Countdown to the Cruise

75 days till our cruise! After this post, I'll post the countdown when it gets to 60, 30, 7 and 1 days until the cruise. This is also the first in a few posts for today because it's a special day - my birthday! More to come...

Vision of the Seas - Maiden Arrival

Vision of the Seas made its first call into the Port of Portland today. Just 3 months from now and we'll be on this ship all the way down in Texas! She arrived at 7am and disembarked at 6pm. While we waited for our lunch we stopped by Buglight Park to watch the boats go by and get a first-hand look at our future ship. The excitement grows as each day passes by, only 89 days!!

Vision of the Seas as viewed from Buglight Park. They had a great day for exploring. 

Zoomed in shot from the view magnifier at the park. Comes in handy close-ups ups.

Royal Caribbean Signature Visa Card

Was in the drive-thru at work taking orders/cash at work today when a customer handed me their card and it was a Royal Caribbean Signature Visa Credit Card. Over the years I've seen a variety of cards but not until the past month have I seen these cards!

I applied for one before the first cruise and another time this past recently but was declined. Bummer!

You can apply here: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/dealsandmore/offer/visa.do

Sunday Pick-me-up

Happy Sunday!

"Life is like making tea! Boil your ego, Evaporate your worries, Dilute your sorrows, Filter your mistakes and get taste of happiness..."

I remember the first day at sea which was the first full true day of the cruise was when we really felt the motion and rocking of the ship. We went to guest services and picked up some dramamine. I chose the seats with a front row view of the bow and horizon line. Trying to balance plates with the rocking was a struggle 9 nights later I mastered it, haha! We didn't stay long that breakfast because Justin was too queasy and couldn't eat. 

They had really good breakfast options!

Countdown to the Cruise

100 days till our cruise! After this post I'll post the countdown when it gets closer to the cruise at more notable and exciting numbers.

Vision of the Seas - 5 Nights - Western Caribbean

Now for the big announcement we've all been waiting for...

Pleased to announce that this December, Justin and I along with our friends will be leaving out of Galveston, Texas to board the Vision of the Seas for 5 nights! It's a Western Caribbean cruise which'll make stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya and with two days at sea.

We booked this way back in March roughly a week after getting off Grandeur. I found a select few cruises on CruisesOnly.com which is what we decided to try when a couple we met on the cruise recommended it. We also got a few friends interested in the idea. After we booked it we did have some doubts that we wouldn't be able to go on this cruise because of personal issues and other goof ups and a good chunk of our friends are no longer going. The final payment date was this last week which is why I can confidently announce it now. These past few months I've been planning out our itinerary and booking things such as hotels, flights etc... as the money is available.

101 days until we leave for Texas! Yeehaw!

#tbt Liberty of the Seas

Here's a #tbt to 08/30/15 the day after I had moved into my dorm room at SMCC. Our dorm faced the ocean and had an awesome view of the ships and Portland skyline. Ironically the ship docked that morning was Royal Caribbeans, Liberty of the Seas. That same ship is the one that was diverted from Hurricane Harvey and left thousands stuck at sea.

Liberty of the Seas passing through Casco Bay heading to the Ocean Gateway terminal to dock. Viewed from Surfsite dormitory.

Announcement Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I'll have a special announcement to make on the blog and it's future. Check back later in the day tomorrow afternoon. I'm so excited to share it with everyone, stay tuned!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

Bit of a film nerd here. To celebrate the 78th anniversary of the release of the Wizard of Oz I thought I would share a picture I took before we left port in Baltimore. We had a severe storm quickly move through which rocked the boat and made rush inside. Afterwards, I went outside and snapped this photo as the rainbow appeared over the ship. A second storm followed suit, another story for another day!

"Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind
Where trouble melts like lemon drops"

Welcome Back!

