Friday, July 12, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- Sea Day #1

 Trivia Losers
June 3, 2024
Sea Day #1


We LOVE a good sea day and this one was on point! 

Morning
We woke up and made our way to the Windjammer for breakfast around 8AM and the crowds were minimal. TIP- Windjammer offers the same options on both sides of the buffet and most of the entrée options are at the aft of the buffet. We chose to had the made-to-order omelets again and they were delicious. TIP- This is an an area where RCCL KILLS Carnival. They offer a pager that allows you to place your order and come back and retrieve your food once it is ready. On Carnival, you are still forced to stand in line while yours and those ahead of you omelets get cooked. Well done Royal Caribbean. 


I HATE Mondays- But not on a cruise ship! 


The omelet station is located in the VERY back of the Windjammer and housed with a dedicated "order taker". 

After breakfast we walked around Deck 11 and 12 to get a mile in for Chris's step challenge with the Math Department. After we reached a mile, he went to take his meds and I got a specialty coffee and we met on Deck 4 to enjoy the open seas before the Top Tier Event later in the morning. 


We did 6 laps around this jogging track and somehow our Apple watch had us going 3:45 a mile. I felt like Michael Scott... 

Haha... Never a dull moment! 

We then went to the Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 14 for the Crown and Anchor loyalty Top Tier Event. This is an event where the top guests of Royal Caribbean for the sailing meet the captain, cruise director and many other officers to ask questions and get treated like Royalty. Since we are now platinum with RCCL as of our Allure 2023 cruise, we are now part of this special top tier event. 

We were able to meet the captain, hotel director and the cruise director plus enjoy some great stories and jokes from the Captain as well as light drinks/ appetizers. 


Our traditional Cruise Director picture with Mario. 
Mario was a good CD but I would not label him as "great". He seemed "aged" and was not near as fun as some of the CDs we have had like Kyndall Fire, the Flying Scotsman and Corey Rogers. He will be "forgettable" 

This cruise housed 101 platinum guests, 80 emerald guests, 80 diamond guests, 49 diamond plus and only 5 pinnacle guests. The person with the most "points" had only been cruising for 16 years and accumulated 935 points. TIP- All passengers get 1 point per night and can get double points for booking suites, solo cabins and more. During Covid there was a time where people where getting 16 points per night. Even with those numbers, this 935 was quite impressive. 

Afternoon
The rest of our late morning and afternoon were spent in Schooner Bar playing the many trivia games of the day. We started with the Name That Tune- Decades where we did well with 15/20 but we did not win. Then Chris tried to win the geography trivia and came close... but no cigar. 

We paused for lunch and went up to the Lido Deck for the Fish and Ships dining option near the Splash Pad. TIP- This is the ONLY free fast food option on the Independence of the Seas and offers fish and chips, fried shrimp and fried sandwiches. We enjoyed the shrimp option but overall this was not a "great" lunch/ fast food option for Royal Caribbean. This is where we believe that RCCL really lacks- the lunch time fast food options. Beside Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade, the Windjammer is the only option on Voyager and Freedom class ships. That is so disappointing when you are used to Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy's Pig and Anchor on most Carnival ships. I also got a small plate from the Windjammer just to try out the Sea Day offerings and unfortunately, it was the same as day 1 and left MUCH to be desired! 


This grab and go offering is on the port side of the Splash Away Bay area on Deck 11. 


The Fried Shrimp- 3.0
The Fish and Chips- 3.0
Both were lacking flavor and texture. 

After lunch we did some more walking before Chris went to take a nap in the stateroom. I decided to go to Deck 4 and try and enjoy the peace and quiet of the ocean sailing by. Unfortunately, the Independence of the Seas did not offer the lounge chairs on this deck like the Adventure 2023 and Liberty 2019 which was quite disappointing. They did have chairs but none to lounge in. I sat and watched the ocean pass by for a while and then maintenance showed up and starting making all kinds of noise so I decided to go to the Lido Deck and see what was happening. The Lido Deck was PACKED with people (2PM) and all of the pools and hot tubs were loaded with guests. I could not find a chair in the shade so I opted to go back to the Royal Promenade for a Starbucks coffee. TIP- Reminder, Starbucks specialty coffee IS INCLUDED in the Deluxe Drink Package except at the Starbucks kiosks on Oasis and above class ships. 


