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Cruise Ship Laser Tag

This post will share details and our experience playing Laser Tag on Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas.

Laser Tag: Battle for Planet Z is an activity available on several Royal Caribbean cruise ships. My husband and son have done the cruise laser tag before, but this was my and my daughter’s first time, so I was excited to play as a family.

How to sign up to play Laser Tag

Just like while playing, if you want to be able to book a time slot for laser tag during your cruise, you will have to be stealthy, time it right and have ninja fingers. Typically, time slots are released on the Cruise Planner (the app on your phone) sometime during the day for the next day. Just like with ice skating and other onboard activities, you must keep an eye on the Cruise Planner for when the times are released. Then, when you see a time you want, you select it, enter the number of players, and then check out. Laser Tag is free on most sailings and included in your cruise fare at no additional cost, you just have to grab a spot before they “sell out.”

Who can play Laser Tag?

Per the Royal Caribbean website, you must be at least 5 years old and at least 40″ tall to participate. Also, closed toe shoes are required, so don’t forget to pack them!

Checking in

About 15 or so minutes before your scheduled time slot, you will check in at the laser tag location. For us on Utopia of the Seas, it was in Studio B, the ice rink. They have a floor that slides over the ice, then the inflatable laser tag course sits on that. You will need to scan your sea pass card to enter and play, as that is how they confirm your reservation.

Once checked in, they led us to a row of seats behind an already-filled row. As we sat, the row in front of us was called down to get ready for the next game, so although they have time slots, they also use their judgment depending on who shows up and when to make the games full and keep moving.

We had a short wait and then we were called down to get our gear on. It is standard laser tag gear, with a vest that has the gun attached. They play a short video about safety and how to use the gun. Teams were random, as they just handed you a vest that doesn’t have any type of indicator on it until it is turned on. So once we were all suited up, the crew activated the vests and then we could see the color and what team we were on.

Us parents were on a team and the kids were on the other…oh them kids are going DOWN!

It was a little hectic because they told us to go in and get playing, but my daughter’s gun wasn’t working right. So I had the crew telling me “Go play! Go play!” but I had to keep telling them I wanted to stay back and make sure she was good. Like, I want to make sure she can play…I’m not going to leave her and play without her.

Once she was good, we entered through separate doors and got searching for the opposite team to shoot. The lighting is dim, but not super dark, and there’s lots of glow-in-the-dark coloring to enhance the light.

We had a lot of fun running around and both kids and adults were having a blast. A few minutes before the end of our time, my daughter found me and said he gun had stopped working. So I had to try to find a crew member and then get them to work on it, but the one I found din’t seem to really know what to do and then by the time we got someone that maybe could help the time was done and they just told us that we were done. It was a little disappointing ending that way and wished they would have just given her a different vest/gun in the beginning when it was acting up before the game, but we had fun and she wasn’t too upset about it (mommy was most upset).

After the game, you can check the scoreboard at the exit to see the team and player rankings, including top player, most accurate and trigger happy awards.

Pesky Parrot Tiki Bar

Pesky Parrot is a tiki bar onboard certain Royal Caribbean ships. This post will share details and our experience at the Pesky Parrot on Utopia of the Seas.

A tiki bar is typically heavily themed with exotic, Polynesian vibes with a focus on rum-based drinks. The Pesky Parrot is no exception.

Utopia of the Seas is already so full of bright, vibrant colors, but the Pesky Parrot takes it up a notch. The bright pink and blue lights draw your attention as you walk through the Royal Promenade. And if the bright colors don’t draw you in, then the Parrot mascot surely will! Yes, he moves and talks and whistles!

There are lots of different seating options. You can sit at the bar, of course, but there’s various comfy chairs and even long benches along the wall. The back corner has a long bench with an animated, realistic scened window behind it to make you feel like you are in….maybe Tahiti…and not floating on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

If you look up, you’ll see some decorations courtesy of guests….dollar bills with handwritten notes on them! Don’t touch!

