Captain Canuck

we stayed at a hotel on the island across from St Marks...room had a view across the lagoon of Venice proper. couple hundred feet of flat from our hotel to the water bus stop. had a pass for the water bus for the length of our stay. about 10 minutes ride to St Marks. much cheaper and quieter than Venice hotels.

only issue in taking luggage to cruise was getting onto the water bus. was a bit busy and Italians are not great at waiting in line. had to almost knock people over with luggage cutting me off. would not be easy with mobility issues.

so best bet might be near train station with easy access from airport.

so are you flying in or driving

also important if you want time in vancouver or just waiting for cruise

lots of reasonable hotels out by the airport

some have stay and fly deals that can be used for a cruise ...pay a bit more and leave your car for the week

have used a ramada that had underground parking

sky train is easy connector to cruise port if you can wheel your luggage a couple of short blocks.

have done 2. would have done 3 but the ship we booked was in dry dock for the dates we picked (last time we ever used a local travel agent for a cruise) and the replacement ship was not fast enough for the booked itinerary.

did the last one last February. retirement trip but also want to get it in before stuff blew up. Was thinking Israel would be the main problem but with Turkey being run by the muslim brotherhood and egypt in turmoil who knows.

what I can say is that the cruise companies watch the situation closely. they do not want to lose a several hundred million dollar investment. so if real danger they will likely cancel ports.

ashore I would try and get on a tour organized on cruise critic by passengers. smaller groups. not only fewer people so better for the tour, but cheaper and can focus on what you really want to do. if tour groups targeted then smaller buses less of a target too. we did this on our last holy land tour. in egypt our 24 passenger bus (with 12 pax) joined the convoy of about 50 buses from out ship into Cairo. convoy had troops guarding it.

all that being said if it makes you nervous do not book as you will not enjoy the trip if you are nervous about it.

have two suggestions for first time cruise...

1. Alaska. You can board in Vancouver and do a round trip. Has the benefit of no flying cost to the port. Alaska out of Vancouver was our first cruise. choice mostly due to my getting sea sick really easy..like on the ferry to Vancouver Island. Alaska inside passage cruises are only really in open seas for a few hours..as mostly covered by islands. Being so close you can take advantage of last minute sales. If a ship is not full you can often get a deal. Also check out the cruise magazines for cruise deals.

2. Coastal. Have done this too. Repositioning ship for Alaska in spring and Mexico in winter. normally 7 days with stops in San Francisco, Vancouver Island and place where goonies was filmed the name of which I can never remember. limited sailing but really cheap. may be a way of trying cruising as price so low even if you hate cruising it will be worth the try. have to fly one way from vancouver to or from la though.

for junior..the bigger the ship the more options.

got a 2 for one coupon in the room...really really really good

forgot to mention my sideburns

found this

http://www.theelviscruise.com/

I am just fat and I am NOT impersonating Elvis....

probably have more luck googling Elvis fan clubs and seeing if they are doing a cruise as a group...doubt big enough group to fill a cruise ship on their own...but it would be fun

good luck

traffic can be a zoo and parking is limited and expensive(mind you paying for parking is my pet peeve)

we normally rent a car on the day we leave..use it to get to the airport and as flights are usually late evening this gives us time to do the circle island trip north shore, dole plantation etc.

there is the waikiki trolley service that does hop on hop off trips to main attractions plus its services the big outdoor mall...if you book tickets online you can get a pretty good deal for your stay.

if you are ex military I think you can stay at the resort next to Hilton Hawaiian Village. being a canuck I am not sure of the rules nor the chance of snagging a spot there..but it looks good

condos towards diamond head cheaper than those on the beach and quieter..but also within walking distance of waikiki beach

probably don't offer tours in Venice because the amphibious cars cost too much...ok..really early in the morning here but I thought that was funny

in Venice I can recommend the secret tour of the dodges palace. does Casanovas cell etc. afterwards you can check out the rest of the palace on your own.

they abound in Barcelona and Rome. suggest a money belt or at least wallet in the front pocket. also good to keep a small amount of cash in one pocket and wallet in another. that way if they are scoping you out the $ seems to be in the pocket with less cash. bit paranoid but you should be aware of your surroundings. don't let it dominate your thoughts but just be aware.

