DragonOfTheSeas

Cabins not ready until 2:30pm now.

Relaxing in the Viking Crown lounge until cabins open. It has a great view of the pool deck. Not a cloud in the sky! ☁️

Good bye Liberty. Our transfer was fairly easy. When we were ready to leave the ship, we got our luggage and then went all the way down the front of them terminal to a shuttle desk right beside the suite entrance. DH needs disembarking assistance, so we got to that desk at about 8:25am. (Timing was up to wheelchair assistance.) Other guests eventually arrived. There were 12 of us total that took the shuttle. It arrived at 9:45am. We had benches, it was in shade and an OK wait. It ended up being a 55 passenger bus. It was about a 5 to 10 minute drive just around this one inlet. And they let us come into the terminal immediately. We are in a junior suite so now we’re in the suite lounge but others that were in regular cabins were permitted in as well. It was a pretty seamless process. I would do it again.

It depends on where you’re embarking from. In the United States, you usually have to walk to where they scan your sea pass card, scan out the old card and then scan in the new card. That’s how it’s worked for us in the past. Each ship handles a tiny bit differently. But it’s mostly that way. I have read in Europe that’s not the case but I’ve never done one in Europe.

People often ask about the Key; We decided not to buy the Key. It was $29/day per guest and would have been $580 for DH and I total. This might be worth it on the bigger ships with all the bows and whistles [depending on your use of the activities and Internet]. However, on the Vision class ships I do not feel it has that much value—especially for us. DH is not much for social media/Internet and likely will not use the computer at all on this trip. . . and that is most of the value. JMHO What's Included On debarkation day, enjoy an exclusive à la carte breakfast and choice departure. Priority access into the terminal (within booked arrival time) on Day 1. Carry-on bag drop off/delivery to stateroom. Drop carry-ons in Main Dining Room by 1:30pm. Private time at onboard activities including Rock Climbing, FlowRider and more. Priority departure at tender ports of call from ship-to-shore. Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille Lunch menu. Seats in the exclusive VIP seating section at shows in the Main Theatre. VOOM ® Surf & Stream 1 Device high speed internet.

We are four couples sitting at the shuttle stop waiting to be transferred to the Vision of the Seas. I will let you know how it goes when we get to the new ship. So, Lets's get this new party Started!! This Vision cruise was booked more than a year ago. We like reposition cruises and especially those that reposition to Baltimore. 😁 I joined the 2 Facebook groups and the Cruise Critic roll call for this cruise and “met” many of my fellow cruisers. On longer cruises passengers often have events planned. This cruise is no exception. DH and I plan to attend the Sail Away and Pub Crawl. But mostly we plan to relax. I might go and watch the high stakes slot pull. I have not seen one of those before. It will be interesting to see how they do. There are currently 12 people signed up to participate in that one. Here are the scheduled events on the Vision of the Seas: Monday May 1, 2023 Sail away @ 3:30pm: Observatory platform above Windjammer, forward- Deck 10 Monday May 1, 2023 High Stakes Slot Pull @ 9pm: Casino, buy in is $100/person or team of 2. Tuesday May 2, 2023 Pub Crawl/ Meet and Greet @ 2pm: R Bar Wednesday May 3, 2023 Slot Pull @ 11 am: Casino, buy in is $20.

Thank you for the picture. Good to know she is here. This is my view so I can’t see her.

This is a first S2S for us, too. We got an email last week about a Coast Guard inspection. They told us to arrive an hour later. Since we can’ t leave this ship later we hope we are not out in the hot sun too long. We booked an Anthem cruise for next year. (Sister ship to Odyssey) How did you like the ship? It will be our daughter’s first cruise.

I did not do any speed tests, but it was very good. I never had any problems.

Yes, I cannot wait to see the finished port. We will be back here on a March '24 cruise if not before.

