Monday, December 9, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- Sea Day #2

The Royal Caribbean Keychain
June 5, 2024
Sea Day #2


Our Independence is coming to an end and soon we will be back to full-time "Mom and Dad" and going 100 mph. Let's enjoy these last few moments! 

Morning
After a late night we slept in a bit and didn't wake up until after 8:30AM. We got ready and then grabbed a quick and light breakfast at the Windjammer since we planned on eating in the Main Dining Room for lunch. Even at 9AM on a Sea Day, the Windjammer was not packed and the food was great. We then went to the Plaza Bar to get the specialty coffee "Haute and Steamy" from Chops the night before. Unfortunately, it was not the same but we enjoyed it. Then we got our traditional freshly squeezed orange juice with our Deluxe Beverage Package to end our morning in the WJ. TIP- Reminder, you can get the freshly squeezed OJ everyday at the Plaza Bar FREE with the drink package. Usually priced at $4.75, this is WORTH IT! Trust me! 

We then went to the Schooner Bar for morning trivia. Alison was our bartender and he made several random concoctions for us that we both enjoyed. We stayed and LOST two separate trivia sessions before walking Deck 4 and getting our steps in. We walked over a mile and then ended on the very windy Helicopter Pad at the front of Deck 5. TIP- This is such a unique offering that RCCL has on Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships. Be sure to check it out on your next cruise! 


"Shut up and Drink" made by Alison. I have no idea why I liked this so much, it was toasted marshmallow syrup and LIMES. Sounds gross- but it was good! 


We love the Helicopter pad- even on a windy day! 


A view of the bridge from the Helicopter pad! 


It doesn't matter where on the ship- this is my HAPPY PLACE! 


Check out Deck 4 on Independence of the Seas. 

Afternoon
We then made our way to the Main Dining Room for the Sea Day lunch. This used to be my favorite part of Sea Days as I loved the menu options and pre-Covid, the Tutti Salad Bar. I especially loved this experience on the Liberty 2018 cruise.

We enjoyed our lunch in the MDR but the service was as we expected, very slow and inattentive. It took about 70 minutes to get in and out of the MDR for lunch, which is laughable considering our dinner times have been right at an hour (or less). I think RCCL needs to fix this! 


I love the THREE DECK Main Dining Rooms on RCCL! 


The Sea Day Lunch Menu 


Shrimp Risotto- 4.0 (Chris 3.5)
This was not as good as the Tomato and Seafood Risotto from previous lunch menus but this was very good and full of flavor. 


Mozzarella Sticks- 4.0 (Chris- 3.0)
These were very good but we both felt the cheese sticks from Coco Cay were slightly better. 


Chicken Quesadilla- 3.5
There was nothing too special about this but I enjoyed it! 


Spaghetti- Chris 2.5
This was lacking... A LOT! 


Apple Pie Crumble- Chris 4.0
I loved the crumble on this cobbler. 


White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse- 4.0
This was not as good as I remember but still very good flavor and texture. 

After lunch we walked around Deck 4 a few laps before finding some chairs and propping our feet up to watch the ocean sail by. Chris got up after about and hour to take a nap and I stayed and just enjoyed the peace and serenity. 


This is the BEST feeling in the world. Calm seas and a calm heart at sea! 


It does not matter the ship, cruise line or my overall mental health... I am the MOST HAPPY when I am right here! 

Around 3PM I decided to get up and go to Deck 12 and check out the Lido Deck. I got up there just in time for the "Sexiest Man Contest" and this was a lot of fun to watch as a 88 year old man danced his heart out. We then met up at Viking Crown Lounge for a small bit before going back to Schooner Bar for afternoon trivia. 


This Sexiest Man Contest and Mr. Winston was so funny! 


Alison did it once again... These were so PRETTY and delicious! 

We met Alison again and he continued to provide great service and unique drink options while we suffered through 2 more losses of trivia sessions. I really felt we could win the TV Show Theme Songs but they were very tricky! Then the decades trivia also proved to be more than difficult. However, during the "General Knowledge" trivia we had a come-from-behind victory! We actually WON a trivia! Well, Chris did! 


WE WON... WE WON! Hey kids, want to know your souvenir?
This was a lot of FUN and I actually learned a few things! 

