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Here is a timelapse up to this point:

A little bit about the Panama Canal. In order to make it from one ocean to the other the ship needs to reach the man made Gatun Lake that lies in middle of Panama. That involves three canal locks that are used to lift the ship a total of 85 feet (~26m) to reach the level of Gatun Lake. Once across Gatun Lake another series of three steps in canal locks lower the ship back to sea level. From West to East we will go through the Miraflores locks, across the small Miraflores Lake and then into the Pedro Miguel locks. Once through those locks we will be at the level of Gatun Lake. On the Atlantic side of Gatun Lake the Gatun Locks will lower us in three steps to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Miraflores Locks There are two steps in these locks. These tugs are an important part of the canal operation. Ships our size are assigned two tugs. Two people in a row boat... They bring "messenger" lines over to the ship that will be used to haul the steel cables from the locomotives over to the ship. Ship lines are not used in the transit. The crowds at the front of the ship do become somewhat thick. An opportunity to meet new friends. The Miraflores locks will lift us two of the three steps required to reach the level of Gatun Lake. The locomotives on each side will help guide the ship into the lock channel and keep the ship centered. These have been upgraded over the years but their function remains the same as it was in 1914 when the Panama Canal first opened. The locomotives are nicknamed "mules" and operating under guidance from the control room, the onboard seamen and the pilot they keep the ship moving centered in the lock chamber. The ship uses it's own propulsion to move forward. As the ship moves forward we approach the lock door that hold back massive volumes of water. Behind us a set of lock doors will close creating a chamber for us to ride in. Once the doors behind the ship close the lock is flooded with water. The spray seen here is normal leakage, the chamber is actually filled from below. As the chamber fills we can sense we are gently rising. It's a subtle rise that can be hard to notice. The water line against the lock doors can be used to see how far the water has risen. With our first lift complete the lock doors in front of us open and we advance into the next lock chamber. The ship before us is already moving into Miraflores Lake. The orange ship in the new locks has already reach the level of Gatun Lake and is starting to move forward to continue the transit. The Borinquen Dams separate the new Pacific access channel where this ship is from Miraflores Lake. These Miraflores locks were originally completed in 1913. A visitors center allows people to view the locks (and us) in operation. One more lift to go to reach the level of Miraflores Lake.

Someone else found it on social media and posted it to CC, I'm just sharing it here.

I noted our seamen in the bow looked different. That's because the ship crew who normally handle the lines got the day off. When transiting the Panama Canal local seamen come on board to handle the lines. In the last photo of my above post you can sort of see there is a split or fork in the channel. As we moved forward it became clearer the path to the left are the new locks for neo-Panamax larger vessels. The fork to the right leads to the original locks for vessels meeting the original Panamax standard. Here is a neo-Panamax ship being helped into position to enter the new locks. An old locomotive possibly from the Panama railroad that used to run between the coasts. The new locks on this side of the canal. Those pools of water in the foreground are part of the water conservation approach used by the new locks. As we continue on towards the right and the original locks we can begin to see the Miraflores locks around the bend.

Just saw Matts post about how to to get the Military discount, and I felt inspired to post here. To all of the VETERANS on these boards, THANK YOU for your service, and your sacrifice. I hope your Veterans Day is full of boat drinks, either while on board, or planning your next cruise. CHEERS!