Another fun decoration is the wall of swimsuits. Who knew swimsuits could provide such lovely wall decor?

Ok let’s talk drinks. The Pesky Parrot menu contains some drinks unique to the Pesky Parrot and some standard offerings that you’d find at other bars throughout the ship. They also have some non-alcoholic drinks in case the little cruisers want something fun and fruity. My daughter got the Blueberry Nohito and thought it was fun.

They have four frozen drinks that are actually pre-made in the frozen slush machines (think Slurpee machines) that are right there on display behind the bar.

I’m a sucker for getting my drink in a cool cup and also for peanut butter, so I went with the Pesky’s Peanut Butter Pina. However, don’t let the menu photo fool you…it did not come in that same mug. The glass was unique and different than what you’d get elsewhere on the ship and looking back, of course you don’t get a cool mug because I’m sure people would steal it.

I also didn’t get a look at the “slurpee” machines before ordering and was a little disappointed that mine came from the pre-made machine. I like seeing the alcohol go into my drink so I know it’s there and with a machine you don’t get that. But it was good, very very light on the peanut butter taste but a fun drink that I enjoyed and glad I got something unique to that bar.

If you have the chance, definitely go a couple of times and try sitting in different locations. We love sitting at the bar seeing the action, as well as in a comfy chair. During embarkation, this place was PACKED and loud. We went back another day and had the place to ourselves basically.

Don’t forget to interact with the Parrot on your way out!

Seattle Hyatt Regency Hotel

If you are departing from or returning to Seattle on an Alaskan cruise, or if Seattle is part of our pre or post cruise adventure from Vancouver, then you are going to need a hotel! This post will share our experience and photos staying at the Seattle Hyatt Regency Hotel both before and after our Alaskan cruise.

Traveling all the way from Florida to Seattle, we wanted to make the most of our time out there, especially since the kids had never been. We wanted to give ourselves a buffer before the cruise, since delays happen and we did not want to cut it too close and potentially miss our cruise, so we stayed here for two nights before the cruise. Additionally, we really wanted to explore after the cruise before heading home, so we stayed 3 nights after the cruise.

We wanted a good location, not too far from the cruise terminal, while being walking distance to some Seattle attractions, since we were not getting a rental car before the cruise.

Perhaps the biggest driver for us choosing this hotel was that it was free. Leading up to our cruise, I opened a couple of credit cards and obtained their welcome bonuses…enough to cover the entire cost of our stay both before and after the cruise. The only thing we had to pay for was parking when we rented the car after the cruise. The points were earned opening Chase credit cards – this is the best card for redeeming for travel points. I then became a World of Hyatt member (free) and connected my accounts to easily transfer my points and book directly with Hyatt.

Cruise Terminal Transportation

When we arrived at the airport, we had a driving service bring us to the hotel. Our room was ready early and we also had a nice conversation with the Concierge, who helped us reserve transportation to and from the cruise terminal. We had read that doing it this way was better since certain types of transportation drop off at different locations at the cruise terminal. Taxis and Ubers are not able to drive all the way up to the terminal, but rather back in a parking lot drop-off zone and then you have to walk with your luggage to the main terminal area. Private driving companies can go all the way to the loading zone at the terminal, and park in a spot to drop you off and have your luggage taken right then and there. Similarly, after the cruise, they can drive all the way up to their designated parking spots just a few steps from the terminal exit. Unfortunately, there was a bus parked in that spot that wasn’t supposed to be and the driver was no where to be found, so we had to watch our driver circle around a few times 🙁

The Concierge told us what time to be downstairs, and when we got there on our departure day, there were a few other cruisers joining us on the trip to the cruise terminal. To note is that this is not transportation provided by the hotel. The hotel provides the free service of working with a company they’ve partnered with to book your transportation and it is a separate, additional fee.

Our Room & View

Back to the hotel itself. We booked a 2 Queen Beds – High Floor room and we were assigned a corner room fairly high up. We had a nice view of the buildings and city below, as well as the Seattle Great Wheel and Elliott Bay.

