elchichicuilote

I won't repeat the good suggestions already posted. But I'll add a few random ones that come to mind.

Bring a few refrigerator magnets. The walls in your stateroom are made of steel, and you can use the magnets to post the daily activity sheets, notes to your cabin mates, etc.

Speaking of those daily activity sheets, look for them every morning, placed in a pocket next to your door overnight. They have lots of good info about what's going on. You might even want to bring a highlighter to mark the activities you don't want to miss.

Plan for your electronics. Know what kind of electrical outlets are available on your ship. There probably aren't many outlets. Power strips and extension cords may be forbidden (though sometimes, a small power strip may be allowed as long as it has no surge suppressor). A multi-port USB charger can charge five or more USB devices at once, and only takes up a single AC outlet. On the other hand, many people find they enjoy the trip more if they leave most gadgets at home.

Don't eat more than you're comfortable eating. Some people see a buffet and think, "I've got to stuff myself on everything, because it's free and I can." I prefer to take the approach of, "There's no way I'm going to go hungry on this trip. There's always more food available than I can eat. So I can just relax and take a small amount now, and I can always go back for seconds or thirds if I'm still hungry". I rarely am hungry enough to go back, though. Sure, a bit of overindulgence is sometimes part of the experience, but I feel better if I mostly eat about the same amount as I would've eaten at home.

Don't be afraid to use room service. Unlike most hotels, it's probably cheap on the ship; often "free", though a tip is welcome, and kind-of expected.

Unpack your suitcases completely on the first day, and put them under your bed for the duration of the cruise. Use the drawers and closet as though you were living at home. Until that sad, last, evening, when you have to pack up for disembarkation the next morning...

1. Getting only a short time in each port.

2. Having to share that port time with 3,000 or so of my closest friends/traveling companions.

3. Travel on a large cruise ship is mass-produced industrial vacation time. Sometimes I prefer to travel at my own pace, navigating my own route.

That may sound pretty negative, but there are aspects which I like, too. But that's not what this thread is about...

I spent a few weeks as a tourist in Rome (not on a cruise, obviously) and it wasn't nearly enough.

If you like fine artwork and ornate churches, then the Vatican museum, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel is where you should spend the day.

If you want to see more of the ruins of ancient Roman civilization, then the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill is your destination.

If I only had one day, I'd pick one or the other of these two destinations. There are many other nice ways to spend a day in Rome, however. There are tour busses that will drive around and give an overview of many of the sights, but with one day, you won't have enough time to see anything in depth. As Capriccio points out, there are lines for all the major attractions, so if you want to do more than drive by, you'll be waiting.

I have recent experience in Venice and Rome, and had no trouble having them hold our luggage. We were in relatively inexpensive hotels, FWIW. I don't think it will be a problem.

Buon Viaggio

My experience traveling with our kids, they handle long flights better than adults. However, left to their own devices, they may stay awake too long and then be asleep or grumpy when the flight is finished, making for a stressful trip through customs and such at the other end.

You can't force a kid to sleep, but you try and make them active enough to tire themselves out, and then make them quiet enough to relax and hope for sleep to come naturally. Try and figure out a reasonable "bedtime", based on the flight schedule, and the time zones you're traveling to and from. Definitely turn off any sort of video games before "bedtime". If they are of the age to read books independently, that's a good way to get them to relax. If they're not reading yet, showing them a calm nature documentary (not a cartoon!) can sometimes have a similar effect. Your idea of audiobooks on the iPod also may work well. Make a trip to the restroom before bedtime, and try to follow as much of their normal bedtime routine as practical.

When you get to Europe, my best advice is to drag everyone outdoors and into the sunlight as early in the morning as is practical, at least until your internal clocks are accustomed to the new time zone. And allow for naps in the afternoon if needed.

Finally, have reasonable expectations. Resign yourself to the fact that such a large change in time zones is going to make everyone a bit tired and perhaps grumpy the first few days, no matter what strategy you use. Don't push too hard the first few days; allow some time for rest and readjustment.

Ship Crown Princess

Class

Deck Emerald - 8

Stateroom # E101

Category Oceanview

Port/Starboard/Bow/Stern Starboard/Bow

Connects With Cabin # None

Accessible No

Quiet Yes, except some brief minor anchor noise when the anchor is going up or down.

