pcvtmom

We've cruised from Charleston many times and always do self-disembarkation. We just walk to our parked car. With rolling suitcases, it's fairly easy.

Excellent review! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Enjoying this already, and you're not to the cruise part, yet!

Enjoying your review!

We've done the Sunshine cruise from Charleston numerous times and LOVE the ship! As stated above, the Serenity area is amazing. We also love the Havana bar area at the back of the Lido, for quiet breakfast and lunch. We, too, can drive to port in about 7-8 hours, so it saves the airfare.

Awesome review! Thanks for taking the time to post this informative and entertaining review. The next time we sail to Bermuda, I think we'll look into the excursion you all took. It really appeals to me!

This is the best way we've found to text and send pictures to family at home. The Messenger app works fine with the lowest level social media plan.

We had to cancel and rebook a cruise (for which I already had shareholder credit approved), when my daughter tested positive for Influenza B ON THE WAY TO THE PORT in 2020. 🤥 I rebooked with my PVP for 10 days later, and sent an email requesting the OBC for the new cruise. It came through. I don't know about 7 days, but I was happy that they quickly approved it for us in 10 days.

#3 was high on my list for "walkability". We recently stayed at a Ft. Lauderdale hotel, and couldn't tell by the Google maps, but the infrastructure was a huge problem. It was basically safe to walk to a Wendy's and a Starbucks, due to construction in the area. Not what we had in mind when booking. We've reserved 2 rooms (2 couples). We'll just deal with it, rather than change hotels at this late date. We fly in relatively early, so we may just Uber over to spend the day in the San Pedro or Long Beach area, after dropping our luggage at the hotel to store until check-in. It will be an adventure, for sure. Thanks, all!

Travelin.sisters, we're cruising from Long Beach. Thanks for your input!

So many things can happen to delay boarding. Best case scenario: You'd go through the check-in process and be on board by 11:00. We've been on the ship among the first before, (sometimes before they even uncover the buffet foods on the Lido)! 😆

They offer 3 pickup options, with 9:30 being the earliest. We always choose 9:30. Depending on traffic, we arrive no later than 10:15. We're Diamond cruisers, now, and generally snag the earliest check-in time available, so it's not a problem.

Thanks for taking the time to post your informative review! We have fond memories of the Legend (both of our children got engaged on her 😃). I'm a big fan of the Spirit class ships, and I hope they're around for a long time.

Check SAS Transportation. They shuttle from FLL and area hotels to the port of Miami daily. Very reliable and good prices. We use them whenever we fly into FLL for a cruise out of Miami.

Thanks, Mrs Tocko, for your response. Before my initial post, I actually did exactly what you recommended with Google maps. I saw several Hispanic and Asian restaurants in the area, but was still unsure of the infrastructure and safety issues. I've decided to Uber to a more favorable area for our meals and wine shopping. The hotel had an extremely good price, and decent reviews. We only need a place to lay our heads the night before our cruise. Everyone who has responded has been very helpful in answering my concerns. This is why I love cruise critic!

My adult children and their kids are linked to my booking. I gifted them (adult children and spouses) with Chef's Table on our upcoming cruise. Under manage my cruise, I chose "I want to give a gift to a booked cruiser". The next page, I chose "specialty dining". When I clicked on the venue I wished to book, all of the people linked to my booking were listed, with a box next to their names. I simply chose the recipients, and contined with the booking.

If you can't make it to dinner after a long day in port, you do have the option to "not show up". Many of the same foods will be available on the Lido deck buffet, and you also have the deli and pizza options. Also, there are some "pay extra" options which you may be able to utilize, if they aren't completely booked up.

GTJ, in some places we've stayed, the infrastructure did not lend itself to walking (no sidewalks, etc.). My question was in regards to that, as well as whether or not there were restaurants, stores (to pick up our wine), etc. within a reasonable distance. I think it sounds like we should Uber to San Pedro, or another nearby locale.

I highly recommend SAS transportation from Ft. Lauderdale hotels to the port of Miami. They have vans that can accommodate your party, and charge $13 pp if you have 5 or more, I believe. We've used them multiple times, and plan to book them again next June, for our family trip ( also on the Horizon!)

This is such a complete, comprehensive cruise report! I really appreciate the time you've taken to produce this. Your descriptions and explanations are spot on!

She knows this! It's part of her humor. 😉

They did it in 2019 on the Sunshine.

Correct. We just wanted a one night stay, relatively inexpensive. Flights from the east coast, coupled with a 14 day cruise to Hawaii, had us determined to cut costs where we could. Looking at Google maps, I thought it was probably less than desirable to walk anywhere. There are 4 of us, so we'll take your advice and Uber to a nicer area! Thanks so much!

Looking forward to your review! We'll be on the Miracle to Hawaii in early January.

We're flying to the west coast from Virginia in January. This will be our first time in California! I have a hotel booked in the Wilmington area, between LAX and Port of Long Beach. How "walkable" is the area around the Best Western Worldport hotel? We want to get a bite to eat and pick up our bottles of wine for the cruise. I would've preferred to stay IN Long Beach, but the hotel prices were either extremely high, or there was a two night minimum for our date. Thanks, in advance, for your answers. If it's not walkable, I guess we'll Uber to a restaurant and store to pick up wine. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.