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D.B are you staying on in Buenos Aires? We will be boarding in 2 weeks there joining the ship!  Can't wait! 

Experience was amazing and unbelievable, nothing like any other cruise.  It feels very intimate and the personal level of service is exceptional.  Unfortunately we had very rough seas the first couple nights(we were on the south loop) heading south. They said this was unusual but due to the strong winds/currents from South America and start of El nino.  Again the food and service was amazing along with the guides and constant activities going ashore for hikes, snorkle, kayaking, etc.  You are exhausted and afternoon naps are key!

Good Evening we just got back from our cruise on the xploration last Sunday. I can answer any questions you may have. It was a group of 6 of us (3 rooms) my wife and I, her 12 and 9 year old and her parents.  

We have 4 adults in our group and set up a room at the Embassy Suites next to MIA which has a cruise package. We are not cruising till Oct and its 224 a night which includes hot cooked to order breakfast for everyone, complimentary drinks the night before and shuttle to the port. The nice things about Embassy Suites is that the rooms have a separate bedroom and living room giving a lot more space. Hope this helps

On a 7 day cruise you have to get to 1500 points. Each point is based on $2.50 "coin in" meaning that a point is the combination of the money you put in the machine and the credits that you've won and played back into the machine.

 

I've pretty much stopped chasing the points. It takes FOREVER to get waited on in the Casino (and yes I cash tip with every drink). The barwaiters wait until they have multiple drink orders before they go to retrieve them.

 

It can easily take 30+ minutes from the time you order until you are finally brought your drink. I rarely sit at a machine for that long, but I do try to stay in the general vicinity.

You must have had poor wait service once I got mine on the 3rd day I think I would let the waiter know to go ahead and bring another one in 15 mins which is the minimum time you have to wait before drinks so there were times I would have 2-3 drinks sitting at the table.

Play wise during the day since there were no 25 dollar tables open I would have to play at the 5 or 10 dollar tables and would bet no more than 10-15 just because the other people at the table would not play how I liked which is their choice I just would not risk a lot of money but at night I would play 25-50 a hand and it took me 3 days.

And a tip if your tipping the dealers well and friendly they won't mind if the wife comes by and takes a free drink off your hands. Haha

We leave on the Triumph out of Galveston tomorrow, Feb.10, and just got a text from Carnival telling us the ship will be delayed getting into port tomorrow because of fog, so don't come to the port until we hear from them.

 

How can they be so sure there will be fog in the morning? I see that the Magic wasn't able to get into the Galveston port this morning because of the fog.

Its all in the forecast. The forecasters are able to predict fog when the temperature and dew point are identical or almost identical which creates your fog. Looks like Galveston is forecasting between a 1/4 and 1/2 mile tomorrow morning. Enjoy your vacation!