LIVE! First Time Royal Cruiser In Wonder-land Oct 1-8th Let’s Cruise!

[TravelBluebird]

@Hogrider @BecciBoo  My husband would LOVE the Celine tour. And also St. Martin, so I’ll take him on this tour when we come back here!

[TravelBluebird]

Some little tidbits from yesterday that I forgot to share.

 

Had 2 people who would have been pier runners, coming aback at 5:31, but the little cart driving guy took them back to the ship. So boring.

 

But THEN, a family of 3 got escorted off the ship with their luggage. Don’t know if they were leaving for medical, or if they were made to disembark for a broken rule.  Everyone at the back of the ship was making up stories as to why they left.

 

Finally, I met someone who knew the blood donor for the medical emergency. They said that the person who needed the blood was the person injured in the ice show.  Of course, I can’t confirm this, but that is what I was told. I hope they are OK.  Another vlogger on the ship got footage of the helicopter rescue from their balcony.

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, LisaLisa87 said:

I'm glad you got to experience the aqua show, even though the sound level pushed the limits for you. I think those shows are one of the things that set Oasis class ships apart. I don't recall having an issue with the volume in the past, but I really noticed it on Harmony last month.

 

Enjoy your day at sea. Hopefully the captain will keep you in the sunshine.

 

I hope this is temporary and Royal can re-consider whoever has “turned up the volume” on the shows, so to speak.

 

The show WAS really great; lighting, costumes, those incredible divers!  But I wish there was a way to make this giant area at the back of the ship more useful the rest of the day. Takes up so much real estate on the ship!

[LisaLisa87]

3 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

The show WAS really great; lighting, costumes, those incredible divers!  But I wish there was a way to make this giant area at the back of the ship more useful the rest of the day. Takes up so much real estate on the ship!

 

Wait... You don't consider the belly flop and world's sexiest man contests good uses of that space?? 😉

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

We have noticed it on every ship we have sailed on since the restart.  Although we has sat as far away from the sound source as we could in each venue, some we had to leave because of how loud it was.  I have heard the same complaint from many others.  
 

Seriously, don’t their sound engineers have dB meters, to check levels?

@h20skibum I’m glad I’m not the only one; was beginning to think I was too sound sensitive as I get older.

 

I almost left; instead I just plugged my ears with my fingers.  

 

And YES to those dB meters!  My hubby has reduced hearing due to single engine plane noise in his youth (he used to have a pilot’s license) and loud music. I don’t want to go down that path, and I’m sure all those families that attend the shows don’t want to either.

[TravelBluebird]

3 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Wait... You don't consider the belly flop and world's sexiest man contests good uses of that space?? 😉

 

😂 🤣

 

Just give me some seating and bars and wide-open views and I’m happy.

 

Like on Celebrity. Or Summer’s Landing on Mardi Gras. Or those giant observation areas on the smaller ships like HAL has.  

[CruiseMomTX]

22 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

I like St Maarten better than St Thomas.  We found a beach we really like and there are great restaurants at Marigot. 

@chill6x6 What beach and restaurants do you like in Marigot?  How do you get there, are there taxis available at the RCCL port?  Do you know the cost of taxis there?  Appreciate any information!

[Hogladyrider]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

We've done Celine, those two are great people and we had a blast, worth every penny.  We were active on our roll call at the time and met and shared this excursion with 2 couples from England.

We originally met Neil as he provided the Celine as a "backup" boat as overflow for our group who booked Random Wind.  Both excursions were amazing and the food and beverages were outstanding.  Neil is an amazing host along with his crew.  We would not hesitate to do either excursion again.  Yes boats were damaged during hurricanes but they have returned stronger than ever!

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, Hogladyrider said:

Random Wind

 

This one also looked great so thanks for sharing!

