wolft927

So we are sailing MSC for first time in September. I will say, we have cruised all the major lines and as far as the buffet goes they are all crazy lol. Ships are going to be crowded especially in peek season which is why we tend to sail off season from September to say around February. 

Finding a lounge chair can be difficult especially if you are one to sleep in and not make it to the sundeck till 11 or 12. Wife and I are typically out around 9am so always get pretty good spots. 

The crowds are part of cruising and we just go with the flow. 

2 hours ago, Marie51 said:

I would not use the shuttle service purchased from carnival. The last time I did that we ended up sitting on the shuttle for a long time waiting for it to fill up. You’re better off just leaving the ship and getting a taxi to the airport, it will be much quicker.

Agreed, you should never take the shuttle as it is hit or miss if you leave fast or sit for 30 minutes, 

3 hours ago, Kate45 said:

Thinking about this cruise in the fall 2024.... Vancouver to Alaska to San Francisco to San Diego. Wondering if the booze pkg is a good deal or not. Taxes and grats for the 12 nite cruise are $360 pp. What is the average price of say a beer or a crown royal. How many can you drink before you are ahead of the pkg price?

So $360 PP for 12 nights equal to $30 a day in drinks. Depending on what you are drinking let’s say each drink is $7 you would need to drink 4 per day to break even basically and everything else above that would be gravy. 
 

plus I believe a crown and coke is more then $7. So me personally, get the FAS drink package and never worry about having a bar bill at the end of the cruise. 

So to the OP, will you have a beverage package (FAS), if so sodas are free. If not, sodas are not. But wow, I haven't purchased a soda onboard in a lot of years as we always have the drink package, but holy crap, $4.20 for a can of soda! 

Every cruise I have ever been on out of Miami ships are usually tied up between 5am and 6am. Express walk off around 7am. So as long as there is no delay getting into Miami you should be at the airport before 8am. 

I would say that all the major lines, CCL, RCCL, MSC, NCL will have good night life especially leaving out of Miami and Port Canaveral. Larger ships have better venues so you don’t need to worry about the ship being dead at night. Now Princess I will say the nights ended pretty early when I was on the Regal Princess. 

Always call as I get the 5% for status as well as 5% for booking more then 9 months out too

Stay by the airport and its much cheaper for a nicer place and room. We like the Hilton Blue Lagoon MIA. We got a 1 bedroom suite with screened in balcony for $250. Regular room was $150.  Downtown Miami for a basic room would have ran us over $300 at least not to mention if you have to park then add another $40, and they all have Resort fees around $20 to $30 per night. 

12 hours ago, Ashland said:

For a Miami hotel try Hampton Inn Suites Blue Lagoon. Comp hotel shuttle from MIA.

For a Fort Lauderdale hotel try Hyatt Place. Check rates with ValueTrips when their schedule comes out end of this year for reservations in 2025.

 

Renting a car if you're a Costco member check out their online rental prices.

I agree, Either the Hilton or Hampton Blue Lagoon. Free shuttles from airport, $14 shuttle to cruise port and I know the Hilton is around $150. 

19 minutes ago, Agrajag27 said:

One other question: We have a 12pm-1pm boarding time (Aurea experience). Can we show up earlier to get on the boat earlier or is that the earliest we will get on?

So Port Canaveral is pretty liberal on this as long as you don't arrive the morning of say a USCG Inspection, Health Inspection or even a full crew immigrations check. We have never been asked for our boarding times, simply walked into the terminal. 

But with that being said, if you are denied don't get upset lol

We have sailed the Breakaway, Escape, and Joy multiple times all in the Haven and by far our favorite was the Joy. We loved the breakaway too, but the dining room is on the small side and no hot tubs on the outer haven sundeck. The Joys Haven sundeck is both port and starboard side hot tubs on both sides. Also the outdoor dining areas on Joy and Escape were very nice. 

We sailed out of Terminal 10 in January. They did not open the garage till after 10am, and we had a 9:30am check in time. Not a big deal really, and there were plenty of spots. 

