Bead Pirate

I always shut this down by telling them they are doing a fantastic job and that i will be happy to give them a "1"... 🙂

On that cruise as well.... Only Suites and Aqua permitted up front.

They will bring it to your room if it has a room tag on it. I take my clubs with me on occasion as I have a casino host who loves to sneak in 9 holes on certain islands...

Just saw this today... Sapphire Plus here I come 🙂 Every Blue Chip Club member now has until December 31, 2023 to level up. That’s an additional year to play and earn to the next tier.

A great time of year to sail... I have a guilty pleasure as we sail every Christmas and New Year's. I bring ornaments with me and add 1 or 2 at a time (late at night) to an existing decorated trees (which usually has a theme). Fun to watch and see how long Homer Simpson stays on the tree!

Some targets to consider... 10K in points seems to be the target for free YC (have hit this several times). 12K will get you YC and additional perks. Not sure why, but I must admit that MSC slots seem to pay the max jackpots on every cruise (very little carry over to following cruise) as compared to other lines I travel and play with.

As some have said above it varies by cruise line (even ship)... These are all in last couple of months (it is that time of year to move up to the top players level): MSC Slots $19K cash with no tax form Royal (Wonder) 6 slot hits between $1.5K and $3K all hand pays with tax forms Celebrity (Texas Holdem) $32K combination of cash and check with tax forms NCL Slots $7K cash and tax forms

It is a good practice to just book direct during holidays and high occupancy cruises. We love the UDP but lament not being able to get in to select venues during these busy cruises. Better to pay a little extra and get the times and locations wanted. Was on Wonder last week and using the UDP was a struggle (the ship was full) and I should have expected that (but did not). I will warn about the Mason Jar lunch. We arrived at 2 PM with 4 other couples who had made online reservations (UDP does not work for lunch) and were greeted with the sad news that "we ran out of food and closed the kitchen at 1:30". A good bit of the food at the Mason Jar takes a longer prep time and when it is gone, they "86" the item. Just a warning to not take those late reservations in that rather small location. On Edge for Christmas and New Year's, have had the meal reservations since the day they appeared online. Good Luck and enjoy your cruise!

Small groups are really great for cooking excursions (i.e. going to someone's home in the mountains, chocolate making, etc.) A group of 8 or 10 can really get hands on and soak in the culture, etc. Not sure it would make that big of a difference on say a sightseeing tour...

Large Plastic zip lock bags for all packed clothing (and for that matter I would put one on each bottle of wine if I checked my wine)... Weird delays can occur and it might be your bags sitting in rain for hours, etc. A good practice to get into when packing 🙂

There are now 4 shows (not all four are available on all ships however)...

We will do a one and done on the Icon (just to sail her). The kids are overwhelming on the Wonder and the Icon will be no different... It does not seem there is any time that the kids are not on board anymore...

Exactly, on Edge ships (especially during holidays) better to pay Alacarte and have the time and evening of your choice

On Wonder now, was on Harmony two weeks ago... Noticed on both sailings that there is/was a "takeover" by extended family (think 4 generations here). The folks get there around 5:30 or 6 and rearrange the furniture, pull in all of the strollers and bring down pillows so they can pull chairs together for the little ones to sleep later in the evening. Plates of food start rolling in around 7 and the party gets going from there. 18 bar seats on Wonder and to my amazement 12 of them were occupied by tweens ordering virgin frozen drinks at 8:30 last night. I know it's tough to keep all of these kids entertained but sleeping in an entertainment venue is a bit of a stretch. I am over the big ships while kids sail free (back to Celebrity with hopes all the old folks are sailing) 🙂

Also, pack a healthy measure of patience as Miami can be a madhouse. Once you are on the boat all will be well!

I take it my 2:00 PM reservation for the Mason Jar lunch on Sunday is unlikely to occur 🙂

A copy of the letter is posted on the role call for this sailing...

They are probably busy pulling their hair out right now. That cruise (I am on it as well) is overbooked by almost 200 cabins (reportedly) and they sent the "were sorry but...inventory error" letters out yesterday. Going to be one FULL CRUISE!

Just off Harmony this weekend... Pleased to see the following: Wild Turkey 101 Whistle Pig New World (yes, I know it is not brewed in KY, but still really good)

Not sure how many we have as several shoreside Casino Junket Companies are on board with their folks. Will know more when we get to the welcome aboard party at 5 on Saturday. Are you on board for the tournament as well?

The 10/29 (Halloween Cruise) on the Seashore is fully booked according to the travel agents that are coming onboard with our group. This sailing had a heavily promoted gambling event for months (Slot Tournament) with some very nice prizes for the invited guests. We will have group parties, etc. throughout the cruise. Don't forget your costume!

I suspected as much, we do not even end curfew in Volusia County until Friday Morning at 7 AM...