My kids enjoyed sitting on the ledge looking out at the scenery….my mommy heart was a little nervous, but that’s just me.

During the day, they could look out and see various things happening down below.

And at night, all the lights were so pretty to look at.

The room was really nice, and the corner location allowed for extra walkway space to place luggage if needed. The bathroom was modern and clean. We stayed here before we knew we would start this blog, so apologies for not having a ton of personal photos of just the room. Here are two photos from the Official Seattle Hyatt Regency Hotel website.

On the day before our cruise, our adventures were on foot….it was about a 15 minute walk to Pike Place Market to start our day with coffee, breakfast and shopping. At the end of that day, we were in the Space Needle area, so we hopped on the monorail and ended at the Westlake Center, which is only a few blocks away from the hotel.

After the cruise, we rented a car. The hotel conveniently has a Sixt rental car agency within the building, so we used them and used the parking garage right on property. It was super convenient! We had never used Sixt before, but the prices were pretty good and you got elevated luxury brands for equivalent prices of other brands at other agencies. We drove to the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder, Gas Works Park and Snoqualmie Falls on one day and Mount Rainier on the other.

One downside, at least for me, of this hotel is that it doesn’t offer free breakfast (at least not to my status). Our kids are light breakfast eaters, so we don’t typically make a big fuss over going out to eat somewhere. But we love when hotels offer free breakfast so we can stroll downstairs, grab a coffee and a few bites and go about our day. Knowing that there wasn’t free breakfast and that we needed something to eat in the room, we walked to the Amazon Go! a few blocks away and got some fruit, yogurt, iced coffees and some other goodies to store in the room. There is a market in the hotel, but we had also never been to an Amazon Go! so we took the opportunity.

Another downside of staying downtown…it can be difficult finding places to eat that are open late. Same as Orlando, you’ll find a lot of places close fairly early, like before 6pm, because they mostly cater to the city employees that leave after their work day. Luckily, there are a couple of restaurants in the hotel; Daniel’s Broiler, which is an upscale steakhouse, and Andare Italian Kitchen & Bar, a more relaxed vibe. We chose Andare, as it seemed more appropriate for our level of hunger, attire and vibe, and we all enjoyed it. Again, sorry for no pictures of our food…I don’t even remember what I got!

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Seattle Hyatt Regency and would stay here again, especially if I had points to make it free again! There were plenty of activities within walking distance and I felt safe walking around. Would love for free breakfast, but love the onsite parking and cruise transportation.

Viewing an Eclipse from a Cruise Ship

Have you ever experienced an eclipse from a cruise ship? We have!

Royal Caribbean just announced their 2026 European Cruise itineraries and one of them is being promoted as a special Solar Eclipse cruise. The Liberty of the Seas sailing that departs Southampton on August 7, 2026 will position itself in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.

Royal Caribbean Total Solar Eclipse Cruise

It’s even included as a highlight on the itinerary!

I found that Royal Caribbean had a similar sailing on Oasis of the Seas during the 2017 total solar eclipse.

“Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will offer the best seat in the house to view the total solar eclipse, 99 years in the making, on an exclusive 7-night cruise that will feature the celebration of a lifetime with eclipse-themed experiences and a concert by a major headliner.”

Their headliner was Bonnie Tyler and DNCE singing the 80’s hit “Toal Eclipse of the Heart” How cheesy but awesome!

Annular Solar Eclipse Cruise

We cruised on Independence of the Seas that departed Port Canaveral on October 13, 2023. On October 14, 2023 there was an annular solar eclipse that we could view from the ship while we were at sea! Royal did not advertise it or announce it (to our knowledge) but since we knew about it ahead of time, we bought our own eclipse viewing glasses that we had from the 2017 eclipse.

