Live (almost) review: Jade 3/12-3/19; in the Haven!

[Cruise-mom]

Hope you are having a great cruise. Interested in your port days as we will have similar on the Getaway in June :)

[Clarea]

Looking forward to more.:)

[Starflyr3]

Ok. I have to be quick; we're at LFK. Couldn't update in Cozumel, whomever said Melia has wifi was wrong. I've been chronicling nightly, so you get the raw unabridged part and no pics for now. Will add later!

 

Trip report:

 

Embarkation: smooth. To port around 9:45; 1st in line, met some CCers while waiting for security to open. Straight to suite check in, had snacks and drinks, but kids were restless. DH had no UBP/UDP on his card, so gave assistant concierge (Edward) my amenities confirmation summary, and it was fixed before bedtime.

 

My parents signed up for excursions, and we signed up our kids to go with them in Belize. (Altun ha and old Belize river)...more on that later. We were taken to the star bar to wait until Cagneys opened, and DH signed the kids up for splash academy. Lunch at Cagneys took quite awhile in terms of being served.

 

Went to drop off our carryons at our room - which was really cool looking, but not quite ready, so we went back to Cagneys where my parents were finishing lunch. Then we went to their room (8130, aft PH), which had a GREAT view, and finished putting the CC Meetup invites together. then my mom, BMG and I went to deliver them. We finished right before the muster drill, and then did that.

 

Then we officially went to our room and oohs and ah'd. I took the kids swimming for about an hour, then we showered and went to dinner. We had reservations at Teppanyaki, which was delicious. SO much food... DH and I had the surf and turf, BMG had chicken and steak, and CRG had chicken but got full on soup and rice. The fruit sashimi was good, and I tried the green tea ice cream (eh) and cake - which was actually pretty decent. Not stellar, but I was expecting much worse based on the descriptions here.

 

By the end of dinner, both kids were ASKING to go to bed, so we put them to bed and called our awesome butler for a movie. Some drama occurred with faulty remotes, and we ended up watching it in the bedroom. We had a time

Change notice.

 

Day 2:

I woke up early and lounged in bed for a bit, then the kids got up and were STARVING, so they split a banana from the fruit bowl (to keep them alive while dressing), then we left DH sleep in and went to Cagneys for breakfast. They both got scrambled eggs and meat, I had eggs Benedict. True to young child form, they refused to eat more than 2 bites of breakfast (though son did have a bowl of special K). Then we woke up DH and got ready for the M&G. We dropped the kids off at SA and went to Le Bistro, where we had a AMAZING turnout. We had 98 adults and 51 kids in the role call, and I think at least 60-70 showed up. The group events coordinator said that the week before, only 4 people had attended. There was a little interest in a cabin crawl, so a few people headed off to do that. I also organized a slot tournament, and just as an FYI, plan it on a sea day in the morning. the casino manager said that by the afternoon, it would be packed and it would be not very feasible.

 

DH and I picked up the kids and went to Cagneys for lunch. My daughter was super hungry and devoured her entire pizza, my son kind of picked at his lunch. I had personal training at 1, so I just had a couple appetizers and then headed off to have my butt kicked for an hour.

 

We had planned to go to the family cupcake decorating, but nobody wanted to get out of the Haven pool, so we stayed and swam all afternoon.

 

Note about Haven: there were a LOT of kids, and they liked playing games like Marco Polo, which was fine. When it came to jumping and splashing, they tried, but the parents were really good about controlling the mayhem. The courtyard valet did tell them once no jumping in, and that seemed to be the magic key to getting it to stop entirely. (I thanked him profusely for that). It was a bit loud, though, and DH retreated to the room to read. I discovered Rebellious Fish, which was delicious. (I had 2.... Forgot to take pictures). Treats today were a fruit plate and chocolate covered strawberries, which I took out to the courtyard to enjoy.

 

We also had excursion tickets delivered, which confused me, since we got

Tickets for all 4 of us to go to Tulum (which we did not sign up for) and for all 4 to do he Belize tour (which was only supposed to be the kids). I called Omar the concierge on his bat phone and left a message.

 

After swimming for most of the afternoon, I fished the kids out around 4:30 and we started getting ready for dinner at Le Bistro at 5:30. The VIP reception was at 6:45 and I didn't want to miss it.

 

I had the escargot (LOVE it), French onion soup (BMG stole it as he didn't like his pizza), and the duo de canard, which was amazing. Then had creme brûlée and tea for dessert. The special cocktail (something orange Napoleon thing) was also fantastic.

 

DH had the cone appetizer (didn't like) and the swordfish, and my Mom had the butter lobster. They both had prosecco with dinner.

 

Regardless of eating as early as possible, we still missed the reception due to not getting entrees until 7:00. The kids had been done and DH actually left dinner to take them to Splash Academy so they wouldn't disrupt everyone else's dinners around us (phones only last so long as distraction...). BMG whines about going, but ended up having a good time.

