luvseaside

Did walk off disembark this morning. Was a bit concerned in the wee hours last night bc I heard the ships fog horn. But although it is indeed very foggy this am, we docked at 6 am. They started disembarkation a few minutes after 7 am. We were in an Uber by 7:45 am & currently headed to HOU. They were not doing facial recognition but checking passports manually Our Flight isn’t til 4:25 pm but we are going to try to change to earlier 11 am flight since we should arrive at 8:15. 🤞🏻 I will post a summary of our thoughts on trip later

One other thing that has surprised me is the Retreat Pool has not been too windy at all. Past cruises on Regal, I recall it was so windy it was uncomfortable. Maybe just weather & wind direction but it’s been pleasant!

Had a great dinner at Crown Grill last night - service was great & didn’t have to wait long btwn courses or for drinks. Husband couldn’t decide between black & blue soup or shrimp bisque so server brought him both. Listened to piano player & singer in Wheelhouse -he was pretty good. There’s been plenty of musical entertainment in piazza. Random thoughts as we wind down the cruise: More kids than I anticipated but none have been unruly or intrusive. Good mix of younger couples, large multi-generational families and older couples. Crew very attentive-some of best I’ve seen. Our room steward has also been on the ball. The one time I used Ocean Now for a drink, I ended up canceling order. Too easy & quick to go to a nearby bar instead Prego pizza by the pool is so delicious-hot and crispy crust! Haven’t even gone to Alfredo’s which we always do. We’ve been blessed with nice weather except for Monday. Really expected today to be inside and watching movies but we’re at Retreat pool having brunch drinks!

You do have to pay. All machines have a Medallion swipe button to pay to play. Different prices depending on game (btwn $2-6).

Basically they told him if he exceeds his 15 drink they won’t charge him for two extra. 🫤 Decided to go to Vines for charcuterie board for lunch. Piazza having line dancing so it’s hopping. Cruise director staff are very good and engaging.

Had a blast at 80s dance party last night. So much so that we slept in this morning. Lol! Breakfast at buffet-husband got a made-to-order omelette which was delicious. Weather a bit dreary with intermittent light rain so I went to casino for a few minutes and played slots. Then we wandered through shops. Went up to Lido and had a beverage at Mermaids Tail while we watched last half of Barbie movie. And apparently my husband got charged for more drinks than he ordered so we’re now attempting to resolve through crew chat. So far they haven’t fixed it. I’ll update later Went up to Retreat Pool but got chased back to room by a rain shower. Thinking we may just give up pool day and have late lunch at this point.

Went to Captains Circle Party but because of late sailway, no Captain. They passed around a couple of appetizers and had prepared cocktails/wine/beer for free. Had a lovely dinner in Concerto. Oxtail soup (tasty) and goat cheese soufflé (my fave). Reservation was at 7 pm & dining room wasn’t terrible busy at that point. Much better service than Monday. Back to Vines to relax and listen to music before 80s deck party tonight

Vines is our favorite spot on the ship! 😊. Red and Julia are exceptional bartenders. They even let me order off Sabatinis wine menu🍷. If you’re a frequent visitor to Vines, they will sometimes show you favor and let you keep the nicer wine glass for dinner -but we always bring back to them later that evening.

And there’s the Love Boat horn! So we’re off!

Our kayak snorkel excursion with Roatan Ocean Adventures was fantastic. Highly recommend but it’s a strenuous activity, no question. The coral and shipwrecks make it a great snorkel destination. Met awesome couple who went with us & our driver took us to lunch together afterward. So it took longer than I had anticipated - we didn't get back to port in time to check out Mahogany Beach. Having glass of rose from balcony while we get ready to depart. Had to wait on Carnival ship to leave. Roatan is fabulous and I’ll definitely rank it high among Caribbean ports.

It was Wednesday night.

