Showing posts with label Cruise Blogger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cruise Blogger. Show all posts

Monday, June 29, 2026

The Suite Life of Chris and Kellie- Day 1

 This Cruise Will be SUITE
Embarkation Day- Galveston, TX 
June 13, 2026 


Let the SUITE LIFE begin! 

Morning
This was a busy week for our family as Natalie was headed to Leader's Retreat and both kids were headed to LeTourneau University for FBC Youth Camp and there was lots of last minute items to check off before our departure. I am so grateful for my parents, who now live just 45 minutes away, who came to get Natalie to the church and help close up our house for the week! Thank you Gigi and Poppy! 

We left the house just before 8am and made our traditional stop at Kolache Factory for our Cruise Day Breakfast- it's a tradition. We stopped for gas at Buc-ee's in Texas City before arriving at the North Parking Lot at Terminal 10 shortly before 10AM. TIP- We paid $113 for 5 days of parking in the North Parking Lot but we were literally 4 parking rows away from the entrance to Terminal 10. The best $113 spent of the trip in this Texas Summer Heat! 
BOOK HERE


IYKYK... 


This is the moment I get SUPER EXCITED! 

Our official check-in time was 11:30AM AND we received a notice about a delay the night before, but we were able to get right in thanks to early arrival and our suite perks. In fact, porters were waiting for us just steps from our vehicle to get our luggage. We walked right into the terminal at 10:15AM and completely bypassed the 50+ people standing in line as we took the "Suite & Pinnacle" escalator to the private Suite Lounge for check in. 


This is the life... THE SUITE LIFE! I could bypass this line EVERY CRUISE! 


I am on the SUITE Express... and it feels GOOD! 


Is this really for us? 


Where has this been my whole cruising life?! 

To say we were completely blown would be an understatement. Galveston is our home port and we sail Royal Caribbean and Terminal 10 ALL the time and I didn't even know this Suite Lounge existed! We were able to have a completely PRIVATE check in with a terminal worker in our lounge chairs! Once checked in the worker said "we will begin boarding at 10:28 but until then enjoy" and we did just that. They offered cookies, coffee & tea as well as a much less chaotic start to our cruise. At 10:25AM the announcements started but we couldn't even hear them. Instead, a worker came and casually told us to go get on the ship! In 30 cruises, this was something I have never experienced. Buyer beware... This alone is worth the Suite costs! 


I could SERIOUSLY get used to this! 

We were on the ship at 10:36AM and headed to our muster station to get checked in. After finalizing our muster station and safety check-in, we went straight to the Royal Promenade on Deck 5 to Cafe Promenade and Playmakers. TIP- Playmakers is "new" on the Mariner and was part of her upgrade in 2025. This sports bar is large and offers a variety of sports throughout the cruise. (Although we learned they do not carry the traditional ESPN but ESPN Caribbean rather; which did not program some sporting events like the Men's College World Series). 


This was a the "menu" for the upcoming sporting events. 


That first drink feeling...There's nothing like it! 

Chris enjoyed a few slices of pizza from Cafe Promenade and we enjoyed Playmakers pretty much all to ourselves for about 15 minutes before people started piling in. We opted to forgo the Embarkation buffet for lunch and ordered food from Playmakers. TIP- They offer a variety of Sports Bar food but the food hours vary by the day. Embarkation day offerings begin at 12pm). The wings and burger were GREAT and we would order again. This lunch cost $29 with tip and is an additional charge, unless you have the unlimited dining package. 

Cafe Promenade on The Royal Promenade



Playmakers Sports Bar (Deck 5 Forward) 

Check it out... 


6 Wings ($8.99)- 4.5


Truffle Burger ($11.99)- 4.0
I enjoyed the sauce on the burger and it was a very large portion! 

Afternoon
We enjoyed lunch and hung out in Playmakers until about 1pm when we made our way to our stateroom before the official announcement was made at 1:30pm. As I mentioned before, BUYER BEWARE. This "junior suite" was a TERRIBLE idea. I may never go back to a regular room, let alone an INTERIOR which is our most frequent stateroom. The closet was a WALK IN CLOSET and the additional space in the room was probably the exact size of an actual interior! The bathroom was "larger" but not HUGE and offered a bathtub (VERY slippery). The balcony was larger than a normal balcony and deeper as well but did not offer "lounge" chairs but large chairs and a small table instead. 


