27th Lady

Take a half hour and walk around the track. If nothing else it gets some blood flowing.

No shore excursion booked for a given port? Just go walk around for a while.

Small thing I have found makes a big difference: take the stairs, always.  Someone told me years ago and I always had until our last cruise when the two kids were too big to be carried.  I never realized how much a difference it made until I did not do it...5lb later
Plus, the stairs usually end up being quicker during busy times.  

Moderation and what the others said!  Agreed, it can be very hard with all that good food we don't normally have.  I don't usually see any weight gain but some days may feel a little more bloated from eating more than normal.  Good thing is, there's always a lot of walking involved in cruising.  Enjoy your trip and try not to worry too much about it!!

I’ve given up desserts at dinner as well as the rolls. I get the salad, without dressing and I’ll add in shrimp. My breakfast is similar to home-egg whites, fruit and a carb-typically oatmeal-yep, boring!  Lunch can vary, I’ll skip altogether if I have a late breakfast or I’ll have salad and a healthy protein if I can find one-very challenging!  Late night pizza is none or once per cruise.  My preferred drink is vodka and seltzer with a splash of cranberry.  I don’t go overboard as I travel monthly.  Enjoy your trip-the pounds will come off when you go back to your normal eating.

They typically supply regular and decaf 

We had them once and never used them again because for the kids club you needed the SeaPass card, not the bands.  Since we still have kids who use the kids club, we always need the Sea Pass card.  If you don't have kids then this isn't an issue and the bands would be more useful. Also as stated above you need the SeaPass to scan off and on the ship.

I think it comes down to self control and exercise. Doing things like grabbing a small sandwich at Cafe Promenade rather than a full meal at MDR or Windjammer will help. Taking the stairs as much as possible also helps.

I guess it's up to you. A year ago, I'd say going to Thrill Island or even getting a cabana would be a great add on.
However, prices are really high for that now. If that doesn't bother you, then go for it. All of those facilities are top notch, and you'll enjoy them. 
IMO the extra cost facilities are great, but not worth the current prices. You can find some fine lounge chairs with shade pretty easily.  The beaches are clean and as nice as you'll find anywhere. The games, like volleyball,  are also included.  Therefore,  you can have a great time without the added expense. 

Totally up to your preference but I agree With the idea of not feeling obligated to buy anything to have a good day
 
if you really wanted to buy something definitely choose one rather than both. 

One of the double doors to the Suite Lounge on Allure is broken and does not close all the way. During my sailing last week, never did I need my Seapass to enter.

Wow! And guess what?! That price is per person! Holy moly! Now that, my friends, is insane!!! It says "per package," but as you add your guests, the price jumps $350 per each guest added.

...sounds like a preface to removing/restricting some loyalty levels to me....but who knows.

You will have an amazing time! Your genie will help a lot to guide you and make it fabulous 🙂 we stayed in this category with our six year old earlier this year. 
some of our favorite things were having room service with Starbucks in the mornings, having the Genie arrange food in the room for the aqua theatre shows, and getting the best seats for shows without having to wait in line. 
 
Have a wonderful trip! 

There is a budget at port Canaveral with a shuttle as well. This is a challenging operation. Consistently understaffed. You can be in line for hours. We have used it many times and to do so would have my husband walk off the ship without luggage and pick up the car immediately when the location opens. The rest of us would take the luggage out at a more leisurely time and he would then come pick us up.

We sailed Aug. 3-7 on the Serenade to Progresso Yucatán peninsula Mexico. The cruise was awesome and relaxing, we booked a balcony room based on what I’ve read on the forum.  We thought the food was really good and the the crew were really spot on. I did a lot of this on sea days and evenings. 

All great advice.  Thanks!  And the lounge during happy hour ....   we'll be there!  Such a great place to relax and enjoy.  One of the top suite perks, in my mind.

There were a couple of drivers for me that led me to Silversea.
Celebrity rarely offers a reduced single supplement on the fleet.  Even when they do on ships elsewhere in the world their policies are still unfriendly to the solo guest.  Even if you do find a solo fare their Always Included packages remains priced for two guests.  For example you pay for two drink packages but as a solo you only get one, and what would as a solo guest do with a second drink package?  Drink twice as much? It makes no sense. When X does offer a solo fare it's generally 'no perks' because it never makes sense to pay for two perks for a solo guest.  Plus, I've never seen a solo fare for Flora in the Galapagos.   
Silversea sometimes (but not often) offers a solo fare on the Silver Origin.  When you can get a Silversea solo fare it's actually several thousand less than Flora would be for a solo guest.  I can sail Silversea and fly business class for less than the cruise fare alone on Celebrity.
Silversea has always intrigued me.  I've wanted to try Silversea to experience a level of cruising above and beyond Royal or Celebrity.   
The Galapagos Islands are not going to be an inexpensive experience no matter how you choose to come here. If I am going to invest this much into a Galapagos visit I might as well do so in luxury.  
When I was on the Edge I attended a Galapagos presentation.  Everything looks fine and for a couple it would be a different equation but for me Celebrity rarely makes sense as a solo.  It's why I don't sail them that often.  Their ships, their rules.  I generally cruise other lines mostly but I do have an X booking next year.  
Putting all of these factors together and choosing Silversea and the Silver Origin was the perfect choice for me.

Geeeez @twangster ... off the charts (and you adventure is just beginning).  I have too many questions, so just a critical one.
If a "bot" did not do their homework, I would be shocked.  Therefore, did you consider Celebrity's Galapagos similar sailings, or was the SilverSea "expedition style" a deciding factor?  
We would be very interested in your thought process in booking SilverSea over Celebrity (and others as well).  Galapagos is very high on our wish list.
Thanks for taking us along ...
Curt from Canada

Oh praise Jesus! Lol, thank you all so much!!

The other nice thing about the soda package is the freestyle coke machines which give you tons of variety and are lots of fun 

For your Wi-Fi question keep in mind that you only need a 2 device Wi-Fi package if you want to be on two devices at once (ie on your laptop while your phone is also on Wi-Fi). If you’re ok with one device at a time then a single package would work for you 

That's because the price you see already includes that "discount"!  Wait a few days and they will call it a different sale with different terms but it will still magically calculate out to the same thing.  Ignore all the text and just focus on the number shown.  Track that number up and down and buy when it looks good.  You can always cancel and repurchase if it goes down further.

Thanks so much for posting all this. Your pictures are fantastic! What an amazing trip!! Hope it continues to be amazing 🙂 

I’m laughing so hard about your comment about the mattresses on Mariner! We also liked the ship but found the mattresses impossible! 

I believe this question has too many nuances for anyone on this board to accurately advise on. 
Good luck, and I hope it all works out.