The Back to Back - Jewel of the Seas 2025 June 27-July 4, 2025 Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Coco Cay, Nassau, Coco Cay)
Cruise #26 and 27... Let's GOOO!
After 25 cruises, we needed to shake things up so Chris and I decided to take a Back to Back cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We sail from Galveston mostly as we live less than 80 miles from the terminal but the Galveston market has gotten SO HIGH in price. The cruise industry has realized that people who live in Texas and surrounding states will pay BIG BUCKS to not have to fly to Florida and the cruise fare prices have skyrocketed in the last 3-5 years. Combine that with the exact same routes every single cruise due to distance and location of Galveston, we needed a change. We discovered in 2024 on our Independence of the Seas cruise out of Miami that is is actually CHEAPER to fly to Florida to get on a ship; even when you include airfare. This summer proved to be the same scenario.
This Back to Back cruise (3 day and 4 day combined) fare, taxes and port fees was over $700 less than the same 7 days out of Galveston. Even the 5 day cruise out of Galveston was still $400 more than taking a back to back cruise out of Florida. Even when you include airfare, we still saved money by flying to Florida. Now keep in mind we still stayed in Ft. Lauderdale for 2 nights prior to the cruise and this racked up costs but overall, we still saved money not cruising out of Galveston. TIP- Be ready to pay well over $1K per person for ANY ship out of Galveston in the summer. Even 4 and 5 day cruises are running $1K per person in the summer.
We have cruised 13 previous times with Carnival, 9 times with Royal Caribbean, 2 times with Norwegian and 1 time with Princess.
This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Jewel of the Seasas well as a shore excursion details, port tips and tricks and so much more. We will also highlight our Pre-Cruise trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL as well.
Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, information about cruising to Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay as well as great information about Jewel of the Seas.
The Jewel of the Seas was good to us... And we loved Coco Cay!
The Ultimate Weekend Getaway Jewel of the Seas Back to Back Cruise #1 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Weekend Getaway to Coco Cay... Doesn't get much better!
After 25 cruises, we needed to shake things up so Chris and I decided to take a Back to Back cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. This Back to Back consisted of a 3 day "weekend" cruise followed by a 4 day Monday- Friday cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We have never been to Ft. Lauderdale so we flew in 2 days early to explore on our own.
This 3 day cruise was very interesting as most of the passengers were adults and were READY to party... To say the least. This is what I would assume a "Booze Cruise" would be like and it was a fun people watching cruise. We enjoyed getting to go to Coco Cay and explore this private island on our own.
This cruise was the ULTIMATE getaway as we had the Ultimate Beverage Package in addition to the Ultimate Dining Package, which was a splurge for us. This allowed us to have lunch AND dinner in a Specialty Restaurant of our choice each day of this 3 day cruise and let me say, I could get used to this. We lived the ULTIMATE life on the Jewel of the Seas and it was INCREDIBLE!
Another cruise and another stop in Coco Cay... LIFE IS GOOD!
We really enjoyed this ULTIMATE 3 day cruise and so excited to jump back on ship for the 2nd part of our Back to Back adventure on the Jewel of the Seas.
Up Next... The 2nd Half of our Back to Back cruise on Jewel of the Seas.
Living the Suite Life June 25-26. 2025 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
We love the Florida Beaches and Ft. Lauderdale did NOT disappoint!
Travel Day It was a busy morning as we dropped off Rockefeller with our friend and then drove to Buffalo to meet up with my dad as Natalie and Luke would be staying with them during this time. My parents are retiring and will be packing up their home of 31 years to move to the Houston area near us. This allowed the kids to help them with the packing process but more importantly, have an additional time to spend at "Gigi and Poppy's House" one more time before they move.
I took a "backseat" for this trip to Buffalo... Natalie Grace drove us the whole way!
After we dropped the kids off in Buffalo, we made our way back home to grab our luggage and travel documents and head to Hobby Airport for our evening flight. As we suspected, the traffic was horrendous and it took nearly 2 hours to get to Hobby airport from our home in The Woodlands- it usually takes 1:15. Once at Hobby, we parked at our usual Parking Spot 2 location and got on the shuttle to the terminal. The airport was busy but not near as busy as our Memorial Day 2025 flight out of Hobby.
Hobby Airport Summer Evening This was not too crowded... Hobby has so much to offer and is so much smaller than Bush Intercontinental!
We grabbed some dinner at GastroPub before our flight only to find out our Southwest Flight was delayed nearly an hour- gotta love Southwest!This dinner with drinks (and tip) cost $92. Once again, I need another job to pay for airport food. The flight was not full but we were able to get on an exit row and had 2 seats all to our selves with extra legroom and side room as well. The flight had some turbulence and the captain was trying to out run a storm so the stewardesses shut down service very early.
Loaded Fries at GastroPub- This was a WINNER!
