Mithril379@aol.com

I think you will really enjoy having the balcony. It's so nice to have a slice of private outdoor space, with the sea beeeze, views etc.

This is fantastic! Subscribing:) I'll be doing this itinerary for the first time on the Liberty departing 5/10.

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On the Miracle in 2012 (Spirit Class ship) the aft pool was the adult pool and Serenity deck. On the Liberty (2013) and the Glory (2014) (both Conquest Class ships) the aft pool was adults only, although the Serenity area was forward on decks 11 and 12. In all three cases signs were posted and policies were enforced.

We are staying at the Kimpton Epic hotel in downtown Miami, and their pool is supposed to be spectacular:

http://www.epichotel.com/downtown-miami-hotel/pool.html

Very happy to hear the above re: The Epic since I'm staying there before our cruise on May.

Last year we went down a few days early and stayed in South Beach at the Blue Moon Hotel. Great location at Collins and 10th street, relatively reasonable, beutifully kept hotel, with fantastic staff.

I'm not sure how they determine who to offer casino comp/players club free cabins, but I received one. There seemed to be a lot of itinerary choices. I'll be cruising the western carribean for 7 days on the Glory out of Miami in May, upgraded to an aft wrap balcony for $442 total (double occupancy), with $100 on board credit.

I suspect it's like most casinos where a big factor is how much time you play, followed by your average bet. I only play blackjack, usually betting $25. I was travelling with friends and played for awhile every night. I ended the trip up about $1,200. My first cruise was the year before and I ended up about $2,400. So losing money apparently doesn't matter.

On the last cruise the pit boss gave me a drinks card on night two, which I tried to turn down since I don't even drink and someone else would get more use out of it. However, he insisted I take it anyway telling me "now that you've received this card watch, you'll get offers for cruises from the players club". I didn't think much of it at the time, but I got called, emailed and snail-mailed with offers in the fall.

I've only had balcony rooms so I can't compare them to the interior rooms, but I completely agree with everything you said about the appeal of having a balcony. I just booked a cruise for May where I'll have an aft wrap balcony - I'm thrilled with this balcony bonanza:)