My next Royal Caribbean cruise will be my 100th cruise. So have I learned anything after 100 cruises on Royal Caribbean? I think so. So I'm going to be sharing about nine or so different, real big takeaways about cruising today and how I look at. So with number one is the room type really doesn't matter as much as it seems. What I mean by that is outside of like capacity restraints, like if you need a room for four people, of course, well, then you need a room for four people. But that being said, all things being equal, if you're just talking about inside versus balcony versus suites, honestly, I feel like after 100 creases, they're more or less interchangeable that I really don't think it makes a ginormous difference that you should always get one over the other. I mean, certainly, I love staying in a suite, but I really don't have a problem with an inside room or a balcony or even an ocean view room. After so many cruises, I've certainly spent enough time in all these cabins. And while suites are amazing and inside rooms are small, and balcony rooms are right in the middle over there, but they do cost more than an inside room. I can justify it any way you want it.

And that's truly the way that I look at it now is that basically if you say, Matt, should I say an inside cabin? I can come up with seven reasons why you should say in an inside room. And then if you turn around, say, Matt, why should I get a balcony? I come up with seven better reasons why you should say to a balcony room. Like, it's just relative. and ultimately, I think for most people, there may be one reason or another to book one.

Like if you're in Alaska, a balcony makes a lot of sense. room. Like, it's just relative. And ultimately, I think for most people, there may be one

or another to book one. Like if you're in Alaska, a balcony makes a lot of sense for the sightseeing. If you're celebrating a honeymoon, a suite might make a lot of sense because you want to do something special. So, of course, you're listening to this and thinking, okay, Matt, well, what cabin should I book or what cabin will you book? And I'm really more of an opportunist. When I book any cruise, I select the sailing probably first, either for the destination or for the ship itself, and I'll look at the prices. And it's kind of like NFL draft day. Find out what's the best option left on the table that fits into your budget. And sometimes I'll say, oh, wow, the price for a balcony is like barely more than a inside of go for it or even a suite for that matter. And other times, I'll say, yikes, the pricing is really crazy. You know what? An inside room is totally fine, especially if I'm going by myself or if I'm just sharing the cab with just me and my wife. Really, I don't need to get as big of a room. It's nice to get the bigger cabins for sure. But I really do believe that you can make an argument for any particular cabin type out there and justify it however you want to look at it. So it's less like you're making a inherent mistake by booking one over the other, even if it's your first cruise. I truly believe you can make an army for any of them. So that's why I say starting off, that rooms just don't matter as much as it may seem.

Number two is don't sweat the small things, and I still suffer with this one a little bit. And that is you've got to be flexible with your crews. I mean, there are going to be things that are going to go wrong. Maybe something doesn't work the way you expect it. Maybe your short extension gets canceled. Maybe the weather doesn't cooperate. Maybe the show you want to see is all booked up.

Maybe your kids are being a pain in the butt and more so the normal. There are things you can't control

and things that will, I don't want to say ruin your cruise, but certainly could put a damper on

them. And for that reason, I really think it's important to be flexible and don't sweat the

small things. Don't let your

fixed plans dictate what makes your cruise good or not. When I was recently on a waste of the seas,

we had a situation where I had this amazing catamaran booked up for the day in St. Martin,

and then it was canceled because of the weather. And I got, I was really, like, upset about it. Like, not, like, mad or angry,

like, depressed, like, kind of like, it really put a damper on my plans. And I really felt like,

it wasn't anybody's fault. It's just bad weather. But it really did, you know, had the

potential to ruin, certainly in my day, because I just felt sorry for myself. And the reality is after a good nap, I realize that you just can't let it do that. Like, make the best of what you can do and control. And when you go on a cruise, there are going to be things that are not going to go your way. And over the years, that has been an ongoing lesson that I have to be reminded of, quite frankly, even sometimes it's for my wife, listen, okay, we're not going to be able to do the thing we want to do. It stinks. But let's find something else we can do that'll be enjoyable, fun, exciting. Maybe it's going to the casino and spending time down there. Maybe it's just simply walking into town, going to the beach, you know, going to a bar. I had a situation that happened on St. Thomas where there's a lot of problems in the Virgin Islands, evidently with me, where we were supposed to go to St. John and I couldn't get a taxi. And I got so frustrated. So my wife was like, let's just go to the bar and have a couple of drinks. And you know what? That wasn't a great day. It wasn't like, wow, that was like the best day ever. But it did make it better.

We salvaged it. So be flexible. Don't want the small things. And just understand that you can't control everything about your crews, no matter how much you plan it out, but it's also not the end of the day. Number three, drink packages.

I think drink packages make more sense with the more friends that you have.

So I have bought the drink package many times. Number three, drink packages. I think drink packages make more sense with the more friends that you have.

So I have bought the drink package many times, and I have not bought the drink package many times.

And I think really where I'm at on it is there is absolutely the potential for value with the drink package, whether it's the refusion package, the deluxe beverage package.

I almost always buy the deluxe beverage package when I buy a drink package. That's the one that includes alcohol. And I will tell you that I get far more value out of it by simply when I have more friends on board. If it's just my family and I, it's great, I'll probably never get the drink package. Because while, you know, we love each other and we like spending time together, we're not like, there's a different ambiance, a different kind of culture when you're with friends. I think I'm more of a social drink drinker in that way. And so I think the drink package can make sense, but it makes a lot more sense when you have friends on board. You know, recently this year, 2025 has been the year

of the drink package sale. I mean, I have never seen such low prices as like 2019. It's really

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