CruiserBruce

I also have zero issues flying on a MAX. I see a fair number of options to get you to YYZ or SEA. If you are choosing COPA for price concerns, consider another way of looking at what @FlyerTalker is saying is, you get what you pay for. I would be checking what my cruise line offers in this case. One way international airfares are definitely a strong point of those programs.

Do we get to guess the port?

I lied...I am back. 😄 Two things I forgot to mention. First, Tom Vassos was an absolute rocker on board. Such a plus...fantastic presentations, very accessible all over the ship, before and after his presentations and just about 24/7. Just a great human being, and a great asset to this cruise. Secondly, the group on board. There was Sky and Telescope, about 375 people, and two other small groups. Yes, they had various presentations and other events, and had their own operations on the top deck forward for the Eclipse. I never once felt they in anyway affected any other activities or things on the ship. Perhaps because every single person on then ship was there for the same purpose...I don't know. But other than their special ID badges, and the almost daily events scheduled at various venues and times, you wouldn't have known anything was happening. No impact at all on our enjoyment.

Just got off Zaandam. Boarded at 11:10...rooms weren't ready, so no room key. Waiter took our order, "charged" it to our room number, but it never got charged because we had the drink package.

OK, to wrap up this review... The condition of the ship. Well, its a 25 year old ship, so it is not in pristine shape. There is some rust here and there...I was a little shocked to see a fair amount of rust on the exterior of the Bridge wing, clearly visible from our cabin balcony. But over all, the ship is in very good shape. Didn't see any issues with furnishings. The Lido pool deck is in good shape. The various venues all seemed fine. Other than some sun aging on the carpet in our cabin, the cabin looked fine. We always do a thorough cabin search as we pack to avoid forgetting anything. I always seem to find more cabinets and storage space than I can possibly use. I had mentioned that the starboard side blue hull area needed paint fairly seriously. Bam...just give the crew 6 hours in port, and the entire starboard side, bow to, and including, the stern was painted. They didn't chip rust, so it might be a bit temporary, but it looked great. I believe it has a drydock this coming fall. The Wifi on board is Starlink, and a significant improvement. Except in many cabins. Ours was actually worse than the old system in our cabin. We heard others complaining about the in cabin coverage, and our Neptune Lounge concierge was very aware of the problem. It is supposed to be addressed in drydock. We used the Wifi in the main show room (waiting for shows and events, not inappropriately), the two pool areas, Ocean bar, all over the ship...just fine, no issues. But in our cabin.... We have sailed the Mexican Rivera many times, so excursions aren't generally a priority...we walk, taxi or bus to places for lunch, a beer, shopping, or just being a tourist. But we had HIA excursion money. So we booked a Hop on, Hop off bus in Mazatlan just for the heck of it. Mazatlan got canceled, so that money was "wasted". We booked a "Luxury Boat Sail and Snorkel" for Cabo. As I mentioned, overall, this was a fun excursion. Beautiful, clear weather, if a little chilly, great crew, excellent food, drinks and service on board. The minuses...no shade, no seats with backs, and the water temp was pretty cold for water sports. Cabo in the spring doesn't have friendly water temps. We ended up with pillow chocolates all but 2 of our 14 nights on board. Towel animals were only on dressy nights. Overall, this was a great cruise...I would give it a 9.75 on a 10 scale.

Your tour provider will likely recommend some that work for your stops.

Agree...free shuttles to the port are very rare.

As commonly recommended here, check visitlauderdale.com for a list of all the hotels in Ft Lauderdale, and their amenities, like parking and shuttles. Don't expect a free shuttle to the port...its very rare.

Have had HIA on our last 3 cruises, back to 2022. All have had refundable deposits.

Check out the Western Europe board, here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/148-british-isleswestern-europe/ Those two cities are covered there, and there are many discussions.

The side doesn't matter. The ship can put either side to the dock, and it is usually not predictable. Scenery is all around you in Alaska. And you aren't locked in your cabin, rather you are roaming all over the ship.

If the cruise doesn't end at HNL, unlikely the inspections will be done there. But Immigration (what you really need to worry about)and Customs might (almost non-existant process for cruisers any more). Interesting they are using Pier 80. First choice is the regular terminal at Pier 27. Second choice is typically Pier 35, the old cruise terminal. There is at least facilities there. Pier 30-32 is the next choice...used occasionally, but no facilities. Pier 80 is a new one. It sounds like you will be here in Spring, so the biggest event of the year, Flight Week, is not the cause of this.

Have you sailed with them before...expect their boarding procedures to be the same, or very similar in every port they depart from. I would think you could be easy on board by noon. By the way, Seattle is discussed on the West Coast Departures, here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

Just a little reading around the board answers a number of your questions....first, that Glacier Bay is pretty important, and RCI doesn't sail there, but HAL does.

"Crowded" is a purely personal and subjective position. Just got off the Zaandam (sister to Volendam) 14 day Eclipse sailing. It was filled to the gills. Only a couple of times did we feel crowded.