Here are a few final thoughts about Liberty before we move to the Vision of the Seas. 1. The ship is a good size. It is big enough to have lots of activities and venues. There should be something to keep everyone busy and happy. 2. It is well suited to short party cruises in a warm climate. It has a nice pool deck, the Splash Away Bay for kids and an open solarium. 3. The staff is hard working and friendly. We did not encounter anyone that was not working as hard as they could. The casino and bars were hopping at all times. 4. The ship is showing a few age spots. But, they seem to be working on that. We noticed workmen varnishing the railings and they seemed to be cleaning constantly. 5. It was a young cruise population. There were lots of children/babies and 20-30 yr old cruisers. I heard many say it was their first cruise. 6. I thought the food was fair to good. Not special, but not as bad as everyone has been making the new menu seem. I missed the everyday items. So, did DH. He used to have Caesar salad almost every day. Food is very personal. Last night was Italian night and DH had chicken parm. It was just OK. I thought the lasagna was very good. Yet, at the pool today several people were saying it was horrible. "It was all meat, where was the cheese?" They were correct. It had mostly meat. But it was well seasoned and delicious. The tiramisu was good. 7. I doubt we will book another 3-day cruise. Everything is too rushed. We have number 50 tomorrow. with a 9:15 estimate disembark. That is the last group. So we are on the ship as long was we can be. We will see how it goes.

Delta, on the Facebook roll call there are 3 groups that have had flights cancelled without new flight alternatives and they have left on car trips to reach the port. At least one of them posted it would be a 17-hour trip. I feel for all of those that are having a stressful beginning to their cruise. We have had a few drop out. A couple because they did not have a passport.[ book not card] They are required for this open loop cruise. Many were sweating this out until the last couple of days. I bet there are still some at the pier. One passenger is still recovering from pneumonia. Another booked a non-accessible cabin and hoped one would open. etc. So, there has been plenty of drama.

It seems I have been too hard on Nassau. We were docked with a Norwegian Cruise line ship blocking the shore. No problem I did not plan to go ashore. Npw I am sorry I did not. I knew Nassau was renovation the dock area. I was surprised today when the other ship left. It seems Nassau has filled in an area adjacent to the old shoreline. They are building an entirely new dock area. This is an article describing the project. We arrived just a few weeks to early. Nassau's New $300 Million Cruise Port to Open May 2023 (cruisehive.com) I can not tell you what each of these things area. But it is obvious this is the terminal. I think this might be the straw market--but not sure. I am impressed the built an entire lagoon for water taxi and tour piers. For those of you familiar with this port Senior Frogs is where the green umbrella on the top right of this picture. That used to be the waterfront. Thie will be a HUGE upgrade.

I wanted to mention something from yesterday's visit to Coco Cay. In the afternoon we noticed a float plane land in the lagoon. Some people crowded around and got on and then it took off. The employees mentioned that this was a medical evacuation flight. I know people have wondered what would happen if they had a serious medical emergency on Coco Cay? Now we know. I was impressed with the speed and coordinated effort.

Look what I found! I have been on many cruises where people hid ducks. But this is the first one I found.

Oh, No! Did they give you a flight for tomorrow? We had crazy weather before this cruise, too. We were lucky to come in 2 days early. For our current cruise one family had to get a flight to Orlando and then they did a one-way car rental. Good luck. Hope to see you soon. 🤞

Yep--but we did not stay there long. 😁

We decided to play some mini golf so we headed to deck 13 all the way forward. You need to go to deck 12 and walk up a flight. It is sunny and pretty breezy around the ship today. No doubt from the same system that is providing the severe weather to Florida. However, up there it was so windy it was pushing the deck chairs around. . . . and the ball had a mind of its own. HaHaHa, [that is my story and I am sticking with it]. 😮🙄 Here are a couple of pictures. I erased the face of the person I inadvertently captured. . So, we are in the solarium enjoying a lounger in the shade. We do not usually stay onboard in ports. However, it can be very enjoyable. We have been to Nassau many times.

