bcarney

Don't freak out when you get back and you've gained a couple of pounds even though you've stuck to the diet.  They use a ton of salt in the food, much more than most people do at home, so chances are you're just retaining water.  Water weighs over 8 pounds per gallon, so just a little bit will really "tilt the scale".  It will be gone in a couple of days when it's flushed out of your system.
Avoid the "bacon" appetizer at Chops Grille, it's covered in a sauce that contains a lot of sugar.
I did Atkins back in 2000 and lost over 70 lbs, and stuck with it until 2006.  The weight has crept back, but it's taken over a decade (and the addition of 2 kids).  I started Low Carb again at the beginning of the year and have dropped 15 so far.  Stick with it, it works!

This deserves to be a regular blog post on the homepage.

My son is allergic to peanuts.  In the MDR the head waiter comes over the night before with the following day's menu and goes over it with us, noting what dishes may have peanuts (very few, of course).  We're on our own in the Windjammer, but basically just avoid the cookies and desserts and you'll be safe.   The soft serve ice cream comes out of the machine and into the cone or bowl, so you don't have to worry about cross-contamination there either.
RC takes allergies very seriously. You need not worry.

My son is allergic to peanuts.  In the MDR the head waiter comes over the night before with the following day's menu and goes over it with us, noting what dishes may have peanuts (very few, of course).  We're on our own in the Windjammer, but basically just avoid the cookies and desserts and you'll be safe.   The soft serve ice cream comes out of the machine and into the cone or bowl, so you don't have to worry about cross-contamination there either.
RC takes allergies very seriously. You need not worry.

And smoking, if that's a factor for you.

And smoking, if that's a factor for you.

And smoking, if that's a factor for you.

No, you will not regret it.  Even a bad cruise (I've heard there are such things...I've never personally experienced one) is better than no cruise.  I know you will have a great time.  I really enjoy sailing out of Tampa.  We are sailing on Brilliance in November.
Off topic but....I have family in Rock Hill.  LOVE it there.

I’ve done it on most of my sailings.  On the Serenade, my work won “best” sushi. They gave me a bottle of Moscato. 

EDIT:  It was on the Majesty

Can only hope so! ?

I for one have stopped trying to promote the cruise industry and agree wholeheartedly with everything they said.
The last thing I need is more people to book cruises (driving up the cost for me).  
It's terrible out there folks.  The sea was 90' yesterday (away from the Promenade deck).  I hear that 99% of all cruise ships got stranded (away from a boring existence) yesterday.  Everyone on board is sick (of being on land).  I went missing (and none of my clients know I'm on a ship).  There were 75 mph winds (for anyone driving on the interstate with their hands out the window in Florida). 
Yep, it's not a life for the faint of heart.  Avoid cruising (so I can book cheaper cruises).
If they don't want to go, please don't try to correct them.  
 

With some Cuban rum on the side.

I was listening to the podcast today as I was running and I heard a listener thank Matt for his info on adding cruise credits from cruises WAY in the past. Through a quick email to C & A I was able to add a sailing from 2005 that I took as a 21 year old to my C & A account! They even said I could add my 1989 Song of Norway sailing if I could produce any documentation from that cruise (Other than photos I don’t think I can, but it’s possible I have an aunt who can). They said they only have files on sailings 1997 and later. Anyway.  I always considered myself a first time cruiser bc it’s my first time cruising as an adult this month, but it turns out I already have tons (ha) of cruise points. 
Thanks Matt and listener! 

THANK YOU for not saying "Ron Zacapa 23 YEAR OLD". That phrase is like nails on a chalkboard to me, because it isn't. It's just marketing - it used have a teeny, tiny portion of a possibly 23 year old rum in it years ago, maybe a full molecule or two, but nowadays it does not.  It's like "Pilar 24" rum - how can a 5 year old company have a 24 year old rum? It's not, it's just the number 24 slapped on the label. Everyone assumes "year old" when they see a number.
Zacapa also has 45 g/liter of sugar added, and also glycerine to make it "smooth".
I have no real preference for spiced rums, by the time you add it to a frozen drink you've covered up a lot of what makes rum, rum.
I haven't seen Mt. Gay silver in a long time.  I've toured the distillery (not the visitors center) twice, they make a proper, no stuff added (unless it was aged in a used barrel) rum.

THANK YOU for not saying "Ron Zacapa 23 YEAR OLD". That phrase is like nails on a chalkboard to me, because it isn't. It's just marketing - it used have a teeny, tiny portion of a possibly 23 year old rum in it years ago, maybe a full molecule or two, but nowadays it does not.  It's like "Pilar 24" rum - how can a 5 year old company have a 24 year old rum? It's not, it's just the number 24 slapped on the label. Everyone assumes "year old" when they see a number.
Zacapa also has 45 g/liter of sugar added, and also glycerine to make it "smooth".
I have no real preference for spiced rums, by the time you add it to a frozen drink you've covered up a lot of what makes rum, rum.
I haven't seen Mt. Gay silver in a long time.  I've toured the distillery (not the visitors center) twice, they make a proper, no stuff added (unless it was aged in a used barrel) rum.

I have the final statement in front of me.  $700 was refunded.  It paid for 2 Deluxe Beverage packages, all gratuities, $20 on t-shirts, my wife decided she wanted a drink in a pineapple so there was a $10.62 surcharge for that, and she also bought $61 worth of perfume.  Our final bill was $94.17.

