Yes, more 1st cruise questions. Even more at the end!

[Canadian Harmony]

The more I plan, the more questions I seem to have!

I can't book flights for 2021 until closer to... 2021... however, the best flights I can see so far, leaves at 1:30 in the afternoon. If we arrive back at 8:30am, around what time will we be off the ship? As it's an international flight, we are required to be at the airport around 11:30. Will we have enough time to get our luggage and leave the ship, or should I plan for another evening in San Diego after the cruise?

Another question for you seasoned travellers - how much extra cash/gift cards should I plan for? Hubby and I do enjoy our drinks (we're in the Navy after all...) and my teenagers have already put dibs on hitting the teen spa. I'd like to spend a bit of time in the spa too - probably on our Catalina day. (Is that even possible?) I usually put money on Disney gift cards. That way, we avoid exchange fees. And from what I understand from earlier, I can use DGCs for on-ship purchases? I hand them over at registration upon embarking? The kids will like to go shopping with the cards I give them.

And to that end, should we bring on a case of bottled water and some beers so we're not paying as much for drinks? Can we do that? We're in a 9A oceanview stateroom on deck 7 if that makes a difference.

I read that we deliver our big bags and only bring on our carry-ons. Is that more for pool time than any other reason, or should we put jammies and toiletries in our bags too?

Do we tip our stateroom guy and server? What is standard for tipping?

As I'm usually led by my stomach, where is better to eat at for breakfast and lunch - Cabanas or Tritons? Do we tip there too or is this included?

Tell me all about the photo stuff. I am a scrapbooker, so photos are super important to me. Do I buy a package similar to PhotoPass/Memory Maker?

Is the wifi worth getting? I don't mind being offline at sea, but we could go through 500mb in a matter of hours. Should we get all of the wifi?

We don't have to leave the ship in port if we don't want to? Or can we go ashore for a little while then come back early?

Are the tastings extra $? That margarita one has my name written all over it...

I understand on short cruises (ours is a 4-day) we'll have a Pirate night and an optional formal night? Correct?

Ok. I think I have spilled all my questions for now. You are all wonderful putting up with my questions.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The more I plan, the more questions I seem to have!

I can't book flights for 2021 until closer to... 2021... however, the best flights I can see so far, leaves at 1:30 in the afternoon. If we arrive back at 8:30am, around what time will we be off the ship? As it's an international flight, we are required to be at the airport around 11:30. Will we have enough time to get our luggage and leave the ship, or should I plan for another evening in San Diego after the cruise?

Another question for you seasoned travellers - how much extra cash/gift cards should I plan for? Hubby and I do enjoy our drinks (we're in the Navy after all...) and my teenagers have already put dibs on hitting the teen spa. I'd like to spend a bit of time in the spa too - probably on our Catalina day. (Is that even possible?) I usually put money on Disney gift cards. That way, we avoid exchange fees. And from what I understand from earlier, I can use DGCs for on-ship purchases? I hand them over at registration upon embarking? The kids will like to go shopping with the cards I give them.

And to that end, should we bring on a case of bottled water and some beers so we're not paying as much for drinks? Can we do that? We're in a 9A oceanview stateroom on deck 7 if that makes a difference.

I read that we deliver our big bags and only bring on our carry-ons. Is that more for pool time than any other reason, or should we put jammies and toiletries in our bags too?

Do we tip our stateroom guy and server? What is standard for tipping?

As I'm usually led by my stomach, where is better to eat at for breakfast and lunch - Cabanas or Tritons? Do we tip there too or is this included?

Tell me all about the photo stuff. I am a scrapbooker, so photos are super important to me. Do I buy a package similar to PhotoPass/Memory Maker?

Is the wifi worth getting? I don't mind being offline at sea, but we could go through 500mb in a matter of hours. Should we get all of the wifi?

We don't have to leave the ship in port if we don't want to? Or can we go ashore for a little while then come back early?

