FloatMe

Although I have never cruised solo, I can't imagine ever being bored on a cruise. We love traditional dining at a large table so we usually have new friends from the first night. CC's roll call & "Meet and mingle" are also a good way to get to know some people on your cruse even before you Board the ship then in person on board.

God stuff, thanks!

I have been successful bringing an unbroken 12 pack of soda in cans and an unbroken 8 pack of water in bottles on embarkation day. On each occasion I carried them in a plastic grocery bag and affixed a luggage tag to it. They showed up at the room with the rest of the luggage. I have also put an 12 pack of soda in my suit case and as you might imagine I was summoned to the naughty room to retrieve my bag. They did however allow me to keep the soda once it was inspected and proven not to be alcohol. Honestly, I am genuinely suprised when it shows up at the cabin.

My last cruise on Adventure in April, there was an envelope for additional gratuity for the room steward "if we thought the service we particular exceptional". We were in in a GS (treated ourselves for the wedding). Others in our group did not get an envelope in there cabins. so I do not know if this was due to us being in a suite or it was specific to our room attendant?

For all those gadgets, definitely need a wall outlet with usb ports. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/615t7%2B2m8vL._SX522_.jpg http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-SurgePlus-3-Outlet-Charger-Protector/dp/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=pd_sim_23_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=18D89S5JYTCTEJNCAFYB

I had never seen it done either? Gererally, for a seven day,We both have a 20" and 25" on 4 wheel spinners along with a back pack. They are easy enough to maneuver and it appears that by 2:30 the flow of people embarkig is sporadic. Just wondered if anyone else had done this. Although I am fully capable of relaxing, I just don't feel settled until the bags are unpacked.

I agree with cruise-y, over the counter Meclizine (non drowsy dramamime) and start taking a half dose 2 days prior to embarkation, then 1 dose daily.

I have a silly but related question. If one were to arrive at the ship after 2pm, presumably after cabins are available, are you permitted to just take your own luggage on board? We have always been "first in line" folks, but we are considering a different approach next time.

Policy is clear that passengers are not permitted to bring nonalcoholic beverages on board. That being said, I have successfully attached an extra luggage tag to a 12 pack of diet Pepsi and an 8 pack of bottled water (both in unbroken carton or wrap) and they were delivered to my cabin with the rest of the luggage. I have also put an unbroken 8 pack of diet Pepsi in side my luggage, and it got flagged for posible alcohol and I had to go down to the naughty room to collect my bag. They did however allow me to keep the soda. Others that I have talked to have done the same thing and it was confiscated, so it seems to be hit or miss.

I believe the $1770 includes all expenditures to the cruise line including excursions, spa, photo, etc. http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/home/financial-breakdown-of-typical-cruiser/

So this post was again about evil cruise co. and gratuity practices, rather than why you don't see Americans work in certain capacities on cruise ships?

I read an article, in which it talked about salaries of the staff on cruise ships. Room stewards earn between $1600 and $2600 per month for "up to" 9 months per year. That works out to be 7.50 to 12.50 per hour given their 48 hour (usually) work week, for only 9 months. That is A LOT of money for most of the people who do these jobs. One of my favorite things about cruising is getting to know some of the staff and it really is incredible to hear their stories and how impoverished the places they come from are. For us spoiled Americans(referring to myself), $19000 to $32000 annually, working 48 to 60 hours per week, for 9 months at sea, away from family and friends. No thanks. I would reference the artical, but it is on a competing site. Also a good quick read is the book "Cruise Confidential" a behind the scenes look of a crew member (American I think)

Q: How is the automatic daily gratuity shared between members of the staff and crew? A: The automatic gratuity is $12.95 USD, or $15.95 USD for suite guests, applied to each guest's SeaPass® account on a daily basis. Here's how it is shared between your onboard service team: Dining & Culinary Services: $7.75 USD Stateroom Attendant: $3.85 USD OR Suite Attendant: $6.10 USD Other Housekeeping Services: $1.35 USD OR Housekeeping and Suite Services: $2.10 USD

