Hopefully live from Harmony! 2/4 - 2/11

[bundtkate]

Hey, y'all! I don't normally do lives because, frankly, I am terribly selfish and just want to enjoy my cruise. But this time, I'm sailing without my husband and with a big group of my extended family that are all guaranteed to be in bed before me. So, I'm going to try to spend my wee hours cuddled up in the inside cabin I'll have all to myself sharing my thoughts on this cruise and answering as many of your questions as I can. I'm all packed and just have one more sleep before my mom pops by to pick me up on our way down to Galveston.

 

So before I kick it off, a bit about me so you know when not to trust me. I'm a 36 year old remote tech worker living with my husband and 4 cats here in currently stormy south Texas. I definitely thought I'd hate cruising until my work brought me on an RCI cruise for our annual company retreat and I developed, ahem, something of a problem. I've since been on 5 RCI cruises (4 for work), 3 MSC, and 1 NCL (got married on that one), and I have 2 more planned (Alaska on HAL Koningsdam and an Arctic Circle on Celebrity Apex which I'm hoping to book on board). I've been lucky enough to stay in a suite twice (Haven and Yacht Club), but you'll normally find me in a standard balcony cabin. I can be picky about food, but I am happy enough with something that's okay. My happy places are in Central Park with a book, in the pub listening to the guitarist with a beer, or outside on deck at night checking out how many stars I can see. I was a theater kid in high school so I love shows, but all of the musicals I like are downers and will never get on cruise ships, though I'll have you know Les Mis did numbers at the box office so I feel like we could make it happen. Think about it, Royal, okay? I will take any cruise with the right itinerary at the right price, but so far Oasis has been my favorite so I'm stoked to be back on an Oasis class ship. Oh and I'm also kinda long-winded. Sorry, you've been warned.

 

The theme of this cruise for me is trying new things. Since I'm only paying for myself, I figure it's a bit less painful to try an experience or service that I end up not liking if I'm only paying for me. Some of the new things I'm checking out are:

 

Not doing the planning - I'm normally that person that obsessively plans for weeks -- okay, months -- and tries to squeeze in everything possible. My husband just asks me where we're going that day and off we go! This time, my mom planned. I'm doing one excursion on my own (noted below), but everything else was all her. I don't even know what hotel we're staying at tomorrow, but I hear there's a reservation for seafood so I'm a happy camper.

 

An Inside Cabin - My husband and I are usually balcony folk and this will be my first time sailing in an inside cabin outside of a suite (we did an MSC Yacht Club inside last month but I feel like that doesn't count as a real inside cabin). I do know I wasn't bothered by the lack of light when waking up, but we'll see how I do without easy access to a totally uncrowded suite lounge and sundeck.
 

The Key - I've always had a similar attitude to many here on CC that it's just not worth it unless it's really close to the price of internet. In this case, it was about $15/day more than internet and I already had an early check-in time, but I wasn't able to get reservations for one of the shows, I hate embarkation day at the Windjammer, and I travel with just a carryon. The Key means I may have a chance at getting into that show, I can have a Chops(-ish?) lunch away from crowds, and I can skip the porters and walk everything onboard. That last bit alone is a $10 tip saved so it's something. We'll see what I think.

 

Snorkeling - Yes, yes, I have been on I think 9 cruises now and I've still never been. I'm doing a Catamaran sail and snorkel excursion in Roatan. We'll see how I do!

 

Specialty Dining - I can't call myself a budget cruiser, but I am weirdly unwilling to pay for a lot of things. Specialty dining is typically one of those. Nothing has lived up to the MDR food on my first cruise on Freedom, but it's all been just fine and I didn't even have to help cook it so why pay more? But, we're trying new things so I'm going to Chef's table (in part because my mom paid because apparently that's what happens when you refuse a family activity because it's too expensive -- moms are pretty great), and Wonderland. Wonderland was totally my idea because absolutely love the concept of Wonderland and I had OBC so I convinced my mom to join me so I'm not feeling all awkward eating dirt by myself and I paid for her seat so I got her back.
 

