Traveling Mike

I think some of the Diamond people forget what is like to have nothing. You get some nice discounts while on board. The one I use is 50% of the Johnny Rockets milkshake. Here are all the benefits for each level: Crown and Anchor Member Benefits (royalcaribbean.com)

We did a cruise in April and had no trouble with Lyft. At that time Uber was not allowed to enter the port. They would drop you off just outside the port. I did the pre-book of Lyft because it was Easter Weekend and Easter when we went home. Our hotel was at the Houston airport and the Lyft ride was $100 from the Bush Airport Hotel to the cruise port. They picked us up at the scheduled time and had us at the cruise terminal before I expected. When I go back to Galveston to cruise, I will use Lyft again.

I just did this last week on my cruise. I was on a 4-day cruise, and I got two free days with my Diamond +. I waited until the second day and stopped by the WiFi desk and asked them to put 24 hours on my sons account because I already had internet. Then on the evening of the third day I stopped by and had them put my 24 hours on my son's account. With 4 family members that are D+ you would be able to do this every day and have internet all week. Just give your kids the job of stopping by and adding it. Note: Last week on the Navigator of the Seas my son was able to do this online College Class without any issues. I was able to remote into my work servers and do programming on the servers. I also was able to do several Microsoft Team Meetings. My son also was able to stream movies when he went to sleep.

I was on that cruise last year. In the past I was very careful in Mazatlan. I would take a taxi to the hotel row at the beach and have the taxi drop me off at one of the hotel entrances. I would walk through the hotel to the beach. When I was ready, we would walk back though the hotel and get a taxi from the hotel taxi pickup. Last year when I was in Mazatlan I took an excursion and got off the bus downtown and felt very safe in the town. As of last year, Mazatlan was much safer than in the past. Note: In Cabo watch your kids and the high-pressure salespeople. They will put an animal on your kids' shoulders take a picture then want $10 or $20 for the picture. The town is safe, but the port has high pressure salespeople.

FYI - When you are on your cruise you can stop by the Crown and Anchor desk and see the loyalty ambassador. They will have their new C&A number.

First, remember they get tipped from the Gratuities you pay per day. Second, how much is relative to how much you have. $20 to some is pocket change and to others lunch money for an entire week. Some tip $500 and don't blink an eye. Others $20 is a lot of money. Third, how much trouble do you give your cabin steward? When my son was growing up, he left messes every day. Now that I cruise solo, I leave my room clean when I leave. When I had my son with me, I tipped at the beginning of the cruise and gave them an apology.

Everything you purchase you can cancel and rebook. Just make sure the price is lower. A couple of times I have cancelled and rebooked and found out I was not calculating the gratuity they add onto the price. Other than that, I watch everything I purchase and cancel and rebook when the price goes down. Note: They charge your credit card right away but take a while to reimburse you.

I guess I must have had a lazy Cabin Steward. I just got off the Navigator of the Seas and our Sofa Bed was left open the entire week.

First off, my beds are always setup as one bed no matter what I put on the reservation. My Diamond+ overwrites what is on the reservation. Every cruise I can find the cabin Steward in the hallways when I show up. Now that they only do one cleaning a day they are looking for you to find out if you want morning or evening. If not, you can call them on the phone. One of the options go to the cabin Steward.

Delete the app from your phone and re-install it.

You can do without everything except for your Passports (or original birth certificate) and a form of payment. Everything else you can do without or purchase on your vacation.

I have done over 30 cruises on 7 different cruise lines. I do not regret any of them. I have decided in the last couple of years to cruise Celebrity and RCL on most of my cruises. I do not think you can go wrong with RCL cruises. If your cruise is non-refundable, I would cruise with Carnival and enjoy yourself. If it is refundable, I would switch to RCL and go on one of the bigger ships. Try the different size of ships to see what kind of cruising you like. I went on the Symphany of the Seas thinking I would not like being on a ship the size of a city with 7,000 people and I ended up loving it. I love small ships for my Trans-Atlantic cruises and large ships for my shorter cruises. The other think I would recommend is look at your budget. Everyone is different and to some $7,000 is nothing and to some $7,000 is a lot of money. Do not be afraid to book a regular balcony of you are in the second group. I would not go with an Inside or Ocean view with a child that takes naps. This allows you to enjoy the balcony while you child is sleeping. One last note: When your kids get older look at the Disney Cruise Line. I used to cruise them a lot before they priced me out of their market.

