Mom2008

I don't know when I'll get a chance to write a full write-up of our family's cruise, but it will come, and I will post it, or the link, here.

My father-in-law, the one who took us on our first two cruises to Alaska and the Mexican Riviera, died on Saturday. He had just come back from a trip to Mexico with my mother-in law, to their time-share. He had been ill for some time, hence the two cruises when he thought he was dying, but he was living on borrowed time. He was living life to the fullest, but he had been declining for a few months, even though he didn't let on. He went into hospital on April 7 and died on the 19th. He was only 76, younger than my Dad. We are all devastated.

When they got back from our cruise, my husband and kids got to visit his (my FIL's) mother, who turned 98 on March 26; I was still in Winnipeg with my Dad. So they all got to have a great visit, the kids told Grandpa they loved him when they said goodbye, like they always did, never realizing it would be the last time they would do so, and that they wouldn't see him again, he didn't want them to see him in the hospital.

Just a reminder to embrace life, appreciate every moment, you never know which will be your last.

Just an update. I got back home about a week ago. I kept a journal, and have many photos of our trip. In retrospect, it was a very memorable and enjoyable vacation. Getting some sun at this time of year really made a difference, made us all happier.

Looking back, I can see that the cruise the way we planned it, with a seven-day sailing with three ports, was the right fit for our family. It's good that we were scheduled a day ahead instead of the day of, our plane was delayed 6.5 hours arriving in Miami, so we got to our hotel at 5am. If I had to do this again, I might have arranged for us to fly back right after the cruise. The last day was fun, but it might have been a bit much for my Dad.

There were many, many glitches along the way, but I chose to focus on and remember the wonderful experiences. We all talk about how we want to remember the good, and there was a lot of good. Nothing was really horrible, but just some less than stellar glitches.

There were many good memories on the cruise. We went to the free full-service restaurants for almost every meal, experienced some very high quality entertainment, and this meant a lot to my Dad (Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Second City Comedy). We are very glad we had balcony cabins (we are home bodies and actually spent a fair amount of time hanging out in our cabins or on our balconies), the kids enjoyed the slides and the dances, and we did a LOT of walking.

The ports were great. In Jamaica, the kids jumped off a rope swing into a river, then climbed through a waterfall. After a lunch of jerk chicken, we went to a beach where my Dad went into the ocean and floated in the water while I held him up. In Costa Maya, we took a cab to Mahahual and hung out on the beach where we tanned and drank sweet drinks out of coconuts while we sat under coconut trees, then swam in the turquoise water and got VERY tanned (ahem burned in my case), Dad mostly hung out in a lounge chair. And the very special part was that all six of us, including my Dad, were able to take part in a Mayan sweat lodge ceremony in Cozumel. The Temazcal was wonderful, and my Dad was able to do most of the sweat lodge, it was only because his legs were cramping that he had to come out after the third door. Petrus was a very good guide through the ceremony, he said my Dad was the third oldest person who had done the ceremony. If you can crawl through the opening (this was a bit hard for my Dad) and sit on the floor, Petrus will make sure you are OK during the ceremony.

We finished off with a day at the Hilton South Beach, which we were able to buy on Air Miles, a huge two bedroom apartment. We had to spend the day by the pool until the room was ready, and I think this was a little draining for my Dad, even though he was in the shade the whole time.

We all made it home in one piece, with many wonderful memories to keep us warm for the rest of the cold season, and some great pictures to keep the memories alive. Snowbanks were six feet high when I flew back to Winnipeg with my Dad.

At some point I may write up a comprehensive review, but for now, just wanted to let you all know we travelled, we had fun, we are all grateful for the wonderful gift my Dad has given us, and we are home, contented and safe. And we are glad that we cruised together.

Just a quick update. I got back home about a week ago. I kept a journal, and have many photos of our trip. In retrospect, it was a very memorable and enjoyable vacation. Getting some sun at this time of year really made a difference, made us all happier.

There were many, many glitches along the way, but I chose to focus on and remember the wonderful experiences. We all talk about how we want to remember the good, and there was a lot of good. Nothing was really horrible, but just some less than stellar glitches.

