The time I took my kids on a 90's cruise *LIVE* Grandeur of the Seas April 2-7th

[mandyleighflies]

It's TIME!! Spring Break 2023. 

 

Grandeur of the Seas, GS 8512. 

Miami/Key West/Labadee and some day's at sea in-between. 

 

Attempting a *Live* cruise this week on Lady G but as many of y'all know, wifi can be tricky. This will be the oldest and smallest ship my kids (14 and 16) have ever sailed on and since she's a lady of the 90's, we will be jamming all week to my 80's and 90's classics to stay in theme. Luckily for me, my kids love that genre of music so no complaints *cue's up Gloria Estefan*.  My parents will also be sailing with us, they are in a JS and I will show y'all around their cabin as well. We are looking forward to a great week! Here is what we know so far. 

 

We are all flying into Miami on Saturday. My parents will be on a direct flight (DTW-MIA) Saturday morning and the kids and myself will be on a direct flight (DCA-MIA) on Saturday afternoon. I am a Flight Attendant in my real life so I will show y'all how we not only pack for vacations, but how we also like to spoil those who care for us on our trip. We will be staying in a hotel by MIA that offers free airport shuttle and a shuttle to the port for $14 per person on cruise day. 

 

On Sunday, embarkation day, we have noon boarding times and are in no huge rush to board the ship as rooms are usually not ready until 1pm (ish) and my ritual when I get onboard is to MUSTER on my way to my room and get a moment to drop off our stuff and look around. Since the early 00's I have been the oddball human who has to wipe/spray down her cabin, whatever they clean with leaves a smell and sticky residue that just doesn't agree with my senses. I travel with travel sized cleaning wipes and Lysol spray and I use both daily on our trip to keep things clean (insert probably undiagnosed OCD here). I also like to unpack my things and get them settled early so we do not have to do this later when we would rather be at the pool or Schooner bar...

 

This sailing I did purchase the UDP and DX beverage package. My daughter (14), mother and I LOVE to get fancy and eat a nice sit down meal but my son (16) and my father are more Windjammer all meals types. Therefore, my Mom and I purchased UDP for myself and my daughter as we are the one's who will get the most enjoyment and use out of that package. Lady G has 3 specialty dining locations, Chops, Izumi and Giovanni's. The 3 of us will have dinner in each one and have 1-2 nights of dinners with the guys in Main Dining Room,  my dad is not the sit down and eat type so 1-2 hour long meals is enough for him (too many years of business/client dinners did him in for fine dining). As I mentioned above, I did end up purchasing the DX drink package. The kids have the refreshment package as they love mocktails, iced coffees and the occasional soda. I was originally going to also go with the refreshment package and purchase alcoholic beverages ala cart, however, RCCL had a sale on the DX package that basically made my break even between ala cart pricing and the purchase of the DX package 3 drinks a day...it was a no brainer for me.  Keep an eye on those package prices as your cruises sneak up....

 

We do not have a shore excursion planned for Key West as my kids and I have been there many times and know where to go and what to do/see. My parents have not been so we will show them the spots for 6 toed cats, key lime pie, chickens and MAYBE a drink or two for the adults 🍹😆 

 

On Labadee, we have an overwater bungalow booked on the suites beach. My dad is retiring from full time work in May and he wanted to celebrate with this treat to the family after 40+ years of full time work and business travel. I believe my mom is going to book my son and dad on a sailing shipwreck tour, but I'm not 100% sure if she has done this yet or just talking about it. Stay TUNED.  My mom, daughter and myself are looking to have an awesome beach day in the cabana and my daughter and I MIGHT take a shot at the zip-line, I am for sure doing it but she is hesitant. 

 

Our flights home on Friday are not until the early evening, I pre-reserved a luggage storage arrangement with a local travel agency and have reservations for lunch at Versace's in Miami Beach. We will enjoy a leisurely afternoon in Miami before heading to our homes in VA and MI. 

 

Follow along with us as we prepare and sail onward!! 

