Nike4000

We've seen Jeep tours to Passion Island before, like this one. We've never taken the Jeeps though, we enjoy the Twister boat too much. Good luck!

My daughter and I did the Jade Caverns by ATV excursion in 2021 and had a blast. The ATV ride wasn't too difficult, but I preface that by saying that we've owned ATVs previously. Jade Cavern was interesting, only 1 person in our group of about 12 riders was willing to get in the water. The sulphur smell was overpowering. If I remember correctly, we were on the ATVs for about an hour and a half or so total, getting off to explore the cenote and then another break for water and bathrooms. The ATVs were serviceable, definitely high mileage and well used. A few of our group had to swap out their ATVs because they wouldn't start. If you're looking for a fun little ATV ride, it's not too bad. If you're looking for challenging off-roading, it's not the right excursion. There were bumpy parts of the ride and a nice mud pit to drive through. I second the recommendation for closed toe shoes, face and eye coverings, and some sort of mask to keep bugs & dust out of your mouth. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

@cruisemom42 - The Malibu Beach Inn is a fantastic hotel just up PCH from the Getty Villa. Definitely historic and not a chain. Everyone stays in Santa Monica, why not try something a little more unique and right on the beach?

Which ship will you be on? Disney Wonder WIFI was pretty much unusable on our most recent trip in February.

For those staying in Santa Monica with extra days and not sure where to go or what to do, I'd highly recommend heading to Geoffrey's Malibu for dinner. It's a quick 30 minute drive along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH, aka Highway 1) from Santa Monica, the food is excellent, the views are amazing, and, more than likely, you'll spy a few celebrities sitting at nearby tables. You can also make a day of Malibu - visit Pepperdine University, explore Malibu Village and Malibu Colony Plaza, walk the Malibu Pier, explore Point Dume, bury your feet in the sand at Zuma Beach, and have lunch at one of my other favorite area restaurants, The Sunset. Lots to see and do within a quick drive from Santa Monica that many people completely miss because they're focused on Hollywood or other places south of LA.

@ilv4cruising - we stayed at the SpringHill Suites San Diego Downtown / Bayfront and it was fantastic. My comment above pertains to that location. It opened in 2016 as a newly built dual-hotel property. There are other SpringHill Suites hotels in the area that the reviews your seeing might pertain to - Oceanside, Carlsbad, Mission Valley, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, etc. All I can tell you is that the hotel we stayed in was very nice, looked new (7 years old is still pretty new), and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. It is right across from the pier, a simple 5 minute walk and you're dropping off your luggage with a porter to start your cruise journey.

We stayed at Springhill Suites pre-cruise in February and it is a very nice hotel & location. Lots of stuff you can easily walk to along the boardwalk - restaurants, attractions, etc.. Plus, as @DaveOKC said, it's right across the street from the cruise port. Our room was very nice & spacious, the bed was comfortable, and my daughter crashed on the in-room couch after coming down to visit us. She said that was comfy too! We'll book the Springhill Suites for future San Diego departures for sure!

Just booked North lot for our November 2023 cruise and didn't see any options for North Lot premium or the VIP lot. Are those booked full through April (yes I tried every sailing from Nov through Apr)? Or, is there some other trick to getting access to those lots? I'm not thrilled about leaving my car uncovered.

We’re interested in this excursion as well and would love to hear what others have experienced. We had a horrible experience with a submarine style excursion in Cozumel, so we’re a little hesitant to book this one. Everything else looks great - how was it in reality?

Yeah, it's a big Sprinter van that should fit your party pretty well. I'd recommend trying to schedule your time as soon as you check in.

We signed up for a time slot, but the shuttle bus wasn't crowded. There were 6 of us total on the bus and it easily could have held another family.

We like buying in advance so it’s already waiting for us when we get to our room. But, cost wise I don’t think there is any savings buying in advance.

