cruiser_family

2 minutes ago, niciediva007 said:

I wondered when it would come up. Is it like cheers? They charge you for the number in your state room? My MIL is not a drinker but she’s an adult so if we bought cheers she’d have to as well. If she doesn’t get off the boat I don’t want to have to pay extra for her, but I suppose it’s just $20...still. 

The cabana is not based on the number of people in the cabin.  They sent wristbands to the cabin (like they send tickets for excursions).  We knew we needed extra and went to the Excursion Desk and just paid for the additional ones that we needed.

We did the same last year at Mahogany Bay and I believe it was $49 for two people we added.

I did the same cruise ... Western Caribbean ... on the Carnival Holiday in 1990 and 1993.  I actually ended up in the same cabin (not planned). 

I have enjoyed doing the same itinerary several times because it was always a different group of family and friends.  That said, I will be doing my last cruise to Cozumel, Ocho Rios, & Grand Cayman for the foreseeable future.  I am now, truly ready to move on.

Following ....

We will be on the December 23rd sailing.

It’s not the same as the store version. They give you a box of stuffing and you have to hand stuff the bear yourself.

They had the stuffing machines on our December 2017 cruise. I got the Carnival Bear and my little guy got The Cat In The Hat. I've done the regular store multiple times and found the prices to be similar. The staff certainly made this experience fun for everyone.

The partial is an excursion unto itself...unless you feel a need to see ALL the locks! I found that going thru the 3 sets into Lake Gatun was plenty! If you roam about the ship, all sides and deck levels, you can get pretty 'up close and personal" with the locks. And, during the turn around in the lake, lots of folks leave the ship on all-day excursions, so the trip out in the afternoon is lovely and uncrowded! All the stuff you missed (because of crowding on the decks) is totally open with more than 1/2 of the passengers gone!

Thanks for your response. I've wanted to do this as well, but wasn't sure if the Partial Transit would be "worth" doing. Your description sounds great.

I don't think you will have any trouble getting one. To be honest, I don't remember seeing anyone using them.:cool:

Thanks!!! We'll see how it plays out but at least we know it is a possibility.

We have arrived at Mr. Sancho’s……

Here are a few of the beach cabanas. They are first come, first served……

 

To be continued…..

You got there early. Were there cabanas available? I'm trying to plan for a cruise in December. We have senior members of the family going and I was thinking this would be good for them.

It was the same last October when we were onboard. Something is seriously wrong!

Interesting ....

We cruised in December and did not have this problem. Several people in our party had the premium package and were able to surf with no problem.

It's been a couple of years since we sailed from San Juan, but we boarded ... went to our room ... waited for the rest of our party (approximately 12 people) ... left the ship and purchased wine ... and then returned with no problem.

We used it on our December cruise and loved it. I had a problem with the chat feature. It never worked for me. But the rest of it was great.

It's all based on your perspective. I agree with others who say they are minor/petty cutbacks.

I took my 1st cruise in the late '80s. Have things change? Absolutely. Is it enough to stop me from cruising? No way!!! I miss certain things from "the good old day", but every time I cruise with a new bunch of family and friends, I get a thrill.

Enjoy your cruise and plan to keep on sailing .....

I wouldn't call kids running around and knocking people down fun at all, especially for the people they knock down. That's the big issue with holiday cruising and why we don't do it anymore and just cruise when school is in session. I'm sure you and the people with you who have the 6 kids will be more watchful and rein them in for their safety as well as that for other passengers.

The fun part is the balloon drop and the snow in the atrium. The 6 kids in our party know that they would lose a limb if they are running around in a public place. ;)

You should love it. They have a balloon drop in the Atrium and also it snowed in the Atrium. Carnival really went all out. This was on the Magic but I'm sure it would be just as wonderful on any ship. The ship was beautifully decorated. Santa was there. Have a wonderful Christmas cruise.

Thanks for responding!!! This sounds like a blast.

I'll warn our senior family members to be careful as I wouldn't want them to run over small ones with walkers and wheelchairs.

Enjoy your 2018 Christmas cruise as well.

We are scheduled to sail for Christmas this year. We board the Horizon on December 23rd. What can we expect on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Are there special activities and menus? We have 6 small children cruising with us (nope, not mine ;)) and I am trying to figure out how to keep the "magic" of Christmas alive.

350 Days!!!!

Thanks to everyone that replied. You have given us so many things to consider.

Has anyone taken the Reggae, Rum, & Jerk excursion by Carnival? Some members of our group like to sample the food of the different ports. I have seen the recommendations of Scotchies ... just trying to keep options open.

We are on the December 23, 2018 sailing. Excited to be on a new :ship: at Christmas.

We've done Nachi Cocum in Cozumel 3 times and loved it. However, on this upcoming cruise, we're going to try Mr. Sanchos.

I looked at Mr. Sanchos and Nachi Cocum. I can't find a menu for Nachi Cocum. I'm trying to compare them to see what will be the preference for our rather large group (20+). our cruise is not until Christmas 2018. Maybe you can compare them after your experience.

I did this this twice out of New Orleans, that's how much I loved it. Only difference we went to Montego Bay

 

Cozumel we drove around the island stopping at many stops and shops, ending the tour at a tequila factory taking different shots of tequila. I got a very good tan and got to swim in different parts of the ocean.

 

That was one of my favorite cruises.

Was this a tour or did you get a driver and just "wing it"?

 

In Cozumel, Nachi Cocum resort is a great all-inclusive day of relaxing under a palapa, but just walking around town is free and very enjoyable.

Is this all-inclusive a family friendly atmosphere? We will have several children with us.

We also booked the underground caves in Cozumel (also through the ship) and were the LAST group back, if anyone had missed that ferry back to the dock they would have completely missed the ship. I do have to say that my hubby was really, really worried in Cozumel because he did not go with myself and my daughter (he is claustrophobic) and went snorkeling with a group independently and was already back on the ship! The caves were great and my daughter said she felt like Indiana Jones!

Underground caves sound fun ....

 

We happened across a bar called "Under the Stairs" which consisted of some tables sitting on a shaded patio with an under-the-stair utility room serving Red-Stripe beers through the doorway. Lunch was some guy cooking jerk chicken on a Weber in the street and the restroom was at the burger king. Bought some peanuts while there from some Rasta-looking guy who roasted them in a wagon he pulled around.

 

All-in-all a delightful day and one of our best memories of cruising. I find the more I cruise the less I use excursions. Serendipitous adventures are more fun and meaningful for us.

Thanks for the tip. I think there may be too many of us for this type of adventure.

Situation is this: We have a junior suite (1st ever suite) for our upcoming cruise on the Glory. Found out that Captain's suite has line of sight to cabin/balcony and not sure how much of problem that will be.

 

We can switch to ocean suite for almost same price. Layout seems very comparable, so asking if anyone who has had experience with a Conquest class ship's junior suite liked it or would have preferred a regular ocean suite.

Just off the Glory (December 2 - 9, 2017). We had both Junior Suites (9205 & 9206) on the Lido Deck. Yes, the Captain's Suite has a direct line of sight. It wasn't a problem for us ... and honestly, they were facing forward most of the time (so the problem was more us looking past them to get a view).

Ocho Rios we did the Magic Mountain/Dunn's river falls excursion and it was ok, but I would not do it again.

 

Cozumel: We love the Fury Catamaran. It is pricey, but we have done it three times and loved it every time.

 

Grand Cayman: The perfect port to save some money. Just get off the boat and walk down to Don Foster's for Scuba or Snorkeling from the shore. No Excursion needed here.

Thanks for your honesty.