Sigyn

I've booked the Springhill Suites for December pre-cruise. Has anyone stayed there? It looks new, and is about $225 a night, so fairly reasonable. 

We arrive at MLB the day before our cruise. What's the best transportation, as in not crazy expensive but not inconvenient, from MLB up to the Port Canaveral area? We've booked the Springhill Suites a few miles from the Port. 

I really appreciate everyone's input! I ended up booking a Carnival cruise. It worked out timing wise for us, and the ports were ones that I think will have a lot of good activities for each of us. 

16 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Contact Aqua Adventure  www.aquaadventurepr.com

or Caribe Aquatic  CARIBE-AQUATIC-ADVENTURES.COM

 

Both out of Escambron park , short taxi from piers.

 

Much appreciated!!!

On 9/14/2022 at 7:25 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

The only place used for snorkel/cat sail is just off Nevis, but not in any way impressive, which is also used for Scuba.  Save the money and use for a better experience on another island.

There are wreck scubas, if interested, but feel if DH and DS are looking for something memorable, then the answer is again look elsewhere and save one’s money to avoid disappointment.

This is good to know. Thanks!

On 9/14/2022 at 7:32 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

Friends have used Dive SM…. Loved it…..100% Professional, safe and friendly and always looking to ensure a great experience.  Make contact regard one’s requirements ie type and depths.

 

Thank you so much!

It's been a few years since I've done a cruise and I forget the timing on disembarkation day. We arrive in port (Port Canaveral) at 8 am. Our flight at MLB (Melbourne airport) isn't until 3 pm. Carnival offers transportation from the port in an 8:30 am - 9:30 am window and in a 9:30 am - 10:30 am window. Which should I choose? 

Thanks in advance!

We're flying into the Melbourne airport the day before our cruise to make sure we don't encounter any flight cancellations. What's the best way to get to the Cape Canaveral area? We aren't renting a car. We're staying at a hotel just a few miles from the port. 

Does anyone have experience with diving/scuba while at port on St. Maarten?

I don't see any posts about scuba diving in St. Kitts. Is this an option while at port? My husband and son would like to go diving. Has anyone done this?

Has anyone gone scuba diving in San Juan without doing it as an excursion through their ship? Our ship doesn't have a good diving option for this port. Thanks!

On 9/8/2022 at 7:03 PM, PACD_JG said:

If everybody said- no, your teen would hate it - would you not go?

 

I took my 15 and 14 year old daughters on an Alaskan cruise on the Koningsdam a couple of months ago.  They enjoyed it enough that they didn't balk when I booked a Thanksgiving cruise on the Nieuw Statendam.  But to be honest, I could care less if they enjoyed it or not.  My wife and I did, and we're the ones with the money, and therefore the say-so.  

If everyone said no, I would look into other cruise lines. I'm considering Celebrity, RC, Princess and Norwegian. I want my family to enjoy their experience, and they're all within $1,500 of the same price for the three of us.

On 9/8/2022 at 5:28 PM, sansterre said:

Our son had the best times on HAL cruises.  He met other teens and enjoyed the same things (especially the food) we like about HAL as opposed to the more casual Carnival and RC.

This is good to know. Thanks for sharing!

On 9/8/2022 at 5:26 PM, iceman93 said:

The short answer is that it depends on the 15 year-old.

 

If they enjoy low-key activities with other teens, sitting and visiting with you while listening to various styles of music, taking art classes or participating in trivia contests while on board, then they'll have a blast on HAL.  My kids fit into that category, and would not enjoy the rock climbing, jet surfing, go-go-go activity set advertised by some other lines.

 

A 7-day Caribbean holiday cruise is going to be a little different than the typical HAL cruise, as there are likely to be many more kids on board, and you may be spending lots of time in port as well.

 

Worst case, as they say, a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day at home!  It's only a week, and if you find you or your teenager don't enjoy the HAL product, then you'll know for next time.

My son enjoys both types of activities. He likes to sit around and talk to us, or listen to music, and he also enjoys being active. He's pretty flexible with what's available to entertain him. 