Our plane finally arrived... Now we wait!
We normally fly with the kids so cannot sit in the exit row... WOW, this is NICE!
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50PM local time and all of our luggage arrived as well so our trip was already a success. We walked around the outside of the terminal and got our Uber to the Gallery One Double Tree Hotel on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. This hotel offered some suites but when we checked in, we were given the President's Suite on the highest floor of the hotel (Floor 14). This room was so nice and offered a balcony with views of the city as well as a sky light. We settled in and then ordered Taco Bell via Door Dash- don't judge! It was a late night but we were excited for the next day exploring Ft. Lauderdale.
Welcome to Ft. Lauderdale!
The Gallery One by Double Tree Suite 1415
Why does Taco Bell actually taste better late at night??
Ft. Lauderdale Beach and Happy Hour Day We woke up and got ready for the day around 9AM before going down to the Lobby to enjoy breakfast. Unfortunately, Double Tree does not offer FREE BREAKFAST so we opted to eat at the Vue Restaurant in the lobby. This was NOT CHEAP but was good. The total cost (with tip) was $48.
The Vue Breakfast Menu
After breakfast we made a run to CVS to get a few items we forgot and then we explored the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria which was next to our hotel. We then made our way to the Ft. Lauderdale Beach just 2 blocks from our hotel. The waters were beautiful and so peaceful. We should have gone back to change into our swim suits but we opted to go to a nearby bar to watch sports instead. McCorley's on the beach was not crowded and we enjoyed watching the College World Series recap in the AC. Our morning drinks (with tip) cost $32.
A view of the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria from our balcony.
This hotel was so "bougie" and we loved it!
Walking from the hotel to the beach (2 blocks) we crossed a drawbridge.
Another view of the hotel from the bridge.
Hello Atlantic Ocean... We've missed you!
We love Ft. Lauderdale!
We really enjoyed this beach and wish we would have swam!
The waters were calm and it was SO peaceful!
We decided to get lunch nearby and opted for a Philadelphia transplanted Pizza joint right on the beach- Primanti Bros. This offered pizza by the slice, full pies and sandwiches at a crazy low (1990s) price point. The food was piping hot, the AC was blowing full blast and we were able to see the pizza being made from the dough to the oven to the table. We both tried their signature sandwich which had pastrami, coleslaw and fries INSIDE the sandwich. It was... interesting! But YOLO! The cost (with tip) for our lunch was $33- Be advised they ONLY accept CASH!
The Primanti Bros kitchen... Right there!
This was the MASSIVE pizza by the slice... This was HUGE!
The Famous Primanti Bros Sandwich... This was also MASSIVE!
The inside of the sandwich... Look at those fries (it was weird)!
The entrance to the restaurant right on the beach!
Their menu... WOW SO CHEAP!
Fresh made dough...Fresh made toppings... Fresh pizza! This was SO GOOD!
After lunch we walked down to about 6 blocks south to the hotel district of Ft. Lauderdale and we had hoped to go into the Hilton Rooftop Bar but it had a "business casual" dress code and our shorts and t-shirts were not cutting it so we had to settle for the Hilton Lobby Bar Happy Hour but it did not disappoint! These drinks (with tip) cost $32. We enjoyed a few "fancy" drinks here and then made our way back to the Double Tree for our hotel's Happy Hour on the marina.
A $17 cocktail just tastes better in Florida!
We opted to take a nap since our hotel Happy Hour did not start until 5PM. This was a great idea as we were both so hot and tired. We slept until 5:30PM and then made our way downstairs to find out a massive crowd getting ready to board a company dinner cruise on a fancy yacht. The bartender was so sociable and we enjoyed talking to other customers, plus the view was INCREDIBLE. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel and would stay here again in a HEARTBEAT. Our Happy Hour drinks (with tip) was $82. TIP- This Happy Hour was not a traditional Happy Hour as it was only a 20% on your tab, so the $17 drinks were still very pricey.
The Vue Bar outside of the Gallery One Hotel!
I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel!
Shortly after 7:30PM we opted to walk back to the Galleria to eat at PF Changs.We have a PF Changs at our local mall and I usually encourage trying something new but we did not want to walk back towards the Ft. Lauderdale hotels or call an Uber so this worked out perfectly for us. This dinner (with tip) cost $86 but it was SO GOOD. I forgot how good this National chain really is!
Wow... PF Changs! This was SO GOOD!
We went back to the hotel and called it a night early as we were just really tired. We watched some Friends and ESPN before falling asleep before 10PM... Man, we're getting old!
It was a day spent exploring Ft. Lauderdale, the beach and more and we loved every minute of it but we were SO READY for this new cruise adventure- THE BACK TO BACK!
As much as we HATE flying... We loved this day in Ft. Lauderdale!