Are the tastings extra $? That margarita one has my name written all over it...

I understand on short cruises (ours is a 4-day) we'll have a Pirate night and an optional formal night? Correct?

Ok. I think I have spilled all my questions for now. You are all wonderful putting up with my questions.

DCL recommends return flights after 11:30 so you should be fine.

You can haul on all the water you want in your carry-on luggage, but don't check it.

Yes, you can stay on the ship when you're in port, or come back as early as you want.

No optional formal night on cruises of less than a week.

Tips for your room steward and dining crew are automatically billed to your stateroom. You can adjust them if you wish. The dining crew tips also cover breakfast and lunch service, even tho you'll probably have different waiters. Cabanas vs Triton's is personal preference. Some days you might want to hit the buffet. Others, you might feel like table service. Personally I like to just grab something at Cabanas and get on my way to other activities.

I've always had my luggage delivered the first day, usually before dinner, so there hasn't been any reason to pack jammies in my carry-on. You should carry-on your paperwork, jewelry (if you're bringing any) and meds.

 

[Adventurelawyer]

Everyone loves the first timer questions, sono worries there.

San Diego is a beautiful city, plan an extra day if you can.Getting to the airport by 1130 might be doable, but you could be cutting it too close.

the margarita tasting is an additional charge (the term “upcharge” makes me itchy). Its $23 per person and you can sign up online when your booking window opens.

Most adult beverages are between 7.50 and 12. DH and I like to get our drink on, and our bar tab is obscene. You can offset by bringing your own beer or wine on board (two bottles or 1 sixer, no spirits). You can kind of calculate your consumption and the cost based on that. If you have specific services in mind for the spa, just ask, and someone can try looking up the cost. Always add 18% autogratuity on top of whatever you figure.

Don’t sweat getting off the boat if you don’t want to. You never have to leave!

Wifi. Meh. Its a short cruise. Your phone will work in port. Contact your carrier about international rates for your trip.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Most adult beverages are between 7.50 and 12. DH and I like to get our drink on, and our bar tab is obscene.

You are my people.

 

[Mommb]

Many of your questions have already been answered, but I've added some more answers in bold.

Another question for you seasoned travellers - how much extra cash/gift cards should I plan for? Hubby and I do enjoy our drinks (we're in the Navy after all...) and my teenagers have already put dibs on hitting the teen spa. I'd like to spend a bit of time in the spa too - probably on our Catalina day. (Is that even possible?) Yes, the spa is open on port days, and may even have specials for services while the ship is in port.

I usually put money on Disney gift cards. That way, we avoid exchange fees. And from what I understand from earlier, I can use DGCs for on-ship purchases? I hand them over at registration upon embarking? The kids will like to go shopping with the cards I give them. You can go to Guest Services onboard to apply gift cards to your onboard account. If you have placed a credit card on the account at check-in, you will want to apply the gift cards no later than the last night on the ship. It's best to apply them as soon as you know you're charged (or will charge) the amount on the gift cards, because credit cards are charged when a certain amount (which varies by cruise length) is reached. It is possible that you can use Disney Gift Cards directly at the onboard shops, but that isn't always possible.

And to that end, should we bring on a case of bottled water and some beers so we're not paying as much for drinks? Can we do that? We're in a 9A oceanview stateroom on deck 7 if that makes a difference. As mentioned, you can carry on any quantity of non-alcoholic beverages. Each adult (21 and older) can carry on up to 6 containers of beer of no more than 12 ounces each at embarkation and at each port.

