HappyTexan44

I've never cruised, but I have traveled to most of the popular cruise ports in the Caribbean . It is annoying when the cruise arrives. I'm not saying that cruises should stop visiting ports. But it is like when you regularly drive near a NFL stadium. You learn to pay attention to when the NFL crowds will be on the road, and you plan accordingly. I would always plan a boat scuba dive and then take a nap. My dad told me about something the US military used to do when the locals around a military base would start really grumbling about getting rid of the base. They'd start paying the people at that base in $2 bills and only $2 bills. Next thing you know, the place would be flooded in $2 bills, even people/businesses that thought they had no benefit from the base. This was back in the dark ages when they paid in cash. Maybe that isn't true for Bar Harbor. Maybe the cruise people just walk around and look at stuff. But I've thought of the $2 story several times while reading this.

We saw that too. I was even looking at Interior Guaranteed in both cases. The cheapest option was two connecting interior promenade view rooms for us. But when I was trying to put all of us in the same room we were getting a room that held 4 and it wasn't the same room code for when it was two. Husband was very happy to have a door between us and the girls. As a pale redhead I think I'll like the interior non-sunburn view.

I wonder why they even want to know the vaccination status now. Inertia, maybe?

And really, if they don't want tourists, as a tourist I don't want to spend money there. The world is a large place.

I hope cruise ships stop using that port.

That 6:45 start time for MTD was why I switched to early dining. I understand the logic of the late start time since they can fill the dining room with early diners. I'd been attracted to MTD to give us some wiggle room if we want to unwind before dinner when we return from port. But, worst case we will just eat at WJ those evenings.

How did you hang the hammock?

Or more importantly they realize they are giving away more free drinks than before. Like the one where the server said, "Nah, it will be okay this time"

I can't speak for OP, but in port we will be one group that is always together. So, we can do the really old-fashioned method of talking face-to-face. It would only be when the ship is sailing that we'd need some other method.

The internet prices add up even if I only figured two devices. DH will likely be asleep when I get up, so connecting with him would be nice so then you have three devices. This is a starter cruise for us and I'm trying to be as frugal as possible.

I've been pondering the same thing. We'll have our 13-year-old girl and her friend. The plan is for them to have freedom, but stay together. The options seem to be. Walkie-talkies which we'd have to buy. Buy the $2/day messaging plan. Buy the lower internet plan so we can call. At the moment I'm leaning toward the messaging plan. Maybe every time they change locations, they text first.

Some people don't have a problem lugging stuff. I sometimes jokingly call my husband Sherpa. But since most of our luggage will be checked when we park the car, carrying on some soda/water and wine doesn't seem like a big deal. I think I still have one of those luggage carriers from before luggage had wheels and we might use that to make it even less of a bother. For us it is about having the things we like.

What was in place to stop someone from giving someone else's cabin# with that system? When I was in college, my boyfriend went on a family cruise. He drank a lot with his sister. The system was that you wrote your cabin number on the drink bill. After the first day they started to sometimes write a random cabin number on the bill because they saw that there was no verification of the cabin#. This was ... 30-ish years ago. Their dad said that he was pleasantly surprised by the reasonableness of the drink bill.

It is truly amazing the difference having your own pillows and comforter makes when away from home. Unless the bed is truly horrible or a double (instead of our King) in that first moment of awake I think I'm home. In fact, after I started to bring my own bedding I also had to bring a nightlight because without one I'd walk to the bathroom as I would at home and run into something in the dark. We used to look like the Beverly Hillbillies moving in with the luggage cart. We are getting enough duffels now for the pillows and comforter, so we wouldn't look quite as bad. But we like to travel with lots of stuff. I've traveled for weeks in Europe with just a school backpack. But, I'd rather have everything I need for comfort.

Thank you for posting the dinner menus! I can vicariously follow along and plan out what I'd order. I'd read about the 70's dance party. Are people supposed to dress like that? Or is it just 70's music?

I know some tech people that highly prize the extremely early Kindles for the emergency internet connection for basic stuff. They came with a free data connection, although I think I saw news that they just recently cancelled that.

I am a bit of a water snob, but not about water brands. I find most tap water undrinkable, but random jugs of reverse osmosis water are fine, and I have an RO unit at home.

Speaking of which ... how does the tap water taste? I've heard it is very heavily filtered and drinkable. Them saying it is drinkable doesn't mean much to me, since They say that about Orlando's swamp water so drinkable can just mean "It probably won't harm you". But the heavy filtering makes me think maybe it truly is drinkable.

I see a problem with that. For one, I wouldn't duck. Reminds me of when DD was young and a birthday party had laser tag as an activity. The girls ended up in a conga line shooting the one in front and giggling.

There is also something to be said for having some ships that attract a younger audience with the hope that you can keep them and they'll later transition to the other smaller ships when the kids are grown. It would be a bad idea to drive off the older crowd, but I don't see how adding whiz-bang activities does that. I am one that was attracted to RCI for all the things to do. I've always worried that I'd be bored on a cruise, so when husband and 12-year-old child said that they'd like a cruise, I looked for one with lots of activities. I'm too cheap to do the newest ships, but they call to me.

One hint on the photos, use Spray and Pray. Basically take a lot of photos whenever you used to take one. After all, you aren't paying for each print like you used to.

What is it about pringles? I never eat them at home, but about 5 days out of the country and I crave pringles. Maybe it is that they are just so darn American? Maybe it is the salt? I never salt my food but maybe in America my food just comes with more salt?

Last summer we were at a (genuine) resort hotel that had really nice cabanas by the pool that were free. No reservations, paid or otherwise. If someone's butt wasn't in the cabana, it was free for anyone to use. You know what? There were empty cabana during the prime time, which was a Saturday afternoon in summer. If someone left to say eat, they were expected to take their stuff with them. But, when they got back, there would be another cabana available because no one could reserve. I had closely researched those cabanas. We like to drive on vacation rather than fly cattle cars, and we like to drive straight through. I thought we would arrive at around 6 am, and DH the main driver, needs an arrival day rest/sleep. Trouble is hotel rooms are unlikely to be available then. So my thought was we'd claim a cabana when the pool opened and DH could sleep there until our room was available. A family friend went on his cruise with his girlfriend a few years ago. I remember my mother fussing about how expensive this girlfriend was. One of the examples was how she insisted on a big balcony room (I think she meant a balcony seat) because then they 'wouldn't need to reserve a chair.' I wonder if this cruise lines knows that happens?

Isn't this stealing? That one handed out to each person, didn't they expect that back at the end of the trip? Maybe I'm not understanding 'turnaround day' and you didn't take towels home with you.

Noob here, Future Royal Cruise booked. This may be a stupid question. Given that: You are charged $25 for not returning you towel. People reserve chairs using towels. Aren't chair hogs basically leaving $25 on the chair? What keeps someone from just grabbing a random towel from a chair hog and returning it instead of the towel that blew away while they were at port?