The last day of our cruise is here, and it is another sea day.

I wanted to take this blog post to look back on our 8-night adventure and share some thoughts on the cruise experience.

If this is the first live blog post for this cruise you are reading, I suggest stopping and going back to read the other live blog posts first, to provide context.

Adventure Ocean

I wanted to start with Adventure Ocean because this is by far what provided the biggest WOW factor to me.

Time and time again, I am impressed by the Adventure Ocean staff for the sheer amount of programming they offer and the staff's passion for the kids they watch.

These are not a bunch of adults, sitting in a corner talking to each other and occasionally breaking up toy fights.  

The Adventure Ocean staff really enjoyed interacting with the kids and playing with them.  They learned the kids names and I really felt like they cared.

Both the Nursery and Adventure Ocean programming amazes me and any family considering a Royal Caribbean cruise should not worry one bit about kids programming onboard, because they do a phenomenal job.

Entertainment

The entertainment that was offered was usually pretty good, and I enjoyed the evening shows, performances and activities the entertainment staff planned.  Great stuff.

What was odd about the entertainment was the scheduling.  It felt like there just was not as many activities as I recall on other Voyager or Freedom class ships.  There were sea day afternoons that felt like we were in port, and evenings where it seemed like they could have offered more.

Again, what they offered was great and the Broadway reveue, ice show and bar entertainment were great.  I would have preferred to have seen some more activities, namely trivia, as well as a classical music group.  

I also believe a great deal of what Navigator of the Seas offers are on-your-own activities, such as the FlowRider, mini-golf, pools, rock climbing wall, ice skating, etc. 

Special recognition to guitar player Jimmy in the pub, the ice skating team and the live band that played the pool and Promenade.  Worth seeing any of them, all the time.

Dining

The food in the main dining room, Windjammer and various other spots was all quite good.

I have always said food is such a subjective thing, and something you absolutely love, I might absolutely hate.  Neither of us are wrong.

The food on Navigator of the Seas ranged from "average" to "very good/excellent" and I think overall, Royal Caribbean does a great job with what they offer. 

The breakfast eggs are still inedible (that is a fleet-wide problem), but the omelet bar makes up for it and there was a good variety of food for lunch and dinner.

In addition, crowds were never an issue with any dining venue.  At worst, Windjammer between 9-10am would be busy, but never unbearable.

Our main dining room waiters were great and our waiter might have been one of the best in terms of service. 

Specialty Dining

We ate at three specialty restaurants during this cruise: Giovanni's Table, Sabor and Izumi.

All were great and serve up really good food and present excellent values.

Royal Caribbean is a market leader when it comes to specialty dining and their restaurants are not just another revenue stream.  Rather, they offer fantastic food choices that are well worth your time and money and frankly, if you are not trying at least a couple of them on a cruise, you are missing out.

Ports/Itinerary

A major factor in picking this cruise was the itinerary and the ports did not disappoint.

If I was in charge, I would have changed up the itinerary slightly just to smoothe things out.

We were in Labadee from 7am - 3pm, then San Juan 2pm - 9pm, then St. Kitts 9am - 6pm and St. Maarten 10am - 5pm.

What I would have done is stuck a sea day between San Juan and St. Kitts and then extended our San Juan stay until like 2am or some other late hour that would allow guests to really enjoy San Juan's nightlife.

Not to mention, four port days in a row is tough and by St. Maarten, we were exhausted.

Nonetheless, I would take this itinerary again in a heartbeat.  Great variety of ports and they all were quite lovely to visit.

Crown and Anchor

This was our first cruise as Diamond members and we were pretty excited to take advantage of it.

There are two benefits that stood out to us with being Diamond members: access to the Diamond Lounge and the drink coupons each evening.

The Diamond Lounge is quite nice to have and it did get busy there in the evenings.  It is a nice hideaway, although with kids, we did not spend a lot of time there.

I thought the drink coupons would be more useful to me than they were, probably because you are limited to a selection of liquor, wine and beers.  

I admit I am a drink snob and my favorite drinks are mixed cocktails that were not included.  I am also not a huge drinker anyway, so I made my peace with the drink coupons. My wife, on the otherhand, liked her Bailey's on the rocks and just goes to show you different strokes for different folks.

