From complete rest and relaxation to non-stop professional development... BRING IT ON!
Morning
We woke up to an actual alarm as per typical for the debarkation day. We got ready and then went to eat breakfast in the Main Dining Room. The lines to get a table were not actually too long but it seemed like so since so many people were carrying off their own luggage. We were seated fairly quickly and the service was much better than the previous day.
Once we finished breakfast, they were still calling off self-assist passengers so we went back to the room to gather our stuff and start to head to our holding location until our Group #7 was called. By the time we got back to our room, they were calling our group so we used the stairs and got in line to debark the ship. There was a very long line to get off the ship and we had to wander through that line for about 25 minutes before we actually got off the ship. Once in the terminal, it was a breeze with the new state of the art facial recognition software. TIP- You a passport when cruising if you can as it really helps speed up the process to board and debark. You can use a birth certificate if sailing a "closed loop" and returning to the same port (essentially a round trip cruise). But we have seen the past 3-4 cruises post-Covid that the birth certificate line is about 10x longer than the passport line.
We got all of our luggage and made our way back to our parking spot in the Port of Galveston North Parking Lot. TIP- This is easily the best parking lot and location of any cruise we have ever sailed. It is a little pricey but WELL WORTH IT. Check it out HERE!
I was attending a String Teacher Workshop in Columbus, Ohio the following week and my flight left Houston in the afternoon. The original plan was to just hangout in Galveston or south Houston and get to the airport VERY early for my 4PM flight. But during the week we realized that I left a few items at the house so we opted to hurry and get off the ship and drive 80 minutes back to our home in The Woodlands and then drive an hour back south to Hobby airport for my flight. This was a LOT of driving but it was the right thing to do.
Afternoon
Chris dropped me off at Hobby Airport around 2PM for my flight and I enjoyed a Starbucks treat while I waited for my flight. The flight was easy an uneventful. I touched down in Columbus at 7:30PM EST and made my way to Ohio State University for my workshop. It was SUCH a great week and you can read all about that week HERE!
I have arrived and I am ready to learn!
THE Ohio State University!
The Allure of the Seas was our first MEGA-SHIP experience. We really enjoyed the ship but there were a few things we missed. I think overall, we would like to try Harmony of the Seas when it comes to Galveston in November 2023 but deep down I think we like the Voyager and Freedom class ships much better. In addition, I LOVE Royal Caribbean and consider myself to be "Loyal to Royal" but in all actuality, I will cruise anywhere and anytime. We just go with the best DEALS or VALUE! However, this was EXACTLY the cruise we needed in our lives as we approach our busy season. The down time, rest, relaxation and mental retreat were just what the Doctor Ordered!
What's Next?
This year I will be transitioning from teaching Middle School Orchestra to High School Orchestra within NCISD. All while Natalie will be a freshman in high school and Luke a 6th grader starting Middle School. We are entering what will easily be our busiest times of our lives and there, unfortunately, will not be as much time to travel as years past. BUT... That will NOT stop us from cruising or vacationing. We are planning to take the kids on a cruise over our February "Winter Break". We are planning a SURPRISE (SHHHH) cruise out of CALIFORNIA! Stay tuned for that!
Once again, we GREATLY appreciate your continued support of our blog. Even just clicking on the blog post links and sharing our posts with friends and family members who may be cruising helps our business! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Up Next... SURPRISE Baja Cruise out of California!
It was finally embarkation day and we were so excited. This cruise was planned somewhat short notice for us and it proved to be quite the pain near the start of the trip. We did not take the kids as we normally cruise alone during the summer while the kids are with their grandparents and this cruise was no different. Except that Chris's dad, Dan, fell and broke his arm about a week prior to our cruise. This meant plans had to be rearranged and at one point I wondered if it was all worth it, but it all worked out. (And Chris's dad has now had surgery and is doing well).
