melski94

Most of us haven't cruised the South Pacific and are very envious of you. You may want to do some research on another site like CC or Trip Advisor. One thing is if the 6 year olds can swim don't be afraid of snorkeling excursions (if you prefer to snorkel). My oldest 2 were snorkeling off of Ko Phi Phi at ages 6 and 3. We took a family snorkel excursion in Roatan last year and my youngest was 5. Buy and bring gear for them (mask, snorkel and fins) and practice in a pool before you go. It takes a few times to get the hang of breathing in a snorkel and the snorkel should be one where water can't get in the top easily. The biggest thing for my 5 year old was she gets cold in the water very easily so she snorkeled the first stop but stayed on the boat the 2nd stop. This year I'm planning on getting her a shirt that is like a wet suit to keep her a bit warmer and hopefully snorkeling longer. Have a great trip!

I can't imagine paying that much for a family to attend...we don't even do specialty dining as a family. We won't even pay for DH and myself. Luckily for me, my kids aren't interested in the shows and they head to the kids/teen club at night. I typically take complaints about the new upcharges and how it used to be to cruise with a grain of salt but we've only started cruising 4 years ago and I'm seeing more of it every year but this is starting to get ridiculous. Luckily for now, we can chose the free (not really free but at least included in price) options! Everything listed as an "activity" has a cost so stick to the entertainment side!

See the same thing for my March Harmony cruise. Can make complimentary reservations or pay to have VIP seating. While I can understand that some bean counter thinks it is a great idea, the price is just too much. Why would anyone pay $79 for a meet and greet? How did they come up with the price...I could see some people paying $20. I wonder how may new cruisers will now think they'll have to pay for shows and miss the free reservations. Luckily for now, the free reservation is the obvious thing to click on the cruise planner but I wonder if that will change. As someone who has to drag her DH to the free show, I hope this experiment fails.

Wow that is a huge difference! According to the website and fine print is is good for US and Canada residents...with a lowest price guarantee or 110% difference credited back. Too bad they are off by so much!

Have you looked at the RC Air to Sea program? While I don't think it is worthwhile for travel in the US, I have read that it may give you a very good price on flights to Europe. I have no first hand experience with the program but it may be worth it to compare the prices.

Is there a special hand sanitizer to use rather than the ones found in stores?

While norovirus can be airborne, it is only airborne through vomit. Physical contact with the infected person or touching things like infected utensils then touching your mouth is the common way it is spread so using sanitizer before you eat is a good way to protect yourself. Link from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus/index.html Don't forget to wipe down your airplane seat and tray cover on the flight to the cruise!

Headed to St. Maarten at the end of March. Wondering if anyone has been since Irma. Reading a lot of conflicting reports on the conditions of the beaches and snorkeling (looking at speedboat/snorkeling tours) there post Irma. Anyone have any experience after Irma? Most reviews I'm reading are before Irma. We'll be headed to San Juan the next day and doing a walking tour of the forts and a beach day in Labadee next. So would prefer something different in St. Maarten which is why I was thinking snorkeling but would entertain other ideas (prefer private tours). BTW, 7 of us 2 adults, my MIL, 4 kids. Everyone can swim but not everyone can handle "historic or educational" tours. LOL!

Maybe is is just me but $400 isn't a horrible price anymore considering Spring Break...especially if you are traveling March 31st. I don't see deals anymore..unless you can afford to travel mid week. I'm seeing Southwest at $400 too. Have you looked into other airports, Miami, Palm beach, etc? Its spring break so they all could be high. Have you thought about driving? My DH prefers driving if at all possible and with 4 kids that is a huge saving. He'll drive up to 12 hours...me I hate it but I do like the money we save. This is our first year flying and with 4 kids it is pretty painful to buy 6 tickets on an our most expensive cruise ever...Harmony spring break. I do know of others who have taken Spirit and while didn't hate it., they didn't love it either...just make sure you've taken all their fees into account...like checked bags as well as carry on bags, seat assignments, etc.

First, the limited state of emergency is in St. James near Montego Bay...not Falmouth where RC docks. I'm copying my response from other post in regards to Jamaica... Most tours are near Ocho Rios which not where the travel warning is issued. If you read the travel advisory, it recommends not to go to Kingston, Montego Bay and Spanish cities. There are quite a few resorts in Montego Bay and I think those resorts are who are most affected plus the ships that dock there. Also, if you look at the country as a whole it is a Level 2 advisory...the same as Mexico (Mexico has more "do not go" cities). By the way, Level 2 is Exercise Increased Caution. RC will skip the port if they feel it is unsafe. I think in recent years they skipped and replaced Turkey. Also, Labadee was cancelled for about a month due to political protests last year. Even if they go, you can decide to stay on the ship if you feel unsafe. I've been there and loved it and we are looking forward to going back in November but would look at the political environment and make a decision at the time. ..bottom line is I'd strongly recommend you read the actual travel alert first and then compare it to other travel alerts like those listed above and Mexico to have some perspective on how these travel alerts work. That being said it is ultimately your decision to go on an excursion or not.

The national park is open according to its website. I'm not sure how many shops and restaurants will be open. Call or email your hotel to ask as they probably would have the best and most updated information for the area.