Stateroom

We had a Junior Suite this cruise, with all four of us in one room.

The room was much larger than I was expecting, and we easily fit us all in there, even with the sofa bed that opens up and the crib.

The balcony was also larger than I was expecting and I forgot how nice it is having an ocean-facing balcony.  With this itinerary and great weather, the balcony was such a great perk.

My wife and kids also really liked having a bath tub.

With all of that said, with the kids as young as they are, we will book two staterooms from now on because of the sleeping situation.

Having a second room allows the baby to sleep while the rest of us can be up and about.  At night and during naps, our stateroom became a silent prison, where we all had to remain still, quiet and in the dark so that the baby could sleep/nap.

In addition, two bathrooms with two staterooms is also a huge bonus.

When they kids get older and can understand the concept of going to bed with the lights still on or some other people talking, we might revisit one room.  But for the timebeing, it is two rooms or bust for this family!

Stray Observations

• Never underestimate the power of asking. We got luggage tags for a 9:45 departure, which is really late.  A quick trip to Guest Services and we had a much earlier tag.
• Speaking of luggage tags, as Junior Suite guests, we had priority embarkation but do not get priority disembarkation.  I could have sworn I read we had priority disembarkation too, but I am mistaken.
• The casino is a cruel mistress, who happens to have a lot of my money.
• Nursery gives parents pagers instead of phones. That is different from every other Royal Caribbean cruise I have been on to date.
• My oldest daughter is the mayor of Adventure Ocean Aquanauts.  When she walks in, she is the Norm to their Cheers.  
• The weather today was incredible. No humidity, sunny and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.  This kind of weather is making it ten times more difficult to say goodbye tomorrow.
• Having that extra day (8-nights instead of 7) is such a nice feeling and it did feel like this cruise was longer than usual.
• I wonder if I am one of the last Royal Caribbean guests to ever use non-Voom internet?
• It is very likely I had more Starbucks beverages than alcohol beverages on this cruise.
  

Overall

Without a doubt, we had a great time on this cruise and Navigator of the Seas remains my favorite cruise ship.

When you consider the value of what a cruise costs on this ship, the stateroom options and itineraries offered, I really do not think you can go wrong with this or any other Voyager-class ship.

It is a great size, and getting from one end to the other was never the ordeal that it can be on other ships.

The crew did an amazing job onboard and we enjoyed talking with them every day. Everyone would say hello as you walked by and they all paid extra attention to our kids.

I also wanted to take a moment to say a big thank you to everyone that followed along in this live blog.  I really, really, really enjoyed sharing this cruise with you and reading your comments and questions.  It is still an undeniably cool concept that I can be in the middle of the Caribbean and be sharing my cruise experience with all of you, all over the world. Thank you for being a part of the fun!

If you are wondering, my next cruise is on Freedom of the Seas on September 4, 2016, and you can join me for it!

It is our second sea day and second-to-last day on Navigator of the Seas.

For this sea day, we planned on very little.  We had felt so tired from the last four consecutive port days, we were so wiped out and needed to recharge.

The kids kind of slept in today, and we did not get up until 8:30am.  For parents, that is the equivalent of teenagers sleeping until noon.

Breakfast was up in the Windjammer and clearly we were not the only ones sleeping in.

It has not been easy to find lines, but if you want to really find some, go to the Windjammer after 9am.  It is then that you will find plenty of other guests.

After breakfast, we went up to the Optix teen room to check out the free play that Adventure Ocean has set up there.

From 9am to 5pm, there are toys for kids to play with at any time.

My daughter loved having lots of toys, and for parents, this is a happy medium between paying for the Nursery and trying to keep the kids entertained on your own.

My wife took our youngest for a morning nap and I headed to the Captain's Corner.

The Captain's Corner is an event where you get to ask the Captain, and other members of the senior staff, questions about Navigator of the Seas.

I took this opportunity to ask what the status of Voom is and why we did not get it.

The hotel director essentially said that Voom was activated on Navigator of the Seas, but they were still testing it.  He indicated it would likely be available for the May 8 sailing.

To me, it sounds like we missed it by a day, since our cruise began on April 30. Rats!

It was hot and partly cloudy outside, so plenty of guests were enjoying time by the pool.

I opted to stay inside and try logo trivia.

For logo trivia, we got a sheet of 50 logos to identify.

