homeschoolmama

You do need a heads up, but if you find a church ahead if time, maybe the pastor or someone from the church would pick you up and drop you off. Be street wise to who is around you and try to be around other passengers, you should be ok to get a taxi. Congrats! Hope it works out for you

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Having done lots of b2b I opt only for the same cabin both weeks. One of the best days of the cruise is the middle day when everyone is leaving and coming. The last thing I want to do is pack and repack. The room steward generally will help you move so that is good. However, the biggest detriment is if you change rooms you will then have to wait, like all new boarding passengers, to get into your new room. You also have to vacate your old room by 8 so it can be cleaned. If you have the same room you can come and go as you please that day. The ship you are on should not present much of an issue for motion sickness as it is pretty good size. Actually some will say there is even less motion in the rear than mid ship. Beware! Once you do b2b it is hard to go back to 7 day cruises :)

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You can stay until the time listed for when all passengers must be off. You don't need to be in a departure lounge, but should stay out of your room and areas being prepped for the next cruise, I.e. by the pool is ok. Do not go past that time however, as it throws off the whole schedule for those coming aboard. B2b cruisers cannot go off through customs and reboard until everyone is off that should be off. Until b2b cruisers go through customs, noone else can start boarding. Stay where you can hear announcements because the crew will be none too happy if they have to hunt you down to get you off. :)

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Best time to go is after an outbreak when cleaning has gone above and beyond normal. Been on 40 plus cruises and been fortunate enough to never get it. That being said it is about personally taking responsibility for good hygiene!

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Compared to my other 43 cruises, it was awful! However, I guess that just proves that the pros and cons of each ship is in the eye of the beholder. There are certainly enough ships and itineraries to meet all types of people and interests. I have found the ones I enjoy the most; hope you do also.

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You are right. There are times when they are not present, as in times when there has been little or no rain. However, my point was it wasn't a one time infestation, so be prepared. May be out one say, but not the next.

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Sure you can do this. Only requirement is with regard to minors staying alone, clearly not N issue here. If you pay for 4 people, 2 cabins you can mix it up any way you want.

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Sand fleas are part of the puerto rican beaches. There was never an "infestation". They always have been and always will be. Mosquito spray works wonders and alot of the beach hotels have it at the front desk for use by the guests.

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Sort of depends on the time of year. We have paid anywhere from 180 to 250 at the mariott isla verde. Right on the beach lovely pools and grounds, onsite casino and live salsa music on weekend nights which is a blast! It is where the locals go to dance and dance they do!

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Noro virus is NOT flu. Flu is respiratory. Noro comes via bad hygiene. It is analogous to salmonella. If you eat bad food you get sick pretty quick. If you touch something carrying bad bacteria due to poor hygiene, and then touch your food etc. with your hands, the bacteria hits your system pretty quickly. That is why many can get it quickly. It is not influenza and is not stomach flu.

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PS there is a Palm beach which is the main beach by big hotels, and there is De Palm island. They are two different places with totally different sort of beaches and things to do

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De Palm is alot of fun. Snorkeling is some of the best in the caribbean. There are huge parrot fish, but also lots and lots of other varieties. It is shallow water so the viewing is great. Our last trip there we snorkeled for an hour and a half.

The beaches are nice, but it has changed over the years so there is less space and more people. There are two restaurants, one a buffet and one hotdogs, hamburgers etc. There is a bar and everything is included in your ticket. There are banana boat rides and a small waterpark too. It is a fun half day. We have done it several times and the only downside is more and more people are finding out about it so not as tranquil as it used to be. You can still find a quiet spot though.

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In addition to the above, you have special invites to parties, sometimes the concierge can get you on bridge or galley tours, concierge helps with anything you need so you don't have to wait in line at the front desk. If you eat at the buffet you can go in chops or portifino to eat your meal so you don't have to hunt for a table. In room dining is great as you can order off mdr menu. We often had french toast on the balcony. You will get fruit and canapes in room.

Just beware, once you go gs or above it is hard to go back to a "regular" cabin :)

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Sorry, noro virus doesn't have a season. It is contracted by touching areas others have touched who have poor hygiene. How many times do you go in public restrooms where people come out of stalls and don't wash their hands. The ship is an inanimate object and doesn't pass germs. People who are uncleanly do. If anyone should compensate passengers it isn't the cruiseline, but rather those who never wash their hands and/or those who lie on their health form when they board a ship. Those who know they don't feel well and continue to frequent public places are also responsible.

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4 ships is not alot. Taxis probably would be pretty quick.

