OCSC Mike

I grew up outside Philly, so no comment on the "steak sandwiches", lol, but glad you enjoyed them. I've never actually tried one to be fair. I don't get to eat Mexican much at home as my wife is picky so any all you can eat taco set up tastes good to me. Freshly making the tortillas is a nice touch though. That said, what you missed were the "snack shacks." One is between the pool and Chill Island. There are also snack shacks in the water park and on South Beach. They're really just small counter service places but they have great fried chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, and the aforementioned funnel cakes. I like the chicken sandwiches how they come but one hack is to get a plain one and put the mozz sticks and marinara on top for a chicken parm sandwich.

Don't even know what to say. Some people are just that self-centered. So sorry you had to deal with that... twice no less!

And don't forget you get 4 more on disembarkation morning.

Factoring in the flight cost is very logical... but I agree the funnel cake should be a bigger factor.

I thought I was being creative when I suggested the idea to my wife... and then learned lots of people do it, especially locals who can drive to the port like us.

I'm not fully equipped to answer since I normally cruise on the cheap, but I did stay in my first Grand Suite on Harmony on late May/early June. Some meals in CK were excellent (night one filet for example) while others were better than the MDR but definitely not specialty level. If you're used to eating every meal in a specialty restaurant, I'm not sure CK will fit your expectations. I'd utilize it for breakfast, however. NOTE: Just one man's opinion based on an insignificant sample size.

That's funny. It was day 2 for us on Harmony 5/29. While looking at future cruises we saw some Harmony itineraries where it was day 7 and thought that was less than optimal. Part of our reasoning was how much we eat on Cococay. I weigh about 10 lbs less on day 2 than day 7, lol. Then again, on the B2B we were there on days 2 and 6 and I don't remember having any issues on the 2nd stop.

Couldn't agree more and I have no kids. The beauty of it for me is that it can appeal to so many people in so many different ways. Kids, no kids, young, old, beach lover or not, pool lover or not, snorkeler or not, loud music lover or not, food over-indulger or not, water park enthusiast or not, spend money on a cabana or spend nothing extra... you get the idea. We went on a B2B 3 and 4-nighter last month and the double Cococay stop was one of the reasons. It wasn't the only reason but we may do the exact same thing in October.

If there were any staffing issues on Indy last month, I certainly didn't notice them.

The switch to vouchers only for Diamond and above has made these very different. 3-hour open bar in the suite lounge plus 11-11 free beer, wine, seltzer, soda, bottled water on Oasis class. I'm happy with my Diamond vouchers, and have no issue with the suite perks vs. loyalty perks in general, but there's much more of a difference than just CK, IMO.

Any answer you get will be anecdotal. If there's a cabin in the category you book that would make you unhappy, you might get it. Same goes for the opposite. If you're not aware, and booking from the US, once your cabin is officially assigned you can switch it to another in the same category if any are available.

It can be anytime from far in advance to the day of your sailing. It will just appear. That said, there is something called the "bar code trick" that often allows you to find out your cabin before it is officially assigned. Once you check-in, you can add your set sail pass from the app to your Apple wallet (if an Apple user) and numbers will appear under the bar code. The numbers to the right of the dash are your cabin. If an Android user, simply scan the bar code to see those numbers. Occasionally you will still see "GTY" instead of the cabin number and then you just have to wait. Once officially assigned (i.e. your cabin actually appears on your documents), you can request to be moved to any available cabin in the same exact category at no charge. *NOTE: This applies to US citizens. I believe i have read that you cannot move when booking from the UK. Not sure about other countries. Hope this helps.

I saw a server in the DL on Harmony get almond milk for someone using the coffee machine. My guess is any venue that might serve milk should be able to get you an available substitute.

Seems like even more of a no-brainer for you than me. I've never even bothered looking at the exact costs associated with Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. The hour drive to PC for me is just too damn convenient.

Yikes that’s a lot!

Good grief. How much is it to park in Miami? PC is an hour drive for me so I don't even look elsewhere. Never considered the parking cheap there (unless doing a B2B).

Was on Indy for a week last month and had a great time. That said, I'd probably choose Freedom for El Loco Fresh alone. Haven't even tried it but included Mexican food would be a welcome addition for me, personally. As someone who usually sails Oasis-class, the one thing I really missed on Indy was having additional included food options besides Sorrento's or Cafe Promenade. The only thing I prefer on Indy is the OG version of Giovanni's just b/c it's always been our favorite specialty restaurant but many people seem to like Giovanni's Kitchen.

Agreed. The problem (for me anyway) is balancing trips to the snack shack for chicken and funnel cake with trips to Chill Grill for the taco bar and ice cream sandwiches (taking the choc chip cookies to the ice cream machine). We plan on a light and/or late dinner on Cococay days.

Agree that the donuts have always been terrible… while I really like many of the other pastries. Now if they would only start making the Cococay funnel cakes onboard!

I was Sky Class on Harmony 5/29. As Sky Class, you don't need reservations except for the comedy club. You can make those in advance when the suite concierge e-mails you approximately 6 days prior tp embarkation.

Many have although I have read about some hiccups. Another option to consider...

Very kind and generous of you. My wife's parents have been taking us and her sister's family on a family cruise every 5 years for the past 10 years. It started with their 40th and all 3 families have anniversaries that aren't far apart and happen to be in 5 year increments so everyone is always celebrating something. This past May was their 50th (our 20th) so they got us all suites for the milestone and we had an incredible time. Happy planning!

Yes, there's no alcohol-related reason to go there whatsoever.

I only cruise in the summer and it's plenty light out when happy hour starts and stays that way until after I leave. Maybe if I cruised in the winter I would feel differently.

Yes, it's in "the basement" on deck 4. You might want free cappuccino, espresso, lattes, etc. from the complementary coffee machine. You might want to check out the snacks during the nightly 3 hour happy hour. You might want to grab pastries and whatever else they put out during breakfast hours although you can find them elsewhere. You might want to be in a room with no windows. You might want to see the Diamond concierge about something. There's nothing wrong with it; it's just in a crappy location compared to say Freedom class that still has the DL in the Viking Crown.