I haven't posted as much as I would like to be but life's been hectic. I'm currently writing articles about the previous cruise back in February and preparing a surprise! On August 30th I'll announce what that surprise is and share it with everyone here. Can't wait, stay tuned!

Grandeur of the Seas entering Portland - Clip

Last post for awhile as I get settled into a new job. This awesome video has been making its rounds on Facebook and shows the beauty of Portland. It also happens to feature Grandeur of the Seas as it entered Portland last week. Great shot!

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s30WvpGNC2I&feature=youtu.be

Shared it in some Facebook groups, got some great comments!

Grandeur arrives in Portland!

Grandeur of the Seas arrived in Portland yesterday. I wasn't able to see it arrive but we got to see it from our apartment as it sailed out to Bar Harbor/Canada. The Viking Crown lounge and upper decks managed to surpass the tree line giving us a nice view. For those few seconds I remembered sitting in the lounge in Port Canaveral with a nice cold Sprite after a day walking on the hot beach.

The local station WGME 13 did a report on Grandeurs arrival. A lot of good press lately about the cruise industry in Maine. Woohoo!
http://wgme.com/news/local/cruise-ship-season-underway-in-portland

Picture to go along with the story. Sitting in the V.C.L. with a Sprite after walking the beach at Port Canaveral.
Spent a good chunk of sea days here! 

Cruise Schedule; Portland ME

As cruise ship season begins, here's a useful guide I use when I take photos of the ships or just to go view them. Sometimes the ships will leave early or later depending on circumstances but they usually stick to the schedule. The schedule is attached in the link below. Large list of ships coming, over 100!

http://www.cruiseportlandmaine.com/why-cruise-here/cruise-schedule/

Upcoming Cruise Season

Great article in todays paper about Maine's growing cruise industry. A lot of key statistics and numbers which show a significant boost in the industry are in the article. Grandeur will arrive this weekend and be the first ship to dock in Portland for the season!

http://www.pressherald.com/2017/06/01/maine-sails-into-record-year-for-cruise-ships/

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to all those who served the United States and other nations. Thank you for your service and protecting our countries. We should never take the liberties and freedom they fight for us for granted.

Looking over our Cruise Compasses, Royal Caribbean hosted a few military celebrations and events. The last night of the cruise they hosted a reception for veterans, active duty members and their families. Quite a large turnout and the ships galley even provided a cake! I managed to get a slice and it was pretty good.

April Fools!

I came home from work and saw this article circulating in the Crown and Anchor society group. For a bit of time I thought this was real until I actually remembered what todays date was. April Fools!

Piste of the Seas
© 2017 Royal Caribbean International 

http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/cruise/taking-the-piste-royal-caribbean-announces-worlds-first-cruise-ship-with-ski-slope-35583022.html

Royal Caribbean itself even plays along and makes a detailed page for it on their official site!
https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/piste-of-the-seas/

Honestly though, this would be an interesting concept! I'll have to look into what Royal Caribbean has done in previous years for pranks.

Royal Caribbean adds Lifeguards

This past cruise I saw crew members act as lifeguards from the outdoor pool deck to the Solarium. Even though at many times it was just the two of us wading in the Solarium pool they would still keep tabs on us. Our server from the Great Gatsby was also there at one point filling in as one. 

http://www.aquaticsintl.com/lifeguards/royal-caribbean-launches-lifeguard-program_o

I've heard of drownings before on cruise ships so I guess this is a good thing. They also had life vests available for use and I saw many parents taking advantage of that option. Either way, props to Royal Caribbean!

I'm Back!

It's been a week since we left Grandeur. I've been busy readjusting back to reality and focusing on gaining money. I'll be slowly posting more about the cruise in the coming months!

Countdown to the Cruise!

10 days until the cruise! It's exciting! It's thrilling! The wait is finally almost over! This will be our first cruise amongst many other things which we get to do together. We leave for the cruise the day of our one year anniversary! It will certainly be a very memorable, romantic and amazing adventure for the two of us.