We got 43 out of 50 right, with the winning team getting 45/50.  So close!

After trivia, we collected the children and had lunch in the main dining room.

On sea days, the main dining room is open for lunch and it is a great option.

The kids ate their weight in grapes. My wife went with the Tutti Salad and I ordered a couple of dishes from the menu.  And they had coffee ice cream, so my day was made!

We let the kids play in Optix some more following lunch and then we all split up again, with the oldest back in Adventure Ocean, while the youngest and my wife napped.

I wish I had some really good stories for my afternoon, but it was mostly comprised of walking around and checking various things out.

The activitiy schedule was light for the day, so I poked around and spent some time at

• Casino
• Solarium
• R-Bar
• Promenade

I kind of wish I had just picked a spot and maybe taken a nap or at least just listened to some music, but I enjoyed walking around the ship and taking it all in.

I headed back to the room earlier than usual so that we could all get ready for dinner. 

We had hoped to get the kids dressed up for formal night, but the kids were not exactly cooperative so we figured it was easier to just let them be.

I had booked pre-dinner this evening at Izumi and for this time, I wanted to try something different.

Usually I get just sushi, but I opted for a salad... and some sushi.

I picked the Ahi and Albacore Tataki Salad, partly because it sounded good and partly because it was listed on the menu as a chef's recommendation.

Turns out, it was really good! Great blend of fish and vegetables and the dressing added just the right flavor to it.

Of course, the sushi was quite good too!

We got the kids fed and dropped off at Adventure Ocean and then my wife and I headed down to the Schooner Bar for TV theme song trivia.

We found another couple and played together and lost by two points.  So very close!

We booked dinner at Giovanni's Table tonight. 

We had tried to book dinner at Chops Grille, but they said they were booked solid.  Giovanni's Table just had one seating available, so we took it.

This was our first time having dinner at Giovanni's Table in quite some time, so I was excited to try the dinner menu again.

Overall, the food was great and their dinner menu is quite good.  Definitely need to stop here more often.

Tomorrow is our last day and it is a sea day. In addition to the usual summary, I will wrap up our cruise adventure with some thoughts on Navigator.

Stray Observations

• I spotted some new drink specials at various bars today. Very agressive pricing, which is great for those of us not on the drink package.
• There is a cancellation policy for Izumi if you do not cancel within 24 hours. Not sure about other restaurants, but worth noting.
• I have learned the key to taking advantage of those free drinks you get when you reach Diamond status is to start early.  4:30, not 7:00 is how the pros do it.
• I believe someone asked about the view from the gym.  The gym is on deck 11, so it still has a view out (although the ship's bridge somewhat blocks it).
• While waiting for Giovanni's Table, there was some private dinner function going on in the closed part of the Windjammer, but was being served by crew members and the table looked fancier than just another Windjammer meal. No clue what it was about.
  

Royal Caribbean is really getting into the celebratory mood with the launch of Ovation of the Seas, including a new beer bottle that celebrates the occasion too.

Karen Keeley shared with us this photo of a special Heineken bottle available to guests on Ovation of the Seas, that features a special look.

The bottle is a fun souvenir for guests and it is not the first time Royal Caribbean has partnered with a company to create a souvenir bottle.

When Oasis of the Seas launched, Royal Caribbean and Coca-Cola created a special Coke bottle just for Oasis of the Seas (which can still be found on eBay).

We are in St. Maarten today, and it is our last port to visit on this cruise!

Navigator of the Seas arrived in port right on time and we were across the dock from Freedom of the Seas.  

Independence of the Seas and a Carnival ship were also in port with us today.  This was the only day where we had any other ships in port with us, which is kind of odd.

We got ourselves ready and gave the kids just a banana and some milk to start with because we wanted to have breakfast/brunch on the island.

We disembarked and walked through the port area to find our driver.  

We made a pit stop for sunglasses, because the youngest broke my wife's sunglasses the other day.  Sadly, we had to find the first souvenir shop we could find and pay the $15 asking price for them.  C'est la vie, I suppose.

We had made arrangements with a driver named Leo Brown prior to our cruise to drive us around for the day.

Leo is someone we met many cruises ago and have used every single time in St. Maarten, because he is knowledgable, well-versed on what is available to see/do/eat/experience on the island and very reasonably priced.