Last month we stayed at the SpringHill Suites right across from the cruise terminal and it was fantastic! Super easy walk across the street at a traffic light with crosswalk to the terminal. Took less than 5 minutes. Also, tons of restaurants up and down the shore within walking distance. As for the flight, we walked off the ship after a leisurely breakfast bringing our rolling bags with us and were at the airport within 12 minutes of debarking. Big caveats are that we kept all of our luggage with us, we had our passports ready to be reviewed by customs when we walked off, and there were no delays with customs holding the ship or delaying debarkation. Cabs are plentiful at the port, the cab stand is right outside the terminal doors, and then it is a super short drive to the airport. My wife noted for future trips that we easily made it to the airport before 9:30 without rushing or zero stress.

@jeromep - wow, what a thorough and fantastic reply, I can't thank you enough. You broke everything down so well, we have a much, much better understanding of what to expect now. Thank you! Our typical cruise beverage consumption runs along the lines of Coke Zero or diet soda for me a couple of times each day - usually with lunch & dinner and then water. My wife sticks with tea and bottled water on cruises (she says the regular water tastes funny, but I've never noticed that). We'll probably take your advice and avoid the top level package, it doesn't sound like the value will be there for us. Also, great point about the excursions. We always book in advance, but I didn't know if Premium Suites gave earlier access to book them. As for The Enclave - it sounds like we need to stick to our standard embarkation process and head directly to the spa once we're on board to take the tour, book access to the Enclave, and schedule our massages. It's all good! @deise17311 - thanks for clarifying. I'm still learning what is available on the Regal Princess, your post was very helpful. We're learning so much thanks to all of these fantastic responses. Y'all really know your stuff when it comes to Princess! Very impressive. Thank you!

Okay, my wife just saw an article about a "Chocolate Journey" on Princess. Is that still a thing that happens? I'm assuming it means that there are numerous chocolate dessert offerings on the menu and buffet. Can anyone provide some clarification? The Princess website wasn't helpful and I only saw press release type info about it without any specifics. This could be a game changer. Also, @donswife and @Rick&Jeannie - the photos y'all have shared are fantastic! We're ready to go!

Yeah, that's what we assumed, I was joking about it being the primary selling point for her.

Thanks to everyone for their very thoughtful and helpful responses. Y'all have given us significant food for thought. We're still doing some research, but we're heavily leaning towards going with a Premium Suite for this trip. The extra space in the room, the concierge lounge, priority specialty dining and shore excursion reservations, complimentary laundry service, and other perks are really attractive to us. My wife read somewhere that Premium Suites include complimentary bottles of water, which might be the strongest selling point for her. 😁

Thank you for this extremely insightful response! We will definitely take the guidance about the amenities into consideration. So helpful! I don't recall mentioning factoring the balcony size into my original message, we're more focused on the room site - max room size for 12 days is a good thing in our minds. However, since you did mention the balcony, I don't think the temperature will be a concern. I practically live on that thing in tropical weather or cold. On our Alaskan cruise I was out there as much as possible and will definitely come prepared for UK weather. I spent 3 years in Ireland and England back in my younger days so I'm familiar with the climate (barring massive shifts due to climate change). Awesome, thank you for clarifying. Sounds pretty cool - I geek out over technology and this sounds like fun.

What did you love about it? Any tips or recommendations? I totally misread the amenities and assumed "Complimentary use of the Lotus Spa® Thermal Suite" included the Enclave. Whoops, my bad! The question stands - how hard would it be to get Enclave access as new Princess cruisers? I'm not worried about movement, we used to do private charter trips on a 93' sailboat which moves a heck of a lot more than any modern cruise ship! How many soft drinks qualify as "a lot"? This is the way!

