Miles of Austin

For an upcoming cruise I did a mandatory $200 gambling pre-payment. If I don't gamble it all away will any remaining money (eventually) be refunded via check?

My wife and I have enjoyed tours and ocean cruises where some of the guests were from Australia. Those folks just seem to have a lot of fun!

As we are considering a European river cruise, I wonder where the Ozzies are...which companies market to Australians?

Are there any oddities about disembarkation and re-embarkation in Havana?

Are waist packs examined by Cuban and/or ship personnel, extra procedures to ensure that visitors get on the proper shore excursions, limits on walking off for some self-directed explorations, whatever?

We have cruised to other nations, but not to one requiring a visa.

clawmachine, how did FireChat work out for you? Did you feel like there was a large-enough group of users on the ship to create a real mesh? Was the lag time a problem?