Brilliance OTS Oct 5th- Canada & New England Review (Lengthy & Photo Filled)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We picked our son up after an hour and a half. He was calm when we got there, but the moment he saw us he ran to us with a big smile. We went back to the room and found the Day 2 Compass along with Immigration forms for Canada. I had never experienced that before. Last time we were in Canada, our cruises ended in Vancouver so I assume it wasn’t necessary to fill out this form because we had to go through immigration in person when debarking the ship.

 

 

I inflated my son’s bathtub and gave him a good scrub down. Then in to the pack n play he went. We have a set up that has worked for us on the last 2 cruises we took him on. We bring heavy duty magnets and a linen shower curtain. We create a room within a room for him. This allows us to watch some TV or go about our business while he goes to bed. We lucked out on this cruise as the room already had a real divider curtain. Some staterooms have a decorative one that doesn’t actually slide across the room. As you can see in the photo, one curtain is part of the room (on the left-front) and our shower curtain is on the right going front to back. We were able to walk to the bathroom, closet, and vanity area without him seeing us.

 

 

So we settled in and fell asleep by 9pm. About 30 minutes later my son woke up crying. We could hear music in our room. It was slightly muffled, but loud enough that I knew what songs were playing. I calmed my son down and attempted to lay him back to sleep. He would not go to sleep because of the noise. I started thinking about where the noise could be coming from. The woman in the next room was an older woman in her 70s, we stopped to chat with her earlier in the day when she saw my son. The couple in the room next to us certainly didn’t look like the type to blast music at night in their cabin. Finally it dawned on me. We were right above the piano/ music area of the Schooner Bar. After about midnight we were able to get my son to fall asleep. He refused to sleep in the pack n play. So we let him sleep between us in the bed which caused us to be awake more than usual due to his kicking and moving. We suffered through the night with little to no sleep. My husband slept pretty well though. It’s one of those few times that being deaf is a good thing!

Edited October 16, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We slept in a bit this day because it was a sea day. We did a whole bunch of nothing! Well, actually I brought our son to the nursery at 10am for Play Group. Play Group is when a Nursery staff member is in the room, but parents must still stay with their child. I think it’s more of a secretarial time where parents can meet the nursery staff, sign up for hours, ask questions, etc. Hubby went to the gym and met us there during the next session. At 11am is “Art.” The project they had planned… coloring. Older kids would probably think it is lame, but my son loves to color! So she brought out the crayons, coloring sheet, and a tray. This kept him busy for a long time, then he played with the toys in the room. We talked with Chelsea about the nursery. She explained that she had to fly to Miami for an intense week long training to be certified to work in the onboard nursery. In the US they can change diapers, but any cruises leaving from the UK they cannot change diapers.

 

 

 

We went back to the room to change our son before lunch and found his monkey blanket nicely tucked in to the pack n play, lol.

 

[kirian]

 

 

We went back to the room to change our son before lunch and found his monkey blanket nicely tucked in to the pack n play, lol.

 

 

OMG - that is too cute! I love when the cabin attendants do things like that :)

 

Melissa

[Iamthesea]

Please tell me how many curtains you normally use (do you make a box like in your photo above?) and how many magnets does it take?

 

My entire family sleeps with a white noise machine (including the baby) and they have saved us on many a cruises when the music, or other noise is too loud.

 

Such a sweet room steward to tuck monkey in. :D

 

Your little guy looks so much bigger than my grandson. My grandson is on the smaller size. He was almost a month premature.

[red919]

Enjoying your review!

 

What a lovely family you are. :)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Please tell me how many curtains you normally use (do you make a box like in your photo above?) and how many magnets does it take?

 

My entire family sleeps with a white noise machine (including the baby) and they have saved us on many a cruises when the music, or other noise is too loud.

 

Such a sweet room steward to tuck monkey in. :D

 

Your little guy looks so much bigger than my grandson. My grandson is on the smaller size. He was almost a month premature.

 

Here are some photos from the other cruises in which we used the curtain. We only use one shower curtain each time. The way I set up the curtain depends on the room layout. I have a total of 8 magnet hooks, but have used 6 at the most at once.

