Mum2Mercury

The letter I've always received has instructions on how to request a postponement. I've postponed twice without any difficulty. Don't ever request a postponement though, if you can help it. Why? Because they will not postpone your postponement, and they might ask you to report on a "worse week". Here's a story: A fellow teacher and I were assigned jury duty during exam week -- not a week teachers can really be absent. We both applied for a postponement. I was approved, but he was denied. Why? Because he'd already been postponed once, and they won't postpone a postponement. Just FYI: When I went in for my duty, the week of July 4th, the Ballif (Ballif?) told us to sit tight for 15 minutes, give our names, and we'd all be dismissed. NO cases were tried in my county that month. Easiest jury duty ever.

Please don't do this. The pool deck doesn't have a lot of walking space, and this would definitely infringe on your fellow cruisers' space. Plus, what will you do with the water once you're done? You can't toss it back into the pool, and you can't toss it over the side.

Okay, so I read something -- possibly something wrong -- and remembered it even more incorrectly. Thanks for setting me straight.

Maybe it had to do with parents who get free internet because of C&A level?

Did I read this here? When a parent buys an internet package, the kid gets an internet package for no cost. Or did I imagine that? If true, how does the parent access the freebie?

I've recently seen the splash area on Independence, and I think that's pretty close: - No, it's rather large, even to my adult eye. To a toddler, it'll appear to be acres. - I'd want him to have water shoes for good traction. Don't court injuries! - My smart daughter only allows my grandson to wear bright red, orange or yellow swim trunks (not so easy to find), as they stand out in a crowd of common blue swimmies. - Consider planning a beach excursion so he can "swim" in the ocean without restriction. - Bring along your own beach toys -- here at the end of the summer, they'll be on clearance.

Yes, this is my complaint too. I would've been more willing to accept a change if it'd been ONE or THE OTHER. But more money coupled with reduced service is not right. Admittedly, people go to guest services for a lot of reasons on that last day: They need to change their departure time, they've looked at their bill and found a problem, they've lost their ship ID ... and some of them are removing tips. Hint: If you need to go to Guest Services and don't want to wait in line, go down in the middle of the night. You'll walk straight to the counter. Exactly ... they want to make their cruise appear super-cheap online, so they don't include tips, port taxes, etc. And they only advertise the cheapest room ... the inside guarantee. Oh, great. I have mild claustrophobia, and I've never once thought about suffocation. No, for me it's a fear of being unable to move, especially the fear of being unable to move my arms and legs and escape from an enclosed space. If I have a bad dream, it's always being eaten by a shark or locked in a coffin or just otherwise "stuck". I was genuinely terrified when I thought about those poor Titan Submarine people ... I really worried that the thing was turned on its end and they were all smushed together, unable to move. You don't need to tell me this makes no sense ... I know. That's why it's a phobia.

I get why the parents need to give you permission to take the child out of the country -- and the notary stamp proves it was really the parents who gave permission. But why do you need to give yourself permission?

Yes, this is one reason we'll never sail over a holiday again. We don't have anything against kids, but we do hate sailing on an overcrowded ship -- and often if you sail over summer or (especially) on a holiday, that's what you get. More cabins sail with a 3rd or 4th passenger, and those extras make a difference as they flood the public spaces of the ship. One of my former teacher friends used to say, "Teenagers just can't be a**holes in the same way adults can be a**holes." She's not wrong. Anyway, I'd say adults vs. kids is like apples vs. oranges. Not the same thing, not the same problems. Kids tend to be fine -- unless they're allowed to run wild in a group, and then they'll come up with trouble that none of them would've considered individually. The only kids I've ever seen actually misbehaving were teens after dark -- who shouldn't have been allowed that much freedom.

Yes, I'm seeing jeans and shorts (we're in the South, and it's cooled off to about 90 degrees today) in pink. Lots of accessories (cross body purses and phone cases, for example) in pink. Barbie logo tops. A few dresses -- casual, like tee-dresses -- but they're not as numerous as separates. I have a feeling that Barbie-pink hoodies will show up when the weather cools. Those long flowey dresses seem to have lost their appeal. I wouldn't mind seeing them back, though such things can quickly overwhelm my small stature. Oh, and I should've said, zero rompers or jumpsuits today. But that would've kinda been expected, as it's Friday and School Spirit Day. Fridays have always been more casual, and school spirit day (every Friday) lends itself to tee-shirts.