Check-In Complete! Ten Days!

Ten days until we leave for the cruise! Today I had the day off so I decided to finish up our check in and get our SetSail Pass. I'll spend the rest of the day making up itineraries and budgeting the vacation. Can't believe the time has almost come!

TEN DAYS LEFT! Check-in is all set and ready to sail!

Eleven More Days!

Eleven more days until we leave for the trip. It just so happens that after the last storm we had, we had another storm with about seven inches of snow and then this... Almost two feet of snow!

Map from local station WGME 13.

Blizzard 2017

Today's the big one! As I'm writing this post the wind is gusting heavily against the windows and the lights of the occasional plow shine through the shades. It's been snowing pretty heavily ever since nine this morning. I left work for break and it was starting to slowly snow and when I came back to work just a few minutes later, it was falling heavily. I shoveled earlier today after getting out of work and got the whole driveway done so anyone could still come and go. The snowbanks and drifts are much larger then what it was earlier on.

Maine weather is so bipolar. Yesterday it was fifty degrees outside! The day before that we had another snowstorm. Rumor has it cold temps and another large storm is due before the week is up! Back when we booked it in October for this time of year we expected it to be cold and snowy. Up until this point, we didn't have much snow or cold days. Glad we do now!

Map from local station WGME 13. Wether you want to call it a Nor'easter
 or a Blizzard, it'll be a lot of snow!

Countdown to the Cruise!

30 days till our cruise! One month left! It seems like so long ago we booked this cruise, a late night in October. Our minds were obsessed with thinking about the cruise and planning it. Those reactions and emotions have come and gone these past few months, and now its back as we near the end!

Passport: Part 3

Today was the day. We set out with documents in hand and got into line a few hours before they closed. There were four people ahead of us and it took some time to reach the front. It seemed they had someone training that day. They were very nice and helpful and made the process go by very smoothly. Our expected date to get the passport is 02/07/2017 and that's after getting it expedited. It would've come like four days later then needed if we didn't pay for it. Till next time!

Passport: Part 2

The post office had shorter hours today since it's the weekend. Our landlord was here repairing some things so we stuck around in case of any questions. We will try again the beginning of next week. However they'll be closed on Monday because of MLK Jr. day.

Passport: Part 1

After almost two months we finally got the funds to pay for the passport aligned and the time set aside. We went to CVS and got our photo taken. Cost under $30 for the two of us. We went to the post office and couldn't find parking and got lost a few times. We got our application and started filling it out. Justin didn't know what some of the information was that they needed and the pens had trouble with the ink. It was almost closing time and the line hadn't moved. We actually found out you need a money order or check to pay for it. I had cash and he had card. We'll try again tomorrow!

Cute packaging! 42 days until we leave!

Countdown to the Cruise!

50 days until the cruise! Roughly around two months. The last bits of planning are happening now and since Christmas is over, our money is being saved for booking excursions. One thing I noticed I've been doing is stressing over costs and the paychecks I'm getting. Trying to budget everything has been tough and it doesn't help this is my first few months of being out of the house and on my own! Excursions were at the back of our minds because either way we'll always find something to do. Can't wait for the next countdown update!

Sold Out!

One thing I did between now and the cruise was check the prices of the cruise. If it dropped, I would contact Royal Caribbean and they would give me the difference in onboard credit. I'll have a post on that later in the future after the cruise. I checked today and the cruise was finally sold out! Wow!

Sold Out!

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years from Justin and I! Our cruise is only two months away and we are starting to feel the stress of getting everything done before the cruise. Where should I begin?! Anyways, here's a photo of the Grandeur of the Seas getting ready for the big night. When the clock strikes twelve all the balloons will be released and the celebration of the new year will continue into the morning hours. Thanks to Jeaniene Durso for the photo!

The Centrum of the Grandeur of the Seas ready for the big night! Thanks to Jeaniene Durso for the photo