Constantino

most sales result in the same price. the offsets sometimes come in the form of on board credits. however, their is a fare gaurantee, so if the price does drop, you can request an adjustment. With the caveot that if the price drops after your final payment is due (typically 90 days out), the credit comes as an OBC rather than cash. This isn't the worst thing in the world, since you'll at very least be able to use it for your gratuity (which is a good reason not to prepay gratuity, but rather to accept the default amount when you are on the ship using any excess OBC)

the insulation is very good, but not magic. If you intend to go to sleep before 11, Id look for a room elsewhere.

I suspect it has to do with the "environment". if the casino is too small or too empty, people are not encouraged to stay and gamble. splitting the crowds could have that effect. Id love a non smoking casino, they have a nonsmoking "side", and some pretty strong air currents to keep smoke away, but its obviously FAR from a brick wall between them.

when we sailed a year ago on oasis, we had no clue this was even a thing until we got to our room, even then we had to do some digging to figure out why we had 4 glasses... it was not apparent during the booking at any point, didnt flag us when we bought the refreshment package that we already had a soda package. Nothing at all. If they wanted some sort of "credit" for this program that would encourage people to book these inside balconies, maybe they should have mentioned it somewhere... It was a wierd program, particularly with soda and wine, things that people often buy on their own with the deluxe beverage package, which leads to varying levels of benefit.

imessage on iphones does. if you have an iphone, the recipient must also have an iphone or you'll be texting into the great blue yonder and they will not receive anything (and I dont believe you'll even know) Android does not offer this functionality in its native messaging app. though as mentioned, there are various platform agnostic solutions to fill this role.

Ah, I dont often think of eating after the show. Which would be fine for cruise days, with all the breakfast and lunch, eating at 8:30 would probably be a relief. but port days, often returning half starved, its nice to get cleaned up and straight to a meal.

Yeah, I dont do late dinner because it conflicts with pretty much every show. You have to pretty much not care about shows to do the late dining option. If you could do a late MTD, maybe that would work for certain nights depending on your schedule, but to commit to it EVERY night?

why would they cancel your cruise? did they pay for it? If they did, they could potentially dispute the charge with the credit company which would trump anything else you did (and they might be right to cancel it if they are not on the trip). If they are not paying for it, and you are just concerned with them being vindictive, then perhaps simplest solution is to cancel the cruise yourself and rebook without their name involved, then they would have no authority and would not know the itinerary number. of course if you are past the 100% refund date, that wouldnt be an option.

do you think you will snorkel at any other ports? could convince you to bring your own. I bought "nice" cressi fins and mask for $70. the price of some single snorkel excursions. and Ill have those things for life, so seemed like a good purchase. You can get lesser sets for $30. life vest would be an issue. but I am a strong swimmer so I take the risk, not like Im snorkeling in remote locations all by myself either, if i had kids with me, obviously would be a different story.

MDR only for me, never eaten at a paid restaurant on the ship, except johnny rockets. I am sure they are great, but $30+ for a meal is a lot of money IMO, especially when I already have a great meal easily worth $20-30 waiting for me at the MDR. Ill save that $30 and go out to eat when I am not on vacation. though, I dont eat that much food in my normal life. When I know I am going out to dinner, I will often eat very small meals that day so I am extra hungry to enjoy that dinner. When I am on a cruise, eating a big breakfast AND lunch, Im already stuffed when dinner comes around, also contributing to my disinterest to spend MORE money on food that I can barely eat. also worth noting that I am wierd and do not like steak (not that Im vegan or unable to eat it, just do not enjoy it), so everyones favorite restaurant, chops, holds no appeal to me.

some of those ships are rather old, and lacking in amenities. They still sail because it is affordable or fills an less popular home port. Personally, I look at the opportunity cost, and I would not want to use my limited vacation time to fly north to Montreal to sail on a 28 year old Empress of the seas along the Canadian coast...

dont ruin your trip due to feeling obliged to over drink to "get your moneys worth". You likely spend $2k+ to be on a cruise, seeing ports, perhaps more on excursions. Dont spend half a day or more hugging a toilet. There is no cure for a hangover. hydration is important, but mostly it works because if your drinking water, you are not drinking alcohol. drink to a pleasant buzz, then maintain. Cruises are a blast, make sure alcohol doesnt ruin it.

oh wow, yeah, my cruise is $52 for a day pass and $472 for a cabana. As best as I can tell based on cruise itineraries, our ship is the only one in cococay on that day, so perhaps that drives the pricing for these things, 2 ships could support higher prices on limited cabanas.

the multinight dining packages typically have a dollar cap on them anyway... so perhaps chops was going to exceed that dollar cap and would therefore be more valuable being fully included? could be, though it wouldnt explain that price gap either way.

even if you dont plan to get off the ship, better to have ports, it will be less windy, and WAY less crowded if your stopped and everyone is on shore. Even for cost, I assume theres a docking fee, but probably less than fuel costs