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Here are some photos from our stop in Santa Bárbara. As soon as we got off the tender, we came across an information table set up, so we asked about getting to the Courthouse and the Santa Bárbara Mission. She told us to take the electric shuttle into town and we’d be dropped off somewhere near the Courthouse, so we did that. She also said that we’d need a cab to get to the Santa Bárbara Mission because it was too far away, but after looking it up on a map, we decided to walk. It was a pretty long walk, but we had absolutely beautiful weather and mild temperatures. We thoroughly enjoyed it. After that, we returned to the downtown and browsed around the shops. We then walked along the beach before returning to the ship. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing day.

Doable, assuming that there are no delays with the ship’s arrival and US Customs clearing the ship. Plan on doing self assist debarkation and be in position to get off the ship as soon as they make the announcement that debarkation has begun

My kids started cruising at 13 and 15 months old respectively. Unless you sail on Royal Caribbean or Disney (who have facilities and babysitting services for kids as young as 6 months of age for an extra fee, as well as pools and splash areas for kids still in diapers), you’re largely on your own with a 1 year old. We used to bring a small bag filled with our kids favorite toys. During the day, we’d find an empty, unused lounge, take the toys out, and let our kids move around freely and play. Some cruise lines, offer “free play time” at the club for children too young for the kids program, but parents need to remain present the entire time. Some also offer late night babysitting after a certain hour in a group setting for an extra fee, but it’s not guaranteed and it usually starts pretty late (like after 10pm, which was totally useless when we were exhausted and ready to go to bed by then anyway). Like you mentioned, there’s no going to the pool if kids are still in diapers. Following the advice of someone here on cruise critic, we brought a small, inflatable pool and placed it in our balcony. It was a bad decision. Not only was it a logistical nightmare, our son hated it and didn’t care for it one bit. Needles to say, we only did that one time. 😂. If I’d known then what I know now, I would’ve started my kids cruising on either Royal or Disney simply because there are so many more offerings and accommodations for the littlest ones. Once they were old enough for the regular kids club, then we would’ve sailed other cruise lines. We started our kids on Holland America and Carnival, and although we have some very fond memories from those early cruises and our kids are now bona fide seasoned cruisers, there were times during those early cruises when we wanted to pull our hair out. 😂

We sailed on Margaritaville at Sea a few months ago. For such a low budget and bare bones cruise lines, I was surprised to see a robot waiter at Frank and Lola’s (their pizza venue). Nothing too high tech. You’d order your pizza at the counter and it would be delivered by the robot. It was more of a gimmick than human replacement.

I’m leaning towards the Panama Canal itinerary. More countries, and port and cultural diversity than the Mexico itinerary. We did the Mexican Riviera on Celebrity a few months ago. It was an absolutely wonderful cruise, but being an “all Mexico” itinerary, the ports started feeling a bit repetitive after a bit. With that said, I’d be happy with either one,

I just found that video a few minutes ago. I was coming here to post it but you beat me to it.😂 I have to say that I do love the way it looks. Modern but still super classy.

Even with the best planning, there’s always room for some snafus. Last time I sailed into NYC, it was an absolutely beautiful, clear skies day. We could see the cruise terminal from the ship, but we were not proceeding. Turns out that the currents down the Hudson River were too strong for us to maneuver. We waited a few hours and the Captain finally went for it. We ended up slamming against the pier and scrapping the side of the ship. Before they let us off the ship, they had to do a damage assessment. By the time we got off the ship and made it to the airport, it was close to 5:00pm So long story short, always have a backup plan just in case. We originally had a 1:00pm flight but thankfully the airline was kind enough to rebook us on an evening flight once we told them about our predicament.