TIP: Make sure you get the correct eclipse viewing glasses. There are a ton of fake eclipse viewing glasses out there, even on Amazon, that do not offer the protection your eyes need. Getting the wrong glasses can result in permanent eye damage. We bought these Soluna Solar Eclipse Glasses.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, but doesn’t completely cover the Sun. Because of this and combined with it being slightly cloudy during our eclipse day, I would bet that not many people even knew there was an eclipse happening!

When it was time, we grabbed our glasses and walked to the front of the ship to the helicopter pad. This was a great open spot with not many people there.

We put on our glasses and enjoyed the view…so cool! We look even cooler! 😉

There were a few people that walked up there and wondered what we were doing, so we let them borrow our glasses and they were shocked that there was an eclipse. I bet if Royal announced it and sold eclipse glasses on the ship, they’d have quite a few purchases!

After a few minutes, we walked back to the pool deck and I grabbed an ice cream and continued viewing. Ice cream and a solar eclipse while on a cruise…not many people can say they’ve experienced that!

Viewing an eclipse on a cruise ship is definitely a unique, once in a lifetime experience…especially if it is a total eclipse! Those going on the 2026 cruise will have such a story to tell!

Seattle: Snoqualmie Falls

Our Alaskan cruise was round-trip from Seattle, so we added a day before our cruise and a couple of days after to not only give wiggle room with flights, but to also do some adventuring around Seattle while we were out there. The kids had never been to Seattle, so we wanted to do some activities that we had done previously that we knew they would enjoy. One of those was a visit to Snoqualmie Falls!

This post will share our review and photos of our visit to Snoqualmie Falls after our Alaskan Cruise.

Before our cruise, we didn’t have a car, so we did activities within Seattle that we could monorail or walk to, like the Seattle Aquarium. After our cruise, we rented a car so we could venture a bit further out. On one day, we went to the Fish Ladder, Gas Works Park and Snoqualmie Falls, with Snoqualmie taking up the largest portion of the day.

What is Snoqualmie Falls?

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot waterfall and is the second most visited natural landmark in Washington after Mount Rainier. It is more than twice as high as Niagara Falls! There are two observation decks, a hiking trail, restaurant, shop, and lodge/hotel. It is also known for its appearance in the television series Twin Peaks.

Where is Snoqualmie Falls?

Snoqualmie Falls is approximately 33 miles from the Seattle Cruise Terminal, which at the time of me looking this up, says it would take about 44 minutes to drive. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Seattle, in the heart of Downtown Seattle, and that is about 29 miles and a 32 minute drive to Snoqualmie Falls.

Does it cost money?

Admission to the Snoqualmie Falls is free. If you have a car, there is a parking lot at both the top and bottom of the falls. Per their official site, it says parking is free in the upper lot, but the lower parking lot has a fee of $7. However, I recall it being the opposite…we had to pay up top and the bottom was free. I remember this because we had a time limit and we made it just in time. So just be prepared to potentially pay if you have to park…and if you don’t, then yay!

Our Experience

After our cruise, we returned to the Hyatt Regency, which has a car rental agency on the lower floor. We rented a car and parked in the hotel garage for a nightly fee. When we were ready, we hit the road…the drive didn’t seem long because there was always interesting scenery…including the Space Needle as we left the city…

…and Mount Rainier peeking out from a distance the entire ride.

We decided to begin at the top of the falls and parked in the upper parking lot. It was quite busy and the lot isn’t huge, so we were fortunate to get a spot fairly quickly.

It’s just a short walk to the lookout area.

There is a safe, extensive wooden platform to view the falls from, so you’re not walking on a scary dirt path over a cliff.

There is a hiking path that runs from the top next to the lookout and all the way down to the base of the falls. If you want to view the falls from both angles, you can either hike down/up, or you can go get the car and drive to the other parking park. We chose to hike down the path.

The Snoqualmie Falls hiking path was really unique, with lots of cool trees with spots to take photos with stumps and branches.

