dougt1957

If I'm not mistaken, you are allowed to bring two bottles on with you. You can enjoy it in your cabin, and if you take it to the dining room they charge a corkage fee ( it's $25 I think, not sure). You may consider that option. It would allow you to drink your favorite wine, maybe a little cheaper than the per glass cost of the wines available on board. Your cabin steward will provide wine glasses, and it's possible you could carry it into the dining room. They would probably assume you got it in the bar. I get a bar setup, and sometimes carry my cocktail in with no problem. Just another option.

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I always do the bar setup. It's not cheap, but it is nice to be able to pour myself a nice cocktail while preparing for dinner. It also comes with a a few nuts and snacks. And you can tell your room steward what you'd like for mixers from the soda choices available, as a six pack is included in the price. You can also bring any non-alcoholic mixers on board with you.

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The Sunset Bar is where cigar smokers gather. It's a small area, but you'll meet some nice like minded folks. Order a nice bourbon or scotch and enjoy.

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We've been on many ocean cruises, and took a river cruise up the Rhine once. The food was good , and being parked right in town was nice. But......., the biggest difference is the things to do at night after dinner. Basically it's a lounge with a piano player. No shows. No casino. I enjoyed it, but my wife was not so happy. She loves all those shows, and to be honest, I missed the casino, and got a little bored. If you really like touring churches and small towns go for it. If you like curling up with your e-reader at night, and won't miss the shows, casino, and dining options available on a large ship, you'll be happy.

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No. You want free drinks, go to Vegas.

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It doesn't matter in the end if you pre-pay gratuities, or pay them when you settle your final bill. You're still expected to pay the same amount. The only difference is when it's paid. I've always just figured gratuities as part of the total cost of the cruise, and had it in the budget. I still remember the hassle of making sure you had enough cash to put in those envelopes. I also remember that some folks chose to eat in the buffet the last night to avoid paying their tips. We can debate if cruise lines should just raise the price and not expect gratuities to be paid separately, as some luxury lines do. But in the end it's all the same. The customers pay for the service staff's salaries, just like they pay for the the fuel, the port fees, etc.,etc.

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We book a cruise at a price that we are happy with; with the extra perks that are available at that time, to a destination that we want to go to. If the price increase after we've booked, we feel happy that we booked when we did. If the price decreases after we've booked, we mat inquire if we can take advantage of it,& if not, my attitude is that we were happy with the price paid when we booked, & you win some & you lose some. We do the same with airfare. It's called "life".

I do the same. Get the cabin I want, at a price I'm happy with, and the perk available at the time I book. I'll check for a price drop occasionally. If I get one great, if not then I'm okay with the price I paid. I'm sure there is someone on board that got a better deal, but I could care less. I don't ask others what they paid. Not my business as far as I'm concerned.

On board credit can only be used.......on board. If you must have a certain date and time you'll have to pay with a credit card in order to book ahead of time. You can always use your o.b.c. for gratuities, drinks, or shore excursions.

If push comes to shove.....go commando!:D

I stuff my undies in my shoes, as for T-shirts, take 5 or 6 and have them sent to the laundry twice. Cruises are for having fun, not sweating the small stuff. Throw'em in the bag provided, leave'em on the bed, and go to a show or the casino.:cool: