Bkchero

Did you get to do any sightseeing in Barcelona before you boarded? Specifically, did you go to Sagrada Familia? I was there 25 years ago and it was one of my favorites. If you put pics in IG my apologies as I have not looked at that yet.

3rd on traffic being awful in Aventura/Sunny Isles. I avoid the area like the plague. Stay on SoBe or Ft. Lauderdale beach. Enjoy your trip.

So the Azamara Journey cruise that starts in Miami and ends in NYC is exempt b/c it goes to the ABC islands, SXM, St. Bart’s and Bermuda, at least one of which if not several must be considered a distant port . . .

Trying to score points with the man at the pearly gates I see . . .

Some pictures around the ship this morning, including breakfast at Coastal Kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

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I don’t know what I found more fascinating about this photo . . . The complete lack of chair hogs or the lifeguard standing watch over a completely empty pool and deck . . .

Zio Ricardo, sei un naturale. . .

Many of actions are considered disqualification worthy, the westernized pronunciation of my last name, some would say, is the least of my problems.

The Government was kind enough to Americanize my Italian grandfather’s last name when he became a citizen. So I don’t have your issue, at least not intentionally . . .

Enjoy all of the stops in Italy. Definitely on my ever-growing bucket list.

I know it’s a few days down the road . . .er, sea but will the Naples stop include a Pompeii trip? I have not been there but have cruising friends who went there and loved it.

Thanks for the pics and scopes. Enjoy your trip.

There was a recent Liberty review thread by Familygoboston that had a discussion about drinks on cruises out of Texas and the weird rules in TX thanks to their beverage commission. I thought that was why you can’t use a drink package on cruises out of Galveston until day 2. But I do not remember the specifics.

You and A&L definitely need to cruise together with your emotional support animals.

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Royal’s kids club is called Adventure Ocean and only takes kids up to 11 so your 2 older ones wouldn’t participate. There is a teen club and some programming that they could do.

Don’t know what your budget is but Oasis out of Port Canaveral (fly to Orlando or Griswold it in the family roadster) on July 29 appears to have a fair amount of room. Good luck.

We've been told that to get really authentic paella, you have to go to Valencia.

I was fortunate enough to be able to stay w/a family for my 3 month semester there, so we had homemade paella every Sunday. It was fantastic. As you have heard I do believe it is supposed to be more “authentic” in Valencia and other cities in the south but I suspect with a little research we could find some in Barcelona.

You're in Barcelona - get an Iberian Ham sandwich with tomatoes!

Please, please get authentic paella while in Spain. I spent a semester of college there and couldn’t get enough of it.

And perhaps some gazpacho so you can compare it to the soups on the new MDR menu, assuming you are MDRing it some this trip. . .

Safe travels and enjoy your trip.

Well, we are salvaging much of the trip after all. Air 2 Sea really stepped up to the plate and we will make the Explorer TP cruise after all. Instead of the original 5 nights after the Radiance cruise we will fly in 2 weeks later and have 2 1/2 nights instead. No extra air charges.

 

It's really tough to book international air this close in. We remain on a direct LAX SYD flight in premium economy with decent assigned seats. They really did a nice job with the re-booking after recognizing we were very flexible in our travel dates.

 

We were lucky, and I know others were not so.

 

Sure would have liked to see New Zealand though. Safe travels.

Been following along and am glad to see that you have salvaged some of the trip. You'll get to NZ. You have a refund plus the FCC to start planning for it. If that doesn't work I have a suggestion, we have some friends sailing on the Golden Princess (shh!) from Sydney to Auckland next April and they are giddy about it.

My nightmare story . . . Our wedding was supposed to be on Marco Island over on Florida's west coast. Then Hurricane Charley knocked the power out the day before and we had to scramble to move the entire wedding and all 125 or so guests to Ft. Lauderdale beach. Fortunately one of the hotels had an opening, but instead of a choice between filet mignon or mahi w/mango salsa, everybody had to eat chicken marsala. We are coming up on 14 years and it's still a great story, every time I see a menu w/chicken marsala I think about it and laugh . . .

Sometimes you gotta roll w/the punches. Or the seas . . .

I hope you enjoy both the shortened but still awesome trip and TA and wherever your other travels take you. And IIRC correctly, you mentioned in an earlier post being a former GI. Thanks for your service.

