Cruise life

Thanks for the quick reply; we leave in 51 days. It will be a great cultural experience for us all, I'm sure. Excited to go somewhere completely unique to us.

Thanks Joecruise! Would love to see the Cathedral and eat pastries!! Do you remember what bakery you visited and do they take US dollars?

Do not move to the Sunshine. It has it's own set of negative reviews. All ships do. We sailed Breeze last July (14) and Sunshine this past Jan (15). Make your own mind up and remember that most people that have a great cruise don't write a review, while a small handful of complainers do write reviews. Sure, there are valid complaints documented. On a mega ship it's important to plan ahead and arrive early to entertainment, meals, activities, etc., and to expect large crowds. Breeze was one of our best cruises, sailed her on our 25th. Have fun!!

One nice thing about a first cruise is there are no expectations, nothing to compare to, at least in terms of the ship. If you do beach vacations often and are particular about your beaches, you may start comparing those areas.

That said, either one would be a great first cruise; be aware that a lot of people that take a newer, bigger ship with more bells and whistles tend to not enjoy "downgrading" the next time.

BIll has been on RC once long ago. He is happy with CCL's ships, although lately we have considered branching out because it has been over 10 years since we sailed another line.

Nassau gets a lot of bad press by frequent cruisers, but seeing Atlantis for the first time as you sail into port is pretty spectacular. Bill would go anywhere else besides Nassau- I can always find something fun there (I was very concerned about crime in Nassau a couple years ago, but the city was full of tourists and we were fine). Besides Atlantis over on Paradise Island, there is the Ardastra Zoo with dancing flamingos and the top-rated Pirate Museum, along with the extensive history and walking tour, in the city itself.

I lean toward staying closer to the states for a first cruise since you have no idea how you will feel. Flying home won't be such a big deal from Nassau than from Cozumel, even though Coz is actually not that far, either.

GL with your decision; maybe you will love cruising so much you will book another on board:)

We just went to Amber Cove on the Maiden Voyage - first ship to arrive there, never ever again! The pier is beautiful but as soon as you leave the gates you find yourself very unsafe! Guards holding guns line the streets vehicles marked Tourist Protection. (I have photos of both) I have never felt so uncomfortable for my families safety and well being. We also stoped at Grand Turk and loved it there. With that said we enjoyed the ship we traveled on Carnival Victory [emoji572]️ Carnival I enjoy our adventures with you but, this port outside of the ports gates does not seem safe at all for your guests.

I thought this may be the case, similar to Belize, where armed guards line the port entrances. Although the DR has a high credit card theft rate, and there are reports of corrupt police that demand money instead of issuing citations, the Carnival area and Carnival excursions to private beaches should be very safe. It's too bad a beach was not built at the port like in Roatan...would have been perfect for a relatively cheap beach port day. When Bill was in the DR for work twice in the last year, his work group had an armed escort and a driver. They travelled through different parts of the island and he reported widespread extreme poverty, much like you would see in Haiti. Haiti is on the Gov. travel advisory list due to lack of basic infrastructure- poor roads, groceries, hospitals, etc. There is a large number of Haitians trying to make a living in the DR. The area near La Romana is one of the wealthiest, and there are nice beaches and AIs on the south side within an hour's taxi drive. Also, from La Romana, Santo Domingo is a huge city in which to explore history. The north is limited, but hopefully will improve. I have read some are booking the RIU at Amber Cove, which is nearby, walking distance.

Glad you had a great time overall. Any information on activities inside the port?

My husband just spent several days on the other side (in Santo Domingo, a few hours from La Romana). The food tax is 30%. The AC shopping complex looks nearly identical to the circular one at Mahogany Bay. There was a thread here a few weeks ago about an excursion group that was robbed while traveling in their van from the LR port.

When I was in Puerto Plata many years ago, we were tendered into a very calm bay where snorkeling and novice dives took place. The cost of excursions through the cruise line is reaching ridiculous proportions. (already there in many people's minds). I hope people using private tours are very careful when choosing whom to trust. The driving here is very dangerous- my husband's work group did not have private vehicles, something they usually manage on their own. Dominican drivers took them where they needed to go. I suspect the security here will be similar to that in Roatan and Belize- very high.

