HeWhoWaits

Why not just use the high end of the price range in your comparison? Then if it's lower, you feel like you're coming out ahead.

One thing the cruise lines could learn from the Vegas casinos - big enough plates at the buffet.

We're going on a Holland America cruise next year. Their "all-in" fare costs more than the regular fare plus the extras that we will use.

Those three were so good on our Alaska trip in May that I made sure to get them again on our S2S in July. NSA not required for my health, but some of the NSA desserts are better than many of the "regular" desserts, IMO.

That's one incident every 8.5 years, not 8 per year. 8 per year would be alarming. One every 8 years, not so much.

I don't recommend being mad or offended that he WANTS you to take the trip you planned. A few days apart isn't the end of the world and he SUPPORTS you. Go on the cruise and enjoy it. Bring home lots of photos and memories to share with him and let him enjoy your trip too, without the anxiety of doing something that frightens him.

Even easier - have a printed Set Sail pass and hand that to the bartender to scan.

OP doesn't indicate that they are staying in a suite. If not, the grandchildren will not officially have access to any of the suite amenities that are also granted for Pinnacle status. Also - Pinnacle is the only status that does not transfer based on relationship so even if the grandkids are linked to the grandparents they would not be considered Pinnacle.

Get there too early and you'll be fighting with the traffic for all those leaving the cruise that is disembarking (and all the other cruises disembarking at the other Miami terminals). The porters will be there, but they're busy getting to departing passengers moved out.

An argument for paper documentation!

So experience may vary even at the same port. Or maybe they were still sorting things out in May and they had it figured out by August.

In my experience, this also varies by port. Just this year, we were in a JS from Seattle and went through all the regular lines. Then two months later in Miami, our JS sent us through the Suite/Pinnacle priority line.

As long as it's the right kind of bark.

At the MDR there is a different NSA dessert each evening. Many times, the NSA dessert sounds better to me than the others and I have never been disappointed. You will also find multiple NSA desserts on the buffet at Windjammer and these rotate as well.

July was my first time at CocoCay and I probably fed those aggressive gulls a full tortilla by tossing little pieces of my six tacos (gotta try all the meats and all the add-ons and they just don't fit in less than six).

The best part of dining on Royal is that you can get as fancy as you want or as basic as you want. There's an option for everyone. The second best part is that you can eat as often as you want and almost whenever you want (I say "almost whenever" because there's no guarantee on the timing of receiving what you order from room service and there are some overnight gaps in the availability of other options).

We just hand them a dollar or two with the SeaPass. Nobody else needs to know it's there.

Rule of thumb - what shows up as $xxx per person INCLUDES all the discounts available based on your search criteria. It does not include taxes and fees. In your case this means it was $450 per person AFTER including the 30% off and KSF. That would be $1800 plus the taxes/fees of $120.43 per person (including the free kids). The total makes perfect sense to me.

This portion is great advice for all of us!

$2 less for a slightly bigger room, slightly bigger balcony, and a bathroom without the "space pod" shower is a great deal. Glad you found it. Including gratuities, you'll still be $2 less with that stateroom. JS gets charged the lower daily gratuities rate. Remember to add the prepaid gratuities before they go up next week!

At least the Solarium Bistro is open now. It was not open in May and would have greatly relieved the Windjammer crowds.

If you live in a big enough metropolitan area, you will likely have access to a bank that does currency exchange with a smaller fee than charged at airports. With advance notice, most banks (credit unions?) may be able to accommodate a request to perform an exchange.

Haven't tried this but I would suspect it requires purchasing Voom internet (may require the streaming level of package).

You give your wife money? That's not how it works in our household! SHE gives ME money!

On ANY ship.