We left the house at a much later time of 8:45AM as we had an arrival time of 11:30AM, which is about an hour later than we like to arrival at a terminal. We made our traditional stop at Kolache Factory and Buccee's and were on the island by 10:30AM. We reserved parking with the Port of Galveston at the North Parking lot near terminal 10. TIP- This parking is AMAZING and so worth the extra $25-30 in our opinion. There is no need to drop off luggage and you can literally walk to the terminal from your parking spot faster than you can even get on a shuttle from the other lots. We paid $156 for the week; which I will admit is VERY pricey but we have learned in the last year of cruising out of Galveston that ALL of the parking has gone up about 30-40% across the board. Book HERE- Port of Galveston- Parking
You know what this means... We are ALMOST there! This sign always gives me a real HIGH!
We were parked and walking into the cruise terminal at 11:02AM. We literally blew right through security, check in and were on the ship hearing the first DING at 11:15AM. We never stopped, not even once. This may be our new routine sailing out of Galveston as this was probably the EASIEST embarkation we have EVER had! TIP- the check in for a cruise opens 45 days prior to sailing date and it opens at midnight (MIAMI TIME). If you want a good arrival time, it might be wise to stay up late to reserve the arrival window you want. We usually opt for the earliest time available but this 11:30AM time slot was GOLDEN!
Once we were onboard the Allure of the Seas, we walked on to the ship right at the center of the Royal Promenade and immediately got in line to settle our pre-purchased Specialty Dining Package. TIP- We purchased the 3 night Specialty dining and a "courtesy" reservation was made for the 1st night. We wanted to ensure we got not only the times we wanted for all 3 dinners but I was a little worried on a ship of over 6K passengers we may not get the actual restaurants we wanted. We had to wait in line about 10 minutes we got all 3 restaurants and times we wanted: 150 Central Park, Chops Grille and Giovanni's Table.
After we finalized our reservations we strolled around the Royal Promenade and then made our way to deck 6 aft for the Boardwalk. This was a very good time to stroll through here as the ship was still very empty and we got great pictures of this cool area. However, it WAS Texas and it was 105* so it was very hot.
We loved this area of the ship!
Hello from our first MEGA-SHIP!
The Boardwalk Doghouse- Deck 6 Aft I will discuss more in Day 2 but this is a GREAT option for lunch and the dogs were GREAT!
Afternoon
Once we made our way to Central Park, we stopped at Tullis Bar and got our first drink of our drink package. TIP- We decided to go ahead and get the drink package as it really is a good deal if you are going to drink on average 5 drinks per day AND the bottled water, specialty coffee and sports drinks; all of which we had multiple times a day. Royal Caribbean drink packages are priced fairly high at $82/ person/ night (plus tips) but it is literally ALL inclusive and again worth you money if you are going to be having a few drinks throughout the day, at dinner and enjoy a good specialty coffee and bottled water. Also, RCCL often has sales on their drink packages but I have rarely seen it lower than $73.99/ person/ day. Other cruise lines offer a LOWER set daily cost but they also LIMIT the number of drinks you can order! We never really reached that limit in the past but something to keep in mind!
A very quiet and uninterrupted view of Central Park 11:30AM Embarkation Day
Seriously Central Park is SO GORGEOUS!
The Texas Drink menu *Texas law requires only TEXAS liquors to be sold in Texas waters. This means no "top-shelf" but we don't care! This is still a great variety.
We then made our way to the Park Café on Deck 8 inside Central Park for a much more relaxed embarkation day lunch. This café offered made to order salads (think Salata), hand carved meats for sandwiches, soups and lighter fare. Plus they offered specialty coffees and teas all of which included a MUCH lighter flow of traffic. TIP- Be sure to check this place out for breakfast and a quick port day lunch as it was hardly EVER crowded and the food was excellent!