 

After dinner, my Mom and I went to the shore excursion desk to fix the tickets. They got out the actual forms we had filled out and saw that we were correct. So, all was well. I took my Dad to Tradewinds to get lanyards and a hat. After that, we checked on the kids at SA (to make sure they weren't moping in the corner - they weren't). Then I introduced my Dad to the soft serve ice cream machine in the buffet. As we were leaving, we caught the very beginning of the Princess Parade, and saw CRG and said Hi. We went and had some quiet time in the cabin (finished the movie), then I went to get the kids. Of course, they both wanted ice cream, the buffet was closed, and they didn't want to go to Blue Lagoon, so I called room service.

 

Next up: Cozumel!

 

I had booked a day pass with Melia vacation resort (an AI). My parents booked a ship tour for Tulum. We had a note in our cabin from Omar about priority debarkation.

 

We got up in the AM, and went to the buffet for breakfast (children requested it). I am not a huge fan of the buffet. It's so crowded, and after watching a kid upchuck in it last year (yes, I know it was a different boat), I'm just not excited about it. We went back to the cabin to get ready and to watch docking. Then we went to the Star Bar to meet Omar. Once the ship had cleared port authority, we were led off the ship using 1 of the 4 midship elevators that was dedicated to that job. Off we went, and I grabbed us a bike-cab thing because punta langosta is long. We passed my parents, who were on the way to Tulum, then we grabbed a cab and went to hotel Melia, ($8), which is an AI next to el cozumelueno. There was a lot to do, but we mostly stayed in the pool and I took CRG in the ocean. The beach was very nice, not steep, and hardly any waves. We saw some fish, rocks and a little sea grass, but I didn't get to snorkel, given that I was out there with her and she isn't yet swimming. Pro tip: never let your 4 yo playboy hour waterproof camera. I think she used up at least half my memory! Anyway, back to Melia: They had pool games, an electric car track, mini golf, a playground, water sports, a video game arcade area, and a kids club. Drinks were strong, and we had lunch at the snack bar, which was pretty bad, actually. There was also a buffet, but we were dripping wet and it was inside. CRG was falling asleep during lunch (around 2:30) so we took a cab back to the Mega, which is 2 blocks from PL. I had promised my Mom I would get her some vanilla. 2 big bottles and a packet of cookies later, it cost $3.30 total. Then we asked back to the pier, stopping to watch some breakdancing on the way.

 

Back on the ship, I took a 2.5 hour nap, when DH woke me. The kids finished Hotel Transylvania 2 (on the TV channels!) and we took them to the buffet and dropped them off at SA. We then went to Alizar and had dinner with my parents. We finished just in time to make the Cripton and Renata magic show, which was pretty good. We used the suite seating, which was the balcony on the furthest left of the theater.

 

Picked up the kids, who now both had swords (balloon), and headed back, where we got them into bed (they passed out!). There was another time change - this time back an hour. Yay for extra sleep!

 

Next up: Belize and a spa day!

 

We agreed to meet my parents with the kids at the Great Outdoors at 7:30 am, since they were taking the kids on the river and to Altun Ha. I requested a wake up call, which was confusing, since the recording talked super fast. Not sure it I asked for the call at 7 am or 7 hours from when I called to request one. Guess we'll find out!

 

So the wake up call was on time. We got the kids up and headed to the great outdoors for breakfast and to meet my parents. I headed for the spa just before 8. Had an 85 minute massage from Carol, who was good but not great. After that, I went back to the room, then went and fell asleep in one of the canopied beds on the Haven for a bit. Tried to head to lunch at 11:30, but nothing opened until noon. So, skipped lunch and sat in the thermal suite until time for the facial. Rebecca was great, after that, it was off to a fire and ice mani/pedi with Monique. By this time it was 3:30ish, so I grabbed a hot dog and burger on the way back up to the room to wait for the kids, they still weren't back by 4:45, so I headed to the gym for appt #2 with Robert. Went back to the room at 6:05 and got asked where had I been?!? My DH hadn't set his clock back an hour, so he thought I was an hour late! The kids were tired and sunburned, so we got them dinner at the buffet and dropped them at SA while we had dinner in Alizar.

 

My parents told me about the tour with the kids, apparently they had a lot of fun!

 

Omar was wandering the dining room, and I finally remembered to ask him about the chefs table dinner I had requested from the precruise concierge. He hadn't gotten that request, but he fixed it for us.

 

We picked up the kids right away after dinner, and for once, BMG complained that he wanted to stay. However, we knew that LFK was coming up and wanted to be sure they had enough rest. We agreed to meet my parents at Cagneys at 8am for breakfast and then to go to the star bar for priority tendering.

 

Next up: Roatan and LFK.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Starflyr3

[Starflyr3]

I don't blame your husband for not getting wifi. He's right, You're on vacation!!

Enjoy your suite! I can't wait to hear about the ship and your suite. What suite are you in?

