Orlando, Florida Airport (MCO) / Embassy Suites, Southwest Airlines

February 2018, weekend, 1 night, king guestroom 730

Diamond perks at Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport

I had reserved a king bed guestroom for 3 adults because the living room sofa folds out into a bed. I did not receive an upgrade to a premium or executive room, although I received a small bag with bottled water and a couple of snacks. I also received complimentary Internet access, which is a standard perk for Diamond guests.

View from hallway outside guestroom 730

Embassy Suites guestroom 730

This guestroom is on the top floor, and not too far away from the elevator. It had recently been remodeled. It was comfortable and clean. The king-size bed in the bedroom was especially comfy. The suite contained the usual Embassy Suites furnishings: separate bedroom with door, wet bar area with microwave and small fridge, table and chairs, sofa bed, safe, and two flatscreen TVs (in the living area, and in the bedroom).

View toward living room and entrance from in front of bathroom

Cape Canaveral/Titusville, Florida ~ Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex

February 2018

Inside Apollo/Saturn V Center

Kennedy Space Center ticket cost and discounts

Following are the daily admission costs listed on the Kennedy Space Center site before tax.

• Child age 3 - 11: $40
• Military child: $37
• Adult age 12+: $50
• Military adult: $46
• Senior 55+: $46. Senior tickets need to be purchased at the ticket window upon arrival; they are not available online.

Discounts found elsewhere, pre-tax.

Best deal for Kennedy Space Center found in
Florida's Space Coast vacation planner

Carnival Magic Cruise with John Heald - For Fun's Sake #1

February 2018, Carnival Magic from Port Canaveral

View from our dinner table aboard Carnival Magic FFS cruise

What is FFS, and how do you join?

This was our first time joining the FFS group. Although this was our 15th Carnival cruise, I had only learned about FFS cruises a few years ago. At that time, the cruises were called Blogger's Cruises, and I thought it was a group of bloggers that cruised together with special blog events, or something. Since I maintain a few blogs, I inquired about joining one of the cruises to see if it was something I could become a part of. The reply I received then was vague, and it was not until this year, when the name was changed to FFS, that I fully understood what Blogger's/FFS cruises are. 

FFS stands for "For Fun's Sake." The name of the group has been officially changed to, Cruise with John - For Fun's Sake. Apparently a lot of people, like me, did not understand that the Blogger's Cruises were for anyone interested! The official word I received, says, "John started these sailings with guests that followed him on his blog and so he opted to originally call them blogger's cruises; even though no one was actually a blogger other than himself. Now most everyone follows him on his Facebook page."

When a [Blogger's] FFS cruise is set, the 500 guest spots are filled on a "first come, first serve" basis after the sign-up date starts. We had our Magic cruise booked far in advance, and I did not learn that it had become the official John Heald/FFS cruise until after the 500 spots had already been filled. I sent an email to John/Mischelle with our names asking to be waitlisted, and hoped for the best. About three months later, less than 10 weeks prior to our cruise, I received an email saying we were in! This was very exciting for us because we had met John back in 2003 when he had been cruise director on the Triumph. Also, our adult son enjoys all the Carnival events and activities more than pool or sun lounging, so I knew being part of this group would mean more for him to enjoy. I have provided a link to the FFS 2019 cruise below.

FFS events page 1

FFS activities onboard

We received a weekly schedule of events in our cabin upon arrival. We were able to attend several events, although not as many as we would have liked, because of other activities or excursion plans that we had.

Western Caribbean Ports of Call from Carnival Magic: Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan, Costa Maya

February 2018

With the exception of Costa Maya, we have been to all of the ports in this post more than once, ranging from 2003 to the present. You can find additional port and shore excursion information from our previous visits by clicking on the labels at the bottom of this post, or links within this post. I started this blog in 2010, so information prior to that is not provided. That information is probably outdated, anyway! I also have more photos posted in the Western Caribbean Facebook album.

Carnival Magic in Cozumel port Puerta Maya

Cozumel

Cozumel was our first port of call, and our ship was docked there for most of the day. We arrived before the scheduled 9:00 AM arrival time, and we stayed until 6:00 PM. We have visited Cozumel in 2014, 2011, 2010, 2005, and 2003. You can find information about the Deluxe Sail & Snorkel Tour that we took in 2011 in my Carnival Glory blog post. We did not book an excursion in Cozumel this trip.

The Carnival Magic docked at the farthest out dock at the Puerta Maya pier. I thought there were two other ships docked at Puerto Maya (Triumph, and I do not recall the other one); however, the port schedule website only lists two ships for the day we were there. A couple more ships were also docked at the pier next door, across from Royal Village Shopping Center.

Shops at Puerta Maya pier in Cozumel