- Order the kids Shirley Temples at dinner. Theyre free and they look pretty and you wont feel as pressured to buy the $3.99 smoothies. Plus, their cherry digging excursion will keep them occupied at the table for awhile!
- Liquor is just as cheap on this ship as it is on the islands, and sometimes even cheaper! Especially the daily specials. For example 2 Crown Royal for $26, 2 Absolut for $16, 2 Parrot Bay/Tangeray Gin $20, 2 Jack Daniels/Baileys $28
- Utilize the 2pm show if you can. It really freed up our evenings for character appearances and scheduled kid club events.
- Take towels from your bathroom or get some from Deck 9 prior to leaving for port islands. I dont know if its cuz we got off the ship later in the morning (10ish), but there were never any towels provided at the gangway like there was on our last cruise. Wound up having to buy some in St. Maarten cuz we didnt feel like the hassle of reboarding to get them.
- Cove Café was an area we didnt utilize too much the first cruise but we sure did this time. It has the adults only pool, jacuzzi and bar outside, but theres also a little indoor, glass-encased, escape-type nook area where there are bookshelves with paperback selections you can borrow if you forgot to bring reading materials, loungey sofas, a coffee bar, and a refrigerated dessert case with confections I didnt see anywhere else on ship. I saw a few people hanging out in there, reading, getting away from the noisy/breezy deck areas.
- We found Promenade Lounge a good spot for meeting up in between activities or to hang out and escape Deck 9 when it was windy or cold. Its often empty unless and its centrally located just off the Atrium. Wed flit from there to character appearances or to Shutters or the gift shop easily, and theres also a bar, big comfy chairs, and large porthole views of wherever you are. Plus, our girls really enjoyed using the vacant dance floor as their own personal impromptu stage without being in anybodys way.
- I wish Id taken the time to go to the front desk and ask what the real deal is about the suggestion cards. Ive seen this issue debated on these boards and I still have no definitive answer. We did get a brief excellence speech from Gabor about how anything less than excellent being checked in the food and service section would directly reflect on him and effect his status in some way. I really wanted to check good or very good in regard to the food since I thought there was room for improvement, but I was too afraid to do it b/c I didnt want Gabor to suffer any consequences. By the time the suggestion cards were issued the line at the front desk was SO long I didnt have time to wait, but I still want to know if checking less than excellent would have reflected poorly on the servers. I feel like I did myself and my potential future cruising a disservice b/c I wasnt completely honest.
- That first day when we went to Rockin Bar D to check our dining ressie we heard people requesting to dine in Lumieres every single night instead of rotating to the other restaurants. Their wish was granted without hesitation. At first I thought, Wow, what a great idea! But then I figured the very likely drawback is that the servers rotate and you would probably have different ones every night. I enjoyed the bonding and familiarity with our servers and feel its a very special part of the overall experience, so Id probably never opt to do this. But if you have a strong preference for a particular restaurant it is possible to eat where you wish.
- On the same note, dont hesitate to ask about switching your kids from their allotted club. I was extremely happy that it was so hassle-free to move DD8 down into her sisters younger group. It made the world of difference as far as getting both of them to utilize the clubs and I was never even the smidgest big sorry Id made that decision to switch her. The extra perk was that the club counselors told me if DD8 ever saw an 8-9 age group activity she wanted to participate in theyd just switch her wristband for that activity and let her do it.
- Keep an open mind!! There were a gazillionteen things Id either read about pre-cruise or that Id highlighted in my Navigator that I just never got around to doing (towel animals, onboard movies, fruit carving, etc). Obviously, the reason for my missing was that I was already having too much fun somewhere else. Come with the ability to shrug it off, the least expectations you have to get it all done, the more enjoyable your trip will be.
Hope you all enjoyed my tale and gathered at least a little information from it. And I hope, if you havent cruised yet, your trip turns out as fantastical as ours! Happy sailing to ya!!!
Why don't you join us on the Thanksgiving 2008 Double Dip to Costa Maya! 