 

We were in 14008 ;)

[Starflyr3]

Following this review. We will be cruising on the Jade next summer with 3 kids (they will be 5 1/2 yo, 3 1/2 yo, and 18 months). We are leaning towards upgrading to a Haven 2 Bdr from the regular 2 Bdr, but are curious about whether the Jade Haven is kid friendly.

 

I think it depends on the cruise you are on. Everyone in the Haven that I met either had kids or knew it was spring break week in Tx.

 

For this cruise, it was very kid friendly. All the parents were present and we all kept eyes on our kids, and helped out any kids that needed help (ex: we lent a kid a set of goggles, and later on, that kids Dad helped my daughter fasten her Puddle Jumper). There was a little splashing, but parents and courtyard valet always said something about it and the kids were more careful after that. And everyone used utensils for the M&Ms, gummi bears and cookies that were out, even the little kids.

 

Oh, and the pool is about 3.5-4 feet deep. My small 7 yo could stand on tiptoe just fine. Much more reasonable than the main pool (which we never went to - it was a ZOO)

Edited March 19, 2016 by Starflyr3

[Starflyr3]

Ok, we're driving home, so I'll work on this when we get there, the copy paste from

My daily musings isn't great, so I'll start over with a real review wit pictures!

[Starflyr3]

Alrighty then.

 

Day 1 of Jade!

 

We got up around 7 am, packed up, and (based on last year's experience) took our luggage down immediately and signed up for the shuttle. THEN we ate breakfast. To sign up for the shuttle, you must have all your bags downstairs, and last year we didnt know that. Eating while guarding bags and waiting with 2 kids is always fun, but oh well. We were first in the shuttle line, and got to ride in the "luggage pickup" with the hotel manager's husband who was "volun-told" to help out with the shuttling.

 

First view of the ship:

 

We dropped off our bags with the porters and headed to the check in line. We were first in line, with another CC couple close behind us. They werent checking in yet (ok, it was early...), so we sat and chatted for awhile.

 

The lovely Bayport cruise terminal that cost 3.5 million and wont be used after april 17th:

 

 

Once they started check in, we were first and headed straight to suite check in:

 

 

In the waiting room, there were snacks and drinks waiting:

 

 

 

My parents were driving up from Galveston, and they made it to the terminal just as we were checking in. They were in an aft penthouse (8130), so they ended up getting confused and taking a boarding number, until I texted that they needed to come to suite check in. The kids were restless, and having my parents there helped.

 

Cassandra in a rare moment when she was human and not a snake or puppy:

 

The assistant concierge (Edward) was there and he handed us the shore excursion signup sheets and our cards, etc. That was great, except that DH did not have UBP/UDP printed on his card. This was an issue, since all 4 of us had the perks due to booking last April. He looked in the computer and couldnt find that DH had them.

 

LUCKILY, I had printed the amenities confirmation and all purchase confirmations and had them in my handy-dandy expandable file folder. So, I gave those to him and he apparantly had to fax those to Miami or something. That was a bit nerve-wracking, but it was all fixed in the end.

 

My parents signed up for Tulum in Cozumel and for the Old Belize River and Altun-Ha, and they wanted to take the kids on the River and Ruins tour with them, so we signed the kids up for it also (More on this later...)

 

Then Omar O'besso (the concierge) came in, greeted us all and started escorting us onto the ship. It was around 11/11:30, so Cagneys was not yet open, so we were taken to the Star Bar to wait for a bit. I sent DH to sign up the kids for Splash Academy, and my Dad went in search of a beer (there was no bartender in the Star Bar...slight oversight...).

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for the tip on shuttle sign-up at the Houston Best Western. In LA and Long Beach we could sign up for the shuttle when we checked in at the hotel. In the morning we had breakfast and then returned to the room for our bags and brought them down.

 

I am wondering if the Star Bar will be manned when we arrive. Just want to begin the UBP but I can wait for lunch..I think;)

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[Starflyr3]

Thanks for the tip on shuttle sign-up at the Houston Best Western. In LA and Long Beach we could sign up for the shuttle when we checked in at the hotel. In the morning we had breakfast and then returned to the room for our bags and brought them down.

 

I am wondering if the Star Bar will be manned when we arrive. Just want to begin the UBP but I can wait for lunch..I think;)

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Linda - that's what we did last year, and we ended up not getting in the shuttle until almost 11 am. On weekends, the hotel is almost exclusively cruise guests. This year, they DO have the policy posted at check in. Last year, they did not.

 

Oh, and this was the Best Western Seabrook, not the Houston one.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Starflyr3

[Starflyr3]

We went to Cagneys when they opened (once DH and my Dad were re-found after their errands). Im not sure what was going on, but lunch took FOR-EV-ER. Looks like Jade is still running the "old" lunch menus, since someone on the newly refubished POA said that Cagneys doesnt have shrimp cocktail for lunch at all anymore. Glad that wasnt the case for us!