We like Sorrento's pizza and enjoy a slice as a mid-afternoon or late-night snack. It's often the best snack available in the afternoon while the Windjammer is closed between lunch and dinner ... we'd not be alone in feeling its absence. Pizza is a very cheap-to-make food, and I'd be upset if they started charging for it. Why all this hate /complaint about Sorrento's? Honestly, some people just don't want to be made happy. Yes, I've had better pizza. I've also had worse. Recently RC made Indy's Fish and Ships a no-fee restaurant, so this is a confusing move.

I've never been unhappy with a guarantee cabin, but -- if it happens -- I wouldn't hesitate to call Royal. Your problem is that you can't call -- you have to go through the TA, and the TA doesn't want to bother.

It seems to me that 10 is old enough for some freedom -- but not "go have fun, be back in the room by 5:00 to dress for dinner" freedom. I'd say a 10-year old could leave Mom at the pool and go to the Windjammer alone to get a snack. Or he could be left in the room alone playing his video games /resting while Mom leaves for an hour. But I wouldn't allow a 10-year old to go to Movies-Under-the-Stars alone. I wouldn't allow a 10-year old to walk himself to a kids-club event after dark alone. Even when our kids were teens, our rule was that we ate dinner together, then the kids were either at an organized kids-club event or with the family afterward. Never had any problems.

As others have said, yes, you can bring a pill organizer. However, I prefer to get those tiny little baggies from the pharmacy. I write the date on them with Sharpie, and I can bring the baggie to breakfast /toss it when I'm done. Nothing wrong with an organizer, but I find the baggies more convenient for travel. I don't worry much about not carrying pharmacy bottles; no one's after my vitamins and allergy pills.

Oh, and we're in North Carolina. In a fairly affluent area not too far out of one of the big cities.

Okay, I promised to report back concerning first-day of school jumpsuits and rompers. I only saw two -- and I was looking in the hallways during class changes: - Barbie-pink long-pants, spaghetti strap top worn over white mini-tee. Loose and made of sweatshirt material? Cute on a teen, nothing an adult woman would wear. - Olive green shorts + cap-sleeved tee -- quite tight. Knit material with a woven-in strip /texture. Not really an attractive outfit in my eyes, even though the teen has a great figure. What I DID see in great number: Girls wearing Barbie-pink. Wow, I didn't expect that! Barbie logo items. Mostly separates, often paired with olive green or camo (more paired with jeans, but that's the default, isn't it?). A few dresses, all quite casual -- like tee-dresses.

Tell you what, tomorrow's the first day of school -- high school, that is -- and it's always a fashion show. I'll let you know what I see among my students.

If your room connects with another room, you'll likely have a large chair. If it's not a connecting room, you'll have a couch.

I'm seeing overalls in the stores (only long ones, no shorties) but not rompers or jumpsuits (don't see people wearing them either). Not that I live in a cosmopolitan fashion hot-spot. Well, that leaves adult-sized footie pajamas. My youngest love-love-loves those. I don't think overalls are the same as rompers. When you wear a romper, you must completely disrobe to use the rest room ... whereas, with overalls, you still have a shirt on as you, um, go. Not that they aren't cute, but I don't think overalls are such great travel pieces: - Most overalls, in my limited experience, are denim. They're pretty heavy and (even when folded neatly) take more space than jeans. - They are less versatile than jeans. That is, when you wear overalls with a variety of shirts, it's the overalls that stand out, whereas with jeans it's the opposite. Said differently, if you wore three different shirts with the same pair of jeans, it'd look like three different outfits. The same cannot be said of overalls. - No matter what you do, overalls are quite casual. This means -- unlike pants -- you can't wear them for a hike, then dress them up with a nice blouse for dinner.

No, no, no -- you have literally one of the best balconies on the ship. You'd be foolish to give it up! And for more money? NO! The walk to the back of the ship is nothing. The superstructure kinda "disappears", but the extra balcony size and the view -- it's the best.