I'm also foregoing my book in the park to try out several onboard activities including 2 wine tastings and the sushi making class! I'm usually a bit of a wallflower so this is somewhat new too. 😅

Anyway, I think that's just about enough from me today. If the I-35 traffic allows, my mom will be picking me up and I'll be on my way to Galveston around noon tomorrow (okay, technically today since it's 1:30am). We have dinner reservations at Katie's Seafood and after that it'll be maybe some Mardi Gras followed by one more sleep before we board Harmony! I'll check back in that evening with thoughts on whatever the heck hotel we're staying at and if anyone has questions about Harmony, let me know and I'll see what answers I can get you.

 

Edited February 3 by bundtkate

[jturks7]

Excited to follow along! I’m debating taking Harmony on its repositioning cruise to the Med in March 2026.

 

Just a question on booking your next cruise onboard. Are there benefits to this? Do you get the best deal while on-board, more obc, etc.?

[Coralc]

10 minutes ago, jturks7 said:

Excited to follow along! I’m debating taking Harmony on its repositioning cruise to the Med in March 2026.

 

Just a question on booking your next cruise onboard. Are there benefits to this? Do you get the best deal while on-board, more obc, etc.?

The onboard credit awarded has recently been reduced for repositioning cruises: 

 

[bundtkate]

8 hours ago, jturks7 said:

Are there benefits to this? Do you get the best deal while on-board, more obc, etc.?

@Coralc covered the OBC, but so far as price is concerned, I think you get exactly what's on the website and a reduced deposit. Since I'm booking a Celebrity cruise instead of Royal, I think the benefits I get may be different, but if I see definitive info about all the benefits I'll be sure to drop it here.

[bundtkate]

So we're off to a slightly rough start today. Seems I-35 woke up and chose violence so my ride isn't getting here until 2pm. On the plus side, I made a most excellent morning latte (I miss my espresso machine when on a cruise) and it's finally sunny outside so here's hoping our embarkation day will be equally pleasant. Oh, and I realized I forgot a first -- sailing out of Galveston! Despite it being close enough I'd be comfortable driving down day of personally, we've always sailed out of Florida due to most ships in Galveston being older/smaller. The arrival of Allure (and now Harmony), along with NCL bringing Prima to Texas for a spell means maybe we can cruise from closer to home more often. Looking forward to checking out a new home port! 

[Cruzingal#9]

I’ll be interested to hear all about your experience at the new terminal.  Do they look at the check-in times, do you have to wait in line outside (or what time do they open the doors), how easy is it to get through security and check-in?  We will be on the Harmony next month, and although we’ve sailed on her a couple of times this is the first in the new Galveston terminal.

[bundtkate]

7 minutes ago, Cruzingal#9 said:

I’ll be interested to hear all about your experience at the new terminal.  Do they look at the check-in times, do you have to wait in line outside (or what time do they open the doors), how easy is it to get through security and check-in?

I have The Key for this sailing so my experience probably won't be indicative. That said, my mom will be doing standard boarding so I can ask her about her experience after we embark. From the recent reviews I've seen, feedback about the boarding process in the new terminal is pretty positive so here's hoping we all zip through and have drinks in hand quickly. 🙂

[GetToLivin]

Have fun! We have been sailing out of Galveston for a while (North Texan here) and the new terminal is beautiful and well-organized. We always travel down a day early as well, love staying in Galveston and kicking off the cruise with a beach-front hotel and seafood 🙂 Enjoy Harmony!

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Cruzingal#9 said:

I’ll be interested to hear all about your experience at the new terminal.  Do they look at the check-in times, do you have to wait in line outside (or what time do they open the doors), how easy is it to get through security and check-in?  We will be on the Harmony next month, and although we’ve sailed on her a couple of times this is the first in the new Galveston terminal.

I was on for 3 weeks and each week was completely different. I did have earliest boarding time first week and barely got upstairs when they were calling D+. Calling D before I could even make my way forward. I had 11 am time but was on by 10:15. 2nd week customs came on checked our passports good to go ..... except ... we had 2 stowaways. Shouldn't have even had to get off because customs came onboard but the whole crew spent like a hour looking for the 2 idiots who thought they could hide and not get off the ship. We had to get off and stood there for so long people were complaining about being on your feet.

