indy71

Our upcoming HAL schedule shows the buffet beginning at 11:30. 

For the after-cruise ship excursions I’ve been on, you put your carryons in a small overhead bin or on the seat. The norm seems to be that the bus is locked while people are away. The driver might stay with the bus, but I’m not sure about that. I don’t know about the a/c 

I watched a YouTube video of this excursion. I just typed in the name of the excursion and found one. It was helpful for me. There didn’t appear to be shade on the boat, but there is a bus ride to and from the dock, so you aren’t on the water the whole 5 hours.  😊

When I did the coaster a few years ago, a second person could ride for free. I don’t know if that’s still the case. The second person still had to have a signed waiver, but there was no charge. I would call the cruise line and ask. 

I have cruised from Ft Lauderdale numerous times and have never flown into Miami (although I would if it was a better value/time). I flew out of Miami one time using a cruise line excursion with Miami departure to get to the airport. We are cruising from Ft. L again in February and I will consider both airports for price and convenient timing, but I have a strong preference for the simplicity and close location of Ft L airport. 

12 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

What hotel?

Hampton Inn. 

We just got off Liberty. We went to the muster station right after boarding, and they just scanned our card. Nothing else was required. 

We were at Terminal 3 on the January 30 sailing. 
 

I always stay in Cocoa Beach because I like to be on the ocean and feel like I’m on vacation once I’m in Florida. It’s just my preference. You may have a different priority. 

My mom (aged 90) and I have done walking tours twice in Nassau. The first was almost identical to the one done by iheartmarshall, and last week, we walked to the Pirate Museum and the Graycliff Chocolatier (over 1 mile away). While we were able to successfully complete our journey, I would not describe it as a pleasant one. When we first got off the ship, the crowds of walkers were almost overwhelming. When we got past the crowds, we found that sidewalks were narrow, missing or crumbling much of the time. There was fast traffic coming very close to us. We experienced similar conditions on both walks. This past week, we chose to get a taxi back to the ship, which is really the way to go, in my opinion. It was $12 well spent. The destinations were worthwhile. I just don’t think I would walk it again. We did feel safe in our surroundings, by the way, just not with the walking surfaces. 

We did this excursion in the winter and a big storm came in unexpectedly. We got DRENCHED prior to going to the airport. We had used the program that checks your bags all the way to your home airport, so we didn’t have dry clothes with us. (Bad decision for several reasons! - lol!) We used the bathroom hand dryers to try to dry our hair. 🤪 We bought sweatshirts from the gift shop, but they didn’t sell pants. It was a pretty miserable trip home.  We laugh about it now. Just be aware that the weather can change fast.
 

I did this excursion again in the winter (call me crazy) and the weather was great. I wore jeans and a t shirt and carried a jacket just in case. I think I left the jacket on the bus. That’s how I wanted to be dressed for the flight home. It’s a good excursion and a great way to spend a few hours instead of sitting at the airport. 

That’s great to know. Thank you hannibal54!

Wow! Thanks so much Capt_BJ! I looked at the Visitor Toll Pass link you provided. Thank you so much for the info and picture!

It has been about 5 years since I have rented a car to drive from MCO to Cocoa Beach. Can I still pay tolls with exact change and bypass the cashiers or has everything gone electronic by now. Also, does anyone know the amount of the tolls? I already have cars rented for both directions. This is for January 2023. Thanks for your help, Karen

Thank you for your help!

Hello. I am a first-time Carnival cruiser and am going on the Magic on Sunday. I have seen copies of showtimes posted on CC. I was wondering if I should plan to be at the venue in time for the “pre-show fun” in order to get a good seat for the main show. Thanks for your help!

“I passed through ATL this weekend. So I decided to conduct a little experiment to see how long it would realistically take to go from one gate to another.” 
 

Thank you so much, Tapi, for doing this. Very interesting! While I know it’s possible to make the connection, for my peace of mind, I’m glad I changed it to SLC.  It costs me a little time, but no $, and I like my odds better! Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts!

14 hours ago, DogLover said:

Hope your travels are uneventful & enjoy your cruise!

Thank you so much! I feel good about the flight change. 😊 

I decided to switch the flight to connect in SLC. Thanks so much for your help!

What time is your FLL flight?

Are you docking at Port of Miami or Port Everglades?

If you give us this information we can better assist you.

FYI.....We just changed a 36 minute ATL connection with ease last week and didn't even tell them we are both seniors with recent knee surgeries.
 

My flight is at 7:30, but it’s the day after the ship docks, so no issues there, at least! Thanks for sharing your experience. We also made a tight connection in Atlanta once. Delta once changed my Atlanta connection to 20 minutes. Before I was smart enough to know I could ask for a change, I thought “well, they must think it’s possible or they wouldn’t have done that”. Our connecting flight was delayed or we wouldn’t have made it. You just never know. All I’m trying to do is predict the future. Lol!!!

2 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

I don't know what time your departure is from FLL, but possibly it is late enough that you can switch to the next earlier departure, thus giving you more time to connect at ATL?   If not, I'd consider the SLC option instead.

Unfortunately, we are on the first flight to Atlanta already. 😞 That’s a good thought, though. 

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your responses! I’ll let you know what I decide. 

So, my optimal flight home to Tucson from FLL in February has been changed, creating a 36 minute layover in Atlanta. I know I can request a change, but the choices are less than ideal. Here are my options:

1) keep the flight as is (undesirable as we would probably miss the connection)

2) switch to a 1 hour connection in Salt Lake City (undesirable, as I try to avoid cold weather cities in winter)

3) switch to a flight with 2 stops-Atlanta and LAX (undesirable as a 7 hour trip becomes an 11 hour trip)

4) switch to a late afternoon/night flight with 1 stop in Atlanta with reasonable connection time (undesirable in that we don’t land till 10:15 and we are 2 senior ladies inconveniencing another senior for a ride home)

I am tempted to leave it as is and hope for the best. Does anyone know if a refund is an option? I would love to choose another airline. Thanks for your help. 

2 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

So there are 2 of the ziplines correct? One you sit and one you lay. When you pay the price, I assume it doesn't come with both?

Your assumption is correct. 

The market referred to above is for souvenirs/merchandise, not food.