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Live (better than dead) thread - AOS 3/31 - 4/7

mixplix

By mixplix,
in Royal Caribbean International

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mixplix

mixplix

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We are leaving for the airport at 3 pm for a 7 pm flight. I am supposed to be "working from home" but I just can't concentrate anymore! We really, really need this vacation.

 

Family of 4 - me (45), wife (really, really old - just turned 47), daughter (15 going on a heart attack or prison sentence for me) and son (13 - Bar Mitzvah was last weekend, so he's now a man?).

 

Third Cruise in last four years, all from PR (AOS three years ago and Jewel last year), all over NJ spring break.

 

Itinerary is as follows:

 

3/31 PR

4/1 at sea

4/2 Curacao (wilemstad) 8-5

4/3 Bonaire (kralenduk) 7-5

4/4 Aruba (orangestad) 7-11

4/5 at sea

4/6 St Maarten (philipsburg) 8-5

4/7 PR

Our booked plans so far - Jolly Pirates 9-1 in Aruba; Golf Carts in Bonaire. That's it. Need to figure out which beaches going to in Curacao and St. Maartan (as per friend with house on French side, will stay on Dutch side). Nothing planned for sea days yet other than flowrider and chillin'. Might do sushi making class again - we did it last year, but if we are feeling like sushi on our second day at sea, might consider doing it again.

Neither of us are getting drink package - wife drinks more than I do, but neither drink enough to justify cost. She will get a coffee card and bring on four bottles of wine (all for her, i am not a wine drinker). I may have a drink a night, if that.

We are staying in Promenade view connecting interior rooms on the Eighth Deck - this cruise was a little more expensive than I wanted to pay, and we really are only in the room to sleep and change, so we thought we'd give it a whirl (usually do outside view, have never had balcony or better). We like the connecting rooms - there is no way I could have all four of us in one room and have all of us return from vacation alive and with all limbs.

My wife and I are big work out fans. I tend to get up early when not on vacation, which unfortunately carries over to vacation - so I will be running (track if clear, treadmill if not), doing workouts my instructor sent us or maybe spinning (not bringing spin shoes, will just deal with running shoes in clips if I do it), as well as some open water swims on the beaches (training for a half ironman in May!).

I weighed myself at the gym this morning when I left - pretty sure that despite daily workouts, i will be plus 10 pounds at the end as I will eat everything I see - hey, its vacation!

We land around 11 pm tonight - staying at the Sheraton on Convention Boulevard - usually stay at Embassy Suites, but they cancelled, then reopened, but are under construction, so we bailed.

I am usually a gambler, but the crappy craps rules on the Jewel turned me off - assuming the odds are still the same sucky ones, I likely wont gamble at all - Royal's loss, ultimately.

 

 

I guess that's it - feel free to let me know if you have any questions - will be happy to find out answers.

mixplix

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Mom2B&Z

Mom2B&Z

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Love your title :)

FYI I loved open water swimming at Le Galleon beach in St Maartin. I don’t know what it’s like since the hurricane, but it was an amazing place to swim a couple of years ago. I did my first half iron last September (Lake Placid) :).

Best of luck, looking forward to your report!

 

 

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Yuridog

Yuridog

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Hope you and the family have an awesome trip. Looking forward to any observations you have about Adventure. I'll be on a cruise later this year, but with a different itinerary.

 

LOL I saw you called your 47 year old wife OLD, I just turned 47 this week and feel the same way!

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mixplix

mixplix

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Made it safely down to San Juan - glad we budgeted extra time to get to airport - almost two hours from Northern NJ to JFK, even at 3 pm on Friday ( the Friday of Passover and Good Friday). Uneventful Delta flight down, one checked bag came quickly, little line for cab but driver stopped for us at Pueblo to get the princess her four bottles so we didn’t have to deal with it tomorrow. Got an upgrade to a slightly larger room at the Sheraton. The casino is closed for the holiday however. Going to bed - good night all’

 

 

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ravenrob

ravenrob

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Made it safely down to San Juan - glad we budgeted extra time to get to airport - almost two hours from Northern NJ to JFK, even at 3 pm on Friday ( the Friday of Passover and Good Friday). Uneventful Delta flight down, one checked bag came quickly, little line for cab but driver stopped for us at Pueblo to get the princess her four bottles so we didn’t have to deal with it tomorrow. Got an upgrade to a slightly larger room at the Sheraton. The casino is closed for the holiday however. Going to bed - good night all’

 

 

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Mazel Tov on the Bar Mitzvah and Happy Passover!!!

 

DW and I will be on Freedom from San Juan on July 7th celebrating our 25th Anniversary and her 50th Birthday.

 

Looking forward to your report.

 

Rob

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mixplix

mixplix

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So no issues withSheraton Convention Center. Rooms were fine, beds comfy, hanging at bar at rooftop pool deck in the shade - gonna be plenty of sun coming. Plan on leaving at 12 to head to ship. Rockin the rainbow this am IMG_4282.thumb.JPG.daaecd13151982b31c0d219d0bea85f8.JPG

 

 

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mixplix

mixplix

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We have two rooms - even though underage kids are in one room - wife and I each took one kid in different security line. They never looked at sea pass just asked to pull wine out to confirm it was wine - no close inspection at all for those resealing wine bottkes

 

 

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mixplix

mixplix

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Made 8 pm reservations for MTD for each night - wanted 730 but they didn’t have it - will just have to have my “pre-dinner” WJ dinner with my son each night. Wife and kids also wanted to do sushi lesson again so signed up for last sea day at 1030 am, $35 pp. rooms opened around 1 pm - need attendant to open divider, split kids beds and bring us a corkscrew. I really do not care about how many animals we get as long as rooms are clean

 

 

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mixplix

mixplix

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615 - still waiting for two bags - including mine. Was gonna work out before dinner but while I would run in my boxers, it’s tough without shoes. Muster drill done, hot as heck. WiFi working fine even though my daughter is staring daggers at me to let her on.

 

 

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mixplix

mixplix

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Dinner was good - Italian - had three apps, the horseradish salmon and didn’t like my dessert so just made it back to WJ to supplement my dessert. Having a drink at schooner bar - btw bags came around 645 so got in quick workout before dinner

 

 

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