Harmony Trip Report April 8-15, 2017: A Cruise to Remember!

[CreativeCruiser119]

Many of these are candids as you can probably tell! Pardon my nerdy side smile!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 11, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

A little dessert on the balcony never hurt! I found myself doing this frequently.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

And Park Cafe on Day 4!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

We always love the towel animals they make! It takes a lot of talent, and the end result is always so adorable!

 

Next up: dinner, Love & Marriage game show & adult comedy show!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Another photo from Central Park!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 4 - Tuesday, April 11th

Dinner, Love and Marriage & Standup Comedy

Even though I didn't feel all that great, I still made the most of my vacation. Once again I can't remember what I had for dinner but we ate in the MDR.

 

We had to hurry through dinner because at 7:15 the auditions began for the Love & Marriage game show, and we didn't want to miss that! We thought this was an odd time, as it had always been later in the past! We made a point to see it on Allure and Liberty after hearing about it on the Oasis after it had already taken place, wishing we had known about it ahead of time. Of course my parents refuse to play! They've been married 24 years. Last year Matt participated in the Battle of the Sexes game show on Liberty, which took place in Studio B and different guests could come out for each round. It was crazy, people were jumping the safety barrier to get out there! Matt participated in the paper airplane challenge. If such a show ever took place on Harmony, we never heard about it.

 

We went to the Royal Theater excited for a great show. I was able to feel better at least mentally knowing that between this and the comedy show, I'd get a lot of laughs that night! The auditions on Allure and Liberty consisted of the auditioning couples being asked to give their best Tarzan and Jane impression, but this time around the phrase was "ooey baby ooey baby I wanna play!" As always, the couples that generated the most applause got to play. I noticed that Abe ran a lot of the events slightly differently, which I think is cool because he's putting his own spin on it. (Not sure if other Cruise Directors do similar variations). For example, the Bellyflop Competition had I believe 2 rounds, and what has normally been just "The Morning Show" was now the "Late Night/ Early Morning Show" which was pre-recorded and played on a loop on the cabin TV from midnight all the way up until noon. As with on past cruises, I often found myself waking up and tuning in in the mornings. Additionally, while past shows included both the Cruise Director and Activities Manager, Abe was completely solo here. I never saw much of Katy (our Activities Manager), although she was the one hosting the Sexiest Man competition on day 2 and also helped out at the Captain's Corner on day 7 when she would bring the microphone to those asking questions.

 

The Love & Marriage game show was funny as expected, as you never know exactly what to expect with these people! After the show ended Mom and Matt went back to wherever they were off to, and Dad and I headed over to The Attic for our 9:00 reservation of the 18+ comedy show. The Attic is the comedy club/ nightclub on Harmony, located in Entertainment Place on Deck 4 between Studio B and the Royal Theater. It takes the location of the Blaze Nightclub on Oasis and Allure, which both have a separate comedy club, called Comedy Live, across the way. That location on Harmony is occupied by the new Diamond Lounge, and The Attic serves as a combination of Oasis and Allure's Blaze and Comedy Live. I absolutely loved the new theme and decor that went into designing this club.

 

The show was opened by comedy host Simeon Kirkiles, who I heard good things about from when he used to be on Oasis. I found out after the cruise that less than a week before our cruise, he lost his house and two cats to a fire. I didn't know about this at the time but my heart is with him and his family, I hope they're doing okay! He was hilarious nonetheless, and after an opening from him we were entertained by headliner comedian Joe Yannetty. We laughed a lot and after the show, got some pizza (I think) and headed to bed. The next day was a sea day so we would be in no rush the next morning.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 11, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Here are a few more miscellaneous photos! The last one is mine.

 

Next up: The Ultimate Abyss rounds 2 and 3, a chat with Captain Johnny & a Q&A with the performers from the Royal Theater, Studio B and the AquaTheater! See you tomorrow with Day 5, have a great night!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 11, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[Wivian]

She usually makes scrapbooks for big trips like these, right now she's busy with planning my graduation party but as soon as that's done it's go time for the Harmony of the Seas 2017 scrapbook!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

Oh I would love to see her scrapbooks :)

I'm a scrapbooker myself and I'm hoping I will scrapbook our last September's Allure cruise someday..

