Posts Tagged With: Harmony of the Seas

September Sail Away

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Doug and Jackie

It has been a hot summer here at the Hollow and although we have had the pleasure of using our swim spa to cool off, we didn’t have our usual beach getaway – what with the sale of our beloved motorhome last fall. So we were naturally itching to smell the salt air and feel the cool tropical breezes, this time with a short cruise to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Florida. We were set to sail aboard the revitalized Harmony of the Seas with my brother Jeff and his wife Vicki. We have been on Harmony a few times before, so this was a bit of a homecoming cruise aboard a ship we know well – and one objective was to try to beat the house at a craps table in the casino. Well, Jeff and I at least.

All the usual prep took place: a week of gathering what to pack, making sure we had all our reservations, documents, tip money, and getting the yard and house ready to be left for a week. Kodi (dog) went off to stay with Charlie (daughter’s dog), we set out food and water for Binx (cat), set alarms and the coffee pot and tried to sleep. Up and out of the house early and we were on our way for the 8 hour trip through Atlanta (always a traffic concern) and down to Port Canaveral. We got to Jetty Park, which is a campground that sits along the Port inlet, a bit after check-in time of 3:00 and found our cabin. Jeff and Vic arrived there the day before and quickly met us to share what the spot was all about. What fun!

On the agenda:

Walk along the rock jetty and look for stuff in the water

Enjoy the beach for sun and surf

Figure where to eat for a good seafood meal

Talk about the upcoming cruise

Watch a cruise ship leave the port

Since we had that afternoon and the next day to explore before boarding the ship the following day, we totally did it all. The jetty gave us a chance to spot many turtles, a few jellyfish, smaller fish and a school of larger fish and a quick sighting of a large spotted eagle ray. Amazing! We watched Oasis of the Seas leave for their cruise that evening and had ourselves a nice meal dockside. But our next full day had lots more surprises.

As we were headed up to the beach the next morning, chairs, cooler and umbrellas in tow, someone told us there were manatees on the beach. What?? Hurry, hurry. Yes, there they were, maybe 6 or 7 in the wash of the low tide, rolling and sloshing around. Every so often one would heft back into the waves and then wash back to the group. We were assured that this was normal behavior. Just a very special sighting of these big creatures right there on the beach with us.

After a day of sun and swim, plus a trip to the Ron Jon mother ship store (oh you know the one), we were kinda tired and wondering about the evening’s outing: a kayak tour in the Banana River mangroves to see bioluminescence. Yep, at 9:00 we were loading up on kayaks in a very dark spot on the water to see …. What again? Oh yeah, something out of Avatar – water that glowed when you stirred it. And it did. If you dipped your hands in and ran it down your arm it looked like glowing paint – sort of blue-green-white. As you glided along in the kayak, your paddles stirred and dripped the glow and you would see bright flashes as fish jumped and moved through the water around you. How very cool. Nearby a manatee sloshed and splashed. You couldn’t see the beast, but you sure did see the bright splash of water.

We had small nets and tried to fish out some comb jellies that we looked at once we were back on shore. In a jar they continued to glow when disturbed, they lit up once more when we returned them to the river. This was definitely worth staying up for – a dark moonless night with glowing water all around us.

But that also meant we had to switch gears back in camp, putting the beach and camp things back in the car and getting suitcases ready for the ship in the morning. Wake up, pack up, brush off the sand, grab coffee and drive a half mile to the ship, drop luggage, circle around to find a parking spot, carry a small bag with gear to the security line, show passports, get seapass cards, find the priority line to board (for Royal credit card holders) and walk aboard to find that first drink! Yes, we made it! Nothing like that first moment on board. We chilled on the Rising Tide bar with drinks in hand and watched the other arrivals. It was all of 11:00 in the morning. Jackie went to get a specialty coffee on deck just off the bar area and almost didn’t get back in before it closed to rise. If you don’t know, this bar rises three decks and you need to be “on” before it rises or lowers. She made it, crisis averted.

So day one was set for fun. We joined the rest of the passengers in the crowded buffet for lunch, then hit the pool deck since we already had our suits on. Of course Jeff and I did the racing waterslides twice (and I beat him down both times) before grabbing a Lime & Coconut drink that came in a little bucket. Our rooms were ready by 1:00, our bags arrived not much after that and we were soon all set to check out the newly upgraded ship.