There were many good memories on the cruise. We went to the free full-service restaurants for almost every meal, experienced some very high quality entertainment (Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Second City Comedy). We are very glad we had balcony cabins (we are home bodies and actually spent a fair amount of time hanging out in our cabins or on our balconies), the kids enjoyed the slides and the dances, and we did a LOT of walking.

The ports were great. In Jamaica, the kids jumped off a rope swing into a river, then climbed through a waterfall. In Costa Maya, we took a cab to Mahahual and hung out on the beach where we tanned and drank sweet drinks out of coconuts while we sat under coconut trees, then swam in the turquoise water and got VERY tanned (ahem burned in my case). And the very special part was that all six of us, including my Dad, were able to take part in a Mayan sweat lodge ceremony in Cozumel. The Temazcal was wonderful, and my Dad was able to do most of the sweat lodge, it was only because his legs were cramping that he had to come out after the third door. Petrus was a very good guide through the ceremony.

We finished off with a day at the Hilton South Beach, which we were able to buy on Air Miles, a huge two bedroom apartment.

We all made it home in one piece, with many wonderful memories to keep us warm for the rest of the cold season, and some great pictures to keep the memories alive.

At some point I may write up a comprehensive review, but for now, just wanted to let you all know we travelled, we had fun, we are all grateful for the wonderful gift my Dad has given us, and we are home, contented and safe.

Hi Mom2008,

Nearly time to go, you must be frantically packing.

Only store bought pre packaged food through security. Your dad can get a sandwich, fruit, and snacks once through security at Winnipeg Airport. I am quite sure the USA have the security check at Winnipeg (just like they do at Vancouver).

Is it the Quick Shuttle you are taking? That is the one I have used, they were nice and friendly, and the buses were quite new with comfortable seats.

I think I have followed you on this journey because you sound like such a good family and I have found your dad quite interesting.

Go have fun,

Cheers, h.

We are taking the Bolt Bus, only $22pp Vancouver to Seattle. I've talked to others who have tried it. Comes with WiFi so that's good, but I'm having the kids compile a list of non-electronic games they can play so the three of them can play together. They'll all have their earphones too so they can watch movies on the plane.

Thanks for the info about food through security. Is that a customs thing or just a security thing, because when we leave from Miami, we are all going through Detroit, then splitting up (dh and kids to Vancouver, Dad and I to Wpg) so won't be doing customs until later.

My Dad's stories make for some very interesting reading, I'll keep you posted. He started talking about the Mayans, and how advanced they were, and how the Spaniards treated them etc. etc. I keep calling him every few days to give him updates, and he's like a kid, he's sooo excited, and he thanks me for all the work I am putting into this. And the kids too, all say, "We'll do whatever you plan for us, no expectations, as long as we're together and on a CRUISE!!! that's all that matters." That this ship has water slides, a tube slide, climbing wall and swimming pools, that's bonus enough for them, their eyes bugged out when they watched the video of people going down the tube slide. And they remember the chocolate fountain one night, the fancy desserts, all the food. We live on a very tight budget, few extras, so every night is plain food, whole food nicely cooked, but not very fancy, and not very much, so for them, the abundance availalbe on a cruise is what makes it special for them. Me too.

And thank you Winifred, the Epic sounds like a great ship.

Oh Mom2008, I am so excited for you. You have done so well getting everything arranged and booked I do hope you get a chance to relax once you are on the cruise.

Take advantage of any sea days to just lay back on a lounger, book in one hand; drink of choice in the other, even if it is just for a couple of hours. You deserve it.

We too have to do at least one over night pre and post cruise. To help offset the cost of eating out we have a good big breakfast at a ABC type chain then a snack for lunch (grocery store bought fruit, granola bars etc) or a Subway, and do another chain like Dennys for dinner. I will even do fast food like McD's if it saves a bit of money,and I really hate that kind of food, so I can sample a bit of local food when in port.

I have taken the Vancouver to Seatac bus once for a flight to the UK. Sealed prepackaged food is OK going accross the border, oranges aren't ( I inadvertantly tried). It is quite a boring ride this time of the year when all you see is rain but they do have free wifi that may help your 12 yr old daughter pass the time.

Please do post after your cruise. I am dying to hear how everything went - such great excursions. If I am slow with a reply it will be because I am on my Caribbean 22-5 April

Bon Voyage to all, h.