 

It's probably a better fit for us than Celine but my only concern is it seems a bit more focused on partying/relaxing/drinking (which is fine with me) while my wife is more into snorkeling than chilling and drinking. That said, that's why we do excursions like this... she can snorkel more after I've had my fill and I can chill on the boat with a drink. I did pass it along to her though for review.

 

Apologies for invading your blog, Dee.

[TravelBluebird]

Me & my Virgin Colada in the Solarium!

 

TON of ocean front loungers available at 11:40 when I got here!

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by TravelBluebird

[Arzeena]

@TravelBluebird
Can you talk about your cabin? How do you like it?
We have booked a Central Park View Interior on two upcoming cruises, so I am very interested in seeing pictures too.

Thanks.

[Hogladyrider]

7 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

This one also looked great so thanks for sharing!

 

It's probably a better fit for us than Celine but my only concern is it seems a bit more focused on partying/relaxing/drinking (which is fine with me) while my wife is more into snorkeling than chilling and drinking. That said, that's why we do excursions like this... she can snorkel more after I've had my fill and I can chill on the boat with a drink. I did pass it along to her though for review.

 

Apologies for invading your blog, Dee.

I would say yes, Random Wind is more about partying/Tarzan swing etc than relaxing.  Snorkeling not so much, areas we went to were not the best; best choice for swimming and having a good time.  Celine is definitely more geared to all adults good time!

[TravelBluebird]

35 minutes ago, CruiseMomTX said:

What beach and restaurants do you like in Marigot?  How do you get there, are there taxis available at the RCCL port?  Do you know the cost of taxis there?  Appreciate any information!

 

@CruiseMomTX The beaches are outside of Marigot; we went to Orient Beach, and I highly recommend it  (other than the seaweed).

 

The restaurant at Orient Beach, Le Little String, has won culinary awards at the island and the fish dishes there looked incredible!  The restaurant I ate at was a small stall restaurant; I’ll get you the name and will have some video when I get home as well.  Only saw/tasted the salted cod and the conch fritters, but both were yummy according to all reports (I had the cod with the johnny cake).

 

As for taxis, PLENTY of taxis at the RC port.  From taking to people, it looked like $20 to Marigot for 2 people; $30 to Orient Beach; more for additional passengers.

Edited October 6, 2023 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

13 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Can you talk about your cabin? How do you like it?
We have booked a Central Park View Interior on two upcoming cruises, so I am very interested in seeing pictures too.

Thanks.

 

@Arzeena When I get back I have an entire video room tour of the room for you!  I’ll also post additional photos here.

 

I LOVE it—having natural light and an ability to see if it is raining or sunny is great.  In brief, I adore the little seating bench right at the window. And the room seems spacious and set up like a balcony!

Edited October 6, 2023 by TravelBluebird

[Hogladyrider]

@TravelBluebird....how would you rate driving in St. Thomas vs St. Marteen?

 

We always found St. Thomas to be a HOLD ON TIGHT riding experience.  We would often take a cab or open jitney from the port to Secret Harbor or to Red Hook.  Maybe it is because they drive on the opposite side of the road from in the states but definitely crazy drivers.  St. Marteen much more sedate IMO.

Last time we were in St. Thomas a lot of the island still had a long way to go to recover from the hurricanes whereas St. Marteen recovered very quickly.

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, Hogladyrider said:

I would say yes, Random Wind is more about partying/Tarzan swing etc than relaxing.  Snorkeling not so much, areas we went to were not the best; best choice for swimming and having a good time.  Celine is definitely more geared to all adults good time!

 

Thanks for confirming my impression. Close but no cigar.

 

We're likely going back to Captain Bob; it was a pretty balanced mix of snorkeling for her while I could still cut my snorkeling short and chill on the boat (which is why we went on it the first time). We like smaller groups anyway, not huge partiers. The food and open bar were definitely more appealing on the ones you suggested but there's obviously more than enough food and drink on the cruise that I'm not overly concerned about what I'm eating/drinking during a half-day excursion.

[TYMAN]

Thanks Mike!

