Louise with MH Travel

18/09/2023

This is why I will always recommend travel insurance and passports to my guests! While neither is technically necessary on a "closed loop" cruise, they are necessary if you get into a bind. I don't travel without my passport or some type of travel medical insurance on my trip. I've never had to use it, but it gives me peace of mind knowing I'm not going to have an outrageous bill in a foreign country.

https://cruiseradio.net/2-cruisers-stuck-in-mexico-without-passport/?fbclid=IwAR1p4v4PNY9SP8fJkmAG0-UnC2y20eOAupKtJR2luqm1NDjzSyERBq1QtGw

Two Tampa-based passengers are stuck in Mexico without a passport or medical insurance and require care after becoming victims of a hit-and-run accident. Even

26/06/2023

New destinations!

In my last post, I hinted that we have already booked our next cruise vacation for next year, and it deserved its own post. One of the best ways to get some onboard credit is to book your next cruise with the Next Cruise people onboard your ship. They also offer discounted deposits and other perks to help you decide to book again. If you know you like cruising, Next Cruise is a place you need to put on your list of things to do.

Since cruising is our favorite way to vacation, we talked to the Next Cruise people on our Southern Caribbean cruise. We weren’t sure which cruise we wanted to do so we did an open booking. You can put down $100 per person for the deposit, and you’ll have 60 days to decide which cruise you wish to take. This will allow you to get your onboard credit for that cruise without the pressure of deciding which cruise you want to take in the moment.

So…:::bur bur bur::, our next destination is happening in June 2024, and we are headed back to the Mediterranean. Our embarkation port is Athens 😁, and our ports of call are Ashdod (Jerusalem) Israel, Limassol, Cyprus, and two days with an overnight in Alexandria, Egypt! We will disembark back in Athens. We are so excited for this trip!

If you’d like information on this cruise, don’t hesitate to contact me here. Until then, happy sailing, y’all!

19/06/2023

Recap of our Alaskan Cruise

So, it's been a few days because I went straight to teaching Sounds of the South Band Camp at PRCC. However, I always like to end my travel posts with a recap of things from the trip.

The good (there's so many things!):

1. Alaska is beautiful, and pictures don't do it justice. It's something you have to see for yourself. I've been telling people if Alaska isn't on your bucket list, it needs to get there.

2. Also, the weather is beautiful for people who come from the south. Right now, weather dot com tells me it's 86 degrees, but we're under a heat advisory because it feels like it's in the triple digits. Seattle in the beginning of June was around 65 - 70 degrees on the hot part of the day. When we sailed through the Endicott Arm and Dawes glacier, it was in the 40s. Yes, please.

3. If you're looking for a more laid back cruise (read older people), this was a good cruise. I didn't experience as many children, and most of them were older. So, if you fall in the D**K Lifestyle, empty nesters, retired, or just claim the "Get off my lawn" mantra, this would be the cruise for you.

4. Whale watching is as exciting as everyone makes it sound! We were very lucky to see the amount of whale action that we did, and I'd highly recommend this tour. It was my favorite excursion we did while on this cruise.

5. If you love dogs, I would highly recommend a Mushers Camp and Sled Dog experience. I loved playing with the puppies!

6. Cruise food is always good. I always have to remind myself to not turn into a glutton at the beginning of the cruise because I'm going to pay for it later. Even with the reminder, I'm still stuffed by the time I get home from our cruises.

7. I loved the staterooms on the Ovation. The bigger (newer) ships have staterooms that feel bigger. This balcony room felt like it had more storage, it felt bigger, and was just a beautiful stateroom. I know cruise cabins are going to be small, but there have been some where it felt tight. This one was great.

8. Theater two70 was a favorite place to sit and just enjoy the scenery. I never made it to the solarium to sit, but I could see how that would have been a great place to sit and enjoy. We stayed busy so I didn't make it to some places just because the ship is big. Because the ship is big, I never felt crowded like I have in the past. There were 4,000 passengers, and I only felt crowded when trying to disembark in port. However, it's always crazy when you try to get off the ship in port. I didn't feel crowded on a normal day which was great.