Balcony Size None

View Window, looking out through the upper promenade. Can see horizon with no obstruction, but can't look up or down very much.

Privacy Issues The upper promenade passes right outside the window, and you will often see passengers walking by. The window is a one-way mirror, and it is practically impossible for people outside to see from the promenade into the cabin (we tried). After dark, the upper promenade is closed to passengers, so the issue goes away. Of course, curtains can be drawn if desired.

Wind None

Soot None

Problems None

Comments This cabin has the standard two-twin beds that can be pushed together to make a queen bed, and it also has two upper beds that swing down from the walls, so it can sleep four. We were traveling with children, and used all four beds. An issue is that, in order to use the ladders for the upper beds, the lower beds must be separated into two twins, each against the wall, rather than made up as one queen.

Looking at the deck plan before our trip, I was concerned about noise from the nearby theater below us, but try as I might, I could not hear any theater noise at all during our entire cruise. I think the theater was far enough aft of our cabin that it wasn't audible.

The last one is incorrect- you need to bring proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) or proof of legal presence (such as a permanent resident card). For the other documents alternatives may be available (I know in Vermont for proof of SSN you can bring in a W-2 instead of your SS card). And of course issuing states may require more information if they choose to.

You are confusing EDL with a REAL-ID compliant license. An EDL is only available to US Citizens, so to get an EDL, you must prove US Citizenship. Proof of legal presence such as a permanent resident card is not sufficient for an EDL.

You're correct that the proof of citizenship doesn't necessarily have to be a passport, but it is held to the same standards as the proof you would have to supply when applying for a passport.

A REAL-ID compliant license is not proof of US citizenship, and is available to non-citizens. So proof of legal presence is sufficient for REAL-ID. But since a REAL-ID driver's license isn't proof of US Citizenship, it is not sufficient, by itself, to allow entry into the US.

California offers them too, thru just aren't mandated until 10/2020. My husband has to renew his license so he's in the midst of getting an enhanced license himself.

No, California does NOT offer enhanced driver's licenses. They only offer REAL-ID compliant licenses.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/realid

The reason California doesn't offer EDLs is because California State law prohibits it, due to the insecure RFID chip which the federal government would require for an EDL. The RFID chip would allow people to read the private info from a license from a distance, without the license holder knowing about it. Here's some slightly outdated info on the political debate, from the last time it was considered and rejected by California in 2015.

https://www.aclunc.org/sites/default/files/edl_rfid_myths_facts_2015.pdf

https://www.aclunc.org/article/enhanced-drivers-licenses-2015

I don't want to start a debate about whether that was a good or bad political decision, or whether or not other states got it right. I just want to underscore the difference between a REAL-ID compliant license and an Enhanced Driver's license, as the original post describes.

If you live in a state that doesn't offer EDLs, and you really want a card the size of a license which will allow you to enter the US by land and sea, then you can always apply for a US Passport Card. It also works as a REAL-ID compliant identification that allows you to board domestic flights. It's essentially like an Enhanced Driver's license except that it carries no driving privileges. And the required documents to get it are a little less, since you don't have to prove which state you reside in for a Passport Card.

We're working, with kids in elementary school. In April, we'll be taking our second cruise in three years.

We take a lot of non-cruise vacations. In June, we'll be flying to Jamaica and spending a week with extended family, in a private villa which our group has rented out for the time. In years past, we've done similar trips with (mostly) the same extended family members for roughly a week at a time in Tuscany, Belize, Costa Rica, Kauai, and the Riviera Maya. We've also done many long camping trips in most of the national parks of the Western US. For us, cruising in one mode of travel, but it's not the only mode, and we enjoy variety.

I really like the fact that, when cruising, as soon as you step on the ship, all the logistics and navigation are someone else's problem. On the other hand, sometimes I want to have a say in the logistics and navigation. On non-cruise travel, I like the fact that we can spend as long as we want in a particular place, get to know a local area and some of its people, and never worry about having to board a ship before sunset. Plus, we can explore smaller places without having to share them with 3,000 fellow shipmates.

It's all good.

