Tricia’s Travelogue

One of my most faithful blog readers asked about the handy cruise gear that Charlie packs. While it does take up some valuable space in our luggage, it's nice to have. Here's the list: Charlie’s cruise gear Binoculars  Magnetic motion-sensor nightlight (for the ship bathroom) Magnetic shelves and bins Magnetic hooks Large number battery-operated clock  Bottle bag  Insulated tote bag  Corkscrew and cork Champagne stopper  4 oz. measuring cup  Coffee tumblers (2) Osprey mini backpacks (2)  US and Euro power adapters Duct tape, rubber bands Clothespins and metal binder clips Portable waterpik Noise canceling headphones  Ziplock bags Batteries Shout stain removal packets Bug repellant packets Indoor and outdoor Bluetooth thermometers 

Our highly anticipated trip this time is a month long, as we're taking back-to-back cruises from Vancouver to Hawaii, then on to Sydney, Australia! Royal Caribbean is repositioning Anthem of the Seas for the summer season Down Under.  Yesterday morning at 6:15 a car picked us up to head to the airport.  An hour later, we were through Security and settled into the airport lounge.  We had worried a bit about the government shutdown's impact on TSA and/or the airport itself, but at that hour, at least, all was well.   We tried to pack lightly for this month-long trip, but we didn't attempt to carry on everything. Here's Charlie's luggage: And here's mine: In Charlie's defense, his shoes are bulkier -- I only packed a pair of sandals in addition to the shoes I was wearing -- and he packed a good bit of handy stuff for the cruise ship that we'll both use. The flight to Vancouver went smoothly, although we were a little late leaving. Consequently, our "br...

Last night we enjoyed our last dinner at Jamie’s Italian.  We have been surprised that both specialty restaurants have not been very busy on this cruise. Maybe there are many fewer passengers than usual. We started with the delicious arancini — highly recommend! Then we both had the green salad with avocado dressing, also a favorite.  Charlie had the lasagna, which had a tasty mix of beef and pork, and I had the ever-reliable tagliatelle bolognese.   We just couldn’t manage dessert —sorry! This final sea day we had our usual deck walk, but my watch’s Activity app got confused and credited me with 7.5 miles. Not bad in 30 minutes! The sea has been perfectly calm the entire trip, and we haven’t taken any Bonine. It will be interesting to see how the Pacific compares as we head to Hawaii and beyond on our next cruise. After spending some time in the Diamond Lounge this morning, we decided on Johnny Rocket’s for lunch. It, too, wasn’t crowded just after noon, and we got a boo...

We arrived bright and early in Cozumel.  Charlie captured this photo of the sunrise as we approached the island.  We left the ship about 8:15 and walked through the port area to catch a cab to Paradise Beach, a resort we like.  Their food, drinks, and service are all outstanding!  We managed to get lounge chairs in a shady spot, so we settled in with mimosas. People began pouring in, and the people-watching was excellent. If you’ve ever felt self-conscious about your appearance in a bathing suit (or maybe that’s just me), you’ll soon realize that anything goes.  We really liked their not-too-sweet margaritas, and we had three orders of the guacamole. So good!  I read much of the time, but we did get into the pool to cool off. Here’s the view from our lounge chairs before it got crowded.  We stayed until about 1:00, then headed back to the ship for showers and naps. Tonight’s dinner will be back at Jamie’s Italian.  Tomorrow is a sea day as we head...

When we approached Costa Maya yesterday just before noon, we saw FOUR other ships were already docked!  Two were Margaritaville ships, one was Carnival, and the fourth one was Royal Caribbean’s newest (and biggest) ship,  Star of the Seas.  Once our ship docked, it looked like a five-ship pile-up! I can only imagine how crowded the port area was.  And that’s probably why our favorite resort was sold out. We were parked next to the Carnival ship, which had a roller-coaster on top! No, thanks! Here’s a better look at the Star of the Seas: After our lazy afternoon, we had dinner at Chops again.  We both chose the spicy shrimp served over mashed potatoes, with sautéed spinach. And we shared the warm chocolate cake for dessert.  That’s it for Costa Maya!

We enjoyed a lazy afternoon yesterday, napping (Charlie) and Netflix knitting (me).  Around 3:30 we went for a walk on the Promenade to stretch our legs, and we spotted the preparations for Royal’s Birthday Bash.   Yes, that’s a huge, inflatable piñata. Here’s another view, to show the scale, plus the balloon-filled net ready for the balloon drop.   Did we stick around for the festivities?  If you know us even slightly, you know the answer. Charlie did report later, after a drinks run, that there was music and dancing happening.  I would like to know how they dealt with piñata removal, myself.  We spent time in the Crown Lounge before dinner at Jamie’s Italian restaurant.  We enjoyed the arancini as an appetizer, followed by the best salad on the ship, an avocado, radish, and baby gem mix. Our server Subeesh insisted that Charlie try the lamb chops, in addition to his pasta dish, and Charlie said that they WERE better than those at Chops Grille. I had ...