Daisyloo

Are you talking Port Everglades to FLL airport? If so, yes you can do it. I would suggest trying to be in one of the earlier disembarkation groups, but I don't think you would have to do the self disembarkation.

The airport and port are only about 10 minutes apart. Taxis are cheap and there will be lots available.

I second the Keen sandal idea. Mine are the waterproof "Venice" model. Love them.

We were in a Neptune suite on the Zaandam in July. No seperate shower, just the tub/shower combo.

As far as the overall condition of the ship, I would have to say "excellent". We had a wonderful time and could not fault a singe thing.

Can open.

 

Worms everywhere!

OMG! Too funny!

The last few seasons when the cast was announced, we were like "who"? But we would watch any way and we always enjoyed it. Last season was one of our favourite seasons, so you never know. Give it a chance.

Fly the day before, especially as you are going in March. The weather then can be really unpredictable.

Lovely pics. Nice to see the ship from a different perspective.

Thanks.

We took 13 B2B cruises in a row on the Emerald Princess last winter and purchased Princess Vacation Ptoection for every one of them. We spend over $2000 anually for travel insurance plus purchase Medjet Assist for over $400. That may be why I have little tolerance for those who don't purchase insurance but still want concessions.[/quote]

 

I agree. We have travel insurance for all our trips. Even a one day trip to the U.S. Because you never know when you might need it.

It also bugs me when on the news you see a story about someone who loses everything in a house fire, then says they have no insurance to cover the loss. Who of us wants to pay for insurance? But we do it because it's the smart thing to do, so when I hear about people who didn't bother to buy it I lose all sympathy for them.

It played for me when I clicked the link.

Very well done.

On Princess we have always had just one steward.

We had 614 on the main deck. Loved it- quiet, kinda midship. I would say avoid anything too close to the front of the ship. We were in 500 once. Great cabin until a port day. The noise of the winches for the ropes was awful. And the day we tendered, the anchor sounded like it was coming through our cabin. Other than that, we loved the Maasdam.

Op - We took a cab from the Vancouver airport to the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place, and then again from the pier to the airport at the end of our cruise. The fare was approx. $34.00 each way. Plus a tip. Most of the cabs we saw were Toyota Prius. Lots of headroom and leg room and lots of room for our luggage. There were lots of cabs at the airport and cruiseport - we didn't have to wait at all.

We are just down the highway from you OP, in Hamilton. We have flown out of Buffalo the last 6 or 7 times we have cruised out of Fort Lauderdale. It's a nicer drive for us than going to Toronto, and Buffalo airport is easy to park at, easy to get around in. Plus the airfares are usually lots cheaper than from Toronto. We have found good fares on Southwest, but there are other airlines to consider.

As for hotels in Ft. Lauderdale we have stayed several times at the Hampton Inn Airport/North Cruiseport, and have it booked again for Nov. It is close to the airport and the cruise port. It's clean, comfortable, staff are helpful. It's across from a plaza with lots of shopping options. There are several restaurants within walking distance and the hotel will shuttle you to other close by restaurants. They offer a decent complimentary breakfast in the hotel.

They have a free shuttle pick up at the airport. They have a shuttle to the port for $6.00 each, that is organized and well run.

OP - Princess is a great cruise line. We have cruised them several times and HAL several times. Princess attracts a slightly younger crowd than HAL. I would say they have slightly more activities than HAL and quite good entertainment going on all the time. Their food is good and the crew will take good care of you. I would not hesitate to reccomend Princess for your cruise.

We have travelled several times with a certain couple, to land resorts and once on a cruise. We made the rule before the first vacation together that we would not be joined at the hip. We would do what we wanted, they could do what interested them. The only thing we planned to do together was dinner each night. Some days we did do the same things because it interested us both. Other times we would hardly see each other except at dinner. It worked well for us for all our trips together.

We are talking about doing another vacation together in the spring, so we haven't managed to drive each other nuts yet!

:D

My daughter and her husband were on the Eurodam in July. They loved it and had no complaints about the condition of the ship. They thought the crew were wonderful.

Have a great cruise.

We have sailed in balcony cabins on HAL 3 times and never had any issue with smoke. I'm an ex-smoker and I hate smelling cigarette smoke now.

He was CD on our Emerald Princess cruise in April this year. He was great. So funny! Would love to see him again.

Daisyloo is sailing Nov 30, 2014 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. 14 night B2B, Western/Eastern Caribbean.

A "like" button.

Glad you enjoyed your Maasdam cruise. We have been on her twice and loved her. It's nice to know she is still in good shape.

We have done both and they are both good. If I had to pick one, I might give a slight edge to El Morro, but that might be because we did that with a tourguide who was a retired history professor who was full of great info.

Just checking: do you realize that the ship docks in Vancouver which is on mainland. Victoria is on Vancouver Island. You would need to take a ferry to get there. You might already know this but I didn't want you to have an unwelcome surprise.

In Ketchikan, after your excursion, it is a nice walk to Creek Street to do a bit of shopping.

What about dealing directly with a travel agent?

Last year I was looking to book airfair for my daughter and her husband to fly to Copenhagen from Toronto for a cruise, then Copenhagen to Paris for a 4 night stay, then Paris to Toronto home. I went on numerous sites and could not find airfair for a decent price.

So I called a nearby travel agent and asked him to see what he could get me for airfair for her trip. He called me back a while later with a good price, on good airlines with good flight times. It was quite a bit cheaper than anything I could find. So it makes me wonder if travel agents have access to flight info that the rest of us don't?

At a port where the ship docks at a pier, like St Martin, once the ship is cleared by the local officials, you can just walk off. Should be quick and easy. However, at a port that requires you to take a tender, there could be a wait to get off the ship.

As far as getting back on 2 hours prior to sail away - never heard that before. Every ship we've been on has been "all aboard" a half hour before sail away.