If there are several OV balconies available on deck 8, is there any particular area (midship, aft, or right by a particular bar/restaurant) you would choose, or is being on 8 the most important and the specific location doesn’t matter? And would you pay an extra $67 a person (3 people so about $200 total) for the larger balcony? It’s the eastern itinerary so there’s an extra sea day.

Thanks for any thoughts.

The rest stops are busy commercial buildings with lots of tenants who pay rent. Unlike I95 which has no tolls and public, non commercial facilities.

Very true but Dunkin‘ Donuts, BK and Sbarros aren’t completely covering the substantial remodels/replacements some of those buildings got. Oh and Nathan’s, I’m not allowed to get chili dogs on family road trips . . .

I have driven the turnpike more time than I can count between Miami and Orlando. Other than basic maintenance, absolutely nothing is noticeably or appreciably upgraded or new. If they are using the funds to maintain and build roads other than the turnpike, than I'm not exaggerating at all, because the funds were supposed to be FOR the turnpike.

 

Florida has more toll roads than any other State. They went nuts with it.

They have upgraded many if not all of the rest stop buildings. Much nicer and cleaner inside. They have added a few entrances and exits (Southern Blvd. in WPB was added w/in the past few years). I also believe they are expanding between downtown Orlando and the St. Cloud exits b/c of the continuing Orlando sprawl.

Having said that I too despise the fact that when the TPK was first created the politicians said that the tolls would only remain until it was paid for . . And they lied. Should we be surprised that they are all thieves? There was a story in the Miami Herald maybe 15 years ago that said that 60% of the toll money came from Dade Broward and Palm Beach counties, but almost all of it was spent north of there. Given that the majority of tolls in the south are from residents, that seems totally ridiculous.

Of course, we foist all kinds of taxes on tourists. Hotel taxes, rental car taxes, etc. But what does that get spent on? Sports stadiums. Absurd.

All of this to avoid a state income tax. . .

They will probably stick around for the European summer but when she comes stateside the boorish Americans will get no such things . . .

(Typed with a wry, sarcastic smile . . .)

Hi. I tried to go on the Cruise Planner and see the price for Refreshment package, but no where on the page does it show the price. Can you tell me where to go and how do I know when there's a sale? Thank you.

How far out are you from your cruise? It didn’t show up in mine until maybe 6 months before sailing.

I don’t remember for sure but I think we put down 8 for my son.

We had some friends who were on this cruise and they enjoyed it so much they booked another one for next year same time. Sounds like it was a good one.

I assume it will make 9 to 5 port calls at all of the Islands in the Stream.

(Yes, I know, really lousy, but I couldn’t help it)

We were there January 2nd. 3 ships, Equinox, Navigator, and Rotterdam, and the trolley was running.

MANY airports, not only in the USA but around the world, are not geographically located in the city which they serve. Ever been to Carolina, PR, College Park, GA, or Romulus, MI? If you’ve flown to San Juan Int’l, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson or Detroit Metro, you have been to these cities! [emoji3] In Tokyo, Japan, Narita Int’l Airport is actually located 40 miles away!

 

 

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Cincinnati airport is in Kentucky.

As for the OP, your dilemma stinks. If you drive to Detroit you can fly on Spirit 10/12-10/20 for under $300 before they start nickel and diming you with all their nonsense fees.

What is the dating scene like amongst the crew? I know relationships/hooking up with guests is prohibited, but curious about what goes on between crew members (nothing specific or graphic, lol). Is there a hierarchy - like would a bartender date a cabin steward? On the same note, is there a lot of interaction between different nationalities, or do people tend to hang out with others from their home countries? I think my favorite thing about cruising is talking to the crew, and I appreciate how hard they work while continuing to be so gracious and friendly. And I'm always amazed how they remember everyone's name! Thanks for your blog - looking forward to reading more!

So on the last sea day on my NYE Navigator cruise the captain said during his announcement that there were if I remember correctly 46 married couples in the crew. He pointed out that not all were from the same country and that some were from very different backgrounds, with one couple being from Egypt and Peru. So while the extent of multinational relationships may be unknown it certainly happens, which as I think about it more shouldn’t be surprising given the close quarters the crew works in.