Mum2Mercury

Yes, I hang towels and re-use them at home, BUT consider: - At home we have two good-sized bathrooms with towel bars that allow the towel to spread out /dry out for real; whereas, on a ship our family's towels hang crowded together on hooks on a fairly small door. - At home my husband and I share one bathroom, while our daughter has her own bathroom; in contrast, on a ship we're all sharing in one small bathroom, which means more towels and more humidity to keep them damp. - This is all compounded by the fact that on a ship we often get hot and sweaty and take more showers. No, towel usage at home vs. on a ship doesn't compare apples-to-apples. I don't apologize for using more towels onboard than I do at home -- and it's not about being snotty or difficult to please. It's about reality of ship bathrooms and how slowly towels dry in them.

Yes, if you're going to book an independent excursion, you have to do your homework -- but hours and days of research is an exaggeration. Major pain is also an exaggeration. Use Google to find out what experiences are popular at your island stops. Google again to see what tour guides off the experiences that appeal to you. Read reviews on Cruise Critic and other websites. Book the one you like. I agree that occasionally the ship's tour is worthwhile -- tendering is one example, but tendering is becoming less and less common. Other reasons to consider ship's excursions: longer distances from the port and multiple means of transportation when you don't speak the language. I am incredibly stress-free (largely because I prepare well), and I don't worry about missing the ship. I don't set myself up for close calls, I wear a watch, and I double check the ship's time /island time. I always know where I'm going /have a map saved on my phone, and -- if it's not dock-adjacent -- I have a back-up plan for getting back to the ship. Review your potential tour guide online -- such reviews are abundant online. Once you're sure /have booked, write down ALL your excursion information on an envelope: date, name of company, phone number and reservation number. Write down your meeting time /place, items you need to bring or wear, and anything else important. Print your confirmation email and tuck it into the envelope. Print a google map or instructions on how to get to your meeting place. Finally, tuck into the envelope any cash money you'll need to spend on the excursion -- remaining balance, money for a taxi or a lunch, and tips in small bills. We dislike ship's excursions for these very same reasons. We've found that smaller, independent tours get you to your destination faster, are led by tour guides who care more and interact more with the participants. We've been given more options on independent tours (whereas ship's cattle-call excursions force the participants to hang around uninteresting straw markets that give kick-backs to the ship).

My son-in-law hooked our family together -- I know he had to have all our reservation numbers to make it happen. If you're going to book dining, etc., I'd rather have the reservations "linked" so I'd know-know-know that the ship personnel would see that y'all're traveling together. As for the excursions, consider non-ship offerings -- not just the ship's excursions. I've been disappointed in the sales I've seen -- or, not seen -- recently.

Those are exactly the things I dread -- and well said. Add to it concerns about whether sofas /pullman bunks will actually be serviced twice a day or not. And -- to add insult to injury -- throw in the recent increase in tip amount. Less service + more cost. Ice is something I don't care about. I'd rather walk to pick up a fresh drink /fresh ice rather than have half-melted ice in my room. No, but at home I don't share one tiny room with my husband (and possibly my children). I have instant access to ice and towels, and I have a trash can that doesn't fill up in half a day. This analogy falls flat. Agree! Exactly. Start with a coffee each. My husband will drink a few beers over the course of the day. It fills that small trash can. And remember that some cabins support 3-4 people. Their trash adds up in a hurry. Book a suite a double (or more) the price? Not a fair answer.

Thought 1: You said summer. Everything's at a premium price in summer. Are you also on one of the newer mega-ships? They also demand a premium price. Thought 2: I can't believe they sell any tickets at these prices.

No, but if a toddler hears the terminal staff say, "And this is Katherine?" she might be the precocious type who'd declare loudly, "No, that's not my name!"

Two comments: - My husband is a Jr, and it's a headache when he travels. He's used to it by now, and he has learned to be vigilant about ALL his travel information including those two little letters. We had all girls, but -- before that was a fact -- he was adamant that he didn't want to saddle a son with a III after his name. - How old is the grandbaby in question? If she's a toddler, it might be wise to remind her, "We call you Kathy, but you know your full name is Katherine. When we get on the ship, if they say 'Katherine', you answer." The last thing you need is to have a small child piping up with, "No, that's not my name!" I know it's a bit far fetched, but you don't want to look even remotely suspicious to anyone in the terminal.

I like that phrase. Mine hang on the wall in my closet above my shoes. Not just a European thing!

I did mean day bed.

Yes, they've been discussed (in positive terms!) for a long time on these boards, and independent tours are almost always better quality than the ship's tours: smaller groups, more choices, more interaction with your tour guide. The lower price is just a bonus. The van means you're in a smaller group, which is all but a promise that you'll move faster; with a ship's excursion cattle-call style, you can only move at the speed of the slowest participant -- and someone is always making the whole group wait. Arriving first and avoiding the crowds is worth a lot! One more comment: Before you sign up for a shore excursion in Costa Maya, check your itinerary's time. We'll only be in Costa Maya only 7:00 - 2:00, so I feel it's necessary to stay closer to the port /am unwilling to undertake an excursion that requires a drive of an hour or so.

