Itchy&Scratchy

I'd use the waterproof matt pad in a combination with a diaper at night. Unless you WANT to bring an inflatable mattress. DS started cruising when he was 3 - we didn't even bother with the pad. At 3 he was still wearing a diaper at night - size 6 in Luvs.

just the opposite for us... MDR and buffet food on Jade and Getaway were inedible, aside from the free crepes, but we loved the entertainment. MDR and buffet food on various RCI ships ranged from acceptable to quite nice, and the entertainment is great as well. Smoke smell permeated everything on the middle decks on both NCL ships. That was definitely a deal breaker for us - we couldn't use many of the free food venues because they were in the middle of the smoke cloud.

we went on that ship and itinerary early June, and if you want more shade on the balcony, choose the right side (starboard?). We were in 8546 - a great cabin. We had a lot of shade - perfect for using the balcony, and our cabin attendant was great. We were facing the land in all three ports.

we really liked the Breezy bay part of the Chill island. Water in November was very cold.

same message. I am in the US.

not sure what you mean. I book online, not on the phone. Never had to call to correct something booked online. I simply mean that the websites are not as convoluted as some people are saying.

by the way, if the balcony cabin is for 2, the sofa may be by the balcony or by the bathroom. Not sure about Q class, but somewhere on this RCI forum there is a formula which allows you to calculate where the sofa will be. However, I believe, if the balcony cabin is for 3-4 people, the sofa will be by the balcony (extra space is needed to make it into a bed).

imho, totally unnecessary at that age. Especially, if you can score Kids Sail Free. And yes, there is space for a pack and play. See photos above.

no, of course, not at that age. When they are in their teens - yeah, I'd look into that. If you are going to be in a balcony room, the sofa bed will most likely be by the balcony door and it will be a trundle bed: this is a single sofa bed: since you are going to have a cabin for 4, the bed will be a trundle bed. Your youngest may not even need a pack and play: found another photo:

well, I dunno... I've been booking through the cruise line's websites for about 9 years and I am happy with all of their websites.

we usually cruise on Thanksgiving and March-April (spring break). I don't remember such chilly water in the Bahamas in November ever before last November. Even this June the water was somewhat chilly in Aruba, Labadee and Curacao. Nassau's water in March 2016 was also cold. I do remember it being cold in Labadee on one of our previous visits.

We really like Nellie's beach: as soon as you enter - all the way to the right if you are facing the water, behind the ruins.

we were there last week of Nov 2021. Water was super cold (no, I didn't get "used" to it eventually), but the sun was hot when it came out from behind the clouds. Other than that, the air was very nice and warm.

unfortunately, the laws of physics do not exempt taxis... I found the taxi drivers in Miami and FLL to be on a crazy side. During one of the rides, I was still standing outside of a taxi buckling my kid into his booster when the taxi driver simply took off. IMHO, they are all about making the highest number of rides as fast as possible, and do not care about safety. But OP is going on a Med cruise, so US taxis aren't important at this time. @Garyjames220 useful boards: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/28-family-cruises/ https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a10635/traveling_with_children

are these coupons issued by Princess or travel agencies?

we were on an RCI cruise first week of June. We masked the entire time when indoors, except for our cabin and while eating in MDR/buffet. The moment we got up from the table - we masked. It doesn't help, though, if you are in the 1% who masks - we got covid on that cruise. There was no social distancing of any kind and nobody else wore masks.

about 7-10 minutes to the end closest to the port. Right across from LaQuinta hotel. There are plenty of taxis at the port - we were there first week of June. But the Eagle beach then continues farther out all the way to the Butterfly farm (Divi Phoenix hotel area) - also nice to see. That's what we did back in 2016 - Butterfly farm first (not a ship tour - just took a taxi) and then crossed the road to the beach. Took a taxi back later. This time we were going to go back to the ship, change and go to the zoo (Phillip's garden), but it was VERY hot and windy that day, and we don't like hot all that much, unless we are in the water. So, we just went back to the ship instead and stayed put. Definitely use a lot of SPF - we burned pretty badly, despite all the reapplying. If you go to the Eagle beach not in front of a hotel, get there early if you need an umbrella ($40 for one with two chaises). You can choose to tell the taxi driver "Eagle beach" or Eagle beach in front of "insert high or low rise hotel name" which is $1 more.

but you must still wear a helmet... If you don't bring your own, you will have to use theirs. But - yes, you can bring your skates.

a family on the ship with us did this and they didn't really have any time on the beach. We took a taxi to the Eagle beach in the morning and enjoyed ourselves till about 3, but they came in about 1:30 and left at 2. Their kid was playing on the beach with our kid, while mom and dad got some food and drinks at the beach bar. They walked over with the food and were like - omg, the bus is leaving now, we have to go! I told them they could just get a taxi back for $15 later, but they decided against it. Got their food and unopened drink bottles and ran to the bus. Not enjoyable at all in my book.

unfortunately, late dining doesn't work for us. My DH suffers from profound acid reflux and cannot eat this late (even with all the meds), and we also have a kid with us who usually has dinner by 7.

hey.... I prefer the term "peasants".

a few people were using rental kayaks and paddle boards during our early June visit, floating right by us on Nellie's beach.

oooh, well, that makes a lot more sense. I was quite confused about the steak and shrimp....

both of my parents had the original covid in May 2020, but neither of them had any side effects from either the vaccinations or the booster. They had Moderna. Some of our friends also had covid prior to vaccination, and they had no side effects either. Definitely no flu like ones. Maybe, a sore spot for a day or two in the injection site, but that's all.

yes, it's normal and has already been discussed on this board. same!