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My last cruise we had FTTF and we were boarded, unpacked, tipsy, and napped all before safety drill.  Totally worth it for us.  TOTALLY!

I was on this ship in April 2018 (the sailing when it flooded at sea) and we were back in port at 6:15 and we were in the car by 7:30 am.  But that doesn't always happen.  I think honestly you would be ok but you will definitely never know what could happen.  If the ship is delayed for any reason, this could put a damper on things.  Worst case, book the flight and if you miss it then you can call the airlines and see if they will book you on a later one.

As a recently retired competitive figure skater, I LOVE the ice shows.  Knowing how much room we need as skaters to set up a jump and they do it on the tiny little rink is incredible.  And with how hot they must get, it's even more impressive.

4 hours ago, Christinampl said:

My favorite cruise ship drink is the Habanero & Grapefruit Daiquiri in the Schooner Bar. When I ordered it I assumed it was a fruity frozen drink and when I received it, it was more martini-esque and not what I was hoping for/expecting.  I turned out to LOVE this drink so much.  So much so that I drank the Anthem out of the Miami Club Rum that they use to make this drink. I cannot wait to be on board the Brilliance in two days to have a few (just know that this is a strong cocktail if made correctly).  Enjoy your experiment!

That's because it's how a true daiquiri is made.  They are named that because they originated from the town in Cuba.  A true one isn't a frozen sugary concoction. 

I really enjoyed Pasta Bella on embarkation day when I was on the Dream.  It was so good. 

We sailed out of NOLA in April and stayed at the port garage. $140 for a 7 day cruise. Fulton I know is cheaper but they will only let 1 person from the group get the car. So you basically have to leave your people at the port, get the car and come back to get them. I wasn't about to deal with that mess but for many others it's no biggie. I've heard good things about it other than that.

Going off of memory, the Costco visa covers med evacuation as well as any medical that your primary health insurance doesn’t. Best to check their website though.

 

 

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Coverage is VERY limited with the Costco Visa card. Only $3000 max per traveler. If you need medical evacuation or something of that nature, you're in bad shape.

Oh and it doesn't cover medical care or anything like that. It states that they will refer you to someone but you must pay for the services. Also the emergency coverage worldwide is very specific, like you have to lose hands, feet, limbs, eyes, hearing. Here is the link for the PDF download.

https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/~/media/CPP/Files/LegalDocs/.../CostcoCon.ashx

At what point does this get so out of hand that the government steps in and starts making requirements for proof for the service animals? I take my dog with me any place I can IF they are dog friendly (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc) but never ever some place like a cruise or restaurant or even a friends house unless the dog is invited. My dogs are my kids but I have enough sense to not take them places that aren't pet friendly.

Oh wow I am SO glad I saw this. I was going to order a bunch of gift cards from AARP as well for my drink package order. Guess I won't now. Carnival is so much better with these gift cards. Oh well.

Then there are the not so lucky ones like me that are lactose intolerant and can't have this stuff or the real ice cream in the MDR or WJ. Man, I miss ice cream...and cheese. If I could, I would destroy a big heaping cone of either one of these right now. Then it would destroy me.

Oh man I am so sorry. I shattered my elbow 10 days before my last RCCL cruise. I had surgery on that Monday morning before the trip. My doc asked if I still wanted and to go and I said "uh YEAH! This is my honeymoon and I am not missing it". He said "ok, we will make sure you don't miss it". So that Monday morning I went in for my surgery, off pain meds by Wednesday, and on Sunday I got on the ship. Granted I was in full cast from above the tricep to my wrist but I didn't care. I enjoyed the pool (the shallow part with 6 inches of water), drank, and laid by the pool. I had a weird tan line, had to answer the same question 3000 times of "did you do that on the ship?", and my husband had to help me do most everything. But it was still a great trip. The next cruise was even better because I wasn't in a cast. I don't cruise without trip insurance and I also have the Allianz one too. So cheap for all the protection it offers. Hopefully you can take a cruise very soon and put this whole mess behind you.

There are some flights out of the Bham, AL airport on Southwest but none are direct. There is one that leaves at 6 am that morning and arrives at 1:05 pm with a layover. But this does absolutely NO help at all so never mind.

We eat kind of early at home so we picked early seating. We like to go to bed by 10, even on vacation.

I have $175 in OBC for my next cruise. When I buy something in the cruise planner (like excursions or drink packages) do I have to use the OBC for that purchase? I want to buy drink package as soon as they open it up for purchase and also do the steakhouse and Mexican restaurant but I don't want to use to OBC for my drink package. I wanted to save the rest of the OBC for on the ship stuff like the little shops, drinks that cost extra, etc.

I was a skater up until a couple of years ago. I was advanced (up through double loop) but too many injuries ended it. I was planning on working on stuff during my cruise on Freedom and at the time, this stuff was allowed and no helmets required. Times have definitely changed.

Someone once told me you can get a print out of all that's charged to your sea pass card throughout your cruise -maybe that could bring your 'curiosity' to a whole new level 'post' cruise?

I did it on my last cruise. My husband and I laughed at how much we drank and didn't realize it.

I bought a pair of Samsonite spinners from Belk earlier this year on clearance. LOVE them. I had two wheeled rollers before and these are so much easier to deal with.

Jeez, *** is wrong with some of you people?

Thanks Penns, that wouldn't come up in a search. I like to play with these sheets just to see how much damage I can do.

I just like to play out scenarios and stuff. I get the drink package regardless. Some others though might find the spreadsheets to be helpful. No need to be lame about it.

I know there are spreadsheets on Carnival and NCL boards on here but has anyone done one for RCL? It's where you enter in number of sea days, number of port days, cost you paid for drink package, and select what drinks you think you would have. It calculates if the packages are worth it.

Question... On Carnival you can order any drink that has a regular price of up to $50? That can't be correct, can it? That means that on Carnival Johnnie Walker Blue et al are included as part of the package?

Yup, indeed correct. Had it on my last cruise.

I have done the FTTF on Carnival. Did it last cruise and would totally do it again. On ship, in room, unpacked, had lunch, had 3 drinks, a 2 hour nap all before saftey drill. If RCL had it, I would gladly pay to do it. But it doesn't bother me they don't have it. We just accommodate with boarding time. It's all good.

Thanks for posting! I will watch it tomorrow as I lay in bed and be lazy all day. Vacation day FTW!

I too was torn between these two itineraries. I decided to book the ABC island cruise and then the next year will do the other one. Win win! I've been so St. Marteen and love it there. All of the places I want to visit so either way, can't go wrong. CRUISE TO ALL THE PLACES!!!!

I've only done a handful of cruises but I do all carry on. I also don't board until rooms are ready so I am not schlepping my luggage around. Everything for a 7 nighter fits in 1-25" roller bag and 1-20" roller. That's shoes, clothes, toiletries, workout gear, EVERYTHING for two people. Next cruise I am going to see if I can get it down to 1-25" roller and one duffel bag. Packing goals...