 

I've had excellent and  ot so excellent and in between. Done allure b2b in new terminal easily. Usually if you are early they call starting with D+. (Pinnacles board vip with suites). 

[GetToLivin]

2 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

 ..... except ... we had 2 stowaways. Shouldn't have even had to get off because customs came onboard but the whole crew spent like a hour looking for the 2 idiots who thought they could hide and not get off the ship.

Whaaaat?! They were passengers who tried to stay on? Where exactly did they think they'd stay 🫠 That is crazy.

[Cruzingal#9]

Thanks for all the input!  I am so excited to be in a brand new cruise terminal!

[vickic233]

18 hours ago, bundtkate said:

Hey, y'all! I don't normally do lives because, frankly, I am terribly selfish and just want to enjoy my cruise. But this time, I'm sailing without my husband and with a big group of my extended family that are all guaranteed to be in bed before me. So, I'm going to try to spend my wee hours cuddled up in the inside cabin I'll have all to myself sharing my thoughts on this cruise and answering as many of your questions as I can. I'm all packed and just have one more sleep before my mom pops by to pick me up on our way down to Galveston.

 

So before I kick it off, a bit about me so you know when not to trust me. I'm a 36 year old remote tech worker living with my husband and 4 cats here in currently stormy south Texas. I definitely thought I'd hate cruising until my work brought me on an RCI cruise for our annual company retreat and I developed, ahem, something of a problem. I've since been on 5 RCI cruises (4 for work), 3 MSC, and 1 NCL (got married on that one), and I have 2 more planned (Alaska on HAL Koningsdam and an Arctic Circle on Celebrity Apex which I'm hoping to book on board). I've been lucky enough to stay in a suite twice (Haven and Yacht Club), but you'll normally find me in a standard balcony cabin. I can be picky about food, but I am happy enough with something that's okay. My happy places are in Central Park with a book, in the pub listening to the guitarist with a beer, or outside on deck at night checking out how many stars I can see. I was a theater kid in high school so I love shows, but all of the musicals I like are downers and will never get on cruise ships, though I'll have you know Les Mis did numbers at the box office so I feel like we could make it happen. Think about it, Royal, okay? I will take any cruise with the right itinerary at the right price, but so far Oasis has been my favorite so I'm stoked to be back on an Oasis class ship. Oh and I'm also kinda long-winded. Sorry, you've been warned.

 

The theme of this cruise for me is trying new things. Since I'm only paying for myself, I figure it's a bit less painful to try an experience or service that I end up not liking if I'm only paying for me. Some of the new things I'm checking out are:

 

Not doing the planning - I'm normally that person that obsessively plans for weeks -- okay, months -- and tries to squeeze in everything possible. My husband just asks me where we're going that day and off we go! This time, my mom planned. I'm doing one excursion on my own (noted below), but everything else was all her. I don't even know what hotel we're staying at tomorrow, but I hear there's a reservation for seafood so I'm a happy camper.

 

An Inside Cabin - My husband and I are usually balcony folk and this will be my first time sailing in an inside cabin outside of a suite (we did an MSC Yacht Club inside last month but I feel like that doesn't count as a real inside cabin). I do know I wasn't bothered by the lack of light when waking up, but we'll see how I do without easy access to a totally uncrowded suite lounge and sundeck.
 

The Key - I've always had a similar attitude to many here on CC that it's just not worth it unless it's really close to the price of internet. In this case, it was about $15/day more than internet and I already had an early check-in time, but I wasn't able to get reservations for one of the shows, I hate embarkation day at the Windjammer, and I travel with just a carryon. The Key means I may have a chance at getting into that show, I can have a Chops(-ish?) lunch away from crowds, and I can skip the porters and walk everything onboard. That last bit alone is a $10 tip saved so it's something. We'll see what I think.

 

Snorkeling - Yes, yes, I have been on I think 9 cruises now and I've still never been. I'm doing a Catamaran sail and snorkel excursion in Roatan. We'll see how I do!