We sat at the bar for a few more hours just talking to the crew members about their life onboard before meeting another young cruising couple, whom we talked to for a while. We then got up and decided to be responsible and pack our suitcases for tomorrow's disembarkation day. TIP- Cruisers can opt to have "luggage assistance" and place their bags outside their stateroom at 10PM the night before OR take their luggage off themselves on disembarkation morning. Since we had a late afternoon flight out of MIA, we opted to use luggage assistance. 

Evening
After we got most of our items packed we ventured to Deck 4 for our last night in the MDR. Service was just as good as previous nights and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our table. 


Night #5 Caribbean Menu in the MDR 


Coconut Shrimp- 4.5/ Chris 5.0
Chris liked this so much he asked for seconds, then the waiter brought him THREE MORE! 


French Onion Soup- 4.0
It really is THAT good! 


Classic Caesar Salad- 3.5


New York Strip Steak- 1.5
This was the BIGGEST disappointment of the MDR. Why did I even try to order a steak after a night in Chops Grille the night before. Classic mistake! 


Caribbean Pork- Chris 4.0
Chris LOVED this and all flavors that went along with it.


Caribbean Chicken Leg- 4.5
Chris opted to try both Caribbean dishes and liked the chicken more. 


Pineapple Sunshine Cake- 2.0
This did not do anything for me personally but it was presented well. 


Royal Chocolate Cake- Chris 3.5
Chris really enjoyed this but it was VERY RICH! 


It's hard to believe it is almost over... tomorrow they kick us off the ship! 


God sure does paint a pretty picture! 


A sunset and the wake of cruise ship create the most PERFECT thing ever! 

After dinner we finalized our luggage and placed it outside our stateroom door before making our way to Vintages for our last evening aboard the Independence of the Seas.

Near 10:30PM there was an 80s dance party in the Royal Promenade and we were able to watch it all from Vintages. We loved singing along and dancing (sorta) from Vintages. We called it a night shortly after midnight with a pit-stop at Sorrento's. 

Our last day onboard was a very light day but we came home with a Royal Caribbean Keychain so that's a win! 

UP NEXT- Our travel day home back to God's Country!  

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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Sailing from South Beach- Travel Day Home

 God Bless Texas
June 6, 2024
Disembarkation Day 


It's so good to be home... We are tired! 

Morning
The dreaded alarm went off at 6:45AM and our phone had finally switched back over to EST after having been in CST when we docked in Cozumel for 2 days. We got ready for our day and then made our way to the Main Dining Room for breakfast. I love the slower pace of breakfasts on disembarkation morning. I think I just don't want to get off the ship so I just try and drag it out as much as I can; but either way, I love having our last breakfast in the MDR. The service was slow, as expected, but the food was not near as good as I remember from the Adventure- February 2023 or the Allure- Summer 2023. 




The Main Dining Room Breakfast Menu 


Breakfast Burrito - 3.5 
This was AMAZING last time but somewhat disappointing this time! 


Eggs Benedict- Chris 4.0
This is always a winner for Chris! 

After breakfast we went back to our room to ensure we had everything. We used the "luggage assistance" program and left our suitcases outside our stateroom the night before and only had backpacks and 1 carry-on bag. Since our flight was so late, we tried to stall in our stateroom but the crewmembers knocked on our door 2 times asking us to exit. We ended up leaving our stateroom at 8:45AM and we got off the Independence of the Seas right at 9AM. 


A view of Terminal V (the Virgin terminal) near Terminal G. Maybe one day we can cruise on this ADULTS ONLY cruise line! The terminal looks "legit". 


The Royal Caribbean headquarters at the Port Miami! 

Going through the terminal at Miami was a breeze- literally. The facial recognition software for those passengers with passports made the Customs nightmare a thing of the past. TIP- I would HIGHLY recommend everyone get a passport if you travel frequently; if for no other reason but the ease of the embarkation and disembarkation process. The luggage was on an airport style turntable, which was unique, but we were able to find our luggage easily and were outside getting at Uber by 9:07AM. 


A view of Port Miami Terminal G - June 2024. 


