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Everything posted by harryfat1
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Next time you should wrap a couple of diapers to both sides of the lounger chair and squeeze a little mustard on the diaper with a touch of water dripping from it. I guarantee you that your chair will be untouched…🤪 Heck, you may not have anyone sitting next to you if you point the mustard part outward to both sides of you so you will have lots of space to stretch out…
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As you recall, back on my Navigator of the Seas trip report, you requested that I analyze the foot cost for half of the year (the latest info available at the time). Here is the link (see post #413 for those that didn’t read the old info): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2958097-cheapo-dads-trip-report-on-the-navigator-of-the-seas-maybe-with-few-pictures-added/page/17/#comment-66046593 I assume the cost remained similar for the rest of the year. Originally I was going to do a comparison for the whole year but Biker19 mentioned that there’s already a discussion on the RCI board on the 10K results so there’s no need for me to reinvent the wheel if people are already talking about it. Being thorough is part of the occupational hazard of being a “bean counter” as you have to be detailed oriented to survive this job. Almost every Accounting job posted online requests the ideal candidate to be detail-oriented. There’s an old saying – treat others the way you want to be treated (apparently most people on social media never heard of this saying as they constantly bash one another). When I read other people’s trip reports, I want them to be as detailed as possible as being a 9.2 on the anal scale, I don’t like surprises on my vacation so I look for tips that help in my planning. And since I get bored easily with my ADHD tendencies, I also want to be entertained when I read trip reports. Thus when I write my reports, my target audience is myself as I write these reports the way I want to read them if I was on the other end. Loads of hourly details and photos and tips on boarding/disembarking and maybe a Baby Got Back video to keep me engaged. This trip report is almost done but not quite there yet. To borrow the old sports adage – it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. She’s last seen in the background warming up but not on the stage yet so we have a bit more to go before we wrap this up.
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You have your basic burgers/hot dogs/chicken/corn and salad selection. Another sign of RCI cutting back on the food quality. Back in 2014 and 2017 when were last at Labadee, they had ribs as part of the lunch offering. Not there anymore My lunch in 2023 My lunch in 2017 Much better fruit display back in 2017 as well. Didn't see anything like this back in December
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We also took turns getting lunch. I was the first one to get something to eat as the boys were still in the water when I stood in line at 11:45. I wanted to grab lunch earlier before the buffet area got messy Here is the lunch area as you see people taking the food back. You can either eat on the benches there or eat by the beach. We have always brought back our food to eat at the beach with the view of the ship as how often do you get to do that back at home? They are open from 11:30 to 1:30 so don't be too late for the lunch area Self Explanatory
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Technically my cell phone is supposed to be waterproof up to a certain point but I wasn't going to tempt fate in case someone bumped into me and my phone took a deep dive so I didn't go too far into the water I had a waterproof camera that I should have brought along on this trip then I just wrapped it around my neck and took as many pictures as I wanted in the water.
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So after scouring around the area, we found 2 X 2 chairs with the boys in the front and my wife and I in the back. I like this area because it’s shady and has a straight path to the beach in the front as well as to the lunch area behind us and the restroom on the other side. Turning around, the buffet lunch is just behind the blue umbrellas in the middle so it's a convenient area
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Also gone since 2017 is the dude who used to hang around the beach looking for a tip to set up the lounger chairs. Maybe we got off the ship too late after the IFly experience or they stopped the tipping policy but I didn’t see anyone there looking for a tip as all the lounger chairs were already set up. I prepared some small bills in case I had to pay for the dude to set it up for me. Anyway, there are lots of loungers around and many trees/umbrellas so if you want a shady area, you should be able to find one. As with land real estate, the closer to the water, the more people preferred so all the early birds got the first row of chairs right by the water and then the second, third, and later rows were taken. Since we didn’t get there until after 11 AM, all the front-row loungers were occupied. Personally speaking, it’s not a bad thing because as the day wore on, the sun would shift so that the shaded area would be completely gone in the first row by 11. So if you want the front row but not in the direct sun, come to the beach early and then leave early to avoid direct sun exposure. We were in the last row before the “walkway” that people can walk by and there are more loungers behind the walkway. See the walkway dividing up the umbrellas. Not much sun in the row closer to the water but more shade in the back rows
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OK, we made it to Columbus Cove. Labadee has different beaches but from the various reviews in the past, this is the most family-friendly and we typically come here. If you have $$ to burn, RCI is more than happy to sell you the waterfront bungalow for 4 figures but being cheap, I will opt for the free chairs. Speaking of free chairs, it looks like they replaced the beach chairs to be orange or blue solid-colored ones. The old ones with blue and white stripes from my previous 2017 visit are no longer here Our chairs Chairs from 2017
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To take the tram, you have to line up at the tram stop and wait for the next available tram. I think they are supposed to run once every 10 minutes or so, but since we were there during “rush hour” with many families wanting to go to the beach, they were running one tram after another so even though the line seemed long, it moved quickly as soon as one departed, there’s another one coming within a minute. You see from this picture that the tram on the right has already picked up the passengers and is on the way to drop them off at the various stops. As they are leaving, the next tram is pulling up to get more passengers. Similar to Disneyland/Disneyworld tram rides if you have experienced those.