minniemouse27

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!

We cruised with my now 21yo at that age and always brought her car seat to use on the plane and from the airport to the port We found it easy to strap the car seat to a luggage cart, but they now have other options from super inexpensive (traveling toddler that straps to a rolling carry on) to pricier options of backpack bags or higher end car seat carts. Once on the ship, we just put the car seat in the bottom of the closet and forgot about it for the cruise. For excursions we opted to walk or only do buses (car seats cannot be used on most buses).

This was our eighth cruise and the very first we could drive to (1.5 hrs). It was blissfully easy and we are doing it again next year!

Dh and I both have rolling carry-on bags w/ telescoping handles. My backpack then also has a space on the back where it slips over the handle of the rolling carry-on. This set up makes it easy-peasy to travel around the ship between boarding time and being able to access your room. (We drove to the port for our cruise last week and in addition to our backpacks and rolling carry-ons we also had multiple bags that we handed over to the porters. )

I would love to try this for the food, but I don't drink almost any alcohol (and zero wine/martinis) so it is a pricey option just for the food.

One of our favorite memories is of our daughter (now 21yo) playing on the beach as a toddler at one of our ports in the Western Caribbean (I think it may have been Cozumel). She spent well over an hour filling a bucket up in the surf and pouring it into a hole she had dug on the beach. At that age they are easy. I wouldn't spend a ton on anything fancy. A beach, the ocean, some sand toys, snacks, and something to drink and you are set. We tried to stick to something within walking distance or an excursion that had a bus, so we didn't have to worry about smaller vehicles and safety w/o a car seat.

Maybe it is different for different ships? After reading the OP, I double checked all the specialty dining for my sailing on the Anthem next month, and they all showed the same "Smart Casual" icon in the planner.

The planner says that Chops is "Smart Casual." I went back to check because I wasn't planning on formal wear for Chops on our upcoming cruise! (Sorry the screen snap is so large!)

Actually, there are different sizes for the Freestyle machines and that may limit the number of beverage options. We have one in our cafeteria at work that is fairly small, so it doesn't have the capacity to include much more than the spider web of some of the basic soda options as well as tea and lemonade. I actually went to the cafeteria manager recently asking for them to add Vitamin Water and she explained about the limitations of the size and how it would be a significant cost to upgrade to a larger machine.

Ahhh. I rarely go to Disney Springs (prefer to spend time in the parks instead of shopping!). I do know that you can get there from any of the MK resorts so option #1 and #2 would both work! All of the options are free. When I suggested going to MK or EPCOT you would be dropped off outside of the turnstiles. All the buses, the monorail (resort/MK/EPCOT), MK ferry, boats between Hollywood Studios & EPCOT, boats from resorts to MK, EPCOT, or Hollywood Studios, and the Skyliner are all free at Disney. We used to joke when our now 21yo dd was 2yo that she would have been happy riding the parking tram back and forth all day.

If you prefer taking advantage of the Disney transfer, you can access a bus to Disney Springs by doing any of the following: 1. Walk from the TTC to the Polynesian bus stop (a very short walk) and catch the Disney Springs bus from there. 2. Take the resort monorail to any of the Magic Kingdom resorts and catch the Disney Springs bus from any of their bus areas. 3. Take either the resort or park monorail OR the ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom and catch the Disney Springs bus from the Magic Kingdom bus area. 4. Take the EPCOT monorail to EPCOT and catch the Disney Springs bus from EPCOT's bus area. Note that all of the above are free transportation options. Any monorail or ferry transport requires a pass through security the buses do not.

Our first family cruise we drove from the Philadelphia suburbs to Lorton, VA, then took the AutoTrain overnight to Sanford. That trip had us doing 5 nights at WDW and 5 nights on DCL. For four people w/ luggage for two very different halves of a trip, we needed a good amount of space to get between WDW and Port Canaveral...and all the choices were $$$ when looking at renting a vehicle or transfers. This had us decide to use our minivan, first by driving down and then we opted to use the AutoTrain. For our family of four, a round trip on the AT (with our minivan) has been less expensive than flying ...as long as we book our seats (coach) at least 6 months in advance. Taking the AT works out great for mixed Central Florida vacations. I pack two sets of luggage, one for parks and one for the cruise and leave the opposite set in the van when not using them. The overnight train trip on the AT is fairly painless. We travel in coach, the seats are similar to first class airline seats complete w/ lots of leg room, footrests, and electrical outlets to charge everything. The trip includes dinner and breakfast in the dining car as well as some snacks. We bring a pillow and blanket for each of us as well as technology, books, and cards/games to keep everyone amused during waking hours. My understanding is that the regular passenger trains on Amtrak stop quite often on the eastern seaboard trips so your travel time may be longer. The AT leaves either station (Lorton or Sanford) at around 3 or 4pm (you have to be there by 1 or 2pm) and arrives around 8 or 9am the next morning. We really enjoy our trips on the AT and opt for it whenever our 17yo travels w/ us (he doesn't like to fly) or we need our vehicle in Central Florida.

Does anyone know any reef safe options that aren't lotions/creams? We really far prefer spray sunscreens,and have a bunch we could have brought with us on our February cruise, so I didn't even think of putting it on our to be purchased list. After checking a few sites our favorite brands are on the do not use lists when it comes to reef safety. I will keep looking but if anyone has any recommendations, I would appreciate them.

I haven't tried that yet, American fruit beers tend to have the fruit flavoring added after the fact. The Lindeman's lambics are brewed in open vats with the fruit (my favorites are framboise and cassis). They taste nothing like beer, which is why I can drink them. :-)

I was hoping that it was going to be one of Lindeman's lambics. It is the only beer I drink, and pretty rare to find it served many places. ;-)

Thx Matt :-)