Royal Caribbean - Horrible Cruise Recap

Okay - for today's post I am going to do my best to explain why I HATED my cruise I just returned from in December 2019.

I went on the 6 night/5 day Western Caribbean Cruise that left Fort Lauderdale, FL and went to Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, and Cozumel through Royal Caribbean.

I splurged and got a balcony room for Mom and myself so we would be sure to have a serene place to just watch the water and read in peace if needed. Plus, I love watching and hearing the ocean! I thought this was going to be an amazing vacation!

I wanted to try a cruise because I figured once we spent that money up front; the rest of trip would fall in place and all food, recreation, lodging and beverage is paid up front. I selected the option to pay gratuities up front also so that charge was paid ahead too - I did not want to have to worry about any additional charges.

Not even a week passed after we booked the cruise and I got an email from Royal Caribbean asking if I wanted to pay an extra $30 EACH/per person/per day for wifi (So extra $210 per person). Then I got another email asking if I wanted to pay an additional $50 EACH/per person/per day for unlimited dining options (So extra $350 per person). Then another asking if I wanted to pay and additional $50 EACH/per person/per day for unlimited drink options (So extra $350 per person). I then came to find out that EVERYTHING is extra! Crazy!!!!

We flew into Fort Lauderdale and I was still super excited for the trip. I was cherishing spending that time alone with my mother. The night in the hotel in Fort Lauderdale was wonderful - great breakfast and spent a little time at the pool in the Hilton Fort Lauderdale before we headed off to the boat. Here is the view from the pool!

Then ...I learned how to use Uber. That was a bright spot in the vacation - Uber is great! It is so easy to get a ride and make sure you are in your correct ride and we used it from the hotel to get to the boat.  It is really convenient and cheap!!!

Then the horror really began....

We went to the boat...we were herded like cattle through rows and rows of security checks, etc. to get onto the boat. They separated us from our luggage and we found out we would get it back later that evening after we set sail...what they did not say was that you could opt to keep your luggage with you and take it on the boat yourself (apparently frequent cruisers know this). Note: my luggage never made it to the room until 8PM that night?!?!?! UGH?!?!?! 

Once on the boat - you have a life jacket muster station drill. Everyone is to go to their assigned muster station...ours was on the deck, in the sun. We went right away (I in my sweats as my luggage had not arrived at my room) to our station but we all had to wait until EVERY PERSON arrived...some people showed up 20 mins late!!! WHAT!?!?! Yes, we all stood at our stations until all the "better than thou" people finally showed up to join us (funny thing: if it was the real thing they would have been shoving their way there first!!!!) UGH!

The first night we sat on the upper deck to watch the Steelers game. Here are the photos from that...

 

The entitlement continued everyday on the boat! Families would get towels and use them to save chairs near the pool and then never show up to use the chairs. Or they would save six seats together and there was only ever two people laying there! This was ALL DAY every day! Dads would shove you out of the buffet line to get the family in there first!! You would think these people never ate! Honestly - all you do is eat...ugh!

So onto the issue with more charges. Every activity on the boat had a fee too! With the exception of the nightly shows - they were free and they were actually good. It was crazy!!! We had some icky weather so we decided to check out Bingo. We paid $60 to play bingo on the ship and they only did three games...seriously, three games!!!! I play at home and it is 16 games for $15. RIP OFF!!! My Mom did beer tasting only to find out at the end that there was a $25 fee for that too! The only free activity was napkin folding - I kid you not!!!! CRAZINESS!!!

The ports were a whole disappointment in and among themselves! We got off the ship at the first port to shop...every store had the same things! Very touristy and too many people begging you to come and ship in their store - we got back on the boat. 