I'm also in the "Don't spend a penny" group. Coco Cay is -- as advertised -- a perfect beach day. Without spending, you can get a comfortable lounge chair at your choice of beaches or the pool, you can eat a good lunch, you can nap in a hammock, and you can be as active or as lazy as you want all day. My thoughts on the upcharge items: - You say you're a group of ten? Does it matter that you stay together? I ask that because if you end up going with the Beach Club, you'd need to pay for everyone (quite expensive). In contrast, if you choose one of the free beaches, you can set up a camp and everyone can come and go without cost. You might look into one of the cabanas as a family base instead of the Beach Club ... some of them go for about $300 (plus 18%). - You say the kids might want tickets to the water park. I don't think those tickets ever go under $150 these days (plus 18%), and you'd probably want an adult to go into the park with them. Personally, I'd say NO but promise to take the kids to a local water park another day in the summer. A day at Wet & Wild in my area is $65/day and is on sale for $40 right now ... we could have a season pass for less than a day at Coco Cay's water park. - If I were going to pay for an excursion, it'd probably be the jet skis. That's something we don't have access to at home, and it's about $120/driver and $40/passenger. Plus 18% ... but, as I said, that's something we can't easily do at home. - My daughter is interested in the hot air balloon, which is about $75 (plus 18%). Again, that's something that's not easy to do at home.

I'm with those who say the lost interest is next to nothing -- maybe the cost of a modest dinner out. A larger down payment isn't a larger cost: It's just more paid up front.

But if you were to sail alone, you'd get double points. If you're going to reimburse your friend for her half of the fare, you're paying both sides ... I'd want to call and switch the booking to a Single Room and get those points.

Yes, paying attention to the cost of upgrading makes sense. Without doing your homework, your bid is just a stab in the dark. Interesting. So, by that logic, you'd have a better chance /less competition if you were trying to move from an inside to a balcony. And it'd be harder to move from a balcony to a suite; that also makes sense because fewer suites exist. Yes, and I've read that Royal's goal is not just to look at your specific bid; rather, their goal is to create a "chain of upgrades" ... for example, they want to create a chain in which someone moves from an Inside to a Balcony, that Balcony moves to a Junior Suite, that Junior Suite moves to a Grand Suite. From their point of view, one upgrade is good, but 3-4 are better. Better being defined as more money for them. Oh, and -- yes -- last minute miracles do happen! Once we were forced to cancel last minute (sick child). I've always wondered who got to the port and was given a last-minute upgrade to a prime aft-cabin, the kind you reserve the day the dates become available.

Surely ice water in a cup isn't a charge item? Not only is that quite inconvenient for passengers, it'd create a lot of -- well, I want to say paperwork, but I really mean ringing up sales for crew. I don't see how anyone would "win" by charging for a glass of water. I can't say I've noticed them -- not that I pay much attention to other people's bags, and people tend to keep their pool bags under their chairs. But it does seem practical, as we all have plenty of those semi-disposable bags around the house, and we don't care if they're lost.

Okay, it's not quite August, but we cruised the last week in July, which is our wedding anniversary, and it was too hot for us -- and we're Southerners! I won't say we'd never do it again, but the price would have to be right, and we'd plan our excursions and mid-day activities with the heat in mind.

Even a blind squirrel will find a nut every now and then. She was incredibly, incredibly lucky. It's gotta be said: Boys are stupid! Just kidding, but wow.

I kinda remember my brother talking about being trained to jump from the ship in his Navy basic training, so it's totally possible -- but everything would have to go just right. Well, they deserved that. You're right to warn him about such things -- teens need warnings. Being sucked under the ship? Wow, I'm thinking about that now. I heard once about a teen who jumped overboard while in port -- a dare or a bet or something. He tried to reboard dripping wet and barefoot but was stopped because he had no ID. Apparently he was subjected to a long lecture on his he could've been crushed between the ship and the pier. I would never have guessed that.

This was not true when we visited Blue Lagoon, but that was years ago. We felt unsafe leaving the pier /entering the city because the crowd was very heavy, and everyone was sort of being pushed along. After leaving the pier, everyone had to funnel through a bottleneck area and people were pushing and shoving. The ground was uneven, and the entrance was closed off on both sides, forcing everyone to crowd into a narrow area. If anything had happened, people would've been knocked down and trampled. We're only in our 50s, but my husband has some mobility issues, and I was very afraid for him. It was not a safe situation. I don't think anyone said criminals.

Yes, we made a purposeful choice to own only rolling carry-ons. Our reasoning is identical to yours.

Don't move. The triple-balcony situation is a sweet set-up. A benefit we didn't see coming: We never locked our sliding doors; rather, we left them open so our group could come and go between rooms without going out into the main hallway. Don't move. You said this was the only set of rooms that would give you this triple balcony -- and multiple rooms side-by-side with this configuration are unlikely to open up. Don't move. The noise you dread likely won't be a problem. I've been directly under the Windjammer and literally never heard a peep. I've had more trouble from being close to the elevators (no, the noise didn't come from the elevators -- it came from the increased foot traffic that comes with being near the elevators). Don't move. You say you value the balcony, and you've made your choice. Don't second guess yourself.

Maybe it's changed -- I haven't been in Blue Lagoon since before the pandemic.

A reusable shopping bag sounds like a good idea: 1) if you don't bring it back home, it's not a big deal. 2) if you need extra luggage space on the way home, you have it. I agree that a small bag is best onboard the ship, but don't worry too much about elegant. The one I carry "fits well" with shorts or sundresses. I don't see any point in carrying a water bottle around the ship; you're always steps away from the Windjammer or Promenade Cafe, where you can pick up a cup of ice water for no charge.

Note that you can't see the dolphins without paying for that excursion.

Good advice. At its heart, this is a beach day. You definitely cannot leave Blue Lagoon just any old time you want. You'll be on an island 30-ish minutes away from the cruise port, and you will be dependent upon the ferry for your trip back. If this is a line in the sand for you, perhaps you'd be happier going to Atlantis; that's a very popular excursion, and -- since you'd be on land -- you'd be able to call a taxi and leave when you please. However, that would require going into Nassau, which I already said I will never do again. I suspect the number of times the ferry runs is dependent upon the season; that is, I suspect it will run more frequently in summer /high season.