happy cruisers 2

Take a look at the Old Town Trolley web site. We didn't book through RCCL. It has stops near the port. We did this when in Boston and enjoyed it prior to our cruise, although we stayed on it for the entire route (as others did) and realized that can limit seat availability for those wanting to get on at other stops along the way. It was a nice overview of some sites though.

I select cruise year and months I'm interested in and then the 12+ option for number of nights. You might try that.

Apple Blossom, for sure. (And Ranger cookies are great for keeping handy in the stateroom, so pack some zip-loc baggies!)

Great input from everyone on these Chacchoben tours. Thanks. Still considering both, and interested in any further comments from those who have done the excursions.

Thanks so much for your help, Pattycruise. I'm familiar with the instructions you've included, so will be watching the site daily for what we want. You are a great help! Thanks again, and I hope you're having a wonderful cruise!

I should have looked at your list of past cruises. I see you did that in 2013. Thanks for your info.

Good to know. Thanks, twangster. Why a Delta customer service person wouldn't know this, I don't know. It still makes me wonder why Air2Sea didn't send their usual flight change notification though. Something just seems off with how this email came from Delta, and with outdated flight info as well.

I thought it was FL to CA in April and CA to FL in November. No? I realize it depends on which ships are involved and where they're repositioning from and to. Please forgive my ignorance on this. I do appreciate your help.

Very helpful info from each of you who responded. twangster, it's nice to get your perspective. Thanks!

Thanks, each of you, for the replies. We sometimes are fine with an enjoyable ship focus, and other times an itinerary is more important. tonyfsu21, your input about NCL is helpful. While we do tend to consider RC a top line for the masses, I agree that we should try others in order to come to our own conclusions.

We want to do a Panama Canal cruise, FL to CA or vise versa. Am I correct that January through March are the best months for lower rain chances and lower temps/humidity? Any personal experience or preferences of those who have done this cruise will be appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know if this topic is appropriate for this site, but I'll give it a try. We've been very loyal to Royal since the pandemic shutdown ended. In fact, we have a few RC cruises scheduled for 2024 and we'll be getting close to Diamond+ soon. We're starting to yearn for different itineraries sailing from our nearest port though, so therefore we're thinking about other cruise lines to add to our repertoire. Wondering if any of you have suggestions for other lines that would be somewhat similar to Royal? We're two retired adults who don't need all the kid-friendly stuff, although it's something we accept. In addition to an interesting itinerary and excursions, we like the shows and lounges/bars. Pools and spas aren't important. Of course food is, but we aren't hard to please in that regard. Carnival and Disney aren't lines we'd want to try. We did do a Celebrity cruise years ago and it seemed fine. We're currently wondering if Norwegian is something to consider. Basically, we're looking for a similar experience and cost that we get with RC -- just another option. Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

Have a fantastic cruise, judgen! Congratulations on reaching diamond! I know you'll enjoy the other cruises you do this year too.

Kind of sounds similar to other aspects of current life in America, doesn't it?

We always have a car, so we park at Port Parking and they shuttle us the short distance. If you won't have a car, I would check with the hotel and see if they offer shuttle service. Otherwise, taxi or Uber.

We've been purchasing the deluxe beverage package in the past, and know that the 18% tip is included. At the end of the cruise, we would give an additional tip to the people who really seemed to give us special service throughout the cruise. Most recently, we've started carrying one-dollar bills so that we can tip drink servers a little extra along the way when we feel we'd like to. Of course it isn't necessary, but I personally feel that many of these folks work very hard to give us an enjoyable experience. Some seem to go above and beyond. I feel that if I can afford the cruise, I can afford to give them something extra. For me, it's a dollar a drink usually. It's a personal thing for everyone, and I don't think you should feel obligated to give more. Do what you're comfortable with.

Others will probably have specifics, but I have never been told that a cocktail I wanted was over that limit. It's never been a concern for me.

Your cruises sound wonderful and you'll have such a great time!! We did our first B2B (7 nights each) in 2023 and it is SO nice to know that you have those 14 nights on the ship! You'll enjoy all of it. Ours was the same itinerary for each cruise, but you have the added benefit of different ports. We have found that a 7-night cruise just isn't enough. Now we want at least 9 nights minimum, and ideally more than that. You have the added excitement of your pre-cruise days too! Have a wonderful trip!

I deleted my original post, as it might be considered a personal insult to the questioner. Personally, I'd say 99.5% of the food I've had on RC ships is quite appealing and of very acceptable (or even high) quality and I have never "felt so hungry at times."

I could not agree more. This is exactly how I feel about it. Once, and that's it.

I'm confused. When we book our cruises on the RC web site and select MTD, multiple time slots show up for each day of the cruise, roughly during the times you've indicated (or something close to that), and you need to select one of them (day by day) for each day and add them to your cart. If I recall, they're every 15 minutes?

You say you selected a time. What did you choose? In our experience, if you chose 6:45, and you show up by about 6:40, you shouldn't have much of a wait.

We routinely do My Time Dining and we try to select the 6:45 option. This usually allows for adequate time to eat, with time left over, before going to an evening show. You do not need to make any other reservation for MTD beyond selecting your desired choice of time. Enjoy your cruise!

I agree with you, Jill. Something without the bells and whistles of the mega-ships.

Antarctica, for sure. Maybe something in Asia. These destinations are more important than the ship.