Ditchdoc

Well . I am pretty anal about always having 3 things these days, my keys, my billfold and my phone. Having a pocket for the phone got me to buying cargo type pants and shorts. There are not many times I do not have extra pockets.
While cruising, all you need on board is the Seapass card. The same anal tendencies for keys/phone etc are simply extended to the Seapass card. I just always make sure it is in a pocket before I walk out of the cabin. I do not use my phone on board. I carry the phone  when going ashore but it goes back in the safe on the ship. I just don't need it.
Keep it simple.

Realizing this this a RCCL based site, I have been reading about affinity/travel related credit cards the past few days. No doubt there are some biased opinions out there and the credit card world is primary out there to skim money from retailers and charge exorbitant interest to consumers. Having said all that, some cards offer better travel benefits than others and the RCCL Visa is no where near the top on anyone's list of the 'best of'.
I say that in spite of having used the RCCL Visa myself for over 10 years and earned a couple of 'two for one cruises' and several OBC's of varying amounts. I am seriously reconsidering that choice of credit card. I only carry one card, generally pay it off monthly and channel most every thing I can through it for the sole purpose of travel benefits. There are cards out there with all kinds of agreements with on line reservation systems, hotels, airlines and virtually any travel expense including cruise lines. Many of these offer large 'sign up bonuses' that amounts to hundreds of dollars and some offer as much as 10x credit per dollar spent. Most all convert 10,000 points/miles into $100. Some even allow that to be converted to cash in your pocket.
Some are more biased toward airlines, some toward hotels and others for for any travel expense. Some have no annual membership, some have fairly steep annual membership though a good part of it can be offset with perks. Some are no doubt best suited for professionals that travel world wide on a regular basis. Some are a better fit for families that  do vacations once or twice a year. Most are targeted toward people with good credit scores.
Keeping all that in mind, there are some really good travel benefits to be had. Digging a little deeper, coupling some cards with online reservations as specific incentives with some hotels, rental cars and so on can seriously boost the points/miles you get.
Its kind of like people that cut coupons, if you spend a little time researching and playing the game, you can save a lot of money on travel.

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

Realizing this this a RCCL based site, I have been reading about affinity/travel related credit cards the past few days. No doubt there are some biased opinions out there and the credit card world is primary out there to skim money from retailers and charge exorbitant interest to consumers. Having said all that, some cards offer better travel benefits than others and the RCCL Visa is no where near the top on anyone's list of the 'best of'.
I say that in spite of having used the RCCL Visa myself for over 10 years and earned a couple of 'two for one cruises' and several OBC's of varying amounts. I am seriously reconsidering that choice of credit card. I only carry one card, generally pay it off monthly and channel most every thing I can through it for the sole purpose of travel benefits. There are cards out there with all kinds of agreements with on line reservation systems, hotels, airlines and virtually any travel expense including cruise lines. Many of these offer large 'sign up bonuses' that amounts to hundreds of dollars and some offer as much as 10x credit per dollar spent. Most all convert 10,000 points/miles into $100. Some even allow that to be converted to cash in your pocket.
Some are more biased toward airlines, some toward hotels and others for for any travel expense. Some have no annual membership, some have fairly steep annual membership though a good part of it can be offset with perks. Some are no doubt best suited for professionals that travel world wide on a regular basis. Some are a better fit for families that  do vacations once or twice a year. Most are targeted toward people with good credit scores.
Keeping all that in mind, there are some really good travel benefits to be had. Digging a little deeper, coupling some cards with online reservations as specific incentives with some hotels, rental cars and so on can seriously boost the points/miles you get.
Its kind of like people that cut coupons, if you spend a little time researching and playing the game, you can save a lot of money on travel.

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

If you search for cruise ship crashes it becomes apparent that it happens fairly often. Mostly with piers or docks and sometimes with other boats and rocks.
Navigating and piloting open and near shore waters  are governed by volumes of national and international marine rules and laws. Many times it simply boils down to "don't run into anything."
 
Conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
 
PS ... it is a joke .. this did not really happen.
 
 

I never seem to need a lanyard. I look nerdy enough without looking like I am at a convention. ?

I never seem to need a lanyard. I look nerdy enough without looking like I am at a convention. ?

Packing cubes seem to just make it more complicated than it needs to be.
My wife and I each have a soft sided duffel.  We chose North Face Base Camp model. It has something like 4,000 cubic inches of storage. They are airport tough and last many trips.. They come in a multitude of colors so you can pick something that stands out on the airport carousel.
 
