Mum2Mercury

That's true, but we got into the habit of bringing them when our children were small -- they liked being able to have a small glow stick in their own beds. Oh, yes. While I'm a light packer, I never stint on my OTC meds. Like another poster here, we have collected small travel-sized containers, and we refill them at home ... yes, when carefully packed they hold at least 2Xs the original number. I've also painted the tops with bright nail polish for classification ... bright pink for help with pain, bright blue for digestive woes, motion sickness remains its original white. Two notes on your list: I always make some of those bandaids waterproof for a cruise, and I buy those bandaids with built-in Neosporin. We just use the suitcase itself ... nothing else to move around on the last day. And we never have any clean clothe Just know this is an incredibly unlikely possibility. Last time it happened was 2012. Time before that was in the 1980s.

Thanks for that info, DCTravel. We're already signed up for excursions for our next visit to Cozumel, but on our next-next visit, I know what we're doing!

Start with this website ... I think that portion of the site's called Ports of Call. Or if you know you want a specific activity, Google that activity + the island. Check reviews for any company you plan to use.

You'll find great beaches in every port. They are Caribbean islands, after all. The best shopping, hands down, will be in Cozumel -- though I personally never find anything I would actually use. We prefer Chankanaab, which is more family-oriented, less focused on all-you-can-drink. Chankanaab is a national (state?) park and requires a $12 taxi ride ... taxis are super-easy in Cozumel; they're lined up outside the shopping center, and an expediter manages the taxi-needers and the taxi-drivers. Entrance to Chankanaab is about $25/adult ... don't allow your driver to stop by a road-side stand; insist that you're going to buy your ticket at the gate. Chankanaab has a pool, the ocean (which is too rough for kids), playgrounds for kids, snorkeling, a sea lion show, a reptile exhibit, and a trail with Mayan statues and a replica village. Loungers and umbrellas are plentiful. Food and drink are reasonably priced. For additional fee you can swim with dolphins. Maybe some other activities. That sounds like something we'd enjoy! Would you please share the tour company you used? We rarely use a ship's tour -- too crowded, too lackluster, too focused on shopping. We only opt for a ship's tour if it's an activity that takes us some distance from the port or requires complicated transportation. That they cost more than private tours is just the nail in their coffin. We like to make our choices before we leave home -- it's easy to look for reviews and be sure you're making a good choice.

A good answer. Yes, you can do these things to grease the wheels and move faster, but any one thing that goes wrong could ruin your chances: the ship arrives late, they have an ill person to disembark first, your driver doesn't arrive on time (or at all), a wreck delays your trip, TSA is slow ... 10:00 is a risky choice.

I don't know anything about the smoking area -- except that I try to avoid it -- but I can say a couple things about the Park Cafe: - It's located in the corner of the Solarium Pool area. If you have children, they're allowed to come in to get food, but they have to take it out of the adults-only area. - Windjammer opens first every day, and when they close after breakfast, Park Cafe opens. Throughout the day one or the other is open. - Park Cafe is small and offers pizza, roast beef sandwiches, small sandwiches (egg sandwiches at breakfast, other things later in the day), ready-cut fruit, and desserts. They also have a small salad bar on the other wall, along with water, lemonade and coffee. - The line for the roast beef sandwiches can get long, but the staff is quick to call out, "Anyone who doesn't want roast beef sandwiches, please move to the left, and we'll serve you more quickly." - Park Cafe only disappointed us once, and that was on the last evening. It was late, and we thought, "Let's eat one more roast beef sandwich before we disembark tomorrow." They were only serving hot dogs!

Call the cruise line and be SURE of what you'll need for this sailing.

I personally like Osprey backpacks, but -- given that they have lots of pockets and zippers -- they aren't known for being lightweight. One tip: If she finds a pack that she likes except that it lacks a padded section for the iPad, she could opt for a padded zippered pouch that could slide into the backpack. I particularly like my Healthy Back Bags by AmeriBag. I have one in medium and one in large. The large could work as a carry-on, if you're a bit on the minimalist side.

We've saved more than a few bucks going with Guarantees! I think this fear of a horrible room is over-rated. I've had rooms that were better than others, but I've never had a genuinely bad room. We usually end up on the 6th floor with Guarantees, and although it's not a crowd favorite, it's become our favorite. Once our kids were out of the house and we retired, we decided to try Interiors. While a Balcony is certainly nicer, we actually like Interiors. I don't get the point of an Ocean View. An Interior is inexpensive, and it's fine if you just need a room for a place to sleep and shower. A Balcony gives you more space (and a place for Dad to disappear while his daughters are dressing), and it gives you a real connection to the ocean. But I don't see that an Ocean View has any real benefit over an Interior. Agree. Excitement, anticipation, curiosity -- sure, but not actual stress. To be fair, a functional problem could happen in any room -- whether you chose the room or not.