I decided to check out reviews for the next port, Costa Maya. We were docking at Costa Maya and I found out that if you leave the cruise ship area and take a taxi to a public beach (Mahahual) you can escape the crowds. So, we took 20 minutes just to figure out how to leave the cruise ship area and get a taxi. I asked the taxi driver to take us to Mahahual Beach and he convinced me to go to a "better" place where for $15 we would have a chair and umbrella. I should have listened to my guy but we opted to go with his suggestion. We ended up at a tourist trap. The cab dropped us off and the men led us to a little, crowded beach and lounge chair. we no sooner sat down and had someone come by "Beautiful lady, you want to buy cigars?" then "Beautiful lady, you want a massage?" then another person "Beautiful lady, you want a wind chime?" then "Beautiful lady, you want a dress?". I did you not; it was constant. I left the chair thinking I would go in the water to escape the sellers and as soon as I walked into the sea...the man standing next to me shot a snot rocket out of the left side of his nose into the water. I never left the ocean more quickly! SICK AND DISGUSTING!!! UGH!!!! When I got back to my chair the disappointment hit and I just started crying....like balling...I could not stop. My Mom felt bad and kept saying "it is not that bad" but she hated it too. We stayed another 10 minutes and then paid for a cab back to the boat.

The last port, Cozumel, we did not even attempt to get off the boat. We left Cozumel port on Thursday Dec 19th to start back to Fort Lauderdale and then next day at Cozumel is when that accident happened where the two Carnival ships collided. It is weird because we kept saying it was shocking that they don't hit more often because the ships are soooo close when they are pulling in...it really felt like we were going to hit another boat many times when we watched from our balcony. Here is when we docked in Cozumel right across from another ship...we watched people get out of bed...HA HA! Look how close we are on this dock!!! HA

Okay - my last cruise disappointment...the BALCONY! I was super excited to have the balcony to escape the entitled crowds. I could read in peace and not have to worry about anyone ever taking my chair. Well, I was sitting out there on Day 2 while we were sailing and all of the sudden cigarette smoke was wafting over to my balcony-lots of cigarette smoke. and then marijuana smoke!!! UGH!!! I was so pissed! First of all, it is illegal and second of all, I do not want to smell pot - it is a big pet peeve of mine since my last boyfriend!!! So, I called guest assistance and they said they would address it with the guest. Not sure what happened but for the next four days - I smelled both pot and cigarettes EVERY time I went on my patio. So I called everyday to report them. They just kept saying it was being addressed. The only thing they did was on the last day offer me and my Mom $150 off our next cruise. I started laughing and said that there would not be another cruise ever. She then extended the offer for two years so I would have time to think about it. 

No chance I will EVER take another cruise - EVER!!!! 

In closing, I will leave you with a few pictures from our balcony...

The few bright spots of the trip...

1. spent great time with my Mom (when I was not crying) LOL
2. learned to use Uber which is awesome
3. enjoyed a few smokeless hours on my balcony here and there 

So, that is my Cruise trip summary. I honestly only took like ten pictures the entire trip!!! 

Crazy for me!!! Anyway, back to Aruba next year!

Ever been on  a cruise? What is your favorite destination for vacation? Do you Uber?

Mid-Week Updates

UUUGGGGHHHHH!!

I am so sorry to be starting this post off on a negative note especially since I am planning on linking up for Rebecca Jo's Thankful Thursday!!!.....but I am SOOOOOO frustrated!!! 

Some spamming idiot named Mark just left about 400 spam comments on my blog overnight!!! 

I tried to delete all of his annoying comments and ended up deleting all of your amazing comments! 

So, my sincere apologies that I did not even get a chance to respond to your comments from yesterday before they were deleted. UGH!!

Spammers and scammers - I hate them all! Why do so many idiots "get off" in life by annoying others and ripping off the hard working people in this world...

If there is any justice or karma...there better be a special place in HELL for these people!!! Mark...go to Hell!!! :-) 

Okay - rant over! 

I am thankful that this has been my dinner every night. Ruth's Chris is in my hotel and it is just TOOO convenient not to go there to eat dinner every night! HA! This is the grilled salmon!!! YUM!!! Not very healthy with all that melted butter but somewhat in the right direction with the choice of fish right!?!? HA!

I am thankful for this nightly ritual when I am out of town...I love face masks and eye pads but I can't wear them at home as the cats try to eat them off my face...seriously! As soon as they see one on my face they attack me to try to get it off...I think they think the are protecting me...anyway...I use these very night when I am staying in hotels!

And lastly, I am thankful that I have been soooo good this week with my exercise! I am going to the pool and swimming leisurely laps every night after dinner - sometimes even making time for a quick dip in the hot tub. My apple watch says I am burning between 750 - 1000 calories during my one hour of laps so that is pretty awesome! Especially since I snuck one night and got a lava cake to go from Ruth's Chris!!! YUM!!! 1000 or more calories though :-(

Here is how I hang my suit to dry each night - LOL! It is working well! HA HA!