 

And next years Symphony cruise also :D

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 5 - Wednesday, April 12th

More Ultimate Abyss, A Chat with the Captain & Production Cast Q & A

 

Today was a day at sea. We all got up and went to the Main Dining Room for breakfast, as we had come to love their buffet selection, especially with the way they were able to make waffles and pancakes! Even though I wasn't feeling good, like I said I wasn't about to let it ruin my cruise! So after breakfast I headed up to the Sports Deck for another round of the Ultimate Abyss. Sidenote: due to the fact that extreme movement aggravated my cough, I used the elevators for the remainder of my cruise after getting sick. Normally I use the stairs as much as possible to burn off all the calories!

 

I went down the Abyss a second time, this time with no fear as I had already done it and loved it, and was excited to go again! Dad was going to go with me but hadn't gotten to the Sports Deck yet by the time I got there, but the line was short so I went on ahead and decided to meet him up there for another ride down. After landing on the Boardwalk following my ride down the Abyss, I ran into none other than the master of the vessel himself, Captain Johnny Faevelen, AKA the Harley Captain! He was not on his Harley, but was waiting for his drink at Starbucks. I hope they're not charging him!

 

I had met Captain Johnny on the Allure 2 years ago and he remembered me! We shook hands and chatted for a little bit, and I told him I didn't have a camera on me at the moment but I'd be sure to take one with him on Friday after the Captain's Corner session! It was great to catch up, and it was an honor that he remembered me and was excited to see me back on the new ship! I think it's wonderful how proud he is of his accomplishments, not too many people get the privilege of commanding the world's largest cruise ship! He clearly takes pride in his job and is humble at the same time, he's a wonderful man and I hope he gets assigned to Symphony when it comes out! Obviously we won't know that for a while, but we can keep our fingers crossed! The attached photo is from March 2015 on the Allure.

 

After my chat with Captain Johnny I went back up to Deck 16 to go back down the Abyss with Dad. After that the whole family went to Dazzles on Deck 8 for a question-and-answer session with the cast of the main productions onboard the Harmony. There were 2 from the Royal Theater (Grease & Columbus), 2 from the AquaTheater (The Fine Line) and one from Studio B (1887 & iSkate). We had wanted to see iSkate but the only offering after we heard about it was the afternoon of Day 7, when Matt would have preferred to stay at the FlowRider anyway. We learned about a lot of stuff behind the scenes, which was cool. After that we got ready for lunch at Johnny Rockets, which we normally do once a week despite the price, although this time all we had to do was show them the Neighborhood Balcony perks info sheet from my cabin and we got a free meal!

 

Next up: Lunch at Johnny Rockets & another afternoon on deck!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 5 - Wednesday, April 12th

Lunch at Johnny Rockets & Another Afternoon at Sea

As mentioned earlier, today's lunch was at the Johnny Rockets diner on the Boardwalk. On my way in, a bartender walking around with alcoholic beverages tried to sell to me- just another case of me being mistaken for an older man! This time I had my shirt on too! As with last year, I ordered the Route 66 burger and a vanilla milkshake. For an appetizer, the entire table gets French fries and onion rings, with ranch dressing and ketchup in the shape of a smiley face. We also got to see the servers dance!

 

After lunch I went up to Deck 15 for my usual pool and hot tub day, and in hindsight I realized that my hot tub time may have ended up making me even more lethargic! I spent some time in the cantilevered hot tub, then the one in the Solarium, and after that I decided that I would benefit from a nap so I went to the lounge chair in the Solarium where I had placed my belongings and attempted to sleep. But of course, just as I was getting comfortable, it started to rain! The Solarium on Harmony is mostly outside with glass coverings, so the rain was still getting in and landing on me. So I went back to the cantilevered hot tub, since it was covered, although water was still getting in as the roof in the back of the jacuzzi is partly open! So I sat in an area of the hot tub that was sheltered. What's funny is, this was the only rain we experienced all week. This was also the case with our 2015 Allure cruise, as this same day (sea day en route from Falmouth to Cozumel) we experienced a brief shower that passed.

 

Sure enough, this was also a passing shower and after it stopped raining, I returned to the Solarium and attempted to rest again, only to be continually disturbed by leftover water dripping on me from the structure above. So at this point I just decided to give up on napping, and went to the Solarium hot tub. After an afternoon of pool- and jacuzzi-hopping, I met back up with Dad and we headed over to the Sports Pool, where the volleyball net was set up this time. However, he advised me that playing may not be good for my illness, so I watched him play from the hot tub next to the pool. I guess the next time I play will be on Symphony, when we do end up going! Unless they do happen to set it up on the Freedom next year, although the Sports Pool isn't really designed for that as it is designed the same way as the Main Pool in that it has a shallow and deep end, as opposed to on Oasis class where each end is the same depth with a slightly deeper center. So needless to say one team would be at a disadvantage in a game of pool volleyball onboard a Freedom class ship!

