Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 9: B2B Day, Johnny Rockets, Sailaway, More Shenanigans! - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 9: B2B Day, Johnny Rockets, Sailaway, More Shenanigans! - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, it's our back-to-back day aboard the Mariner Of The Seas! Join us as we check out The Key breakfast, explore areas of the ship we hadn't seen yet, snag lunch at the upcharge Johnny Rockets restaurant, dance at the sailaway party, listen to live music at Barnacle & Barrel, snack on some late night pizza, and loads more fun... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 8: Manly Drinks, Dinner, Ice Skating, Kamikaze Karaoke - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 8: Manly Drinks, Dinner, Ice Skating, Kamikaze Karaoke - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're closing out our sea day with some time at the Barnacle & Barrel drinking manly cocktails, ice skating in Studio B, a karaoke session where you don't get to choose your song, an 80s dance party in the Royal Promenade, late night snacks at the Windjammer, and lots more shenanigans... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Streaming Sunday - 3/29/2020 8:00pm Edition - All The Stuff & Things!! - ParoDeeJay

Streaming Sunday - 3/29/2020 8:00pm Edition - All The Stuff & Things!! - ParoDeeJay

It's Sunday, so it must be stream day! Let's talk about a whole lot of nothing, as usual! :D #parodeejay #paromaniac

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 7: Sea Day, Sky Pad, Rock Wall, Waterslides, Flow Rider - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 7: Sea Day, Sky Pad, Rock Wall, Waterslides, Flow Rider - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're putting our perks from The Key to the test... how many sports activities can we knock out in one day with our priority access? We're talking Sky Pad trampoline pad, rock wall climbing, waterslide riding, FlowRider surfing, and a whole lot more... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Quarantine Cruise-A-Thon Live! - 2pm Eastern Time - ParoDeeJay

Quarantine Cruise-A-Thon Live! - 2pm Eastern Time - ParoDeeJay

Here are the details for "Quarantine Cruise-A-Thon Live" on Saturday, March 28th. Thanks again to Blane for arranging all the details! Each creator will be live on their OWN YouTube channel for about an hour, then pass the torch along to the next creator. We're looking forward to a load of fun!! :D

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 6: Gym Time, Laser Tag, Trivia, Quest, Red Disco Party - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 6: Gym Time, Laser Tag, Trivia, Quest, Red Disco Party - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're continuing our voluntary ship day aboard the Mariner Of The Seas! Join us as we head to the gym for some never-before-seen workout footage, blast off to some intergalactic laser tag in Studio B, attempt to make a helicopter out of paper, flex our brain muscles at more trivia, check out the adult scavenger hunt Crazy Quest, then dance the night away... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 5: Ship Day, Windjammer, Helipad, Archery, Mini Golf - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 5: Ship Day, Windjammer, Helipad, Archery, Mini Golf - ParoDeeJay

We've decided to turn Nassau into a ship day to give us more time to explore the beautiful Mariner Of The Seas! Join us as we check out the Windjammer cuisine, test our brains at trivia, stop by the helipad for some views of the island, shoot some archery on the sports deck, then it's time for some shocking miniature golf action... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 4: Chill Island, Snorkeling, Oasis Lagoon, Cap'n Jack's - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 4: Chill Island, Snorkeling, Oasis Lagoon, Cap'n Jack's - ParoDeeJay

We continue our day in Perfect Day at CocoCay with some beach time at Chill Island, snorkeling for award-winning fish footage, discovering the largest fish at Coco Cay, party time at the Oasis Lagoon pool, relaxing at Captain Jack's bar, and then it's time to head back to the ship for an evening of shenanigans... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 3: Coco Cay, Thrill Waterpark, Waterslides, Snack Shack - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 3: Coco Cay, Thrill Waterpark, Waterslides, Snack Shack - ParoDeeJay

We're in Perfect Day at CocoCay for the first time, and it's time to check out the Thrill Waterpark! Join us for some wave pool refreshment, waterslide excitement, snack shack deliciousness, and more Coco Cay shenanigans... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 2: Cabin Tour, Dinner, Ice Skating Show, Disco Party - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 2: Cabin Tour, Dinner, Ice Skating Show, Disco Party - ParoDeeJay