Went to see comedian in Vista Lounge-pretty funny. He got 5 minutes of material just out of the fact he was supposed to board in Cozumel. 😆. Because we had snacked most of the day, we just couldn’t settle on dinner so had another nibble at IC while having wine and finished night sharing a burger from the pool grill before bed. Musical choices around ship were plentiful. We’d seen Fiera before so did not attend show.Also played slots for a little while and am up $100 so no complaints. Have a private snorkel/kayak excursion this morning in Roatan but weather looks a little dreary. We shall see how that works out. Attached is pics of todays patter

Was in Sanctuary from 9:30-3:30. They never did around to giving us afternoon tea but I did see the cart being pushed around. We were just ready to leave and shower for the evening. Personally, Sanctuary just isn’t for us. We’re in our mid-50/ and it’s too quiet and boring. We’re not party animals by any stretch but we like people watching & chatting by the pool. Area is beautiful & worth the money. If you want a sheltered quiet spot, it’s worth it. Food was ok. Service was attentive. I think we are better suited for Retreat Pool cabanas. At PES nightly event in Vista Lounge right now - menu is usual dried fruit, cheese/crackers, guacamole/chips, spring roll and a dessert. Comedian tonight in Vista so we will try to catch early show. Been snacking all day so doubt we will do main dining room. Probably buffet again.

We had a cold front come through so winds were gale force and very high seas. So it wasn’t “lie by the pool” weather unfortunately. Really will just depend on forecast. Yesterday (the accidental sea day) was gorgeous and not too hot. Today is also lovely and sunny. High upper 70s

Ordered drinks (champagne of course!) attendant said food isn’t available for order until 11 am. But he went ahead & took down what we wanted and said he’d get it for us when ready.

Laundry done. Had buffet breakfast while clothes were drying. Got eggs benedict and added smoked salmon to it. Delicious! Finally checked in to Sanctuary. Great loungers facing aft. So pleasant weather-wise today-not too hot at all. Pic of menu attached.

Funny you should ask-doing laundry right now. You pay for tokens with medallion ($3 for token and each machine takes one token.). Soap is also available for a token. Each deck has a laundromat and 4 washers/4 dryers.

Exciting and early start today as an announcement of “Man overboard” came over the ships speakers at 5:15 am. 😲 20 minutes later, Captain Pears informed passengers that 2 men in a small vessel came near the ship and had jumped in the water but managed to get back to their craft so thankfully crisis averted. We managed to get back to sleep finally. In Belize today but don’t plan on doing anything as we booked Sanctuary loungers for the day. As of 8:30, still haven’t heard announcement water shuttles are running yet. There’s 4 ships here today so tenders may take a while.

The only complaint is you don’t see the Super Bowl ads. Lol!

At Wheelhouse Bar now. Husband having an Aviation. Guy playing violin music. Saw the last seconds of special guest performer in theater & realized he was behind me at cafe this morning 😊

Interestingly we’ve not gotten any sort of reimbursement (port fees, etc). I’m “whatever” about it- it was a great sea today so I’ve got no complaints. We didn’t have anything pre-booked so it wasn’t a big deal for us. We just wanted to cruise and be warm. But I understand there are others who looked forward to the ports.

Got wine at Vines and went up to Italian night at buffet. Hanging at aft Outrigger Bar. Very quiet & pleasant.

Haven’t done a Super Bowl cruise in several years. But we went at least 2 hrs before to get a prime seat. They will have popcorn and I believe some items in buffet. Most ships have a burger grill and pizza area by pool already.

Enjoyed retreat pool until 3. Took a while to get lunch at Trident Grill but I do like the new order system with pagers & they still have chicken street tacos, which we love. At PES lounge in Vista Lounge. Have a steel drummer playing. Tyrone Babb has been a constant on our cruises (probably bc we mainly do Caribbean itineraries). Sushi, assorted cheeses and nibbles. No dining reservations tonight and, to be honest, not sure we’ll go back to main dining room this cruise. Have Premier pkg so can do the casual dining unlimited and buffet is always decent.

Captain explained that those ships could withstand higher winds. Wind/current higher than Regal’s thrusters could handle. Pilot boat came out & we tried to dock but it was too dangerous Carnival and Norwegian ships had to abort docking too.