Mum2Mercury

False. You can spend a lovely day on Coco Cay without spending a penny -- we did. Well, no, that's not quite true: my husband did have two beers.

As others have assured you, you'll find plenty of chairs (no cost). The chairs are set up in sets of 2 or 4 ... with an umbrella and a small table between each 2 or 4 chairs. A cabana would give you more shade, but -- like the umbrellas -- as the sun moves, so would your shade. However, an umbrella isn't full coverage, and as the sun moves, so does your shade. If I had your strong motivation to keep out of the sun, I'd take a multi-pronged approach: - Bring excellent sunscreen. - Wear a long-sleeved rash guard (these are becoming surprisingly popular) and a wide-brimmed hat. - Consider bringing along your own clamshell -- I know you can buy a small one at Academy Sports here in my town for about $40, and then it's yours to keep. These are small, three-sided enclosures, which will give you more coverage than the umbrella ... and you can always turn the thing to keep "the back" to the sunshine as the day progresses. Clamshells pack up to about the size of a folding camp chair and come with a carrying bag. Additionally, they have a pirate ship playground, which -- if I remember correctly -- is in moderate shade. And the hammocks are in deep, solid shade. They are set in sand, so you could relax in the hammock while your grandson plays in the sand. When you go for lunch, you'll find picnic tables under large tarps (looks better than my description would imply), so you can have your lunch in the shade -- I can't remember whether they had tables (or just serving areas) under the actual porch. Consider, too, that one thing people love about Coco Cay is its proximity to the ship. If you feel you've "had enough", you can head back to the ship without feeling you're cutting the rest of the family's fun short.

This is a perfect flight outfit.

American is not even cheese -- it's cheese product; that's why they're sold as "Kraft Singles". They contain more vegetable oil than dairy and legally cannot be called cheese. I don't allow that stuff in my house. Having said that, the best grilled cheese sandwich includes: - A hearty, seedy bread with a good mouthfeel - Two types of cheese, preferably one of them Gouda - A bit of Italian seasoning sprinkled over the bread - A golden brown outside and still-warm, gooey, melt-y interior Also delicious: Grilled pimento cheese with thinly sliced tomato One more thought: If we're going with Swiss (an excellent choice), I'd rather have Baby Swiss.

No, I don't 'specially hanker for potato chips; additionally, while on vacation, I'd rather eat things that I can't simply pick up pre-made at the grocery store. BUT I can buy into the idea that if a person really loves them, they should be able to calorie-splurge on vacation. Homemade potato chips are a fairly labor-intensive item.

What I want? Big fat fries ... very salty. What I really eat: a salad. Because carbs.

I rarely see any souvenirs that interests me, and -- honestly -- I don't spend much time looking. Having a father from Central America, I grew up observing haggling, negotiating, whatever you want to call it -- and I'm really good at it. Someone mentioned the car dealership in this thread. When we last bought a car, I know I did a good job -- it showed on the sales manager's face when he realized what he'd just agreed to.

I use this site to check port schedules /see what other ships will be docking with us: cruisemapper.com Admittedly, we only sail in the fall months, so I didn't look at the busier summer schedules.

Yes, we have never had any trouble getting the 10:30 boarding time, so we are among the first to board -- after suites, etc. We usually have no trouble getting a window seat. The problem with the Windjammer Day 1 is that some people "set up camp" and plan to sit and relax until the captain announces that they've opened the staterooms. Well, they stayed open, right? Seriously, I've never noted a health inspection score in any of the online restaurants -- do they have them like American restaurants do?

Oh, let's be honest: whatever the price is, it's always "on sale". It's $188/person for our upcoming cruise. A couple of our group members had been considering it -- not sure if they still are. Serious question: Are prices for "extras" higher on the bigger, newer mega-ships? I ask 'cause this'll be our first time on one of them, and it kinda seems that way.

I just looked at a site showing which ships are in port on given days. It seems that MOST DAYS only one ship is in port. I don't think a mega-ship was ever in port with another ship. I was at Coco Cay with Independence and Liberty, and it was not crowded.

Everyone here does know this is blatantly false, right? Good answer. I despise cigarette smoke. I'd call and ask for a different room. Zero service? So you had no sheets and towels in your room? Your trash was never emptied? You didn't eat during the whole cruise? No one believes that. I'm with Ocean Boy: I've always been quite happy with the service. I was going to say this. I'm surprised so many people say they do this.

