NSPenny

Can anyone recommend a shuttle from Quincy hotel to Boston cruise port for big group?

Thanks!

• The Solarium is the best secret for boarding day. Even though the pool area is adults only the buffet there is not and there is seating inside  I was on Symphony recently and it was a great spot to hang while the crowds descend on the Windjammer.  

I also have done this.  The staff at the comfort Inn were used to this and amazingly accommodating. They even had cabs waiting outside for the return back to the ship for those who needed it.  There were at least 4-5 families there when we were doing the same thing.  Best thing was being able to have a quick shower/clean up in nice big bathrooms before we returned to the ship.  

They do have red bull - both original and tropical.  My adult daughter drank this last cruise.  Also - all coke products are available in a can, included diet ginger ale which is usually hard to find.  

Hello all,

Our cruise in a 2 weeks has a stop in Mallorca and we (4 girls) would like an easy beach day, saving our energy and funds for tours in Italy later in the cruise.  We would like to guarantee us a sunbed and possible shade so I'm looking at this beach club:  https://balnearioilletas.com//  Does anyone have feedback on this one?  

Or alternate beaches where we can rent sunbeds?  

What options have cruisers tried getting from a Kissimmee hotel to a hotel near the Tampa cruise port (not booked yet)?  Any recent recommendations?   

Also, I'm sure that there are many posts about Tampa hotels but what are the top choices with easy access to the cruise port.  Only need it for 1 night.

How long does it usually take to get the email? My father submitted it for myself and several of my friends and we have yet to receive an email.

I'm assuming that EZ Check is only for US airlines and destinations? Does anyone know if Canada final destinations qualify? I can't find anything on Princess website about EZ Check - even for US travellers.

Just found out about the Military benefit...$100 onboard credit for our next 7 day cruise...we are Platinum and could have had this all along...I assumed it was for active duty military but it's both veteran's and active duty!

I have a friend that just booked who is Canadian military. We booked with an agency. Can he call Princess directly to get the military obc?

Are you alone or with other balcony passengers? We also cruise with family and have side-by-side balconies. You can ask your room steward to open the divider between balconies and you end up with a huge family-size version. Our family would meet up there for wine before dinner almost every night. Lovely! Not private, of course, but we were okay with that.

Also, another poster mentioned a bungee cord to keep the door open.... we just came home from the Conquest and the door stayed open without it.

And agreed on the binoculars...we forgot ours this time and my husband was bummed.

Hi there,

I was on the same cruise as you - I believe we saw your mermaid in the pool one day.... Thanks for the full review - I was interested to read about your experience compared to ours. This was our 2nd time on Conquest and we were quite disappointed this time compared to our cruise in 2015. It seems that the service, food and standards have gone down quite a bit in the 2 years since we cruised. I am not sure if it's Carnival overall or just the Conquest. We also left the cruise 'hungry" and after 6 cruises, this was a BIG surprise. I actually didn't even like the pizza. :-) Guys's Burgers is great but only open at limited times. After 4 cruises on Carnival, we have decided to try other cruise lines in the future. Like you, we loved the itinerary with some exceptions. La Romana was a disappointment as we didn't book an excursion for that day. We often pick up tours or excursions once we get to a port and there was absolutely nothing there. (Admittedly, the rain didn't help so we didn't try super hard.) We loved our day in Aruba and have this on our list for a future land vacation as well!

Thanks for your review - I enjoyed following along as I remembered our family's experience as well. I even picked out my husband in the distance in one of your photos at the pool area. So, we must have crossed paths at some point.....

San Juan is a good day to explore on your own as well. There is a free hop-on, hop-off trolley that runs from the port, though Old San Juan and to the forts. You can also do walking tour also, but the trolley helps with all those hills! http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/old-san-juan-walking-tour-1

Hi there,

We just returned from our 2nd cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Dania Beach pre-cruise and it was good. It was quite a wait for the hotel shuttle at the airport as you have to call them. They said 20 minutes and we waited 45 or so. Airport was busy though so it might not have been the fault of the hotel. Hotel was clean, good location, and breakfast was typical hotel chain, although seating was limited. We had to wait for a table to sit at for breakfast for 10-15 mins.

Post-cruise, we stayed at the Hilton Marina on 17th street. It's a lovely property with a beautiful pool area on the water/marina. Rooms were very nice and we got a great deal for $103.00 + $25 for self parking. I would stay there again, without issue.