Last night sitting in my hotel room I was craving bubble tea so I googled "bubble tea near me" and found an awesome little place called Bubble in Paradise. I drove there in the midst of a massive storm last night and found it is in the middle of the cutest little shopping town called Denville, NJ. 

Since it was storming and this is an outside shopping plaza I just got my bubble tea and left. Hopefully if the weather clears up tonight, I will be skipping swimming and hanging out there tonight for a little browsing fun at the cute little stores.

And lastly, here is my desk today at work!  Stuck in a closet today - UGH!! I should have stayed and worked from the hotel.

HA HA!

Have a great day everyone!

Thanks for all your great comments that I have deleted. Please leave more - I promise to better in protecting them in the future!!

Hugs to you all for visiting and reading...except Mark!

Anyone else have spamming experiences? Do they annoy you as much as they annoy me? UGH! Have you ever tried bubble tea? Do you like it? What are you thankful for?

The Beetles Suck

Hi all!!!

Well, it is Thankful Thursday!!!

Today I am joining Rebecca Jo and I am going to tell you what I am NOT thankful for!!!

I am SO stinking angry! I planted five basil plants and the dang japanese beetles ate EVERY ONE them! They chomped on all the leaves and left this icky black stuff all over ALL the plants! They were so destroyed I have to rip them all out! I am so angry!!

They are SO super gross!!

There is nothing I love more than fresh basil to enjoy throughout the summer! UGH!

I purchased a bug bag on Amazon and I plan to run my the plant store to see if anyone has basil plants left to purchase.

I will hang my beetle bag and re-plant hoping the beetles will leave them alone and get stuck in the beetle bag.

Anyone out there in blog land have tips for me!?!? Obviously I cannot spray anything since I eat the basil...please help!

Thanks in advance for any tips you have on keeping Japanese beetles away!?!?!?!

And...in closing...I am thankful for all of you, my family, friends, my pets, my home and never having to struggle to  find something to eat. Basically thankful for EVERYTHING in my life today EXCEPT the stinkin' beetles!

HELP!

Day One x 2

You guys!!! I have a serious issue to discuss!!!

Last night I did so great on my eating healthy all day!!

It was snowing when I was heading out to work so I opted to work from home.

I had two eggs on a skinny muffin for breakfast...

A spinach shake with a banana for a snack...

Nutrisystem lunch meal...

Plain carrots and celery for a snack...

 and 

Baked chicken with brussel sprouts for dinner.

I went out and ran a few errands and then when I came home...

I began eating the entire house!!!! I had muffins, cheese sticks, chocolate, celery in peanut butter, etc.  What is up with me?!?!?!? This is not normal - I was not even hungry!!! UGH!!!!

So, now that I have talked about it with you all...tonight NO FOOD AFTER 6PM!!!! The end!!!! No matter what!!!! 

Any advice or hints you have to stay out of food at night is appreciated...I swear this is an addiction like anything else I have dealt with ...I was NOT EVEN hungry!!!!

Wowsa!!

Do you have any addictions? Do you snack at night? HELP!!!! PLEASE!!!

Never Buy GE Applicances

Just a Consumer FYI...

If you purchase a GE appliance...

It can break 3 times before they have to replace it under a lemon clause!!

This sounds ridiculous enough, right?!?! My BRAND NEW appliance has to break three times before GE will swap it with another one.

Well, it gets better than that!!!

Not only does it have to break 3 times in order to be considered a lemon but ALL THREE OF THOSE BREAKS HAVE TO OCCUR WITHIN 30 DAYS OF EACH OTHER!!! And trust me...mine happened within 32 days of each other and they would not replace it even when it was 1 month old!!! Lowe's stepped up and replaced it since GE would not. And that was only after I sat in the showroom, in person, crying in the appliance section of Lowe's.

Crazy!!!!!

The reason I am posting this is that a friend just purchased a refrigerator and is having issue after issue!!! I told her, if she would have asked me I would have warned her...

...never purchase GE appliances!!!!!!!!!

UGH Lowe's Sucks

Did you ever hit a point where life is WAY too stressful and it feels like WAY to much to take?!?!

