HBE4

You're allowed to leave the ship after checking in? What time is sail away?

Little Island! An old, dilapidated pier that was rebuilt as a man-made island.

Thank you. Here is a bday gift I received from Leonard, a coaster to hold my drink so i can pet him when he's sitting on the arm of my reclining chair. Although I may need to loan it to @Ocean Boy for a few days.

I was in Ybor City once on a weekend night and it most certainly has a Bourbon Street vibe.

I've always said the key to a successful wedding reception, or as I like to all it the first after-party, is a good DJ/Band and music & dancing. I honestly can't remember if a certain wedding had good food or not but I can always remember if it had a fun party atmosphere or if it was somewhat boring. And it sounds like your daughters wedding was a huge success all around - the party, the venue, the friends, etc. And no doubt that the father-daughter dance was a hit. Even though you posted one still picture, the love, pride and respect you have for each other shines through.

I'm not looking for any belated birthday wishes or anything but just wanted to say that I'm honored to share a birthday with the adorable Kenzie. (Sept 10th, right?) I've been mostly off-line the past week & trying to skim thru 17,000 new posts "liking" them & then going back to reply.

Congratulations to the bride & groom and have a fantastic weekend. And if a video of the father- daughter dance makes it to CC, that'll make our weekend. 🙂

I was middle-aged and stupid the first & only I did it.

And a free drink or three! 🙂

I probably thought about posting the story & just because I thought about it, assumed I actually did.

Cheeseburgers + Margaritas = Paradise.

I think I posted this before but what the heck, I've been known to tell the same story over and over.... Jones Beach State Park on Long Island is about 6 miles long with 6 humongous parking lots spread out. One of the beach parking lots (Parking Field #5) is also shared with the outdoor Amphitheater where concerts are held. As luck would have it, we were parked in that lot for a day at the beach & when we returned to our car, found the lot was taken over by Parrot heads for that evenings Jimmy Buffet concert. Every other tail gate party had some sort of elaborate tiki bar setup, decorations galore not to mention all of the island-type costumes. As we trudged back to our car, people kept offering us drinks. Not having anything to trade other than stale chips, warm soda & half-melted candy bars, I tried to offer money but nobody would take it. We ended up staying for a couple more hours & while we couldn't see the concert, we could hear it loud and clear. Funny thing is, there were probably just as many people hanging out in the parking lot as there was in the concert. I always say Jimmy Buffet gave the best concert I never went to. 😅

So sorry to hear this, for both your son and you. It's a good thing that your son has a great support system in his fiance to help him deal with all the things, which I'm sure must also put your mind at ease that he's in good hands.

We always wanted to sail Serenade again but never did. We were a bit hesitant to sail her at first since every other cruise had been on a ship with a Royal Promenade & more dining/drinking venues and thought we'd miss all the "bells & whistles" of the bigger ships. But the ship had great reviews, it was a great price for the time & we like the itinerary - Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. Turns out, it was one of our more favorite cruises. We did transitional late-seating dining and were assigned to 10-top table. We immedialty hit it off with all 4 other couples & spent a a lot of time doing things with them during the cruise, hanging out late into the night & a few last minute excursions. Would have loved to go back & explore the ship more but never happened. i like your itinerary & once I get my sea legs back, I might check it out in future years. I have several friends that live in the Tampa area (like an hour in each direction) and it would be a great opportunity to visit them & cruise back close to home.

I'd have no problem being on a cruise with 5 or 7 sea days in a row. But I think it would need to be on a bigger ship, at least Voyager-class & up. The smallest ship I sailed on was Serenade. One of my most favorite cruises based on the friends we made & the crew. But only 1 of the 7 days was a Sea Day & it was the very last day when we were exhausted from 6 port days so we didn't really get to "know" the ship that well since we spent very little time on it. It was early in our cruising career when we still tried to pack as much stuff as possible into every day.

I like the wide Promenade deck as well. It's quiet, shaded, plenty of chairs and very few people. Most important, it's as close to the open water as you can get so you really get the feeling of moving across the ocean. At night, love see the wake in the moon light. The only down side is no drink service. But it's not a place to hang out all day, every day. But to go for an hour here and there, it's perfect. Plus it reminds me of ocean liners in old movies.

So sorry for your loss. It is a blessing that he was able to come back for just a little while but so hard to lose him again after giving family & friends hope for recovery. As you said, he wasn't able to live the life he wanted so perhaps the ending is a blessing as well.

Day started gray & rainy, cleared up about 2 hours ago. Temp 78 and humidity/dew point dropping. EDIT: That's my neighbors pool. If it was mine, it would not be covered.

@singinalot I was thinking the same thing, the impending storm overshadowing your trip to NYC. I'm sure you can't really enjoy the gorgeous late summer NY weather we are having on your "bonus" day while Nate & fam ride out the storm. 🙏

Well, since you gave me the option... How comfortable did you find the 2nd couch in the Promenade View Room, the one in front of the window? Years ago, I had the same cabin type on Liberty of the Seas and the cushions on the couch were for looks only because they certainly did not cushion anything. It was like sitting of a block of cement.

"Let's Eat Grandma!" "Let's Eat, Grandma" Comma's can save lives!

I love this picture for the contrast. The USS Iowa - one of the biggest, most powerful battleships ever built by the US Navy - looks skinny & scrawny compared to the (now) mid-size Navigator.

Me too. And from the looks of it, your hotel had a pretty decent breakfast. I've been burned once or twice when the free breakfast turned out to be nothing more than a box of plain, stale donuts & weak coffee. You mentioned you stayed at one of the Marriott brands but i don't remember which one. Yes, I triple check every nook and cranny & I'm a 0.345 on the anal scale. On a good day. Sometimes a -4.0

I'm seeing double & I'm not even drinking.

I've been to the VooDoo donuts in Portland, I just can't remember which one as it was about 10-12 years ago. Even looking at the pictures isn't helping me. Then again, it was the morning after a night of brewery-hopping all over town. Seriously, I think there is a brewery on every corner. Anyways, I bought a bunch of donuts which was a mistake as each donut is a meal unto itself. It's quite possible it was my breakfast, lunch and dinner. The sugar crash was real. I've been enjoying your posts so much, I forgot there was a cruise happening somewhere in here. 😀 Then again, I'm, 5 days behind so I should keep my wise-guy comments to myself.