 

Anyway, it took so long for everything, that I actually took menu photos (which I dont do a lot of...just a warning)

 

 

 

 

 

I had the french dip, which was delicious (once it finally came!).

 

 

After this, we went to drop the carryons at the room, since they were getting heavy (we overpack by a lot...)

[Starflyr3]

So, on to the room:

 

We were in 14008, which is a 2 bedroom family suite. There are a bajillion videos on youtube of these, though mostly of Gem. Jade still has the Hawaiian decor, which was fine with us!

 

This was just a quickie look for us, though the pictures were taken later that night. Dont tell DH I posted pics of him (shhhh! ;))This was the "common room" that comes after the little hallway where you come in, (that the kids bedroom opened off of).

 

 

The master bedroom:

 

 

The closet: (it was HUGE)

 

 

The bathroom:

 

 

The kids room:

 

 

Brayden slept in the top bunk, Cassandra in the pulled out couch.

 

The door on the left is their bathroom, which is about the same as an inside bathroom, but the shower has a door instead of a curtain. That was the main (only) difference.

 

There were 4 TVs in the cabin and 2 DVD players - the kids had a small TV, there was a larger one in the main room, a smaller one in the master bedroom and one over the tub. DVD players were in the main room and the master.

 

The balcony was small and had room for 2 chairs and a small table, and there was a white canvas cover thing that extended out about 3 feet, so looking straight down wasnt possible. This did not bother us at ALL, especially since the shower had a full length window as part of it, and the tub had a big picture window looking out. JanR and his wife were in a penthouse in the Haven and they did not have that - and joked about "mooning" people LOL.

 

After this, we went to my parents cabin (aft PH 8130), which was about twice the size of our minisuite last year. Basically, where the door is on a minisuite is, there was a vanity, and where the wall across from the bathroom in a minisuite was, they had a ginormous closet that opened in 2 directions, with the door on the other side of the closet. It was like 2 minisuite rooms with the wall taken out and made into 1 much bigger room. Their balcony was not deep, but had enough room for a lounger and a chair.

 

We put together the CC meet and greet invites (we tied them to a flipflop) and my Mom, Brayden and I got to run all over the ship leaving it on people's doors. We got done RIGHT at muster drill and went to our stations. We were in Moderno, Im not sure where my parents had to go.

 

We all went and unpacked, then went to Teppanyaki for dinner, which was delicious. I even tried Brayden's green tea cake and ice cream, which wasnt nearly as bad as people generally report it to be. A little bitter on the cake, and the ice cream was bland, but it was certainly edible.

 

By this time, the kids were asking to go to bed, so we did.

 

DH and I contacted Bencar (our butler) and requested the Bourne Ultimatum, and watched that once the kids were in bed. What a luxury THAT was - being able to stay up later than the kids!!! (a MAJOR reason why we booked a 2 br suite).

[Linda the Book Lover]

Linda - that's what we did last year, and we ended up not getting in the shuttle until almost 11 am. On weekends, the hotel is almost exclusively cruise guests. This year, they DO have the policy posted at check in. Last year, they did not.

 

Oh, and this was the Best Western Seabrook, not the Houston one.

 

Thanks we will be staying at the Seabrook.

 

We are staying in 10164 so we will wave down to your parents old stateroom.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Linda the Book Lover

[murfette]

Could you elaborate more on the kids club? We will have a 3 year old a 7 year old and and 8 year old.

Do the kids usually want to go? What kind of activities do they do

[Starflyr3]

Could you elaborate more on the kids club? We will have a 3 year old a 7 year old and and 8 year old.

Do the kids usually want to go? What kind of activities do they do

 

My daughter ALWAYS wants to go, she loves it there. My son gripes about EVERYTHING, but then doesnt want to leave. They do all kinds of things, lots of games, some sports on the sports court, parades... and every night they have a theme (like prince/princess parade, pirate night, etc). They do some things like face painting as well. Both kids ended up with balloon swords, balloon hats, etc.

 

There is also a circus show that they put on on Thursday - the little kids (3-5) are tigers and "jump" through a "flaming" hoop, the oldest (10-12) are clowns, and the 6-9s do the other skills - like plate spinning, feather balancing, devil sticks, chinese yoyos.

 

The counselors always have funny names like "Twinkle", "Jinx", "Tin Man", etc. They also give out prizes and certificates. My 4 yo got one for "participating in all activities" and got a little slinky on the last night.

 

best thing to do is let the kids try it out. My kids didnt go every day, but they usually went to at least 1 session per day. They preferred to swim, honestly, and the kids club doesnt take the kids swimming.

[ireashmott]

Thanks for the insights. I think, if the price is right, we will upgrade to the Haven.

[murfette]

My daughter ALWAYS wants to go, she loves it there. My son gripes about EVERYTHING, but then doesnt want to leave. They do all kinds of things, lots of games, some sports on the sports court, parades... and every night they have a theme (like prince/princess parade, pirate night, etc). They do some things like face painting as well. Both kids ended up with balloon swords, balloon hats, etc.