You're right, I do have to figure out the food thing. My Dad wants to bring sandwiches on the plane from Winnipeg, my sister says no. He's diabetic and doesn't want to worry about them running out of food. I'm not sure whether to ask the airlines, or US Customs, or...I know fruit can be a problem. We'll have to plan carefully. It's a 4-hour bus ride for us, so we'll need to pack something to eat. We're lining up games for the kids to play, on the bus, in the plane, and in the lineups that we may encounter on the ship. Freestyle cruising means there's no set dining time, and there can be lineups. Also, for entertainment, we should get there half an hour before the show to get a good seat, then we have to sit and wait. Kids can disintegrate into slap and tickle games, which sets dh on edge "shhhh, people are looking at you!" LOL.

And I'm not sure if, flying out of Winnipeg, my Dad goes through US customs at the Winnipeg airport or when he lands in Denver. I think we do US customs at the airport in Vancouver, when we fly out of Vancouver (which we're not doing this time).

Have a great trip and thank you for the good wishes. I realize I have to take a deep breath once the trip starts, and calm down from the frenzy of planning, which has been fun. Some family members are anxious and I have to learn not to react to their worries. I will find a meditation to keep me calm. My Dad is actually good to talk to, he's got a great sense of humour and is well-educated, so he's a lot of fun. He's leaving the planning to me, so that's good, though he has a tendency, now that Mom is gone, to want to be overly generous and spend more than he has (my brother set the limits for this trip, otherwise my Dad was initially "the sky's the limit, anywhere you want to go is fine" hence the original topic).

Mom2008, so glad to hear that everything is shaping up for your cruise. I'm sure you and your extended family are going to have a great time. Have a blast!

Thank you. We are looking forward to a fun time. I am bringing a hard cover note book and I will start writing down my experiences as they happen, as I have found that if I wait until after it's finished, I forget half of what happened. And much of the fun afterwards is remembering.

I plan to collect the digital photos into a book form and have it printed through Lulu or something, and give a copy to my Dad and make copies for the kids, as a souvenir.

A friend once told me, take photos when everyone is happy, and those are the memories that get carved in their brains. I have only good memories of our last two cruises, but my son tonight was reminding us of some meltdowns that happened on our cruise to Alaska. I had forgotten.

Another little pre-trip update. We have booked our hotels. I got a great price of $150/room at the Mariott Airport Miami by bidding at Priceline. And I got to use my Mom's airmiles to splurge on the Hilton Bentley South Beach for one night when we get back from the cruise

I did a lot of research on Trip Advisor and booked our driver, Garnett, for $25pp for the whole time we're in port. Depending on how Dad feels, we'll visit a plantation, do some swimming, try some jerk, buy some rum, spices and vamilla, and listen to some reggae music.

In Ocho Rios, we have booked the Temazcal Mayan sweat lodge experience, which has had rave reviews. $80pp for a 4.5 hour experience. Dad is really looking forward to it, and he will do a modified version because of his previous heart surgery.

Costa Maya, we will find a beach and relax while the kids play in the ocean.

We take a bus to Seattle on Friday so we can fly out Saturday morning, and are staying at the Fairmont Olympic, a nice hotel, to celebrate my daughter's 12th birthday, so we splurged a bit, $200 for the room.

The main unknown is what we'll spend for meals outside the cruise. But there's still money left over for that.

I'll post a review when we come back. Now if I can just stay calm and go to work each day, and be patient for the 14th to roll around.

Just an update. I got us two rooms at the Mariott Airport Miami for $150 by bidding for it on Priceline. I called the hotel to confirm late arrival and ask for each room to have two double beds, no problem. Not sure if/what we'll want to eat when we land at 10pm.

On the Sunday getting off the cruise, we got to use my Mom's airmiles, so we splurged and are getting a two-bedroom suite at the Hilton Bentley South Beach. The fee was $109, but it will be nice to have a large place for all of us after the small cabins.

Hard to believe we leave in less than two weeks.

I realize I haven't posted an update. We sail out of Miami on March 16 on the Norwegian Epic for a 7 day western Caribbean cruise. We are all very excited. I have managed to come in under budget. One day in Miami before and after the cruise, all airfare, hotels, my Dad's insurance, excursions and extras. We'll see after we get back if we manage to stick to it. It's just the six of us travelling. I have another question I want to post but I'll start a separate thread.

