LEMJMcC

Usually I awake before sunrise, stop by Cafe Promenade and grab a hot Tazo tea, some coffee for the wife, and a few small pastries and take these to the room. I will then late my sleeping beauty remain in slumber while I head out to the bow of the ship (when I can access it) to watch the sunrise. Then by that time DW is usually awake and we eat a light breakfast on the balcony, enjoying our morning beverages and the sight and sound of the ocean. We'll then get dressed, or should I say changed, and head to either WJ or MDR depending on what the day's agenda is. We have eaten once at JR's which was okay. I always enjoy the WJ because we both can usually find things we like and things we've never tried before. Then at the close of the day we do something similar with an evening drink (mine is usually a cold glass of milk) and some desserts we bring back to the stateroom before turning in...very relaxing, Can't wait for February 2023 for our next adventure!

No more testing!...no more testing!...no more testing!...no more testing!...no more testing!...no more testing! Wish I could get a wave going!

Are you seeing gratuities being added to your final charge when you purchase the UDP? When I purchased mine back in May, gratuities were not added so I paid exactly what they advertised on the Cruise Planner. Saw the price drop so I repurchased but this time the gratuities were added as an extra charge on top of the advertised price...seems a little crooked to me.

I previously purchased the UDP for an upcoming cruise. Checked today and the UDP was discounted significantly, so I cancelled the original order and re-purchased. I received the confirmation email and it shows gratuity added to the total. The original purchase of the package, just a month ago, did NOT include additional charges for gratuity. So ends up I was charged more this time around. So it's really not a sale... Anyone else run into this?

Christmas decorations were very nice and crew wore Santa hats. "Holiday music" was played throughout the ship, but we quickly became tired of the same songs being played over and over again; mind you, there were no traditional carols played at all on Mariner and there was absolutely nothing sacred about Christmas onboard - except for some cabin doors decorated by cruisers. If you're looking for a secular Christmas completely devoid of its true meaning, then a Christmas cruise can be a blast. If you highly value the more traditional aspects of the holiday, you might be a bit disappointed.

Inappropriate? Yes. Art? NO! Looks like something a three-year old would make out near a mud puddle!

I can barely spell casino and have never played any kind of game of chance, except Blackjack with my brother-in-law in which I lost $14 when I was like 12 years old ☹️- which explains my ignorance of such activities. That said, the lovely wife has voiced some curiosity about taking part in some casino games (she too is a tee-totaler when it comes to gambling), but since neither of us have any idea how to start, we never have. So, what would you reccommend to a couple who want to dabble with some games just for fun - I'm pretty tight, so my allowable "expendable cash" limit is low - like maybe $20 per visit. By the way, are you always playing for money at the casino or are there other possible prizes like OBC, drink packages, specialty restaurant vouchers, etc.? What denomination of currency should I use, quarters, dollar bills?? Thanks all.