I'm considering a holiday cruise over Christmas, rather last minute at least to me, for my husband and I and our son, who will be 15 at the time of the cruise. I've never cruised on HAL before, but there are a couple of nice 7-day cruises to the east Caribbean during the time we're interested in traveling. Does anyone have experience with teens on HAL and did they enjoy the experience? My husband and I are in our 50's, so I know we'd like it, but don't want to bore the kid. Thanks!

For Caribbean I would look at the Breeze or Magic. We don't travel with kids, but we watch them on the ships having a blast. All the larger ships seem to have plenty of activities, active kids clubs, waterworks, etc. Definitely do a 7-day cruise, not a short one as those tend to be more party boats. Plus a 7-day will get your farther out, so places like Belize and Roatan are great.

 

As for Alaska...the Legend is the Carnival Ship, and it is not really set up for kids activities onboard more than any other ship. No outdoor pool, just an indoor that has little kids in it all day. The activities in Alaska are all OFF the ship, at the ports. I highly recommend to cruise, but just keep in mind the excursions (like helicopter up to glaciers, dog sledding, etc.) are not cheap...but they are MUST DO for families. No kidding, cruise of a lifetime and the kids will have so much to tell all the kids back at school afterwards. Alaska is like another planet for most people. It is insanely beautiful. We were on the cruise last JUNE and there were more families with kids than we expected, like lots and lots of kids and teens. It was wonderful to see them enjoying the adventure. I wish we had done it 10-15 yrs ago when our son was young. He's 28 now and wants to go, so I expect we will plan to do Alaska again next summer and take him.

 

robin

Thanks! Yes, Alaska is insanely beautiful from what I recall when I went with an old boyfriend in 1999. My husband and kids have never been and I can't even begin to describe to them how utterly amazing it is. I would love to share the experience with them.

An Alaskan cruise is totally and completely different than a Caribbean....weather not withstanding! Alaskan cruises are more about Alaska, than the ship. In the Caribbean, it's more about the ship and it's amenities....you are likely to be ON the ship more in the Caribbean than in Alaska.

Also, if you're on a budget, the Caribbean is VERY easy to do on your own, without those pricey "excursions"....so if you decide on the Carib. route, pick up a guidebook at your public library, and research your ports. With 5 in your party, you can save a bundle by doing just a bit of reading!!

Thanks! I have several guide books I got at the library yesterday and I'm busy reading about both Alaska and the Caribbean. I've been to Alaska once, on a 3-week land vacation that included a 1-day cruise to see the glaciers. It was amazing. There is so much history in Alaska and cool new things to see. Part of the problem is my husband and I are not beach people, but our kids are. We are fair skinned and burn easily and enjoy a day on the beach, but not 7 days nonstop. We prefer museums and exploring and hiking. But our kids are, well, kids, and tan easily and absolutely love the beach. So it's balancing out everyone's preferences.

What exactly was disappointing about the first two ships???

They were older ships and looked rundown inside.

We have cruised three times on Carnival. The first two ships were disappointing - the Triumph in 2009 and the Fascination in 2013. We enjoyed the Vista last year in Europe (of course!) and this year we are making last minute plans to take our three kids, ages 9, 14 and 16, on a cruise to either the Caribbean or Alaska.

Which ships do you think the kids would enjoy the most? Which ports? Should we stick with the Vista out of Miami or is there another ship or two that is new enough to include great water slides and Guy's burgers, etc?

The two oldest kids have done a 3-day Disney cruise with their mom (they're my step kids) and loved it, but the Carnival pricing is more in line with my budget for a 6,7 or 8-day cruise for five people. I priced Disney around $10,000 for a cruise. Ack. Too much!

My youngest was with me on the Triumph, but he was only 21 months old so this will be the first cruise he remembers and I want all the kids to have a great time.

Which ships do you recommend?

Having been to Arles (and been underwhelmed :eek:) I had to take a minute and look at your excursion. And guess what? It looks like your review posted. Yes? Oui? There's a 2-star review from a woman in Louisville, KY.

 

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/marseilles-provence/beautiful-french-towns-arles-and-st-remy-820038#

 

The description touts a "French cuisine lunch," and you say you "dined" at a Best Western. YUCK!! I'm so sorry that you wasted precious France-time on this! You'll just have to go back someday. :D

yup! that's mine. After posting here, I rewrote mine, and took out the Best Western reference, and that seemed to do the trick. I guess they didn't want any brand names listed at all.

