odyssyus

Someone with 5 posts (all in this thread) asking how to travel with a 15 yr old girl that they aren't the legal guardians for, out of the country. This isn't suspect at all!!!! Not sure any part of this conversation should be on this forum. As no one knows the person posting, or the circumstances, my advice would be to give no advice as you could be contributing to a trafficking situation.

froglegfestival.com .. I go every yr. Truth be told i'd eat the escargot as well.

Too much overthinking in this thread... The primary need for a vpn when travelling internationally is to stream US based media that won't work outside the US. There is no need for a VPN to access banks and other services that aren't geo blocked. For streaming media services such as youtube tv, Roku etc. and/or watching various sports games like a local, the vpn works brilliantly. Nothing like than watching my Capitals play Hockey in DC with the local broadcast while I'm sitting on some boat in the Med. Now if they would only win but that's another discussion. I don't run any VPN software when I'm at home. Pointless with 2fa, dns over https, etc. 35 yrs experience in Infrastructure & Network engineering.

I used a GLINet travel router and an Amazon Firestick (W/ nord vpn). No issues closer to shore and was able to stream Youtube TV w/ locals routing Nord thru New York. Once we started our transatlantic however, the internet signal dropped to unusable until we got closer to the US. No issues getting to accounts/emails as long as internet was working.

One of our favorite cruises of all time was the ABC on Carnival. 1. Rent the trikes on Aruba (google 'trikes aruba') 2. Rent the golf carts on Bonaire (google "bonaire cruisers"). You can see the whole island at your pace. 3. Rent a car on Curacao (get the jeep..go anywhere.) Get away from the ports/shopping area. Its all junk, overpriced and not supporting the local economy as is with all Caribbean tourist hot spots. This is the way...

I'm betting no one on this board knows the answer to any of these questions and financial decisions should be made based upon your best judgement.

They have figured out the younger crowd will pay for the specialty dining. Low budget food in the MDR is a good way to drive them in that direction.

but is there Prime RIB in the mdr?

They know this. Their comment was an opportunity to flex, nothing more.

That feeling you have, is because it IS a room with a big window. It is no veranda in any sense of the definition. My 2 eyes and common sense confirmed this.

Look! someone who gets it. The "I cruise 8 times a year in a suite" people aren't the profit drivers for cruise lines. Profit is driven from specialty restaurants, drink packages, photo's, excursions etc. The older demographic just doesn't spend enough in ancillary products compared to the younger generations. They myth that the younger crowd doesn't have the money, or the time is just a myth. I have 30 yr olds on my dev team making 200k a yr with 6 weeks of vacation (not counting comp time as well). They have no loyalty and reward programs are worthless to them (honestly, they are). This demographic is killing it on the land based all inclusive vacation properties and cruise lines have noticed this. The cruise line industry is targeting this new source of revenue and changes will continue. Bingo is something grandma loves, prime rib is overrated, suites have little value to cost, and who really needs a butler... Where does this all come from? I work for a lodging/vacation company that has both land based all inclusive' s and cruise ships in its portfolio. The data from our 'big data' systems tells us this.

oh, brother... Let's not offer any data, let's just say "I am in the industry and offended". I doubt neither is true, however, facts matter.. here is some light reading for those who choose to be educated; https://www.marineinsight.com/tech/how-do-cruise-ships-get-fresh-water/ https://sensorex.com/cruise-ships-desalinated-water/ https://sustainability-success.com/distilled-water-vs-tap-water/

Its a miracle how we all survived pre bottled water and having to drink from the hose....

Legend...I applaud you.