MYCRUISEVACATIONS

Thinking of a cruise to Alaska in July. Need advice on the best cruise line, HAL or Princess? Also any advice on the port to cruise out of. Anything at all will help. I am not crazy about going to Alaska myself, heard it is beautiful and my husband wants to go. The only thing really holding me back is the temperature

because I know it will be a great trip, but I want to be prepared with all the info I can get. Please help with cruise line, ship, etc. Thanks

There are still deals on HAL (my favorite) and Princess but did you see Celebrity's deal on the Millenium? So many choices :) it is amazing how the cold could keep you back with warm covered pools on HAL :) Enjoy your cruise

I was just curious if anyone had been offered (either free or for a fee) an upgrade to a Haven suite after final payment had been made.

 

If so, what cabin was originally booked and how much did you pay for the upgrade?

Tomorrow I will be in the Haven! (Heaven for me! :)) Our upgraded Suite is located in The Haven.We sail tomorrow on the Breakaway! Second time -Thesuite has a separate living and dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows and 24-hour butler and concierge service. King-size bed with a luxury bath containing a bath tub and separate shower although we face the aft the exclusive key card access to the Courtyard area, restaurant, lounge, 24-hour butler and concierge service. makes for a king size bed, luxury bath with bathtub and separate shower, living area with double sofa bed, dining area and guest half bathroom. :)Bon Voyage Cruise Critic fans and I will see you soon!

Hi all,

Looking at a cruise next summer for Northern Europe (done with Caribbean...). Not that particular on ports, but would like to include St. Petersburg. Looking on-line, most departure ports are Copenhagen, Berlin & Warnemunde. For the German departure ports, is there a difference as to which airport you fly into? Not really concerned about departure airport as that could be anywhere. Also, any feedback on N European cruises would be greatly appreciated. Currently looking at Princess or MSC...

Thank you in advance

As an avid cruiser did you see the delight of a full overnight in St. Petersburg offered by the Eurodam (a highly acclaimed and magnificant I loved :)) in June! Round trip from Copenhagen (great for a pre-cruise night!) the itinerary is perfection:

ITINERARY

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART MonJun1Copenhagen, Denmark 4:00pmTueJun2Kiel, Germany 7:00am5:00pmWedJun3At SeaThuJun4Tallinn, Estonia 8:00am4:00pmFriJun5St. Petersburg, Russia 7:00amSatJun6St. Petersburg, Russia 6:00pmSunJun7Helsinki, Finland 8:00am5:00pmMonJun8Stockholm, Sweden 10:00amTueJun9Stockholm, Sweden 4:00pmWedJun10At SeaThuJun11Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany 6:00am8:00pmFriJun12Copenhagen, Denmark 11:00amSatJun13Copenhagen, Denmark Disembark

Be sure to ge your Visas in order! This is a not to be missed overall value with a Tradition of Excellence.

Our friends at Cuise Critic have exceptional port info for Copenhagen pre-cruise. Enjoy planning your holiday!

My wife and I are confined to school holidays due to her job as a teacher and we'd like to cruise the Caribbean or Panama Canal next August. The options seem few and far between; is this because of the risk of hurricanes at this time of year? Does anyone know of a cruise line that offers such cruises in August?

 

Thanks!

The time constraints of the school holidays can place a cramp in your style! :mad: Have you considered the liberty that you have thou? I think the fabulous 9 night itinerary on August 13th 2015 would add a bit of Royal Style (Bermuda) to your overall plans. Round trip from New Jersey the RCI Liberty of the Seas is a nice option! Featuring Bermuda, St Maarteen, Puerto Rico and Labadee Haiti the cruise with three nights at Sea is inviting and relaxing :) Perhaps this should be your choice and maybe even a Broadway show and overnight in New York prior. :D

Hi

Any suggestions for family with 2 college age sons departing from Texas ports, late December early January 2015, never cruised before.:)

Thanks

Since this is your first cruise I would recommend the Carnival Magic which has excellent pricing on the Galveston TX departure in January 4 2015. There are as stated earlier many other RCI and Princess and even Norwegian Cruiseline sailings at this time of year.