By this time it was past noon but the staterooms were still not ready so we found our way to Boleros on Deck 5 Midship. We sat in this bar enjoying the Latin vibe and music until they announced rooms were ready at 1PM. We then went to our stateroom- Deck 10-679; an inside stateroom. This was booked through our travel agent as a "guarantee" room but was a block of rooms for Cruises Only with Cheryl our agent. It was a GREAT location just a few rooms from the elevator. However, it was a TINY inside room and not the standard inside cabins that are found on the Oasis class ships. In fact it was so tiny that our steward suggested separating the beds to make more space. Furthermore, it did not offer the cruise industry standard of 3 closets, drawers and other organizing factors. Nope... It had 1 closet with 2 shelves, zero drawers and that's it. We were flabbergasted at how tiny it really was. BUT, it was COLD. And it remained pretty cold (for a cruise ship cabin) throughout the cruise. All of our luggage arrived by 1:45PM and I had the room unpacked and ready (in other words just piles of clothes this time) by shortly after 2PM.
We then went up to the "Lido" deck and meandered around the pool deck seeing what all the Allure had to offer. This truly was a MEGA ship as it was so large and offered SO MUCH. There were literally 4 pools onboard and while we watched the videos at home, I thought the pools were tiny but they were surprisingly big! We then wondered upon the Wipeout Café on Deck 15 AFT. This was a quick café offering tacos, nachos, quesadillas and other "tex-mex" options and snacks. I expected it to be awful but we were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the quesadillas especially. TIP- Don't sleep on this one. It is WAY better than the buffet and FASTER. It is only open certain hours each day and very few hours while in port but SO GOOD!
The Wipeout Cafe on Deck 15 AFT. WE LOVED THIS PLACE!
There's lots of great options here!
We loved the nachos!
It is almost sailing time, we are ready!
The Wipeout Bar near the Flowriders in the very back of the ship! I love the double Flowriders and the ample seating available. It is NOT shaded but it is nice to have additional seating if your kids are at the FR non-stop!
A view of the Aqua Theater from Deck 15 above.
The Allure Dunes TIP- If you want to play a round, do this EARLY in the cruise as 6K+ others want to play as well!
A view of the Boardwalk area and Aqua Theater from Deck 15 aft.
The rest of the afternoon we spent exploring the ship and trying to get a feel for the layout prior to even setting sail. TIP- This is probably my biggest suggestion, especially for a MEGA ship, is to get the layout and feel for the ship EARLY in the cruise so you are not constantly asking "Which way is XXX".
A RARE view of the ginormous hot-tubs near the Solarium!
The Solarium Bistro I will discuss this more on Day 2 but this is another HIDDEN GEM and was quiet, clean and never crowded!
A view of the Main Pool from Deck 16. This is the largest of the 4 pools and is on Deck 15 midship (PORT) side.
A view of the Royal Promenade and the Rising Tides Bar.
One of the things we did not like about the Allure was the lack of a real "lanai" deck. They offered a jogging track on Deck 5 and it was covered but it did not have ANY chairs and no real space to stop and admire the ocean as you sailed by. This is one of my favorite things about the Voyager and Freedom class RCCL ships and almost all of the Carnival ships. This was non-existent on the Allure and perhaps the biggest disappointment of the ship in our opinion.
We are ready to set sail... Let's do this!
A view of the jogging track on Deck 5. I enjoyed the cute sayings near the lobby doors but you can see how narrow it was and how little space there was to view the ocean.
We grabbed a few drinks at Schooner Bar on Deck 6 before going back out and calling the kids before sail-away. They were in Tyler with my parents for a few days before making their annual trip to the "farm" in Lubbock with Chris's parents. We did a quick Facetime with them and before we realized it, we were sailing towards Honduras.
Goodbye Galveston...
Hello crystal clear blue waters!!
This truly is my HAPPY PLACE!
Evening
We decided to do our walking before dinner and got in 2 miles on the jogging track (about 10 laps). Both of our watches clocked us in as walking 1 mile in 4 minutes as we were moving "with" the ship and we thought that was funny. In reality, it was a very relaxed pace! We then took some showers and got ready for our first dining experience on the Allure of the Seas- 150 Central Park.