Embarkation Day 1 EMBARKATION PROCESS We’re told to arrive at 130pm, we showed up at about 10:15. I took a picture and set a timer when we walked through the port terminal doors. From door to door it was LESS THAN 20 minutes. It might have been even sooo we if we didn’t let one of the staff convince us we didn’t belong I. The suite class line. Drink Count with UBP 7 THE KEY lunch was meh. Filet mignon Steak dry. Burger ok Had dedicated check in during embarkation but only once past security. As of today, seems like moot point to book if you booked a suite or above. The Chops Key lunch served in the MDR was a miss for both my Colombian and me. Maybe not a bad idea if you wanted to try Chops. But those with the UDP... I personally think you’re better off just eating at Chops with their full menu One major plus was the fact you could leave your carry-on at the MDR entrance, and they would deliver it do your door/room!’ UDP RESERVATIONS CK Reservation went smoothly. Maître d’ promised to be at dining room waiting for us to let us in. We booked both formal nights even though only Junior Suite. Other reservations went really smoothly, plenty available, double booked just in case. Easy to cancel RCI APP Difficulty with app adding reservations for dinner and activities. Some reservations were wrong. Made it difficult to get an idea of what we were doing and when Seemed almost more challenging to schedule and book through there since there were app bugs If your plans don’t revolve around frantically trying to finish your scuba course that you weren’t able to finish before sailing... it seems like it would be pretty easy to make plans. PADI OPEN WATER DIVER CERTIFICATION This literally consumed our whole day. Not because of the staff, but because we decided to book it relatively last minute and didn’t have a chance to complete ALL of the eLearning modules. Spent hours rushing trying to finish. In the end, they checked to see if we completed the training, but didn’t seem too bothered when they initially though we hadn’t. Just seemed like the general guidance was: just make sure you finish ASAP. I will make a separate post about this and link it here later. ENTERTAINMENT Grease was good. Enjoyed the show. I’d say a solid 8/10 for what it was.

Well... today is the day! We were prepared in the usual fashion of pre-cruise excitement. For us, that means I obsess over the minutia, while typically missing the bigger picture of intentionally needing to relax ?? Our nails freshly manicured, our tans freshly sprayed, and our nose hairs freshly waxed, I was starting to feel better prepared! (Too TMI with the nose hairs? ... I’ll rein in the descriptors... But man... getting old sucks sometimes). We are sailing out of Orlando today on Harmony of the Seas. Of COURSE I’m up at 5am eagerly anticipating embarkation on one of our favorite ways to vacation. I’ll try to keep this as ‘live’ as possible! (Hence the Ron Burgundy question mark at the end of the title). I just wanted to post some tidbits that we are learning along the way. We are doing a lot of firsts on this cruise! This is our first junior suite, our first time purchasing The Key, our first time booking UDP, first cruise ship escape room, first time maybe eating in CK, first sailing out of Port Canaveral, and first time in Harmony OTS. We originally booked a New Zealand cruise during our Cuban cruise on Empress last year. We saved and saved, but ended up canceling around June due to scheduling conflicts. This cruise was a spur of the moment purchase in our desperation to take a reprieve from work... so we just said “the heck with it” and went all in with the bells and whistles (well... all the bells and whistles as far as we can afford...I’m the cheap one in the marriage by the way). Thanks for joining!

Hi everyone! I pride myself on being very social when I meet people in person, but online, I’m a certified lurker ?. I read the message boards, take notes ?, and have learned so much from everyone on this blog (thanks @Matt for this awesome platform) but I rarely make a post or comment. Maybe it’s because everyone has already said what I was thinking (and y’all don’t need to see my “ditto” response ?)... Maybe it’s because I can’t come up with any interesting new questions or topics that are worth posting ?... Maybe it’s because I’m afraid that my post will be the equivalent of the kid sitting alone at the lunch table in a crowded middle school cafeteria ??... Soooooooo... This post is dedicated to all of the lurkers out there just like me! Say hi, hit like, or drop a comment of your choosing below! Or don’t. ? You are still loved and welcomed here!

This reminds me of the best advice I ever received, and my wife and I try to live by: Own memories, not things. Spend your money on experiences, and not material objects.

Day 11 - Panama Canal This is going to take a few posts, bear with me. In the early morning light you could see a virtual fleet of ships at anchor waiting their turn. Panama City was becoming visible through the morning fog. I was surprised by the number of high rise buildings. We continued to glide through the flotilla of ships until we approached the Bridge of the Americas. This bridge is the lowest of three bridges that now span the canal. This is the original and lowest of the three. The NCL Bliss as the largest cruise ship to ever transit the Panama Canal squeaked under but only at low tide. Vision was built within Panamax standards so there is no question we'll slide under quite nicely. Once past the Bridge of the Americas our adventure really begins.

I fell in love with this "addiction" in 2016 after raising our son an paying off his student loans and a work accident that left me with a synthetic neck.. My wife is 48 and I'm 47.. Every extra dime that comes into our household goes to feed this cruising addiction we have.. While raising our son We couldn't afford to take a cruise.. and honestly I didn't have the desire.. This is the only vacation that you cannot do wrong.. Ill bust my ass 60-70 hours a week to pay for Jean and I to take a break and let us be ourselves.. We've seen Alaska, Cuba, and the western and eastern Caribbean itineraries. We're looking forward to the Southern Caribbean next year.. Ill bust my ass to make it work for us, I don't care if I have to work 70 hours a week to let my wife have one week of pleasure to be herself.. ?