For transportation to and from the cruise, we used JR Shuttle. This is the 2nd time we have used them and they are excellent. Great with communication and it's about $5-6 per person each way. Well worth it when you can by-pass the big crowds waiting for the small hotel shuttle. We did that the first time and never again. Post cruise, we had them booked for pick up at 9:00 as the ship was docking at 8:00 and they said to call them when we were picking up luggage. On this cruise, we were significantly delayed with debarkation and didn't get through customs until after 11:00 AM. JR kept in touch with me via cell phone and had his driver wait for us in exactly the location he said. We gave him a nice tip for waiting so long, but overall it was great service. I highly recommend them.

I agree with all the previous posts about limited time, but if you would like to invest in Disney, I'd recommend Disney Animal Kingdom as an option. With a 4 year old, they just want to see Mickey and get the Disney vibe which is totally possible here. They have some great attractions for small children and the park is smaller which helps from a logistical perspective as well as the chaos and stress. It's easy to do much of this park in 4-5 hours and touch on the main attractions for younger children. Have done all the parks many times with my kids at varying ages, it's still one of the favorites for our family. If you book a private shuttle, the drive both ways would be stress-free also - no worries about getting lost or taking time to pick up or drop off a shuttle. Of course, it would be a pricy day, but if that's not your concerns, it's do-able.

For those of you experienced cruisers on Carnival Conquest, what is the recommendation for a little known quiet area to hang out on embarkation day with food or snack options? Everyone crowds to the Lido deck or buffet but I'm sure there must be spots that many people are not aware of. Suggestions?

I have been on the Miracle on 2005, Glory in 2013, Conquest in 2015 and going back on the Conquest in April 2017. It was my favorite ship of all of them. We looked all of your options as well for April and eliminated the Magic because of dates and Vista because of prices. If you want all the bells and whistles, go for Vista or Magic, but Conquest offers great value with excellent itineraries and a great ship offering. The ship has most of today's upgrades (Dining options, Dive-in movies, comedy shows, well-organized activities, with one of the best Lido deck layouts) and we were quite pleased with our choice.

To your original question, if you are going to visit Atlantis for the day, look into booking a room at Comfort Suites Paradise Island. It's across the street and gives you full privileges at Atlantis. I did it a few years ago with my teenagers and it was awesome. Just take a taxi to the hotel from the cruise port. The service was great - they are very familiar with this option and they give you arm bands for up to 4. After we were finished at Atlantis, we went back to the hotel room, all had showers (luxury after the size of the cruise ship showers) and then taxis were waiting out front to take us back to the cruise. I believe I paid $189 for the room and the excursion was over $100 per person. It was a great day - Atlantis is beautiful. But one note - everything inside (food, drinks..) is quite pricy and all the service attendants expect to be tipped.

We had a similar situation last year when we cruised with 12 people. We stayed at a hotel near the FLL airport (Embassy Suites 17th St). The drivers dropped both vehicles back to the airport the night before our cruise and took a cab back to the hotel. We used a private shuttle for the transportation to the Port of Everglades, providing all the details about luggage, size of group, etc. It was $5 per person, but it was worth it to be hassle free on the morning of the cruise and we didn't have to deal with the line-ups for the hotel shuttle. We booked through JR Shuttles - they were excellent! The savings on the 2 rental cars from dropping the night before off-set the other costs of taxi and shuttle - although to me it was worth the fees.

Just a note, I wouldn't worry about the hotel having a shuttle as sometimes it's so busy it isn't worth it. We always book a private shuttle and for a small fee we are guaranteed a time and don't have to jockey for position with all the other passengers heading to the cruise port. In Fort Lauderdale, we booked JR Shuttle - they were great, and it was only $5/pp.

We did this in 2015 without issue and will be doing it again in 2017. It's an easy drive down the Florida Turnpike and easy to drop off your car at FLL. What we typically do is drop off the car the night before the cruise to the airport and taxi back to our hotel near the cruise port. Then arrange for private shuttle to the cruise port in the morning. Works like a charm!

One note about Embassy Suites if you are more than a couple staying in the suites. The bathroom is an ensuite attached to the bedroom so anyone that is using the sofa bed in the living room has to go through the bedroom to get to the bathroom. I agree with all the other comments about location/amenities, etc., but this was a disappointment for our group who was travelling with teenagers and parents sharing a suite.

And one other note, the breakfast on the morning before our cruise was crazy with people. The hotel was not equipped to handle that many people all getting breakfast at the same time before heading to the port. Line-ups were long, food was cold, etc. Go early!

The shuttles are there to pick up and drop off to the airport. If you are only 2 people travelling, I would opt for a taxi to the airport. The line up and wait times for the shuttles when we were there are quite long and the airport is only a quick ride.