9. Do the North Star...worth every penny.

The bad:

1. I'm not a fan of Air2Sea. I want to tell cruise companies (here's me looking at your Norwegian and Royal Caribbean) that their cruises are spectacular. However, your airline arm is abysmal. I had connected my reservation to my mom's reservation and my in-laws reservation. Brian and I planned to help our parents through the airports. They kept changing the flights and moving us to different flights. It was a nightmare to keep them together. Also, they kept changing flight times. I'm assuming that's an American Airlines issue, but it's frustrating. Cruise companies need to get the flight stuff together.

2. Disembarking the ship with older people with mobility issues...Royal Caribbean has a dedicated elevator that would transport our mobility disabled from Deck 3 to Deck 2. However, on port days, it's so hard to get an elevator to take you to Deck 3 that's not already full. We would be standing on Deck 5 waiting for an elevator, and every one of them would be full. Also, it would take forever for one to stop. If you're capable of taking the stairs, please do so. Just because someone who really needs the elevator does need it, and you're clogging it with your ability.

The things to know:

1. If you're traveling with people who have mobility issues, call the airline in advance or tell them at the check in desk. They will have wheelchairs at the airplane door waiting for them. This will also get them the assistance they need in navigating the airport. (We have some funny stories of how my mom and father in law took a tour of the Dallas airport!)

2. Most every port in Alaska has a shuttle system that can get your mobility disabled person from the ship to the front of the port. This helps a lot, but make sure to plan for the time it takes to utilize these services.

3. With an Alaskan cruise, we stayed in a balcony room on the starboard side. This was from the recommendation of other cruisers and Royal Caribbean. It did not disappoint.

4. The Royal Refreshment package is perfect for those who drink sodas and coffee, but you don't really drink alcohol. Also, only that person has to have the package instead of every person in the room being required to have it. My husband still gets his fancy coffee. Such a great package!

5. We did a Day use hotel because we had an incredibly long time from disembarkation to our flight. We got off the ship a little after 9 am, and we didn’t have a flight until almost midnight. While we filled in time around Seattle, it’s still a really long time to fill and not get some rest. We booked a hotel through dayuse dot com, and it was a perfect way to get some downtime before we had a red eye flight home. I’ll be doing this again if under the same circumstances!

As always, if I can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Since it will be a minute until we're on our next cruise (which will require its own post because I'm so silly excited about it!), Happy Sailing, y'all!

09/06/2023

Day 7 (Day 9 for us) - Kind of Sea Day and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

We didn’t pull into port until 5 pm this evening. So we had a kind of sea day. Brian and I went and listened to the ship captain and high ranking crew members answer questions about working for Royal Caribbean and living on a ship for months at a time. This is always an interesting talk if you’re interested in what goes on behind the scenes. After that, we had lunch at Chops and went to the Love and Marriage game show. This always makes me laugh so I never want to miss it! After the game show was over, we went back to the room and started the process of packing and getting ready for disembarkation tomorrow 🙁👎🏼. When we finished packing, it was time to head down to the theater to wait for our excursion.

It took a minute for customs to clear our ship, but once it did, our group made our way down to the buses so we could go the Butchart Gardens and Butterfly Garden. This was a lovely walk and relaxing way to end our trip. Loads of beautiful flowers and the butterfly garden is always one of my favorite things to walk through. This butterfly garden had butterflies (duh) and several different birds, including macaws and a flamingo. There were other animals, and it was a neat experience. After the gardens, we drive back through Victoria which is a charming port. I wish we had more time to spend there.

We came back and finished packing. Now, we’re waiting to disembark tomorrow and start making our way home. Air2sea has really irritated me, but I’ll save that for my last post. We’re also using a day hotel since our flights are after 11 pm. We’ll experience a little more Seattle, but some of us are going to need to relax before the flight home. This was a perfect solution.