One new enhancement was the replacement of the robotic Bionic Bar with the tropical Pesky Parrot Bar – with definite tiki hut vibes. Frozen margaritas and coladas on tap plus some other tasty and fruity rum drinks. Of course we sampled. It was a nice first day aboard, with a meal in the main dining room followed by the Voices singing show in the theater. But it was also time to hit the casino to try our luck at craps. We were impressed with the expanded non-smoking casino and bar and were surprised to find the craps table darn crowded. We did manage to find a spot at the rail and test our strategies. I managed to double my money – a good first night, but not too sure how that will hold up all week.

Day two was our day in Nassau. Normally we stay on the ship in this port, but Royal Caribbean has just opened their latest hot spot called Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island. It is an upcharge to visit the all-inclusive strip of beach just across from the dock unlike the included Perfect Day CoCo Cay. We got a good deal on the package, so off we went on one of the special ferries for a quick trip across the harbor. We tried to figure how to enjoy the club and decided to start at one end and slowly visit along the strip during the day. Good decision. There are three zones to enjoy: Paradise Beach, Party Cove and Chill Beach. Both of the beaches are gorgeous sand with clear blue water and plenty of loungers and umbrellas. Pools sit behind the beachfront and bars are nearby. Party Cove is aptly named, as a DJ spins up party sounds and the pool gets filled with folks enjoying the swim-up bar. Fun time with the Flamingo dancers joining in. The food selection was good too, with conch fritters, grilled shrimp, lobster wraps, salads and fruits. My favorite was to get a cup of the pineapple soft serve and top it with Kraken Rum. Back onboard we watched the Fine Line aqua show at the Aqua Theater followed by another session at the craps table.

Jeff and I couldn’t figure why the entire casino was again very busy and the craps table full. Once we did get a spot it became clear that these were regular gamblers who knew each other and for the most part had earned a free cruise and were building their points for future free cruises. Ah well, we had a great time learning the play action and staying on the positive side.

We had two sea days on this cruise, the port day in Nassau with another day at Perfect Day CoCo Cay. At CoCo Cay we paid for the adults only area called Hideaway Beach. This was a much calmer day than our last visit, plus the water was a perfect temperature. After some time on the beach we hopped in the very large pool for a bit, enjoyed drinks at the swim-up bar and had some food. Before heading back to the ship we rode around to South Beach for a dip, then over to the Oasis Lagoon pool. We were joined by the Utopia of the Seas in port, so it was a lively crowd on CoCo Cay. The evening entertainment was “Columbus,” a show we thoroughly enjoy. It is a lively story about Columbus’s younger brother and his adventures at sea. It features a large ship that moves about the stage and is quite an impressive prop. Loved it.

Sea days poolside were hot and crowded, as you would expect, but we found some shade and would cool off under the showers. The weather was perfect – no hurricanes or tropical storms! We caught Jeff and Vic in line for laser tag and figured that might be fun. So we found ourselves with 12 others in two teams (aliens v. robots) fighting it out on the ice rink. Actually, this was very cool, with an inflated maze, blacklights and crazy colors in an otherwise dark arena. We were outfitted with lighted vests and our laser guns and tried our best to zap the enemy. I think maybe the kids in the group did better than us adults – I spent a lot of time “recovering” before being able to shoot back. But it was a lot of fun.

At night we watched the ice show “1887 A Journey in Time.” Excellent show. Oh, and another night at the craps table with the usual crowd. By the last night things in the casino had cooled off and we were giving back much of what we had won. Time to cash out. I pretty much broke even for the 5 nights, which I considered a success, given how much time we had at the table.

Later that last evening we sipped drinks and watched the sunset from the top deck. It was soon time to pack the bags and think back on the adventures we had for the week. Oh, and to try those last few specialty drinks at the Trellis Bar, the Schooner Bar, the Solarium Bar and the Lime & Coconut. Yum.

