Tapi

When we sailed on the Westerdam to Alaska, (booked through a TA), we had reserved an oceanview stateroom. Not even 24 hours after final payment, rates dropped. I emailed my TA and she had the price adjusted and my credit card refunded for the difference. She claimed that HAL did it as a “one time courtesy”, but that they weren’t required to do so since technically we were now inside the final payment phase. But a week before sailing, rates for balconies dropped significantly, and below what I’d paid for my ocean view stateroom. I once again emailed my TA, not expecting much based on our previous conversation, but she got us upgraded to a balcony, AND they issued the price difference as OBC. I was pretty surprised that they did it, but didn’t question it. Dont know if all of this happened because we had a good TA, or because someone at HAL made an exception, but I was very satisfied with the way everything was handled in our favor.

Well, for example, the next step could be to take more platinum perks away, like priority embarkation, and make them exclusive to Diamond.

I’ve been cruising since the early 80’s. These days, I just make sure that the next cruise I have booked offers me something new to look forward to. New cruise line, new ship, new destinations. That keeps me excited and looking forward to the next cruise.

If you want to keep things super simple, you can head to Bayside Marketplace near the port and take one of the many tours offered. There’s one which takes you on a speed boat along the mansions of the rich and famous, followed by an exhilarating ride at full speed along Miami Beach.

Seeing this makes me wonder if the loyalty program will get “revamped” to make it harder to obtain certain perks and thin out “the herd”. When too many people qualify for perks, they stop being perks. Look at what Delta just did with their loyalty program, in part because their Sky Clubs are now overrun with too many people who have access.

We’ve done the YVE and YotelPad on our last two cruises from Miami. Both a few blocks from Bayside. The YotelPad was awesome. Modern and hip, with big, studio apartment style rooms (including a full kitchen) for a very reasonable price. Located across the street from the Metromover with free transportation to the shopping area in the Brickell area. No shuttle to the port, but you can take a short, inexpensive Uber ride. That’s what we did. Check it out!

Very true. Having kids doesn’t give us as much flexibility as I’d wish, but we still find ways to find good bargains. For example, a few years back, we were looking at cruising during Thanksgiving break. Needless to say, most Caribbean cruises from a US port were excessively priced, so I decided to expand my search. Turns out that, we could sail the Mediterranean for a fraction of what a Caribbean cruise would’ve cost. It was Thanksgiving in the US, but not in Europe, so we took advantage of very low season pricing. Even after adding flights, it was still cheaper. If we have no choice but to sail during the summer months, I look at sailings as early in the summer break as possible. Usually pricing is at its best then. That’s what we’re doing next year. Prices almost double the week after our booked sailing.

- Valletta, Malta: Most cruisers will explore Valletta, but just a few minutes down the street from the cruise terminal, there’s a water taxi that takes you across the water to the three cities of Cospicua, Senglea, and Vitoriossa. We rented a golf cart and criss crossed the area. Absolutely stunning architecture and narrow streets, and wonderful views of Valletta and our cruise ship from that side. Super easy to do and not crowded since most cruisers don’t venture to that side. - Sitka, Alaska: Instead of walking into town, go right and follow the path to the Sitka National Forest. It’s a fairly short walk, and the hike through the forest is not strenuous, but beautiful. You’ll see totem poles at the entrance to the forest. Best part? It’s all FREE! Once you reach the other side, you can visit the Raptor Center where you can see rescued bald eagles up close. - St. Martin / Sint Maarten: Not necessarily super close to the port, but still worth it. Most cruisers visiting this port will stay in the more touristy Dutch side, but we opted to take a quick taxi to the French side and go to the capital of Marigot. Once there, there’s a path that takes you up the hill to Fort St. Louis. It’s mostly in ruins, but you’re reward with breathtaking, postcard perfect views of Marigot bay. Once back in town, there are tons of little cafés and shops with a definite French flair. A much more laid back and less crowded way to experience this island.

