IRMO12HD

Live vicariously through all the live blogs. They bring back good memories of your own past cruises even if it's not for the same ship. They also give you ideas for your own planning.

One of the things I do in advance of a cruise is study a foreign language, like French for St Martin (hoping for an excursion to that side of the island) and Spanish for San Juan or Mexico, etc.  It keeps me busy.   Another thing I do is study the books on tropical fish in hopes of going snorkeling.... Best of luck on your preparations!

Drink charges are essentially the same as any bar on the ship, they don't charge extra to use the Bionic Bar.
While I am not a fan of losing the Champagne Bar and rarely use any Bionic Bar there is no ulterior motive with the Bionic Bar.  It's marketing related to appeal to some members of the cruise audience who are attracted to such technology.   It's not my thing, but it's also not my ship or my company.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.    

Me too.  I sailed a 12 night transatlantic that had one stop when I booked it.  And I loved it!

I swear by these Loksak underwater bags. They're certified water tight to 60m. 
I use one bag for my iPhone and another smaller one for passport/room key/money etc, put them both into the splashsak waist bag and bring everything into the ocean with me. They work fantastically, I have had the same set for 8 years and might just now have to replace one (only due to cloudy plastic, not from any leaks). 
 

Another great run to maximize the value of an AFT balcony too. Doing Vision in December in one of them.
 
Location, location, location!

We did westbound in November of 2013 on Legend of the Seas. 15 days and I believe the itinerary was:
Fort Lauderdale Cruising Cartagena Columbia Colon Panama Crusing Puntarenas Costa Rica Puerto Quetzal Gutemala Crusing Puerto Vallarta Mexico Cabo San Luca Mexico Crusing San Diego It was a fantastic cruise. The highlights were obviously traversing the Panama Canal with took most of one day. The low point was Colon Panama. There was a tourist area at the dock with security guards stationed around advising you not to go into outside that area. You see Panama City in the distance as you enter the Pacific and it looks like a fairy land city or something from a science fiction movie. There is a lot to learn and it is all fascinating to me.
Along the way, Costa Rica was absolutely great. Among other things we did the Tarcols River that is absolutely teeming with crocodiles.. In Guatemala we hiked a volcano and roasted marshmallows over lava. Cabo San Luca has a gorgeous waterfront and shops that seem to go on for miles with the ocean on one side and rocky hills as a back drop. We finished up by spending 3 days in San Diego and could have easily spent a week or more.
We were initially concerned about 15 nights on the ship but it was pleasant and we found plenty to keep busy. We met nice people and ended up making a nightly pre-dinner trivia contest in the Schooner Bar that was casual and fun. At the end we were looking forward to getting off and spending time in San Diego while at the same we looked longingly at Legend knowing it was going back to all those fabulous places on the return voyage. We could have spent another 15 days on board going back.
 
 
 

We were on NCL Star. It was in 2011, before there was an expansion to the locks. I would suggest a smaller sip so you go through the original locks, but that is just an opinion. Whatever works best for you. It is something you will be really glad you did.

I called ROYAL Caribbean and the lady said if they don't get it to the owner they throw it out. I think that's not the case and someone on their end would keep it. I just don't trust their system. I am going to keep trying to find the owner. It is not an expensive item, but still want to try and reach out.

Call back and ask for a supervisor.  Most of the reps work from home and want to get to the next call and will tell you whatever comes to mind.  Trying to get facts and answers at times is beyond ridiculous.   Thank goodness for travel agents. That is who i would call.   

Agreed, plus as a business traveler I've tried to use this feature at hotels and hate it.  Standing in front of the door, app open, door not.  Wait, wait, wait.  Bingo, door unlocked.  Each and every time.  30 seconds doesn't sound like a long time but when standing at the door, trying to get in, it seems like eternity.  Next stop, front desk to get a key card.  
I have a bluetooth enabled lock on my house and 50% of the time it works.  
Then there is the matter of my iPhone that mysteriously died one day.  Poof!  Completely dead out of the blue.  If that was my only means of access I would have been locked out in the cold.   

LarryR--
that is so kind of you!  Kudos to you for trying to locate the "owner."  I would suggest that you "encrypt" your email address (by typing out the word "at" for the @ symbol) and perhaps disguising the "2," especially if you put your post on a more public board or an open social media site such as FB or other.  I think putting the Cabin # in is great, as that's the first search term I would use if I was looking for something I lost.  You could also look at the Roll Call for the previous cruise, if there is one.

oh god..what a disaster that would be..if its based on anything that Royal does when it comes to functioning websites...lol
 
Not to mention....what if you don't have a smart phone....
 