Regarding the Carnival Magic, I to recommend booking yourself and hubbie in a Spa Suite and the sons in the inside cabin, There are 14 decks (although marked as having 15 decks on the deck plan because there is no 13th deck) aboard Magic. She includes the Carnival Waterworks which is a miniature water park on the forward part of the upper decks. Cloud 9 Spa is on decks 12 and 14. Deck 11 includes Camp Carnival and Cucina Del Capitano (an Italian Restaurant with required reservations for dinner at an additional cost, but includes a pasta bar for lunch). The Lido deck, deck 10, includes the Beach Pool & Bar, the Seaside Theatre which shows movie favorites on a huge screen above the pool area, the Lido Marketplace which includes a variety of buffets, and a pool aft. The Promenade deck, deck 5, includes the top of the Showtime Theatre, The Fun Shops, Cherry On Top candy shop, the Hat Trick Casino, RedFrog Pub, Vibe Dance Club, Play It Again Piano Bar, Prime Steakhouse (where you can make reservations for a steak dinner at an additional cost), and the Spotlight Lounge, which is the location of the Punchliner Comedy Club. The Mezzanine Deck, deck 4, includes a Conference Center, Circle "C" (a club for kids ages 12–14), Club 02 (a club for kids ages 15–17), and The Warehouse (an arcade). There are two dining rooms on the Lobby Deck, deck 3, which includes Northern Lights and Southern Lights, and the Guest Services and Shore Excursions desks are also on the Lobby Deck.

The Carnival Magic is a great introductory cruise, go I feel you will like it and become addicted to cruising!:D

I'm trying to decide between going to Hawaii or New England next year. Has anyone done both of these and which one did you like the best. This might be our last big cruise for a while so I want it to be a good one. Either one we have to fly to departure port and pay for hotels before and after. What little research I have done both will work out close to the same price with cruise, air fare and hotels. One is Carnival and one is Norwegian. Thanks for any suggestions.

Done both loved both different times of year! I strongly recommend considering Norwegian and Holland America Line over Carnival and include Canada! If you must stay in the USA and only New England consider the Brilliance of the Seas or Grandeur of the Seas with RCI. Fall is best time for both!

Personally for my last cruise for a while I would consider the Veendam out of convenient Boston (airport pre-cruise night etc) and a post overnight in Quebec City! If I was doing New England and wanted some Canadian Spirits!

Of course if I had lots of money $$$ I would go in September on the Disney Wonder from Hawaii to Vancouver on Sept 17 and have had a pre-cruise land itinerary for a few nights (Big Island at the Hilton?) then onto Honolulu and the cruise that takes in Maui and Kauai! That way I get in my helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian over top of the Volcanoes and a Pineapple treat to boot! :D

Or the Zaandam from Holland America Lines- Great itineraries and much nicer ships! :) It is 17 days from Vancouver and ends in San Diego (better be careful or you might run into me! LOL) :)

Follow Cruisers:

My husband and I have been on numerous cruises and are considering Paul Gauguin 10 nights Society Islands and Tuamotus in July. I'm a little apprehensive because we love the thought of it but we are not scuba divers or snorklers, etc. Also, being a teacher and being with kids all year, I look forward to cruising where the majority of passengers are adults and it appears as if Gauguin would appeal to families with children. Can anyone recommend this cruise and give me some feedback, positive or negative about Paul Gauguin. I am a Seabourn lover but really want to try something new. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

I think you we will be pleasantly surprised with few if any kids!:) As for cruises I would also suggest checking out the Wind Spirit from Windstar Cruises at the same time of year. It visits the Society Islands and offers an upscale cruise experience.

Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands

Moorea, Society Islands

Taha'a (Motu Mahana), Society Islands

Raiatea, Society Islands

Bora Bora, Society Islands

Huahine, Society Islands

Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands

The Wind Spirit is designed as a modern cruise ship but carrying an elaborate system of computer-controlled sails on four masts. No scheduled activities help to make this a real relaxing, unregimented “get away from it all” holiday. The ship is ideal for couples who don’t like large ships. The dress code is casual (no jackets and ties), even for dinner – the brochure states casual elegance. There are no formal nights or theme nights.