 

After finishing up our afternoon on the pool deck, we got ready for dinner. Tonight was the second formal night and since we hadn't packed formal clothing, we ate dinner in the Windjammer.

 

Next up: dinner & the headliner show!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 5 - Wednesday, April 12th

Dinner & Headliner Showtime (Sorry no photos)

For dinner we went to the Windjammer buffet, and once again checked out the selection. Guess what was there this night? Ribs! So needless to say I grabbed quite a few. Yum, ribs! [emoji39]

And of course I followed that up with a large dessert plate because you know, that's how it works in the Windjammer!

 

After dinner we got ready for our show for the evening, which was the week's headliner show starring ventriloquist Ronn Lucas in the Royal Theater. He was hilarious! He did all sorts of cool tricks with his puppets, who kept picking on a lady in the front row named Tara! Poor Tara. Every time he'd make a joke, it always came back to Tara!

 

I've always wondered how they're able to talk without moving their mouths, it's truly incredible! He also picked on Delta, which we loved since they were the reason we almost risked missing the cruise! Of course we were unplugged for the week so it wasn't until we returned to Port Everglades that Saturday when we found out about the whole United situation. It was all over the internet when I checked my notifications upon returning to the U.S.! The airline industry has not been lucky lately, that's for sure.

 

As always, my memory is a bit fuzzy for exactly what we did on which evening, but quite often we would go exploring some and then enjoy my balcony. I'll be back shortly with some photos from our night walks around the running track.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Nighttime Walks on Deck 5

 

As I mentioned earlier on, my dad and I would often walk around the track on Deck 5. One night (I believe Day 2) we noticed that there was an open door to the backstage area for the AquaTheater, so we used that opportunity to peek in and take a picture. Don't worry, nothing private here. Just costumes and some equipment, very cool! And maybe access to the elevators to the top of the high dive towers, as earlier in the review I mentioned being curious how they got up there and speculated that there might be in elevator inside each of the towers. Whether that's true or not is beyond my knowledge.

 

We would spend a lot of time admiring the wake at the back of the ship. We would often stand and look over, as there were no chairs in this area on Harmony as there were on Oasis and Allure. Not that that was a problem, we got a better view standing and looking out anyway! Liberty had a similar area, except it was more like a window without glass as opposed to a railing. It was on that ship where we had access to the helipad as well, which is restricted to crew only on Oasis class. It will be nice to able to do that again next year!

 

On day 2, after walking by the backstage area, we went up to Deck 6 through a stairwell at the back of the ship and watched some of that night's showing of The Fine Line from the side of the AquaTheater. Sorry for going out of order, there was just so much and it's not hard to forget little things that are worth sharing!

 

I'll also note that around the back of the ship on the starboard side of the running track is a bathroom area for service animals. We didn't get a picture of it but we wondered what it was on the Allure and just so happened to run into Jerome the Cruise Director just after we saw it, so Dad asked him what it was and he explained. So we remembered that this time. I'd assume the Oasis has one as well, we just never paid enough attention to notice it. We had one service dog onboard during the week, her name was Chica and she was adorable!

 

My father took all of these photos. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 12, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Of course, we checked out the gym too! We never used it, which was a good break from our lifting routine back home! The fitness centers on these ships are quite advanced, and are very much like my gym back home which is incredible considering this is a cruise ship we're talking about!

 

We used it briefly on the Allure, but that's the only time we've ever worked out on vacation. Occasionally on past cruises Mom would run on the treadmill on the mornings of sea days, but I don't think she did this year with her back. She used to attend daily fitness classes at our local gym, which she has discontinued indefinitely under advice from her doctor.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Next up: Day 6 & Cenotes and Turtles in Cozumel! See you all tomorrow!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LuCruise]

Amazing review with all your detail. Thanks for sharing. Sorry you weren't feeling 100% for the cruise.