To the OPs, We would love to see pictures of the pool complex filled up with water and hear all about the swimming and activities for children. ty

Our van driver drove by a funeral going on and made a point to tell us this was "another" moped or motorcycle victim, and, in his words, they were occurring "weekly". At the time we were there in July, there had been several deaths according to our driver in a short period of time. If you want to check the obits, we were there the week of July 15th, 2014.

I did not do any research and am repeating what a local told us.

Travel guides also discourage vehicle rentals if you are not familiar with left-sided driving and, of course, the Carnival ships for years have printed the increased risk of injury and death from renting mopeds on the Funtimes.

We rented cars on two islands in Hawaii, but places like Key West are not car friendly (although we have driven there many times), and many islands in the Caribbean are best experienced with a knowledgeable guide or driver. jmho

Coki really is a pretty easy 20 minute drive in St Thomas and Budget at the pier has cars for $42 per day. You do need to remember that you will be driving on the left.

 

The safari buses are cheap $2 per person, but they require a walk at both ends & time can become a problem.

 

 

 

I lived in St Thomas & would hesitate to suggest that people drive even as far as Magens Bay & certainly don't head up Crown Mt or over to the west end if you feel uncomfortable., but Coki is doable, especially to save over 50% of the cost.

I personally would NEVER drive in a country where they drive on the left, having no experience with it. I have a near perfect driving record, but the risk of making an error and hurting someone would take the fun away for me. St. Thomas, when were there last July, was having a very bad record rash of deaths from mopeds and driving accidents.

The snorkel rental was 10pp last July, so for a family of 5 $150 round trip with snorkel rental is a bargain for an excursion.

I would not want to drive, but you may be able to arrange a "family rate" or some kind of deal on a van transport. There are open air and closed vans with a/c that run this route to Coral World/Coki. They share the same parking lot for return; they will wait till they are near full at the end of the day so you may wait.

Food and drinks were a bit pricey at the shack by Coral World, but the wraps were huge.

I used to say the Fascination was my favorite, and it will always be sentimental to me because of the family experiences shared on several cruises on her. However, with kids and young adults, the Breeze, in particular (and the Sunshine) have a lot more to offer our family. Fantasy class is super easy to navigate and we have had nothing but great cruises on this type of ship. After awhile, you begin to mix up reasons why you choose a certain vacation...ship class, ports visited, amenities onboard, etc., etc. Try it for yourself and decide. There is not a "bad" ship in the fleet.

Use the cold days to explore the inside of the VIsta; definitely the 11 day!

Considering how much we eat all day, we like the thin crust. Our kids love it. It's not something I must have, however, when on a cruise. The kids eat it probably every day or close to it. It's pretty basic, but good if you are hungry at 3 am!

The details of your cruise rate will break the children's fares down into lower rates, for example, our 10 days Journey's cruise has each adult listed as paying 999.00 with each of two children paying 259.00 in a quad OV. If you add them up and divide them by four, they equal the 629 rate pp that we paid before fees, port charges, and taxes. We all pay the same fees and auto gratuities (the kids are 9).

Besides the issue of college vs younger kids is the timing and the huge shift seen in numbers on board. Last April during our spring break we were told there were 900 more people on board from the week before. That's a huge strain on the crew and a lot of people on our roll call complained about slower service, especially in the MDR. In the summer, the numbers are likely more consistent and crew is better acclimated to the large volume of cruisers, especially the kids in camp and teens in the clubs. The college students under 21 but over 18 are at a huge disadvantage in terms of activities and feeling welcomed IMHO.

We have kids in the younger age group as well as a senior college student now over 21). The descriptions are pretty spot-on, LOL. We do our best to steer both age groups in the right direction. Most people learn best from experience, so there is often only so much one can do with safety being the priority.

Can't wait for the reviews on Amber Cove (which I am sure will have tons of security; even though there is dock space for 2 ships, they will only dock one in the beginning). When we went to La Romana we had 3 groups do 3 different tours with CCL and all were good. Still, we are planning on staying in port at Amber Cove just to experience the new facility while it's fresh and new.

Hope those affected by this robbery are doing well and are able to move forward without constant fear. I had a friend robbed at knifepoint while at work in a party store where they sold balloons and such...she was a mess for a few months, couldn't go back to work, etc. These occurrences are very life-altering for most people.

