JLMoran

Take a look at this Kickstarter campaign for the Rigiet (ree-jee-et) camera stabilizer – This is NOT your typical Kickstarter campaign. The device already exists and the campaign is purely to get the initial set of orders made with the manufacturer. There are real devices in the hands of tech reviewers (I found out about it via Apple World Today). So this is not your typical Kickstarter with major risk of never seeing a product. The campaign ends May 30, and there are limited "super early bird" slots to get one at a really steep discount (regular backers still get a discount, just not as big). Im definitely getting one, especially since my card isn't charged until the funding completion date is reached next month and I'll be on a new billing cycle. This device, plus a Joby Gorillapod (magnetic variety), means it should actually be possible to take long-exposure star photos while at sea! Even if that doesn't pan out, it'll make for way better video while on the move than I can take today with my gimp and fairly stiff walking.

So I talked it over with the family, and while we all liked the size of the Random Wind sailing ship (and my kids LOVED the idea of the trapeze swing), we've booked the all-day snorkel trip with Capt. Bob / Soualiga Destinations. We all agreed that three snorkeling spots instead of just one, having lunch with 3 options on shore instead of one option on ship, and getting a full circuit of the island was going to be a better experience for all of us. A speedboat isn't exactly my preferred way to travel, but it's one con in a big list of pros. And I was assured they can help me out with getting on and off the boat with my mobility limits, so maybe I'll even be able to go snorkeling with the rest of the family! The owner has a US business address and takes payment via PayPal, so no worries about the charge throwing a red flag on my card. For anyone else considering this trip, he normally charges 25% of the total fare plus 5% sales tax, and then takes the balance in cash (ONLY cash) when you arrive at the dock. However, he was fine with me paying in full up front, long as I was OK with paying the sales tax on the full amount. Was small enough that I was fine with it. Really looking forward to this trip!

Been using Safari on both my desktop Mac and my iPhone with no issues at all. Cruise planner works fine, doing a booking search is good, etc. Only thing I had trouble with was trying to do a two-room booking online (before I got smart and found a travel agent). That reliably blew up when it was time to pick the second room. ?

My travel agent advised me that Celebrity isn't as good for teens and younger kids, and that Royal was the better option when cruising with the littlies. Also heard from friends who sailed on Celebrity when we were first looking for a cruise line to sail, and they all said kids were few and far between. given that, I'd recommend sticking with Royal. Maybe give Freedom of the Seas a try.

Can I ask what soured you on them? Or is it just that you've opened up to new lines that work better for your current expectations or needs, and still cruise on Royal when it's the right line / itinerary?

Depends. Is that free tequila a silver reposado, or some yellow mystery liquid with a worm on the bottom?

Im assuming these lanyards are not the same as the luggage tag sleeves I've seen posted elsewhere. Can someone post a link to show what they are / where to get them?

Oh, OK. What are your other ports? We'll be in St. Kitts on April 3, St. Maarten on April 4, San Juan on April 5, and Labadee on April 6. If we don't see each other on that St. Maarten excursion, maybe we can wave to each other from our cabins while the ships are docked.

If it looks more like pudding and it's served in a massive bowl, that's a great sign! Looks like they have all the chocolate powder / coffee powder on the top rather than mixed in, but if the lady fingers are broken up in the mascarpone and the espresso is swirled throughout, I might find myself tasting a contender this time next year.

@rjac, I won't be there myself until April 4 next year, far too late to fill you in before he's booked up. When are you going to be there? Are you on Freedom out of Ft. Lauderdale March 31? That's our sailing, for the Eastern Caribbean.

Thanks for the link, @bcarney! Going to talk about it with my wife. Doesn't seem to have as much snorkeling as the other trip, but it's a true sailboat and not a speedboat (which is a plus in my book), lunch is prepared and served on the ship, and my older girl's ears perked up at mention of the standing paddle board. Plus, it's a little more within our budget (about $40 less than what the one I linked to will cost).

So I checked TripAdvisor for the #1 snorkeling / boat tour type thing in St. Maarten, and by far the favorite is "Soualiga Destinations Boat Tours" with "Captain Bob" or "Captain Matt" depending on the trip that was reviewed. Has to be booked independently, but it also looks like it doesn't go to the same crowded spots as the ship-booked excursions. Nearly 3,000 reviews and this trip has a near-perfect rating! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147347-d2083816-Reviews-Soualiga_Destinations_Boat_Tours-Philipsburg_Sint_Maarten_St_Maarten_St_Martin.html I've got a feeling this is what we're going to book, but if anyone's done it and can offer their own feedback I'd be happy to listen!

