mbk999

Yeah, I liked that one too but it's too late in the month for the school schedule and my wife will be back to work.

Good to hear that it's not a huge issue for folks. It would have been interesting this week if the industry hadn't been shut down, we'd have been sailing down the east coast through the storm.

07 August sailing. I liked the Labadee/San Juan/St Thomas/Perfect Day itinerary. Hopefully the family wedding next summer won't be then and MD doesn't go crazy and start schools in early August....

Thanks I'll still price check but I don't think I'll drop to a GS if one comes open, I'll stick with the Loft. My only concern is any increased motion as my wife can be susceptible to motion sickness but she wanted to try the suite too.

I just booked a Loft suite on the Symphony for next August. I wanted a suite in order to get the Sky Class benefits, Not to isolate but in today's world, having access to areas that aren't as crowded is a good thing to me. And if they got too crowded for comfort, whether for covid reasons or just too many people, we'd at least have a bigger room/balcony to hang out in. We are boring cruisers too and hang out on the pool deck doing a lot of reading. I originally looked at a Grand Suite but by the time I got with the TA, the last one was gone so I went to the crown loft. My logic was that my FCC was already a sunk cost so the additional price was the cost for this cruise. It's our first time in a "real" suite so I am really looking forward to it.

Have a great cruise!

If you're coming in earlier in the afternoon or evening, I'd personally just drive to the port and stay there (it's been too many years since I've stayed at Port Canaveral hotels to have an opinion on any). If you're coming in late, the Hyatt is a great option though it was >$200 the last time I was there. Great hotel and it's nice to be in bed <20 minute after collecting your luggage. I just walked down to the airport food court and got breakfast the next morning. I've stayed at the Hampton Inn by the airport and it was fine. It's about a mile away so also a good option for late flights.

If you haven't done Halloween Party, it's a lot of fun. You'll be able to get into the parks at 4 PM. Signed, They Guy Whose Wife Made Him Wear a Jack O' Lantern shirt The whole trip sounds awesome, have a great time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/world/amp-stories/seaweed-invasion/ That stuff isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Maybe Murphy's law just bit you on that trip. Our Allure cruise was a 50th for me and a 25th for us. The cruise was during the same month as the anniversary at least, it was a few months different than my birthday. Our TA asked us about that it when we booked and asked which days we wanted them to be recognized. On those nights, they brought out a special dessert at dinner.

I wear dockers/slacks and a button-down or polo shirt but I've seen shorts, T-Shirts, jeans, sandals, etc so I don't think you'll be turned away for wearing jeans. You'll probably be in the middle, some will be dressed up more, some will be dressed down more.

Trip planning is half the fun... There's just too many options around Orlando to go wrong, even if you don't go to the parks. We just got back from a week at the Mouse and Disney Springs has some fantastic restaurants. Animal Kingdom Lodge has a couple of great restaurants and if you have reservation to eat there, you can park at the resort and wonder around it's own savanna observation areas. None of it is cheap but we had really good times. I don't know what time of year you're planning on going but if it's in the winter, I can't imagine there'd be a lot to do for a couple of days in Cocoa, other than KSC.

Exactly. I used to use Melbourne a lot and it is (or at least was) a nice little airport but there's not a lot of alternate flight options if something comes up. Plus, can you fly direct into Melbourne from your location? That's what caused me to stop using it as I would have had to transfer in Charlotte or Atlanta. If you can fly direct to MCO and have alternate flight options, that's what I would do. Melbourne is a little closer than MCO but it's not like FLL which is right across from the cruise port. It's still 25-30 minutes away. Plus, the bulk of the Orlando traffic is west of the airport towards the theme parks and I-4, the traffic between MCO and Cocoa Beach is not that bad (normally). If you're coming in a couple of days early, you can always do a theme park one day and/or Disney Springs or Universal CityWalk and then head over to Canaveral for the beach day or KSC. It would give you more options.

3.5 hour drive on Florida's turnpike. Should be good.

That's a good point. Luckily I haven't run into that situation.