EngIceDave

I live here (near port canaveral) and make the drive to the airport a LOT.

1. You can't ask for an easier route. It's one highway (toll road).

2. If traffic is light and no crashes, an easy 40-45 min drive

Now for the negatives

1. Once on that highway, you're locked on it. No way off, no way to go, so if there is a crash and it is shutdown westbound, you're dead.

2. If it's busy and full of out of towners, like yourself, the toll plazas can be long and busy, so you have to hope that isn't the case and that they have more than two lanes open

Been to the Bahamas many times, I live on east coast of Florida, so easy to get to, and of Freeport and Nassau, I prefer Freeport but as a whole, I do not care for the Bahamas, especially Nassau. Only decent thing in Nassau is Atlantis resort. Otherwise, whole place feels like a tourist trap.

Freeport is a huge island and you can rent a scooter and go to the whole other end and see how the people really live and eat.

Actually, I have seen a server come back and say they have no more of a requested entree prepared at that time.

A woman asked for something at the table next to us from the entrees while we were already into dessert service and the server left, came back, and told her, politely, that there was not any more of that entree prepared and available at that time, which could be true if you take into consideration how the line works and how it's prepared.

They might very well have a lobster sitting there, but if it sat there too long it could become cold and/or have "died" in the pass, where the expeditor refused to let it go out.

OK.. before another Cruise Critic member calls Carnival and complains because their cruise didn't have All U Can eat Lobster night after they were TOLD on CC that it exists, let's be clear... There is NO SUCH THING. yes, on the night they serve lobsters you can order more than one if you like, but they don't bill it as all you can eat.

 

There is already someone on JH's facebook page screaming about Carnival's poor customer service because she was told on Cruise Critic that she can just email the Maitre'D and get a table for 2. How dare they not respond. yes, you can email and SOMETIMES they will answer but their email addresses are NOT supposed to be for customer use.

Correct, there is no "all you can eat" lobster night....you can order what you want, but it is not as if there's a big pot of lobster tails you can dig into like in a buffet. If you want two tails, order two. I saw a guy next to use eat five one night. You can order as many of anything on the menu as you want.....two salads, two steaks, two desserts...whatever

Just keep this one thing in mind, they work on a line and work in order, it's not individually prepped....you can't prep and plate each individually when serving hundreds in a seating. So, place your order upfront. Don't get to the dessert and then say "Ya know, I want two lobsters".....they MAY be able to pull it off, but you will upset the apple cart and likely get your server in trouble.

Order what you want, as many as you want, but do it in order, don't go backwards

I disagree, I just got off the Allure and on I believe it was night two, you could obviously feel movement, which surprised me. I was not alone because I asked others. I do not normally feel it, so it's not as if I am prevalent to seasickness.

Then seas were not rough, but it was windy, and the is one big monstrous ship, so it is my best guess that wind had more to do with the motion than the seas.

But yeah, I felt motion, more than expected.

I admit it, I am going to try it, at least once

and many of you are thinking the same

This isn't RCCL specific, but a general tip for cruising newbies.

I am not a good "relaxer"

I am not good with "downtime"

I am a notorious "planner" when it comes to travel

On my first cruise, I was bored and came away enjoying the ports but not enjoying the ship.

But as time went by after my cruise, I realized I approached it all wrong. I was looking to be constantly stimulated and entertained, but nothing really interested me. I don't want to learn basket weaving or penuckle (you get my point).

So we went on another cruise, and this time I took no expectations.

I just walked about, spent time in cabin taking a nap or watching TV, with curtains open to see the ocean and I actually had to work to relax...and I did.

So my RCCL (or cruising) secret?

Don't plan anything, or plan as little as possible. Try the mytime dining so you're on your schedule, not someone else's. Don't plan. Don't highlight anything in the Compass, except maybe one or two things max. Just learn to "roll with it"

Take walks around the ship and look, watch, observe.

Amazing how life around you itself makes its own TV show.

Just wander around, having a snack here and there, go back to cabin, watch a little TV and go for a walk again.

Point is, the less you expect or plan, the easier it will be to just go along with it and feel better at the end.

I hope that makes some sense.

It probably will to some diagnosed or undiagnosed ADHD adults out there who have a hard time slowing down and actually relaxing.

It's a Winn Dixie across the street from Ron Jon, right?

Not Publix

That's about a mile south

That would be quite a trick since it's almost 200 miles

I've done it

Few times while driving to Hard Rock Casino

But, I admit to driving fast

Normal would be 3 - 3.5

Don't be silly, EASY drive, can't even get lost.

Exit Port Everglades on SR84 west, goes directly to I-95, head north, 2.5 hrs, exit SR528 East, goes right to port, see ship on your left.

I lived in both Ft Lauderdale and now near Port Canaveral (couple miles away)

One day, one way car rental will be WAY CHEAPER, even including gas, than flying.

To fly you'll pay transport to FLL, airfare and then transport for the 45 min ride to Port Canaveral

I read in an article of cruise dos and don'ts that said to put gambling on the don't list. The article said the cruises have their gambling set up draw a huge profit.

