Ampurp85

Wow your daughters look so much like a perfect mixture of you and your husband. There is a running joke that when my brother and I travel with our mother and grandmother, people get confused. They think our grandmother is the mother and the three of us are siblings. I can see people saying the same to you, that your children could be younger siblings 🤣.
Also, who would laugh???? I love a good museum and library. That view is amazing, and I love the water bottles in little bags like they are a gift. 

Mostly everything is covered but I want to add on to your first question. If this was booked with a "won onboard" certificate it is only valid for the date you chose. You will not be able to change the dates to any Icon sailings, only what is offered on the certificate and if you do, you will get the money off and not the room (i.e., interior, OV, etc.). 
I now consistently book through Club Royale. Sometimes they aren't as knowledgeable, but you can call back and get the right answer. 

If they sailed in suites during the restart or just during the restart when it was double points it was doable. I made D+ in 10 sailings by sailing solo, in suites and getting double points for half those sailings. I sailed in suites 3 times with double points so it 26+28+28, then I sailed solo 7 times in interiors and balconies with half also being double points. 

I have worked a waitress on and off for years. I too agree that if you a good one, minimum wage would not be worth it. It the potential to make money, but there are horrible tradeoffs as well.  You have to put up with a LOT. I have worked a corporate job and waited tables at the same time due to budget cuts. On salary, with the demands and such you often make minimum wage. But you could put in 5/6 hours of physical work and make your paycheck, serving. For every wonderful guest there are three who come in to do the most. The part that sucks is nothing is standardized, so a server in NY is probably making $1k a week while one in AL is making $200. Minimum wage is not enough to put up with the demands, disrespect, etc. you have to deal with, especially when you factor in how much these restaurants make. 
The crew on ships are making a living wage, probably more than double, based on their home country. But they are giving of themselves for more than the standard workday as their shifts are often 12hrs. Whether you chose to tip or not is up to each individual. I know most are happy with even a $1 or $2.........or even just a friendly conversation and respect.

Wow your daughters look so much like a perfect mixture of you and your husband. There is a running joke that when my brother and I travel with our mother and grandmother, people get confused. They think our grandmother is the mother and the three of us are siblings. I can see people saying the same to you, that your children could be younger siblings 🤣.
Also, who would laugh???? I love a good museum and library. That view is amazing, and I love the water bottles in little bags like they are a gift. 

Wow your daughters look so much like a perfect mixture of you and your husband. There is a running joke that when my brother and I travel with our mother and grandmother, people get confused. They think our grandmother is the mother and the three of us are siblings. I can see people saying the same to you, that your children could be younger siblings 🤣.
Also, who would laugh???? I love a good museum and library. That view is amazing, and I love the water bottles in little bags like they are a gift. 

If they sailed in suites during the restart or just during the restart when it was double points it was doable. I made D+ in 10 sailings by sailing solo, in suites and getting double points for half those sailings. I sailed in suites 3 times with double points so it 26+28+28, then I sailed solo 7 times in interiors and balconies with half also being double points. 

As someone who has booked a number of cruises I'd caution you about reading posts on social media about wonderful deals and how so and so saved so much money compared to other people.  
There are some ways, sometimes, to save money or get something extra.  However that doesn't apply to every cruise, every time.  Sometimes this and sometimes that can save someone money if the timing is right.  A month later and that something they got isn't available anymore but people like to brag.  Sometimes the fare on the Royal website is the best you are going to do.  
Any time you fly all the people around paid a different rate.  Some got great deals, others not so much.  If you hear that someone paid $39 for their airfare and decide to hold out until that rate is offered again, you will probably find yourself never flying on that plane.  YMMV.
Every cruise is different.  Same ship a week later might be less money but if you can't sail that week that rate just doesn't matter.
Find a rate that is within your budget and a rate that allows you to sleep at night once you pay the deposit.   

After we were done going through Grand Central Terminal, we were losing steam big time. There was a restaurant (Mad Dog & Beans) that I had discovered online a few weeks ago. They have fried ice cream on their menu and you all know that we cannot resist places that have that on their menus. We headed over there for an early dinner. 

Dinner was good but still not my beloved La Bamba. I feel like we will forever be chasing and looking for a La Bamba replacement. 
Took another wander through Times Square on the way back to the hotel. 

No energy to do anything else. It’s been a long day and tomorrow is cruise day! 

After spending about two hours in the library, most of the time spent going through the Treasures collection, we headed around the corner to Grand Central Terminal. We had never been here either in all our trips to NYC. It reminded us of King’s Cross station in London.

The main reason we wanted to come here was for the Treasures collection. It was well worth it. Inside there is a nice collection of “first works” from Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven, Euclid, various aspects of US History, and much more. We found this both interesting and we learned quite a lot too. 
 

Incorrect. (I think you're thinking of Newark, DE). 😀  But we're still friends!
C) Nork!

NYPL

After dropping off our stuff, we headed out to do something totally free, but something the kids have always wanted to do. Don’t laugh. If you watched the IG stories, you already know, our “loose plans” today was the New York Public Library. 
On our way to the library, we stopped by Times Square. 

We are so tired! Going to try and backtrack the day from when we checked into the hotel and then head to bed. 
Staying at the Intercontinental Times Square. We like this property. It’s close to Times Square and once here, we can easily walk to pretty much wherever in midtown/Manhattan. This Intercontinental is not quite up to par with the Intercontinental Miami, also no club lounge, but for the prime location, it works well for us. 
Today we have a King Corner Suite. Kids are sharing the sofa bed tonight.




Because it’s a corner room, views from 3 windows.

sometimes i think of how terrible it is that when you fly in, all you see are factories and smokestacks and endless traffic. people are like.... 'new jersey. you're kidding. it's beautiful?'
to which i say... no no it's terrible, please don't visit 😂
i like to think of it as the gatekeeper of the state; we want to make sure you reeeeeeeally want to be here 😆

Like this cool animated one I got yesterday for my birthday!? Funniest part to me is they must know I’ve already purchased the DBP, Voom, excursions, dining for this sailing yet they still offer these “discounts” “for my birthday.” Then there is Celebrity, who I have never sailed with, offering me actual discounts on fares! 
 

That's why I said I can't. OP supposedly has been on enough cruises to know they should get and check their folio but complains they had to dispute the charges shoreside. Like......I don't get it.

Apparently, today is the first day that Delta is using the new Terminal A at Newark. That’s what the flight attendants said anyway. It’s pretty nice. Way better than Terminal B at EWR. 

I’m making an assumption that this was when you were Star Class.  If so, it’s not unusual for this kind of request to be honored….but I would suggest that for GenPop this is probably not a request that would be honored.  Back in “the day” I have had this kind of request honored but many of those leniencies have gone away.  If this was a different cruise(s) from your recent SC experience then I withdraw my comment !
SC are often given unusually generous flexibility for things like this.

You are getting the best ever weather today. It's gorgeous. Low humidity. Breeze. Welcome to NY (NJ too). NYC doesn't get a lot of great weather. 3 days of spring right into summer. (i'm exaggerating but not far off). Summer is a boil and smelly and gross but today, you've got a good one. 

Just landed!
 

It’s Beis. I have the pink and black. The black one is convertible, meaning that bottom rectangular compartment comes off. I love Beis. 

come fly to us, @Lovetocruise2002!!
@SweetPea and i are holding nothing but good vibes and smooth travels for you. EWR shouldn't be that bad this time of day either and the skies are CLEAR outside!! 💚

We are on board! PTL lol