Riley

The lounge machine is good but I don't add pumps into my coffee - though on occasion have been known to Irish up my latte with one of my free drinks - so I'm not the best to comment on whether it will work for your Hubby. There is an awesome bar just a couple blocks from the dock in Juneau with ALL the good Alaskan Brewing Co. beers on tap... don't recall the name but it is literally 2 blocks "uphill" and has an outdoor bar space. I'd say I remember it well, but did I mention they have Alaskan Icy Bay IPA on tap?

Welcome to cruising, dude! Your Cruise Compass (we still ask for a paper copy as we are old but I think it's all online these on the RC app) will indicate the time/place of the LGBT meeting. Also depending on the ship there is a physical message board (usually near the Cafe Latitudes or Ben & Jerry's) that will include this. When in doubt ask Guest Services - they will not judge and will be happy to assist you locate the meetings.

Mad respect for the leather bikini bottom!

Echoing what others have said - most folks will think nothing of it. There is a wide variety of people on cruise ships and I doubt most of your fellow passengers will notice. Of those who notice, most will be polite. Crew won't care (tip your bar tender and they will love you no matter how you appear!) and everyone from the Captain on down to the guy scraping and painting the rail is there to make sure you enjoy yourself. There are meet-ups for LGBT+ travelers, solo travelers, "Friends of Bill W." and all sorts of others you may tap into. Be sure to explore the ship itself for the areas that meet your needs (I enjoy the Schooner Bar at the very far back of the ship for a place to settle in with a book and a drink when I want peace and quiet, for example) and be sure to talk with your wait staff for any food concerns... your head waiter and the chef will do their best to meet any and all dietary concerns including if you want to stick to a limited "safe" menu (I have to strictly limit my sodium and my go-to dinner is always a strip steak or chicken breast with baked potato and whatever steamed veggies they have). Ask and they will try. Most of all, have FUN and welcome to cruising!

If you have travel insurance you may be able to make a claim, depending on the policy.

Another strong vote for the train! It is inexpensive and simple and getting transport from the station to the ship is too. The hardest part is getting out of the train station (you have to go down via stairs or a small elevator to get under the tracks to exit). There are cabs waiting if you're in a hurry for the 10-minute or so trip to the dock, but shuttle buses also run between the station and the dock... there are different colors for the different cruise lines so ask the driver to make sure you get on the RC shuttle. They are cash only (was 3 Euro per person a couple years ago) and very easy. For two people it can;t be beat, plus once you get out of Rome the train through the countryside is lovely.

Feel free to ask the first night for low-salt preparation options - your waitstaff and the kitchen will do their best. Some soups and sauces can't be adjusted but the chef can limit salt in many dishes and it's not an unusual request. As someone who has to limit sodium, I order dinner the night before through our section's head waiter and am always pleased with the results, including getting off-menu options when there's something that simply cannot be adjusted... my fall-back is a steak with a lot of pepper but no salt, a baked potato and whatever steamed or roasted veggies they have available.

We were on that one! *waves* That unscheduled stop in Manhattan was a bonus, as far as we were concerned. Sorry to have missed Halifax on that leg but the DB hadn't been to NYC since the 1970s and was just charmed by the changes. Bottom line? You will be fine - roll with both the waves and any changes and enjoy the experience!

Bar backs (re stockers) should get something, or it could be a math error ($1.12 is 8% of a $14 drink). Or the other 10% might go into a general fund. In any event, good stuff here.

I do love those machines but IMO the grounds reservoir isn't big enough... most of the time when the machine is "down" it's because the little box where the coffee grounds are shunted to is full. Are guests supposed to empty it? No way. Have I been known to if I'm there by myself with no witnesses? Maybe...

I believe Royal Up is *technically* run by a third-party vendor... saw that somewhere. As for best way to secure an upgrade, to me it's like the slot machines. There's a rhythm to it but darned if I know. Put in what you're willing to pay and go from there.

If you go into Manhattan the night tour from the Hop On Hop Off bus is great in good weather and picks up/drops off directly at Times Square (find the M&Ms Store).

Two thumbs up for the Hilton Home2Suites across from the Newark Airport - free shuttle that was easy to find and a terrific room. The only downside was you can't walk to food but we loaded up at the airport (there is a massive food court inside Security where you can get all sorts of meal options... ended up with a couple subs and a nice "by the ounce" salad from a salad bar plus drinks that was realatively well-priced) and had a relaxing night before the cruise.

On some smaller ships it's on deck 5 or 6, portside bow, under one of the bulwarks. Little (maybe 3x3) patch of fake grass but enough for business to be handled.

Congrats Patty! Enjoy those 6 daily drink vouchers! As other folks have noted, using the value of the "free" cruise toward a more expensive option means you get points for the cruise - we used the $2400 as a credit toward a nice balcony on one of our Alaska cruises and enjoyed it tremendously.