We met Leo at the entrance to the port and we were off.

We made a quick pit stop at a supermarket on the Dutch side to pick some cheese and drinks.

We then headed to the French side of the island and to Marigot, to have some breakfast.

Leo brought us to this wonderful French bakery, where they had amazing freshly baked baguettes, croissants and other pastries.

We ate it with the cheese we picked up earlier in the outdoor seating area, close to the ocean. Magnifique!

We walked around Marigot a little bit, and stumbled on an outdoor market, where we perused the various items for sale and got the girls some ice cream to cool down.

Next, it was back in the car to head to the beach.

We made a pit stop at Friars Bay to see the beach there.  It looked lovely, but we wanted a beach that was a better fit for the kids.

We drove to Le Galion beach, which is a beach that is a protected cove, which means there are no waves.

The beach is beautiful, and you can get a beach chair and umbrella for 5 euros each.  

The reason we go to Le Galion is because the ocean is so calm here, the kids can run in and out of the ocean without concern of a wave knocking them down.  It is also super shallow for a long time, so our 5 year old can wade deeper than usual.

It was a great time playing, but the kids started to get tired so we packed into the car.

Our plan was to grab something to eat before going back to the ship, but the kids fell asleep in the car, so we just had Leo take the long way back to the ship to let them nap a little.

We bid adieu to Leo and thanked him for his services once returning to the port. It was then back on the ship for Sorrentos Pizza and showers.

Back on Navigator of the Seas, I was very hungry and decided to not only have something to eat, but enjoy a classic Royal Caribbean dish.

I ordered from room service the honey stung chicken. It may be gone from embarkation day lunch menu at the Windjammer, but its legacy lives on in your staterooms (20-45 minute waits at a time).

After showering and getting dressed, I took my oldest daughter for ice skating in Studio B.

It was her first time skating and I am not sure she really loved it, but she did not fall once (thanks to a death grip on my hand).

We dropped both children off at Adventure Ocean and then made our way to deck 4 for an all-time favorite.

For our pre-dinner drinks, we grabbed a drink at R-Bar.

Seeing as it was Cinco de Mayo, we had made reservations at Sabor Modern Mexican.  

My wife made reservations online months ago and for good reason, considering the place was packed.

We have enjoyed Sabor on every Royal Caribbean ship it had been offered and have loved it.  Amazing food, highlighted by even better guacamole.

One aspect that is wonderful about Sabor on Voyager- and Freedom-class ships versus Oasis-class ships is there are select margaritas that are hand-crafted in front of your table.

These are really great and were the perfect value for my handy, dandy drink card I purchased yesterday!

The meal was amazing and I ate much too much, but loved every bite of it.

Given all the fun we had in St. Maarten, lack of naps, and ungodly amount of food consumer at Sabor, my wife and I were really feeling quite tired.

We collected the children and called it a night early so that we could start tomorrow fresh (fresh is like 11am, right?).

Tomorrow is a sea day, and only our second sea day since day 2. Seriously.

Stray Observations

• Marigot has some great food and I would love to have spent more time there.  
• Leo informed us much of the Dutch side was closed today, because there was some holiday.
• There was literally not one empty table at Sabor tonight.  Clearly, Cinco de Mayo is a big deal, or at least a pretty good excuse to try Sabor.
• Knee pads are provided in addition to helmets for guests doing ice skating.
• The SeaPass card readers have the option for WOWBands.  I suspect it is more a coincidence that the POS provider Royal Caribbean partners with offers one model to all ships than a hint of what is to come to Navigator of the Seas.  But I could be totally wrong.
• No naps, no casino visits and no Diamond drinks. Clearly, Bizarro Matt is here.

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - San Juan
• Day 5 - St. Kitts
• Day 6 - St. Maarten
• Day 7 - Sea Day
• Day 8 - Sea Day

In 2016, Royal Caribbean will revitalize six ships in its fleet: Liberty of the Seas, Empress of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Radiance of the Seas. The massive project will introduce some of the many innovations the cruise line is known for. Take a look at how these ships are transformed bringing the best of Royal Caribbean onboard.

Welcome to the island of St. Kitts, which is our third port stop and it is my first time here.

We were scheduled to arrive at about 10am, so there was not much rush this morning.