I read that we deliver our big bags and only bring on our carry-ons. Is that more for pool time than any other reason, or should we put jammies and toiletries in our bags too? There is a very small possibility of a delay in luggage delivery. We have always had our luggage delivered before dinner, and often before sail-away.,

Do we tip our stateroom guy and server? What is standard for tipping? As mentioned, your onboard account will be charged for gratuities to your stateroom host, server, assistant server, and head server. A day before debarkation you will be given slips of paper with the automatic amount that you can present to these people. You can adjust the amount and get new slips by going to Guest Services. You can also provide money in cash. Because servers share duties at various restaurants throughout the day, you are not expected to tip daily in the main dining rooms or at counter service restaurants. If you order beverages with additional costs (alcohol, specialty coffee drinks, sodas except in dining rooms) the bill will include a gratuity. Servers at Palo do not work in the main dining rooms, so it is customary to tip separately if you dine at Palo.

As I'm usually led by my stomach, where is better to eat at for breakfast and lunch - Cabanas or Tritons? Do we tip there too or is this included? It's personal preference whether you prefer a buffet or table service. As mentioned above, no tip is expected at either.

Tell me all about the photo stuff. I am a scrapbooker, so photos are super important to me. Do I buy a package similar to PhotoPass/Memory Maker? You can purchase photos individually or in packages of a set number of photos. You can also purchase an unlimited package. I think you can save money by purchases packages in advance, though we've never bought more than 20 photos so I'm not sure.

Is the wifi worth getting? I don't mind being offline at sea, but we could go through 500mb in a matter of hours. Should we get all of the wifi? As mentioned, if you are relatively close to shore, you may be able to access wifi with a cell phone. If you sign up for online wifi the first night, you can get some "free" time. Whether you want more is up to you. If you do use onboard wifi, be sure to minimize or stop automatic updates and be sure to log out as soon as you're done with each session.

We don't have to leave the ship in port if we don't want to? Or can we go ashore for a little while then come back early? Once the ship is cleared at the port, you can get on and off as much or as little as you want. No one will make you leave until the last day.

Are the tastings extra $? That margarita one has my name written all over it... Tasting have an additional fee that will be show when you register for them online.

I understand on short cruises (ours is a 4-day) we'll have a Pirate night and an optional formal night? Correct? There will be a pirate night. As mentioned, shorter cruises may not have a formal night.

Ok. I think I have spilled all my questions for now. You are all wonderful putting up with my questions.

Ask away!

 

[SnappySerape]

The more I plan, the more questions I seem to have!

I can't book flights for 2021 until closer to... 2021... however, the best flights I can see so far, leaves at 1:30 in the afternoon. If we arrive back at 8:30am, around what time will we be off the ship? As it's an international flight, we are required to be at the airport around 11:30. Will we have enough time to get our luggage and leave the ship, or should I plan for another evening in San Diego after the cruise?

Another question for you seasoned travellers - how much extra cash/gift cards should I plan for? Hubby and I do enjoy our drinks (we're in the Navy after all...) and my teenagers have already put dibs on hitting the teen spa. I'd like to spend a bit of time in the spa too - probably on our Catalina day. (Is that even possible?) I usually put money on Disney gift cards. That way, we avoid exchange fees. And from what I understand from earlier, I can use DGCs for on-ship purchases? I hand them over at registration upon embarking? The kids will like to go shopping with the cards I give them.

And to that end, should we bring on a case of bottled water and some beers so we're not paying as much for drinks? Can we do that? We're in a 9A oceanview stateroom on deck 7 if that makes a difference.

I read that we deliver our big bags and only bring on our carry-ons. Is that more for pool time than any other reason, or should we put jammies and toiletries in our bags too?

Do we tip our stateroom guy and server? What is standard for tipping?

As I'm usually led by my stomach, where is better to eat at for breakfast and lunch - Cabanas or Tritons? Do we tip there too or is this included?

Tell me all about the photo stuff. I am a scrapbooker, so photos are super important to me. Do I buy a package similar to PhotoPass/Memory Maker?

Is the wifi worth getting? I don't mind being offline at sea, but we could go through 500mb in a matter of hours. Should we get all of the wifi?

We don't have to leave the ship in port if we don't want to? Or can we go ashore for a little while then come back early?

Are the tastings extra $? That margarita one has my name written all over it...