I just spotted this sign in the galley on Empress of the seas during the all access tour on Thursday. Looks like they will be up on the Royal App starting 11/15/19.

Just got off the Anthem of the Seas from our 11/2-11/9 trip for my daughter's Sweet 16 and our 20th Anniversary cruise. It was a great cruise, lots of fun, and a lot to discuss. i will start from the beginning. Embarkation Day- EASIEST embarkation we have had in 16 cruises. We got to the port around 10:00 am. By the time we got our bags out of the car, we were in the terminal at 10:15. We got right up to an agent who checked our set sail passes and passports. They had to retake my wife's picture, as well as my daughter's friends picture. The whole process took about 5 minutes. We were ushered to a seating area and told boarding would begin between 11-11:30. At 10:35, they made an announcement that boarding will begin, and we were on the ship by 11am. I went right to customer service to get an extra key made for our room and my daughter's room. That took about 5 minutes. I met the other 3 up in the Windjammer for lunch, and then we went off to explore the ship. It is HUGE! Well laid out and easy to navigate though. Our luggage was at our room at 1pm, so we went an unpacked and got ready for the Muster station meetings at 2:30. Our room, 11586, was a great room and great location mid ship. Our group met at Chops Steakhouse. The muster drill took all of about 20 minutes, very easy. We then went and booked the IFly for Friday afternoon. We took a nap and woke up in time to get ready for our 8pm dinner in Chic. We did classic dining time so that the 4 of us could have a meeting place every night and sit and enjoy dinner together. Sea Day- Our day at sea started out uneventful- the weather was starting to warm up as we got down toward the Carolina's. Then, we had to make a U-Turn for a Coast Guard Helicopter evacuation. We went an hour and half northwest toward shore to meet up with the helicopter. Apparently, someone fell from the 16th floor of the seaplex to the 15th floor and was in critical condition. The captain was pushing 25 knots, and the boat was rocking. The whole process took a couple of hours, but the rescue was successful. We started back south toward Port Canaveral and all was well. We enjoyed the day by the pool, walked through the promenade shops, etc. The kids spent most of the day at the teen club and wandering around the ship. I will continue later or tomorrow when I get more time!

Now if they will just roll out the rest of the itinerary's.

I've never posted on a message board in my life. Only a nerd would do that. Oh shoot, I guess I'm busted by my rating. Just kidding. This is a great place for information about all of cruising... not just Royal Caribbean. I appreciate the atmosphere as well as the info.

I'm scheduled to join on the 20th. Hopefully I'll have time to do tour of the ship before the first cruise starts.

One Last View Of Nassau. Our Progress Before I Head To Bed. Well Tomorrow We Will Be In Coco Cay A Little Later Than Planed? Well That Is It For Day Three. I Hope You Enjoyed It.

