City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
Let’s face it. You want to have fun, get the most out of your trip, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune. We totally understand because that’s how we always plan our trips. New York City can be expensive and you’ll hear it …
Did you know that it is possible to have Disney fun without the price tag? Take it from me. I have lived near both Disneyland®, CA and Walt Disney World®, FL most of my life. I can assure you that there are many fun activities …
If you’ve been hesitant to cruise, fear no more. Let me tell you why now is the best time to cruise! We’ve cruised many times before and now more than ever, it is the best time to do so. Here is why.
My top reasons why you should cruise now:
Throughout this post I will incorporate these reasons of why cruising is best now (watch for the 1, 2, 3, 4, superscripts), based on our personal recent experience, and everything we did on and off the Freedom of the Seas ship by Royal Caribbean to make our 25th wedding anniversary the most memorable ever!
It was a very pleasant surprise to see how Royal Caribbean has been dealing with the pandemic. I have to give them huge credit for all the work they’re doing to keep their passengers safe and healthy. All of my top reasons I listed above1-4, in other words the consequences because of the virus, is what makes 𝙉𝙊𝙒 the best time to cruise.
If you want a buffet, you got it. However, if you want to serve yourself, it’s not happening. I actually like it better this way because people are just messy sometimes when they serve themselves. Plus, everyone is touching the serving utensils.4 You can go up as many times as you want and you can also tell the servers to give you an extra portion, but you many not do it yourself. As for places to eat, there are many options! Our ship had a pizza place (buffet), Johnny Rockets (extra charge), the main dining room (more formal & not a buffet), Hibachi restaurant (celebrated our anniversary here & an extra charge), Italian restaurant (an extra charge), steakhouse (no photos & an extra charge), poolside food (we didn’t partake), Windjammer Café (buffet & we ate here a lot), and island port food (buffet).
Pizza is all they have here and they have about 3-4 different types of pizza.1 It’s located in what I call the mini-mall. It really does look like a mall with shopping, bars, and food. Photos to come below.
The food at the main dining room was delicious. It’s more formal, but jeans, t-shirt and flip flops are just fine. I wouldn’t recommend shorts and if you’re in a hurry, I also wouldn’t recommend it here. The menu consist of fixed dishes and you can order them every day if you want, but they also have new menu items you can try every day as well. There were two appetizers that I really wanted to try one night and they said it was alright to get both so I was excited! Also, as you can see I loved the desserts. We had fantastic service from our waiter and assistant waiter.3
I can’t say much about poolside food because we didn’t try it. However, it is an option and it’s great to have options.
This is where we really celebrated our 25th anniversary. What a surprise it was when Izumi brought out a chocolate dessert plate in honor of our anniversary!3 It was the perfect ending to our dinner! Everyone in the restaurant sung us Happy Anniversary to the tune of happy birthday. The food was spectacular and there was a lot of it! The waiter made it very special because we were the center of attention at our table and he made a heart out of the rice.
It’s nice to see an old favorite onboard the ship. If you love burgers, this place has almost every kind burger imaginable. We have eaten at Johnny Rockets in the past and that’s why we skipped it onboard, this time. There was plenty of food to go around on the ship at other locations!
We didn’t eat here, but I just had to take photos of this restaurant because it’s beautiful! I’m sure their food is up to par with the main dining room. We had a tough decision on deciding where to have our anniversary dinner from many of these restaurants on board, but we ultimately decided on Hibachi.
Since we’re talking about food, I had to include the one port we stopped at, Coco Cay. Since Coco Cay is a Royal Caribbean Island owned by the Bahamas, all the food was included just like the buffets onboard the ship. It was great not having to worry about money on the island. The food was Caribbean themed and included tropical non-alcoholic fruit punches, water, and desserts! Chill Island is the section where the buffet is so we just made ourselves cozy on the beach nearby. I will talk more about our island port below.
It seems that everywhere I go, I take more dessert photos than anything else! I wish I would have taken photos of the quantity and quality of food this place has! These are the reasons why we ate here most of the time. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.1 The café has two very long hand washing stations (one on each side) and it is strongly recommended to use them before you enter the café.2 They have staff there making it a fun experience as a reminder to do so with their “washy washy” slogan.
There is something for everyone. I understand there are other cruise lines that are more famously known for families with children. However, don’t underestimate Royal Caribbean. You will not be bored not even for a minute while on Freedom of the Seas. Here’s why!
Our room was serviced by our steward twice a day.2 However, even if it’s the cleanest room we always wipe it down ourselves before making ourselves comfortable. It’s a habit I have especially once the pandemic started. He was there in case we needed anything throughout our journey. We opted for a balcony room and we are so happy we got it. I’m not sure if we can ever go back to a room with a porthole window or none at all. There was plenty of room for the two of us with even a small couch, cooler, and safe!
Sometimes it’s the small touches that make a difference and Royal Caribbean delivered. The towels were so cute the way our steward folded them into animals or objects. The daily cruise directory was set out for us by evening time turndown so we knew exactly what activities and important information were happening the next day.3 Also, don’t forget that with Royal Caribbean you are allowed to bring a 12 pack of soda per stateroom. Check with their rules prior to boarding though in case these rules change.
Who doesn’t love this?
𝙃𝙞 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚!