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 6 - Thursday, April 13th

Our Morning in Mexico

Okay, my apologies again for a lack of reply- I am part of my school's newly-founded wellness club and to wrap up our launch week to put our club on the map, we ran an "unplug day" event today. So I stayed off everything during the school day, with the exception of email as I needed to contact teachers to arrange times to give them their grad party invitations!

 

Now back on topic. Day 6 was an early day, but I had never done this excursion before so I wanted to tough it out. We were doing the Cenotes & Turtles excursion on the mainland, which is Playa Del Carmen. So we got up while it was still dark (I don't remember the exact time), ate breakfast in the Windjammer and watched the sun rise from our table. We also watch the Rhapsody of the Seas pull in beside us, which I was expecting as I happen to know someone who was on her that week and we were discussing prior to our cruises how we would be in Cozumel the same day. I have attached some photos of the ships side by side- when I returned to school after break, my friend mentioned to me how she thought her ship was big until she saw ours! I told her it's still Royal Caribbean, which is the best way to go!

 

We got off the ship and boarded a ferry to Playa Del Carmen, which my mom did not enjoy due to the bumpiness of the ride! Another passenger was leaning off the boat- she never did end up throwing up, but if she did the wind would've blown it in our faces! I'm glad she's okay!

 

After the 40-minute ferry ride, we arrived on the mainland and took a van to our destination with our tour guide, Paco. Our first stop was the sea turtle area, where we took a boat out to the area where the turtles were. I spent a bit of time out there but after Mom got seasick from snorkeling, I accompanied her back to the boat and we sat down there. I did see one turtle, but Dad and Matt stayed out and saw quite a few and captured them on my GoPro. I will have him send those photos to me and post them as soon as I get them!

 

After the turtles, we headed over to an area with cenotes, which are basically caves with water, for a lack of better description. I was getting tired again so I considered doing it, but after being told the water would be very cold I decided to just sit out and lay down on the bench. Call me crazy, I probably looked ridiculous hogging the whole bench but at the time, I wasn't feeling all that great but wanted to enjoy my vacation as much as I could so I decided to lay down there! Don't worry, I wouldn't normally do that!

 

Soon after that we got back in the van and headed over to the beach club for the more relaxed part of the excursion. Next up: lunch & an afternoon at the beach club!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 13, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Amazing review with all your detail. Thanks for sharing. Sorry you weren't feeling 100% for the cruise.

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Thank you so much, I appreciate you following! It wasn't that great but I made the most of it, as you can tell! Stay tuned for more!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 6 - Thursday, April 13th

Lunch & Relaxing at the Beach Club

This was the third year in a row we've been to Cozumel. During our Allure cruise we visited the Chankanaab Park, which we loved but also wanted to expand our options. So, last year on Liberty, we did the Playa Mia excursion. Chankanaab had a beach, restaurant and pool area, and we spent a lot of time snorkeling and swimming there. We loved it. Playa Mia was similar, except we also got a boat ride that offered complimentary soft drinks and for the adults, rum punch and margaritas. The minimum drinking age on all the islands (I believe, I know for a fact Jamaica and Mexico) is 18. I was 17, so my parents let me have a few sips. The beach club also had a floating aqua park similar to Arawak in Labadee.

 

We always book all of our excursions directly through Royal Caribbean, which I recommend as not only is it safer that way, but they are coordinated with ship's time. We had booked Playa Mia again this year, however a couple months before our cruise, we got an email from RC that they were no longer offering that excursion. Why that is, I'm not sure. Make other people got sick after eating the buffet food like my parents did? Anyway, I posted a thread on here asking what some good excursions were; a lot of users suggested Mr. Sancho's, which I plan to talk to my parents about and look into for next year. From what I understand, it is also a beach club and seems to have very good reviews here on CC. If anyone has done it before and has opinions, your input would be very much appreciated!

 

Now back to the review. After arriving at the beach club in Playa Del Carmen, we were led to a table in the buffet reserved for Paco's group. I enjoyed some authentic Mexican cuisine and also took advantage of the leniency of the laws in Mexico, as you can tell by the first picture in this post. Shhh, don't tell! While at the table we were seated by a young couple from our ship, who, as it turns out, also came close to missing their cruise as a result of the Delta situation! After 2 plates of food I headed over to the patio in front of the buffet, which was very peaceful and contained couches and nest-shaped chairs, which you can see me resting in. It had peaceful music and there were even massages being offered nearby- it was basically a beachfront spa. The "nest" chairs were so comfortable, we're looking into buying one to hang out on our patio this summer! The patio is under the deck, so we'd be able to hang it and relax in the shade by the pool. Boy will that be nice! Almost summer time, only 3 weeks from Sunday until graduation day! Not like I'm counting down the days or anything!