First day travel— We booked a room on Cocoa Beach in the Courtyard by Marriott. Arriving a day earlier, I had the preference of staying in Orlando (more bang for your buck IMO)... but the Colombian side of my husband was wanting to stay closer to the port... and I’ve learned just to not argue with that side (sorta like disagreeing with Pablo Escobar...). No problems with our flight. I usually make fun of my little Colombian when he books travel because he loves to book our flights with a few hours layover so we can relax in the lounge and eat/drink... the analytical and practical side of me just wants to get to where I’m going ? If we have a layover it’s nice to use a lounge, but I won’t go out of my way to add time onto a travel day. With me booking, I gave us about a 50 minute layover (which in hindsight ALSO wasn’t the best). But we were still able to pop into the Delta lounge and grab some drinks and a hot meal. Arrived in Orlando airport and dang... I always forget how big and weird this airport is! We made our way to grab our bags and hopped into the USO for a bottle of water and to see if they had any recommendations for shuttles to Cocoa Beach. (My plan was just to book the Uber, but no harm in asking) For our vets out there... if you need a moment to relax at MCO... I DEFINITELY recommend stopping by! This is probably one of the nicest USO’s I have ever been in. All of the shuttles they recommended (Go Port was one) had already had their last shuttle out. (We arrived MCO at 7pm). Back to square one booking an Uber... but at least we were able to get some waters/soda/snacks for the road! Here’s my first tidbit: don’t let the Uber driver convince you to cancel your ride. Booked the Uber, we were waiting outside the rideshare pickup area, and we get a message from the driver. He messaged that he was “unable” to pickup at the airport due to “not having a permit”, and we would need to cancel the ride. (He most likely just saw the distance and didn’t want to make the long drive). Knowing we would likely get hit with a charge if we did, and confirming with the airport security the no permit was necessary, I knew the guy was either just scamming, or at a minimum being dishonest. We simply told him he didn’t need the permit, and if he didn’t want to perform the ride, he needed to cancel. He eventually did. We got another one shortly after (within about 10 minutes). The ride to Cocoa Beach wasn’t bad. We were both tired after a long day of traveling. The hotel is ok, but not worth the price tag IMO. (We had an AMEX travel credit of $200 which is the only reason I agreed to the $300 price tag of staying here vs. Orlando). Ultimately we thought my gut was right, hotel room is a little dingy. But they did have a beautiful pool area, the bar had good food, and I even caught a glimpse of a fire pit where people were enjoying drinks and community. If you have the time to just shuttle to the port the next morning, and cost is a factor, I would say just stay in Orlando. There were plenty of nice hotels right next to the Airport that were really affordable. That’s it for day 1 travel day! I’ll let y’all know how embarkation day was when it’s over!

Not 100% accurate, but pretty close...

The Crocodile Tour base area has several restrooms for the hundreds of guests coming and going on motorcoaches just like ours. The grounds are nicely kept and the path to the boats is quite nice. An Iguana sunning nearly oblivious to the dozens of guests walking past. Our boat tour will take place on the Tárcoles River. There are different types of boats used by different tour operators in this section of the river, this was the type of boats we'll use today. With three boats loading we are directed as groups based on the motorcoach we arrived on. It doesn't take long to spot our first Croc. The view upstream. Local operators offer birding tours as well as crocodile tours. There are dozens of species we'll see today and I could easily turn this from a crocodile tour into a birding tour.

For starters, Anthem will be redeployed in 2021 to England.

We took 4 cruises before we had kids (1989-1993) when we were in our 20’s. All were RCI. (I took 2 booze cruise type cruises for college spring breaks on an old military supply ship turned cruise ship lol) We took a very long break while our kids were young plus we live on a horse farm and it’s not easy (or cheap) to find farm sitters. In 2011 we came back with our kids and did Oasis. Super fun! We wouldn’t cruise again until 2017. I was diagnosed with stage 4b cancer in 2015 and that cruise in 2017 (again on Oasis) was to celebrate 6 months of NED (no evidence of disease) and my 50th birthday. Since then we sailed Oasis a third time in 2018, Freedom in 2019, Mariner 3 weeks ago and have Symphony booked for May 2020. After our Freedom cruise, we achieved Diamond status. I’m now down to 2 horses. Our oldest is 26 and engaged and out on her own. Our youngest is sophomore in college. Hubby sold our business back in 2012 and now is semi retired. I have learned the hard way that life can be taken very quickly. I’m not as picky about farm sitters and have let go of my anal retentiveness when it comes to my animals. They are still alive when I get home! Lol Getting ready to book 2 cruises (another quick Mariner next October and a Mediterranean probably for 2021) over Black Friday. We have a wedding now to pay for so the Mediterranean may have to be pushed to 2022. Paying off my car this month and youngest daughter’s last month freed up a nice sum that we are putting some towards wedding and some towards us. I also may take in an additional boarded horse to help fund the addiction. Through my cancer journey I also found out I have a hereditary cancer gene (Lynch Syndrome) and have an 80% chance of developing another cancer so we are YOLO’ing as much as we can. **edited to add that we do live in Florida and can drive to ports although Miami is a bit far. (5 hours). When we flew to San Juan for our Freedom cruise we drove 2 hours to Orlando and flew Southwest. About $650 total.

Most definitely huge thanks to @twangster for that! Wish I knew how to make stuff like that ?

My pleasure. I did too the first time I saw the post. All credit to @twangster for the hard work in compiling it.

