sailingrose

Have a great time!

I believe I read that the Embassy suites is being renovated. I'm looking for a hotel for this month! Anyone have any good suggestions?

None yet here either. Would love for that to happen one day.

Yes we actually have battery operated lights for the railings. Got them in a $ store. We also have battery operated candles for setting the mood. :wink: Most of the stuff we use for Christmas comes from the $ store and is disposable. One year we had a Santa that light up! LOL I've hung windsocks and used wire garland with stars to hold the lights on the railing. My family knows I'm nuts!

DH had 2 suits black and navy but now the black one doesn't fit(too big!). We will be purchasing a tux by the end of the year. We rented a tux for him last year and I loved how he looked!

I was under the impression that you could not offer shipboard credits???? Something is missing.........

I guess it would depend on his age IMHO. If he's younger then teenage he will be able to get away with khaki's and a dress shirt. The sneakers are fine. I'd make sure the clothes were pressed well and the shoes are clean. My son wore dress pants a long sleeve white shirt and a tie on his first few trips. As he got older he wore a suit. Make sure he changes out of the good clothes before he goes to the kids club so they can be worn again. Your daughter doesn't have to wear a dress. Black pants and a dressy top will work on formal night. My daughter likes to dress so we never had any issues.

RCI is supposed to have even pricing across the board. If you check their site it will be the same price as anyone else's. There is an exception at least at the moment, if you are part of a group rate then it could be less money for the same sailing. I have always been able to get the price drop from my agent regardless of when it occurs. From what I understand they can't give you a cabin credit, or any other perk to make the trip cost less. I would definately get a new agent! Something is weird with this one......... Some agents have gift cards and other perks that RCI does allow but a shipboard credit isn't one of them.

Sorry about your friends operation but happy you get to go on a cruise!

Usually only decorate at Christmas when we have a balcony. We also decorate our cabin and the door of the cabin. Lots of fun and makes it easy to find your cabin.

Love this Jason! I add 2 to the list. Also makes it easier to keep track of who's leaving when.

Don't want to pay for a meal on a cruise either. I did eat in Portofino's once with my daughter for lunch. It was $10 per person and I had promised her we'd go as a special treat. It was wonderful and great for us 2 as we love Italian and the men in the family don't but wouldn't pay to eat on the ship again. I dislike the pay restaurants aboard ships as I feel they have taken the quality of the dinning room food down to entice you to eat in them.

I pretty much agree with Joey and David but room service varies very widely. I don't think I'd tip only $2 for a tray especially with 4 of us in the room. Of course if it only drinks thats different. I know you are traveling with your family so you'll be ordering more probably. We did breakfast once for the 4 of us, some full meals some not and we gave them about $2 per person since we ordered alot.

Layers and Raingear here too. Also if you plan on visiting the glaciers, a hat and gloves would be good also.

Happy 40th! Hope you have an amazing time!

Have a great cruise!

Yes, you make your reservations onboard for the specialty restaurants. I think I remember reading the age is 12 for Portofinos and Chops. Try cruiseclues.com for a Portofino menu.

Just make sure the operator is talking ships time vs. Island time. From what I've heard on cruise boards, Nativeway does a great job. I've done stingray city and loved it. My daughter wanted to feed them in the worst way and then chickened out. I have some nice pictures and memories of our trip there. Jeff is right, GC is expensive. Don't plan on doing your shopping there. Your going to Cozumel if I remember. Better shopping port then this one. We have seen all that Jeff mentioned and liked each of them(I liked the Rum tour too! LOL) when our kids were younger but not much on the island now for us to do and not worth my tender time, but if you haven't been there, it's worth it. Do go to Bernard Passman or Richard's Black coral store and have a look around if you have time. The stuff they can make out of black coral is amazing!

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I didn't on the last cruise as I really wanted to rest and loaf for the week. I try to hit the treadmill at least 3 or 4 times during a week to keep the extra calories at bay normally. I'll be at the gym next month for sure.

I've never really had a bad tablemates. One cruise we did have some snobs. Funny when they weren't with their mates the gentlemen were very nice as we bumped into them many times during the day.

If your prone to seasickness forward would be the least ideal placement. It was the only time I've ever been queasy aboard a ship. I love the aft cabins and haven't had a problem with them but of course the seas were just right each time. Your not always lucky of course. If I had to choose I'd prefer an aft but also look at what is above and below you. How close would that be to the Promenade, public rooms, etc. Don't know about the TA part.

Since the storm is due the first part of the week you should know whether the ports on your itinerary are changed or not before you leave. Don't worry as everyone has said, you'll still have fun no matter where you go. Enjoy!

The weather started out kind of rainy so we decided to skip taking the planned taxi to the beach in town. We stayed at the pier, did a little shopping, sun came out and laid in a lounge chair, had some excellent tacos and chips and salsa, went back to the ship. The pier area is touristy. There was a mexican show, lots of shopping, 2 restaurants, a pool, lots of lounge chairs, etc. We really enjoyed just hanging out there and people watching. Oh forgot to add, it didn't matter one way or the other if you booked through RCI which color tag you got.......we booked through them and didn't get the early colors. One more thing, no cruiseline has control over immigration. They can not interfere with them in way. We had some Japanese tourists on our last cruise and they complained about the time they were in line. The woman told them that she could say nothing as she worked for RCI, not customs. Apparently customs and immigration will move at their own speed and will not be pressured by the cruiseline. Of course the cruiselines don't want to anger the customs agents as they see them every week. Sorry your experience was so bad.

Don't put your kids on credit card authorization. You can set up a cash account for them and on the Explorer you will be able to keep track on the TV sets how much they spend. My sister had 4 in her cabin. 1 used cash, and credit cards for the rest. You shouldn't have a problem except taking a long time to check in.

Thanks for the review. You'll find a 7 dayer is very different then a short cruise. Hope your next one is better!