MyTMo777

Great resources, everyone. I didn’t even know where to begin looking. Thank you all.

Grand Cayman & Cozumel were two of the ports I was most wondering about. Deciding whether to wander to town for free or book an excursion further away. May need to pay for an excursion if there’s lots of ships in port and the towns are crowded.

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Is there a way to find out how many cruise ships are expected in a port on a particular day?

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We haven’t cruised on Carnival, but we have been on the Sun, and on NCL Getaway. On the Sun it was just my DH & I. It was great for a middle-aged couple like us. But when we decided to take our kids on a cruise a year and a half later, we knew the Sun wouldn’t keep them occupied. It’s a quiet ship with not a lot of activities. Our kids were 21 & 23 when we went. We chose the Getaway because it had so many more activities that they enjoyed.

We have no complaints about NCL. Been on two cruises with them and have another booked this January. The freestyle dining is a huge benefit for us. If you’re only going for 4 days, most of which is spent in the Bahamas, I’m sure your DD & her friend will be happy on the Sun. If it were a longer cruise, I wouldn’t recommend the Sun for teens unless they are happy with a lower-key, quieter atmosphere.

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Taxi is a flat rate $25 from the airport to the port.

Good to know. We're a bit west of the airport, so likely it would be a bit more.

You didn't say if you are five adults or if there are children in your party.

 

If you are a family you should be able to take one Uber SUV for around $30.00

 

If there are more of you, two vehicles could be booked for around $50.00 total.

 

Keith

Thanks for your reply. We are five adults. We thought maybe a minivan taxi would work? If we need two cabs, might be easier to take the shuttle for the same price.

Our hotel in Tampa (Extended Stay America - Airport - Memorial Hwy) offers a shuttle to the port for $10/pp. Is that a good deal, or would it be cheaper for the 5 of us to call a cab? Or Uber? (Not very familiar with Uber - it doesn't operate where I live.)

I often see or hear advertisements about going on a cruise with a "star" - country music stars, Christian musicians, even NASCAR drivers. I have a few questions:

1) Do the "stars" really just mingle on the ship with all their fans? Eat with them, hang out in the bars and pools, eat in the restaurants? I keep thinking that probably isn't much fun for the celebrities, being mauled by fans wherever they go.

2) If the cruise doesn't sell out to the fans of these stars, do the cruise lines just sell cabins to regular folk as usual?

3) Is there any way to find out ahead of time if a cruise you are considering going on contains a large group or special event like this? It would definitely influence my choice of cruise if I knew there was a massive group onboard like that. (I mean, what if I don't LIKE country music? Which I actually do, but you get my point...)

I would recommend it. Your luggage gets moved around a lot at the airport and in portage onto the cruise ship and to your cabin. Even if you have no worries about theft, you could lose things out of the suitcase if it pops open. Locks are very inexpensive. Just be sure you get a TSA approved one so that airport security can access your contents if necessary without destroying your lock.