FlatFooted Freda

On 1/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, firts said:

Hi Freda... Great pics, Thank you.! I will be sailing on the same itinerary as you are now.  If you happen to eat in the MDR and if wonder is using the new menus, can you send info about which theme night is on day 3,4, and 5 ? I would appreciate that. Thanks again

and have a great time !

Royal night

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

Are you on Wonder this week? Just curious if it is as calm (passenger wise) as it was last week.

Wasn’t on last week ( sadly, would love to do a B2B), so can’t compare. But I’d say very calm respectful pax mix this week. Haven’t noticed any crazies!

19 minutes ago, danoconnl said:

 

Ddi yo uhave any trouble getting the reservations you wanted with the UDP?  we've had it the last two cruises and loved it, but I've seen reviews where the reservations are gong by the time you get on board.

 

Dan

On the Wonder, we made reservations via the app - I think a few weeks prior to sail date. There were some non reservations able to get seats , I recall on day 2 show. 
Tap Factory on day 4 was fun. Had a Res but they didn’t even ask. Just let us in. 

On 1/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, firts said:

Hi Freda... Great pics, Thank you.! I will be sailing on the same itinerary as you are now.  If you happen to eat in the MDR and if wonder is using the new menus, can you send info about which theme night is on day 3,4, and 5 ? I would appreciate that. Thanks again

and have a great time !

Royal night

Amazingly beautiful carousel on the Boardwalk. Do other ships have this?

Some general pics. 
 

Looking into the aqua theater from the walking track on deck 5. 

Day 5. Docked Falmouth Jamaica. Another beautiful day. Pac already disembarking before 8 am. But back on board by 3:30 today. 
Good morning Falmouth! 
(sorry - saw touring company of Hairspray just before we left, so now that song is lodged in there )

36 minutes ago, orville99 said:

We were on the Yeshiva week cruise last week. There were more than 600 people participating, and quite honestly it was the most peaceful and calm cruise we have ever been on.

Large contingent on the Wonder. Certainly all well behaved. Some one on CC posted that Yeshiva week was kinda sorta like spring break for Jewish schools. We’ve been on another ship in March - US typical spring break time. I made a note to self - never again. Despite the Wonder having such large capacity ( or, perhaps because of ), this sailing is “calmer”.

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

That was last week - 1/15 to 1/22. This weeks sailing should be back to normal operations.

Apparently still going on. Others have mentioned Yeshiva week ( forgive if spelled incorrectly pls). Certainly the most kids I’ve seen on a January cruise. Again, different vibe from Odyssey , but could be many factors to that. 

4 hours ago, topanga49er said:

Hi. Can you tell me if Wonder has Starlink yet?  We are very excited to be on the 3/19 sailing and hoping that they have upgraded...  thank you

No Starlink on Wonder yet. Voom. 
 

On 1/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, firts said:

Hi Freda... Great pics, Thank you.! I will be sailing on the same itinerary as you are now.  If you happen to eat in the MDR and if wonder is using the new menus, can you send info about which theme night is on day 3,4, and 5 ? I would appreciate that. Thanks again

and have a great time !

Day 4 is Tex Mex. I attempted a photo from the sign outside the MDR. The menu is on the app but I’m not talented enuf to consolidate to 1 photo 

I like Chill Beach. As others have mentioned , if you eat breakfast on ship, then to Coco Cay early you can get front row chairs with umbrella   That gets you fine white sand, beautiful blue water , and a view of the ships. That makes me 😊. 
 

4 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We would choose Odyssey hands down over Wonder, especially since you’re in your 60s. There will be lots of children on Wonder, not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was so crowded anywhere we went. Strollers were everywhere, again, not saying that’s a bad thing….just an observation.

We just loved Odyssey 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yep. I’d say I agree with that. 
On the Wonder now. Was on Odyssey in fall 2021. That was still pandemic era , so perhaps not a fair comparison. But way more kids on board this ship, and it seems to be geared more for families. 
Half way thru this week, I think I’d give a slight nod to Odyssey. 
Wonder does have beautiful Central Park, but for us it’s just a quick stroll. Had a bagel from Park Café this morning. Can’t say it was anything really special. 
Cost of Wonder was also maybe double, but that may be more of a 2023 vs 2021 thing. 
Overall though, don’t sweat that decision. They’re both great. 

Or just ask specifics here. I bet there are readers here who’ve been there multiple times. It doesn’t seem to change much from year to year. 
I love Coco Cay BTW. I would not be unhappy if Royal stopped there twice per cruise. 

1 hour ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

There’s a member here saying there’s a huge soot problem onboard Wonder, and many clothes are getting ruined near the Aqua Theater due to the oil droplets. Have you witnessed that at all?

Have not witnessed this problem. But have not been to that area since day 1 Aqua show, which we loved BTW. I’ll try to keep an eye out and update. 
 

8 foot seas today. We feel it a bit.  The first we’ve noticed any real rocking. 

