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I called the upset line a few time as my Easter week cruise (on the Escape) approached...and I finally lucked out the DAY BEFORE our cruise. They simply weren't offering the mini suites until then.

So my advice is to be patient and just keep trying. I upgraded two rooms for a total of $600. Their first offer was $800.

Good luck!

Thanks so much to everyone for the suggestions!

We will be in Miami on the 24th (on Escape March 26th) and I don't think it's possible for my kids to be any more excited!

Hello Everyone,

We will be in Miami, staying at Eden Roc for 2 nights. I am wondering if anyone has some restaurant suggestions for family friendly restaurants (my kids are 11 and 15, so it doesn't have to be baby friendly). I see lots of really high end restaurants in the immediate area. I'd rather stay away from chains if possible since I like to patronize local establishments.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you everyone!

These are great suggestions!

My daughter is a freshman in high school and she is very involved in dance.

She has talked about auditioning to dance on a cruise ship in the future, and I would love for her to be able to speak briefly with one or more of the dancers about what life is like as a cruise ship entertainer.

Any suggestions on how to go about making that happen? We will be on the Escape over Spring Break this year.

Thanks!

My picks with small children:

Secret Harbour in St. Thomas (my kids LOVED it)

and Le Galion Beach in St. Martin (check it out on Tripadvisor, the locals sometimes call it "baby beach" because it is very calm and sheltered)

Here is the cabdriver's email...

dr.glen170@hotmail.com

He was great - and very reasonable. He wouldn't even let us pay him until the return trip (so we knew for sure he was coming back!)

We just got off Freedom last Sunday and we had rooms 9696 and 9701. The combination is a balcony and connecting inside. It was PERFECT for us. I would book this combination any time. It was pretty far aft, but the walk didn't seem that long. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to snag these rooms:)

I second the vote for kayaks! We just did this last week and had an amazing time.

I prearranged a cab driver (I did a google search, but if you PM me I will give you his contact info)and we paid him when he returned to pick us up (his idea). Oz, the owner of Caribbean Paddling, even called the cab driver to make sure he was coming.

It was a simply wonderful day in paradise.

Just wanted to let anyone who is interested know that we spent a wonderful day in Secret Harbor this past week.

I was worried about crowding since the island has at least 6 boats in port that day, so I reserved a 2 chairs and an umbrella from the dive shop.

The snorkeling on either side of the beach was good. We saw a family of squid, lobster, and lots of beautiful fish.

There was a restaurant on site and clean bathrooms.

We loved deck 4 on the Magic also. It was one of my family's favorite places to go take a walk after dinner.

We just got off the Freedom Sunday and they have a deck 4. The chairs are not the cushioned type found on the Magic, but the vibe is the same. We played shuffleboard and had a great time!

I second Le Gallion. Sometimes it's even called "Baby Beach". It's a nice calm area with lots of shade :)

Hello

We have friends who will be on the Getaway the same week we are on Freedom of the Seas. We will both be in St. Thomas the same day.

I would love to meet them on St. John and was wondering if anyone has done the tour with NCL that is just basically transportation to St. John ( I thinks it's called "St. John on your own"), and if so, what time you arrived and departed St. John.

Our Ship doesn't get into St. Thomas until noon, so I am worried we might miss them if we take Royal's St. John tour (we may be getting to the island as they are departing!)

Thanks in advance.

We did the St. John Coastal Cruise of National Park Beaches through the ship. It was EXCELLENT! The crew was awesome. The boat pulled up right to the dock right by the ship. The boat had an inside area with wooden booths plus an outdoor area with benches and upper deck with seating. The boat had a restroom as well as a bar with drinks (sodas, waters, beer, snacks) for purchase.

 

The Captain (Jack) narrated the whole way there and pointed out various sites and made recommendations on things to do. From Cruz Bay private ferry dock it was easy to take a cab; we went to Trunk Bay. On the return trip home, we saw the sunset and had some delicious complimentary rum punch.

 

It was $52 for adults, $30 (or so) for kids and free for our infant. Really a great tour and not overly crowded or anything like that.

Thank you so much! This is exactly the information that I was looking for :)

I notice that you went to St. John on your St. Thomas stop.

We are on the Freedom on March 23rd and would like to go to St. John.

Did you do an excursion from the ship, or did you take the ferry on your own. If you did the excursion, which one? Was it worth the $$?

Thanks so much!

I made a reservation for kayaks from Caribbean Paddling for our day in St. Martin. My husband is a little worried about driving when we are on the island, so I got a quote from the taxi driver that the proprietor of Caribbean paddling recommended.

Her quote was $30 round trip. There are four of us (2 adults 2 children) so the total price will be $120. Does that seem about right? I understand that the driver need to make it worth her while, but I don't want to get gouged!

If anyone has experience with taxi rates to and from the ferry to Pinel (which is where the kayaks are located, please let me know.

I have checked out the taxi rate sheets, and my quote seems high according to those, but I don't want to be left stranded...

Thank you in advance.

Laura

We are going to be in St. Martin March 27th and I have reserved 2 kayaks through Caribbean Paddling. Check out trip advisor for reviews. The proprietor gave me a contact for a taxi and said that if there is any problem for the way home he would be there to make sure we got back to the boat.

I am really looking forward to Pinel!

I have been on DCL, NCL and RCL with my family.

DCL was our "gateway drug" so to speak :) We went on the Magic twice and my now 9 year old son still counts Disney as his favorite line. I have to add that we thought the vibe on board was very friendly. I urge you to hop over to the dis boards since there is a much warmer, more accepting feel. Plus, the fact that you can carry on all your alcohol is a plus.

NCL was wonderful also. We were on the Epic and loved the freestyle concept and the entertainment was top notch. My son was not thrilled with the kids clubs, however. I can't put my finger on why, but he was not as comfortable and spent far less time there.

RCL was our choice last year. We were on the Navigator and my son again loved the clubs. Our 12 year old daughter would have nothing to do with them (big shock) but there was plenty for her to do on board without them.

We are counting the days until we leave on the RCL Freedom. Honestly, it was a toss up between the Freedom and NCL's Getaway for this spring break. For me it comes down to ship, cost, and itinerary, and how each fits our specific needs. We choose my time dining on RCL and while it is not as "smooth" as NCL's freestyle (a little more waiting) it still works for us. Set dining times are not enjoyable for our family. Many times we would get room service for my son since he wanted optimal "club" time and could care less about formal dining.

I think Disney has priced itself out for us. It is just too expensive for the experience. Perhaps if I still had very little children, but my kids love the excitement of a sports deck, skating rink and the like.

Hope this helps a little.

My family swam with the dolphins in Cozumel at Chankanaab. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend looking into it. Check the excursions page here.

That would be great if it went west in 2014. I really don't want to do the eastern again for while ... We just got home Saturday :( and I am already feeling like my family won't be happy on a smaller ship. We went from the Disney Magic (twice) to the Epic (Epic wins, hands down) and now I am contemplating the Oasis!