after 3 days of excursions, I was running on low. MxCatLady took a picture of me with some moss I was loving, and though I thought I was smiling, you can see my fatigue face. We decided after the tour (and tacos!) to make the next two days much more chill, including canceling our Victoria excursion (a one hour sight seeing tour, since we got in so late and nothing was open). The tacos were surprisingly amazing. MxCatLady got the fried ones and said they were some of the best fish tacos they had ever had. I asked if they’d make a no fish version (just cabbage slaw, pico, and avocado crema), and to be honest, it was one of the better tacos I have ever had. Highly recommend and worth the wait! MxCatLady also tried candied salmon iced cream, and said it was surprisingly good (in a small quantity). Got back to the ship with another long line to board; I have never had such long lines when not tendering! Took some rest, and then grabbed a small bit in the MDR before our later Wonderland meal (especially since I had no idea I’d be able to eat a whole meal!). I had the eggplant olive tartare (tasty) and the moussaka (surprisingly good!!), while MxCatLady enjoyed a Caesar salad and tempura off the vegan menu.

I wore my rainbow unicorns and narhwals skirt for the animal watching, of course. for dinner, we started with two virgin margaritas; mine iced, their frozen. I found mine too sweet, but MxCatLady liked theirs. For dinner, I did the coconut parsnip soup on the vegan menu (a fav), a cheese plate (totally not worth it IMHO; these used to be much better), a grilled cheese (a special request I made cause I was just feeling basic), and a flourless chocolate cake (also a special request; they will always make them for you if you ask! These are different ship to ship. This one wasn’t great, but the ones on Voyager, Explorer, and Allure were all great). MxCatLady tried escargot for the first time (ate them all; said they mostly just tasted like butter and garlic), chicken cordon bleh (which Royal now serves with fries??? They were super disappointed), and some in memorable cake. Def not a great meal night for us, though we got a GF pizza (for me) and regular slices (for them) from Sorrento’s around 11pm.

So Day 4 was in Sitka. We did the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest through Royal, and it was amazing!! The boat was much less full than when MrCatLady and I did our Juneau whale watching trip in 2018, so felt much safer COVID wise, much less sensory iffy autistic wise, and it mean that everyone who stayed in the lower deck could have a window. It was stunning! Plus we saw bald eagles and their nests, jumping fish, Northern sea otters (omg the cutest thing ever), sea lions, and a several humpback whales. Plus we learned a lot about their conservation efforts, which I really appreciated. And MxCatLady bought me a stuffed humpback whale, which our steward Derri got really into posing this trip.

Ok! So we are home now and I am going to try and play catch up. The internet was AWFUL (yes, even the upgraded surf and stream) and I couldn’t load this whole site most days. So I am going to start with our favorite cruise stuff as I usually do, and then go back in time to be specific. Top 5 Food Items MxCatLady: ▪️Birds Nest (Wonderland) ▪️Truffle Tagiltelle (Jamie’s) ▪️Rockfish Tacos (Deckhand Dave’s, Juneau) ▪️Short rib (both MDR and Wonderland) ▪️Key lime pie ▪️Honorable mention: Royal Cheesecake Me: ▪️Truffle Tagiltelle (Jamie’s) ▪️All of Wonderland (🥰) ▪️Moussaka (MDR) ▪️GF cheesecake (MDR special request) ▪️Gorgonzola pasta (MDR special request) Top 5 non-alcoholic drinks MxCatLady: ▪️Double espresso ▪️Mochas ▪️Mango lava flow ▪️Tutti fruit from Bionic Bar ▪️Virgin margarita Me: ▪️Blueberry Mojito ▪️Hot chocolate with two pumps of chai ▪️Dirty chai ▪️Frozen mojito ▪️Fresh OJ Top 5 Things We Did MxCatLady: ▪️Wonderland and the fullness of that inclusive experience ▪️Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest (Sitka) ▪️Trolly tour (Ketchikan) ▪️Local tour in Juneau ▪️Sitting on the balcony and just vibing (with some whales!) Me: ▪️Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest (Sitka) ▪️Sitting on the balcony and just watching everything go by ▪️Touch tanks at the Salmon Hatchery (Juneau) ▪️Totem park and small forest adventure with moss friends and old growth (Ketchikan) ▪️Duck Scavenger Hunt

Of course! It’s a Unique Vintage dress a few years ago. Torrid also has had some plus sizes Buffalo plaid fashion too. I’m so glad! I know how hard it can be to travel with dietary needs.

