Bankshot

The OP is asking about Falmouth, Jamaica ... not Grand Cayman. ;)

Check his second post again and try to keep up.

Treat waiters, room stewards and other service personnel as your friends, not as your servants. Talk to them and they will be thrilled to tell you about their family, country and lifestyle. And remember to always tip well when deserved.

Try Country Inn & Suites on Magazine St. They have a great bar and a free breakfast buffet. It's a short taxi trip to pier, just two blocks south of the French Quarter and half a block from the Bon Ton restaurant. The Bon Ton is generally void of tourists and offers fabulous food at reasonable prices.

Be careful when booking on-board. RCCL will tell you this is the absolute lowest price available.....at this time. Most people don't hear, "At this time", and think they are getting the lowest price forever. I tried again and again to get the booking agent to confirm prices would never be lower. He continued to avoid the question. Go with an agent who will he happy to search for the best deals.

The late night river is beautiful. The river is full of navigation lights and the refineries and small towns are all lighted. Pick a spot on the pool deck near the windows or go to the Windjammer type lounge on an upper deck.

After just boarding a Carnival ship observed a family board with buckets (more than 1) of Kentucky Fried Chicken. With all of the food on board I found it strange to see them bringing on more food, but I don't recall ever seeing "fried chicken" on any of my cruises.

We've had fried chicken on only one cruise. It was labeled, "Sudden" Fried Chicken, instead of Southern fried.

We were on a 14 day TA and noticed this foreign couple's strange behavior. He wore a bright blue uniform and his wife wore very tight, reveling clothing and extremely heavy makeup. Early each day he would occupy a table in the buffet, spread open a large Bible and she would bring him food and drinks. That night at dinner I was telling our table mates about them and referred to them as looking like Jim and Tammyfay Bakker. A couple at our table thought that was funny because the REAL Bakkers are their next door neighbors back in South Carolina.

We've done it twice and loved it. Go early, stay on the waterfront in North Vancouver and take the ferry over to tour and play in Vancouver. Great food in Chinatown, hoho is a fun tour, Stanley Park is nice. I think we stayed at the "Lonsday Quay" sp... In Victoria tour the gardens and in San Francisco don't miss Buena Vista (Home to the original Irish coffee) food on the waterfront and of course check out a cable car and Chinatown. Walk one to two blocks off the main drag to find the real way they live. Have fun.

When in St. Thomas catch a cab to Redhook and then the ferry to St. John. Once there, go to Trunk Bay and snorkel the unique UNDERWATER National Park. Back on board try giving each other a massage.

Also; The Forcastle (Fos'cil)..sp..is the area on the Bow where the wenches are located. The Bow is forward and Aft is the stern or Fantail. Midships is just that. You are supposed to walk forward on the Starboard side and Aft on Port. It's not a ceiling it's an overhead and the Bridge is where the ship is controlled. It's not called a bathroom it's a head. "Passing with flying colors" means the ship is flying all its flags. "Let the cat out of the bag" was a form of punishment using a form of whip called the cat of 9-tails. Being keel hauled dragged you under the ship so barnacles would cut you. Happy Sailing.

Of course I would never do this BUT you can order a "Rum Runner" from Amazon and have drinks in the privacy of your cabin. Please remember to BUY drinks when in the bar and always tip well.

We've also not been on either ship but offer this suggestion. A Springtime crossing, heading East, has some built-in problems. For the first six days at sea you set your clock forward an hour each day. By the seventh day you are having dinner at 1:00 in the afternoon, body time. It also messes with your sleep pattern and you arrive tired and possibly in a foul mood. Turn it around, fly over in the Fall, spend a few days touring on your own and adjusting to the time change. Then get on your cruise relaxed and rested. There is also another bonus. Going West you set your clock back each day giving you more time for happy hour. We've done four TA's, one East and three West and would NEVER book another one heading East. Happy sailing.

On most ships you can also use your credits in the casino. They will charge a 5% fee.

Keep in mind they add the 18% tip to the total package cost. That's per package not per drink.

We love New Orleans. The food, music and history keep us entertained for days at a time. To really enjoy N/O take a cruise from there followed by a few days staying in the French Quarter. The 6 to 8 hour night-time trip down the Mississippi to the Gulf is fantastic.