A Sail-Away for Cruise Lovers June 1, 2024 Miami, FL
An Embarkation Day and Sail Away for the memory books!
BEST SAIL AWAY EVER!!!
Morning It was not the best night's sleep as I was sick a lot of the evening with severe dehydration. But I was up early to get ready for my favorite day... CRUISE DAY! Unfortunately, there was not any hot water at 6AM and I was forced to wake up real fast with a stone cold shower. We got ready and then went to breakfast as soon as they opened at 7:30AM and there was quite a long line. But Embassy Suites handled the crowd well, as they did the previous morning, and we were in and out of the breakfast area before 8AM. We then went back to the room to finishing packing and fight the elevators to get back to the lobby for our 9:30AM shuttle to Port Miami.
TIP- Embassy Suites offers a shuttle for $12.50/person to the Port Miami. This is scheduled for 3 separate runs staring at 9:30AM. It seemed like EVERYONE in that hotel was headed to the shuttle and Port Miami and it was nothing short of a HOT MESS. In fact, we waited for a while and wondered if we should just call an Uber and we finally got loaded into one of the 7 shuttles. If I had to do this again, I would just pay for the Uber as the cost would be very similar. Also, you will need to pay for this upon check-in at the hotel OR pay the shuttle driver. I was under the assumption that it was added to the room total but it was not. Luckily, Chris had cash and we were able to pay and tip the driver.
This was a HOT MESS express... But, we made it!
We arrived at Port Miami around 10AM and we were the 4th group to be dropped off as we were at Terminal G (the northern most terminal). Once we were dropped off we walked to the semi-long line to get into the terminal and as soon as we arrived in the line, it started moving into the terminal. We then got checked in within 7 minutes and were waiting in the terminal waiting room at 10:20AM. TIP- The terminal workers had us sit lined up in the order we arrived and this meant less chaos when it was time to board this ship. I really liked this as it was very organized- but I am glad we were early rather than late!
A view of Port Miami before entering the tunnel...
Carnival Magic- Been there, done that! (Although, I really liked the Carnival Magic- 2015)
A very brief view of Terminal G at Port Miami!
We got on board the Independence of the Seas at 10:43 and done with our Muster Station meeting before 11AM. It may not have been as smooth and carefree as our Allure Embarkation Day but it was very easy to say the least! We were sitting in Playmakers and enjoying our first cocktail by 11:15AM.
It's SATURDAY.. I love this!
We are on board with drink it hand... Let the cruise begin!
Playmakers Bar on Deck 4 on Independence of the Seas. This was a new addition when the Indy got amped up in 2018. We really liked the countless TVs showing all kinds of sports and the arcade games as well. Playmakers offers food to order (think nachos, wings and etc.) but we never order any of these.
Afternoon After we explored Playmakers on Deck 4 and then the Royal Promenade on Deck 5, we made our way to the Windjammer Marketplace Buffet for lunch before the crowds arrived. The Windjammer was not at all packed and the food was on par for Royal Caribbean buffet food. I am not a fan of the Windjammer but this first day was not awful.
The Royal Promenade on Independence of the Seas! I'll be honest... I MISS THE TEXAS FLAG!
The Royal Promenade as seen from the Deck 8 AFT elevators!
Chris's Windjammer plate... He loved the BBQ.
After lunch we walked all over the upper decks to get a feel for the Independence of the Seas. We really enjoyed the aft area of the ship where the Sports Deck, Flowrider and Waterslides were housed. While we did not spend much of our 5 days in this area of the ship, I know our kids would have LOVED this area. TIP- I really appreciated the covered seating area for watching the Flowrider.
This was a picture perfect moment!
My traditional buoy picture... PRICELESS!
I absolutely loved sailing from Miami!
Independence of the Seas- Deck 12-13 AFT (Sports Deck)
Independence of the Seas Sports Deck
As we arrived on the front of Deck 13, we noticed very few people at the Golf Course so we opted to play our traditional game of mini-golf. For the first 5 holes, I was actually in the lead and then Chris got a HOLE IN ONE and it was all over. I never came back to tie or beat him and once again, Chris won our match. That is 6 cruises in a row.
I was all smiles at this time because I was in the lead...
But, once again I AM THE LOSER!
By this time it was after 12PM and it was HOT and HUMID on the open decks and we opted to go inside for a few afternoon drinks. We landed at the small Champagne Bar at the start of the Royal Promenade. We stayed here for nearly 2 hours before grabbing some Sorrento's and then going to our stateroom to try and get settled for cruise.
Royal Caribbean really does this well and the service was AMAZING all week!
