Al Horner

Yeah he is well aware of the drinking age!  It will be a long 4 months for me worrying lol!  Jane

If Royal Caribbean really wants to build five new private islands, they should probably start building the piers now.

Nice thing about Germany - they have excellent beer all year long! Also, he will be able to drink beer legally which may (or may not) be a good thing for him. Tell him to approach it slowly and don't try to keep up with the Germans. They've been practicing their beer drinking skills since they were kids!

Nice thing about Germany - they have excellent beer all year long! Also, he will be able to drink beer legally which may (or may not) be a good thing for him. Tell him to approach it slowly and don't try to keep up with the Germans. They've been practicing their beer drinking skills since they were kids!

Bring on more private islands I say. The days of quiet ports on beautiful Carribean islands are fading. With the amount of people traveling in the world now many ports are not just that nice anymore. Variations of that theme have been covered heavily in this and other blogs. All of the ports now seem to focus on shopping shopping and and more shopping. I think for the casual cruisers that is great. Duty free and they get a chance to buy something maybe they wouldn't but at home. A special rememberance for that anniversary cruised they have carefully saved for. I have participated in my share of adding $ to their economies. Alas, after umpteen cruises behind me I am not there to find the best deal on a watch anymore. I think a lot of people feel that way. As experienced cruisers how much did you spend in Nassau, Cozumel or Barbados the last time you were there? Not counting a meal or 2 I am guessing not a lot.  Or even stayed on the ship and spent nothing. With the private islands cruise lines have the opportunity to make the experience tailored to the passengers. The activities, the excursions on or around the islands, the food, etc. Also they will be able to maintain the islands as beautiful vacation spots. Have you ever been to a dirty disney World? Or a broken down looking 5 star hotel? I like the idea of sailing to a private island that I dont have to go through throngs of vendors, or hassled for every form of transportation to get to beautiful beach or cabana or whatever excursion I may want to do. With the trend on many of the cruise lines catering to luxury suites with perks (endlessly discussed here) or areas of the ship like the Haven people are clearly looking for top shelf experiences and are willing to pay for it. Imagine what the marketing minds of cruise lines could come up with for perks on these islands for higher tiered members?  Diamond member retaurants? Emerald level beach area? The "Key" gets you on a luxury launch to the island...possibilities are literally endless. Would that interest you? It interests me for sure.
I am still very happy to go on a cruise with multiple stops in many island nations and hopefully be able to enjoy the culture of each while adding $ to their economy while I am there. But, if the option is there to sail to a well maintained luxury "perfect day" island and possibly stay over night? I think I am on board for that experience.
 

If Royal Caribbean really wants to build five new private islands, they should probably start building the piers now.

Voom is an internet plan, so it provides WiFi access via your phone (or any other device).
With Verizon, you can use something called Wifi Calling to still make or receive calls while your phone is in airplane mode and connected to the internet.  Here's more info on Verizon WiFi calling: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/
I'd suggest setting up WiFi calling before your cruise while at home.
You are correct. These people did not put their phone into airplane mode and let data roaming go wild. 
I wrote this blog post to explain further How to use your cell phone on a Royal Caribbean cruise (and not come home to a big bill)

I just checked my Cruise Planner for our May 18th voyage on the Symphony and "The Key" is no longer offered. I assume that means they hit their quota. It would be interesting to know how many were sold.

If Royal Caribbean really wants to build five new private islands, they should probably start building the piers now.

If Royal Caribbean really wants to build five new private islands, they should probably start building the piers now.

To me the bone in rib-eye has the best flavor, but I have problems getting it cooked right for me so I usually go with the filet.
The rib-eye is usually perfect around the edges but when it get close to the bone it gets to rare for me.

VOOM is "only" internet.  But if you setup your phone to use Wi-Fi Calling, your Verizon calls and texts will be sent using the internet so you avoid international roaming.  I don't remember if you have to call/visit Verizon to setup your account first, but you definitely need to do it before you leave.  You can't activate Wi-Fi Calling for the first time when you are already roaming.  (The phone needs to do some sort of one time setup using the actual Verizon network).
Remember this will only work while you are on the ship.  In port, you may be able to find free Wi-Fi or you can get it by making a purchase at some restaurants/stores.  If that doesn't work, Verizon also has Travel Pass which allows you to use your plan internationally for a daily charge of $5,  10, or ? depending on the country.  Again, I think you have to add the feature to your account before you leave.  Then, the first time you attempt to make a call/text from a foreign country, you'll get a text asking you to authorize the daily charge.  It's actually good for 24 hours from the moment you say yes which means if you do it in the afternoon in one port, you would still have access in the morning in a different port.  However, Travel Pass does not get you access at sea on the ship so you have to remember to turn Wi-Fi Calling off and on at the appropriate times.  Cellular At Sea roaming charges are expensive.
Hope that helps.

Sometimes we just have to lighten up. These posts come and go. Let's not kill a good thing with an overdose of political correctness.

I fully understand that freedom of speech does not apply to a private blog like this but I am still surprised that my comment on this post made at 12:41 p.m. on 1/24/2019 was deleted out of hand with no notice or opportunity to change the "offending" section. Pretty disappointing.

Sometimes we just have to lighten up. These posts come and go. Let's not kill a good thing with an overdose of political correctness.

I didn't mean it as a bad thing (but I still don't like it whoever runs it).  I just didn't realize there was a company that specialized in it.  And i love jargon like that.  You have to break it down, but it makes sense. They make money selling upgrades without losing money on the initial sales. 

For years, I supervised a bunch of lawyers and contract managers who wrote and negotiated multi-million dollar deals. Many of our customers were foreign so one of my instructions was that our contracts had to be written in clear, concise and easily understandable English. The language above would have failed.

I was just at terminal A and even though I didn't park (Uber) it is my understanding that there are porters waiting in the parking garage and a conveyor belt system that runs to the terminal so you don't have to lug all your stuff all the way over to the terminal and then drop it off.

I was speaking metaphorically.

This person got to chose how and when they went out....most of us don't......to each their own.

If you're sailing out of the new Terminal A in Miami, there's a parking garage right at the curb there.  A little pricey but you can't beat the convenience.

Sometimes we just have to lighten up. These posts come and go. Let's not kill a good thing with an overdose of political correctness.

Is this the "in thing" now?!?!
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/01/24/coast-guard-searching-for-overboard-majesty-of-the-seas-crew-member/

So it's getting down to 21 days now that we depart on the Grandeur. As others have posted in another discussion, Grandeur does not have the "Key".  Lo and behold,  myself and my husband gets this fabulous email about the "Key" and to book now! Well, I just had to take a peek for curiosity sake didn't I?  Takes me directly to the Voom and Stream packages, Drink packages, etc. The email actually says Grandeur, Feb 14!  THE KEY IS NOT OFFERED YOU IDIOTS!  I digress, I am blessed to be in an Owners Suite, so not sure the "Key" would give me any extra benefit, but SERIOUSLY??? Rant is over now, go back to your business. Thank you!?