 

 

 

There is also a circus show that they put on on Thursday - the little kids (3-5) are tigers and "jump" through a "flaming" hoop, the oldest (10-12) are clowns, and the 6-9s do the other skills - like plate spinning, feather balancing, devil sticks, chinese yoyos.

 

 

 

The counselors always have funny names like "Twinkle", "Jinx", "Tin Man", etc. They also give out prizes and certificates. My 4 yo got one for "participating in all activities" and got a little slinky on the last night.

 

 

 

best thing to do is let the kids try it out. My kids didnt go every day, but they usually went to at least 1 session per day. They preferred to swim, honestly, and the kids club doesnt take the kids swimming.

 

 

Thank you these are my grandchildren. I am ok with the older ones going. Not so sure on the 3 year old. I booked the garden villa over a year ago. Got a great price. We go Nov out of Tampa.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dporter]

The menus you posted are different than what we had in Cagneys in January this year.

[Starflyr3]

Day 2 (Sunday the 13th) :

 

I woke up kind of early and lazed around in bed until the kids got up. They were both STARVING, so I had them split a banana so they could live until we got breakfast.

 

I let DH sleep in, and we went to Cagneys. I ordered both the kids scrambled eggs and meat, but neither of them ate any of it. Brayden had some cereal, and Cassandra had some sliced strawberries, and that was it. (so much for STARVING). I had some fruit, croissant, and eggs benedict:

 

 

 

After this, I dropped them off at the kids club, since the CC meet and greet was at 10 am. I stopped off at the casino to talk with the floor manager about a slot pull, which was when I was told that afternoon on a sea day was a bad idea. Whoops. (I had planned it for 2:30 that day).

 

Then I woke up DH, he had some food, and we headed off to Le Bistro at 9:45. I met the group events coordinator, and it was nicely set up with tea, coffee, water and OJ, plus some snacks. We had a good turn out. Everybody had gotten a flip flop with instructions to bring it with them, and I think that helped. As they got there, they were to find someone else with a matching flip flop (ok, they were $0.98 a pair at Wal-Mart) to encourage mingling. I also had a signup for a cabin crawl and the slot pull there.

 

*I did not take pictures, as I was a bit overwhelmed with the rest of it.

 

After a bit, the senior officers showed up and we were introduced to everyone, and talked about the ship and how it's run, and how glad they were that so many people showed up. I guess the week prior, they had 4 people total?

 

A few were interested in a cabin crawl, and to be honest, we were too, but by the time it was over, it was 11:30 and we had kids to pick up from SA. So a few went on the crawl and the rest dispersed.

 

We got the kids and went to Cagneys for lunch - despite many requests for the buffet. Cassandra devoured her pizza. Brayden sulked (he did a LOT of this. I hope it's a phase).

 

 

I had 2 appetizers because I had scheduled 3 personal training sessions over the week. Yes, I know they're pricy and I know I could probably have done it on my own, but I literally JUST got cleared from physical therapy and released to a personal trainer instead for an ACL reconstruction I had done in December, and I didnt want to lose a week.

 

My trainer was Richard Dinning, and he was from the UK. Nice guy, really able to adapt the training to me and my personal health stuff (long story, but I also have autoimmune arthritis of the spine and hypermobility)

 

I came back to the room intending on showering and gathering everybody up for family cupcake making, but nobody wanted to get out of the pool, so we sat in the Haven until time to get ready for dinner.

 

It was chilly outside, so they had the roof closed:

 

 

I loved this couch thing, and would use it most of the week:

 

 

We also had some snacks delivered, and I brought them out to share:

 

 

Ahhh...now I know why people call in Heaven instead of Haven.

[Starflyr3]

Thank you these are my grandchildren. I am ok with the older ones going. Not so sure on the 3 year old. I booked the garden villa over a year ago. Got a great price. We go Nov out of Tampa.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

We sent Cassandra last year, at 3.5. She had an AMAZING time, and wanted to go to every session all week. It's worth a try, even if it's just for a couple of hours once.

 

The GV looks amazing. Some day.... but all the ones where we can take the kids, it's over twice what a 2 br family suite in the Haven is, and I just CANT justify that.

[Starflyr3]

We stayed in the Haven all afternoon, swimming. When we returned to our room, we found excursion tickets - for 4 of us for both Tulum (what?) and Altun-Ha (2 (the kids) I would understand, but 4?). I called Omar on his bat phone and left a message about it.

 

We had dinner reservations at Le Bistro that night at 5:30. Also, the VIP captain's reception was scheduled for 6:45. We had already missed the Latitudes party due to inconvenient scheduling (12:45 on the first sea day).

