Orlando Vic

As the others have suggested, fly to Melbourne. Use the city as a jumping off spot to visit the Great Ocean Road.

Not only pearls, but black pearls!

You could always visit Tisa’s Barefoot Bar in Pago Pago. The National Park of American Samoa is very interesting.

Near MCO is the Florida Mall. You could easily get there via Uber and spend several hours there. Hi 

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

There are two port possibilities on Maui. In either case, the typical shuttle would be to Hilo Hatties, if a shuttle exists.

 

If you are docking in Kahalui, there is a Costco and a Walmart a short taxi ride away. Both are walkable, although not a short, easy walk, and then carrying things back in the warmer temps.

 

If you are tendering to Lahaina, nope. Just Whaler's Markets and ABC stores. Bigger grocery further away. Hilo Hatties is about 20 minute walk from where you come ashore. The bigger grocery store is a similar distance away.

Yes, it is Lahaina and the ABC store will do very nicely. (I want to buy some Lion coffee.). Thanks for the info.

Hi Everyone,

On a cruise that we are taking next September, we have a port stop in Maui.

Are there any shops near the cruise port? Or Is there a free bus to the shops including a Walmar

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

We'll be arriving in Sanford via the Auto Train on the Tuesday morning after Thanksgiving, and driving to Fort Lauderdale.  Recognizing that road conditions can vary on any given day, as a general matter what would be the least stressful way to do that drive?  Florida's Turnpike?  I-95?   

 

Thanks for any information and advice!  (We do have an EZ Pass.) 

I would take State Road 46 east to I-95 and then all the way south to Fort Lauderdale.

Yes, it’s possible but risky. If ANYTHING prevents you from boarding your ship before it departs, you lose 💰💰💰💰.

On 9/23/2021 at 8:15 PM, EngIceDave said:

and there are tolls

Two $1 tolls (payable in cash or by SunPass).

I live in a suburb of Orlando and don’t think you will have nearly enough time to visit one of the Disney parks coming from a port stop in Tampa.

WDW is HUGE and has the same surface area as the city of San Francisco (really).

On 9/21/2021 at 3:26 PM, wgeddings said:

I read that in PortMiami, free parking is only for disabled individuals with a special Florida resident sticker or a modified vehicle with the appropriate stickers and his mobility issues are not upper extremities so he does not have/need a specially equipped van.  So he would not qualify for free parking in the PortMiami parking lot.  

It is available for totally (100%) disabled veterans with a Florida DV (disabled veteran) license plate. Any disability, as long as it is 100% disabling, qualifies for the DV plate.

Try a pisco sour (the National drink of Chile & Peru).

We have only cruised with Celebrity (once) beside Princess. Our ship, the Millennium) had no self-serve washers & dryers for laundry. Everything had to sent out in small bags and it wasn’t cheap.

On 7/7/2021 at 10:28 AM, Cienfuegos said:

The Kennedy Space Center visitor experience is very nice. Actual rockets, capsules, exhibits, etc. Reasonable people will differ on whether it is worth the price. On our last visit, the bus tours to the launch site were not running.

By the time the OP gets the rental car, it may be 2 pm. With KSC closing at 5 pm, that leaves only 3 hours. IMO, that is not nearly enough time for a visit.

How about a 2-hour cruise on the Indian River Lagoon?

https://www.islandboatlines.com/

I agree that you don’t have enough time. I also live here.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1591089-i17338-k13596652-Cape_Canaveral_to_Disney_Springs-Central_Florida_Florida.html#110488951

There should be minimal (if any) problem with mosquitoes in November.

Another good park to check out is Blue Spring (no “s”) State Park in nearby Orange City.

On 5/29/2021 at 2:26 PM, scottca075 said:

Hyatt Place is our current go to. It nice, functional and reasonable. If we came in several days early or stayed several days after, we'd go to FL Beach and stay in the Marriott, the Conrad or something similar.

Same here. Book through ValueTrips.com for a nice discount.

One important difference between Celebrity and Princess is that Princess has coin-operated washers & dryers while Celebrity does not. You have to send your dirty laundry out in a small paper bag.

On 5/6/2021 at 12:06 AM, trbarton said:

I always use UBER. I don’t remember the costs but if there are 2 of you it will probably be cheaper than the Princess Shuttle. 
 

Tom😀

Same here and it was much cheaper, even with a tip included.

The plus fare now does NOT include the location upgrade or a specialty dinner. I got all FIVE perks. 😀

On 3/31/2021 at 6:26 PM, JohninDC said:

We once drove from Orlando to Miami the morning of the cruise. Got on the road early, dropped the rental car off, and were on the ship by noon.  As long as you give yourself some cushion by getting up early there are traffic options that should get you to PE in about 3.5 or so hours.

 

The only hesitancy I would have is about the check in process changes caused by the virus.

Too risky for me.

Getting back to opinions about Yokohama hotels, does anyone have thoughts about the Intercontinental Yokohama Grand? The prices look very good and the reviews are all positive.