Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[HBE4]

19 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm assuming ABC islands? I have all 3 booked for next april on adventure. I have adventure booked for Bermuda 8 days in sept, and b2b in december with eastern, and whatever over xmas. DR in December will be new to me and we are supposed to hit labadee over xmas. So 4 on adventure booked. I also dont think I've been on adventure before so read your description with interest. I hadnt realized this was the class where pizza combined with the cafe though had it on another ship. Each one has a new port for me I havent been to. Booked for ports, rather than ship. DR on eastern new and bonaire on abc. You mentioned aruba and curacao but not Bonaire? 

 

Well, it was kind of the ABC islands as long as the B stands for Bahamas. 😁  As in Coco Cay.

 

I’m not sure why we didn't stop at Bonaire since we were so close. I would have loved to snorkel there. My guess is that Royal invested a lot of money into Coco Cay so it’s going to try to work it into as many itineraries as possible. Icon was at Coco Cay as well and there was a fear the island would be overrun so my friends left the ship promptly at 8 am to secure a spot. I wandered off a little later, around 10:30 am when the first of 3 mini-monsoons was about to hit. That sent most people back to both ships while I sought shelter at one of the food stands.  Plenty of space at the pools, bars, and food stands after that🙂 And fortunately, there was plenty of time between the mini-monsoons to enjoy all the amenities.

 

Curacao was a new port for me which is why I did the Cave and Walking tour of Willemstad.  Both the cave and the walking tour of the town were interesting and the guide was very professional and informative. How she could talk non-stop for 4 1/2 hours was impressive. I did get to see the swing bridge in action so that was fun.

 

Aruba was Kukoo Kunuku beach tour which took us to the California light house, Alt Vista Chapel and Arashi beach. It was a great excursion with a fun guide and plenty of party music. The only blemish was that beach loungers were not included in the fare but were told that we could rent them at the beach. That was not the case as the loungers at the beach were already reserved (prepaid) by another excursion. A Carnival excursion as that was the only other ship in port at the time.  They showed up about 10 minutes after we did & by the time they took all the reserved chairs, there were only 6 or 7 left over for the 50 of us that were on the bus. Not a big deal as we all shared. I just needed a place to put my stuff down as I spent most of my time in the water. The tour was booked thru Royal and was 4 1/2 hours total length with about 2 hours of beach time.

 

Any questions you have about the ship or excursions, please feel free to ask. I'll try to answer as best I can.

 

[Luckynana]

5 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Sure sign that autumn must be near, I saw first pumpkin flavored donuts in the supermarket today.

Yum!  That means Pumpkin Spice coffee can't be too far behind!😉

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

I’ll just hide here.  Nothing will make me come out!   Nothing I say. 
 

 

Except maybe a box.  
 

 

I think Rickie doesn’t want any more group hugs!

[HBE4]

10 hours ago, helen haywood said:

@HBE4 Glad to hear you enjoyed your various adventures!  But, more importantly, has Leonard forgiven you for your departure?

 

So I got home pretty late, close to midnight. I assumed Leonard was already fast asleep in my step-daughter’s bedroom as that is his usual spot.  Within 10 seconds of me being home, he crept out and plopped down in the middle of the living room, glancing up at the ceiling and walls, as if he was trying to be Mr. Joe Cool and say “Oh, I just happen to be sitting here, looking around.  Did you go away? I hardly noticed you missing”. He is a cat after all.

 

That facade lasted about 10 more seconds before he lept to his feet and warmly greeted me by trying to trip me while going up the staircase.  I’m sure he meant it in an affectionate way. He was my shadow for the rest of the evening and most of the next few days.

 

[Sunshine3601]

17 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Yum!  That means Pumpkin Spice coffee can't be too far behind!😉

Wawa's near me starting serving pumpkin spice coffee last week.   I hate the thought of summer coming to an end but sure do love pumpkin spice coffees.