Thoughts that come to mind: - If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. - If it costs nothing, YOU are the product. (Or, more likely, your information.)

I fully understand that my "worth-it meter" is set lower than other people's. What really matters is that my husband and I are cheap at the exact same level.

Yes and no. While we may vary in our willingness to accept risk, and we may make different choices based upon the specific island or the distance from the pier, some things are facts. Indisputable, cold, hard facts -- and not everyone has those straight. Whatever you (using the general you) think is appropriate, I urge you to check government websites and KNOW that what you believe about your chosen document is actually correct. Seriously, not everything on this thread or this site is correct.

I love Coco Cay, but since you're arriving after the bigger ship and you prefer pools, I'd consider taking a nice walk around Coco Cay ... maybe eating lunch on the island, then returning to the ship's pool, which will be less crowded than the Oasis Pool or the Hideaway Pool. Those prices are a whole lot more than $22. No way that space can absorb 2000 people without being overcrowded. I'd pay for Hideaway IF it were winter and the cost were no more than $30. Maybe. Hard to justify any cost when Coco Cay is awesome without paying anything.

We strongly prefer My Time Dining. Our experience: - It does start a little later than we'd prefer, but -- like you -- we consider Early Dining too early and Late Dining too late. - We always make reservations, and we've always been seated within 5-10 minutes. 100% of the time, though we only sail in low-season when it's not so crowded. My Time is somewhat flexible: If you show up 15 minutes early /late, they'll still seat you quickly. This is not true with Traditional Dining -- everyone arrives at the same time. - We get the same wait staff each evening, though we've been seated at different tables in the same general area -- maybe because we tend towards choosing the same time every evening? - Our service has been excellent regardless of whether we have My Time or Traditional Dining. - Don't write off the buffet for dinner. We enjoy a fancier dinner, but maybe not seven nights in a row. Typically we hit the buffet two nights out of a week-long cruise. - Now, for tips: Chances are really good that you'll receive excellent service, but -- if you're this nervous about it -- CALL NOW and remove your tips. Anything you CAN do ahead, DO ahead. Then bring along cash money to tip as you see fit on the last night.

I do my best to learn from others' mistakes! Doesn't always work out for me. If you're putting your ID or credit cards deep down in a front pocket, consider adding a big safety pin just above those valuables. While nothing's guaranteed, that safety pin is hard to see, and it'll make things significantly more difficult for a pick pocket.

My husband was just saying he wants to do this itinerary again. I'd be interested in hearing about any excursions you enjoyed (or heard about others enjoying). I'd love to see Mexican food replace all the Johnny Rockets. But, while my husband LOVES Playmakers, I wouldn't want to give up the Pub. I think all casitas on all ships are one deck above the pool /placed on the jogging track. You can see Windjammer's evening theme (Tex-Mex or Asian, for example) on the phone app. You can also see the MDR menus. They post these waaaaay in advance -- like, more than a year in advance.

Yes. My typical going-ashore outfit is a tee-shirt dress over bike shorts, which have deep, tight pockets on each leg. The pocket on the right holds my phone, and the pocket on the left holds my ID, credit card and cash money. All that's in my backpack is sunscreen,a protein bar, etc.

Thing is, pickpockets are out and about in all the ports -- and they practice their trade /hone their skills every day. They're pros. This fear is overblown and gets way more discussion time on this board than it deserves. Judging from these boards, you could get the idea that multiple families miss the ship at every port; in reality, most cruisers are back on board hours before sail-away. You have great control over whether you get back on time; whereas, you have little control over whether a criminal targets you. That's like something out of a James Bond movie! A more common story: My friend had her passport in her purse, and -- in the back seat of a taxi -- she rearranged things in her purse /shopping bag. In the process, she lost her passport. Dropped it between the seat cushions. Whatever you're carrying, you have a chance of losing -- either to a criminal or through a moment of foolishness. If you're saying, "I could never ...", you're fooling yourself.

So what about that breakfast Bacon Maple Shake? Is it any good?

Assuming the passport isn't required for going ashore: - Leave the passport - Wear the watch

Yeah, none of us know /understand the whole story, but I THINK they want to set it up like dominos -- no, not pizza. You're in an Inside. The Jones are in an Oceanview. The Smiths are in a Balcony. What they want Royal Up to do is to bump you to the Oceanview, the Jones to a Balcony and the Smiths to a Suite. Three families feel good about moving up a category, and Royal pockets more money. You see where the "currently unavailable rooms" came from. It's also possible that - TAs are holding some rooms, which they will release at whatever point. - Some passengers will "drop out" for whatever reason before final payment.

Speaking only for my own district: We no longer have Fall Break. Instead, we have a couple three-day weekends spread across the semester. I prefer the smaller, more frequent breaks. January. I'll never know!

Grandeur was not that crowded.

Out of Tampa most recently.

Yes, I've sailed on Thanksgiving -- never again. Too crowded. Too many kids.