One thing we are doing is in Ocho Rios, we hired a private driver, $25/pp for the whole time we're in port, and he'll drive us wherever we want. The review said he didn't take you to places to spend money.

Then, in Cozumel we are doing a Mayan sweatlodge. I asked about my Dad, since he's 84, and he will do a modified version, and come out of the sweatlodge earlier, and can hang out on the hammock. My Dad is excited to try this. It is called Temazca Cozumel.$80pp for a 4.5 hour experience. I've read rave reviews.

In Costa Maya, we will take a short cab ride to a more quiet beach, and just hang out for the day while the kids play in the water and have a few drinks and snacks.

In every case, if Dad is tired, he can be taken back to the ship, and if he doesn't feel like coming ashore, he can stay on the ship.

The advantage of a cruise over an all-inclusive is that we get to see different ports and there's lots for the kids to do and lots of entertainment for the oldies (I count myself in there) in the evenings.

It has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun planning this trip.

Oh Hooray Hooray

 

I am so very glad you have posted back with what has been planned. It sounds like you will have a great time. Air fares are a killer aren't they.

We often spend more on air and pre/post cruise hotel etc than on the cruise. Being pushy I know, but please post back and tell us how much fun you had.

happy cruising to the whole family

Cheers, h

Yes, airfare can be a killer. And I definitely will post back after the trip and let you know how it all went.

Thanks for letting us know your plans! I know you went back and forth a lot and really worked to make sure it was something your Dad could enjoy.

 

I hope you post later and let us know how it went.

Yes a lot of work wen tinto this. And my Dad is so excited, and we're basing everything on him having a good time, since it's his treat and he deserves it. The kids too are looking at this as an opportunity for bonding and doing activities together as a group.

Of the $12k we have set aside for this trip, only just over $8k has been paid so far for airfare and cruise costs (we've pre-paid the gratuities). We've got enough left over to make sure the pre- and post- and excursions are memorable too.

Makes me think though, that since we live in Vancouver, in 2015 we might look at deep discounts for cruises that leave (or start or end) from home and avoid the pre- and post-cruise costs.

Only 25 more days until we sail. We fly out of Seattle on the Friday, stay Saturday night in Miami, and sail on the 16th. We stay in Miami on Sunday the 23'rd and fly back on the 24th. There were many different legs, most expensive was from Winnipeg, and I got a cheap flight back to Vancouver without going through Seattle on the way back. Total cost for airfare was $600pp average.

My daughter will fly the whole way with my Dad on the way there, and I'll accompany him all the way home, stopping in Winnipeg to visit for a few days before heading home.

I'm just working on nailing down the excursions. We will do a swimming with dolphins, just not sure whether to do it in Ocho Rios, Cozumel or Costa Maya. Dad is excited about doing this.

All six of us are getting very excited. I am having the kids do some research on each port, my youngest is doing a project on dolphins, she's an animal lover. I'm on the roll call, and we'll go to the meet & greet.

It's all coming together.

We were excited to read about an app you can use onboard the Epic to text each other on the ship http://www.ncl.com/downloads/iconcierge

I'll keep you posted if there's any other good news.

I'd be renting a house in Hawaii and flying out of Bellingham :)

That will be a future trip for just the four of us. We've chosen Western Caribbean on the Norwegian Epic out of Miami, March 2014.

What does it matter :confused:

maybe they wanted extra time in the sun or maybe flights were cheaper on Monday

 

They asked about places to stay in Miami

Thank you. Yes, flights are waaaaaayyyyyy cheaper leaving on a Monday. With six of us flying, the savings are in the hundreds of dollars. We were even able to fly home directly to Vancouver instead of having to fly through Seattle, which we are doing on the way out, for the same price.

I'd be renting a house in Hawaii and flying out of Bellingham :)

Next time we plan a family vacation without my Dad, just the four of us living at home, that's likely what we would do. Thank you.

Merry Christmas!

We're sailing the NCL Epic out of Miami March 16, 2014. There are six of us travelling together, my Dad (84), husband and our three children (aged 12 to 19).

