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I am a moderate drinker, and my boyfriend is a light drinker. Even for me the package was not worth it, as many of the drinks I purchased ended up being in port (and you can't use your Sail & Sign for that). On the ship I'd say I purchased maybe 2-4 drinks a day because other drinks I purchased in port.

As such it really depends on how much you plan to drink on the ship itself versus in port.

So, my boyfriend and I just got back from my first cruise! He ended up needing a lot more space than I did. The majority of what I brought was in my 22" carry-on that I purchased, though there were some "overflow" items that I absolutely could not fit such as my snorkel mask and an extra pair of jeans, which I packed into his luggage. (After the cruise, I would say pair #2 was unnecessary because I only ever wore jeans on cooler nights.) His clothes just took up a lot more space than mine did, as I'm a women's small and he's a men's large, and because he sweats a lot he wanted to bring more clothes than I did.

What we ended up with was my 22" carry-on, my large laptop-bag-sized-purse, his backpack, then he had a couple of pieces of checked luggage in addition to that, including one ginormous 30" or so suitcase. I may just plan to do laundry next time so that we don't have to lug that thing around.

I'd say that with snorkel equipment, and not doing laundry, AND needing to allot more space for formal wear (heels take up more space), it was inevitable that I wouldn't be able to fit everything into my carry-on. It wasn't so bad, though, since we had plenty of room for souvenirs to take back.

I couldn't find any well-reviewed reef safe sunscreen on Amazon that was less than 4 oz.

I have an excursion booked with Carnival in Cozumel that specifically says to bring reef safe sunscreen, and reviews indicate that they will check to make sure it's reef safe.

Does this mean I can't bring my sunscreen in a travel-sized bottle to avoid taking up unnecessary space in my luggage? Or, would it be OK to print out a copy of the label beforehand and bring that with me?

The brand I got was Tropical Sands.

I am going on my first cruise in 2 weeks, and I've decided I would like to buy some quality luggage for the trip.

Problem is, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all of the different sizes, specifically for checked luggage. I'm looking at hard case for now, and for example, Samsonite seems to mostly be sticking to 24" and 28" for the pieces I looked at - the former seemed too small when I looked at it in the store, and 28" seemed too big.

What are your personal preferences with luggage sizes? Does one piece typically take just your, or multiple people's, belongings? (I'm cruising with my boyfriend.) What if you bring snorkel equipment? (For right now we're thinking just masks and snorkels but that could expand in the future.) Do you fly with it?

We will be flying. We're flying Southwest so get 2 checked bags for "free" but don't want to overpack.

I will be visiting Roatan for the first time next month through Carnival. I'll be booking a private excursion, and initially I found Victor Bodden's Fun-n-Sun Tour that mixes a cultural experience with seeing monkeys and going to the beach.

However, I've had ziplining recommended to me ($65 through Victor Bodden). This is obviously quite a different experience and I would not want to pay for a combination cultural tour + zipline, as I'm trying to save some money in the Roatan port. This one does go to the beach and Victor's Monkey Business, so the tours have those items in common, at least.

Does anyone have experiences with doing either, or both, and if so is there any possible way I can make a choice between the two as a first-time visitor? If you do not have a recommendation, could you describe your experience with ziplining or taking a cultural tour?

EDIT: Also note, I have never been ziplining before.

Thank you for the tips, everyone. It sounds like I may have unrealistic expectations about excursion availability - but I will try the roll call forums just in case. :)

I have never cruised before and am trying to find one with Carnival that has the types of excursions I like.

I found this excursion in Cozumel, but the cruise I'm looking at (here) doesn't seem to show it (I'm looking in "Things to Do" section).

Am I looking in the wrong place? I don't want to book a cruise with certain excursions that I would really want to do being sold out.

I'm also looking to cruise in either Feb or March 2017, so will that being so soon be a problem if I want specific excursions?