11:30-12:00 would be my recommendation. Do keep in mind that the airport isn’t super close to the port like in FLL. Lines at security can be horrendous. We actually chose to spend the night in SEA and then fly out early the next morning

We did 2 days in Rome pre-cruise (meaning that we left the US 3 days prior). Thankfully, we booked a nonstop flight from our city (Atlanta) which simplified things. It was an overnight flight, and we landed in Rome around 9:00am. With the jet lag, our first day in Rome was mostly spent resting and acclimating. We did go out for a bit and had dinner, but that was it. So 2 days pre cruise really gives you one full day to explore. Don’t even try to pack it all in. There’s absolutely zero chance you’ll see it all. Make a short list of things that you must see and stick with it. Select a hotel closest to the attractions you’re interested in. For us, we focused on The Vatican, so we booked a hotel a few blocks away (Starhotels Michelangelo). The photo attached is of St Peter’s dome from the street right outside our hotel to show how close we were. It was a great decision. It was about a 10 minute walk to St Peter’s Basilica and there were tons of little shops and restaurants along the way in an area that was more residential than touristy (meaning not charging tourist prices for food and merchandise). On our one full day of exploration, we walked to the Vatican, toured St Peter’s Basilica, had lunch, then took a cab to see the Trevi Fountain. From there, we took another cab to the Colosseum but didn’t go inside (by then, the sun was setting). We finished the day by having dinner at a little restaurant by the hotel. And that’s all we truly had time to do! On embarkation morning, we returned to St Peter’s Square for a papal blessing (The Angelus) before returning to our hotel. We pre-booked transportation to Civitavecchia through Stefano’s Rome Cabs and it was a wise choice. They showed up at our hotel exactly at the schedule time and took us straight to the port. We also pre booked them for debarkation day to go to the airport and we couldn’t have been more satisfied with their services. Long story short, understand that 2 days pre cruise in Rome is a very limited time so go with a plan of action and realistic expectations. Enjoy! It’s a wonderful trip!

It’s hyperbole. Just like some people say that their suite is like a palace. An obvious exaggeration not meant to be taken literally. It’s also perception and how something personally makes me feel. To me, walking into an inside stateroom, with no sunlight, often times with less square footage than an oceanview or balcony stateroom, makes me feel like I’m walking into, well, a broom closet. It’s confining and anxiety inducing. I don’t like how that feels which is why, after trying them twice and dreading it, I’ve decided to get at least a window when I cruise so that I can enjoy my cruise 100%, and not just the time I’m away from my cabin. I’m fully aware that there’s a lot of people who prefer and actually love inside staterooms and find them perfect for their needs. That’s great. They’re not wrong. Neither am I. 🙂

Thanks! You also enjoy your category of choice while I enjoy mine. 😃

Thanks for taking one (or five) for the team. If someone has to do it, I’m glad that it’s not me. 😂

Thanks for the honest answer. That’s exactly what I need to read.

Keep in mind that the more serious travel warnings for Mexico don’t affect destinations visited by the cruise lines. States under a level 4 advisory (don’t travel) aren’t near these ports of call. Some states have a level 3 warning (reconsider travel), but if you look at the details found on the US Dept. of State website, specific tourist areas and cities within those states are still considered safe. We did the Mexican Riviera a few months ago. Even though the state of Jalisco was under a level 3 travel advisory, the city of Puerto Vallarta specifically was considered safe for travel. Cabo San Lucas was under a level 2 warning which is considered very normal for international travel. The only port of call in our itinerary anywhere near any significant crime areas was Mazatlán (located in Sinaloa, currently under a level 4 travel advisory), but even though the actual city of Mazatlán was considered safe as long as you stayed in designated areas, the cruise line still replaced this port of call with Ensenada. On the east coast of Mexico, Quintana Rio (Cozumel and Costa Maya) is currently under a level 2 travel advisory and Yucatán (Progreso) is under a level 1; one of the safest, probably safer than traveling around the US. For perspective, there are other countries that appear frequently on Caribbean cruise itineraries which are under a level 3 advisory (like Jamaica, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago) but the cruise lines continue sailing to these destinations because the specific ports of call visited are considered safe for travel. No matter where you go, use common sense, educate yourself, be a smart and alert traveler, don’t make yourself a target, and you should be fine.

I’m reading that smoking is allowed on the promenade deck (5) starboard side on Dream and Vista class ships. If you’ve had a balcony on deck 6, could you smell cigarette smoke coming from one deck below? I personally don’t care that much but my wife isn’t as forgiving. Thanks for any input!

