ZoeyVictoria

Thank you so much! We hate that white-knuckled drive to/from Miami and the express lane will make it a tad easier.

I am just a few months behind you in geezerhood 😂. My SO has had back surgeries and should not be lifting luggage, so I handle all of it. As the weight got to be too much for me, we bought the lightest luggage we could find, multiple small pieces 24” and under. We frequently use off-site parking and the shuttle drivers always comment on the low weight. Each piece has eight wheels, so it spins nicely. We also use luggage straps. When we pick up our luggage in the terminal, I quickly remove one strap and use it to strap two matching pieces together, with the handles adjacent, making it very easy to push two at a time. We have been skipping porters and just taking it on and off the ship ourselves if we have five pieces or less.

I grew up long before backpacks were a thing and I am just too old (and uninterested) to try it now. I figure my carryon is going to take up the same amount of floor space whether it is next to me or in front of me, so I use it as a barrier to save my toes.

We need to take Alligator Alley to the west coast. Does the express lane end soon enough to get on I-75?

I stand against the side of the elevator with my luggage in front of me to protect my toes and avoid being touched by random strangers, but even that is not enough clearance to avoid being smacked by backpacks.

You are right, the options aren’t great. The amount required for the Indy is way too high IMO, especially if you are doing that same cruise next month. I would go with the Celebrity Summit because it is five nights in a balcony, and because I would enjoy the differences in the ship, food, entertainment. You also might catch the eye of their casino program, if you haven’t already. My second choice would be the Hard Rock, but followed by something other than Disney.

Thanks so much for another great review! And for the casino tips - I will play Double Bonus poker at the end of the month on a Royal ship and hope to find $.10 Ultimate X on the Magic in April.

Thank you for that info! We are in 2220 on the Vista with the same set up - an interior room with two portholes, just two of those cabins on the ship. We have had porthole rooms in the past and really enjoyed them. Being so close to the water is another positive for us.

Those kids moved quickly from “stranger danger” to trying to take advantage of adults they will never lay eyes on again.

Double Bonus poker, thank you! And thanks for the tip that there are actually dime versions of Ultimate X. It is definitely dangerous, but I got four aces on the third spin last year and was able to build up enough points for a free cruise (Royal Caribbean).

Would you please tell me the specific name of this game? I play mostly slots, but try video poker at times. I can never remember exactly which game I enjoyed in the past, but this one looks good! Every once in a while I treat myself to Ultimate X, but that is an expensive one during a dry spell.

We were also asked for money from a random young teenage girl. She would have paid us back later 😂. When did kids start asking strangers for cash? Just wrong in so many ways!

We are booked at Giovanni’s for embarkation day lunch (in 10 days). I am assuming that steak is not included on the lunch menu, is that correct? Is there anything in particular that you recommend for lunch? Our priority was to avoid the WJ embarkation day craziness, but now I am also looking forward to the meal.

Yes, I remember that one! But maybe this one wasn’t quite as fine as you thought it was at the time. If it still isn’t quite the same since the MG, it might bruise/swell more easily than in the past.

Do I remember you saying you rolled it slightly on the first day?

I agree, it is very confusing. I also asked many questions to make sure the rep understood exactly what I was asking. Her name was May, and she sounded very patient, competent, and caring. She was probably the best rep I have ever spoken to. I just read the notes I took during the call, but I don’t see anything I hadn’t already mentioned. In early December, I booked a refundable rate for the Wonder on 11/12/23. The only casino offer I had that could be used for a date that far in advance was a $100 certificate earned on a previous cruise (Liberty, 11/1/22). It had expired a few days earlier but was still on my list of offers, so they made a “one time exception” and used that offer. May was very clear that the only way to convert an existing booking was to use an existing casino offer so they could just change the offer code to the free Prime cruise while keeping the same booking number. I repeated that back to her because it seemed to be the key to the issue. If I were you, I would do what is so often recommended on Cruise Critic - call back and speak to another rep to see if you get the same answer. You did the right thing by booking a refundable rate. If all else fails, that could be very helpful. Where I got lucky was that $100 certificate could be used on cruise dates later in the year than my other offers, and that might what causes a problem for you if May turns out to be right. And FWIW, I have ten offers at this time and every single one of them is $100 off a cruise during a certain time period 🙄. I am not a huge gambler who gets any type of special treatment.

I just saw the statement about the age of your daughter (typing at the same time). It sounds like only the girl’s mother knows about the invitation, which would make it easier to withdraw.

How old are your daughter and her friend? Is it possible a “kids sail free” sale might happen that would help? Although I believe it will still be considerably more than what you have already paid. If I (or my child) had been invited to go on a cruise with a friend and the offer was later withdrawn, I would want to know as early as possible, before I had time to make plans and get excited about it.

It more than likely won’t matter, but you have to check in anyway, so why not do it on Day 16, although not necessarily so early that you lose sleep over it?

The charge on my CitiCard is still pending, the package is still listed as “booked”, and I received the $50 OBC this afternoon.

I am trying to figure out if you guys are still up or already up? Could go either way!

We thought they would be able to cash them while they are purchasing supplies, snacks, etc. at a Florida port, as we frequently see crew members returning to the ship with store bags. We certainly would have bought a winning ticket back from them and cashed it later, but we are not heavy drinkers and don’t return to the same bars frequently. One of them did recognize us and told us he hadn’t known what to do with the ticket and asked his roommate. He said he did not win, but they had fun scratching. It wasn’t our greatest idea, but there was no harm done.

We always tip $1 per Diamond drink or bottle of water. We were on the Jewel on Christmas and took along some Florida holiday scratch off lottery tickets. We added a ticket to the usual $2 tip for two drinks, thinking it would be fun. The servers were puzzled/interested/curious, but not at all familiar with lottery tickets. It really wasn’t fun for them and we won’t do it again. I think they generally just prefer cash in denominations that they are familiar with.

I don’t intend to pursue it unless others report the package being honored. If it turns out that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I might squeak a bit! But I don’t really think they will budge.

I have two Celebrity cruises and it wasn’t available yesterday on either of them.