kadmgs

MLK weekend is one of my favorite times to go to Disney..also Veterans Day is nice when it makes a 3-day weekend!

October is still TOO HOT for Disney lol.. Go First week of November.. Food and Wine is still going on and finally the weather seems to break alittle.. And then there is when I like to go.. Right Smack in the middle of January when its cold.. Also my birthday and its a tradition since I was 3 so there is that too lol , but seriously when you can in 15-20 years try first two weeks of November.. Kids are still in school so not so crowded and the weather finally starts to break.. Side note.. I go to food and wine every year last year it was still so hot in October they ran out of the Slushy alcohol drinks in Italy because the machines kept breaking because of the heat.. 

Ooohhhhh... Crowd one levels.....!  Of course I remember when I used to run the half marathon in January and we had crowd 3 and 4 levels... No longer!  I really would like to go to the food and wine festival... It looks like so much fun!   Sorry @Lovetocruise2002 back to your regularly scheduled broadcast lol!  Jane

Right! I wish I had a dollar for every time I've said, "I can't wait to travel in October when I retire," or "We will have to wait to do that once I retire." ie. Food & Wine Festival, Fall Foliage Cruise, cheap cruises in Jan/Feb., Crowd Level 1 days at Magic Kingdom, etc. ?

Right! I wish I had a dollar for every time I've said, "I can't wait to travel in October when I retire," or "We will have to wait to do that once I retire." ie. Food & Wine Festival, Fall Foliage Cruise, cheap cruises in Jan/Feb., Crowd Level 1 days at Magic Kingdom, etc. ?

Yeah but you get up early she beat 90% of the crowds... And have in air conditioning a lot.  Though I always have to take a sweater for that!  Looking forward for 15 or 20 years from now when we can travel in October lol! Jane

Yep...and it's hot, crowded, and expensive!

We found the pizza very good on Oasis in February.  Sailed on Mariner and Navigator in May and I believe it was about the same.  Seems to taste even better the later it gets and the more you exercise the Deluxe Drink Package too!  

I really like the battery operated tea lights so you don't take up any electrical outlets and can put them wherever you need some more light.  You can get a package of them pretty cheap at Walmart or on Amazon and put them in various places around your cabin.  Even the paintings on the wall stick out about 1" so they make a good spot to put a couple on the top edge, and it casts a soft glow on the wall and ceiling.  We had about four of them lit up each night, and switched them off in the morning.

The tubs in the suites that I have been in are slightly smaller than standard size.  But still way better than the phone booth showers.

On LOS right now. Talked to NextCruise this afternoon and the agent said Oasis is coming to Galveston, just not sure when. I said, yes that the rumor was when the new terminal was finished that an Oasis class was coming. I said I heard Allure was coming and the agent said, no, it will be the Oasis. The agent said RCL hasn’t advertised it yet because they are waiting on the terminal to be closer to being finished. Exciting if that’s what actually happens. Of course, things could change tomorrow. 

On LOS right now. Talked to NextCruise this afternoon and the agent said Oasis is coming to Galveston, just not sure when. I said, yes that the rumor was when the new terminal was finished that an Oasis class was coming. I said I heard Allure was coming and the agent said, no, it will be the Oasis. The agent said RCL hasn’t advertised it yet because they are waiting on the terminal to be closer to being finished. Exciting if that’s what actually happens. Of course, things could change tomorrow. 

This got me thinking, at what point did this change? I know it has been changed for awhile now but I have always been curious as to how long ago this changed. In 2004 on my first cruise (Navigator), I was 21 but my girlfriend with me was only 20. She had to get something signed from her parents (I think? this part is vague) allowing her to drink beer and wine only. She had a little sticker on her Seapass card indicating this. I mean, of course we strictly obeyed those rules and I at NO point in the cruise bought any shots for anyone other than myself ? I am sailing next month with my nephew who is 18 and I am bummed I can't secretly... make my sister REALLY mad hehehe

+1 on the Holiday Inn Express on 17th St.  While Embassy Suites is highly popular with cruise guests, IMO, the rooms are a bit dated.  The Holiday Inn Express just had a brand new addition put it so it feels more "fresh".  If you look in my Indy blog, I also have pics from the older section (which was still fine for a pre-cruise stay) and in my Harmony blog, I have pics of the rooms in the new section.

