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@Pooch, I'm not sure what RCCL uses to verify military service. I do know that AAFES (the Army/Air Force Exchange Service, or BX/PX) now allows all honorably discharged veterans to shop online, and the process they use can be found at https://www.shopmyexchange.com/veterans. Also, Apple offers a military discount for veterans, and they use a website called id.me. I think Princess Cruises uses id.me as well. I would urge you to be careful about providing copies of the DD214 (Certificate of Discharge) to RCCL or anyone else, as most of the older ones will display the servicemember's SSN. If nothing else, if you do get a military discount, just take a copy of the DD214 with you when you board, to prove eligibility.

Yum, Rauchbier!!!

@Neaxan, I noticed you are located near Nuremberg -- I was stationed in Ansbach (and Katterbach) in the '70s and '80s. Such a great area and such great memories!

Our Allure OTS Transatlantic in November (#FingersCrossedFingersCrossedFingersCrossed) is offering the DBP for $39/day, and the DBP+Voom 1 Device for $47/day! Coco Cay Beach Club Day Pass is $58.99.

I've done the same thing, @Pima1988. @Pattycruise, have you tried doing so? I think the only concern right now might be that it may take 7-10 days to get your first purchase refunded. It took mine about 5 days, I think.

@KristiZ and @M First: FWIW, I sent mine in last month for my May 2021 and July 2021 cruises, and both were accepted and the $ applied to my account. I did use the online application, and had to make sure that my brokerage statement was dated within 90 days.

I think the Cruise Planner sale has started! On our (FINGERS CROSSED, FINGERS CROSSED, FINGERS CROSSED!) November T/A on Allure, we now have: Voom Surf/Stream back down to $11.49/day for 1 device or $17.99/day for 2 devices or $19.99/day for 4 devices; The Key is $19.99/day; DBP + Voom 1 device is $47/day. All USD.

For our Allure T/A in November (FINGERS CROSSED, FINGERS CROSSED, FINGERS CROSSED!), there are some great deals as well -- Voom Surf/Stream $11.49/day for 1 device or $17.99/day for 2 devices or $19.99/day for 4 devices; The Key is $19.99/day; DBP + Voom 1 device is $47/day. All USD.

I routinely check the Cruise Planner, and when I saw the price drops for Internet and DBP, I posted on my (Allure 1 Nov Transatlantic) group page. Many people expressed thanks, but there were also one or two "it's just a money grab from RCL" comments. While I acknowledged that it may take a little longer for the refund of the $ I spent for the originally priced Voom, I will eventually get it -- and it's about a $30 savings. The combined DBP and Voom 1 Device was $47/day! Of course, I have my "Intern" DBP, so didn't take advantage of that savings, but . . . WOW!!

Maybe check with Good Sam or an RV group? Even if it wasn't right by the cruise port, you could Uber to the port . . . Or an RV dealership?

@WAAAYTOOO, have a great trip! Would you mind relating at which hotel you stayed in Newark?

My granny used to say: honey, whiskey and lemon juice; adjust proportions as appropriate :-)

Great pictures inside the Opera House! I love your perspective choices :-)

And it's so functional, with its handy retention loop (unless they've changed from this one)

Did you keep your Bridge Climb hat??

My daughter and I stayed at a Rydges in Cairns -- what an awesome hotel! The concierge and desk folks were so friendly and helpful :-). Thanks for the pictures -- they brought back so many memories of our stay in Sydney. We, too, did the Bridge Climb.

Barangaroo Reserve is a great place to walk -- with great views of the Sydney Bridge from the other side. Have a great time; I, too, will be avidly (and enviously) following :-)

I was a "passenger" when my husband did the "flying." It was an hour, I think, and he accomplished four takeoffs/landings (I think he got a little extra time because the simulation 'hiccuped' once. I will say that it was super realistic, and the owner was fantastic! He actually met us at the cruise ship pier and we walked over -- it might be about a quarter mile or a little bit more; but an easy walk. If mobility is an issue, I'm sure it would be easy to get a cab there and back. Just to give you a hint as to how realistic it is -- while we were 'taxiing,' we had a close call with a building -- and I ducked!

Great resource -- thank you!!

Good point, @DBeas0106! That personal touch/contact counts for so much. On our last cruise, it was a full ship charter (on the Brilliance), and the bartenders (and wait staff, and stewards) were all sporting Harley Davidson shirts by the second day of the cruise (it's one of our traditions to bring shirts for the crew) -- and they loved it!

What beverage tips can you offer? Here's one that I learned on Brilliance in November/December: if you want a double shot of alcohol, but don't want to pay the extra $, ask for a "strong shot" -- it's like a 1-3/4 shot, but only counts as one. Honestly, I don't know if this is a universal thing, or peculiar to Brilliance -- but it worked!

Another option is Segways! We have done this two times in Grand Cayman, and love it :-). They are guided rides, so you're in a group, but EXCELLENT pre-riding instruction (you have to complete a skills 'test'), and enough variety to make it interesting. You also get to ride the Segways on 7 Mile Beach, and have about 1-1/2 hours on the beach at a beach club.

@Quilter620, I have been on two full ship charters (High Seas Rally 2017 and 2019 -- Brilliance of the Seas) and a partial charter (High Seas Rally 2013 - Freedom of the Seas). The following are my experiences: 1. C&A points were awarded as usual. On the 2019 HSR cruise, we had a Junior Suite, and received double points as expected (14 points for a 7-night cruise). I agree with Atlantix2000 that it would behoove you to confirm with the chartering organization to ensure that you'll receive standard C&A points. As far as the other C&A benefits, we just made Platinum with the completion of this cruise, but we did receive our Gold letters with attendant benefits/price reductions in our cabin on the first day. I don't believe that we had a Diamond+/Diamond Lounge on Brilliance -- it was used for other things. They did use C&A status for boarding purposes as well. 2. Activities. Our activities included both those associated with High Seas Rally, and some of the 'ordinary' Royal Caribbean activities. I'd be happy to scan/share the daily Cruise Compasses if you'd like to see them. Interesting note, though -- we had (perhaps) 3 children on this cruise, but as far as I know the children's areas (i.e., pool, Adventure Ocean) weren't open or staffed (I'm not 100% sure of this, though -- there are no hours listed in the Cruise Compass for the Kids' Pool, for example). 3. Dining. Everything was pretty much 'My Time Dining,' as far as I could tell. We queued up on Deck 5, and were seated pretty quickly. Most evenings we ate in groups of six or eight, and the staff preferred that we were all together before we were seated. We didn't elect any specialty dining, but it was available. We did do the Chef's Table, however -- it was awesome! Unfortunately for me, it coincided with our Pirate Biker Bingo, so I had to skip out of two courses in order to play my Bingo cards -- didn't win anything, but at least they saved me some of the wine from the courses I missed :-) 4. Due to the charity/fundraising nature of our cruise (it benefits kidney dialysis), there was no CruiseNext (or whatever it's called) 'office' or activity -- all other support activities were present and staffed (Shore Excursions, Guest Services, Internet, Spa, etc.) Hope this helps! Feel free to reply with any additional questions, and let me know if you want me to include the Cruise Compass dailies.

Fantastic virtual tour! I'm really excited about cruising on Allure in November 2020 after her amplification. One question -- what is the futuristic looking white circle in the Solarium? I noticed water and jets -- is it a shower? Or just a water feature? I've not yet been on an Oasis class ship.

@JLMoran,, great example of the influence of the comma!