We weight them at home and make sure we are under the travel limit. A carry on bag with what you want close and you are done.
 

I never seem to need a lanyard. I look nerdy enough without looking like I am at a convention. ?

Packing cubes seem to just make it more complicated than it needs to be.
My wife and I each have a soft sided duffel.  We chose North Face Base Camp model. It has something like 4,000 cubic inches of storage. They are airport tough and last many trips.. They come in a multitude of colors so you can pick something that stands out on the airport carousel.
 
We weight them at home and make sure we are under the travel limit. A carry on bag with what you want close and you are done.
 

I never seem to need a lanyard. I look nerdy enough without looking like I am at a convention. ?

Dare I say ..... the KY ..... I guess I dare.

There are no doubt all kinds of scenarios where people could potentially get out of hand. Obviously the sad drunk that starts throwing up to the stone cold drunk that no amount of alcohol seems to put down, instead they just loose their mind and any sense of civility. Then there are groups that tend to feed off each other like young people or a themed cruse where a few hundred people that ride motorcycles, play banjos or work together in some capacity are cruising together.
A more low key event that makes people uncomfortable could be as simple as a half drunk that joins in on karaoke, dedicates a song to his wife and starts singing "You've lost that loving feeling" .
There are people with psychological issues. There was one very large man that carried around a stuffed toy monkey, he often talked to it and offered it bits of food.
All these cases can lead to discomfort among other passengers and they would all be handled in different ways. Ships can literally have hundreds of cameras in public areas monitored by security. No doubt security would like to be discrete in its handling of unruly passengers but ships do have a brig and passengers have been known to spend time there.

Dress like you belong to the human race and you will be fine.

Search for:
TaoTronics Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter/Receiver, Wireless 3.5mm Audio Adapter (aptX Low Latency, Pair 2 at Once, for TV/Car Sound System, Volume Control)
Available on Amazon for about $33. Note you can find other similar devices by searching for 'bluetooth splitter'.
It uses the AUX audio output of phones/computers etc and splits the signal to two Bluetooth broadcasts so two wireless headsets/earbuds can listen to the same audio.
It can also work in reverse, so to speak, by plugging in a wired headset and then Bluetooth to a compatible device like a phone.
 
 
My wife and I both have our own Kindle Fire and Amazon Prime. We can download several movies to each  Kindle and watch them inflight as we wish. Of course there are books and other activities as well. Just know that use in sunlight is marginal to impossible and some applications require a WiFi connection.
 
 
 

I like to 'bundle'. That is .. if I am going to spend all this time and money going all the way to [fill in the blank] I'm going to spend as much time and do as much as I can.
That being said I would consider the following.
Orlando has a ton of things kids would enjoy.
Port Canaveral is only 2 hours or less away by car.
That being said, perhaps combine them by spending 3 or 4 nights in Orlando and follow it up with a cruise.
Since it is your first cruise, consider a shorter, 3 or 4 night, just to test the water so to speak and see if you like it. Out of Port Canaveral there are a number of cruises that go to Bermuda and back. You have a good choice of cruise lines and ships to choose from. I am a RCCL fan and Royal has certainly upped the ante with being child friendly.
A shorter cruise will cost less and allow you the time (an money perhaps) to spend some time at one of the Orlando parks.
Don't overlook the Disney Springs area. You can spend an entire day there with no admission with a lot of things adults and kids both would enjoy.
The last time we were there we used Uber quiet a bit. It was reasonable, quick and convenient.
Hope you find the perfect vacation and build lasting memories with the kids.
Take care.
 

I sometimes like having this app called 'Countdown' I think. You put in a date(s) and it tells you how many days till a birthday, Christmas, your cruise etc. Its fun when something gets below 100 days, then its in the 60s, then the 40's and so on ….

The tour we took lasted for 8 or 9 hours. We were driven all over the city in a modern bus. A very nice traditional lunch was included. That evening we did the Tropicana excursion. We were packed in like sardines but the show was fantastic. It was about as much as we could pack in for one day.
The architecture is phenomenal.  I hope our government gets it act together. The cruising related income is helping a lot of people and needed reconstruction is going on. 
Customs going in is a bit antiquated and slow but once your passport is stamped its easy peasy to come and go.