WesKinetic

Required? No. Do they make things easier? Yes.

Tell me I'm not the only one who read this in the Spongebob Squarepants narrator voice.

I had this exact problem last year--I went on a cruise and, rather than those points being added to my existing account, the system for some reason created a duplicate account. I emailed [email protected] and they had the situation resolved in just a few days.

If you need internet for your whole trip, you're generally better off paying for a plan in advance. But if you only need it periodically to check email and such, your combination of free days plus finding a spot with wifi in ports may be sufficient.

I did my first MSC western Caribbean cruise over Christmas and I would say 90% of the experience was very similar to RC. The few differences were really more a matter of personal preference than one being better than another. (For example, RC generally has more game-type entertainment such as trivia, Newlywed and similar games, etc. while MSC had more varied live music options.) But I'd say the food, service, etc. was all very comparable between the two. If you can get MSC at a good price, it's worth considering. As someone earlier mentioned, Disney is fantastic but it's not so far above another cruise line that I'm likely to try to justify that price point again.

Nope, that's definitely the way to do it.

Yes, that is still how they operate.

Maya Chan is our absolute favorite place to visit in Mexican cruise stops. Just got back from there last week and I'm ready to go back! As others mentioned, be prepared for rough roads. But I can promise that is the only downside you will experience. It's a fantastic experience.

@twangster posted this shot of the Texas drink menu a while back and this was the same when I cruised out of there last spring. So I doubt it has changed since then. (For some reason, the link isn't going straight to the comment with the photo. But scroll about 3/4 the way down the page and you'll see it.)

In determining "worth it", make sure you factor in the alternative if you don't get it. For example, if the only other things you would drink besides alcohol are the free offerings, that's one thing. But if you like sodas or specialty coffees and would otherwise get one of the nonalcoholic packages, be sure to deduct the cost of that from the Deluxe package so you're really comparing apples-to-apples in terms of how much you would spend on alcohol.

Where tipping does make a difference, in my experience, is when you become a regular at one bar and the bartenders/servers get to remember you. When they know you're a regular and you tip occasionally, the pours get a little stronger, the servers check on you a little more often and, oftentimes, they'll know your drink of choice and start on it as soon as you walk in. It's just like back home where you are more likely to tip better at a place where you visit regularly and know the staff personally. That said, I've never had bad service when I haven't tipped so definitely don't feel obligated. Generally, just being courteous and polite with the staff goes just as far.

As @Vancity Cruiser said, it's hard to give specific advice without knowing your itinerary. If you're doing Caribbean/Mexico, Royal Caribbean offers several accessible excursions that include driving tours/sight seeing. Please know those tend to fill up quickly so, if you find one that looks interesting, be sure to book it sooner rather than later.

I don't think that's unreasonable at all. You need to explain that internet on a cruise ship is not free and that, if work is going to expect you to check in, then work needs to help make that feasible.

100% agree that breakfast pizza would be a great option. But I'd be surprised if that's in the cards anytime soon.

Even if the exchange rate isn't exactly even with what you could get through your bank, it's not an exorbitant difference. I've never seen it more than plus/minus a peso or so per dollar difference vs. the going bank rates. So the amount you would save would be minimal, at best. Would you be wrong to take pesos? No. But it's certainly not necessary and, in my opinion, would be more trouble than it's worth.