moon girl

Thank you so much ! We will give that a try!

Does anyone have any experience with just getting off the ship and finding an independent person to take you on a boat tour of the Bay? We don't want to go on an all day adventure but do love to see Puerto Vallarta from that view! If you have done this or know if it can be done I would appreciate any information you have! Thanks in advance!

For those who have been there...if you had to choose between the Riu Emerald Bay or the El Cid El Morro which one is your favorite for a day pass? What about the distance for both from the port and also the cost for a day pass? Thanks so much in advance for any help!

I can definitely say that going through this I have learned quite a bit about this parasite and the treatments for it! I honestly don't know if I will ever travel to the Caribbean again and that makes me so sad! If anyone has any questions about this I would be so happy to help if I can. It is a hard thing to find information on because it is so rare, but I am living proof that you can catch it while just on a cruise!

Hello Everyone! As an avid cruiser and a Caribbean and Mexico lover I feel like I need to tell everyone what I have been through since our last cruise in March of this year 2017. We left from Port Canaveral and stopped at Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya. The cruise was amazing and I have nothing but good to say about our trip and also the ports and the way that we were treated on all of our stops. However....6 weeks after (which is the incubation period) returning home I noticed what appeared to be a sliver type blister on the top of my middle finger. I poked at it thinking I could remove the sliver and nothing happened so I just left it alone. A couple of days after that I started to feel sick like the flu so then I thought that maybe the thing on my finger was a spider bite and went to the doctor. They also thought it was a spider bite, prescribed an antibiotic and sent me on my way. A few days after that all heck broke loose and I was so very sick. I had symptoms of Viral Meningitis and was told to rest, and it would go away. They did do a CT Scan, MRI and blood work but never a lumbar puncture. Anyway I am just barely beginning to feel better as far as the head and neck aches and energy goes from having that. In the mean time of being so sick the sore on my finger began to grow and I started to get other very similar ones on some of my other fingers. A trip to a very diligent Dermatologist who took a biopsy and sent it to the CDC lab to be tested can back positive for Leishmaniasis. I now have these lesions all over both of my hands. In case you don't know what Leishmaniasis is, it is caused from a bite of a sand fly! You do not get this from living or traveling in the USA! (Although I have recently heard of a couple of cases from Texas). It is very prominent in Belize and Honduras, and also in Mexico. I have no idea where I picked it up and the Infectious Disease Dr. that has been treating me said it is very rare to have picked it up on a cruise because you are only in the ports for such a small period of time. It is more commonly seen in Missionaries, Jungle Explorers, etc.,people who spend an extended period of time in the effected areas. I started a treatment that was so expensive and I am so lucky that my insurance covered it, however that medicine is so strong that it made me so very sick! I have discontinued the treatment temporally until I can get my strength back and then I will start it again. Look up Leishmaniasis if you are concerned about getting this. There are 3 forms of it, Visceral,(internal), Mucosal,(in your mouth), and Cutaneous (on your skin). I have the Cutaneous type which is treatable and curable but without proper treatment can turn into the Mucosal type which is much more dangerous. I'm not wanting to scare anyone! I love cruising! We go somewhere every March whether it is a cruise or to an All Inclusive Resort. This has made me so sick for the past 4 months that I just want to let everyone know that it is out there and that it is possible to pick up this type of thing on a while traveling the Carribean and Mexico. They say that using bug repellent with Deet is a good prevention but honestly we were only at these ports during the day and we did not ever see or knowingly get bitten by any bugs. (But obviously I did !)

This is just meant as an FYI not as an expert on this disease, just my experience with it. Please just use caution when traveling and use preventative care!

We will have most of a day after getting off our cruise at Port Canaveral before our flight leaves MCO at 6:59 p.m. We would like to get off the ship as early as possible and do something until we need to be to the airport around 4:00 p.m. Does anyone have any suggestions of sights to see, things to do etc. somewhere between Port Canaveral and Orlando? We will have a rental car so we will have the freedom to go and do whatever sounds fun! Any help is so appreciated!

