stevendom57

Are savory bites gluten free? @Jolly Ogre says they are potato base, so there is hope.

RCI is great with gluten allergies. The night before we stopped at Cococay our waiter in the MDL asked if we were going ashore the next day. We answered affirmatively and he made sure that there was a gf bun on the island with her name on it. We just talked to the guy behind the buffet and he not only got the bun but grilled her a fresh patty on a dedicated grill, just for her. She got the freshest patty on the island!

My DW made a rule. If we are going up three decks or down three decks, take the stirs. Otherwise the elevators. My fitbit recorded quite a few floors walked.

@teddy Sounds like they have it well covered. Thanks. Looking forward to this excursion and some great photo ops with my new camera.

What is the proper abbreviation? RC? RCI? RCCL? RCCLXXY?

@teddyWhen at Playa del Carmen, when transferring from ferry to coaches, are there restrooms available? My wife has a small bladder and 1 hour is manageable, two hours is going to see some tightly crossed ankles and pained expressions.:)

Thanks @teddy, great information.

I am going to Cozumel and I am booked on the Tulum Mayan Ruins and Fifth Avenue Experience tour through RC. Is this a guided tour with commentary through the ruins or is it a "drop you at the entrance and you are on your own, like every other tourist" type of tour? It wasn't cheap so I hope there is some value added by going with the tour. TIA Steven

Has anyone out there cruised on all RC ships, from Adventure to Voyager? Steven

According to a friend that will be at Pearl in a week or so, while the Arizona memorial is closed they are offering tours of battleship row . That sounds like a very interesting tour since this is an area of Pearl Harbor that civilians do not get to visit, ever.

I will be in Cozumel this May. I will be taking a RC excursion to Talum. Is it safe? I know some areas of Mexico are not safe for Americans to visit but I am assuming that this area is. Am I correct?

I am looking at the onboard delivery gifts that I can purchase for an upcoming cruise. One is item 000525, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. If I choose the bottle of Domanie Ste. Michelle, is it a bottle or two glasses of champagne? The photo shows two glasses, so i am not sure.

I am getting ready to take my second cruise, so I am surely not an expert here. My DW and I are in our early 60s, with the normal 60 year old health issues. I called my medical insurance provider and found that our medical insurance will cover us for our medical needs while on a cruise, but not the med evacuation costs. On my first cruise I hadn't even considered the extremely high costs of being evacuated from the ship in case of a serious issue. For me, I was not interested in flight reimbursement in case I needed to cancel, flight delay losses, baggage losses or any of that. While I am not certainly rich, any of these losses would be very irritating and expensive but would not break me financially. A 6 figure medical evacuation could. My solution to keep down expenses was to purchase trip insurance and claim that the cost of the trip was $0. I still get supplemental medical insurance, $500,000 evacuation coverage (the real goal here), a pretty crummy precondition coverage, and some other, even less relevant coverages. But the cost was only $64 (for $2 more I increased the evacuation coverage to $1,000,000, just in case) for a seven day cruise out of Galveston, with several days in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, far away from any port. I am content with my decision. I consider insurance a backstop plan to cover real unforeseen emergencies that I cannot prevent, not a policy to make sure that I can change my mind and cancel my vacation for any reason. But that's just me.

Wow, @ThyriC, you are one serious shopping planner. Those are some good ideas about the must haves, etc. I don't see me ever buying luxury items like watches or jewelry on-board. I find it hard to believe that overhead costs on a cruise ship could possibly be lower than the overhead at my local store, or Amazon. I believe that they are looking to make a killing on people impulse buying these items.

Thanks @Fuzzywuzzy. That's what I want to be prepared for.

@melski94 Yes, that's the kind of stuff I like. Thanks for the info.

I like to buy a souvenir to remember my cruise. Perhaps a ball cap, a mug, refrigerator magnet, etc. On a 7 day cruise, what is the best day to do this? Do they mark this stuff down near the end, on a particular day, or is it just seemingly random? Thanks Steven

I am booked on Liberty OTS for May 5. We have the Grand Cayman Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim Experience and Turtle Center excursion booked. I have a few questions. 1) Are there lockers at the dolphin swim where we can secure valuables like camera, wallet, etc? 2) I know I can't swim with a camera, but are there opportunities to take pictures from out of the water of both the dolphins and the turtles? 3) Is the turtle center a walk around kind of a place or is it a get in the water and swim with the turtles kind of place? Thanks Steven

Thanks @twangster. I think I am just going to rent a car and do what you said. As long as I can rent in Miami and return to Fort Lauderdale. I've never been there so that i will be interesting too. My only concern now is the traffic. The one time I was in Miami the traffic was horrible. I have driven in Houston and in Austin, both known for bad traffic, but those were nothing compared to Miami.

I am still thinking about this. Let's say I have a late flight out on debarkation day. I bring the bags to the airport and check them in with Bags to Go but I miss the 5pm deadline to retrieve them and can't get my bags. If I fly home as scheduled, how can I get my bags home the next day?

I was on Mariner in November and, being a newbie, I signed up for My Time dining for all four nights. Three of the nights was for the same time, 6:00pm. We were placed at the same table with the same waiters every night, even the one where we ate later.

Yea. Since I don't leave until 8:30, having to get back to the airport with enough time to make sure I do not miss their closing time means I get there 4 hours before my flight. Ugh. Thanks, though Steven

I fly out of FLL at 8:30pm. My cruise is out of Miami. What can I do with my baggage between disembarkation and my flight? Steven

How about Cuba?

@SpeedNoodles Make sure you do the escape room even if it is not part of the Key. It is a lot of fun.