This... THIS is our room for the next 5 days? How did we get so lucky! 


Another view of this MASSIVE room! 

Junior Suite 1590- THE BEST ROOM EVER! 
We LOVED this room! 

Our luggage was in the hallway as we arrived to the stateroom so I took the next 30 minutes or so to unpack for the week while Chris took a nap on the full sized couch. Y'all... I did not even use all the closet space or drawers. Not even 60-70% of the space. Chris and I joked that this suite was "wasted on a 5 night cruise". This stateroom was made for a LONG HAUL cruise! Again... I may NEVER go back! (Not true... we sail in 10 days and in an interior room, of course.) 

We tried to use the in-room coffee maker and we seemed to trip a breaker as the coffee machine would not work and the lights in the bathroom would not come on. We called the stateroom attendant- Adrian- and he called maintenance. We decided to go to Schooner Bar for afternoon trivia and a few drinks. We actually WON the first trivia of the cruise and then WON the movie theme trivia that followed too! We even won an EFFY jewelry gift bag full of goodies and coupons! I think we made up for not winning at all on our MSC Seascape 2026 cruise.


Two trivia wins BACK TO BACK, an Effy giftbag and a perfect mojito! 
Life is good!  

Before we even realized it, we were sailing away from Galveston at 3:12pm so we hurried back to the suite to watch the sail away. We were able to see the pilot boat pick up the pilot and watch us get into the bay of Galveston before heading back out to enjoy the ship. 

We headed to the Bamboo Room which is a new bar that took the location of Vintages. One of our favorite bartenders on the Harmony of the Seas 2026, Ursula, suggested the Bamboo Room as an alternative to Vintages but we did not enjoy this venue at all. The vibes were not at all "quiet" and "low key" but rather kind of 70s and odd. The unique drinks featured in this bar were also not at all for us. I ordered something that came in a "hospital bag" that mimicked a blood bag! It was an experience but we did not return to the Bamboo Room on this sailing! The most upsetting thing about the entire cruise was the lack of Vintages and this as the replacement. 


The specialty drink menu from The Bamboo Room and my "On the Run" drink.
(Drink Rating of 2.5... not for me). 

Evening
We enjoyed the balcony for a while as we were in the shade for the trip south. This balcony allowed a lot of space and the chairs, while they could not recline, were comfortable for time spent on the balcony. We then went back to the Schooner Bar to enjoy live music from the pianist. 


I am loving the SUITE LIFE!


We LOVE listening to live music and Schooner Bar is our favorite venue on Royal Caribbean ships! 

Our dinner was at 8:30pm on Deck 5 of the Dining Room. TIP- Once on board, I went to the Maitre'd within an hour and requested a table for ONLY 2 (not seated with others) and "isolated" or not as close to others. Most cruise lines pack you in like cattle and the tables are just too close for comfort so I have learned the trick is to request isolation from the Maitre'd on night #1. Oddly enough, we were literally in a back corner and were the ONLY table in our waiter's section EVERY NIGHT. I do not know if the other passengers did not ever come to dinner or were never assigned but this "isolation" provided the absolute BEST and fastest service we have EVER HAD on ANY CRUISE LINE! 


The Welcome Aboard Menu in the Main Dining Room


Crab Cake 
Kellie- 4.0 (Light and full of flavor) & Chris- 4.0


Tomato Soup
Kellie- 4.0


Southern Fried Chicken 
Kellie- 3.0
This was really good but not "southern" as I had hoped! 


Prime Rib 
Chris- 4.0


Boston Cream Pie 
Kellie- 3.5 & Chris- 4.0

After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard show in the Main Theater for the Mariner of the Seas Orchestra as well as a comedian. Both were very entertaining and reminded us how great Royal Caribbean musicians really are. 


This was a great Welcome Aboard Show and we enjoyed this comedian! 