So there are four different catamaran excursions that Royal offers while in St. Maarten, and we've narrowed it down to two based on the descriptions and the Trip Advisor ratings (both 4.5 stars with hundreds of reviews) -- The Mirabella catamaran sailing, and the Golden Eagle. But we're having a hard time figuring out what each one does exactly or if the descriptions don't reveal anything we should be aware of. It looks like the Golden Eagle trip is a bit more "upscale" and the crew pampers the guests a bit more. But if I'm reading the description and the reviews right, it only goes to one beach (which you have to swim a fair distance to reach), and all snorkeling is done at that beach. Haven't really seen if you get to see any more of the island apart from what's en route, but it looks like no. That excursion goes for four hours. The Mirabella excursion looks like it isn't as "upscale" as far as what they provide the guests, but I think it's the more interesting one in that you visit four different snorkeling spots (including one with a sunken sub and helicopter). It seems like this would be the better option, although with this one I've read that the places it visits tend to be more crowded with other cruise ships sending their own excursions to the same locations. This excursion is a little shorter at 3 1/2 hours, so I'm not sure how much actual snorkeling time you get at each spot. Has anyone here done either of these trips, where you could give some more details about the actual places you went, what the pace was like, how you were treated by the crew, etc? I'd love for the family to have something like the trip my wife and I did on our honeymoon, where it was a few spots with about 45 minutes at each to actually snorkel and look around / take underwater photos / relax and enjoy the island views. I'll be sitting on the catamaran the whole time due to my mobility issues (which pretty much make snorkeling impossible for me now), so a steady supply of mojitos / margaritas / rum punches would be welcome! I'm trying to book it this month / on the current billing cycle, so we can move on to picking another port's excursion in mid-May. Appreciate whatever feedback you can give! [EDIT] if there's another excursion of this sort that you can recommend but doesn't happen to be through Royal / has to be booked on my own, please let me know! I'm certainly open to an "external" booking if it's a better option! Especially if it avoids the crowds and gives a more private / secluded option.

Thanks, Doc. Now I'm going to have to book reservations at Giovanni's on both Freedom and Anthem. Otherwise I can't say I'm continuing my quest for the ultimate tiramisu. For the record, the best I've had so far, in order: The one made by my wife's uncle's girlfriend (professionally trained pastry chef) for a family gathering Mom's (served in the traditional glass cylinder, no less!) A restaurant here in northern NJ that, sadly, I've forgotten the name of as we went to it years ago (it may not even be in business any more) Always a favorable sign -- When it doesn't look like a cake (because it isn't one!), and looks more like someone dropped it in transit from prep bowl to serving bowl.

Meanwhile FotS is still showing $14.39 a day. Given there's still almost a year to go. I'm going to try and hold out for the $11.99 rate. We're booking our St. Maarten catamaran and snorkel trip this month (after we figure out which one we want, that is!), so that's quite enough combined with the monthly payment. Of course, if they ever do another one of those 30% off all excursions deals I'll be frantically cancelling and re-reserving everything (30% off Nellie's Beach on-the-water cabana would be AWESOME!), but better to book and lock the excursions now before things fill up!

I hope you weigh them down with something. I'd imagine that one good gust of wind could send anything light like clothing into the ocean before you'd have a chance to grab it!

Interesting. No link for Cabin Bed Information on either Freedom or Anthem pages. Maybe this is a really new feature and only available for a couple of ships.

"I'm not going down there! It smells like poo gas!"

That's good to hear! Hopefully it will still be that way when I go on my cruise next March! But single odds on the craps table? Seriously?!? I've only ever played in land-based casinos before, but 2x odds has always been the minimum I've ever seen. Do you bother to take your odds in that case, or just do your pass line bet and leave it at that?

I'll see your fire medic / ambulance manager turned IT manager and raise you one cancer researcher turned software architect. ;)

OK, so I just buy one 4-device package for myself and then give the login to my other family members. Sounds good! And that is totally like renting the cabana. Wish the site would have made that clear!

I decided to try and put a 4-device plan in my cart to see the total price for our 8-nighter, but when I did that I could only select myself and my wife -- my kids couldn't be added on (they're in a connecting cabin / separate reservation). Also, it looked like 2 packages were bought by selecting my wife and myself. Is this like renting a cabana? I should just buy the package for one person and then give the login credentials to my wife and kids? It doesn't say for this, unlike the cabana rental where it's very clearly said "just buy for one person, not everyone in your party."

I just had VOOM purchase become available for my cruise, and this is weird. The prices are exactly the same as what you're showing in the screen shot, but it doesn't show any discount applied. This is for Freedom. Were you also looking at prices for a Freedom-class ship? Should I maybe hold off buying this until I see an actual discount applied?

I'm not sure why you're seeing a time to pick. I purchased all-day passes to that coaster for our March 31, 2018 trip and there was no time slot selection offered. Maybe just a glitch in the system, but you may want to make certain it didn't change on you from all-day to one-time when you clicked the link to buy.

How is the airfare to Newark, NJ? Matt mentioned in his review of his Anthem cruise how it ended up being cheaper for he and his family to fly to Newark and take Anthem on a 9-night Bahamas cruise than it was to take Harmony for a 7-night Caribbean cruise out of Florida, even though he lives in Florida and wouldn't have had to pay airfare. Maybe Newark could become your new "home port". We do offer Canada and New England cruises along with those Bermuda and Bahamas/Caribbean trips. ;)