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 Last Frontier- Anthem of the Seas to Alaska 2025 May 30 to June 6, 2025 Seattle, WA
We love ALASKA!
It's hard to believe this was my TWENTY-FIFTH cruise but here I am... Killing it on the HIGH SEAS! While 25 cruises may seem a little extreme, this is our favorite way to travel and the easiest for our family. As we have taken many more land vacations recently to complete my MLB Chase for 30, we have also found this to be the overall most economic way to travel for our family.
Chris and I have sailed to Alaska before for our 10 Year Anniversary Cruise aboard the Carnival Legend but the kids have never been to Alaska. They each have milestone birthdays this year and when asked what they want, they decided an expensive Alaska cruise was their top choice so Chris and I obliged. I am a HUGE fan of experiences over presents, especially in the teenager years, so this worked out perfectly.
We have cruised 13 previous times withCarnival, 8 times withRoyal Caribbean, 2 times withNorwegian and 1 time withPrincess.
This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Anthem of the Seasas well as a shore excursion details, port tips and tricks and so much more. We will also highlight our Pre-Cruise vacation to Seattle, WA as well.
Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Seattle, WA, information about cruising to Alaska and Alaskan ports as well as great information about Anthem of the Seas.
I am so glad we got to celebrate the kids milestone birthdays with a cruise and trip such as this! This is a trip they will surely never forget. We love you Natalie and Luke... I hope you enjoyed Alaska!
Up Next... Back to Back cruises on the Jewel of the Seas (no kids) Summer 2025!
Sailing from South Beach- Independence of the Seas June 1-6. 2024 Miami, FL
We loved sailing from Miami!
It's hard to believe this was my TWENTY-FOURTH cruise but here I am... Killing it on the HIGH SEAS! While 24 cruises may seem a little extreme, this is our favorite way to travel and the easiest for our family. This was also our 1st cruise that sailed from the cruise capital of the world- Miami, FL and we LOVED IT!
We have cruised 13 previous times withCarnival, 7 times withRoyal Caribbean, 2 times withNorwegian and 1 time withPrincess.
This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Independence of the Seasas well as a highlights from our travel days getting to Miami and our time at South Beach as well as specific details for our return to Coco Cay and our home away from home- Cozumel, Mexico!
Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Miami, FL, information about Perfect Day at CoCo Cay as well as great information about Independence of the Seas.
Once again, thank you for following along and support our business! I hope this will help someone planning a cruise on the Independence of the Seas(or sailing from Miami, FL)or planning to get back to cruising after the pandemic... Or even a first time cruiser! Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Up Next... ALASKA with the kids for 13th and 16th Birthdays!
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.
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!