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You can negotiate a 3 hour van tour with one of the vendors, for 15 dollars or so. Good way to see it if it is your first time. Buck island is pretty good if you like snorkeling. Once you have seen it though I agree it is a least favorite port, so we find it a great day to enjoy the ship pool without any crowds

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Taxis are not necessarily the fastest anymore. If the port is full of ships the day you disembark the taxi queues can be up to three hours wait depending on the time you get off the ship. There is no free transport at the port. You can however prearrange a shuttle for about ten dollars per person which is usually the most efficient and reasonable.

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I assume you are sailing out of port canaveral. When we sail that port we always use the ship transfer program to orlando because flights are so much cheaper than JAX. You can buy just one way. Fast and efficient. It is about a 45 min drive once you leave the port. Think we paid about 25 dollars or there abouts.

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Depends on what you want to do at the hotel and how close to the port you want to stay. The further away from the city of san juan you go, the more resort style upscale properties you can find. If you want good beaches and want to be close to the port look at Isla Verde properties like Ritz Carlton or Marriott Courtyard. If want casinos and nightlife, go for Condado properties and if you want old Puerto Rican ambience go for old San Juan properties. Each are has its pros and cons and the latter three areas mentioned are within 25 dollar cab ride of pan american port

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Depends on the ship you choose. Epic is awful but smaller ncl ships have some nice features, especially if dining choices are important to you.

There is the old adage you pay for what you get and that can certainly be true for cruise ships. Another consideration is if you will be cruising enough in the future that you want to establish loyalty with a particular cruise line . Multiple cruises on one family of lines (e.g. rccl, celebrity etc is one family of lines with some reciprocity of loyaty perks. Another family is carnival, holland and costa) can give you discounts on future cruises, onboard credits and special events on board. I have sailed both lines many times and our preference is hands down rccl, but really depends on your personal preferences of activities, eating, ports, etc.

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I agree with things mentioned above. However, If you like to get out in nature a bit, and have not been to Puert Rico, then you may want to consider the rain forest tour. You will see a bit more of the country and some ships stay til 9 or 10 at night so you could still take in old san juan. In Barbados we did a photograohy tour which was fabulous. Small group, went many places normal tour groups don't go. You don't need to be professional in any way, can even go with disposable cameras.

In St Thomas the tram is a fun thing to do and you get some lovely views. Also very easy to negotiate a van to take a few people on a private tour. We have done that for 15 dollars for 3 hours.

Must be a little more careful in St Lucia if interested in arranging a private tour, but the ship offers some lovely half day trips which let you see alot of the island. Traffic is a bit of a pain in st maarten, so I agree that the water taxi ( which is cheap and right off the ship) is wonderful. The town is very walkable, many shops and eateries, and you might just find yourself wanting to take a quick dip in the ocean from the beautiful beach that skirts the town :)

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Ps. Be aware that this is not where aos leaves from. The ship leaves from pan american pier and you have to taxi to anyplace from there. There is a separate port for old san juan and tge ships that stop for the day, and for the water taxis.

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Not sure of current cost of water taxi but can get info at several places in old sju. There are free trolleys that make numerous stops throughout old san juan. They stop at both forts, they stop across the street from the old san juan and numerous places in between. The old town is not that big so you are pretty much within a couple blocks of a stop wherever you are. The are signs marking the trolley stops and you can get maps showing the stops at several places including the forts. We love to take the trolley to the fort which is the highest point on old san juan, and walk down. Afterall it is vacation :)

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Let me further explain the bathroom. Open the door and toilet is on one side and shower on the other. Not an enclosed full bath. Both have see through glass but there is a curtain you can pull in front of them. One step from there is the bed and I am 5'6" and my feet were off the end of the bed. Approx. 12 inches between bed and desk and the sink for the bathroom is part of that. Get the picture?

there is NO separate self contained bathroom. I sailed solo in a double cabin and was castrophobic by tge end. This was a balcony mini suite!

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Hated Epic. Very large group of people with ship pools that are smaller than backyard pools. Very congested in every restaurant, pool area, show, you name it. Hated the cabins and I had one of the better ones. Beds are for people 5 feet or shorter, bathroom and shower are in the room with the sink virtually in the desk. Little to no storage and if you have bad knees you will have trouble navigating around the furniture. Only good thing on that ship was the cirque de soliel dinner theatre which was incredible.

Hal is an older crowd generally speaking. However the rooms are much nicer, not nearly the congested feel, lovely decor and you can actually find places to feel like you have some space -both inside and outside. Private island for hal ships is bar none the best around. My ships of choice are rccl, but I would do and do in fact sail HAL IF the itinerary and price is good, which often it is.

Oh yes there is a huge water slide on epic so kids could enjoy that

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