 

🐠 Amanda and Crew 💃

 

 

 

[mandyleighflies]

I started the packing process a couple of day’s ago for myself and for the kids a couple of weeks ago as they needed warm weather/summer clothes anyway. 

 

Because I live out of the suitcase for work, I had to start with cleaning out work things and storing *throwing* them in my closet…this suitcase is in vacation mode now. 

 

When I am on vacation, I change clothes a few times a day. I have something to grab coffee/breakfast in, something to work out in (yes I am a gym person with minimal effort but I go), pool/resort things and evening wear. Whatever I wear to dinner is what I am wearing out for the rest of the evening, it is what it is and I put in effort so…TA DA. Then of course I have comfy things for my cabin to sleep/lounge around. 

 

 

She’s in vacation mode now folks. 

 

 

Here are 5 day’s worth of casual/resort wear big Thanks to Shein…cheap, cute and most of these materials do not wrinkle. These are all rolled and stuffed into suitcase, also these collapsable sun hats are a huge win for packing purposes, I believe I got this one in Vegas. 

 

 

Dress to Impress, Caribbean night and evening wear. Easy to pack and yes I will repeat an outfit (the audacity, I know)

 

 

Beach and Pool. I have a robe style cover up for Labadee and a dress style coverup for ship as I do not like walking through public spaces in basically my bathing suit alone. Shein is also a huge shout out here as these were on sale for $7.99 a piece. Boom, done. 

 

 

Cabin/lounge wear. Comfortable LAYERS…once again, I am not a fan of PJ’s in public so I pack yoga/active fashion for my morning coffee/lounge runs. 

 

 

Active wear, shirts with built in sports bra? SOLD. Less stuff to pack and deal with. I brought enough to workout each day, but realistically I will probably only need one top, but let’s aim for needing both.

 

 

I carry on my suitcase with my clothes, we will all carry on our suitcases for going TO Miami but will gladly check them coming home because I honestly don’t care about them too much at that point. I work there…they will get them to me eventually. I CHECK this bag. I introduce to you, our liquids and shoes bag. First of all, this is the Weekender tote from Beis, I LOVE this bag. The bottom is hard sided so you can put things like shoes in there and it won’t collapse on your things. The top expands and remains open for packing purposes, this is my weekend trip bag but for this trip it’s our liquids/cabin bag. In this bag, my shoes are packed in the bottom and inside, in large baggies, are all of our sunscreens, lotions, skincare, etc. I also always travel with an in-cabin medical kit complete with extra Dramamine, advil, DayQuil/nyquil, Tums, Pepto, anti-diarrhea meds, band-aids, etc. Did I mention I am most likely undiagnosed OCD? Yeah. The idea of this bag is we check the things that if the company happened to misplace our bag (it’s ONE flight so if my own company cannot handle that, I am terrified) we would be able to easily replace the things in the lost bag and go on with vacation. 

 

 

[mandyleighflies]

Side note.

 

Since we are cruising with my parents, we both took on some of the packing items to share in the travel burden. I am bringing enough sunscreen for 5 of us and my parents are bringing the tower outlets for our cabins. Lady G was built in the 90’s so 2 outlets in the entire cabin will never work for this family of screen sirens. 

 

Side Side note.

 

My husband is a pilot at a competing airline…he is training on a new plane this month so he will not be joining us on this sailing. 

 

 

Insert hubby who will be in simulators while I spend his *our* money on vacation. Thanks babe!! 

 

 

This was also me on my last trip before vacation. 🖖 LIVE LONG AND PROSPER COWORKERS 🖖 I AM OUTTA HERE. 

[mandyleighflies]

Also, here is a breakdown of what is in our baggies in liquids bag. Some of you might find it useful, others *like myself* just enjoy looking at photos of things. 

 

In-Cabin Medical Kit (ICMK) 

 

Cabin Clean Items 

 

Items for the Sun and Bug Spray (once again for 5 of us)

 

Personal Care items and our OWN BINGO dotter. 