Café Promenade offerings on Sea Day #1. 


There is NOTHING an iced latte cannot heal! 


This is a PERFECT DAY and the WAKE was just gorgeous! I sat here staring at it for nearly an hour! It is my happy place! 


Another view from Deck 4 walking area. 


It felt like we were cruising on glass.
The seas were SO CALM! 

We met up in the Star Lounge for Harry Potter trivia. And we tried our best at all the questions but we were just not prepared enough to win and finished with a score of 16/20. We grabbed a few drinks and slices of pizza at Sorrento's and then went back to the Schooner Bar for the 2 afternoon trivia. Unfortunately, we lost both of those as well but we enjoyed meeting a young couple and discussing cruising and talking to the bartenders about life on board. 

Evening
We both went back to the stateroom and got ready for Formal night aboard the Independence of the Seas before making our way to Vintages for our pre-dinner ritual. 


Vintages offered a Tapas Plate on Formal Night since they had a wine tasting during the day. (We missed the Vintages from the Allure 2023 that shared a galley with Chops and Giovanni's. They offered Tapas EVERY NIGHT. We loved that). 


Formal Night Selfie! 


I LOVE Royal Caribbean! It really is my FAVORITE cruise line! 


Waiting for the MDR to open we took a brief stroll around Deck 4 and saw God's handiwork once again! A picture perfect evening! 


Cruise #24 and we're LOVING it! 

Once we arrived at the MDR we noticed Cris, our head waiter, was not there and a manager was going to take his place. He had sprained his wrist the night before towards the end of the meal and was in recovery. Our service had been SO good Chris was a little worried "Oh we're screwed". The manager just laughed and once again, we were in and out of the MDR (on FORMAL NIGHT) within an hour! This was literally the best service we have EVER had in 24 cruises! 

The Taste of France Menu 
(Almost always used on Formal Night) 


The Royal Escargot- 5.0
This is ALWAYS SPOT ON! 


The Calamari- 4.5 (Chris-4.0) 
This was light and fried to perfection. 


The Caesar Salad- Chris 3.5
This was good but not the hit it has been in the past. 


Seafood Linguini- 3.5 (Chris-4.0)
I thought this could've had more sauce but Chris loved it! 


The Royal Tenderloin-4.5
This was so good and cooked to perfection! Not Chops level but it was delicious! 


Herb Crusted Salmon- Chris 4.0
Chris loved the flavor and texture! 


The Royal Crème Brulee- 4.0 (Chris- 4.5)
This is ALWAYS a hit! 

After dinner we walked around Deck 4 to try and walk off some of the calories and bloated-ness before going back to the room so Chris could take his meds and change clothes. 


Just an absolutely GORGEOUS evening! 

We went back to Vintages for the 70s Disco Inferno party. We LOVE this party that RCCL has on most ships and we really enjoyed getting to see it all from Vintages. We didn't do any dancing this time but we loved the atmosphere and vibe! We stayed through the "after party" and then called it a night right as Vintages closed at midnight!


CD Mario and his team leading the Disco Party! 

The Independence of the Seas 70s Disco Inferno!

It was a great "lazy" day on board and we had a great time trying to win all the trivia games... maybe we will win, eventually! 

Up Next... Another GREAT day aboard the Independence of the Seas on a PORT DAY! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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Monday, July 1, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- Perfect Day at Coco Cay

Perfect Day at Coco Cay
June 2, 2024
Coco Cay- Bahamas 

Teachers on break... It's a PERFECT day indeed! 

Morning
Our alarm went off at 7AM and we got ready and then went up to the Windjammer to an unexpected uncrowded buffet. We got up early thinking it would be very busy but this was some of the least busy it was all week. We got our made-to-order omelets and our freshly squeezed Orange Juice and waited for ship clearance to get off the ship. TIP- The Deluxe Drink Package includes unlimited freshly squeezed orange juice that can be found at the Plaza Bar in the Windjammer or in the Main Dining Room. There was a pretty bad rainstorm that came through around 8AM and that delayed the process a bit but we were off the ship and on the tram to Hideaway Beach Club by 8:30AM. 