We were supposed to dock at Nassau, but Royal Caribbean had to cancel that port. We were still able to dock at Coco Cay, the private island for Royal Caribbean owned by the Bahamas. My husband and I were there 25 years ago and this time it looked very much developed. There is more to do here than you may think. From chilling at the beach, zip lining, to a water park, there is something for everyone and very well worth getting off the ship and enjoying.
We decided not to book any excursions this time around and just chill at a section of the island literally called “Chill Island.” The location was fantastic because the lunch buffet was nearby! Waiters came to service us with drink options. By the way, ALL food and drinks (except alcohol) are included. The food was delicious and so were the tropical drinks.
Since we didn’t do anything else but chill and snorkel, we decided to take the free tram around the island and that’s how I took all the photos of the other spots you can visit. The tram will even take you back all the way to the ship!
We had an amazing 25th anniversary trip on the Freedom of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. If you’re not sure whether to cruise now or not, in my personal opinion NOW is the best time to do so!
If you have any questions that I can answer about this cruise or others we have taken, please feel free to comment below and I will answer them. And if you have cruised recently, what did you like best about your experience?
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
PIN ME!
Wow! That’s the only way I can describe this resort by Hilton Grand Vacations. If you want a clean, beautiful, centrally located hotel in Orlando, you must check out Cypress Pointe Resort. With the Covid pandemic, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a hotel’s …
Step back into a time that we all have heard about. It was a tragedy in history that permeates the walls and artifacts of this building. Titanic | The Artifact Exhibition is a wonderful place to learn and experience a glimpse of what happened on …
Do you have a passion for movies, TV, or media & production? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step inside the world of cinematic effects? Located close to our home in Tampa Bay, Florida is the video production studio Diamond View which has recently launched Vū. Vū is one of the world’s few & largest XR (extended reality) wraparound LED screen.
Our family was recently privileged to meet with CEO Tim Moore, a three time Emmy award-winning director. This technology is fascinating to anyone who loves media, but for an intern or college student studying in this field it is a dream to see up close. Our two sons, both in college studying in this field, were able to see first hand a glimpse of what it takes behind the scenes. In fact, the popular Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” has been using this type of LED screen technology. To be able to connect to the show as fans with how it’s made truly gives you a wonderful perspective to the innovative technology and how far production/staging has come in filming.
Diamond View is quickly expanding in Tampa Bay with new clients and is not stopping with their creative skills and technology. This company takes you from beginning of concept to final cut. If you’re a business and are looking for a studio, THIS is your place. If you’re a student in high school or college wanting a career in production, editing, virtual reality, camera work, directing, etc, let me tell you that the future looks bright in this business. Florida is quickly becoming the new “Hollywood.”
When I asked Tim Moore for the best piece of advice that he had for someone wanting to get into this type of field it was this: build your portfolio. It doesn’t matter what it is or how good/bad you may think your video is, save all your work and build your portfolio this way. And if I may give you one piece of advice, it is this: network. You never know where your career will take you or how high it will take you when you’re surrounded by the right people. There used to be an NBC public service announcement (PSA) “The More You Know.” Take this to heart because it truly is about the more you know and the people you know.
I want to thank Erin Cullaro (Chief of Staff), Zoe Seroky (Director of Communications), and of course Tim Moore (CEO) for making it possible for our family to tour the Vū studio.
I’ll leave you with one of Diamond View’s favorite commercials depicting storytelling & emotion. And, I have to say, it’s one of my favorite’s too! https://youtu.be/2zwMWLE9fBU
Take a look at our visit to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios in Orlando.
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
PIN ME!
This historic hotel is the epitome of elegance and romance from the moment you pass the security guard entrance. For the first time ever, I was able to surprise my husband with a hotel stay to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. If the photos alone …
Since we’ve been spending so much more time at home and travel has been extremely limited to what is essential, creating a space(s) at home to remind of us travel is so needed for our mentality. It not only reminds us of our travels, but …
I can honestly say this season of ho-hum travel has put a huge damper on our travel plans as a family. I know we’re not the only ones. Our youngest son graduated High School and his graduation gift was (and hopefully will be) a trip to New York City. However, I am staying positive through it all.
I understand the importance of all the precautions with this horrible virus. I understand the right of everyone being treated equally. These are all very important and that is why I’m staying positive. Positive that things will change and get better for us as a society.
With that being said, here is what we’ve been up to. We’ve been at home doing the bare minimum to go out unless it’s essential. Basically just grocery shopping, grocery pickup service, taking mom to the doctor, dental appointments, graduation drive-by’s, and such.
Personally, I’ve been crafting quite a bit more. I’ve been creating “Mouse” ears. I love making these and I will be selling them soon once I have a big enough inventory. I hope to one day be able to wear my own creation to Disney World!
I’ve also been exploring our town by vehicle or, if I don’t see crowds, by foot. Our local parks are perfect to get some exercise with a friend. We have plenty of parks to choose from and many walking paths. However, in Florida if you’re going to walk it’s best to do it early in the morning because the heat can be brutal.
My point is this, live your life but also be cautious during these times. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Something good can always come out of a turbulent time. Find things that cheer you up. Call a friend, create something, go out for a drive, listen to music, watch a show or movie, learn something new, or start something you’ve put off for years. You’ll be surprised of what you’re capable of.
We have high hopes to travel again soon, but until then,
take care.
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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