16 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

I agree, we won't be going on Wonder, Harmony or Oasis again.  Once you've been on them, not much difference between them.  And not really our style since we're not into all the water stuff, pools and

specialty restaurants. 

We’re on Wonder now. DH & I are at the age we’re not too adventurous anymore. Realizing we are paying for all these adventurous bells and whistles that are included. Enjoying the big , new ship aspect of it. But not sure we’ll be going for Icon. Perhaps time to check out celebrity. Having said that, Royal often seems to just fit our schedule better. 

Day 4. Sea day. En route from Nassau to Falmouth Jamaica. Dining - Mexican day. 
Definitely having issues with internet today. Very spotty. 
But as of noon, no trouble finding chairs near pool. Many are taken, so may not be able to find a favorite chair by this time

Of day, but could snag a chair. 

DH is a runner. I prefer walking. One thing we are loving about the Wonder is the Promenade deck. Deck 5. Circles the entire ship. I recall 2.4 laps make a mile. Best promenade deck of any ship we have been on 

29 minutes ago, firts said:

Hi Freda... Great pics, Thank you.! I will be sailing on the same itinerary as you are now.  If you happen to eat in the MDR and if wonder is using the new menus, can you send info about which theme night is on day 3,4, and 5 ? I would appreciate that. Thanks again

and have a great time !

Hey firts.

We tend to skip MDR. But I can tell you that day 2 was Caribbean, and tonight ( Day 3) is Mediterranean. I’ll try to keep you posted as to further.

Below is interesting accidental find. Deck 16 in sport  zone ( wrong door for me). Sunscreen in a vending machine. 

23 minutes ago, NanaPam00 said:

There are so many kids because it's a Yeshiva Week cruise for Jewish families. There's a fairly popular Jewish TikTok-er onboard who is posting videos of the kosher food in Solarium Bistro.

Solarium Bistro closed for private function so far. 
it’s been interesting to see the Kosher food sections in WJ & Sorrentos. 
- I’m going  to try to post some pics of ship in general. 🤞

On the Wonder now. Brief snippets , as this is day 3 . 
This is our 3rd Royal sailing - previously on Mariner and Odyssey. 7th or 8th cruise overall - Disney, HAL, Carnival, Norwegian.

Traveling with DH & 80yo mama, who is somewhat mobility impaired. 

Port out of Canaveral. Orlando is an easy flight. We use Cruise Control transport as a shuttle. Reasonable. Only drawback was with group shuttle ( less $), not on ship as early as we have been in the past.  But only by hours. Jammer was crowded by 1. 
The Wonder is big and beautiful. Mama wears a Fitbit, and has noticed that just walking from room to dinner , solarium is getting her way more steps than she normally makes in a day ( hopefully a good thing). 
Appears to be a conference onboard. More of an international crowd than I’ve noticed on previous Caribbean sailings. Also many school aged kids for late January. 
Day 2 was CocoCay. I love Coco Cay. Odyssey was docked beside us. Was worried about grabbing chairs with shade. Shouldn’t have been. They just put out more chairs and umbrellas. It was indeed a lovely day. 
Today is day 3. Nassau. We’ve been here several times in past so staying onboard. I’d actually prefer a second day at Coco Cay. Started out in the solarium, which is bigger than on the other ships. But it’s a bit stuffy ( hence the name, duh). So we moved to pool area, where there is plenty of shade. No  problem at all finding chairs thus far. Tomorrow is sea day, so we’ll  see.  
Overall loving it. Will try to post more as we go. Feel free to ask questions. I’m IT challenged but will do my best. 😉

A few plain Tetley black tea as well in the free section. 

On the Wonder now. Sorry, I’m IT deficient. Not skilled enuf to do a link. Most show times are 8 or 8:15 for the early shows. Then 10 ish for the later shows. Loved InTensity BTW. Voices - fair to midlan. 

We were there yesterday, on the massive Wonder. Odyssey there as well. Still plenty of chairs. We were there in fall of 2021 when it felt like a ghost town. Not yesterday. It seems if there are 10,000 passengers , they just put out 10,000 chairs. 

On 1/4/2023 at 4:49 PM, davekathy said:

Yes I do. Agree, there are always plenty of selections to choose from, even when certain items show up every evening. Like Breakfast in the MDR. I remember when RC tried substituting scallops for snails. That didn't go over big with Kathy. She got shrimp cocktail instead.  Now don't screw with my Mac n Cheese from the kids menu! 🤣

Is it like Kraft MacNCheese, or the baked kind? Not that either is bad, as long as it's not out of an industrial sized can!

19 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

Plenty of staff. Don’t know exact ratio but staff are everywhere and are friendly and right there when you want them. Very few lines. Love it!

Any problems getting chairs, either at the pools or Solarium? We are a sun deprived crowd, and try to find shade while that far south. A bit concerned about finding a group of chairs in the shade.