Hi,

 

I just read somewhere that Carnival long longer has calypso bands playing on the lido deck or even over the sound system. Is this true? We are sailing next week. Calypso music and a Caribbean cruise go hand in hand.

 

 

 

Thanks for your input.

We usually hang out at the aft bar area or in Serenity to avoid the DJ sounds at the sail away party, which is basically just line dances. It's fun for 30 minutes if you like that kind of music- our kids enjoy it, and I have been to known to move to it a little lol- but it's not like the old days. I wouldn't mind the DJs if they focused on island music, but they have been told what to play and it's a mix of genres, especially rock, country, and pop.

The lido deck has the DJ sounds upon return from port and also on sea days for a few hours every afternoon. It's a pretty rowdy party most of the time, especially on the last port day! Not sure what CCL was thinking when they went to the DJ format and did not include island music primarily, at least on lido. You are lucky to hear one Buffet or Marley song in the mix.

We enjoy the DJs for the most part, but we do love the live entertainers the most. We took our kids to hear the band on the Miracle; so rare to get that opportunity anymore to share big band sounds with the younger generation.

What a learning experience for everyone; so glad there were no injuries and the cruise can progress! Technology is amazing...reading everyone's take on what was going on in real time over the last 24 hours has been insightful.

Thanks for posting all. This was good to read, especially with the outcome being so positive.

I think Carnival is having a banner year and we won't see any big sales any time soon. January rates can be a third what you will find in summer, and shoulder season- end of May, early June, and end of August, early September- are also good times to look. GL!

t-shirts and key chains:)

Coki Beach has snorkeling directly off the beach and also out a bit if your boys want to swim- our twins swam there when they were 9. The cost to rent gear is $10, there is a dated bathroom and shower complex, and a parking lot where the vans/cabs line up. There is no fee to use the beach itself, which is small, but with very beautiful views. It is perfect for very young snorkelers as there is coral just a few feet out into the water, and the area is in a lagoon type setting with gentle currents.

Our group did 3 different CCL excursions last time we were there. The snorkel trip involved taking a bus a short distance around the secure area to the catamaran which is docked in front of the ship (but you can't walk there, LOL). It sprinkled on us but we still saw some cool fish despite the weather and the crowds. You don't go far, you can still see the ship the whole time. The music was so loud, but the drinks were flowing on the return and no one seemed to care. This is the only port where we left both our young children on board the ship at our discretion (one of them has since requested to stay at camp on a couple of other stops...Ocho Rios- did not want to do the falls- and Cozumel).

My sister did the horseback riding, some of it on a beach, and loved it.

My parents, in their 70s at the time, took the bus through the wealthy area to the Alto Chavon area. They said it was a nice tour overall. Bought some jewelry up there.

We will be going to Puerto Plata in January; I was there over 20 yrs ago so expect it to be much different. I'm sure Amber Cove will be packed.

If we were traveling alone and without our children, we would take the CL Santo Domingo tour.

We have bought spa passes three times now while NOT being in a spa room. Go directly to the spa on embarkation and have the fee added to your sail and sign card.

Cucina del Capitano is likely your least crowded; you can take your food to the middle or eat on the port side- we liked to move towards the Havana area to look out the back.

Try a scenic OV on the Sunshine; the cabin views alone are amazing. Just be sure to close that floor to ceiling shade or you may never sleep thru the night from gazing at the stars and moon and watching other ships pass by from the comfort of your bed! Sunshine has lots of extras- on a smaller scale- like the Breeze, minus the motion theater.

Yes, people can look around the corners (except on the coves). There are also cameras that can see what is going on supposedly, I don't know where they are located- maybe they can only see if you are on the deck railing or leaning over. Deck 11 balconies are covered.

I have not been on deck 12, but people say deck 14 can see down onto the deck 12 balconies and they get sun. Also, we have read reviews of people trying to relax on their deck 12 balconies and not being able to due to the noise of rowdy partiers above if they hang out up there all day.

Make sure you know what is above you on deck 11 in terms of the gym or the waterworks. Loved being so close to the spa, especially on the Dream and Breeze; they both have large Cloud 9 spas (compared to Sunshine, which is also nice, just tiny in comparison). Did not love our spa balcony cabin location which was under the free weights...and that is why I now look at deck plans!