 

Specialty Dining - I can't call myself a budget cruiser, but I am weirdly unwilling to pay for a lot of things. Specialty dining is typically one of those. Nothing has lived up to the MDR food on my first cruise on Freedom, but it's all been just fine and I didn't even have to help cook it so why pay more? But, we're trying new things so I'm going to Chef's table (in part because my mom paid because apparently that's what happens when you refuse a family activity because it's too expensive -- moms are pretty great), and Wonderland. Wonderland was totally my idea because absolutely love the concept of Wonderland and I had OBC so I convinced my mom to join me so I'm not feeling all awkward eating dirt by myself and I paid for her seat so I got her back.
 

I'm also foregoing my book in the park to try out several onboard activities including 2 wine tastings and the sushi making class! I'm usually a bit of a wallflower so this is somewhat new too. 😅

Anyway, I think that's just about enough from me today. If the I-35 traffic allows, my mom will be picking me up and I'll be on my way to Galveston around noon tomorrow (okay, technically today since it's 1:30am). We have dinner reservations at Katie's Seafood and after that it'll be maybe some Mardi Gras followed by one more sleep before we board Harmony! I'll check back in that evening with thoughts on whatever the heck hotel we're staying at and if anyone has questions about Harmony, let me know and I'll see what answers I can get you.

 

We board when you get off, so excited for your review!  My fav thing is also breakfast and a book in Central Park. Enjoy!

[bundtkate]

So we arrived in Galveston around 5:30 and dropped our stuff at the Doubletree. It's clean and well located but a bit (purposefully?) dated. To illustrate, here's the fridge.

 

Despite booking the hotel pretty early we really didn't have much choice with Mardi Gras going on. Two groups came into the lobby looking for rooms. I guess they didn't know that a mega ship and a festival are both in town. Anyway, wouldn't be my first choice with the decor, but I think the view from our balcony made up for it:

 

We tried to check out the parade today, but were at the wrong end of the route to see it before our dinner reservation at 7 so we ended up just taking a walk along the coast.

 

Dinner was at Katie's Seafood. It was okay. The boudin balls were good, everything else was just pretty standard fried fish, but it was tasty and I can't complain.

 

Plus, they has St. Arnold's Art Car IPA so the beer snob part of me was pleased.

 

Everyone is pretty tuckered out after the long drive so we're all back in our rooms for the night. Since I went for a ride instead of a drive, I'm not tired so time to go sit on the balcony with a book until I'm ready for bed. We check in tomorrow morning at 11 and the Doubletree is only about an 8 minute drive from the terminal so we're meeting up at 10:15 for coffee and then it's off to meet Harmony!

Edited February 4 by bundtkate

[superduper123]

I will be following this thread and interested to hear your feedback. We just got off the Harmony this morning.

[Havin'fun]

Following - have a wonderful cruise!

[The sea calls my name]

Following. for sure!!!!  My DH  and I sail on her March 3. This will be our first cruise  in 35 years of cruising out of Galveston as well. We have sailed on her before but that was out  of Florida.  We are doing the following itinerary:

 

Port/City Date Arriving Departing
GALVESTON - TEXAS 03 March 2024 4:00 PM
CRUISING 04 March 2024
CRUISING 05 March 2024
ROATAN - HONDURAS 06 March 2024 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
COZUMEL - MEXICO 07 March 2024 8:00 AM 6:00 PM
PUERTO COSTA MAYA - MEXICO 08 March 2024 7:00 AM 3:00 PM
CRUISING 09 March 2024
GALVESTON - TEXAS 10 March 2024 7:00 AM

 

Here are my first two questions

1. Can you, in detail, describe the gangway from the terminal to the ship? I have severe restricted lung disease and the least bit of an incline poses a major problem for me.  The Ft Lauderdale gangway is a prime example of that up, turn, up some more repeat.  If is is like Miami which is an even walk over, I am fine.  Knowing this in advance will help me decide if I need  to request W/C assistance or not. .

 

2.  If this is your same itinerary, could you post the single sheet entertainment summary that shows all shows/times for the entire week on one sheet.  Again this will help with scheduling my specialty dining

 

Lastly, thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a wonderful cruise with you Mom and family.