Join us for the end of our embarkation day on the Mariner Of The Seas! We're heading back to the cabin for a quick tour of our interior stateroom, enjoying dinner in the main dining room, catching the "Ice Under The Big Top" ice skating show in Studio B, popping into the Bamboo Room for some refreshment, giggling at some comedy, then ending the night at the 70s disco dance party along the Royal Promenade... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 1: Embarkation, Exploring, Bamboo Room, Music, Muster - ParoDeeJay

Mariner Of The Seas 2020 - Part 1: Embarkation, Exploring, Bamboo Room, Music, Muster - ParoDeeJay

It's embarkation day for the Mariner Of The Seas out of Port Canaveral! Join us as we catch an UberLyft from the Radisson Resort At The Port over to board the ship, do a little exploring of the main public decks, find our new favorite hangout spot in the Bamboo Room, struggle to get away from music everywhere, and learn about safety at the muster drill... huzzah!! Phase two of MegaVacay2020 is back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner Of The Seas! We sailed from February 3-10, 2020 with stops in Coco Cay and Nassau on both legs. We've completed a week at DisneyWorld, so it's time for some relaxation. What's next on the mega vacay agenda after this sailing? Four MORE weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Streaming Sunday - 3/22/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One That Went Into Overtime!! - ParoDeeJay

Streaming Sunday - 3/22/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One That Went Into Overtime!! - ParoDeeJay

It's Sunday, so it must be stream day! Let's talk about a whole lot of nothing, as usual! :D #parodeejay #paromaniac

Radisson Resort At The Port - Zachary's Restaurant - Cape Canaveral (Port Canaveral) - ParoDeeJay

Radisson Resort At The Port - Zachary's Restaurant - Cape Canaveral (Port Canaveral) - ParoDeeJay

We're getting ready to head out on the Mariner Of The Seas out of Port Canaveral, but we've got a day of relaxation first... join us for a quick tour of the Radisson Resort At The Port in Cape Canaveral, plus some Greek-food-eatin' at Zachary's Restaurant... huzzah!! We've wrapped up a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, and we're getting ready for phase two of MegaVacay2020... back-to-back cruises aboard the Mariner Of The Seas out of Port Canaveral! What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Four more weeks of cruising on four different cruise lines!

Playlist: Disney World - Orlando FL - January 2020 - ParoDeeJay

Hey gang! Here's the magical YouTube playlist for our Orlando adventures with the fam in January 2020, including Disney World, Disney World, and Disney Wooorld... whoop whoop!! :D

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbURfqJTql-w3okbgb2blj3niwI_e0h1S

Remember, you can click on the word "playlist" in the labels section of this blog post to see ALL our playlists!

Disney Springs Meet-Up 2020 - Fun With Friends At Splitsville - D-Luxe Burger Dinner - ParoDeeJay

Disney Springs Meet-Up 2020 - Fun With Friends At Splitsville - D-Luxe Burger Dinner - ParoDeeJay

We're headed to Splitsville at Disney Springs in Orlando to hang out with some friends! Join us for some meet-up action, followed by dinner at D-Luxe Burger... whoop whoop!! Find these fun folks on the YouTube machine: * Fintastic Cruising: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SKyuKXaA0K2gMP_ILKi7Q * Fintastic Studios: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAb0dQJwxfLY59zmVORlOLQ * Journey With Josh: https://www.youtube.com/user/joshinsobe * Scotts On Deck: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5d0AxSzY137j3_8otx8RqQ * Shows Special Features: https://www.youtube.com/user/Rshows24 * Taziar Travel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg7U3bHo6o9bc26dsu5furQ We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Disney World 2020 - Part 5: Animal Kingdom, Na'vi River, Safari, Flight Of Passage - ParoDeeJay

Disney World 2020 - Part 5: Animal Kingdom, Na'vi River, Safari, Flight Of Passage - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, it's our last day at Disney World and we're headed to Animal Kingdom... join us as we walk on the wild side, exploring Africa, Asia, and points in between! We've got Na'vi River Journey, Kilamanjaro Safaris, Festival Of The Lion King, the Finding Nemo show, Avatar Flight Of Passage, and a whole lot more... Oh boy!! We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Disney World 2020 - Part 4: Kona Cafe Breakfast, Magic Kingdom, So Many FastPasses! - ParoDeeJay

