Itchy&Scratchy

never had a problem with getting a taxi to Sorobon beach.... Taxis always get as many people as possible into them, so it was 10+ of us in a taxi each way in April.

didn't see any umbrellas there this April. Or last year. Or the year before. WOuldn't call this wooden things umbrellas because they don't provide any shade, and there are abysmally few of them, and that tiny beach is so tiny there isn't enough space for everyone. We burn to a crisp every time. The only place in the shade is these 5 loungers under the wooden roof. Everybody is frying themselves up like this:

yeap, for $20 pppd for the soda package. Don't need the $60 pppd package for that. Even when you add $16 pppd grats, it's still under $60. why even bother cruising if you are spending the entire day on the internet? I already do that at home for $70 a month unlimited wifi for all 3 of us. We use the cruise time to get us and the child off of the internet.

the replacement medallion they gave me for my kid has his name and voyage info. Whether she printed a new one or replaced a battery is unknown.

my kid's medallion stopped opening the cabin door 2 days into the cruise, and it took GS about a minute to make a new one for him (not counting the time in line, which at the time was less than 5 minutes).

A child doesn't really need their separate wifi at 10 yo, so if you were to get them a soda package ($20 pppd) and grats ($16) - the sum would be significantly less than $60 pppd. Of course, one couldn't just buy Plus package for one person in the cabin in advance, but one could try to get Plus for just one person when they are onboard. YMMV.

Wow, I thought at first that this was a comedic post....

where does it say that they are covered for guests 3 and/or 4 who don't have Plus/Premier? exactly. That's because YOUR Plus package doesn't cover grats for the passengers in your cabin who don't have Plus. And since you can remove the gratuities which are not tied to Plus/Premier package, that's exactly what you did for passengers 3 and 4.

does UK have an inflatable version of a booster like Bubblebum in the US? It's ideal for traveling light.

I would look into buying and using a Cosco Scenera NEXT. Light and compact, ideal for traveling, especially if you buy a separate plane seat for your toddler - you can and should use it on the plane.

but wait! There is more! Poor DH has also gotten covid on our June 1 sailing... He may be a grownup, but good grief, he has now got covid twice 2 months apart.

I simply got a disposable to go coffee cup with a lid at the cafe onboard and tossed it when the kid was done.

could you please show us where it says that Plus package for people 1 and 2 covers gratuities for the 3rd and 4th person in the cabin who do not have Plus? Here is my proof from a week ago: as you can see, we had Premier package for adults 1 and 2 in the cabin, but didn't have it for our minor child. So, he was charged for his gratuities.

I don't think it means what you think it means. CA varies from $16 to $18 pppd depending on the stateroom type.

and for my normal drinking pattern $80 would cover the entire week's worth of cruising. 🙂

you are not mathing right. Plus/Premier package only covers grats for the person with the package, not everyone else in the cabin. The first two people in the cabin must both have Plus/Premier package. Not just one. So, if there are 2 people in the cabin, Plus is $120 per day: $32/36 for grats, $50 Wifi (unless Platinum/Elite, in which case it's half off) and the rest is for drinks/desserts/casual dining. If there are 4 people in the cabin, of which only 2 have Plus/Premier, then you must pay separate grats for the second 2. I know this for a fact because we've just traveled with a Premier package for each adult, while our minor kid cruised without a Package. We paid $112 for his gratuities.

for Platinum as well. plus unlimited sodas, waters, mocktails, specialty coffee and premium teas. There are other perks as well.

depends on the cruise, but in general - yes.

yeap, at least one other adult must have the same package, unless you move into a cabin of your own. If you convince the other adult to have it, have you bumped up to the second name on the list, so that you and the first person have the Plus, and the third doesn't.

as an accessory included with Premier, we were given bright blue clips like the crew wear. We didn't like them. We kept using the airtag bands we got on Amazon, airtag clips we got on amazon and the free carrier on a free lanyard.

I am sure they'll give you a medallion at the terminal. I was worried that ours wouldn't arrive in time, so I picked them up at the terminal instead. Sometimes USPS is very slow.

do not do the Caribbean Princess. IMHO.

imho, both ships are extremely similar, so I'd choose the better itinerary/price.

so are the bartenders.

I don't mean tipping extra. But if you cancel CA, and only plan to tip your cabin steward and bartenders, what about MDR staff where you still plan to eat? Are they not deserving of a tip even if you don't ask for extra butter or a baked potato?