Rose City Cruiser

I have used Skiplagged before for flights. If you are able to travel with just a carry-on, you can save some $$. The site has the ability to search for "hidden cities" where you leave the flight at the layover location rather than the final destination. You just input your desired destination. This site may not help with your BOS to FL itinerary, but it may help you travelling at other locations.

I hope you are still able to enjoy your vacation. It will take awhile for the insurance companies to handle all the claims.

"Home or Destination Inhabitable" is a covered reason on some Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption plans.

You are better off eating more small portioned meals (5-6 per day) to prepare for the cruise. This will boost your metabolism and help with weight loss. This will also prepare you for the number of meals you will be having while on the cruise LOL.

Those donated generators don't pay for themselves. Timing to release this policy change was very calculated. No such thing as a "free" lunch.

Easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

It will be just like any Canada/USA border crossing. Speak only when spoken to. Answer only the questions that are asked. There should not be any problems.

Jimmy Rhodes was the CD on Oasis OTS for my April 9 sailing

We had Traditional Dining to begin with. If you have MTD, they should be able to accommodate you. You would need to speak to the manager at the MTD MDR.

Just came back from a recent sailing on Oasis of the Seas. We booked late and they put us at a table with three other couples. It was my wife's birthday and we were also celebrating our anniversary. On Day 2, we went to the MDR manager on Deck 5 (Silk) at 5:30pm. They were able to accommodate us and gave us a table for 2 for the remainder of the trip. But we had to keep 5:30PM Traditional Dining.

The week's MDR menu is on the large touchscreen right outside Deck 3 American Icon. You can pretty much plan out the week's dining if you do not like their selection.

We had a party of 16 last April on Allure of the Seas. They split us into two tables. Our tables were next to each other. We chose Traditional Dining. If you do not like what they have arranged for you, it is worth a try to speak the manager on Deck 5 MDR (Silk) on Day 2 before their first dinner service (6PM for Eastern Caribbean, 5:30PM for Western Caribbean). Might be a little difficult to accommodate for such a large party, but definitely worth a try.

Love the hybrid shorts.. Can be used as swim board shorts and looks like a pair of golf shorts. Dries very quickly. My go-to pair of shorts when I am getting off the ship to the port of calls. I hate dressing up. So I change pretty much immediately after dinner into a pair of jeans with a polo/t-shirt for the night entertainment.

Ocean Aria is a must-see show. I would book spots for both weeks in case they cancel one of the shows due to weather since it is performed outdoors. If you cannot find an open lounger on the top sundeck, check out all the way to the end of Deck 14 Forward. They have a few loungers there and is seldom used. It is right below the Solarium. Also, I like using packing cubes for travelling. Easy to identify and access to items. Hope you enjoyed your cruise!

I'm interested to see how the cruise line industry will shift once the boomers die off. Will it still maintain the trend of bigger ships or shift back to smaller ships.

After shows/events, use the elevators on the other end of the ship.

casual is fine. I have been there in tshirt, shorts and flip flops for breakfast.

I really enjoyed having the crab cake eggs benedict for breakfast in the main dining area while on Allure of the Seas. I believe they served it on the 1st morning. Also liked the carving station sandwiches at the Park Cafe for lunch on Allure.

can't wait for JR burgers and freedom fries!!

I also play MyVegas Slots on Facebook and on mobile devices. I visit http://www.myvegasfreechips.com/ daily to collect free chips that were posted by MyVegas. It's a few thousand extra chips a day. I usually collect throughout the week and then spend it all during the weekend when I have free time. I am waiting for them to release the next set of sailings. Must act fast as the free cruises are redeemed pretty quickly.