 

Virginia Lea.
 

[firefly333]

37 minutes ago, The sea calls my name said:

Following. for sure!!!!  My DH  and I sail on her March 3. This will be our first cruise  in 35 years of cruising out of Galveston as well. We have sailed on her before but that was out  of Florida.  We are doing the following itinerary:

 

Port/City Date Arriving Departing
GALVESTON - TEXAS 03 March 2024 4:00 PM
CRUISING 04 March 2024
CRUISING 05 March 2024
ROATAN - HONDURAS 06 March 2024 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
COZUMEL - MEXICO 07 March 2024 8:00 AM 6:00 PM
PUERTO COSTA MAYA - MEXICO 08 March 2024 7:00 AM 3:00 PM
CRUISING 09 March 2024
GALVESTON - TEXAS 10 March 2024 7:00 AM

 

Here are my first two questions

1. Can you, in detail, describe the gangway from the terminal to the ship? I have severe restricted lung disease and the least bit of an incline poses a major problem for me.  The Ft Lauderdale gangway is a prime example of that up, turn, up some more repeat.  If is is like Miami which is an even walk over, I am fine.  Knowing this in advance will help me decide if I need  to request W/C assistance or not. .

 

2.  If this is your same itinerary, could you post the single sheet entertainment summary that shows all shows/times for the entire week on one sheet.  Again this will help with scheduling my specialty dining

 

Lastly, thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a wonderful cruise with you Mom and family.

 

Virginia Lea.
 

There is a incline. I'd just request WC assistance just to be sure. I'm always a bit out of breath after the climb. Not huge but it's not level. Seems like you enter deck 4 so not high. And something can go wrong and they reroute you. Not a big incline at all. 

[bundtkate]

And the wee hours have arrived! So I'll start with embarkation and initial The Key thoughts. For those who asked how it goes, it was super easy even if you were doing normal boarding. We had an 11am boarding time, arrived and parked by 10:45ish and were on the ship in a snap. My mom actually got through checkin faster than me so that's 1 L for The Key, but honest it was just so not busy I think the Key may only matter later in the day.

 

7 hours ago, The sea calls my name said:

Can you, in detail, describe the gangway from the terminal to the ship?

 

Tacking this in here since it's on topic, it's a short gangway, but there is def a slight incline. Geometry wasn't my strong suit, but I'd say 20 degrees or so max? Still, not totally flat so if any incline is bad, I'd call in the wheels.

 

Chops lunch. It was okay? The steak was cooked just how I like it, but service was sloooooow and we only got one sauce despite it supposedly coming with 3. I didn't like the one we got. I think it was the homemade steak sauce, but it pretty much tasted like brown gravy with vinegar in it. Steak wasn't bad by itself tho so can't complain. Still didn't feel worth it to me as I'd have even fine with hot dogs. L #2 for the Key.

 

Now, here's where the Key gets a W - dropping your carryon. I am a carryon traveler. I managed 2 weeks in Europe with just a carryon and I'm never going back. Getting to bring it on the ship myself so I knew it made it made me feel so much better. Plus, it was waiting for me inside when my room was ready - not in the hallway! Love it.

 

INSIDE ROOM

 

You'll have to forgive my lazy headers. I'm typing on my phone and the bold button is alllll the way up there. ☝️ The room is real nice! I like that there isn't a coffee table or anything in the path to the bathroom. Shower has a foot bar (MSC Yacht Club inside did not - L for MSC), shower is a good size. I guess I could complain that the path on the side of the bed is a bit rough with the closet but that's fairly minor. Overall a solid A- cabin. Here's a pic I took standing with my back to the door.

 

SHOWS

 

Saw two today! Ice show was fab, but I used to figure skate when I was younger so I'm kind of obsessed and maybe biased. All the same, skaters were all great and I really enjoyed it. The plot tho? Oh, dear. Here's how I described 1887 to my husband after watching it:

 

"This one was Juliet from Romeo & Juliet traveling through time to find love, but actually the only time she actually traveled through time was back to Shakespeare time form her origin of 1800s France for some reason. And Romeo wasn't even her love it was some steampunk looking dude who was apparently at the center of the earth (not time travel) and you had to go through the ocean to get there for reasons (also not time travel). And then they went back to 1800s France to get married which I guess technically means she time traveled twice. 🤷‍♀️"

 

So yea, I'll add to the chorus of feedback that the plot is hard to follow and kinda out there. I think they need to just give up on the plot. Skating is cool without a plot. The Olympic skaters just have a theme. Do that!