Disembarking the ship the last morning can be tricky, but we did manage to leave the ship without much waiting around. Collected our bags, passed through customs (facial rec) and found the car off in the parking lot. Eight hours later we were back home, with three loads of laundry, an empty fridge (nearly), and a cat that admonished us for being gone so long. Well, at least the dog was happy once we picked him up from the grandsons’ care.

Next up for these happy travelers? Well, this cruise was kind of a bonus – time to spend with family and to try our luck at the craps table. Next one was planned a year ago to visit the ABC Islands in the South Caribbean and to check out Celebrity Cruises newest ship: Xcel. We have some snorkeling planned and want to experience one of the special Edge class ships. So it will be off again on another adventure! We’ll keep you posted and thanks for reading along.

Categories: Cruising | Tags: adventure, Caribbean, cruise, Cruising, Florida, Harmony of the Seas, Jetty Park, Royal Caribbean, travel | 1 Comment

Snorkeling the Western Caribbean

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Doug and Jackie

It’s mid-October in Atlanta and the temperature has finally dropped from 97 degrees to a more fall-like 65 degrees with 40’s overnight. Jeans have replaced shorts, shoes replaced sandals and it is cold enough to use the firepit. Yet here I am at the pool bar, sipping a fruity frozen drink as a warm breeze blows ripples across the water. What just happened? Maybe I better back up the story a bit …

You see, since our last great cruise on the Harmony of the Seas this summer, Jackie and I stated rather firmly that we would not be cruising again for a year or so, since we had plenty to do back home with grandson-sitting, beer festivals, maybe a fall camping weekend and such. But it was just fine if Dad and the family wanted to head out to the Caribbean once again, we would wish them well. So plans were made for Dad, my brother Jeff and wife Vickie – even my sister Linda and husband Norman – to head out to the Western Caribbean on the Harmony of the Seas for a fall cruise. Good stuff – wish you well.

But things got complicated when Norm’s family announced a trip to the Canadian Rockies and suddenly Linda was a single cruiser and gosh she needed a way to get to Port Canaveral via Atlanta (from California) and wouldn’t it be nice if Doug picked her up from the airport and drove her to the port and heck, he could even be her cabin mate. Hey, Doug, whatcha think? Well it seems that, being retired, Jackie and I go where we are needed: so that meant cruising as a plus-one with my sister.

Turns out it was a great time. We drove to Orlando and spent the night, checking out two breweries of course. Hourglass Brewing had a lot on tap so of course we had two flights between us. Then a return visit to Rockpit Brewing meant another pint to try before returning to the hotel.

Up early in the morning and off to the ship! We parked, checked in and were on the ship by 10:30 – just minutes before Jeff, Vic and Dad arrived. This trip Jeff arranged a scooter for Dad, so we had to practice getting him in and out of the room and around the ship. Turns out it was the BEST move, as he was soon zipping along on his own.

How about some highlights from the ports and sea days aboard ship you ask?

Perfect Day at Coco Cay

The scooter made a world of difference for Dad, who was down the gangway and on his way across the dock to the Oasis Lagoon pool in no time. We found lounge chairs by the huge pool and were soon sloshing around with drinks in hand. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, as you can see from the pictures.

The only disappointment was the snorkeling reef. Over the years we have been coming here, the area to snorkel has been corralled in closer to shore and the last hurricane seems to have damaged the reef enough that you really didn’t have much to see.

Cozumel Snorkeling

The three reef excursion Linda and I took certainly was a change from Coco Cay. We walked around and through the maze of shops on shore to find a taxi to the departure marina to meet our guides.

Turns out there were only four of us on the small boat, which was awesome. Snorkeling in Cozumel is usually a float over the reef with the water current moving you slowly along. We saw triggerfish (Queen and black), angelfish (Queen and French), parrotfish, yellow snapper, blue tang, butterfly fish, scrawled filefish, trunkfish and a couple of black and white eels. Check the video: Cozumel Reef Snorkel

We had a photographer along who kept attracting the yellow and black Sergeant Majors in front of us to get photos – nice at first, but a bit annoying if you were looking at something else on the bottom. Overall, it was amazingly clear and a great snorkel. A float vest I purchased worked out perfect, along with a rashguard shirt that substituted for sunscreen (they are serious about protecting their reefs – no sunscreen). Fish identification was much easier thanks to some waterproof cards I bought from fishcards.com. Thanks to Michael Greenberg for all his help getting us these essential cards. We had a few cold Coronas on the way back to the marina while sharing what we saw.