The Hiking Trail is an actual cleared dirt path. There are lots of switchbacks and the path can be pretty steep at times, so keep that in mind when you are trying to decide whether you want to walk back up the trail or not.

Once you get near the bottom, there is another wooden bridge/walkway that leads you over the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Plant pipes and closer to the falls.

When we were here in 2009, there wasn’t a built walkway and you could walk on the rocks all the way up to the falls. We even had to climb over the pipes back then too! Now, the walkway is the only path and stops quite a bit before reaching the falls. We were kind of bummed about this.

If you’re willing able to venture off the path and carefully walk over some rocks, there is a way to reach the water going the opposite way of the falls. If you walked down the wooden walkway to the falls, you would walk back and across from the trail is a little path to the water.

We watched an artist paint the scene…so cool!

We enjoyed walking barefoot in the water for a bit and then walked back up the way we came in.

At this point, we were ready to go back to the car and realized we had quite the long steep walk back up the hiking trail and we were running out of time to get the car, so I ran up the trail while the rest of the family waited down by the lower parking lot for me. What a workout!

Overall, a visit to Snoqualmie Falls is a fun, inexpensive idea if you have some time available and a car. We live in Florida and don’t have waterfalls like this near us, so this gave the kids the opportunity to see a waterfall of this size up close. They thought it was amazing and loved the trail and river at the bottom. I liked having an active, outdoor excursion…it was such a beautiful day! We really did get super lucky in the weather we experienced while in Seattle and Alaska. For reference, we went mid June and we would definitely pick June again if we were to do another Alaskan Cruise.

Since it didn’t take up all day, we also had time to visit the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder and Gas Works Park. Being able to zip around to various attractions made having a car so beneficial!

If you’re looking for a way to make a waterfalls day trip out of your adventure, there are lots of other waterfalls, lookout areas and places of interest in the area. Just look at the nearby area on the map and explore!

St. Kitts Dune Buggy Tour

Looking for a fun and adventurous excursion in St. Kitts? We took a St. Kitts Dune Buggy tour that our family thought was so fun! This post will be a review with our experience and photos of our Dune Buggy cruise excursion in Basseterre St. Kitts.

When looking for a fun family-friendly excursion in St. Kitts during our Royal Caribbean cruise, we found Sunny Blue Rentals. We had already had a water excursion planned during this cruise with our Catamaran tour in St. Thomas, so we wanted something a little different that our kids, 9 and 7 at the time, could participate in as well. Sunny Blue Rentals had Dune Buggies that could accommodate either 2 or 4 people, so we chose them so our family could fit into one dune buggy…and so I wouldn’t have to drive! All of their ATVS are street legal and fully automatic.

We booked through their website and received an email confirmation. It was stated on their website and they reiterated in the confirmation that each driver had to bring their drivers license and $25 cash in order to obtain a temporary St. Kitts drivers license.

We were told to wait at a particular spot for our transportation to the tour location when we arrived at the cruise port in Basseterre St. Kitts. We waited a little long for the tour guide to show up and when we were finally all together, one of the “drivers” in our group had forgotten his drivers license and we had to wait for him to go all the way back onto the ship and come back. Nice.

When we arrived at the tour start location, it was a small building and each driver had to fill out their paperwork for the temporary license. Our dune buggies were lined up and ready for us, so we were directed to go to ours.

We were handed large goggles, which we quickly took for the kids, but us adults already had sunglasses, so we initially declined. He quickly replied that although they aren’t required, he highly recommends them. So we took them to have on hand just in case. Wow, he was not lying…trust me, YOU WANT THE GOGGLES! Pictures further down this post will show you why.

This was a guided tour, but only in the sense that we had a tour guide in an atv in the front of the pack leading the way and a tour guide in the back of the pack so that no one gets left behind. Otherwise, it was like we were driving on our own adventure.

We started out driving on roads away from the building, along the water, where we could see our cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Then, we went offroad and into dirt, farmland, and trees. Time to hold on!

