Steelers0854

Day 8 Disembarkation Well here we are, the dreaded last day. I did learn last night that there were 1350 kids (yea certainly felt like there were) on this voyage and that all the cabins were sold out. But a couple weeks ago they had 2250 kids during the spring break cruise so I guess we were lucky lol. We got up early and beat the crowds at the Windjammer and the got ready and out of the room. We waited in the Royal theatre til about 8:20 when our number (44) was called. Walked off the ship and straight through to customs. If you had a US Passport you went to a series of facial recognition scanners, a quick photo and you were done. We were out of the terminal by 8:40. Thanks to everyone for following along with us. We had a great trip. Wonder is a great ship and a lot to do. Most of the shows were great. I do feel that this trip confirms for us that we may be Virgin Cruisers now. There were so many kids on board, and I dont necessarily mind that but they weren’t well behaved and we heard almost constant running around etc. plus the fact that everything is included on Virgin, the food is outstanding, not a single person asked me to fill out the survey at the end of the cruise and I heard 2 mandatory overhead announcements on my 7 day cruise. We would definitely do Royal again, the Icon looks like a lot of fun, but I think our go to lines might just be Virgin now with Princess and Celebrity as close seconds.

Day 7 Sea Day 3 cont The Effectors. Well. It’s about as close to an Avengers copy as you can probably legally get in terms of theming. The show had amazing special effects. But the story and dialogue were flat out horrible. So don’t stress about going, I still say find you can just to see the effects. But whomever wrote this should be flat fired. After the show we moped our way back to our cabin as it was time to pack. Such a sad part of the cruise but we made quick work of it. Dinner tonight was at the Mason Jar. DW preordered the fried green tomatoes, watermelon salad and she hopes the brisket but asked for chicken as a backup. The brisket they get prepackaged do the chef wasn’t sure and was going to try and check. Well when we got there tonight sure enough she could have the brisket! She loved the fried green tomatoes, perfectly crispy and the bacon jam was delicious. The watermelon salad she had previously and said it was still great. And the brisket was excellent. She loved the sweet and smoky BBQ sauce it came with. I got the Johnny cakes, crab beignets, and shrimp and grits. I thought the Johnny cakes were great. Loved all the components and it was a huge portion. The crab beignets were a let down. These are no NOLA beignets here, they were dense more like a donut. The cinnamon they put on it when paired with the crab didn’t work. They do give you 5 of them which was a lot considering the literal spoonful of crab that comes with it. These would be a pass for me going forward. The shrimp and grits were excellent. The grits had solidified a little more than my liking, they still were kinda creamy, but the flavor gives them a pass. That sauce that came with it was spicy and flavorful. These were a home run in my book. Dessert time came and DW had her chocolate cake for the last hoorah. I got the maple bacon and the bourbon pecan ice cream. They were both so delicious. I’m a sucker for banana pudding so I asked for it to go as I was so full I couldn’t see straight. I’ll report back on how that was tomorrow. After dinner we walked the promenade and Central Park before heading to the cabin and relaxing one last time on our balcony enjoying the beautiful weather.

Day 7 Sea Day 3 Got up and hit the gym again today. It was the busiest this morning than it’s been all cruise, hard to find any open equipment and a yoga class took up that entire space. Got ready and lounged downstairs to relax before lunch at Johnny Rockets. We got there at 11:30, by 12:30 it was really busy. We grabbed a seat inside to avoid door issues we had previously experienced. DW ordered the Route 66 lettuce wrapped with an extra party and bacon and fries. She said it was the best burger she has had this trip. I got the smokehouse burger with an extra patty and jalapeños, onion rings and an Oreo shake. The shake was extra but only cost me $2.75 with our loyalty discount and it was worth it. The shake was delicious. The burger was excellent as well, I thought it was way better than Chops and the onion rings were very good. All in all this was an excellent lunch. We walked around a bit and relaxed on the balcony before Star Wars trivia. I did better than I did at Harry Potter yesterday. Now we are relaxing on the balcony enjoying the perfect weather before The Effectors show at 3:30. Then dinner tonight at Mason Jar.

