mac_tlc

The wifi is serviceable. I have heard folks being able to do zoom calls. It certainly is fine for typical stuff. I have done a couple speedtests. Here are the screen shots: I intend to do one every day or more then post all the results on a map so folks can see the geographical variability, if any. mac_tlc

A few random thoughts on CoCo Cay. We have been there 5-6 times since the redesign and it really is a much better stop, IOHO. I know some folks consider the changes gaudy or amusement park like but for those of us that don’t really want a sandy beach day, the lagoon pool is wonderful. One issue we had this time was the ear-splitting continuous music at the pool. When we were there in May, the DJ started at 12 noon. That gave a little time to actually be able to talk to the person next to you. This time it started at 10:30 and never stopped. It is not possible to talk to the person next to you. I know, my age is showing😜. Maybe an hour break for the overworked DJ??? Just a thought. mac_tlc

In Nassau today, with the Disney Wish and Carnival Liberty. Not sure if anyone will get off today, maybe a couple of us for a short walk. Did Jamie’s Italian last night and had a great meal. With a group of eight, they basically bring you every appetizer and serve it family style. Let’s everyone get a taste of everything. Were originally scheduled for the ice show but decided to not rush dinner and will go this afternoon at 3:30. Also Grease tonight. Dinner is at 150 Central Park, only 4 of the eight will go. Honestly, we are not as fond of 150CP since the menu change a few years ago. We enjoyed the previous menu, especially the bread salts….. But, for research purposes we will suck it up and go 😂. mac_tlc

Our daughter, spouse and grandkids took the boat to Disney Springs. Glad they are running again. mac_tlc

Enjoying our day at CoCo Cay. Since there are eight of us, we got an Oasis Lagoon cabana. Black Friday sale at $399, a great price. Here are some pictures: One of the best perks of having a cabana is not having to bring any towels from the ship!

We have arrived at Perfect Day at CoCo Cay ….. and have some neighbors. Explorer of the seas is here!

Thanks! It is a much different experience than when the wife and I go alone. mac_tlc

@OCSC Mike is correct. We arrived at about 10:45, there were a handful of spaces on level 2, we parked on level 3. The top outside deck has cones blocking it , later they were probably removed but the garage was not full when we left. mac_tlc

We are attending the Aqua show tonight. Half of our group is here, the other half Is going to the movie in the Royal Theatre. We saw this show in 2019 and it was not our favorite Aqua show (that is reserved for Aqua80 on Oasis), but, for research purposes, we are willing to give it another try! mac_tlc

The filet is one reason we do CK night 1. It is (was) very good! mac_tlc

Dinner is in Coastal Kitchen tonight. It’s pretty hectic as night one usually is. This is our first time in CL on Harmony, and it is flipped from Oasis/Allure and appears to be smaller but I don’t think it is. Bar is not near the window. We will not be back to CK for dinner until Day 7, unless we change our schedule.

Lunch was in Sabor today. I do like Sabor and there are only a couple ships left where it exists. We pretty much had one of everything.

And here is our captain arriving !

Here is this weeks show schedule:

Made it onboard. With a group of 8 , it takes longer, plus the COR process seemed to be new to the check in person. Overall, about 45 minutes from curb to checkin. Raj met us in the terminal and escorted us to the Suite lounge, we’re there about 11:40. Suite was ready at 12 and it is really big. Here are some pictures of the living area, I’ll post the bedroom pictures later.

I see the lovely lady has made it back to PC! See you in a couple of hours… mac_tlc Edited to add : UGH!! Tried to post a photobut got the cruise-critic-dreaded upside down post . Annoying.

All packed and ready to go to the ship tomorrow. Plan is to leave the house in Orlando at about 9:30 - 9:45 and, after the required stop at Dunkin’ , head to Port Canaveral. mac_tlc

Hi Frank, Great to hear from you, Terri and fondly remember our 2018 Allure sailing ! We are looonnnggg time DVCers, taking the tour in November 1991, when there were only three building of what is now OKW, and a Hospitality House. Bought in February 1992. Those free passes were fabulous, although they were not useable at the Animal Kingdom when it opened in 1998. Our grandkids are quite spoiled, with this being their third Star Class experience. We also hope our cruise, or WDW, or DL paths cross again !!! Your home state is still on our bucket list, with the requisite trip to Aulani!! mac_tlc

I think the kids did a lot more of the wine part than the food part! mac_tlc

One last morning cup of coffee on the patio at OKW. That mound in the picture leads to the 4th hole of the Lake Buena Vista golf course, one of the original courses at Disney— that hosted a PGA event for a bunch of years. The villas at OKW are built around holes 3 through 8 and many have a course view. Haven’t found any golf balls yet but I’m still looking. mac_tlc

Whew, it was a hot one today ! Five of us spent the morning getting our Covid tests via Rapid Test and Trace. WooHoo !!! All negative. That plus the other three folks with COR's means we all board on Sunday. Rapid Test and Trace process was easy peasy, about 15 minutes total per person, negative certificate e-mailed and checked before the session was ended. Spent a sweaty five or six hours in Animal Kingdom and Epcot, with a little Skyliner excursion in between. Lots of crowds, long lines, and sporadic attraction unavailability. The kids and spouses are at Epcot tonight. Hmmmm -- I wonder if the Food and Wine Festival had anything to do with it???? We have the grandkids in the well air conditioned villa at Old Key West --- a fair trade. Our set sail passes for Sunday have an 11am arrival time but in speaking with the genie that may be a bit early for the suite to be ready for us -- we may arrive a few minutes later and head to the Suite Lounge for a spell. Tomorrow is check-out day at Old Key West and a heavy packing day. The kids have another Disney park day scheduled for tomorrow, the wife and I are "blacked-out" of weekends with the annual pass we have. No worries for us, we will probably be back down in November. mac_tlc

So a little about our Covid testing scenario. 7 of the 8 of us are fully vaccinated and the youngest is half way there. Four of the eight had Covid about three weeks ago. So after so hemming and hawing we decided to go the Certificate of Recovery route for them. Three of those four have a positive PCR test result taken at least 11 days before departure and have received their COR. The youngest is in that group and had to go in person to get it, the other two did it online with MDanywhere.com. Easy peasy. The forth’s PCR test came back negative so he will have to test two days prior. We have out tests scheduled with RapidTestamdTrace for tomorrow staggered thought the morning. Using the freebie government tests. Hope it all works out. Things are changing quickly now and the youngest could now get by with an antigen test but we will forego that since he has that positive PCR and the COR. I had checked with Royal to make sure this will work and was told it is OK. Also double checked with our genie, who triple checked with guest services and we should be OK. All fingers and toes are crossed. mac_tlc

It is certainly comfortable for a few days. Old Key West was the first resort Disney built for its timeshare business back in 1991. I guess they really didn’t know how popular it was going to be. OKW rooms are some of the largest in the “vacation club” portfolio and requires the lowest points per night to book. Really a great value compared to some of the others, IMHO. We have been members since 1992 and OKW is one of our home resorts. It really is a special place for us and the kids…. and now the grandkids… mac_tlc

Finally got into our room about 6pm. It’s a Grand Villa, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, dining area, living area, laundry room, two stories. It’s a few more square feet than our house in CT. Here are some pictures. Entry and living room: Master bedroom and bath Other bedrooms and view from second story:

We might! Depends on how long we end up at the parks. It is very hot, we did HS today from 8:10 to 3:00. Kids are doing extra magic hours at MK tonight. mac_tlc