In our hurry to get on this shuttle, this is the ONLY picture that I took. But this group had 3 shuttles and were right outside Terminal G. (I would assume they offered shuttles at every Terminal) 

As we were getting the Uber, Chris noticed a transportation service offering $10 trip to MIA airport. We got on the bus and within 20 minutes it was full of people and we were on our way. We were the first group of people to be dropped off at the MIA airport around 10AM. This service, with tip, was only $27 and the Uber we had pulled up was priced at $34 (before tip). It is a shared shuttle transportation service but if saving money is important to you, this may be a good option. 

Once at the airport, we rearranged some of our suitcases to ensure our carry-on bag had the regulated items for our flight. Then we got in the security line. TIP- The MIA airport is notorious for having a VERY long security line and this proved true for us as well. We were in line around 10:15AM on a Thursday and we had to wait about 35 minutes to get through the line and the AC seemed to not be working so it was pretty miserable. 

Once through security, we made our way through this MASSIVE airport to find our gate and hopefully a restaurant or place to sit for an extended period of time. We found a Cuban Cafeteria near our gate and we ended up getting another Cuban sandwich and staying here for about 3 hours. TIP- The Miami airport is TERRIBLE with phone chargers. The restaurant we were at DID NOT have plug ins and each gate only had 1 large tower than housed about 6-8 charging ports. We used our phone batteries waiting for the flight so we stepped on to the plane with less than 50% batteries. Be sure to bring battery packs if possible for this airport. 


The Cuban Sandwich- This was not near as good as the "local favorite" from our 1st day in Miami! 


OMG- I am SO TIRED and so uncomfortable. I just want to get home, this flying home is for the birds! 

Afternoon
Our plane was delayed in getting in but we were able to board the plane quickly and departed just 7 minutes later than planned. The flight was boring and we did not have any issues. Chris and I both had an aisle seat which was nice but my row had 2 ladies (and myself) all of "husky" size. We were shoulder to shoulder the whole flight and packed in like cattle- but the flight was easy and no crying babies, diaper changes or iPad baring the whole flight like the previous two California trips- Carnival Radiance- February 2024 and Los Angeles- April 2024. 

Evening
We landed around 6:30PM Central time and IAH was crowded with summer travelers. It took about 45 minutes to get our luggage then we had to wait for the Parking Spot shuttle to get us to our car. We were in our car at 7:45PM and on our way to get Rockefeller from our dog sitter. Around 8:20PM we were in our neighborhood with our precious Rocky in hand and unloading the car. 

This cruise was a great cruise and we loved sailing from Miami; however, we did not like having to wait to fly home from our cruise. We both really love having a cruise port just 80 miles from our home and within 2 hours of being off the ship, we are home and laundry is started. The long afternoon in the airport really did me in and I am not sure if it was "worth it" for our travel style. Maybe we are just spoiled with Galveston. 

However, in the end- we saved OVER $200 with this cruise compared to a 5 night cruise out of Galveston. This was booked somewhat "last minute" and summer prices are ALWAYS high but to think that we paid for flights, hotel (2 nights), food and activities in Miami and STILL saved $200, is baffling to me. The cruise industry really knows that Galveston brings in the money and they are working this port, really well. With the addition of a BRAND NEW SHIP of the Carnival Jubilee as well as Mega Ships like Harmony of the Seas home ported in Galveston is raising the prices as well. 

We are going to continue to cruise wherever the best VALUE and overall experience is for our family. I personally LOVE Royal Caribbean but I also really like Carnival and all they offer, especially the loyalty perks! It really doesn't matter to us- we just LOVE CRUISING! 

Up Next
 We have Alaska Booked for Natalie's 16th Birthday and Luke's 13th Birthday in May 2025. We are also hoping to throw Harmony of the Seas in the mix for our February 2025 Spring Break but waiting for Band schedules to drop in August/ September.  

Thank you so much for following along! I hope I have been able to help some of y'all plan a cruise or just enjoy ours! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 


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Friday, December 6, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- June 2024

  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 with Carnival, 7 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 Independence of the Seas as 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. 

Check Out our Cruise: 

Travel Day & Miami- Why We Always Fly in Early

Day 1- A Sail-away for Cruise LOVERS

Day 2- Perfect Day at CoCo Cay

Day 3- Trivia Losers

Day 4- Chops Grille Never Disappoints

Day 5- The Royal Caribbean Keychain

Day 6- God Bless Texas

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! 

Anthem of the Seas- May 2025

WE CANNOT WAIT!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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Thursday, August 1, 2024

Sailing from South Beach- Cozumel

  Chops Grille Never Disappoints
June 4, 2024
Cozumel, Mexico


Another great day onboard the Independence of the Seas. 

Morning
We booked this cruise fairly last minute in February due to probable scheduling concerns for my job. By that late in the booking game, Galveston cruises had skyrocketed and prices were MUCH higher than we wanted to pay. So we looked at Miami prices and found several options but this cruise on Independence of the Seas was the best option calendar wise PLUS it went to Perfect Day at Coco Cay which we had been eye-balling for the past 2-3 years. HOWEVER, it also went to where else but Cozumel, Mexico... Our home away from home. No kidding... We have been to Cozumel 20 times on a cruise ship. They say some things "never get old" but I beg to differ. We are pretty much DONE with Cozumel. With that in mind- We chose to stay on the ship on this port day! 

TIP- This may not always be the case but we ended up saving $274 total by taking this cruise out of Miami. The Galveston 5 day option (Mariner of the Seas) inside cabin was so much higher that we were able to pay for the flights to Miami AND the hotel and still come out CHEAPER than sailing 80 miles from home. It is really sad that the cruise industry has figured out that Texans will PAY to cruise. I enjoyed the old days of cheap cruises out of Galveston! I miss those days! 

We woke up shortly after 8AM and got ready for a very relaxed port day onboard the Independence of the Seas. We ate breakfast in the Windjammer and enjoyed another made-to-order omelet plus our favorite, freshly squeezed orange juice from the Plaza Bar. 

How is it already Tuesday? 

We then spent the next 6 hours, literally, in the Solarium. We were able to enjoy the Solarium pool all to ourselves for a brief time and the hot tubs too. The sun was out but the "swim up bar" area of the Solarium pool was still in the shade until nearly 11:30AM so we stayed there for a while. We also enjoyed the gorgeous cantilever hot tubs with very few other people. 



Great way to spend the day! 

Afternoon
We took a break from the Solarium, sun and cocktails to grabbed lunch at Fish and Ships on the Lido Deck. Once again, this was not a fantastic lunch option but it was better than the Windjammer. TIP- Chris and I both agree that the actual fish and chips is the best option of this menu. Once done with lunch, we went back to the Solarium for a few more hours. 


I love that Royal Caribbean serves the ice cream for everyone. 
TIP- This means there is usually a line, but it's worth it! 

Around 3PM we decided to get out of the pool and shower/ get ready for my favorite part of any Royal Caribbean cruise... dinner at Chops Grille. We got ready and then went to the Star Lounge for The Office trivia. This is a trivia we had won on a Carnival cruise so we were ready to maintain our trophy... But that was not the case. We missed one too many questions and were stuck with 2nd place. 

We then stumbled upon a True or False trivia in Schooner Bar and we teamed up with another couple but once again, we did not win. Chris went back to the stateroom to take a nap while I got ready for dinner. We then went to listen to live music by the orchestra in Boleros. TIP- This is another win for Royal Caribbean. They do live music and jazz bands INCREDIBLY well. 


I am ready for dinner... Let's do this! 

The live music from these musicians was AMAZING. 
It made me miss my gigue days! 

Evening
We made our way to Deck 4 to watch for pier runners around departure time. We arrived right at all aboard time and were able to see the Mariner of the Seas set sail for Galveston. This was SO MUCH fun as we knew this ship was LOADED with Texans so we flashed the "horns down" sign and made a few people mad. It was GREAT! 


The Carnival Valor sailing back to New Orleans.
(Been there done that... TWICE) 


Hello Mariner of the Seas... one of our "Home Ships" right now in Galveston. 
We do not have any cruises booked on her... for now! 


This was SO MUCH fun. Once we knew people were seeing us and then yelling at us from the ship... We started having way too much fun! 
saxeT still SUCKS! 


I have never seen this from any ship but this was cool! 