 

Grease was Grease. The sets were really great and the actors were fabulous and they were super talented singers but it's still not cracking my list of musicals I genuinely like. If those types of musicals are your thing, go see it. You won't be disappointed. I will probably not go back tho.

 

7 hours ago, The sea calls my name said:

is your same itinerary, could you post the single sheet entertainment summary that shows all shows/times for the entire week on one sheet.

 

Ope, I trimmed your question in the quote there. The poke and drag highlighting is a bit rough. So we have a similar but not identical itinerary. Sea days are all the same, but we're doing Costa Maya - Roatan - Cozumel. All the same, I'll see it I can find that sheet. I got paper nothing, but one of my family said they were asking for paper so maybe I can grab a pic tomorrow.

 

MDR DINNER

 

Crab cake was delish. Ask for more sauce tho cuz it's fab and there's not enough on the plate. Miss the fried chicken. Soggy, kinda bland, Tabasco honey packs zero kick. Boston cream pie is a lie, but still pretty good. It's not Boston cream it's just yellow cake with whipped cream in the middle instead of custard. The ganache on top is there, but the only custard on the plate was a small pool of creme anglaise under the cake. At first I was all excited cuz I thought the sauce was extra custard (can you tell I love custard?), but my dreams were crushed when I found the custard layer missing. It was still good, but just know what you're getting into.

 

BITS AND BOBS

 

I love Boardwalk Dog House, but I've been told the toppings bar has gone missing. I will investigate tomorrow.

 

Seas are a bit choppy today. Captain warned us but we def have the wobbles. I'm lucky I don't get seasick but it seems the Gulf has been like this for a bit so something to keep in mind if you're sailing soon.

 

I can definitely tell oasis was under capacity by a long shot when I sailed on her cuz y'all this place is packed. That said, aside from the expected rushes (embarkation, dinner, shows) she really does handle crowds well.

 

Harmony has casitas! They weren't in our cruise planner but they seem bookable. Might be the first sailing they've been ready. My aunt wants one so if she takes the plunge I'll report back on whether we get one when she asks. Signs in them seem to be promising. Pic of one with tables still in boxes:

 

 

Balloon drop was a cluster, but my table at Sorrento's was safe from the crowds and still had a good view:

 

 

And that's all from me today! Thanks for coming along, y'all! Tomorrow is a sea day wherein I will be attempting to make sushi, going to my first of many wine tastings cuz my aunt found them all and it's not exactly hard to convince me I need wine, and finally Chef's Table! I think this is where we'll be for that:

 

And with that, let's hope Starlink will let me post these photos. I was able to video call my husband so 🤞 Catch y'all tomorrow!

[sdteacher]

5 hours ago, bundtkate said:

And that's all from me today! Thanks for coming along, y'all! Tomorrow is a sea day wherein I will be attempting to make sushi, going to my first of many wine tastings cuz my aunt found them all and it's not exactly hard to convince me I need wine, and finally Chef's Table! I think this is where we'll be for that:!

I am looking forward to hearing about your time at the Chef’s Table and where it is located. We have it booked next month on Harmony. 

[Kellie in Texas]

@bundtkate your synopsis of 1887 was spot on! The "plot" was nearly incomprehensible but the costumes were pretty incredible and the skating was okay. We loved Grease. If Columbus is on this week, go see it too. It's another goofy plot line but the ship that's used as the main set is an engineering marvel. 

[clochette]

We were on Harmony a couple of weeks ago, and when we got on they only had the frame of a couple of casitas up, by the time we left all of the frames were up, they really worked fast on them.  It seems that it will make if fairly crowded on deck as the structures are fairly bulky, curious to hear how you feel about them,

[The sea calls my name]

Thank you for answering my gangway question. I really appreciate it.  I actually was able to book my entertainment this morning for our cruise!!!!!. However, this prompts an additional question. Strangely when reserving the shows it does not include the length of each show. If you could supply that missing piece of information, then I can alter my dining reservations accordingly.

