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Has anyone done this RCL excursion? My wife and I (first timers) signed up for this. It supposedly includes a tequila tasting and a lesson on how to make guacamole. The description indicates the tour will end at the "plaza" and there will be time to shop before heading back to the ship? Any idea how long? If the tour lasts from 9:00 until 1:00 and the ship doesnt leave until 4:00, can I just ignore the return bus and grab a cab? Would I pay the cab in dollars or pesos? Google maps street view shows a taxi stand right at the plaza. We have NEVER cruised before and want to stop at several store around the plaza, visit a nearby church, and hopefully still have time to get to a store I read about called "Cinco del Sol". Can I do this?

My question would be why do anything other than MTD? The only thing it seems I get out of early/late is having the same table mates each time. This will be my first cruise so of course I speak from ignorance (my specialty!!) With my family there will be 6 adults so we would have most of the table anyway. For a first time cruise, MTD just seemed to make the most sense. Maximum flexability = Minimum conflicts

$44 a day? Wow? I had it budgeted at more like $66. It mystifies me that excursions for my January trip are already bookable while dining/drinks are not. I would have expected the exact opposite!

Been doing a lot of research and coming up with contradictory answers on what currecny to use in various ports or whether to use credit cards. This is our first cruise and we will be stopping in Cozumel, Grand Caymen's, and Falmouth. Cozumel ------------ Excursion = "Picturesque Walking and Tasting Tour" Supposedly we will have time for shopping around the plaza area at the end. Just how much time, and how we gt back to the ship I don;t know. I am assuming the guide will give us a time and meeting point to get back. Shopping List = Hammock, Cuban Cigars, Jewelry. (Depending at what dock we arrive at may try for Margarettaville T-Shirt) Currency = No idea! Would assume pesos but have actually read (though it makes no sense to me!) that the only take USD (Refusing their native currency??). Others say I can just charge on my visa. HELP!! Grand Caymans --------------------- Excursion = Stingray City and reef snorkle This should limit shopping to area around the tender docks. Shopping List = Grand Cayman's National Team Soccer Jersey ( I always pick one odd item to get when on vacation), jewelry, and if time to walk to it, Margarittaville T-Shirt. Everything I read suggests Caymans are a lousy place to shop as they have a high cost of living there. Currency = Cayman dollar but I read that American Dollars are accepted everywhere. Falmouth ------------ Excursion = Margarittaville Catamaran Snorkle (subject to change) Shopping List = Blue Mountain Coffee, Aged Appleton Rum, jewelry, Margarittaville t-shirt. Hopefully all these things can be found in the port complex as my wife buys in to every horror story ever told so there is little hope of us wandering outside the complex (personally I would have liked to walk down the street to a local grocery store....) Currency = Jamaican dollars.....but I assuming the port complex takes US dollars and credit cards. Am I overthinking al this? Should I just do credit card all the time and quit worrying about it? I could, of course carry both currencies and play it by ear but them I have to figure out the budget for each country in advance, exchange money (twice!) etc. So, experienced cruisers.....What do you do? Oh, and no I am not a Margarittaville junkie (though I do enjoy Jimmy Buffet) but when I saw there was one at each of my ports I thought it might be a fun collection to get.

That does bring up an interesting point: What is the smoking policy on board?

It is a Carnival. Hopefully the camera will change angles when Liberty sets sail

Actually it is possible the ship being loaded is a carnival with liberty parked right behind it (out of picture). Last week when I tuned in in the afternoon the same webcam was pointed straight at the side of liberty showing us cabins. The ship in view this morning is moored down the dock from the cam but judging from the taut mooring lines in the fore ground there is another ship here. Also the ship in view doesnt look big enough from what I can tell.

Watching the dock worker load Liberty in Galveston on the web cam. Fascinatin gto watch all these fork lifts buzzing around. Cant wait to watch it sail away later this afternoon. http://www.galveston.com/cruisevideocam/

I finally did go with a TA. I had already booked the room and excursions. A few days later he changed my rez. Only saved $1 on each of the promenades (and nothing on the balcony) but each promenade got $50 OBC and the Balcony got $100. Really glad I went with a TA! (his name is John Ames with MEI)

Doing a search on RC looks like Alaska cruises cut off in August 2018

On the RC site I select December 2018-April 2019 for Alaska .... and get nothing ;(

Was disappointed that RC was not offering a TLUM tour on our cruise in January. Maybe next time

Anyone have opinion on this? I read some reviews on-line and they were very mixed from "Best time of my life" to "barely had 30 seconds with a dolphin". Looking a the Dolphin Cove website they have different "levels" including "royal" but there doesn't seem anyway to correlate what level the RC excursions is at. Right now my son and daughter-in-law are signed up for it and my wife is hinting she wants her and I to switch form the Margaretville Catamaran snorkel to this. Would love some insight....

Was doing research out here and stumbled on a thread from 2013 that dealt with ATT and a cruise package. Went out to ATT and it looks like things have changed. For $30 you can get 50 minutes of cruise and land (Carabbean), For $60 you can get the 50 minutes plus 100 txts. For $120 you get those & data.

Next (FIRST!!) cruise in exactly 300 days! Woot!

Near as I can tell (so far) the only difference is they wont be available until I am on board

Sure enough, the RCL credits are now showing up on my planner for my Liberty of The Seas trip in January. My TA credits are not, but he might not even apply those until I pay off the balance. Still not clear what the difference is between TA OBC and RCL OBC.....

How is OBC from the TA different? Is it treated differently? Do I use it differently?

Is there any way on-line to check your on board credit balance. I know my travel agent said he would be adding credits to our rooms, and he just changed our reservation which effectively didn't change our cost but added other on- board credit, and last but not least my credit card will be adding credit. Would be nice if there was an official way to keep track of it all.

Speaking of passports, I am about to apply for mine and thought I would just get the passport "card". I am not planning on any overseas flights anytime in the near future and it just seems to me a card in my wallet is more convenient than carrying around a book. Is there a benefit to the book over the card when on a cruise?

I know the drink and specialty dining is not available yet for my cruise in January. But I had no issues signing up for MTD as pat of my booking process.

My first cruise and we opted for "My Time" Dining as we dont have a clue what our schedule will really be like

Alas, no Freestyles on Liberty. The hope is my wife will be able to enjoy some of the foods on board just in smaller portions. Right now her diet really sucks as it is largely a 1/2 cup of canned chicken and some peas....YUCK!! She has found that sugary stuff (ie. ice cream, donuts) do NOT do well! She will probably order form the menu and I will eat what she cant finish (or my vacuum cleaner of a son who thinks an entire steak MUST be consumed In under a minute!)

My wife recently had gastric "sleeve" surgery and now her diet is very limited. For beverages she is basically down to water or non-carbonated zero calorie drinks like "propel" or "ice". Are there any beverages available on board that meet this description. I know she can get water, and if push-comes-to-shove I can always pack some propel packets to mix in the water. Just trying to look for options (bad enough she gets to watch me eat a steak!)

Yea, I knew I misspelled it, just didn't bother to go back and fix it