Things we took on the cruise

Thought I would post a list of things we brought on the cruise. And at the bottom a list of a few things not to bring 

Things we took on the cruise

• watch – there are very few clocks onboard ship
• extra glasses and sun glasses
• ear plugs – rooms are very quite, but your sleeping partner may not be
• prescription medication (in your carry on) and daily pill boxes or pill sticks. Take 2 extra days of meds, just in case the ship is delayed in returning on time.
• list of any meds you take and dose
• cough drops, throat lozenges, nasal spray, tums, benadryl etc
• Ziploc bags (large & small) - pack all liquids and spray cans in Ziploc bags so there is not a messy accident in your luggage & bring tall kitchen trash bags to bring damp swim suit home in
• cash – only small bills (I took $1's for shuttle drive and porter tip) Also $5's and a few $10's for excursion purposes. The ship is a cashless environment. All charges for extras (alcohol, Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks, specialty restaurants etc) are applied to your SeaPass
• binoculars – if you think you want them
• motion sick patches or sea bands – we took these but found we did not need them :)
• clorox wipes – to wipe down the room numerous times – just trying to stay healthy
• LOTS of hand sanitizer – to stay healthy
• sunscreen spray
• sunburn spray
• lanyards – guest services will punch your SeaPass card, or keep it in your pocket. Don't loose it – it is your door key and your credit card on ship
• blue tape – I used this to keep the closet door from squeaking when the sea was rough
• bug repellent – for excursions
• highlighter – to highlight events on the daily Cruise Compass
• reading book
• backpack – for excursions or to carry things on ship (makes less trips to the room)
• fanny pack - or purse with a long strap or use the backpack
• lotion
• 2-4 empty water bottles – for shore excursions and for the ride home
• large mugs w/ lids – these can be filled in the Windjammer Cafe or at the pool bar with water. No water package needed. Have to stay hydrated
• flip flops or pool shoes
• hats
• photo ID
• passports
• copy of passports – leave this in the room safe
• credit card - the one you listed on your registration. They will ask for it when you check in.
• luggage tags – you print these out after your register
• sail pass – you print this out after you do your final registration steps. You must bring this to board the ship.
• alarm clock – travel battery type is nice, there is only one plug in the room
• small flashlight
• bathroom stuff – toothpaste, toothbrush etc (travel size everything is nice)
• baby powder
• lysol – travel size is nice, there are no fans in the bathrooms and it will help keep the room fresh
• bandages – lots of walking you make get blisters
• camera & extra batteries (batteries cost a fortune on the ship)

Cloths for each person (minimum amount that will get you by for 7 days. The tendency is to bring too much)

• 2-3 pairs of shorts
• 1 pair blue jeans
• 7 t-shirts
• 7 underwear, bras
• 7 pairs of socks
• 1 dress shirt - men
• 1 dress pants - men
• 1 tie – optional, as is a suit of sport coat – wear what you are comfortable in for formal night. A nice pair of pants and a nice shirt is the minimum
• 1 dress or nice pants suite – women for formal night
• black clutch and black dress shoes - woman
• dress shoes - men
• windbreaker or jacket
• 1 long sleeve shirt
• 2 polo shirts – jeans and polo shirts are good for the informal dinner nights
• 1 swim suit each - minimum – depends on how much time you plan at the pool or beach

DO NOT BRING

• an iron – they will confiscate it
• extension cords – they will confiscate it
• pocket knives – they will confiscate it
• towels – plenty in room and they have plenty of pool towels to use at the pool and you can check them out for excursions. Just make sure you check the towels back in or you will get charged $25.00 for each towel
• They provide hand soap and there is a shampoo dispenser in the shower – I took a travel size shampoo
• pillows – they have plenty and we requested a few extra

The cruise was wonderful!

We are home from the cruise and it was wonderful. Everyone we spoke to told us we would love cruising and we did. Royal Caribbean was fantastic.