[HBE4]

16 hours ago, sgmn said:

Glueing and chaining to street furniture, bollards etc is a popular choice in climate protests in the UK 

 

Hopefully they use Non-toxic, Eco-friendly glue that is biodegrade. 😉

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I’ll just hide here.  Nothing will make me come out!   Nothing I say. 
 

 

Except maybe a box.  
 

 

Has anyone ever figured out why cats love boxes?  Warmth? Safety somehow?  I don’t know if I’ve ever met a cat that didn’t like a box, including Merlin. 
 

[firefly333]

45 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Well, it was kind of the ABC islands as long as the B stands for Bahamas. 😁  As in Coco Cay.

 

I’m not sure why we didn't stop at Bonaire since we were so close. I would have loved to snorkel there. My guess is that Royal invested a lot of money into Coco Cay so it’s going to try to work it into as many itineraries as possible. Icon was at Coco Cay as well and there was a fear the island would be overrun so my friends left the ship promptly at 8 am to secure a spot. I wandered off a little later, around 10:30 am when the first of 3 mini-monsoons was about to hit. That sent most people back to both ships while I sought shelter at one of the food stands.  Plenty of space at the pools, bars, and food stands after that🙂 And fortunately, there was plenty of time between the mini-monsoons to enjoy all the amenities.

 

Curacao was a new port for me which is why I did the Cave and Walking tour of Willemstad.  Both the cave and the walking tour of the town were interesting and the guide was very professional and informative. How she could talk non-stop for 4 1/2 hours was impressive. I did get to see the swing bridge in action so that was fun.

 

Aruba was Kukoo Kunuku beach tour which took us to the California light house, Alt Vista Chapel and Arashi beach. It was a great excursion with a fun guide and plenty of party music. The only blemish was that beach loungers were not included in the fare but were told that we could rent them at the beach. That was not the case as the loungers at the beach were already reserved (prepaid) by another excursion. A Carnival excursion as that was the only other ship in port at the time.  They showed up about 10 minutes after we did & by the time they took all the reserved chairs, there were only 6 or 7 left over for the 50 of us that were on the bus. Not a big deal as we all shared. I just needed a place to put my stuff down as I spent most of my time in the water. The tour was booked thru Royal and was 4 1/2 hours total length with about 2 hours of beach time.

 

Any questions you have about the ship or excursions, please feel free to ask. I'll try to answer as best I can.

 

I was on carnival dream this past january, 14 days to Panama costa Rica etc and we stopped by aruba and curacao after the first 3 stops. I goofed, and missed my ostrich farm excursion in curacao and was so hoping royal offered it. Hasnt shown up. I was 5 minutes late and given the choice to pay the difference and do 1 of 2 excursions. I picked the sea and see and we did the sub that descends and we didnt see much. I keep hoping royal offers it too. It had really good reviews. Everyone who went said how run it was. We also went to aruba. .. so I too am missing bonaire. Adventure next April goes ro all 3, AB and C. I booked a tour of bonaire already but hoped to get to feed the ostriches in curacao. 

 

I'll be on adventure myself sept 13, the bermuda cruise .. is adventure. Adventure seems to be the only ship doing new ports for me from here. Your review didnt make adventure sound too updated, but isnt she getting some updates later this year? Maybe between my Bermuda and dec eastern cruises? Idk, I just kinda take things a little too lackadaisical maybe, I shouldnt have missed my excursion. That sub wasnt too exciting. We didnt see much. I saw that kukoo excursion, sounded like a beach party bus. Not my thing. 

[helen haywood]

6 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Has anyone ever figured out why cats love boxes?  Warmth? Safety somehow?  I don’t know if I’ve ever met a cat that didn’t like a box, including Merlin. 
 

Well, here is a scientific explanation.

 

https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/why-do-cats-like-boxes#

 

 My personal opinion is the uber scientific “They’re cats.”

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Spent the day with our grandkids.  They wanted to make cookies to take in their lunch tomorrow.  
 

 

Lots of chocolate chips. 