Until tomorrow, happy sailing, y’all!

08/06/2023

Day 6 (Day 8 for us) - At Sea Day

We’re on our way back to Seattle, but we have a stop tomorrow in Victoria, British Columbia Canada. Today was a fairly relaxing day, and we enjoyed the ability to take a nap and rest.

So, not much happened today that we took part in. There were a lot of things happening around the ship even if we chose not to do them. We did go to the production show tonight, Live Love Legs, which is a Las Vegas themed show. Great singers and dancers are on this ship, and we enjoyed it immensely!

Not much to report today so Happy Sailing, y’all!

07/06/2023

Day 5 (Day 7 for us) - Juneau, AK

The capitol city did not disappoint! Today was a different day of sailing than anything we’ve experienced before.

It started with we went into the Endicott Arm Fjord, and the scenery was lovely. The goal was to see the Dawes Glacier. The captain got the ship as close to the glacier as he safely could, and then he proceeded to turn the boat. I had heard he was going to do donuts with this big ship, but he ended up doing more of a windshield wiper motion. He turned the boat left so the starboard (right side) faced the glacier. Then, he proceeded to turn the boat back towards the right so the port side (left side) faced the glacier. We were able to get beautiful pictures of the glacier and the sea life near there. In addition, the fjord is just lovely.

After that, he turned the boat back towards Juneau. There are so many things to do in Juneau. You can satisfy your souvenir shopping in this port easily! Also, if you did not book a whale watching excursion, there are several in port ready to get you on one. Don’t worry if you missed your chance to book one through your ship.

We had booked a whale watching excursion through Trip Advisor’s excursion arm, Viator. We used Juneau Tours, and it’s listed as “Premier Juneau Whale Watching Expedition”. We had a fantastic time! They drove us from the Downtown Juneau area to the harbor where we boarded boats that were taking us to see the whales. As we made our way to find whales, we learned lots about humpback whales. Humpback whales weigh somewhere between 25 and 35 tons and live anywhere between 70-90 years. The oldest one on record lived for 112 years. Also, each humpback whale fin is unique to each whale. This is how they identify them. Finally, humpback whales spend six months in the summer in Alaska feeding. Then, they spend six months in the winter in Hawaii reproducing. Just some things I learned.

Once we got to the whale watching area, we learned the tours don’t use sonars or anything tech to find them. They strictly go by eyesight to search them out. The first giveaway was to see them shoot water out their blowhole. We saw dorsal fins. Then, you could see their backs round out as they dove down for food. In our first spot, we came across a mom and it’s calf. Calves spend the first year of their life with their mom before they become independent, and they can be super curious. We were very lucky because he was curious about our boat. He came right up to the side, and we managed to get great pictures. The staff were very upfront that the whales have never come that close to the boats before. They were telling us to not brag in port because this is just something they can’t recreate for every whale watching experience. Brian and I lucked up…we got a super cool tour, and I’m not sorry about it!

They brought us back to the ship where we had dinner, and we watched the show, “Spectra’s Cabaret”. It’s a super cool use of technology, dance, and music in their two70 theater. The technology on this ship is impressive especially in this theater.

We ended the night at The Crazy Quest. It’s an adults only game, and if you have the chance to go, do it! Lots of laughs and crazy games. You won’t regret going!

Tomorrow is a sea day. So we’re going to get rest before we head into Victoria, British Columbia.

Happy sailing, y’all!

06/06/2023

Day 4 (Day 6 on for us) - Skagway, AK

Alaska is one of the most beautiful, natural places I’ve ever been. I was telling Brian today that it is the closest thing to a Bob Ross painting I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. There are so many shades of green in the trees juxtaposed with the craggy harshness of the mountain. Top all this off with pristine white snow and this ice blue water. It’s beautiful, and I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen in my travels that compares to Alaska.