You will probably be under sail for less than 40 percent of the time, conditions and cruise area winds permitting. Bring some books because either way Paul or Windstar the libraries are small and pool is small on Wind Spirit. Enjoy your holiday! :D

When can we expect to start seeing the 2016 cruises and especially the Alaska Land and Sea Schedule?

 

Do you think HAL will wait until after the new ship's schedule is posted?

I already hear the Volendam will be the first ship in Alaska 2016, I think the itineraries will be out in December, the Volendam is coming over from Tokyo in April 2016 and making its way via Alaska to Vancouver arriving May 4 in Vancouver it is scheduled to do Glacier Bay on April 30th (permit approved) :)

My husband and I and another couple are planning a Mississippi River cruise. We have 21 cruises on large ships but this will be our first river cruise. I have researched both cruise lines and find pros and cons with each. The hop on hop off feature sounds great. We like only 150 passengers on the other boat. One boat has 2 fixed dining times with assigned seating. The other has open seating for its 150 passengers. Cabins on both sound very similar. Itineraries are the same. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Personally I love American Queen ... Luxury paddle-wheeling on the Mississippi returned to Memphis in 2012, when the American Queen Steamboat company added cruises from the city to New Orleans, St. Louis. In true Memphis style, there's an Elvis connection; Priscilla Presley is the ship's 'godmother' and Elvis-themed cruises will be offered through the season. Voyage typically run nine days and include stops (dependent on the theme) in Vicksburg,MS, Helena, AR, Paducah, KY and other river towns. Fares range from $1900 per person to almost $6,000, and include all shore excursions and meals. It is a great amount of fun! :D

Thank you for the very informative reply! By coincidence, the organization I found with cruise parking uses the Tower; their cheapest rate is on the rooftop. That's OK, our poor little car wouldn't know what to do with inside parking. ;)

Glad it is all working out! The Tower let me sneak in under the roof when I was there only $3 more for entire time! Amazing simply amazin

Planning trip to Hawaii in January 2015, any one know if shore excursions are offered in ports by the local companies to choose when you get off ship? Or us it just safe to book excursion ahead of time either through carnival or other organizations? In past cruises we were able to get off shop and people were there in pier selling their excursions which are usually less expensive. We are in Maui, Honolulu, kaui, hilo, and kona. Also any recommendations on excusions or things to do in these places? Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Ashore there will surely be vendors, but I rest at peace. I pick up a copy of Eyewitness Guides and I pre-book my shore excursions (that way I know what I'm getting! :p )

Have a great trip!

We'll be going on the Summit on Nov. 22, 2014. We'll be landing at 6:30 AM and don't know where we can go to wait until we can board the ship. Does anyone know of a hotel near the ship that would allow us to have breakfast and wait until we can board?

 

Thanks:)

The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino offers a phenomenal fresh breakfast buffet, at Chicago Burger Company,and after you try the chef's delights you can motivate (even walk) to the pier and fill up on lunch! :D

100 Brumbaugh Street | San Juan | Puerto Rico | 00901

Otherwise Cafe Los Yeyos When in San Juan, do as the San Juaneros do and stop into this little cafe in a working class neighborhood in the Old City. Don't let the sparsely decorated place fool you, the food is in the spotlight of those bare bulbs. Breakfast is a bargain with eggs, potatoes and ham, but you can stop in for authentic cuisine for lunch and dinner, too. The pork and seafood dishes taste like abuela cooked them on a Sunday afternoon. (787-725-9362)

Enjoy the most important meal of the day and have a great cruise!

Interested in excursions Hilo, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui . Please help me choose best excursions? Thank you, Sherry

Hilo- For sure a Helicopter ride and Volcano National Park. Hilo is located on the Island of Hawaii, the Big Island or Hawaii Island. It is the largest and the southeastern-most of the Hawaiian islands. Hilo is the oldest city on the Hawaiian archipelago and the second largest metropolis after Honolulu. Evolving from farming and fishing, the sugarcane industry was the backbone of Big Island’s economy for more than a century. In 1946 and 1960 the town was nearly swallowed by earthquake initiated tsunamis. Helicopter rides are fun but expensive the Black sand beach is nice too, if you happen on Blue Hawaiian Helicopters for your ride you have found the best.

