Krissica

There is a social travel group called Paradise Island Cruise that travels in large groups to different destinations. This year the destination was this particular sailing. It is a mixture of demographics but yes the group is primarily African American which is why it probably seemed like more than normal.

It would be nice if all cruise lines offered the Coke Freestyle machine, or something along those lines, even if it was for a fee. Love the options.

As you found out, the correct answer is yet. That said, I would recommend InsureMyTrip dot Com. There you get to compare travel policies from several insurance companies, and pick the one that is best for you. Also, I would recommend not purchasing travel insurance from the travel provider.

I ditto this. We went to that website for our last cruise and found it was so easy to navigate and compare options. Plus the prices were a lot cheaper than the cruise lines and you get more coverage for the price. I defniitely won't travel again without going through them.

We humbly use our iPhones for any and all pictures, for several reasons. It is the most convenient to keep on our bodies/carry at all times, and serves as a multifunction tool. There are a lot of apps and photo editing tools that can really make an iphone picture spectacular. Photography is a hobby of my husband and he loves using his iphone and Aviary app. Now I'm sure if we bought a fancy expensive camera the photos would turn out even more amazing, but many people have been impressed and surprised to find out our pictures are taken with an iPhone.

Amortize over the 10 years it is valid and it's really rather reasonable. :)

Exactly point! Definitely worth the investment.

We are going on the Miracle and I am wondering if they have a serenity area and if they do what is the location? Also I am handicapped does the pool have steps or a lift chair so I can use the pool... is there a hot tub there? What eles to they have in the serenity area.. thank you... I appreciate your replies ..:confused:

Its on the lido deck at the very back. There is a small pool and a nice hot tub. I know the hot tub had stairs going up to it, did not notice if there were any lifts in the area. They have a nice big full bar, as well as a decent amount of recliners, hammocks, couch areas, tables, etc.

We cancel the auto tips and personally give tips to those who provide exceptional service.

Agreed. We end up tipping everyone anyway. However we feel our room steward deserves above and beyond a tip because we utilize him more, in comparison to the waiter - we go to the dining room maybe once during an entire cruise, if that.

Crud. I meant $2,000/person. Sorry about that.

 

 

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Whew! I was going to ask to be adopted :p

If I were taking a solo cruise, there's no way I would consider Disney, as I would want to relax and NOT deal with a million kids. :)

Amen!

This question is asked every single day on CC, did you expect a different answer because you think your a special snowflake?

This made me chuckle, I can appreciate it. Might not be friendly/PC but it sure is the truth :p.

As others have said though it will show up at the beginning of your cruise. We are in a similar scenario turning gold on Day 2 of our next cruise. Congrats on turning Platinum!

Sports trivia is one that both hubby and myself always enjoy together.

For me personally, I would never stay on board while at a port. I may only go into port for an hour or so, but I would never not get off. That is why I cruise, to go to different places. I'm not as big of a fan of sea days but typically there is at least one sea day on the cruise so that is when I take my time to enjoy the ship.

Miami, NYC, Long Beach

 

Oh, you meant foreign ports? :eek:

 

I'll stick with my original 3

My thoughts exactly! I can't like this comment enough.

I'm not taking away the fact that some ports may have a higher crime rate than others or area may be dangerous if you stray away from the touristy locations...but that is anywhere!! Use common sense and you'll be fine. Don't use it and you could be a victim - just like in your hometown.

Yeah, the reason it has all the offical signage and decor is becuase it use to be an authorized franchise location. There was a dispute between the Mexico franchise holder and Hard Rock Corporate that was taken to court, with HR winning and stripping the Mexico Franchise Holder of their rights to operate a licensed franchise.

 

All of the other Mexico locations have closed except for Cancun & Cabo, which the former franchise holder continues to operate illegally.

 

So I know it won't count as an offical credit on my rewards tracker (I am a nerd too!, lol) It still counts as a visit for me personally, and I can still add a Cabo Shot Glass to my collection. Do you know what merchandise they had available, if any? Just curious since it cant get the offical stuff through the Hard Rock Corporate suppliers anymore I'm sure.

Good to know! Very interesting. Yea we were bummed it won't show up on our rewards tracker, but it still counted for us as a visit. We collect one woodgrain Hard Rock logo shirt, a glass, and a pin from each location we visit and add them to our display cases. We were able to get a shirt, I don't believe they had any glasses and they only had limited pins available.

Edited to add that we also visited the Vallarta Hard Rock Resort when we were in Puerto Vallarta for that same cruise. It is about 25-30 minute taxi ride from port but it is an absolutely beautiful resort and had a rock shop in it, so for the nerds in us it was totally worth it.

Hard Rock Resort offers a day pass for $100...too rich for my blood and I was really wanting to stop in for a drink. Oh well.

It is an absolutely breathtaking resort though. We took a white taxi car there (approx $35USD) because we are nerdy Hard Rock Collectors so we wanted to stop at the Rock Shop and check out the resort. They do offer day passes but only if the resort is less than 80% capacity, which on that particular day they were near full so no day passes were offered. However we walked around the grounds and it was so beautiful that hubby keeps mentioning making a week long trip back there.

PV: walk out of the cruise terminal and catch a cab to the Malacon ($6)

Walk south, stop at the cheeky monkey or Oceana (upper level malacon ocean front) for a cool drink

Walk south, stop in the church area and square, take the free walking tour.

Walk South, at the bridge that crosses the river turn left for a short walk into the riverbed jungle with flea market ambiance

Walk south, walk out on the new Los Muertos beach pier, then pick a spot for a cool drink (perhaps beach play banana ride or parasail - $40).

