wheezedr

JB has basically covered the situation completely. The only thing I might add is that you might want to see how many other ships are in port the day you are there. That can help give you an idea of how busy things may be.

Getting your currency from an ATM in its country of origin is your best bet. For the Euro that means any of the Euro countries. If you use an ATM, especially at the airport, be sure it is a bank affiliated ATM and not one from a money exchange company as the rate will be quite different. Also it is best for you if you have an ATM account that covers fees anywhere.

This is not an itinerary that requires Yellow Fever Vaccine.

Carnival Corp. does not routinely transfer loyalty across its brands. Occasionally offers are made for P & O, but I have never seen them for Carnival Cruises.

Seas and weather are all quite variable. Not the worst area this time of year , but the current along the California coast can be a challenge. Be prepared with whatever method you have found works best for you.

Have to totally agree. Systems are improving but never match what I can get at home

We have made a 10:00AM flight with plenty of time to spare, but everything was perfect and we were in the second walk off group. While I believe 9:30 to 10:00 is reasonable, 8:40 is really pushing it if anything goes wrong. If you go for it, have a Plan B.

That is precisely what we did. Wonderful day with nice lunch in Portofino. My one concern about the method is that part of the walkway from Santa M to Portofino was reportedly closed for repairs. For the OP who is planning a boat journey all the way there should be no problem.

We did a 10:10 AM flight after a Princess Cruise and had plenty of time to spare. That does include the fact that we were in the second walk off group. Early walk off allows you to avoid searching for luggage, gets you through customs quickly and shoots you out to the cab stand with lots of cabs lined up. It is very doable at FLL.

Kind of like airports. There are high priced close in lots, cheaper distant lots and usually even cheaper off airport parking. Generally fewer options at ports but some people are willing to trade time and convenience for price. You have to look at each port individually to see what may be available.

Actually RCL’s Empress also does an 8 night with three Cuban stops, Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. Booked it for November.

I guess the seven or eight cruise lines that currently have Cuba as an itinerary must not have gotten the OP’s memo. Maybe I can remind them while I am on my Cuban Cruise in November.

The usual answer is that there is no harm in asking. Sometimes people post that they have received some credit, certainly not as much as the price drop. Of course they are not obligated to do anything.

If you scroll down to Special Interest Cruising you will find a thread for solo cruisers. You may find many of your questions already answered there. If not it would be a good place to post new questions.

Have to agree from actual experience that preordering and quickly stopping at Total wine is a viable alternative. We have now done this on multiple occasions. You can check out the inventory at your leisure and the pickup is right at the entrance to the store.