Once we got onto the dirt roads, we quickly put on our goggles. The dune buggies are pretty open and dirt was flying in from all around.

Every inch of our bodies and clothing was covered in dirt. We didn’t mind because we were having fun and we couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous we looked. But we had to be careful with laughing because if we opened our mouth, dirt would fly in! 😀

After driving for a bit, we arrived at a scenic spot to take photos and check out banana trees and other vegetation.

Our tour guide shared some history of St. Kitts and Nevis with us, as well as local life and traditions.

We then got back on the road and drove to another scenic lookout near the water.

At this location, there was a food/drink stand that we all got a Caribbean beer from and the kids got some chips. There were some locals hanging out as well and everyone was super friendly. There were also restrooms to wash our faces.

The courtyard had various little shops with locals selling goods. They weren’t pushy but if you’d rather not talk or look, you could walk down the middle of the courtyard towards the water.

After hanging out for a bit, we got back in our dune buggies and drove back to the tour building. We were then taken back to the cruise port.

This was a really fun tour. I particularly enjoyed that it was adventurous without being strenuous and that our whole family could be together in one dune buggy.

My sister and brother in law were able to get a 2-person dune buggy, so they spent less and they didn’t have to share with strangers. I know we all fam on a cruise, but sometimes you want the experience with just your party and not have to rock-paper-scissors which person gets to drive.

If you want to drive, you must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license present on the date of rental in order to operate the ATV/Dune Buggy or Scooter.

I did not rock-paper-scissors my husband…we all knew well ahead he would be driving because I am the passenger princess. It was also quite the off-roading experience that he was well-practiced in…it was like us passengers were on a thrill ride! We would not have had as much fun if I was the one driving.

I also liked how there was a sense of independence on the tour and that the guides trusted us to keep up. I am not against “being a tourist” as touristy things can be amazing, but I don’t like looking like I’m being herded like fragile old cattle. Our tour guide was like “Keep up and let’s go!” Love it!

One thing to note is that we did not go to Timothy Hill Overlook. That is the main picturesque lookout spot in St. Kitts & Nevis that offers a 360-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the island of Nevis and the hilly peninsula. If Timothy Hill Lookout is something you must do, I think they offer several tour options or simply ask the tour guide if that is somewhere you will be going or perhaps even ask via email when booking. Otherwise, you will have to go there some other way.

We would definitely recommend this tour and would even do it again…maybe my son will want to do it in a few years when he has his drivers license. I will still remain as the passenger princess but will maybe be holding on a little tighter.

Port Canaveral: Kennedy Space Center

The Kennedy Space Center is a great excursion option for cruises that either depart Port Canaveral or have a port day at Port Canaveral. This post will be a review with our experience and photos from our visit to the Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy Space Center Location

The Kennedy Space Center is located at Cape Canaveral. More specifically, the Visitor Complex is located on Merritt Island. Cruise ships dock at several terminals in Port Canaveral. Just how far is Port Canaveral to Kennedy Space Center? It is about 15.4 miles away, or a 20 minute drive.

Orlando International Airport to Kennedy Space Center is about 44 miles, a 45 minute drive….totally dependent on traffic.

You can actually see beyond the Visitor Complex to the very large Vehicle Assembly Building from the cruise ship! The building is so big that it can be seen for miles all around. Many people think that is “Kennedy Space Center” but KSC is actually a little south of it, but you can drive by it on an optional free tour…more on that later.

Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building

During our May 2011 cruise, we were fortunate to see Space Shuttle Endeavor on the launchpad. We departed on May 15 and Endeavor launched May 16. This was the final mission for Endeavor before retiring and the 2nd to last mission of the entire Shuttle program.

Kennedy Space Center Tickets

They offer a variety of ticket options and add-on enhancements. They offer 1-day and 2-day tickets, with discounts for Seniors and Military, as well as an Annual Pass and Family Annual Pass.

Additionally, they offer special discounts throughout the year. I looked while writing this post and they have 2 special offers…a 1-day meal bundle discount and a discount for Brevard County Residents.

