monorailmedic

We loved Victoria.  Amazingly beautiful place.
 
When you get off the ship you'll find about a 5 min walk (maybe less) to get onto the road.  You'll be at a giant sundial (Ogden Point).  To your right is a neat rocky beach/cove which is very picturesque in the morning.  If you walk left (north) and stay on the road, you'll be walking past some residences and after about 1km (2/3 mile) see Fisherman's Wharf.  It's hard to miss, but if you have any doubt you'll find many locals walking docs and such - everyone is incredibly friendly.  I'm sure you could get a car for this walk, but it's an easy and very pretty walk through a not at all touristy area, so we liked it.
 
Once at Fisherman's Wharf, walk around, as it's full of houseboats turned B&Bs, restaurants, etc.  Just a neat little area.  From there, you can take a water taxi to the harbor for around $5/pp (the area with the Empress hotel, visitors bureau, many shops and restaurants, etc).  This is likely where you'll want to spend much of your day.  The visitor's center is awesome, and they'll help you get to the gardens, or anything else you're looking for.  Plenty to do there, and I'd also recommend a place we check out, Vista-18 atop Chateau Victoria.  Great views, drinks, and snacks.
 
I could go on about Victoria for some time, it's really a great place.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

I'll just leave this here: http://paypal.me/billyhirsch/25

Wow - so I started to reply and it got long, which inspired a post over on my site, to which I'll like below.
In short, this happens because cruise lines really don't want to sail empty - they'd rather pay guests to back out than they would lose revenue by not filling a ship.  It's gone on for years, just like with airlines, but gets more attention now.
Back in January I was given the option to cancel, and in exchange, I got a credit for the value of my cruise (plus a refund).  I took it, and feel pretty good about that decision - but I could have simply said no.
In the below article I go into detail about this practice and also link to my personal story when I cancelled my Indy sailing.
http://www.cruisehabit.com/just-airlines-cruise-lines-overbook-–-and-it’s-nothing-new
Let us know how this pans out for you, firegal , and remember - if you don't think the offer is worth it, just say no.

I'll just leave this here: http://paypal.me/billyhirsch/25

Stoked!  Which staterooms are you thinking about?  
I should probably tell people about this, huh? ?

Stoked!  Which staterooms are you thinking about?  
I should probably tell people about this, huh? ?

Super Excited to have Apex booked for 1/8/22!!!   Cruising with @monorailmedic

Us too - I still need to get Stephanie my deposit.  We can't decide on the cabin.

Thanks @monorailmedic!
 
https://www.cruisehabit.com/celebrity-discussed-planned-passenger-capacity-new-itineraries-vaccine-requirements-apex-inaugural?fbclid=IwAR03LisgljF1VeC5Sh-80-oiE9Kt1w06eJhQHFYrMPPuQlTt1Vlglkx5gvw 

Not all media sites are the same, and some have no issues reporting on rumors without any confirmation or research.
What I post on RoyalCaribbeanBlog reflects on me and my reputation, and I wont post rumors until there is strong evidence behind it. 
The rumors of Empress may end up being right at some point, but I need more to run on than "unnamed sources" by the same website that said Cunard and Seabourn were sold last month when they were not.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

It's the luggage that really gets in the way of this.  You know, parents have kids carrying their small suitcases, they let go of the handle, it hits terminal velocity as it barrels toward the ground...  Alright, clearly safety-nets are the answer here.

Sadly, no mention of the most economical people mover: a zipline between FLL and Port Everglades. :0(
 
 

For those who don't subscribe to @monorailmedic's Cruise Habit RSS feed or regularly read his site, there was an interesting bit of news today about Port Everglades. The port will be getting some road / traffic improvements to ease congestion, there are firm plans to construct an automated people mover for transport between Port Everglades and FLL airport, and there may be some LNG-related infrastructure being built.
https://www.cruisehabit.com/one-largest-cruise-port-gets-further-expansion-approval-people-mover-increased-capacity-lng-more

Maybe it’s because @Jerel and @monorailmedic booked. They couldn’t let that happen. 

@monorailmedic did a really helpful podcast on Key West a couple of years ago. I found it EXTREMELY helpful.  Give it a listen (you can right from this page). It's about 20 minutes long.
https://www.cruisehabit.com/podcast/key-west-great-cruise-destinations-dont-have-be-far-away-episode-2

Moderator Note
It's clear now that this was not an announcement from Disney but analyst speculation.  We're all clear on this now and the thread has been annotated up at the top to avoid confusion.  It is of course important to verify information, but mistakes happen.  Now that we're all clear, lets have some friendly chat as I research how to hypnotize myself into believing I'm on a ship.

Moderator Note
It's clear now that this was not an announcement from Disney but analyst speculation.  We're all clear on this now and the thread has been annotated up at the top to avoid confusion.  It is of course important to verify information, but mistakes happen.  Now that we're all clear, lets have some friendly chat as I research how to hypnotize myself into believing I'm on a ship.

Moderator Note
It's clear now that this was not an announcement from Disney but analyst speculation.  We're all clear on this now and the thread has been annotated up at the top to avoid confusion.  It is of course important to verify information, but mistakes happen.  Now that we're all clear, lets have some friendly chat as I research how to hypnotize myself into believing I'm on a ship.

Moderator Note
It's clear now that this was not an announcement from Disney but analyst speculation.  We're all clear on this now and the thread has been annotated up at the top to avoid confusion.  It is of course important to verify information, but mistakes happen.  Now that we're all clear, lets have some friendly chat as I research how to hypnotize myself into believing I'm on a ship.