While we were getting ready we watched the Welcome Aboard show on TV and recognized the Cruise Director- Steve from Canada who is the only legally blind CD in the fleet, which is kinda cool. Believe it or not, we actually saw him on the FIRST DAY and got our traditional CD picture within an HOUR of sail-away! This is unheard of!
Our cruise has officially been made... We can go home! Just kidding; we would never! But this was a HUGE success!
Thank you Steve from Canada...We really enjoyed you!
We had a few pre-dinner drinks in my favorite bar of all time- Vintages in Central Park before going to 150 Central Park at 8:15PM for our dinner reservation. TIP- Vintages is such an amazing bar and is so quiet. It is tucked away in Central Park and even has doors that close off the noise and music from Central Park. Even if wine is not your thing, be sure to check this place out. The service and ambiance is the BEST!
We found Vintages on our first Liberty of the Seas cruise in 2018 and fell in LOVE!
We LOVE Vintages!
We then made our way to 150 CP. We expected it to be packed but due to the Broadway production of Mama Mia happening on the 1st night, we practically had the place all to ourselves. Our waiter, Allen, was incredible and even gave us a free plate from the head chef. In fact, it was an entire entrée plate- the Beef Tenderloin for Two. This was unbelievably good but we barely even made a dent. The food and drinks were exceptional. It was a GREAT way to start off our cruise!
Our 150 Central Park Experience
The 150 CP menu
The Garlic Knots- 5 HOLY SMOKES these were incredible!
Seared Honey Glazed Scallops-5 WOW... These were heavenly and so delicate!
Braised Short Rib -4.5 The meat literally fell off the bone... It was delicious.
Lobster Thermidor-5 Wow... This was the most bougie food I have ever had and I LOVED IT!
The Beef Tenderloin for TWO-4.5 Thank you Allen and head chef! We really enjoyed this!
Fried Cheesecake-3.5 This is not really my thing but the flavor was good. Chris loved them!
Thank you 150 Central Park! WE LOVED our experience! Do not sleep on this one and try to get it in a dining package as it is SO MUCH CHEAPER this way!
After dinner, we were STUFFED and needed to walk off our dinner. We did a quick stroll around Central Park before realizing we had to go back to the room for Chris to take his medicine. We got back to our room and Chris took his meds and we sat on the bed for a minute- which turned into an hour and a half nap. It was crazy how that happens but I kid you not, that has been our "new tradition" on the first night of a cruise.
We woke up around 11:30PM and quickly got up and made our way to the Royal Promenade Deck 5 to watch the Embarkation Balloon Drop. TIP- This happens weekly on the Allure and it was REALLY cool. Be forewarned that a LOT of people are in a very small location so if you are claustrophobic, it may not be for you but we LOVED IT! We then started our nightly tradition of ending the night at Schooner Bar. We loved Iputu and Matthew who took care of us from day 1.
We are ready for the balloon drop!
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- DROP! This was really cool. I think kids and adults alike would LOVE IT!
This embarkation day was as smooth as the seas we were sailing and we knew this was going to be a GREAT cruise!
Majority Rules The Kids Return to Cruising September 3, 2022 Galveston, TX
It's time to CRUISE... Let's Go!
Morning It had been nearly 5 years since the kids had last been on a cruise ship and all four of us were ready for this adventure to get started. We were up and out the door before 7:30AM. We did make a short pit-stop at our traditional cruise morning breakfast, Kolache Factory in The Woodlands.
We are all packed up and ready to go... Let's head south!
Once we were on I45, it was less than 100 minutes before we were at the NEW Royal Caribbean Galveston Cruise terminal, and that was with a stop at Buc-ee's in Texas City.
The new Royal Caribbean Terminal 10 in Galveston is GORGEOUS. It was finished and opened in November 2022 and was only a few months old when we sailed. This terminal has it's own parking lot on sight and an incredibly easy pick-up and drop-off lane area that serves the passengers so very well.
This is always such a great feeling... This sign means I'm within minutes of the cruise ship!
We're almost there...
I love the outside of this new terminal.
