thegoaliegirl

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I appreciate it.

Considering adding a day or two in Orlando before or after a Port Everglades cruise. Would you do the drive on cruise embarkation day (Sunday)? I’m assuming renting a car is cheapest option for 4 people. Trying to make the most of our limited vacation time but adding Orlando might end up taking too much extra time.

Princess does a fantastic job in Alaska. As others have suggested, please arrive at least one day prior to departure. Too much stress the day of, what if your flight is late and you miss the ship? You didn’t mention if you start in Whittier or Vancouver. If you are starting in Whittier, I highly suggest a half day transfer from Anchorage that stops at the Wildlife Conservation Center. The Alaska board has a lot of suggestions plus the trip reports are very helpful. right now there is a lot of uncertainty on when cruises will resume and what they will look like.

I really only noticed because I had kids with me. We saw a few kids at dinner that were very well behaved but I honestly don’t recall seeing kids around the ship (except in the kids club).

Aug 2019 on our Southbound cruise there were 223 kids between the ages of 3-12.

Thanks for the responses! I figured the map was way off!

Considering the Springhill Suites for a late arrival into FLL the day before a cruise. I noticed on google maps there are shops across the street but the walking map (from google maps) says it will take 1 1/2 hrs to walk there. Is it possible to walk across the street in a normal amount of time? Or is it a busy street where you can’t safely cross? Thank you!

I suggest booking what it is you want now. Do you want/use the Princess plus items? If that is important to you, then I suggest booking it now. I’m in the US and it is easy to re-fare if a new promotion comes along (unless it is for new bookings only). When you re-fare, you lose all the perks you had (Princess plus, obc, specialty dining, etc) and instead get the new ones. Who knows how long the Princess plus package will be around. I book what I want and then if a better price comes along, fantastic. If not, oh well, as I still have what I wanted.

In 2019 we stored our bags at the Pan Pacific. It was $5 per bag if picked up before 3pm or $10 per bag if picked up after 3pm. Super convenient (maybe a 2 minute walk after exiting customs and everything). Here is their email address: bell.services@panpacificvancouver.com

Thank you! I’m leaning towards Western Caribbean as my kids both want to go to Mexico, especially after my oldest did a report on Mexico. Ports would be Cozumel, Belize City and Roatan. Thank you!

Not sure which Kenai tour you are looking at but we did the 6 hr one with Major Marine. Saw a lot of wildlife and an amazing glacier BUT part is very rough and 2 of the 6 of us were seasick. I used Bear Paw Transportation (similar to ACT) and did a private half day. We really enjoyed the Wildlife Conservation center.

I also would recommend doing your own tour. My youngest daughter has a shellfish allergy. We did our own land in Alaska (to make it more kid friendly and do what we wanted) and had no issues. All of the cruisetours had long travel days and it just wasn’t what we wanted. I’m sure you could reach out now to the hotels that the cruise line land tour uses and talk to them about how they handle allergies. I’d be surprised if they aren’t very prepared for allergies, especially if the cruise line owns the hotel (like Princess and Holland).

Starting the process of planning our first Caribbean cruise. We’ve done Alaska a few times and are ready for a warmer weather cruise. Going with kids (7 and 9 at the moment). Interested in beaches. Are there any islands you’d recommend with good beaches? Leaning towards Western Caribbean but also looking at Eastern Caribbean. How is weather April-June? Is it an ok time to go or would we be better off going at a different time? thanks for any feedback! I’m very overwhelmed!

This idea has never occurred to me! Might try that!

Thanks for the suggestions. On land I carry a much larger purse, that tends to stay well on the back or side of a chair. Think I’m going to look for a purse hook.