GetToLivin

Alright folks, sorry for the tardy but here is my final post and thoughts! Our last day at sea was much cooler and the wind was whipping. Paul and I walked to the suite deck to see how it was and the wind blew so hard Paul felt like he was gonna be swooped up 🤣 We spent the rest of the day enjoying the ship, hanging out at Schooners and the Rising Tide Bar. We had dinner at Jamie's, packed, and before we knew it the alarms sounded and we said our goodbyes to Aimee, our amazing room attendant. Our last sunset, mother nature is showing off: Crown Loft Suite: we were in 1708 which is an awesome location, it's right inside the doors so you don't have to walk down any halls. I loved this room. There is so much space and storage and the *separation* of space is amazing when you're traveling with more than 2 pax. In my opinion, it's ideal for families for this reason. Two bathrooms made for a stress free vacation as well, no one was left waiting for facilities or getting ready. We had two boys over 6ft tall so one had the sofa bed and the other had a roll-away. For this reason alone I was so grateful we had twice a day service. The views are second only to the aqua suite and the floor to ceiling windows provided outstanding views. I'm so grateful we were able to experience such a special room and if the price is right I'd book it again in a heartbeat! Coastal Kitchen and Suite Lounge: we never had a bad meal. Food was fresh, came out hot, tasted good, and most importantly, was timed well. We didn't wait for the next course, the pace was appropriate, and I would say for our table of 4 we were done within an hour. I enjoy that because so many days we're just tired from the day, want to enjoy a nice dinner but not at the expense of two hours. Danny was our waiter and was simply outstanding! And the views? Very colorful 😉 The lounge items were generally good as well, food came out hot and there was a nice variety of sweet, savory and fresh: The ship is the newest one we've been on and is in great shape! One of my favorite things to do on Oasis Class is stopping by Sbux and heading AFT for this view: Disembarkation: I appreciate the perk of suite assist and a dedicated elevator, it did make for a stress free experience. We also opted for self-assist so we simply grabbed our luggage, walked off the ship and were on our way. Galveston has facial recognition which speeds things up even more. All in all we lined up in the suite lounge at 7:45am and by 8am we were walking to our car. As sad as it is to leave its nice to so in this way! We were home by 12:30pm and the laundry was underway. This little guy was excited to see us, too! I hope ya'll enjoyed the review, especially of the ports and activities we did. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Until next time...

When I've booked those packages it allowed me to choose what I wanted as many times as I wanted (we tend to do Italian more than once)

Yes! I'm excited to see what it looks like when they're finished, I wonder how long it will take?

Good morning from Cozumel 🌞 We've really lucked out on this trip with smooth seas and warm sunny weather, today is no exception! Disembarking was easy and we entered the taxi line, around 10 minutes later we were on our way to a favorite: Mr. Sanchos. Taxi fare was $20/each way and is a 15-20 minute drive. At the entrance they have a coffee house and...drugstore, should you be so inclined. Follow this path to check in with your reservation, it will be the building on your right: I counted 4 ships at our pier with another one off in the distance, so as expected this place was busy! No worries though, they seem to have endless amounts of tables, chairs and loungers. We were set up with loungers by the ocean and a table with umbrella for meals/sun breaks: Mr. Sanchos is all-inclusive so you're good to go with food and drinks. The food gets the job done, the drinks tend to be weak. I've found its best to go to the bar and order v. using a waiter. The wait service is great though, they are attentive and we never had to wait very long for our orders. They have pools throughout... Massage stations... Cabanas... Several bars with fun details like swings... And kayak and seadoo rentals... Photos from the beach... Another nice offering are the water toys, it's a small add-on but totally worth it if you have older children. No where to go... ...but down! Great beach day, beautiful grounds, all you can eat and drink, good wait staff, what could be better? When you're ready to go there are taxis lined up ready to take you back to port. We left at around 4pm and it was pure insanity at the port. We've been here several times and have never experienced lines like these. They wound all the way through the port area...we were in line for upwards of 30 minutes before reaching security. I heard another passenger say the experience was like "The Walmart of Ports" and that's exactly what it was. No direction, just people trying to make sense out of chaos, and luckily, decorum was practiced by everyone. Humanity for the win! Home sweet home... We didn't leave until after 6:30pm tonight (hour late) due to a ferry running late with other passengers. Hopefully in their panic they were able to enjoy the sunset 😉 Tonight, Paul and I decided to go to Johnny Rockets! Ya'll the food is so good...hamburger for Paul (10/10 from Paul!) and Tuna Melt for me: And let's just wash all that down with the Oreo Cookie Shake since calories don't count on vacation: We are on our way heading North, Capt said there is a cold front coming in from the Gulf so we'll be lucky to hit 70° tomorrow but if there's sun it shouldn't be too bad! The plan is to sleep in, gym, then enjoy the suite deck one last time. On the home front I get pics of Jack every day from my awesome friend. Latest one looks like he's taken up card games 😉