We are parked... Next stop, the terminal! I cannot wait to get inside and see it all!
We parked in the Port of Galveston North Lot which was mere feet away from the entrance area of the terminal. TIP- This parking lot is pricier than other lots but the convenience to the terminal is worth it's weight in gold. We paid $110 for a 5 days cruise. Once we loaded all of our suitcases, we made our way to the holding area of the terminal as they do not open the terminal to outgoing passengers until 10AM. We had to wait in a covered area on the south side of the terminal. It had room for about 200 passengers and large ceiling fans. We were comfortable waiting 20-30 minutes in this line but I can see where standing in this area during the summer months in South Texas would be excruciatingly hot.
Waiting in the covered holding area to get into the terminal.
It's 9:58... They started a countdown for the doors to open and we all got really excited!
They literally opened the terminal to outgoing cruise passengers at exactly 10AM and we started going into the terminal. The entrance to the terminal is GORGEOUS and I love the quadruple escalators. We were upstairs and getting checked in by 10:04AM. Once checked in, we waited in a very swanky terminal holding area for about 15 minutes before the announcement was made they would begin boarding soon. TIP- During this time we all watched the Royal Caribbean safety briefing video on the Royal Caribbean app. This was only about 5-7 minutes worth of time and was SO EASY and user (especially kid) friendly!
C'mon, call the "Platinum" guests already... We want to get on the ship!
At the start of this cruise, Chris and I had 32 Royal Caribbean points (nights sailed) so we were now considered "Platinum" and were able to get priority boarding. AND the kids were able to board with us as well. We heard the "first ding" on the Adventure of the Seas at 10:32AM.
Once on board, we immediately went to our muster station to get checked in and credit for our Muster Drill. TIP- I absolutely LOVE the new way of doing muster drills and RCCL is even easier than Carnival. However, Norwegian has already gone back to the old way of doing 1 massive presentation and packing the passengers into small venues like cattle. They are saying it is due "safety" concerns and passengers not taking the new style of drill seriously. I am hoping this is NOT an industry change as the new way is so much easier and less crowded than the traditional way. But only time will tell if the old or new muster drills will stand.
After our muster drill check-in, it was still only 10:45AM and the lunch options were not open yet so we decided to go to the Maitre' D on Deck 4. Since Chris was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in December 2022, we wanted to ensure all of his dietary restrictions were acknowledged and met prior to the first seating of dinner.The Maitre' D was HIGHLY accommodating and not only helped meet Chris's needs but also allowed us to change our dining time from 5:30 to 8PM as well as get us a table on Deck 5 (per the kids request). Thank you so much RCCL for all of your help and support. Once again, top notch service and customer satisfaction from Royal Caribbean.
After we met with the Maitre' D, we went to the Schnooner Bar on Deck 4 forward for our first drink of the cruise. TIP- On Royal Caribbean, the drink package DOES start on DAY 1 (unlike Carnival which starts on Day 2). It was so nice to get on board and have a drink within 10 minutes. Thank you Royal!
Even at this point it was still only 11AM and most of the lunch options did not open until 11:30AM. We walked around the ship and got our own ship tour before heading up to the Royal Promenade for pizza at Café Promenade. The kids LOVED this pizza from the start and needless to say, we got our money's worth eating this pizza all week.
HELLO Adventure of the Seas!
We are already in LOVE!
My traditional buoy picture!
The beautiful Solarium on the Adventure of the Seas! This was a smaller pool than Freedom class but still rather big for an adults only area.
One of my favorite things about Royal Caribbean is the Royal Promenade and the "class" of their ships!
This kid was hooked from the very first bite!
Afternoon After exploring the lower main parts of the ship on Decks 3, 4 and 5, we went up to the Lido Deck (Deck 11) to try out the Windjammer Buffet. It was crowded but not too bad at 11:45AM. We found seats in the Giovanni's Table area on the starboard side of the Windjammer. TIP- This area is hidden and not well known but at the front of the Windjammer and has plenty of luscious seating. We noticed this area was open during peak dining times in the WJ.