While I haven't cruised with an infant (youngest was 3 at the time), I'll attempt to answer some questions. 1. Yes, infants are welcome. The staff tends to love infants as most of them have families at home. Make sure you or your TA ask for a high chair. Now the question is: do you want to take your infant? This is a personal decision and while I take my kids to MTD and restaurants in general, not everyone does. Some questions to ask yourself: How does he do in restaurants at home? Dinners can be long (90 minutes). Are you willing to just leave if he can't handle it or skip dessert? Do you have MTD so you have a table to yourself? I hope so, (if not try to get MTD) you can try to manage the speed of your order. Also, you may have to decide on dinner on a daily basis...did he take a good nap and can handle dinner or not? Another suggestion is to use nursery hours for quiet dinners some nights and other nights eat as a family in the Windjammer (there is a great recent post about dinner in the Windjammer). 2. Yes, the nursery costs extra. Not sure how much but I've read you need to sign up for limited hours (15?) on a first come basis. After your initial hours, you can sign up for more if available on your sailing. 3. Infants won't be allowed in pools (must be potty trained). Bring an inflatable pool and fill with water on your balcony. Bring all food, extra diapers, etc. Make sure you bring medicine. 4. Yes, bathtubs in Jr suites. As a mom of 4, the biggest key to a great vacation with kids is to be flexible. You may have the best plans for a perfect vacation but your little one will have other ideas. Just go with the flow and you'll have a great time.

And most tours are near Ocho Rios which is on the other side. If you read the travel advisory, it recommends not to go to Kingston, Montego Bay and Spanish cities. There are quite a few resorts in Montego Bay and I think those resorts are who are most affected plus the ships that dock there. Also, if you look at the country as a whole it is a Level 2 advisory...the same as Mexico (Mexico has more "do not go" cities). By the way, Level 2 is Exercise Increased Caution. RC will skip the port if they feel it is unsafe. I think in recent years they skipped and replaced Turkey. Also, Labadee was cancelled for about a month due to political protests last year. Even if they go, you can decide to stay on the ship if you feel unsafe. I've been there and loved it and we are looking forward to going back in November but would look at the political environment and make a decision at the time.

I see a similar thing on my Harmony cruise in March...you can book the Bogo for $40 and Jaimie's Italian for $35 and come out a little cheaper than the $80 3 night dining package. Doesn't work if the 3rd night is a more expensive restaurant like Chops.

Another option is the beach bungalows at Columbus Cove...they hold 8 so may be more forgiving with a party of 11. It's also cheaper at $250.

That is great to know. I was looking at the details of the policy and really like that there is something like a future cruise credit in the form of 75% and you can cancel up to departure. The biggest downside to this policy is medical evacuation is limited to $25,000 and the cost is more than private policies. Now it says, the future cruise credit can't be used during blackout periods. Does anyone know what are the blackout periods? Would it include spring break? Also, of course I just purchased private trip insurance (not Cancel for any reason) yesterday for the family before I saw this. Debating on the cost/risk/reward of buying additional insurance. Does anyone know what would happen if someone had a 2 policies? I wouldn't buy for the entire family just the 2 people who could cancel.

Another Relaxation Artist. Not really surprising to me especially as I vetoed the idea of spending Thanksgiving week at WDW (again) and booked a 5 day cruise.

66! Also 304 and 422

We only had 1 set sail pass for the 6 of us across 2 rooms on Liberty. I only printed out one and had no problem but I needed to wait for my DH as he parked the car after dropping us off with luggage as he'd have no way to get in without us. All our names were listed on the Set Sail pass. Never even thought we'd have a problem and we didn't. I'm reading that your kids are listed on your pass. If I read that right then I wouldn't worry about it. You could print out the first page 4 times so everyone has their own copy. If you do a search, there are several images of set sail passes with multiple names on it.

You may have to call to book the entertainment. I couldn't book any entertainment online with multiple reservation numbers. Now, looking at my cruise planner on Harmony it says for adult audiences and that 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent...so not sure how family friendly. Also, you can book only 1 night of the comedian (according to the phone rep).

Thanks for the tip! I just started following him on FB. We'll be on Harmony for Spring Break.

If at a beach club, then I will rent a locker and put stuff in there. However if you look at amazon there are lockable tote bags where you can lock a bag to a beach chair. I haven't tried one yet so can't recommend but they do look like a good option. I typically don't take passports with us but do have a picture of them on my phone and I'll keep minimal cash and put everything else in the locker. If snorkeling at an excursion, I don't worry about it. The tour operators have much more to lose than the minimal cash they could get out of my bag.

Outside the gate can be very aggressive so I wouldn't venture far. That being said Falmouth still has our all time favorite excursion so I wouldn't worry about leaving with a tour or private driver that you vetted prior to your cruise. We've eaten at Scotchies on our excursion too. Very good jerk chicken however every driver and their cruise passengers will be there.

I understand that 5:30 as it is too early for us too. If you change to MTD, make sure you get reservations...I wonder if there is a way for your TA to see availability for reservations before you make the switch. There are several large tables but not that many and I'd hate for you to make the switch and then not get the table or times you'd like. Just an FYI, for my last cruise (Liberty) and upcoming cruise (Harmony) I was not able to make reservations between 6:15 and 7. Some people say they can but I've found I couldn't online or in person.

My insurance company (also USAA) only covers pre-existing medical conditions and CFAR if you purchase it within 30 days of the initial deposit. I did not see an annual plan but then coverage is based on state laws so it might be available to you.