USCG Teacher

I think that would only be possible if you were to cruise Cunard on one of the legs.  The Queen Mary 2 does several Transatlantic crossings so next April we are on RC transatlantic ending in Southampton.  We then spend almost a week in London and are returning on Cunard.

Vacation off to a good start: was scheduled to work 4am-2pm but the boss just got in and told me to leave whenever I want and get my vacation started- so I'll be rolling out of here no later than MAYBE noon...and that's a BIG maybe. Got the kids soccer game tomorrow morning about 20 minutes away (somehow the road games tend to be closer to home than the home games, which are about 40 minutes away) and that's my last commitment before the trip. 

If it is an RCL excursion it is no problem.  If it is a 3rd party excursion you need to reach out to them and coordinate.

To CK but ymmv as if they will allow you to make the full week or just day by day. 

Night and day IMO. Some of our CK meals were excellent, others not as amazing, but significantly better than the MDR IMO.
Throw in the atmosphere and the service which is usually excellent and I wouldn't go near the MDR if you're in a full suite.
Just one man's opinion, obviously. Food is of course very subjective.

This is 100% the move.  After sunset.  No scenery to distract them, nothing to do, and too late to get off. 👍🏼 May the Gods be in your favor.

No worries at all, you've got enough on your plate!  And it's a standing offer. 😉👍🏼

Are you doing coach, or do you have roomettes/bedrooms?  On Texas Eagle, from Chicago to San Antonio has "Flexible Dining" in the dining car, which is a generous term for microwaved meals.  That said, even those microwaved meals are a step up from what's in the cafe car.  The cafe car is fine for a short commuter trip where you just forgot to eat and need a quick snack, but fr real sustenance it gets old real quick.
Texas Eagle Flexible Dining Menu
Generic Amtrak Cafe Car menu
Also to note: I have been on trips where no cash was accepted and it was card only, and I've been on trips where the CC reader was broken and the cafe was cash only. 🤷🏻‍♂️

This is 100% the move.  After sunset.  No scenery to distract them, nothing to do, and too late to get off. 👍🏼 May the Gods be in your favor.

Now I feel like the oddball, which is not new for me and I'm cool with it, lol.
My wife knows all about my forum interactions although I normally don't actually live blog like I did in June. She'll likely help me take pics if I live blog in the future when we're back to being alone without extended family. I tend to compose/post my little write-ups while we're not actively doing anything (like lounging in the Solarium) and she's not super interested but she'll ask, "did you mention XYZ?"
She may have even been told "there's a guy from South Philly with a Gritty avatar who made fun of the Orlando City purple cheesesteak." 😁

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

I know it was slightly touched upon, but dinning packages can sell out. So, waiting closer to the sail date can mean no package. Unlike beverages or internet, there are a finite number of spots available. 

Maybe this is old news but I don’t recall this service coming back before.
On Adventure now and received this letter in my cabin.  I have no idea if it is still complimentary for suites (doubtful) and the price, surprisingly, only went up by $4 since I last recall seeing it.
I always used this service when I was flying to/from cruises.  Glad to see it has returned.  I tried to upload the image but I don’t think it worked.  Ugh
 

I just want to give a big thank you to everyone that answered all my questions and offered advice, you really helped our first cruise experience. We had such a great time that we are set to book our second. Once again everyone, THANK YOU 😀

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

Phew...that was a lot of writing to say "I don't like cheap whipped cream or Indian food"

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

Both can and will happen.  Royal's package prices usually hover in a fairly consistent space with some occasional fluctuations.  Sometimes it's because of a sale, sometimes it's just random.  Your best bet in buying anything off of the Cruise Planner is to just buy what you're interested in whenever it is at a price you're comfortable with, but then keep monitoring the price!  If it goes down after you buy it, you can always cancel and rebook at the lower rate.  The only caveat is to be sure to call in to rebook on items that may sell out.  There have been tales of people who cancelled online to rebook the lower price, and by the time they rebooked, the excursion or package had sold out.  Doing the exchange live with an agent is far less convenient, but it eliminates that possibility.

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

I kinda hoping just to see the difference that Liberty gets an update soon because we sail get this October and then next. It would be cool if we see her next month and then an updated Liberty 1 year from now. 

Hi, hello, good morning, and if i don't see you later, good evening!
Just kidding.  Of course I'll see you later! We're cruising together after all. 
Our car service should be here early, before 11.
We're still grabbing stuff to pack. You'd think we were cruising for a year, not a week. 
Dropping off the brats wasn't  so bad that Batman has to endure Cats in its entirety, but it WAS a two person job that i did not manage to get out of.....
 
Anyway, it's a beautiful day for a cruise! See you onboard!

Fun fact: my wife helped design that game. She does design for NJ Lottery. Now back to your regularly scheduled live blog hilarity. 😉 Have a great cruise!

Awesome!!! That is a totally fun fact! Thanks for sharing! 🥰🥰