Stateroom #8323 We booked this cruise in a traditional Interior stateroom on Deck 7 but put in a bid for several different categories on the Royal Up program. We were hoping to get the large interior or large forward-facing Oceanview stateroom with our bids but we landed with a Promenade View Interior Room. We bid $125/person ($250 total) for this upgrade and while the cabin was decent, I would not book or even bid on this cabin in the future. It was oddly shaped and laid out and there was a lot of wasted space. We did not use the Promenade View window as we were almost ALWAYS actually IN the promenade enjoying the dances and parties. It is a cool option to have had ONCE but I would not book it again!
Promenade View Interior Stateroom #8323
Once in our stateroom, we unloaded the carry on bags with our toiletries and Chris's medicine but unfortunately, our large checked suitcases were not delivered as of 2:30PM. Chris took a nap and we were woke up to a knock on the door from our steward delivering my suitcase around 3:45PM. I tried to start unpacking but we wanted to ensure we had a good view of the sail away from Miami as this would be the first time we have ever sailed from Miami and our 23 previous cruises.
We grabbed a drink from the Skybar and then went to the front of the ship on Deck 13 near the mini-golf to watch the sail away. We assumed we would push off real quick but it took nearly an hour before any ship pulled out. The Carnival Sunshine took off before we did but we were the 2nd ship to leave Miami and that meant we would be able to see the impressive Icon of the Seas at Terminal A as we passed through the channel to get to the Atlantic. This may have been the best part of the entire sail away. This ship is MASSIVE and it is really hard to truly understand her size until you have seen her live! I am not sure if I would want to sail on this MASSIVE ship carrying 8-10K people but she was a sight to see! We also passed the Carnival Magic and the MSC Seascape on our way out to the Atlantic.
The MSC Seascape- She is coming to Galveston in November 2025 and after passing by her on our way out of Miami... I would sail on her!
The NCL Terminal at Port Miami!
Our first view of the Icon of the Seas... Good grief, she is massive and GORGEOUS!
Evening I made a pit-stop at the stateroom hoping the other suitcase was delivered but it was not so we went to Vintages for predinner drinks and wine. This was our favorite part of our Allure- July 2023 cruise and we were excited to continue this pre-dinner trend on the Independence.
My favorite place on a Royal Caribbean ship! (Although, I learned I do like the more isolated placement of Vintages on the Oasis class ships. It is a little nicer and less noisy.)
Once 7:15PM rolled around we made our way to dinner in the Main Dining Room. Our waiters, Cris and Mario, were literally the best team we have EVER had in 24 cruises across 4 cruise lines. We were in and out of the MDR in less than an hour on EVERY SINGLE night of the cruise... Even Formal night! The new Royal Caribbean menu options were on point and we enjoyed the MDR in every aspect.
Night #1- Welcome Aboard Menu
Royal Crab Cake- 4.5 (Chris 3.0) This was light and very flavorful
Royal Shrimp Cocktail- Chris 3.5
Roasted Tomato Soup- 4.5 Royal does soups VERY WELL and this was spot on!
Prime Rib- 3.5 (Chris 4.5) The taste was EXCELLENT but I was just not feeling it.
Boston Cream Pie- 3.5 (Chris 4.5) This was VERY RICH- but oh so good!
After dinner we walked around the outside Deck 4 hoping to get a good sunset at 8:15PM but clouds did not allow that. We took some pictures before going back to the room to find all of our luggage. I was able to ask our Steward for a mattress topper since the Royal beds are notorious for being hard as a rock and he was accommodating. TIP- Be sure to ask for this as soon as you see your steward as most ships only have less than 100 of these.
A view from the Helicopter Pad on Deck 5 forward. TIP- This is such a cool offering on most Royal Caribbean ships. Be sure to check this part of the ship out, especially at sunsets and sail away!
Even with the clouds, God sure does paint a pretty picture!
Sunset selfie!
I unpacked all of our bags and got settled before we made our way to Studio B for the Freeze Frame Ice show. TIP- This is one of the BEST things Royal Caribbean does. This show is offered on Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships and is one of the coolest shows on the high seas. Be sure to locate the show times EARLY and if possible go to the 1st showing as it is not as crowded since nobody knows about it!
This show was awesome and we enjoy it on every ship. We then went back to Playmakers to watch a little of the LSU Super Regional baseball game before heading off to the Welcome Aboard and Comedy Show. This was a good show with the live jazz band but the comedian was lacking, to say the least. TIP- This is an area where Carnival completely outweighs Royal Caribbean. They really know how to do comedy well and Royal... DOES NOT! We ended the evening at Vintages where we met the cork-master and learned all about some of the specialty wines onboard. We stayed at Vintages until it closed and then grabbed some pizza at Sorrento's before calling it a night shortly after midnight.
It was a great day onboard the Independence of the Seas and we absolutely LOVED sailing from Miami!
That's a wrap for Day 1- Stay tuned for DAY 2!
Up Next... Our return to Coco Cay but this time for PERFECT DAY @ Coco Cay!
Be sure to following along for EVERYTHING you need to know about Royal Caribbean's private island!
