CruiserBruce

Did B2B last Feb/March. No need to do any paperwork for the second cruise.

Very commonly mentioned here...the Hilton at FCO that is actually in the airport. Great buffet breakfast.

You can do it...it requires you to move very efficiently, something not done easily with a child in tow. MIA can be very busy and slow through check in and security. But you have pre-planned those very well. Walk off as quickly as possible and grab the first cab you see. It might be a very stressful day, particularly for your kiddo....who of course is not a good flyer.

The spring months...March, April, May tend to be less chance of fog. The fog returns frequently as you approach June.

When are you sailing out of SF? The fog is not an every day thing, there are times of the year it is less likely. The fog can roll in at 3pm, or 5pm, or 7pm, or first thing in the morning. Some days the fog never clears the Bridge. If it rolls in, in can be high fog, which will block out the sun, but not block your view of the Bridge. It could be mid-level, which can create differing views. Or it can be right down on the water, blocking everything.

"Best" way? Private helicopter or limo with champagne. The way very commonly recommended here? Taxi ($10-12, before tip) or Uber.

This question gets asked quite frequently. The aft wrap balconies and cabins ARE NOT the same size. We have been all aft wraps except Deck 4 on the Pinnacle class ships. Deck 5 and 6 are noticeably smaller cabins. Deck 7 is my choice, followed by Deck 8. Balconies also vary. Deck 4 aft wrap balconies are much larger than any of the other. Deck 7 is the next largest, followed closely by Deck 6 and Deck 8. Deck 5 is the smallest.

The Port Everglades website puts out the schedule a week or two in advance. Yes, they could be docked with in walking distance. Lots of Port Everglades info on the Florida Departures board.

Immigration (called Passport Check in Europe)and claiming bags (FCO is not a particularly efficient airport)will take time, not Customs. Customs is the red/green system, which if you don't have anything to declare and use the green line, literally takes seconds. It is very commonly recommended here to try to stay awake as long as you can by being active...walking around, for example. The more you sit, the more you want to fall asleep. I would walk as much as you can, enjoying the scenery and people watching, stopping only to eat, and if you need to rest the legs. Stay outside in the light as long as you can. The air crew will encourage sleep, so they will darken the plane after dinner is served. You should be able to get at least 4, probably 5 hours sleep. We did a Toronto-Copenhagen flight this summer...that was a total of 6 hours. Definitely not enough sleep time, considering the meal schedule. But we followed what I described above, and stayed awake until after 9pm local time.

As this would be a NCL policy issue, the far better place for your research would be the NCL board. Last I heard, NCL didn't have any dress code.

You have nothing to worry about.

One of the most common pieces of advice on Cruise Critic...ask the crew. They know the best spots ashore. If you are from the United States, your cell phone will work just fine in San Juan...its part of the US.

Asked and answered here dozens of times. It doesn't really matter.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! That is possibly the issue. Where is the cruise to? Is it a unique location, where HAL doesn't sail often? If its a common, frequent destination, the excursions typically come up sooner.

You can check your past posts simply by clicking on your screen name.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Come over to the West Coast Departure board, here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/ You will see info on logistics for LAX, LGB, as well as SNA, another option for the area.

Most of the schedules just came out...they may be a few that aren't done listing yet. Probably not a a lot...maybe just a couple. Remember, most major cruise lines sold off ships during Covid...there aren't as many cruise ships out there. Some Med ports (think Venice and Santorini, among others) are doing things to decrease the number of visitors. Yes, there would appear to be fewer ships in the Med in 2024. I know Holland America went from 3 to 1...they sold off 4 ships. However, they have actually increased the number of ships in the Northern Europe area.

There are several threads here on hotels. However, 3 beds in a room is relatively rare. So I would be paying close attention to the websites of the many hotels recommended here to see exactly what they offer.

Make this your home page as you come on to Cruise Critic. It will help you see all the resources here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Your Roll Call is here:

There is no sweet spot...just isn't true. Airlines use dynamic pricing, so prices can easily change daily. Today's flight might have high demand and higher prices, and tomorrow's has low demand and lower prices. Other days, there is just no logic. Have been monitoring flights from SFO-BOS for next September, considering flying on either Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. The fares are different on all 3 days...as much as 40% more on the Monday we were most interested in. 3 morning flights each day, 6am, 7am and 8:30. Tuesday was the cheapest, but it's the day before sailing. Suddenly, Sunday dropped 40%, and we bought. Then they canceled 2 of the 3 flights each day, and the fares are higher than they ever were. So we got ours for over 40% below the current price. And according to the seat map (not the most exact source of info) not a single seat in Business has been sold on any of the flights except ours. Award seats have, generally, more of a "sweet spot" than revenue seats. But its usually pretty predictable. Sounds like you are monitoring prices. When you see them at a level you can tolerate, book and don't look back.

We think its definitely worth it. Had it on 3 cruises since resumption of cruising, and booked it on two upcoming cruises.

Have you looked at the "Protocols" section on the HAL website?

So, most likely, you will be flying MCO to a West Coast airport...5-6 hours, then a West Coast (also possible out of DFW, and I think, IAH) airport to Sydney, which is about 13 or so hours from a West Coast airport. So, you won't be on a plane for 24 hours. Around 20. "Unbearable" in economy is a totally subjective judgement. MANY MANY people make that flight daily, keeping mind that each plane with around 250 people will have somewhere around 175 sitting in economy. Economy worldwide is pretty standard, so, no, there isn't a "best" airline for economy. Premium economy has some more competition, and definitely a good idea. Lastly, most airlines on the US-Australia routes don't have first class anymore. Business class is the best class available. Yes, expensive. But having done SFO-SYD and SFO-AKL in both economy, business and first, I would be looking definitely for Premium Economy, and seriously at Business...seeing whatever you can arrange. Check with your cruise line...they might be able to help make it more reasonable. No, I wouldn't try to catch a 10:25 flight the day you get off the ship. Most of the airlines will be departing for the US in that time frame.

All you have to do is go to the HAL website, middle of the front page, there is a link to all the protocols. https://book2.hollandamerica.com/protocols/