janderson

6 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said:

What I don't understand is why there is no scheduled departure for the Wonder from Marseille but there is an expected arrival in Limassol.

https://www.earthtv.com/en/webcam/marseille-great-seaport/live-stream

I don't know if you'll be able to see when she leaves but here is the best webcam I can find.  Shes not in frame in it yet at all.

5 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said:

Be calm, my heart

Yeah another tug has moved to her so hopefully soon she will be in open waters!  Now the excitement is building!

1 hour ago, PG Cruiser said:

Waiting for the Wonder to move out of Marseille...

 

I don't know if this is a good sign but it looks like the Pilot boat and a tug has moved over to Wonder!

If you pull up Wonder's future sailing plans it shows it going to Cyprus which is right on with what people have been saying.  It was going to Cyprus to get more workers loaded then on to Florida.

If you pull up Wonder's future sailing plans it shows it going to Cyprus which is right on with what people have been saying.  It was going to Cyprus to get more workers loaded then on to Florida.

On Facebook someone posted that advertisement in a group along with the rumor of them not coming to the US in March.  Someone asked Royal Caribbean directly and got an answer.  Here is their screen shot from that group.

Going on Wonder on March 4th 2022.  While in San Juan I was going to do the Bacardi tour however after watching Matt it doesn't sound like the "amazing" tour that I think it would be.  Looking now at seeing what people thing would be a good Royal Caribbean excursion for San Juan just in case the port gets cancelled for some reason.  Any ideas?

5 minutes ago, KJones said:

@jandersonYou get it for the full day, the time selections are likely just for when the day starts. And you only need to select one person whose name you'll put the reservation under - otherwise you'll end up with a beach bed for each person you select. There should be servers walking around to take drink orders.

fantastic thank you for clearing this up.  Much appreciated!

Question for anyone that has been to Labadee.  When you pay for a "full day beach day rental" which looks like a bed with sheets on the sides to shade.  It wants you to select a time and number of people.  Selecting a time makes me think you only get it for a certain time period not the full day.   Has anyone does this and is it really a full day thing?  Also do you get someone coming by to get you drinks or do you need to go to the bar to get them if you rent one of these? 

44 minutes ago, Linda R said:

Glad it worked out.  I sometimes stay 2 days before or after a cruise to save on air fares.  If it saves me more on a flight than the extra hotel nights.  I mostly fly Delta because of air miles, sky club access, etc.  

we were going to fly Delta because that is the cheapest flights that came up on Google flights. However at the last second Southwest became cheaper. 

4 hours ago, Linda R said:

I live in Montana, it is always a hassle to get flights.  High prices and multiple connections.   But, ya do what you gotta do for cruising!  

I love where I live but I guess we all have our pluses and minuses.  I did save $400 on flights by switching my cruise to the week prior though so I won't complain.

47 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

If your hotel is on 17th Street in East Fort Lauderdale then your in close proximity to many dining options both a short walk/ Uber ride. Las Olas Blvd has a little of everything. Here’s a good mix:

1. Louie Bossi Las Olas. Great scene and good quality Italian food. 
 

2. Bombay Darbar Las Olas: if you enjoy Indian food I recommend this place. The scene at night is energetic. 
 

3. Boathouse at Riverside Hotel: Adjacent to the New River you can watch the boats. Laid back for lunch and busier during happy hour. Great chef. Menu = all over the place. American fused with a mix of everything. I had some blackened shrimp tacos that were great. 
 

4. Le Tub Saloon- Hollywood: 15 minute Uber from 17th street. Made famous by GQ many years ago for America’s best burger. On the intracoastal and quite a scene. The place is made out of reclaimed driftwood. Burgers take some time to cook but the wait is worth it and the beer is cold. Laid back & very casual. I take my boat there at least once per month. 
 

5. La Bamba 17th Street: Located in the Publix plaza on 17th street & Cordova rd adjacent to Embassy Suites. Great Mexican & Spanish food. Very casual. My kids request the pollo a la plancha every weekend. 

6. Sistrunk Marketplace: Food Hall. Mix of everything. Great scene and highly recommended. 10 min Uber from 17th street.

I can go to # 100 if necessary. If your into beer breweries there’s many popping up in downtown. I recommend Koffner Brewery inside Sistrunk Marketplace. American Icon Brewery, LauderAle and Invasive Species Brewery. For a laid back locals scene we all go to Laser Wolf which has a great craft beer menu and an AWESOME taco food truck. 

Everything in East Fort Lauderdale is pretty much accessible by a 15 min or less Uber and you can even take a water taxi to most waterfront locations. 

Fantastic thank you for the help.  I will look these up and see what I can line up to eat the day before and on the way back to the airport.