Disney World 2020 - Part 4: Kona Cafe Breakfast, Magic Kingdom, So Many FastPasses! - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, it's time for the most magical of kingdoms... join us as we head back to the Polynesian Resort for breakfast at Kona Cafe, then work our magic on the FastPass system once again to ride as many things as possible at Magic Kingdom... Oh boy!! We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Disney World 2020 - Part 3: EPCOT, Construction, FastPasses, World Showcase, 'Ohana - ParoDeeJay

Disney World 2020 - Part 3: EPCOT, Construction, FastPasses, World Showcase, 'Ohana - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're off to explore the world of EPCOT... join us as we work the FastPass system to ride as many things as possible, discover that a lot of the park is closed and under construction, check out multiple flavors of popcorn bucket refills, embark on a whirlwind tour of World Showcase, try to digest all the food we've eaten over the course of the day, then end with dinner at 'Ohana over at the Polynesian Resort... Oh boy!! We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Disney World 2020 - Part 2: Rise Of The Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Smugglers Run - ParoDeeJay

Disney World 2020 - Part 2: Rise Of The Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Smugglers Run - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're headed back to Hollywood Studios! We've got a lot of new things to explore, including Star Wars rides Rise Of The Resistance and Smugglers Run in Galaxy's Edge, Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster in Toy Story Land, and a whole lot more... Oh boy!! We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Disney World 2020 - Part 1: Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Fantasmic - ParoDeeJay

Disney World 2020 - Part 1: Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Fantasmic - ParoDeeJay

In this episode, we're off to explore Hollywood Studios! There have been all sorts of additions since our last visit, such as Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land, and we need to explore all the stuff and things. Our FastPasses for the day were Rockin' Roller Coaster, the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, and Star Tours. We also decided to take advantage of Minnie's Seasonal Dine at Hollywood & Vine so as to score prime seating for Fantasmic that evening. Oh boy!! We're kicking off MegaVacay2020 with a week at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida! We stayed off-site in an AirBNB and did a total of five park days, visiting from January 27-31, 2020. What's next on the mega vacay agenda? Five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines!

Streaming Sunday - 3/15/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One Where We Avoided The C-Word - ParoDeeJay

Streaming Sunday - 3/15/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One Where We Avoided The C-Word - ParoDeeJay

It's Sunday, so it must be stream day! Let's talk about a whole lot of nothing, as usual! :D #parodeejay #paromaniac

Orlando Travel Day 2020 - Chicken & Bubble Tea, AirBNB Tour, FantasyPainting Gift - ParoDeeJay

Orlando Travel Day 2020 - Chicken & Bubble Tea, AirBNB Tour, FantasyPainting Gift - ParoDeeJay

It's time to kick off MegaVacay2020... a week of Disney World followed by five weeks of cruising on five different cruise lines! Join us for a quick travel vlog as we fly to Florida, grab some dinner, tour our AirBNB, and Dee finally gives her sister the handpainted item we ordered from FantasyPainting on Instagram!! :D Find FantasyPainting on the Instagram machine: https://www.instagram.com/fantasypainting/

MunchPak Mini Snack Box - February 2020 Unboxing & Taste Test - Canada Is Delicious!! - ParoDeeJay

MunchPak Mini Snack Box - February 2020 Unboxing & Taste Test - Canada Is Delicious!! - ParoDeeJay

We've got a box full of international snacks, so let's go roaming around the globe once again via our monthly MunchPak Mini subscription box!! Join us as we taste all the things, including some things from Turkey, New Jersey!! And as usual, we are not sponsored by MunchPak. :D

Diaita Vlog #15 - Life Updates: How Much Weight Did We Gain During Our Six Week Vacation?!

Diaita Vlog #15 - Life Updates: How Much Weight Did We Gain During Our Six Week Vacation?!