I don't think they'd be punished severely -- unless he was visibly drunk and causing trouble. However, he (and the GF) should be aware that getting a "drinking ticket" is far from harmless. A cruise ship is unlikely to give drinking tickets, and they'd be unlikely to get back to American, but I've heard stories: - A friend's son got a drinking ticket on his college campus. Their insurance went up, and they thought that was it -- nope. Two years later their family was almost denied permission to host a foreign exchange student. They had to sign something specifically saying they understood their exchange student could not drink alcohol, and the student could never be a passenger in a car driven by the son (who no longer lived in the house). - My oldest daughter told me about a number of girls in her nursing program who -- because of drinking tickets -- were not allowed into certain facilities during their nursing clinicals (practice nursing). I think they were not allowed into the public schools to shadow a school nurse, and I know that wasn't the only place they were denied. Their instructors were ANGRY with the students for being so foolish and piled extra work on them to "make up" for the assignments they couldn't do. - One of my old students (who was super-close to turning 21) went to lunch at a bar with work friends and ordered a beer -- they failed to card him, and he was served. I don't remember HOW he was caught, but he was, and his insurance went up. I've heard a couple more. Your son and his girlfriend are in college. They may be involved in in internships or similar programs. It's unlikely that news of them drinking on the ship would /could reach their hometown, but the world's getting smaller every day. I was going to say something similar. These are college students. When I was in school, I was so incredibly poor that even a single $10-16 dollar drink would've been out of my price range. Now that's true: Except in your own room, you should always assume you're on camera. That facial recognition is scary-good. I remember my kids had to wear bracelets when they were small (so -- in case of an emergency -- kids' club staff would know their muster station), but I don't think 20 year olds would need to wear them.

I agree with the three above posters. Personally, most of the tours I've taken have been excellent; sub-par guides don't tend to keep their jobs.

First, your choice isn't just which ship and itinerary, it's also WHEN to travel. I'm mid-50s and retired, so I prefer to cruise in the fall. Smaller crowds, lower prices, perfect weather -- unless you get a hurricane, which is a possibility. You'll never be in danger from a hurricane (because your captain will never take the ship anywhere near such a beast), but it's possible your itinerary could be changed; for example, you could miss an island or have another one substituted. (This is unlikely.) We have chosen to stick with Royal Caribbean. Not because I think they're head-and-shoulders better than other lines, but because by sticking with ONE LINE you build up loyalty points /get some rewards. On the other hand, unless you cruise much more than we do, skipping from line to line would mean never building up real rewards on any line. And we like their product /find it fits our family's travel personality. Having said all that, I recommend this cruise: 2. Wonder of the Seas: Coco Cay, Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Maya (7 night). I think you put this one in twice -- #2 and #8, so you must favor it. This is a mega-ship, so be sure that's what you want -- look over all the food options, show options, etc. But Coco Cay is almost universally loved, and you've got three more good island stops with a good variety of activities. My second choice would be: 1. Symphony of the Seas: Labadee, Aruba, Curacao (8 night). Another mega-ship. Labadee isn't as nice as Coco Cay. I loved Aruba but found Curacao just so-so; oh, I'd totally go back to Curacao, but I'd prefer the stops on the other cruise. 8 nights is nicer than 7! But only three stops in 8 nights -- I personally look for the combination of great amenities on the ship AND island stops. I do not recommend: 3. Oasis of the Seas: Nassau, Coco Cay, Labadee, Falmouth (7 night). Oh, the ship's great, but I don't like the itinerary. My husband and I've said we'll never visit Nasasu again. Coco Cay is great and Labadee is good, but I don't really want TWO beach-stop island-stops in one trip; I'd rather have a variety of activities for the islands. And Falmouth isn't my first choice. I can't say anything about the Carnival ships.

Yeah, but have you looked at the prices of Alaskan excursions? They're considerably higher than Caribbean excursions -- many are $300-500 per person. You're forewarned. I don't know the hotel, but it'd be wise to call and verify exactly how this works /whether you need to make a reservation for the shuttle. "The process" isn't much -- don't expect anyone to hold your hand through it. First you'll need to turn in your suitcase; then you'll show your boarding pass, your ID, have your carry-on x-rayed, and you'll be allowed on the ship.

Option 3: 90% of the time we eat a fairly big breakfast, complete our activities ashore, then have a late lunch when we return to the ship. We typically do not return to the ship to eat, then go out again.