We learned the Independence of the Seas was waiting for 2 people who were on their way to the ship via taxi. We were getting so excited to see them run down the pier in disgust when all of the sudden... The taxi actually drove onto the pier and delivered the couple straight to the gangway. C'mon... Where's the fun in that! The ship still booed the couple but it wasn't the same. The Independence set sail for Miami shortly after 6PM. 


In 24 cruises... This was a first! And just not as much fun! 


My how the turn tables have... It used to be people would RUN from the terminal to the ship but not any more! 


The wife literally got out of the car and ran on the ship. The husband had a little more trouble! 

We made our way to inside the Windjammer to Chops Grille for our favorite night of the cruise. TIP- Chops Grille is offered on Voyager, Freedom, Quantum and Oasis class ships as a specialty restaurant offering American Steakhouse options. It is quite easily the best food I have ever had and the experience and ambiance is second to none. You can choose Chops Grille as a single dining option or the Chops +1 for an excellent price. It is also MUCH cheaper to book before you sail but since our onboard credit did not load until we were on board, we had to wait to book this dining option and it ended up costing about $40-50 more than if we would have booked ahead of time.  


This is my FAVORITE! 


The Chops Grille menu! 

This meal was incredible and we enjoyed and savored every bite. The service was exceptional and we enjoyed a relaxed evening together. TIP- The pretzel bread is THE BEST! Also, the menu states ONE salad OR soup but we have always had success with ordering BOTH! 


Tuna Tar-Tar- Chris 3.0


Crab cake- 4.5
This was the freshest crab meat I have had in a LONG time! 


Cream of Mushroom Soup- 5.0+ (Chris 5.0)
We both agree this is the STAR of the entire meal.
Chris- "No need for a salad, just bring me more of this" 


Goat Cheese Salad- 4.5 (Chris 4.0)
I will never understand how they FRY cheese and accomplish such a lite fare salad but this hits the spot every time! 


Ribeye (Chris- 5.0) 
"One word- Unbelievable" 


Petite Filet- 5.0
This was cooked PERFECTLY! 


Side Dishes (Family style) 
Mac and Cheese- 4.0 (Chris 3.5) 
Creamed Spinach- 2.5 
Gruyere Tater Tots- 3.0 (Chris 3.5)
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes- 3.5 (We both agree Carnival is better on this side dish) 


The Chops Grille dessert menu. 


Red Velvet Cake- 4.0
This is just too rich for me but WOW, so good! 


Bavarian Coffee- 3.5
This was very pepperminty! 


The Haute and Steamy- 5.0
Chris talked about this NON-STOP and LOVED it! 

The side dishes were not the best on this trip but the experience was still second to NONE! We LOVE Chops Grille so much and look forward to it on every RCCL cruise! 

After dinner we walked Deck 4 and then went to Vintages for post-dinner drinks and then to the Royal Theater for the Love and Marriage show with Cruise Director Mario. TIP- This is a great show hosted by the CD on most cruise line ships. This show varies by sailing but is usually an adults only show as the topics are often sexual in nature. Chris and I jokingly talk about getting on this show but we never have. We didn't even try to get on the show this time- maybe we're getting too old! This was a funny show and we enjoyed it. 


This time of day (7:30PM) on a cruise ship is my favorite! 


This would be my biggest complaint on Independence of the Seas: 
The luggage racks were stored at the aft on Deck 4 which blocked the gorgeous views of the Wake. It sincerely dampened the ambiance of the aft and wake views! 


Day #4 is a wrap! 

After this show we went back to Vintages to enjoy the live DJ on the Royal Promenade. For whatever reason the promenade was BUSY on this night (even more so than the 70s party the night before) and everyone was having fun. We enjoyed it all from Vintages before heading back to the Royal Theater for the adult comedy show. This comedian was not great but this show ended up better than expected. 

We ended the night in where else but Vintages. Martiguea, the cork master, had received a large sample of a new dessert wine as we were in Cozumel and allowed Chris and I to try this wine before they placed it on the menu for the following sailing. It was a great German Riesling and they ended up giving us a bottle to take back to the room. Thank you Marti! We grabbed a few slices of pizza at Sorrento's and called it a night around 12:45AM. 

It was a great day on board and we didn't even miss Cozumel. 

Up Next... Our last day onboard the Independence of the Seas! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Radiance- February 2024






 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 

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