We love Paradise Beach and there are plenty of shady, nice places to park your grandma for the day! All with beautiful views! It isn't AI, but you just pay as you go and the food and service there was amazing! It's also not too far from the port! I know you would love it!

Oh my! Thank you all so much for the help! That is exactly what I needed! Thanks again! Sunshine here we come!:)

Has anyone had any experience with renting a car at the Orlando airport and then dropping it off the same day at the cruise port? Our flight arrives at 5:00 a.m and the shared shuttles don't start picking up until 8:30-9:00 a.m. We were thinking of renting a car and then dropping it off the same day! Any help is greatly appreciated!

Okay! I understand now! Thank you guys so much for your help! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Just thinking again...if we did go drop off our luggage at the hotel and then took a taxi to the beach area, does anyone know what the price for that would be?

Thanks so much for all of the advice! Does anyone have any suggestions to help us make the most of our day? If we have to go drop off our luggage at the Homewood Suites and then have a 2 hour commute back to the beach that sounds like a lot of wasted time. Is it possible to leave our luggage at the port after our cruise, go to the beach, then come back and pick up our luggage and go to our hotel? I have no idea whether this would work of not. Anyone with more knowledge about the area than me I would love to hear from you. Thanks again!

Also does anyone know how late the airport flyer bus runs on Saturday's?

Well...we ended up getting an airport hotel at the Home Wood Suites. So we are definitely planning to go there directly from the port and drop off our bags and then head to the beach. Any of you that are familiar with the area is there a certain spot on the beach that you would recommend? Also any food or shopping places that might be in the area. You guys really make a difference for those of us who are your typical tourists! Thanks so much!

I know it is ridiculously late! Do you have any suggestions for decent airport hotels? Thanks so much!

Hello,

I know this is last minute but I really need some suggestions for a hotel in the Miami area! We will be returning from our cruise on Saturday the 15th of March. Our return flight is not until the next morning. We would like to go to the beach, have lunch, and just relax. Should we stay near the airport and shuttle to beach or is there somewhere closer to the beach that would have an airport shuttle? Again I know this is crazy to not already have a room booked, but I would appreciate any help. Our budget would be $200 or under if possible. Thanks so much!

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much! If we take the bus back in to the beach do you have a suggestion on a good place to get off? We are not familiar with this area at all.

We will be there in March! Reasonable to me is around $100 but I realize that is probably not going to happen in Miami! But something nice but close to that price or at least under $200 would be great. Would love a place with easy access to the beach. I love the suggestion above to not rent a car. Any suggestions on a place that might be in the price range and have a shuttle to the airport?

We will be staying in Miami for the Saturday day and night after our cruise. We would like to possibly rent a car, go to a nice beach, and then would love to get suggestions for a reasonable hotel. We are not too picky but want to be safe! Either a hotel close to the beach or I guess since we will have a car even a hotel near the airport. We are flying out of Miami. Either one I would love to hear from you! Also which beach would you suggest for us to visit? Thanks so much in advance!

How far is from the port of Miami to Key West? This sounds kind of fun and we have a day to spend after our cruise before we fly home!

Whoops! I didn't know there was a Florida board. Will do that next time! Thanks for your info!

We are going to be getting off of the Liberty on a Saturday and will not be flying home until the next day. Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap hotel as well as something we could do on that day as well? Are there any good beaches near the port? I don't know my way around this area so any help would be great! Thanks :)

I will look in to that right now! Thanks

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the help. We are on Carnival so I believe we are at the Puerto Maya pier. I have been to Chankanaab before and liked it. Maybe I will look in to the price there. Also considering Nachi Cocum but when you times the price by 5 people it adds up. Any other input is much appreciated! Thanks

Sorry about another beach question! We just want a nice beach and a bit of shopping that you don't have to pay an AI fee to use. Is there something like this near the pier in Cozumel or should we take the ferry to Playa del Carmen? We love Playa and the shopping there but aren't familiar with the Cozumel beaches. We are looking to not spend a lot of money on this stop. Any advice will help! Thanks