Oahu Honolulu - Here I recommend either renting a car or taking a tour to the Polynesian Cultural Center and North Shore. I think you'll like both, some friends also Hiked, Kayaked, and Snorkeled Adventure at Kualoa. I like surfing so the North Shore was a no brainer for me. ;)

Kauai- Since we already did the helicopter on the Big Island we sought out a 4 wheel drive in a Mud Bug went to the waterfalls and had great pictures made.

Maui Lahaina - We shopped took a group surfing lesson and saw more waterfalls. :)

Has anyone heard of or used Shorefox for excursions?

Are there any other good discount shore excursion places out there that are trustworthy?

I have used Shorefox with no problems in the past :D

I have also used Shoretrips, Shore Excursions Group and custom designed shore excursions. What questions do you have? Many of these companies offer discounts when buying multiple excursions or groups. Hope this helps. :)

Hello Cruisers,

I am brand new to Cruise Critic and I'm very excited to dig in to all the different aspects of the Website.

I am trying to plan a 7- 10 day cruise for my family of 4 (Husband, son 25 and daughter 23) to the Eastern Mediterranean (we want to go to Croatia and surroundings). We would go either in May 2015 or September - October 2015.

Where do I begin? Are River Cruises "too old" for my twenty something kids? We are very into good food and exercise and lying around doing nothing. I would probably plan to spend an extra day at the beginning and end of the cruise to explore whatever town I start/end in.

 

I have to say upfront, I've only cruised once (Caribbean) and didn't love cruising for the sake of cruising. I felt nickel and dimed the whole trip. But I love the idea of using a cruise ship as a floating hotel to visit lots of exciting cities and relax in between ports.

 

Any tips you cruising experts can give me would be very appreciated.

Take care

beginnercruizer

For Croatia that you want to see I would recommend Norwegian Cruiseline's Jade May 9 2015 or RCI's (Royal Caribbean) Splendor of the Seas on Oct 10 2015. These cruises spend a day in Croatia, it is worthy of taking a look. Since I have cruised both ships let me know what questions you have. :D

we are going on 30 day Hal cruise 9 statedam Hawaii / French Polynesia round trip san Diego dec 15- jan 14

would like tio drive over to san Diego

any good safe reanable

you know of

thanks new York jimmy Prescott az

The best overall value I found for our Statendam Cruise was Marina Parking by ABM 850 West E St Kettner Blvd at Pacific Hwy. Some hotels have parking but it is more expensive! We parked here and got a lift from UBER to the pier (code allanh47 for discount with UBER) Enjoy your cruise and tell everyone Hello from me!

My DW are in our mid 30s and have only sailed Carnival, not sure on AOS or Jewel and the Summit. I think we will probably do OV. I know Celebrity is more upscale and certain staterooms are limited to certain areas, any tips will be helpful.

Personally, I would check out Celebrity Summit in March! From what I hear "$$$ savings if you Book now and receive a FREE $75 per cabin onboard credit on select categories, like I did. I booked and selected an oceanview category and got an additional $200 per cabin onboard credit (for a total per cabin onboard credit of $275), FREE pre-paid gratuities (a per cabin value of $168 to $217), or a FREE beverage package for two, which includes select alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages onboard (a per cabin value of $686).

As a Celebrity past passenger I paid a reduced deposit on my selected oceanview category. Hope you have my luck! :D

I love the itinerary including such great places as a full day in Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St Thomas USVI, and a post overnight in San Juan (Old San Juan!) San Juan, Puerto Rico that is! I am flying Jet Blue and their Direct TV from my city to San Juan via Ft. Lauderdale! It is about 2.5 hours from Ft. Lauderdale! :D We found a cool offer on multi-port (all port) shore excursions at a discount, were only paying about the cost of port taxes to have shore excursions in every port!

In Antigua sites such as Nelson's Dockyard, Dow Hill Interpretation Center, and Shirley's Heights, oh and the Pineapple farm down south.

In Barbados we will visit the island's premier attraction, the Harrison Cave Tour, it is the right choice for me a return visitor.

