TotalF

I saw Mats new blogpost about the new Cruise Planner Sale when it went live a couple of hours ago. 
We're sailing on Harmony on the 23rd this month and I had previously purchased The Key and soda packages for the family (two kids, two adults). Been talking with the wife about getting us the Deluxe beverage package but I never did. 
Until today ???
I mean, we spent roughly $1000 on The Key and Soda packages and I refunded everything and ibstead got us:
- 2 deluxe beverage packages (~$55/person/day)
- 2 refreshments packages (~$17/person/day)
- 4 voom internet devices (~$30/day)
It all worked out to roughly $1400 and I feel that the extra 400 is nothing compared to the value I feel we're getting from the beverage packages. I bought The Key solely for the included internet, nothing else is of real interest to us there, so this worked out fine. 
I also found myself smiling when I saw the price for the coco beach club which today was at ~$180 per person, we snagged it at $40 per person ?
See ya onboard in 2.5 weeks ???

I saw Mats new blogpost about the new Cruise Planner Sale when it went live a couple of hours ago. 
We're sailing on Harmony on the 23rd this month and I had previously purchased The Key and soda packages for the family (two kids, two adults). Been talking with the wife about getting us the Deluxe beverage package but I never did. 
Until today ???
I mean, we spent roughly $1000 on The Key and Soda packages and I refunded everything and ibstead got us:
- 2 deluxe beverage packages (~$55/person/day)
- 2 refreshments packages (~$17/person/day)
- 4 voom internet devices (~$30/day)
It all worked out to roughly $1400 and I feel that the extra 400 is nothing compared to the value I feel we're getting from the beverage packages. I bought The Key solely for the included internet, nothing else is of real interest to us there, so this worked out fine. 
I also found myself smiling when I saw the price for the coco beach club which today was at ~$180 per person, we snagged it at $40 per person ?
See ya onboard in 2.5 weeks ???

I saw Mats new blogpost about the new Cruise Planner Sale when it went live a couple of hours ago. 
We're sailing on Harmony on the 23rd this month and I had previously purchased The Key and soda packages for the family (two kids, two adults). Been talking with the wife about getting us the Deluxe beverage package but I never did. 
Until today ???
I mean, we spent roughly $1000 on The Key and Soda packages and I refunded everything and ibstead got us:
- 2 deluxe beverage packages (~$55/person/day)
- 2 refreshments packages (~$17/person/day)
- 4 voom internet devices (~$30/day)
It all worked out to roughly $1400 and I feel that the extra 400 is nothing compared to the value I feel we're getting from the beverage packages. I bought The Key solely for the included internet, nothing else is of real interest to us there, so this worked out fine. 
I also found myself smiling when I saw the price for the coco beach club which today was at ~$180 per person, we snagged it at $40 per person ?
See ya onboard in 2.5 weeks ???

I saw Mats new blogpost about the new Cruise Planner Sale when it went live a couple of hours ago. 
We're sailing on Harmony on the 23rd this month and I had previously purchased The Key and soda packages for the family (two kids, two adults). Been talking with the wife about getting us the Deluxe beverage package but I never did. 
Until today ???
I mean, we spent roughly $1000 on The Key and Soda packages and I refunded everything and ibstead got us:
- 2 deluxe beverage packages (~$55/person/day)
- 2 refreshments packages (~$17/person/day)
- 4 voom internet devices (~$30/day)
It all worked out to roughly $1400 and I feel that the extra 400 is nothing compared to the value I feel we're getting from the beverage packages. I bought The Key solely for the included internet, nothing else is of real interest to us there, so this worked out fine. 
I also found myself smiling when I saw the price for the coco beach club which today was at ~$180 per person, we snagged it at $40 per person ?
See ya onboard in 2.5 weeks ???

I mean, I get it. Safety first as a cruise ship is its own little world/eco system. 
Good on them for taking appropriate steps to minimize the threat of an outbreak onboard ??