Day 7 Planner Day 7.pdf

Day 6 Sea Day 2 Wash. Rinse. Repeat. DW grabbed breakfast while I headed for a workout. It started off a bit stormy today with periods of heavy rain but they passed quickly. We got ready for the day and grabbed coffees and relaxed on the Promenade given the weather. Before too long it was time for lunch at Chops. Special shout out to Marilyn our wonderful sever that we have had each day at Chops. She makes you feel like your dining in her home and is so wonderful. DW got her salad and went with the chicken today to mix it up. They also had her chocolate cake which she loved of course. I went with the wedge salad and the burger. I didnt realize it came with sweet potato fries and they were very good. The burger I thought fell flat and wasn’t what I was hoping it was going to be. The cheese tots I got were very good though. I have a soft spot for red velvet cake and theirs didn’t disappoint. Probably the best dessert I’ve had all week. After lunch we walked around the ship for a while we were so full. We headed to Mason Jar so DW could preorder dinner for tomorrow. We sat on our balcony before heading to Harry Potter trivia, which made me feel like I need to brush up on the books again lol. Dinner tonight was at 150 Central Park. DW got the beef short ribs, beet salad and the filet. She raved about the short ribs and they were her favorite appetizer thus far. She also really enjoyed the beet salad. She was excited for the veggies with her filet and said the steak was also very good. I went with the scallops and the duck. The scallops were excellent, I would highly recommend. The duck was also good, perfectly cooked, but definitely needed the sauce that came with it. Without the sauce it wouldn’t have been very good. After dinner we grabbed coffees and ended our day with a beautiful sunset on the balcony.

Here are the planners for Day 4, 5, and 6 Day 6.pdf Day 4 & 5.pdf

Day 5 St Maarten We started today much like all the others. Got up, grabbed a quick bite at the Windjammer and got our workout in. Because it was a port day the gym was a ghost town which was great. After our workout we headed to the pool deck and secure some padded loungers under a large overhang. It was cloudy at this point and we couldn’t tell where the sun was, but we picked the best spot we could. For the next few hours we had passing rain showers but otherwise it was a perfectly relaxing and temperate day. By 2pm we needed a small snack since we had dinner at Chops again. We we went to Windjammer again and grabbed a salad and burger patty. Before long it was time to get ready for dinner. Tonight we had much the same as we did the night before. The only differences were I got the lobster bisque and the ribeye. The soup was a tad too salty but the ribeye was great. After dinner we headed to 150 to place DWs order for dinner tomorrow. Then to the aqua theatre to grab good seats for the makeup show tonight. While waiting in line to be let into the theatre spot started falling on us. I surely hope it doesn’t ruin my shirt, but word of warning to you all that the boardwalk is apparently in the line of fire for falling soot. The show was great, they did a few things we hadn’t seen the night before. Unfortunately towards the end of the show the seas were rough enough they skipped some of the dives so I’m glad we came both days.

It’s a glorious morning in St Maarten. Our plan today is to make it a sea day and enjoy the pool deck with what we hope will be little to no crowds!

Day 4 St Thomas cont We called an audible tonight. We headed to the aqua theatre about 5 min before show start to ensure we saw the show atleast 1 time. We had no issues getting seats even though they were on the side. The show was amazing. Those ladies were so very talented. Just incredible. I do recommend getting there early and sitting as close to center as possible. Sitting on the sides is not ideal. We are going to go again tomorrow when we have our make show. We hustled from there to the Royal theatre. Pro tip if you take the stairs next to the aqua theatre down to the jogging track it takes you right to the upper level of the theatre. Easy peesy. The show was good. DW loved it, I thought it was ok. I wasn’t loving the music choice and I felt the videos in the background were more distracting/creepy at times then added value. But it certainly wasn’t a bad show and they are all very talented singers and dancers. After that we called it a night.