Skagway is a quaint town that is all locally owned and operated. The only things that are commercial are the shops that are run by the cruise companies. Diamonds International, Cariloha, and those stores that you see in nearly every cruise port are run by the cruise companies. Everything else in Skagway is run by the townspeople. You see so many historical touches from the Gold Rush, and how this time period affected the town. It’s a great blend of old with new.

Today, we went to a Musher’s Camp that had sled dogs. This is the excursion I’ve looked forward to the most. I love dogs, and I wanted to see how the sled dogs lived. With our group, we went up into the mountain where we experienced the town of Skagway and Dyea. We arrived at the base camp where there was a gift shop and restroom area. It was all very nice.

We then boarded what they called a MOG. I don’t know what it stands for, but it was an all terrain vehicle that could get us further up into the mountain. It was a very bumpy ride, but there were some beautiful views on the way up. When we arrived at the mushers camp, there were several dogs who were so excited to see us. They had a 6 person cart attached to 14 dogs. We boarded the cart and the musher got our approximately 20 minute ride underway. The dogs were so excited to run, and it was amazing to see them pull the carts. After we finished our ride, we were able to pet the dogs 🤗, and then we loaded the MOG to make our way down the mountain.

When we arrived back at base camp, we learned a little bit about the history of sled dogs, mushers, and the Iditarod race. (One of our dogs was a direct descendant from a dog who was the lead dog that won the Iditarod a few years ago.) Every part of the operation was used to serve the best interests of the dogs. We were able to interact and hold the puppies which socializes the dogs to humans. Sled dogs, which are mostly husky mutts, have a lot of energy. They’re extremely athletic dogs and require lots of movement. The mushers will bring their dogs to the camp where they do weight training during the summer months. They pull the heavy sleds for short periods of time to build muscle. In the winter, they’ll run long distances to build endurance. They receive the best care from the veterinarians that work with the mushers camp. I was so impressed with how well the dogs were taken care of. It was a fantastic excursion where I got to play with puppies! A win win!

We came back and ate at Wonderland tonight. This is known at a gastro experience, and this restaurant employs advanced science techniques to cook food. Also, it’s all themed around Alice in Wonderland so it’s fantastical. Very beautiful and weird at the same time. Same as the food!

Now, I’m enjoying the scenery from my balcony. If you do an Alaskan cruise, don’t skimp on the room. Get a balcony so you can enjoy the views from your private deck. It’s worth every penny for the balcony in Alaska!

Tomorrow is the Inside Passage (more spectacular views!) and Juneau. We’re hoping to go whale watching.

Happy sailing, y’all!

05/06/2023

Day 3 (Day 5 for us) - Sitka, AK

Sitka is a beautiful town that is rich with Alaskan culture! Since Alaska is so close to Russia, there is a huge Russian influence on the town. We found a beautiful Christmas shop, and it was full of hand carved Russian Santas and hand painted nesting dolls. I wish I could have taken pictures, but they didn’t allow them in the store. Believe me when I say it looked like it threw up Russian Christmas, and I loved it!

While we were touring Sitka, we managed to see one of the oldest churches in North America. It was a Russian Orthodox Church, and it was filled with beautiful icons of their religion. It reminded me a lot of the Greek Orthodox Church we toured last summer in Patmos.

In addition, the weather is so different than Mississippi. While we were in town, the temperature was 50 degrees. We’re dressed in hoodies and jackets! It was chilly when the wind would pick up. Packing for this cruise has been different than any other cruise we’ve been on before. Also, the sun stays up for so long. 8:30 pm looks like 4:30 pm. I’m so thankful for the black out curtains in our stateroom!

After touring Sitka, we came back to the ship, had dinner, and watched the production show this evening. It was titled “A Beautiful Dream”, and the cast was fantastic. Great singers and intricate sets! How they are able to translate this level of theater to a cruise ship always baffles me. Since we’re on a bigger ship, I feel like the production shows are more elaborate and better than the smaller ships. This was a treat this evening after dinner!