Roatan Snorkeling

Getting to the reef in Roatan from our dock in Coxen Hole was much more of an ordeal than in Cozumel, where the reef was in sight of the ship. Jeff, Vic, Linda and I made our way ashore (where they are in mid-construction of a second big dock), wound through the maze of shops once again and found our excursion driver. Into a van with four other divers and we were off to the northeast coast. It was an hour’s drive up and over the mountains along a busy 2-lane road that was surrounded by small houses (barely one-room shacks by our standards) and market stalls. Despite all the happy house hunters I have seen on HGTV, I can’t say that I would have chosen to retire to the island. Not exactly prospering.

But once we reached our destination at Turquoise Bay Beach and Dive Resort it all changed. The small marina had several dive boats and we were soon joined by 5 others with Subway Watersports to head to the reef and snorkel. Next to us was a beachside resort that we would be able to enjoy after the snorkel. Not far off shore we were moored and ready to slip in the water in a sandy spot that was maybe 6 feet deep with a few sea stars. There was a bit of wind chop as we were directed ahead to find an underwater oasis of coral, sponges and fish that were just amazingly beautiful.

The “wall” was covered with sponges, fans and corals of all sorts. The fish were much like what we saw at Cozumel, darting in and around the corals. A lionfish was pointed out to us along with a yellow trumpetfish. Our guide took my gopro down to get a shot of the lionfish (which was stunning, although destructive to many native fish on the reefs). Again, my vest was a big help, since we were probably snorkeling the reef for an hour. The sponges and corals (thanks to my ID cards) seemed to be sea whips, sea fans, tube sponges (blue and yellow), sea fingers, vase sponges, staghorn coral, brain coral, star coral … gosh so many colors and shapes. Check the video: Roatan, Honduras Snorkel

As I mentioned, we were able to hang out at the beach resort until our taxi arrived to take us back to the ship. Totally gorgeous spot on the water – dreamy. But since we would be leaving port early and Roatan was 2 hours behind ship’s time, we were a bit anxious when it had not arrived. We were told we would be waiting for the divers in our party to return, but when they were overdue and in fact were choosing to continue their dive, the excursion owner opted to have one of his staff drive us back to port. We made it with time to spare, but grumbled about the decision by our fellow passengers to have extended their dive at our expense.

Costa Maya Shopping

We were surprised to hear Dad say he wanted to go ashore in Costa Maya to buy a shirt, but once again the scooter made that possible. He was down the gangway and speeding along the dock ahead of all of us, making a beeline for the cluster of shops on shore. He found his shirt while shopping, as did the rest of us, and soon we were all back aboard. Costa Maya is pretty much the shopping arcade, a water park and some nearby excursions and nothing else for miles around. But the coastline is very pretty and our sail away was beautiful.

Around the Ship and Sea Days

Now this is a big ship and you have a few of your close friends with you – about 6,000 of them, with about 3,000 crew members. So finding a lounge chair on sea days can be challenging. You have to first get your Irish coffee at the Park Cafe, find something good for breakfast (waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup maybe?) then grab a mimosa or bloody mary and head for the towel check. Maybe some sunscreen gets slathered on and you are all set – until Jeff says “hey let’s go do the waterslides!

So we climbed the stairway to the waterslides for the highest view aboard ship and zipped down. The “toilet bowl” slide was a first time for Linda and she screamed the whole way down. I did the dark Abyss dry slide again; we bobbed in the pool and Jeff and I decided to brave the Flowrider kneeboard. The board took a moment to get the hang of, what with all the water shooting at you, but soon we both got up on our knees and … well, we took a few falls and scooted around the fast-moving sheet of water. Totally fun and a real blast – I definitely got better as the week went on, but neither of us felt confident enough to do the stand-up wakeboards. Check the video: How We Did Harmony of the Seas

Dinners were in the main dining room, except the night that three of us ate at Jamie’s Italian (oh my gosh was it a lot of delicious food!). A plank of meats and cheeses, garlicky prawns, lasagna, pasta and lamb chops washed down with a delicious red wine and followed by a huge plank of desserts. We had a delightful serving staff at dinner, with special after-dinner shots to toast the day (thank you Mikayla). Late nights involved pizza slices and Octoberfest beer and lunch involved the famous Royal Kummelweck roast beef sandwich in Central Park. We all lunched at the Sabor Taqueria one day and had a fabulous and filling meal – so much so that we skipped the dining room and just did nibbles for dinner.