 

Kids after my heart. ❤️

[HBE4]

30 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I was on carnival dream this past january, 14 days to Panama costa Rica etc and we stopped by aruba and curacao after the first 3 stops. I goofed, and missed my ostrich farm excursion in curacao and was so hoping royal offered it. Hasnt shown up. I was 5 minutes late and given the choice to pay the difference and do 1 of 2 excursions. I picked the sea and see and we did the sub that descends and we didnt see much. I keep hoping royal offers it too. It had really good reviews. Everyone who went said how run it was. We also went to aruba. .. so I too am missing bonaire. Adventure next April goes ro all 3, AB and C. I booked a tour of bonaire already but hoped to get to feed the ostriches in curacao. 

 

I'll be on adventure myself sept 13, the bermuda cruise .. is adventure. Adventure seems to be the only ship doing new ports for me from here. Your review didnt make adventure sound too updated, but isnt she getting some updates later this year? Maybe between my Bermuda and dec eastern cruises? Idk, I just kinda take things a little too lackadaisical maybe, I shouldnt have missed my excursion. That sub wasnt too exciting. We didnt see much. I saw that kukoo excursion, sounded like a beach party bus. Not my thing. 

 

Aruba also has an Ostrich farm so check to see if Royal offers an excursion on that island.

 

Aside from a few mechanical issues I noted in my earlier post #127870, I thought that Adventure was in fine shape. She's a beautiful ship and everything was kept clean. I didn't notice any stains, dirt or dinginess anywhere. Some in my group have sailed on Icon, Harmony, etc and kept remarking how much more modern the decor was on those ships.  I'm probably not the best person to ask as the "newest" ship I've ever sailed on was Anthem & I felt the decor in Adventure was just fine. 

 

Someone on my cruise had mention that it was going into dry-dock in Oct or Nov of this year but had no other info if it was just the routine change-the-oil & rotate-the-tires or if they would be updating the amenities on the ship. I doubt they'd update cabin decor.

 

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

Hopefully they use Non-toxic, Eco-friendly glue that is biodegrade. 😉

Hopefully they had trouble getting unglued and have rashes, bald patches and lost skin.

[HBE4]

On 8/13/2024 at 4:06 PM, h20skibum said:

That is what we found when we booked Princess for our upcoming January cruise on their newest ship.  We got a longer itinerary with drinks, WiFi and tips, plus a nice OBC for less than Royal with no extras.  We haven’t sailed Princess since 2017. Looking forward to trying out their medallions. 

 

 

I booked what I *think* might be my first Princess cruise, Alaska June 2025. But now some of my cruise friends are trying to lure me onto a NYE cruise aboard the Sun Princess, their newest mega-ship.  This New Years Eve, so that could be my first Princess cruise.  We shall see.

 

[grapau27]

Good morning Dani @dani negreanu and friends.

I hope you are all safe and well.

I called at the beach with my breakfast and the rain is pouring down now.

Best wishes for a wonderful day to y'all.

[h20skibum]

4 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

I booked what I *think* might be my first Princess cruise, Alaska June 2025. But now some of my cruise friends are trying to lure me onto a NYE cruise aboard the Sun Princess, their newest mega-ship.  This New Years Eve, so that could be my first Princess cruise.  We shall see.

 

That would mean you would be on the sailing just before ours.  Like Royal, it looks like they charge a hefty premium for the NYE sailing.  

[Ocean Boy]

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Wawa's near me starting serving pumpkin spice coffee last week.   I hate the thought of summer coming to an end but sure do love pumpkin spice coffees.

I also dislike summer ending. I like not hearing the furnace and having to pay to be warm. The days are getting shorter which makes it hard to get a bike ride in after work. At least football has started and it is great being back with the kids.

[Ocean Boy]

7 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Aruba also has an Ostrich farm so check to see if Royal offers an excursion on that island.