The 1-year-old woke us up too early again, but we did get a chance to enjoy the view of us sailing into St. Kitts from the comfort of our balcony.

Prior to disembarkation, I made a Starbucks run and noticed a sign at Cafe Promenade advertising the rarely seen, but often discussed, drink card!

These drink cards are special promotions that a particular Royal Caribbean ship will offer on a particular itinerary, but there is no way to know or guarantee it will happen on your sailing.  Essentially, the ship's revenue manager will want to boost revenue and offer a drink card.

The drink card costs $80 and that gets you 10 drinks (beer or wine), including gratuity.  You can share the drink card and use it just like the Premium drink package.  It basically works everywhere, except for room service, mini-bar and does not include some of the crazy-expensive liquors.

I am generally not a fan of the unlimited drink packages because I, personally, cannot drink enough to "break even" on them over the course of the cruise, but a 10 drink card that I can share with my wife is a no-brainer.  That means all my drinks will cost $8, and with most cocktails at $10-12, it will be easy pickings for me!

Once we were docked, we headed off the ship for our excursion.

We had booked prior to the cruise the scenic railway excursion, where we would tour part of St. Kitts on an old train that used to be used for transporting sugar cane.

The excursion cost $109 per adult ($59 for kids, the 1 year old was free) and we boarded a bus to bring us to the train.

The bus driver gave us a tour of the island as we made our way to the train, giving history on the island as well as pointing out various points of interest.

You will board the train at one of two positions, depending on where the train happens to be from the last ride.

I will write up a formal review of the excursion for a future blog post, but essentially, you tour the countryside by train and get a chance to see a lot of the parts of the island that many excursions do not go.

Also included in the excursion is unlimited mixed drinks, sodas and water.

We picked this excursion because it was something completely different than we had done before and we thought it would low-impact for the kids.  I think the kids enjoyed it, not sure it was their favorite thing ever either. The one-year-old got stir crazy by the end and scenery is largely lost on her, but overall it served its purpose of doing something different.

We returned to the port area and I did a little perusing around the port area.  

We left the port area for a bit, but unlike Cozumel or Grand Cayman, there was not a whole lot that I could find that a tourist would find worthwhile purely on our own while walking.

I would like to return to St. Kitts so that we can do more exploring of what there is to do.  I think next time we will do more of a potpourri approach, hiring a driver, and checking out a few quick spots.

Back on the ship, it was nap time and Adventure Ocean time for the kids.

As afternoon turned to evening, I was compelled to try something new, yet still old.

I noticed the other day there was an "Izumi to go" option and wanted to try it out.

Essentially, it is take out sushi that is available, where you call Izumi, order anything off the menu and then go to the restaurant to pick it up.

I could see a variety of reasons this would be useful, especially for evenings when being on the balcony is preferable or the kids are not in the right mood for a restaurant.

I ordered my go-to DX Sushi Combo and it was ready in about 10 minutes.  They will actually call your stateroom to let you know it is ready to be picked up.

Hard to beat sushi on my balcony!

We got dressed for dinner and dropped my youngest off at the Nursery.  My wife and I headed up to the Diamond Lounge to check out what was happening there.

In addition to the usual drinks, here is a look at the food available.  Some nice snacking options and I really like being out in the outdoor section, where there is a nice breeze to enjoy.

In the time leading up to dinner, we wandered around and tried some drinks from Boleros.  

At dinner, I had a cruise first when a waiter from Sabor came to our table and told us our regular waiter was sick and he would be waiting on us.  

We rounded out our evening with music at the pub. Jimmy is the guitarist there and is very entertainment.

We had a very nice moment this evening, when we picked up my 5-year-old from Adventure Ocean and they had a backpack full of goodies for her as a present.  They said it was "for being cruising with them so much", but it was such a kind gesture.

The Adventure Ocean staff, both in the Adventure Ocean and the Nursery, are the hardest working folks I see on any Royal Caribbean ship.  They genuinely care about the kids and their well-being, and we have had such excellent crew members over the years. Tonight was just the icing on the cake.

Tomorrow is our last port stop and we will be in St. Maarten.  We have lots planned, so hoping everything (mostly the children) cooperates!