I understand on short cruises (ours is a 4-day) we'll have a Pirate night and an optional formal night? Correct?

Ok. I think I have spilled all my questions for now. You are all wonderful putting up with my questions.

Don't be ashamed about questions! We all spend a good bit of money on our vacations and stressing about it now prevents stress later! We just want things to go smoothly right?? I'm not as experienced as other cruisers on the board but I'll give my 2-cents!

--I haven't had too much need for cash in hand on a cruise. Lots of ports will take a card. I do bring around 150-200 just in case money. I usually end up throwing a few extra bucks in the tipping pot. Disney Gift Cards can be applied to your stateroom account. I think you can do it on the phone as well as at GS. Any charges incurred on the ship are charged directly to the room account. Be aware that there is AUTOMATICALLY a tip for practically any service (coffee from Vista/Cove, bars, extra desserts, etc). It's like 15%. There is still a line for additional tip.

--As for the case of water, I pack a big checked bag and don't usually need a carry on. However, I do put a pack of bottled water in a carry on roller and bring it with me on the ship. If I drink all the bottled water, I defer to the ship's filtered water. It's actually not bad! It will definitely save some money for the bar

--Check bags will be brought to the room automatically. It'll be there before dinner so I wouldn't be too concerned. I would focus on using the carry on for immediate need things like medicine, pool clothes, change of clothes for the pool or packed alcohol/water

--There are four people whose tips are automatically added to the ship room account: head server, server, assistant server and stateroom host/hostess. These can be prepaid before the cruise or the can be adjusted. If I want to add more, I usually give cash. As mentioned above, any ship service like popcorn/alcohol/dessert/specialty coffee drinks/specialty ice cream will automaticall add a tip to the room charge. I would bring a few dollars for the porters who take care of your check bag at the terminal AND some tips for excursion guides (if you take any excursions).

--My go to for breakfast is Cabanas. Both the sit down and buffet are free but any add-ons like specialty coffee will be extra. I'm a creature of habit so I always get an omelette (they're free!), roasted potatoes, a mickey waffle, chocolate milk and a coffee.

--I haven't purchased any photos because I typically bring my own camera. They will usually take a picture with your camera if you ask them to! I don't know about the value of those packages but definitely DO NOT wait until the last night to look in on the photos. It will be a mad house.

--WiFi is fairly slow and can be somewhat expensive. If you sign up for the free 50mb at the beginning and turn off ALL background refreshing, you can get fairly far. If you browse the web a lot, it'll go quickly. I find that I don't really need it but that's up to the person!

--Getting off the ship is TOTALLY optional. I live in Florida so beaches in the Caribbean aren't too appealing to me so I'll usually stay on the ship. That being said, I might sleep in, get off the ship to hit up a Starbucks, get one of those location mugs and hop back on the ship. Just bring your room key and ID. Make sure your credit card is set to make purchases out of the country. You can come and go whenever you like.

-- Tastings are extra but they aren't crazy expensive. I did the chocolate and liquor tasting last cruise and I think it was 37 bucks per person. Took about an hour and was a good experience.

--You will have a pirate night complete with pirate shows! Dressing up (pirate/formal/semi-formal/etc) is always optional. I wore a t-shirt to dinner every night on my 7-nighters. I'm here to relax and be comfortable! Not to get dolled up . That being said, plenty of people LOVE to dress up and they look great!

Good luck and have a great time!!!!

 

[Adventurelawyer]

You are my people.

Must be the Navy thing.

As a drinker, I will second what others have said about bringing on water bottles and your preferred electrolyte replacement supplement (I like Wilderness Athlete because it comes in powder). I hate Powerade and thats all you can get onboard. Just put the case in a carry on and wheel it with you, otherwise the current price is $10 USD for 6 bottles of Dasani. Highway robbery, I tell ya!

