Ditchdoc

Did a SCUBA dive excursion. In the pre-digital age. I had purchased one of the small water proof film cameras and used it to take some pictures during the dive. Once I shot the entire roll, thinking I had gotten some pretty good photos, I stuck the camera in a Velcro pouch of the BC I had rented. When I got back to the ship I realized I had forgotten the camera.. I did what I could to see if I could get it back with no luck. Always hated I never got to see how those photos turned out.

That is exciting news .... for a dermatologist.

An early cruise with cell phones. Didn't turn them off. Thought just not using them would be OK. Found out background apps pinging and accepting texts etc added up to a few hundred dollar phone bill by the end of the cruise.

Never cared for lanyards. Just don't like the way they look. On board, I don't need anything else so I just slip it in my pocket. If you carry a phone around, a card should be easy. On shore, a small bag/backpack or cargo pant pocket to keep necessities together.

Some of the ships have auto leveling billiard tables. On a larger scale I am sure bowling lanes could be auto leveling. I'm not so sure that many people actually like bowling. I'd be more interested in using the ice skating venue for drone racing.

On my upcoming B2B I received a Royal Up opportunity for the second half of the cruise. I decided to not even try since we had the same room for both cruises and didn't really want to change if we won the upgrade.

Just use some common sense like not blocking the passage, not vulgar, not dangerous and don't damage the door.

All I have are the prices in cruise planner. Any thing I posted in quotes comes directly from cruise planner. They do not break down surcharges, tips or different menus. So what I have to make my decision looks as though it is more expensive to reserve a +1 package than it is to reserve separately. Its only $3.09 difference but you would think there would be a discount for for purchasing two meals instead of a price increase. Maybe RC thinks people will purchase the +1 thinking its a bargain when it is not. At this time is is a moot point. I decided to have a nice Chops dinner and forget the whole +1 offer whose pricing is questionable at best. As far as the hijacking, go for it. Its relevant to to the RC dining experience which currently seems to be in some turmoil. Things are going to cost what they cost. I just hate fluctuating or somewhat hidden or questionable charges you may or may not expect. Just be up front with the total price and people will buy it or they wont.

"Gratuities are included in all dining packages that are purchased via Cruise planner. " Otherwise, its 18% if purchased on board.

What am I over looking? Current pricing from the RC site for Mariner on May 12. Chops +1 (25% off) $83.99 Considering Izumi as the +1. When Izumi is selected, in the information it states: "For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $15 surcharge." So the price Chops + 1 is $83.99 plus another $15 or $98.99 total. On the other hand, if you price each specialty restaurant separately: Izumi (15% off) $45.95 (There does not appear to be any surcharge) Chops (15% off) $49.95 Total $95.90 It cost $3.09 more to reserve Chops +1 than it does to reserve individual restaurants. Am I missing something?

I am not sure just what you could use that space for. As some have mentioned, a semi outdoor bar (Tiki) might work. I though maybe one of those virtual driving ranges were you hit a golf ball into a projected screen that detects speed and spin then virtually continues the balls course. You might could line up 3 or 4 people at a time and allow a limited number of balls (5 - 10). I am not sure golf is popular enough to have such an thing or not. Mariner is on it way back to the US for the summer season after a dry dock. Maybe its Skypad will be updated and give some clues for future use.

Mariner has left Gibraltar and is on her way to Port Canaveral. In case you can't tell. I'm excited. Only 45 days till we spend 2 weeks on board.

"Engine issues" is a not a very clear description of the potential problem. The ship has 4 engines. Usually, one is a spare to allow servicing. One engine being down usually does not affect ship operation. Now if the issue is with a gear box or azipod, this could cause speed issues.

Traditionally... Any vessel that can be carried or loaded on another vessel is a boat. However, there are ships specifically made to carry disabled vessels normally considered ships. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy-lift_ship

... I just know my limits.

Depends on seas, weather and how fast the captain wants to go but generally about a week.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9227510 I see she is out doing donuts off the coast of Spain.

Almost every day we have a few drink vouchers left over and cash them in for bottles of water.