Time for another random healthy lifestyle update, and we're delving into the numbers... how much weight did we gain during our six weeks on the road?! :O

Streaming Sunday - 3/8/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One Where We Ranked Things - ParoDeeJay

Streaming Sunday - 3/8/2020 8:00pm Edition - The One Where We Ranked Things - ParoDeeJay

It's Sunday, so it must be stream day! Let's talk about a whole lot of nothing, as usual! :D #parodeejay #paromaniac

Crown Princess: A Day-By-Day Live Journal - February 2020

Here's a collection of my musings while sailing on the Crown Princess in February 2020... to follow along with these in real-time, be sure to join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parodeejay/

Crown Princess Day 1. We arrived at the port early and snagged that sweet boarding group one. Their terminal is surprisingly pretty inside with a big digital wall for welcome photos and a cool little tunnel you walk through into the main seating area. We started moving around 11:40am and were enjoying a leisurely lunch in the Da Vinci dining room at 12:00pm. Easy peasy. Our first taste of Princess cuisine was pretty glorious. Everything was well-seasoned and I couldn’t find a single fault. I even tried to order the strangest sounding dessert, a trifle of cake, fruit, pudding, jello, and whipped cream... and it was dang tasty, hah! The cabins were ready at 1:00pm sharp, and our bags were waiting for us when we got there. The cabin is pretty big, the bed is super soft, there’s a nice walk-in closet, but the shower... it’s not looking so good. Not only is it small, but the shower head is short and doesn’t detach or adjust. Looks like we’ll both be doing squats in the shower to get our hair washed! We aren’t fans of the schedule on the app just yet... it’s a strange little system that you have to scroll both sideways and up and down to read everything, and it’s easy to miss activities. They don’t seem to have an option to read the schedule in a chronological list on the app, but maybe we’ll come across an option to change it eventually. Muster was inside but still standing up, but was relatively painless and involved lots of satirical interpretation of The Love Boat theme song. Next up was the sailaway party on the lido deck, involving the singers & dancers. Quite lively, but the crowd was too chill for all that noise, so it seemed to die down quickly. We explored the ship a bit, laid on our comfy bed a bit, then headed to dinner. The food was really good again overall in the dining room. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake thinking it would be similar to a melting cake, but it wasn’t. It was like... a cake. Go figure! The evening entertainment schedule wasn’t too full, but we opted for a fun Jeopardy-style trivia followed by a singer/comedian show. We’re adjusting slowly to the “relaxed” vibe of this cruise, hah... we haven’t heard the wobble once, but we’re still hoping!! :P

Crown Princess Day 2. We’d heard rumors and legends of the buffet on Princess, and breakfast didn’t disappoint! The selection was huge, everything was tasty, the silverware was waiting for us on the table, and they had roving waiters refilling coffee tableside like crazy. After breakfast, we hit a random trivia, and then it was time for steel drum class. The drum is the same model I have at home, and I got picked to play in the lead group. Whoop! There are three or four practices, followed by a group performance in the lobby on the last day. The afternoon brought a line dance class for Dancin’ Dee, where they electric slid, cupided, and a handful of other boogies. We took a cue from our fellow passengers and returned to the room for naptime, then got fancied up for formal dinner. The shower turned out to be not as bad as expected, but I’m not doing any line dances in there anytime soon. They do recommend a suit & tie for formal dinner, though it’s not required. I did witness a gentleman being turned away for wearing shorts and a polo though. Dinner was really good overall, other than one pasta dish that was overcooked. Post dinner entertainment included a champagne waterfall with free glasses abounding. The evening show was an original musical crafted by Broadway’s Stephen Schwartz especially for Princess, featuring some of his more popular showtunes, and a few we’d never heard. It was a strange mix of magic with Broadway, but it was aight, hah... We closed out the evening by watching the Marriage Match game show (yep, like Love And Marriage), then Dee auditioned for Voice Of The Ocean which is a partnership between Princess and The Voice TV show. We’ll know in three or four days if she made the cut! Whoop whoop!!

Crown Princess Day 3. We started our day with breakfast in the dining room and were a little disappointed in the small selection. The pastry tray was enormous though, hah. What we had was fantastic, but we might tend toward that huge buffet of awesomeness for our morning cuisine from now on. After a fruit & veggie carving demo in the piazza, we headed to steel drum practice where I scored not only another lead part, but a bonafide solo at the performance on the last day. Whoop! We stopped by the British Pub Lunch for a bite, which was fantastic and flavorful. The afternoon brought more line dancing fun for Dee, then we headed back to the cabin to gather some laundry to cleanse in the passenger laundromat. Fresh undies for the win! The shower continues to underwhelm, and I’ve found myself hitting my head on the showerhead a few times because I’m smooth like that. Dinner was also a winner, and we haven’t found much in the dining room that hasn’t been excellent. After dinner, we got our first taste of Movies Under The Stars... padded loungers, buttered popcorn, what a treat! Our evening came to a close with a trivia win, the prize being a Princess journal, and a magic show. Huzzah!!