We're Diamond members on RCCL and get free drinks from 5 to 8 pm. The bartenders and servers don't get an 18% tip but are paid very little for working this daily event. We always supplement their meager salary with at least a dollar per drink. They all really appreciate it and they don't have to share it with management like with the 18%. I'm told they only get a small percentage of the standard on board tip when working in open bars.

The OBC from a travel agent does not have to be spent on board, it can be refunded to you at guest services and you can do anything you want with it. The Ship's OBC can be cashed out in the casino for chips or credit on the slots. They will charge a 5% fee for this but it is better than letting any of it expire.

In St. Thomas grab a cab to Red Hook and take the ferry to St. John. Once there you can hop a bus, take a tour of this most beautiful island or snorkel the underwater National Park at Trunk Bay.

In Tortola tour by taxi or take a ferry to The Baths where you can swim and snorkel among and inside giant smooth rock formations.

Generally not worth the price, especially if someone is smoking up-wind from you. This has happened to us more than once. An ocean view cabin suits us just fine. Interesting story: We were at the Customer Service desk when we overheard a guy say, "Everything in our cabin is covered with a black film. The walls, ceiling, the bed, our clothes, EVERYTHING IS BLACK". They asked if he slept with the balcony door open and was his cabin located aft? His response to both questions was yes. They told him this was soot or residue from the ship's stacks that had been drawn in by the ship's air system and the room would require a thorough cleaning at a cost of $250. This is why they have a note in all balcony cabins advising you NOT to leave the door open.

T/A's are still a good bargain and you can also get discounted airfare when you sign up for the "Choice Air Program". (Ask your agent about this program) Airfare for our last Miami to Barcelona flight was under $500 each. I recommend a Fall cruise from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale. If you try a cruise in the Spring going East you start the trip with six or so days at sea and you lose an hour a day. So, by the seventh day you are having dinner at around 1:00pm "Body Time". Reverse that and you seem to "gain" an extra hour a day which extends Happy Hour. Try to fly over a few days ahead and enjoy Barcelona. The first six or seven cruise days visit ports in Portugal, Spain, Canary Islands or the Azores. Then enjoy the last six days at sea where they add a lot of extra daily events. Our best cruise price was $41/ night per person for an outside cabin.

Key West is a fun city. Get to know her by joining the Hop on Hop off crowd. Check out some of the fun Bars, Mel Fisher's Museum, Hemingway's place and Mallory Square. In any Mexican port the key word is "Bargain". If an item starts out at $75 you can usually get it for $25 or less. If not just walk away.

On board ship relax, have a good time and don't worry about standing in the wrong line. It eventually happens to almost all of us.

Once, having lunch in the dining room, my wife and I were seated at a table for six. Two couples who were travelling together were already seated and talking among themselves. We said hello and they ignored us. Never once during the entire lunch did they acknowledge we were at the table. When we left I interrupted them and said, "It's been nice NOT meeting you."

Around 1974 we sailed Drake's Passage in the British Virgin Islands on Windjammer's Flying Cloud. This was a converted tri-mast, British Cadet ship built in 1931. It carried 70 passengers and a crew of thirty. The Captain was Scottish and had once captained the Queen's Yacht. We sailed during the night and spent days in quiet lagoons on numerous islands. One even had a nude beach which got a lot of attention. Every morning started with coffee, cinnamon buns and Bloody Mary's. One-fifty-one proof rum swizzles started each happy hour. Dressing for dinner meant putting on a Tee-shirt over your swim suit. We booked the same trip a year later. Several years after that the Flying Cloud put passengers ashore pending an approaching Hurricane and sailed into the Gulf of Mexico. The Flying Cloud and remaining crew were lost at sea.

Enjoy New Orleans, it's a one-of-a-kind quirky city. You should be safe most anywhere during the day and in the heart of the Quarter during the early evening. Most crimes happen late at night with people walking through dimly lighted streets when leaving Bourbon Street. Stay on Bourbon or just a block away. Don't miss Felix, Acme Oyster House, Mother's, Bon Ton and the Napoleon House and café De'umond.

If you have leftover non-refundable ship's credit you can usually go to the casino, pay a 5% charge and get chips or slot credit slips for any remaining balance.