That is an excellent point, there was plenty of space for sure!

Good morning from Roatan! There were showers this morning but everything moved out just in time for our excursion. We did the Jungle ATV and Beach excursion through the cruise line. It was $114/each and a very good value in my opinion. We met in our zone at 10:45am and by 11am we were in a nice air conditioned van for the first of our three transportations: nice seats, clean, and friendly drivers. Our first stop was the ATV Adventure, the drive took around 20 minutes. ATVs ready to go... First we watched a safety briefing and then a short video on their photo packages. Then they fitted us with bandanas and helmets and thank goodness, plastic baggies for our shoes (shoe baggies are optional, but nice to have if it's muddy, which it absolutely was). The lady passing these out said to just pay her what we wanted, so I gave her $1/per shoe for all of us. I didn't know what else to do on the spot so I hope that was fair. They have lockers as well (back wall), so your belongings will be safe. When you're done with the tour they do have water, soda and beer along with light snacks (chips, etc) for purchase. Paul (right) is ready. to. GO! I had never been on an ATV and I really didn't know what to expect but it was so much fun! It had rained earlier and much of the trail was full of water and mud so be aware, you're gonna want to dress in clothes that you are okay with getting muddied. When the trail isn't wet, it would be VERY dusty so wearing sunglasses is something I'd recommend to protect your eyes. Hey there! We went through both open terrain and the jungle, it was so beautiful! Eventually you'll end up at the top of a hill where you can see plush vegetation, hills, and even the ocean... This tour ran about 45 minutes and I would highly recommend if you're looking for something adventurous and out of the ordinary! And ladies...wear a sports bra or something very supportive to this one, you'll thank me later. Alright! So also included in this tour was a beach break. We didn't know where we were going, the description just says "private beach" so I'm happy to tell YOU where you'll be going if you book this. Another comfortable 20-25 minute ride and we ended up on the West End of the island at a place called Luna Beach. At first glance I wasn't terribly impressed, mainly because they didn't have many loungers (so be aware), but as I walked around I learned to appreciate that it was just a little more rustic than what I typically choose for a beach day (I'm typically a resort-beach-day type of girl). Here are a few pics of the grounds: The restaurant was excellent and I loved the open seating looking out to the ocean, such a great way to enjoy lunch! Drinks and food were very good, we got a couple orders of the fish n chips and sampled their drink menu. This is one place that had some of the best drinks we've had on a vacation and they were very reasonably priced as well. They also had the usual hair braiding, massage station, etc, but they also had something I don't typically see: horse riding. What do we have here?...they were workin' Jacob 😉 We arrived at Luna Beach around 12:45pm and stayed until 2:45pm since all aboard was at 3:30pm. I NEVER cut it that close but we had a group with us and since it was through the cruise line, I had to subdue my Type A overplanner syndrome. We made it back by 3:15pm with long lines of people getting back as well so at least we weren't the only ones! I have no complaints about this excursion and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation! I'll leave you with our sunset pic from just after we left port. Tomorrow, Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel!

We've only gone to The Fine Line which was absolutely AMAZING. The athletics, acrobatics, and visuals are simply stunning, don't miss it! And the tall guy who spins and spins and spins? I mean, just wow, I'd be walking sideways for hours after that 😅

We were here last year and I was so disappointed they weren't open, it was a must see this time around!

All elevators are fully operational!

I was very curious about that (whether or not that was just how it looked!). Good to know it has had better days, hope they get the funds to fix it up!

