TravelBluebird

Won’t be scrubbed; nearly every cruise YouTube channel (including mine) had done a video on the accident. Its important information—will it get excursion operators in the Bahamas and Caribbean overall to pay more attention to safety? Will it get the Cruise Lines to vet their excursion operators better? I don’t know, but its a start letting as many cruisers know about this tragedy as possible.

For me, I do LIVE! threads here at cruise critic, and it seems like Internet will be OK for that! Also should be fine for staying in touch with work//friends. I may need to Zoom for that, so fingers crossed. Also will remain to be seen if I can upload videos to my YouTube channel while on the ship.

Thank you! I’ll have the premium package. I’ve heard prior that the Oosterdam internet was awful; so this report is very encouraging!

Thank you! I know that Oosterdam is supposed to have it done…just trying to find out for sure before the cruise, so if it hasn’t been done for some reason I can prepare myself for work, etc.

How is the Internet? I’m hoping that Oosterdam has the Starlink upgrade because I’m on her for a South America//Antarctica cruise in January, and decent Internet is a must-have for me. Also, gosh, I hope the water issues are fixed before the Antarctica cruises! Hot water is a MUST have for that one!!

I’m on this cruise, and I think (hope) its just a glitch, BUT the cruise IS completely sold out. Just make sure that you let dining know about needing gluten and diary free BEFORE the chef’s table—I know they can accomodate varied requests including gluten free, vegetarian, and even vegan

I also enjoyed Venezia on the initial TA sailing. Well that makes 3 of us! Really enjoyed it!

I’ll be on the Celebration for their first Christmas-decorated cruise! SO excited! Will be doing a LIVE for that cruise of course 😀

It depends. For me, having the room with the large area to lay out in the sun with a wonderful. hammock for my “balcony” AND a peaceful area at the back of the ship with great seating and views made it totally worth it! But having an outdoor area that is not crowded with great views to sit with a book or drink, and to look at the ocean and docking at ports, etc. is high up on my list! If you are more of a pool person, might not be worth it.

All of this is true! Its not quite a “ship within a ship” concept, but has many of the features of one.

That is a great suggestion—having all the Specialty restaurants and amenities for DH is what I want, AND cheaper will let me afford a balcony room! 💕

Ok, the last of my 3 part series on this trip is up! It’s a little late and I tell you why in the video. Plus, in the Bonus content I give a shout out to Cruise Critic! There will be more videos from the trip, including one video on the Specialty Restaurants, one full Review of the trip, etc. This one is a little long, but it covers St. Martin, the last 2 sea days and disembarkation, so I put in Chapters in case people don’t want to watch the whole thing. I can’t believe my next trip and my next LIVE on Cruise Critic is just a month from now, on the Carnival Celebration! I want to try Icon of the Seas, but I won’t sail on Royal Caribbean again without a balcony, and GOSH those prices are still up there! Also want to take DH on a Royal Caribbean trip cause I know he’ll LOVE the specialty restaurants, so I may need to look around for a different ship. Any suggestions?

Back from Kentucky! Here is my promised room tour of the Neighborhood View Interior on Wonder of the Seas:

Finally got the second part of my Vlog from Wonder of the Seas up!:

@Donsyb Makes more sense to me as well! I like my last bite of dinner to be something sweet.

@perfect match You are welcome! I finally got my second You Tube vlog up from the trip; will post a link here as soon as its fully uploaded!

@perfect match I can relate to this right now! I had to take a few days off from social media once I got home—work, plus I’m traveling to Kentucky today to give a talk relating to my non-profit work.

@JustUs275 Good luck and have a GREAT cruise! Yeah, I make myself do the weigh-ins after every tripp. I travel so much, and I’m already on the fluffy side, so I need to keep a watch on the whole thing. When you are a petite gal like me, there’s no place to hide extra pounds!

@Ukigirl Thank you! No Vintages but we had the Giovanni Wine Bar; also looked quiet in the evenings.

One other little note—weighted myself when I got home last night, and only gained .7 pound. And I’m hoping that is water weight from plane day! Was a little worried with all those UDP dinners, but eating light during the day, no snacking (well, except pizza twice) and all those steps and dance classes helped! Plus not finishing dishes when they were too large,

@princess76021 I miss y’all as well; I almost took a photo of my coffee and breakfast this morning and posted it here! 😂 Hugs back, and thank you! 💕

@lazydayz Such a great question! The only time I was ever lonely was in the evening when I would normally be with my husband, sitting in a bar listening to music and dancing. For some reason I felt like an idiot sitting or standing in a bar by myself, so I’d just get one of my non-alcoholic drinks and walk around and people watch, or head back to my room. Formal nights were a little lonely; not as fun to walk around in your nice clothes or go listen to the jazz music alone; and all those families getting photos together! I think i WOULD have been lonely at dinners if I didn’t take my CC friends along with me, plus messages with my family. Overall, I enjoyed being able to do what I wanted when I wanted, and on my own schedule. Plus it was nice to focus on taking photos and videos, or sending a. message to CC—not worrying about slowing down husband, friends and family. Although it was my first cruise solo, I’ve traveled solo quite a bit—After I graduated school, I toured Australia on my own for about a month, and I’ve been going to business conferences in multiple US cities for years. I think that helped. And although I’m married with a fantastic family, I enjoy alone time. When I was alone on excursions, etc., I had no trouble starting conversations! I’m outgoing, and that helps.

My second flight was without incident! I am safely at home with hubby and the kitties! Thank you all for joining me on this LIVE! I’ll monitor for any further questions, and I’ll post when I have additional videos from the trip available. ❤️

Had a good espresso and a nice lunch in the Delta SkyClub. Jambalya soup, sandwich, some salads, lemonade. Brought a cookie along for the flights. Got a ton of work done. Ended up in s swanky B767-300ER for my short flight to Atlanta. Comfort Plus on this bird is better than domestic first! Full foot rest, big TV, cushy seats!

The dining rooms are crowded, but not excessively so. I traveled with a group of 5 and we always were able to be seated together, and also with our favorite wait staff. I agree that finding seating just for 2 each night will be more difficult. The only place and time I felt crowded on a Viking River ship is when everyone would meet before dinner for a talk regarding the next day. Barely enough seating for everyone on board.