Seapass cards all the way...for as long as possible please...

LarryR--
that is so kind of you!  Kudos to you for trying to locate the "owner."  I would suggest that you "encrypt" your email address (by typing out the word "at" for the @ symbol) and perhaps disguising the "2," especially if you put your post on a more public board or an open social media site such as FB or other.  I think putting the Cabin # in is great, as that's the first search term I would use if I was looking for something I lost.  You could also look at the Roll Call for the previous cruise, if there is one.

I always wear sundresses... Hate shorts... So no pockets!  But that's why I like lanyards.  Not being able to punch is a pain though!  Jane

To be fair, a lot of women’s clothing has nonexistent or non functional pockets. It’s a crime. And then if you were to ask me how much CRAP I have in my purse??? Weeeell, how much time do you have?? ?

We always make a point to talk to crew and address them by name.
I learned a lesson a few years ago that explains why. I was walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland with a priest and he would give the homeless on the street a few Euro's here and there and he would always ask their name. Those he'd run into again he would recall their name and say, e.g., "Good morning, Brian!" as he gave them the a few coins. I asked him how he knew their names and he explained that one time he gave a repeat customer a few coins and called him by name. The young man began  to cry because no one had called him by name in a long,. long time.
Ever since that trip I look at name tags, ask homeless their names and try to remember for next time. One night I had the family in the car when I went to a section of Philly I minister in regularly. As we came off the expressway one of the "regulars" was panhandling. I rolled down the window and said "Good evening, John" as I gave him a dollar. My wife and kids in unison asked how I knew his name. I told them it was John, that I spoke to him before and that he was originally from Pittsburgh. They were amazed.
Our cruise last week on Anthem was made so much better by our waiter and waitress in the MDR - Francisco from the Dominican Republic who has been on Anthem for 4.5 years, and Liezly from the Philippines who is on her first contract with RC after working another line (she likes RC a lot more than the other cruise line which she would not name). They took great care of my grandkids during meals - had the high chair at the table before we arrived each night, ketchup smiley faces for the fries, prompt, courteous and always a smile on their face. They were awesome. Its the first time in 4 cruises that I gave wait staff a tip but I always try to remember names for the survey. 
On North Star last week, Declan from Scotland rode up with us. He is new to working cruise ships and loves it so far. He does North Star and kids stuff. He went on a cruise last year, loved it and went on a couple more to observe before deciding to apply. He filled all of us in on living situation and maybe because he is new it doesn't bother him yet but he was fun to be with for the short ride.
Bottom line - I think good interaction with passengers who show a genuine interest in crew is a real pick-me-up for some. If they make a difference in your cruise it doesn't take much - and doesn't have to be $$ - to show your appreciation.
 

@JerseyJoe, for a great look at ship life as a crew member, look here and here. A while back Chris Wong posted about his life on Independence of the Seas. Very interesting reading and also has a link to his own blog. He seems like a really good guy and gives a lot of insight.
@JLMoran, I believe those are the posts you were referring to.
Also, for an amazing look at supplying an Oasis class ship for a 7 night cruise, try to find Season 3 Episode 1 of a show called Mighty Ships. It's from 2010 and is amazing. Here is a link to some trailers for it.

We usually check daily and we get some emails close to our cruises.  Even a few bucks helps us cruise more so we will cancel and rebook for discounts.  It depends who we are cruising with as to what we buy.  With the kids we are purchases extra internet packages and refreshment package plus usually an excursion.  With just hubby and I we get the drink package and he likes to get the dining packages.

You could, or you could respond to marketing e-mails when you are registered in Crown and Anchor.  I usually receive a couple each week, and if I check out cruise prices, I get an e-mail reminding me that I haven't finished the purchase processs....  So you can depend upon Royal to nag you.   But as has been stated before, what is actually on sale depends upon supply and demand, so if you stick to typically popular excursions/amenities, don't expect much discounting.  I have seen prices for my choices fluctuate a few $$, but I have never repriced.  Others reprice all the time, which makes me wonder what they are buying -- perhaps higher priced, premium excursions or packages for which a discount would be significant.
The best deal is to order what you really want before you get on the ship.   Example, if you are going to eat in a specialty restaurant at least 2 nights, you might as well consider a 3 night package which is often offered at $99 whereas a la carte two restaurants would be about the same price.  You are getting an extra premium dinner free.   
We don't see the value in specialty restaurants, so we don't buy the packages, but lots of members really love them, so they buy the unlimited dining package at about $175 for 7 nights ($25 per person per dinner), a big discount from $45 or $50 for one dinner on line.