They said it was delicious and technically really well done. They just aren’t a huge lobster fan.

Thank you all for the support. It’s now become a thing where the manager has called multiple times, tried to come talk on the dining room, etc. I’ve told all the folks to pass on that I’m fine, am just going to skip the bistro, and don’t want to engage, but feel a little low key harassed. Hoping this part is over. I know I am behind (combo of sketchy internet and chronic pain/chronic fatigue meaning no brain power) and totally will catch up as the internet and sea day allows. However, I *really* want to share our fabulous Wonderland visit from last night before I forget anything. I have been to most speciality restaurants at least once, and my experiences have varied across venues and even across ships (like sometimes I have to bring my own GF soy sauce to Izumi and settle for a cucumber roll; sometimes they laugh when I bring my own sauce and so a whole vegan fried rice with grill and marinated tofu plus a fun veggie roll for me). Sometimes it has been rough (Chops on Allure where they told me all I could eat was the beet salad and some sauteed mushrooms), and sometimes really lovely (Giovanni’s on Brilliance, where they made me a lovely cheese and veggie only charcuterie board for me, plus GF vegetarian minestrone). At the very least, I have never been glutened, and am fine with not always getting the full meal like either of my partners. However, last night at Wonderland blew me out of the water. I booked it as a birthday present for MxCatLady, since I was out of town receiving an award on their birthday this year. We both love whimsical, plus are foodies, and neither of us had been. I assumed I might be able to get one or two things, but mostly was in it to enjoy the atmosphere and celebrate my love. It started night one, while hiding ducks. Bing Bing, who works there, helped us hide one, and when we told her we were coming in later that week, she made sure to put my allergies and dietary needs in the system again. She and Onur (the manager) were both great even in advance. Last night, we sat down, loving the decor, the menu experience, etc. I was given a plate of GF bread, so expected that to be my main meal. Y’all. The chefs TURNED UP. They made me a GF vegetarian item for every single item MxCatLady got. Sometimes similar (we both had tomato water, mine without the accoutrements), and sometimes unique (instead of the liquid lobster, I had a delightfully done baby turn up, a liquified apple sauce, and some other veggie). I have never once been made to feel so included. Usually folks find out I am vegetarian and offer me pasta primavera or find out I am gluten free, and offer me grilled salmon or chicken. Here? I got to experience the magic along with my partner, which allowed them to really enjoy their food. They shared their thoughts and about the nuanced flavor of each bite , and which delighted them most. They told me they don’t usually do that as I they don’t want to make me feel bad, but felt like they could last night since I got to enjoy it too. That’s it, that’s this update. Obviously will shout out these folks in my survey, but also wanted to let you know, given that many of us with allergies or dietary needs get nervous (and may have had less than stellar experiences). The staff and kitchen crew on Quantum in Wonderland go so far above and beyond that I feel amongst the stars.

I made the paid reservation around 5pm the day we boarded. I just checked the app now (Day 4) and it appears that there are plenty of free North Star spots for tomorrow AM, and free iFly spots all week, so I don’t think they are making you wait till 8am day of as they have in the past. Not sure how many people they allow on. There were maybe a total of 10 on our ride? I hope you have an amazing time!