We made our way to the Pub after the show and saw one of our favorite bartenders from the Jewel of the Seas B2B 2025- Raj! We sat down in the pub and he shouts out "Sir David and Ms. Kellie- how are you?" He actually remembered us! Oddly enough we saw his bartending partner, Yash from the Jewel of the Seas, on the Harmony in February! We actually ended up seeing 6 different bartenders from previous cruises on this sailing- 2 of which recognized US and even remembered my order! (Not really sure I should be bragging about that but... That is why I am loyal to ROYAL. They truly are the best.) 

We enjoyed the 70s Disco Inferno from the Pub and it is always one of our favorite nightly events onboard Royal Caribbean. We called it a night shortly after midnight! 

It was a GREAT embarkation day aboard the Mariner of the Seas and we were ready for more! This cruise will be SUITE! 

Up Next... Sea Day #1! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
MSC Seascape- April 2026









 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Lost Shaker of Salt- Day 3

 Gala Night Sea Day #2 April 7, 2026 


We really enjoyed getting dressed up like the "good ol' cruising days". 
(At least I did)

Morning
Once we reached smooth sailing at approximately 9PM on Night #2, it was a very smooth cruise and this allowed for much better sleep but as a perimenopausal woman in her 40 forties, I was desperately needing a fan. The stateroom still stayed very cool compared to many other cruise lines we have sailed but the hot-flashes are not forgiving. We were up around 7AM and made our way to Loft Cafe for coffee and light pastries. TIP- The Loft Cafe on Deck 8 Forward is an incredible coffee shop that truly offers coffee shop vibes and has tons of seating. The coffee is a little more customizable here than anywhere else on the ship as well as they have several different syrup options. I also appreciate the fact it is a full service bar with bartenders. HOWEVER- The Full service was not great during the morning hours it seemed.
SMOOTH SAILING on Day #3
This is a GREAT option for breakfast and the pastries' were actually good.

Check out the Loft Cafe!


We went back to the room to enjoy the balcony in the shade before going to breakfast at Hola Tacos. TIP- This was easily the best food on the ship period. They offered traditional breakfast options like omelets but also Huevos Rancheros and even Queso. The service was just as good if not better than the MDR and Butcher’s Cut as we were in and out in less than 40 minutes. This is NOT to be missed while sailing on the MSC Seascape. 

Do not sleep on Hola Tacos-It as AWESOME!

The Hola Tacos Breakfast Menu

The Churros were not bad at all.

This queso was AMAZING... I cannot believe I ate this for breakfast but it was mighty tasty!

The Hola Tacos Breakfast Burrito was really good and I loved the fresh guacamole!

After breakfast we went back to the balcony as it was a gorgeous day and the seas were smooth as glass. We stayed on the balcony in the shade for over an hour before going to the Jungle Pool Beach Bar for freshly squeezed orange juice. TIP- The Jungle Beach Bar is the only place on the ship with a fresh OJ machine and it is delicious. This is free if you have the Premium Beverage Package and does not count towards your 15 drinks. We sipped our fresh OJ and laid out in the corner of the Jungle Pool area for over an hour. 

This is a perfect day aboard a cruise ship... AND even INSIDE with AC.


We then went to the Casino Bar and met a couple from Magnolia, just miles away from our hometown of Conroe, TX. We talked to them for a while before going to “Tour de Brunch” in the MDR. This brunch offered food from “around the world” with about 8 different main dish options. We arrived after 12PM and it was very busy, but we did not have to wait for a table which was nice. The service was not as good for this meal as I feel we were forgotten a bit. The food was mid-level at best but I enjoyed seeing all the offerings from other passengers' tables. 

The Main Dining Room Tour de Brunch menu (Sea Day #2)

The French Toast Kellie- 2.5

Carbonara Pasta Kellie-2.0 This sauce was awful... Flavor was not terrible!

Bread and Butter Pudding Kellie 3.0 & Chris- 3.0


Afternoon
After brunch we went back to the balcony and were able to stay in the shade for only about 30 minutes before it was fully in the sun and were HOT so we went to the Cabaret Lounge for afternoon trivia- we didn't win! But the wake view was absolutely perfect on this gorgeous day!
Balcony Selfie time...

This is why I cruise... and cruise SO OFTEN! This is absolutely PERFECT!