To get the most out of your package and since you are new to different alcohol, grab a bar menu and try something that sounds good.  Don't like it, don't drink it and order something else.  The drink package is a great way for you to discover new things.  I finally discovered a type of wine I like by trying them at dinner.  As a rule frozen drinks don't seem to pack the punch that mixed drinks do.  Since you like coffee, have a coffee with Bailey's in it and you can thank me later for that suggestion.
 

...and then there’s the whole “I don’t want to have to think about it” aspect, of which “quality vs quantity” is a subset. We bought the UDP b/c I wanted to know that anything I wanted to drink on the WHOLE ship, was already paid for and that I could have whatever I wanted at any time.  I guess this is part and parcel of the whole FOMO phobia.
Now that Dan has quit drinking any alcohol, the UDP really would a waste of money for us.  We didn’t have it on our last cruises ( B2B on NAV) and I am going to cancel it for our upcoming LIB cruise.  What little I would want to drink, I can get at the casino or in the Suites Lounge if I want to fight that scene (which I won’t want to do, trust me).  I get enough complimentary Cokes in my C&A booty that I don’t really need any more anyway !  I think I had 8 cans on the last cruise and Dan had more than a dozen bottles of water.  Plus we had a bottle of wine from Michelle and a bottle of Champagne that we brought home.
I still think the UDP is a great way to go if you’re going to drink a variety of different beverages but if I or both of you aren’t going to drink any alcohol at all...Nope.

Also keep in mind the "quality vs. quantity" aspect of having the drink package. If I'm paying by the drink, I generally tend to stick to drinks I've already had before and know I'll enjoy. But if I have the drink package, I will be more adventurous and try new things. If I find something I don't like, it's no big deal and I just order something else. But I've found a lot of great new drinks simply because I could try new things with the drink package. 

Here's what was posted on the Freedom FB page: (if not appropriate, I apologize and please delete):
Cheryl Knipe Brinson
18 hrs This is a copy of Louise Calder’s post that was sent to the Today show. You can share from here. If you have an opinion to express send it along to the show.
This is a very long post but wanted feedback suggestions of any changes in this email I plan to send to the TODAY Show. I will wait a couple of hours before I send it in case someone sees a change or addition I should consider. Thanks for your input.: Dear TODAY SHOW- I am very saddened by the news that Monday you will be interviewing the parents of the 18 month old child that tragically fell from the Freedom of the Seas. While my heart goes out to these poor parents for the loss of their child, I'm disappointed that you are doing this interview on the Today Show before we truly know how this accident happened. The police investigation has not been completed and all facts have not yet been released to the public. Trying to present an unbiased report would seem to be an impossible task at this time since others involved in this story are unable or unwilling to talk to you until all the facts are available.
Since the entire show was taped on board her the day I Christened her in 2006, I know that the TODAY show has spent time on the Freedom of the Seas. You should already be aware that the "children's play area" is NOT "right next" to the wall of windows. And if you check some of that footage you will also notice that the only windows that open are above an adults waist, and tinted making it quite clear that some are closed and some are open in order to keep the pool humidity controlled on that deck. No child could have reached those upper windows, open or closed, without someone holding the child up to them or somehow allowing the child to climb up to them. It is ALWAYS the adult's responsibility to monitor their young child whether it be near an open window , a pool, a fire, or any other potential danger. Whether on vacation or at home the responsibility belongs to the adult that has accepted the duty of watching that child. As a grandparent myself I understand that this must be a heartbreaking experience that will haunt this grandfather for the rest of his life. It is hard to accept that one little mistake can result in such a catastrophic tragedy. However trying to place the blame elsewhere, while a very human self-protection, will never absolve him of the responsibility that was his and his alone. I believe when this investigation is finished we will find that this was a truly awful ACCIDENT but one that resulted from an error on his part. And who of us is not human enough to commit an error.
If this were truly a fault in the design of cruise ships we would certainly be hearing of children falling from windows all the time. It is unfair to interpret this accident as an example of how "dangerous" cruising is. ANYTHING can be dangerous if normal precautions aren't taken.
To my knowledge, I know of no other time in the Freedom of the Seas 13 years of sailing that ANYTHING like this has ever occurred aboard her and I'm sure you can imagine that I keep a close eye on what happens on her,
Katherine Louise Calder
Godmother for the Freedom of the Seas

Congratulations, Matt!  I STILL want to know how you talk so fast on the RC Blog!!!