Hello Allure of the Seas- WE LOVE YOU! 
Allure 2023



Nothing will rain on my parade... I AM SO EXCITED FOR this day! 

Coco Cay before it was "Perfect Day"
Chris and I first visited this private island owned by Royal Caribbean in 2015 on the Serenade of the Seas. This was shortly after the island was acquired by Royal Caribbean and it offered barely more than a "private beach" and a few food venues. During this cruise we took a jet-ski excursion, explored the south part of the island by foot and enjoyed the beach and food items. It was a GORGEOUS beach and we enjoyed our visit to Coco Cay (Check it out HERE.) However, since Royal Caribbean has built up this island to be "Perfect Day at Coco Cay" we have been dying to get back and compare. Today was the day... 

Coco Cay- 2015

Coco Cay- 2024
This has got to be the greatest MARKETING in the cruise industry perhaps EVER. Several other cruise lines are following suit but this was the original destination PRIVATE ISLAND!
WHAT A GLOW UP- Well done RCCL. 


Coco Cay food options- 2015

Coco Cay Food Options (Hideaway Hut)- 2024
This was a NIGHT AND DAY difference. It seemed as if the food in 2015 came straight from the Windjammer. This time it was much better and felt as if it was a restaurant on land. 

March 11, 2015 (Happy 9th Anniversary)

June 2, 2024 (18 years strong) 
I am not sure I would call this a "glow up" but we sure have aged! 

It was pouring down rain but we loaded up on the tram from the pier and then to Hideaway Beach Club. TIP- Hideaway Beach Club is an ADULTS ONLY venue on Coco Cay Island. It is an additional cost of approximately $40/ person. We paid $33.99/ person with a pre-cruise sale in the Cruise Planner. Coco Cay honors the Deluxe Drink Package from the ship which is the sole reason ANYONE who plans on drinking even just 3-4 drinks at Coco Cay to get the drink package. Drinks on the island will include tax, making them about $19/ drink. 

Hideaway Beach Club also offers 2 dining options that are only found within Hideaway Beach Club- Hideaway Hut and Slices of Paradise. It also offers a MASSIVE temperature controlled pool, a lagoon beach access with chairs and umbrellas as well as over 30 cabanas available for rent. TIP- These cabanas were never lower than $1,050 for our sailing but this included a private host to meet your every need. 

Multiple areas of Coco Cay had towel huts but there was a dedicated one at the entrance of Hideaway Beach Club. In addition, your Sail and Sign Card had your entry ticket loaded on it. This made the entire process very smooth and pain free. 

Once we arrived at Hideaway Beach Club we got scanned in and then went to the main bar to get started on our morning. It was still raining and we were soaking from the tram ride so we then just jumped in the pool and oddly enough, it was not "that cold". We stayed in the pool and the swim up bar for 3 more hours just enjoying each other and the Las Vegas pool scene vibe. 


The Hideaway Beach Club Pool around 9AM. 


A view of the Beach lagoon area from the Infinity Pool around 10:30AM.

Afternoon
Around 12:30PM we decided to go to the Hideaway Hut for some lunch. The Hideaway Hut offers a few special items only found here such as Coconut Shrimp and the Hideaway Chicken Sandwich. We tried both of these items plus the well known Mozzarella sticks and there were all GREAT. 



The Hideaway Hut menu, kitchen and dining areas. 
This was SO WELL DONE... I was highly impressed! 


The Hideaway Hut Coconut Shrimp- 4.5 (Chris-4.0) 
This was VERY GOOD and we both went and got a 2nd one! 


The Hideaway Hut Chicken Sandwich- 3.0
I was expecting something magical and this was somewhat of a let down! 


Mozzarella Sticks- 4.5
These hit the spot and we both got 2nds. 