All of my other excursions were small groups, and they were far superior to this one. Seriously, the lunch was just the absolute worst. Had I known how terrible the food was going to be - a bland blob of chicken in a cream sauce and a pile of plain noodles and overcooked squash - I would have opted to eat at a local restaurant nearby, paying for it myself, and meeting back up with the group later. But it wasn't just that. It was the fact that the tour guide was so sick and unable to talk - they really should have sent someone else - and what she did say was really boring, and nearly put me to sleep. Reminded me of high school history class with a teacher who hated his job!

I took a Carnival excursion in Marseilles, France (Provence) and it was truly terrible. It was the tour of St. Remy and Arles and I wrote a review giving it two stars (I felt generous). I followed all of the guidelines posted, not mentioning websites, competitors, etc, and yet Carnival still sent me an email saying that my review was not accepted.

It was a tour that cost $159.99 per person, so I think it's only reasonable to give others information about how poor the tour was. The tour was in Provence, France, known for some of the best food and wine on the planet, and yet they took us to a Best Western hotel for a lunch that was about the same as we'd have eaten in the U.S. at Denny's. The wine wasn't even drinkable. Plus, our tour guide was sick with a terrible hacking cough and was losing her voice and could barely talk to us the entire tour.

Anyway, just wanted to vent about how Carnival won't let me post a negative review. I think all of their reviews are suspect, given that they only seem to accept the best ones.

Back with IMAX news. My friends were on the Vista from Aug. 6-18 and the main movie throughout was Suicide Squad.

There were also four kids movies each day, and those rotated a bit (Under the Sea, Born to be Wild, A Beautiful Planet, Finding Dory, Ice Age: Collision Course)

I've found when researching, it's best not to only depend on what people have said or posted. Go to the source, so to speak.

 

For train schedules, go to http://www.trenitalia.com and you can switch to an English option. To check for the train schedule, put in a date within the next week -- regional train schedule does not appear for dates that are very far out, but the schedule doesn't vary.

 

If you take a look at Google maps, for example, you'll see Palatine Hill, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are all adjacent to each other. If you are ending your time in Rome at Palatine Hill, you should go back to the Colosseo metro stop (where your tour starts). You have two choices from here -- you can take the metro to Termini station and catch the regional train to Civitavecchia here OR you can take the metro in the other direction and get off at Pyramide metro station, then walk to the (connected) train station called Ostiense and board the regional train there.

 

On the one hand, if you go to Termini, you are much more likely to get a seat on the train going back, as it originates here. On the other hand, it is a looooong walk to the tracks for the regional train in Termini station and you are, in a sense, backtracking by going to Termini vs. Ostiense.

Yes, I've been on that site, trying to make sense of it, even in English. Do people buy their train tickets in advance? I thought you just buy them at the station.

See, that's why I'm confused. I read there were earlier express trains.

You say Da Michele was a huge disappointment, but go on to state, the pizza is very good and also quite inexpensive. I agree...the pizza is very good!

 

We arrived just after opening at about 11:30 and walked right in and shared a table with two Neapolitans, a mother and daughter. We enjoy dining occasionally with other travelers and locals while traveling in Europe...it just adds to the entire experience.

 

On a subsequent cruise, our CD recommended his favorite pizza restaurant which was located on a side street across from the port. It was raining and we opted not to walk to Da Michele and we paid the price. We should have walked to Da Michele because the pizza wasn't nearly as good. I'm sure there are other excellent pizza restaurants in Naples, but why chance it?

 

I love that beer is the same price as a soda. My kinda town!

We arrive in Civitavecchia on August 30 for one day in port, and I'm trying to determine the best way to DIY our way to Rome. Is it necessary to buy tickets in advance for the express train? Is the express train a viable option or should I just stick to the regular train?

Where do you recommend for the station to get off at for Rome? We want to tour the Spanish steps and Trevi fountain and other basic must-sees like those before we head over to the Colosseum for a 3.5 hour tour. Our meeting point for that one is the Colosseo metro line B stop, and then we finish up the tour at a different location, at the Palatine Hill. So I'm also not sure where that means I should get back on the train.

Any info is helpful. I've been busy researching this and don't have solid answers. Thanks!

I leave on the Vista in 8 days!