VT Hokie Cruiser

We have just decided on a family cruise (3-4 cabins) for which the final payment is due in one week -- Sept. 9. At this point, would we better off to wait until after Sept. 9 to book, on the chance that Carnival will discount and market this cruise even further?

The cruise is during Thanksgiving week 2014 on the Valor, Southern Caribbean from San Juan.

I doubt the prices will go up after Sept. 9, but would like to know what others have experienced with such a situation. We'll always booked way in advance, but it seems like I see good deals after the payment deadline.

Thanks!

Is there a way to make specialty dining reservations in advance of a cruise and charge them to onboard credit? We just learned that we have more onboard credit than we thought for a cruise in three weeks on Pride of America. But we have already made specialty dining reservations and paid for them online with credit card. Can the charges be switched to OBC now by talking to someone at NCL? We don't want to cancel online and give up the time slots we reserved. Thanks.

We have an 11 a.m. flight in Kauai with Blue Hawaiian helicopters after the Pride of America docks there at 8 am. Will we have adequate time to rent a car and get to Blue Hawaiian before the check-in time at 10:15 a.m.? Are there plenty of shuttles to the rental car place? (Blue Hawaiian offers a shuttle but we want to rent a car in advance if there's time). Thanks.

Thank you for a superb, detailed and well-written review and all your insights and photos. You put some time into this, and it's much appreciated by others!

If you see Waimea Canyon by helicopter, is it worth the drive there to see it from the ground? Thanks.

I found a $200 per person AARP discount on an NCL Hawaii cruise in June 2014. Question: do BOTH people in the cabin have to be AARP members in order for BOTH to get the discount, or will one suffice? Thanks.

We are considering a Delta non-stop flight of about 9.5 hours from Atlanta to Honolulu. Can someone tell me approx how much the upcharge is for Delta's Economy Comfort on this flight? Thanks.

Many thanks, Midnight Blue, for a superb rundown of your trip. It's balanced and smoothly written. Thank you for "painting" all those pictures of what it will be like for others, in advance of our trip!

We are using Okey Dokey in March for the A-2 tour that includes zipline, canal, banana factory, lunch, etc. for 6-7 hours. Quoted $89 per person Cruise Critic rate. So how much is appropriate tip if we get excellent service? Do we tip the zipline staff, too? Thanks.

Do the ALWAYS get back in time for departure?