After lunch we went back to our pool chairs and tried to lay out and get some vitamin D. Chris fell asleep and I enjoyed people watching for an hour or so. We then got back into the pool and ocean for the rest of our afternoon. This party atmosphere was great but the pool and beach were VERY crowded. We learned to get better service to just stay at the swim up bar and that is what we did to close out the afternoon. 


The Las Vegas Pool Party Vibe was... LOUD!  I could not take a nap but this was some AWESOME people watching! 


Time for some infinity pool time! 


This lagoon area was so nice and actually warmer than the pool in the afternoon! 


This is 41... 


Time for some Vitamin D. 

Around 4PM we decided to gather our items and head back towards the ship via the Hideaway Tram. This tram took us back to the base of the island where we waited for an additional tram to take us down the pier back to the ship. The entire process was about 20 minutes, so plan accordingly. (Although as a private island, they will PUSH you back to the ship and will not leave you... FYI)


A View of the Waterpark... This is the largest waterslide in the Western Hemisphere. 


The 2 beauties in Coco Cay. 
Allure and Independence of the Seas. 


One of the only SHIP pictures I got of the Indy! 

We got back on the ship shortly after 4:30PM and I went to the aft to get some pictures of the island before we watched the sail away from the Solarium hot-tubs. We loved our time at Coco Cay and I sincerely hope we can take our kids back in the near future as they would LOVE the waterpark. 


A view of Chill Island from the ship. 


The western area of Perfect Day at CoCo Cay.
Harbor Beach and Oasis Lagoon in the center. 


THIS is a GLOW UP... Wow, well done Royal Caribbean! 
Perfect Day at Coco Cay is in fact PERFECT! 


The center building is the "dorms" for all of the workers for Coco Cay. 
Coco Cay houses about 500 workers on the island daily. They work 3 months on and 1 month off. In addition, Coco Cay has multiple workers come from EACH ship that is ported daily. Many of the crew members on the ship will have to work at Coco Cay EVERYTIME they dock! It is kinda sad when you think about it. However, the bartenders at Hideaway Beach Club were nothing short of phenomenal! Thank you James and Andre! 


This was a PERFECT DAY- Thank you Coco Cay! 

Coco Cay Insider Tips
There are multiple areas of Coco Cay that are 100% free and do not require reservations. South Beach, Chill Island and so much more are all beaches that are included and have hundreds of chairs and umbrellas. These areas also have food options available (FOR FREE) and multiple bars throughout. TIP- Remember, the Deluxe Drink Package is included EVERYWHERE on the island. 

Evening
After sail away we took showers and got ready for the evening aboard the Independence of the Seas. Chris took a long nap and I made my way to Schooner Bar for the Friends trivia. I was placed on a team since you cannot play as a team of one. We did VERY well and got to the tie-breaker where she desperately wanted to go down front and try to win. Unfortunately, she did not win but I made a new Cruise Friend! 

After Friends Trivia it was time for dinner so I met Chris in the Main Dining Room for the Taste of Italy menu. We both liked this menu and enjoyed not just the food but the incredible service provided by Cris and Mario. We were in and out of the MDR within and HOUR yet again! 


The Taste of Italy menu for the Main Dining Room. 


The Lasagna- 4.5
Royal Caribbean always does this very well and this one was spot on! 


Mushroom Risotto- 3.0 (Chris- 3.5) 
This has been my FAVORITE item on the entire MDR menu the past 2 cruises and this was just not near as good. This was easily the biggest disappointment of the MDR on this cruise. 


Royal's Famous Tiramisu- 4.0 (Chris 4.5)
This is always a HIT! 

After dinner we went to the Schooner Bar for the Elton John piano tribute. This was great and we loved singing along. Afterwards we went to Studio B for one of our favorite events of any cruise- The Quest. We did not play along this time but had a great time watching the craziness of all of the other guests. TIP- This is an adults only show and can get a little risque, although this one was very tame. After the show we made our way back to Vintages until closing time shortly after midnight! 


Another glorious night walking around Deck 4! 

We LOVED getting to return to Coco Cay for Perfect Day and the Adults Only Pool Party scene! We hope to return SOON with the kids! 

Up Next... Sea Day #1! Stay Tuned! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 


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