Mum2Mercury

$5-10 seems about right for a half-day excursion. Pro tips: - Have a couple small bills on hand so you can give what you think is right -- you can't easily ask for change from a $20 or $50. - I like to make up an envelope for each island stop before I leave home. On the outside I write the date /name of the island and excursion /meeting place and contact information. Inside I place money (if I owe money for the excursion) and enough small bills for tips. Depending upon what we expect to do, I might include money for a meal or a taxi. This means all the money in my wallet is available to spend /I don't need to save it for excursion tips. A story: After one of the best excursions we've ever taken -- riding ATVs through the jungle -- our (wonderful, but also very direct) tour guide said, "Now is the part where you make happy my hat", and he held out his hat for tips. That was a decade ago, but it's become a family joke: "I only have a $20 -- can you take care of the waiter's hat?" or "This waiter isn't very attentive; I'm not inclined to make his hat happy."

Don't worry about being a Pier Runner. You Tube videos can give a first-timer the impression that a dozen or so people do this on every island stop -- it just isn't true. Oh, sure, it happens occasionally, but most people have better sense. The ship will never leave early. Private excursions are absolutely the way to go: - You'll be part of a smaller group, and you'll have more choices /more control over your day. That they're also cheaper is the cherry on top. - Most people who are late to the ship aren't on excursions -- they get back to the pier area and spend "just a few more minutes" shopping or drinking, and then suddenly it's too late. This isn't the fault of any shore excursion. - Know what time your ship will leave (and understand ship time vs. island time), and be back 2 hours early; don't push it too close. Most people seem to leave the ship early and return early afternoon anyway. - Don't allow your family to break up, and have a back-up plan (such as money for a taxi) in case something goes wrong.

No help, but you have my sympathy.

I've seen drunk people -- maybe people who are a little loud -- but not really rowdy people. Not as in fighting or yelling at one another. We've been fortunate never to have rowdy neighbors. We have been waked by loud people walking down the halls in the evenings, which is why we don't like to be mid-ship /near the elevators. What I've seen more often is entitled, me-first-and-screw-you people; for example, people hogging pool chairs. In fact, I have a story: Another woman and I were walking towards two front-row pool chairs -- chairs, not loungers. Two women, two chairs. We shouldn't have had a problem, right? Nope. She got there a moment earlier and claimed both chairs. I asked her politely for one chair, and she refused, saying she needed a second chair for her bag /didn't want it to get wet. Personally, I value people over bags, but what do I know? Okay, ya don't mess with sweet little Southern women: I had two small children at that point, and I needed to supervise them in the pool, so I stood in front of her chair, affording her an excellent view of my butt. The sun was to our backs, so I could see every time she moved, and I moved too. She also had kids in the pool, so she was pretty irritated -- but she couldn't very well complain, having denied me a chair.

Flying definitely adds another layer of planning /concern to a cruise. That's why we're willing to drive eleven hours -- not a big deal to us, and no concerns about Covid or lost luggage.

I just watched a couple of the You Tube videos UDiveGirl recommends above. Interesting. Things I noted in the videos: - People who just plain packed were able to take advantage of nooks and crannies, whereas packing cubes can't squish into the uneven spaces at the bottom of the suitcase created by the handle. - Many people didn't necessarily use the packing cubes to their best advantage; that is, they went in only kinda-full. Maybe this ties into tetris-packing ability? - I did learn a technique for putting individual shoes into plastic grocery store bags /tucking the bag tail into the shoe. I'm definitely using that, as it leaves you space inside the shoe to tuck in undies or socks. - I am inclined to believe packing cubes are great for organization, but not so much for saving of space. Personally, I used to have a couple packing cubes, but I gave them to my daughter, who uses them to keep extra baby clothes and supplies in the trunk of her car. My personal thoughts: - They're cool, but not all that useful in real life. - They'd be useful for a road trip in which you change hotels every couple days, but not so useful on a cruise, where you unpack only once. - I can't buy into the "quicker to unpack" concept. Unpacking only takes 5-10 minutes tops anyway. - If I were to buy packing cubes again, I'd measure carefully and choose cubes that would max out the space in MY suitcases ... which might be a problem if I needed a new suitcase. - I think they'd be good for an overnight trip in which two people were sharing one suitcase ... it'd be easy to see at a glance whose stuff is whose. Again, though, how much time /effort does that really save? I don't have a hard time telling my underwear from my husband's boxers.

My son-in-law was so taken by the thing that he built one for my daughter. Obviously it is much, much simpler than Royal's -- it can only make 3-4 drinks, and they're very similar -- but it's always a hit at parties.

Another consideration: When our kids were young and we cruised with 4 in a cabin, we always tried to book a port (left) side room ... and a room near a public rest room. Note that all (well, maybe most) public men's bathrooms are on the port side, while public ladies' rooms are on the starboard side. With four people sharing one cabin bathroom, my husband often went out to the public restroom.

I've done Disney, and it's great: - The bathrooms are "split", which is nice if you have more than two people in a cabin. - The kids' clubs are fantastic. My girls really enjoyed them. - The private island is better than RC's private island. - I did not see a single character on our Disney cruise. Maybe we weren't trying? - If you're going to do it, do it while the kids are very young -- maybe under 6 or 8. After that, RC becomes the superior choice, as their kid-entertainment is better for tweens and teens. Really, though, I'd rather have three RC cruises than a single Disney cruise.