And of course we had to spend time in the casino. The odds were not in our favor on the craps table and as the week went on, fewer folks were playing it. But Dad had pretty fair luck at the roulette wheel, so he spent more time there than we did. He also seemed to attract his share of women who became helpful friends. One couple adopted him as their good luck charm and we ran into them several times around the ship. Actually, everyone he met was very accommodating and helpful as he navigated his scooter.

We were naturally concerned about Dad on the days that he remained on board and we went ashore for excursions. When we returned from Cozumel he told us that he had found the spa and toured the gym and made an appointment for a haircut and shampoo. Then when we returned from our Roatan excursion he shared how he drove around the buffet with a plate of food and a bowl of soup, driving one-handed. And to think we were worried about him!

The shows were also well done – we all watched Columbus the musical, the Fine Line aqua show (twice) and Linda and I saw the ice show 1887 (very good). Headliner show was the Company Men, which Dad declared all “yelling and screaming – I don’t recognize any of the music” but the rest of us thought their mash-ups from the past decades was well done.

But aboard this huge ship, you can just sit somewhere and relax, maybe in the Central Park gardens while a guitarist plays. Or people-watch on the Promenade on formal night. Or ride the elevator with the piano player. Or watch the sunset from the Mast Bar on deck 16 or even better from the “King of the World” overlook. Maybe create your own drink from the robots in the Bionic Bar or discover the quiet Wonderland Bar for a martini. Watch the street parade from the Schooner Bar with a coconut mojito. It is easy to forget you are cruising off the coast of Cuba or Honduras.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Canadian Rockies . . .

… Norm was enjoying a beer in a hot tub in the midst of a snowstorm – – while his replacement was lounging by the pool in the warm Caribbean sun. Ahhh, Life is Good.

Categories: Cruising | Tags: Coco Cay, Costa Maya, Cozumel, cruise, Harmony of the Seas, Hourglass Brewing, Roatan, Rockpit Brewing, Royal Caribbean, Royal Caribbean Cruises, snorkeling | 2 Comments

The BIG Cruise

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Doug and Jackie

Some time after the holidays this year my brother told me that he and Dad were planning their next cruise in April and I enthusiastically wished them well. Jackie, John, Dad and I had done a Carnival cruise over Halloween to Nassau and I was just fine passing up any cruise for the next year. But things evolved and the cruise choice was no longer a 5-day out of Charleston but a 7-day out of Port Canaveral aboard the Oasis of the Seas, the first mega-ship by Royal Caribbean. Jackie and I still felt we were just fine sitting this one out and, again, we wished them well.

During a late January visit with Dad, he and my brother leaned on me to join them on the cruise — Dad pulling a bit of a guilt trip “I just want both my boys with me .. not sure how many cruises I have left in me” .. so I agreed to think it over, which meant of course we booked ourselves on the cruise shortly afterward. Heck, it should be fun on the Oasis class ship.

Then an accident happened while the ship was docked in Nassau for maintenance. A crane fell into the stern AquaTheater, the ship slipped and the (new word) azipods were damaged below. We kept our fingers crossed, but two weeks before sailing we learned the cruise was cancelled, refund was on the way, future cruise credit to be applied. Oh well.

But we would not be deterred. Since that meant that 3 cruises of 6,000 passengers each were now looking to re-book their cruise, Jeff and I jumped on the phone to contact our travel agents and find some options. The solution was the next ship scheduled to leave from Port Canaveral, the newer Harmony of the Seas, which was the same Oasis class of ship that hosted 6,000 guests and 2,000 crew. We booked the second week of June for an Eastern Caribbean cruise and hoped for the best.