I own my own business and my wife gets ~4 weeks of PTO per year. We prioritize that time off for cruises. We are firmly in the "experiences" vs. "stuff" camp, so we put our money towards cruising. Part of why we opened our own business was so that we can have more time to take off and cruise. My old job had me very limited with how and when I could take time off. While not the only reason we started our company, it definitely played a large role. Soon our daughter will be in school, which will somewhat limit when we can take time off. Luckily for us, we live about 15 minutes from Lambert Airport in St. Louis. With this being a large SWA hub, we can fly to cruise ports relatively inexpensively. So while we don't have the luxury of living in FL like a lot on the boards, it's pretty easy to find cheaper non-stop flights to MCO, FLL, etc.

My sweetie, Speedy.

Your wish is my command!

According to @twangster's absolutely amazing Voom comparison, for a 9-night cruise if the cruise planner price is $15.99 you are cheaper to wait and buy on board on day 2. This is assuming you have cell coverage that you can use prior to sailing and can do without being connected for the first few hours after sail-away. From the moment the price hits $14.99 or less you are cheaper to buy pre-cruise. If you do this you should monitor the cruise planner daily for discounts. I re-priced mine down twice to get a final price of $11.99, so I think you can fairly safely assume that yours will go down at some point.

I hope this goes into effect. I would like to go to the casino and try my hand at the tables, but not at the risk of my clothes, hair, etc. coming out smelling like an ashtray. I am a former smoker so I get the addiction, its a nightmare. But, I firmly believe that there needs to be a designated area away from the main attractions of the ships. Also it needs to be outside so the smoke can not permeate through the ship. The smell of cigarette/cigar smoke now gives me a terrible headache. The less it is in common areas like the casino the better. I also think that there would not be a dip in the money taken in by the casino. The potential loss of smokers playing would potentially be replaced by non-smoking payers.

I have been forcing myself to not lurk...in lurking at the number of views vs the number of replies, lurkers seem to be the majority...?

It wasn’t the same Chops experience ?. It might have been the same cut of meat... but it was honestly a little dry. Same could be said for the burger. I’m not sure how the cooking goes behind the scene (I tore my ACL on our last cruise and was on crutches... so the Galley Brunch we booked was a no-go ??), but I would imagine it’s not the same group of people cooking it, and perhaps that explains the slight change in quality.

I just got back from a long weekend trip to Boston. We stayed at the Residence Inn in the Seaport area https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bosfp-residence-inn-boston-downtown-seaport/. We really liked the hotel. It's built in a old renovated building, so the architecture is interesting. It will be close to where the cruise ships dock, but you can also walk a mile and get to Boston Common or Faneuil Hall There is a Trader Joes down the street, a liquor store across the street, and a CVS around the corner. There are several interesting bars and restaurants in the immediate area, including a great microbrewery down the street (next to the Trader Joes), and a bunch of seafood restaurants within walking distance. I would certainly stay there again.

42 days left. Leaving from San Juan. BVI, Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia and DR( punta cana)

Lurkers unite! Dyslexics untie!

Some have been mentioned already, but here goes: Chat with the crew! We love seeing them light up when they talk about their families and home. Remember to put your phones on Airplane mode or better yet, turn them off and lock them in the safe if you can! Nothing screams a vacation than being unplugged! Take time to check out a "new" activity, music performance or show. If you don't like it, you can always leave early. More than likely you will find one or two things you didn't know you would enjoy Take the time to "sample" new foods. The great thing about cruising is that if you don't like something, they will bring you something more to your liking or you can head back up to the buffet for another plate, and it won't cost you any extra. Explore the ship! Every cruise we take a walk around the entire ship, usually more than once. By doing this, we have found little "gems" that are often overlooked and also find some quieter spots where DH and I can spend some time away from the crowds. Above all else....Be courteous! To the crew, your room steward, and the fellow passengers! A smile and a thank you goes a long way! As the saying goes "If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!"