 

 

[ONECRUISER]

Took my 2, 4 and 7yr old Kids on Grandeur in the 1990's. Back then she was one the largest in a group called "Mega Cruise Ship's" they'd just added Computers to use my AOL acct, Kids program provided me with a Pager in case my Kids needed me. We did couple 7niters and couple 10niters on this Ship 22-27yrs ago. Back then half to most the stops were Tender Ports. Pretty sure made Diamond on her on one the first "All Soul Cruise" in mid-90's, even had The Spinners onboard. ...Looking forward to Cruising on this Ship again through you! Thanks for bringing us along!

[GetToLivin]

80's baby and 90's teen here, I am here 👏for👏this👏! Love reviews that include pics, they're the only ones I can get through with interest, thanks for taking us along!

 

1 hour ago, ONECRUISER said:

 they'd just added Computers to use my AOL acct

My dad STILL has his @aol email address and yes, uses it 😆

[mandyleighflies]

It never fails, we have sick Guinea pig right before vacation. Took Clover to the vet this morning and he is having tooth pain issues.  Sent home with meds and directions….and one super cuddly and clingy baby. 
 

 

Luckily, my husband will be home for a few days the day we leave so Clover will have him. Clovers “roommate” Roswell, well he is just annoyed at all the attention Clover is receiving. 
 

 

It really is like having two more kids LOL

[mandyleighflies]

36 minutes ago, GetToLivin said:

80's baby and 90's teen here, I am here 👏for👏this👏! Love reviews that include pics, they're the only ones I can get through with interest, thanks for taking us along!

 

My dad STILL has his @aol email address and yes, uses it 😆

SAME. That’s why I’m posting lots of pics, they are the only ones that keep my attention also lol

[crewsweeper]

Looking forward to reading about your cruise while on mine.  

 

Not sure (nor need to know) your Dad's age, but fully get being tired of all the fine dining. 1/2 my 40 years of working were on that circuit. used to know all the maitre d's of top spots in LA and Houston, back last century.

Edited March 30, 2023 by crewsweeper

[mandyleighflies]

2 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Looking forward to reading about your cruise while on mine.  

 

Not sure (nor need to know) your Dad's age, but fully get being tired of all the fine dining. 1/2 my 40 years of working were on that circuit. used to know all the maitre d's of top spots in LA and Houston, back last century.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Which sailing are you on? Dad is pretty youthful and retiring at a healthy age but SO OVER working hours and business dinners. 

[GJustice]

Enjoy your cruise. We were on Grandeur last fall and she's still a great ship. Lots of peace and quiet and not so much bells and whistles.

[Cherful59]

@mandyleighflies, Following along.  My sister and I sailed on Lady G last August and had a great time.  Loved the ship.  We also pack over the counter meds we share just in case.  Hope clover is feeling better soon and Roswell gets over being miffed.  Enjoy you cruise.

[goldfish65]

It’s good to see someone so excited, making extra effort to be prepared and see that all generations have fun. 
 

I love Grandeur too, even though people emphasize how “old” she is. 

[perfect match]

We have been looking at a cruise on Grandeur next year, but haven’t booked yet. We will be very interested in a first hand look at Grandeur through your eyes. I’m sure she’s a great ship 🛳️. 

[relaxatsea]

Thanks so much for your review, and especially for the pictures!  We will be on Grandeur for a B2B in Jan., 2024, so this is very helpful to us!

[Merion_Mom]

Um.............  @mandyleighflies  - what is the Desitin for?  😮 

[goldfish65]

^^^ chafing I bet.

[mandyleighflies]

5 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

Um.............  @mandyleighflies  - what is the Desitin for?  😮 

 

LOL because you NEVER KNOW when you might be in discomfort and need some relief 😆😆 honestly half the stuff I pack in my ICMK is "just in case" situations that I have seen others in before and don't want to experience first hand without 

[mandyleighflies]

Good Morning y’all!! Started Spring Break celebrations with champagne and a FaceTime happy hour with friends of mine last night and OYE my head this morning. Oh well, there’s Advil and coffee for that problem. 😜 

 

Today will be pretty laid back, we leave tomorrow afternoon so today will be pre-vacation house cleaning, the completion of packing and laundry, and one last healthy home cooked meal before a week of chaotic eating *and drinking*. 