So our most recent adventure just completed was an amazing cruise aboard a floating hotel/mall. Seriously, this ship had everything and really felt like you weren’t even on a ship most of the time. Not sure I can fully describe the wonderful time we had and all the available amenities the ship had to offer, but I will certainly try. I also have some videos that will take a bit longer to edit, but I promise to post them soon. I was having fogging issues with my 35mm camera aboard ship, what with the cold AC in the room and the warmer, tropical air out on deck, but the GoPro was good with the underwater shots and such.

Pre-Cruise Orlando
We drove to the Orlando airport area the day before, since it is about 7 hours (8 if you drive through rainstorms like we did) and stayed overnight. That meant we were less than an hour from the ship’s terminal and would have no problem arriving before Jeff, Vic and Dad (oh no, I am not competitive at all). So after checking in at the Best Western we searched for “breweries near me” and found several choices.

Since Rockpit Brewing also served barbecue, that was the choice for dinner, followed up by Dead Lizard brewing. I enjoyed Rockpit’s Yudu Yuzu, a sour Berliner Weiss, Jackie liked Nudge, Nudge golden ale and we both liked a mango beer that neither of us can remember the name of.

Slipping in the door of Dead Lizard we were immediately asked if we had a lighter – it seems they were having a birthday celebration going on and no one brought matches for the birthday candles. Sorry, we are just here for the beer (and the sticker), so we moved to the bar and ordered a flight. Pretty funky vibe to the place and we enjoyed a Hefeweizen Orange Ya Glad I Didn’t Say Banana and Key Lime Chameleon Cream-Sic-Ale. On the way out we got totally drenched in a downpour before heading back to our amply-air-conditioned room to chill for the night.

All Aboard!
Up and out and we were on our way through the Florida sunshine to the Cape and our ship. No traffic, no problems, parked close to the ship, breezed through check-in and we were in the boarding area by 10am. Within 20 minutes we were joined by the rest of our party and, gosh we were onboard in no time. Kudos to Royal Caribbean for a very smooth check-in and embarkation process. Now, where is that first drink??

We explored the ship, got lost and turned around more than once, found our way to the Solarium Bistro for lunch, found several bars, stood for the safety lesson, checked out our room and settled in for fun. As I have said before, the first day aboard ship is the most exciting and the sail-away is exhilarating. As you stand on the rail watching the shoreline pass by and disappear into the distance, all the stress of the trip and worries back home just slip away. It’s party time!

So what exactly did we do?
I’m not sure when we did just what onboard, mostly on the three sea days, but I can share the activities. And we had three ports of call, so hang on, it’s a busy schedule.

Perfect Day CocoCay
This was a totally different experience from our last visit to the private island. The investment of over $250 million to transform this island into a waterpark with a new dock (no tenders!) was fantastic. We didn’t pay the extra fee to ride the waterslides, zipline or splash in the wave pool, but we did enjoy the upgraded food service, bars, huge Oasis Lagoon pool with swim-up bar and the snorkeling off Chill Island beach. It is a clean, lush landscape that just opened officially and it is a game changer.

After snorkeling and lunch we were enjoying the pool while a film crew used drones to capture the crowd for an upcoming promotional video. Perfect Day got a little less perfect when thunderstorms moved close and everyone was whistled out of the water. The rain made it easier to find a lounge chair, but I am guessing that thunder-rumbling, rain-soaked footage won’t make the “perfect day” video. Darn, and I was looking pretty good in those fly-by shots!

St. Thomas
We cruised into the port at St. Thomas about noon, a beautiful approach to this island. We were keeping it pretty casual that day and decided not to fight our way to a beach or snorkeling location, since we had a nice excursion planned for the next day.

So it made for a good day of having fun around the ship without the crowds. We never really felt like there were 6,000 other people crowded around us anyway – except on the pool deck on sea day afternoons – which is to Royal Caribbean’s credit for having so many places to hang out.

St. Maarten
This was our first time to the French/Dutch island and we were lucky to be the only ship in port at Philipsburg. Another gorgeous green-mountain island with a broad curve of beach along the harbor.