So I will say since its a shorter cruise your looking at the nightlife will be busy. They do have a nightclub on the ship, its a lounge that turns into a nightclub. Typically these places will stay open as long as people are drinking or until around 2 to 3am. 

Have you cruised before? 

On 5/12/2024 at 1:19 PM, Beaver1975 said:

He is currently on vacation and not sure which ship he is going back to sometime in June.

Thanks, Worked with Pedro years and years ago when we were both with NCL. Will be cruising the Seascape in September so maybe he will be on

Staying in the Haven many times, we have no preference when we use our Specialty dining other then never on embarkation day or the last night of the cruise. 1st night in the Haven is always Filet with two lobster tails! we did live Q on the Joy and I will say might not be the best BBQ ever lol, but the portions were huge and love the live country/rock band that plays as well. We used to do Cagneys, but if there is Moderno's on the ship opt for that instead. I will say the Italian place is also very good! 

I will say, also having your meal brought to your cabin is also a treat. We had the Haven Aft Facing Balcony and had it set up outside and it was amzing!

On 3/22/2024 at 6:15 PM, CruisinTrucker said:

What ship were you on? Is this normal to expect with any sailing? I will be there on the SKY in May and from what I found in Google searches, there won't be any other ships present. I would assume that it wouldn't be as bad with a small ship and no others to jam things up. This is my first cruise and just want to know what to expect here since it's the only tender stop.

With one ship you should be good as you are not sharing the shoreside tenders. Also the ski is much smaller then the Escape which i was on in January so tendering should go much faster. 

So across at Biscayne Market place is a place called Bacon Bit*h. Great food, but is a little pricey but fun. 

So there is a free shuttle from airport to hotel. Then we either Uber or take the Shuttle from hotel to terminal which is $14pp. Very easy process just book the shuttle for the terminal when checking in. 

11 hours ago, Lbsahm said:

What was your room rate? Does it include parking and/or shuttle?

I’ll also be on the Seascape on the 28th, and my 60th BD will be on 02 Oct. 

we are flying in , so no need for parking. The rate for the 1 bedroom suite with screened in balcony was $258 all in 

Welcome! So your arrival time is noon, so if embarkation is on time and smooth you should be onboard no later then 1pm. Some tips for embarkations day:

If you are a pool person, pack your bathing suites in your carry on, or even my wife wears her bikini on under her shorts and tank top so you can enjoy the pool once you get onboard. 

If you can, eat breakfast before you board as the buffet will be an utter S*IT SHOW embarkation day. Wait till later in the afternoon to grab a bite. 

If you haven't done so, make specialty dining reservations if you plan to eat at them. Longer you wait the more of a chance time slots fill up.

Now, not sure how big of a drinker you are but boarding at 1pm my advise is pace yourself lol. I can honestly say after being on who know s how many cruise there have been times that I am so excited when boarding that I over indulge a bit to much and end up in bed by 7pm lol. 

It is exciting watching and reading about others first cruises. I remember taking my wife on her first cruise (when we were dating) and the look on her face pulling up to the port, walking up the gangway and then onboard was one of the greatest experiences. Was even funnier when she asked how much the drinks were, and when I told her nothing as we have the drink package to see her give that devilish smile lol. 

Remember, whether you want to plan minute by minute each part of your day or are now like us where we don't plan anything onboard and take us where the wind blows, enjoy yourself and have fun!  

Depending on what you would like ot do all day Saturday, I would choose Cocoa Beach. Its a 2 minute drive to the port and lots to do during the day with the beach and such. Also you could go to one of the bar/grills and watch the ships sail out Saturday afternoon. 

Was there tis past Janaury, Still a good spot to spend a couple hours and has pleny of bars and places to eat. 

Has Anyone seen Pedro Serra Lately? 

Also try the Hilton Blue Lagoon, free airport shuttle and also has a nice pool. Prices are reasonable, got a 1 bedroom Suite with Large balcony for about $280, believe standard room was about $150

7 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

No. They usually have an all-aboard time of 11:00 or 11:30 PM and reopen the island around 8:00 AM. The employees who live on the island need to have time to clean, sleep, etc.

 

I figured as much, and also this would leave opportunity for bad things to happen.