Susan in Maine

We did this with my MIL last November and it worked like a charm! She is reasonably mobile and didn't need any other assistance on the ship. She had just turned 88, and since boarding is a bit frenetic with people moving very quickly (understandably so), using the wheelchair assist was a lot less stressful.

I have been on a cruise thru a hurricane and one thru a blizzard and had lots of fun on both of them! The chance a hurricane will hit when and where you are going is actually quite small. You are on a very big ship that will be able to ride out any storms that they can't navigate around. One of our favorite memories is from the blizzard cruise. We had an outside cabin on one of the lowest decks. During the storm my daughter and I loved watching the seas break on the windows!

I get motion sickness so badly that I can actually make myself sick in stop and go traffic.

I take meclizine(Bonine) at night starting 24 - 48 hours before I start travelling. I also take regular Dramamine with me for break thru nausea. With those two drugs I'm fine! Scopolamine (the patch) is a strong drug and can have some nasty side effects. The cheapest way to get meclizine is thru Amazon where you can get 100 tablets for under $10. You'll pay more than that in a pharmacy. If you are already sick Dramamine is better, but it's shorter acting. Bonine is great for prevention.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you!!

On 6/10/2024 at 10:23 AM, jame_g said:

The way the regulations typically work is that it applies if you are a resident of California. It doesn't matter where the business is located if they are marketing/selling to California residents. It's not that complicated to determine how or when it applies. It gets complicated if you want to do things like this state by state instead of universally/country-wide though. Business usually pick the strictest law and apply that nationally to keep it as simple and uniform as possible.(although not always possible where one state law conflicts with another state's law.)

I agree with you. That was kinda my point, but I guess I didn't say it as well as you did.

57 minutes ago, Golfplyr said:

Did you use a airport shuttle to Orlando airport? I was thinking of using a company called go port shuttle. 

We used it last November and I would use it again.

Last November there was a big back-up to get off the causeway to Port Canaveral. There was an accident and no one could leave the parking lot until almost 10:00. So it doesn't always work to get to Orlando airport early. It's a 45 minute drive with no traffic.

Reading that 'someone made an 11AM flight' isn't in any way a guarantee that you'll make it too. Most people suggest that noon is the earliest, 2:00 or so is better.

22 hours ago, chanceflight said:

We would like to get off the ship as early as possible. (MSC Seashore).  To do early off, do you need to sign up for it? Or do you just keep your bags and go when they announce early off?

 

Also, are UBERs usually available? Or is there a more efficient way to get to the airport?

What time is your flight?

2 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Are we saying that if CA enacts a piece of local legislation that the other 49 states are somehow obligated to comply?

No.

However, when a company does business largely thru a website, it would really be an issue trying to have one set of prices for CA, and another for the rest of the country. 

For example, does it apply when you book a cruise that sails from CA? Does it apply if you are a resident of CA? How about if you live somewhere else and book thru a TA who is in CA? If the customer service person is somewhere else, but you are in CA?

It would get really complicated really quickly, so it would be easier to comply across the board.

22 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If you don't care about the space of the cabin, or storage...YC Interior is the best value at sea.

It takes about 1 minute to use the dedicated elevator up to the pool deck.

Unfortunately the friend I'm sailing with insists on a balcony.

7 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

It really does depend on what's important to you. We had only ever sailed YC or Aurea but after the changes to what was included in Aurea we decided to try Fantastica last year. For us, the fixed dining time wasn't amenable. Early seating was too early and the late time too late. We were fortunate not to share a table on that trip but that's a big no for us too. And we really missed the Aurea sundeck. It was worth the experiment but it did confirm to us the value we'd pay for Aurea, even with the changes. 

As illustrated in the different replies, some people will value the Aurea benefits and for others they're not worth it. 

So after being in the YC, Aurea was still good?

Does anyone know how much more the Premium Extra package costs if you buy it before you sail?

Thank you!

Susan

I'm looking at a cruise on MSC Maraviglia. I've seen great reviews about the Yacht Club, but I can't afford that. How is the Aurea experience?

I have cruised with Royal Caribbean, Carnival. NCL, Princess and Disney.

Thank you!

Can you get your match level before you book your cruise? I am gold with Carnival and Platinum with Royal Caribbean. Never mind - I figured it out.

Thank you!

We LOVE the cove cabins. If you like being near the water they are awesome. I'm looking at our next cruise and will only book a cove.

On 2/16/2024 at 5:52 AM, Momma1980 said:

I feel it was cruel to take the dog on a cruise with no access to land without preparing it to potty on something familiar that they could have brought along. 28 HOURS without relieving itself?!?!

The whole point of having a service dog is because the human needs the dog ALL THE TIME. So you are actually saying the family shouldn't take a cruise because of the dog. Not your dog (hahahaha!), not your race.

Mullwi - I loved your review, and it was NOT too much information! It helped a lot.

I've looked up renting a golf cart ahead of time. There are a couple of vendors that are charging $90. Since the prices seem to be higher when you book one right off the ship, does it make sense to reserve it before we get on the ship?

Thanks!

Has anyone seen her/on her/pictures since she came out of drydock?

Thanks everyone!

Thank you!

Which dining room is for anytime dining, and which is for set time dining? Thank you!

We loved the cove balcony we had on Magic. Just be sure that your balcony isn't under the galley, or it will be really noisy!

Thanks! I booked GoPort

Are these available on shorter cruises? We are on the Freedom November 11, and I'm not seeing anything!