Saturday, March 11, 2023

Our Royal Adventure- Sea Day #1

 Deck Adventures
February 21, 2023
Sea Day #1


It's DAY 2... We are ready! 

Morning
Natalie and I woke up around 6:45AM to the sun beaming through our Oceanview window. The seas were calm and we were cruising right along. It felt like we were in a movie, the seas were so perfect! We were out the door by 7:30AM thinking we would meet the boys for breakfast but they had already returned from a full meal at the Windjammer. We meandered up to Deck 11 to the Windjammer to find it not busy at 8AM and the food was pretty good. TIP- The back of the WJ has the EXACT SAME STUFF and is much less crowded. Plus the omelet station on the starboard side of the AFT buffet is SUPER FAST! 


I love this tradition on Royal Caribbean ships! 

After breakfast when Chris went back to the room to take his medication, we went to the AFT to get a view of the gorgeous blue waters of the wake. This is the reason I cruise... This view! 


This is just PERFECT! 


With this view and my babies by my side... ALL IS WELL! 


Picture perfect memories! 


Be still my heart! 


These kids are crazy sometimes! 

After breakfast we went to the Main Pool area to enjoy the pool and hot-tubs before they got busy on the sea day. The Main Pool was not crowded... with adults! But with kids rather, so Chris and I went to the Solarium hot tubs while Natalie and Luke stayed in the Main Pool area. This worked out SO WELL. Every time I got up to get a drink from the Solarium bar, I would check on the kids and they were having a GREAT time just watching the TV and swimming in the pool with what seemed like the other 952 junior cruisers. This became a ritual for us daily and it worked out perfectly (with our kids ages). 

After we spent about 2 hours in the pool, we went and changed and then went to the morning trivia in Boleros on Deck 4. We didn't really expect to win but we did fairly well... with Chris's help of course. Luke made a pit-stop at Café Promenade and enjoyed the chocolate-chip muffins. Tip- if you like continental breakfasts and not so much eggs, bacon and pancakes then Café Promenade is PERFECT for you and not at all crowded. Plus they have coffee all open hours! 

Natalie and I decided to use our drink package and get the FREE Starbucks outside of the Café Promenade. Insider Info- Royal Caribbean offers FREE Starbucks at the Café Promenade and Royal Promenade area of ALL ships. However, if you go to the "stand alone" Starbucks venue (Quantum and Oasis class ships), you will have to PAY for those drinks. I was impressed with the menu and overall coffee experience. They also offer a 10 drink punch card for $31 which is a GREAT value if you are a coffee drinker and DO NOT have the drink package. 


All of these options are FREE (with the drink package) on Adventure of the Seas as this is attached to the Café Promenade. 

After trivia we sat for a bit in Boleros and then explored the Royal Promenade area of the ship as well as the outside of Deck 4. The kids LOVED this area as it had the shuffle board game. We, too, loved this area as it had loungers and was SHADED. This turned out to be the PERFECT way to spend our Sea Day morning. And also became a ritual for us. TIP- The aft port shuffle boards were vacant EVERY TIME we went to them. I think people forget about the back of the ship when walking the promenade and overlook this area. It is just perfect to lay out and listen to the sea pass you by! 


The shaded Shuffleboard area on the PORT Aft of Deck 4. 

Afternoon
After the kids played a few rounds of shuffle board, we went to the Main Dining Room for lunch. I am not a fan of the Windjammer in general and this is usually my favorite thing about a Sea Day. However, since Covid, Royal has taken away the "Tutti Bar" that served custom ordered salads. This was literally my favorite food item of any Royal Caribbean cruise and I was so upset it was not offered anymore. But we had a GREAT lunch anyway and we enjoyed being served and not having to fight the crowds at the Windjammer. 


Sea Day #1 MDR Lunch Menu 


Lunch in the MDR! 

After lunch we changed back into swimwear and hit the Lido Deck. The kids spent the majority of the time on the Perfect Storm waterslides and Chris and I were in the Solarium. The hot tub did start to get crowded but we were lucky enough to find Solarium chairs in the shade so we spent most of the time sipping on cocktails and laying in the shade. It was absolutely GLORIOUS. 

The kids spent nearly 3 hours in the Main Pool and waterslides and then decided they were done. Natalie asked to go back to the cabin and change alone and we wanted to see how they would. They did SO WELL. They both got changed and even brought their pool towel back to the towel hut afterwards. Luke was "dying of hunger" so they checked in with us and then went to Café Promenade for... you guessed it, PIZZA. I think this kid was averaging about 8-12 slices PER DAY! And a brownie bar (or 2) per trip to Café Promenade. 


This boy LOVED the pizza and brownie bars. 

Chris decided to stay in the Solarium and read his book while I took the kids to the "Peek-a-boo Bridge" area on Deck 11 forward. This is SUCH A COOL area on Royal Caribbean Voyager class ships. It is in front of the Fitness Center and offers a unique look into the Bridge where the Captain and his officers keep the ship afloat. We were able to see maps and coordinates in REAL TIME. Luke's nerdy geography brain was GOING CRAZY! The Captain even waved at us! TIP- Be sure to check this out in the daylight and especially on a sea day. It is absolutely FASCINATING!