Saturday Night March 15

We fly in late Saturday night (land at 10pm), so need a place to crash that has access to food (either restaurant or grocery) as some of us will have been on a plane since 8am. There are six of us so either a two-bedroom suite or two rooms each with two queen beds. A pool that's still open would be a bonus, but not crucial.

Sunday, March 23

We arrive off the ship Sunday morning, so will have all day Sunday to enjoy the sun, the pool, or even the beach if it's close (or safe) enough. Doesn't have to be the same hotel, but it would be nice if this hotel was walking distance to swimming, or whatever cultural or entertainment offerings there might be. Our plane leaves at 8am, so would need to be at the airport by 6am Monday morning.

Transfers to/from the airport and cruise ship terminal could add up for six people. Breakfast too. If this was included, it would go a long way towards making the trip more affordable. Our flight times are very late/early, so don't know if shuttles even run at those times. I don't know if there are taxis in Miami that take six people (there certainly aren't in Vancouver, where we live, which is a pain for our family of five, maximum capacity is four people). We love public transit, so the Metromover would be fun to try.

Also, I don't know which areas of the city to avoid in terms of personal safety.

Any suggestions?

I have read your thread since your Eastern Med. thread. We are scheuled on the Epic the same week as your wedding celebration. We are scheduled for the Western Med. out of Rome and leaving out of Venice for the US. There are so many things to see in Rome that we are there for three nights before boarding the Epic and two nights in Venice afterward.

 

Now I see you are scheduled for the Epic and I think you made a wise decision for a much slower paced vacation. I have never been on any NCL ship but I am excited about being on the Epic. There is one problem that arose for us and that is the ships bathroom configuration. I hope your consultant informed you about the lack of privacy in their cabins. For some, it works okay but for other people the design is awful. We booked a two bedroom, two bath villa in The Haven to have more privacy. And it would be worth checking out to see if you could get something in The Haven. The biggest perk for me is going to be dining in the private dining room just down the hall. That would be so convenient for your dad to walk a short distance if a cabin is on deck 16 along with the dining room, lounge and courtyard. The other big perk is the special boarding VIP treatment on and off the ship for the week. And then there is the butler and concierge sevice. It would be worth a try to see what the cost would be since your agent got you such a good deal for your BA cabins. Have her explain The Haven to you and visit Epic The Haven on cc.

 

We spent a couple nights in Vancouver and a day trip to Vancouver Island before our Alaska trip a few years ago and loved our stay there. You live in a great city.

 

Please post after your cruise. I would like to hear about it.

That's amazing. So serendipitous. I'm also a libra.

Once we've made the final payment, we can start playing the upgrade game. The Haven sounds like it would be wonderful for my Dad. Sounds similar to the Neptune Suite we had on the Oosterdam in Mexico. It was great as the kids were younger, and there we had the lounge close by. It would certainly give my Dad more room to move around.

From what I've read and seen about the bathrooms, there is a curtain you can pull over the bathroom area. He'll be rooming with my 16 year old son.

Last night we went to YouTube and searched "Norwegian Epic," the kids were so excited to see the climbing wall, the water slides, and we saw a few tours of the balcony rooms. It looks like an awesome. TA said if you're going to eat in one of the special restaurants for dinner, book it online, and book the first night, as that tends to be the most busy in the "free" dining room.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Thank you RickT for the link to Matrix for researching airfares. I was able to spend some time on there and find some awesome deals that none of the TAs who were looking for airfares independently even came close to matching. Then I called Flight Centre (no affiliation), and booked the flights. They have a fare matching policy so were able to match the fares that were quoted in $Cdn. If I find any fares lower than what I paid, they will match it (refund the difference) and give me a $20 credit for future travel.

Thank you to epixx for telling me about the Bolt Bus. We will definitely book this. Amtrak only leaves at 6 am or pm and Greyhound at 5:50am. Bolt has four departures.

We booked the Norwegian Epic, sailing out of Miami March 16 to 23. We fly to Miami from Seattle on the 15th and directly back to Vancouver on the 24th. I have decided to accompany my Dad from Winnipeg so two airfares from Winnipeg to Miami. Total for six people is $3,600.

So far, total cost, cruise, taxes, gratuities and airfare for six people $8,400. Still need to book hotels and pay for food and transportation before and after cruise, but that leaves enough for some fun times in port and on the ship. We want to swim with dolphins.