Embarkation in Galveston was a snap. We parked at the pier parking lot, and were early enough to get covered parking ($70.00).  A shuttle bus picked us and our luggage up and drives you to the pier. The porter takes your luggage and off you go to check in. We tipped the shuttle driver and the porter. On the other hand debarkation was a bit more challenging. You leave your luggage outside your stateroom door the night before debarkation. Then when you leave the ship you pick it up in your assigned number area and then go through customs. It was a bit of a zoo. In the future we will self-debark, which means we will not put our luggage out and just take it off ourselves and then go directly to customs, out to the shuttle which will take us to our car. Will save some hassle and get us out about an 1 1/2 earlier.  Live in and learn, next time will be easier..

The food was always delicious and the service was fantastic. Like a 5 star restaurant every dinner. We had rack of lamb, lamb shank, steak, shrimp (almost every meal), lobster, salmon, cod, etc etc etc. And the deserts were out of this world. Fantastic. They also served breakfast and lunch. The breakfast bar had a wonderful selection of granola, dried and fresh fruits and yogurt. Omelets were special too – using prosciutto, smoked salmon etc. At lunch the salad bar was spectacular with so many unique choices. Dinner service was always the same table and the same wait staff. We were fortunate to have Attila from Istanbul, Turkey and Walter from Lima, Peru. Both men were extremely professional, friendly and made the dining experience so special. 
 

Sapphire Dinning Room

The room was great. I expected the inside staterooms to be closet size, but they were very roomy with plenty of storage. We lived in our RV for 6 years traveling the country and this room allowed us more space than the RV bedroom/bath. Carleen, from Jamaica, was our room attendant and she was great. Every time we were in and out of our room during the day, she was right behind us, tiding up, remaking or straightening our the bed covers, folding cloths if we left them on the bed, emptying waste baskets, and making sure the bathroom was always tidy and fresh.

 

The service on the ship was wonderful. The staff works so hard and extremely long hours, always with a smile and a kind greeting either when you pass by or they are waiting on you. Gratuity is applied to your sail pass card (which is also your room key) and they deserve it. We did get three envelopes from the guest relations desk and we left each of the waiters and room attendant extra tip. This is optional, but we felt they deserved it as they made our vacation so enjoyable.

There are plenty of activities on ship. Something is always happening. Royal goes above and beyond to make sure you are having a great time. Lots of activities at the poolside, on various decks, at different bars and lounges, a champagne art auction, and wonderful shows in the main theater (comedians, musical stage shows, musicians, variety acts). This Navigator of the Sea has an ice rink and they have a great “Dancing on Ice” show. You can also ice skate during the day. Of course all of this is included in your sail price.

Or if you rather you can just sit on the deck and watch the ocean pass by. We enjoyed doing a lot of this during the day. Deck 4 outside and the Cosmopolitan Club on deck 14, were great places to hang-out.

Cosmopolitan Club Deck 14

The ship was immaculately clean. At certain times of the day and evening the promenade can be a bit to noisy for my taste, but we quickly learned when to avoid this area. The Promenade Cafe is open 24/7 so that was a great place to get a quick sandwich, pizza or treat. 

Promenade Deck 5

Everyday you get a Cruise Compass which lets you know what is happening that day. I took a yellow highlighter with me which came in handy to highlight what we wanted to do.

They do provide different opportunities to take shore excursions at each port, or you can do your own thing on shore, but we chose to stay onboard at each port. Almost everyone (there we 4,000 passengers) got off at the ports, so it was like we had the ship to ourselves. Was a great thing. They still feed you in the dinning room, the pool bar is open (others open at 3pm). There is no one, or very few, people at the pool and the wonderful hot tubs. So it is wonderful to stay onboard and enjoy the solitude. So relaxing. We did not take the cruise for the port destinations (I am not a shopper and the time on shore is short), we took it for the cruise itself and what the ship had to offer, which was far and above wonderful! The Navigator of the Sea is a beautiful ship.

I look forward to cruising again with Royal Caribbean and am planning to do so soon!

Sail date getting close

Just got a notice from RCI - about a week to go!
Checked out the car (to travel to the port) - all OK
Packed both hand carries
After I do the final load of wash will pack the suitcase. Hope it all fits!