Is it easy to get lost? No. There are maps everywhere. The ship isn't terribly wide, though it's fairly long. Any time you can see the water, you can figure out which way the ship is going, and thereby figure out where the bow is. There are many floors (decks), but it's easy to get from one to another via the stairs or elevators, and the deck numbers/names are clearly marked.

It IS, however, easy to get separated from the rest of your party. If you and your friend are separated, running randomly around the ship looking for each other, you could spend hours wandering before you run into each other. On the other hand, if you have designated a planned meeting area, such as your cabin, one of the pools, or some central architectural feature (all ships have something obvious like a grand staircase or atrium, though it varies from ship to ship), then you'll find each other quickly.

For real? I always thought the passport was required at embarkation and upon reentering the country?[emoji23] We've even had to go through customs on board the cruise upon returning to Key West after visiting other Caribbean ports. This was despite having departed from a US port and final destination in that same US port.

Proof of identity and citizenship is required at embarkation and upon reentering the country. But there are several ways that proof may be provided. If you have a passport, that's the quickest and simplest way to go. But as far as US customs and border protection is concerned, any WHTI-compliant travel document may be used. Some cruise lines may have rules that are more strict than the US governments, though, so some may require you present a passport to board the ship.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

Do they have an official photo ID issued by a government agency other than the Viet Nam passport?

OP explained that they have a green card, which is an official photo ID issued by a US government agency.

The green card is the only document required by the US government to enter and leave the US. Not even the Vietnamese passport will be required by the US government.

But the cruise line, and the governments of the other countries you visit, will probably require the Vietnamese passport, and might even require a visa or some other documentation.

There are four agencies that have requirements: The US government (I know the green card is enough for them), the Cruise Line, the Mexican government, and the Honduran government.

The Cruise Line ought to know about the requirements for the other governments, and the Cruise Line is allowed to have its own requirements that are more stringent than the various governmental requirements. So I'd start by contacting the Cruise Line. But I'd probably follow up by checking websites of Mexico and Honduras.

Here's the information from the United States department of Customs and Border Protection:

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

I snipped just a bit below. Read the link for all the context.

What types of documents are accepted for entry into the United States via land and sea?

• U.S. citizens can present a valid: U.S. Passport; Passport Card; Enhanced Driver’s License; Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST); U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders; U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or Form I-872 American Indian Card, or (when available) Enhanced Tribal Card.
  
• U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.
  

Note that the passport card or enhanced driver's license is OK even for cruises that aren't closed-loop. The requirements for closed-loop cruises are even less stringent, requiring only a birth certificate and government issued photo id.

Also note that individual cruise line may have more strict requirements than the US government have, so yes, a passport might be required by the cruise line even if it's not required by the US government. So check with the cruise line in advance.

An enhanced drivers license is not available in Florida, so I assume there was some confusion about the difference between an enhanced driver's license and a real-id compliant driver's license. An enhanced driver's license is processed by the US Department of State, and held to the same standards as a US Passport card. If you're going to pay the Department of State fee and submit the documentation for the EDL, you might as well get a passport book while you're at it.

And finally, as everyone knows, a passport is the only document that works for international air travel, so if you have to return home due to an emergency, you'll need that passport. It's probably a lot more convenient to get it in advance than to find an embassy or consulate and get one while you're abroad and in some sort of emergency situation.

I strongly recommend a passport as the simplest way to travel internationally. But there are other ways for US citizens to meet the requirements for Caribbean cruise travel.

When I was traveling to a less-developed part of South America, my doctor gave me a prescription for Cipro, just in case I had digestive issues. Of course I filled the prescription before the trip. He gave instructions about under what circumstances to use it. Fortunately, it wasn't needed.

In some places, pharmacists can consult with patients and dispense medications that would require a prescription in the US. Walk in, describe your symptoms (can be interesting if there's a language barrier), and walk out with the treatment. Pharmacies in Italy don't have much available on the shelves for customers to select -- most things are behind the counter and require you to request it from the pharmacist, but that's not a difficult procedure.