Day 4 St Thomas cont We grabbed a quick bite to eat for breakfast in the windjammer. DW found out the sausage and the hash browns were safe for her to eat. She said the hash browns were delicious with an onion flavor to them. I just grabbed a couple of sausage links and a surprisingly good premade cheese omelette. We got our morning workout in. Caught the intense performers doing a rehearsal And went and got ready for the day.We also caught the parade which is always fun. We arrived early and they started letting folks off at 12:28. We waited til about 1:15 and walked right off. $12 later we were in downtown wandering around. We walked around and in and out of stores for about two hours. We hopped a taxi back for the same amount. We grabbed a quick bite at El Loco fresh. DW could eat the chicken no problem, they weren't sure about the guacamole but DW said they didn’t need to check she would stick with the salsa today. Our balcony was shaded and we relaxed until dinner at Chops. They brought DWs bread and it was clearly made in house. DW said it was good. She also got the bacon and goat cheese salad sans the goat cheese. Both were great but the salad was a home run. For entree she went with the filet and we got the mushrooms, spinach and baked potato. She said all of them were good. The mushrooms were our favorite. They were excellent. She said the filet at Hooked was actually better than Chops but everything else was better at Chops. I got the tuna tartare, goat cheese salad and lamb along with creamed spinach. I wasn’t a fan of the creamed spinach. It was basically sautéed spinach with a splash of cream. When I order creamed spinach I want it swimming in creamy goodness. But everything else including the lamb was excellent. We skipped dessert tonight. It seems the places that do have sorbet only ever have Mango and that’s probably the only fruit DW doesn’t like so that’s too bad. We have 9pm reservations for Voices tonight And are just enjoying our balcony until then. Atleast we did until someone started smoking weed. SMH. Why are people so dumb! I hope they get caught.

yes she absolutely could have had several seafood items that were safe for her, she just doesn’t like seafood. But we knew this going in, she took one for the team since I love seafood so much and there was something she could eat on the menu. take a look at my last post I just put up. It was because of the Hooked Manager that she got her delicious chocolate cake that day at both Mason Jar and Hooked (eventually). So make sure you go speak with them in advance and they will definitely take care of you. But yes, there is a lack of sorbet on the ship and many of the menu options have the common allergens in them. Virgin Voyages was amazing with this as in every restaurant they had something on the menu DW could eat. And Princess has a sorbet on their MDR menu each night. It why those are our 2 favorite lines.

Day 3 Day at Sea 1 cont We got to the show at about 8, and got a good seat. We sat til about 8:45 (show scheduled to start at 8:30) and they announced it had to be cancelled due to the weather conditions. They are rescheduling us for Day 5 at 7:30pm. We headed back to the room to settle in for the evening. At 10pm a call rang in the room. It was room service. They tried to deliver a dessert but we had our do not disturb sign up. I said we hadn’t ordered dessert and she said it was from the manager at Hooked. It was DW’s cake. So we told them to come on down and we ended up getting her cake that day. We had told our waiter they had made her a dessert but I guess he didn’t know where to go or didn’t care to do so. It was very nice of the manager to send it to us. DW saved it for the next day due to it being so late. Day 4 St Thomas It’s a beautiful morning with flat clam seas today. We don’t arrive in port til 12:30 so the plan is to get up and get a workout in and get ready then head and grab some food before hopping off the ship. No plans today but walking around the city. We just want to browse around since we have been here so many times before.

Day 3 Day at Sea 1 cont We went to the Make a Wish auction, it was nice to see them support such a great charity. The Champaign toast with the captain and you get to sound the horn went for $1.200. After that was the Love & Marriage show and that was fun. We lounged around and read until it was time for dinner. We had dinner tonight at Hooked. It was disappointing. It came down to a lack of care and attention. We had preordered for DW the night before. A salad, filet with corn and fries and they said they would do a dessert for her. The salad came out and it was chunks of lettuce and whole slices of tomato And a side of olive oil and vinegar. I would have expected this had we not preordered but we did. For a specialty restaurant In particular it was disappointing. She got her filet, several minutes later the corn came out and then towards the end of the meal her gross came out. It was poor timing on their part. Now DW said it was one of the better filets she has had on board. So that’s a win. It was time for dessert and they brought a bowl of fruit. Sad. Especially after we had such a wonderful lunch at Mason Jar with an incredible dessert. It was disappointing. I had the bread starter and their Red Lobster biscuits, iykyk, were on point. I got the crab cake and coconut shrimp. The crab cake as one of the best I’ve had. Full of crab meat and even more on top. 10/10. The coconut shrimp were exactly what you would expect. On point but nothing earth shattering. I got the Captains Platter with Bronzino. The Bronzino had perfectly crispy skin, a few bones but otherwise was good. The lobster tail was so small. Smaller than what you get at the Beach Club at CocoCay and had I actually paid for the meal I probably would have asked for another. I expect this size lobster to be served in the MDR, not a specialty restaurant you paid extra for.the Cole slaw also had good flavor, invoking KFC vibes in a good way, but was waaaay over dressed. Service tonight overall was hit and miss. In general, I advise to skip Hooked altogether. We have 8:45 reservations for Intense the aqua show. I highly doubt they do it. The boat is a rockin and has been most of the afternoon and it’s pretty windy. But here we sit on our balcony enjoying a beautiful sunset while we wait.

todays navigational briefing started “you see that land mass off our bow, you’re probably wondering what it is. So am I. My navigational officer says it’s Puerto Rico so we will go with that.” lol. Love it.