I am there!

I am holding my breath everyday waiting for the next text or next phone call and it is beginning to overwhelm me! I want to shut out the world!!!

I have a stressful job in itself, I work for a lot of other teams and I am responsible to deliver what is asked of me...in between workshops and RACI's, I am getting barraged with constant phone calls from my neighbor and everyone else he has decided to bring into this water damage issue.

Lowe's has taken responsibility and, yes, it is taking forever (2 months to be exact and they still have not contacted him with any money offer) for them to get him money for his damages but I have NO control of that! Had he gotten his home owners involved in the beginning none of this would be happening. His company would deal with Lowe's and that would be it. Instead, he chose to do NOTHING and leave his home for the past two months!! Who leaves water damage and does NOTHING???? He thinks he is going to be paid to get mold eliminated and paid for the time he has not been living in his home but I am sorry to say I doubt that will happen since he moved out by his own choice! Now he is calling me everyday about how his life has been hell and he is going to sue me since Lowe's is moving too slow. Then he called our old condo manager and got him involved so I was on the phone with him for an hour yesterday hearing about how my neighbor wants to sue me. I do not even care anymore! I am DONE! I am no longer taking any calls of texts from anyone about this issue!

If I get sued then I will take action but otherwise I do not want to hear another word about it!!  I have lost all compassion for this guy since he is blowing up my phone with calls and emails daily and he did NOTHING to mitigate his damages.

UGH UGH UGH UGH!!! I am trying so hard to focus and do my work and let it all go but it is tough!!!!

Your prayers are welcome...Lord knows I need them!

PS - Lowe's truly does have HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! I have called and left messages with their claims department and they NEVER call back! What company has a policy that customers do not have to be called back? I end up having to sit on the phone for an hour and escalate until I get a someone from Lowe's to leave a message too and then they STILL never call back! I am stopping at the physical store tonight because they can't quiet me if I am physically there asking to assistance!!! Maybe then I will get somewhere!

Need a New Therapist!

Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a great week! We are halfway there!

Anyone out there a REALLY good listener or certified therapist?!

UGH!

I hate writing this post! It makes me face reality which, right now, is not all that awesome as far as running goes!

Running has actually become a really amazing stress-buster for me. It helps me get rid of frustration and anger and also really helps me focus and zone in on the positives in my life and also the things I need to take a look at changing!

Basically - - - it's my therapy!

Well, about two months before the half marathon I just finished, I "tweeked" my knee. I was at a Cardio HipHop class and my knee kind of just gave out when I landed on it wrong I guess.

I did not want to bail on the Hershey Half-marathon so I kept training and getting in all my scheduled runs but my knee felt unstable and hurt a little at night.

After the marathon I went for X-rays and MRIs and I have now found out that I have a torn medial meniscus and a Bakers Cyst :-(

I have googled it and they look nasty!  The cyst is what was causing the ligament to snap behind my knee and it is a horrible, shooting pain when it happens.

Long story, short...I could not get in for a consult with the surgeon until the end of December!!! UGH!!!! Until then, it is walking only! What?!?!?!

The hardest thing is that I am able to eat the way I want because of running and now I foresee a future of veggies only - it will be salads UNTIL the end of the year?!?!? UGH!!!!

Anyone else out there ever dealt with this? Or know someone that has? How long is recovery? Can I ever run again? 

Your experience, strength and hope is welcome!!!!!

Thank in advance guys! I will keep you posted :-(

Out of Tears and Words

I am so out of tears and words...it feels like it is getting harder not easier! I have not talked to or heard from him since we said good bye on Sunday night.


Eventually I know it will get easier and easier but right now, it is so hard not to pick up the phone or text him. I have to keep reminding myself that I was not getting anything out of the relationship anymore.

Uggghhh...oh well, I gave the ultimatum that I knew I needed to and he made his choice (I knew in my heart what he would choose but that does not make it any easier)!

I KNOW I HAD to walk away to protect and honor myself....not only as a person in recovery but as a women in general...but that does not make it better :-(

I will be spending the weekend with my family and that will also help make it better and get my mind of of things I cannot control.

I am not going to write a long, sad and drawn out post today as I do not want to bring everyone down or put unhappiness out there...so, I will leave you with some things I pinned this morning...