There is No Such Thing as Strangers - Only Friends We've Yet to Meet!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the 5 cruises I've done with Pam over the past couple of years . . . and look forward to the next 5 booked between now and next spring.  There is so much to enjoy on the ships and in port, but I really think the best things are around spending time with family and friends.  And we've been fortunate to meet and make friends with several people along the way.

Back when we cruised on Enchantment in February 2024, we met 2 families from different parts of the country.  We've maintained ongoing communications and now continued friendships with them.

When we sailed to New England and Canada last fall, our friend Griff offered to meet us at the airport and play tour guide and chauffeur for our day in Boston.    We had the best seafood lunch, and then got to spend time in the downtown Commons area. The only regret was that his lovely wife Kathleen was busy with other family activities so we'll have to wait for another time to see her again.

The other family we met on that cruise have become cruise buddies.  We just returned earlier this year from another cruise with them.  While during the day, we mostly did our own things on the ship and in port, at night we enjoyed dinner together in the Main Dining Room (MDR) as well as casino time in the evening.  Being bingo people, we of course took over our own little area of the lounge where they play.  So much fun with these folks . . . we can't wait to see them again soon!  

It is really a good thing that both Pam & I are pretty open and friendly with people when we first meet them.  She would say she doesn't consider herself an extrovert, and yet I have seen her meet folks and quickly become friends.  This group here we met on my very first cruise.  With our comfort level dining with others, we wanted to be seated in the MDR with others, so we were lucky to be with this family for all 5 nights at dinner . . . plus breakfast on the morning we disembarked in Tampa.  Pam & I have kept in touch with them and hope to be on another cruise together in the future.

I'll say, all 5 cruises we've done, we've had wonderful dining companions in the MDR.  But you can also meet and make new friends in the Windjammer Buffet too.  Often when going there for a meal, there are few tables open for just a couple of people.  And many of the larger tables that seat 6 only have a couple of people eating there.  I'm very comfortable asking to sit with others, assuming nobody else is coming in their group.  I'm also comfortable welcoming others to join me as well, when they are wandering around looking for a place to sit.  Some people will take a pass on the offer, but at least I tried to help them out.

On one of our trips I was dining alone.  I sat at a table for 6 with another couple.  When they left, another solo cruiser stopped by and asked if she could join me.  I said "of course" . . . only to find out she too was from Milwaukee!  We got to talking about casino play and how to maximize your play for offers.  That evening she joined me at my favorite bank of Dancing Drums slot machines where I showed her how to play her $75 free play (which she had no idea she even had!).  After about 20 or 30 minutes, she was cashing in for over $200!  I was so very happy for her!  Back home in Wisconsin, we're staying in touch but haven't gotten together since we've both been very busy this year.

But the absolute BEST THING about cruising . . . the time spent with my sister Pam!  We've had some good experiences and I'm glad I was bold enough to invite myself on those first couple of cruises with her . . . and that she said YES.  The biggest and perhaps best adventure is coming up next month when we fly into Lisbon, Portugal for a few days there before embarking on a 13 night transatlantic cruise.  Besides Portugal, we will have port days in Seville, Spain and 3 of the Canary Islands.  This is a part of the world neither of us have visited, so we're both really looking forward to it.

 

 

 

 

Our ship Explorer of the Seas and my oceanview cabin
Photo Attribution: Royal Caribbean

Until then . . . that's a wrap on this blog.  I will be writing all about our time in Portugal as well as the transatlantic cruise from Lisbon to Cape Canaveral (Florida) when we return in November.

Staterooms aka Cabins

Since I've only had limited experiences thus far, it's going to be a challenge to fairly represent the full spectrum of options available to guests on Royal Caribbean.  For the most part, I've only had interior cabins because I'm vacationing on the cheap and would rather spend the money on great experiences thank where I'm going to sleep.

This particular cabin was on Jewel back in October 2024, and wasn't even ours.  The door was open as the steward was take care of the cabin, so I snapped this photo as I walked down the hall.  Frankly, the image is just so relaxing I think I could just lounge around there if I wanted to get away from people.

Grandeur (Sept 2023)

My very first cruise with Pam was in an oceanview stateroom.  The layout and window set up were quite nice.  It was wonderful to open the curtains and enjoy the views outside, especially when there were storms out at sea one night.  As you can see in the photos, they can set up the beds as a queen or 2 twins.  We had the beds split so we'd be more comfortable.  Also, this set up has become my preferred as it makes a nice walkway through the middle of the room rather than on either side of the beds.  On this class of ship, the bathroom is adequate, but the shower area with the curtain is a bit tight.  One of the ships we've cruised on (Jewel, I think) had a 2 piece surround type shower door.  While the space was about the same, it was nice to not be fighting the clingy shower curtain.

Enchantment (Feb 2024)

For comparison, this was the interior cabin we had for my second ever cruise. It is also very similar to what we had earlier this year for our back-to-back cruise on the same ship.  When you only have around 190 sq ft of living space, there's not a lot of room for chairs or couches.  Again, I don't plan on spending a lot of time in the room, so having a larger cabin isn't a priority for me.

That said, I will say that the cabin we had on Jewel back in October 2024 was really nice because it was set up with a nice sitting area, which I did take advantage of to watching some TV on one of the sea days.  

A lot of people personalize their cabin doors.  At first I thought this was just to be cute or perhaps in celebration of a special event like a birthday or anniversary.  After a couple of cruises, however, I realized that decorating your cabin door makes it easier to find yours when wandering down the hallway after a few adult beverages in the casino or lounge.

For Halloween Pam & I did decorate our door . . . and we are looking forward to doing so again on our upcoming transatlantic cruise this October.

Other than our back-to-back Annual Prime cruises scheduled for early next year in interior rooms on Independence, I have been fortunate to earn "instant certificates" for casino comped cruises in oceanview cabins.  It will be nice experiencing some different ships, including some that are significantly larger than those I've done thus far.  I am also sailing solo on a couple of them, which will be a new experience for me as well.  Pam will be on both cruises, but we've booked in separate cabins.

M/V Columbia (July 2019)

I'll wrap up this post with a bit of comparison to what the cabins (called berths) on the Alaska Marine Ferry look like.    With bunkbeds and just a single folding type chair, they are clearly set up for sleeping, the bathroom and showering. I think we paid around $100/night (on average) for the comfort of having a place to sleep on 3 legs of our 3-week do-it-ourselves "UN"cruise back in the summer of 2019.  It was a nice "luxury" to splurge on.