Almost caught up!!! We got back on the ship at about 3pm. Longest line to board I have ever seen! Apparently something to do with the tides making certain gangways too steep and not useable? Unclear. we got up to our room to take meds, put on more pain patches, ice my knees and head, and heat my back. I definitely am overdoing it on some of these things, but knowing I may not get to really go anywhere for another year or so depending on how these dual pandemics go means I want to get in as much as I can, as safely as I can. Around 4pm, I realized I hadn’t eaten all day, since we left the ship after breakfast but before lunch. And at 3pm, almost all the places a celiac person can safely eat (MDR, solarium bistro, and WJ) were closed. I had an orange in my room, and looked forward not only to our MDR time at 5:15, but our time in the Solarium Bistro at 8:30 as well. I jokingly call this second dinner, but in this case, I was viewing MDR as my first meal of the day, and the Solarium Bistro as my main dinner. It was SO hard to get a reservation there (it is free), as I had booked it a year out, then like 7 months ago, they canceled them. But then they opened them again, and I booked it twice. I have a never been a ship with one, and almost all of their appetizers are veggie and GF, so I was really looking forward to it. I booked both times at 8:30, so that it would be less crowded, as we did for all of our UDP reservations last April on Allure. I know this is a lot of back story, but it is important for later. Dinner again was fine. Like…the food for sure is not bad, and the service is solid. I have definitely had MUCH worse. However, compared to some ships, it’s just fine. They check in once per meal to see if it is fine, but like last night, the tortilla soup was very tasty and also very spicy. I finished my blueberry mojito (MxCatLady was surprised with a mango/strawberry smoothie) and my glass of water, and it took 20 min for either to be refilled. Despite asking most days, I haven’t gotten a lemon wedge, and when I do ask for GF bread. It usually shows up right before or at the same time as desert. So nothing horrible at all, just not the same service we experienced on Voyager this May, for example. I had the vegan tortilla soup (so spicy that I asked for some sour cream though!) and MxCatLady started with the oft debated (on the boards) Poblano soup, which they really enjoyed. For a main, I had the mushroom risotto (FAR better than the lunch time squash risotto of the previous day) and they had the short rib (favorite thing they have eaten on board this far!), finishing with a chocolate mud pie (them), and some mediocre chocolate pudding (me). Our head waiter gave me some GF bread on request to take to the Solarium Bistro, to make sure I had something to dip in my hummus, baba ganoush, etc. Welp, we took a nap, got up and got redressed, and left our room at 8:20 to go to our 8:30 reservation. Between elevators taking forever, and two do the three doors being closed (including the one I had gone in Day 1), which made us walk around the whole Solarium, we finally found the entrance and walked in at 8:36pm. I hate being late, but figured they would understand. It was just two of us, they seat people late for stuff all the time, we had a reservation. And here is where my poor little autistic break started its’ meltdown. The manager looked at us surprised, wondering why we were there. I explained we had a reservations for 8:30 pm and gave me name. He pointed out the food area that had been totally cleared of all of the appetizers I had been so looking forward to. We were so late, he claimed, that after waiting 5 (Five!) minutes for us, they decided to close everything down…despite many 8:30pm reservation options. We both have worked in the restaurant industry, and I have NEVER worked at or visited a restaurant that would turn you away for being 5 minutes late, none the less choose to close their kitchens 5 minutes past their reservation time. Like…what if we had been on time. That would have given us 5 minutes to be seated, order drinks, look at the menu, get appetizers and then boom, no more options to eat (they don’t have a vegetarian main dish). Worse yet, we had another 8:30 reservation on Day 6, so now this man, who was quite rude and a bit mean (to the point I had to try not to cry until I got back into the elevator bay), would do this whole bloody spiel with us when we came back. My whole body was activated in fight or flight, and I know some of it was being hungry and some of it was pain, but oof. Plus, now at 8:45pm, post arguement, I was stuck again with the only available option for me to be an GF pizza. Which I had already done the night before, and I don’t even like GF pizza much. We took down the elevator to guest services, to tell them to fix their app. If they want people to not eat at 8:30, that’s fine, but then make the last reservation 8:15. If a restaurant closes at 9pm, I usually would never show up randomly at 9pm, but if they offered me a 9pm reservation, I would assume I would be able to access the same food and quality of service as someone sat at 8pm. I explained to the woman at guest services that I wasn’t mad at her, but really wanted IT to fix this on the app. To get there, we had to wade through a crowd of people to get through the esplanade, which is a huge trigger for me. Her solution was to want to call manager and have him come down to talk. By now, I was shaking and trying to explain how he had been quite mean and I really didn’t want to talk to him again. We left, and again, crowded lobby by the elevator. I tried to hold it together, but was shaking and had tears streaming down my cheeks. By the time we got off on our deck, I was having a full blown panic attack and a sobbing meltdown. Likely a combo of All the Things (tm), but definitely activated by this experience. My love, for whom I am so thankful, got me to our room as I shook and sobbed, and got me tucked into bed before they went to get me a pizza and hot coca. We had hoped to see the Northern Lights last night, but it was so cloudy. This morning, the man from Solarium Bistro has called twice: once to ask when we wanted to rebook last night and then to ask if we wanted to cancel our Saturday reservation. Thankful to MxCatLady for fielding those calls. I don’t think I want to go back there, because I am afraid he will be mean to us again. I don’t know what a good solution it…but wanted to be transparent for folks reading along that while Royal says they are great at working folks with autism, what they mean is autistic kids, not adults. Last night’s interactions (and today’s follow up) didn’t have to go like that, and if they truly wanted to welcome all autistic folks, they need to try their staff not to chastise us. Rejection sensitive dysphoria is a real thing and hits so hard. No one has asked if I am ok (I am not) or what I would like to happen, nor have they listened when I said I didn’t want to speak with this particular person. So definitely an area for growth.

