Srp431

It's gone up by 20% on mine. Glad I wasn't thinking of buying it! 

I have been looking hard at that Freedom cruise out of San Juan, but the airfare is crazy.  With the wife being a teacher and also really not wanting to take the kids out of school, we are limited to the winter and spring break weeks, which greatly compounds the problem.  The flights are just about more than the cruise.  Flights to Florida at those times have gotten crazy in recent years, but San Juan is worse.  I really try to stick to the major airlines, some of the budget airlines are brutal.  
Frontier just got added recently to our airport, although I have heard mixed reviews.  I would ride in the bed of a pickup truck before flying Spirit again.  

We search for a table before getting food, sometimes its so bad, that someone will sit at the table just as others are leaving to secure a table and then wait for RC staff to clean the table. One of us will wait at the table, while others get there food, not pretty but effective.

The prices I mentioned were per person and NOT a total for the 4 of us.

Jamaica is the worst of all the islands in my opinion for aggressive sales

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

Day -2 Shanghai.
We landed on time, no much queues in the airport . Around 8 am we checked in and went up to the room telling ourself that we will rest for 30 and decided de what to do , not to my surprise it was 12:30 Pm when we woked up , we 0 Jet lag 1.
We organized quickly and went to drink something in lounge which is by far the biggest I ever so.

After the lounge visit we went out to check around. I must say Shanghai seems to be quite clean it's also very quiet as most of the motorcycles are with electric engine. We went to the people square, so some group of people dancing in the park and catched the Subway

WiFi 

Two comments regarding navigate in Shanghai :
1. Most of the signs are also in English so it's easy to navigate the street and the subway.
2. Google maps does not have any clue regarding the public transportation databases in Shanghai so it can only show you how to travel by car or foot but not by subway or a bus. If you want better public transportation application for this city try moveit.
We have done our way to train station were we should find the international glass mall. We went off the right station just to find out that although the mall is only 0.3 miles away Google showed 22 minutes walk. At first I thought there is some issue with the app but later I understood we had to take a bypass bto cross the rails which created the long walk. We arrived the mall and searched for the store we got recommendation for. You see both of us use eyeglasses and China is a good place to get some for much cheaper than home. This mall is 3 floors of just eyeglasses shops and factories , it's seems we were almost the only clients. We both choosed 3  frames , 2 regular and one as prescription sunglasses. I paid around 280$ for the three eyeglasses all of them are multifocal/progressive with  lean lenses, so a good deal, oh and it includes eye exam , back home I would pay twice for one per. After we negotiate the price (you must do it in China) we went to eat something while we were waiting for the glasses. We consider eating something local so we went to the local MacDonald and order some hamburger with pineapple and there local version of Poutine its was quite good. I will spare from you the description of some of the food stand we so , but let's just say they do not throw any parts of the chicken, everything is being used, but everything. 70 minutes later and all of our six eyeglasses were ready including the sunglasses, we both already using them and the quality is good, zero adjustment time. We started to do our way back and tried to find out our line , Everytime we went by the signed we found ourself out of the subway again and again , at the end I have up and took another line which we had to switch to get to our station. By the way the price of subway ride is around 40 cent's.
 
Finally we got back to the hotel , enjoyed some drinks at the lounge and went to find a foot massage location. We found one near the hotel that charges 30 $ for 80 minutes massage. The message included soakings our feet while getting back massage , foot massage , pounding our foot with small hammers and finally warming our legs with some ambers . I was not sure if it is a massage or they just prepare our legs to be sold in one of the night food market , after all they marnnied it , tender and grilled it ? but it was good. Post the massage we walked around some more before called it for the day. Indeed interesting day. 

A view of the city during dark time 


Tommorow they are going to have some light show a hope to catch it

Hotels :
As currently I am using mainly IHG and Marriott (which is now also Sheraton) I was looking to stay in one of them (using points or gaining points).
For some reason all the IHG hotels (Intercontinental, CrownPlaza , Holiday in/express) are not located near the touristic/business center so  I choose the Marriott near the  people square. One of the reason was that most of the one/half day Shanghai tour meeting place are near or in the people square. 
As part of the peroration I also translate the address of the hotel and the port to Chinese (Or shell I say Mandarin ? )  so we will be Ok with the Taxi drivers, just to be on the safe side. By the way its a good idea to do in any country which not using the regular Latin alphabet. 
Now I am counting the days before the vacation , find it hard to constraint in all the meeting but doing my best. Yesterday went for a short trip near the hotel and encounter the local substitutes for casts ? , just hope they are from the nice kind and not relatives of the one from Monty python  Holly grail. Anyway it reminded me some places near Seattle.



