wordell1

Thanks for posting!

Others above have done a great job explaining why having a full service TA vs a discount TA (Costco). The inconvenience you are experiencing now with Costco can get a lot worse if you ever have a cancelled cruise and add FCC's into the mix. I know because I have been there. I now use MEI and have been happy.

Coco Cay is really close to Florida so its easy to be the first or last stop on any cruise that leaves from there. It also works for even the shortest cruises.

I would say its early but you can use Google Flights to track the prices on the routes you want. You could also have your TA get you a price on Air2Sea as this is refundable - it is probably more than the refundable fares, but may be cheaper than the non refundable ones. As a rule, I try to book flights about 6 month out from date of travel but I would also say that sometimes its good to lock in the flights for peace of mind, especially if there are few direct options.

I'm not familiar with the site, but the paying money part doesn't seem right. Its not that difficult, and your TA should be able to help. If you have questions, you can ask here and people will try to help.

Even though this thread is really old. It's probably good for everyone to realize that its not a good idea to mix your vacation and jewelry/art buying. Unless you have done some research and know what you are buying and what normal pricing is, its likely you will overpay.

Check when you board to see if any reservations are available. I was able to get a same day reservation at boarding.

Wow! Thats pretty scary. Hopefully nobody hurt.

I wouldn't expect it to be cold in November. January can go either way but it would normally be mild. Last year, it was VERY cold.

It would definitely be a welcome feature.

This close, I'm not sure its going to be possible.

As answered above, there is no way to know. I wouldn't expect it.

You will see negative reviews on just about any ship and for that matter, any restaurant or hotel. Some people are never satisfied and they like to write about it. Some of the things you mention will definitely be true. There will be crowds on one of the largest cruise ships in the world and I can guarantee that the Windjammer will be overcrowded (and unpleasant) at times. Pretty much all of the plants in Central park have been replaced since they all died in January so it won't be as plush as a ship that has had the plants growing for years. I saw some pictures recently and it looked pretty good to me. No vacation is perfect and those looking to be disappointed will always find a reason. Royal Caribbean still offers a good value for your money.

Try something. The are plenty of choices each night and you can always pay a little extra for the Chops filet, or the Maine lobster. Worst case scenario, you can go to the windjammer, or Sorrento's after dinner.

I've never had any issues eating in any port. I do avoid tap water in foreign countries although I don't really think it would be an issue in most these days.

I fixed it, thanks!

I just got back from Ovation. I posted this live blog. Let me know if you still have questions and I can try to help. A couple of things: 1. Read all of Matt's stuff about cruises and cruising Alaska in particular. I love cruises, but it pays to understand how everything works. It's not always the same as other vacations. 2. Bring shorts and a swim suit. - the ship has a lot of covered areas. I highly recommend the hot tubs. 3. Spend some time planning you your day in each port. I did a mix of Royal Carribean excursions and do it yourself excursions. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

I did, here you go. There is a charge but it's not much.

We were up early and walked off the ship with our bags at 645am. We took a taxi to the airport and checked bags and made it through security by about 815. Easy departure. Now we are waiting for our 11:40am flight to Austin. There was an option for those that had flights after 12pm to check your bags directly from the ship. Unfortunately, we weren't eligible.

We have been blessed with outstanding weather on this trip. I was expecting lots of cold and rain. We have had a little cold, but only a light must in Juneau. Today was 72 degrees and sunny. I am actually sitting on my balcony watching the sun set in Victoria wearing just a t shirt and shorts. It's a perfect end to a great cruise.

We walked around, had a beer at a pretty cool bar, and the caught a pedi cab back. Unfortunately, we have to pack. I mentioned before that the pub on Ovation serves food. We decided to have the burger as our dinner. Wow, what an outstanding burger. They really need to add the food menu to all of the pubs.

We docked at 5pm in Victoria. It's a short stop with all aboard at 930. We chose to walk into downtown from the ship. It is about a 2 mile walk to the main areas of downtown. We walked all the way to Chinatown. It was a really nice walk along a designed path that follwed the waterfront. We stopped at fisherman's warf. This would have been a nice place to stop and eat casual dinner but we had eaten a late lunch and were not hungry. This is also really close to the ship and could be easily walked if you are not up to the whole 2 miles. There was a water taxi to downtown available. The path continues along to waterfront and passes the BC capital building and the Empress hotel. Both are neat stops.

Interesting information from the Loyalty Ambassador. There are less than 300 Diamond and above members on this cruise. He said he has even less next week. The diamond lounge has been empty all week. I've been hanging out in the AM while my wife sleeps in.

This one was a RC tour.

We both ordered the short ribs and they were excellent. Our waiter brought us the branzino to try and it was good, but not great. Our waiter also brought out all 3 desserts and I liked all of them. The world is one of my favorite desserts. It's a must for any chocolate lover. The other 2 were good as well and dessert may be a compelling reason to come back Wonderland in the future.