It can be interesting experiencing the local medical system of other countries. It can be scary and unpleasant, but sometimes it can be pretty nice. In Belize, on the day before we were scheduled to fly out, my daughter was complaining of ear pain. We suspected an ear infection, and didn't want to fly out and subject her ear to the pressure change without having it looked at. So we went to a Belizean doctor. He was wonderful! He did scuba diving medicine, general stuff like my daughter's ear infection, and also did a lot of prenatal care and baby deliveries. I've forgotten exactly what he charged, but it was around $20.00 or so. The antibiotic we got had its instruction leaflet printed in Turkish. It took care of the problem, and the charge was small enough that we didn't worry about co-pays or insurance.

Is see it as more of extortion. Using the bathroom is a human basic need. That's why I walk right past the extortionist.

Eating is also a basic human need. Are food vendors extortionists? Do you walk past them and take the food without paying?

I see them as entrepreneurs who have provided a much-needed service. I don't mind paying a small fee. A part of the joy of traveling is noticing how things are done differently in different places.

My five-year-old son did remark that he's glad he lives in a free country, Unlike Italy, which isn't a free country, since you have to pay to go to the bathroom in Venice.

Sounds like you're going to see some sights and enjoy yourself no matter what. Rome is amazing. Allow plenty of time for the Forum and Palatine Hill.

Rome has so many churches that, in any other city in the world, would be considered marvelous and treasured centerpieces for their art, architecture, and history, but in Rome, they can almost go unnoticed in the shadow of the Vatican. Visit some of them if you can. Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore is beautiful. The Basilica di San Clemente is a medieval church that is built atop Pagan and Roman ruins. The Basilica di San Giovani in Laterano is spectacular, and happens to be the site of the Cadaver Synod (google this interesting chapter in church history).

An interesting building near the Vatican is the Castel Sant'Angelo. It was built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian, but was converted to a fortress, then used as a Papal residence, and a prison, among other things. The papal apartments are well-restored. This place is not as crowded as many of the major attractions, but has a lot of beauty and history.

The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are also spots that are well worth a visit.

But the challenge with Rome is how to pick and choose. Don't run yourself ragged trying to fight the crowds and fit everything in with only a few days; be sure to spend some time relaxing in a less-crowded Piazza, eating at a pleasant sidewalk cafe, and taking in the scenery, food, smells, etc. Rome is full of smaller monuments and fountains that can be wonderful places to relax.

I'm definitely a warm-blooded southern Californian now, it's about the same temperature here as our destinations! (Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk sailing from Orlando!)

I don't think the ocean temperature off of Los Angeles is nearly as warm as the Southern Caribbean. When you're at sea, the ocean temperature is important.

When I cruised from Los Angeles to Mexico (Mazatlan and nearby) a few years ago in April, it got a bit chilly late at night. They had nice thick comforters out on the lounge chairs to snuggle under for the nighttime movies, and they were much used.

But the southern Caribbean is warmer than that area of the Pacific. Check out the ocean temperature in Aruba here: https://www.seatemperature.org/central-america/aruba/oranjestad.htm

It doesn't get very far away from 80 degrees, and the air temperature on deck won't be too far from the sea temperature.

You might want a light windbreaker to keep the breeze away, especially when you're on the northern part of your cruise. But as for me, I might risk going without a jacket. How much of a disaster would it be if you decided to retreat to the indoor portions of the ship to warm up?

There's no legal requirement for child car seats in Mexico. But of course, the laws of physics don't change based on your jurisdiction. It's strictly up to the parents/guardians to decide what precautions they want to take, and to live with the consequences of that choice.

An Enhanced Driver's license is, for purposes of international travel, exactly equivalent to a US Passport Card. It goes through all the same Department of State checks to be issued. It's good for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, just like a passport card. And like a passport card, it's not good for international air travel.

The only difference between an EDL and an actual passport card is that an EDL also shows that you have driving privileges.

It's fine for a Caribbean cruise, with the caveat that, should you have a need for emergency return via air from outside the USA, you'll need to get a conventional passport book.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1269/~/what-is-an-enhanced-drivers-license-%28edl%29%3F

However, if you had to fly back due to a medical issue or a family emergency you would need a passport.