We had booked a snorkel excursion on a small-boat tour, hoping to avoid the disappointing experience in Nassau where we were overloaded with 60+ folks on a kayak, paddleboard, snorkel, party boat. Jackie and I walked the half-mile along Great Bay to the boat dock to check in and were told that once the other party of 2 arrived we would be good to go. That meant that all four of us had the boat to ourselves for a fabulous private tour along the coast.

First stop was snorkeling in Little Bay, a cove below the pelicans of Fort Amsterdam with clear water and some reef fish. The bottom was mostly rock and not much in the way of fans and corals, but there were fish around and some sunken artifacts (canon, helicopter, small sub, grocery cart?).

Back onboard and we zipped along the coastline, noticing the remaining damage from previous hurricanes (two Cat 5 within 10 days). Captain passed around a bowl of french bread, cheese and apple slices and we washed it all down with a cold beer. Hey, snorkeling is hard work. We stopped in the path of approaching aircraft as a jet passed overhead to land at the airport. This is the famous Princess Julianna airport with an over-water approach where people get blown around during jet takeoffs. Just Google Maho Beach. Then we crossed to the French coastline and hopped out for a swim in a turquoise water cove, Baie Longue, surrounded by villas that rent for thousands a night (Belmond La Samanna). Ahh, and we got to enjoy the same beautiful waters that they did. Time to head back to the ship and across some choppy water that made for a bouncy ride on a beautiful afternoon. Snorkel video is posted here.

The excursion was really a treat. Back at the dock we stepped out of the boat with our gear, except that I was so focused on my footing that I completely missed the overhead metal rail of the bimini and “klunk” I hit it hard with my head. Had I been watching earlier, I would have noticed Jeff do the same thing as he was getting out. Ah … what’s a little blood in the scalp?

Aboard Ship
When we weren’t lounging by the pool or slipping down the waterslides, we might have been walking down the indoor Promenade (just like a mall), sitting at an outdoor cafe in the garden areas of Central Park listening to Spanish guitar, having a drink at an Irish Pub with a folk guitarist, watching robots fix our drinks or trying our luck at the casino. Our rooms were upper level balconies that overlooked the Central Park “canyon” so it was also nice to sit with a drink and listen to the music or wake up with a cup of coffee out on the balcony and people watch.

The casino was a destination for Dad most evenings, as he loves to play roulette. Jeff and I sat with him and played a few times – actually we donated to the casino, but our game is the craps table. We had our ups and downs and some nights were just wild at the table with some good runs, but in my case I came away just less than even for the week. Actually that is great, considering how long we played all week and what fun we had. We met the friendliest casino dealers who would really help you understand how to improve your odds and by week’s end came to recognize you. What fun.

Food
We did our best to try every eatery on board and enjoyed them all. Of course everyone heads to the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch but we ventured away from that most days. The Park Cafe had delicious roast beef sandwiches and salads for lunch on the terrace in Central Park and Sorrento’s had pizza almost all night. The Solarium Bistro (the adults-only area on the decks 14 – 16 at the bow) had slightly lighter fare and a great view. There were several up-charge specialty restaurants that we mostly skipped.

Dad, Jackie and I ate lunch at Jamie’s Italian (complimentary for balcony bookings) on a sea day and were totally stuffed. Appetizer was an antipasto plank of cold meats, cheeses, olives and veggies; main courses were pasta, burgers and salads. We each made a dessert choice, whereupon our waiter asked why not all of them?

So, as you can see in the picture, we were served another plank with Tiramisu, Lemon meringue cheesecake, brownie, Almond sponge cake, and a raspberry pavlova confection. Yikes.

Dinner was mostly in the main dining room (short ribs and rack of lamb were the best), but we also tried the Solarium Bistro on the upper deck for dinner as we sailed out of St. Thomas and then the Izumi Japanese hibachi grill on the last night. That was a hilarious show of food preparation that none of us had yet experienced. Chef tossed pieces of egg for us to catch in our mouths – ok, weird but fun – and a few of us (Doug and Dad) nailed it on the first try.

Lobster, scallops, chicken were all delicious, and the tenderloin beef was mouthwatering. And some strange ice cream-filled dough balls for dessert.

Jackie and I also had a complimentary dinner at Wonderland, themed with Alice in mind.

