Kingdom Konsultant Travel Blog

Hello from our first full day on Independence of the Seas.  After a restful night's sleep, we were looking forward to our day at sea and some beautiful Caribbean weather.  We were greeted by a double rainbow off our balcony and knew we were in for a great day ahead. We opted to start our day with breakfast in the Main Dining Room and easily made a reservation via the Royal Caribbean App to make that happen. The ship was eerily empty this morning, but once again all the crew members were excited to see us and wished us a wonderful day ahead.  Even with so few people, the signage for social distancing and opportunities for hand sanitizer were all over the ship.  Breakfast in the Main Dining Room starts with assorted baked goods and we enjoyed a cinnamon roll, fruit tart (my favorite) and a croissant. We then went on to have an omelet, eggs benedict, and blueberry pancakes. The omelet was great because you got to choose your own ingredients so you could have exactly what you wanted. 

Welcome aboard!  It's been many moons since we were last able to sail and I was so excited to be invited to be a part of the Independence of the Seas Simulation Cruise from Galveston, TX this week.  These simulation cruises are a way for Royal Caribbean to test out their new health and safety protocols for return to sailings.  Each day I will try to give you a little recap of all we have been able to experience and how things are going on board as the ships return to operation. We arrived in Houston last night and drove the remaining 45 minutes to Galveston this morning.  After a little confusion with where to park (much of the Port is still closed) we were walking into Terminal 2 at the Port of Galveston at 11:02am for our 11am boarding time.  Boarding times are extra important to ensure crowds are managed through the health screening and security process.  It was a breeze for us and within 15 minutes we were walking onto the ship. We have a Spacious Oceanview Balcony stateroom on

Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are known for their exciting, family-friendly vacations, popularity, and affordability. I am a loyal Carnival passenger, but when Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay opened, I just had to check it out.  Carnival and Royal docked in Nassau Royal Caribbean is an amazing cruise line, with some of the best on-board sports activities and technology, but these are the differences that I only realized after cruising on both cruise lines last year. Carnival Sunrise in Brooklyn We sailed on a 4-Night Bahamian cruise on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas in February 2020 (right before the shutdown). It departed from Port Canaveral with two stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay, and one stop in Nassau. RC's Navigator and Mariner of the Seas 10 reasons Carnival wins me over: 1. The Staterooms:  On the Mariner, I had a standard inside stateroom. There was a mirror on every wall, including behind the bed. The décor looked outdated with dar

Looking for an adrenaline rush? The most unforgettable excursion I've experienced was in Nassau with Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas. They offer snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, SNUBA, personal submarines, and ship wreck dives.   Contrary to popular belief, staying on the cruise ship in Nassau is a big mistake ! There's an entire day worth of fascinating sites, food, history and wildlife to discover on New Providence Island, especially below the surface of the water.  Whether you've tried snorkeling, or this is your first time, they will train you with professionalism and expertise. No experience is required, but it will be an advantage to you if you have been snorkeling before. This company has been featured on The Discovery Channel and in many documentaries since 1979 when Stuart opened his dive shop. Once you disembark your cruise ship, Stuart Cove's will pick you up in a marked van at a designated spot, and take you on a scenic and informative ride across the islan