 

Unfortunately, dinner service at Le Bistro was disturbingly SLOW. We got there at 5:25, and got seated around 5:45. A waiter showed up at about 6 to greet us and take orders (nobody EVER took drink orders, which was wierd). Appetizers appeared around 6:30, and dinner didnt show up until 7 pm. I was annoyed, but decided to let it go. DH actually left to drop the kids off at Splash Academy before the main course showed up. They had ordered off the kids menu and were bored silly. He came back to food that had been on the table about 3 minutes.

 

I had the escargot (AMAZING), french onion soup (had like 2 spoonfuls because Brayden stole it), and the duo de canard, which was delicious. Creme brulee and tea for dessert. By the time we got out of there, it was 7:30ish. Talk about a crazy long dinner! My Dad had the lamb, which he said was not good. DH had the swordfish and my Mom had the butter lobster. They both enjoyed their entrees, but my DH was not a fan of the cone appetizer that he also got.

 

My Dad had accidentally lost his hat, and since he has to be super careful about sun exposure, I took him to Tradewinds to get a new one (and to get them lanyards). My Mom and DH came with us to the atrium.

 

Here's my Dad sporting his new hat.

 

 

Since we were there and there was no line, Mom and I went ahead to the shore excursion desk and got everything straightened out (they pulled out the filled out shorex forms and saw we were correct).

 

After this, we all went to get ice cream from the buffet, and we ran into Cassandra at the beginning of the princess parade. (I tried to crop/edit out all other not-my-kid kids to protect privacy)

 

 

Then DH and I went back to the cabin to finish Bourne Ultimatum, and I picked up the kids at 10:30 and picked them up. They both wanted ice cream, the buffet was closed, and they didnt want blue lagoon, so I called room service and got them both some ice cream. After that, we all crashed.

[Starflyr3]

Cozumel:

 

We had a note in our cabin about priority disembarkation the night before Cozumel. We were to meet in the Star Bar at about 10:45.

 

We got up early-ish and I gave in and took the kids to the buffet for breakfast. I hate the buffet, in general, after seeing a kid upchuck in it last year on the Jewel. I know that shouldnt affect things on the Jade, but it just makes my stomach sour to think of it. Anyway. We went back to the cabin to watch docking, then headed to the Star Bar. Once the ship cleared port authority, he took us down in groups, in one of the midship elevators, which he reserved for us.

 

I hired one of the guys that does the biking down the pier, since I had ACL surgery in December and Punta Langosta is LONG. We passed my parents as they went to their boat to Playa del Carmen on the way to Tulum. Once we got through "inspection" for fruits/veggies, we hired a taxi to take us to Hotel Melia

 

http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/mexico/cozumel/melia-vacation-club-cozumel/index.html#

 

From the forums here, it looks like nobody has been there in awhile. It was nice. The taxi cost $8. I had prereserved a day pass online, and check in was quick and easy. Somehow I managed not to take pictures of the beach, but it was very nice, white sand, somewhat rocky in the water, but plenty of seating. My kids wanted to play in the pool, and we had to get towels, so we went to the activities desk:

 

 

Then DH and I set up in 2 chairs under an umbrella and the kids headed to the pool:

 

 

There were actually 2 pools. 1 was a family pool (the one we were at), and the other was adults only, in a different part of the resort. They had a kids team member leading games in the pool, and it seemed like they were having a lot of fun.

 

Cassandra wanted to go to the beach, so I took her into the water - it was VERY calm, no seaweed, very clear. We went out to about chest high on me (she had on a puddle jumper) and floated around for a bit, then went back to the pool.

 

She headed back into the pool (with my underwater camera...) and played with that and took a lot of pictures of people's bottoms (not sure if that was on purpose. *sigh*)

 

I decided to explore the resort.

 

There was an arts and crafts area near the pool:

 

 

a playground:

 

 

a kids club:

 

 

mini golf:

 

 

and more...

[Starflyr3]

An electric car track for the kids to drive on:

 

 

a shuffleboard court:

 

 

a paintball course, an archery practice area, and a video game zone (kids under 11 had to have an adult).

 

There was also a buffet restaurant that was included (we didnt go, as we were dripping wet) and a "snack bar" where you could order things like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.

 

We had a few daquiris (the kids had nonalcoholic ones), and decided to have lunch around 2:30. We went to the snack bar and ordered a cheeseburger, 2 orders of chicken nuggets and a hot dog, along with more drinks.

 

The drinks came quickly, the waiter plopped 2 strawberry daquiris down at my place and said, "The machine made 2, here you go". Uh, ok, Im not going to object, since it was all included!

 

well I finished the 2 daquiris and our food was nowhere in sight.

 

at 3, my cheeseburger arrived. Actually, 2 cheeseburgers arrived. They was kind of undercooked in the middle, but didnt taste too bad. at 3:15, 2 plates of nuggets and fries arrived, but no hot dog. Cassandra had eaten all my fries by then, and was getting upset, so I asked the (new) waiter where her hot dog was. He was confused, so I guess the original waiter had confused the order or something (even though I speak spanish and spoke to him in spanish...) so he ran off to get her a hot dog.

