Back from FOS 7/24-This is a bit long

[momneedsrest]

I traveled with DH (50), DS (25) and DD (21). We chose to cruise this summer rather than take a week at the beach because I thought we would all enjoy the pampering one gets on a cruise vacation. Unfortunately, due to an assortment of semi-tragic issues, our vacation got off to a rocky start. We drove from our home in VA to port and encountered awful traffic in every state. Sadly, all of the incidents were terrible car accidents. As we entered the state of FL, I jumped on CC to see if anyone posted info on a particular excursion. I did not find what I was looking for but did see a post from a passenger on FOS at that moment saying there was a medical emergency on board and that FOS was being diverted to the Bahamas and would not be in Port Canaveral until around lunch time on Sunday. I made several calls to RCI to confirm the information. We stopped for the night in Daytona Beach and took our time heading for PC on Sunday. We were allowed into the terminal around 4:30 and boarded FOS around 6pm---just in time for muster drill---so we stood in the heat for another 20 minutes or so. Thankfully, we were able to drop our bags in our cabins (balcony 6274 and promenade 6275---both were lovely and cabin attendant Jacklin was SUPER!) and went to MDR for dinner. We were supposed to have a table for four but were assigned to a ten top. We ate there Sunday night and had head waiter Carl move us (no problem mon!) to a four top for the rest of the trip. Our waiter Raphael was delightful and he made excellent dinner recs. We also went to MDR for breakfast and Raphael was there to look after us. We also enjoyed Angus the booze man and his after dinner shots. DD and I enjoyed a very busy Monday at sea. We attended the meet and mingle in the morning and had fun talking to folks I had met on CC. RCI supplied snacks and door prizes. Next, we went to the scrapbooking work shop. The materials for sale were reasonably priced and very attractive. We stayed long enough to put together one memory page. Next, we dashed off to Cupcake Cupboard for a decorating class. We created puppy dog cupcakes. The instruction was quite good and the final products not only adorable, but delicious too! Tuesday was Labadee. It was great to walk right off the ship. We headed for the zipline for three of us to take flight. Sadly, it was too windy for me (I am a bit on the large side) and I was not able to zip. My $$ was refunded. DH and DS were able to zip and had a great time. All of us rode the Dragon coaster a couple of times and found it to be quite fun. Wednesday was Jamaica. We did not sign up for any excursions, but instead took the free shuttle to Rose Hall shops. The bus drivers were fairly good tour guides, pointing out the different neighborhoods and talking about Usain Bolt (their Olympic sprinter). The shops were nice, but had the usual tourist stuff. Falmouth port although not completed has plenty of the same things available. We spent the rest of the day enjoying FOS. Thursday was Georgetown, Grand Cayman. We have never seen such beautiful water!! Again, we did not book an excursion. Instead, we ventured our on our on, on foot, to Eden Rock. It is about a ten minute walk from the ship. There we were able to rent a locker and some life vests and walk right into the water for some snorkeling. We saw many kinds of fish ( I am not sure what they were but some looked just like Dory!) We walked back to the ship, showered, had lunch in Windjammer and then went back to shore for some shopping. Even though this is a tender port, there was plenty of time to do this and not feel rushed. Friday we were in Cozumel. We booked Salsa & Salsa Margarita. We were taken by taxi to the Hotel Cozumel Resort (it is lovely) where we learned to make seven kinds of salsas and two kinds of margaritas. it was so much fun! They even taught us a salsa dance. After the class, we were invited to enjoy the resorts beach and pool amenities which we did. That being said, they only thing I would change about this excursion is the time---it was about an hour longer than necessary, especially in the heat---but it was great fun. DH and DS even have fun and they don't typically join in anything!Saturday was a sea day and DD and I went to the Fun with Chocolate class that we had signed up for on departure day. It did not disappoint. We learned about the different chocolate types to melt and their purposes and then we tried them all out. We dipped lots of yummy strawberries and were each rewarded with a bottle of champagne at the end (it was a 'gift' because we had signed up on the first day of the cruise). Debarking the ship was sad but a smooth experience. We were able to have breakfast in Windjammer without lugging carry ons with us. We were off the ship by 9 am and on the road home shortly there after. And yes, we booked another cruise for next summer!! Our cabins, 6274 & 6275 were almost mid-ship, maybe a bit forward. We did not have long walks to either aft or forward elevators. We usually walked to MDR on deck 4. DS and DD were in a promenade cabin. We were able to enjoy the parades and entertainment from there. The kids said they did not notice any extra noise or light during the night and were able to sleep peacefully. FOS is a lovely ship with a wonderful staff and crew who made the trip even more enjoyable for our family. ;) Wendy

[Pushka]

I love long reports so thankyou. But maybe it is my computer but your report is in tiny tiny font and all in one block so it is a challenge to read.