After this, MxCatLady bought a fleece lined rain jacket (MrCatLady ALSO ignored my suggestion to bring a rain jacket back in 2018. Clearly, I have type! 🙄), then we checked in for our tour. As a late addition, Royal didn’t have much in the way of excursions, so we bought this separately. We took a trolly over to a (side of the road, real casual) wildlife viewing area, where we saw salmon jumping, lots of gulls, several bald eagles and two bald eagle nests, and some some very neat plants. No bears, sadly. Then we want to the Saxan Village totem park to learn more on the history of totems, and watch people carving them. Plus we got to enjoy a little time in the forest (nature therapy for sure), and I found a little patch of moss which was perfect post for Stimming and grounded. PNW forests just hit different. So soothing. I also loved the shop there, with lots of things from local indigenous artists. I got a pair of earrings for me, a hat for MrCatLady, a magnet for our fridge, and a few other gifts. We got dropped off right next to the ship, but had plenty of time. MxCatLady got some fresh fish and chips (cod), and I got a Thai iced tea bubble tea. After this, we shopped a bit. I always suggest going back a block or two, away from the big (and often franchise) stores to find more actual local stuff and better deals, plus nice people to talk to. We wound up at Bill’s something or other (BBB), and bought a ton of local jellies (fireweed, salal, salmon berry, spruce tips), fireweed honey, some devil’s club salve, and MxCatLady bought be a lovely blingy (for me) ring with a Northern Lights stone and manufactured blue opal. It looks beautiful and happens to go well with my current nails too!

Next up, we have Day 3, and Ketchikan! This was a last minute addition when they changed the stops around, and I have never been here, so it was pretty cool. Despite not being early risers, we got our butts up early, grabbed some hot cocoa for me and coffee for MxCatLady, and headed into town for the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Obviously, I wore my Buffalo plaid dress. It’s a bit spendy ($37/adult), but they kindly gave me an educator discount (also have them for military and veterans, and health care workers/EMTs, just FYI), which I thought was nice. I bought day of but if you know you want to go, you can buy online in advance. The person selling us our tickets (and a flannel for MxCatLady, who already has real lumberjack vibes) was a young queer person. I compliment their nail polish, they said they liked my lanyard (rainbow), as we did the dance of establishing whether we were family. They said how nice it was to be able to see queer folks, as it felt kind of lonely here. We got a similar response from a teen on board who always lights up when we come across each other. I forget sometimes how important it is for young folks to see queer and trans folks being am happy and successful, despite all the policies and social stigma contributing to minority stress. It was really sweet. The show was fun and funny. A few jokes had misogynistic undertones, so a grimace here and there, but overall, fun and well done. Definitely kid friendly. Front rom is both accessible, so we sat there, and it is also the splash zone for the pool related events, so be forewarned. show is slightly under an hour, and worth seeing. hope it is going to let me upload pictures here:

