brillohead

Anything that crosses the border that might have been purchased elsewhere is subject to customs.

I wonder if it was the SHIPPING cost or the CUSTOMS fee that they had to pay?

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission sets all prices for liquor (spirits, not beer or wine). All stores purchase it from the state at the same set price, and have to sell it at or above a minimum set price. Lots of convenience stores have signs out front that say "liquor at state minimum prices!" as if that's something special... due to competition, I've never seen ANY type of store not just sell it at the state minimum price!

Interesting, the only time I've had someone take my bag (also at Canaveral) it was a British couple. I called the number on the bag that they left behind (which wasn't even the same shade of purple as mine that they took) and I got their son back in England. He tried calling his folks but they were driving to Orlando. He eventually got in touch with them after I was already at the airport, and they had to drive back to Canaveral with my bag and pick up theirs. Royal did FedEx my bag to my house... I don't know if they charged the "thief" for the shipping costs or not.

That's why I told the drink umbrella story. Kids tend to make their own fun if given the opportunity. My son doesn't remember either of his cruises at 3yo and 4yo (but when he cruised again at 15yo he was as addicted as his parent!), but I have fond memories. We were in an "outside view" (large porthole window) room and his bed was a bunk above our bed, but we rarely spent time in the room, so the cramped quarters didn't matter to us. Back then, Costa Maya was just a pier and a parking lot, and we took a taxi into "town" (which was about a dozen little shacks back then) then paid a local to take us out in his fishing boat (which was just an open boat with an outboard motor). He took us to a private beach (private as in it was just a long strip of sand with nobody there the entire day we were there) and we swam and snorkeled and built sandcastles -- one of those relaxing days making memories. I often tell people that cruising is the BEST kind of vacation, because you can make it as busy or as slow as you want. There are activities all day long if you want to "do stuff" all the time, or you can just lounge on a deck chair and have a waiter bring you drinks all day long. You can turn in early at night and get up early to watch the sunrise, or you can stay up late listening to live music or dancing to a DJ and sleep in. You make it what YOU want in a vacation, not what anyone else says it "should" be. At 4yo my son did enjoy the kiddie club (not on Royal at that time, but probably similar), but he was used to a preschool/daycare program. He liked going to the evening movie time in his jammies (evening hours that you pay for babysitting in the club) while the adults went out and enjoyed the nightlife. I think enjoyment of the kiddie club depends more on the temperament of the child than the quality of the club's programming.

In Costa Maya, you can look into Maya Chan (https://costamayabeachresort.com/)... each group gets their own palapa, and it's a private beach (so nobody pestering you offering massages, selling trinkets, etc.), and it's never crowded because they stop taking reservations when all the palapas are spoken for. If you let them know in advance, you can get chicken nuggets or hot dogs or something for the kids instead of the fresh-grilled taco bar. For Roatan, if you want a relaxing day, get yourself a private driver to take you to a beach club. I've probably used Let's Go Roatan (https://letsgoroatantours.com/) a dozen times. The kids can swim in the ocean, build sandcastles, etc. As others have said, I think Wonder is going to work fine for you. With the OVB, you and the wife can sit out on the balcony while the kids nap during the day. The carousel, splash zone, etc., will make the whole thing more fun for the kids. And the Aqua Theater and Ice Skating shows will definitely bring the WOW! factor. FWIW, I cruised with my son at 3yo and 4yo a couple decades ago (before splash pads and carousels and ice skating shows), and the cruise can be as busy or as relaxing as you want to make it. He loved getting dressed up to go to dinner (he already knew "restaurant manners" as we ate out a lot at home), and he found fun in the most obscure places. One afternoon he and I ended up in a mostly-empty lounge, and our cocktail waitress from the MDR was working there. She doted on him and he was a little bit in love with her... she gave him a little paper umbrella in his drink and he spent the better part of an hour climbing up on a bar stool and dropping the umbrella and watching it drift to the floor. At the end of our cruise, she gave him a whole package of drink umbrellas; twenty years later, and that's still a fond memory for me. If you do choose Wonder, do NOT try to do everything on the ship -- you'll wear yourselves out for sure. Do what interests you most, and tell yourself you can take another cruise to try the things you didn't have time for.

I was waiting for someone to point that out!