Having some SCUBA experience I'll add my $0.02. First, I am Advanced Open Water, Dry Suit, NITROX and Rescue Diver certified. I learned to dive as a SCUBA, Swift Water Rescue Team. I have over a thousand logged dives. A lot of my diving has been body, vehicles (including one military helicopter) and evidence recovery in conditions and waters most people wold never consider wading in, much less diving in. I have done a fair amount of diving in the Caribbean, deep dives, drift dives and cave dives. PADI instructors are among the best. Learning to SCUBA is very rewarding. The beauty of the oceans is like nothing you will every see on land. Learning the skills and being comfortable in the water is paramount. It is nothing to rush through and end up being uncertain about. Keep in mind that not everyone is suited for SCUBA. It can feel claustrophobic and scary. Everyone learns differently. Some take more time and patience. Keep in mind that 'quickie' resort and cruise training may not be sufficient for some people. I have seen bad situations where bad instructors just leave people to flounder because they can not keep up with the rest of the class. There are classes where time and money can take precedence over safety. I will say the experience I have had with RC dive shops on board has been good but diving excursions can and are often run by independent dive shops and the quality of instructors, boats and equipment can vary. If SCUBA is all new to you, my advice is get the best training you can. Get your own well fitted mask, snorkel and fins. You might consider a wet suit. These come in full length ankle to wrist and 'shorties' that are thigh to elbow. For Caribbean diving, something thin and light weight alike 0.5 or 1mm thickness. It will act as your cover up, help with any slight chill and offer some protection if you bump into something that might hurt. If you go on a dive boat, be prepared to contend with other divers and motion sickness. Find your rental gear, inspect it and keep it close. If you can, test fit you BC and assemble your tank and regulator, and have your weight in place. If you have questions about how much wight, or anything else, ask your dive master for advice. Test your regulator for a good fit in your mouth, that your tank is full and nothing is leaking air. As a novice, it is easy to the have the tank turned the wrong way, the regulator on the wrong side or what ever. The basic idea here is to plan ahead for that drop into water and be ready so you are not scattered, lost and over anxious when the time comes. I have never had a dive master complain about me double checking and getting everything ready in advance. If anything, it gives them some confidence that you know what you are doing. It takes practice to get good control of buoyancy. Don't over compensate and yo yo. Its easy to be excited and burn up your air in a hurry. Stay calm and enjoy. Ascend slowly and decompress. The last thing you want to do and probably will do is panic at 60 feet or more. Anyway, enough scary stuff. The point of all this is take your training seriously and if you really feel uncomfortable in the water or with the equipment, maybe stick to the swimming pool. Be cautious of accelerated courses that promise certification in a day or two. SCUBA is a serious endeavor that is fun with great rewards and learning to do it properly and safely can not be over emphasized.

Its been a few years back when we did Vancouver to Seward then a week long land tour by bus/train to Fairbanks via Talkeetna and Denali. This was done in mid/late August and the weather was perfect. It was truly a trip of a life time and worth every penny. Some high lights included: Seeing Hubbard glacier calve. The narrow gauge railway at Skagway following the gold rush trail Whale watching from Anchorage thought we say more whales, closer from the ship and dock at Icy Point Straight. Luxurious RC train coaches with 360 degree views and on board meals. Seeing bears and wolves in Denali as well as dog sled teams. I do not think RC offers the extensive a land cruise any longer which was exceptional. I think it is cut back to 3 or 4 days and I think they sold the rail road cars that cost over a million each to another company that hosts the land tour. Regardless, if you get good weather, its a trip not to be missed if you can do it.

Well .... I'm in "its depends" category. It depends in part on demand. If 90% of the ship is on land at CoCo Cay and there is little demand and a lot of unused deck chairs, it does not matter too much if you 'reserve' a couple of spots early on while you get breakfast etc. On the other hand, on a sea day, when the pools are crowded and half the ship wants a spot at the pool, then the crew needs to be a bit more diligent about about looking for 'abandoned' deck chairs. To me, putting a sign on almost everything is obnoxious and ugly. Put a few signs in conspicuous places so people know and/or reminded. Like the police mark tires of limited parking areas, mark chairs in a simple way. Every 30 minutes to an hour, walk back through and any marked chair that is still unoccupied is made available for someone else. Its not rocket science but it is common courtesy.

She is still in dry dock on 3/23. I would guess she should be coming out most any day. In a week for sure.

In general, US custom's allows for 1 liter per person, period. Once, the wife and I purchased a liter each on board. On an excursion, were given a bottle of Cuban rum. I did not really think about it until we hit customs and the agent noted the 3 bottles instead of the 2 allowed. I just said, 'oops, do you want to dispose of one?'. The agent looked at me and simply said 'Go on' and we did. I can not attest to what goes on behind the scenes in customs but with ports simply using facial recognition and you keep going with no human interaction, I am not sure what you might get away with in your bags.

I think you are asking for something that does not exist per say. Almost every one of your examples can at least be queried in a search engine like Google or Bing. For instance, I looked up "which ships have a Flow Riders' and quickly found not only which ships but most anything you want to know about Flow Riders. Most of your other questions returned similar results. Lately, there has been a lot of news about AI search engines that in effect can answer very complicated questions by searching tens of thousands if not millions of web pages, find what is being asked and present it in what ever format you want. This is pretty cutting edge but it is the near future. Even so, as I stated before, much of this information can change day to day just like the availability of Sky Pads. The info you get may not always be current. It is the way of the world. It takes some skill with research and sleuthing to find some answers. That is where sites like this, where the information of many minds with experience come together, are helpful. Good luck in your future travels and I hope you find what you are looking for.

On our last cruise VOOM was available on the RC app. The wife and I are both C&A members so we both were able to activate our free VOOM perk anytime we wanted and it terminated 24 hours later. We juggled it with WiFi access at some ports and ended up using it during a day at sea to catch up with family etc. You can check with your phone provider but most Caribbean islands charge little or nothing for texting and data.