I mean, I get it. Safety first as a cruise ship is its own little world/eco system. 
Good on them for taking appropriate steps to minimize the threat of an outbreak onboard ??

I mean, I get it. Safety first as a cruise ship is its own little world/eco system. 
Good on them for taking appropriate steps to minimize the threat of an outbreak onboard ??

I was thinking the same thing and just decided to take a shuttle to the cruise terminal instead. If you go to the MCO website, there is a link to travel options to the cruise port. 

We just did this a week ago and it worked great. Picked up at MCO around 9:00, stopped for wine, water, and gas at Publix, and arrived at the Alamo location around 10:30. Keep in mind this is also the location for National and Enterprise, so we found it mobbed with people and were a bit concerned. Turns out a majority of them were either returning from cruises and picking up or headed out with Disney or Carnival as we heard a shuttle driver call for Mariner and we immediately boarded and were at the terminal within minutes, all before 11:00 which was perfect.
We also rented from them on the way back to MCO. Once we had our luggage we followed the signs for rental car shuttles which took us around the terminal. Finally we ended up in an area with lots of people standing around. A porter confirmed this was the rental car area but there were no signs for the companies so no one knew where to stand. We overheard some others talking about walking so we headed out knowing that it wasn’t very far and wanted to avoid the rush of people we experienced at the office on the first day. It was a 10-15 minute walk with luggage, you can cut across the park with the observation tower. We passed one shuttle on the way that would only have fit maybe 2-3 families (again it’s for all three companies) and beat everyone to the office. We were second in line when we got there, got a free upgrade to a minivan (from full size), and were on our way to Kennedy Space Center by 9:00 (we debarked around 8:30).
All in all it worked out well for us both ways. We took a shuttle last time but disliked having to wait and not being able to stop for wine and water, and the cost was roughly the same for a family of four, especially because we needed a car on the last day since we weren’t flying out until the following morning. My best advice would be to consider dropping your family at the terminal with everything and then taking the shuttle or walking over from the office. Same for the way back if you rent a car, as in hindsight it made little sense for my wife and kids to have to roll luggage even that short distance.
Good luck!

Yep. Drop the family off and return car.  Walk to terminal.  Did this many times.  One time I had a shuttle driver stop and pick me up as soon as I started to walk back.  But the walk is quick and easy so no worries.  

Matt has some really great resources to help sort through all the information about Coco Cay. One of the complaints I hear a ton is that Coco Cay is a money grab and there is nothing to do for free there. While I agree that the point of any business is to make money, I think people are not giving enough credit to all the great, free things to do there. 
What's included and costs extra on Coco Cay video
A bit of info on the Beach Club (more will be available once it opens in Jan)
Coco Cay prices and costs (paid things vary a TON, but also breaks out the free things)
Coco Cay Things to Know/FAQ
The whole Coco Cay tag
ETA: Based on your girls ages though depending on activity levels and interests, you may like South Beach as an option. If you just do chairs and an umbrella there, it doesn't even cost. Though likely some of the activities will. At a glance, I wouldn't be shocked if they charged for paddle boarding, kayaking and zorbing (which looks like that giant hamster ball thing??)
"South Beach - Offering volleyball, beachside basketball, soccer, paddle boarding, glass-bottom kayaking and zorbing in an inflatable zorb ball. "

Take a look at some of the cruise compass's from recent sailings that have been to Coco Cay.  This will show you all of the other activities that are offered.  I'm trying to convince my 10 year old son not to do the waterpark, because he won't ride the majority of the slides.  I think we would have a more enjoyable time with the beach activities and snorkeling.  We will be there next week, so I'll be sure to post our cruise compass when we return.

Bring snorkel gear and you can snorkel for free.  Or rent some...great snorkeling there!  They have wave jets you can rent and kids can be passengers.  I have a video of the wave jets you can see to decide if you'd like it.  Or you just hang out on the beach like any other and just relax!