Like Jack, I prefer ships with a Promenade and skating rink. Freedom is my fave class overall, with Voyager class being second, and Oasis class coming in third. However, given the option between B2B 5-day cruises with (I'm assuming) Cozumel and Costa Maya repeated each cruise, or an 11-day with the different ports, I'd be taking the Jewel cruise in a heartbeat! I love the southern islands, and not many itineraries include them because you need an extra day to go the extra distance. As others have stated, you can get snacks at the Lattetudes coffee shop or the Park Cafe in the Solarium. The entertainment is a bit more "meh" on the smaller ships, but I don't cruise for the shows, I cruise for the cruise experience.... days at sea, tropical islands, someone else cooking the food and making my bed, etc. And the demographic is likely to be very different between the two itineraries. The 5-days will have younger adults and kids, while the 11-day will have an older demographic. Since Radiance doesn't have water slides or a Flowrider, people with kids tend to book the bigger ships. And most people who are working can't get away long enough for an 11-day vacation, so more of the passengers are retired on the longer cruises. Just my .02.

I'm gonna need a caretaker whenever I do go visit Down Under. I'll be walking around trying to pet kangaroos and cassowaries and crocodiles and Taz-devils.....

Hey @Ocean Boy, did I ever post this book for you?

Growing up you always had to plan your Halloween costume for the possibility that you'd need to wear a coat/snowsuit underneath it.

I've often said that we need our own support group.... instead of being "Friends of Bill W." we could call it "Friends of Ken H"!!!!

I love that you've trained DS to take CC-style pics with feet and lighthouses! 🤣

I'd rather watch a scoreless hockey game than any other type of sport, no matter how high-scoring!

Okay, all you cat people: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHTJYNGF

I think you should get the grandkids one of these: https://www.samsclub.com/p/airblown-harry-potter-castle/P03016409?xid=plp_product_1

When I bought my current car in the summer of 2020, I was originally going for a bare-bones model, because for me, a car is just transportation. (I prefer to spend my money on cruises!) But when I found out that installing a remote start on it, even if installed by the dealership, would void the warranty, I went up a couple of models. It's still a cheap / not fancy vehicle (Kia Optima), but it has a remote start! Like you, the presence of (or ability to add) a remote start was a deal-breaker for me.

Nor will you, it was just a figment of that person's imagination with no basis in fact.

In other words, you just made it up for the sake of it, not because there has ever been ANY indication that it will ever happen. Gotcha.

The refreshment package includes bottled water, sodas, and non-alcoholic blended drinks on the island (try the virgin peach daiquiri, it's delish!). As others have stated, there is a small electric-powered shuttle (like an oversized golf cart) that will take you from the ship, down the pier, and to the main tram station on the island. At the tram station, you can get on the larger trams (like an open bus) that will make a C-shaped loop around the island. The large tram will stop at the smaller tram stations at South Beach, Coco Cay Beach Club, Breezy Bay / Oasis Lagoon, Chill Island, and then turn around and go back past Breezy Bay / Oasis Lagoon, then the Up, Up, and Away Balloon, and then return to the main tram station. From the main tram station, you can then either walk back to the ship, or wait for one of the smaller electric shuttles to take you back. Make sure you keep your SeaPass card handy on the way back to the ship -- you have to show it to Security on the pier before being allowed through (both for walkers and for riders), and then you have to show it again as you enter the ship.

But the cabanas don't reduce the number of umbrellas or loungers that are available, and there is still plenty of empty sand / "free beach" available at every single beach if you just want to sit on the sand instead of a lounger, so I still don't understand the point. It's not like they removed 1000 loungers to make room for more cabanas. And now there are probably 3-4 times as many loungers as there were Pre-Perfect Day (PPD), and probably over 100 times as much shaded seating as there was PPD. And there are way more free amenities/activities now than there were PPD as well.

I travel solo and regularly purchase a 4-device plan and then share the cost with others on my Roll Call.

When exactly is that going to be? Do you know something the rest of us don't?

I don't understand this comment... the Water Park isn't in a beach area, and the new adults-only beach that is being added wasn't a guest-accessible area prior to its construction. I guess you could say that the Beach Club took space away between Breezy Bay and South Beach, but it's such a miniscule amount of beach out of all the available beach areas (maybe a tenth of the available beaches), it hardly matters. So how exactly is there less space for everyone else???