tonyfsu21

At least the cartels don’t seem to care about Cozumel because it’s effectively worthless from a trafficking perspective.

The Tonyfsu21’s and friends: Freedom 5/23 - 5/26

Oasis of the seas! Front row seats. Show center is Sunrise Blvd but the show will still be seen from the ship.

Enjoy the Fort Lauderdale Air Show 2025 featuring Blue Angels from your balcony today and tomorrow. Show starts 11:45am - ~3pm. I will be right offshore enjoying the show from my boat!

I can’t speak to the reliability of the AVIS shuttle but the Miami Rd Avis is literally at one of the Port entry’s. If you get frustrated waiting on this shuttle, you could call Uber and be on your way in ~5 minutes.

Trust me, us gamblers spend and lose plenty. The discounted casino rates and mostly crappy offers are nothing to brag about. I do agree though, the D+ and casino drinks do keep me from buying any beverage packages.

Roatan. The reasoning would be the kids. Costa Maya has a pool/shopping/dining complex at the end of the pier which is always a hit with the kids. Roatan is meh IMO.

Agree. IMO this program would discourage me from booking a suite as the CL and my D+ drink coupons would work just fine. I can’t imagine enjoying a suite lounge overrun with people who didn’t book a suite. The money grabs by this CEO character “Capt Liberty” are trending towards impacting guest experiences.

Great blog. Thank you.

If you are in town before or after a cruise, I have some suggestions for breakfast at some great spots (in no particular order): 1. Lester’s diner: 5-10 minute Uber ride from 17th street hotels. Classic Greek diner which has been open in Fort Lauderdale since 1967. Popular locals spot and is busy just about all hours of the day and night. Reasonable prices, big cups of coffee and a menu with a wide variety of food. 2. Foxy Brown: Sunday brunch spot. 15 minute Uber from 17th street hotels. I highly recommend this spot if you are in town on a Sunday. Make sure to get reservations. Also important to note this is a great dinner spot as well and highly recommended. 3. Top Hat Deli- Local favorite. Awesome menu and a great staff with excellent service. 15 minute Uber ride from 17th street hotels. Also recommended for Sunday brunch. 4. Joe’s Diner. Easy walk from most hotels on 17th street and located in the harbor shops adjacent to La Bamba Mexican restaurant. Great spot if you are looking to just go somewhere close to the hotel. I go here for lunch often but the breakfast is solid. Bonus location if you need to stop by Publix to grab something before cruise it’s located in the same plaza. I can assist with any questions regarding further recommendations in DT Fort Lauderdale.

Let me know next time you are in town and I will recommend some spots for you.

All of them are adjacent to each other along that stretch of beach. 15 minutes door to door.

They are all about the same in terms of all inclusive value. We prefer Nachi but have also been to Paradise many times and it’s similar.

Nope. But you should probably get on line on deck 5 around 6:30am so you can avoid the 8:00am chaos. No problem.

At least they clean the machines. I normally go at 5:30am where you can bet the ranch nobody will be in there and the machines will be all yours.

Freedom has the Easter thing perfected today. Glad to see they are different set ups across the fleet. I guess you never know what you are going to get.

On 4/20 they could be magical jelly beans. Crazy bunny jelly beans.

Yeah agree but there really is no comparison between ship & land regarding restaurants. The only thing the speciality dining is superior to is the slop at the MDR (especially lately).

Yes, I have started bypassing the garage and continuing straight into that outdoor lot. If you arrive early enough you can snag one of the first rows to the East that is literally steps from the porters and the line. Enjoy the cruise!

That’s a really solid plan! Where is the first drink? I don’t remember if MJ bar is open but Playmakers 100%. Enjoy.

Yep, agree. Regardless, you will be onboard before 11am at PC. I really enjoy sailing out of there! Our next PC is Star for New Years.

Shocked. This is the last step to that expedited boarding confetti celebration.

Also important to note (and this goes for coffee machine across the board in hotel room or ship cabin) they are never cleaned. Yuck

I do that all the time, no big deal. I’ve won a couple over the years getting my parents to prime with their cards. My money, my jackpot, my DL and my W2G regardless of the players card.

I am going to guess you are a project manager. This type of thought and organization is levels above the average planner. I think you might have an aneurysm if you ever witnessed the mess of planning that goes into our family cruise decisions. Basically it involves booking any available speciality dining venue that has 5:30-6pm availability for each night of the cruise and then watching my kids refuse to eat anything but WJ chicken nuggets and pizza.