Todd W

Oh he doesn't want to limit his consumption by any means. he is a brainiac techy guy who's nearly 60 yrs old an is just an oddball but i love him to death. Since he's never had the deluxe package he was just looking for an easy way for him to see what all he gets during the cruise, nothing short of keeping it in notes on his phone. i mentioned his ship invoice tracks everything scanned on the card but wasn't sure if that gave him the detailed info he wanted.

My brother in law wants to track his consumption of drinks since it will be his first time having the deluxe package. I know everything should get scanned and tracked on his account but will it be itemized or just show the "purchase" of a drink with a zero cost and the location he got it? For the life of me i can't find my past invoice to clarify this.

same for me also. I was an extreme planner and was very hesitant to give up control. I still do a lot of my research on lower prices but i'm very confident in knowing our TA (Michelle @MEI) is also keeping an eye out for us as well. With all the challenges that Royal customer care has had lately, i'd rather let a professional handle any issues that may come up. If you can find a reliable TA (again MEI is awesome) there honestly isn't ANY reason not to use them that i've been able to figure out. If i screw something up without a TA, its a crap shoot if it will get resolved. If MEI has any issues, 99% of the time they can and will make it right (within reason of course).

ok thats what i was thinking but didn't want anyone new jumping in on this and get the impression you were referring to MEI. Thanks for the clarification sir!

@Jolly Ogre just to be clear, are you referring to AAA?

Another awesome @twangster blog. Thanks again for allowing us to share in your trip. This has me looking for "amped up" options for my next booking. Bamboo Room alone did it for me lol

Will specialty restaurants allow one person to purchase a meal to take back to their room and then the 2 of you could split it? Possibly an option for you.

+3, 4, 5...i lost count but I use @michelle as well. ironically had some correspondence with her about 20 min ago! Awesome to work with as always!

@tiny260 John I don't know a thing about you personally but your affinity for cigars is all I need to know man. Hopefully one day in the future we can ponder the meaning of cruise life over a couple of cigars and spirit while at sea!

Exactly! at no point have i ever thought "oh it would be great to cruise with so and so" from over there. it seems like it would be miserable, at least based on the majority of attitudes ive encountered. Now here on the other hand, i've always thought just the opposite!

welcome aboard! the two sites couldn't be any more different as i'm sure you've already seen.

it's really hard to recommend based on not knowing what you will come across while in Cuba or the pricing you will see when you get there. I'm unaware of what your cigar palate or previous smoking history is but just know 99% of the Cuban's i've smoked are very mild cigars. That being said, I only smoke cigars now that pack a punch so what i like in a Cuban may not be relevant to your tastes. That being said, my favorite Cubans in no special order are Trinidad Reyes, Hoyo De Monterey petite robustos, Romeo y Julietta short churchills, Diplomatico #2, Montecristo #2, Partagas serie P, Ramon Alones special select, H Upmann Mag 46 and Cohiba Behike $ Cohiba Siglo Vi. assuming what you find are legit Cuban's, you can't go wrong with any of these.

There is only one "Royal Caribbean blog" namesake website but there are multiple other cruising forum websites for most cruise lines including Royal Caribbean. However, as many will attest to, this is the only one that matters. ?

I pop over to that "other" site every now and then. Was just checking it out during lunch today and it never ceases to amaze as to how ugly it gets over there. I see so many people (even mods) who just get salty and vile with people posting simple questions. My wife was laughing at me the last time i was reading over there because i let it get under my skin way more than it should, if at all. So many trolls as well. @Matt it really makes me appreciate all of your hard work that has gone into this place, not to mention the great attitudes of everyone here. Thanks again everyone! My time spent here makes me really enjoy cruising much more than I ever intended. I always log off knowing more than I started out and generally have a good laugh as well. Cheers!

great pics as always @twangster thanks for sharing !

+2 This is one of the first things i always ask our stateroom attendant like @tiny260 says, twice a day isn't out of the ordinary to ask for. I'm certain i've never seen an ice machine on any ship thats accessible to the general public. I would assume way too much at risk given all the hands that would go in it. Now that being said, the Windjammer has ice machines (don't they? now that i'm thinking about it, i'm having a brain fart and can't remember) at the fountains that you can also use to fill up the bucket from your room.

@twangster Out of pure curiosity, did they have a "max capacity" posted for upstairs at the Lime and Coconut? And is there bar access on each of the 3 levels?

drink packages typically run in the $60's per day (+18% for grats) on the ship. They are constantly going on and off sale. Don't pay attention so much to the X% off as the actual price per day. If you see a price you like, purchase it. if it goes down, you can always cancel and repurchase. As reference, i was able to get ours as low as $44 per person / per day (+18% ) for our April cruise but i had originally purchased at $47. WIFI is only worth it if you really feel you need it. If you need to keep in contact with the mainland it can be a viable route to go. Main thing I always say, don't over think it. Very easy to pack way more than you actually need. Go with reasonable expectations and don't let the actions of others skew your perception of whats fun. Prepare to get hooked!

It's hard enough for me to get any work done just thinking about upcoming cruises. I would NEVER get anything done if that was my daily view.

Thanks for the follow up John, I appreciate knowing this! i never travel with my good torches so at the very least, i'm out 15 bucks or so.

There's a Robert Kraft joke in here somewhere but i'll show some restraint lol

I've never had any issue using this DOT approved case for my torch lighters when flying. It just has to be in my checked baggage. That being said, i've never tried to use it to bring a torch lighter on a cruise. I may have to inquire about it because i'm 58 days out for LOS and i'd love to have it in the Con Club. I mainly smoke big gauge cigars and a triple torch is a heck of a lot easier to light than a standard bic or matches.

I hope you're right. Given all that I can only assume would be involved to not only build the pool but adding the water and filtration system needed to set in place, i can't imagine it being possible not only from a financial standpoint but an engineering as well. But then again with the new slides and they are adding with "Amped" it may well be a reality.

Hopefully it works out in your favor. We may have someone here on the boards who is on your sailing and can confirm for you.

Correct, casino doesn't allow it which drives me up the wall. I don't understand the double standard but that's a discussion i'll keep to myself as I'm pretty passionate about cigar rights and want to keep my reputation nice and shiny here lol.