Crown Princess Day 4. We arrived in St. Thomas and received clearance at 7am. Our plans for the day were very freeform, so we weren’t in a rush to leave the ship. Breakfast came from the smorgasbord of a buffet and was great as usual. We set our sights not on St. Thomas itself, but on the neighboring island of Water Island. One taxi to Crown Bay, one ferry to Water Island, one safari truck to Dinghy’s Bar, and we found ourselves at Honeymoon Beach. Snorkels. Turtles. Bushwackers. All was well in the world. Reverse the process and we found our way to the ship again. Lunch came from the buffet, which never ceases to amaze, with a bonus stop for a slice of pizza and a couple of ice-cream cones. A couple of slightly-cramped showers later and it was trivia time. We lost to a team that’s on a B2B2B2 (who knows how many loops) that always seems to get perfect scores. Dinner in the MDR was fantastic... Dee found what she thinks might be her favorite dish at sea ever... the Bahamian Fish Stew with Jonnycakes. Yum! The evening show was a singing and dancing extravaganza of disco tunes. While waiting for the show to start, I decided to download the Ocean Casino app which lets you gamble from anywhere on the ship. Dangerous! But two spins later, I was up $47 and decided my streak was over so I quit, ha ha... The show was a more traditional style of straightforward singing and dancing, and the talent was quite good. The evening brought a flurry of fun, including the Majority Rules game show, karaoke, and a trivia about six decades of music. Whew! Good night!! :P

Crown Princess Day 5. We arrived in Dominica at 9am, and we were surprised to see they docked us at the container port rather than the pier downtown. After grabbing some buffet breakfast, we headed outside to figure out how our independent tour would work, as the meeting point was supposed to be across the street from the cruise pier... the one we weren’t at... which is a few miles away. We had booked independently with Waitukubuli Tours to do a snorkeling excursion, but they emailed us yesterday to let us know no one else booked with us, and asked if we would like to join a waterfall hiking tour. We figure we’re always up for a little adventure, even though their website mentioned a 45-minute hike. The container port offers a free shuttle, but they told us a Waitukubuli Tours rep had come over to pick folks up. Turns out he was there gathering folks for a city tour, but our guide Hubert agreed to come over and pick us up. He said the ship size probably put us at the container port. We had one other couple on the tour with us. Our first stop was a scenic overlook where Dee bought a turtle-related souvenir from a local vendor. Next up was the actual hike to Middleham Falls, and oh man... this was quite the hike! One and a half miles up an intermediate trail made up of streams, rocks, logs buried in the ground for traction, tree roots, and mud. This was the most extreme physical excursion we’ve ever undertaken, and with a few rest stops to actually breathe air, we did it! Hubert was amazing, pointing out the best footing, and even finding a big branch for me to use as a hiking stick. I can’t express how satisfying it was to make it to the end. The only problem? The one and a half mile descent back down the same trail. The trek up had taken the wind out of us, but the trek down was a logistical minefield of “which rock/log looks good to step on where I won’t slip off the side of a mountain”. There were points I wanted to tell them to send a helicopter in to lift me out, but after a few thousand carefully placed steps with Jello legs, we reached the bottom. Cue that satisfied feeling of accomplishment once again. The third stop was a refreshing dip and swim to the Ti’tou Gorge, where you can bathe in the chilly waters underneath a different waterfall. Such a nice way to cool off after that hike! Hubert dropped us off at the container port, and we headed back onboard to shower and lay down on that dang cozy bed for a minute. The warm shower was so nice that I ignored the fact that the showerhead is permanently set for the height of a small child. I felt so manly getting ready for dinner that I didn’t even shave my face. What an adventurous animal! Dinner in the MDR was pretty much amazing. One of the best overall meals, and they’ve all been really good. The evening found us challenging our brains at a movie music trivia (we won a bottle of champagne), listening to the house band Exxile, and ending with round two of Voice Of The Ocean auditions. Yes, Dee rocked it and got a spot in the final “live show”. You knew she would! After much stuff & things, we’ve earned a sleep. Good night!! :D