 

We were all dry at this point so we didn't feel like going back in the water. There was, however, a very nice beach here, which we took the opportunity to take some photos on that may likely end up on our 2017 family Christmas card! There was no pool at this beach club to my knowledge. Pardon Matt's silly sense of humor! You'd never guess by the pictures in this review that we argue as much as I do, but rest assured we still love each other deep down! And yes, he's slightly taller than me. And I'm 5'7! (Or maybe 5'8", I haven't measured in awhile!)

 

I was too full to finish my beer so I left it on the table planning to finish it later, only for an employee to think I had finished it (I should have expected that) and taking it. Dad had a little bit left of his and didn't want any more, so I finished it while I relaxed in the "bird's nest." So in total I had about one bottle. It wasn't the best thing in the world, but it wasn't bad either and I decided I might as well try it since it's not something I can have back home!

 

I had planned to try it, but promised to limit myself to one beer per port, with the exception of Labadee since it's a private island. Mom and I had planned to get off the ship in Jamaica to get our picture taken in front of the life preserver that they have in all the ports, but I was too tired that day to get off the ship. So, the only drink I had was in Mexico. I strongly advise cruisers ages 18-20 to KNOW YOUR LIMITS when consuming alcohol in ports of call. In other words, have fun, but stay safe! The last thing you want to do is end up lost, stranded and mentally impaired all at the same time in a foreign country! I also don't want to come across as condoning such actions, so here's my disclaimer on that. So if you want to have one drink, go for it! Just make sure you don't overdo it.

 

After relaxing for a bit, it was time to head back to the ship so we took the van back to the ferry, and the ferry back to the ship. With my illness, I wasn't in the mood to go to the hot tub today so I just went back to the room, relaxed on the bed and enjoyed the balcony for a bit before dinner in the MDR.

 

All in all, we loved this excursion. I would have loved it even more if I had been able to experience it all without being sick! The only thing keeping us from doing it again next year is the the distance to the port. Shoutout to Paco and our van driver David for taking good care of us, keeping us entertained and providing us with a memorable experience! Next up: dinner, Columbus the Musical & 90s street party!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 13, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Another picture I forgot about earlier on. Can you tell my mom loves her selfies?! We do love to keep the memories, I look forward to seeing all these photos in her scrapbook!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 6 - Thursday, April 13th

Dinner, Columbus the Musical & the 90s Street Party

After another dinner in the Dining Room, we prepared for the show of the night: Columbus the Musical! I forget what time this was but shortly after dinner we headed over to the Royal Theater to get our seats, while Dad took mine and Matt's WOWbands to order us our virgin cocktails for the show. I had forgotten how much I LOVED (pun intended) the "Love Connection," which is a 3-flavor drink consisting of strawberry, mango and pina colada in separate layers. I found about the Love Connection last year on the Liberty, having my first one during, ironically enough, the Love & Marriage game show! I must say I fell in love indeed.

 

We very much enjoyed the show. It followed the story of Marvin Columbus and his adventure, and we especially loved the way they incorporated modern music that we were all familiar with into the play. After the show I joked to my mom, "I wonder how many record labels Royal Caribbean Productions had to contact to get permission to use all these songs in their show?"

 

After the show ended we headed back to the rooms for a little bit and spent some time on our balconies. I was tired but the 90s Street Party was starting at 10, and I wanted to go as Mom and I had originally planned to. Plus, my balcony had a partial view into the Royal Promenade through one of the skylights in Central Park and when I was relaxing outside and saw the lights and the dancing through that window, I decided this wasn't something I wanted to miss! So I went across the hall, got my mother and we went on to join the fun. As always, Matt and Dad stayed behind.

 

We were a little late to the party; around 10:15 Mom and I arrived on the Royal Promenade and enjoyed the rest of the party. Very energetic indeed! I believe I also used this opportunity to fill up my cup at the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine at Sorrento's, and get some pizza as well. I love all the flavors they have in those machines- how they're able to fit it all in there just baffles me!

 

After the party ended we decided to call it quits for the night, so we went back upstairs and headed to bed for some much needed rest before our final day at sea. Next up: GoPro pictures from our day 6 excursion, then day 7!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 13, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Turtles!

