KLA

I could definitely see that just being a rumor (especially since the larger ships generate so much income for the cruise line) - but I would be thrilled if they did that.

We did all MDR on our recent 5 night on Grandeur, and while some things were hit or miss I loved the Caribbean night menu. The roasted chicken might be my favorite plate of food I've ever eaten in an MDR - it was so well done.

I boarded once as one of these cruises was disembarking, and the amount of hungover rockers waiting on their taxis was almost comical. Apparently they kept the bars open quite late, and embarkation was delayed because of some passengers not leaving. Plus the pool deck was closed for most of the first day due to the stages being dismantled.

Yes - Odyssey is one of the few ships that is enabled with Chromecast 'casting'. We used the feature often in our room. I think you likely need to be connected to the wifi, but not positive that you'll need to have the internet package.

Oh my husband would love this... saving this recommend!

Non-alcoholic mojito or club soda with lime are my go-tos!

I just looked at this - we might try this for our overnight in Miami when flying in to FLL. If we catch a taxi or Uber from MIA if we take the train from FLL that's appealing to help cut down on the Uber cost.

We almost always fly in to FLL even if sailing out of Miami (nonstop flights and generally better pricing), and we've always used Lyft or Uber.

The Diamond lounge seemed consistently crowded on Allure - I'm going to guess because of the location.

So asking this because I just now got a VERY LATE "we might decide to upgrade you to a FREAKING CROWN LOFT once you board"... If we wanted to cancel our 3 night dining package and VOOM reservation based on that upgrade, we could go to the concierge and we would 1) get the refund 2) any leftover OBC credited to my account as a result of that refund would be credited back to me? Or would I get a direct refund?

I also suspect frustrating for people trying to drive through the state to other ports.

Yep, FLL on Allure.

Scheduled to sail on Saturday so keeping an eye on this - at this point the most I've done is change my layover on Friday away from Atlanta (which is feeling like the correct decision) to Detroit instead.

Just to add - Congrats!!! We did a B2B honeymoon on Allure 5 years ago, and are sailing on Allure again for our 5 year anniversary in a couple weeks. I hope you walk away from your sailing with as many fond memories of Odyssey as we have of Allure.

Yeah, BrewDog and a couple others do a really good job. I really don't mind Heineken 0.0, either. I've come to associate it with being on a cruise ship at this point - haha!

So, my understanding is that there is a couple ways that this is done - but one method is basically fermenting the wine and then going through a process to remove the alcohol that was produced during fermentation. Most alcohol-free wine isn't great - similar with alcohol-free beer, there's only a few I can think of that have been done really really well. That said, having the option to have a cold beer or glass of wine (even if it isn't perfect) to simulate the ritual of cocktail hour or having a drink by the pool or a glass of champagne to celebrate sail away is nice to have as an option. I may try with the cans of 0.0% wine with the attitude of 'if it's confiscated it's theirs' and bring a bottle of alcohol free champagne + red wine on board as well and pass on the NA beer.

I guess maybe another permutation of this question - where does non-alcoholic wine or beer fall? Is the limit still two bottles, or if we had cans of non-alcoholic wine/champagne/beer that we could chill down in our room and store a little easier would that be something we could carry on more of? I know I've seen crew with 'Fre' alcohol-removed champagne, but I haven't looked closely enough to see if that's something that we could even on board. We've however had no issue ordering Heineken 0.0 at most bars on board (and typically the only people drinking it, from what I can tell lol) but being able to bring on a little bit more variety or a glass of alcohol-removed red wine with dinner might be nice.

Just put in my bids for my October cruise - JS to GS, OS, or Crown Loft for 8 nights. Suites have been showing mostly sold out for a while, so we'll see how it goes! Happy in our JS either way, but I'd love the all day CK access and the chance to try a new room category!

I love the Hollywood Beach Marriott - it's a bit quieter, and right on the boardwalk in Hollywood Beach. Lots of restaurants to walk to plus beach chairs, towels, and bikes are included as an amenity.

I don't think you could go wrong with either one. That said - I think I'd lean towards St. Lucia. It's just an absolutely beautiful island.

+1 for this solution - I recently went on a business trip to Europe where I had to do a bit of jumping around between countries, and it was so nice being able to see my luggage move through the airport towards my plane and see it move with me as we pulled away from the gate. Great peace of mind.

I love the Freestyle machines - Ginger Lime Diet Coke and quick sparkling water!

If travelling with family - yes, we'll participate in formal night. If travelling just the two of us - no, we'll usually book a dinner in a specialty restaurant or just stay comfy for a quiet Windjammer dinner.

Not quite there yet -but that's an interesting thought.

Haha, thanks for the reminder and advice. This is definitely 'fun' money and I'm prepared to let it sit for a while - just wanted to get some insights from those who may have been paying attention for longer.