Here is the Day 3 Planner Day 3.pdf

It is Captain Rob! He’s a pretty funny guy.

so far I found 1 for you. Deck 16, forward next to Hooked. It’s fairly quiet and at peak sunning time (1pm) there were still quite a few seats open.

I know. I feel ya. But I’m still on a weight loss journey and while I expect cruises to be bad I have to set some limits so it’s not catastrophic. Believe me passing on that bread strater took a ton of will power!

Day 3 Sea Day 1 We slept in this morning. Got up and hit the gym for a workout. Atleast what we could put together given how crowded it was. But that’s expected. The first day at sea everyone is motivated, let’s see what happens later in the cruise. We got ready and headed to Mason Jar as it was time for brunch. This meal was going to be a tough one for DW but we went and spoke with the staff last night and, after they discussed with the chef, DW preordered Avocado Toast, Overnight Oats and a Watermelon salad. So fingers crossed it all turns out well. After we sat the assistant maitre d (shout out to Avinash he was amazing) whom we preordered from last night came over with the chef. Last night they didn’t make her bread, the GF bread they made contained egg. They apologized and said they would ensure they made her bread each day going forward. He said he was working on something for her. Her salad came out and it was a huge portion. She said the vinaigrette was very good. They brought out a wonderfully grilled and seasoned chicken breast with avocado and salad and DW was over the moon. She always is hesitant to get chicken on board as it usually comes out plain and boring but this was delicious. Finally they brought out her oats which we think was muesli which she was totally fine with. We had to take the muesli to go because it was so much food. As a special surprise they brought out a piece of chocolate cake for DW. We are praying there is t egg in it as DW said it was the most delicious things she has had in a while. It tasted like the inside of a truffle. We are thinking it may be what she will get at booked tonight as when we placed her dinner order last night they said they would make her a dessert. If that’s the case DW will be ecstatic. lol. I got the bread starter and the cornbread was warm and sticky and soft. Both the butters were delicious as was the pimento cheese. This is a hit. Then I got the cinnamon roll which was huge! It was warm and soft and delicious. The frosting was interesting as it wasn’t overly sweet, it had a sour cream undertone and the pecans complimented it nicely. I also got the breakfast biscuits and these were delicious. They skimped on the gravy and that was my only complaint. But I would 100% get these again. Everything was excellent. All in all this was a great brunch. Our server was not good, this was our first time with anything but exceptional service, but everything else was excellent. After that meal we started walking, we needed to probably run the rest of the day but a walk will have to suffice. It was a beautiful day outside.

I think it is. Pool seating specifically is very limited. Basically just the beds. The beach is directly adjacent to the pool and there were plenty of chairs. But if you want pool seating specifically then the beds are your only real bet and they filled up in 5 minutes. gonna completely depend on who else is in port with you and who leaves first. Given an all aboard time of 3:30 I highly doubt they will seat you at 2. Lunch took us just under an hour at 11:45. The latest time slot I heard them offer was 1. But I didn’t ask specifically so ymmv.

Day 2 Coco Cay cont You’re going to see DW eat quite a bit of filet this trip. For more than one reason but she is trying to see if she can do Carnivore. So this trip is going to be a little bit of a test in seeing how it goes eating red meat the majority of her meals to see if it’s even feasible to do it solely instead of with other veggies etc. Dinner tonight was at Giovanni’s. This is one of the trickier meals for DW this trip. Just about everything here has eggs or dairy. But she found a few selections she was happy with. She got the house salad which thankfully the Italian vinaigrette she was able to eat and she said it was delicious. She got the filet and gluten free pasta with olive oil. She actually prefers her pasta with olive oil versus a tomato sauce. She said the filet was very good. I got the meatball and the osso bucco. The meatball was very good sans one part that was clearly still raw. The osso bucco was mouthwatering tender and delicious as was the risotto that it came with. We were so full from dinner we skipped dessert. It was pretty cool out tonight with a stiff breeze but we enjoyed sitting out on the balcony until it was time for the ice show 365 at 8:30. We are excited to see this show as we follow Jordan Bauth on YouTube and she is an ice cast member. This show looked incredible. And it was absolutely fire. Such great music, incredibly talented skaters. 10/10!