Buying in San Diego is easy. An Uber from the airport with a quick stop in Little Italy (its on the way to the port) to hit the grocery store or a cash and carry, and you can get wine, beer, water, and anything else you might not have wanted to travel with (like sunscreen, contact lense solution, other things that add weight and bulk).

if you end up with a late PAT and an early flight arrival time, there are tons of places to hang out and eat locally. Let me know when its closer and you have a flight schedule and I’ll help you get lined out. I grew up in San Diego and lived there while my husband was stationed there. You guys will have a blast!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

And to that end, should we bring on a case of bottled water and some beers so we're not paying as much for drinks? Can we do that? We're in a 9A oceanview stateroom on deck 7 if that makes a difference.
Really no need to bring your own bottled water, as the water onboard (from the taps, served at meals) is processed the same as most bottled waters. Just bring a refillable water bottle (also saves on plastic waste). Each person 21 and older can bring onboard 6 beers (12 oz ea) (also from port calls).

I read that we deliver our big bags and only bring on our carry-ons. Is that more for pool time than any other reason, or should we put jammies and toiletries in our bags too?
It's a good idea to use your carry on bags for important documents, medications, electronics, and a change of (at least) underwear.

Do we tip our stateroom guy and server? What is standard for tipping?
Gratutities are automatically charged to your onboard account. The amount is $13.50 per guest per night. That $13.50 breaks out to $4.50 to your stateroom host; $4.50 to your dining room server; $3.50 to your assistant server; and $1.00 to your head server per guest per night. You can tip additionally (either by adjusting amounts at Guest Services, or using cash)

As I'm usually led by my stomach, where is better to eat at for breakfast and lunch - Cabanas or Tritons? Do we tip there too or is this included?
Either is fine for lunch. All dining staff is covered by the auto gratutity I described.

Tell me all about the photo stuff. I am a scrapbooker, so photos are super important to me. Do I buy a package similar to PhotoPass/Memory Maker?
There are packages available. You can pre purchase them, or buy them onboard.

Is the wifi worth getting? I don't mind being offline at sea, but we could go through 500mb in a matter of hours. Should we get all of the wifi?
There's a free 50mb package offered, if you sign up by midnight embarkation day. You could get that and that could give you an idea of whether you need to buy more once it's used up.

We don't have to leave the ship in port if we don't want to? Or can we go ashore for a little while then come back early?
Either way. You are not required to get off the ship until the cruise is over.

Are the tastings extra $? That margarita one has my name written all over it...
Yes. Typical cost is around $30

I understand on short cruises (ours is a 4-day) we'll have a Pirate night and an optional formal night? Correct?
Yes

Ok. I think I have spilled all my questions for now. You are all wonderful putting up with my questions.

My responses in red.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

So my husband and I like a mixed drink, wine with dinner, and occasionally adult spirits. We budget $100 -125/Day for alcohol (roughly $25/mix with 15% tip added, ~ $60/bottle of wine plus 15% tip [$75], and then another $40 for spirits with tips [usually single malts].
Gift cards are nice and can be loaded back with remaining funds.
Cash — primarily for porters in airports, at the port, and then for excursion operators. Everything else is chargeable to the room via your key. LL - set limits on the kids charging at Guest Services if you have an absent-minded teen.
Enjoy! Planning is a good part of the fun.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

You guys are awesome.
And I totally told my husband today. I lasted... <checks watch>... one. week.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

set limits on the kids charging at Guest Services if you have an absent-minded teen.

You can't set a limit on a KTTW card (as in KTTW card for passengers 3 & 4 can only spend $XX dollars a day). You can only have the charging turned on or off.

Well, I suppose you could, by only loading a cash (or gift card) payment onto a specific card. Once the limit is reached, the card holder is notified that more cash needs to be put on the account before more charges can be made on that specific KTTW card.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

What's a KTTW card? Full deets please.

 

[deliela999]

What's a KTTW card? Full deets please.

Key To The World card. It's your card that opens your room, lets you charge things, etc.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

So after lurking, more questions:

- we're headed to the Baja. Do I need to bring Pesos for our excursion?