Walk inland from the Los Muertos pier, explore some of the fantastic artsy shopping, perhaps stop at a crowded taco stand, or a 1 hour full body massage ($40)

At 3:45pm ships time (4:45pm local time) catch a cab ($4) up to Casa Isabel for the happy hour sunset (you have to see it to believe it). Tour Casa Isabel

Catch a cab back to the cruise pier ($8).

If you have time, have the cab drop you off at Walmart and tour Walmart Mexicano style. Walk back to ship

This is just about everything we did when we cruised to PV for NYE this year, except the Walmart thing (I just don't get it :confused:). Definitely recommend going to El Malecon, has just about anything and everything you would be interested in - bars, restaurants, shopping, nice beach, etc. We also took a longer taxi to Nuevo Vallarta (approx. 25 minutes away from port) where all of the new large resorts have been developed. We went to the Hard Rock Resort (we are nerdy collectors) which was absolutely breathtaking. They offer day passes if they are below 85% occupancy for the day.

Wish we had two days in PV bc we only needed one in Cabo - super touristy which is to be expected, we went to Medano beach and hung out at The Office then walked the Marina.

Anyone know if the Hard Rock Cafe in Cabo has re-opened post hurricane? I am going to Cabo in April and really want to add another HRC to my visit list, but I am unsure if it is operaing again. There hasnt been a new tripadvisor review of it since September.

We just got back from cruising to Cabo for NYE...we are also HRC collectors/visitors so we were excited and surprised to see a HRC that we didn't know was there. However we just received a reply from Hard Rock International when we tried to get credit showing we visited the Cabo location on our Hard Rock profile (nerdy right?) and they informed us that they do NOT have an official Hard Rock Cafe in Cabo San Lucas, that it is an infringing unauthorized location that is not sanctioned or affiliated with Hard Rock therefore operating and using the HRC name illegally. Really surprised to find this out, since they had all of the normal decor and even merchandise just like every other HRC we have been to. Just an FYI!

Also if your allergy is severe enough that you need an EpiPen, please please please carry your Epi Pen!!

I'm an RN who encounters multiple patients that have been prescriebd Epi Pens but haven't got them refilled in years or don't carry them on their body - bad enough situation at home, but even worse when you are on a ship in the middle of the ocean!

Why would Carnival want to give free cruises to those of us who cruise often? They are already getting our money no matter what. They know that the G/P/D pax will continue to book regardless of incentives. They know they no longer have to earn out business.

This!! Bingo. At least that's the theory/logic that makes sense to me even if I don't like it. They figure they're giving G/P/D perks as their "Thank You" for the business, but they also know (and your booking history proves) that you are going to keep booking with Carnival regardless of what incentives they offer, so why would they waste a free cruise on someone who has already and is always going to come back? That's better used on someone who has cruised Carnival once, maybe twice, and isn't sure if they want to stay loyal to Carnival or switch around to another line that may give them more... here's a free cruise to make you change your mind!

As everyone else has stated, it isn't necessarily bad but rather it is a huge risk. We have always booked our flight for the day before for several reasons - in case of delays, so we don't have to rush, so we can enjoy a day/night in the port city. However our last cruise a couple weeks ago was with friends who, due to their work schedule, couldn't fly in until the day of and we were able to get a great flight deal using miles, so for the first time we fly the day of...thankfully everything was on schedule and there were no issues, but I was so nervous the entire time that our flight was going to get delayed due to weather. I definitely will always choose to fly the day before to decrease risk because life is unpredictable and stuff happens!

With FTTF we like to get to our room right away and unpack quickly, before heading up to lido for some food and a delicious adult beverage...we find a spot with a good view and relax while we sail away. We also like to look at the fun times and see what all is going on.

Agree with what another poster said, that is why we love Your Time Dining. We have the option to have a quiet intimate dinner for two when we want (usually once on the cruise towards the end) while still having the option to sit with a large group to meet people - we are social butterflies and have met some great people this way!

Like everyone else has said, there are so many things we love about cruises! It is the perfect mix of beach/relaxation, which I prefer, and fun/activities, which hubby prefers. Part of what I like includes the planning beforehand, finding an amazing deal and then figuring out what all we want to see. We love not having to worry about paying extra for food or entertainment on board. We love meeting new people from all over the world. And we absolutely love putting away our cell phones. Cruising really is a great relaxing way to see places you might not visit on their own.

We love Angry Orchard; we keep it in our fridge at home at all times! On the Conquest this year they had it in cans. Also, if you like a nice change of pace try it with a shot of Fireball Whiskey; it's called Angry Balls and it's a great mixture! :D:eek:

To add to the change of pace - try it with a shot of Jose Cuervo Cinge Cinnamon Tequila, similar to the fireball whiskey blend except not as strong of a cinnamon taste.

So I like the Apple Cider beers especially in the fall. I will be on my cruises in Oct. Perfect even thought I will be in the Caribbean.

 

I was wondering are any of these available on board?

 

Reds Apple cider beer

Angry Orchard beer

Stella Cider beer (most interested in this one.. its SOOOO good)

 

Thanks!!!

You are after my own heart! I absolutely love love love all ciders and go out of my way to try every type I can find. Stella's cidre is the most smooth tasting cider I have EVER tried, but I rarely ever find it out at places. Strongbow is a good alternative to sweetness - it still has a god taste but is not overwhelming, like I feel Reds can be. Angry Orchard is probably my favorite go to becuase it is a nice balance of flavors. Woodchuck would be my second favorite as well.

I've seen both Strongbow and Angry Orchard, hopefully it will be picked up and carried more often. We were just in New Orleans this past weekend and finding it on Bourbon street was a rarity