EnterCruise

Thanks for all the input. It is a direct flight but I agree that the winters in upstate NY are just too unpredictable. I'm going to fly down the day before the cruise

Is Albany considered Upstate New York?

Southwest's schedule only goes to January 7, 2018, but they will extend their schedule for the rest of January on June 22nd.

What about around south beach way is there any of the big companies that have a large selection or are they all in hotels

We are thinking driving the coastal route for a bit before cutting inland so makes sense

Would rather avoid heading back to the airport

It's more of a novelty for a bit with the kids but yeah the Ford mustangs are his dream

I don't understand your first sentence. Large selection of what, rental cars?

I hate to burst your bubble, but again, you are dreaming and not in reality when you talk about driving "the coastal" route. With the exception of a few short stretches, for the most part, A1A is nothing but tall buildings and lots of stoplights pretty much all the way north of West Palm Beach (75 miles). Also, you do understand that South Beach is on a barrier island and not the mainland coast, right?

I'm sorry, but if you have two children a convertible is just not going to work. The trunk with the top down will not hold any more than a medium sized, flat suitcase (not stuffy).

There will probably be a couple dozen or more others on your flight also headed for a cruise.

As there is every day that ships sail.

Your flight is fine. Don't let a bunch of nervous nellies turn you into one as well.

Uh...January...Upstate New York...connecting flights? Nervous Nellies? Really?

I absolutely KNOW that in an ideal world, flying in the day before a cruise is best so, that being said, I'm not looking for opinions on what others do, what I should do, etc. I am just looking for advice if this is feasible. We are cruising out of Miami for the first time in January. I found a cheap flight the day before into FLL that I should've grabbed that day, but I waited two days and it tripled in price! I could fly in the following day (cruise day) direct, landing in Fort Lauderdale at 10:43am. Ship departs at 5 pm, so I'm assuming all aboard is around 3:30 or so. I have never traveled from FLL to Miami, so I'm not sure how long that will take. Its on a Friday if that makes a difference. If anyone can give me INFORMATION only, it would be appreciated. I'm not interested in hearing "we always fly in the day before" speech. Yes, I usually do that too, but again, its not always an ideal world. TIA :)

Are you really looking for information or validation to do something very risky?

If you depart/arrive on time because your flight is not delayed or cancelled due to bad wintry weather or mechanical issues, 10:43 AM is plenty of time to get to the baggage claim, collect your luggage and then get to the POM.

You are asking us to predict the future, the weather in New York in January and if your luggage gets lost on the day of your cruise, so I'm not sure what other information I can give you.

So...What is your backup plan if you miss the ship?

More pictures and reviews...

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g499450-d3741187-Reviews-Mahahual_Beach-Mahahual_Costa_Maya_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I'm cheating a bit and using a Saturday to FLL and a Friday not near a holiday in October 2017 on SW's website. As you said, their schedule doesn't go to January 2018 yet.

I have been looking at SW RT trips, but I noticed that the one way flights were either from MEM or BNA were around $310, and a paired return flight was about the same. If I am doing something wrong I cannot figure out what, as the "summary" that SW shows after my simulated booking is for one person, RT either BNA-FLL or MEM-FLL.

 

On the other hand, I did find yesterday a Delta RT BNA/FLL for $250, so that is probably what I will book, but not until about 3 months before the January 2018 cruise. And of course I will check all other airlines also. I will fly or drive to FLL the night before the cruise and stay in a hotel I've booked already that offers an airport shuttle and port shuttle for $8 pp. Since I'll use the FLL hotel whether I decide to fly or drive to FLL, I figured I'd book now for "only" $230. YIPES!:o At least there is no cancellation fee.

You're not kidding you like to drive because you don't fly much, do you?

Airfare prices are not static, sometimes they change hourly and definitely from one day to the next. With Southwest, you can book them at one price and they may or may not go down, but once inside 30 days they usually do nothing but go up. The biggest mistake you are making is October is the bottom of the low season and January is almost the peak of high season in South Florida. Higher demand means higher fares. I'm flying from BNA to FLL on June 27 for $57, but I booked it a couple months ago. Today that same exact flight is $135 and that exact same flight next Tuesday is $235.

Also, book your trip in two separate one way trips. In the event you want to change the outbound or return, it will be much easier to do so. One of the legs may drop in price, but the other may go up, so you don't want to lose the lower fare of one while you are trying take advantage of a lower fare on the other.

Be patient and wait until June 22nd when Southwest extends their schedule. Right now you are wasting your time in an exercise in futility.

Ok so this may sound like a silly question given all the car rental agencies but post cruise where can I get a Ford Mustang convertible hire? It's a surprise for my husband he will be driving us from Miami to Orlando one way. I have looked at sixt, Alamo and hertz which all seem nearby. Happy to uber it to them when we disembark.

