LIVE - B2B 10/26 and 11/2 Halloween, Birthday, and President's Cruise

[A&L_Ont]

If Mark likes the mozzarella sticks, he should like the ones at CoCo Cay. Very tasty. 🥰

[aring75]

Just now, A&L_Ont said:

If Mark likes the mozzarella sticks, he should like the ones at CoCo Cay. Very tasty. 🥰

Good to know, I’ll tell him. Is that at the Snack Shack location?

[katiel53]

1 hour ago, aring75 said:

I think if the UDP is on a great sale we would consider it. But we just don’t eat like this. Not even on a cruise. I definitely think it’s too much food for us, but you can plan your day to make it work better. We’ve been having very light breakfast- coffee and a pastry. Then trying to do earlier lunch when we use the UDP on sea days. That seems to be the best way.
 

 

I agree that there is too much food.  We are "good eaters" and eat our fair share of food, but even without eating breakfast on sea days, having lunch at Noon and dinner at 7, we don't have room to totally enjoy dinner.

 

Our lunches have been a burgers, a salad or a quesadilla in a specialty restaurant with no apps or desserts.  Our last cruise had 4 sea days and by day 2 we decided not to have lunch in a specialty restaurant so we could enjoy dinner.  

 

We ended up going to breakfast and skipping lunch and then we were able to have an app and entree at dinner.  Most nights that I had steak in Chops, I didn't finish it as I wanted to have room for dessert.  I couldn't finish the dessert, which was probably good for me in the long run.

 

We have it again for our next cruise and will definitely skip the lunches  in the specialty restaurants on the sea days .  I think it was much better for us when they had the 5 night dining package.

[aring75]

So, we were supposed to have a gift bottle of champagne delivered on the first day of this cruise. For my birthday, for the whole festive atmosphere, etc. I had been given a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque from a very good friend. 
 

Problem is...it was never delivered. I found out about it yesterday and she was crushed that I didn’t get it for my birthday. So I called GS last night, they had no idea. She forwarded me her confirmation email (which I HATE that she had to do) and I went to GS this morning. I spoke with the Restaurant Services Manager and he told me they would have to “initiate an investigation into what happened with the initial delivery.”

 

That’s all well and good, and I get that you need to figure out where your pricey champagne went, but in the meantime, what do I do? It’s day 4. They could tell I wasn’t exactly satisfied with their answer, but I dropped it for the time being. 
 

Shortly after we returned from SXM, I had a knock on the door. It was two members of the Restaurant Services team delivering my chilled champagne with two glasses and an apology. 😊

 

They still don’t know what happened, but I’m betting someone got a special surprise in their cabin on embarkation day. 
 

Now, 15 minutes later, another knock at the door and a member of the Guest Services team has brought me a “We’re Sorry” bottle of champagne (not the expensive stuff, but not bad). Now I can let my friend know that she really took care of me for me b-day. 😂

[aring75]

Aaaand we have just received a third bottle.
 

The super-cheap stuff this time, but who’s complaining. Going to have to find space in the suitcase at this rate. 

 

 

[Tulsacoker]

Looks like you should expect a bottle of water to finish it off 

[aring75]

Just had a Bravo Bravo Bravo call. Learned it was a trash can fire in a crew area. All is well again. 
 

Sounds like possibly a careless mistake. If so, somebody’s going to be in some trouble. 😳

[Bronx12]

Quick question, are the beds comfortable or do we need to bring a mattress pad?  I'm going to ask John also.

Thanks in advance 🙂

[aring75]

8 minutes ago, Bronx12 said:

Quick question, are the beds comfortable or do we need to bring a mattress pad?  I'm going to ask John also.

Thanks in advance 🙂

I’ve heard several complaints and read a few on the book of face page. 
 

This is what I did. I went to Target . com and ordered a lightweight egg crate mattress topper (1-1/2 in I think). The king size was $15 delivered right to my door. It’s wrapped up very tightly in plastic wrap and fit in the bottom 1/3rd of my large-sized suitcase. 
 

When we got onboard we unwrapped it so it could air out and asked our stateroom attendant about making up the bed by later that night. We will leave it onboard at the end of our cruise. No problems. 
 

Plus, now we will have extra space in the luggage on the way home. 
 

Good thing, I might have some cheap wine for this year’s Thanksgiving Breakfast mimosas. 😂

Edited November 5, 2019 by aring75

[Bronx12]

Thanks a lot! We've gone to Wal-Mart and purchased one on a previous cruise, and left it when we disembarked 🙂

[Norcruiser]

11 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

 

Haha! I apologize so much for my big head🙈

[ptod]

5 hours ago, aring75 said:

St. Maarten today. We’ve been here a dozen or so times, so today we grabbed a taxi to Maho for some drinks and eats at Sunset Beach Bar. Taxi right at the port was $16pp round trip. They give you a wristband when you pay and you just show it at the Maho Beach taxi stand for a ride back to the port. 
 

When we arrived at 10:45 (ship’s time), it wasn’t too crowded yet.

 

4 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Totally agree...we love that place!  Had some great rum punch and fantastic fish sandwiches.  We were told the reason the plane traffic is light early in the day, is because the big jets don't come in until later in the day.  Which would put you back to ship late...cutting it close.  The traffic going back through town to get to the port can be brutal sometimes.  😮 

 

Great pictures...looked like fabulous weather too!  🙂 

 

Going to St. Maarten for the first time in January.  Thanks for explaining how the taxi rides work.  Could you share good time to grab a taxi to Sunset and how much time to allow for return trip to pier?  Thank you!

