Mum2Mercury

Great idea. Even if you leave it behind, you've saved $14 ... with very little effort. Similarly, you can bring your own floating mats and save. I've had the same spring-edged mat since my kids were little. This concept is useful in other travel too: - We flew to Vegas, rented an SUV and spent a month driving among the western national parks (best vacation ever!). On our first day we stopped at Walmart and bought an inexpensive cooler, used it for a month, then abandoned it at our last hotel. Having access to cold drinks and sandwich fixings saved us so much money. - When my brother and his Navy buddies stopped in Hawaii for a month, they each bought a cheap bicycle from the commissary. They rode around /didn't pay for transportation for that month, then they abandoned the bikes near the pier with notes that they were free for the next sailors who wanted them.

Alternately, ask your cabin steward for a couple extra towels and use them to wipe down your wet chair ... or fold them and use them as a cushion.

I think the key here is that you made your boundaries crystal clear ahead of time.

Hey, I was stupid and stubborn when I was 18 too.

First, she's only 18! She's at the normal age "to bloom". If I were in your shoes, I think I'd do a run-around: I'd get her a $10 VISA gift card and put that number in during check in. This means -- I think -- that once the $10 is gone, she'd be unable to charge any more. Honestly, what's she going to need to charge onboard? You've covered her sodas. The $10 would allow her to get a fancy coffee here or there, as you mentioned. But, yes, do discuss charges on board ahead of time. I assume this is her first time onboard, and you don't want her to assume this or that's free.

I wanted to make sure the OP didn't think check-in was a lengthy thing that'd take an hour. If you're in the same room -- or if your ressies are "linked" -- you 'll be able to see each person's information and will be able to check in for them. Also, after you've entered the first person, the computer'll start asking you for some questions, "Is this the same as First Cruiser?" For example, it'll allow you to just say "Yes, same as the First Cruiser" for the credit card number.

Purple will certainly stand out, and taking a picture is a good idea. Did you see her in the buffet or the MDR?

As for sizing, now that we print our own tags, you have the option to size them up or down a bit.

You can do that, but completing the check-in will only take about 5 minutes -- assuming you have your information together -- why not just finish the job and be done with it?

You're totally right, but I always look for bargains that first week of December. At best, we cruised for $99 each that week! For that price, I can put up with the water not being quite perfect at CCC, though -- after that trip -- I purchased a long-sleeved rash guard, and I can't wait to try it out in the chilly months.

Ditto -- well, ditto if a cable tie is the same thing as a zip tie. Being a bit paranoid, I always put TWO on my suitcase, but it works great. If I didn't already own this laminator, I'd probably do the same thing with packing tape.

Thanks for the info. I'd never heard of this before.

Those aren't luggage tags ... they're luggage tag HOLDERS. If you order them, you'll still need to print luggage tags for each cruise, but you can slide them into these protective holders. I'm sure they're nice, but they're not necessary. Personally, I have a small laminator machine at home, and I laminate my tags. Works great and costs about a dime to laminate three tags. The colors, symbols and numbers are "code" for the porters (and wait staff, who also deliver luggage), who place your suitcase on the right tram to arrive on the right floor /right quadrant.

We were on Coco Cay the first week of December, and -- to my taste, which is subjective -- the water was cool-but-manageable upon entry and became comfortable after a couple minutes. That's the first thing about Hideaway Beach that's interested me, as I don't want a loud, party atmosphere. If they offered a quiet heated pool area, I might go for it during winter months. As expensive as The Beach Club is (I mean, it's often hundreds of dollars per person), I'm surprised it was overrun with kids. That's a reasonable idea, though -- if we're talking temperature -- they're both likely to be equally cold or warm. It makes sense that a pool would be warmer than the ocean. Even if we're talking about a very large pool, the sun has MUCH less water to warm.

I've started folding like Marie Kondo (at home and on vacation). It makes a difference in how much fits in a suitcase, and it keeps the items from "shuffling around" and becoming wrinkly. It's not a whole lot different from rolling.

No thanks. Politics aren't my thing. A guy tried to start a political conversation with me at the dog park the other day. I just walked away.

I suspect the chances of getting caught are fairly slim, and the chances of being kicked off are fairly slim -- but it's too much risk for me. This could lead to an arrest, and that could affect your life in numerous ways. Too much risk.

Agree. Everyone doesn't need to be a "chef" to work in a kitchen. One real chef can supervise half a dozen lackies, who can just chop vegetables or whatever.

Interesting thought -- it's never occurred to me. I can see you might not want a Mickey-Mouse themed suitcase, but I don't think my olive-green or rust-colored suitcases would look unprofessional. Yep, we do the same. Yes, my husband and I can share a carry-on for 3-4 days, and a carry-on is enough for me for a week. How? - I choose shoes that work with many outfits. - I am small, so my stuff packs small -- and I can fold things small like you wouldn't believe.

I, too, have uploaded pictures only to have them re-take at the pier. I think they're very fussy about nothing in the background /straight-on image -- like a passport picture. But I've tried to turn in what I think they want, and they still re-take. Not like it adds any real time to your check-in.

Being the newest and biggest, Icon will demand the highest prices, and some people will pay. And Christmas week is sky-high on any ship. New Year's Eve might be higher. But that price is crazy! I'd rather have several cruises on a mid-sized ship than one on Icon.

I did not know that.

Only if you choose to spend those "nickels and dimes". I've read that the cruise company's biggest three profit-makers are beverages, gambling and shore excursions. I always bought my kids a soda package -- I have girls, and I always talked to them about being careful with what they drank. I wanted them to feel they could dump a drink that'd been out of their sight for a moment. We paid for family excursions, of course, but nothing else specifically for the kids. My kids used to be into video games, but I always made sure they had a couple new games for their Gameboys -- and made the arcade off-limits. The kids liked that because they'd have the new games for the drive down, and they could keep the new games -- whereas arcade games are over in minutes. I wanted to do it this way because it eliminated the possibility of them going over their allotted budget, letting other kids spend their arcade money, or leaving their card behind in the arcade -- things I've read about on this board.

Maybe I'll think so once I've experienced it, but I'm not convinced from what I'm reading here. And I really disbelieve the adjectives. That's good, but it's still relying on a system more complex than current elevators.

I've heard of these cards here -- but have never seen then offered. Has anyone been successful in asking to buy a card? If so, how long ago?