JimnKaren

And, you will enjoy the canal. Been there 7 times.

Jim

HAL doesn't need to get vets on their cruises. They are already booked. At least that is my take on it. It is wonderful that other cruise lines do this, but I won't sail with a cruise line just because of the benefits. I cruise for the itinerary. If it is a toss-up, I will go with the extra OBC.

Jim

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

Jim

They are just trying to make people happy (those in the accounting office, not the passengers). Stay with what you have!

Jim

I suggest that you take a few hours and tour the Tampa Aquarium. It is right there! You get off, walk that short distance, enjoy yourselves and either have a bite there or return to the ship while others are boarding and acting goofy as they try to find their cabin, eat lunch, etc.

You will notice that the passengers are much younger on the 7-day itinerary.

Jim

I have never once been robbed in Belize. I have never once been drugged in a bar in Belize.

Jim

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You can ask lots and lots of questions here. BUT, once you learn, you gotta share what you have learned.

Here is a tip: go to the cruise line form where you will be sailing: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

Here is another tip: join your roll call and make friends and ask for advice from folks who have been there and done that.

Last tip for tonight from me: have a great time!

Jim

We were on Island Princess in September/October. Nothing new then.

Jim

And, of course you know that weather can be unpredictable. Like the weather in Port Charlotte these past few days!

Just do it!

Jim

We went through the canal on Island last month. The folks we ate dinner with had that situation. They were told that they could not be in their cabin/balcony during the transit, but the Sanctuary would be free during that time.

When they returned to their cabin, someone had been there and left an empty cola can on their balcony. They were extremely irritated.

Jim

Rarely before 10:30 a.m. (11:00 is more like it). You can check in earlier (with a frown from people in the terminal), but you will have to sit and wait for everyone to get off the ship from the itinerary prior to yours.

Jim

IF (that is a BIG IF) the ship is late in its arrival, your early flight would not work. Is there one about 2-3 hours later that you might be able to board in case you miss the early one?

We have found more and more passengers are getting off early and it tends to get a bit crowded in the terminal lines; however, your global entry would make it super-easy to get through. Cabs will be plentiful and the ride is quick that early in the day. Are you accustomed to getting yourself and your luggage off easily?

Jim

You might want to look up on the Port Everglades Web site to determine how many ships will be in port the same date. Sometimes, not often, it gets to be a bit squirrely at the airport in February. It all has to do with weather conditions at the plane's destination. 

Jim

We live north of Tampa about 50 miles. We rent from Budget in New Port Richey (don't know if you will be near there or not). AARP gets you better rates. AND you don't have to pay stooopid airport fees.

Check out Budget AARP and look for neighborhood rental places.

Once you have dropped off the car at the airport in Miami, getting to the pier is easy.

We were on Island as it made its way along the west coast and through the canal. We had been on Pacific in May, we bypassed Nicaragua and went to Puerto Chiapas instead. Island Princess did stop at San Juan del Sur, I refused to get off; my belief being that Princess Cruises as a large corporation was feeding money into a country where civil unrest was everywhere. I would not be a part of that. You might be aware that the US State Department had removed almost all of its people this past summer. I wasn't save then, and I don't think it is safe now.

Jim

Weatherunderground

Accuweather

Weather.com

All offer information based on history of weather in a given location.

Jim

Generally at the mega cruise terminal.

Jim

Tough one! My first thought was to lean toward Carnival. We have been on Carnival during New Year's and there were several mulit-generation family groups. It appeared that they all had a good time.

Nieuw Statendam is new, not even sailing its inaugural voyage yet. My biggest concern with that situation is that the crew, although good, might not have their team-work down yet.

All the ships mentioned are larger that what we usually sail on, that is our preference. If you have not used a local travel agent, then I strongly suggest that you consult one. Those people have the time and the knowledge to help you.

Jim

You might get better responses by posting on the Carnival forum:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/133-carnival-cruise-lines/

Jim

Take enough to buy me a nice gift. My birthday is April 17.

Jim

Many questions might get answered here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

Jim

Many have elected to stop for the night in Jacksonville, FL.

If you stick with national chain hotels/motels you will discover plenty of them are in safe areas and if they aren't clean, then you ask for your money back.

Hotels in Ft. Lauderdale are not outrageously priced. Again, check out the pricing on line for several brands.

What are doing with your car? Are you driving a rental or your own vehicle? If your own, where do intend to park it during the cruise. You ought to look here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

Jim

Here is the Caribbean link for ports of call. You need to read that.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

And...welcome to Cruise Critic.

Jim

Island Princess between Vancouver and Ft. Lauderdale included "Encore", "Do You Wanna Dance" and "On The Bayou".

If you look carefully at the deck plan, you will see that there are only two ways in/out of the theater. If you elect to sit near the stage, it could take you up to 20 minutes to exit.

Here's the thing with Island Princess, they added many cabins that increased the passenger count. However, they did not expand the dining rooms nor the theater. It can be an issue at both venues when there just isn't room for everyone due to the higher passenger count.

I will take a dumb guess and posit that the show times will change. In the past, first seating was 5:15 and the show began at 7:45. I guess that the show time will now be about 7:15 for early seating folks and 9:15 for the late dining folks. Those who go 'anytime' just gotta figure out what to do.

Jim

Be aware that there are cruises leaving Tampa, New Orleans, Mobile and Houston/Galveston, too. Due to their location, a western Caribbean (Belize, Cozumel, Roatan, etc.) is practical.

Jim