 

Anyone else?

[jagsfan]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. We'll be on FOS Oct 16. I didn't know about these classes, and now looking forward to at least the chocolate one. How nice to see a

review with no complaints. When you have a great attitude, you have a great time.

Happy Sailing

[sailingawaysoon]

I agree with the other poster, it was hard reading your review w/the tiny print and all one big paragraph. I guess when you are a die hard cruise critic lover, you make it thru! Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I'm glad you had a good vacation. Thank goodness you saw that you were boarding later. At least you didn't have to rush.

[AF-1]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I enjoyed reading it; and thanks for being honest and upfront; I plan on taking the chocolate class in Dec. Plan on taking grandkids to cupcake class also.

[momneedsrest]

I love long reports so thankyou. But maybe it is my computer but your report is in tiny tiny font and all in one block so it is a challenge to read.

 

Anyone else?

 

It is unfortunate about the font size. I am not a frequent poster, so I am not very familiar with how to cure that issue prior to posting. I do know, that as a reader that I can enlarge the view on the screen to make things easier to read. I am sure others in CC land can suggest fixes to this problem for both posters and readers.

[jbitzer]

 

It is unfortunate about the font size. I am not a frequent poster, so I am not very familiar with how to cure that issue prior to posting. I do know, that as a reader that I can enlarge the view on the screen to make things easier to read. I am sure others in CC land can suggest fixes to this problem for both posters and readers.

 

 

The one large paragraph can be fixed. Just hit return when a paragraph is finished. For my students, I tell them a new idea equals a new paragraph. You can set up paragraphs by day or something like that. There will be a line space- very similar to hitting a return key with a typewriter.

 

(See I just did it!).

 

And you can fix font size as well by looking at the top of your box where you typed the information you should see a font type (mine says Verdana) and a box with a number. The smaller the number the smaller the font size. Those very simple fixes would make the review much more easier to read for everyone.

 

Paragraphs and font size do make material more reader friendly. Subheadings also allow the reader to scan through material quickly.

[milton333]

 

It is unfortunate about the font size. I am not a frequent poster, so I am not very familiar with how to cure that issue prior to posting. I do know, that as a reader that I can enlarge the view on the screen to make things easier to read. I am sure others in CC land can suggest fixes to this problem for both posters and readers.

 

You might just click on "edit" on your original post and add some paragraph breaks (hit "enter") to make it more readable. More than about 5 lines in a paragraph is more than most people can handle, especially on a computer screen :)

[jbitzer]

You might just click on "edit" on your original post and add some paragraph breaks (hit "enter") to make it more readable. More than about 5 lines in a paragraph is more than most people can handle, especially on a computer screen :)

 

 

I tell my students that all the time ;) I usually allow three to five sentences per paragraph.

 

It is a shame because great information is in that review but it is difficult to read. For example, I'd love to know more about the Salsa & Salsa excursion-was that offered by RCCL? How much was it?

 

I'd also like more information on the Rose Hall shuttles in Falmouth. Where do you get on? How long does it take? Are you obligated to get off on any specific stop?

[lynninsc]

Thanks for the review! Sailing on Freedom in a few weeks and love reading other passengers reviews. I had not heard of the chocolate class before, definitely interested in checking that out! Glad that even though your vacation got off to a rocky start you and your family still had a good time!

[johneeo]

Wendy

 

Paragraphs are our friends.;)

[momneedsrest]

I tell my students that all the time ;) I usually allow three to five sentences per paragraph.

 

It is a shame because great information is in that review but it is difficult to read. For example, I'd love to know more about the Salsa & Salsa excursion-was that offered by RCCL? How much was it?

 

I'd also like more information on the Rose Hall shuttles in Falmouth. Where do you get on? How long does it take? Are you obligated to get off on any specific stop?

The salsa& salsa was offered through RCI and cost $88 pp. We were taken from the port by taxi to the Hotel Cozumel resort. The dancing chefs were fun and informative and the vanilla ice cream we topped with our freshly made dessert salsa was one of the best things I have ever tasted! The free Rose Hall shuttle picks up and drops off in the parking lot at the end of the pier in Falmouth. It only goes to the Rose Hall Shoppes but the drivers do a fairly good job of acting as tour guides during the drive which is about 30 minutes.