My wife and I are still fairly new to cruising - we did one and have another booked. We’ve known each other for 12 years, married the past 2. We started traveling internationally once we got married. We did Sandals Royal Caribbean (isn’t that a coincidence!) in Jamaica for our honeymoon and Sandals Royal Bahamaian for our 1-year anniversary. These were fun but also started to get real expensive. Flights from NY airports only went to certain islands on certain days. Since then, we’ve bought a house and got ourselves a dog. So we decided to give cruising a try and went on Anthem to Bermuda last summer. We feel like it was a good value. It definitely was a good time but we had to shift mindsets of transitioning from adults-only all inclusive to a family-style cruise. I am a high school science teacher and my wife works for a non-profit, working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). We are able to pay for vacations because we each hold other part time jobs. In addition to teaching high school, I work as an adjunct professor at night, I am a union rep, I work at the local library as a librarian assistant during the summer and I proctor SAT exams on weekends. My wife does some side work as a respite provider as well. We live in south jersey so Cape Liberty is only an hour and a half away. My wife can take time off of work with relative ease but for me, my overall work schedule doesn’t allow for me to take a week off at any given point during the school year. So our “sweet spot” of value and time has been and probably will always be the last week of August. It’s in the middle of hurricane season so prices are a little lower. I presume since most of the country’s school districts and colleges are back in session, that’s another reason why prices are lower. Luckily for us in the northeast, schools (including the college I teach at) doesn’t start until after Labor Day. We both feel that the extra time working is well worth the one week of rest and relaxation. After the Bahamas cruise, we want to do NE/Canada and then the Caribbean (San Juan, Labadee, etc.) - both from Cape Liberty. After that, we’ll see!

Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyone's background and learning about yall I'm in the 1-2 cruise/year category because I live in Washington state and Airfare is my biggest enemy, but there are still strategies I have used to spend only what I want. When I was younger and didn't make as much I would book cruises out of the less desirable cruise ports and cheaper sailing season. The first couple cruises I went on, I probably spent less than $100 per 7 day cruise for 2 people(not including gratuities). I was just happy to be on vacation and would only drink the free ice tea and lemonade, walk or find cheap transport to a free beach on port days ect... We actually had just as great of a time cruising that way. I have a higher income now, but I also have 3 young children. Airfare is still our biggest enemy, if we lived in Florida we would easily be cruising twice as much. I only like to take off 2 weeks a year for vacation, but I am not going to go when everyone else on earth is going. We pull our kids out of school(even though the school hates it) usually in February when we are sick of the wet winter weather and the rates are cheaper. We spend more onboard these days, but we still avoid paying a lot on booze,food and extras. We also book 1 cruise a year as far out as possible and stalk changes in pricing like a obsessed maniac even though booking so far out is usually the best deal. I'm an Electrical Forman who builds schools and my work is feast or famine so I try and keep money in the budget for a last minute cruise as well for when I finish a project. Schools are build on a fast paced schedule and I am usually super stressed out trying to get the job done. I have to keep a reward trip in my mind to keep my sanity. Also this blog keeps my eye on the prize when work gets stressful. 92 days until Liberty ?? days until Alaska? 469 until Symphony Happy Cruising

My husband rolls his eyes when he catches me lurking here (a lot). I could never thank everyone enough for how much I have learned!

Great topic, and I think a lot of the responses are interesting to look at. I certainly get this question a lot, and there are definitely a few factors or decisions that factor greatly into one's ability to cruise a lot. 1. Living in Florida (or near an embarkation port). No cost to fly saves soooo much money, and opens up a great deal of cruising opportunities. 2. Choosing to cruise over other vacations: In my opinion, cruising a lot means forgoing other types of vacations/trips that may otherwise eat into your time off. 3. For those that cruise more than twice a year, I think finding deals is a major component as well. If you cruise 1-2 times a year, I think you can afford to pick from almost any sailing out there and be able to afford it. Once you start using up fingers on your hand to count the number of cruises in a year, you have to start playing the "find a deal" game. Did I mention living in Florida really helps?

I was a lurker here for years before I signed up for an account. ?

