o-state girl

Kind of a bummer to hear the answers, but they were as I suspected.  I guess it will save me a little bit of money since I can't put these two cruises together.  I really wish they would make some exceptions to the PVSA for back to back cruises like this that actually stop in another country at some point in the itinerary.  Thank you for all the replies.

I am looking at doing a B2B cruise on the Spirit.  The first cruise leaves Honolulu and ends in Vancouver.  The second cruise begins in Vancouver, sails to Alaska, and ends in Seattle.  Would this itinerary be allowed under the PVSA or would the government consider it a single cruise that begins in the US and ends in the US?

Are you factoring transportation costs from both airports?  Planning on staying a day in a hotel pre/post cruise?  The fellow passengers will also likely be different between the two ports.  Will one demographic fit your family better than the other?  Just got off the Vista last week and it was predominately Texans and Okies (of which I am one). 

I have used Paradise Beach Club a couple of times.  This last cruise we did a tour with Rony's and just walked all the way down the beach to the black lava rock wall and threw our towels down on the sand.  We didn't need pool or bathroom facilities, and it seemed the vendors did not care to walk all the way down to the dead end where we were.

If you are Platinum, you might be able to give them your zoned bag tags.  They would able to get off the ship a little earlier in the non self-debark process.  

I disagree with some of the other posters.  I have done 2 NCL cruises (granted they were on the older ships without all the bells and whistles), and I did not enjoy them that much.  I found the Main Dining Room food far inferior to that on any of the other lines that I have sailed  (RCL, Carnival, Holland America, and Disney).  

I bought an Allianz Global-All Trips Basic plan.  It was $135 for the year and covers trips that are more than 100 miles from home.  It has medical and evacuation coverage as well as other coverages such as rental car insurance, lost or delayed luggage, etc.  I had to make a claim on delayed luggage, and they approved my claim within two days and mailed me a check within a week.  I was very impressed.

I keep the empty Downey travel sized spray bottles and refill from my large bottle at home for my next trip.  I've been called "frugal" by more than one person.

On 2/28/2019 at 3:34 PM, Saint Greg said:

 

 

I was disappointed about my phone battery being dead because on the ride back my window was on the ocean side and I could’ve gotten good pics of all of the things I couldn’t get on the way there... on top of that we took a high road back with an awesome view of the vista and mountains in the background. 

 

 

I added a portable charger to my must have travel accessories for reasons just like this.  It's like having a digital security blanket in my daybag.  https://www.amazon.com/BESTON-Cellphone-Portable-Charger-External/dp/B07MKM4QSJ/ref=sr_1_11?crid=YDB2CYMZHWFL&keywords=portable+battery&qid=1566198367&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=mobile&sprefix=digital+wall+clo%2Caps%2C178&sr=1-11

I buy wall decoration stickers from Dollar Tree.  These take up practically no room in my suitcase, install/remove in about 10 seconds, and leave no residue for the room steward to clean off.  Although I am capable of remembering my cabin number, it is nice for an extra visual cue that I am at the right cabin. Sometimes I even save the waxy paper that they were attached to, peel it off the door, re-stick it to the backing, and use it again for the next cruise.  Yes..I really am that cheap/frugal sometimes.  LOL!

If you are going to the aquarium, you can catch the free Passport shuttle bus out in front of the Queen Mary.  The pickup location is not too far from the cruise terminal.  http://www.lbtransit.com/Services/Passport.aspx

18 hours ago, JohninDC said:

I am a transplanted Okie and you are correct.  National, Alamo, Thrifty and Enterprise offer free shuttles between their MIA airport location and the port. Hertz, Avis and Budget have downtown locations close to the port and also usually offer shuttles.  Good options, but only if you need a car.

We are pretty similar...Okies who love to cruise and have dog photos as their Cruise Critic avatars.  😁

I believe if you just head down to the beach, there will be several canopies set up along the beachfront with vendors offering massages.  Generally the further down the beach you go, the more willing they are to negotiate on their prices.

I believe several of the rental car agencies at Miami International have a shuttle that will take you to the cruise terminal.  If you picked the car up on the 26th, you could probably keep it until the next day.  The morning of the cruise you could load up all the luggage and a co-pilot and drop all of the luggage at the cruise terminal while everyone else relaxes at the hotel.  Then you could pick up all the passengers take them to MIA and catch the provided rental car shuttle to the cruise terminal together.  

I would second JohninDC's suggestion.   It would be much cheaper and less of a hassle to go to Chankanaab.  If your kids really like animals, after you are done at Chankanaab, you could have your taxi take you to the Cozumel Humane Society to cuddle some of the kittens or walk some of the dogs.   

Kathy,

I would probably try posting this on the Carnival board with a title that talks about traveling with just one parent.  The Progreso board is not really a very busy board, so there will likely be few to no posters here to help you out.   Hope you find the answers you are looking for.

I've stayed at the Super 8 NASA/Webster area.  It's not super fancy, but it's clean, just a few miles off I-70, and a 45 minute drive to the port in the morning.

Lisalk12,  I think I may know you in real life.  We may have gone to Kiamichi together when we were young.  Good to see a fellow cruise addict from my town.

Had a similar experience on a Bodden tour with our driver, Howard.  We had booked a private tour for 2.  He dropped us off at the beach at West Bay and then asked if we "minded" if he went back to the port to pick up another couple to drop at the beach.  I was mildly surprised, but said that if he would be back in an hour or so we were okay with it.  Then when we were ready to leave the beach, he brought the other couple with us on our private tour and tried to feed me some bull about just wanting to make some money to feed his family.  We wanted to go to West End to eat lunch, and he proceeded to drop us off there (after he backed into another vehicle and didn't stop to examine the damage) while he took the other couple elsewhere on the island.  By then, we were really annoyed with his double-dipping and would have just found our own way back to the port (we hadn't paid yet), but our snorkel gear was in his van.  After he finally picked us up from the restaurant, we went to Bodden's headquarters to pay.  I refused to pay for a 2 person private tour and insisted that I would only pay for half of the rate of a 4 person private tour since that what we had actually received.  Howard tried to argue, but I stood my ground.  There were other things on the island that we had wanted to do for the day, but by then we no longer trusted our guide and wanted to go back to the port.  I emailed Victor Bodden after I arrived home to tell him about our experience.  He seemed horrified and refunded our money via PayPal, but the last time that I went to Roatan, I saw Howard still wearing a Bodden Tours shirt.  I used Rony's on my last visit there and will likely continue to do so since my issue was apparently not an isolated incident.  

Mitsugirly, have you guys ever visited the Humane Society of Cozumel?  They let visitors socialize with the animals or take them for walks.  Just a little idea for something different to do on the island.  It is within walking distance of the International and Puerta Maya piers and might help a mermaid miss her Loki a little less. 

I've used cavetubing.bz twice, and I was very happy with their service both times.  

On 6/19/2019 at 6:38 PM, briternik said:

  I don't think I am allowed to say names, but just wanted to give a review on the cavetubing company that uses the yellow tubes 🙂

I believe that you are allowed to say names, as long as it is a tour or company that you have actually experienced first-hand.  

Another vote for the aquarium.  They will hold all your luggage for you while you enjoy the aquarium.  We walked there from the terminal and then just got an Uber to the airport when we were done.  

What about Chankanaab?  Animals for the kids to see, gardens to walk around, and a nice beach/lagoon area.

Check out hotels in the Kemah area.  They have a boardwalk area that would provide some sightseeing and restaurant options.