[TravelBluebird]

9 minutes ago, Hogladyrider said:

We always found St. Thomas to be a HOLD ON TIGHT riding experience.  We would often take a cab or open jitney from the port to Secret Harbor or to Red Hook.  Maybe it is because they drive on the opposite side of the road from in the states but definitely crazy drivers.  St. Marteen much more sedate IMO.

Last time we were in St. Thomas a lot of the island still had a long way to go to recover from the hurricanes whereas St. Marteen recovered very quickly.

 

NOT as bad as St. Thomas (hold on tight on those Jitneys up the mountain is EXACTLY what I felt; was afraid to film as I thought my camera would pitch over!) 

 

Did NOT go up the high mountain to the zip line etc on St. Marteen, so not a fair comparison, BUT the roads are narrow, the drivers crazy, and a TON of traffic. Then the road to Orient Beach was sand, not paved, and bumpy as heck; I’m assuming a paved road washed out during Irma.  The destruction to this area of St. Martin in Irma was catastrophic; its now a sleepy beach with some restaurant shacks, and I understand it was quite different before the hurricane.

[BecciBoo]

3 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

@Hogrider @BecciBoo  My husband would LOVE the Celine tour. And also St. Martin, so I’ll take him on this tour when we come back here!

They served a lunch  to die for, salads and fresh catch of the day plus luncheon meats/cheeses crudite etc.  And served BBBs on the way back to dock, everyone toasting going under the bay draw bridge. Such fun.

[CruiseMomTX]

2 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

@CruiseMomTX The beaches are outside of Marigot; we went to Orient Beach, and I highly recommend it  (other than the seaweed).

 

The restaurant at Orient Beach, Le Little String, has won culinary awards at the island and the fish dishes there looked incredible!  The restaurant I ate at was a small stall restaurant; I’ll get you the name and will have some video when I get home as well.  Only saw/tasted the salted cod and the conch fritters, but both were yummy according to all reports (I had the cod with the johnny cake).

 

As for taxis, PLENTY of taxis at the RC port.  From taking to people, it looked like $20 to Marigot for 2 people; $30 to Orient Beach; more for additional passengers.

Thank you!  Also really enjoying you bringing us all along on your cruise this week.

[BecciBoo]

1 hour ago, TravelBluebird said:

TON of traffic.

Once we rented a car in St. Thomas, but as you said, the traffic was scary, millions seemingly trying to get back to their ships and driving on the wrong side!  Hairy!  Hubs said, next time we take a tour or cab, I'm never driving here again!

Edited October 6, 2023 by BecciBoo

[JessyCruises]

17 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

The Carbonara was another story.  Too salty//cheesy for me.  Hard to get that dish right.

 

I was not a fan of the carbonara either. The Fettucine Alfredo was AMAZING on the odyssey.  If you go back, maybe give that a try?

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, JessyCruises said:

The Fettucine Alfredo was AMAZING on the odyssey

 

That's encouraging as it will likely be my wife's pasta to go with her filet when we eventually try GK. At GT she gets the risotto.

[chill6x6]

4 hours ago, CruiseMomTX said:

@chill6x6
f taxis there?  Appreciate any information!

Actually the beach is before you get to Marigot, Mullet Bay.  Beautiful and cabanas to rent.  Sandy's Creole Cuisine is our go place to eat in Marigot.

 

PLENTY of taxis that will gladly take you to both places.

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by chill6x6

[TYMAN]

We actually enjoyed Carbonara at Giovanni’s. We kind of like a bit of salt. 😁 Actually had our first terrible dinner last night at Hooked. They’re training a new Chef I heard. Ordered Surg & Turf. Lobster, excellent. Ordered Filet medium rare, came our well done. Honestly, I wouldn’t have complained since we got a great UDP deal, but the waiter insisted on bringing another to my DW & I. N ct set of steaks? Yep, well well done. Last set can put raw. Ugh. Other than that, all

has been great