mickev99

Yay! Another review!!

Oh, lemon drop martini. It is also done as a shot, so specify that you want it as a martini.

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I second the cosmopolitan. I am a “fruity” kind of drinker and that is one of my favorites! Have a great trip!!

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

 

 

 

I have gained a lot of weight over the last few years of cruising. When I say a lot, I'm talking 60 pounds. I call this my "cruise weight" and rightfully so because...I usually gain 8-10 pounds on a cruise. It's the ONLY time I ever gain weight. Otherwise, I remain consistent. HOWEVER...this will be the very first time that I actually LOST weight on a cruise. I came back 8 pounds lighter. I was shocked. I knew that we were having trouble finding food and when we did, it wasn't really something I went back for seconds. Maybe I need a few more cruises like this and I can get back to my normal weight.

 

I always say that I'm just one good stomach flu from my goal weight. Although since I turned 48, I might need two stomach flus....or a cruise like this, lol. Thanks for the review!!

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Yay! I just found this! I'm excited to get caught up!

I love the purple font color! Made it so much easier for me to scroll through to find your posts quickly without reading all the comments.

I agree!! I guess it's their loss because they are missing out on a great review.

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Hi girl! Just checking on you, worried that we haven't heard back. Let us know if you're feeling better!

Dear NCL (because we know you audit these boards):

 

 

 

There is a wonderful young mermaid who cruises often, frequently with NCL. Her experiences (documented by her Mom) are enjoyed by many - and more importantly to you, influence many on CC who travel with children.

 

 

 

I strongly suggest you consider asking Sakari to provide a kids' review and perspective of her experiences on NCL ships. She tries everything and will provide you with honest and forthright opinions and suggestions.

 

 

 

Sakari can be your "secret" reviewer (like a mystery shopper); or, perhaps a not-secret "Kids Ambassador." I am sure that NCL can come up with a gratis compensation for Sakari (maybe free fare for her; or non-suite VIP status for her family).

 

 

 

...And wouldn't it be fun to compare Sakari's personal review with Mom's?!

What a great idea! Review from a kid's perspective!!

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For scuba and snorkeling.... it is very important to clean and dry out the salt water from your ears every day. Some people use Swimmers Ear, that you can purchase at drug store but we find it a bit irritating after several days. It works but my ear canal feels sore.

 

WE always take with us a small bottle of "ear beer" (a group of divers gave us the recipe). This is a mix of 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 water, and 1/3 isopropyl alcohol with a few drops of glycerin in it. The glycerin helps tremendously to prevent the irritation. We put it in one of those small travel size plastic containers. That is about how much you use on a regular week travel if you are in the water daily. Every day, after we are done with ocean or pool, we do it in both ears. You smell like a salad but your ears feel great...and it can prevent problems later on.

I am totally writing this down for later. We spend our summers at my parent's house on Pensacola Beach. Between daily swimming in their pool and the Gulf, at least one of my kids will get an ear infection. Thanks for the recipe!

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Thanks so much for this. We were just talking about sailing this ship in the Summer and came on here looking for reviews. So the sailings just started out of Mobile? Was there another Carnival ship there before, or is this the first since they started out of Mobile again?

I just looked over the deck plans and have a few questions if you don't mind.

Does this ship have the Comedy Club? It is listed that the Fantasy has it, but I didn't see it on the deck plans.

Also, we have limited experience with sailing, and have only done NCL and RCCL. We did My time dining (or whatever it was called on the line) but made reservations in advance, mainly because the seating times didn't work for us. Do you know the early/late times with Carnival? If you opt for the my time (or whatever the name), can you make reservations in advance (like before sailing)?

Thanks!

Our kids are a little older, but we used Royston Tours and he was awesome. We did a lot of other things in addition to Brimstone, but that was too on my list (see my review below). Super cheap and he asked us what we wanted to do and did it. He also gave suggestions when we asked him. Highly recommend him.

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Thanks for doing this review with pure honesty! After your review, I don't ever see myself trying it out, only because seeing those small crawl through spaces made me claustrophobic from photos, I can't even imagine trying it in person, so I definitely appreciate that.

