Zacharius

Yeah this lineup looks particularly strong. Maybe it's time to finally pull the trigger.

This is a terrible idea, but if you're dead set on it, I definitely recommend pricing out a one-way rental to pick up at MCO Airport and drop off either at FLL Airport or the cruiseport itself. Either way, you're making it way too easy to miss your cruise with this itinerary.

I have always wanted to do this...honestly not sure why I haven't. My wife always makes fun of me, but as someone who grew up on TNG, DS9 and Voyager, it truly is a bucket list item for me. Not sure I'm the "Dress up as Dr. Reyga" kind of guy, but would still love to go. But year...every year I just forget about it until it's too late.

Heck no. As mentioned, there are tons of legit third-party excursions all over the world. It will take some research, but usually results in getting more for less. Look for the companies that have been around for years, because they wouldn't be around that long if they made customers miss the ship.

Based on what you're saying, I could see that being an issue with your travel agent (Expedia) as much as with the hotel. I could see it being either - Expedia incorrectly listing it as a "pay later" rate, or the hotel incorrectly charging early.

You mention nothing about your citizenship, which is critical information. Pending that, yes, the Canadian Government is the best (and really only) source to get that info.

It kind of depends how you shop at Costco, and where Costco Travel "lives" within the Costco system (answer: I don't know). Costco stores and gas stations only take Visa, but Costco.com purchases can also be done in Mastercard, Discover, JCB, and Diners (because apparently some people still live in 1983 and use Diners). Obviously none are Amex, but more than just Visa.

While flying in a day ahead is wonderful, it's still a bit risky with these airlines that have limited presence on routes (or even limited presence in a city). For example, Allegiant only flies 3 or 4x weekly CVG-SFB, so while that extra day might buy them time to get in a new aircraft or crew should there be an issue, there is still more of a concern to me than someone like DL, for example, who not only flies CVG-MCO at least 2x daily but can re-route you via ATL, DTW, MSP, and more.

I have nothing against Allegiant, but I am always hesitant to book an airline like Allegiant, Frontier or Spirit in the case of a time sensitive event like a cruise, wedding, or business trip. Their limited schedule and general lack of being able to re-route/re-accommodate you can cause serious issues. I've taken Spirit and Allegiant to, for example, a guys weekend in Vegas...if I am late or flat out miss it, it stinks but isn't a big deal. I wouldn't risk it to something like a cruise where, if I miss it, I'm in a lot bigger trouble. In that case, an airline like AA, DL, UA, or WN can offer a myriad of re-routing options with a better chance of getting you there.

I have never heard of them, but as someone who travels for a living and has seen a million scams, this sounds...sketchy as hell. I can picture any legit way this actually works.

"Food" is pretty broad. As sammyg mentioned, avoid fresh/perishable items since those are often against customs laws. Packaged/non-perishable food is usually fine.

I understand, I was just using another means of transportation and another country to highlight. It's on the passenger at the time of booking to make sure they're able to actually get in to the country; it's generally not on the transportation provider to verify that until travel actually occurs.

If you book a flight to China, American Airlines isn't going to hold your hand on visa/entry documentation at booking. It's up to you to sort it and them to verify it when you check in. Cruises aren't really any different...you, as the passenger, need to make sure you have the proper documentation (however obscure it may be) for every country you're visiting.

I don't have an exact answer for your question, but the times I have disembarked at San Juan, I have found US immigration to be particularly slow. And whenever I fly out of SJU, I have found TSA/security to be particularly slow. So, I wouldn't be super eager to cut it close.

Not quite sure what you mean, the US (like most countries) issue biometric passports these days. There are some African and Asian countries that don't, but most countries (including the US) do.

I think this is a case of (a) where you are, (b) what citizenship do you have, and (c) where is the next stop. Here's why: (a) where you are - does the country require non-citizens to carry their passport? Most of Europe is not the case here, but other places do. Also, "where are you" meaning "is it safe to carry your passport?" In Europe, not really an issue; in some other countries, it can be unsafe to carry valuables (including passports and electronics). (b) what is your citizenship - how easy is it to get a new passport? If you are a US citizen, while it is a bit of a pain in the ass, it's not too hard to find a US consulate/embassy to go to, especially in Europe. If you are, say, a Namibian citizen (like me, who is dual)...well, it's a bit trickier. We have like 6-7 embassies in all of Europe. If I lose my Namibian passport and don't have another to fall back on, it's a pain. (c) where is the next stop - if you are in Rome and the next stop is Marseilles, it's easy to hop on a train and get to Marseilles without a passport. If the next stop is, say, Greece, or Morocco, it's not so easy. That may sound overly complicated, so I will just say that in most cases I do NOT bring my passport off of the ship. Sometimes I do. No matter what, I carry a copy of the information page in addition to photo ID (driving license) and the other stuff in my wallet.

So I'll say this as someone who is an extremely adventurous traveler and has been to (and eaten in) something like 75% of the countries in this world. I have only been sick a few times, and half of those times were in "safe" places (US, western Europe, that kind of thing). Obviously there's going to be a risk in a lot of places eating the local food away from touristy areas (or even in touristy areas), but if you're of good health, you will likely be fine. I do avoid water in many countries in the world, though...that scares me much more.

I personally disagree. The number of times I have been bailed out on delays/cancellations/flight changes by AA/OneWorld over the years, including just last week, has saved me so much time and frustration. My domestic Y to F upgrades are almost 100%, and my international J to F upgrades do still occasionally happen (though I am still shocked when they do). The number of miles in my account means my wife and I never have to pay to fly on vacation or to visit family, which we do quite often. To each their own, but my loyalty to AA/OneWorld continues to pay off for me.

Also a reminder for people booking hotels and rental cars - those are worth keeping an eye on too! Example - I have a rental car booked for a vacation to Destin this fall. Originally it was $850 for the week, and is now down to $600...easy to re-book as long as you haven't purchased a restricted fare. Also easy to re-book flexible hotel rates to save some money.

My Southwest hack is to fly American and always get upgrades and seat assignments (To be fair, most of my travel these days is international, so loyalty to a global airline/alliance is imperative)

Direct is great, but you should try nonstop some day Back in the late 2000s, I found myself flying the Saturday morning, 6am ONT-PHX-MDW flight 1-2x monthly for like six months in a row. This was before WN had an ONT-MDW nonstop. There were always like 60-70 of us through passengers in Phoenix, sometimes more. Every. Single. Time. I guess that's why they started doing nonstops on the route. Anyways, those people in Phoenix who thought their A20 meant something got a shock when they found out they were really like the 85th person onboard and most of the good seats were long gone.

One other thing to consider with WN that you don't have to consider on any other airline - being a stop along a direct flight. You could very well be A10 just to find out 30 through passengers are on the plane coming in, so it's suddenly like you're B40.

It's called "Business Select" and has nothing to do with true Business Class. You get higher boarding, you get one drink, you get extra miles...but it's the same seat, same legroom, same everything else. Hell, even Spirit offers a bigger seat and legroom on its highest fare (well, technically an add-on, but it's available and it's comfy).

Yeah, such a great source...