This deserves to be a regular blog post on the homepage.

How nerdy can I get? ?
I'm a traditionalist, so it's Goslings for me (the standard bottle, not the 151). Goslings only has 11 grams/liter of added sugar, whereas Kracken has 43 gpl, if that is a concern for you.  Goslings is also the more traditional 40 proof vs 47 for Kracken.
"Groupthink" rates them about equally  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/482-kraken-black-spiced  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/420-gosling-s-black-seal
Kracken uses a younger rum base as well, IIRC (hence the added sugar and caramel colorings), so personally I'd be sticking with Goslings.
But all that said, keep in mind these are SPICED rums, not regular rums, so you might want to make room in your cabinet for a traditional rum like Appleton or Mt. Gay (both easily accessible) for recipes that require a non-spiced rum.

How nerdy can I get? ?
I'm a traditionalist, so it's Goslings for me (the standard bottle, not the 151). Goslings only has 11 grams/liter of added sugar, whereas Kracken has 43 gpl, if that is a concern for you.  Goslings is also the more traditional 40 proof vs 47 for Kracken.
"Groupthink" rates them about equally  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/482-kraken-black-spiced  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/420-gosling-s-black-seal
Kracken uses a younger rum base as well, IIRC (hence the added sugar and caramel colorings), so personally I'd be sticking with Goslings.
But all that said, keep in mind these are SPICED rums, not regular rums, so you might want to make room in your cabinet for a traditional rum like Appleton or Mt. Gay (both easily accessible) for recipes that require a non-spiced rum.

How nerdy can I get? ?
I'm a traditionalist, so it's Goslings for me (the standard bottle, not the 151). Goslings only has 11 grams/liter of added sugar, whereas Kracken has 43 gpl, if that is a concern for you.  Goslings is also the more traditional 40 proof vs 47 for Kracken.
"Groupthink" rates them about equally  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/482-kraken-black-spiced  https://www.rumratings.com/brands/420-gosling-s-black-seal
Kracken uses a younger rum base as well, IIRC (hence the added sugar and caramel colorings), so personally I'd be sticking with Goslings.
But all that said, keep in mind these are SPICED rums, not regular rums, so you might want to make room in your cabinet for a traditional rum like Appleton or Mt. Gay (both easily accessible) for recipes that require a non-spiced rum.

We just got off Majesty on Monday. It was one of the Cuba-cancelled cruises where we received 50% of our fare back as a refundable OBC.  Upon boarding we ordered a drink, and there was a guy there pitching BOGOHO drink packages. After doing the math it was a $47.50/pp per day plus tip - which is a far cry from the $66/day last spring.  Normally my wife wouldn't get the package, but we were cruising without the kids, and to be honest the money was already "spent" mentally, so with a little bit of arm twisting she relented and we purchased the package.
On a side note, the refunded money covered drink packages for two, all the gratuities, and some other miscellaneous spending.  We walked off the ship with a final bill of only $94, after living large all week.
It was most definitely a great cruise. ?

We just got off Majesty on Monday. It was one of the Cuba-cancelled cruises where we received 50% of our fare back as a refundable OBC.  Upon boarding we ordered a drink, and there was a guy there pitching BOGOHO drink packages. After doing the math it was a $47.50/pp per day plus tip - which is a far cry from the $66/day last spring.  Normally my wife wouldn't get the package, but we were cruising without the kids, and to be honest the money was already "spent" mentally, so with a little bit of arm twisting she relented and we purchased the package.
On a side note, the refunded money covered drink packages for two, all the gratuities, and some other miscellaneous spending.  We walked off the ship with a final bill of only $94, after living large all week.
It was most definitely a great cruise. ?

We just got off Majesty on Monday. It was one of the Cuba-cancelled cruises where we received 50% of our fare back as a refundable OBC.  Upon boarding we ordered a drink, and there was a guy there pitching BOGOHO drink packages. After doing the math it was a $47.50/pp per day plus tip - which is a far cry from the $66/day last spring.  Normally my wife wouldn't get the package, but we were cruising without the kids, and to be honest the money was already "spent" mentally, so with a little bit of arm twisting she relented and we purchased the package.
On a side note, the refunded money covered drink packages for two, all the gratuities, and some other miscellaneous spending.  We walked off the ship with a final bill of only $94, after living large all week.
It was most definitely a great cruise. ?

I was on one of the impacted cruises last week.  I think the Company handled it well - they gave us 50% of our fare back as refundable OBC, and we in turn spent every penny of it onboard. We're happy, and Royal still managed to keep our money (on high profits items like the drink package), so everybody wins.

We just got off Majesty on Monday. It was one of the Cuba-cancelled cruises where we received 50% of our fare back as a refundable OBC.  Upon boarding we ordered a drink, and there was a guy there pitching BOGOHO drink packages. After doing the math it was a $47.50/pp per day plus tip - which is a far cry from the $66/day last spring.  Normally my wife wouldn't get the package, but we were cruising without the kids, and to be honest the money was already "spent" mentally, so with a little bit of arm twisting she relented and we purchased the package.
On a side note, the refunded money covered drink packages for two, all the gratuities, and some other miscellaneous spending.  We walked off the ship with a final bill of only $94, after living large all week.
It was most definitely a great cruise. ?