- do I tip for room service if we decide to order in? And is that extra or included?

- I have anxiety in large crowds. What's the best way to handle disembarkation? Also, do we take off all of our bags as we leave, or are they sent back in reverse of embarkation and we wait for them in the building?

Must be the Navy thing.

As a drinker, I will second what others have said about bringing on water bottles and your preferred electrolyte replacement supplement (I like Wilderness Athlete because it comes in powder). I hate Powerade and thats all you can get onboard. Just put the case in a carry on and wheel it with you, otherwise the current price is $10 USD for 6 bottles of Dasani. Highway robbery, I tell ya!

Buying in San Diego is easy. An Uber from the airport with a quick stop in Little Italy (its on the way to the port) to hit the grocery store or a cash and carry, and you can get wine, beer, water, and anything else you might not have wanted to travel with (like sunscreen, contact lense solution, other things that add weight and bulk).

if you end up with a late PAT and an early flight arrival time, there are tons of places to hang out and eat locally. Let me know when its closer and you have a flight schedule and I’ll help you get lined out. I grew up in San Diego and lived there while my husband was stationed there. You guys will have a blast!

We're going to stay in SD for four days prior to sailing - hit the Zoo and WAP, etc etc. We'll probably go to the NEX as well and grab water and beers/coolers for the trip. We LOVE San Diego!

What's a PAT? Embarkation time?

 

[Mommb]

Here's what I can answer:

Most items ordered from room service do not have a cost. Beverages (including sodas) do. If you don't have a charge slip, you can provide a tip in cash.

I haven't cruised out of San Diego, so I'm not sure if debarkation works the same way it does at Port Canaveral and in Europe. In those places, it's a free-for-all as soon as the ship is cleared, and the line gets long when debarkation begins. The best way to avoid crowds at disembarkation is to wait a while after guests are allowed to get off. When I've had late dining, I've found that by the time we finish breakfast, the line to get off the ship isn't bad. If people are called by departure groups, it's harder to avoid a cluster of people.

Baggage at debarkation is handled in the reverse of boarding. On the last day of the cruise you will receive colored luggage tags to put on your bags. You can set out tagged luggage the previous night (making sure to keep anything you need in the morning in your cabin, of course). That luggage will be picked up sometime that night and will be waiting in the terminal, in sections grouped by tag color, when you disembark.

PAT is Port Arrival Time. When your booking window opens, you can complete online check-in. You will enter information including your passport/ID information, flight times, and onboard charging information, and you will select a PAT. This is the earliest time that you should arrive at the port. If you arrive later than your PAT, there will be no problem, but if you arrive earlier, you may not be allowed to enter the terminal.

Once you check in at the port, you will be given an embarkation group number. When the ship begins boarding, groups will be called in numerical order, following Concierge and back-to-back cruise guests. It would make sense for an earlier PAT to result in a lower boarding number, but the correlation is not exact, so it's impossible to predict boarding times based solely on PAT.

 

[PurplePencil]

So after lurking, more questions:
- do I tip for room service if we decide to order in? And is that extra or included?
Room service is included except for items that say call for price (theater candy, canned soda, alcohol)
- I have anxiety in large crowds. What's the best way to handle disembarkation? Also, do we take off all of our bags as we leave, or are they sent back in reverse of embarkation and we wait for them in the building?
Once debarkation starts/all colored tags are called it a frenzy. If you wait a bit longer, the craziness dies down. There is an option to carry off your bags, which you can begin doing as soon as the ship is cleared, but that time tends to be a frenzy that is best to avoid if possible.

 

[Adventurelawyer]

So after lurking, more questions:

- we're headed to the Baja. Do I need to bring Pesos for our excursion?

- do I tip for room service if we decide to order in? And is that extra or included?

- I have anxiety in large crowds. What's the best way to handle disembarkation? Also, do we take off all of our bags as we leave, or are they sent back in reverse of embarkation and we wait for them in the building?



