"Miss" and "Don't Miss Out"

[CinderellaDream]

So glad you agreed and it's so awesome we were on the same cruise! Did you go to Little French Key in Roatan?

We did Maya Key in Roatan but I researched LFK as well and had a hard time deciding. Maya Key was great and only a five minute boat ride from the pier. It was my favorite part of the entire cruise.

 

[pershing]

Sorrentos is comparable to DCL. They also do panini's and deserts there, and they have an antipasta bar that has some good stuff on it. Not-to-Miss: On the last sea day (around noon) they do a chef's celebration in the promenade where all the chefs set up sampling stations of their favorite dishes.

That's a great tip to know for a newbie! Thanks!

It was on another site that I heard Wipe Out served Burgers and Fries-I guess it was erroneous.

Can I get any recommendations about port hotels or port parking prices? We are driving from Massachusetts, so we will need to pay for parking. Having only sailed with Disney, I know Port Canaveral really well and we drove from WDW to Miami to do a Magic Cruise -or was it Wonder? Don't remember. So I don't know Fort Lauderdale at all.

Is there any ship activities, trivia, tastings etc that stand out? My eldest turned 21 on our last cruise and we did some tastings that he really enjoyed.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

That's a great tip to know for a newbie! Thanks!

It was on another site that I heard Wipe Out served Burgers and Fries-I guess it was erroneous.

Can I get any recommendations about port hotels or port parking prices? We are driving from Massachusetts, so we will need to pay for parking. Having only sailed with Disney, I know Port Canaveral really well and we drove from WDW to Miami to do a Magic Cruise -or was it Wonder? Don't remember. So I don't know Fort Lauderdale at all.

Is there any ship activities, trivia, tastings etc that stand out? My eldest turned 21 on our last cruise and we did some tastings that he really enjoyed.

Trivia in the Schooner bar every day; liquor /beer/wine tastings throughout the week (all listed in the daily Cruise Compass). As for hotels, go over to cruise critic and check out the ports threads. There are a lot of recommendations on where to stay (and park) pre-cruise. Wipe Out is just one deck up from Johnny Rockets so maybe the burgers and fries were carried out and up - it may also be something new since march.

 

[karmacats]

That's a great tip to know for a newbie! Thanks!

It was on another site that I heard Wipe Out served Burgers and Fries-I guess it was erroneous.

Can I get any recommendations about port hotels or port parking prices? We are driving from Massachusetts, so we will need to pay for parking. Having only sailed with Disney, I know Port Canaveral really well and we drove from WDW to Miami to do a Magic Cruise -or was it Wonder? Don't remember. So I don't know Fort Lauderdale at all.

Is there any ship activities, trivia, tastings etc that stand out? My eldest turned 21 on our last cruise and we did some tastings that he really enjoyed.

Wipe out cafe on oasis class serves food like burgers and fries, so that may be causing the confusion. I don't recall anything similar on freedom class.

In ft Lauderdale, we usually stay at the crowne plaza airport/cruise port. It's a block to the port entrance. We've also stayed at the Hyatt place a couple of blocks from there, which is closer to other shops and restaurants but a little further from Port. They are both nice, but crowne plaza is newer. We always go to Lester's diner on the same street as the crowne plaza for excellent caramel cake. .

Parking at the port is easy. The usual terminal has a covered garage. I think it costs about $20 per night. Some hotels also let you park there for the week and get a shuttle, or you can take a cab. We've found it a hassle so these days just park at Port, but it's usually a lot cheaper to keep the car at the hotel.

Good luck with the drive! We do it from DC and it's about 17 hours, including a couple of gas and fast food stops. It's going to be a looooong drive.....