Showing posts with label seadays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seadays. Show all posts

Thursday, July 17, 2025

The Back to Back- Sea Day #2

 Officer on Deck
July 1, 2025
Sea Day (Atlantic Ocean) 


Sea Days are my FAVORITE! 

Morning
We decided to sleep in a little bit as we were both pretty tired so we did not wake up until nearly 9AM which is very unusual for both of us. We got ready and then had breakfast in the Windjammer. The Windjammer was crowded but not terrible and it did not take long for us to find a table, plus we were able to get freshly squeezed orange juice which is one of my favorite things about Royal Caribbean. 


It's already Tuesday... This cruise needs to slow down! 

After breakfast we went to Café Latitude to people watch until it was time for the Coffee with Officers event. Unfortunately, since this was only a 4 day cruise they did not offer a Top Tier Event for Platinum and above cruisers but they did have a separate opportunity to meet the Cruise Director, Captain and other officers at this event. 

We were able to meet Jamie, the Cruise Director, as well as the Hotel Director, Staff Engineer and the Captain. We love being able to meet each of these higher up crew members and try to get a little more info about life on board a cruise ship. 


We never miss a picture with the CD! 
Jamie was hilarious and we enjoyed him as a Cruise Director! 


It's nice to get a picture with the Captain! 

After the Officers event we made our way to the Schooner Bar for our Morning Trivia. We played 3 different trivia but did not win any of them. We were able to meet a teacher from Florida and we talked for a while about teaching in various states as well as cruising with Royal Caribbean. 

Afternoon
We had lunch in the Main Dining Room and the service was great and very fast but the food was just not up to standard Royal Caribbean fare. I was very disappointed in my entrée but Chris was pleased and would order the Greek Gyro again. We opted to skip dessert as the choices were lacking and this is where Royal drops the ball in the speed of service. 


Mozzarella Sticks-4.0
These were good and worth a double order. 


Shrimp Caesar Salad- 3.5
I had never put shrimp on this before and it was... interesting! 


Butternut squash Risotto- 2.0
For a veggie as powerful and flavorful as butternut squash... This was so bland and to be honest, the risotto was way undercooked. I couldn't even finish it! 

After lunch we went to the outside of Deck 5 and walked around the ship several times before making our way to the helicopter pad at the very front of the ship. Since we were going so slow and the weather was near perfect, the helicopter pad was open and we were able to enjoy the part of the ship alone as so many people do not know it even exists. TIP- Royal Caribbean Vision, Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class ships offer access to the helicopter pad weather permitting. It is a great place for sail away or a sunny day at sea. 


26 cruises and we still LOVE the wake view! 


The seas were SO CALM and just gorgeous! 


I'm the king of the world! 


Hello from the Heli pad! 

We opted to spend some time laying out outside on Deck 5 and we were awoken to an announcement by the cruise director that the pool and the pool deck were closed due to lightening. We decided to try the Vortex Lounge as the "quite hours" were from 2-4 but it was anything but quiet. I am sure the weather had something to do with the noise but we noticed on both cruises seemed to have grown adults blasting videos on their phones. We're talking 50-60 year old's watching reels on their phone at full volume. We found this to be SO RUDE. We opted to go to Schooner Bar and try to get away from it all. 

When we got to Schooner Bar we realized that when the pool and pool deck is closed and that is pretty much all this ship offers for kids and teenagers, said kids and teenagers are EVERYWHERE! This was the most crowded and busiest we saw the Schooner Bar and the Safari Lounge but Raj and Simon were fantastic and did a great job keeping everyone happy. 

It was getting a little loud so we made our way to Deck 11 in the Solarium to get pizza to hold us over until our late dinner in the MDR. TIP- The Jewel of the Seas DOES offer "Sorrento's" style pizza but it is in a separate location on Deck 11 at the Solarium Café. We never really encountered a line and the pizza was always hot and fresh. 

Evening
We showered and got ready for our 2nd formal evening aboard the Jewel of the Seas and then went back to the Schooner Bar for Friends Trivia. I did not win this trivia (one question away) but was awarded a koozie for naming all 6 actors. We stayed for Name that Tune 70s and this was SO MUCH fun as a sing along but we did not win. 

Chris was not feeling well so he went back to lay down and I went to the Shops of the Centrum to get our traditional ship souvenirs and then enjoyed live music in the Centrum until Chris met me right before dinner. TIP- "The Hits" band on the Jewel was fantastic and we really enjoyed listening to them perform! 

Formal Dinner in the Main Dining Room was good but again, the food overall missed the mark in our experience with Royal Caribbean. The service was amazing and we were in and out of the MDR within 90 minutes and for a formal night, that is great.  