I've read threads where some car agencies have really long waits post cruise etc. is one better than the next? Also I know the mustang may not be guaranteed but has any one used any of these three to safety say the have them or we will get an alternative

I am leaning more to Alamo being a big company but just not sure

First of all, driving a convertible on the Interstate Highways for over three hours is not a pleasant experience. If you are going to be in Orlando for a couple days you should consider picking up a more comfortable car to drive to Orlando, then trade it in for a convertible once there.

I hope you pack really light because the trunk opening in a convertible is not large enough to push one large suitcase into and then the depth is cut in half when the top is down. Your only option for larger suitcases is to put them in the small backseat, so I hope you don't have any children. Then you would have to choose between your luggage or the children. Also, there is zero leg room in the backseat unless your husband is about 5' 1" (155 cm).

Both Alamo and National are owned by Enterprise and they all work together sharing cars back and forth, so yeah, they are a major company. While Sixt is very popular and successful in Europe, they are struggling in the US just trying to understand American consumers and how business is done here. If you rent a premium car from Sixt, they will authorize your credit card for a $999 deposit, so you better have plenty of extra available credit on your credit card(s). Alamo will authorize the cost of the rental, plus 20% or sometimes just the cost of the rental. Enterprise usually authorizes the cost of the rental, plus $200-$250.

Right now I am driving a convertible Camaro from Alamo and I'm ready to take it back and get a sedan. It's been raining here in Ft Lauderdale every day for almost two weeks, so I have only had the top down twice, the day I picked it up and yesterday. This time of year in South Florida it is getting too hot for a convertible and it is only going to get hotter over the next three months. The day I drove it home I was driving west straight into the sun and I got a nice sunburn on my forehead and balding head, so be sure he has a cap or sunscreen. The interior of the car is very squashed and claustrophobic with the top down with lots of blind spots so you have to be very careful when backing out or turning. I've discovered a convertible is only enjoyable when the weather is nice, not too hot and no rain.

I am surprised at Southwest airlines prices....well, any carriers' actually for a MEM-FLL-MEM round trip airline ticket. SW's from Memphis was $620 - and of course the flight took around 6+ hours since it connected somewhere. So I checked flights out of SW BNA (Nashville) figuring those would cost less; Nope - still $620 RT! :eek: At least many of those BNA flights were direct.

 

There must be something I am missing...all the praise I read about SW, doesn't apparently consider their prices? They are by far the most expensive, at least from MEM or BMA to FLL round trip. And the prices above are for one senior. If prices for RT air are really that high I will be driving down! :o

 

And yep, I have considered all costs associated with driving and flying, including food, taxis, motels, parking and any tolls.

Yes, you are missing something and doing something wrong. I have no idea what dates you put into Southwest's search function, but it's impossible that you put in your actual flight dates since Southwest's travel calendar only goes to January 7, 2018, which is a week short of when you will be traveling. On the flights down on the 5th, 6th or 7th I'm seeing one way fares of $104 to $129. Something odd is going on with the return because it's showing a lot of sold out flights. You'll just have to wait until Southwest extends their schedule and see what they will be when you need to travel, but I'm sure they won't be anything close to what you're quoting.

So glad to see the swing chairs back in Mahahual. We were there 12 years ago and my wife loved the swings but then a hurricane came through and destroyed the bar. So happy to see it's back.

That and more restaurants/bars and even an art gallery. Majahual has become a bit sophisticated (in a Mexican kind of way).

Clearly you haven't been there in a while as evidenced by your pictures. The Hard Rock has been closed for years and is abandoned. There is no sign identifying the building. In addition all the prices that you mention in your posts are about half of what things cost now. Maybe before you start spouting off about things you should update your knowledge base.

Clearly you didn't read my post at all and merely looked at the pics from 2006. Maybe you should read the post and educate yourself before you jump in to make a complete fool of yourself.

I'm in Majahual at least two or three times a year, so I think I know what I'm talking about.

I know you are taking a chance with a guarantee but that was all that was left. Leaving in 3 days June 10 on Gem. Last minute since we had some personal and health issues. Finally able to cruise and relax. Assigned cabin 8613 on Gem. Looks like the Bliss Lounge is right below us. Yikes I don't think we will get any sleep .Anyone stay in the aft on deck 8 aft. Is it very noisy? Wondering if there is a chance of changing cabins to another area. Have been on over 12 NCL cruises and this is what they give me!!!!!

On the positive side you're only a few steps from O'Sheehan's and one deck up from the Atrium and Promenade. I don't think Bliss will be an issue.

