minniemouse27

We were on a ferry from the cruise port after breakfast and back on board for a late lunch. Probably a 4-5 hour excursion during prime beach time. It was extremely relaxing and definitely not even close to approaching crowded. I grew up on Long Island in NY and we were overrun every summer all along our beaches. This was more like October beach numbers on LI.

We did a sunset catamaran cruise on our first evening that we really enjoyed (booked through Viator). Purchased a two day transportation pass (transportation building right at the port) that got us all over the island on ferries and buses. Took the ferry to Hamilton the first morning and a bus to the zoo/aquarium then bus back to Hamilton and ferry back to the port. On the second day we took the ferry to St. George walked around on our own for an hour or so and then took a bus to the Swizzle Inn. After lunch we walked down the road to Tom Moore's Jungle and hiked a bit there. Walked back down to the Swizzle Inn and hopped a bus to Hamilton. Did some shopping and then took the ferry back to the port. On day three, we took a taxi ($7/pp right on the pier near the ship) to Honeymoon Beach. It was lovely. Spent the morning there and left around lunchtime. Return taxis were waiting at the beach to take us back to the ship (same price). Public transportation is super easy to use, isn't expensive, and goes almost everywhere you need it to go. We could have taken a bus to Honeymoon Beach, but that was our "short" day and we wanted to max out our beach time. Enjoy!!

We must have visited Trunk Bay on a slow day because it was practically empty when we were there! One of my favorite photos from that afternoon.

While we will often explore on our own or participate in an independent excursion, I opted to do the ship's excursion (we were on the Anthem in January) to St. John. We took a ferry right from the dock near the ship, and they transported us from the ferry dock in St. John to Trunk Bay. It was one of our favorite port days of the cruise. Trunk Bay is idyllic. My pictures look like stock photography. Our excursion didn't include any beach chairs or umbrellas, but did include snorkel equipment. The open air "bus" provided amazing views back and forth to Trunk Bay with a driver who provided the history and background of St. Thomas and St. John. The ferry was nothing fancy, but we had no issues and arrived back to the ship on time. If St. Thomas is a port stop on on a future cruise I would contemplate doing the ferry and hopping a taxi/bus to Trunk Bay, but I definitely felt more confident w/ the ship excursion for our first visit where it included traveling to another island.

The Space Center closes pretty early so you probably wouldn't have a lot of time there even if it is offered. It was on option on our cruise earlier last year but once I realized how early they closed we decided it wasn't worth it. After considering a few different things (including Cocoa Beach), in the end we opted to stay on board and took advantage of the free North Star experience (it costs $ when not in port) and an early dinner at Chops. We were also lucky to watch a scheduled Space X launch that evening after dinner.

Just an FYI, while Amtrak from Philly to Newark Penn Station is far quicker, it is pricey. An alternative is to take SEPTA's Regional Rail from Philly (any of the three Philly stations) to Trenton and then switch trains to NJ Transit. It does take longer, but it is far less expensive. The train transfer is super easy. Both trains will either be across the platform from each other or one behind the other. Just a short walk on the platform and you have switched trains. Living north of Philly we actually drive to Trenton and take NJ Transit whenever we visit NYC. We will be driving to & parking at the port, but the train is an excellent option.

We cancelled and will rebook an excursion to Trunk Bay instead.

We have this reserved for a cruise leaving next week. Not sure what we will do.

We sail next week on the Anthem and it doesn't appear (checked app and desktop).

Can you share some details about how the speedboat portion of the tour was? There is some concern from some of our group that it may be too fast/bumpy/uncomfortable. Also, about how many people were in your boat/group? Thanks!!

We used to cruise when my dd (now 22yo) was small and brought our car seat w/ us. Used it in the car to the airport, on the plane, from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port...and reverse on the way home. There are great car seat travel belts that we didn't have back then that easily straps the car seat to a rolling carry on, and they are inexpensive (<$15). Once on the ship we just stowed the car seat in the bottom of the closet and forgot about it for the cruise. When dd was little we opted for port excursions that were walkable from the ports or were on buses (no car seat required). That all said, if your young people are a bit older and can do a low back booster, the Bubble Bum is a great option. It is an inflatable booster seat and is super easy to use and travel with (we had one for our now 17yo when we did trips to NYC to use Uber, etc).