In St Lucia well we will go through Castries where various points of interest will be pointed out to me,then follow the winding road up the Morne for a panoramic view of the city, the harbor and even as far as the island of Martinique on a clear day. (I'm hoping for great weather!) I plan to continue up to the Morne complex to view the Inniskilling Monument which was erected in honor of the 27th Inniskilling Regiment who captured the Morne from the French for the British in 1796. This area is also home to one of the island's highest Educational institutions, the OECS Secretariat and also the main television station on island. It will only be a short drive away to Caribelle Batik where I need a short stop to see the artist (one of my favorites :D :) creating her work of art by using hot wax and dye. You will also have a short opportunity for shopping for Batik items. Then I plan to continue our journey along the secondary roads through the hills on the outskirt of the city, taking you through small communities and with scenic views highlighting the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts. I want this trip to stop within the community of La Guerre, overlooking the Marquis Estate – which was once the largest banana plantation on the island, then on to Monchy, where I can see wonderful views of Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island and go down to the home of the Sony’s – Stony Hill. Looking out for a view of the Rodney Bay area. I sure can taste those cool drinks right now! ;)

In St. Maarten we will drive towards Cole Bay and Belle Vue making a photo stop at the Harold Jack lookout point, located high on a hill overlooking the sea where, (clouds permitting) you will have fantastic views of the neighboring islands of Saba (the home of Kong in the original King Kong movie) and St Eustatious to the south, and British Anguilla to the north. Also see Simpson Bay and Cupecoy, leaving Dutch I want French so Marigot the capitol takes over. Then Orient Bay a white powdered sand beach is protected from the Atlantic waves by a reef, and the bottom has a very gradual slope. It is the island’s most developed, most popular and busiest beach. I have planned out approximately 1 ½ hours to swim, beach walk with the wife.

In St. Thomas USVI, I have been several times, I plan to immerse in history-

St. Thomas has a history that dates back to 1500 B.C. and the Ciboney people. They were replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribes, long before Christopher Columbus first saw the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the “New World.” Unfortunately, almost all signs of the pre-Columbus days have been lost to time. Most of the structures and ruins that remain date from the 16th and 17th century and include Blackbeard's Castle (Skytsborg), Fort Christian and Bluebeard’s Castle (Tower Fort) and I plan to see them before some serious shopping near the port in downtown Charlotte Amalie to experience its world-famous shopping or be taken back to the cruise ship dock.

I highly recommend the Summit as it will be our second journey this next spring (my birthday month of March!) :D

If your tickets show Ross' Landing then that should be it if navigational conditions permit, but the booklet "Essential Information" which is available on their website clearly states that the boat's landing is: Port of Chattanooga, 5959 Shallowford Rd. It's listed with the other cities' landings which I know are correct.

 

If you have to spend a night in Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel, restaurant and entertainment center is a fun place to stay.

Although you will probably make it in time to the Chattanooga Airport, my wife would be biting her finger nails. It is going to take you about twenty five minutes (15 without a cruise ship) see Map below:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ross's+Landing+Park,+Riverfront+Pkwy,+Chattanooga,+TN+37402/35.037487,-85.197149/@35.0313986,-85.3214575,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m5!1m1!1s0x88605e8a51af3211:0x7843bf7c4bbc23b0!2m2!1d-85.314753!2d35.05608!1m0?hl=en-US

The Chattanooga Airport is located at: 1001 Airport Road, Suite 14

Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 are you sure you don't have time to check out the Choo Choo hotel? It is a grand hotel! is the only Historic Hotels of America resort in Chattanooga, TN. The Terminal Station in Downtown Chattanooga has been converted into the most fun and beautiful of all Chattanooga hotels! Whether you stay in one of our Victorian Train Cars, Hotel Suites or Standard Rooms, as one of the top Tennessee resorts, you can enjoy our indoor and outdoor pools, gardens and on-site shopping. The Station House Restaurant and a Railway Baggage Cart Salad bar are calling my name! http://youtu.be/Oo-f4tRL5Lo :D

I'd give myself until 2:00pm if I was doing the logistics but anytime after noon will work. Of course if I was traveling I would use UBER Black and pay one fee flat to get wisked away to the airport by visiting http://www.uber.com (Code: allanh47 for discounts)

Besides that helpful hint I would also arrive a day early pre-cruise stay overnight at either the Hilton Riverside or the Homewood Suites (just saw their advertisement on Cruise Critic!)

