Zacharius

I hate to say it, but this is such a specific situation that I wouldn't personally trust anyone on a public forum like this to accurately answer. As much of a pain as it is, I think this is a question for the UK embassy/consulate closest to you.

Damn...if that family didn't have bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all. I'd at least ask Royal Caribbean to put me up in San Juan for a few days to make some kind of vacation out of it

If it's a guarantee, it's one they may not always be able to fulfill. But I am not sure if they use the word "guarantee" or not. They would be smart not to. (Copied this from another post I recently made) Flights are full again. Air2Sea can't add seats to a plane, or add flights to a destination. Caribbean cruises are a good example of this, where there are a lot of small islands with limited flights, not to mention the private cruiseline islands with zero flights. They can only work with what the airlines offer. Another thing to keep in mind is that, if something big happens to cause delays, it will likely have a ripple effect through the system and you'll be competing with frequent fliers and full-fare customers, which will start pushing you down the list of priority for the airlines. Air2Sea uses a lot of fancy marketing language to say they'll get you to the ship. In reality, they can only do their best (and hopefully they'll at least try their best, not just try a little). Don't assume they'll get you where you need to go, when you need to get there.

In theory, and they'll make you think they can, but in reality... Exactly. Flights are full again. Air2Sea can't add seats to a plane, or add flights to a destination. Caribbean cruises are a good example of this, where there are a lot of small islands with limited flights, not to mention the private cruiseline islands with zero flights. They can only work with what the airlines offer. Another thing to keep in mind is that, if something big happens to cause delays, it will likely have a ripple effect through the system and you'll be competing with frequent fliers and full-fare customers, which will start pushing you down the list of priority for the airlines. Air2Sea uses a lot of fancy marketing language to say they'll get you to the ship. In reality, they can only do their best (and hopefully they'll at least try their best, not just try a little). Don't assume they'll get you where you need to go, when you need to get there.

Not through RC, but Soualiga Destinations (aka Captain Bob) is a pretty common one. We've done it and it was a blast. You can walk there from from port.

The only flights from Europe year-round are the UK; seasonal Amsterdam and Frankfurt service exist. But otherwise most Europeans would need to connect somewhere anyways, be it in Europe, the US, or Canada.

My favorite is South Africa, which only asks for 30 days, but requires TWO full empty pages inside your passport. Weirdos! (As a Namibian, I am allowed to say disparaging things about our friend and neighbor South Africa)

Possibly yes, but definitely maybe...

St. Thomas is one of those places where taking an excursion makes little sense to me...it's so easy and safe to do it all on your own.

I have never cruised to Australia, but I normally (in pre-Covid times, and it's starting to ramp up again thankfully) get to Australia about 5-7x yearly for work and have been doing this for more than a decade. Mostly, I am in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. So, I am pretty familiar with Australia. 1. Sydney is definitely worth at least 2-3 days. 2. Melbourne is my favorite city in the world. And I've been to 120+ countries. Love, love, love Melbourne. Great food, great drink, great sites. 3-4 days easy for Melbourne. As far as airlines between SYD and MEL, either Qantas or Virgin Australia work great and will have many flights each day (probably hourly) to choose from. If you have the time, you could also take the train between Sydney and Melbourne...I've never actually done this because I'm usually in a rush between the two, but it's something to look in to. Note it takes like 11 hours, but there's also an overnight option with sleeper compartments. 3. There are a million places in Australia worth going to. But for this trip, perhaps just stick to things near Sydney and Melbourne. Near Melbourne, check out the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island; near Sydney, check our Blue Mountains National Park, Manly Beach (which is pretty much Sydney itself), Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, and the Great Pacific Drive.

If you're just doing one bag on wheels, definitely do it yourself. I think cruising seems to attract a lot of over-packers (I can't believe the stuff some people, or even a lot of people, seem to feel they need to pack for a cruise), but that's obviously not you, so just do it yourself.

Or go reallllllly slow. We once took a cruise where the last overnight trek was from St. Thomas to San Juan. It was amazing how slow we went compared to previous days. The motion, the noise, all of it was so very different. At times it felt like we were just coasting to Puerto Rico.

I can't stand these types of people. I don't cruise very much, but I do travel excessively for work and am top-tier in airline, hotel, and rental car programs. But I keep it quiet. I take advantage of the perks, for sure, but I don't advertise it. I can't stand the people that flaunt their status, especially if they start trying to pull the DYKWIA card. My favorite story is when two of us top-tier National Car Rental folks showed up at the Oklahoma City Airport for cars at the same time. They said there was just a rush of returns and we'll need to wait about 15 minutes for a car. "No problem", I said, "appreciate your hard work". Other guy pulled the "DYKWIA, I am Executive Elite, I need my car nowwwwwww and demand an upgrade". A car came around which was clearly not an upgrade, they said it was for him, and sent him on his way all angry. Next car comes up - an upgraded BMW 5-Series, which they gave to me with a smile and a "thanks for being nice". At the stoplight getting out of the airport, I pulled up to my angry friend, looked over, and waved. Oh man, I thought his head was going to pop when he saw my upgraded wheels, and I loved every moment of it.