All sorts of things! There's a great splash pad with some slides the kids would still probably enjoy. The largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean. Chill Island which is just a great beach experience. By the time you're there, they will also have South Beach open. They're planning on having tailgate games and sports courts there. Some of the exercise classes will be free as well. I'm certain there's a more comprehensive list somewhere but this gives you an idea ?

Oh, you bet I will ??
 
/puts on his Big Boy pants

Oh, you bet I will ??
 
/puts on his Big Boy pants

Oh, you bet I will ??
 
/puts on his Big Boy pants

Hi all! 
We're celebrating the wifes 40th with a 2020 7 day cruise on Harmony. As part of her birthday gift I'm considering buying her a 1 hour massage but I'm not sure which one to pick? 
Any suggestions/input? Those availabe seems to be swedish, elemis deep tissue, aroma stone, bamboo, thai herbal... 

Thanks @Matt - or Mange takk/Flott/Kjempefint as us norwegias say ? Quite close to our hotell as well, looks like a keeper! 

Thanks @Matt - or Mange takk/Flott/Kjempefint as us norwegias say ? Quite close to our hotell as well, looks like a keeper! 

Thank you very much! It's equally about the experience as much as the shopping itself so I'm sure Millenia will do just fine (I've looked it up online). The thing is, here in Norway, clothes are expensive. A good pair of Levis can run you between $100-200 and if I remember correctly from our last trip to NY - clothes where much cheaper than that. 
Thank you for that! Great read ?
Really? Gotta remember to ask our travel agent about this. We actually put down the deposit yesterday, so... yay!!
Wow, never heard of that?!? That's good to know, for sure ?

Thank you for that one! I am building a travel guide for myself and the family and a laminated copy of this has surely earned its place somewhere in there ?
I mean... I'm not really sure where to start. A great, big thank you for that post!!
When it comes to shopping. We live in a small, rural community with roughly 20k people in our general vicinity. There really aren't a lot of shopping opportunities around here, to put it mildly. We had our best shopping experience when we visited New York a couple of years ago and took a trip to the Woodbury Common Outlet and spent a day rummaging around the stores there. We are basically looking to ape that experience, if available. If you wouldn't mind asking your sister for advice I sure would appreciate it ? 
And on a side note, if people are as friendly on the Harmony as on this board, I guess we're in for a great time ?
Wow, thanks for that advice! I googled for those outlets and parking seems to be a hassle, am I right? We are visiting in the middle of february. Could that make a difference or is tha parking an issue all year round?
Well, the refreshment package, you say?!? That looks like something I should look into! Thanks a lot!
Wow, great info there! I guess I'm mainly interested in cash games but I'm usually up for whatever is available. Good to know that the option to have som fun, pokerwise, is there ? I guess the stakes are larger than what I'm usually playing but when in Rome...
Thanks a lot for the information! I mean, it looks like our travel agent has booked a car for us for 4 days. Since we are gonna be spending two days in the Universal Parks I do not really see the need for a rental for the entire stay. I mean, taxis should get us to the malls/outlets without major hassle, right? And on the plus side we don't have to worry about parking etc.

I will let others tackle your other questions, but I recently came across this pretty comprehensive chart on tipping so I thought I would share. There’s some instances that aren’t covered here, but it tackles the things most common to traveling. I’d imagine you don’t need to know customs for a haircut or a nail salon. 
The bathroom attendant one is rarely a thing anymore so don’t stress about that one. It refers to if you are in a very, very nice restaurant or hotel who would have someone who stands there and hands out towels or small toiletries. Even then, I’ve been told you only tip if you use any of the things that they hand out. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve only seen this a handful of times. I believe it used to be more common. Honestly, when in doubt do a quick google search “do you tip X” with X being the thing you are unsure about. Like “do you tip hotel check in” (no). I’ve spent my whole life here and have done that a couple of times. Our country can be very confusing when it comes to tips!!