BunnyHutt

Dec 2020 Anthem has Key available now in the cruise planner... for the bargain price of $37.99. 

When we cruised as a family a couple of years ago and purchased the Refreshment Package for all 4 of us purely for the convenience. Even with hitting SBX every day (the 8 yr old was also getting Frappuccinos), I don’t think we broke even. 
When I cruised with my BFF last month, we had the DBP for the convenience but, with 2 days at sea, I’m sure we got out money’s worth... even though neither of us are huge drinkers. It was nice to have a couple of drinks with dinner, though, and not worry about it. With our OBC, I think it came out to $35/day/pp, incl service charges. 
I’m sailing with our kids but without my husband next year. Won’t be drinking much but I did get the $18 deal... because $18. ?

When I was in 7th grade (back in ‘90), my parents and I almost missed the boat in Barbados. We had hired our own cab driver to take us around the island and then ran into an issue with 2 flat tires making our way back to the boat. We were running up the pier in our bathing suits and flip flops as they were pulling up the gangplank. We didn’t even have passports back then but we joked that we could have learned if my dad’s AmEx would have lived up to its “don’t leave home without it” slogan.
I’ve been on 5 cruises as an adult and, because of that experience, won’t go on any cruise-sponsored excursion... even if it means paying more.
 

There is no pole in 9510. 

I have a feeling the lawyer was trolling their social media accounts and found the picture of the girl at the hockey game. He then concocted the “banging on the glass” story before even meeting with them and the family immediately latched on to it. Not because they’re money-hungry but rather it’s the only thing that makes sense in their grief and can help them hang on. 
If everyone was so hysterical that they needed to be sedated after the incident - which is completely understandable - I highly doubt they knew exactly what the train of thought was in the moments leading up to the accident. So, yeah, I’m calling BS and blaming the lawyer for that one. 

I have a feeling the lawyer was trolling their social media accounts and found the picture of the girl at the hockey game. He then concocted the “banging on the glass” story before even meeting with them and the family immediately latched on to it. Not because they’re money-hungry but rather it’s the only thing that makes sense in their grief and can help them hang on. 
If everyone was so hysterical that they needed to be sedated after the incident - which is completely understandable - I highly doubt they knew exactly what the train of thought was in the moments leading up to the accident. So, yeah, I’m calling BS and blaming the lawyer for that one. 

My experience has been that airfare rarely goes down. And prices have been higher than normal recently... not sure if it’s trickle down from the MAX8 issues or what (seeing it across the board, not just SWA). 
My trick when I know I’ve got a large air expenditure coming up is to use CC rewards - either save up cash back, open an airline CC for the signup bonus FF points, or a combination of the two. We always pay our cards in full every month so might as well get the perks for money we’d be spending anyway. ?

I have a feeling the lawyer was trolling their social media accounts and found the picture of the girl at the hockey game. He then concocted the “banging on the glass” story before even meeting with them and the family immediately latched on to it. Not because they’re money-hungry but rather it’s the only thing that makes sense in their grief and can help them hang on. 
If everyone was so hysterical that they needed to be sedated after the incident - which is completely understandable - I highly doubt they knew exactly what the train of thought was in the moments leading up to the accident. So, yeah, I’m calling BS and blaming the lawyer for that one. 

Yeah, particularly when you have a sleazy lawyer whispering in your ear 5 seconds after it happened, "....this is not your fault.  I can get Royal Caribbean pay you a LOT of money.  This is THEIR fault..."

My experience has been that airfare rarely goes down. And prices have been higher than normal recently... not sure if it’s trickle down from the MAX8 issues or what (seeing it across the board, not just SWA). 
My trick when I know I’ve got a large air expenditure coming up is to use CC rewards - either save up cash back, open an airline CC for the signup bonus FF points, or a combination of the two. We always pay our cards in full every month so might as well get the perks for money we’d be spending anyway. ?

Maybe RCCL was feeling bad for canceling Cuba, but we bad both lobster and the lamb shank on our 5-night. The lamb was soooo good, definitely *the* best meal we had.... and our table of 6 women, all of us only knowing our travel partners when we started the cruise, ate very very well that week. LOL

Lobster was on the MDR menu on the last night of my 5-night Majesty cruise earlier this month. Like a PP stated, I combined with the (no-upcharge) steak for my own “free” surf and turf. ?

Just did this last week. When you get on Terminal Blvd, STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE. It will take you (and lots of other vehicles) right in front of the terminal. I had our bags tagged in the rear of our vehicle, puled up to the curb, popped the trunk gave the bags (and a tip) to the baggage folks. Drove around the corner and into the parking garage ($20/day but well worth it). Park your car, take your keys and receipt with you. Very short walk to the terminal and there are two elevators. When you disembark get your luggage, pay at the kiosks outside the parking garage, find your car  and away you go. As you exit, give your paid receipt to one of the attendants. Very easy. 

Lobster was on the MDR menu on the last night of my 5-night Majesty cruise earlier this month. Like a PP stated, I combined with the (no-upcharge) steak for my own “free” surf and turf. ?

We were on an impacted Cuba cruise and were very happy with the way it was handled. Between that and the $18 beverage snafu (on a 2020 Perfect Day holiday cruise with my kids that had already been booked), Royal has created a customer who will turn to them first for cruising.
Oh, and I spent a whopping $10 on board my Majesty cruise and was incredibly impressed that my refund was posted to my CC within 36 hours of debarkation. 