The Captain and his officers keeping us all safe and navigating the ship! 

We then decided to try our luck at the "Disney Song Trivia" in the Schooner Bar. This was a lot of fun but VERY CROWDED. We did not win but we got a LOT of the songs correct. (TIP- Know the oldies but goodies if you want to win). It is here we noticed that these type of well attended trivia's should be hosted in a large lounge and not a bar area. It was just WAY TOO CROWDED.  


Disney Trivia Time... This was a lot of fun! 

We went back up to the helicopter pad as we all really enjoyed this area. We stayed for a little while and then Luke had an idea for the kids to go back to the Peek-a-boo area and see if we could see them. Sure enough, we could see them from the helicopter pad. It was so cool to wave at them. The Captain himself noticed us and waved at all four of us in the process. 


Natalie and I having our TITANIC moment at the very tip of the ship! 


This is such a hidden gem and not at all busy on most sea days! 

The Captain waving at our kids on the Peek-a-boo bridge and then waving back at us on the helicopter pad! Thank you, Captain! He was so cool and laid back! 

Later we went back out to the outside Promenade deck for the kids to play shuffle board while Chris and I read our books. It was absolutely PERFECT and the seas were SO CALM. As the sun was beginning to set, we had the most perfect view of God's Gorgeous sky painting. I've said it already many times in this sailing's blog but THIS truly is my favorite thing about a cruise...The SUNSET. A perfect sunset at sea... It just doesn't get much better than that! 


God sure does paint a GORGEOUS picture! 


God is good... ALL the time!


I am so glad they were here to share this with us! 
They LOVED the sunsets too! 


This was one of the best sunsets of the cruise with the deeper orange and pink hues! 


My heart is SO HAPPY! This is where I want to be... Right here, with these THREE! 

The sun had already set but I had to get one more view of the wake before I went to get ready for dinner! 

Evening
Shortly after the sunset, Natalie and I went back to the room to get ready for Formal Night while the boys made another pitstop at Café Promenade for pizza. TIP- This was such a benefit of having 2 cabins and not have to feel rushed or cramped getting ready for dinner each night! 


One of the few towel animals of our cruise! 


My teenager LOVED dressing up for this formal night. 
Now, the high heels... not so much! But it was an experience! 


Us girls are READY! 


I love my little family! 

Before dinner, we met up with the boys to take some professional pictures. The more I cruise, the more I pass these up but I wanted to get some this cruise as it had been SO LONG since the kids had been on a cruise. We went to a few backgrounds and then went to the Sapphire Dining Room for our dinner. 




OMG... Where did my BABIES go? 


Seriously... Where did they go? 
This was on their last cruise- Norwegian Breakaway November 2018
(Luke has practically DOUBLED in age) 

And look at us now! 

I love my little family! 

We knew the service would be slower on this night but it was exceptionally slow. It took right at 2 hours for the complete dinner experience. Our head waiter did a great job but was servicing 2 large group tables and that never bodes well for the smaller tables on the same waiter's ticket. The food was good but I did miss the lobster. (Royal took away the lobster on 4-5 night cruises. It is still available for purchase but not as a free menu option.) 


Formal Dinner in the MDR. 


Love, love LOVE this picture of these two! 

After dinner we wanted to walk off our meal so we  walked the outside promenade area and the Royal Promenade on Deck 5, neither of which were very busy. 


The Royal Promenade at 10PM 


LOVE THESE PEEPS! 


Royal Caribbean Voyager class and above have CLASSIC cars in the Royal Promenade. 
Luke thought this was SO COOL! 

We ventured into the Imperial Lounge for "Finish that Lyric" gameshow but none of us were very interested in that. We expected some kind of Mardi Gras parade or deck party as this was FAT TUESDAY but there was no such event. 

We were ready for a Mardi Gras party... We were kinda bummed! 

We went back and changed out of our fancy clothes and then went to the Lido Deck to watch none other than Top Gun Maverick. We missed the first 45 minutes but it was still AWESOME to watch this EPIC movie at sea. TIP- We were NOT impressed with the AOTS movie screen. The placement of the Splash Pad and kiddie waterslides make it nearly impossible to see the full screen. I know the Splash Pad area is part of the "Revamp" and "Amped Up" additions but this was TERRIBLE engineering. My advice would be get there EARLY and reserve a seat if you are interested in watching a movie on deck... Otherwise you will have a stiff neck. 


Talk to me Rooster... 

By this time we are all tired and exhausted from our relaxing day at sea so we called it a night. We did stop by Café Promenade on the way back to the room. Luke had already eaten SO MUCH on this day but got more pizza. He must be in a growth spurt, and I better start the savings account for the teenage years SOON. This boy is gonna eat us out of house and home! But he sure did love that Café Promenade pizza and brownie bars! 

It was a GLORIOUS day spent aboard the Adventure of the Seas and we were so excited for our massages on the beach at Costa Maya tomorrow. 

Up next... Costa Maya, Just Kidding!
Stay Tuned for the details! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!  

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Breeze- September 2022




 


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Sunday, March 5, 2023

Our Royal Adventure- Galveston

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. 


That's a wrap for DAY 1! 

Up Next... Sea Day #1

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!  

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Breeze- September 2022




 


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