WhiteSoxFan

There are so many variables at this point I have to say I'm not sure. We have a cruise booked for next January and I honestly think its a 50/50 or less chance things will be in a position that I would take that cruise without the vaccine. Cases were low in my area when we went to the stay-at-home order so I'm very confident it's not something we've been exposed to. Certainly the number of infections at that time and the cruise lines response on how they are handling the situation will weigh heavily on the final decision. Let's all root for that vaccine! :)

A no win situation for everyone. Shut it all down, slow the virus and "flatten the curve", and make it manageable and everyone will be bitching that it wasn't that bad and why'd we go to such extreme measures. Keep everything operating and have this thing rip thru the country taxing our health care system and everyone will bitch about not shutting everything down. I'd be curios to know how many cancellations they've had. Probably cheaper having these ships going no where with skeleton crews than sail at the occupancy levels they might have been seeing.

item #2 was especially true for us in San Juan. I have no idea how much time it saved us but the lines were long.

Just returned from a 5 day on Explorer and can report back that on our sailing the formal night was day 3 not day 2. Also I never saw lobster on the menu. Night 4 we ate at Giovanni's but I got a peek at the menu that night and didn't see it.

We also were on this cruise. You may have seen us at our favorite activity, sitting at the edge of the solarium pool enjoying beers and cocktails. ? I booked one of the deck 12 balcony cabins, these were added on the last big renovation. The positives, very close to the spa and solarium, easy access to the upper decks. Also the balcony is all glass looking out, not the punched opening in like the lower decks. The cons. A LOT of stair climbing to get down to, and back up from, the promenade, theater, studio B, etc. I was proud of the fact that we only rode the elevator a handful of times the entire 5 days. In Nassau our large group headed to the Pirate Republic to enjoy some beers and cocktails. in Labadee we enjoyed the beach early and my daughter was married in the afternoon. Aside from a lot of travel anxiety (flying out in the middle of a snow storm) it was another great time with RC.

All correct. Just got off the Explorer where the internet isn't the fastest and made several wifi calls from my iPhone.

For those that had points under the old system and are trying to figure out how they converted, here is the formula: Conversion from old cruise credits to cruise points: If credits were 1-4, points = credits * 7 + 1 If credits were 5-7, points = credits * 7 + 3 If credits were > 7, points = credits * 7 + 13 I had 5 credits at the time so that translated into 38 new points. At least that is what I was credited now. Earlier they made a mistake (that I honestly didn't catch) that gave me diamond status for two cruises that I shouldn't have had. By the time they corrected my points total I was legitimately at Diamond.

Heading out on a five nighter on Explorer this Sunday. It is doing the 9/5 rotation so I'll report back when I return. I'm going to be "that guy" on formal night though. Just slacks and a polo shirt for our group, we are all "packing light".

I purchased mine on line and they sent it to my home. The Sunpass is definitely setup with tourist in mind. You can go online and enter your rental car and plate info and set the expiration. That way if the transponder doesn't get read properly they charge you instead of your rental car company.

I did this as my mother lives in Florida and we also often fly into Orlando for cruises that leave Miami and Port Everglades. Saves the hassle of stopping and some of the tolls in the Miami area are cashless.

Its been a few years back but when we did get the bridge and galley tour when we stayed in a GS.

Your status does not change until your next cruise.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Yes there are taxis. Disney does provide free wifi on property but I do not know how well it will work outside some of the resort areas or at Disney Springs. It also tends to be rather slow in my experience although I haven't been there in a year and it always seems to be improving.

It can seem intimidating but is rather easy to do. From the TTC you can easily walk to the Polynesian. From there you can walk to the Grand Floridian. You'll need to take the Monorail to the Contemporary. If you have any questions regarding how or where to get the shuttle buses just ask a cast member, they are usually very friendly and helpful. Just allow plenty of time to travel back to the pickup point. Disney buses run fairly regularly but can be inconsistent.

In addition to Disney Springs and the monorail resorts you can also hit the Boardwalk area. You can rent a pedal car and take it around the lake. The Boardwalk, Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin are in the area. Plus a short walk past the Swan and across the street takes you to Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf. They have 2 separate courses ther with 2 completely different styles. I'd also venture a ride over to the Animal Kingdom lodge if you have time. The lodge is very nice, you can go out back and see the animals in the Savannah. You can also have a drink in the Victoria Falls Lounge. I enjoy that place.

I'll third Bayside Marketplace!

I have done this Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami trip multiple times. Alamo has several rental locations on Disney property that are easy to get to. One at the Car Care Center outside the Magic Kingdom parking lot, One at the Dolphin Hotel and one at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Springs near Disney Springs. Hours are not as ideal but you should be able to get it the day before. Alamo also provides a shuttle from the MIA Rental Car Center to the port, or you could also Uber/Lyft or take a taxi for a reasonable rate. Edit to add: If you regularly make trips to Florida go online and get a Sunpass for tolls. You do get a discounted toll rate and it will pay for itself in a few trips. Also in the Miami area there are toll roads with no cash options so the Sunpass is very handy there.

I would add one exception. The Voyager, Explorer and Adventure have a different balcony construction. The balcony openings are "punched" thru the exterior structure as opposed to the other ships where the balcony extends from the structure. Most of these openings are in pairs so the only balcony one can look around the divider on is the neighbor who shares the opening. There are a few rare single openings which afford you much more privacy.

I agree, the only thing I have seen is the excursion. I did this last time on Labadee. You have two guides, one that leads and one follows. They try to arrange it so the people that will go the fastest are in front. They will head you out to a point, re-group, then on to the next point. Along the way they will provide some history and background about the area and Labadee. Overall it was a pretty decent excursion and you do get to run wide open a couple of times.

On Freedom (and any Freedom or Voyager class ship) the deck 7 & deck 10 corners are great cabins. On Deck 7 the balcony is huge and offers a great view out the side. Deck 10 has a room about as big as a JS but for a lesser price. Sometimes these do not show up as available, even if they are, when booking for just 2 people as they can both occupy more than 2. A travel agent should be able to help you there.

First cruise we booked all our excursions thru the ship. All early departure and even booked 2 in one port. We were worn out from getting up early for all these excursions every port day. We figured it out the next time that a mix of ship and self-booked/self-exploring is a better way to go.

I'd love to hear how you like the Edge. We are booked for January 2021.

Just curious, would travel insurance help cover the expense of any additional nights of lodging between the times your ship was scheduled to sail and when it actually sails?

Love the review. We have the Edge booked with the 4 perk option for January 2021. You've made me look forward to it even more.