Here is a video of the Windjammer around 11:45AM and the additional seating in Giovanni's Table.
After lunch we went to Deck 12 to get the kids registered for the Adventure Ocean kids club. We did not plan on using the kids or teen program but wanted to get registered in case they were "too full" on this sailing. The registration for the Adventure Ocean (ages 3-11) opened at 12PM and at 12:20PM we were about 20 parties deep. The organization of the kids club and it's registration was not very well organized and it was VERY HOT in the narrow hallways of the deck. Overall it took about 30 minutes to get through registration for Luke and come to find out the teen club registration wasn't even open until 3pm which was very frustrating.
I sent Chris and the kids to get registered for the Flowrider around 12:30PM thinking it would be backed up like the kids club. It was a smooth process so after Chris got them registered, Luke went to play basketball at the sports court.
Around 1:15PM we all met up and the kids changed into their swimsuits to go on the waterslides and Flowrider. TIP- Remember to always pack your swimsuits in your carry-on luggage. The lines to the water slides were not long at all and the kids were able to go down each of the 2 waterslides about a dozen times. TIP- With any larger cruise ship, be sure to plan your EMBARKATION day events. This is ALWAYS the best time to do the big attractions like waterslides, ropes course and mini-golf. And remember, embarkation day is one of the days listed in your cruise so USE IT! In fact, this would be my BIGGEST TIP of our trip! Do ALL THE THINGS on day 1 before you set sail!
The kids are ready for the PERFECT STORM waterslides!
These slides were EPIC and the kids LOVED THEM!
After the water slides, the kids waited in line for the Flowrider that opened up at 1:30PM. They only had to wait about 4 people before their turn. Luke did very well but got so frustrated that he kept wiping out. Natalie, too, had a few wipeouts but held on a little longer than Luke did. I remember my Flowrider days from the Navigator of the Seas back in 2014 and there is a learning curve involved. Luke was still frustrated so instead of trying again, Chris and the kids went to the main pool area while I went to the room to unpack and set up our cabins.
Luke did very well!
We was able to surf for a few seconds before a wipe-out. TIP- The workers were very helpful and each person got about 2-4 minutes of time trying to surf.
Luke's Flowrider experience on Adventure of the Seas!
Natalie had a better grasp of how it all worked at first...
But she also had a LOT of wipe-outs in her 3 minutes!
Here is Natalie's journey with the Flowrider.
For this cruise, it was actually cheaper to get TWO CABINS and have a girl room and boy room than it was to cram us all into a cabin together. The cheapest option was a "Guarantee" cabin which means the cruise line chooses your actual cabin location. Due to this, we opted to get Oceanview cabins since there are fewer of those on the ship and we had a better chance of being near each other. This theory paid out very well as oddly enough, our cabins ended up being right next to each other. TIP- If you do not mind having the cruise line choose for you, booking a "guarantee" cabin is the easiest way to save money on your cruise fare.
Oceanview Stateroom 2590 Deck 2 (below Studio B Ice Rink) Very quiet and little movement, especially for a lower deck cabin.
Both staterooms were nice and just what you would expect from an Oceanview cabin on a lower deck. However, mine and Natalie's cabin had hardwood floors and Chris and Luke had the traditional carpet. Natalie and I were the very last occupied cabin on that deck, which was odd. As the cruise progressed, we think the other cabins were vacant for Covid cases but we did not get that confirmed.
Even though it was well past 2PM at this point, we still didn't have any of our luggage so after the kids got back into their day clothes we all went back out and explored more of the ship. We roamed the Royal Promenade and the kids had many more pit stops at Café Promenade for the pizza before we went to the helicopter pad for sail away. We were not the only ones who had this thought and before we realized it, the helicopter pad was FULL of people. TIP- If you do not have a balcony cabin, this truly is the best place for sail away as you can see EVERYTHING! The Adventure of the Seas set sail for Costa Maya, Mexico at 4:14PM. Within 30-40 minutes we were out of Galveston harbor and into the Gulf of Mexico.