Definitely something different, with all sorts of special food effects – smoked buffalo chicken eggs, “liquid” olives and mushrooms, spicy tuna in frozen limes, baked halibut and branzino. Quite the presentation, capped by a dessert plate of fungi: mango sorbet with cake and meringue mushrooms in pop-rocks dirt and a crazy bit of wizardry: The World – a chocolate sphere that melts before your eyes as the waiter drizzles hot caramel sauce, revealing salted caramel ice cream and chocolate mousse. Wow.

Drink
I did get a chuckle on the first day when I pulled out a bar checklist for each of us – crazy Doug – but later in the week we were all caught checking which bars we might have missed! “Oh, did I get a drink on each floor the Rising Tide bar stopped at?” “What about the Bionic Bar?” “Darn, I missed a glass of wine at Vintages.”

The robot arms of Bionic Bar

If you purchase the Deluxe Drink Package, you will have more than 16 bars to choose from. Poolside, in the Central Park garden area, restaurants, Promenade (mall) area, Solarium (adults only), plus the island of CocoCay. Yeah. That’s right. You try it without a list! Plus specialty coffees with a shot to start your day, like Icy Bourbon Mint Coffee.

We definitely gave our beverage package a workout.

Fun
Yep, another checklist just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. Besides the snorkeling in St. Maarten and CocoCay, there were plenty of activities onboard. Check the video that combines the fun from our two cruises on Harmony of the Seas: How We Did Harmony of the Seas

Whirlpools, main pool, the 9 deck drop on the Ultimate Abyss dry slide, three waterslides, rock climbing wall (made it halfway), zipline over the boardwalk “canyon” … busy, busy. We didn’t ride the carousel, ice skate, or play mini-golf, nor did we try surfing the flo-riders, but it was fun to watch. We saw the Jules Verne styled ice show “1887”, “Grease”, “Columbus, the Musical”, “Fine Line” and “Big Daddy’s” aquashows and a rock tribute band, all of which were top-notch entertainment.

You might not have the pool to yourself

Riding the waterslides was crazy, since two of them were designed for you to race your opponent. Jeff and I swapped winning times, but maybe my worst showing was when halfway down the dark tube I realized the water was pretty much disappearing and I slowed to a stop. “Send water!” Soon a gush hit me from behind and I started to move along again, but it might have been a long squooch, squooch crawl to the end. And yes, Jackie did try the Ultimate Abyss, which also lost some steam at the finish and we both had to scoot ourselves out of the last 3 feet of slide. The launching pad was the best part, as you are perched on a glass floor high above the stern of the ship!

I guess this all sounds like one big commercial for Royal Caribbean, but it turned out to be a much easier cruise for Dad than we expected and I do have to give credit to the cruise line for a ship that was well designed. It never felt crowded, it was gorgeously appointed, there was plenty to do for all ages, the rooms were thoughtfully laid out, staff was abundant, friendly and attentive. Dad had his walker and our rooms were close to elevators, so it was easy enough for him to head to the casino or up to the buffet on days when we were ashore. Jeff and I figured out how to push him along backwards in the walker when we needed to cover some ground quickly, and he was a good sport to go along with it. These twice-a-year cruises are his big vacation getaways, and as his escorts we are happy to go along (but seriously, we need some time to recover!)

Once we got back home we were greeted by two of the five fawns born around our yard this year. I guess they thought we had left town for good this time and they had the run of the place. Kodi keeps a careful eye out now and the mommas don’t seem to be as fiercely protective, so it seems safe to use the backyard again.

Up Next?
Well, it isn’t really an adventure, but it does involve the motorhome. We head to the mountains of North Carolina to help John with some work on the cabin he is building. It is under roof now and I think we will be doing some staining and working on the deck railing. Once again we will pack the motorhome with supplies and the pets for a trip to the mountains.

If you haven’t checked out some of my latest glass creations, be sure to look over the Glass Totems page and then catch up with recent events on the Happenings page. Stay tuned for a brief blog with some of the crazy video from the cruise, once I get it edited.

Thanks for following along on the adventures. And to borrow a phrase from our cruise director, “bing bong.”

Doug