MoYerclan

Its been a few years since we last cruised but we started with RCCL. It was fun and all, but then we went on some Celebrity Cruises and found them much more to our liking.

For example- RCCL had frequent overhead announcements which interrupt the peace. I don't need to hear about the belly flop contest at the pool- that's what the daily flyer is for.  Celebrity only had one noonday announcement from the Captain with weather report and short comments of the day.  The cruises we take have fewer kids which we appreciate.

We also like the Aqua dining room a lot.

I've found the food on RCCI to have diminished in quality in the past couple years, and prefer Celebrity more. The specialty restaurants on both lines are so much better, yet for extra cost. I prefer to consider it the cost of getting more of what I prefer (much better food *and* service) and worth every penny.

A nice waterproof ID/money box on a lanyard. We used to call them badeboxes, but I'm sure you can find them both on board and online.

Some are small squares about the size of a deck of cards, others are more tubular. I tend to keep my seapass card, a few dollars and a charge card in mine and loop it through my shorts belt loop, or my bathing suit strap and tuck in in or wear it under my shirt the entire cruise. I hate carrying a purse if I don't need to. It's just right for keeping your valuables on you while swimming.

Lapsang Souchong is way too "heavy" for me. I like Irish Breakfast--very hard to find, so I usually end up with English Breakfast. The problem is that many carry the Lipton version, which is very bitter. Blech!

I can often get Twinings Irish Breakfast at Publix.

First time in an Aqua Class stateroom. Hoping to jump start the year with some extra gym and spa time, to include the Persian Garden area. I'm kinda clueless as to what folks wear (or don't wear?!) while in the hot, cold and tile lounger room?

No matter how "close" y'all are I just can't see any attraction to sharing such intimate space for a week. I'm sorry but I don't want everyone sitting outside the small lavatory door waiting on me to finish. Ugh.

Mom deserves the respect that giving her space and privacy affords her. She'd probably be quite fine in a cheaper interior room to sleep, change, bathe and just not have to talk to anyone. Then she could come enjoy your balcony as desired.

My skin is crawling at the imposed crowding your plans entail and I do think it would affect my enjoyment of the entire cruise experience.

Coldwater Creek has wonderful colorful things. There is so much more in the stores than one sees in the catalog though.

Do you take a purse with you into ports? I probably won't take one into Coco Cay but I might into St. Thomas and St. Martin. Do you carry a purse around with you on the ship?

Purse!? I don't want to carry around no stankin' purse on a ship!! My shorts pocket has my lipstick, my seapass card is stuffed into a small, thin waterproof box looped around a belt loop and in my pocket, or around my neck under my shirt. My sun glasses are on my face or head. God forbid I should be seen in one of those horrible fanny packs! Anything else on board I can go back to my cabin for.

As for off the ship, I carry a beach type bag with minimal supplies. Again, any cash and ID are in my waterproof badebox tucked away out of sight. I just prefer to travel light, y'know?

I work with one nurse who did her lips and they look FABULOUS!! She said it hurt like hell though. The color is just a tad darker than normal lips... they just look so damn sexy all the time.

Then again, I work with this other nurse who had her eyebrows tattooed in VietNam and she looks like a freak. Tall, thin arches... a bit like Olive Oyle. And I have never figured out where her natural brows went?? Its almost as if she shaved them off or something?

I like the little plastic waterproof box (thin!) which I stuff my seapass and a few bucks into and then loop it through my shorts beltloop and stuff the box into a pocket. Or loop it around my bathing suit strap and it gets tucked into my suit under my arm or ther'bouts.

I think wearing a lanyard reminds me of kids on the short bus who can't be trusted to hold onto their own card unless Mom pins it to them. JMO.

If you think that this site shows the Itinerary of historical cruises, please give us the actual URL.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult.do;jsessionid=0000eo0SyEPXYKhwECwBkBPnqQg:12hbiocus?cS=ADVSCH&duration=10&dest=ANY&date=ANY&port=ANY&includeAdjascentPorts=Y&ship=JW&selectedCurrencyCode=USD&price=ANY&cruiseTourOnly=false&sortBy=1&state=&x=32&y=5

Where can I find an intinerary from RC's "Jewel of the Seas" 10-day Caribbean/Panama Canal cruise, please?

I just saw it on the RC website itself. Easily found at

http://www.royalcaribbean.com

You are wrong, check any tipping guide. Guided day tours are to be tipped at 15% of the ticketed price.

Tipping is totally voluntary. You're shaking people down and it would peeve me off. It is as rude and tacky as getting a wedding invitation with a notice included on where the bride is registered for gifts. It is just *not done*!

Right behind your examples of how you shake folks down, tip clips or jars are annoying especially when you see one with an obviously "planted" $20 bill or something right on top pretending to have been given.