Dh and I did the photo 100 picture package (on sale for $125) on our 8 night sailing on the Anthem in February. We found the picture "poses" repetitive with just rotating backgrounds. The photographers seemed uncomfortable having anyone pose in any way other than classic prom poses. Past the sameness of the photo options, I found it a few things odd We could only opt for all digital or all prints, no combinations None of the shots from iFly or from dinner at Wonderland were included in the choices for our package. iFly photos were in fact almost MORE expensive than the actual iFly experience! Any photo taken on the ship should be included, period. The photo interface on the ship is clunky and difficult to use. We had just over 100 photos taken during the cruise and were unable to choose "all" then deselect a few. Additionally, we would have had to choose each image individually to download. In the end we just paid $$ for them to put them all on a ship shaped USB so we didn't have to spend cruise time sitting in the photo area. I travel to Walt Disney World a lot. They have a PhotoPass system that I can prepay for an unlimited # of photos before I arrive, or I can pick and choose by photo throughout and after my trip. The photographers are amazing, creative, and eager to provide a unique photo experience based on location and your group. The photographer scans my Magic Band/ticket/phone app and within 10-20 minutes I can view all the shots on my phone in their app. In the app I can immediately download them on my phone (if I prepaid), decide I want to buy on or more, or I can walk into a PhotoPass location and purchase a print. I can also wait until I return home, review all of my pictures, and purchase/download whatever I would like (there is a window of about 30 or 60 days). Why is that kind of system so difficult for RCCL to emulate? We have another 11 night cruise booked for next year. I am highly doubting that we will purchase any package unless there is a complete overhaul of RCCL's photo system. Unless you expect that you will need 100 repetitive prom shots of your group, I would skip the package.

We cruised often when my now 21yo was a toddler/pre-schooler as we had a family member that worked for a cruise line. We found it easier to bring her car seat, use it on the plane and ground transportation to/from the cruise, then stash the seat in the bottom of the closet on the ship for the duration of the cruise ...than to figure out how to to get around safely w/o the seat. That said, if some of the young people are a bit older (5+) you can take a look at the Bubble Bum belt positioning booster. It is affordable, super easy to travel with, and inflates into a low back booster whenever you need it (deflates quickly as well). Since it is a belt positioning booster it cannot be used on the plane, but it works great for ground transportation. [We used it during trips to NYC when my kids were younger. It allowed us to jump in and out of an Uber/Lyft as needed.] Another child restraint option is a Ride Safer Travel Vest. This works for any child that forward faces and needs a five point harness (as opposed to the belt positioning booster discussed above). This also travels well, but is a bit more expensive. In both cases, I would practice using them before any travel. Don't want to be sitting at your destination airport reading the instructions! I spend 12+ years volunteering as a child passenger safety technician when my kids were younger so I was probably more aware of the limited options at the time. Lots of great things for traveling now that weren't available back then!

I am a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World and use their "PhotoPass" program often. Photos are a mix of standard and unique as well as a mix of amazing and adequate photographers. Rarely do I get a "bad" photo, and often get some that capture special, magic moments. So, dh and I cruised on the Anthem in February. It was our first non kid (they are college/high school age and stayed home this trip) vacation since the eldest was born and I talked dh into getting the "up to 100" photo package to get really good pictures of our trip. We were extremely disappointed. The photo opportunities were plentiful, but almost every photographer did the same exact "prom" poses. Nothing unique, nothing fun or different. Night after night it was the same poses in front of different backgrounds. I found out quickly that we could choose 100 digital files or 100 prints...and not a combination of the two. Then discovered that they had to be individually chosen (remember it was an up to 100 package) in order to be uploaded from the photo system. We had just under 100 photos and there was no mechanism to choose all of them. When we saw how antiquated and clunky the photo system was, we opted to be safe by just paying for them all to be put on a USB. Here is the thing. The WDW system uploads the photos almost immediately (maybe within 15-30min?) to their central system and I can see them on my phone within an hour. Once on my phone I can opt to purchase (if I don't have a prepaid photo plan), or download (if I do have a plan). At the end of my trip I can continue those options....and if I have a plan, I can select all and download the entire set with just a few clicks. ...and I can access the photos on the WDW app on my phone, or by accessing their website on my desktop. This isn't a difficult process. In 2023 RCC should have a significantly more up to date photo program than what is currently available. ...and don't even get me started on the fact that the photo package don't cover all the photos taken on the ship!! Wonderland photos, extra charge. iFly photos, extra charge. Oh, and one of the current promo shots for a photo package is of someone participating in iFly!!! We have another cruise booked for early 2024 and we aren't even considering a photo package unless the entire program is completely overhauled.

It may have been easier to do back in 2000 (pre-9/11 and far less security considerations), but our best man planned from the outset to return home mid-way through our destination wedding cruise due to work responsibilities back home. Dh and I were married in Jamaica while on a Western Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. We had one day at sea with Jamaica as the first stop, followed by Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West. Our best man retuned home from Grand Cayman without any issues that I can remember. He even booked his return flight from Grand Cayman months before the cruise. I am sure it is very different now, 23 years later!