This was our third RCL cruise with our kids (8 & 11), all on "Vision" class ships. We've previously sailed on Norwegian, Disney, Celebrity and Costa. Also, our first cruise on the Mexican Riviera. We found the tips and advice on these boards very helpful to our planning, and want to "give back" if we can!

San Diego: Spent 3 days pre-cruise in San Diego. Stayed at the Embassy Suites La Jolla, which proved very convenient for day long outings to the Wild Animal Park and Seaworld.

Embarkation: Ship was late arriving, and all embarking passengers were kept out on the street, with their bags, until terminal was cleared, around 11:45 a.m. Bottomline: there is no place to wait inside the security fence for the terminal--best not to arrive until at least noon. Once into the terminal, process went pretty smoothly. Read more