It might be smart to check the number of ships sharing Coco Cay with you. That'd give you a hint about how many people will be on the island.

I'd choose one or the other -- these locations are a good 15-20 minute walk apart, and I don't see how you'd realistically utilize both. Your two-year old will enjoy the pirate ship playground in the center of the island. Your 12-year old might enjoy the games at South Beach more. Chill Island or South Beach are for you ... no cost. You'll find loads of chairs laid out in 2 or 4s ... and each 2 or 4 chair set has an umbrella and a small table. True. We asked for one at Guest Services. True: not even near in sight of each other. Might be a buzz kill, but you're right. If these were my plans, I'd like to know the truth -- not platitudes.

Sounds like a very real danger!

No, Aldi Chicken Cordon Bleu -- the concept is the same, but I personally have no basis for comment on the Chicken Parm. My husband and I only disliked two food items on our recent cruises -- the Cordon Bleu and the Lemon-baked Cod. Both in the MDR.

I'm disappointed to hear that the Chicken Parm isn't anything more than frozen -- I do LOVE Chicken Parm. However, I'll say the same thing about the Chicken Cordon Bleu, which I'm pretty sure is on the French menu. At home we sometimes eat the individually-frozen $1.00 Chicken Cordon Bleu from Aldi -- we consider it a decent instant entree that goes straight to the oven and is a little good mid-week meal -- and that Aldi entree is superior to what the ship serves. I definitely expected more. I'd like to see the British menu show up more often. Judging just from these boards and the fact that the British menu doesn't show up as often, I'm thinking it's the menu that shows up for an 8-night cruise. We are crazy about the Traditional British Fish & Chips, and we've heard other passengers saying they enjoy it too. We consider it much better than the salmon, which shows up pretty often.

The Windjammer Buffet is the closest thing to a room full of snacks.

Sounds fun! As for Thanksgiving, we sailed once over Thanksgiving and their turkey dinner was excellent.

The only menus that really appeal to me are - Welcome Aboard Night - Caribbean Night - Royal Night As for specialty dining, I think it's okay -- but we choose to stick to the "included in the ticket price" foods. Why? Given that we've already paid for meals onboard, we'd rather spend that money on a meal out at home. Just makes financial sense to us.

This is news to me too, but these are nice benefits -- and wisely chosen by Royal, as they are beneficial to guests but not very expensive to provide.

Especially since a cabin using the sofa bed is probably paying more than 2 people's gratuities.

1-888-724-7447 Supposedly the call goes to Miami, and they get a message out to Guest Services on your ship. Your family member would need to know your ship and cabin number, and it costs per minute to call. Realistically, it'd need to be a real emergency for someone to call the ship.

Fortunately, tendering is becoming less and less common.

Multiple thoughts: - No, you don't need to reserve an excursion. - Adding to that thought: You don't need to reserve an excursion with the cruise ship. Use this (and other) boards to research private excursions. They tend to be smaller and more personal, and you have more control over your day; that they're cheaper is just a bonus. The ships push the idea of "we won't leave you behind", but this is a scare tactic (one that many cruisers embrace) ... don't stray too far from the port, go on the first-in-the-morning excursion, and get back to the ship well ahead of the all-aboard time. - Consider that you really have four choices: Stay on the ship ... walk around the port on your own ... take a ship's excursion ... take a private excursion. - If you're uncertain, consider reserving excursions for some islands /plan to wander on your other islands. Then you'll be able to judge for yourself, and when you cruise again you'll feel confident in your choices. - I personally like to plan "balanced" excursions: maybe one beach day, one cultural /history day, and one active adventure day. I personally would not, for example, want multiple beach days on one cruise. - I fully approve being smart with your money, but I'm much more willing to pay for an experience that will create memories than for junky tees, etc. We still talk about some excursions we took more than a decade ago. - Yes, you can exit the ship and just walk around the port; however, I don't recommend doing this unless you have something planned -- other people may disagree with this. You aren't likely to find much that's free-ish, as many of the islands' economies are based upon cruise ship dollars. Some ports are better for walking around than others. - The cheapest thing you can do -- typically -- is go to a local beach. We did this recently in Aruba; we used the city bus to get to Eagle Beach, and it cost about $5 each way for the two of us. We spent literally no money at the beach.