feebee

Hi Gambee, so glad to see this. I've missed reading your reviews and it's good to hear from you again. Also happy to hear things are going well with you and your mom.

cruisin52 we stayed at the Barrymore a couple of years ago. It was a clean, basic hotel close to the Tampa Riverwalk, walking distance to a drugstore and several cute little nonchain cafes for breakfast. We were able to get an early checkin and a room on the 14th floor that overlooked the river. Oddly the hotel seemed to double as housing for students from a local college (saw several groups moving out the day we were checking in). We didn't have any problems from this but then we were cruising in December after school ended. The hotel also offered a free shuttle within a two mile radius so got a free ride to the port for a small tip to the driver.

Joe - the Oosterdam actually docked at the Outer Mole in Key West when we were on her in Dec. Since this property is leased from the US Navy no one is allowed to walk around on their own and there are free trams/trolleys that run all day long taking people from the Outer Mole to downtown Key West and back again. Drop off point was near the aquarium. Once in the downtown area you could purchase tickets for an actual sightseeing trolley tour of Key West.

If you search for US Coast Guard ship Ingham on Google maps you will see a long curving pier that makes a fishhook shape to the left of the Ingham--that is the Outer Mole.

Eaton - in Dec. we set out clocks back one hour 2 AM Monday (day of arrival in Roatan) and then forward one hour 2AM Wednesday (day of arrival in Mexico).

Hi Florida gal,

I was just on the Oosterdam Dec. 2016 and this location doesn't get mentioned a lot but I stayed in downtown Tampa at the Barrymore right next to the Tampa Riverwalk. The hotel is about 6 blocks away from a CVS and there are lots of little cafes and restaurants along Tampa St. The hotel also offers a free shuttle to the port and any other location within two miles, just tip the driver

Aussie,

I went to the museum back in 2015 and that year admission was $8US for adults and $3US for children 6 - 12.

I enjoyed it but then I am a museum person and it was raining off an on all day that day so it was a good escape for several hours. Again, I am a museum person that reads every little placard and watches every video so it might not take a regular person more than an hour to get through.

There is an 18 minute theater show included in the admission that goes over a bit of the history and peoples of the Cayman Islands, a natural history gallery, an old jail that is undergoing excavation, and then upstairs more indepth exhibits on Cayman home life, church life, judicial history of the building, fisherman's stories, a little art gallery, and a children's gallery.

sorry I'm a little late but wanted to chime in on this. You can use credit cards but there is a minimum purchase of $15 US. They will accept US dollars.

Hi cruisegirl,

Per board rules I'm not allowed to recommend a tour I've not been on. I can only suggest you reach some of the other threads on this board or on Tripadvisor to find a good fit for your family.

Enjoy Dominica, it is a beautiful island and I enjoyed my visit there.

Just did this at the end of Jan. and the water in the gorge, while deep in some places, is very calm at least until you get closer to the waterfall at the end. The distance one way is about 75 feet and there are places along the way next to the walls where you can stand and rest. Our guide also provided everyone with buoyancy belts. Close to the waterfall our guide had everyone wait while he swam ahead, then one by one he would throw us a lifering tied to a rope and pull us to the base of the waterfall.

I am not a strong swimmer myself and had no problems doing this. On the return trip the current pushes you back out so just doggie paddling is fine, also prevents you from accidently kicking one of your group.

We went with Levi Baron (Bumpiing Tours) who charged $50/person for snorkeling at Champagne Reef, Titou Gorge, and Trafalgar Falls.

cruzr I walked from the Breakers to the bitter end, a bit past the beach and Ledge Rd. Ended up on Coggleshall Ave. somehow. Took maybe 2.5 hours but that included a lot of gazing out to sea, taking pictures, and poking around in tidal pools. I was able to take my time because the ship was in port until 8 that night, so no great rush to get through it.

hope this reply is not too late. I did the part of cliffwalk that starts near the Breakers and walked all the way to the southern end. I didn't notice any poison ivy and in fact some park workers were busy trimming and neatening up the hedges on either side the day I was there. In general the path seemed very open until the very end with no vines or anything growing into the space you would be walking.