When we visited, we planned it during their Mercury Offer, which offered an amazing discount for residents of Orange, Volusia, Seminole, and Osceola County. $19 for adults and $14 for children 3-11. Score!

I say all of that basically as a tip for you to check their website for current prices and special offers when planning your visit. They may have a deal that is better than what the cruise ship is offering, but just be sure to factor in transportation to and from your location.

They also offer enhancement experiences for an additional cost, such as Lunch with an Astronaut and Astronaut Training Activities.

Kennedy Space Center Hotels

While there is no hotel right at the Kennedy Space Center (how cool would that be, though?!) they do partner with several local hotels to offer discounted hotel rates.

Kennedy Space Center Experience

Now that we’ve talked about where it is and how to get in, let’s talk about what to do at Kennedy Space Center! First, I’ll admit that we did not visit in relation to a cruise. We live about 50 minutes away, so we took advantage of a special offer during a day the kids were not in school. We did not spend the entire day, hence why this is often offered as a shore excursion, but you could make a full day out of it if your time allows.

Entering Kennedy Space Center is like entering a theme park! You have the turnstiles for you to present your ticket and then Guest Services to the side. To get our special offer, we had to go through Guest Services so that we could present our drivers license as proof of residency. But after that, we were in!

We started at the Rocket Garden, where you can walk among actual rockets of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs.

It is amazing to stand next to them and even climb inside a capsule.

There are several shows to watch, including an IMAX. Be sure to check the park information for that day to see showtimes and plan accordingly.

Next, our timing lined up to take the free bus out to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. KSC offers free shuttle busses every 15-20 minutes and travel time is 20 minutes. Be sure to check when the last shuttle departs the Visitor Complex and when the last shuttle leaves the Center to return, as it can be well before park closing to allow ample time. We didn’t want to miss out on this, so we made sure to do it early in our visit.

During the bus ride, you pass by the Vehicle Assembly Building. We see this building all the time when going on cruises or even taking day trips to the coast…it’s huge!

The bus also drove around the area surrounding the building and the narrator talked about operations in the area, including showing us the crawler that transports the rockets to their launch pad.

Once you enter the Apollo/Saturn V Center, you are met with the ginormous Saturn V Rocket. According to the KSC website: Every human who stepped foot on the Moon launched from Kennedy Space Center atop a Saturn V rocket.

During our visit, we were so lucky to see Artemis I on the launchpad! Artemis I was the first uncrewed mission of the Artemis program, intended to establish human presence on the moon for the first time since 1972! It was a historic launch and we got to see it beforehand.

The Apollo/Saturn V Center contains several demos, shows and walk-through exhibits. There is also a cafe with food & drinks for purchase.

After we were done exploring the Apollo/Saturn V Center, we took the bus back to the main KSC Visitor Center. The kids played with Legos while waiting for the next IMAX show to start…a mini rocket!!

In the Atlantis building, there is the actual Atlantis Rocket that you can see inside of.

There are lots of interactive games and simulations.

There is a tube crawl high in the air at the second floor level…

…and a slide to come back down!

Speaking of play areas, in the IMAX building, there is a huge multi-story play zone called Planet Play. There was a short wait to enter, but once in, the kids could run around freely and there were spots for the adults to sit and relax.

Is the Kennedy Space Center for Kids?

Yes, absolutely! I think the Kennedy Space Center if for all ages. There’s play places for the youngest kids, history, games, interactive experiences, shows and just a good variety of activities to entertain the entire family.

Kennedy Space Center Tips

Be sure to use the guide, map and check the current attractions, as some of them can change for your visit.

Time out your activities…the shows only play a few times a day and are each different lengths and then the trip out to the Apollo/Saturn V Center will take up some time and is a must. Taking a few minutes at the start of your day to plan out those time-sensitive items will help you maximize the fun!

Take lots of photos!

