mscloyd

My priority would first be if the cruise is a one-way so I could go to Denali and other places before or after the cruise. Next would be the ships that go to Glacier Bay. Then I would look at the ship and times in port. I've been twice - once on a cruise and last summer land only. Don't miss the land portion if you can.

Things are signifantly different this year than last as far as how much more comfortable everyone is in traveling and the fact that vaccines and testing is no longer required. I'm no expert but I expect cruises to be full during spring breaks this year so I would book as soon as you can.

Even though NCL has removed all covid testing requirements, the country of Honduras still requires a negative test for unvaxed visitors. Does anyone have any recent knowledge about how that works? The NCL website says you must have a negative test 48-72 hours before embarkation. But it is only to show to get off the ship in Roatan? Hoping it won't be required by the time we go in March 2023. Would love to hear from someone who has experienced it.

Thank you Flymia, Hampton Inn Brickell would have been my first choice but it is sold out and has been for awhile. I have stayed there and thought it was a great hotel in a great location. I have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami across from Bayside Marketplace. Location was great for that particular trip because we arrived very late, but the location allowed us to walk across the road in the morning and take a quick boat cruise before heading to port. Yes, we plan to take a tour for the Everglades. I have been reading numerous reviews on the Hampton Inn Wynwood. The positives far outweigh the negatives and I find there are always people who don't like something or other. Every single hotel has some negative reviews but when you see the same complaints over and over that's when it is most concerning.... But, none of the reviews really discuss whether it is a good location to base pre-cruise. Sounds like you don't think it would really be a very good location. We do like having the option to walk to restaurants nearby. Dock B, we arrive in Miami 2 days ahead, so the breakfast would be the following 2 mornings and not the day of arrival.

I have a dilemna about where to stay and hoping someone will have some input. We are cruising the last week of March and have 2-nights pre-cruise in Miami. We are using hotel points to book our hotel and will need 2 rooms. I originally booked Mariott Biscayne Bay. It looks like a very nice hotel with lots of amenities but the rooms we get with points are basic rooms without a view and doesn't include a free breakfast. Because we will have a very early morning flight, I started looking for something that will give us a little more room to relax, especially the first day. After much research, I ran across the Hampton Inn Miami Wynwood that has nice large studio suites with a view and free breakfast (Using a lot more points than the Mariott though!). Hotel looks nice and reviews are good but I can't find anything that confirms if it is a safe location, if it convenient for our plans, and if there are good restaurants nearby. While in Miami we plan to go to Bayside Marketplace for lunch and a boat tour on day 1, maybe the 2nd day go to Little Havana and an Everglades tour. Would welcome anyone who knows about the Hampton Wynwood.

I know this is an old question, but I am having the same dilemna. My group of 5 going to be in Cozumel in March 2023 with 7 ships in port that day. A 60+ year old couple, two 30+ year olds, and a 17 year old teenage boy. For this 60 year old, I just enjoy a relaxing beach and maybe a little snorkeling, my husband and 30+ year old son aren't swimmers, so it would be nice to have some other things for them to do besides just lay on the beach, 30 year old daughter would enjoy laying on the beach, snorkeling, and other water activities. The 17-year old would really love the inflatables, plus other activities, especially if there were other teens around. Everytime I read about one or the other of these beaches I am swayed that direction until I read something about the other one. I don't mind paying for AI to secure a spot, but 3 or the 4 of us might have 2 drinks and the 4th would probably only have one. Probably only a couple of us would be interested in the inflatables. Then I also read about Chankanaab, which also sounds amazing due to being able to "swim" with dolphins at the same place and some other nature. So confused! Would love some input to help me make the decision.

We also went to Yaya Beach in January 2020. Loved it so much! There was just enough activity going on, but not so much that you couldn't fall asleep in your lounger. I can't remember what we paid but it included 2 loungers, thatched umbrella, and included food and drinks. Seems like it was about $50. When we want to move from the shade to the sun, they even brought us some extra loungers so we could go back and forth. I'm sure during busy times that wouldn't be the case. The bonus for us was that the snorkeling tour that we had booked began right at Yaya. We left our things at Yaya while we went out on the boat (not valuables). There was a little bit of seaweed that I remember, but definitely not enough to keep us from enjoying it. And the massage was great too!