bcarney

This is all my fault.  I booked a Cuba cruise, and now this.  My apologies.

Amen to that !

By the standards of developed nations, absolutely.  By the standards of many other nations, not as clear cut.
I've been to Chile a couple of times.  What people do there to survive would shock most Americans.  To them that is their way of life.  There are some 9 to 5 jobs, but the majority of the population isn't employed 9 to 5 or they find additional sources of income to survive working outside of 9 to 5 every day in multiple forms of ways to earn money to support their family.  Some can't even be called jobs.  They do what it takes to provide for their families.
Many here don't appreciate how good we have it.

I've reached out to RC for a statement/update. Will post on the blog as soon as I hear something.

I think i have finally figured out how they price their DX packages. 

maple syrup won't harvest themselves!

For me...it would be the bar tab.  The number of trees that would have to die just to print off my end of cruise statement would be truly horrifying.

For me...it would be the bar tab.  The number of trees that would have to die just to print off my end of cruise statement would be truly horrifying.

On all my recent cruises mixed drinks were $12 plus tip so $14.16.  At $49, the break even point, if solely considering alcohol, is 3.46 drinks.  A recent cruise I scored the package at $46, so break even was 3.25.
On my last cruise I had the package at $49, but had to cancel it before the cruise for financial reasons (I wear black on Tax Day, LOL).  When I got onboard I saw the package was $65/day plus tip...I was really kicking myself for cancelling it.  I settled for the $79+tip drink card offered on Day 4.

Yes indeed refreshing. My favorite for Diamond lounge drink. Warning though !!! Lemon Drop taste so good and you don't feel like drink alcohol drink but it's strong. It can make you drop after 3 drinks. ?

Awesome,  Lemon drop is my wife's favorite drink.

That is an awesome cocktail!  It was recommended to me while I was live blogging Indy.  I enjoyed quite a few of those as well since then.

If you go to the Diamond Lounge, they can make some 'better' drinks for you.  I discovered the joy of a simple Lemon Drop there last month on Rhapsody.
Well, more accurately the joy of 3 of them one evening... ?

If you go to the Diamond Lounge, they can make some 'better' drinks for you.  I discovered the joy of a simple Lemon Drop there last month on Rhapsody.
Well, more accurately the joy of 3 of them one evening... ?

We've slowly become disenchanted with the quality of food and frantic service in the MDR (with the exception of a Vision cruise in early 2016; the food that cruise blew us away).  On our most recent cruise we deliberately decided not to visit the MDR at all as an experiment (for lack of a better term) to see if we'd like cruising that way better.  Since we were on Rhapsody with only three specialty restaurants, I picked up the 3 night dining package, and we planned the other days in the Windjammer (specifically Indian and Caribbean nights).  
Night 1 was at Izumi, and the waiter was one of the best I've ever had, land or sea. Enjoyed him so much we wound up booking the sushi making class as well as our last night at Izumi again!  I don't remember what order we did the rest but we wound up in the WJ for Caribbean night and I think German night and two others (Indian was on the buffet each evening), and we also did Chops and Giovannis.  
Pros:
We were able to eat when we wanted to; 7:15pm today, 6:30pm tomorrow? No problem!
Less stress. We didn't have to rush to get to the early seating after a day off ship (we have kids so late seating is out).
Less cost (almost)! Not having to pay airline fees for an additional bag of "fancy" clothes and shoes that we would only wear for a few hours saved money, and was used to subsidize the cost of the speciality restaurants.
The Windjammer food was of better quality and better selection than the tired MDR menu, IMHO. No pathetic dried out duck with a side of red cabbage...that has been on the menu since the time Noah was captain of Arc of the Seas.
Cons:
None, really. We didn't miss it at all. They missed us, though. They called on Day 3 to inquire as to why we weren't showing up.
I wish I could say "we're done" with the MDR but that wouldn't be true as our next cruise is on Majesty which I don't think has speciality restaurants.  But I think it's pretty unlikely we'll be back in the MDR very often in the future.

If you go to the Diamond Lounge, they can make some 'better' drinks for you.  I discovered the joy of a simple Lemon Drop there last month on Rhapsody.
Well, more accurately the joy of 3 of them one evening... ?

Day 1 - find a bar that is convenient and has the selections you like best, and go ahead and give a nice cash tip.
They'll look out for you the entire cruise.  
 
 
I know - it's always about the drinks with me.  ?

oooooooo...good idea!!!

Monctonguy, I was there for that window on my Freedom sailing. My strongest advice would be to eat a BIG breakfast, and then either not plan on any lunch there or just grabbing some street food for a quick bite if you want to see more than El Morro and the umbrella street (which I believe is also where you'll find the pigeon park). We had the benefit of being guided by a friend of my daughter who lives there and was able to take us by the back streets to the points of interest I had shown in my live blog, but even with her help we felt really rushed to see what we did and have time for lunch (which we started at like 11:15 or 11:30 and didn't finish until 1:15 or 1:30). If you want a piña colada or mojito while you're out and about, you can probably find a place that will sell you one in a to-go cup, but there's really no time for a sit-down meal.
2 PM is just WAAAYTOOO early to be leaving that port!

WHAT!?!?!  But they have RUM there!!! ?
When we went, even after being told 'no smoking' by all the staff there, one idiot lit up. He was all but body tackled by security. Certainly made the tour a little more exciting.

They edited the article and removed that sentence.
 

Won't happen for cruises, like mine, where the second day is in Cozumel.  Too far to travel in one day, I think.
PS - this is all my fault.  My final payment for my Cuba cruise was 4 days ago.

Won't happen for cruises, like mine, where the second day is in Cozumel.  Too far to travel in one day, I think.
PS - this is all my fault.  My final payment for my Cuba cruise was 4 days ago.

Being from the Frozen Mitten I can't wrap my mind around the idea of sailing to places, on purpose, where there are no palm trees... 
I couldn't pull a @monorailmedic and watch a ship sail out for a fall Canadian color cruise.  I'd be on the dock waving my hands and yelling to the Captain "you're going the wrong way!!!"

For me...it would be the bar tab.  The number of trees that would have to die just to print off my end of cruise statement would be truly horrifying.