Thanks for that! Yes, I was comparing pricing for the Viva’s inaugural season out of San Juan, and the price discrepancy was significant. Good to know that they’re less heart attack inducing for the following year. 😀

I’m all about trying new destinations these days. Still like to do the Caribbean cruises in between, but I make it a point to try a new cruise line or itinerary every year. If you’re looking for Carnival specific, I have my eyes on an itinerary that includes Panama (for the Panama Canal) and Costa Rica. Some of my favorite itineraries so far include the Mediterranean (Italy, Malta, Spain and France), Alaska, Mexican Riviera (Pacific Coast), Cuba (too bad we can’t cruise there anymore), and we’re booked to sail Northern Europe (Scotland, Norway, and Belgium). Surprisingly, some of these cruises have been substantially cheaper than a typical 7 night Caribbean cruise.

We did Uber. Super easy. $10-$15

We took an Uber. It was about a 25 minute drive.

It’s not only solo pricing. They’re also doing some weird stuff with 3rd/4th pricing. We tried to to book a quad balcony for my family of 4 on the Solstice, and the 3rd/4th rate was DOUBLE the 1st/2nd rate. We booked two connecting balconies for a lot less money and ended with much more comfortable accommodations. Glad I checked. Still trying to figure out the reasoning for that pricing. Discourage families from sailing? Or hoping that families won’t check pricing for two cabins and capitalize on that?

I don’t expect more. I just expand my search and look at other cruise lines and itineraries until I find something that fits my budget. Not going to stick to one cruise line. Take for example NCL’s sailings from San Juan on the Viva. Rightfully, they’re priced very high since it’s a brand new ship. But if you look at Celebrity or Royal Caribbean prices for the same dates from San Juan, they’re literally 1/3 the prices of NCL. Would love to sail on Viva, but not at those prices. Glad to have options. On a separate note, there are still great deals to be found that mimic pre-COVID pricing. We’re sailing on MSC from Port Canaveral during the summer of 2024 for less than $50pp/pd (booked early, 10% discount for past guest, and kids sail free promo). We also booked a Northern Europe cruise for the summer of 2025 and we’re paying almost the same as what we paid pre-COVID in 2018 to sail the Mediterranean. Deals are out there. But maybe not on the newest ships, or the most popular routes or sailing dates. The pricing on those (no matter the cruise line) can be heart attack inducing. But with some flexibility, you can still get some great deals.

Some of the lyrics from the movie that may not be as PC these days are still part of the show, as well as more serious topics like unplanned pregnancy and sexual references. But I thought they were presented in a milder way than on the original movie. I thought that it was something my kids could handle (pre teen and teen). The acting was pretty much PG. Bottom line, my opinion is that if your kids have seen the movie, they won’t be bothered by anything on the show..

If you want more time in port, you may want to consider “one way” sailings to/from Vancouver to/from Whittier or Seward. Those will provide more time at each port since the ship doesn’t waste time sailing round trip. Instead, it can spend more time in ports. It’s a long distance from Seattle to Alaska and back. About Glacier Bay, it was recommended to us that we looked for an itinerary that included it, so we did, and it didn’t disappoint. It was, by far, the highlight of that cruise. It was breathtaking. Photos and videos simply couldn’t do it justice. Glad we didn’t skip it. The itinerary that we chose for our first Alaska cruise was similar to yours (roundtrip from Seattle) and with limited port times, but we booked it for convenience since it was our first time going there. It worked out very well, and we still had enough time to do something very enjoyable at each port. Contrary to itineraries in places like the Caribbean, the beautiful scenery doesn’t stop the moment the ship leaves port. You continue enjoying the breathtaking views as the ship sails the inside passage and between ports, so don’t be too discouraged about the shortened port times. You’ll still see plenty on your first Alaska cruise.

Have a great time! Oasis class ships and preparing for them (coordinating and pre-reserving the mind boggling selection of activities, dining etc) can definitely feel a bit overwhelming, and in my humble opinion, takes away from the true essence of going on a cruise. But after it’s all said and done, it’s a wonderful experience. About dining, we didn’t do UDP, and opted instead to pre-book a la carte at a discounted rate for 2 restaurants (Chops Grill and Sabor). We also booked lunch instead of dinner at Chops (which was wonderful) and it turned out to be more advantageous to do it that way. I did check other restaurant availability throughout the week using the app in case we were interested in booking something else and it seemed like, even though some of the best times were rightfully taken, we could’ve booked any restaurant last minute with some flexibility.