I am up early enough for a sunrise picture--but the clouds were not cooperating. It was still a nice view. There are several other ships headed to Nassau with us this morning. The Carnival ship is the closest. I thought I would get a couple of pictures on the Royal Promenade without people in them. This is the guest services desk. This is probably the only time you will see it without a crowd. This is my early morning coffee spot. They do not start serving the Starbucks items until 6:30 [regular coffee available 24/7]. I always like to see the antique cars on the ships with a Royal Promenade.

DH and I went to the ice show on the Liberty tonight. I always marvel that they do the jumps and tuns on a moving cruise ship. And the rink is much smaller than at most ice shows. I am not particularly skilled at action shots. This gives you an idea of the costuming.

At 8am the cruise director came on the intercom in the hallway to announce we had arrived at Coco Cay and then played the "Perfect Day at Coco Cay" song. You could clearly hear it in all of the cabins. I thought it was a little early. I had to laugh. I wondered about all of those guests who had gotten their money worth out of the drink packages the night before. 😂 I am not sure they were ready to go ashore. LOL Here is a map of the island: We had a leisurely breakfast in the Main dining room and went ashore around 10am. There were still long lines to board the trams. We are sharing the island with the Wonder of the Seas. We decided on the Chill Island area. It has hundreds of loungers and umbrellas, a bar with patio seating, restrooms and the Chill Island Grill. It is very convenient--but it was crowded today. We were able to see the zip line while we waited for the tram. One thing I wanted to mention about children. Royal Caribbean has life vests free to use on the ship and on Coco Cay. I saw several children with the large "water wings that they put their arms through, and it snaps in the back. I hope they were local. Because those take up a lot of space and would not be needed. This was the locker and life vest station at Chill Island.

Its too early for me to make a judgement call on the food for this ship. I will let you know about both cruises.

Here we are at beautiful Coco Cay. We visited Coco Cay in March of 2022 on our first cruise back after Covid on Enchantment of the Seas. I really like the new amped island. Royal Caribbean did a nice job of it. You can have a very active fun filled day [for a price] or enjoy sitting by the beach or a poll on loungers with an umbrella [or free]. There really is something for everyone. DH and I are a little past the water park stage. 😊 However, last March we decided to try some of the other attractions. We rented a daybed at Breezy Bay and went up in the hot air balloon. We really enjoyed both. The day beds fee for $149.99which included the daybed, 2 lounge chairs and umbrella, a cooler with four waters, towel so you don’t have to carry them off the ship, and two floating mats. Four people are allowed to share it. It was our base for the day. We swam in the ocean and the pool, ate at the snack shack nearby and spent more than 6 hours on the island. That is twice as long as our usual visit. It was a bummer that all the daybeds were sold out by the time we booked this cruise. Also, they are $199. Here are a few of our balloon pictures. Now having posted all that--we have decided to just occupy loungers and am umbrella on a beach. LOL We are headed to the island. Royal uses dynamic pricing for their attractions/excursions. The newer and bigger ships charge more for these. If you see something you like, book it. You can always cancel and rebook if the price goes down. It is rare that happens, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two usual times. JMHO

FYI-- Fort Lauderdale has an airshow this weekend. We were able to watch them practice today before we set sail. That was a treat. I found this on the airshow website. These are the participants: I was not very good at getting pictures of the planes. But they were very impressive.

Just a few random things before I go find happy hour. 🍹 We just got good news. The people doing whatever to the ship are finishing earlier and we now plan to leave around 7pm. So, it will not make us late for Coco Cay tomorrow. My favorite change since the resumption of cruising after covid is the safety briefing procedure. Rather than standing on a hot deck while stragglers decide to show up, you watch the video on the app and report to where you would go in an emergency [assembly station]. They scan your sea pass card and you are free to go. You can do this anytime in the afternoon. Someone on our Facebook group posed the breakdown for gratuities. This is a frequently asked question. These amounts are per day.