Delays, Cancellations and Travel Confusion

As travel agents, we have the opportunity to travel a lot more than most. Since we travel more, we have also experienced more delays, interruptions, and cancelations of our travel plans. A couple of years ago, we got to the airport in St. Lucia and all flights coming in had been delayed so the flights going out were delayed. We spent the day in a cramped, HOT, humid airport without good food options, dilapidated bathrooms, and generally unclean conditions. I had never really noticed this before because I was only in the airport two hours or less. This day, it got the best of me and I quickly disintegrated into a tantrum throwing toddler. Thankfully, my patient husband has a lot of experience (23 years) of handling my unnecessary but common anxiety.  He tried to de-escalate my stupidity but it was tough. We had an amazing week-long trip to Sandals Grand St. Lucian but I was ready to get home to our kids. As the hours grew longer it became clear we would not be getting to our connecting flight. We would have to get to the airport, clear customs, get our luggage and get to another flight...nope, was not going to happen! PANIC, anxiety, and ugliness swelled.

Another time, we arrived at the Indianapolis Airport on our way to the Bahamas and AFTER arriving at Indy International airport we were told our flight had been canceled that morning...UGH, we had our kids all set up with family getting them to and from events, we had the days off work and it was a quick 3-day trip, going the next day was NOT going to work. 

This week in Indiana the temperature dipped to a record-breaking -30 something windchill. Apparently, that meant that flights going out midweek were delayed. So, when my husband tried to login for check- in 24 hours in advance we realized our flights to Vegas had been canceled and we had tickets to Cirque du Soleil and a hotel.

Here is where this long list of my anxiety and experience as a travel agent concludes...it always works out. Not always without some frustration but I do have some pointers and some explanations for different ways these issues get remedied.

First, I find there are always people being affected far more severely than me, I try to let my brain fix on that quickly so I don’t waste time on self-pity. Get a “conquer the situation” mindset as quick as you can because anger and tantrums don’t solve problems.

Next, question, question, question, so let’s look at the first scenario. While we were in the St. Lucia airport, we had no idea how long we would be there. We had a long layover in Miami. We truly believed in the early hours of the delay that we would still make our connecting flight. As the day wore on, I realized I needed to make alternative plans for my kids just in case we didn’t make it back. I did this while we were still optimistic. This relieved some of the “what if” issues brewing under the current. Then we went to the airline employees and explained we may miss our connecting flight. We were told, if the airline's issues cause you to miss a flight they will already be working on how to reroute you before you even land. There are employees that literally work on this type of situation. It was nice to be reminded that while this situation was not something I frequently experience, others do have experience. Finally, we did miss our flight and all outgoing flights for that night. Once we arrived and sat in customs waiting to claim our things it became abundantly clear we were spending the night. As we came out, in a stream of unhappy people they met us with a hotel voucher, transfers set up to and from that hotel, rebooked morning flights and a food voucher to eat at the airport. I was still a grump about it but I will tell you, it all worked out at no further expense to me. All of my frustration was unnecessary.





On both of our canceled flights we have found the best thing you can do is solve the problem yourself then tell the airline what they are going to do to help fix the problem. They told us on our 3-day trip that there was no way to leave Indy that day. I started looking it all up on my phone at the ticket booth and told them if I wasn’t getting to the Bahamas I wanted them to get me to Orlando so at least we were out of the weather and could catch an early flight. I knew there was a Bahamas connection but there was only 7 minutes between landing and take off. They told us there was no way the plane would let us on...well, we just heard ‘you wanna bet?”. They booked it even though they thought we were crazy.

As soon as we got to the gate to go to Orlando we explained what we were doing. They sat us in the front row, gave us extra snacks and announced to the entire plane upon landing that we had to get off the plane first! We RAN through Orlando, like crazy people. YES, we did make the connecting flight and when we boarded they were expecting us, someone had called ahead. We also became somebody's story of morons running through an airport.

Finally, this week when we were told the flight was canceled we immediately started searching for alternative options. We ended up changing our trip entirely using their cancelation as an opportunity to change our plans. Since the flight was canceled by the airline and no fault of ours, all tickets and hotel rooms were refunded. We booked a trip to Jamaica last minute for about the same cost because it was last minute.

Basically, ASK questions, ADVOCATE for yourself, look up alternate options and control what you can. Today, at Indy we realized there was an earlier flight to our destination than the one we booked. Guess what, we asked and they moved us at no cost because there was space. Always pay attention and questions what’s going on.

Free Destination Weddings at Sandals Resorts

Sandals and Beaches All-inclusive resorts provide FREE Weddings to their guests staying on property. We recently booked and attended our oldest daughter's wedding at Sandals Ochi, Jamaica and it was beyond perfect.  It was picturesque and so easy.  Our daughter was the opposite of 'bridezilla' and really didn't care to control or plan every minute detail and as soon as she made that clear to the wedding coordinators she had very little to do.

To be married in another country you do have to ask questions about their specific requirements. Jamaica required documents be faxed or emailed in advance (birth certificates and ID, previous divorce decrees or name changes) and you to be present on the island for 48 hours prior to the wedding.  

You could add some items to your event that were additional fees, one thing we paid for in advance was our daughter's hair to be done for her. We were all amazed by the beautiful updo they created. She met with them the day before and after trying several styles chose her favorite.

We also paid for a wooden structure with drapes to add to the ceremony. The seating for guests was provided and arranged.  There is a reception provided with cocktails, hors d'ouerves, and a cake. If you choose to add a private meal they will do that for a fee as well. We did this because half of our party was staying at Beaches family resort nearby and we wanted additional time together as a group.

My beautiful daughter

A picture package can also be purchased and was $500 for 25 images that can be printed at home at any photo printer. We had a dedicated photographer for the ceremony and the beginning of the reception and they got a lot of excellent, high quality photos.

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Leonard

 Once you choose which resort to stay at and book your room a code is created for your wedding so we can "link" all your guests together. This allows you to earn perks for the more rooms you book.  As soon as this is booked a person from the Sandals Wedding Team will make arrangements for a phone call to plan the specifics and hear any concerns or requests the couple have. This is also a time they can let you know any documentation necessary.

You can invite as many people as you want to your wedding or get married alone with your spouse. We were fortunate to have grandparents and some family in a party of 17 and they elected to have a reception a few weeks after returning home for family that were unable to make the trip. The more rooms booked with your wedding party you are offered additional amenities at no charge. So the more people you can get to join you on your special day the better!

complimentary cake with wedding

Once on property, the bride and groom are shown several areas for the wedding and the reception. They can decide which areas are their favorite and make decisions after seeing everything because they only allow one wedding at a time.

 Since we had some traveling with us that were under 18 we had to divide our party. Some of us stayed at nearby Beaches Family resort and arranged for a taxi to transfer us onto the resort property. This ended up being ideal so the bride and groom could enjoy their honeymoon without mom and dad!

This was the meal chosen in advance for our wedding party. This private meal as an additional cost and we all decided not really necessary.

We felt the experience was incredibly easy from beginning to end. It was ideal for a couple that was not wanting to plan or for a second marriage. Obviously, you will have less people in attendance but I felt that made the event more special than some weddings I have attended and allowed it to be a stress free event.

If you are considering a Destination Wedding send as an email at dillontravels@gmail.com and we will get you started with no obligation quotes.

Beaches Ocho Rios

"I want to do a vacation with my kids that is NOT Disney!"  We get that email a lot at our travel business. We love the Sandals (adults only) and Beaches (families) resorts in the Caribbean. These offer all-inclusive resorts because you pay everything before you leave your home then just go and truly enjoy a peaceful vacation.