 

Carnival Breeze: We boxed him in using an L shape and the wall.

 

 

 

Enchantment of the Seas: We just divided the room and gave him the side with the balcony.

 

 

 

 

My son appears big in these pictures but he's only in the 20th percentile. He wears 12 month shirts and his 12 month pants/shorts fall off of him!!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

OMG - that is too cute! I love when the cabin attendants do things like that :)

 

Melissa

 

We thought it was pretty cute too!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Here is a photo of the pack n play in our stateroom on this cruise. It was a pretty tight squeeze compared to the other rooms we have had in the last year. It was smaller than the Enchantment E balcony I had in May and much smaller than both rooms we had on Carnival (Breeze & Glory).

 

Edited October 17, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I have realized this thread has become far more detailed than I had planned. I have no problem writing all of this, but if anyone thinks it's a bit too much just let me know and I'll try to be more succinct.

[CubsFanRS23]

I have realized this thread has become far more detailed than I had planned. I have no problem writing all of this, but if anyone thinks it's a bit too much just let me know and I'll try to be more succinct.

 

Not at all, keep up the great work on your review!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Back to the review now.

 

We had lunch in the Windjammer, shocker, and then headed back to the room for a family nap!

 

After family nap time we watched some TV, yes we are the weirdos who watch TV and even order a movie or two on a cruise. My son had fun playing on the balcony, point and yelling “WA-LA!” That would be water in his language ;)

 

I stopped by the nursery to pick up a bag of toys. Despite the fact that Royal Caribbean no longer has a relationship with Fisher Price, they still have toy lending available. So Chelsea got a bag together for us and we brought it to the room so junior would have a few things to play with. I read the card attached to the bag and was very worried about the cost of replacing the items if lost. I was basically a nut case every time my son played with the toys. I kept all pieces accounted for to ensure we didn’t have to pay $125!

 

 

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We ate dinner and Lucian was great, again. He was nice enough to introduce my son to ice cream… Every mother’s dream! After dinner we went up to the nursery and dropped him off again. Hopefully he would run around and burn off that sugar. He did a little better tonight. He cried when we handed him over. I assume it stopped soon after because they never complained about him all week.

 

Instead of wandering the ship tonight we decided to watch the Captain’s Toast. It was formal night in the dining room, by the way. We grabbed two chairs from the internet area on deck 7 and scooted them up to the glass of the Centrum. I had assumed there would be an aerial element because there was a white drape hanging from the top. It slowly lowered to the ground and then the show began. The dancers danced about to a Madonna’s Vogue. After their performance the captain came out and introduced the Hotel Director, Head Chef, etc.

 

 

 

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We picked our son up from the nursery, headed back to the room, gave him a bath, and then we all went to bed. We were set to arrive in Halifax the next morning and I wanted an early jump on the day.

 

If you’re interested in how to bathe a baby on a cruise with just a shower, here’s how.

 

 

An inflatable bathtub. I even purchased a small hand pump to make it easier to blow up.

 

We had noise issues again and my son woke up multiple times, again! I had spoken with guest services earlier in the day on the sea day and mentioned the issue. They said they would get back to me later in the day but I never heard from them by the time we went to bed.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Upon arrival in Halifax I went out on our balcony to check out the situation. It appeared that we were docked in an industrial area. I watched the NCL Dawn pull in next to us. This didn’t seem right to me, based on all my research we should have been docked right downtown near the waterfront. After a quick breakfast at Park Café, in the Solarium, we headed downstairs to get off the ship.

 

When we stepped foot on land we were directed over to a shuttle bus that would bring us downtown. We had to wait for one that would allow us on with the stroller, as not all of them had room to accommodate it. It was a 5 minute ride to get to Halifax Seaport main area. This is where we were instructed to meet the bus to go back to our ship. In port today were the following: Brilliance, NCL Dawn, Regent Navigator, Grandeur of the Seas, and Aida Bella.

 

 

 

We started our morning by heading in to the Immigration Museum which is right at Pier 21. My husband was not interested in most of it. He isn’t big on history. So he stayed with my son in the side room that overlooked the water. They watched the Grandeur of the Seas pull in which I explored the museum. It was fairly small, but if you like history and immigration you’d enjoy it. I had to be honest and tell you that the main reason I went was to find information on my family. Which, as it turned out, would be researched elsewhere, not in the museum.

 

 

 

 

After walking through the Immigration Museum, I headed over to the small room just off to the side. It is sponsored by Scotia Bank and they will help you research ancestry. My father’s parents were born in Montreal, but their parents came from Northern Ireland and England. I wanted to find their information in the system. Much of what they had pulled up was not new information to me. Last year I spent hours upon hours researching my family history on ancestry.com I was able to get some new information on my grandfather’s parents coming over from Northern Ireland. I had them make me copies and I am going to send it off to my grandfather this coming week when I have a moment.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

From there we meandered along the Waterfront. It was long than I had anticipated, but a nice walk as it was a beautiful day outside. We passed the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which I wanted to visit on our walk back. A nice play area for kids. The Tugboat. There were some light posts that had fallen over, so my husband helped the city get them straightened out ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we got to the ferry Terminal we headed in to town toward the Citadel. Now in hindsight this was a crazy idea. We walked uphill, with the stroller, to get to the base of the Citadel. Then we walked over to the front of it and proceeded to go up and walk around inside. Anyone who has been here before can tell you that the streets going from the waterfront toward the Citadel are an extreme incline. I do not know the exact grade, but it’s steep!

[JessyCruises]

Great review and nice to see some pics of Halifax, where I used to live. I can't wait to hear what you thought of Saint John, my hometown :)

 

And yes, you are nuts for walking up to Citadel Hill with a stroller. :) I am sure your calves were screaming about it later!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We finally made it to the top after what seemed like forever. Hubby pushed the stroller up and I just panted along side them. Just in time too. We arrived at about 11:45am perfect timing for the canon firing. On the top edge of the Citadel I was able to get some beautiful shots of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Iamthesea]

Those tents are too clever! :) I assume that you take them down every day, or do you just stick the curtain in the pack n play?

 

Yes, your son and my DGS must be around the same size. Same percentile...same clothes size, and I can tell from the bathtub that they are about the same length. We have the same tub. :D

 

OK, on to the review. We are headed on this cruise next Fall at the same time (or did I already tell you that? :rolleyes:). Looking forward to seeing what you did in each port, how the weather was, and if the tree colors were magnificent, or just ho hum. :cool:

[Sunkissed Mommy]

After the Citadel we headed over to the Public Gardens. It was one block over from the Citadel. It was nice, not many flowers due to the time of year. At least that's what I assume. There were a lot of dirt piles. Perhaps they were planning to plant some hearty things soon?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2014 by smileyperry

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Those tents are too clever! :) I assume that you take them down every day, or do you just stick the curtain in the pack n play?

 

Yes, your son and my DGS must be around the same size. Same percentile...same clothes size, and I can tell from the bathtub that they are about the same length. We have the same tub. :D

 

OK, on to the review. We are headed on this cruise next Fall at the same time (or did I already tell you that? :rolleyes:). Looking forward to seeing what you did in each port, how the weather was, and if the tree colors were magnificent, or just ho hum. :cool:

 

We usually just sweep the curtain to the side during the day.

 

Weather was great on the cruise! Tree colors were the best in Bar Habor. I'll get there. Eventually... ;)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We then walked back downhill toward the waterfront. I wanted to “taste” some of the things we passed on our way in to town earlier. Our first stop was Smoke’s Poutinerie. If you have never heard of poutine, here’s what it is: French fries, cheese curd, and brown gravy. I have heard about it for years. My grandparents were from Quebec and a co worker of mine was also. Whenever my coworker would go home to see family she’d tell me about this awful dish her daughter and son would eat. It intrigued me! So we ordered a traditional Poutine. My husband said it was good, but nothing to rave about. I really enjoyed it! It was delicious. I have already found two places nearby my house that serve it- an ice cream shop down in Hollywood and a snack stop in Lake Worth. My son also loved it. He kept asking for another bite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was a Beaver Tail. That’s just friend dough with whatever toppings you choose. We went for Cinnamon and Sugar. It was good, and again my son loved it! There is a theme here. All unhealthy treats seem to go to the top of my son’s yummy list!

