DocLC

I'm very happy with my Away bag and appreciate that the battery can be removed. Note that only the carry-on bag has the battery as far as I know. I wrote about the bag here https://mycruisecourse.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/embarkation-day/ if you're interested. I agree with @monorailmedic that external battery packs are much more convenient and I carry two of them with me, plus a third that doubles as a hand warmer for my wife in colder climates. While I didn't buy the Away carry-on solely for this purpose since I already had external battery packs, I did like the convenience of having it in the bag. It's also a great way to make friends at the airport when waiting for your plane, especially when you have a couple of spares in your backpack. ;)

I'm a big fan of my Away Luggage. This link will get you $20 off and also give me $20 if you decide to buy: http://fbuy.me/fyDl_ I used the bag travelling internationally for a British Isles cruise which included two train trips. Have the integrated battery, lifetime guarantee, and nice wheels were great. In addition, the battery pack is removable, which is important to know as some airlines are talking about banning "smart" luggage because of the batteries. This is really only an issue if you are forced to check the bag for some reason. My wife, on the other hand, really likes her Zuca carry-on bag, but it's about a half inch too wide for some carry-on sizers. What's nice is that it's made from aircraft grade aluminum, you can sit on it, and it can support 300+ pounds. My son loves it as it gives him a place to sit when his legs are tired and has even proven useful when cruising as we've used it in the Windjammer during boarding day lunch when we were only able to find a table for two. We used the luggage as our third seat at the table. If you're in to packing cubes, this is the piece of luggage to go with.

Note that they'll leave the approximate time each number will be called. If you'd rather not handle your own luggage, you can always go to Guest Services and request another number.

If you do end up needing to take a taxi after disembarking, there will be plenty and the price is fixed between the cruise port and the airport. Last time I sailed from Miami it was $24, but it may have gone up since then.

For what it's worth, and I have had my gripes with Royal Caribbean, something similar happened to me with a Berlin excursion when the dock changed from one port to another. As a result, they had to cancel and rebook passangers. While the price did change, Royal honored the initial booking price when I inquired as it was essentially the same tour.

The last time I was on Holland America, they required a coat on formal night; however, I don't know if that's even the case with them. The trend is definitely moving towards casual, at least in the North American market.

Updated; enjoy! In honor of my birthday, right? ;) You were already on the list! Updated! Enjoy your many cruises.

Pretty much anything goes beyond flip flops, swim trunks, and sleeveless shirts. Shorts are friend upon, but I've seen some in the MDR at dinner. I tend to go with Dockers and a collared shirt and add a tire on formal nights. I've given up the suit or Blazer because of travel restrictions with luggage.

On the airport transfer excursions, the luggage is typically carried under the bus with you. Another option is to rent a car with an airport drop off. While Disney does provide transportation, I've found it to be much more convenient to drive a car rather than wait on the buses.

By prepaying for the coffee card, you're saving over the a la carte prices for the coffees you would otherwise buy. Of course, the savings are greater if you drink expensive coffee drinks (lattes, blended coffees, etc.) than if you drink less expensive and smaller sized drinks. Hence the "up to 50%" language.

When is your cruise? The reason I ask is that I heard that the rain forest was hot pretty hard during the hurricane. This, I'm not sure how great the experience will be.

The ships are virtually identical, so either would be a good choice. Let convenience and price of getting to the ship decide. I understand what you mean about your head spinning. We cancelled a Western Caribbean cruise on the MSC Seaside next month for a Med cruise around the same time as the process were much cheaper since it cold on the Med and the airfare wasn't much more for us than flying to Florida.

I don't think any of the specialty restaurants will be open on the Vision for lunch on embarkation day. At least, this was my experience in every ship from Freedom class on down.

Samba Grill (Brazilian Steakhouse on Allure) would be an exception to the one entree limit. I'm unsure about Sabor, but I don't think there's a limit unless they've gone back to an a la carte menu, where you'll then receive a dollar amount credit.

At least with the auto gratuity added in, there's no longer any confusion regarding whether the cover charge covers the tip and there's less of an expectation to leave an additional gratuity unless warranted. I real wish the cruise lines were more forthcoming about what the daily service fee covers. On some lines, it explicitly covers all dining venue including specialty restaurants, but on others it doesn't.

You're always going to do best midship if you're prone to motion sickness. Think of a ship as a teeter totter. The closer you are to the end, the more motion you'll experience. My wife is prone to motion sickness, but has only had a problem once in 25 cruises when we had an extreme aft cabin in rough (18-20 ft) seas. When we experienced rough conditions in the North Sea, she was fine with our midship cabin. I've read mixed reviews on the sea conditions in the Med, but can report back after my January cruise there.

The same reason they hate California. They can make more money per berth by sailing from other ports. Plus, Carnival and NCL are already competing with one another in New Orleans.

All set. Enjoy! Posted! If you can provide me with the embarkation date, I'd be happy to add this to the list. Updated. First listing past April 2019. Enjoy your cruise. It's now on the list.

Add a little vodka; that improves the taste.

I'm not sure if Royal does this, but NCL allows kids under 2 into cabins without counting then against the maximum capacity of the cabin. However, even if allowed, you're talking about a tight squeeze and only one bathroom. It might be worth considering two lower category connecting cabins than one that can accommodate all 5.

Just as a reminder regarding room service, there is no charge added for the continental breakfast option.

The Cruise Compass is Royal's name for the daily program. Carnival's is called Carnival Fun Times, formerly Carnival Caper.

Congratulations. You have 29 years before I catch up to you.

I had a resident discount on the Liberty in January 2016. However, if you book far enough out, you usually get a better rate than any residency discount. Some cruise lines do offer discounts to teachers, union members, and civil service employees; Royal just doesn't happen to be one of them.

You can create a free Permission to Travel Letter here (https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/child-travel-consent/#.Wfy0TWhSwuV) and edit it as necessary. I have heard of boarding being denied when both parents (or proof of sole custody or death of the other parent) have been provided. Such permission is a requirement for any travel of minor outside of their home country and originated in 1980 with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Internation Child Abduction and is supported by the United States by treaty. You can read more here (https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=24) if you want.