Pics from night two dinner and post dinner towel animal 💜

It’s been a pain in the butt to get enough internet signal to properly write and post, so apologies for being behind. Dinner night two was good in some ways, challenging in others. My tomato gazpacho was like a cold tomato purée (skip!) while the spinach ricotta stuffed mushroom (without bread crumbs because celiac) was delightful and something I haven’t gotten to try on board. Winner for sure. Also Sahil had them make me a version of the peach thing on the desert menu with not gluten or gelatin (a big issue with many of the desserts on board; watch out vegetarians!) and that was lovely. MxCatLady had the calamari, tenderloin, and the soufflé, and reports that they were all tasty. We also have a beverage person now, and asked her to surprise us with mocktails. I got a yummy virgin blueberry mojito (and then another!) while MxCatLady got a mango lava flow. Service was good but slooooooooow. And listen, I actually like having slower, drawn out meals. I am not a WJ style person…but it shouldn’t take almost 2 hours for a 3 course meal 🤷🏻‍♀️. after that, I had planned to see both the Starwater and Goddess shows, but 1) we heard they were both packed (and indoors) and 2) I was low on spoons and high on pain from the duck scavenger hunt, so we decided to listen to our audio book and spend time on our balcony before turning in for the night. pics to follow!

Lunch in the MDR was…meh. I usually love Day 2 MDR lunch; I get mashed potatoes, the sides from the cod (spinach and cauliflower with a caper vinegarette), and butternut squash risotto. I ordered the same thing last night for today. Firstly, even once sat, it took 10 minutes to get water poured, and another 5 for MxCatLady to order (cheese sticks, potato soup, steak frites, and key lime pie). I didn’t have my food brought until 12:50, and we had showed up at noon! And then, it was an odd looking butternut squash risotto, and a huge plate of cauliflower and sautéed spinach with no seasoning or vinegarette. Also no mashed potatoes. Womp womp. When I asked, they said the vinegarette could not be made free of cross contamination (despite ordering yesterday), and brought me a side of plain capers. MxCatLady’s cheese sticks were good, but NOT mozzarella, so don’t be shocked. They said everything was tasty, it nothing was amazing. I will say my veggies were fine but boring, and something was off about the risotto. The cubes of squash were shrunken almost like they were dehydrated, and the rice was yellow. I only ate a few bites, and then headed out to the duck scavenger hunt. Someone from our [other online platform] group put together a whole scavenger hunt around the ship, ending with you getting a large duck. I met some nice folks and we did the hunt together, and I ended up with the “nerd” duck, aka Poinduckster. I was so hot and over heated after the scavenger hunt. Despite last night being nice and cool outside, today, everything was warm and humid, indoors and out. Our AC won’t go below 68, and I don’t know if that actually works, or if they have switched it to heat only, because our room didn’t really cool all day. I opted for a shower to cool off, and then at 4:20, we went to try out North Star. Given our extra onboard credit we got because of the change in schedule, I sprung for the extended trip. I am scared of heights, but it was actually quite nice. Worth it once, but be probably won’t spring for it again. I did appreciate they had an elevator up, and that North Star *is* wheelchair accessible (though not power chair accessible, FYI). MxCatLady wanted to try the crab Rangoon at the Splash Away Cafe (former Dim Sun, former Johnny Rockets), so we got them an order. Big thumbs up here!

Last night, we went to the LGBTQIA mixer for a bit, spent some time hiding ducks, and ended up back in the room, listening to the waves and an audio book. I slept like a baby, as I usually do on cruises. Oh! And we ran into @gowensricksand her lovely family is well. today, we had a quick continental breakfast from room service, and headed over to the Top Tier event in Two70. Captain Kristoff is surprisingly hilarious. For those interested: 1611 C&A members total 913 Gold 275 platinum 112 Emerald 229 Diamond 70 Diamond plus 12 Pinnacle Following this, stopped by La Patisserie for hot cocoa (I got chai syrup in mine while MxCatLady got cinnamon white chocolate in theirs), bought a hoodie with onboard credit to replace the one lost at SEATAC, and checked out the pool deck. It was SO crowded and surprisingly warm, so back to the room to enjoy our hot cocoa and the waves. Then down to lunch in the MDR. I have NEVER seen it this crowded; as a table of two, it took us 20 minutes to get sat. We arrived at noon, and when I left MxCatLady at 1pm, they still hadn’t gotten dessert. Compared to the 30 minute MDR lunches I am used to, quite a surprise.

You’re in luck! I am an academic so have no qualms searching for random things. Found it: