33 Days to Go: Buying Peace, Quiet, and Sparkling Water
The cruise countdown now says 33 days to go.
On October 29, I’ll board Radiance of the Seas for four nights in the Western Caribbean. Between now and then, I need to finalize a few important details.
How am I getting to Tampa? Undecided.
What will I be drinking with dinner? Already planned.
Some people organize transportation first. I apparently work backward from the Pellegrino.
In a few days, I’m planning to purchase two add-ons: The Key and the Refreshment Package. For the way I like to cruise, I think both are worth the money.
I’ve reached the stage of vacation planning where I’m willing to pay for fewer things to think about. My brain has requested shore leave.
The Key comes with several benefits, including:
Priority terminal access during the designated arrival window.
Carry-on bag drop-off and delivery to the cabin.
An exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room.
Fast-lane access at select onboard activities and priority ship-to-shore departure at tender ports.
Dedicated seating at shows.
VOOM internet for one device per guest with The Key.
An exclusive à la carte breakfast and choice departure on debarkation day.
There are also select dining, sports, and spa discounts, with conditions attached. Benefits vary by ship and sailing, so I’ll check the details for mine before purchasing. Royal Caribbean’s current benefits
All very nice. But what gets my attention is sitting down for lunch on embarkation day.
I want to board, take a seat, and have someone hand me a menu. I do not want to begin my vacation balancing a plate while searching for a table like I’m scouting real estate in a highly competitive market.
“Lovely location near the windows. Unfortunately, another family has already made an offer with three backpacks and a cardigan.”
The buffet has its place. I will almost certainly visit it. But on boarding day, when everyone arrives hungry and towing their belongings, I prefer a lunch that doesn’t require evasive maneuvers.
The same goes for the sit-down breakfast on debarkation day.
Leaving the ship is disappointing enough. I don’t need to combine that disappointment with a crowded buffet, luggage, and a hunt for somewhere to put my eggs.
Let me have a calm breakfast before returning to a world where nobody makes my bed or asks whether I’d like another pastry.
The internet, priority access, and other benefits are welcome extras. My main interest is starting and ending the cruise seated comfortably, with food arriving at my table.
Apparently, my idea of VIP treatment is being allowed to chew in peace.
Then there’s the Refreshment Package, which covers drinks such as fountain soda, bottled still and sparkling water, premium coffees and teas, fresh-squeezed juices, and mocktails. Royal Caribbean’s package details
My personal beverage itinerary is already taking shape: San Pellegrino at dinner, possibly lunch, Coke Zero, and a decaf Americano at breakfast and after dinner, subject to what’s available onboard.
Yes, decaf.
I want the coffee experience without lying awake at midnight mentally reorganizing my garage.
Pellegrino makes dinner feel a little more special. It’s water with bubbles and enough confidence to arrive in a nice bottle. I respect that.
And Coke Zero remains a dependable travel companion. No complicated preferences. No disagreements over excursions. Just show up cold.
What I really like about the package is being able to order an included drink without mentally adding it to a running total. I don’t want every dinner to come with a small accounting assignment.
“Would I enjoy another sparkling water?”
That should be a question about thirst, not the opening meeting of the budget committee.
For me, the value is in both the drinks and the convenience. I’m paying ahead so I can spend less time thinking about individual beverage charges and more time staring at the ocean with absolutely nothing useful happening in my head.
Meanwhile, driving versus flying remains unresolved.
The options still involve roughly seven hours in the car or a 5 a.m. flight from Charleston that reaches Tampa via Miami. One requires highway patience. The other requires being dressed and functional at an hour when even my bad decisions are usually asleep.
I can confidently select my after-dinner coffee 33 days in advance, but choosing how to reach the ship apparently requires further deliberation.
And for anyone following the other ongoing search: no future ex-wife has been announced.
The Key offers quite a few benefits, but matchmaking does not appear to be one of them.
So that’s where things stand: two add-ons planned, beverages selected, transportation pending.
I may not know how I’m getting to Tampa, but once I’m onboard, I intend to be seated, hydrated, and very difficult to hurry.