Crown Princess Day 6. We had a strange combination of early and short port time in Grenada today (7am-2pm) so we decided to take it easy after the extreme adventure from yesterday. We slept in, grabbed a leisurely breakfast from the buffet, and headed ashore. Our original plan was to check out Grand Anse Beach, so we had messaged our friends at the Grenada Discovery Train (see our Breeze vlog series for that adventure) for more information about the local water taxi service. We eventually decided to skip all that and take a ride on the train around town again, and we got to hang out with Donisha and Sebastien... such a fun way to see the city. Their tour is normally $25 and includes admission to a fort and a museum, but since we were in on a Sunday a lot of things were closed. They had dropped the train tickets to $15 with no admission included. We wandered around a bit at the port, then headed back to the ship. Back onboard, we snagged lunch at the International Cafe, including a sampling of four flavors of cookies. We actually spent some time outside-ing during our sailaway from Grenada, and snuck in a quick livestream over on the YouTube machine. Our afternoon adventures included a session with the Princess Pop Choir (similar to the “Glee Club” on Carnival Journeys cruises), afternoon trivia, and a Voice headshot photo session for Dee. We opted for dinner at the buffet both for speed sake and the fact that it was India & British themed cuisine. There were some really nice choices there, and we were surprised to see placemats and rolled silverware, as well as roving waiters offering drink refills. The evening found us at movie poster trivia, the yes/no game show, karaoke, and a brand new semi-adult-oriented game show called punch line knockout where you compete to give clever captions to photos, etc. All that fun left us ready for the cozy bed, so that’s a wrap!! :P

Crown Princess Day 7. Our port of call for today was the beautiful island of Bonaire, but we weren’t due to arrive until 1pm. We hit the breakfast buffet, then rambled around to Zumba, sudoku, trivia, pop choir rehearsal, and such shenanigans. The captain got us into port a bit early and we headed ashore around 12:45pm. Our plan for the day was to ride over to Klein Bonaire with Caribe Watersports again, and their service was exceptional as usual. We caught their 1:15pm water taxi, stayed over there about three hours, Dee saw many many fish, declared it officially her favorite snorkeling spot ever, and we caught the 4:45pm ride back to the ship. Dinner in the MDR was Italian-themed, and was pretty solid. After dinner, we joined a trivia halfway through and got 11 out of 11 right, hah. The Liar’s Club game was next, where you had to vote on who was telling the truth out of a panel of three staff members. The panelists made up definitions for raunchy-sounding words and it got a bit PG-13, hah... not that it’s really an issue with this crowd! We closed out the evening with some 70s music trivia and the Love Boat 70s Disco Deck Party. This is a tough crowd to get dancing, but the staff and dancers did a good job, ha ha... and then it was time for bed!! :D

Crown Princess Day 8. We reached our last port of call at 7am, which was Aruba. One happy and windy island. We ordered breakfast to the cabin then headed out to catch a taxi to MooMba Beach. We decided to revisit one of our favorite excursions from our Carnival Conquest days and become pirates once again aboard the Jolly Pirates ship, this time on their 9am morning snorkel with lunch included. Dee snorked all the snorks, we drank all the rum, and ate all the food. The water was much clearer and the wreck of the Antilla was much better this time around. After four hours of plundering and dancing, we returned to the beach and caught a taxi back to the ship. Insert rum-induced naptime here. We woke up, did some squats the shower to prep for dinner, and enjoyed our meal once again. The tamarind-glazed salmon put up quite a fight in the battle for Dee’s favorite entree of the cruise. After dinner, we caught a magic show, listened to the house band, played in the “10 In 60” game show, and wound down with some karaoke. Whoop whoop!!

Crown Princess Day 9. We had our first lazy sea day headed back to Florida, and we decided to sleep until our bodies said “hey, get up and get coffee”. That happened around 9am, so we hit the buffet. After breakfast, we rambled around to Zumba and trivia, then went our separate ways. Dee had Voice rehearsal and I had steel drum rehearsal at the same time. Getting involved in all the stuff and things is becoming quite the logistical puzzle, as Dee has Voice rehearsal tomorrow in very close timing to my steel drum concert, but we’re only playing two little songs plus an encore, so I don’t expect it to take more than about 10 minutes, hah! The afternoon brought some line dancing, lunch at International Cafe, pop choir rehearsal, and tea time. The scones are not to be missed. Holy moly. We played some trivia, digested as hard as we could, then hit the Seafood & Fisherman buffet for dinner. It was decent, although slightly disappointing at the lack of abundant seafood options. I guess the fisherman had a bad day. The evening entertainment was a show called “Encore”, consisting of Broadway tunes, opera, and so forth. They had a fly-on lead soprano belting out some of the tunes, in addition to the regular singers and dancers. I must say, the show was phenomenal, and it was the first time I felt like I’d been to a proper cultural event on a cruise ship, rather than just a show, hah... We wrapped the evening with more trivia, a game show, and karaoke. We’ve got one more sea tomorrow for all the stuff & things!!