Tomorrow is Skagway, and Brian and I are doing the Mushers Camp and Dog Sled tour. I can’t wait to pet the puppies!

04/06/2023

Day 2 (Day 4 for us) - At Sea Day

We tried to take it easy today since tomorrow we’re getting off the ship in Sitka. We had breakfast in the main dining room where I didn’t really eat anything since I was still full. Then we went to the Crown and Anchor society, Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program, Top Tier Event. It’s a free drink and a chance to meet the captain and top officers of the ship. The cruiser on board with the most C and A loyalty points had 2,385 points. That’s a lot of points! Especially if you think you get 1 point for each day you’re on a ship.

After that, we had lunch at Chops which we love! The NY strip steak salad is so yummy! Cruise food is so good…and it’s so much better when you didn’t have to cook or clean for it.

Nap time after lunch with a 4 pm appointment to ride the North Star. The North Star is an attraction on the Ovation where it lifts you 300 ft into the air above the ship, and it takes you off the sides of the ship. You’re basically in a bubble over the sea. It was a really coo experience, and the views were beautiful! After the North Star, we had dinner at Izumi. Brian and I love Japanese food, and Izumi never disappoints.

After dinner, we went to the Family Feud game show and then the headliner show featuring Stephanie Parker. She did a Whitney Houston tribute show, and it was really good. She’s got a voice. Check her out on the different social media platforms…Diva of the Seas. She was great!

Grabbed a couple of cookies before we headed to our room. It’s 11:38 pm, and there is still light outside. Looking forward to actually stepping on land tomorrow in Alaska. We’re going to see the Totem Poles and visit the oldest church. Can’t wait to see Sitka!

Happy sailing, y’all!

03/06/2023

Day 1 (but actual Day 3 for us) Embarkation Day

Another day where I have to muster all my patience at the beginning. So, no big secret…I try very hard to understand another group’s procedures. If you tell me your procedure, I will honor it and do my best to follow it exactly how you want the procedure to run. Seattle has pretty good procedures in place for embarkation day. Because we took an Uber to the port, we got dropped off a bit from the terminal. It wasn’t a long walk, but if you have people in your party with mobility issues, it can be a hike. It looks like taxis were able to get closer so you may want to use that method of transportation if you need to get closer to the terminal.

The hardest part was knowing where to drop off luggage, but it was truly no big deal. It just didn’t look what it normally looks like to us. Once inside the terminal, it was super easy! Pro tip…make sure you check in on your cruise app before you get to the terminal. Take your picture, answer your health questions, and boarding the ship is a breeze! If you don’t do these things before hand, you’ll have a little longer experience in the terminal.

After going through check in and security, we were able to walk on the ship. Even better than Miami! No waiting in some big room to be let onto the boat! The staff directed us immediately to our muster stations so we could learn and do the emergency drills. DO THIS! Don’t be the people who hold up the ship from leaving because you don’t do the muster drill. It took us all of two minutes to get this done! The quicker you get this done, the quicker you can get to your vacation!

We then got the cups for our Royal Refreshment package, and we headed up to the buffet for lunch. We sat there until our rooms were open. Headed to our stateroom where our luggage was already parked by the door! (Time to head to the casino, y’all!) This never happens, but Brian and I unpacked and took a nap before dinner. It’s published that the cruise line has until 8 pm to deliver luggage. It was truly a miracle that we got our luggage so fast!

Went to dinner at Jamie’s Italian. The restaurant is based on Jamie Oliver’s menu, and it did not disappoint! I forgot to take a picture of the pasta that we shared as a table, but I got everything else. Brian’s lamb chops were spectacular! Try this if you eat here!

After dinner, we went to the welcome aboard show which was a comedian. Then, Brian and I went up to the top floor and worked our way down the ship. If it’s your first time cruising, this is a great way to learn the layout of your ship. Also, it allows you to get your steps in. I took some photos of this beautiful girl, and after walking around, we’re about to turn in for a good nights rest. Tomorrow is a sea day, but we’ve got the North Star booked.

