wolft927

Cab or Uber is very easy. About a 5 minute drive to Cocoa Beach from the port.

Couples massage for $269 looks good, wife has been begging to do one. Might take advantage of a discount while ship is in another port.

We had our 9 night cruise canceled on the getaway 2 days prior due to a hurricane. NCL obviously refunded the cruise but then gave us a 50% future cruise credit. We were booked in the Haven so was a pretty good credit.

So we are sailing MSC for first time in September. I will say, we have cruised all the major lines and as far as the buffet goes they are all crazy lol. Ships are going to be crowded especially in peek season which is why we tend to sail off season from September to say around February. Finding a lounge chair can be difficult especially if you are one to sleep in and not make it to the sundeck till 11 or 12. Wife and I are typically out around 9am so always get pretty good spots. The crowds are part of cruising and we just go with the flow.

Agreed, you should never take the shuttle as it is hit or miss if you leave fast or sit for 30 minutes,

So $360 PP for 12 nights equal to $30 a day in drinks. Depending on what you are drinking let’s say each drink is $7 you would need to drink 4 per day to break even basically and everything else above that would be gravy. plus I believe a crown and coke is more then $7. So me personally, get the FAS drink package and never worry about having a bar bill at the end of the cruise.

So to the OP, will you have a beverage package (FAS), if so sodas are free. If not, sodas are not. But wow, I haven't purchased a soda onboard in a lot of years as we always have the drink package, but holy crap, $4.20 for a can of soda!

Every cruise I have ever been on out of Miami ships are usually tied up between 5am and 6am. Express walk off around 7am. So as long as there is no delay getting into Miami you should be at the airport before 8am.

I would say that all the major lines, CCL, RCCL, MSC, NCL will have good night life especially leaving out of Miami and Port Canaveral. Larger ships have better venues so you don’t need to worry about the ship being dead at night. Now Princess I will say the nights ended pretty early when I was on the Regal Princess.

Always call as I get the 5% for status as well as 5% for booking more then 9 months out too

Stay by the airport and its much cheaper for a nicer place and room. We like the Hilton Blue Lagoon MIA. We got a 1 bedroom suite with screened in balcony for $250. Regular room was $150. Downtown Miami for a basic room would have ran us over $300 at least not to mention if you have to park then add another $40, and they all have Resort fees around $20 to $30 per night.

I agree, Either the Hilton or Hampton Blue Lagoon. Free shuttles from airport, $14 shuttle to cruise port and I know the Hilton is around $150.

So Port Canaveral is pretty liberal on this as long as you don't arrive the morning of say a USCG Inspection, Health Inspection or even a full crew immigrations check. We have never been asked for our boarding times, simply walked into the terminal. But with that being said, if you are denied don't get upset lol

We have sailed the Breakaway, Escape, and Joy multiple times all in the Haven and by far our favorite was the Joy. We loved the breakaway too, but the dining room is on the small side and no hot tubs on the outer haven sundeck. The Joys Haven sundeck is both port and starboard side hot tubs on both sides. Also the outdoor dining areas on Joy and Escape were very nice.

We sailed out of Terminal 10 in January. They did not open the garage till after 10am, and we had a 9:30am check in time. Not a big deal really, and there were plenty of spots.

So I will say since its a shorter cruise your looking at the nightlife will be busy. They do have a nightclub on the ship, its a lounge that turns into a nightclub. Typically these places will stay open as long as people are drinking or until around 2 to 3am. Have you cruised before?

Thanks, Worked with Pedro years and years ago when we were both with NCL. Will be cruising the Seascape in September so maybe he will be on

Staying in the Haven many times, we have no preference when we use our Specialty dining other then never on embarkation day or the last night of the cruise. 1st night in the Haven is always Filet with two lobster tails! we did live Q on the Joy and I will say might not be the best BBQ ever lol, but the portions were huge and love the live country/rock band that plays as well. We used to do Cagneys, but if there is Moderno's on the ship opt for that instead. I will say the Italian place is also very good! I will say, also having your meal brought to your cabin is also a treat. We had the Haven Aft Facing Balcony and had it set up outside and it was amzing!

With one ship you should be good as you are not sharing the shoreside tenders. Also the ski is much smaller then the Escape which i was on in January so tendering should go much faster.

So across at Biscayne Market place is a place called Bacon Bit*h. Great food, but is a little pricey but fun.

So there is a free shuttle from airport to hotel. Then we either Uber or take the Shuttle from hotel to terminal which is $14pp. Very easy process just book the shuttle for the terminal when checking in.

we are flying in , so no need for parking. The rate for the 1 bedroom suite with screened in balcony was $258 all in

Welcome! So your arrival time is noon, so if embarkation is on time and smooth you should be onboard no later then 1pm. Some tips for embarkations day: If you are a pool person, pack your bathing suites in your carry on, or even my wife wears her bikini on under her shorts and tank top so you can enjoy the pool once you get onboard. If you can, eat breakfast before you board as the buffet will be an utter S*IT SHOW embarkation day. Wait till later in the afternoon to grab a bite. If you haven't done so, make specialty dining reservations if you plan to eat at them. Longer you wait the more of a chance time slots fill up. Now, not sure how big of a drinker you are but boarding at 1pm my advise is pace yourself lol. I can honestly say after being on who know s how many cruise there have been times that I am so excited when boarding that I over indulge a bit to much and end up in bed by 7pm lol. It is exciting watching and reading about others first cruises. I remember taking my wife on her first cruise (when we were dating) and the look on her face pulling up to the port, walking up the gangway and then onboard was one of the greatest experiences. Was even funnier when she asked how much the drinks were, and when I told her nothing as we have the drink package to see her give that devilish smile lol. Remember, whether you want to plan minute by minute each part of your day or are now like us where we don't plan anything onboard and take us where the wind blows, enjoy yourself and have fun!

Depending on what you would like ot do all day Saturday, I would choose Cocoa Beach. Its a 2 minute drive to the port and lots to do during the day with the beach and such. Also you could go to one of the bar/grills and watch the ships sail out Saturday afternoon.

Was there tis past Janaury, Still a good spot to spend a couple hours and has pleny of bars and places to eat.