Crown Princess Day 10. Our last full day aboard the ship was mostly consumed by rehearsals and performances. We hit the breakfast buffet, pop choir rehearsal, steel drum rehearsal, pop choir performance, snagged a quick bite at International Cafe, then went to the steel drum performance, and Voice Of The Ocean rehearsal. By the time we made it through all that, it was already dinner time, hah... the MDR was solid again, then we slid off to the Voice performance. Dee did exceptionally well, getting all the chairs to turn and making it into the top three, but was edged out in the end. There were a few technical scandals involving the voting system, but we’ll leave all that for later, ha ha... After the Voice, we popped into a magic show, followed by a crazy movie game called “Hollywood Hiccups” where the cruise staff dressed up and acted out bits of various movies. Back to the cabin for a bit of packing, and it was time to turn in. We still have parts of the ship we haven’t seen, hah... but maybe we can wrap all that up tomorrow morning... yikes!! :P

Crown Princess, The End. We had to be out of the cabin by 8:45am, so we buffet-ed it up for breakfast, did a little last minute exploring of the areas of the ship that we’d missed, and headed out. The hotel shuttle service was efficient, but when the driver decided he could be nice and take us to a different partner hotel to hang out until our flight rather than making us wait at the airport, and then get us over to the airport later... his boss was not amused and got a bit belligerent in the hotel lobby. But here we sit anyway, with the actual hotel staff being very accommodating, despite the fact that we didn’t even stay here. Anyway... I digress... Overall, we got off to a lukewarm start to our Princess experience, rather unsettled with the lack of activities and shenanigans, but over the first couple of days we transitioned into the slower pace and routine that was the Crown Princess. People walk slowly. They go to bed early. Public spaces fill up, especially at events in the lounges, because like us... they’re mostly early arrive-ers who don’t mind sitting for an hour for something to begin. There are enough fun events to keep you occupied, but it’s a very quiet experience overall. Calm. Relaxing. Quiet. The ship is super easy to navigate and seems to flow well. The food in the dining room was probably the best and most consistent we’ve ever had on a cruise, though we’ve almost always had great experiences with Carnival as well. Same family, slightly elevated food. Bread is served stone cold, alongside iced butter, which I found strange. Their dessert game is super strong! Funny thing... the more we cruise different lines, the more we come to realize that we just love cruising. We can find highs and lows for most any experience, and if there’s no fun to be had, we’ll try to make some. We are definitely keeping Princess on the list of lines we intend to cruise in the future!! :P

Farro & Tomatoes - Quick & Easy Italian-Flavored Main OR Side Dish - Foodie Friday #26 - ParoDeeJay

Farro & Tomatoes - Quick & Easy Italian-Flavored Main OR Side Dish - Foodie Friday #26 - ParoDeeJay

We're in the kitchen for Foodie Friday time, and we're playing with farro once again! Let's mix up a pot of farro & tomatoes with an Italian flair, which works well as a main dish or as a side... let's do this!! :D

"The Key" Program From Royal Caribbean - Was It Worth The Cost? Would We Do It Again? - ParoDeeJay

"The Key" Program From Royal Caribbean - Was It Worth The Cost? Would We Do It Again? - ParoDeeJay

In today's quick tips video, we're delving into the world of Royal Caribbean's program called "The Key", which is an upcharge experience that gives you a boatload of priority perks. We tried it out on the Mariner Of The Seas... join us as we discuss the highlights and lowlights, and more importantly... would we do it again?! Happy cruising!! :D

3/1/2020 - Live From Crown Princess As We Leave Grenada!!

3/1/2020 - Live From Crown Princess As We Leave Grenada!!