make that the Breakaway not the Getaway. we were looking at both as well as the Breeze. got such a good deal that we sprung for the mini suite. hope that She who must be obeyed does not like that so much that I am stuck shelling out for suites from now on.

is Tracy in Edmonton next Friday? the ride is. have seen them several times including a CISC conference in Toronto where I was close enough to eat enough dust to not have to eat supper

google is your friend

also suggest watching Rick Steve show and his guidebooks

his take on Europe is not the same as mine but its a good place to start

since your time in each place is limited try and focus on the 1 or 2 things you most want to do or see

individual tours are likely the best but can cost a lot of $

public transportation in europe is normally good. you can normally get around fairly well

She who must be obeyed and I also normally go for street food when sightseeing. does not take up the time that restaurant meal takes...but then we are not foodies. for some the food is the reason for the trip.

researching a trip is a large part of the fun.

found a really good deal on the breeze in December...so we are booking..the Getaway out of New York..even better deal

think the us pin length was in Europe...but like I said not sure just knew it was an issue at one time

I HATE having to prepay for gas...friend put me onto the zip cheat for canucks...made my life much easier.

I have a vague recollection about us bank cards having 5 digits..my bank uses 4 digit. you may need to check out compatibility with our atm machines. sorry cannot be clearer on this just remember somebody having an issue with this on cruise critic posting

I hate travelling with cash...so consider travellers cheques...but if contracting tours check that they take them

right on Las Ramblas

nice hotel...soundproof windows which is important as street is busy til late late late

but looking up name of hotel found out we stayed there in 2002...so may be a hole now...use tripadvisor to check out hotels ratings by users

I tried to put my comments in blue..for some reason did not work for me

and I am not a ludite

just an old grumpy guy

I get seasick in the bathtub...lower and midship better...but I use wrist bands...just an elastized band with a plastic ball that puts pressure on pressure point on the wrist. may be just in my head but works for me. new ships are all so big and with stabilizers that I have not needed in some time

how could I forget about hurricane season....sept to nov if I remember right

..never knew about late booking..knew about last minute sales where you can get great deals to fill a ship but since we live so far away never an option.

For the first time out we're thinking of a 3-day or 4-day to the Bahamas (to see if we like the concept of a cruise vacation--if so, we have ideas for future, if not, we note this as a learning experience that is not horribly expensive compared to an all-inclusive). We're basically treating the idea of a shorter cruise as a Cruise Sampler.

1. would go for a 7 day cruise. you spend the first day getting on and the last getting off. 3 or 4 day does not give you much time to experience the cruise.

a) Do you have some suggestions as to possible other cruise options out of PC that would be good for first-timers? (I.e. for a newbie at cruising, what would be some good options for 40something geeks with a bit of interest in interesting food and a not-exactly-unlimited budget?)

Heck, for that matter, do you have any other suggestions in general for Cruise Samplers (basically quickie cruises for the Cruise-Curious who may be exploring whether they might like being on a ship enough to do a five- or seven-day cruise in future)?

2. since you are driving Ft Lauderdale and Miami are not much further. Opens up a huge number of options and lower prices.

b) What would be probably the best time of year (that is not roughly April-June) to go?

3. we live in the cold north so try and get away during winter time. but avoid busy times like when school is out. fewer kids and lower prices.

b1) Re hotels--like I noted, we're driving. I know Comfort Inn and Suites and Radisson in PC do free/cheap parking for cruisers; what are your favorites for "stay the night, let the car vacation here and we'll be on the ship" sort of hotels in the Port Canaveral area?

c) On travel agents--I have found a few decent ones locally (even one with both of the "Big Cruise Travel Agent Recommendations" for accreditation), and have a AAA travel center nearby (I also know you cannot recommend a specific travel agency, I'm all good with this).

Basically my biggie question is "are the little guys better"?

c1) Do travel agents typically charge for a consultation on "Here's the sort of cruise you'd like best based on your preferences for line, general things you like to do, and budget"?

(I am a complete and utter newbie regarding travel agents. Never used them, my family never used them, and pretty much am utterly inexperienced with them as all vacation planning I have done in past has been via AAA Tourbooks or the Internet.)