I did a fast search of the forum and didn't find any previous references. We're planning to drive to New Orleans for our Dec 12, 2014 round trip cruise. We'll be put up at the Hilton Riverside. Does anyone have any good hints for reasonably (meaning cheap ;)) parking from the 12th to the 20th? I'm willing to drop off the wife and luggage and park a ways off, preferably along a street car line.

So your going to stay in the center of it all at Hilton New Orleans Riverside and enjoy a prime downtown location at the base of Canal and Poydras Streets.

Finding a New Orleans parking space is difficult, especially in the Canal and Poydras areas that's why there is ParkWhiz so you can find a spot in the Crescent City! ParkWhiz works night and day to help you find convenient New Orleans parking spaces, so you won’t have to search all of Crescent City. The riverfront Hilton hotel is situated next to Harrah's Casino, steps from famous New Orleans Streetcar lines, a few blocks away from the French Quarter, and on the banks of the Mississippi River. This downtown New Orleans hotel is also adjacent to the Cruise Terminal and further more you can shop at my favorite new spot Riverwalk Shops. I suggest the tower Garage for parking at Please call (504) 561-8115 for information about current parking rates at 400 Poydras Tower Garage. They gave great service last trip! They have a call Center @ Call Center (877) 717-0004.

I hope since you directly asked about parking this answer is okay for providing one of many solutions and I am not affiliated but have used the facility. :D

Pepsi or Coke products??

Disney serves the best Coke! It is included in the cruise fare. There are lots of advantages to Disney - In fact a travel agent can navigate your way, did you know One of the best-kept secrets on the Disney Wonder are the "secret porthole" rooms. These six rooms on Deck 5 are sold as Category 10 inside staterooms, but they have obstructed view portholes. Thus, you get sunlight and little view for "free." These rooms can be specifically requested, but book them as far in advance as possible because they go quickly. They are #5520, #5522, #5524, #5020, #5022, #5024 ( 5522 & 5524 and 5022 & 5024 are adjoiners.

Disney now provides cell-phone-style “Wave Phones” in every stateroom that you can carry with you on the ship to stay in touch with the other members of your party. The Wave Phones have only one charging station per stateroom. If you aren’t careful to rotate them through the charging station, the batteries may become depleted and begin beeping insistently at an inopportune time.

The staterooms all have a small, shallow beverage refrigerator.

You can download the Navigator app for Apple or Android devices before you arrive at the embarkation port and then, once onboard, connect to the ship’s WiFi network—complimentary for app use only. Downloading the app does not enable web access. The app is available on all four Disney Cruise Line ships. Unfortunately, our experience with the app has been that at times the app doesn’t show scheduled activities that are on the printed navigator, or lists them at different times. In every case where there was a discrepancy, the printed navigator was correct and the online one was wrong. In the end we just gave up on the app and used the printed navigator.

It’s a good idea to bring your Navigator, or mobile device with the app, with you wherever you go. If you find that you don’t have a Navigator handy, you can always get another one from Guest Services, but not until they have been delivered to the staterooms (around 8:00 pm).

Are you an Aquaduck? On the Dream and Fantasy experience LIFE - If you enjoy the AquaDuck during the day, find an EVENING to ride it as well! Riding it at night, with the red-and-white lights strobing around the tube at each of the supports, is a completely different experience than the daytime, not to be missed! Also, the lines are truly non-existent, far shorter than even the times when most passengers are ashore when the ship is docked–my daughter rode it one evening over a dozen times in less than 90 minutes, usually walking on with no line whatsoever. If you want to try this, but don’t want to miss any of the main evening entertainment, ask Guest Services early in your cruise whether any of the theater shows will have three showings (the two standard ones, plus a late-afternoon matinee) during your cruise. (On our cruise, this was the case for “Disney’s Believe” on the last night.) That day, go to the matinee show, eat at your regular dinner time, and ride the AquaDuck during your originally scheduled show time.”

