dock

Just stumbled upon your review. Thank you for taking the time to post.

Booked Hyatt Centric FLL Pre Cruise this year. It was ok for 1 night. Many on the Celebrity board use this hotel. If you want to be on the beach or plan on spending a few days in FLL them both ten Hilton and W on the beach are great. MO Miami about C$300 more than Epic so for now I’ll hold Epic and keep checking. (MO also has nice Peruvian restaurant.) Still nearly C$900 for the Epic is ridiculous. Used to be half that price.

Thanks for the info. I’ve booked a refundable rate at the Epic( similar rate as the Hyatt Coral Gables and The Biltmore), but we’ve stayed there before and like their restaurant Zuma. I will check with O and keep checking rates as we get closer to the time.

Thanks will check them out. Hampton Inn Brickell is over C$600 and our usual places are over C$1500 per night so probably many events the weekend of the 17/18. Coming in late afternoon so just need a decent hotel. Will check out the above two myself. I thought Coral Gables would be too far from the port and have never stayed in that area but it will be a nice change I’m sure. Thanks again.

Thanks I’ve done that and nothing pops up , unless it’s becos I haven’t reached final payment yet, but will keep checking there. Prices for Feb ‘24 are outrageous so thought I’d check O prices as well. TY.

Which hotel does O use pre cruise for Miami and how would I book it, through TA or call O? Thank you.

If you’re using miles, book as soon as you’re in the window. If paying, book a price you are comfortable with especially if you want to fly direct or with minimal stops.

Thanks for posting. We’re excited to see and hear more about Vista from all of you.

Enjoyed your report. Counting down till our Equinox cruise in July. It’s been a loong few years without cruising and your reports have hit the spot everytime. Safe travels home and I will be watching out for your next live. Take care.

Glad to see you made it onboard. I notice that the bridge appears to be disrupting your view. Is this problematic or is it just the angle of your picture . Have a wonderful cruise.

Choices are limited in the summer.I would’ve preferred an E class. This summer only the Equinox is in the Caribbean. We are doing the Eastern Route ( 8 nights ) with stops in Tortola and PP which we've never done and then the usual STT, SJ etc .The other is 6 nights GC etc Personally the ABC route is better imoand I would’ve much preferred it over what we have this year but it’s the only time that the entire family could get away and really for us the ship is the destination in a sense. I would Opt for ABC’s though.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Will be following along. Bon Voyage.

I’m curious if you or anyone you’ve met has issues with cabin noises. It’s kept us away from booking Beyond.

It’s too tight a timeline imo to see much of anything in Monaco and you’ll probably be stressed about making it back for your other tour in time. I’d leave it for another trip.

NOLA is a great city for exploring on your own. We spent 4 days and did two half day walking tours to get orientated. One with Friends of the Cabildo( small group) and will give you a great orientation of the FQ and the popular places to stop at in the Q. We also took another with a different company of the Garden District on a separate day. There’s plenty to keep you occupied: In the Morning Pick a half day tour in an area you would like. FQ - if it’s your first trip to NOLA.( You’ll then feel confident ambling over to the Frenchmans St and ambling the FQ as well) If you can ,stop at Cafe du Monde ( across Jackson Sq and close to tour meeting spot) or Cafe Beignet ( Decatur St also close to tour meeting point) Pre Tour and sample a beignet. They’re close to each other. (you can then try the other cafe’s for afternoon tea lol and devide which u prefer . CB for us) Lunch - Charbroiled oysters somewhere. We tried both Acme and Felix’s. Choose whichever lineup is shorter. They’re both great. Or search for a good Po’Boy place. After Lunch : amble French Market , walk a hit along the river ,go over to Frenchman St ( listen to music) and then back to FQ. Will be time for a mid afternoon break . Pop over to the Carousel Lounge for a break. Then continue ambling, shopping or back to the ship for a break before you head out for dinner. Many options for dinner and music for later that evening. FQ at night needs to be experienced. The vibe changes after dark and there’s some great dining to be had. WW11 museum is another option. It’s huge and you can spend hours there. I would probably do this in the morning for a few hours if that’s of interest then take a lunch break and amble FQ thereafter , shop, Carousel Bar , beignet break. Rest for a few hours on board and then head back out for the evening. As you can tell we loove our food lol and NOLA has some of the best we’ve come across. Enjoy , we spent a long weekend there and I’d return if it was closer to home but soo many places , not enuf time to see them all.

Lol. I’m sure if you put it out there , many of us who are teetering on whether to do one will jump onboard! Re: airline food lol, wait till you try AC! Love the airline but not the food. I skip breakfast whenever onboard during that meal and usually do the dependable and seems like never changing recipe for last few decades, pasta option.

Bon Voyage, will be following along. I sure wish I had the courage to do a solo cruise.

Love your spreadsheet @Sthrngary. I’m the planner in our family and I’ll definitely be borrowing the ‘ call your congressman or in our case MP line!’ First timer on O as well so appreciate all the tips this thread has generated.

Has anyone done this tour, through Celebrity? I’m not inclined to figure out taxis to and from the ferry etc so thought I’d book the tour which is really just the transfers. Also what should we do once are arrive in Cruz Bay? Tours is 4.5 hrs of which I’m assuming a fair bit of time is the back and forth to St J. Or should we just go to a beach in STT( been here 5 times before) Thank you.

Looking forward to cruising vicariously through you. Have fun.

Enjoying your report and love the pictures. Thank you for taking the time.

Enjoyed following along. Thank you.

Agree with the OP, the forum regulars are extremely helpful. I certainly appreciate their expertise. @Jancruz, I’m new to O (but not to cruising), “the help goes out of their way”! Assume you are referencing the staff on board. Thank You.

Just checked after seeing this and our two booked cruises not listed either.

Wow! Great pics. Thank you.