rudeney

I am sure there are poor parenting skills at all income levels. My theory is that the pricier the experience, the more likely parents will be conscious of their children's behavior. But also, people with more disposable income may give their children more experience in how to behave as they eat out at nice restaurants more often.

I agree about kid's behavior on DCL. We never experienced and issues with that and we also guessed it was because of the programs that keep them busy. We've not had any major issues with kids on RCCL - just the occasional ones running around and playing in the elevators. We always cruise in October so there are fewer kids due the school schedules. I am guessing our next cruise going to CAN/NE will have few kids as I don't think it would be popular with them.

There are many things I like about DCL, but I still prefer RCCL. I don't know if it has changed in the last 10 years, but DCL used to be very strict about dress code. PAlo required men to wear jackets and ladies to wear nice (better than business casual) clothing. No shorts in the dining rooms, although they would bend that rule on the first night if your luggage was delivered late. Honestly, I don't care as much about dress in the dining rooms and restaurants as I do behavior. What I really hate are loud, boisterous people or parents who let their kids run around the restaurant or plop a tablet on the table playing cartoons at full volume. Dining used to be an event, now it's more like the playplace at the local McDonald's.

That's one thing DCL does right - no kids in Palo! Let the adults have a nice quiet meal.

I think some bean counter at RCCl determined that after 5 nights, the probability of someone testing positive is greater, so they took that to mean that they could relax testing for 5 nights or less. It's probably a false conclusion, but it sounds good and may get more people to hop on those short cruises. To me, it's the same marketing-speak but invalid science used by the TSA in limiting people to 3oz of carry-on liquid and making them remove their shoes. Both viruses and terrorists will always find a way to do what they do.

Let's see, if he spends 50 weeks on a ship, and the UDP costs him $70/day, that nearly $25K in booze! 🤣

I have had some good ones and some bad ones in Maryland. We have a local restaurant here (a long way from Maryland) that serves the best homemade crab cakes I've ever had. They use a minimal amount of breading - just enough to add some seasoning and hold it all together. They area seared and broiled at high heat so the outside is crispy but the inside is juicy and tender. And of course made with real hand-pulled crab meat. They aren't cheap - over $30 per cake - but worth it.

Yep! Or the seafood equivalent of the "meat slurry" that fast food restaurants use in their "beef". 🤢

I was in the suite lounge once and the concierge got a call. When he hung up, he asked me if I wanted to go on this certain excursion. I declined as we had already booked something, and he explained the process. The call was the excursion desk with a cancellation. They always call the concierge first to see if there is anyone on a waitlist. In this case, there was no one, so he said they'd give him a few hours in case someone wanted it, then they'd open it to others. It did not sounds like the shore excursion desk keeps a waitlist - only the concierge.

Well, my wife was nearly denied boarding DCL because of this. I don't recall how it got resolved, but we spent quite a bit of time with a supervisor trying to find a way to let her board. I think it was because she her old maiden name social security card and her new with her married name one it. Why she had both like that I have no clue, but she carries a bunch of stuff in her purse.

Years ago I did it on Freedom with help from the concierge. You call your cabin and then when voicemail picks up, you press something like #7 and then dial the password. You have to setup the password from your cabin the first time, or maybe it defaults to something like DOB. This was probably 6 or 7 years ago, so they may have changed phone systems since then. But must PBX phone system have the ability unless it has been disabled.

My carries her purse with all her usual accoutrements in it. I have a very small rolling carry-on that is large enough for a laptop, chargers, meds, and two bottles of wine. I don't bother carrying on any clothes. I figure if they lose out luggage, I'm going to have to buy new stuff anyhow and I have insurance so I'm not too worried about the cost.

If this person has had a name change such that the BC and DL names don't match, then make sure to bring any documentation linking those names, such as marriage certificates and/or divorce decrees. They don't always scrutinize it to that degree,but it will make it a non-issue if they do. And of course all of those documents have to be "certified" versions - not copies.

Yeah, I was looking at the menus on the app. A bottle of Kendall Jackson Cabernet is listed at $42 per bottle. With 40% off, that$25.50. Around here, that bottle sells for about $24.59 at Publix (Alabama has one of the highest liquor taxes in the country). So after the discount and gratuities, it would be $29.74 onboard, and after 10% sales tax, $27.05 at my local Publix. Close, but of course still pricier on the ship even after the discount.

It's been years ago, but we took my MIL on a cruise and she was using a wheelchair. I echo what @brillohead said - we were often put ahead of others because of the chair. The show venues have special seating areas to accommodate guests in wheelchairs.

I guess the question is, do you (or can you) get a receipt when you use a Diamond credit? I know you can get a $0 receipt with the beverage packages so I'd assume you can with the vouchers, I've just never had the opportunity to use a voucher, not being diamond yet.

It's not free - you have to pay $1.99 per person per day to use the messaging function within the app. Note that the app does not "push" any notifications - you have to manually check to see if there are any messages. One thing you could try is using the voicemail on your cabin phone. You should be able to use any phone on the ship to call your own cabin and leave and retrieve voicemail. It would be free, and not work too much differently than the messaging in the app in terms of having to check messages periodically.

If you do that the nosy tipper police will be watching and assume you don't tip. IMO, we prefer tipping when we get our drinks. But either way would be OK. Could use a bunch of OBC that way. So what's the difference to the bartender when someone tips in cash vs. writing in an amount on the on the "additional tip" line of the receipt? Also, if you are using a "voucher" for a drink, can't you ask for a receipt to write in and additional tip? I would prefer to do that and have it charged to my onboard account (possibly using OBC) rather than walk around with a bunch of cash.

You do make good points, and I know some people who would never put their clothes into hotel drawers or shelves because of that. Me, if it's more than a single night's stay, I totally unpack. Again, I just don't worry about what germs I might encounter because I know my immune systems works very well. I once tested it in Venezuela where I put my clothes in the drawers, drank the water and even ate what was probably roadkill. I survived.

I have always been a hand-washer. Of course every bathroom visit ends with hand-washing, but I also wash them when I get home from being out shopping. I am far from a germaphobe, but I also don't like to take chances with picking up germs that would give me an eye infection or GI distress.

No worries! I myself have been very confused by all this and I am an OCD planner, so I've had to study this to get it straight in my mind. Have a great cruise!

I've always thought it would be nice if it worked like hotel reward programs where all of your spending earned points.

I wondered if anyone would get that! 🤣

I think MDR "surf and turf" is served with the same tail they as on "lobster night", but the "Whole Maine Lobster" in the MDR and half of a broiled Maine lobster in Chops are just that - a whole lobster that has been broiled and not just the small tail.

I am determined to keep my immune system healthy, so I never wipe things down. I will even eat things dropped on the floor that have been there 6 seconds. I once ate an eclair that had been tossed in the trash. It was still sitting on it's plate on top of everything, though. 😜