 

 

 

I will tell you that the posts may slow down this weekend. Simply because it's family time. I'll still post, but not as frequently. I'll pick speed back up on Monday!

Edited October 18, 2014 by smileyperry

[Dreamer115]

Loving your review, can't wait for more. :)

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Loving your review, can't wait for more. :)

 

Thank you. My intention is to help people who may choose this itinerary, ship, or traveling with young kids. Entertaining people is a plus too!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I had wanted to go to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, but my son was on his last string. We needed to get real food in to him. So we headed back to the ship for lunch and a real nap. During nap time the Schooner Bar had music playing, and of course it woke my son up. I called Guest Services (they told me to call whenever we heard it). They told me that they would escalate it to the Hotel Director. I’m really not one to formally complain about things. I may complain to my husband because I can, but I usually don’t make a stink unless it’s really a problem. At home my son sleeps 12 hours a night and 2-3 hour naps in the afternoon. So he’s a great sleeper on a normal basis. Having a 19 month old boy with sleep deprivation and a mom with it too, isn’t ideal!

 

I was able to capture a photo of the Grandeur as we sailed away.

 

 

 

Tonight, we dropped the little guy off at the nursery again. Same response. Cried for a bit, but was fine when we came back to get him later that night.

 

We walked around the ship, just having couple time. We saw people going in to Colony Club with little papers. I spied the paper in someone’s hand. It was the Crown & Anchor Welcome Back event. Hmmm. We hadn’t received that invitation and we’re only 9 points away from Diamond… We walked up to the doors and explained this. They asked to see our cards and saw that we’re Emerald and told us to come on in. I like to go to these events because I am always curious as to how many past guests are onboard (they announce it), how many show up, and who the top cruiser onboard is. This time the top cruiser has 500 something points. So no Pinnacles on the ship this time. There were no passed hors d’oeuvres, but they had the typical red punch drink and yellow bird drink (sorry I never remember the exact names). People also requested wine to drink.

 

 

 

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We were in no hurry to wake up, as it was another sea day. Just like Monday, I took my son to the play group in the nursery while my husband went to the gym. They had arts and crafts again today. He was able to paint on a fish, but he opted for coloring again. I told you he likes to color!

 

 

After play and art we had lunch, then nap time. Cruising with a young child certainly changes up your entire cruise routine! Thankfully my mom has offered to come along on our cruise in November to help us out. While my son napped I started thinking about the excursion we had chosen, I wasn’t sure of it.. Hop On Hop Off Bus and Reversing Falls Rapids via train. I talked it over with hubby and decided we’d switch to something else. It sounded like fun when we bought it, but as time got closer I wasn’t so sure.

 

Since the Shore Excursion desk was closed I thought I would check on our room situation. Guest Services finally had a solution. They would move us to the room that suddenly opened up. So they have me a key to check and see if it would be acceptable. Well Key #1 didn’t work. I went back to Guest Services. Key #2 didn’t work. I was getting annoyed. Key #3 finally worked. I checked it out and it was identical to our current room but on the other side, port, room 7148. So I ran over to our room and spoke with my husband. We decided to move. It was a good decision because our son slept soundly every night after that! Boy was it a PAIN to pack up our entire room. We “move in” on a cruise. We use all the drawers, hangars, etc. They sent a guy with a cart but my husband told him we didn’t need help. That didn’t go over well with me. We needed the help!

 

I went down to the Shore Excursions desk at 4 (when they reopened for the day) and switched to St Martins & the Sea Caves. I had been told about this being a great experience so I was looking forward to it. My son would probably think the caves were neat.

 

Edited October 18, 2014 by smileyperry