July 21: The Great Sea Adventure Begins With heavy hearts, we packed up (again!) and with only a short stop at the Mercat (more ham!) and maybe just a lttle ice cream, we proceeded to the ship and the start of our first-ever cruise. Boarding was smooth until we reached the line of onboard "packages." Suddenly, things like "soda" and "wine" are packages#?!? Note to self: money-making scheme tip #12 on this trip. Captured audiences have limited choices, so are thus willing to pay exorbitant premiums for just about anything. Anywho, the trick is that you must elect to purchase a "package" to "save" money. Got it. At the same time, we signed up for our various excursions in the stops where we wanted to have a guided tour. These apparently fill up quickly, so "You
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