If you can manage to spend half your fare on board, you either had a ridiculously low fare to begin with or you spend way too much money on the ship.

I totally agree that Grandpa used poor judgement resulting in a tragic mistake. But I don't think the family is necessarily trying to "strike it rich" - because I remember how I felt when tragedy struck my family, albeit under different circumstances. One of the early symptoms of grief is anger, and certainly this family has a lot to be angry about (Mom is angry at Dad for letting Grandpa take the baby over to the window, Dad is angry at Grandpa for lifting the baby up to the window, Grandpa is angry at himself for being responsible for the tragedy, Grandma is angry at Grandpa for causing the death of the baby, etc.) and when people are angry, they flail around looking for someone to blame. When my daughter was killed, I was angry at EVERYONE with whom I could find anything to be angry about, and her father was so angry he drove people away (a phenomenon you may have observed in other bereaved parents), but that was just a normal grief reaction that gave way, eventually, to the deep grief that comes when the energy provided by anger is spent.
The only person I blame is the lawyer, who I think is the one trying to get rich by inventing this cockamamie story of it being a "kids area" and parading this family in front of the media. I don't hate lawyers, by any means. My dad was a lawyer, but he never chased an ambulance or a cruise ship or dragged his clients into the limelight. He honored the confidentiality of the lawyer/client relationship, that this lawyer apparently never heard of.

I just sailed the Majesty a couple of weeks ago in a JS. It was a lovely cabin and if you’re already booked in one, I’m not sure the additional cost for the GS would be worth it. I’m not sure if there’s a designated suite area for breakfast, unless they set aside part of the MDR and there was *never* an issue finding seating for a show. Regarding the smoking area, I *believe* all suites are on deck 10 and the smoking area is deck 11. Our JS was actually underneath that part of the pool deck (starboard side) and I never noticed any issues, and I’m pretty sensitive to cigarette smoke. 
Only benefit I can possibly think of with an upgrade is if it impacts your Cuba refund, if applicable. We upgraded from an OV to a JS with a *very* aggressive bid... in fact, we figured we probably overpaid (still less than booking JS directly), but we were grateful for the extra space and balcony so we were okay with it. Then we got our statement for the 50% credit and it was considerably higher than I was anticipating. Only thing we could think of that made that happen was it was based on cabin category versus what we paid for our original fare (?) But that’s only a theory. Between that and the fact that I had just successfully purchased the $18 drink package on my 2020 sailing, RCCL has gained a customer for life ?
Enjoy the Majesty...we had a wonderful time. All the staff we encountered were excellent and the piano player in Schooners was a real treat. Small ship but we never felt crowded. 
 

Whether it’s a “deal” or not depends on how much consume of any particular type of beverage. I like having the sunk cost taken care of so I’m not worried about the onboard statement. 
When we sailed as a family a few years ago we all had the Refreshment Package and my husband and I purchased “adult beverages” a la carte. Could count on one hand the number of drinks we had over the course of 7 days. When I sailed with a girlfriend earlier this month we splurged and got the Deluxe pkg, using OBC to offset some of the cost. Neither of us are big drinkers, but over the course of the day - and when you factor in bottled water - we absolutely got our money’s worth. And, even if we didn’t, it was nice to order something without worrying about the cost. 

Whether it’s a “deal” or not depends on how much consume of any particular type of beverage. I like having the sunk cost taken care of so I’m not worried about the onboard statement. 
When we sailed as a family a few years ago we all had the Refreshment Package and my husband and I purchased “adult beverages” a la carte. Could count on one hand the number of drinks we had over the course of 7 days. When I sailed with a girlfriend earlier this month we splurged and got the Deluxe pkg, using OBC to offset some of the cost. Neither of us are big drinkers, but over the course of the day - and when you factor in bottled water - we absolutely got our money’s worth. And, even if we didn’t, it was nice to order something without worrying about the cost. 

I watched the interview. There is no doubt that the family is dealing with immense pain and I think their placing blame on RCCL (albeit misguided) is the only way they’re able to function. 

Whether it’s a “deal” or not depends on how much consume of any particular type of beverage. I like having the sunk cost taken care of so I’m not worried about the onboard statement. 
When we sailed as a family a few years ago we all had the Refreshment Package and my husband and I purchased “adult beverages” a la carte. Could count on one hand the number of drinks we had over the course of 7 days. When I sailed with a girlfriend earlier this month we splurged and got the Deluxe pkg, using OBC to offset some of the cost. Neither of us are big drinkers, but over the course of the day - and when you factor in bottled water - we absolutely got our money’s worth. And, even if we didn’t, it was nice to order something without worrying about the cost. 

Google tells me there’s limited Duty Free at Heritage Wharf. 
https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_0000a5.htm
Tell him you’ll get it if you happen to see it, if not, he can book a ticket to the island of his choice. ?

One of Carnival's largest ships yet smaller than Voyager class :) 

This is why many of us are voicing our thoughts in this thread.  We all have compassion and feel terrible about the loss of life.  If the family hadn't attacked the cruise line with such tenacity refusing to accept any blame or admit it was simply a terrible accident many of us would have remained silent and grieved with them.