This is my favorite part of a Royal Caribbean ship!
Getting ready for sail away!
The boys having a TITANIC moment at the front of the ship!
Family traditional buoy picture!
I love the back of our shirts my friend Charlotte made. It's my TWENTY-FIRST CRUISE! (Can you believe it?)
Hello Galveston Harbor... Next stop, the GULF!
Evening We watched sail away for about an hour before going back to the cabin to check for our luggage and unfortunately, it was not there so we went up to the sports deck to try and get in our traditional round of putt-putt but the mini-golf and sports court were both closed due to high winds. Little did we know this would be the theme of this entire cruise! We opted to play table tennis instead which proved to be difficult with the high winds as well. We all played each other but Chris (with lots of table tennis experience in college) gave us all a true beating.
We had fun playing Table Tennis in the crazy wind!
We made another pit-stop at Café Promenade for the kids to get... you guessed it, more pizza before going back to our room. Finally, around 6:30PM, all of our luggage had arrived and I was able to unpack both cabins for the week onboard. TIP- This was the latest we have ever had luggage delivered to our cabin. This is why you always want to pack your swimsuit and a change of clothes (for dinner if needed) in your carry on suitcase.
Us girls are SO EXCITED to have our own cabin and we are ready for the evening festivities to begin.
After we all got unpacked, we went to the Welcome Aboard Show for the comedian who turned out to be hilarious to the kids. It was here that we learned that this sailing had 3,651 passengers and 956 were "junior cruisers". We had really hoped cruising in these odd months would mean LESS kids but that was not the case. (Louisiana takes 3-5 days off for Mardi Gras which happen to be these days, so we expect that was the main reason for such a high number of kids).
After the show we went to the Sapphire Dining Room on Deck 5 for our dinner in the Main Dining Room. We arrived at 7:50PM and were out by 9:10PM. The food was better than I remember but the service was a little slower and less responsive than I expected. Overall, it was a GREAT experience.
The new menus Royal just released fleet wide in January did not disappoint. We enjoyed the variety of selections and the themes.
The gorgeous Sapphire Dining Room from Deck 5.
After dinner we all went to Deck 12 to walk on the jogging track to get in our mile after dinner. This was a goal we set for ourselves to keep us in check with our diet and Chris's Diabetes needs. It had been raining and was still really windy so we didn't last as long as we had hoped for but we got our mile in.
After our walk we went up to Deck 14 to my favorite part of any Royal Caribbean ship, the Viking Crown Lounge. This is a HUGE lounge for adults (and kids) with ample comfortable seating and a bar. It also offers the best view of the ship. Perfect for hot, sunny or rainy and windy days alike.
Cappuccinos from the Viking Crown Lounge (and Luke being silly)
We were on our way to the cabin to call it a night and then Natalie looked on the app and saw the game show "Majority Rules" and we decided to go and give it a try in the Imperial Lounge. This is a game show were you form teams and answer questions. If you answer what the majority of the audience answers, you get a point.
On our way to the Imperial Lounge... I LOVE that Royal hangs the TEXAS flag in the Royal Promenade. (They really know how to play to their audience)
Playing the gameshow "Majority Rules" in the Imperial Lounge! Luke is such the jokester!
One of the questions asked "who does this cruise line worker look like". Obviously people were answering things like "Tom Cruise" or "Justin Bieber". Luke ended up roasting the Cruise staff as he answered the question with "Deez Nutz" (a common middle school/ pre-teen saying). Obviously this was not "majority rules" but the staff called out his answer and the entire lounge burst into laughter and the foreign cruise line workers had no idea why people were laughing. So they said it again! BOOM ROASTED! It was seriously hilarious and was easily the highlight of the kids day! We grabbed some late night pizza on our way to our room around 11:30PM.
It was a very busy and productive day onboard Adventure of the Seas and we cannot wait to wake up to the crystal clear blue waters of the gulf.