Can you tell I love Disney Cruise lines!:D

I ALWAYS seek out an experienced and professional travel agent! I ALWAYS way the advantages of detailed and in-depth experienced individuals to guide me and navigate rough waters. The money you save could even be used for a shore excursion, on board credit or even travel insurance! There are some agents that are even Platinum Castaway Club trained! Some of them have memorized the Disney Dream deck plan! Others know about the new apps for Iphone and Android while traveling with Disney Cruise line. So trust your investment to a professional. One that has traveled Disney recently and knows about the Navigator!

I would love to do that cruise on the Maasdam!

 

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I, too, feel that Westbound suits us better...I just hate to have to wait a year after having to cancel our Noordam cruise leaving BCN tomorrow. :(

Have you considered rushing the dentist? I just found out the Ms Maasdam is going to be departing Rome in beautiful Italy along about the 21 November 2014 to easy to navigate Ft. Lauderdale! It sure sounds interesting to me :D

If that will not work out I am quite sure the Eurotop mattress will cuddle you away on March 29, 2015 on the Eurodam from (warm) Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona and you can take a few days at the end to get your walking in in beautiful Spain! :D

No matter what you do put health first and still sail on a smooth course!

Although mentioned earlier is e LQ La Quinta and there are several other airport hotels like a Homewood Suites by Hilton and the area of Blue Lagoon; I highly recommend and have stayed 5 times at the wonderful Hampton Inn & Suites on Brickell, in the heart of the pulse of Miami. The hotel is much more than your typical Hampton Inn and is close to restaurants and the the People Mover (transportation called Metromover). The hotel is only a few years old and is located in an up-and-coming neighborhood in downtown Miami. The lobby is spacious, with high ceilings, lots of light and sectioned off nicely - bar, business center (last minute internet). Having stayed here five times over three years this has been well-maintained and consistent in quality and service. The neighborhood is growing up around the hotel but the extensive construction nearby presents no problems. With a bar and two other food places at street level, there are options for guests seeking food and drink. The proximity to the station for the free Metromover is another plus. lenty of restaurants near by, spacious rooms. As a Diamond, they always upgrade me. Breakfast is decent (like most Hamptons, but more options). The rooms are clean and I can get a quiet rest. Wifi is free for Gold and Diamond (someone corrected me and believes they offer Free WIFI in room to all but I would not trust that note!)

Bon Voyage and Safe Journeys!

I'm planning a disney cruise in 2016 with my kids who will be 6 and 8 at the time.I have never done one before and am looking at the western carribean cruise. I am stuck as to what time of year. I don't want to go during peak due to crowds and price. We will also visit Disneyland in cali on our way home to australia and i know september has much shorter lines which is what I'm after.

The two months i am thinking of booking are May or September(early possibly doing as early in sept as possible)

I knw its hurricane season however I'm asking for advice from people who have actually done it in september. Is there a lot of rain? Ideally we want to spend time swimming and on beaches so i know Sept is nice as warm too. kids just want to swim and play in pools and beaches. Even if there is a bit of rain is it rain that only lasts short periods of time?I would hate to go to castaway cay only to be rained out.

I did see somewhere that certain times of year the ocean is a bit too cold to swim in, would May be one of them? I should also add that i am open to possibly travelling Mid/late april(easter falls on March 27 so i want to stay well away from spring break)

thanks again

I know i still have a few month before 2016 dates start opening up but i want to ensure i am prepared.

If you are coming from Australia I would consider moving my cruise up a year and joining in on the Roll Call for 5 nights departing May 20, 2015 on

Disney's Disney Wonder from San Diego to Vancouver! You could fly in early on Qantas, Air NZ or another carrier to Los Angeles, spend 3 days at Disneyland (tranfers are all you would need) then take Amtrak to San Diego stay overnight and discover warm and beautiful Southern California (perhaps the world famous San Diego zoo, and/or a Segway tour) and then cruise up the Pacific Coast stopping in San Francisco (a great port), end in Vancouver for an overnight of fun and thrills and then take Skytrain to the airport and take Qantas or Air NZ back to beautiful Australia! :D Right now the cost is reduced and when you book from Australia the price is guaranteed in AUS $$

It is just a thought but whatever you do enjoy the journey! :)