HeWhoWaits

5:15 is too early. 8:30 is too late. What's that do? It drives more people to MTD. What's THAT do? It requires adjusting the early and late seating times even earlier and later (although we're not seeing that one yet).

$69 for transportation to St. John and back. At least those folks won't get left behind if the transport is late getting back.

Similarly, if you need to book airfare be sure to get in there at 300 days prior to your travel date.

Some places don't even bother with the "tips" concept. Recently at the local market in Cabo San Lucas, there was an attendant at the entrance to the restrooms collecting 50 cents American or one peso (if you've got pesos that's the way to go) per person to use the facilities. Worth it as those restrooms were almost as clean as those on our ship.

I can't answer for @Traveling Mike, but my expectations for food on a cruise are better than a typical local restaurant but not necessarily 5 star. If it was better than I can cook, it would require expecting 5 star quality. The lesser quality isn't just a Royal Caribbean thing. We were recently on Holland America for a 17-night cruise and the offerings were frequently disappointing. Thankfully, if still hungry the pizza was far superior to Sorrento's.

Just like last summer when I had to bring my own cucumber from the WJ buffet to have a bar make me a "Cool as a Cucumber" after being told throughout the cruise that they couldn't because they had no cucumbers (at any of the bars).

FLL is only a couple miles from Port Everglades. You will be fine so long as there isn't a significant delay in arrival or ship clearance.

Question: What's a comedian's favorite way to eat eggs? Answer: Funny side up!

Apparently you've never been Rick-rolled.

My teacher told me not to worry about spelling because in the future there will be autocorrect. And for that I am eternally grapefruit.

Took me about 10 seconds to solve.

We just finished a 17-night Panama Canal cruise on another line (Holland America). They still default to providing a paper copy of the schedule daily. This may be in part due to the older average clientele (instead of being among the oldest 15% of people onboard, we were among the youngest 15%) and/or the fact that their app is less useful than Royal's.

In addition to the Diamond Lounge machines, those who don't use all of their drink vouchers for alcohol can use some to get the froo-froo specialty coffees that are so inexplicably popular.

Hold on to those torches and pitchforks. Hear me out. As many issues as we've all encountered with the Royal website and app, be aware it could be MUCH worse. I'm currently traitorously sailing on Holland America. Pre-cruise, their website was difficult to navigate and often did not allow me to make purchases on items I had received a marketing email about. Pre-cruise their app was less useful for learning anything compared to Royal's app. Now that we are onboard, I have determined that the HAL Navigator app is almost complete garbage. The reason I say "almost complete" is that the app has a feature we'd all love to see on Royal - and it works. You are able to pre-order items from their New York Pizza (which is far superior to the best Sorrento's in Royal's fleet) and Dive In (which is the poolside burger bar). Your food is ready for pickup in 10-15 minutes with no waiting in line.

You and your partner should both wear whatever you like within legal limits. If what others thought about what is worn mattered, I would have to leave a shirt on at all times by the pool to not offend with my love handles and more.

If you don't know the "The boy who lived" is Harry Potter, you won't do well on the trivia quiz anyway.

Last January we used the expedited service which was listed as taking 7-8 weeks. We had our passports in less than three weeks. They have been using "staffing shortages" as the excuse for delays for over two years now. There's a simple solution - hire more people.

The excursion companies provide flotation devices and require you to wear them. No need to bring one along unless you are unusually large (as in 5X or bigger).

No OBC as the port fee for Grand Cayman turned out to be higher than the fee for Bonaire. We were not charged the higher port fee as we had already made final payment.

It's been four years since I last did the wine tasting. Based on that experience, three ounces of each wine is a pretty accurate description. Based on five ounces being a standard pour, the tasting is the equivalent of three glasses of wine, which would run you at least $36 (for lesser wines, IMO, than the tasting includes) at full price for individual pours.

The only show I bothered to attend on our Freedom cruise last year was the ice show. Enjoyed it very much.

In Seattle, we successfully completed the required muster drill on our phones using only mobile data during the ride to the terminal. It truly is very hit or miss.

The busier the bartender, the less likely the to need to sign.

Another good option for late night is to take an extra dessert or three (from MDR or picked up at Windjammer) back to your room. Other options that don't require refrigeration or reheating are also acceptable, but go for the extra desserts. You're on vacation.