If gratuities are not in fact mandatory, then what is the discussion

Did I miss an announcement from RCCL? On my last cruise in April (3 months ago) there were no "mandatory" tips. They "automatically" added the recommended gratuities to my folio at the end of each day, which I appreciate, so I do not have to administrate the cash in envelopes. However if this system does not suit me, I am able to go to the guest service desk and ask them to not add gratuities to my daily bill and refund any that had already been added to my bill. If I really wanted to be an @#% I am able to ask the service desk to credit me the gratuities paid for drinks and specialty venues that are "automatically" added as well. For whatever reasons and traditions tips/gratuities have been accepted by governments and consumers around the world as an acceptable method of compensation for those who work in the service industry, thus lowering minimum wages paid THROUGH the employer. But make no mistake, that at your local restaurant or on your next cruise, we pay these service workers their salary with our gratuities. So service has to be REALLY bad for me not to compensate them at recommended levels, but at least I have that ability to demonstrate my displeasure. If they were to raise the minimum pay and raise the cost of my dinner or cruise in lieu of paying gratuities, then I would loose that option. Aditionally service levels and productivity of all workers would decline dramatically. I say thank you RCCL for making it easier for me to tip the staff.

To my recollection, there is no loose tabbaco sold on the ship.

Less than $20 for on demand shirts is pretty incredible. Are they screened or heat transferred vinyl?

The best site I have found for weather data is weather underground, although it is a pretty convoluted process to get to where you want to be. Here is a link as an example for the last ten years observations in san juan on October 15. http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/TJSJ/1972/10/15/PlannerHistory.html?req_city=TJSJ&req_state=PR&req_statename=Puerto+Rico&reqdb.zip=00914&reqdb.magic=5&reqdb.wmo=99999

If I recall correctly, the 4 new shis will not be sailing under the carnival brand. They will all be going to Europe with 2 sailing under Aida, and 2 under Costa.

I am also hoping the new suites program may include a few more benefits for juniors. Maybe to be included on the reserved seating at the pool and theater..... dreaming, I know. Double points and ROBES have made JS my cabin of choice. I have been spoiled with the extra space. Only on Oasis class and Quantum does the price start to go up to the point that it might become prohibitive.

I love visiting all of the Caribbean stops for very different reasons. We did this itinerary for a new years cruise 2014, albeit on Princess. The new port area on Roatan is beautiful, that being said once you get out the main port area, you definitely want to be with a organized group. In terms of the "Caribbean feel" the west end has a less swanky resort town feel with local shops and bars that really is island living. A lot of US transplants running the excursion companies, bars and dive shops. You also have the high end resorts to spend the day at on the north coast. I am in the habit of running 8 miles at every port possible, I find it interesting and gratitude inducing to see the socioeconomic disparity on all the islands, but as stated above, the poverty is in your face between the resort areas and at 4 miles into the run I stopped at a what looked to be an American style gas station guarded by men with shoulder slung semi automatic rifles. I won't run there again. Later in the day I did the underwater scooter/helmet dive which was really fun. In Belize, we also did the cave tubing tour and Zipline combination. Was about a 40 minute drive the cave was beautiful, water was cool, and the zip lining was a lot of fun, they get you through really fast but you are REALLY in the thick jungle. Beautiful and amazing flying through the canopy. They also served a great local lunch. Again, as stated above, Belize city doesn't have you typical port of call feeling. Semi industrial capital city of the country. Not a lot to see (that I am aware of). Cozumel is great, I don't know how you have not been there yet. It seems like every western itinerary we do Cozumel is the one constant. I am truly blessed to have to have seen a lot of places on this Earth, And we really enjoyed this itinerary! It's just not your st. Maarten / Barbados type of feeling.

Curious, does anyone have Internet access package costs from a very recent cruise? Was there still a 60 minutes intermittent use option for around $30?

Good luck, I'm sure this is annoying and ma be difficult to get rid of😕ðŸ˜

If several members of your group intend on paying for Internet service on board the ship, then there are several apps like "whatsapp" that allow you text to phones over the wifi network rather than the cellular network.

We plan to go just after spring break season, early april. It gives us something to look forward to over the winter. We also like late October/ early November. As a marathon runner I am ready to rest and EAT after a fall race :)