Still haven’t found consistent wifi signal, but I’ll keep trying to post through the week. Happy sailing, y’all!

02/06/2023

Day 2 - Recover Day and Portland

Our group did two different things today. We had a recover day from the travel of yesterday for some of our parents. Traveling is only fun as long as you can experience your adventure. Sometimes, you have to recover from the grueling travel day. Make sure to plan some down time if you think you’re going to need it! This has not always been my thoughts, but our parents are showing me their needs.

While some of us recovered, Brian and I took mom to Portland for dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory with my college roommate, Krista. The drive from Seattle to Portland takes about 3 hours, and there are some beautiful sights along the way. It was so good to see Krista and spend some time catching up.

While not an action packed day, it served all it needed for us today. In the morning, we get on the ship and experience embarkation day. Can’t wait to see the Ovation!

01/06/2023

Day 1 - Travel Day (Gautier to New Orleans to Dallas to Seattle)

If you have been following our travels, you will not be surprised when I say that travel day requires intestinal fortitude. We started our day at 2:30 am when we got up because our flight was leaving New Orleans at 7:15 am. We scored first class tickets for this trip so we were excited about flying first class! There have been some stressors leading up to this travel day, but American Airlines helped fix the issues with great customer care. I was appreciative of them this morning!

For this trip, it’s Brian and I along with our parents. We’re so happy we get to spend this time with our parents, but older people have different needs when traveling! I’m learning how to navigate these things. Once again, American Airlines has been great today when dealing with our family. If you need assistance, make sure to let them know at the ticket counter. They have truly been spectacular in helping with transporting between gates, making sure that our family members have what they need to make it as comfortable as possible on a hard day.

After a flight plan that included New Orleans to Dallas to Seattle, we made it here safely! Flights were smooth, and we got to see the top of Mt. Rainier as we were making our way into Seattle. Upon arrival, we collected our luggage and went to get our rental car. In Seattle, you’ll take the shuttle to the rental car facility. You won’t get a rental car at the airport. Heads up!

Since we have five people and a ton of luggage 🙄😳, I got a full size SUV. We’re in a 2023 Nissan Armada, and y’all….it’s nice! It fit all 5 of us comfortably along with our 9 bags of luggage and backpacks. Traveling light has never been our forte! However, pro tip…we’re a little late to the game, but we out an Apple AirTag in each one of our luggage. It was nice to know where each piece was whenever I checked.

After getting our car, we went to the Pike Place Market for dinner. The weather is beautiful! And it was th e first thing I noticed. We found it at Lowell’s, and this was a charming place. Once again, I forgot to take pictures of the food. It was really good though! We walked around to fight a little bit of jet lag, and then headed to the VRBO.

We’re all exhausted after a tiring day. However, we’re happy to be here together and safe from the day’s travel. Tomorrow, we’re going to explore Seattle a little more, and then, we’re headed to Portland to have dinner with my college roommate, Krista.

We hope you’ll follow along with us this week as we explore a part of the country we’ve never been to. Y’all…adventure awaits!

31/05/2023

Your favorite cruise advisors are on their way to Seattle to board Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. This week we will delve into all things Alaska! Like our page and follow us as we go to a mushers camp with sled dogs, see whales, and explore the natural beauty of Alaska. We’ll also celebrate our anniversary tomorrow so lots to follow this week!

15/04/2023

Final thoughts on our Spring Break Cruise

Brian and I love cruising with Royal Caribbean, but our last cruise with them was in 2018 when we went to the Western Mediterranean. So here's some things we noticed that have changed since the pandemic and pros and cons of our trip.