Well, all those huge multi-million dollar hotels in Las Vegas weren't built on winners

With progressive jackpots you can always see the jackpot amount being displayed so you know the amount of $$ you will win if you hit it. The percentage payback displayed has ONLY to do with the reel strip symbol's. An increased number of high paying symbols on the reel strips directly translates to better odds for payback.

 

Statistically speaking you actually have more of a chance of hitting the jackpot on a progressive IF no one has won 'lately'. Think about it.... if the odds of getting the magic reelstrip combination are 1 in 100,000 and 95,000 people have spun and not won, statistically speaking someone should win sometime in the next 5000 handle pulls. Resetting the jackpot has nothing to do with that just as the amount contained in the jackpot has zero to do with the payback percentage rate of the machine. The problem is that you don't know when the last time someone won that jackpot.... was it last weeks cruise? or last years cruise?

 

But it's all statistics. And, even tho there is sound science behind statistical analysis, statistics and reality tend to differ.

 

As well, weekly resetting of the base jackpot is nothing more than pocketing the profits of last weeks cruise.

There is a progressive in MGM Grand called the "Majestic Lion" or something like that, and it used to be like 20 machines by the elevator bank. Well, MGM decided to take it out, but under Nevada Gaming rules, they can't eliminate a progressive game no one has yet to win (people have paid into the progressive fund and deserve the chance to get it back) so for years there has only been two of these machines left on their floor, and the progressive is way over 2 million.

As far as I know, it still hasn't hit

Been there for years.

Are you saying that VP has some of the worst pay outs on a cruise casino?

Not necessarily

Depends on the paytable and your skill

Someone who can play PERFECT VP on a full pay machine can expect almost a 99% payout...only a 1% house advantage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_poker

Because it is possible to do so well on VP, this is why most every casino gives you 1/2 the points (players club points) than you would receive for slot play.

It's hard, if not impossible to find a full pay VP machine, especially on the Las Vegas strip

The reason people THINK payout is better early in the trip and worse later is volume.

The more people playing, the more it seems people are winning. More bells, whistles and clanking

When overall play is lower, it seems (feels like) less people are winning.

You can tell the difference in a land based casino and even Las Vegas. Go play in the morning about 9am, and it seems like the machines are tighter and no one is winning, go same casino about 9pm, and it seems like everyone is winning.

It's mind games

As stated earlier, it is in the casinos best interest to keep the payouts up (and the hold lower) to keep players playing, because in the long run, they will eventually win.

This is why if you want to be comp'd anything in a casino, like a meal or a room, they want to see HOURS on your players card, not dollars....HOURS....like 4 hours minimum. You can walk in a casino, drop a grand in $25 slots in 20 minutes, lose all of it, and the casino won't comp you jack...they want to see TIME not dollars.

Because the longer you play, the better their advantage

and that applies to ALL the casino games, even table games...time turns the advantage to the house.

A "Hot table" or a "Hot thrower" isn't hot forever, and the house knows it

So for video poker the rtp is based solely on the published payouts on the machine face for the different winning hands and not any chip magic hidden in the computer?

Correct.

A deck of cards is required to play like a real deck of cards. It is not dependent upon a RNG or anything other than dealing a deck of cards by computer.

Payout percentage is given to you up front by way of the paytable. You can find two of the same machine with different paytables.

Both will deal cards similarly, difference is paytable.

Danzur is correct. Slots are based on a RNG, a Random Number Generator, which is essentially a chip inside the machine and installed by the game manufacturer.

While it is possible to change the RNG, it is not easy and is time consuming, not to mention people would obviously see it going on with all the machines open and guys swapping chips and memory boards.

Some machines can have a 5% hold ("Hold" means what the machine keeps over its lifetime of play) and some can have as much as a 10-12% hold. Again, as stated above, that is a lifetime average, so one day the machine may seem "looser" and then "tighter" another day....they can also seem different just hours apart.

The things to keep in mind is that all the machines are not typically set for the same hold percentage, so there is some hunting involved to find a machine that has the lower hold, and once you find it, it may seem to tighten later...all on it's own....all because of averages and the RNG

Machines are not "due to hit" because someone put money in it for a long time

Most of all the stuff "someone told you" is bogus wives tales.

Slots are computers, period.

The second you hit the button, the outcome is determined at that milli-second, because you stopped the RNG from spinning through the millions of number combinations that determines the outcome....the spinning of the reels and their stopping is solely for your entertainment...the outcome was decided before the reels even started spinning, at the second you hit the button.

As for any 99% signs, they usually say (in small print) "Up to" meaning up to 99% payout, not that all payout that, but that some can pay out UP TO that percentage. As stated earlier, that doesn't mean all the machines have that payout in that bank or that casino, but one does.

It's all mind games to mess with your head

No balcony?

Does it have a happy ending?

What kind of massage costs that much??

are the specialty coffee's (Latte, Cappuccino, espresso) of a reasonable cost?