Since they give wristbands and your reservation is on a list they cross check I'd think that would work, only thing is getting back through the port area which I find confusing. I don't know if it's worth the walk back and forth... but yes, gangway was down at 8:30a with all aboard by 4:30p... definitely plenty of time!

Exactly. If you're there for 4-5 hours and expending energy you'll still probably have to get something, but at least start them out with breakfast! Our meeting time was 9:15am so quite early.

It was not heated and quite cold. That didn't seem to stop the kids and by the afternoon it was better.

Well it was our first time in Windjammer this trip, it was a zoo. Food was subpar unfortunately. We've eaten at CK and Sabor and have had great meals, Windjammer not so much. Back to our day! The waterpark is great for small kids, teens and adults alike. There are loungers located throughout with plenty of shaded options, too. Here's where I set up camp: There is a bar and grill located to the right, here are the menu prices: Here is the area for smaller children, there are loungers located around the perimeter, plenty of shaded loungers if you want that as well for your little ones: Now here is the giant pyramid you can see from the ship, it's the central location for entrance to all the big waterslides and zip lines: Lockers available: And finally, the several levels leading to different activities: Now one thing I will point out is the water itself. The pools for the water slides seemed fine... but the lazy river? No one used it. Seriously, they either need to change the yellow/brown paint and/or I better start smelling some chlorine because this looks like something that requires a tetanus shot. Pools...(NOT heated and yes, they were pretty dang cold) Lazy "river"...womp womppppp Alright so we can agree to enter at your own risk...let's talk about the food. The boys said it was good and filling... they got the wings and a burger. All in all the boys gave the park a 9/10, they were gone for 3 straight hours before they emerged for food and said they did every single zip line and waterslide there was. Happy boys, happy mom... there's one of them gliding ever so gracefully 😉 The value for this is going to be subjective, it's $129/adult and includes admission and transportation. Food and beverage are additional so my advice is to feed the kids a big breakfast on the ship so you're not buying several meals. I did try a Pina colada and it was just okay, I didn't get more than the 1 drink so can't speak to the better liquor ($8/wells $14/premium, they are 12oz). When it was time to go there were plenty of shuttles waiting, our wrist bands indicated we had already paid for transportation so we hopped on and we were back at the port in 5-10 minutes tops. Hope this is helpful to those with kids looking for something fun to do that's very convenient to the port. Tomorrow we'll be on a ship excursion, ATV Jungle and Beach Day, I'll report back once I get my bearings 🫠

Yesterday was a whole lot of nothing which is exactly what I like before 3 straight port days. Good morning from Costa Maya! We grabbed a quick bite at CK for breakfast then headed down to the gang way. We're spending our day at the Mayan Kingdom Adventure Park: We booked this through the cruise line and transportation was included. This is a short 5 minute drive away and while you could technically walk there, I wouldn't. The sidewalks are very rough and I'm not even sure if it's paved the whole way. If you don't book through the cruise line there were plenty of cabs lined up. We have a 16 and 19 year old in tow and wanted something activity driven, this place has it all: watersides, zip lines, loungers, food, coffee shop and a bar. Here is the entrance, you will sign a waiver for everyone in your party before you are granted entrance: Inside coffee shop, they also have soda and water available for purchase: Then right through the doors is the waterpark. It's really an impressive venue, everything is very manicured and pleasant with plenty of maps throughout: Okay I need to take kids to Windjammer, hate to break up a post but I will finish when I get back...Kids are eating their cruse fare for sure 🤑

I can verify that I did indeed need to scan my seapass in order for the gate to open.

A taste...

I have scanned it but it doesn't seem like the gate is actually locked... I'll try to open it today without and report back! And yes there are stairs but if it's not an issue for your mobility it's actually perfect for those who want a more serene and dedicated experience. The Suite sun deck is one of my favorite perks, and after the gym that's just where I'll be 😃

It's on deck 17 mid-ship. From AFT you'll walk to the center of deck 16 and see a set of stairs by the water slides which leads to the suite deck.