I figured now is a good time to test the internet given everyone is back onboard. Even though WiFi and your internet plan works ashore just fine. Still holding at an ok speed but nothing great.

Day 2 Coco Cay We had 1 mission today. Be one of the first off and secure a good spot at the beach club. We got downstairs at about 7:45 and a few minutes before 8 the line was moving. Having never been here before we didn’t realize what a short walk it was and so we rode the tram. No big deal it was quick and easy and we were one of the first 10 people in. We got very lucky, we grabbed one of the very few large loungers by the pool. These things are soooo comfortable. It’s worth hustling off the ship to snag one of these. We paid $220pp for the beach club. I’m on team worth it. For what we got, the food, the floating mats, quiet atmosphere and not a hoard of people. I’m all in. I’ve paid far more for excursions and gotten much less. We got a delicious coconut lime non alcoholic welcome drink. It was delicious. I would have paid for another but they said they couldn’t do that. SMH. Seems kinda silly. We had absolutely beautiful weather. High of 75, a cool breeze all day, and a few clouds in the sky. Couldn’t have been better! When you walk in to the beach club on your right when you walk in make your lunch reservation. They have slots based on the ship you’re on. We got 11:45. The beach club is beautiful. The bathrooms are very nice, it’s quiet, they have vibey music in the background but nothing loud or that stands out. The pool is great, service was outstanding. Always someone walking around asking if you needed anything. Towels were provided so no needing to wait in line and give your first born in exchange for one. Before we knew it, it was lunch. You get a Bento box with all the appetizers. They brought DW bread that was safe to eat and the hummus and babaganoush was safe. DW doesn’t do seafood (preference) but the shrimp and ceviche would nah e been fine as well. The appetizers were good. Solid. Nothing to write home about. The main course is where they knock it out of the park. DW got the filet (no modifications) and I got the surf and turf. It’s not on the menu but there are no issues ordering it. You get a half a lobster, 1 claw and what I’m guessing was a 6 ounce filet. It was amazing. Everything from the potatoes to the vegetables and the meat. All outstanding. And our server was fantastic. Some fun facts we learned from our server. He was from India and is on a 5 month contract. 600 people live on the island full time. The ship only sends some crew to supplement the front part of the island. He said about 70% of the staff were bahamanian and they work 2 month contracts. After lunch we lounged around for a bit before calling it quits, visiting some other parts of the island before heading back to the ship. All aboard was at 3:30 and we got on at 2:30. We certainly had a Perfect Day at CoCo Cay. I think the only other private island we have been to that gives it a run for its money is Disneys Castaway Cay.

A beautiful way to end the day. Cruise Compass for today and tomorrow are attached. Day 1 & 2.pdf

Day 1 Embarkation cont We left at 4:30 and I checked the WiFi as we were leaving, not terrible speeds but not great. We will see how it holds up as we progress. Dinner came quickly, at 5:30 for us. There are only 3 tables of 8 here. So I can see why reservations fill fast. Here is the menu. There is a $15pp upcharge If you have the dining package. We informed our server of DWs allergies and it wasn’t an issue. Her salad was a little sad, it came with just oil and vinegar. It would be nice if they had a vinaigrette option. Hers was made in the back and came out just before we got our rice. So it was good timing. She said it was one of the better cruise ship dinners she has had. Very flavorful and well seasoned and nothing was dry. You are allowed to mix and match items, you don’t have to stick to the combos they have for you. So I got the filet and lobster. This is an incredible deal, even with the upcharge. You get an entire lobster tail and probably a 6 ounce filet. It was excellent. For dessert I got the sesame balls. DW got fruit and it was her favorites so she was thrilled. We didn’t expect anything given the no notice and what they have on the menu. I really do feel this is worth it. It’s dinner and a show and even if it’s $69 I think for what you get it’s a winner. Definitely beats the Pants off Gunbae on Virgin. After dinner we walked around and enjoyed some guitar music in Central Park.