[aring75]

8 minutes ago, ptod said:

 

 

Going to St. Maarten for the first time in January.  Thanks for explaining how the taxi rides work.  Could you share good time to grab a taxi to Sunset and how much time to allow for return trip to pier?  Thank you!

We like to do an early lunch, so leave the ship around 10:00-10:30 and go straight to the taxi stand. Keep in mind, St. Maarten will probably be an hour ahead of ship’s time (stay on ship’s time).

In will take around 25-30 minutes to get to Maho in the morning. Allow at least double   that on your way back in the afternoon. Traffic can be bad and you don’t want to cut it close getting back to the ship. We always take the all aboard time and leave a minimum of an hour and a half to get back. 
 

Today was pretty good for us. Only took about 35-40 minutes back. 
 

HTH 😊

[aring75]

1 hour ago, Norcruiser said:

Haha! I apologize so much for my big head🙈

Pretty sure it’s my shortness that gets me into trouble in the theater! 😂🤣

 

(And my lateness, but that’s another story.)

[aring75]

Hooked Dinner tonight. Pictures to come. 
 

Back in the cabin, a blanket with a handle. Because, of course it needs a handle. 
 

 

And also, do they always do this? Because this is fantastic. 
 

[cruisegirl1]

The stadium blanket needs a handle so we can carry it to the football games. A great gift for those who live outside of Florida. Maybe I can pick one up on eBay.   
 

m

Ps-what are the hairspray gifts?  Hairspray?  
m

[aring75]

12 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

The stadium blanket needs a handle so we can carry it to the football games. A great gift for those who live outside of Florida. Maybe I can pick one up on eBay.   
 

m

Ps-what are the hairspray gifts?  Hairspray?  
m

That makes way more sense now. 

And Yes. An exact replica can of Ultra Clutch hairspray. Aerosol and fully operational. 😁

[A&L_Ont]

5 hours ago, aring75 said:

Good to know, I’ll tell him. Is that at the Snack Shack location?

Yes.  We got them at a few locations on the island. They have a great marinara dipping sauce too.

[windjamming]

On 11/4/2019 at 9:51 PM, aring75 said:

So they have interactive games on the Boardwalk you can play using the RCCL app.

 

You line up your phone with the sign.

 

Press the Boardwalk Game button on the app on your phone. 
 

And it launches an interactive game using your phone. 
 

 

 

You may know this already. There is also an interactive feature to look inside the bridge on Deck 12 forward. Similar setup - line up your phone with the art, and you'll get an x-ray live view of the bridge. 

 

And .. echoing all the other readers here expressing their appreciation. This is a wonderful review. Thank you taking time out of your vacation to share with us. You look like you're having a blast. 

[aring75]

Dinner last night was at Hooked Seafood. We’ve had lunch here, but the dinner menu is slightly different. 
 

 

We were seated next to a window overlooking the Solarium and the Royal Visa Cardholder event. We were planning to go, but other things got in the way. Looked like a fun time though!

 

 

This time they brought us three cheddar cheese biscuits. Three biscuits for two people. That’s just mean. 
 

[aring75]

So Mark got the crab and clam chowder this time, because he really liked the few bites he had of mine at lunch. I think it’s pretty good too, but we are in FL where it is difficult to get a GOOD clam chowder. Many people might find this one mediocre as it’s not your traditional thick, rich, hearty chowder.
 

 

I ate cheese biscuits and tried the specialty cocktail for my appetizer. 
 

 

Main course was The Captain’s Platter. You have a choice between cod or salmon for the broiled fish. 
 

 

And a side order of lobster mac and cheese for me  

 

 

And corn on the cob for Mark. 
 

[aring75]

14 minutes ago, windjamming said:

 

You may know this already. There is also an interactive feature to look inside the bridge on Deck 12 forward. Similar setup - line up your phone with the art, and you'll get an x-ray live view of the bridge. 

 

And .. echoing all the other readers here expressing their appreciation. This is a wonderful review. Thank you taking time out of your vacation to share with us. You look like you're having a blast. 

Ah, thanks for reminding me about Deck 12. I did know, but I keep forgetting to go up there and see it!

 

And thanks! Yes, we are having an amazing time. 😁

[aring75]

Adult Comedy Show last night. 9:00pm

 

 

Good view of the stage. Lots of front-row interaction. 
 

 

Simeon Kirkiles is absolutely hilarious. We’ve loved him every show in which we’ve seen him. Al Romas did a really good job playing off the crowd and got a ton of laughs. Jim Davis was still funny, but tonight, didn’t seem to connect as well with the audience as the other two comedians. All-in-all a very funny show, and we might try to get to the one in the theater on the last night. 👍

 

[grapau27]

18 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Ah, thanks for reminding me about Deck 12. I did know, but I keep forgetting to go up there and see it!

 

And thanks! Yes, we are having an amazing time. 😁

I think your food photos are fantastic.

Interesting views in St Maarten.

We usually get the water taxi in Philipsburg and Pauline looks in all the jewelry shops.

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by grapau27

[MancGirl21]

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