Stray Observations

• The Cruise Compass and the Captain both told us the high temperature would be about 73 to 75 degrees today.  My sweaty clothing tell a much different story.
• The tour guide told us there some 20,000+ monkeys on the island, but the only ones we saw were the monkeys you can pose with in the port area.
• The Port Zante area is similar to many other Caribbean port facilities, with tourist shops, a few bars and even fewer restaurants.  
• The distance between St. Kitts to St. Maarten is something like 90 miles, so we are going extremely slow.  I cannot remember a cruise where we went this slow, for this long a time.  
• Someone asked about the blue car on the Royal Promenade, so here it is!
  
• We have used 3 drinks so far from our 10 drink coupon.  I think it will be most useful at our specialty restaurant reservations, especially Sabor.
• For those keeping score at home, no naps for me today!
• May the Fourth Be With You!

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - San Juan
• Day 5 - St. Kitts
• Day 6 - St. Maarten
• Day 7 - Sea Day
• Day 8 - Sea Day

​

Today we visit our second port of call, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

If memory serves me correctly, we were drawn to this itinerary because of the San Juan stop.  We love Old San Juan for its amazing culture, history and food.  

We let the kids dictate what time we woke up today, which meant the 1 year old was up at dawn and the 5 year old wanted to sleep until noon.

We managed to get everyone out the door by 8am for a breakfast in the Windjammer.

Today was kind of a mashup of sea day and port day.  We were not due to dock in San Juan until 2pm, so the morning was effectively a sea day.

After breakfast, we went to the Nursery for a parent and child activity, where kids can play with all sorts of instruments.

They had maracas, drums, triangles and lots of other instruments that the kids could "play" to their hearts content.

It was 45 minutes and a great way for kids and parents to do something together and something just for the youngest children.

By about 10am, we were all feeling the effects of getting woken up at dawn, so headed back for a nap.  The theme to this cruise is napping is the best vacation ever.

We awoke at 11:30 to see we were entering San Juan harbor, signigicantly earlier than we were planning.

The Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency, and so the ship got to San Juan much sooner.  They took care of the guest and by about 12:30pm, we were cleared.

Ordinarily this would be great news to get an extra hour and a half in port, but we were dependent on Adventure Ocean and the Nursery being open, and they were still on track to open at 2pm.

We took it easy onboard until both facilities opened up, dropped both children off and then were on our way.

My wife and I had a simple plan for Old San Juan: there was no plan.  We would just explore the city and see where it took us.

The most sensible strategy for walking Old San Juan is to head to the forts first, which are at the top of the hill that San Juan is built on, and then work your way down.

We began at Fort San Cristobal, because my wife had never been there.

Admission to the fort is $5 and admission to one fort gets you admission to both forts for that day.  

Both forts are impressive in their architecture, history and views.  Even if you do not care about the history at all, the views you get of the city from these forts is quite impressive.

After exiting the fort, we wandered the streets and stopped here and there to see art, window shop or grab a drink.

The weather was hot and humid, but not oppresively so.  Had this been a few more months from now, it might have been awful but today was just hot.  Luckily, there clouds and a decent breeze, so that helped.

Nonetheless, we took opportunities to stop, sit down and sip on something tasty.

We ran across Las Palmas restaurant and had their mojito and pina colada, both of which were excellent.

You forget what the real thing tastes like after having so many mixes.

In short, we did a lot of walking and just meandered.  For us, this is what makes Old San Juan fun and it is great to see the city on foot.  It is a gorgeous as it is hilly!

For dinner, we ended up in El Jibarito because the reviews were too good to pass up.

Naturally, I opted for the mofongo and chicken in garlic sauce.

I love mofongo, which is the national dish of Puerto Rico, and is essentially mashed plantains.  It tastes really good.

We made one last walk up to El Morro to see the sunset, which was quite lovely, despite the clouds.

Next it was off to 3 convenience stores in search of swim diapers (neither Walgreens or a local market carry them, but CVS had it) and then it was back onboard.

Since we had eaten dinner on shore, we skipped dinner on the ship and enjoyed sailaway from the helipad.

Tomorrow, we are headed to St. Kitts, which will be our first time ever there.

