Continuing the chronicle of our very first family cruise: Leaving Galveston, we had two full sea days to explore the ship and settle in before our first port day of the week.
Days 2 and 3 aboard Allure of the Seas were all about soaking up ship life. No ports, no pressure, just ocean views, spontaneous naps, and surprising little joys (like Kaiden discovering the thrill of science lab and sticking through an entire show!). Ever wonder what families actually do on board a Royal Caribbean ship at sea? Here’s a peek into the answer for our family…
Day 2. Sea Day.
The day went by so quickly! But that’s probably because I took a nap. I had a slow-to-rise morning, but Jace went out to chase the sunrise and the gym. Once we all got up, it was time for breakfast. The main dining room breakfast was excellent! We were seated by the window with a nice ocean view. I had the eggs Benedict and some yogurt. Kaiden ate all the watermelon out of two fruit cups and then Fernando brought out a third dish just full of tiny squares of watermelon! He also ate THREE tiny boxes of Fruit Loops, and took another back to the room for an afternoon snack. So glad he’s eating! Everyone says you can’t starve on a cruise ship, but… “everyone” has not met my child.
After breakfast, we went up to Adventure Ocean to see if the theater was open. It wasn’t, and Kaiden didn’t want to stay, so after a brief walk on the sundeck (still windy!) we headed back to the room to get ready for the day.
Final errands, and then our sea days are clear…
For the next adventure, we went down to guest services to get a hole punched in our sea pass cards. It’s much nicer not having to dig them out of the plastic case all the time! I still have the plastic sleeve clipped behind the pass, but it’s just for tip money. By folding the bills into thirds, I was able to fit them nicely in the little pouch for easy access. I stopped for coffee next door, and Jace headed for the Next Cruise office. It took a while to manage, but we are now booked on Harmony sailing out of Galveston next September!
I was planning to get a shower at this point, but Kaiden honestly needed it more. We hit the windjammer to see what lunch looks like. I definitely prefer the main dining room. The food was fine in the buffet, and there were roaming servers to order drinks. But it’s nowhere near the service level we’ve been enjoying, and it was PACKED.
I was planning to take Allie up to do the Zipline and rock wall when it opened for the afternoon, but I guess I looked as tired as I felt. I laid down “just for a minute” and Jace volunteered to take Allie. So Kaiden chilled on the couch with some cartoons, and I napped peacefully until Jace and Allie came back. Then I finally got my shower, and we dressed for dinner. Formal night!
The service at dinner is truly exceptional
I wore a cocktail dress I purchased last year for a wedding, and Jace put on his suit with just the vest. Allie had a beautiful, very long white dress we found at the thrift store. It reminds me of the one I wore to my aunt’s wedding in 1998, but maybe modernized a bit. We did our hair together, and I loaned her my second “purse” (an Ipsy pouch) so we didn’t need to wear our lanyards for phone and sea pass. Kaiden didn’t want to wear a button-down shirt, so he opted to go to the Adventure Ocean dinner. Our evening servers both asked about him by name! And they had a fruit cup ready as soon as we sat down. They put it in front of Allie as we settled in, but I’m pretty sure it was meant for Kaiden. ❤️
It was French night at dinner, and the food was spectacular. I loved both the beef tenderloin (with gravy and asparagus!) and the chicken cordon Bleu that Jace got as his third (of four) entree. Allie ordered a cappuccino cake with ice cream for dessert and raved over it!
After-dinner show to close out the sea day
After dinner, we changed into casual clothes and went up to check on Kaiden. He chose to stay in Adventure Ocean. He was playing Jenga with another boy when we checked in. So the three of us went up to 16 and found a beautiful little hammock/nest cushion to watch the sunset. Then the Ocean Aria show at nine! That was amazing. Ballerinas, acrobats, and divers, all in one. I went in with a mai tai but “shopped” the drink trays circling and tried a Miami Vice. It was a frozen drink, sort of piña colada meets strawberry daiquiri. Yum!
We picked up Kaiden and went straight back to the room. Everyone was worn out. The kids didn’t bother to ask for the lights to go out; they were both asleep by the time I got into bed. It’s a good thing tomorrow won’t be quite such a late night, I think.
Day 3. Second Sea Day.
It’s another beautiful day at sea. I woke up at five feeling rested, but I couldn’t figure out where I could go that wouldn’t disturb anyone. So I stayed in bed until six… when I was pretty sure the coffee bar would be open! I managed to get dressed and slip out while Jace was still stirring, so I went down to the promenade for coffee and then to the adults-only Solarium for the first time. The sun was up but still low on the horizon. I’m only sorry I didn’t grab my sunglasses. Beautiful view all the same. Gentle waves as far as the eye can see.
I can definitely feel the motion of the ship more, all the way forward… but I think it’s nice. It’s just like my “happy place”, floating on a rum-soaked beach somewhere…
Morning science and another glorious nap
Breakfast was less than stellar today. The veggie breakfast bowl was delicious, but the service was slow. I guess they were busy. Still, we got a nice window seat by showing up right at open time. Then Kaiden went straight up to Adventure Ocean to catch his first trip to the science lab! He seemed to really enjoy it. They made tornadoes and used the electric globe and things like that.
I got a nap (again!) and then took Allie down to rock climbing (and tried a rum runner). Then it was time to pick up Kaiden and head to lunch. Our time is going by so quickly! I was frankly ready for another nap, but instead I got a coffee. The kids took a little tv break and Allie sculpted with the silly putty from last night’s Adventure Ocean. Then the three of us walked down for the blacklight puppet show. Kaiden loved it! “Even though it wasn’t on a screen.” We decided to try to catch it again on day 5, and show up early for better seats! It was an engaging show, with everything from bubbles to confetti.
’70s theme for dinner
After the show, we dressed for dinner. The theme is Colorful ’70s. I think they intended disco wear, but we went more tie dye and hippies with it. More That ’70s Show than SNL… I was a little worried about that, but it turned out to be a popular choice. We got a lot of compliments and greetings and peace signs thrown on the way to dinner. And dinner was amazing, as always. Guntur made origami rabbits for the kids, and Iputu did the coin trick where he passes a nickel through a solid plate. Kaiden was amazed!!
After dinner, we went back to the room. The plan was to relax for half an hour, show Kaiden the start of the Ocean Aria show from the balcony, then when he got bored, we’d head down to mini golf. Well! The kids walked down to the boardwalk during the relax time. But then Kaiden went into the actual Ocean Aria show just before it started and got a beautiful front-row seat! And he proceeded to sit and watch the entire thing! He said it was amazing! My boy is really growing up.
Our balcony overlooks the Boardwalk, and it was lovely to be able to sit peacefully on our balcony and still keep an eye on them below on the carousel and at the show.
Stay tuned for Day 4: An adventure in Roatan…
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