OCSC Mike

She was pretty into running for a long time but it was more just for exercise and socializing as she had many running friends. She was never overly concerned with personal bests or anything and only did 2-3 full marathons I think. She did a lot of shorter races. Running takes a toll on the body, of course, and we're not getting younger, but she also kinda lost interest. Her last hurrah was doing the "Dopey Challenge" at Disney... a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and full marathon on 4 consecutive mornings.

@joepeka Business as usual last night. Check-in opened around 12:07am in the app (there always seems to be a short delay past midnight), grabbed the earliest arrival time (10:30 at PC), and went to bed.

Good call on the audible. Not one of my favorites, I prefer more diving, but I can appreciate the "dancing" and choreography they do. I booked it for June just b/c I could; not sure we'll see it a 3rd time but ya never know. That's why it's so easy to get in standby, people like me grab reservations and don't show up. 🙈 That's also a nice quiet spot, down behind the aqua theater, especially early in the morning. We get up pretty early and wife used to go running (now she walks) while I go to the CL for cappuccino. I've taken my coffee down there before (some ships have chairs, off the track of course, don't remember if Wonder does) and peacefully watched the wake of the ship as my wife passed by every so often. Great sunrise spot if you're up THAT early. Not a fan of Voices but glad your wife liked it so much!

Yeah, I paid no attention to how they were made on Wonder but my wife's cookies n cream shakes tasted good to me.

My wife got a couple on Wonder using vouchers last month.

Agreed. Dry sense of humor. Sailed with him both times on Wonder.

Understandable. Even though my only limit while cruising is whatever my stomach can handle (which is a pretty good amount), I fear what the UDP would be like. I tend to eat a bunch of smaller meals/snacks throughout the day unless we have a specialty meal booked. When I stuff myself at Mason Jar brunch, no way could I eat a big specialty dinner later that night. We just turned D+ on our last cruise so we're using a BOGO for Giovanni's on night one. I've lost count of how many times my wife has already told me that I can't go nuts like I normally do on embarkation day b/c we have Giovanni's... and we haven't even checked in yet!

Good to hear. Giovanni's Table was always our favorite partly b/c we enjoyed ordering filet plus a pasta dish. Trying Kitchen for the first time in June. Blasphemy! At least get something to go, lol. I'm still trying to figure out how to try the pizza and I think I'll wind up getting it to go. I eat a lot on cruises but everyone has a limit. Agreed. My favorite ice show of any I've seen. The special effects help put it over the top, IMO.

No discount. There's no special trick to booking a B2B. It's the same as booking 2 separate cruises. If you want to stay in the same cabin for both halves, you have to look for that (or have your TA do it if you use one).

Totally understandable as long as you realize that at some point in the not-too-distant-future Apple will stop providing security updates for iOS 16 and your phone will no longer be safe. Other apps will also stop working as time goes on.

Funny you mention that. We chose a beach daybed on the end (#14) for July. I was checking my reservation online a few days ago (they have a map on their website that lets you choose your daybed and you can switch it yourself after it’s booked). Anyway, suddenly there’s a new daybed next to ours (#22) and two other new ones by the pool (#20-21). I emailed them about it and they got back to me very quickly and said those 3 new ones are being installed in the next 2 weeks. They offered to switch us to #22 but I didn’t want to do that without seeing the view (you can click on any of the numbers & it will show you the view looking out from the daybed). The woman said as soon as they’re installed she would send me a pic from #22 & then we can decide to switch or not. I’ve been very impressed with their pre-trip customer service thus far.

Try Giovanni’s Wine Bar in Central Park (next to the actual restaurant). You can also buy pizza & a few other items there.

That's the part I liked. Everything leading up to that, not so much, but I'm not into Broadway (or stage shows in general) so that's likely as much on me as anything.

Keep checking. You have a lot of time until you sail. People may cancel, upgrade, move, win RoyalUps, etc. I've moved my GTY assigned cabin 5 days before sailing in the past b/c a cabin popped up in a location I liked that wasn't previously available..

+1 to that.

That’s encouraging. Maybe they’ll crank up the a/c in June/July. If not… back to our new spot.

I get off-topic all the time, lol, and I’m gonna keep it going here. Some of the singers on Wonder were on AGT based on the description but that’s all I can tell you. Thanks for the Edge recommendation but I’ve never ever sailed anything but Royal. I’m a creature of habit & enjoy knowing everything about Oasis class & having a routine (plus I love the tweaks they made to Wonder aside from the warm, enclosed Solarium). Other people may find that boring but we all like what we like. We don’t mind sailing with kids. My wife is a teacher so we’re used to it. We also just hit D+ on our last cruise so I’m looking forward to some of our new perks. Obviously I’m not thrilled about the recent pricing but at least for the last one & these next few my group rates weren’t too horrible (especially the ones in March).

Cabin location is personal preference. Personally, deck 3 is the last place I’d want to be just b/c it’s so far away from the upper decks where I spend a good amount of time. If there are other cabins available in the same exact category, you can switch for free (by same exact I mean 4V to 4V or 2V to 2V, not just interior). If you’re interested, your TA can do it or you just call RC if you booked direct.

Have you looked into an SE? It’s inexpensive and more similar to an 8 than anything but runs the latest software & is expected to run iOS 18 which I believe will be a big update.

What type of headliners does Celebrity have? I’ve been checking Wonder’s headliners for a while since I had/have several cruises booked on her between last month & July & while we had a comedic juggler last month (not a fan) it has been mostly singers.

Agreed on all counts. I think the skaters do a great job in all the shows but the special effects put that one over the top. The aqua show is called InTENse. I can appreciate what they did with it but we prefer more diving as well. We’ll be on Wonder for the 3rd time in June & the ice show is the only one we’ll definitely see again (we always go to comedy but that’s obviously different depending on the comics).

Agreed. Since you like margs, there’s a new one in the Schooner Bar I tried for the 1st time last month on Wonder that I liked… Desert Pear with a black salt rim.

Food is VERY subjective. I can tell you what I like but that doesn't mean you will. My standard advice is to choose based on what looks good to you (and your party). We don't do a ton of specialty dining and Harmony actually only has one restaurant I've been to so I can't give much of a personal opinion anyway. I like Sabor (many don't) but that's mainly just for the guac, the bacon jalapeno chicken app, and the desserts. Not a big fan of the entrees but it's inexpensive compared to other specialty restaurants so I'm content eating chips and guac, a bunch of those jalapeno chicken apps (our server on Allure in October brought me a triple order when I told her how much I liked them, lol), and desserts. First time on Oasis class has that effect. Just do your research, watch YouTube videos, ask questions like you are, and don't get overwhelmed or drive yourself nuts worrying about missing something.

No set time these days. It used to be early in the month before your cruise month but my 6/2 Wonder entertainment opened 2 days ago (50 days out and 2 months before my cruise month). You can purchase now and, if you see a lower price, cancel and re-book.

Yep, been doing that for a while now.