Hello Mariner of the Seas! We will see you in less than 2 months for "The Suite Life of Chris & Kellie"! Stay tuned for that!

We then went to the Cocktail Bar in the Specialty Restaurant Lounge. This very quickly became our favorite spot on the whole ship and gave Carnival Alchemy Bar vibes. The bartender Ashish Rao from Mumbai was incredible and the sole bartender at this bar. He made some of the best drinks I have had in a very long time. We sat at talked to him for a long time before leaving to go to Friend’s Trivia in the Cabaret Lounge. Unfortunately, I did not win but we still had fun! In fact, this is our first cruise EVER we have not won a single trivia!


We went to the Love and Marriage Show as the matinee in the Main Theater and it was funny and very well attended. TIP- Be sure to arrive at all shows in the Main Theater about 5-10 minutes early as there is not enough seating for 5,500 passengers and it gets really crowded in the last 10 minutes before a show. 

MSC Spa Entrance- Check it out!

We loved the layout of this Spa!


We opted to enjoy the gorgeous afternoon in the Infinity Pool area on Deck 8 aft. This was less of a pool and more of a shallow bathtub but we enjoyed the sun and the calmness of no kids. TIP- Even when sailing on “off-peak” weeks in the school year, we still had 1,269 passengers less than 18 years old on our cruise and I was a little shocked. I will say that most of the kids were much better behaved than Carnival or Norwegian clientele it seemed. 

Another view of the Infinity Pool from the Aft Elevators. Check out the AFT ELEVATORS:

Hello Cancun, Mexico!

Let's Get some GELATO!
Day 3- Let's Talk Ship
A gorgeous day on a cruise ship... everything else doesn't even matter!

Evening
We spent about 2 hours in the Infinity Pool and then showered and got ready for Gala Night onboard. TIP- Gala Night is MSC’s Formal Night and I will say that overall the guest were much more dressed up than our experience the past few years on Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. It very much reminded us of Princess Cruise Lines Formal Night and we liked that. 

We are all "prettied up" for Gala Night!

I (personally) LOVED getting to dress up for Gala Night!

Dinner in the MDR was not as nice as we would have thought for the “Gala Night” dinner and the service was not as fast as the previous two evenings; but it is a formal night and the service is just always slower. We also for the first time ordered "Two Entrees" as we wanted to share the Filet Mignon. Supposedly MSC charges $5 per additional entree beyond 1. We expected a charge and we did have a "charge" on our account BUT it was for $0. That could have been standard or it could have been since we mentioned the steak not being very good at all- It's hard to tell! It was also VERY HOT in our corner on this meal and by the time our dessert arrived, we were so hot we were uncomfortable! 


The MDR Gala Night Dinner Menu 


Lobster Bisque Chris- 3.0 & Kellie- 2.5 This was good flavored but it was not as rich or thick & creamy as I would personally prefer.

Caesar Salad Chris-1.5 & Kellie- 1.0 This seemed not even mixed together and the dressing had "clumps" in it!

Lobster Chris-4.0 (the whole dish but the Lobster itself was 2.0) Kellie- 2.5 overall

Filet Mignon Chris 2.0 & Kellie-1.0 This didn't even taste like the right cut of meat as it was very chewy and overcooked. Even the neighboring table had a tough cut of meat. The potatoes, asparagus and sauce were DELICIOUS and easily the most flavorful thing we had up to this point but we couldn't even finish this TINY steak!

Another look at this cut of "filet".

Baked Alaska Both- 3.5 We enjoyed this ending to our meal!

Gala Night Review
Overall, we really enjoyed this evening! 

After dinner we went back to the room to get into more comfortable clothes and then went to the Sports Bar for live music with guitarist Christo de Rey- this guy was INCREDIBLE and easily the most entertaining musicians we have experienced on any cruise! If you like Classic Rock, be sure to check him out!

He last set was over at 11PM so we went back to enjoy the balcony! I was not feeling 100% so I showered and went to bed early. Overall it was a great sea day aboard the MSC Seascape!

Up Next- Costa Maya, Mexico

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Harmony of the Seas- February 2026








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006
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