Our first full day on the cruise is a “relaxing” sea day. The thing about sea days is there’s so much available to do that you have to accept that you will miss out on something. For breakfast I convinced the family to visit the Boardwalk to try Johnny Rockets. Normally Johnny Rockets cost money for lunch and dinner but breakfast is free. The girls ended up staying to try it while the boy requested we eat at the buffet for breakfast.
Today we had 2 events that we have special invitations for. First was the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle. This was a little different from our last cruise Meet & Mingle. There wasn’t as much mingling this time. The coordinator from the ship staff was entertaining and helped give away prizes. We didn’t win anything. Hannah actually joined us since she didn’t want to go to the Adventure Ocean kids program where Ethan was busy playing dodgeball. What has been odd is that our socially, outgoing child doesn’t want to hang out with other kids on the cruise while our reserved, hesitant child has requested to be taken to the kids’ program. It might have to do with all the fun games (especially ball oriented) that are played. When Hannah turns 12 she will qualify for the teen activities which is more her speed.
Our next event was for returning Royal Caribbean cruisers Platinum level and above. We just now qualify after our Liberty cruise last year. That means we have sailed over 30 days with RC. The benefits don’t really start to mean anything until you reach Diamond at 80. Today’s event was held at the Aqua Theatre at the back (aft for the nautical minded) of the ship. The Cruise Director did his little comedy gig with his 3 year old daughter by his side. He then turned it over to the performers of the Oasis of Dreams diving show. They did a small teaser of their show that was scheduled for this evening (more on that later). It was awesome with trampolines and a dive from 55ft in a small pool on a moving ship. The show was followed up by the captain talking and introducing the rest of his department heads. Ethan and Hannah shook hands with the captain after the event.
Aqua Theater show video. 
For lunch we were back at the buffet (I’m really trying to encourage variety) before the girls headed off to the spa for a “ladies pamper party” with diy facials. Ethan and I went to get his arcade credit figured out so he could play some games.
The rest of the afternoon involved some ice cream, Ethan going back to Adventure Ocean, and watching karaoke, dodgeball, and the staff showing off on the Flow Rider. Hannah was going to do the zip line again but this time she was not heavy enough. I guess we do need to eat at the buffet more.
Tonight was the first of 2 formal nights for our cruise. We picked Ethan up from AO and started the process of trying to look fancy. Some go all out with tuxedos. I decided not to try and haul my suit all this way so I’ve chosen shirt and tie. Ethan sported his fancy suit from First Communion. Hannah brought a dress for every night, I believe. Amy also had a dress for tonight’s occasion. We snapped a few pics ourselves around the ship with the help of a few strangers before getting a couple professional pics taken. The kids did request we take pictures in front of the “knockers” outside our dining room. We all had a good laugh when we heard a little kid say “hey mom, look at all those knockers.”
Our dinner tonight included appetizers of more shrimp cocktails, lobster bisque, and Amy’s interesting choice of Beef Carpaccio. Some of us decided to order 2 entrees tonight since the decision was tough. Ethan had Almond Crusted Cod while sharing Amy’s Pork Shank and Beef Tenderloin. I had the combo of Duck and Pork Shank with my preference being the duck. Hannah really liked her chicken breast. The only interesting desserts ordered was my apple pie and Hannah’s peach shortcake.
After dinner we returned to our room to change for going to the Oasis of Dreams Aqua Theater show. When we arrived at our rooms we were greeted by our first encounter with towel creatures this cruise. Our room steward, Renaldo, put a big smile on our kids faces with this one.
Before going to the show we dropped by the buffet to pick up a snack or 2 to take to the show. When we reached the Boardwalk to go to the show, we were greeted by staff members telling us tonight’s show is cancelled due to wind and ship movement. We knew this was a possibility from our past cruises which is why we booked the first showing to give us time for any makeup showings. The issue is that the show they suggest we go to is during our dinner time. So Amy did her thing and worked with customer service to find a showing that would work best. We’ll see later in the week if that works out.
Now with our night open we decided to just return to our rooms and enjoy our Central Park balconies in this beautiful, but windy 77 degree weather. That is where I’m typing this from while listening to the violinist playing and seeing everyone get their formal pictures taken in the windy park. Hannah decided to go on a tour of the ship streaming live on Live.ly while Ethan followed her with my GoPro strapped to his chest recording. I’m curious what that footage looks like.
Tomorrow is another sea day. Ethan is already having issues deciding what he should do because there’s so much going on at once. We’ll see what happens.