2 More Weeks!

2 more weeks and we will be Cruising the Blue!

Getting all last minute things taken care of.
Since we have horrible postal service where we live, we went today and stopped the mail. Figured that would give us 2 weeks to make sure the mail is actually held at the post office and not delivered. Plus the postal person never shuts the mailbox door, which would leave it open for a week.  Don't really get anything but junk mail nowadays anyway,

Have been saving up small bills ($1, $5, and $10) to take with us. Know we will not need cash onboard ship, but will need money for tips etc in ports. Read where small bill are best.

Have all the sail passes, passports and picture ID - so that is all taken care of.

Have collected all we will need in one area of the house so packing will be easier. Have read many useful sites and watch YouTubes on suggested items to bring - other than cloths and meds.

This week we will also make sure the car is checked over and ready to take us to the port.

30 days until we sail

Well it is 30 days until we sail. Bought the last item on the list - sunscreen. There is lots of sun in the Caribbean and I sure do not want to get burned and ruin the adventure.

Made another call to customer service yesterday. The customer service reps are great people. They assure me there will be an extension cord in the room for my CPAP machine. Sure hope so - if not it could turn into a nightmare for both of us.

Navigator of the Sea deck plans
 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=02&shipCode=NV&shipProfile=1597&sailDate=1140831&hasNavigation=false

We will be on Deck 8 toward the front of the ship. It is an interior room, but that is OK for the first cruise experience. If we love cruising, maybe next time we will upgrade to something different

Starting to gather things we will need

Starting to gather things we will need on the cruise. So much I want to take. Will get it all together and then only pack half. Can't take everything, Getting more and more excited. Will get our flu shots before we go. Went to the Library and got books on Mexico, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. I like to know some background history and info of the places I am going to visit before I get there.

Sail Pass

We printed out our sail pass. So easy. Takingthat and passports we will have an eesier time boarding at the post. Also printed out our Guest Ticket Book which includes the itinerary, luggage tags and lots to read before we go.

Spoke again with RCI customer service. Once again a wonderful experience. Decided on the 5:30 dinning time and to sit with our friends at a table for 4. They are also very accommodating in helping me with my special needs - food allergy (mangoes) and my CPAP machine. They listed my food allergy.. Mangoes they often used in sauces and they are in fruit salad.  They also advised me to make the matradee and waiter aware so that I do not encounter any surprises

As far as the CPAP RCI will provide me complimentary distilled water and an extension cord. I am very pleased to hear I do not have to bring my own. The list of things to bring is already growing.

SOON we will be sailing!

We're going cruising!

Well we finally decided to go cruising. I am so excited! Our friends have cruised on Royal Caribbean International many times, as well as other lines. So we decided for the first experience to sign up with RCI. We did not go through a travel agent, we went direct to the RCI site, found the cruise we wanted and signed up. They hold the stateroom for 24 hours, which was nice. Soon after the 24 hour hold period starts they send you a reminder e-mail, which is also nice.

We finished the registration and paid for the cruise. We are cruising on the Navigator of the Sea which was just refurbished early in 2014.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?dest=&shipClassCode=VY&shipCode=NV&br=R

Navigator of the Sea

It was a really good deal - 7 nights Western Caribbean - which sails out of Galveston. And we got $100.00 on board credit which was great. Here are the port we will visit:

Cozumel, Mexico - George Town, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Jamaica

 Doing the final checking was easy. Just had to make sure we had all the info needed prior to starting.

The only negative I have at this time is there website is not extremely easy to use and caused us some problem. But on the other hand their phone customer service reps I have spoken too are wonderful. Yesterday I spoke with Michael and he is so helpful, patient and personable. Greta experience.

We are traveling with our friends, and look forward to them "teaching us the ropes" of cruising. Starting to gather all the things we need to take with us. I really hope we love this as I would love to cruise to Europe and then travel around Europe on train and either cruise or fly home. So I hope they WOW me!

For this first cruise we decided to go with the interior stateroom. We will see how we like it. The website shows this is what it will look like.

More soon.