That being said, I hate that you had a disappointing time there. I am also the planner of our group. All of our cruises have been extended family trips. I research what I want to do, give options to my hubby and 3 kids, and they pretty much leave it up to me. My kids are 13, 12, and 12, so they love any new adventure, and especially if it involves a beach and water. Hubby is a "go with the flow" kind of person. I have always sent detailed information to the rest of the siblings and asked if they want to join us, or do something on their own. Honestly, I don't like the pressure, so I would never have minded if they went out on their own. They have always decided to go with us. A few times, once we've gotten there, or the night before, I have gotten the "We're doing what? It costs how much? What about doing this instead?" Seriously, I sent detailed information with photos numerous times, and if they can't be adults and read information, then I'm not responsible. This is what happened the night at dinner before Little French Key. I still regret not going there. We had great time in West Bay, the beach was beautiful, but that was my one regret that I let everyone talk me out of LFK because of the price (which I had told everyone else NUMEROUS times in the months prior, including the hubby). I hate that you had to deal with being blamed for something that you wanted to do and took such measures to plan out. Hope the rest of the ports went better, can't wait to read more!!

Do what you need to do get yourself better. We will still be here.

Michele

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I would choose the Jade because I like the Spinnaker observation lounge with its wonderful windows for viewing, high above the bow.

 

 

 

On the Dawn they put cabins there instead.

 

 

 

Also, the Jade has The Great Outdoors outside the buffet, a seating area with aft view.

Two great reasons to try the Jade. I loved both of those things when we sailed the Jewel.

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I have never been on the Jade either, so this is just my opinion. I loved the Dawn before it was renovated so I'm sure it is even better now. Plus I love NOLA. I would choose Dawn for those reasons. Just look at the port that you would enjoy more and maybe read some recent reviews on both. Sorry, I know that's not a completely informed answer, but hope it helps a little. Have a great time either way!!

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Yay, a review from Stacey!! Not that I have been stalking or anything...nope, haven't been doing that at all.....

Thanks so much for another wonderfully detailed review! Have fun on your next cruise, and I hope it meets Sakari's expectations, LOL!

WOW! I just searched your name to see if you started your review yet (LOL, no pressure!!), and saw this post. That is awesome that you and your mom got upgraded to a mini suite! Our first cruise on the Jewel was a mini suite and it was great!!

Patiently (haha) awaiting your review!

Michelle

Mikev99--We enjoyed St. Kitts as well. I checked with Royston and at the time, he didn't know if he was going to be around for us on August 26. I went ahead and just booked with Grey. Again, though, we had a private tour so it probably was a little different from what was in the group tour, especially as far as pacing.

 

There were 12 of us when we went, so we also did a private tour with Royston. We told him exactly where we wanted to go and that is what he did. We wanted to spend a lot of time at the beach, but we managed to fit a lot of sightseeing in as well. I was surprised at how much there was to offer on this island. Your photos are bringing back wonderful memories! Thanks for taking the time to do the review!

I'm excited to hear about this day. I was between Thenford Grey and Royston Tours and decided on Royston, which I do not regret and would book again if I ever went back there. Interested to hear how it went with Thenford...they both had fantastic reviews. I think Royston may have been a little cheaper, maybe that's why we went with him, can't totally remember now.

We loved St Kitts!!

Boy would I love to sit down with your guys to talk some old school!! I did BXM freestyle (that's before it was called an "extreme sport" for you kids) for a little over 10 years in the 80's and 90's. I always rode GT bikes exclusively and I even still have the last one I rode in my garage (basically an experiment in rust now...lol). It's amazing how BMX and skating have evolved over the years. Sometimes I sit an nostalgically watch some recent competitions and say to myself that I would've had to retire anyway because there was no freakin' way I would've achieved the skill levels where they are at now. I was never any good at skating though.

That's hilarious. My husband also rode BMX when he was younger and when we watch Xgames and other shows, he says there is no way he would do the things that they do now. He's happy with his mountain biking at age 52!

Sorry for the hijack.

I opened ours w a car key after the steward said no to my request.

I wish I had thought of that. Two cruises, one mini suite and one balcony....4-5 rooms of family members and they wouldn't open it either time.

I opened ours w a car key after the steward said no to my request.

I wish I had thought of that. Two cruises, one mini suite and one balcony....4-5 rooms of family members and they wouldn't open it either time.

Nope, the driver didn't say a word on the way there. I was aware of it from our last time here and the big mess we had (we were supposed to have a 10 minute stop there with our excursion and both there and back they didn't stop, but I did get some "moving" pictures on the way). :)

I totally forgot that you had been to St Kitts before, I remember now about the "fun" driving you endured!

You didn't mention it and I don't see a full photo, so maybe your driver didn't give you the information about Timothy Hill. It's where you can see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean on the other. Very cool.