mjkacmom

You really do need to eat your sandwiches under towels, all of my kids have learned the hard way.

My 5 have been in all age groups on cruises. They loved the little kids clubs, loved the teen clubs (mostly to meet others), every single one of them hated the tween clubs and refused after the first time. I think it’s just an awkward age with vastly different maturity levels.

The ship was anchored, it was a tender port, the tender gangway was already away.

I live close to nyc, I follow a nyc tourist page on Facebook, almost all report back on how kind and helpful locals are, which I agree with.

Our first cruise was NCL in 2016, at the time I had no idea there were two cruise ports less than 20 miles from my home, had zero interest because I thought you had to dress for dinner and eat with strangers. Someone told me about NCL and I was sold.

The ship was anchored off shore. All of the tender boats were already secured, as well as the dock the tenders used to get passengers on the ship. The only way to get the passengers on the ship was the dick used by the harbor pilot, one of the most dangerous jobs due to the difficulty and risk of getting on and off ships in that manner.

It really doesn’t matter, the ship is very clear that they won’t wait.

An island where they chose to take an independent excursion? They weren’t in any danger that I’ve read about. Apparently some felt so safe that they didn’t even bother to bring a credit card, which is crazy.

On NCL we pay taxes in NY on drinks, but not in Florida. Not all us ports charge taxes.

Under 16 just need a birth certificate,

I suspect you’ve never had to get a passport for a child. They cost $135 and both parents need to be there for the appointment. Applications need to be filled out, most appointments are during working hours. They are only valid for 5 years. It cost us $675 to get our kids passports for a 3 night cruise. It was a one and done and then they expired. Our total for passports was $1005, for a 3 night cruise.

Let them know when booking, go to a MDR upon boarding, the dietary manager with meet with you and explain ordering meals ahead of time if you wish. My daughter ordered breakfast and dinner each day, which were delivered to our table. She called them when we were heading to eat (never made reservations) and it was brought to our table with everyone’s food. We ate at the buffet each morning.

Not me but some if my young adult kids have. My son flew down to SC to celebrate his 21st birthday with his twin and lost his drivers license. Another sibling was flying down the next day and brought him his passport card (really didn’t want him carrying his passport around at the bars). My kids have misplaced their licenses before and it’s nice to have a backup, especially since this age group needs ID frequently. $30 over 10 years, worth it to me.

The one article? There are tons. Just because you haven’t seen one of the 3 - 4 deaths a year doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. I think I first heard about the dangers while watching Below Deck, but a quick google works as well.

You do realize that a harbor pilot had a 1 in 20 percent of dying every time he boards a ship? Very highly paid job, but extremely dangerous.

I’ve never seen anyone actually swim in a pool on a cruise, they’re packed in like sardines.

They want/need you to leave, the vibe definitely changes. I think you usually need to be out of the cabin by 8, they need to clear the ship before new passengers board.

Might still be closed.

But for an extra $30 we always get it in addition to our passport book.

You will have to call, and no.

Maybe it’s because we always got into taxis right at the port, and returned in taxis we got into at resorts, but during the 8 times we’ve used them, no issues. One was really fantastic going to Cable beach, talked the whole time about the area, it was a bonus tour.

Teen clubs are for meeting others to hang out with. My 5 are very close in age and close to each other, yet always found their own groups of friends on cruises, on the last one dd14 had a group, ds14 had a group, dd16 had a group, ds19 and dd20 shared a group (more difficult without a club). He won’t be hanging around with 12 year olds, they sort themselves out.

Unless they can’t, then they will get you to the next port.

We are a family of 7, were always charged $5 each, never any waiting. Did you offer to share the taxi? Taxi is definitely faster and there is no walking, water taxi is good if you aren’t in a hurry and don’t mind walking, we wanted to get to Atlantis asap and grab loungers/lockers.

How the heck do you know this? They could’ve gotten lost, they could’ve had an injury and went to an urgent care, not all pier runners (and I’d say very few) ae due to outside excursions.