Stray Observations

• According to my iPhone, I logged 17k steps today.  Evidently San Juan is great for walking off those drinks.
• I admit, it felt really good to have a cell connection and high speed internet once again.  
• There is a complimentary shuttle from the port area to El Morro and another complimentary shuttle that brings you from the entrance of El Morro all the way to actual fort. Your feet will thank you for being able to use them.
• The Captain indicated many taxis were on strike today because they were protesting Uber coming to the island. 
• I love visiting ports, but I would love to have a sea day tomorrow just to get a break from the excursions.  Four port days in a row is tough!
• There was not as much street food as I was expecting, unfortunately.  I made up for it in drinks and mofongo!
• The nursery also offers everyday a self-play option in Optix, where parents can go anytime 9am-5pm to play with toys. We liked doing this on Allure of the Seas, and will be using this more going forward.
• I joked that San Juan must mean, "land of many hills and equally as many cats"

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - San Juan
• Day 5 - St. Kitts
• Day 6 - St. Maarten
• Day 7 - Sea Day
• Day 8 - Sea Day

Today is our first port stop and it is among my favorite ports to spend the day, Labadee.

Labadee is Royal Caribbean's private destination and it is all about a beach day.

We were scheduled to arrive at 7am and be cleared by 7:30am, but we did not get the announcement until 8:30am.  It did not really matter, since we were not up and ready until maybe 9am.

We had breakfast at the Windjammer and then promptly dropped my 5-year-old daughter off at Adventure Ocean.  She wanted to stay onboard rather than deal with the heat and sand of the beach. Whatever makes her happy!

Getting off the ship was quite easy and it is remarkable the difference of visiting Labadee on Navigator of the Seas versus our last ship, Allure of the Seas.

I had booked online a beach lounger because it was something I had not seen offered in Labadee previously.

For $35, you could get a beach lounger, along with attendant.  It is somewhat similar to what has been offered on CocoCay for a while.

The beach loungers are set up at Adrenaline Beach in a roped off area that essentially has its own private beach.

Each beach lounger has two beach chairs inside the lounger and an attendant who can get you drinks.

I will post a more formal review later on, but it was a nice way to spend the day.  We all ended up napping, which was fine with me.

I love Labadee's sheer natural beauty, warm waters and tons of activities, but getting a visit from the "Labadoozie fairy" is just what I wanted!

Our schedule at Labadee was a bit odd, with an early arrival and then departure by 2:30pm.  Given that, we got back on the ship around 12:30pm, rinsed off back in the room and had lunch in the Windjammer.

We checked on my daughter on Adventure Ocean to see if she wanted to leave, but she was having too much fun there, so we let her stay.

We walked by the NextCruise office to see if they were taking walk-ups. They had availability, so we stopped in for a quick "chat".  That is all I am allowed to say at this time. 

We headed back to the room for my 1-year-old daughter to nap and to figure out our plans for the rest of the day.

Seeing as my daughter was napping, it looked like a good idea, so I partook in the hard to find but often sought after, two naps in one day!

When I (and the baby) came to again, it was close to dinner time so we retrieved my 5 year old from Adventure Ocean.  I made a quick pit stop at Cafe Promenade for a Starbucks infusion (it's not easy taking two naps in one day).

As the sun started to go down, it was a very pretty sight to behold from our balcony. 

It is views like this that make a balcony worth every penny!

After we got the kids dressed and fed, we brought them up to Adventure Ocean and the Nursery and my wife and I headed down to a place we loved on our last Navigator of the Seas cruise, R-Bar.

R-Bar is a throwback kind of lounge, with kitchy furniture and personalized cocktails.

I looked over their menu but remembered a drink they used to make at the R-Bar on Navigator of the Seas, called the Raspberry Ricky.

The waitress was surprised I knew what that was and was able to make it for me.  Score!

Tonight was Italian night in the main dining room. I love the Italian night menu and think it is the best overall main dining room menu.

I went with the lasagna and eggplant parm, neither of which disappointed!

Following dinner, we did a little gambling and enjoyed some time on deck before collecting the children.

Tomorrow is our next port stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We are going to do a lot of exploring, so it should be a full day.