We did both Uber and taxi in Barcelona. Not a problem with either one. And we were traveling fairly short distances between points of interest. The only time we were somewhat stuck for a bit was when our taxi driver had a “low tire pressure” light come on and he insisted that we get off the taxi and take a different one. So he stopped at a somewhat non touristy place and dropped us off there. It took a while for another taxi to drive by. But outside of that, taxis were plentiful near attractions and points of interest.

Proof of citizenship will be required to board the ship on embarkation day, regardless of whether you’re planning on going ashore or not. If you’re on a “closed loop” itinerary (meaning that your cruise begins and ends at the same US port), and he was born in the US, he can travel with a birth certificate (original or certified with a seal. Can’t be a photocopy) AND a driver’s license. If your partner doesn’t have a birth certificate or if he’s not sure if what he has is the proper document, you can order a new one from www.vitalchek.com. Regardless of whether he gets his passport back in time or not, I’d go ahead and order one to have it ready to go as a backup. Best of luck.

Whatever itinerary goes to Glacier Bay. Alaska is mostly about itinerary. We sailed on Holland America specifically because we wanted something from Seattle that visited Glacier Bay. So glad that we did because those images are seared in my mind. There are not enough photos or YouTube videos that can describe what you’ll experience. I’d go with the Royal Princess. Great ship and great cruise line, and with the right itinerary.

Doubletree in Cocoa Beach. Nice to get up in the morning with an ocean view from our room. Then a quick Uber ride to the port.

- Never an inside (that’s like vacationing in a broom closet) - Oceanview at a minimum - Balcony most frequently - Suite for a special occasion Next four cruises I have booked are deluxe balcony, ocean view, suite, boardwalk balcony.

Our personal record was an 8:45am flight out of FLL after arriving at the port of Miami. But everything aligned perfectly: - We were out of our cabin by 6:30am and had all of our luggage with us for self assist. - ship was cleared promptly before 7:00am - short lines at customs. - we requested an Uber. Driver showed up literally in 60 seconds. - No traffic that early in the morning on a Sunday. - Once in the Uber, I realized that we’d be in FLL by 7:45am, so I got on my phone and listed on the standby list for the earlier flight, checked in and got our mobile boarding passes. - At the airport, bypassed the ticket counter and headed straight to security (all of our luggage was carry on) - short lines at the security checkpoint - We were at the gate by the time boarding started. - back home before our original flight was even supposed to depart. So it’s doable to get on an early flight, including 11:00am. Just make sure that all of your ducks are in a row and have in the back of your head a backup plan of action should you miss your flight.

Bottom line is that, being “rich” doesn’t mean that people are willing to spend $20K on a suite on a cruise. Case in point, one of my pilot friends. He brings in $500K a year, lives in a multi million dollar new house, drives matching new Land Rovers with his wife (who also has a 6 figure income), kids are in $40K/yr private schools, goes skiing to high end resorts every spring, and takes golf trips with his buddies to Pebble Beach. But he says no way no how will he spend suite money to go on a cruise. Anything more than a balcony is a waste. More interestingly, he’s one of those guys that will still stop at the gas station for candy and hide it in his pockets when he goes to the movies. And he won’t go out for Mexican unless it’s $2.99 Margarita Tuesday. 😂 Everybody has priorities. Even “rich” people.

Glacier Bay for us was the absolute highlight of our Alaska cruise so I’d look for an itinerary that includes it. We sailed on the Westerdam and, while the quality, service, and cuisine were much better than anything we’ve ever experienced on Royal Caribbean, we found the ship to be a bit on the gloomy and depressing side. We then sailed on the Nieuw Statendam (part of HAL’s Pinnacle class along with Koningsdam and Rotterdam) and we loved it. More modern, brighter, and tasteful while still maintaining the traditional touches that HAL is known for. If I could do Glacier Bay on a Pinnacle class ship, that would be my choice.

Strictly talking mass market and premium lines, I’ve been most satisfied with Holland America (in terms of quality, freshness, variety, consistency and presentation). Second place goes to Celebrity. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are pretty similar and close to the bottom. It’s not that they’re bad, (there’s plenty of selections). It’s just that nothing truly stands out.

You got that right. Start this thread at one of the luxury cruise line message boards, and you’ll get some truly eye opening and humbling answers. On Royal Caribbean and other mass market lines, the suite people are the top 5%. On the luxury lines, the suite people are everybody; 100%.