h20skibum

Looks like we were in the same place. A couple more pictures from top tier

Bad caretakers that we are, we left Daryl in the cabin, because he didn’t want to see the show. Got back, and he was lounging in my robe.

Hairspray was kind of “eh” for us. It ain’t no Mama Mia. A couple photos from the show.

We had reservations for Hairspray, but we had a little time before the show, so we played visual trivia of holiday movies. We did pretty poorly, but I did guess this one. A Miami Vice was nice.

We got out of the dining room in only a little over an hour. So, of course, that left some time to make a donation to the casino. We tried our best to channel the luck of @Lionesss but we failed horribly, and I am now the proud owner of a $0.39 voucher. Daryl, on the other hand,,,,,

My thoughts exactly.

Yes, Daryl is supposed to be a llama. He was disappointed there were not any of his kind at the carousel. He had to be satisfied with a horse.

We have early, traditional dining, so we were in the dining room at sail away. We felt a little motion, but it was not bad. I expected much worse with the wind, waves and rain. I have read those horror stories about the food in the MDR, but I have no complaints from our first night. I had my go to choices of Escargot Prime Rib And cheesecake No complaints, but Susan had the chocolate custard, which she said was rubbery.

Finally, I was able to stop at the Copper &Kettle for my first voucher drink. A Boston Iced Tea Party It wasn’t too bad, and wasn’t watered down like some in the past.

It was nice to see that our OBC posted right away. In the past, it would take a couple days to show up on the account.

You did better than me. Actually, my first drink was water with my lunch, and the second was a latte from the Crown Lounge I guess they have both signs up, so people don’t get too confused. No letter restricting access to the lounge this sailing. Given the number of families with kids, I think there are a lot of new cruisers. We always bring a bottle of Carmel along to add to our lattes

Our luggage was delivered, and we had everything put away by 2:00. I kept checking my AirTags, and it said one was with me, but it showed one in the parking lot. That is when I realized I had moved one of them to a small carry on we were leaving behind in the car. When I checked the weather app, it looked like Florida disappeared in a sea of green

Our cabin opened up at 1:00, so we went to drop off my backpack. We are in an ocean view balcony (2D) Some cabin pics. Daryl is bouncing around to get in the photos. They do have lots of storage space in these closets, although I need to work to fit my iPad in the safe. The shower tube looks a little larger. And the view aft from our balcony.

Lunch on boarding day was at the Solarium Bistro. It is a more relaxed and calmer experience than Windjammer. They had a pretty nice selection of food. I don’t think I ever saw carrot cake prepared this way. But Daryl enjoyed it.

Daryl is in a port side cabin, but he was afraid he would get blown overboard.

Boarding was pretty easy, then we had to get a few photos before going to the Solarium for lunch. He has natural abilities in the water. And, do you suppose we could just leave him, instead of a towel?

It was perfect. Dry, and not too windy when we boarded. Walked onboard at 11am, with Daryl in tow. Thanks for the bon voyage wishes, everyone.

I thought I mentioned that it was a deal with the grandkids. We would send them daily pictures of Daryl, and they would send us elf pictures. We had a great multi device FaceTime with everyone, to sing happy birthday to him.

You are right, the bow is to the left in the photo. The photo is from the entrance to the port from the sea. Symphony is at terminal 18, and Apex is across the channel.

Easy drive to the port. Twelve minutes from the hotel. Luggage dropped, thru security, and waiting in the terminal. Took a little longer, because Daryl got stuck in the scanner. He wanted to know why we didn’t have to ride on that belt. He is giving me death stares.

Thanks to both of you. It isn’t raining at the moment. Bags are packed and ready to go in the car. Leaving shortly to hopefully avoid some rain. Nope, tied up on the starboard side. Easy way to remember is Port and Left have the same number of letters. I even have a pair of socks that are labeled left and right, so if I forget, I just have to look down. 😂 I am ok, unless I put two lefts on, but I only do that when I go dancing, so I have an excuse.

I like the easy way to do your safety briefing on the app. It sure beats the old way of going to your cabin , grabbing the life vests, and dragging them to the muster station with thousands of other people, all while trying to not spill your drink. 😂 You can complete the app section at 8am on boarding day.

That will be nice. Although we don’t have that long of a drive from home to Cape Liberty, we still haven’t managed to sail from there. A few booked there, but all were cancelled for one reason or another. Our August cruise, we are flying the family to Florida for a cruise on Utopia.

Today is. With some luck, the rain will not be too heavy when we get to the port. It will be windy. I hope Daryl behaves and doesn’t get blown overboard. As Marvin Gaye would say …..Let’s get it on. I am not sure if that song is strictly appropriate, but it works for me. 😂

Well, look who showed up in port this morning. Looks like we will be boarding on the starboard side.