twangster Posted August 23, 2021 Author Share Posted August 23, 2021 As I was eating my breakfast bacon in the Marketplace buffet it rained. Oh well... rinsing the salt off the ship. Meanwhile heading forward I spotted a life jacket stand. Some cracks of thunder too. Look Ma... no chair hogs. Towel station by the pool. Since I was undercover... here are some "Street Eats" photos. My friends from Maryland will be very happy. If you know, you know. Note to self, come back by this way later. I like the concept of Street Eats. Meanwhile on the other side of the pool deck... Blue Iguana. Note to self... tomorrow's breakfast awaits. BOTD - Beer Of The Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 23, 2021 Author Share Posted August 23, 2021 It's raining but if you are in a hot tub who cares? Still raining on my balcony... The Hub app has a listing of what's going on. Central Stage is getting ready for The Wave. Internet speedtest. Looking much better than last night. However wifi calling on my phones isn't working. At least the internet is faster although the latency (ping time) is a killer. I wanted to see how I missed my muster station signs so with it raining outside off I went. There are signs for B stations, but no A signs. Knowing it's in the theater I went that way. There is a blank sign so let's keep going... Ah ha! The sign is above the door if you know to come looking for it. While I am in the area here are some photos from the gym on Mardi Gras. Lockers available. Midday progress: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 23, 2021 Author Share Posted August 23, 2021 Found some coins in my travels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Mid afternoon so I went for a stroll. I'll have to come back with my good camera, but for now I found Emeril's Bistro. Really hard menu to photograph... This led me to the Alchemy Bar and a Cucumber Sunrise. The nice thing about the Alchemy Bar is the ability to create something based on your tastes using discrete ingredients rather than premade mixers. I felt like something light and refreshing so he created this version of a gin and tonic for me. So good. I saw they had Kraken rum so I wanted to see what he could imagine for me based on Kraken. A couple of pinches of this and a little bit of that and... Voila. Hand crafted cocktails always taste better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 It was getting close to dinner but I really wanted to try Shaq's Chicken so I stopped by to get some Philly Cheesesteak Fries at Street Eats and then proceeded to Shaq's for The Big Aristotle. Sides available. Back to my cabin where I found hardly any wind on my balcony. That's a crew break area in the bow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 I may have taken a nap because I can. Very calm seas as we sail away into the sunset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Sunset time lapse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Our progress: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Earlier today this popped up on my phone. I'm not really into formal nights. Cruising solo and frequently formal night is not really my thing. I totally understand some people really get into it but I didn't even bring real long pants on this cruise (I have some hiking pants with zip off legs that turn into shorts). There are so many food options outside of the MDR that I made the decision to eat my way around the ship without the MDR. Still full from my lunch I had a late dinner in the Pig & Anchor. My three mains were Brisket, Pulled Pork and Ribs. The Backyard Band is seriously good and it was a fantastic experience eating dinner with a live cover band. Seriously good food and included in the cruise fare. Fries and onion rings on the side. Service is very quick since it's basically ready, they just need to plate it. A quick stroll outside to walk some of that off. On the way back to my cabin I noticed this outside the Havana Bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 I've had pretty good luck doing some astrophotography from ships before but with a full moon this week the timing isn't right and there has been a lot of cloud cover. Nonetheless I had to try. The full moon is just too bright but there are some stars out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Earlier tonight just after the sun had set I was out and about with my camera. Did I mention this is a beautiful ship? If you are twenty one and older you have to check out this Serenity deck. It's pretty amazing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseHabit Bill Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Thanks for all of these. In my short time onboard I found it overwhelming to get photos as there are SO MANY different venues. She really has some pretty spaces. Have you felt, so far, like people are spread out reasonably? The idea of a ton of small venues sounds great...unless a few are wildly more popular than others. Interesting that the internet quality shifted so drastically. Still hoping they magically move to o3b 🙂 Quote Disney nut, cruise fiend, tech geek, condescending elitist. I talk ship at CruiseHabit.com Frequent 'No One Else Was Available' guest on RoyalCaribbeanblog.com/podcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 hour ago, CruiseHabit Bill said: Have you felt, so far, like people are spread out reasonably? The idea of a ton of small venues sounds great...unless a few are wildly more popular than others. Interesting that the internet quality shifted so drastically. Still hoping they magically move to o3b 🙂 There are times where some venues are busy. The Alchemy Bar for example has a prime time where it's busy and the down side of hand crafted cocktails is that they take longer to make. The pools have been pretty busy. Serenity has lots of space though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Numbers this sailing are around 3,680 guests according to our CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Day Three - Cozumel Since boarding I've been finding my way around the ship and making notes of areas to photograph. I often find that by getting up early the ship appears empty so that was my plan today. I set a camera on my balcony in timp lapse mode and went off to take some pictures. This should give you an idea of the decor in the elevator lobbies and staircases. The elevators aren't very big but I feel like there are more of them. Down to deck 6. The difference is pretty striking. The Piano Bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Continuing on to Grand Central. Javablue is a full service coffee venue but also serves as a beverage station for complimentary coffee and water. This is also the lowest level of Center Stage. More on that later. ATM and bill changing machine. Javablue menu Javablue.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 24, 2021 Author Share Posted August 24, 2021 Continuing on into the French Quarter The Brass Magnolia Bar Cool trombone light fixtures. The Brass Magnolia menu Brass Magnolia.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 On Mardi Gras there are a lot of these sitting areas, different areas each with a different feeling and ambiance. Fortune Teller Menu Fortune Tellers.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Emeril's Bistro 1396 Emeril's Bistro Menu Emerils Bistro.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseHabit Bill Posted August 25, 2021 Share Posted August 25, 2021 7 hours ago, twangster said: Serenity has lots of space though. I loved the look of that area. It's honestly nice on a lot of CCL ships, but the pool and sunken lounge, esp being right across from the bar, made me think I could spend a considerable amount of time there on this ship. BTW, after my last internet comment I remembered years ago (may have even written about it) that CCL uses land-based stations when within X miles of said stations. That would explain the boost you saw - but may lose depending on location. It's interesting though that there is such latency, as that makes me wonder what the backhaul is. :;shrug:: Have you eaten at Emiril's yet? Quote Disney nut, cruise fiend, tech geek, condescending elitist. I talk ship at CruiseHabit.com Frequent 'No One Else Was Available' guest on RoyalCaribbeanblog.com/podcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Carnival Kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Time to head up one deck to seven. To the Alchemy Bar. Great place to people watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Alchemy Bar Menu Alchemy Bar.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 Palm Restaurant 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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