Not per se, but they have a connecting shuttle from the station to the MIA airport. It’s another thing to consider when figuring out total “door to door” time after adding shuttles, wait time, actual train ride, another shuttle, etc. https://www.gobrightline.com/offers/fixed-route-shuttles# We’ve done Brightline (and Tri Rail) on a shorter route (to go from FLL to the Port of Palm Beach), and by the time it was all done, it took 3-4 hours door to door when it should’ve been roughly an hour by car. Time consuming, but we got there!

My 13yo son would leave his card tucked with his t shirt, shoes and hat while he used the pool and water slides. He didn’t loose anything during the entire week! First cruise we gave him considerably freedom around the ship and he proved to be very responsible with his new found privilege.

Very true. Thanks for the reminder. It will definitely provide a viable option to get to Port Canaveral. Not the most direct but definitely an opton!

You will be docked at the same facility, side by side. Margaritaville is in the Welcome Center overlooking the pool so expect it to be pretty packed with two ships in town. We’ve been in Grand Turk with and without a Carnival ship there and the scene is significantly different. The time we were on a Holland America ship all by ourselves, it was quiet and serene. Some people were out on excursions, some were lounging at the beach, and the pool area remained quiet and fairly deserted. We ordered some food from Margaritaville to be delivered to our cabana and it arrived quickly. The time we were there with a Carnival ship, it was a completely different scene. The pool was packed, the music was thumping, and you couldn’t find a spot to sit at the beach or at the pool. We didn’t spend too much time ashore that time.

Yup. 4300 is what they initially credit when they match you to Gold. Any points that you accrue going forward will be added to the 4300. Keep in mind that if you don’t sail on MSC at least once every 3 years, you loose all of your points and start back at 0.

I’ve always avoided hotels in South Beach (it’s a cool area to visit for a few hours, but it’s too “tourist trappy”, overcrowded and overpriced for my taste). For our last two cruises from Miami, we’ve stayed near the Bayside area. We did the YVE hotel (across the street from Bayside and with a great view of the port of Miami if you get a high floor room overlooking that area). It’s a boutique style hotel and usually reasonably priced. For our last cruise, we booked the YotelPad. Also close to the Bayside area (one or two blocks from the YVE), but we loved the modern, hip facilities and the spacious, studio apartment like room at a very reasonable price. It’s also across the street from the Metromover where you can catch free transportation to various places, including the Brickell City Center shopping area, full of shops and restaurants.

Both Doubletree San Pedro and Crowne Plaza are nearest and convenient (I’d lean towards the Doubletree) but there’s not much going on nearby to enjoy your pre-cruise stay. For our last cruise from Los Angeles, we opted to stay in Redondo Beach a few miles north along the coast, at the Portofino Hotel and Marina. We loved the hotel, and tremendously enjoyed the area. The hotel provides free bike rentals and we went for a very nice ride along the beach, the boardwalk, and throughout the town before heading to the port. Although waking up closer to the port on on embarkation day would’ve been more ideal, our stay at the Portofino made our trip much more special. https://www.hotelportofino.com

My kids are now 13 and 11, but they’ve been cruising since they were toddlers. Their first experience with kids clubs was on Royal and their Royal Babies and Tots program. They’ve also experienced the kids clubs on Disney, MSC, Celebrity, Holland America, and Carnival. Overall, they all use very similar check in and check out procedures as well as protocols and guidelines, with well trained and caring staff. They’re all divided by age groups. Some ships have better facilities than others (ranging from massive, multi venue facilities, to small rooms that almost look like an afterthought). Royal has excellent facilities, specially on their newer ships. My kids have enjoyed some clubs much more than others but I’ve always felt comfortable about their safety no matter which line. Interestingly, Disney wasn’t one of their favorites due to the overwhelming number of kids in attendance (they’ve done better in smaller group settings like on Holland America, where they begged to attend every single day and where they actually forged some friendships that lasted long after the cruise was over). In my humble opinion, Disney and Carnival have too many kids in attendance, even with their expansive facilities. But overall, I don’t have any major complaints about the kids program on any of the lines we’ve sailed on. Now that they’re entering their pre-teen and teen years, they don’t care much about the kids programs anymore. On our last Royal cruise (Harmony of the Seas in June) both kids refused to attend the kids club because there were so many activities for them throughout the ship all day long. They were BUSY, and so were we. So enjoy the younger years when the kids actually want to attend the club and give you some kid-free breaks throughout the cruise. 😀