That's good advice for most cruises, however, OP's itinerary is solely within the United States and its territories. US Citizens do not need passports to fly between the mainland, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

If the ship had an emergency and needed to dock somewhere else, like Haiti or the Bahamas, or if passengers had to be helicoptered off the ship to medical facilities in Cuba, then passports would be required if passengers needed to fly back. You can judge for yourself how likely that is. Consular officials would probably be reasonably accommodating under such unusual circumstances.

I'm pretty firmly in the camp of, "If you're going to travel, get a passport and renew it every ten years". Holding a passport opens up your opportunity to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to an exotic destination, and is good back-up ID to have in a safe place at home in case your drivers license is lost or stolen. If I were going on a cruise to PR and USVI, I'd certainly bring my passport.

But for this particular cruise, It's hard for me to imagine circumstances where the passport would actually be used.

Contact the Cruise Line to be sure what they will require. Some may have requirements more stringent that the government's.

But the US government generally doesn't require passports for closed loop cruises to the Caribbean. And since your ports of call are all in United States territories, there's no issue about possible passport requirements of other countries.

This hits a little close to home. I had a heart attack last April, and will be going on a cruise this coming April, just under one year later. I'm doing very well, thank you.

Best wishes to your husband. Individual conditions are different, of course, and heart attacks vary widely. But my first concern would be the fact that, regardless of insurance, on a cruise, you can be many hours away from a modern well-equipped hospital. If there's any chance of a repeat attack, you will want to have medical care close by. I'm betting the ship's infirmary is not set up for open-heart surgery or heart catheterization, nor is the ship's physician experienced at that kind of work.

In my own attack, it took less than ten minutes after I started feeling symptoms for me to arrive via ambulance at the ER, and moments later I was in the cath lab having my artery opened. I never lost consciousness. That extremely quick treatment meant essentially no muscle damage, fast recovery, and no activity restrictions. I missed only three days of work. A week later I was riding a bike and mowing the lawn.

These days, I would NOT want to board a ship without having a cardiologist's OK. A helicopter evacuation would take an incredibly long time, and when your heart muscle is starved for oxygen, the blood supply has to be restored quickly. And I'm not sure all cruise ships can handle a helicopter landing.

So talk to the doctor about the cruise, and discuss the health risks of being far from hospitals. Nothing is 100% sure; life is full of risks, but regardless of insurance, you want to be aware of the risks and reasonably careful.

Regarding insurance, there are a couple of kinds, that pay for different things. There is trip cancellation insurance, which refunds the price of your trip if you have to cancel. There is medical evacuation insurance, which can pay for evacuation needed in an emergency. Depending on the policy, that might be an evacuation from the ship to the nearest hospital, or from wherever you are to return to the USA. Or it might even pay to get you all the way back to your home city. And there are policies that combine different types of coverage. Finally, there is ordinary health care insurance, which pays for surgery, hospitalizations, and other kinds of medical treatment.

So which kind of insurance is it that you bought?

When we visited during summer of 2016, we did a self-guided tour, using the Vaporetti. We also visited the island of Torcello, which is less developed and less crowded than the others. It is easy to take the public boats, and they have frequent shuttles between the islands. We enjoyed being on our own schedule for our tour, but of course we missed out on the info that a guide might have provided. For what it's worth, we weren't there on a cruise, but instead arrived by train (from Florence) and stayed in a hotel in Mestre for several nights.

All of the outlying islands are small, and far less crowded than Venice itself. You will have no trouble finding the main sights, architecture, and shops on your own, especially if you invest in a simple guidebook.

I tend to agree with Hlitner that you'll be rushed to tour the islands in just four hours. We spent most of the day, at a relaxing and leisurely pace.

This site describes using the public boats. We purchased a one-day unlimited ride pass, which made it easy and relatively inexpensive to visit the islands.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-vaporetto-water-buses.htm

We chose an oceanview room on a previous trip with another line, because our children were ages 4 and 8, and it felt safer. Not that I was ever seriously worried about them falling overboard, but having a towel, toy, or other item blow off the verandah in the wind is something I'd rather not have to guard against. A solid, non-opening window just completely eliminated one class of possible problems to deal with. Not once during the cruise did I ever have to say "no leaning on the railing", or "no horseplay on the verandah." Of course, cost was also a factor. We were happy with our choice, but of course, others are happy with theirs.