To choose a TA, I went here http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop/ and chose the second company. When I told them the cruise and dates I was interested in, they transferred me to an agent who specialized in NCL and has not only done my itinerary, but has sailed on the Epic more than once. She's been amazing.

I can say, I would not have gotten such good deals without the great advice I've received on CC

I never could have pulled this off in the days before the internet.

Turns out I didn't hit the send button. Ended up feeling a little skeptical, why did that cruise price go up so much after getting the quote from the local TA. Then I created a new login name, and low and behold, the quoted price went back down again. Didn't give me much confidence in booking a cruise through that online place (something like holidays to go dot com but starts with a v).

So I thought, I wonder what TAs CC recommends, and found this: http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop; and decided to call the second one.

Since I already knew what I wanted, the initial agent said she would transfer me to a NCL specialist. The agent I got has sailed on the Epic more than once, and done our itinerary many times as well. Perfect. She has so much info to give us, got great prices, it's all working out.

We saved over $1,000 from what we were quoted from the local TA. I think it's better to go with an online TA if they can transfer you to someone who is really familiar with your ship and/or itinerary. When I told the local TA about the lower prices, she was very gracious and said of course, book it if it's cheaper online.

Have to keep an eye on the falling Canadian dollar though, if it takes more of a nose-dive, I'll have to pay full fare ASAP. It's down to 93 cents on the US dollar, down from 94 last week, and I've heard it could go down as low as 88 cents.

I can breathe easier now. Next step...airfare.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice, this is such a fun adventure already.

Quivering with excitement. About to hit send on the email to the travel agent confirming our booking on the Norwegian Epic, March 16 out of Miami. Price including port fees is up to $889Cdn, we'll get some on board credit of about $44 each. Taxes are $114.51 per person. We'll get the two balconies (aft category BA)for that price and one inside (aft IB) for $589. Balconies are next to each other, inside cabin is across the hall. I see the price on the website I was checking is up to $849US ($910Cdn), it sure goes up fast, I thought they would go down.

Next, she'll look at airfare and we'll figure out the other details.

The rooms seem tiny to what we had on the Zuiderdam, and much smaller than the Neptune Suite we had on the Osterdam, but the extra inside suite means there's an extra space if someone needs a time out or a place to freak out (love my family).

Argee with Sherlock. On the air; I flew from FTL to Seattle last yr. on Southwest for $90 total. Just happened to catch a sale. Many daily flites, some non stop Book online.. Epic goes to Mexico. Will be a party ship..Something to consider is hospitals in foreign countries. My GFs 85 yr old Mother died of septic shock (infection),in Dubai hospital after being dragged on trip . If anything happens to Dad he will be put off ship.You can do the 15N Hawaii rt from California for $999 on Princess. Sales come in January.

Thanks Z. That's one amazing airfare deal. If only I had a crystal ball to know when cheap flights are coming up.

Yes, Epic's March 16 sailing is western Caribbean, Cozumel and Costa Maya. The ship itself is huge, so no matter what, it will be crawling with people, but it's a five star ship, so I'm hoping there will be enough for everyone to do, and we'll get a balcony, so Dad will have a nice place to hang out.

I'll have to research the best insurance options for Dad, as our family is covered.

Just to compare, we have my FIL's travel agent checking out deals for us, she's the one who booked our trips to Alaska and Mexico, for 13 and 14 people each time.

A good site to use for this is http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ Many of us on this forum refer to this site when looking at various flight options. Unlike other travel sites you actually can't book anything using this site, but can definitely look and see what is available and sort if by whatever is important to you.

 

Features of this site that I really like are:

 

1) You can choose multiple departure airports. Given where you are you can also looks at flights departing out of Seattle or Bellingham just in case they offer better routes or prices.

2) You can choose multiple arrival airports. When flying to Florida we always look at Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. (keep in mind however that when you choose multiple departure or arrival airports your flights can be from one airport to another on the flight down, and a different combination on the way back. The only time this will concern you is if it has you flying out of Vancouver and back into Seattle. As long as you pay attention you can eliminate those choices however).

3) You can choose to only look at direct flights.

4) You can short by total travel time.