 

My dad took these with my GoPro. Of course, most of the turtles came out after Mom and I returned to the boat! Look how beautiful the tranquil blue colors of the Caribbean water are. It's just so relaxing and aesthetically pleasing to look at!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CreativeCruiser119]

Before I go, I thought this was worth sharing since I posted the pictures of Harmony and Rhapsody side by side: Matt and I posing in Cozumel during last year's cruise in front of our ship, the Liberty of the Seas and her sister, the Freedom of the Seas. See the 270-degree windows towards the top? That's the Windjammer Buffet! This was taken on April 1, 2016. We'll be on her next year!

 

Keep in mind this photo was taken well after the fire, as they did a great job of fixing Freedom up after that. (The incident took place on July 22, 2015 and the 7/26 cruise sailed as normal). There might still be some visible damage as most of it was on the opposite side, but nothing too bad. The ship looked great from what we saw of it! I also heard that the fire was handled very swiftly, calmly and professionally, so kudos to RC for that! I'm not at all worried about that happening again during our cruise, especially since I know I'm always in good hands with this cruise line.

 

Cozumel is a port where you will often see Royal Caribbean ships docked side by side. We docked next to the Navigator of the Seas in Cozumel on March 13, 2015 during our Allure cruise. If there's a picture of that, I have no clue where it is!

 

Next up: The Ultimate Abyss final edition, Captain's Corner Q&A and our last full day at sea! See you tomorrow with Day 7!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 13, 2017 by CreativeCruiser119

[CreativeCruiser119]

Day 4 - Tuesday, April 11th

An Impromptu Day on the Ship!

Today was our day in Falmouth, Jamaica. Our plan was to go into Ocho Rios to climb Dunn's River Falls and swim with dolphins, as we did when we did this same itinerary on the Allure 2 years ago. I woke up in the night with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, knowing it was what had started off as a simple sore throat the night before, as most sicknesses do. We got up around 8 and ate breakfast in the Main Dining Room. I was so lethargic, I could barely walk, much less climb a waterfall! I wanted to do the excursion, but after a lot of thinking, didn't think I would be able to with the condition I was in- it was more than just a cold! The fact that it was far, in addition to the strenuousness of the activity, was part of my decision- it was a 40-minute bus ride, as opposed to something like in Labadee where I could just go back to the ship if I didn't feel good.

 

I was bummed about missing out but decided it wasn't that big of a deal since I'd done it before. Mom and I stayed back while the other two went on and did the excursion. Mom went down to the Shore Excursions desk to refund our tickets, and came back to check on me. We went over to her cabin and my temperature came up as a fever. Just great! I wasn't about to let it ruin my vacation. After napping for a couple hours in her cabin, we decided to use the day to our advantage to spend some quality time together without Matt there to demand her attention! (He and I have a love-hate relationship).

 

Around lunch time we left the room to check out Park Cafe, which I had never had before. Her and Dad had tried it on the Allure one day after returning the ship from an excursion, when I went to the Solarium while they went for a snack. I decided to try the famous Royal Kummelweck, which is the roast beef. It was delicious! We sat inside the cafe. As mentioned earlier, my cabin was directly above Park Cafe and if you looked straight down, could see people eating at the tables in the cafe's alfresco seating area.

 

After lunch I went back to nap for a little bit, and if I remember correctly, when Matt and Dad returned Dad and I may have gone to the hot tub. After that we went to the Dining Room for dinner. Since I missed the excursion this day, I have attached a family photo from when we did this same extrusion during our 2015 Allure cruise, as well as a couple photos that Dad took this year of a friendly cat at Dunn's that we remembered from the last time we were there! Two heads later and he's still just chilling there! You know by now we love cats [emoji38]

 

Next up: a few additional photos from earlier on!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I JUST noticed the error. At the bottom of the last paragraph, I meant to say years, not heads! Sorry about that as I'm sure all of you were wondering what in the world I meant by that! I really need to proofread. Anyway, I'll be back later today (technically, since it's Saturday here in central time) with Day 7!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[prekteacher]

Really enjoying your review and the information about the shows. Did you do the rubicon, that puzzle escape room? Or see or hear of anyone doing it? Haven't heard much about it. Good luck on your graduation! Best wishes on your future endeavors and cruises.

 

Barbara