 
At least most of the packing done , now just need to wait for my flight back.

Towards the end of the first sailing, your stateroom attendant and you should talk to coordinate. In most cases, they will tell you to pack everything up, but leave clothes on hangers and they will move it for you. I'd say 90% of the time this is what happens. A few will make you move it. 
You will get a letter in your room instructing you to meet at a specific place at the end of cruise #1. RC then escorts you off the ship last and then back onboard first.

Don't miss the back to back lunch they offer to consecutive cruisers in the dining room on turnaround day!
Enjoy your cruises!

B2B, the ONLY way to cruise. We have done many, very easy. You will be told well before hand what to expect. Yes, you will have to leave the ship (to clear you from the ship manifest) and check back onto the ship (with a new sea pass card) so you are on the ship manifest. Almost seamless and your're on the ship well before the rest of the gang gets on board! Best part is the last night on board, just look out into the hallway and the luggage and know you don't have to do that! ENJOY!!

Hi, and thanks for the replies. I'm aboard now and just learned how b2b's are handled on the Anthem at Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ...
Because I was unable to book the same cabin, I have to pack up all my clothes that I keep in the drawers...plus, of course all my bathroom stuff. My room attendant will take care of the clothes hanging in the closet, moving them on the hangers. He will also move my suitcase when the other room is empty.
I, and every other b2b'er must report to the Diamond Lounge on deck 4 on turnaround day where we must show our passports to CBP and then we will be checked in. That's it! We don't have to disembark. We don't have to go to guest services. It's all done in the Diamond lounge. We are then free to wander about the ship until our cabins are ready (except those fortunate enough not to have to change cabins).
This procedure is specifically for Port Liberty in Bayonne. I know other ports may have other procedures that may differ somewhat. 
I think this is another good reason to start a 'Port Specific' information forum...as has been mentioned in a previous posting. I have lots of info on Cape Liberty.
Happy cruising!

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

I posted this image on my instagram story with a caption about it not being a good idea to dangle children out such an obvious window and so many people wrote me back shocked that that's what it looked like / how high it was. I guess the lawyer's story about it being down at the deck level and in a play area was widespread. ?
Staying on a Windows Of Freedom theme, this was our only dinner time that was before sunset! I loved being able to see the ocean roll by - note to self - early dinners next time. 

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

We normally tip the recommended and usually not addition. The one exception was our main dining room staff last year on Symphony. My daughter really likes strawberries and every night for dinner she got the fruit as her appetizer. The fruit was a mix of melon, and 1 or 2 pieces of strawberries. We mentioned it to the staff after our first dinner and every night after, she received here own bowl of strawberries and after each formal night and on the last night of the cruise, they provided her with her own plate of chocolate covered strawberries to take back to the room each night. She was very excited and it really make her dinner experience a memory.

Cabin is great. Ice bucket is filled.  Plate of cookies and a couple of free bottles of dihydrogen monoxide.  Just got charged $98.15 for the complimentary internet access that comes with a suite. No way am I going anywhere near Guest Services on day one.  I’m no masochist. 
 
 

Jamaica is the worst of all the islands in my opinion for aggressive sales

Although I’ve seen the windjammer extremely busy, the staff always find you a seat. On my cruise they had staff dotted around the windjammer and they would communicate through walkie talkies trying to find you a seat and I’ve always got one. It’s really never an issue. As well as that you CAN take you plate or whatever outside to enjoy you breakfast lunch or dinner on your balcony or at the pool deck or anywhere! I hope this helps. ?

Like @JLMoran mentioned look for outside areas too. The windjammer can also get very crowed on embarkation day so make sure you bring a lot of patience that day. On our Anthem cruise I know I got a lot of inappropriate things yelled at me as I went ahead of the enormous line to go into Coastal Kitchen, which has its entrance just outside the entrance to the Windjammer. 
Other prime times it can get a little crowded. We used the strategy of sending one person to secure a table while the other got some food, then swapped.

Some of the ships (Anthem and other Quantum class, I think Radiance class?) have an outside seating area at the far aft of the Windjammer that you can check out before carrying a plate somewhere more distant on the ships. It can get crowded quickly since there aren't a ton of tables, but if you can snag one it's really nice.

It can get crowded during prime eating times but Ive never found an issue.  And you can walk out with a plate and eat it wherever you would like.