RNSANE

I'm the same way - it is all about MAXIMIZING THE cruise experience. I've just gotten an email from the hotel director on the Brilliance - an old friend for about ten years, saying Captain Hakan told him last night at the repeater's party that I was coming...now that does make a girl feel welcome! Some of these folks, after 59 cruises, really feel like family. This HD, graduated from the same college that my youngest is attending, though from different campuses....Jeremy's is nicer...on the central CA coast and Patrick went to the Pomona campus!

I definitely am there several hours before the specified time. I hate being in a long long in the midst pf a crowd. For example, our Monarch docs, said to arrive at 1PM - I came at 11AM and was on the ship and in the Windjammer by 11:45AM - we couldn't go to our cabins till 1P but that was fine with me. Being Diamond Plus, with RCI, I always get expedited boarding but I'd rather avoicd the crowds and the lines at the pier and in the Windjammer. Also, this way, my luggage usually arrives earlier.

I do always pick up a case of water to take on board. I am not about to pay $3/bottle for water - would rather save that money for martinis, wine or Love Connections - and, with kidney stones, I am supposed to drink gallons of the stuff, though it has never been my favorite beverage. Does anyone else purchase their own water? I usually find a Walgreen's in my departure port and a box and afix a cruise tag and off I go.

Sorry, this shouldn't have been posted in the "Ongoing Games" discussion - although getting an upgrade might be considered an ongoing game....I should probably repost in the General Discussion.

I meant to say, in the more "expensive" choices.

Hey USAFwife, Wow, it's so nice to see how fast new people join this group! Welcome to you USAF wife....a million years ago, I, too, was a USAF wife...newly wed and living at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA - my oldest son was born December 17 and I remember our car stalled in a snow storm as we drove the 30 or so miles to Chelsea Naval Hospital ( no longer in existence ) - a nice gas station man drove us the rest of the way to the hospital in his truck with a snow plow attached!

I haven't looked at the website choices but I think there is a much more extensive wine list on board...some pretty good selections in the more extensive choices...at least, I know there is a Stag's Leap merlot which is very nice.

On my Monarch cruise last week, I spent two nights in the Royal Suite....what an experience that was....one afternoon, Joey even played bartender. Don't know why I got that except that I was the one on the ship with the most cruises ( 59 ) and the prior residents went home early for some reason. It helped, also, I think that it was my 17th sailing on the Monarch and the crew are like family to me....whatever, I wasn't about to utter a word of complaint. Another time I was upgraded on the Vision from an outside to a balcony - and once, on the Rhapsody, I went from an outside to one of those fancy suites with a 60+ foot balcony.

Sunbeam, Are you talking about purchasing wine and then bringing it to the ship which I know is against RCI policy? At one time you could bring wine and pay an $8 corkage fee...which I did...as I often could find excellent wines, for less, living in the San Francisco area - but I certainly wouldn't transport them to Europe. I think the markup on wines is far too much and, even their "fine" wine packages don't offer really good wines for the prices.

Sometimes we are having so much fun on the ship - crusing with my "Forensic Friends" buddies ( we have made Joey an honorary member ) - or could it be that we have been at the Schooner Bar so long we can't navigate on dry land? At any rate, many times, we just stay on board and enjoy the scenery from a barstool. Carmen

But, of course, Tonia, you WOULD want to go February 4 when Joey and I are on board! Carmen

I don't get off anymore in places that I've been to dozens of times - normally I stay on in Ensenada, Cozumel....Key West ( I've vacationed there on land, visited five times cruising ) - seldom get off in Nassau as I've spent over a month there in the last twenty years. If it's a new port, I'll usually get off, though I will rarely take the ship's tours unless it's in a place like VietNam or someplace really far from the ship like Rome. Often, if it's a 12 day cruise and I've met other passengers, we'll share a taxi and do a tour. Carmen aka RNSANE

Happy Sunday, Rula_Lenski, It's good to have you hear among this cruising crowd! Join in!

Hello lala1, I have just arrived here and I am thrilled to be among the crazies...I'm sure you will fit right in! You don't have to be as crazy as I am. Just start posting. Carmen aka RNSANE

Aloha kjwbmw - jump in, the water's fine. I'm addicted and this is only my second day. Good thing I have to work the rest of the week! Carmen AKA RNSANE

I usually arrive at any cruise destination a day before I cruise. Don't want to take any chance of missing it. If I have family or friends in the area, I will often stay with them, otherwise, I book my own hotel - I don't use the cruise line's unless it is in some remote place and I can't do better. Carmen

Glad to see you here, maketime2travel, Great name....welcome from a newbie. Carmen aka RNSANE

If I am on Royal Caribbean, my first drink of every cruise is the first drink I had on my first Royal Caribbean ship, the Monarch ( sailing out of San Juan on April 16, 1995 ) - it's called a Love Connection - half pina colada, half strawberry daiquairi, with pureed mango on top and a rum floater....I couldn't start my cruise without it. It was served to me by Simon Meneses and he is till there on the Monarch, nearly 13 years later. Carmen

It has been three months since my Rhapsody cruise and it is still not showing. Carmen

For me, I'd rather know, right up front, exactly what the cruise is going to cost....I think it's misleading the way they do it now. You think you're getting such a terrific deal but it really adds up when the taxes and "noncommissionable fees - why don't they just use the old "port charges" term - dollars are added. Carmen aka RNSANE

For me, I'd rather know, right up front, exactly what the cruise is going to cost....I think it's misleading the way they do it now. You think you're getting such a terrific deal but it really adds up when the taxes and "noncommissionable fees - why don't they just use the old "port charges" term - dollars are added. Carmen aka RNSANE

Haven't been there yet this morning....I will take a look. I just wish they'd get their counts straight. It takes them so long to do that! Carmen

Haven't been there yet this morning....I will take a look. I just wish they'd get their counts straight. It takes them so long to do that! Carmen

[i am lurking here, ready to pounce if he said bad things about my favorite ship...it's not one of those fancy new ones but the crew are most loving and attentive. I REALLY felt like "Queen For a Cruise" this time...and Joey helped to make it that way. We perched together at the Schooner Bar every day with our great bartenders, Charlie and Sachin - I don't think either of us left the ship once. Carmen

[i am lurking here, ready to pounce if he said bad things about my favorite ship...it's not one of those fancy new ones but the crew are most loving and attentive. I REALLY felt like "Queen For a Cruise" this time...and Joey helped to make it that way. We perched together at the Schooner Bar every day with our great bartenders, Charlie and Sachin - I don't think either of us left the ship once. Carmen