My wife and I are considering booking a Princess cruise in spring 2024 and, while we've cruised on other lines quite a bit, we have not been on Princess. Well, technically I was back when I was much, much younger, but I have very little recollection of that cruise other than spending time with other kids my age doing things our parents would be ashamed to know we were doing. 🤫😜 So, as we look at our options, we thought it would be wise to ask the Cruise Critic resident experts for input and guidance! We're considering a 12-day British Isles cruise on the Regal Princess in April or May 2024. For level setting, we're in our early 50's, are reasonably physically fit, and don't drink alcohol. It would just be the two of us. Some questions: We're considering a Reserve Collection Mini-Suite but are intrigued by the opulence of a Premium Suite. For 12 days, are the upgraded perks of the Premium Suite worth the extra expense over the Reserve Collection Mini-Suite? Instead of upgrading to the Premium Suite, would it be better to upgrade to the "Best" cruise option(instead of "Better")? As mentioned, we don't drink alcohol, so wine tastings, champagne, etc., are not selling points for us. However, things like specialty meals, reserved seating at shows, and premium desserts are interesting. Speaking of, what are the "premium desserts" that are considered perks on the Better & Best packages? How are the medallions used? I saw that they do "stuff," but how, when, and where? I picture a form factor similar to an airtag, is that pretty accurate? Is it used as a room key? We're super interested in "The Enclave." I see that complimentary access is included in the Premium Suite. As first time Princess cruisers, are we going to be out of luck trying to get passes for the duration of the cruise if we go with a Reserve Collection Mini-Suite? Will we get earlier access to book excursions depending on the level of suite we book? What do you wish you knew about cruising with Princess before your first cruise? What aren't we thinking of as we consider a Princess cruise? We're also considering similar-ish itineraries from Silversea and Oceania. I worry that those two options will skew much older since my dad said those are his lines of choice & he's pushing 80. Thanks in advance for the feedback. We're super excited about heading over to Europe for a fun-filled cruise.

That is invaluable information! I don't usually carry much cash on me when cruising - at least very small bills like that. I will be prepared thanks to your sage guidance!

@SDPadreFan - You have the mojo working! It was not more than 2 hours after I posted my most recent response to your helpful post that I got an email from Nancy with SunRider Tours answering the questions I posted a month ago! Basically - they said we need to be at their dock by 10am to make the 10:30 departure of the lunch whale watching cruise. Our PAT is 9am, I think that is do-able, even with the tender chaos.- - assuming their dock is as close to the drop-off point as both you and Nancy indicated. As for refunds due to inclement weather, you have to cancel 24 hours in advance to get a refund. Otherwise, you're losing the ticket fee. Not a major deal breaker in my mind. What was very interesting was that Nancy shared that if the port is closed for security reasons (i.e. in the case of cartel violence) you can get a full refund or a credit towards a future cruise. Glad they already have a policy in place for cartel violence! 😮 Lastly, Nancy confirmed what you shared, their dock is right next to the tender drop-off point. So, I think we're going to give it a go! Thanks again for all of your help!

Thank you so much! I've reached out to Sun Rider again, this time via email directly. I'll give them a call this week if I don't hear back in a few days - I still have some time. From their booking app, it looks like there are plenty of seats available for the day we'll be in Cabo, which is good. Also, I checked EcoCat and they don't have any whale watching tours scheduled while we're in port. I'm going to reach out to them as well, I just thought it was a bit odd.

I'll second Sunflower Café! I absolutely love starting embarkation day with one of their amazing cinnamon rolls. Their breakfasts are fantastic!

Our cruise is coming up next month, and taking @SDPadreFan's advice, I reached out to the company offering the SunRider 100 lunch tour via their website at sunridertours.com and have heard nothing back. I was specifically asking for details on their cancellation policy and guidance on how to get from the cruise port to their dock. I've reached out multiple times using the contact form since November and haven't gotten a response (yes, I've checked my spam folder). Anyone have any suggestions on ways to contact them or have the answers to the questions? We've got a whale watching excursion booked through the cruise line, but it's on a zodiac and I am not confident my wife could make the full 2.5 hours without a bathroom break due to health issues. I'd much rather not have to worry about that and spend our time enjoying the sites and experience.