Maggiebobo

I would look at cruises available for when you're thinking, March 2018. Make a list of departure ports and dates, then look up airfare. We booked our first cruise based on the airfare because airfare was really expensive everywhere except for Jacksonville Fl. When looking at dates for flights I recommend flying into your port city 1 day early and budget for one night in a hotel.

The ports we visited were Nassau and Freeport, not what I would have chose if I had more options, but we looked at the Cruise as the bulk of our vacation and the ports were an extra perk. We really just wanted to experience the cruise and in the end we actually enjoyed our ports.

This was our first cruise and I booked it pretty quickly, because of airfare. It was perfect though and we had so much fun we've already booked another cruise!

OP here, I have acquired FTTF for one room, so still stalking for the other. I was really ok without it after reading everyone's replies. I thought it would be great if we had it but wasn't going to stress it. My husband however, really thought FTTF sounded like something we would really enjoy, so I've been stalking. I have until July to snag one more! Thanks again for everyones replies, I do appreciate it.

We booked the Elation out of Jacksonville pretty quickly after deciding to go on a cruise, mostly because it was the only place with decent airfare the first of January. Like you, I then really researched and realized it was an older, smaller ship. Our kids were 14 and just turned 19, so a lot older than yours but we saw a lot of kids and they all seemed to have a great time!

We did book rooms with windows because two of the four of us are a bit claustrophobic. The amount of time spent in the room is quite minimal but it was fun to wake up in morning and see where we were.

I think the Elation was a great choice for our first cruise, the ship was small enough to navigate, had plenty to do, was clean, staff was super, lots of food choices and overall it just felt good! It was a great ship for our family to try way out a cruise, I think your family will love it.

This was January of this year, our first cruise ever and we've already booked another one :)

I'm surprised the HUB isn't available now, after the dry dock, but I admit I don't know a lot about technology or what it takes to get it up and going. We will be on the Dream in July, I'm really glad it will be available then!

Still stalking and it's still sold out. I've decide I'll keep checking and if it pops up I'll get it. If it doesn't, it wasn't meant to be and our cruise will still be amazing with and extra $120ish to spend. Thanks again for everyone's opinion, I really appreciate it.

We are doing the same cruise in July. We have never been to these ports, but we have decided to get ourselves to the beach on Cayman and Cozumel and have relaxing days. We haven't decided for sure, but are thinking about Paradise Beach on Cozumel and Royal Palm or Calico Jacks on Cayman.

We booked the Bobsled Jamaica & Dunns River Falls with lunch for our Jamaica day. We were a bit uncomfortable planning our own thing and feel better booking through Carnival. The bus ride is 1 1/2 hours each way, with the possibility of traffic or bus trouble, I liked that the ship will wait for us incase of delay. I know that we can find something similar for less money, but it is worth the peace of mind for us to pay a little extra and book through Carnival.

I'm assuming the Hub will be available, but I can't find any information about it. All I see is the Hub app says "Coming Soon" on the Dream, but it doesn't say when. Does anyone know when the Hub will work on the Dream?

Thanks everyone. Our cruise is 7/16/17, looks like the balance due date is May 2. I think I'll keep stalking and keep hoping for it. It sounds like the perks would be nice to have, however, if I'm not so lucky, we will enjoy our cruise and have a great time anyway!

I really appreciate everyone and all the info. Like I said in my original post, this is our second cruise and I have learned everything I know from here. Disney has been our favorite vacation for years and I've got that one down but I'm just a newbie in the cruising world. I'm a planner and like to do my research to help avoid preventable hiccups along the way, so thanks again for all the help.

Next step is to decide on some excursions :)

Please help me decide. This is our second cruise, (myself, husband 15 yr old and 19 year old). Our first cruise was on the Elation out of Jacksonville, FTTF wasn't offered, I assume because it is a smaller ship and smaller port. This time we will be on the Dream out of New Orleans, stopping at Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We don't have any excursion booked yet, still trying to decide what excursions we want to do.

I'm not sure which ports tender vs port.

Our cruise check in time is 12:30.

We have two cabins booked, so if I'm lucky and get FTTF I'm sure I'll need it for both cabins, correct?

I know everyone has to decide if the money is well spent on FTTF for themselves, but I could use some advice here. I was ready to just accept that we didn't get it and make the best of it. My husband thinks we should keep checking and try to get it. Everything we know about FTTF we have learned on this board.

Can you tell me why you love it or why you can live without it. Thank so much!

Thank you for the answers, sounds like we'll be ok. Flight is at noon. Thanks again!

Hello, we are cruising out of Jacksonville on the Elation ship. Can anyone tell me about the disembark time? How long does it take to get off the ship (if you're in a hurry) or how late can you stay on the ship if you have a late flight?

Thank you for the helpful responses. I saw another post about "when" to email the Maitre'd so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing a step to prepare for our cruise. I can't think of anything we need to change regarding our dining so it looks like were good. Thanks again.

We have booked our first cruise for January and I have been learning so much on these boards, thank you! I saw a post about when to email the Maitre'd prior to your cruise. What do we need to email the Maitre'd for?

Thanks