Ahoy! We are headed to Costa Maya first, followed by Roatan, then Cozumel 🌞

I think I need to start celebrating the New York ball drop since I can at least make it to 11pm with my dignity in tact 😉 We went down around 11:45pm and decided to hang around Schooners for the countdown. The promenade was packed full and sure enough all the tables that were available to "reserve" were occupied. Happy New Year! Sea days are my favorite because I am able to fully relax with no agenda, so after the gym I spent the afternoon on the suite sun deck. It's a very nice space, quiet and serene, with plenty of seating and a dedicated bar 🍸 I found a lounger in a corner and this was my view for the day 😊 I did not see the boys for the entire day...which apparently consisted of food, pool deck, more food, water slides, even more food, and the ultimate abyss...eventually we met up with them for some dinner at Sabor 🌮 We ate so much, food was on point and the place was packed out for the Michigan / Alabama game. Everyone loved their meal, food was hot and flavourful! Some samplings... This is my favorite neighborhood on Oasis Class 🎠 Especially at night, it's just magical! In other news, Jack and Fitz have become fast friends and have seemingly calmed waaaaay down and gotten a bit more used to eachother!

THIS! I had the scare of my cruise life last month when I went to add our 4th person for the cruise I'm on right now, and was told that RCI was denying any additional guests. They weren't even waitlisting anyone. By some miracle my TA was able to sort it out and the 4th guest was eventually added, but let me tell you, it is absolutely not worth the disappointment and panic. Just book the 5th and 6th guest for peace of mind.

We have officially set sail with Voyager right behind us 🙂

After a solid night of sleep we woke up to beautiful weather this morning with sunny skies and 60 degrees of warmth! We checked out around 11am and we were on our way. Even though the port is less than 5 miles from the hotel it took a good 20 minutes to reach the North Lot with traffic. We prefer the North Lot due to its proximity to the terminal and since we always self disembark, we like the quick walk back to the car so we can start the drive back to DFW without delay. We are in a CLS so our time from check in to the ship was less than 10 minutes. Suite check in area... We went straight to CK for lunch and by the time we were done at 1pm rooms were ready. We were originally booked in an OS but I happened to stumble across the website one day and there were 6 CLS available for less than the OS, so I jumped on it. This room is absolutely stunning! Full bathroom, 1st floor. SO HAPPY we did this for the second bathroom, now the boys have their own space and can stay out of mine 😉 Decorative area underneath stairs Loft Master Bedroom, Vanity and Bath And finally, the lovely balcony...quite a lot of space and can't wait to wake up to those ocean views! Right now the boys are breaking in the water slides and I'm breaking in my diamond vouchers on the suite deck! Nearly 400 guests still haven't checked in at their muster stations yet so the "last call" threats over the PA are alive and well. No worries from me though, I'll just have another drink 😉

To my delight, we left DFW by 11:20am which, if you knew how it usually goes with my family, is no small feat! Our first stop? It's just what you do when you're in Texas, it's an unofficial law to stop at a Bucees. Kids got some BBQ brisket sandwiches and a pic with none other than... Jacob (left) and Paul (right) Traffic to Galveston was pretty congested but somehow ::pretending not to know how fast DH was driving:: we made it here by 4pm. Now, if you're from Texas you'll know this next part to be true. We are all about the southern hospitality and niceties....until we're behind the wheel. Hand to God, I've lived in 20+ states and one country (military) and driving in this state is an unofficial survival sport. Everyone knows that the left lane is for crime (err, passing, I mean) so WHY do we have so many people that drive in THAT lane instead of the other 2 (or 3, or 4) lanes where they can mosey-on at their preferred speed, I'll never know. Okay, rant over, but chances are we passed ya'll 😉 The Hilton Galveston Island is our preferred hotel every time we sail out of Galveston for a few reasons: there is a great pool, bar, and restaurant, it's within walking distance to more restaurants, next to a drug-store for those last-minute items, and across the street is the lovely beach and gulf. Here is a view from our balcony: Happily, they did a beautiful remodel of the rooms and hallways, and it looks like they're still working on other parts of the hotel as well. As I mentioned, we were here last year and the hotel was really starting to show her age, they've done a nice job making the rooms look and feel fresh! Bathroom is tight but nice and new... Pool area... I spy...a couple of hams 😉