5) You can choose to search by specific departure or arrival times

 

Play around with the site and see what it gives you as choices. Once you find a flight you can then contact a TA, the airline direct or perhaps see if it shows up on various travel sites. When I use it I often see Air Canada routes that do not show up on the Air Canada site.

Yes, this will help enormously. Thank you.

Using ITA it took me precisely 30 seconds to find numerous sub-$500 airfares from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale or Miami around your times, some under $400. Take the train or bus, or drive and park your car somewhere near the airport, badda bing.

 

On ITA you can input several origin points separated by commas, for example, From: YVR,SEA,BLI and do the same with destinations, e.g. To: MIA,FLL,PBI,SJU. Uncheck the box that says "Allow airport changes" so you don't get a fare to Fort Lauderdale but returning from San Juan. Also try for non-weekend trips, they'll be cheaper.

 

So it takes a little homework, but you're up to it.

Oh yeah! Thanks for the search suggestions. We are reconfiguring‎ our parameters and it feels like we're heading down the home stretch.

Last minute airfares to someplace warm, from someplace cold, during Spring Break ARE NOT going to go down.

Vancouver isn't too cold, it's rainy, we rarely get snow, winters are gray and dreary, still good to get away from, but I know what you're saying. I'm an optimist. It's taking a lot of work and research, but gosh darn it, we'll make it fit.

Quite frankly you've left it very late to be booking a cruise during spring break; good luck with that much less trying to get cheap airfare. I suggest you find a cruise first and then worry about the flights.

It's a bit of a long story as to how we got to this point, but this thread shows some of the history http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1948545. Long story short, we started planning a summer 2014 Mediterranean cruise, but money per person available dropped and it was no longer an option. Then we started looking at the dropping prices of Caribbean cruises, and coupled with what looked like good air fares, and thought, This is it!

My Dad made the offer to each of the six kids (plus a seventh, the oldest who was given up for adoption) to pay for a cruise for their family that he would accompany them on. The oldest has booked a Jan 2014 cruise, but she's going without my Dad, she's my Mom's daughter. This would be the first opportunity for my Dad to go, everyone else is planning for 2015, so I want to find something that will work.

Fingers crossed that it will. It's looking hopeful.

I have some suggestions. First, check flights from Seattle. We rode the Bolt Bus round trip from Seattle to Vancouver and spent under $100 for four round trip. Second, although this might appear at first to be counter-intuitive, consider flying to SJU and taking one of the Southern Caribbean itineraries. The flights for your dates are currently in the $700 range ($642 on United if you can depart 3/15 and return 3/24). The cruises departing San Juan tend to be less expensive, possibly due to reduced demand from expected extra travel costs/time. The Southern Caribbean itineraries are very nice, and when you get off the airplane you're pretty much assured of warm weather right away!

Wow wow wow. Never heard of Bolt Bus. I knew the oracle of CC would come through. We don't have a car, so flying out of Bellingham or Seattle sounded onerous, or I thought it would add too much to the total cost.

I'll check out SJU flights, but a quick look at those itineraries they tend to have few sea days, and my 84 year old Dad is coming with us (he's flying from Winnipeg, a whole other issue). A port-intensive itinerary may not be ideal, 3-4 ports is ideal. I would so much LOVE the idea of visiting a French port like Martinique, but none of those appear to originate at US ports. I've had some other good suggestions for lowering the flight cost so we'll re-start the searches.

Planning is so much fun, back to the drawing board. My husband and I sit at the kitchen table, each with our own laptop, doing searches, bouncing ideas off each other. I have my Excel spreadsheet to calculate costs. I've posted other enquiries, gotten feedback, changed plans, I know this will work out.

Thank you thank you.

I have to satisfy my curiosity.....just where/how did you make a search that told you it was a six hour trip, but there were no such trips in existence? Same with the pricing....if the trip didn't exist, where did you get the 500-600 price?

Flight time: http://www.travelmath.com/flying-time/from/Vancouver,+Canada/to/Miami,+FL Which in retrospect, does not give me the information I am looking for.

And from what I'm reading above, I still might be able to get $500to $600 range. Also, if I were to fly and return on a Tuesday, it would be within that range. Now that I have specific dates, the price has escalated.

Thanks.