I think this does happen to some.  I have long since given up worrying about whether I get my money's worth or not.  I never, ever do.  But I don't buy the DBP to save money.  I buy it to save energy and to have the flexibility to get whatever I want whenever I want it and also to prepay this expense so that I do not have to worry about how much we are spending onboard.  I never get the combo drinks+internet package.  We purchase the internet package once onboard, using our D+ discount.  This is the only cruise-related expense that Dan pays !  ...and usually there is more than enough OBC from our RCCL Visa points rebate to cover it so he rarely pays even for that !  What a great deal !

Yeah - there's this thing call vacation time and money ?  (oh, and my other half ... sshhh)

I agree with AshleyDillo. The beverage package allows you to try drinks you wouldn't normally order or knew existed without the fear of "am I wasting money on a drink I may not like?" I have to start my morning everyday with an iced coffee, so between that and all the bottled water I drank along with 4ish cocktails per day I calculated that I at least broke even if not saved some money. I love the peace of mind it provides in that I don't spend my entire vacation calculating how much I'm charging to my bill. Between it and the unlimited dining package, it's the closest you can get to an all inclusive experience. I'm pretty good at budgeting my money and I spend a significant amount of time stressing over it. I don't want to do that on vacation, so these packages allow me to not worry about it and relax. 

I agree with AshleyDillo. The beverage package allows you to try drinks you wouldn't normally order or knew existed without the fear of "am I wasting money on a drink I may not like?" I have to start my morning everyday with an iced coffee, so between that and all the bottled water I drank along with 4ish cocktails per day I calculated that I at least broke even if not saved some money. I love the peace of mind it provides in that I don't spend my entire vacation calculating how much I'm charging to my bill. Between it and the unlimited dining package, it's the closest you can get to an all inclusive experience. I'm pretty good at budgeting my money and I spend a significant amount of time stressing over it. I don't want to do that on vacation, so these packages allow me to not worry about it and relax. 

I completely agree with you, Razerbkfan.  Quite truthfully, I never make out financially with a drink plan (Dan normally does, but not me) but I continue to purchase it for both of us b/c #1, agree with John - we are able to pay off this expense before cruising and #2,  just want to be able to get whatever I want whenever I want it without having to stop and think about the cost.   As I have said many times before, I blame Star Class for this attitude.  Just another reason to NEVER sail Star Class unless you want to be ruined for the rest of your [cruise] life.

Thanks guys for all the help!  we originally thought $92nzd a day might be tough to achieve but if the drinks are roughly $13 each that’s definitely doable

Especially when you factor in Specialty Coffee and Bottled Water (of which we drink a ton of) --- hitting the profit margin really isn't that difficult.

I couldn't agree more .... it's one less thing to worry about ..... Besides, I tend to turn a profit by the end of Day 1 ....lol

This comment is one of the biggest reason why I buy the package, I have time to pay it off before the cruise and then during the cruise I don't worry about cost of drinks or food.

I agree with AshleyDillo. The beverage package allows you to try drinks you wouldn't normally order or knew existed without the fear of "am I wasting money on a drink I may not like?" I have to start my morning everyday with an iced coffee, so between that and all the bottled water I drank along with 4ish cocktails per day I calculated that I at least broke even if not saved some money. I love the peace of mind it provides in that I don't spend my entire vacation calculating how much I'm charging to my bill. Between it and the unlimited dining package, it's the closest you can get to an all inclusive experience. I'm pretty good at budgeting my money and I spend a significant amount of time stressing over it. I don't want to do that on vacation, so these packages allow me to not worry about it and relax.