If I don't get any replies 4cats I will trawl back till I find it as the rate was quite a bit cheaper than their own website cruise rate

There's no such thing. Hilton guaranties they have the lowest rates on their web site available anywhere. Perhaps someone had a group booked into that Hampton Inn, got a special rate for a specific date and they gave you the link to their group rate, but there is no such thing as a CC rate and never has been. Hilton does have special rates for AAA, AARP, Government/Military, Senior Rate or Travel Agent on their web site.

What you have to understand about Costa Maya is that there is no such town and never was. Costa Maya is a port and shopping mall that was built in the middle of nowhere in the Yucatan Peninsula by a developer who convinced a few cruise lines to start stopping their ships there instead of Guatemala. The developer was also building a resort with condos to sell to go along with it. Think of it as something like Harvest Caye, only it wasn't on a private island and it was open to the public. They even opened a Hard Rock Cafe there which failed and is now closed. The port of Costa Maya itself is nothing but a tourist trap shopping mall with a pier for cruise ships.

There was, however, a small sleepy fishing village about 3 miles south of the port called Majahual (Mahahual) and you could catch a taxi out the back gate in front of the Hard Rock Cafe for $4). Despite the developer's and cruise lines' best efforts to keep cruisers out of Majahual by using scare tactics telling cruisers to "stay on the beaten path" and not to wander off on their own, the villagers were working hard to be entrepreneurs and turn the little village into a small impromptu beach resort serving fresh caught seafood, cheap food and drinks in the shade of palm trees right on the beach. You could get one hour massages on the beach (or in palm tree top towers) for only $20. There were loungers and tables literally at the waters edge along with tiki bar huts with swings for seats. It was a simple, absolutely wonderful local place which was completely wiped off the map by Category 5 Hurricane Dean at 4:30 AM on August 21, 2007. The little village of Majahual was completely destroyed, the port of Costa Maya was badly damaged and put out of commission for some time (thus came Roatan which was absolutely nothing in 2007). The Mexican Government, though, agreed to completely rebuild Majahual as long as the locals moved all their tiki huts back behind the new malecon they would build. Once it was completed, Majahual was no longer a sleepy fishing village, but now a big beach resort where there is still cheap food, drinks and fresh caught seafood. And the one hour massages have escalated to $25 per hour (50 minutes for $20). After the port was repaired, opened back up, the cruise lines came back and they gave up trying to keep Majahual a secret.

Congratulations on learning something on these boards that you can pay it forward with.

 

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Thanks!

What have you learned today?

With your attitude, she obviously did a rotten job raising you properly.

 

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So....snarky and cheap is not a way to go through life.

So....snarky and cheap is not a way to go through life.

Thanks, Mom...I'll keep that in mind.

Any Hiltons in Fort Lauderdale or Miami recommended for pre cruise stay. Would probably use Uber or Lyft to get to port. Thanks for your help

The Doubletree Grand 1717 N Bayshore Dr, Miami, especially if you are a Diamond.

Check out Maya Chan.....highly rated resort on the port of call boards. 59.00 all inclusive including transportation, food and alcohol.

http://costamayabeachresort.com/

Too expensive. On the beach at Mahahual cerveza is a couple bucks, food is cheap, it's a fishing village so you can even get fresh lobster, guacamole, chips, an hour massage on the beach for $25...And no, that is not me shirtless in the bottom picure...

Thank you. Are your photos of the area right off the ship or in Mahahual?

What part of my post with "And don't waste any time in the theatric tourist-trap port. Immediately pass through to the back and get a taxi or trolley to Mahahual" did you not understand?

I can't say about the Thrifty shuttle, but I use the Alamo shuttle all the time from MIA to POM. With 4+ ships in port, no problem at all.

We just go around 10 or catch the late one around 2.30 pm. Always get a spot to sit plus our suitcases.

$2 tip per suitcase and off we go.

It's the same shuttle.

Thanks for your review. A daughter's birthday cruise and nothing good about it? I cannot imagine being on a cruise for a week and coming off feeling so negative. Sometimes I read negative reviews that have had issues that I may have had in the past but I must have not cared or let it bother me and moved on at the time. Did the kids have fun?

 

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Her "kids" are 24, 21 and 19.

Thanks everyone for the input! We're flying into FLL early the day before so we're renting a convertible to explore, pick up any last minute items, find a nice dinner and get to the hotel at MIA. I've decided to return the car by midnight at MIA and catch the free hotel shuttle back to the room. In the morning we'll use Uber to get to the port. It will be a much more relaxing way to begin the cruise.

Convertible? Don't bring too much luggage then because you won't have room to put more than a couple suitcases.

You will have plenty of time with the shuttle. 4 ships is not an issue at all and I believe NCL is the first stop.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7868

Is it too cold ?

Or maybe your on the wrong cruise?:)

No, it means the ship has not opened to the public yet.

Hyatt House in the Blue Lagoon area.