 

 

Clover is out and eating this morning so that’s a GREAT sign, maybe he was acting sick to get our attention for cuddles and sympathy, it worked. Our piggies are house broken so they are free to roam in our living room. Yes you can house train Guinea Pigs, it takes a LOT of time and patience but I had all of 2020 to do it so….our next set will not be free roam piggies as I will *hopefully* never have that kind of time at home again. 

 

 

My kids have the Beis suitcase’s and they are astounding. Tons of storage space and have a built in weight feature, not an issue for us as we are not heavy packers, but I could see how it could be useful to others. It is also so much easier to pack my son versus my daughter, he really just cared that he had enough bathing suits, she has outfits to coordinate to shoes 🙈

[mandyleighflies]

12 hours ago, Cherful59 said:

@mandyleighflies, Following along.  My sister and I sailed on Lady G last August and had a great time.  Loved the ship.  We also pack over the counter meds we share just in case.  Hope clover is feeling better soon and Roswell gets over being miffed.  Enjoy you cruise.

 

Everyone has had wonderful things to say about Lady G and that makes me even more excited to sail this weekend!! Clover is doing much better….Roswell will always be miffed, he’s a drama King but it’s allowable as he’s adorable. 

[mandyleighflies]

11 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

It’s good to see someone so excited, making extra effort to be prepared and see that all generations have fun. 
 

I love Grandeur too, even though people emphasize how “old” she is. 

 

I truly chose this ship and itinerary based on having a true *fun old fashioned family Christmas…I mean spring break*  

 

I wanted my kids to experience the style of ship I started sailing on in the 90’s, teak decking, no big bells and whistles. A true family centered vacation with stops in familiar and fun places and a beautiful and fun sized ship to take us there. I fell in love with cruising when I was a kid on the Fantasy class ships of Carnival, my kids have fallen in love with it even younger than I was but on the larger ships. I wanted them to experience these “classic” cruise ships before they are no longer an option.  

[mandyleighflies]

 

Oh look it’s me with literally anything not vacation related today. 

[Cherful59]

Absolutely, it’s like my 4 1/2 year old great nieces would say, you’re going on “cation”.  That exciting, take some time to relax, and enjoy time!

[mandyleighflies]

51 minutes ago, Cherful59 said:

Absolutely, it’s like my 4 1/2 year old great nieces would say, you’re going on “cation”.  That exciting, take some time to relax, and enjoy time!

That’s adorable 😆 thank you!!!

[mandyleighflies]

Kitchen cleaned, guinea pigs area cleaned and pet sitter confirmed. Laundry in progress and packing is nearly complete. My daughter is the only one who hasn’t packed yet 🙃 For whatever reason, the kids have a full day of school today. It’s interesting how different school districts approach spring break. When I was a kid, the last day of school before spring break was always a half day, at least. Oh well, at least it will make today go faster for them. 
 

The only “chore” I have left to do is go to the gym and it’s across the street so I have no excuse. 
 

I completed and packed our goodie bags for the flight attendants, the hotel front desk, our room steward and our concierge. 
 

 

For the FA’s I made One bag for each flight. They contain a thank you card, cookies, PB eggs and $2 each for hotel van tips. Of course, gifts are never anticipated, but they are always appreciated. Technically, you are not supposed to give flight attendants cash however, we always need dollar bills for hotel van tips so I threw some in there for them. 
 

 

These are the goodies and thank you cards for room steward and concierge. I will complete the cards and add additional tip money at the end of the cruise for them. 
 

For the front desk staff at the hotel, I am giving them a bag of peanut butter eggs, and a thank you card.
 

I know none of this is necessary. However, people who work in the hospitality and travel industry are often away from their families for long periods of time so that we may go on vacation or have somewhere to stay. I just like to show my appreciation for their time. 
 

OK now off to the gym after looking at all this candy, I think I gained weight. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by mandyleighflies