I am just posting this because I would have said anyone over 18 could book a cruise. In the United States you are considered an adult at 18 but you can not book a cruise. MINIMUM AGE TO SAIL UNACCOMPANIED Royal Caribbean's minimum age to sail unaccompanied on sailings originating in North America is twenty-one (21). Royal Caribbean's minimum age to sail unaccompanied on sailings originating in South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is eighteen (18). The Company retains the right, on rare occasions, to raise the minimum age to sail unaccompanied on any sailing when local laws require or permit such a modification. For voyages originating in North America: No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing. This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military. Certain other restrictions and conditions will apply; such as compliance with the age twenty-one (21) alcohol policy, and proof of marriage for underage couples or proof of active duty military status required.

I wish they were a little more flexible with the NextCruise offer. I am like you where I am cruising next week and would like to book another cruise, but I want a cruise that has not been released yet. Just give me until the 2025 cruises come out

I am confused what the problem is. What were you trying to cancel? If you showed up to My Time Dining, it is subject to availability. If you show up and they are full they will suggest you come back later rather than stand in line for an hour. My Time Dining is not a guarantee when you show up you can have dinner. It is the ability to change the time you want to eat or get a customized time. I always book dinner reservations when I have my time dining where I am not standing in line for long.

I am gust guessing but as a computer programmer I would say it is a problem with your booking record on their servers. There is nothing that you can do except keep after them to fix the problem. Does your booking load OK on the website?

I do lots of GTY Cabins and you are lucky to get your cabin this early. In my experience you will keep that cabin unless they upgrade you but that is not likely to upgrade from a Balcony. Here is a link to a cabin on the other side of the ship. It is the same location and size as the cabin you have just on the other side. https://youtu.be/bSP2y7Oi_eQ

I have not parked there; I have taken Uber to the port but... According to the port authority the lots open at 6 am on Cruise days. see link PortMiami - Parking & Transportation - Miami-Dade County (miamidade.gov) Parking at the port is expensive ($25). There are some with shuttles at half the price. see link Port of Miami Cruise Parking Coupon | Safe Cruise Parking

Everyone has an opinion. All I have is experience. I have been on 3 ships with StarLink and have worked remoting into secure servers in California. I have also been on multiple Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings. The only issues I have had is with one of my rooms I was too far from the wireless router and had to keep my cabin door open to get a strong signal. My Thanksgiving Cruise out of Los Angeles I sat on my Balcony and took 6 different Team Meetings without any issues. I am not saying it was the best in the world, but it was good enough for a computer programmer to do his work.

If they are not good photos, they will retake them when you check in at the port.

We did this with a group of people going on the cruise. One of the people arranged the trip with a tour/bus company. We ended up taking 95 people on two busses. Make sure you book early because the Blue Lagoon sold out. We used Grey Line Tours but you can see all the tours we arranged and the details on this google sheet (look on the tours tab) New Voyager TA 04 Sep 2022 Roll Call_Tours_Activities - Google Sheets

The other option you have is wash some items out in the sink. Then hang them up to dry. I take Tide pods to wash a few items if needed.

1. What is your favorite speciality restaurant for a birthday meal? We are not super adventurous eaters. I like 150 Central Park for a nice upscale restaurant with the best service. If you want a more casual one, I would go with Jamies Italian. 2. What is your favorite breakfast/lunch spot? When I am in the mood for Breakfast, I go to the Windjammer Buffet and get an omelet or fried eggs to order. If I am in the light mood, I go to the Vitality Cafe. It is a light healthy snack. Some ships will have light food items and some just healthy snacks. 3. What are your favorite non-water excursions for the 3 ports? Costa Maya: Rent a golf cart with Red Carts and go see the town and beach area. Mayahual Red Shirts Golf Carts in Costa Maya - USED 2-4ppl carts (60us) BRAND NEW XRT(80US) BRAND NEW FANCY (90US), 6ppl USED carts 80US, Rest of the day, GAS & COLOR MAP INCLUDED. (business.site) Cozumel: I did one that went to the Chocolate Factory and Mayan Bee Sanctuary that I really liked. 4. What are your Favorite items to pack to make our week easier? Magnet Clips for the wall. It allows me to put all my paperwork on the wall that is out of the way but I can see it to remind me what I have coming up. With kids I pack a couple of Tide Pods to be able to wash things out in the sink. 5. What is your must dos/advice for first time cruisers? Don't try to do everything: Plan to do everything and settle on doing 1/2 of it. Do try new things at dinner. At meals you can order anything you want including multiple items. If there is something on the menu you have never tried get it and if you do not like it ask the waiter to bring something else, you know you will like.

I use Costco as the TA on all my cruises. They are great people to work with because they are paid by the hour and do not mind getting a supervisor involved. I would give them a call and see if they can help you process your payment with RCL. In the future you can book through Royal and get everything set and then transfer it to Costco to get their rebates and discounts.

My foggy memory tells me they are always cleaning rust and painting some ware on the ship.