Like @Lovetocruise2002, my wife is also a school teacher and I'm a CPA, so we are entirely restricted to cruising in the high premium summer season between late June and early August. We had a 9 year gap between our first cruise on Freedom of the Seas in 2007 and our second on Anthem of the Seas in 2016. However, since then, we have gotten hooked (the wife says I'm addicted) and have been on 3 cruises, including a B2B on Harmony of the Seas in 2018, in the last 3 years and have two scheduled for 2020. We are fortunate that we are now empty nesters and also have the means to afford going on cruises, but as a CPA, I'm still very conscious of how much we spend on vacations and am always trying to make sure we don't overspend. We try to book as early as possible and scour the website regularly for any deals. Also, we both feel like the ship is our vacation destination, so we are able to keep our costs down by not doing a lot of excursions. When we do decide to try an excursion, we search the cruise planner for sales/deals on extras that we would like and we only buy them when we feel they are at a price-point we feel is worth it to us. On our last cruise on Navigator of the Seas, we won our royal-up bid for a JS and got the drink package for the first time ever, and we loved it. Now, i'm fighting an internal battle between my inner cost-conscious CPA and my new found desire to just say YOLO when it comes to cruising. maybe the wife is right - i need help.....

And by the way, my meme and gif game is strong, regardless of lurker status ???

Here are my two cents: Due to finances, we started out looking for the cheapest, easiest cruises we could find. Inside cabin and even did bunks with my wife once!! Had a great time as we were never in our cabins but to sleep and shower. Over the years with increased income and available time we pick and choose what type of cruise and cabin we want based on the purpose of the trip. Is the cruise mainly for port visits or just to chill? Just want a 3-4 day getaway to combine with a pre-city visit experience(ex. FLL and then cruise) or an extended getaway? Alone or with family and friends. Cultural? Went to Europe so did B2B to make more cost effective(if paying $$$ for flight why not stay longer in Europe). We have never gotten drink packages or specialty restaurants ever as we chose to put $ to excursions or to save for another day(cruise). That is just a personal choice. Always purchase when inventory is first released as I have found that is usually the lowest price. Pre book excursions or packages if wanted. Conclusion: We have run the gamut and have enjoyed things by making the best of any experience. No right answer, lots of personal choices. I would rather go on the cheap than not go at all.

We were given a handout with different species of birds that we could use to identify them. We quickly started running through them like bingo. A Tricolored Heron, a Snowy Egret... A juvenile Great Blue Heron... Iguanas... Crocodile on the left bank... Another Tricolored Heron (I think)... Another Croc swimming away from us... A pair of Snowy Egrets flying around us... I could go on and on. In fact I had to ignore dozens of photos just to keep these posts reasonable.

During our drive over to the boat ride that comes next our guide tells us many facts of Costa Rica. This includes the fact that Costa Rica has the highest density of biodiversity of anywhere. It's unique position bridging North and South America combined with it's numerous climatic regions has created different areas that can support a wide variety of species. As we approach our destination our driver tells us to get our cameras ready. As we cross over a river we spot several Crocodiles on the banks of the river below. We're going on a Crocodile Boat Tour.

Today's excursion in Costa Rica is "Pacific Train, Boat and Bus Adventure" booked through Royal. We start by boarding an ultra modern motorcoach for a 25 minute ride to a train. This Sandy Point area back in the days contained a cargo terminal to handle the growing coffee trade that Costa Rica was becoming known for. Completed in 1914 trains carried the coffee to the port. Today much of track is no longer used or serviceable but we ride the train along section of the old tracks that once was used to transport coffee to awaiting ships. Along the way we spot a monkey in the tree. The motorcoach pulls up very close to the stairs of the train so it's a quick transfer from bus to train. Soon we start down the old tracks. Along the tracks are shanties put together with whatever materials people can find. As we pass through some mangroves a termite mound is spotted. The people are very friendly waving as we pass by. An opportunity to try a local beer, Imperial. La Cerveza de Costa Rica. $3. More friendly people waving to us. The train cars were refinished in original materials when they started using the railroad for passengers. Forty five minutes later we've gone roughly 5 miles and it's time to re-board the bus for the next adventure. They pull the bus right up so we never touch the ground. Maybe because it's still rainy season they do this to avoid tracking dirt and mud into their coach, I'm not really sure but it makes for an easy transfer. As we drive off to our next stop we pass the train reversing back towards it's starting point. While not fast moving the train is a nice way to see some of the countryside we otherwise would have never seen.

The current smoking rules save me a fortune. I avoid the casino on all ships but Empress which is smoke free. I lose money on Empress so it's kind of an inverted blessing they allow smokers in the casino.

Can I rent a kid from Adventure Ocean for 30 minutes on day one?