Stray Observations

• The Diamond drink coupons are evidently available to use at Cafe Promenade for select coffees: lattes, cafe Americano and a few others. Sadly, my go-to caramel macchiatto is not included.
• Maybe this is what happens after you cruise on Allure of the Seas, but I have found very, very few lines onboard. Crowds are nearly non-existant.
• Tonight's entertainment is 70's night, but we decided to skip in order to get some needed sleep and get energy for San Juan.
• Speaking of entertainment, today's Cruise Compass activities felt very light in terms of things to do.  I believe 70's night plays a lot in that.
• Tomorrow morning in the Nursery is a complimentary music event from 9:00 - 9:45am and I would like to go there, unless by some miracle the kids sleep in.
• A special hello to Chad and his family, who said hello while we were in the R-Bar.  Talking to Chad got me super excited for our group cruises!
• If you have read all of this and thought, "Gee, it sounds like all Matt did was nap today" then you would be 100% correct. Never pass up a good nap opportunity!

Live Blog Index

• Live blog introduction
• Day 1 - Embarkation Day
• Day 2 - Sea Day
• Day 3 - Labadee
• Day 4 - San Juan
• Day 5 - St. Kitts
• Day 6 - St. Maarten
• Day 7 - Sea Day
• Day 8 - Sea Day

Have an adventurous mom? Royal Caribbean wants to give them a cruise!

Royal Caribbean launched a new photo contest to find moms who like to explore and get out there, where you can submit photos of your mom performing an adventurous activity for a chance to win.

Show us your adventure mom. Enter the #MMDcontest + she could win a #MothersDay trip. Rules: https://t.co/iWY3e6hwZ2 pic.twitter.com/3YqIPP69aI

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) May 2, 2016

Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Mom Photo Contest is open to people who can enter by uploading  a photo or video to Twitter or Instagram. Each submission must tag @RoyalCaribbean and include the hashtags #MMDContest to indicate that you have read and agree to the Contest’s Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that entry via Twitter or Instagram will result in the submission of your photo/video. 

The grand prize is a 4-5 night Eastern Caribbean cruise for Winner and one guest onboard a Royal Caribbean ship offering 4-5 night Caribbean sailings in an interior double-occupancy stateroom. 

You can read all the rules here, but the basics are the contest is open only to permanent, legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen years old at the time of entry.Judging will take place between May 16, 2016 and May 25, 2016.

Royal Caribbean designed its newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, to be an entertainment mecca that offers it all. The ship is also shaping up to be the premier cruise ship for Broadway fans all over.

Royal Caribbean has had a strong relationship over the years with theater and Broadway, but Harmony of the Seas is taking it a whole new level.

Broadway fans will appreciate these three aspects of the ship that offer the most Broadway connections of any Royal Caribbean ship to date.

Grease

For nearly a decade, Royal Caribbean has been offering Broadway shows on its ships and Harmony of the Seas continues that tradition with Grease.

The all-new, never-before-seen stage production, specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions, will boast a soundtrack of crowd favorites such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Born to Hand-Jive,” “Beauty School Dropout” and more.

Grease is an established Broadway show that has played on The Great White Way, and all over the world. Its songs are classics and the story has become so well-known that it transcends its stage roos.

Columbus, The Musical!

Harmony of the Seas will see Royal Caribbean venture out to create its own original production musical, which aims to be just as entertaining as anything on 42nd street.

Columbus, The Musical! is a new Royal Caribbean original production that tells the tale of Christopher’s luckless distant cousin, Marvin, on a madcap voyage to the Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean created the show in the spirit of “Spamalot” and “Something Rotten." With inspiration like those two shows, this new musical is headed in the right direction.

Marvin Columbus is the very, very, very, very, very distant relative of Christopher and spent his entire life ‘neath Chris’ shadow. Marvin’s disappointed nobleman father, sends him on a voyage to find his destiny. Storms, pirates, and even flying sharks – all lead Marvin to his greatest discovery; himself. Romance, adventure, and ‘happy ever after’ are on the map, as Marvin Columbus finally finds his destiny.

Away We Go!

One of the funniest and heart-warming musicals of all time is Avenue Q, and its creator has created a brand new show just for Royal Caribbean.

Tony award-nominated actors and imaginative producers John Tartaglia by and Michael Shawn Lewis of Gable Grove Productions created, Away We Go! just for Harmony of the Seas.

This is a family show, that is meant to be seen by kids and their families.

Away We Go! is aimed at 3- to 11-year olds and follows up Tartaglia's previous creation for Royal Caribbean, ImaginOcean.