CrimsonCruiser

You may not be able to board before 11, I think, just because they are probably still letting the last people off through 10. But you can absolutely show up earlier than your set sail pass says. Being earlier rather than later means you are avoiding the crowds. Just note, that you will have a longer wait until rooms open (usually around 1) so if you plan to cart a lot on board with you, I'd recommend adjusting that plan so you don't get achy shoulders or run the risk of forgetting your bags somewhere.

Following! I've been interested in this program, would be nice to see it in action.

Can you tell me where to look to know when itens get released and what they are?

We haven't had too much time to try this specifically with cruising, I admit.Our first cruise was out of Orlando and on embarkation we foolishly flew in day of (thank god we didn't miss it!) and after we spent a few days at Universal Studios so we had a hotel on the park grounds. Our trip from Miami we had an airbnb that was better equipped than a cheap motel we had looked at for about $30 less a night. Plus it was within walking distance to a 7-11, a Walgreen's type store, and a McDonalds. We used this both on embarkation and disembarkation (private room with bathroom). Our Galveston trip, Airbnb's were not so lucky. the base price was attractive, but as you mentioned, the fees and what not made it more pricey than a hotel. But the hotels were still $100/night and while we only stayed 1 night each, that was a big pill to swallow. ($200 for less than 36 hours in a room total ?) I generally find airbnb to be a better cost overall but there have been some serious exceptions. T_T Thanks for all the tips! (we also have pet sitting which I forgot to include @.@)

I highly recommend one of the horseback riding excursions in Falmouth that go into the water. It was great fun for all ages, guided and there was food to purchase after. I believe I did the one that was hosted by Chukka.

Has anyone been able to find or maybe have a picture of the one that used to be on Wikipedia? I really liked that one because it mentioned things like which restaurants were on which ships, which ships had a solarium or a freestyle machine, how many pools, etc etc - no other comparison list seems to be as expansive.

Good to know about the double points! I thought you had to be in a GS or larger to get double points. Will be helpful to know planning our next trip

Hi all, I don't have any upcoming cruise set yet ( ? ) but regardless of when I finally book cruise #4, I and my mother will have to fly since we live in Illinois. And it's a struggle! After dealing with conforming to shrinking plane carry-on measurements, checked-bag weight restrictions, transport to and from the airport, hotel costs, food for the night before and hotel to port costs we're often stressed and already pretty monetarily spent before even setting foot on the ship! But I want to take advantage of some of the cost saving tips I keep hearing about (like bringing your own wine or canned beverages on board or buying toiletries in the port city instead before)...but the idea of spending that much on ubers after all of the above costs, really makes me hesitant. So I come to you, seasoned cruisers, to ask - what are your tips to make flying to the port easier and cost effective? Do you do those other cost saving tips? How? Do you have other cost saving tips? Some things we already do: - We both have TSA pre-check to cut stress - We both have 1 free checked bag on the airline we choose so we save about $50 total on choosing to check a bag - We opt for AirBnB's over hotels when the cost is better usually saving $100 / night on lodging

This may actually be my first post!

I spend so much time watching all types of cruise videos! Vlogs, packing videos, ship tours, port tours - even for places I'm not going. It reminds me of the last cruise and just takes some of the edge off of having to wait.