4. last time we used a local travel agent to book a cruise they booked us on a ship that was in dry dock at the time we were to cruise. missed out on Jerusalem as a result cause replacement ship older and slower. got in trouble with cruise critic for giving my email address out to recommend who we book with. suggest you check out cruise mags and google.

c2) In general, can one get a better deal by booking with a travel agent or with the likes of Expedia et al or direct with the cruise line?

d) Neither of us get particularly carsick or anything like that, and everyone I've talked to says "If you can, spring for the balcony rather than a regular exterior room". Is it that much more worth it?

5. depends on the ports. in hawaii ports except Honolulu were pretty industrial and as we spent all day ashore balcony was not worth it. new ships have bigger % of balcony so price differential is smaller now. we used to book guarantee and got bumped from paying for inside to outside or balcony every time but once. now book balcony guarantee and while might get stuck with obstructed view balcony they are so few that doubt it will happen. we normally fly on airmiles so have to book really early and this works well with guarantee cruise booking

e) Re travel insurance--any particularly good options? Any particularly bad options? Any travel insurance companies willing to insure a well-controlled diabetic and a well-controlled asthmatic?

f) Speaking of the SO with diabetes--One of the drugs that keeps things so well controlled is a medication that needs to be kept cool (not insulin, but a GLP-1 agonist) that comes in little pen needles (so it doesn't take up much room).

Is there an additional charge for a minifridge and a sharps container, or can we bring a (very small) sharps container and a cool gel pack with us? How much of a PITA is it in practice to get aforementioned Cooling Method and Sharps Container?

(I know in theory you can note someone is a disabled traveler who needs some way to keep their meds cool, but would appreciate other commentary.)

6. I am on insulin. travel with a small insulated bag. at the worst you can get ice and keep stuff cool. normally have a room mini fridge but if not you are covered. have always just asked the steward for a sharps container and gotten one without an issue.

g) When the heck IS the best time (on average) to actually bite the bullet and arrange this with a travel agent or a cruise booking agency? Is it better to book early, or is it better to book closer to the time of the trip?

What the heck is "early" and "late" as far as cruise booking, anyways?

(Again, never have really booked more than two months in advance on a vacation in my life. I'm used to "early booking" being "two months from trip" for hotels and flights, and (unlike with planes) it almost seems that cruises get cheaper the closer they get to the sail date--up to a point?)

7. think you are talking about dinner sittings. normally an early sitting and a late one..say 6 pm and 8 pm. we like anytime dining. either make a reservation or just show up. not sitting with assigned people for the whole cruise and now we normally dine alone. norweigan started this but available on a lot of lines now.

h) Other than the usual hints I've seen on the forums (plan for spending at least twice what you paid for tickets on things like boozahol and extras, turn the phone on airplane mode if not off (not a problem as I want to be in a Zone of Inaccessibility ), GET THE TRAVEL INSURANCE, pack light, etc.) does anyone else have their own suggestions for the cruise-curious?

For example, excursions that might be nice for a couple? Excursions that I should AVOID?

8. cruise lines make their $ on booze and excursions. normally book local tour and add 50% or more for their take. so booking on your own can be a lot cheaper. BUT in some places the local tours are limited and the ship takes all the spots. so while you planning check out the ships excursions you may want. we normally only take ships tours if there is a chance the tour could be late getting back. ship will wait for their tours.

i) This last one may be incorrigibly dorky, but it is a possibility since we'll be driving and thus we don't have to worry about carrying it on a plane. Is it possible to take your own kite on the beaches in Nassau or CocoCay? (No, I would not want to kite off the ship. That's dumb and illegal--especially as that's a good way to wreck a kite.)

Will they even let me take a kite on the ship to take to a beach? Has anyone ever done kiting from the likes of CocoCay's beaches or Junkanoo Beach or the many pay beaches in Nassau?

9. my friends are always telling me to go fly a kite but I have never actually done it.

Have fun and welcome to the addiction

with only 5 days and likely a big drop off charge for a rental if you book car in SFO I would fly into Seattle and do day trips from there. tons to see in the area

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/e311-eng.pdf

fill it out on the plane or you could be sent to the back of the line on arrival