The Taste of France Menu 
(usually the 1st formal night menu on 7 day cruises and only formal night on shorter cruises) 


Escargot-2.5
These were missing the toast which was a bummer. 


Beef Tenderloin-3.5
This was cooked well but was delivered just warm, not hot! 


Crème Brulee- 4.0
This was cooked very well and we both enjoyed it! 

After dinner we went to Vintages to enjoy more live music from the Centrum. TIP- I am not a huge fan of the Vintages on Jewel of the Seas. I prefer the "wine only" Vintages found on Oasis class ships as it is isolated and really focuses on wines. The Jewel Vintages was very well decorated and the bartenders were great but it was just another bar at the end of the day. 

We made our way to the late night adults only comedy with the comedian from the previous cruise and he did a great job of making the show adult but didn't just curse the whole time. We enjoyed the show and had hoped to end the night at the Pit Stop but it was closed. In fact, most bars on the Jewel of the Seas closed at midnight. Only the Casino bar stayed open until 1AM. If late night drinking is your thing... the Jewel may not be for you. We called it a night shortly after midnight! 


It's hard to believe we've been married 19 years... But here we are! 


Any day at sea... Is a PERFECT day! 

It was a very CHILL Sea Day and that is PERFECT to us! 

Up Next... Our return to Nassau after 8 years to check out the NEW and IMPROVED port! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Monday, July 14, 2025

The Back to Back- Sea Day #1

 In Slow Motion
June 28. 2025
Sea Day #1 


Sea Days are our FAVORITE! 

Morning
After a decent night's sleep we got ready for the day and made our way to Café Latitudes on Deck 5 for a coffee. TIP- This location serves Starbucks coffee but IT IS included in your Ultimate Beverage Package. While there we noticed some small breakfast items like sandwiches and burritos so we opted to completely forgo the Windjammer and try these breakfast items since we had lunch and dinner specialty reservations. This prompted us to try and not eat in the Windjammer at all this whole cruise... Challenge Accepted. These small breakfast items were actually really good and reminded me of the Café at 270* on the Anthem of the Seas in June 2025. 


Well hello there Saturday... We LOVE YOU! 


Café Latitudes breakfast options... These were a great way to avoid the Windjammer! 
The coffee was lacking a bit in my opinion! 

After breakfast we made our way to the Schooner Bar for the Morning Puzzle followed by 4 different trivia contests. Unfortunately, we did not win any of these but we met new cruise friends and had a great time chatting with them and trying to win these ridiculous trivia questions. We then went to our lunch reservation at Giovanni's Table. 


It's time for Giovanni's Table! I am so excited! 

Afternoon
Once again, Giovanni's was so impressive and we were completely blown away by the food. I swear the lunch may have been even better than the dinner. And as mentioned before, the Mushroom Risotto is delicious and worth every calorie. TIP- Giovanni's lunch is well priced at only $20-25 per person and WELL worth not having to fight the Windjammer.  We left "fat and happy" and then decided to go walking on the outside of Deck 5. 


Giovanni's Table came as if out of NOWHERE and we were so impressed with the food! 


Meat and Cheese Board- 3.5
The meat and cheese board to share was pretty good... We loved the cheese and olives. 


Caprese Salad- 5.0
Seriously... this was SO GOOD! 


Spaghetti Bolognese- 2.0 
The pasta was weird and fat but the sauce was good 
Mushroom Risotto- 5.0+ 
This is the best thing I have had to eat in a LONG TIME (on sea or land). 


Panna Cotta- 4.0
This was really rich but so good! 

We walked several laps around the ship before deciding to lay out in the shade of Deck 5 listening to the ocean go by. Although we noticed not only were the seas calm but we were moving SUPER SLOW. After we laid for about an hour, we decided to check out the map on the TV to see how fast we were going... It turns out, we were going 7 knots or 3 miles per hour. Basically just traveling in a circle as we made our way to Coco Cay. 


This is always my FAVORITE view! 


This right here... calms me even from the biggest anxiety attacks. 
No kidding... I watch this to reduce my blood pressure! 


The elevator door on Deck 3 was shattered... It was not like this early on this day! 

The rest of our afternoon was spent at the Casino. TIP- The Jewel has a TINY casino and doesn't offer very many table games, but the Casino bar has plenty of seating while waiting for a table or slot machine to open!  After about a 20 minute wait, we were able to find 2 spots at the $10 blackjack table where we stayed for nearly 2 hours. Chris got down fairly quick after the 2 hours but I kept going and walked away up, but not by much. Unfortunately, we missed the Friends Trivia but we had fun in the Casino. 