I no longer pack for my children. I pack less, re-wear more.

You can always get glasses of ice water from the Windjammer /pour them into your own reusable bottles. I bought a canned water the other day when we were in the Emergency Room. It tasted just as good as bottled, but -- wow -- it cost $2.50.

Great -- sounds easy enough. Yes to two tags on each bag. Buying oversized makes sense -- then they'd work for any cruise line. I have a small laminator at home -- it's useful more often than you'd think. THANKS, ALL.

So I see that we now print our own luggage tags at home. How do y'all handle them? - I see that Amazon sells plastic tag covers, but I don't want to pay $13 for luggage tags -- covers that I might not ever use again. - Has anyone covered them with packing tape ... or laminated them? - We will bring a small-ish cardboard box with consumable items ... is it okay just to tape a tag to the box?

Thanks for the information -- I"m looking forward to this cruise in a couple weeks. Questions and thoughts: - I've always enjoyed My Time Dining, but y'all have me thinking about switching to Early Seating. We'll probably only eat dinner in the MDR 2-3 times anyway. - As for Covid and coughing ... when I had Covid (the week after our school went mask-optional ... can't be a coincidence) I didn't cough while I actively had Covid, but for WEEKS AFTER I'd cough intermittently. This is a weird, unpredictable virus. - I'm a little nervous about hurricane season; but we're driving, which means we're a little more in control than people who must fly. - What did you do on the islands? We don't seem to be able to settle on any island plans.

Two thoughts: - If you're running short on time, you can always skip dessert. You can always go by the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade after the show for a treat. - You can skip dinner in the MDR that night /eat at the Windjammer. That takes less time and gives you more control over what time you go to dinner.

Why do companies give discounts? It's not to be nice -- it's to get people to come in and spend money. Most 55 year olds are at the peak of their earning potential. Then when they're older, they're already "hooked" on your product. Makes sense to me.

If you ignore the adjectives on these boards (pro or con), you get closer to the truth.

I also vote -- as if we're actually voting -- for keeping it, though the vaccinations are more valuable than the last-minute testing.

Chips (with or without salsa) are not often plentiful on the ships I've sailed. If you're chip fiends, you might bring your own. Pringles would pack well. Personally, popcorn is our favorite snack, and we have brought pre-popped bags onboard. Another vote for Cafe Promenade. Their sandwiches are small -- like 2-4 bites, which is a nice size if you just want something to "tide you over" without interfering with your dinner. And you can take multiples, if you want more. The fillings vary, though they always have the ham and cheese croissants, which are my husband's ultra-faves. I didn't go for the pizza. It was like good-quality frozen pizza, and I can find plenty on a ship I like better. Other no-cost onboard snack ideas: - The British pub offers really good trail mix with white chocolate chips -- or at least they used to. Is that still a thing? We've taken a carafe to our rooms for later. - Bring some ziplock with you and pick up some extra cookies from the lunch buffet. One waiter we had once -- and I'm pretty sure it was on Mariner -- used to bring each child at the dinner table a small packet of chocolate chip cookies to take back to the room for later. - If you enjoy snacking on fruit, take what you want from the first day's breakfast buffet. Think about it: They aren't getting deliveries at sea; whatever they have on the first day is what they'll have for the whole cruise. - Though I think you can find much better food online, you can snag small boxes of cereal and cartons of milk from the breakfast buffet. Yogurt, too.

We once brought our nieces on a cruise with us. We had a letter from their parents giving us permission to take them out of the country AND giving us permission to make medical decisions. No one even looked at them when we checked in at the Cruise Terminal, but I would not have traveled without those permissions. I'd also make a list of your rules /expectations ahead of time and have a sit-down with the girl and her parents ahead of time. Be very specific. Things I'd want to discuss with kids that age: logistics of reaching the ship and checking in, safety onboard, your family's curfew, sticking together, not going into other people's cabins, whether you expect to eat dinner together as a family, leaving the ship for islands as a family, spending money.

Favorites: - I don't think this is a big favorite for many people, but my youngest daughter and I love the miso soup for breakfast. You'll find it in the Asian section, and you can add goodies of your choice to it. Nice and filling and low calorie. - Eggs Benedict. - The Tutti Salad -- okay, that's maybe in the way back machine. Entree salads tend to be pretty good too. - Yakitori Chicken (Japanese) -- we loved it so much that we asked for the recipe, and we still eat it. - Most fish dishes. - Thanksgiving dinner on Mariner was excellent. - My husband would say Escargot. Least favorites: - Overly whipped desserts that taste like nothing. They seem to do a lot of these -- maybe because it stretches the ingredients? - Pancakes and French toast that've been sitting out in the Windjammer. If you want this kind of breakfast, go to the MDR. - Pizza. Kinda like good quality frozen pizza. Yeah, I eat it at home, but on a cruise I expect better. - Basic steak in the MDR.

Agree. I love a good burger, but that's not what they have in the Windjammer.

Shrimp is one of my favorite foods of all times. Does the WIndjammer ever serve crab legs? My husband would be thrilled -- me, I'd eat the shrimp!

Paella is great, but it doesn't feel like a poolside food.

From a Southerner: Did you eat them plain? You have to add butter and salt -- throw in a bit of bacon or country ham, and you're in heaven.