Differences since the Pandemic:

The first thing we noticed is how scaled back the menus are now. Don't get me wrong...there is still a plethora of food options to choose from. Every time I get on a ship I have to remind myself how to eat. I can sincerely spend the first couple of days miserable because I feel like I need to eat everything in sight. It's terrible, and I do it to myself! When I got on this ship, I felt like I had to maximize my Ultimate Dining Package. on my part. However, the menus are more direct in their offerings. It didn't bother us at all, but we did notice it. I personally liked it because I saw significantly less food waste. My hippie heart can deal with it.

Our room was only serviced once a day. While I can live with this, I still kind of wanted my room serviced before and after my afternoon nap. I like getting into a bed at night that is already made up, and I like really fresh towels all the time. I probably could have called and requested this, but in the end, I really was ok with it. I'm assuming it's a new operating procedure that has stuck since the pandemic. However, my room steward, Inyoman, was fantastic and probably the best we've had. While I wanted the pampering I had before, this wasn't something that I would quit sailing with Royal Caribbean over.

The Guest Services Desk was so much easier to deal with. Sometimes, the lines can get long, but they have the concierge people working the line. It's like they took a lesson from Chic-fil-A. Both times we had to go to Guest Services, our question was answered by the concierge person working the line, and we were able to get out line quicker. This was a positive change from the pandemic.

Cons:

The wifi on Royal Caribbean's Explorer is terrible! I've heard the internet is better on our upcoming ship, Ovation, but the Explorer left a lot to be desired. I couldn't keep a signal; I kept having to sign out to sign back in; it was super glitchy. What made it so terrible is we spent over $200 for two devices so I could update every day. I managed to find the internet each day, but I would have to leave the stateroom to find better internet. It really was terrible. If you need wifi, proceed with caution. Norwegian really does have the leg up on Royal Caribbean in this area.

Pool chair hogs are a problem on every cruise. It doesn't matter what line you sail, this is a huge problem. However, Royal Caribbean has started placing these pink chair slips on deck chairs that warns that you can collect your belongings if it's observed that you're saving chairs for extended amounts of time. Unfortunately, I personally witnessed some chair hogging, but nothing was done about it. So, please stop hogging the chairs if it's you.

Pros:

Royal Caribbean still employs live musicians! If I could underline that sentence, I would. I will always continue to sail with Royal Caribbean because they employ live musicians. Sometimes, these positions get cut and replaced with canned music, but I love the fact I get to hear professional play. This means a lot to this band director heart, and Brian and I still love listening to the Big Band Night on the cruise. Thankful for the live musicians!

Check In has gotten super easy. From the time we started moving into the Miami Terminal to the point we were waiting to get on the ship took maybe 15 minutes. When you get a chance to check in (our next one is April 18 for Alaska!), go ahead and complete this process. You'll need your passport (or other identification such as a drivers license and birth certificate), have the capability to take your picture and upload it, and your credit card you want to use for incidentals on the ship handy. If you just keep up with the paperwork before, you will be able to breeze onto the ship. Have your travel advisor help you with this!

Miami was a beautiful, culturally diverse, and easy embarkation port to navigate, and if you fly from a major city/airport, you'll probably find a direct flight. It was great!

The staff really do work hard to ensure you have the best vacation. This has always been the case every time we've been on a cruise ship, and I was so glad to see this level of service, friendliness, and training have not changed. I love talking to the different workers (especially the people from the Philippines!) and finding out about their lives from their home countries.

I saw more people, both adults and children, participating in the different activities on the ship. Particularly the nation scavenger hunt seemed to be popular on this sailing! What great exposure for our kids to different cultures and people!

To sum up, they say any day on a cruise is better than a day on land, and Brian and I always find that to be true. I love that we have experienced so much of the world because of cruising. Our next cruise is in June where we'll be flying to Seattle to get on the Ovation to experience Alaska. If you follow our adventures, please know we'll be back in six, hopefully short, weeks.

In the meantime, if you need help planning a cruise, don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to talk cruising with you and finding a trip that would meet your needs!

Seas your day!