Ketchikan Walking Tour

Are you interested in experiencing Ketchikan Alaska on your own? Or maybe you have some time before or after your excursion? Then keep reading! This post will share our review, experience and photos doing our own walking tour around Ketchikan!

We visited Ketchikan Alaska as a port stop on our Alaskan Cruise. Our time in port was 7:00am-4:00pm. We had our Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour in the afternoon, so we had time to explore on our own and even hop back on the ship for lunch before heading to the excursion.

When researching what to do in Ketchikan, I came across this Ketchikan Walking Tour map. It contains 35 points of interest, including the Welcome Arch, Fish Ladder, Totem Poles, and more, all within walking distance.

Download the pdf here: Ketchikan Walking Tour pdf

We were so happy our ship docked with the Starboard side facing Ketchikan. This allowed us to have the most amazing view of Ketchikan while enjoying breakfast on our balcony!

As you can see, the town is right there and super convenient for anyone wanting to get off and explore for a bit.

We chose to go clockwise around the town. We didn’t entirely follow the path and we didn’t visit every point of interest, but we made sure to visit the main locations and as many totem poles as possible.

Right on the dock next to the cruise ships is “The Rock” statue.

“The Rock” is a bronze sculpture that is a symbolic representation of early Alaskan pioneers and the beginnings of Ketchikan. A fisherman, a miner, a logger, a bush pilot, a frontierswoman, and a Native drummer.

Next was the Ketchikan Welcome Arch. Please be mindful of the road and cars and don’t be an oblivious tourist.

Be on the lookout for all the totem poles! Curious of how many totem poles are in Ketchikan? I read there are over 80! We did not see 80, but we saw a lot….here are a few.

The Creek Street National Historic District is very popular, with restaurants, shops and nice viewing spots of the Ketchikan Creek.

The Ketchikan Creek winds through Creek Street, with some art figures, a waterfall and salmon viewing areas.

There is a Fish Ladder, but we weren’t there during busy salmon time, so not much to see there.

There is a trail through the woods…lots of steps!

But it’s worth it to reach the lookout where you can see the cruise ships! I can see our room!

We spent some time down by the creek skipping rocks, and were greeted by two bald eagles!

Do you see it? Here, I’ll help 🙂

Of course, we were so excited to see a Bald Eagle, but we felt silly later on when we saw 20-30 of them during our Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour later that day!

We ended our walking tour with a stroll down the Waterfront Boardwalk, which gave a great view of the Harbor and the cruise ships.

Overall, we explored for a few hours, taking photos and playing along the way. If you were a little shorter on time, you could skip portions of the trail or not spend as long in certain areas. If you had even more time, you could spend time shopping or eating at a restaurant.

If you have the time, I recommend exploring Ketchikan on your own using this Ketchikan Walking Tour to guide you. Can’t beat a free excursion! 🙂

2025 Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide

What is the Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide?

If you’ve ever wondered:

Has a particular Royal Caribbean ship been amped?
What ships are in the Oasis Class?
Which Royal Caribbean ships have a Flowrider?
How old is a certain ship?

Then the Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide will tell you!

I reference this image all the time when looking up cruises to see just what a ship has to offer or if I’m deciding between two ship options and I want to pick the best Royal Caribbean ship. I especially look when I have questions about a ship I’ve never need on.

I’m sharing it here with you so you can reference it too!

Here is a downloadable pdf: 2025 Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide PDF

2024 Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide

What is the Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide?

If you’ve ever wondered:

Has a particular Royal Caribbean ship been amped?
What ships are in the Oasis Class?
Which Royal Caribbean ships have a Flowrider?
How old is a certain ship?

Then the Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide will tell you!

I reference this image all the time when looking up cruises to see just what a ship has to offer or if I’m deciding between two ship options and I want to pick the best Royal Caribbean ship. I especially look when I have questions about a ship I’ve never need on.

I’m sharing it here with you so you can reference it too!

Here is a downloadable pdf: 2024 Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide PDF