47 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

That week is spring break week for most Southern public schools and colleges.  Flights will be more than usual.

I just found that out and flipped over to the March 4th sailing

5 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Let me know what kind of food you like and I will send you recommendations. 

I like pretty much any food.  My wife however does not like fish too much.  So I would say anything in that area that isn't sea food that you would recommend would be fine.  Even if you have like a top 5 must eat places or something.

4 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Embassy Suites on 17th street. I am local and can point you in the right direction regarding dining as well. 

I am very open to hear where a local would recommend for food. 

We got the UDP on Navigator of the Seas and loved it.  I know to some people the main dining room is great and we did eat there one night and it was good however we just loved to go to the specialty restaurants and have a more one on one dining experience.  All of the restaurants were amazing so I am a full supporter of the UDP if you have the money to splurge. 

12 minutes ago, Plumlee2028 said:

A couple weeks ago, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Cruise Port.  Its right between the airport and the port.  I paid about $150 for the night.  They have a free airport shuttle, and at the desk they had a card with the name of a local transport company that picked me up from the hotel and took me to the cruise port for $10 in a nice van.  Lyft and Uber were surge pricing at the time for about $45 or so for the 5 minute drive.  

I will look at that.  That is a pretty cheap ride from the hotel to the port.

13 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Definitely look into Miami flights.  It's a 30-45 minute drive between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale so just factor in an Uber/Lyft ride between the two and see if you end up cheaper overall.  Still spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale as it tends to be cheaper than Miami with respect to airports.  You also have to consider that your sail date lines up with Spring Break in Florida (early March timeframe down here) so the $$ season starts earlier.

I was just getting ready to see what Miami had.  If not I might see what the Royal Sea to Air costs because it might be cheaper at this rate.

14 minutes ago, dejavu21 said:

@janderson I've been to Ft. Lauderdale (from Houston) twice now and usually the flights from here to Ft. L and Miami are about the same.  I also use Google Flights to track prices.  Usually booking flights 3+ months out will give you the best pricing options, but usually we fly there anywhere from $125-$250 RT, on United.   As for a hotel, we stayed at (Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Downtown/Las Olas), its a new hotel and a walk (2 blocks) from Las Olas Blvd where the restaurants are, and it's a quick Uber to the port.  There are also some nice hotels on the beachfront that are fairly inexpensive we've stayed at as well.

 

I will definitely look into this.  Sounds like a pretty good area for convenience.

8 minutes ago, Jkaczano said:

We’re at about $330 pp direct flights for a fare that includes a carry on and seat selection.  Southwest extended their fares this morning to late April, so I would check them too

I did Google Flights and the cheapest I am finding is $472/person round trip but if i change the return flight to something late enough for me to get off the ship (instead of 7AM) it changes to around $600-$700/person.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that they don't like to fly out of Iowa.

I will look into that.  The cheapest we were finding from Iowa (Omaha or Des Moines) was $484/person and that was taking 2 different airlines going and coming.

5 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

What type of hotel are you looking for? I can help. 

Just something that is clean and good for a night.  I want something fairly cheap like $200 or less a night if possible.  Something in proximity to some food establishments would be great too but if we have to Uber Eats or something we can.

Going on Wonder of the Seas on March 11, 2022.  I have never been to the port at Ft. Lauderdale.  I looked last night and flights look much more expensive than Miami (guessing because it is a smaller airport).  Does anyone have tips as far as what airline you typically get the best rates on, if the Royal Caribbean air to sea program might be a better rate, and what hotels would be best for the night before the cruise.   Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Justin

7 minutes ago, emmef said:

FWIW my vote is for Skagway.  The train trip on the White Pass railroad is a bucket list item for us.

I will have to look into that.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Summer in Alaska is not Northern Lights season.  Long summer days makes it less likely they'll appear or be visible.  It's not impossible, just not likely.  

Best time to go is complicated.  There is no real best month depending on what you are looking for.  Salmon run in the rivers later in the season, mid to late August but the days are notably shorter than June.  There are pros and cons to each month but you need to get into the nitty gritty details to find a better month.  Honestly go whenever your schedule works best and the pricing looks good for you.  There is no wrong time to cruise to Alaska.

Look at port times closely - what is the arrival and departure times at each port.  Not all itineraries are equal.  Seattle or Vancouver based cruises that are round trip have to backtrack and so you get less time in port or fewer Alaskan ports.  One way cruises go North or South and because they never backtrack you get to see and visit more of Alaska but it can cost more dealing with flights.  Round trip cruises from Seattle have newer and larger ships but are still great Alaskan experiences that are easier to get into if the one way is harder to make work.  

All very good points.  We will have to sit and see how we want to attack this trip.