 

Once we were done with that, I wanted to go snorkling.... until I stood up.

 

Then I realized that 4 daquiris on an empty stomach probably wasnt the best idea. DH was done and was hungry, since the nuggets were...not great, and he wanted to go, so we went back and go the bellhop to call a cab for us.

 

We went to the Mega supermarket that is 2 blocks from Punta Langosta and got 2 big bottles of vanilla and a package of cookies for a mere $50. Actually, that was pesos. in USD, it was $3.30. We walked back to PL from there and stopped to watch some older teens breakdancing for tips (yes, we tipped them too), then went all around the tourist trap mall back to the pier. Another bicycle pull later, we reboarded the ship.

 

We were hungry, but luckily, our snacks had multiplied by the time we got back:

 

 

I was exhausted and kind of passed out on the bed for 2.5 hours. DH woke me in time to shower and get to dinner at Alizar. He took the kids to the buffet early and dropped them at Splash Academy, since it was open all day (port day)

 

The food in Alizar was actually really good (per my Dad, better than Le Bistro). We had just enough time to head to Cripton and Renata (the magic show).

 

Pro tip: Do NOT use the suite seating for this show. It lets you see things that you arent supposed to see. So unless you like magic demystified, sit on the lower level...

 

The show was pretty good, even with that, (and I had another rebellious fish...I love that drink), and we enjoyed it.

 

We picked up the kids right after the show - and they now both had balloon swords - and went back to the cabin. We had another time change notice (this time back an hour), and a new friend on the bed:

 

 

The kids were asleep before we could sing songs to them. They were wiped out!

Edited March 21, 2016 by Starflyr3

[Starflyr3]

Belize:

 

We had decided early on not to get off in Belize. We did the same itinerary last year and the tendering was not fun, so our original plan was to let the kids play in Splash Academy (or swim while DH supervised) and for me to have a spa day. Then my parents decided to take them on an excursion, so it all worked out. I saved up for a year and bought OBC to cover the spa services.

 

We met my parents at the Great Outdoors at 7:30 am and got the kids fed, and saw them off, then I headed to the spa for an 8 am appointment for an 85 minute massage with Carole. It was OK, not not as good as I had hoped. I really dont think it was her fault, though. I take Humira every 2 weeks, and I was due to take it on Thursday, and my back inflammation was over the top acting up, so lying on the table was excruciating.

 

I went back to the Haven after that and slept for a bit on one of the canopied beds I showed a pic of earlier. I got up at 11:30 and planned to get lunch, but ... nothing was open until noon. Oh well!

 

Instead, I went to spend some time in the thermal suite before my facial:

 

 

The Thalassotherapy pool that was debated: It does, in fact, exist:

 

 

This was rough:

 

 

Rebecca came and peeled me off the hot tile loungers (I WANT one at home!) and I had a facial, then right after that, I headed to my fire and ice mani/pedi with Monique.

 

It was about 3:30 at this point, and all I'd had to eat was 2 mini croissants and a glass of OJ at 7:30, so I stopped by the pool buffet to grab a burger and a hot dog and some fries on my way back to the room. I waited there for the kids until 4:45, and they STILL werent back, so I headed off to training session #2, and told DH I'd be back just after 6.

 

I walked into the Haven at 6:05 and DH freaked out, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?! YOU'RE AN HOUR LATE!

 

*Facepalm* He had forgotten to set his clock back and was FREAKING out.

 

The kids were tired and sunburned, so we got them dinner at the buffet and dropped them off at SA, then went off to dinner at Alizar with my parents again.

 

I took pictures again tonight.

 

I had the striploin steak (it was excellent, but I was NOT hungry after eating at 3:30):

 

 

Mom had this (not sure what it was):

 

 

DH had this:

 

 

 

Omar was wandering the dining room and I FINALLY remembered to ask him about a pre cruise request that I had sent: The Chef's Table. I was not on the list, but he was able to add DH and I to it for the following night (phew!)

 

My parents told about the excursion to the old belize river; they saw 1 manatee, 2 crocodiles and a monkey or 2, but the boat was PACKED with no shade. At Altun-Ha, the kids both climbed the tallest pyramid all the way to the top, and amazingly, both of them ate the Belizean lunch that was provided. They were 2 of 3 kids on the excursion, and the other kid was 10.

 

After that, we picked the kids up, rubbed lotion on them and put them in bed.

 

Brayden actually complained that he wanted to stay longer (this was new!), but we knew LFK was coming up early in the AM, and wanted them to get rest.

 

It was laundry special day, and I managed to stuff 61 articles of clothing into the bag. That's pretty good for $19.95!

[Starflyr3]

Roatan:

 

We got up fairly early and met my parents in Cagneys at 8 am. The eggs Benedict had a new addition - flaked black truffle on top of the hollandaise sauce. Apart from being absurdly expensive, is there supposed to be something special about black truffle? Because I really couldnt tell any difference in taste.