We're going to stay in SD for four days prior to sailing - hit the Zoo and WAP, etc etc. We'll probably go to the NEX as well and grab water and beers/coolers for the trip. We LOVE San Diego!

What's a PAT? Embarkation time?

Port Arrival Time. Its the time they want you to arrive at the terminal to check in. You will then be issued a boarding group number or possibly just allowed to board.

The NEX!!!! Cheap fuel for the rental, too!
I’d be taking the food tour myself. Point Loma Seafood, Hodads, South Beach, World Famous. So much food so little time.

Refresh my memory, when is your departure date?

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Port Arrival Time. Its the time they want you to arrive at the terminal to check in. You will then be issued a boarding group number or possibly just allowed to board.

The NEX!!!! Cheap fuel for the rental, too!
I’d be taking the food tour myself. Point Loma Seafood, Hodads, South Beach, World Famous. So much food so little time.

Refresh my memory, when is your departure date?

We love the NEX. It helped us save tons when we were in Pearl on holiday in Hawaii. I know we'll be renting a car for our stay, but have to figure out the logistics of renting a car at the airport and dropping it off elsewhere. Might just investigate public transit to get us around instead.

I'd like the food tour, but we have two teenage girls with us, so we've decided to go elsewhere. However, if hubby and I ever go on our own (doubtful), we'll definately do something like that because we love exploring food and drink in new places. We will be taking them to the Gaslamp though, so that'll be an experience for them, LOL.

Our departure is the 15th of March, 2021.

 

[starvenger]

I can't book flights for 2021 until closer to... 2021... however, the best flights I can see so far, leaves at 1:30 in the afternoon. If we arrive back at 8:30am, around what time will we be off the ship? As it's an international flight, we are required to be at the airport around 11:30. Will we have enough time to get our luggage and leave the ship, or should I plan for another evening in San Diego after the cruise?

You seem to travel a lot. I assume you've got a NEXUS pass? I know port of SD doesn't have a Global Entry line but otherwise you're fast tracked in YVR and can use TSA Precheck in SAN so at least you'd save some time there. Your teens cost $0 so that's a bonus as well.

Wifi. Meh. Its a short cruise. Your phone will work in port. Contact your carrier about international rates for your trip.

I'm always afraid to see what rates Rogers/Bell/Telus will charge me for even staring at my phone outside of Canada

I’d be taking the food tour myself. Point Loma Seafood, Hodads, South Beach, World Famous. So much food so little time.

Love Point Loma. First found out about it on $40 a Day, and made it a point to stop there the other few times we've been to San Diego. Might be a bit tourist trappy now? I dunno.

 

[Adventurelawyer]

You seem to travel a lot. I assume you've got a NEXUS pass? I know port of SD doesn't have a Global Entry line but otherwise you're fast tracked in YVR and can use TSA Precheck in SAN so at least you'd save some time there. Your teens cost $0 so that's a bonus as well.


I'm always afraid to see what rates Rogers/Bell/Telus will charge me for even staring at my phone outside of Canada


Love Point Loma. First found out about it on $40 a Day, and made it a point to stop there the other few times we've been to San Diego. Might be a bit tourist trappy now? I dunno.

Locals hit Point Loma Seafood. They buy their fish right off the boats or have it flown in from the gulf and Alaska, same day. There is plenty of touristy trap “stuff” all over SD. Most locals learn to live with it and even participate on occasion.

as far as the phones go, hit Target and get a prepaid drop phone. I believe NEX has them as well. Does Rogers, et al., have a North American plan? It costs me $5 month (when you leave San Diego Bay, you’ll be on Mexican cell tours almost immediately). That $5 saves me lots on those additional charges. Its an addition. I can add it or remove it by the billing period. I never seem to get the shipboard wifi package to last because, as a nontechnical type person, I never get all of my settings right, even though I follow the instructions, and my phone chews through my onboard data allotment.