Beaches Resorts are in three locations: Negril, Jamaica, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos.  All three offer all inclusive food, drinks and water sports for families. We have visited all of them and recently spent a week at Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Turks and Caicos is the largest beaches and definitely the nicest but you get what you pay for and it does price on the higher side in both resort cost and flights.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica is the most affordable of the three and a great entry level family all inclusive. One reason for the pricing is the 90 minute complimentary airport transfer. We really enjoyed the drive as a way to see the country outside of a resort atmosphere. Our kids were fascinated and we felt it was worthwhile. However, you are in a 3rd world country with driving that is not what most Americans are accustomed to!  Some people feel that after a long day of getting up early and connecting flights that transfer just adds to travel pains.

First time snorkelers! And all the equipment is included at no cost!

"All-Inclusive" can mean a lot of things in the travel business. Sandals and Beaches really mean ALL inclusive. All the drinks including top-shelf liquor, all the water activities which do vary by property but include glass bottom boat, snorkeling (equipment provided), kayaking, Hobeycats, paddle boarding and scuba diving IF you have a certification. You can pay to be certified there but if this interests you, I highly suggest you do your certification in the states so you don't waste valuable vacation time getting trained.

There are excursions available if you want to pay to leave the resort. You can do Catamaran tours, hike some waterfalls, visit school children, or go floating down a river with guides.  You would not need to do any of those things to have a fun full week with family.

One inexpensive excursion is a trip to a local school to read to the children. You are encouraged to pack picture books to bring to donate and get to spend about 45 minutes with local school children. This was a highlight of our trip. They did think my dad was "Saint Nicholas" and his beard is real when pulled!

Employees at Beaches resorts are second to none. We find the people working there to be some of the best memories we make. A couple of young guys working came up and started a game of soccer with our son. Another employee, Romero, was a huge part of our week. He helped teach my son to swim and prepare him to snorkel for the first time and he "rescued" my daughter when the wind took her a little too far paddleboarding.  Then he spent hours encouraging her back out onto the paddleboard with patience and fun that made the trip so memorable.

The entire Sesame Street gang is available at Beaches properties for little ones.  You can also pay for extra opportunities with those characters like a special breakfast during your stay.

Dinner on the beach one night was a fun change and was followed by a Beach Party. There are four restaurants on property and no need for reservations. You can go to any of these each night. There is a lunch buffet daily, a creperie and a grill open for during lunch hours. Breakfast is a full buffet with everything you can imagine including a chef making omelets to order. She greeted one of my sons each morning with his order memorized. Attention to detail by the staff is evident in everything you experience. There are bars throughout the resort serving alcoholic and non aloholic items. Drinking age in Jamaica is 18 and they did ID the nearly 20 year old with us several times.

The pool is never busy including the water slides. A nearby bar and grill offers drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and snacks all day. 

Our trip to Beaches, Jamaica was to attend our oldest daughter's wedding. She was married at nearby Sandals Ochi. We had children that were under 18 so we could not stay at an adult all-inclusive and felt the bride and groom might not want mom and dad on their honeymoon! It was perfect because we were able to travel together and pay for a taxi to the wedding but be at a family location.

When you are ready to book your all-inclusive trip email us for a no obligation quote: dillontravels@gmail.com

Keep in mind we are always paid by the resorts with no costs being carried over to you!

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

Animal Kingdom Lodge is a deluxe resort at Walt Disney World, Florida. We try to stay at different resorts each time to experience them and later blog about them since we book a lot of Disney travel. I have to admit I have never been a big fan of Animal Kingdom and Animal KIngdom lodge has not been high on my list of resorts I was interested in visiting.

bathroom

 

Bunk Beds in pool view room

Queen bed

View from Pool View room

Some of my feelings were upheld on this trip and others changed. First, Disney has three levels of resorts: value, moderate and deluxe. However, price wise there is really a clear distinction within the deluxe set of resorts. There are deluxe resorts then there are deluxe resorts on the monorail (Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Contemporary). Those on the monorail are a clear and evident step above the rest in convenience, quality and price.  If you can budget to stay in a monorail resort you will not be disappointed. BUT for the first 15 years of our adventures in parenthood that was simply ridiculous. The deluxe resorts not on the monorail offer all of the deluxe amenities including nice table service restaurants, superior pools with hot tubs with slides, food courts with tastier food options and quality bedding. These resorts include Beach/Yacht Club, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Boardwalk.  Wilderness has a boat to Magic Kingdom and is only a five-minute bus ride away. Beach, Yacht and Boardwalk are a walkway to EPCOT (perfect for the food/wine festival in the fall) and a quick boat ride to Hollywood Studios (or a 8/10 mile walk).  Animal Kingdom fails big time in this arena. You are a 20-minute bus ride from Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. This really loses some value in convenience when it prices very similarly to Wilderness Lodge.

Why stay at the Animal Kingdom then?  SAVANNA VIEW!!!! This expensive room view offers you a direct view of the savanna with live animals. If you are an animal lover and spend a lot of time at the resort this could be a good choice. The pool is very nice and never busy. We have teens and we are out at the parks morning until night. We were there on a short 5-night visit so we did not spend much time at the resort.  There were some neat moments when we went and sat out on rockers on the savanna public balconies, watched employees from Africa showing children how to carve wood into animals and showing animal footprints and skulls from their countries. The design of the lobby is beautiful and similar to what you see throughout Animal Kingdom park.

Final thoughts: reasons to choose this resort…

• You are a laid back family planning to spend a lot of time at the resort
• You are staying an extended period of time so you will have more downtime
• Young children in your party are enamoured with animals
• Honeymooners
• No interest in returning midday to the resort
• You are willing to spend the money to upgrade to a savanna view room to take full advantage of the resort

Reasons to choose other resorts

• You have young kids needing midday naps or teens that like to go back and forth (more experienced families that tend to divide and conquer and let the kids do their own thing)
• You don’t like long bus rides
• Don’t care about animals or are not willing to pay for Savanna View

Sandals Saint Lucia-Stay at One Play at Three

Email me with your questions or for a free quote: dillontravels@gmail.com

We are currently loving our stay at Sandals Grande Saint Lucia. It is a beautiful resort in the Carribean. Of course since it is a Sandals resort it is ultra all inclusive so the Hobie Cat, Kayaking, snorkeling are all FREE! We have taken advantage of all of these and enjoy them. We never have reservations but instead just walk up and get our life vests and take off. Your first trip out on a Hobie Cat you will get lessons on how to sail but after you master things you are able to come back anytime.

There are three resorts here and all are distinctive.  We chose Grande because it has the most restaurants. It is also the most expensive, you pay for convenience. The Grande boasts a large outstretched public beach. Locals are allowed to approach on the beach but they are friendly and once you let them know you don't plan to make any purchases they move along.  We are in a standard room with a completely remodeled bathroom and  garden view off the back porch.

There are always way too many room categories at a Sandals resort but it can be broken into a few areas. VIEW and butler or club levels.

• Standard rooms: Least expensive category with a refrigerator stocked with water, soda and fruit juice. These rooms are clean and remodeled.
• Club rooms: these rooms have a bar stocked with liquor and beer in the refrigerator. Another advantage is view and location. You can get a walk out into a quiet pool or a room with balcony overlooking the ocean. You also get ROOM service in this category...FREE
• Butler rooms: these rooms have an employee assigned to you for your stay. You tip them once at the end of stay (normally there is not any tipping on sandals properties). You have different locations within this category. There are Roundevilles and Over the Water  bungalows. Both offer privacy beyond standard rooms and amazingly up to date rooms and services. These are so impressive that it is well worth it if this is a financially "doable" option.

Three resorts here have their own personalities.

• Grande-the longest beach and the most expensive with the newest Sandals room category of Over the Water bungalows. Lots of restaurants including Barefoot on the Beach (one of or favorite seafood options), Gordon's on the Pier, Bombay Indian cuisine, Kimonos and Soy japanese hibachi and sushi.  As well as italian, buffet and jerk shops.

This resort is beside a really neat old hill/mountain as part of a public part. You can walk out of the resort and go over for a one hour hike/walk to the top to see old remains of forts and a pretty remarkable view. You pay American cash to get in it was about $15-20 for a couple.

• La Toc-This resort is less expensive and still an excellent option. It includes a millionaire suite (only four on property so book early) These are up in the mountains with stunning views and a walk out pool on the balcony.You need to be able to climb and walk up steep inclines. If you have mobility issues I would not choose this one.  There are also standard, club and butler options. A favorite room of ours when touring this resort was a club level room with a soak tub and balcony overlooking the ocean. This resort has several restaurant and bar options as well. There is a golf course on property. Golfing is free, you can rent clubs or golf course if you don't bring your own. You are required to hire a caddy for $11 on 9 hole course. 

• Halcyon-this resort is definitely a different one of the three. It is much smaller and goes at a slower pace. The employees are very friendly with less stress to handle the masses. There are only a few restaurants so you would want to take advantage of the free exchanges to the other resorts for nightlife and dining. This would be the choice for a couple that truly wants to be left alone and not interact with many people the whole week. The area seemed dated but there were major renovations going on while we were there. We got into a room under renovations and it was very nice.

Royal Caribbean: Allure of the Seas

Email for a quote today: dillontravels@gmail.com

Prior to this cruise we had cruised on the Disney Fantasy and its sister ship the Disney Dream. We loved them both and we were pretty nervous about going with another cruiseline because Disney customer service and cleanliness are second to none.

We had 7 people to pay for on this trip and additional family and friends that joined in the fun so we decided to try to be more careful with cost. For this spring break trip we spent almost half the amount on a Royal Caribbean cruise as we would have on a Disney cruise.

I have been pleasantly surprised. First, it is clean and the employees are friendly. The food has been good and even great in spots. (I would still easily rate Disney food higher). This is an enormous ship but it rarely feels crowded. I have always found empty seats and really enjoy the adult only "Solarium". There's a pool, hot tubs, bar and plenty of chairs to relax in. The sign says 16+ for the age but my mature 15 year olds walked in unquestioned. I assume had they been loud or obnoxious they would have asked to see their ID.

Who is this ship for?  I would suggest it to any group of adults, people with children can take kids to a kids club on board. We don't have anyone that age so we don't have first hand knowledge.  As far as teens go, I think mine have had a blast but it is definitely because we have such a large group. They are constantly grabbing each other for a soccer game, ziplining, rock climbing, putt putting and laying by the pools. They have gone to shows and comedy shows together. I cannot imagine this trip as an individual family with older teens. Kids 13 and younger would probably go to the kids club and make friends pretty easily. If you are planning to go with older kids I would take a friend or invite another family to join in the fun so your kids can hang out.  Unlike our European trip there is a ton of down time. In Europe my kids enjoyed each other and we were going on one tour or excursion after another with plenty to do. Here you make up your plans as you go and I am convinced my kids would have whined or been bored if they didn't have friends and grandparents along to spend time with them. Keep in mind they are without their precious electronics so boys, especially, would struggle with being still. Girls will go sunbathe and are more likely to hang with mom. You know your family best so you will know how they will do without constant activities. Again, it has been a blast but I am thrilled they have a lot of people in our group of 13 to hang out with!
                             


There are sports (soccer, mini golf, ice skating, basketball, wave surfing, ziplining, rock climbing and more) all included with no cost. There are plenty of places to eat including 24 hour room service that is complimentary but you should have some $1's to tip and there's a 24 hour restaurant.   I have heard some complaints of people that generally do Carnival that they prefer the 24 hour buffet offered there. Disney and Royal Caribbean do not have that option.

I have talked to others onboard to ask comparisons between Royal and Carnival. An employee that works for the stores so she has been on other cruiselines told me that she would rank Carnival at the bottom on amenities and food, then Royal then Holland. Of course that is also the order of pricing! She feels there is A LOT more drinking on Carnival (maybe it's cheaper??) so people don't care what they are eating. I have also talked to a family that prefers Carnival but they love the sun and the pools. So, they don't have an interest in the rest of the activities on board and prefer the Carnival set up with buffets 24 hours a day right by the pool. With a young child they find that a lot easier to negotiate to keep everyone happy.

My teens love it, they have eaten a ridiculous amount of food including lots of desserts, ice cream and cheeseburgers. They have played almost every sport and taken breaks to see the beauty surrounding them and relax for an afternoon nap.

My mom is temporarily in a wheelchair and she has had to use the elevators the entire trip. Thank goodness Royal Caribbean outshines Disney on this one! Disney elevators were painfully slow and we would just walk the stairs. We have not had much trouble at all getting around even with a large group.

Disney has free movies in the room and free brand new movies showing every day in their theater onboard. Royal Caribbean charges $12/movie to watch rentals in your room. There is a broadway style show currently "Momma Mia" and Comedy shows as well as a casino (won't find that on Disney).  There are also dance clubs and aquashows.

Ports we visited on this trip:

• Nassau, Bahamas...no thanks?  Well, for any avid cruisers you know that a stop in Nassau seems to be the norm. I would not even get off the ship at this stop unless you plan an excursion to go to a beach or have never been to the Caribbean.  There is a straw market and a street of stores but it is all very touristy and the shop owners are very pushy which I don't like at all. They yell at you and talk to you even when you are trying to move on. My kids that have traveled a lot would rather stay onboard the empty ship. It is quick to get on and off so if you have never been it might be worth the experience to see it but you will never want to get off there again :-)
• St Thomas: This is an American Territory so you can often use cell phones free. We decided to spend a day at the beach here and after some research decided on Magen's Bay. It was an $8/person open air trolley ride each way to and from the ship and an additional $5/person entry fee. It ended up being about $21/person for this trip and we were at the beach 11-4:30  We had people from 4-66 years old and had a great day. The further you walk down the beach you can find much less busy areas.The water is clear and the kids floated, laid out, went on some walking adventures and snorkeled with gear their grandpa brought.  A hamburger was $10/person and renting chairs was $8 each.  We brought towels from the ship and ate a huge breakfast before we left. We had our smuggled waters we brought and my mom had taken a big beach bag to breakfast to bring muffins and fruit and goldfish crackers. We were famished and burnt upon our return, it was a great day!

If we booked this as an excursion it was $49/person, we spent $21/person  Since we are a family of 7 that was nearly a $200 savings to do it ourselves. If you book your excursion with the cruiseline you are guaranteed a return to the ship and you can make plans in advance. We decided it wasn't far away and we returned earlier than necessary.

Items to bring:

• beach bag to bring smuggled breakfast snacks including fruit, muffins (so bring ziplock bags on board) and boxes of cereal, bottled water
• liquid sunscreen, reapply throughout the day and pay special attention to tops of feet.
• a hat will save the top of your head, bring one that can be washed
• snorkel equipment
• towels from ship
• charged phone for pictures
• cash for driver and $5 entry fee ($21/person)

•  St. Maarten: We decided to look through the local shops and wander the port since we had been in the sun the previous day. There is a $7/person roundtrip water taxi to take you directly to the market area. We opted to walk the mile instead. This is where the kids were able to pick up $1 sodas which made sense compared to the $60 drink cards on ship! The shops ranged from island shops with tshirts, sundresses, hats and bags at cheap prices for cheaply made products to much nicer and more expensive duty free shopping.  The walk was fine even with a stroller and wheelchair however it did get very hot. My husband enjoyed the walk as the local vendors were all selling bottles of beer for $2 each with local beers. Upon arriving at the other side we realized the water taxi was taking people not only to the shops but a large beach area. This is very easily accessible without paying for an excursion and you can see the ship the whole time.

Allure of the Seas is divided into different areas which we really enjoyed exploring. There is Central Park where live plants grow and sounds of crickets and birds are piped in at night. This was a really nice place to stop after dinner and listen to live music or stroll through. Park Cafe is the complimentary restaurant on this floor with excellent made to order salads and carved roast beef sandwiches.

There is also a Boardwalk with a delicious complimentary hot dog/sausage dog restaurant with Johnny Rockets for an additional fee.

Finally, there is the Promenade that has a pizza restaurant called Sorrento's that is complimentary and you can choose from the pizzas premade and available or make one to order.

Cruising is a neat experience for kids because they meet people from all over the world working on the ship and traveling. Our room attendant, Jose, is from Guatemala so we immediately loved him since two of our boys are also from Guatemala!

Disney has tea, lemonade, coffee and soda included. Royal charges for a weekly soda cup and it is $60-70/person. We didn't buy the soda cups because we can get by on tea and water. I noticed two things. First, there aren't that many soda fountains, I would be annoyed if I spent that much then was not able to get enough refills. Next, they say you cannot bring on bottled water or soda. We brought on a case of water in a suitcase with no problem. I figure if they take it we would be out $4.  It was worth the risk. Next, we saw people walking on to the ship carrying cases of soda unquestioned! Completely visible red cream soda...so if I was a soda addict I would definitely give that a shot!  One of the teens with us bought soda for $1/can in Saint Maarten right off the ship and carried it back in inside of a backpack and it was not taken.

Alcohol cannot be brought on board.  They will take it! Alcohol onboard ranges from $8-12/glass or bottle of beer.

Tips:

• Make or buy door magnets to make your door more recognizable.
• Internet is about $90 in advance for one device. We did that for our business. I was pleased to realize you can login to your computer and later your phone using only one code. You can only be logged into one device at a time.
• Call your cell carrier to see what the international plan covers. My Sprint plans allows international calling in some countries at a discount and free texting and data.
• Bring clip magnets to hang your itineraries and room documents on any surface, you are inside a ship so every wall is magnetic.
• Keeping track of where everyone is can be a hassle. We have $2 dry erase boards on every door to communicate throughout the day. 
• Storage is limited because the rooms truly are small don't be excessive in packing
• bring books and magazines if you enjoy reading
• obviously you will need more sunscreen than normal as you will be in and out of water and it is very tropical, we don't feel the spray sunscreens can compete with the Caribbean sun so I would suggest higher than normal SPF levels and liquid sunscreen.

DINING

• In all dining rooms remember you can truly order anything you want. My teen boys have ordered two appetizers and two entrees most nights.  
• When booking your vacation you choose Main (around 6 pm) Late (8pm) or Any Time dining. There are two dining rooms if you are placed in Main or Late but the Any Time diners go to American Icon for dinner any time you want. You can make reservations in advance if you have a specific time between 5:30-9:30 you would like to dine but we have really enjoyed the flexibility to just show up and be seated in a standby line whenever we would like each day. I am a planner so this surprises me but it has been very nice to be plan free.
• Food at dinner is the same in the three dining rooms. Women mostly wear sundresses and the men wear khaki pants or nice khaki shorts with polos.  Two nights of the week are formal nights, many men wear jackets or long sleeve button up shirts with ties. My crew is pretty informal and no one seems disturbed at our dark pants and polo shirts with nicer dresses but certainly not cocktail dresses for us girls.
• The fourth option at dinner is Windjammers Buffet, My boys love it because they can stuff themselves silly. But I don't think the food is nearly as good as in the restaurants.
• For breakfast there are options all over the ship and the fresh fruit is great. 
• Lunch is also spread out with the daily buffets in Windjammers and a smaller buffet in the solarium for guests 16+, bagels and sandwiches in Park Cafe are very good and donuts on the boardwalk. 
• There are quite a few places to pay an upcharge for finer dining or Ben and Jerry's ice cream or candy by the ounce. We didn't bother with any of that. Our teens certainly value quantity over quality!