The Fine Line ( Aqua Show)

A Journey in Time ( Ice show)

Columbus, the Musical ( Theater show)

Grease

 

Thank you and keep having a great cruise. 

[jacobtsf]

Thank you for this report. My wife, 4 year old daughter, and I will be boarding 2/25, first time on Harmony and first time sailing out of Galveston!

[firefly333]

3 hours ago, The sea calls my name said:

Thank you for answering my gangway question. I really appreciate it.  I actually was able to book my entertainment this morning for our cruise!!!!!. However, this prompts an additional question. Strangely when reserving the shows it does not include the length of each show. If you could supply that missing piece of information, then I can alter my dining reservations accordingly.

The Fine Line ( Aqua Show)

A Journey in Time ( Ice show)

Columbus, the Musical ( Theater show)

Grease

 

Thank you and keep having a great cruise. 

Columbus the musical was my favorite and blessedly short, about 50 minutes. Grease was long. I'll let her answer seems like 2 hours to me. Most shows can be done within less than 1 hour except grease. 

 

I went to the comedy show and wasnt my thing but less than 1 hour even with 2 Male comedians who only told Male sexual jokes. None about women. I know comedians rotate. Just not my thing that time. Felt like they didnt want to mention women for fear of offending so only about men. 

[bundtkate]

It has been a fairly uneventful sea day, but the Gulf has not been our friend. It is choppy. I am not sure which show it was because I had none booked but one was cancelled this evening due to too many wobbles. Here's a snap of the Gulf being grumpy:

 

 

Question to start!

 

15 hours ago, The sea calls my name said:

If you could supply that missing piece of information, then I can alter my dining reservations accordingly.

 

Fine Line and Columbus are both 50min (according to the cruise compass), 1887 is 40min and Grease is 1 hour 30min.

 

SUSHI

 

I made sushi! It tasted better than it looks and it actually looked okay. Class was fun, but a bit big. Hard to follow instructions when I was far from the person giving them. Still, I managed and that counts for something.

 

 

WINE TASTING

 

Women of wine was good, but again too big. The poor gal hosting really lost the room after a while and it became hard to listen to her over everyone's conversations. Normally I might chastise those taking over her, but the tasting was meant to be an hour and I think she went close to 2. Either way, good fun, tho I wouldn't do this right before Chef's Table again because all of that was a lot of wine. 

 

 

CHEF'S TABLE

 

I actually think this was worth it. The food was legitimately elevated and I really enjoyed the experience in the Solarium Bistro. It was a nice atmosphere how they set it up. The steak I could have done without, but I think that's just a me thing being less enthused about red meat than I once was. The smoked tomato soup was the star imo. Real good.

 

 

CASITAS

 

They are now available to book, but apparently they cost $450/day which my aunt wasn't down with so we won't have one. I think I paid $750 for a retreat cabana on my upcoming HAL cruise for the whole week so I totally get it. Anyway, if you think it's worth it they're there now and bookable for sure.

 

ROOM KERFUFFLE

 

Okay so I'm not going to dwell on this too much, but when I got back to my room today there was someone else's cruise card in my electricity slot. I'm in this room solo so obviously a bit alarming. Brought it to guest services and asked them to rotate the locks on my door. They speculated it was my room steward, but the card is for this cruise so it seems odd he'd have one for a current guest. I can't say I'm totally satisfied with this outcome given the unsettling nature of the whole thing, but I got my new card and locked the deadbolt and will just have to hope for the best. I'd have been happier with a more solid explanation, but it seems this is the best I'm doing tonight. Guest services said they talk to the steward about it tomorrow. I'm going to do the same just in case.

 

Nothing until 1pm tomorrow which has me happy because I could use a better night's rest. Woke up a bit earlier than I wanted today. Last sea day before 3 ports. Here's hoping it's less choppy by the time I wake up. 🤞