 

Just as we finished, we heard that tendering was beginning, so we went to the Star Bar. Edward (Asst concierge), took us behind the bar and into the crew elevators 1 group at a time. We had to wait, as a tender was about to leave, but we were first on the next tender.

 

Once on shore, we walked out of the port area and still didnt see anybody named Larry or David or anybody wearing LFK shirts. I kept asking, and finally someone led us down about 4 more blocks to Larry (I tipped the kid who helped us out). We waited for a bus right next to a guy who was selling coconut water (they also had Coco Loco and Loco Coco, according to him).

 

The bus ride was quite crowded. I had Cassandra sitting on my lap and DH had Brayden on his:

 

 

The ride took about 20 minutes, then we were let off at Frenchys. We purchased the VIP package (because everybody wanted to do some of all the things), and got on a boat to the island. Brayden was MUCH happier out of the bus:

 

 

Unfortunately, I took pictures with the camera on LFK, and NONE of them saved for some wierd reason. Except, of course, for the underwater ones in areas where it was too sandy to see.

 

All 4 of us took the horseback ride, Brayden and I went snorkling, DH got a massage, and we all waited for EVER for drinks and food. I know on the website, it said they had a VIP lounge? Yeah, never did find that.

 

As for the snorkling, we stayed mostly in the lagoon area by the horses. Cassandra doesnt swim yet and genius Mom forgot her floatie (again), so I took her paddleboating first, then joined Brayden with my snorkle gear.

 

I cant be sure, but I think they dredged the lagoon and the path where the horses walk. In that area, it's sandy and there is a TON of broken, dead coral. We snorkled out past King Triton near where it was almost too shallow, and we did manage to see a few fish. I thought that dredging wasnt allowed. not sure what else could have cause that convenient path for the horses and the clean sandy lagoon area, though.

 

Brayden also jumped off of one of the diving platforms that is right by the zoo. It had a rope hanging off a pully type thing, that had a line attached, so you pulled the rope to you, then grabbed on and swung out, and then let go.

 

Brayden was all excited, then got out over the water, clinging to the rope like a monkey and got scared. I was watching from down the stairs, so I just encouraged him, and he let go. He got out and thought it was "AWESOME, MOM!"

 

We went to pet the monkeys, but they only had a big one out (Sara?), so they put that monkey up and let the kids pet this fuzzy orange nocturnal critter that is supposedly related to o'possums. It was very lovey, but if a second person tried to pet it while it was being held, it bit whoever was holding it (as I found out when Brayden tried to pet it while I was holding it. Luckily, it didnt break skin).

 

Lunch was pretty good, and everybody ate at least something. Cassandra only tried the chicken, and everyone at the table contributed their chicken to her. Brayden stole everyone's lobster. He's got expensive tastes!

 

We left with 15 drink tickets left over. >.<. I had even gone to the bar for a few. Our waiter was running around like a chicken with its head cut off and kept apologizing because they had so many people on the island.

 

All in all, it was fun. DH did discover the perils of having a massage then sitting on the beach. This is after we got back home:

 

 

We're pretty sure that was the massage oil that did that, as he was only out about 15 minutes without a shirt after the massage. Ouch.

 

We got back on the tender at about 1:30 and headed back. The line to get back on the ship was already almost the entire length of the port area, but it did move quickly, at least. back on the ship, we got cleaned up and dropped the kids off with my parents for dinner, since DH and I were headed to the Chef's Table.

[Starflyr3]

For the Chefs Table, we met at Maltings (I think. the one between Alizar and the martini bar). There, we discovered the JanR and his wife were doing it with us, as well as a couple a little older than us and a newlywed older couple (their spouses had both passed on) and a family of 3 (wife, husband and a 13 yo daughter).

 

We were served a glass of champagne (Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs - North Coast, California) while waiting. Then we were led into Le Bistro, and behind a partition.

 

The chef came out and introduced himself and then introduced the Sommelier, who discussed the wines. I am not much of a wine drinker, but I managed the champagne and the Sauvignon Blanc...after that, I had 1 sip and couldnt do more with the others (I only like sweet whites, anything else gives me a migraine)

 

They were:

 

Matua Valley, Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand

 

Silverado Vineyards, Chardonnay - Napa Valley, California

 

Emblem, Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley, California

 

We started out with an Amuse Broche - molecular gastronome, which had a mango pearl that had been infused with vodka, on a sort of relish. it was 1 bite and delicious.

 

 

after that, an ahi tuna tartare:

 

 

This was followed by an asparagus cream soup that was poured over cauliflower flan (it was DELICIOUS, even my husband, who HATES vegetables agreed):

 

 

This was followed by a short crust goat cheese and sun dried tomato tartlet.

 

I say tartlet, but this thing was HUGE - probably 8-10 generous forkfuls.

 

 

 

After this, we had a grapefruit and moscato granite to clear our palates. I was getting full by this time, so I just had a couple of spoonfuls:

 

 

Next courses in the next post