Evening
We went to the Pre-Dinner Trivia in Schooner Bar and once again came close to winning but we did not. We opted to go get ready for dinner and then come back to the Safari Lounge for the Family Feud gameshow. It was formal night and we got dressed in our "semi formal wear" and fit right in. TIP- Royal Caribbean suggest attire but it is not enforced by any means. Nowadays, cruise formal wear is pretty much anything YOU feel comfortable in. I wore a nicer "church/ professional" dress and Chris wore khakis and a button down shirt. No coat and tie needed on Royal- which is nice! 


Formal Night #1... We love the "laid back" Formal vibes on Royal Caribbean! 

After the Family Feud gameshow we went to listen to the piano player in Schooner Bar before our Chops Grille dinner reservation. Chops Grille, as always, was SO good. The food is made to order and is always the best steak at sea. We had a great meal and even got to see the Icon of the Seas and the Carnival Celebration pass by... proving we were going SUPER SLOW! 


The Chops Grille main menu (we were able to order more than one appetizer) 


The Crab Cake- 4.5
This NEVER disappoints and is LOADED with flavor! 


The Shrimp Cocktail- 4.5
Chris LOVED this! 


The Lobster Bisque- 4.0
This is always so good but SO RICH! 


Goat Cheese Salad- 4.5
This is always my favorite part of the meal, it is so light and flavorful and the pecans just make it pop! 


Side Dishes- 4.0
These were SO GOOD. The tater tots were my favorite! 


The Chops Grille dessert menu 


Sky High Apple Pie 4.0
I am not a pie person but this was really good and cooked very well! 


Hello Icon of the Seas! 
Despite being on a VERY small ship with very little to do overall, this just doesn't appeal to me right now! 6K+ passengers and the amount of kids alone just screams "no thank you". Maybe one of these days (and not during the summer). 

After dinner we went to the Comedy show in the Coral Theater and this was a bigger hit than the Tango show but was still a miss in our book. TIP- Royal Caribbean just DOES NOT do comedy well overall. In our opinion and experience, Comedy is the BIGGEST PLUS Carnival has to offer. They do comedy SO WELL! 

We ended our night once again watching cricket in the Pit Stop Sports Bar before heading to bed around 11:30PM. Tomorrow was Coco Cay and we were so excited to explore this private island of Royal Caribbean's on our own. The last time we came to Coco Cay on the Independence of the Seas 2024, we spent the day at the adults only beach club- Hideaway Beach Club so we were excited to see what all Coco Cay has to offer! 


We love Sea Days! 

Up Next... Coco Cay on our own! Stay tuned! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

The Last Frontier- Day 7

 Oh Canada!
June 5, 2025 
Sea Day & Victoria, BC Canada 


I personally LOVE Canada and the kids loved it too! 

Morning
Natalie and I woke up around 6:30AM but it was actually 7:30AM ship time as we lost an hour during the night due to time change. The boys must have been REALLY tired as they were not awake yet and when I called their room I woke them. We all went to the MDR for breakfast hoping the service would be faster than the first day and it was. The food options were great and we were in and out of the MDR in 50 minutes. Once again, our growing boy had 2 breakfast entrees and 2 orders of pancakes- and ate it all. 


The last day of the cruise always makes me sad! 


Deck 5 near the Middle Elevators. The messages changed daily! 


The MDR Breakfast menu! 


The Breakfast Burrito-4.0
This is really good and has lots of meat and eggs. 


Buttermilk Pancakes- 4.0
Traditional but yummy! 


On the floor in the American Icon grill- I loved this! 

We then went to the Royal Esplanade on deck 4 for our morning Starbucks before going to the Schooner Bar for morning puzzle and morning trivia. We did not win the general knowledge trivia but we stayed for the "Who Am I?" trivia and Chris actually won this trivia by a landslide. Natalie and I left a little early to go the Dunder Mifflin (The Office) trivia in the Music Hall and Chris joined shortly after. All 3 of us combined did very well and got 13/15 and took 2nd place. I was kinda bummed as I have won this trivia before but this guy chose practically every question from season 7 (the one where Michael leaves) and I am not as fresh on that one! 


The pastry offerings at the Café Promenade on Deck 4. 


Morning Trivia in Schooner Bar. 


It is getting warmer... Yay! 

Afternoon
We decided to try and make lunch "quick" by all going to the Windjammer. The kids LOVE this for lunch but I just don't enjoy scrambling for a table with 5K other people. But the food was not "terrible" so there's that! After lunch we went to walk around and ensure we have seen (and done) everything on the Anthem. 


I love the celebrations Royal Caribbean does with things like this! 


The Windjammer offered mussels and Luke took advantage. He had 4 plates! 


Lunch views from the aft of the Windjammer seating! 

We all went to the Star Wars trivia in the Music Hall around 2PM. Chris did very well and only missed one question but tied for the win. However, the OKLAHOMA Cruise Activity worker gave Chris a prize (Royal Caribbean keychain) anyway! #BoomerSooner Vincent! 