 

Aside from a few mechanical issues I noted in my earlier post #127870, I thought that Adventure was in fine shape. She's a beautiful ship and everything was kept clean. I didn't notice any stains, dirt or dinginess anywhere. Some in my group have sailed on Icon, Harmony, etc and kept remarking how much more modern the decor was on those ships.  I'm probably not the best person to ask as the "newest" ship I've ever sailed on was Anthem & I felt the decor in Adventure was just fine. 

 

Someone on my cruise had mention that it was going into dry-dock in Oct or Nov of this year but had no other info if it was just the routine change-the-oil & rotate-the-tires or if they would be updating the amenities on the ship. I doubt they'd update cabin decor.

 

I think the decor on Adventure is fine too. Though I think Odyssey steps it up. The cabin colors are very soothing and I think it is just a very classy ship.

 

I think my next cruise will be on Freedom which pretty much has the same cabin decor as Adventure.

[h20skibum]

19 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I also dislike summer ending. I like not hearing the furnace and having to pay to be warm.

Add me to that group.  I have enjoyed the low utility bills this summer.  It is 54° here this morning.  

[Ocean Boy]

10 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Add me to that group.  I have enjoyed the low utility bills this summer.  It is 54° here this morning.  

Tonight is supposed to get into the 50's here and I think today is only going to make it to 70.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think the decor on Adventure is fine too. Though I think Odyssey steps it up. The cabin colors are very soothing and I think it is just a very classy ship.

 

I think my next cruise will be on Freedom which pretty much has the same cabin decor as Adventure.

We have our first sailing on Odyssey booked for March 23rd out of Cape Liberty.   Pretty sure we will like as much or maybe more than Anthem.

 

We booked his and her cabins.  Love the square cabins on deck 6 or 7 (256 & 258) with the extra window and large balconies that we can hopefully open up divider and have my favorite room service breakfast at sea.

 

[Ocean Boy]

49 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We have our first sailing on Odyssey booked for March 23rd out of Cape Liberty.   Pretty sure we will like as much or maybe more than Anthem.

 

We booked his and her cabins.  Love the square cabins on deck 6 or 7 (256 & 258) with the extra window and large balconies that we can hopefully open up divider and have my favorite room service breakfast at sea.

 

I'll be getting off Freedom as you board Odyssey. I did not know about these cabins. Are the regular OVB cabins or Jr Suites?

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I also dislike summer ending. I like not hearing the furnace and having to pay to be warm. The days are getting shorter which makes it hard to get a bike ride in after work. At least football has started and it is great being back with the kids.

I don’t mind summer ending. Fall (and Spring) means the perfect weather for us, away from the summer heat and humidity. Plus, FOOTBALL!  This is the year. Go Bills!

[firefly333]

9 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

I booked what I *think* might be my first Princess cruise, Alaska June 2025. But now some of my cruise friends are trying to lure me onto a NYE cruise aboard the Sun Princess, their newest mega-ship.  This New Years Eve, so that could be my first Princess cruise.  We shall see.

 

I started with princess. It's a more adult crowd, but better food. The carpets are blue on one side and red or maybe its pink on the other so people can tell what side of the ship they are on. Do it before you get too old to enjoy travelling. I can tell I've slowed down. 

[Keksie]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I also dislike summer ending. I like not hearing the furnace and having to pay to be warm. The days are getting shorter which makes it hard to get a bike ride in after work. At least football has started and it is great being back with the kids.

I love Fall.  I love soups, stews, roasts and chili.  I am looking forward to drier air and being outside.

[h20skibum]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We have our first sailing on Odyssey booked for March 23rd out of Cape Liberty.   Pretty sure we will like as much or maybe more than Anthem.

 

We booked his and her cabins.  Love the square cabins on deck 6 or 7 (256 & 258) with the extra window and large balconies that we can hopefully open up divider and have my favorite room service breakfast at sea.

 

 

We had one of those cabins booked on Anthem for April, 2020.  Never did get to try it out.  It has the same square footage as a normal balcony cabin, but a wider balcony.