My heart is happy... This is my favorite place to be! 


This was the indoor pool at 4:30PM. 

For the rest of the afternoon we lounged around the indoor pool decks and tried to soak in the very last bit of the rest and relaxation before tomorrow was disembarkation day. The kids swam for nearly 2 hours while I tried to pack our suitcases to be put out in the hallway before 10PM. TIP- Royal Caribbean offers 2 styles of disembarking: Self Assist or Luggage Assist. Self Assist means you wheel your own luggage off the ship and it is called by decks. This is the FASTEST and EARLIEST way to get off a ship. If you have somewhere to be or a flight to catch, this is a must! Luggage Assist means you place your luggage out in the hall the night before and Royal will take it off the ship for you and you will retrieve it once back on land at the terminal. This allows a more relaxed disembark experience and our most recent 10-12 cruises we have opted for this service. But it really boils down to what you and your family need! 

Evening
The Anthem of the Seas was set to port in Victoria, BC from 6 to 10PM and arrived just after 5PM. It seemed as if everyone wanted to get off the ship in Canada and with a very short port window, the crowds came out. In fact, this is the ONLY time we felt crowds and all the people. However, the Anthem staff handled this incredible well and we were off the ship and on Canadian land by 6:15PM.

We did not purchase a Royal Caribbean excursion in Victoria as there is not much to do and the offers were VERY over priced for what you get. We opted to pay for the "Shuttle" into downtown Victoria where all of the shops and restaurants for $15/ per person (USD). This was CRAZY high and in hindsight we should have walked the 2.5 mile roundtrip into town but Luke was anxious about missing the ship and it just seemed more convenient. As my grandpa would say "that's how they get ya" and he would be right. $60 for a family of four to get to downtown is just too much but we paid it... They got me! 

Once in downtown Victoria we walked to the Victoria legislative building and the surrounding area before hitting up the souvenir shops for any and everything Canada! The kids LOVED being in Canada and we all wish this stop would have been longer than 4 hours. Before getting back on the shuttle we grabbed some rolled ice cream and it was delicious. This Ice Cream excursion cost $56 for all four of us and it was just "regular" ice cream. Canada is EXPENSIVE! 


Hello from the Canadian Legislative Building! 


They loved getting to see all the architecture. 


You could go in if you want but we opted to not since we were on a tight schedule! 


The Davis Family loves Canada. 


We loved Victoria! 


Walking to the Legislative Building is this "Welcome to Victoria" greenery. 


The Empress Hotel just north of the Legislative Building. 


Welcome to Victoria. 


This Orca greenery has been here since our previous trip in 2016.


Time for some ice cream... Expensive Ice Cream but it was yummy! 

Greetings from Canada! 


I really love this port and REALLY wish it was a longer port call! 
The Anthem of the Seas was only in port for 4 hours. 

The shuttle got us back to the Anthem of the Seas around 7:45PM just in time to play the American Anthem Trivia at the Schooner Bar. There were hardly any people there and I actually WON that trivia on my own while the kids played cards. That would be our THIRD win of the day and FOURTH of the cruise- our highest EVER! 


The kids loved playing cards while we WON trivia!

We then went to our last dinner in the Chic Dining Room. The Main Dining Room looked like a forgotten place on this night as many were still in port. The service was once again EXCEPTIONAL and with so few people in the MDR, we were in and out within 45 minutes. We LOVED our waiter Remer and Shane- They were an excellent pair! 


The Royal Caribbean Bon Voyage Menu. 


Classic Shrimp Cocktail-4.0
This is always a winner and we all loved it! 


The Greek Tapas Plate- 4.0
We LOVED the Greek Salad. 


Seafood Cake-4.5
I REALLY liked this appetizer. 


Flat Iron Steak- 2.5
I don't know why I was expecting a Chops steak and this was anything but. 


Salmon Teriyaki- 4.5
This was cooked perfectly and very flavorful! 


Apple Crumb Cake- 3.5
This was rich! 

After dinner we went back to the room to place all of our suitcases in the hallway for disembarkation the next morning. Natalie and Luke went to play Ping-Pong while Chris and I went back to Vintages for an 11th hour cheers. We sat in Vintages too long but it felt GREAT. We called it a night shortly after midnight as we need rest for our terrible travel day to follow.

We loved this last day onboard the Anthem of the Seas and we all LOVED Victoria- in fact, it is Natalie's favorite port of this trip! 


Day 7 was a success and we LOVED Canada!

Did you miss DAY 6? Catch up HERE!

Up Next... Our 24+ hour journey back to God's Country! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Independence of the Seas- June 2024







 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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