carrieluvsgreg

I do agree with what others have said- Southern Caribbean is definitely a wonderful choice. I also wanted to throw out an additional option that might be appealing to you. Carnival is offering a few options that include a partial transit through the Panama Canal. My husband and I took the Liberty out of Port Everglades for our 20th anniversary and it was a wonderful trip! Back then they did not enter the canal as the ship was too large. So we docked at the Port of Colon and took a tour to the canal. It was neat to see how the locks worked. The trip I saw is on the Miracle out of Tampa and is 8 days and only stops in Limon, Costa Rica and Grand Cayman- so you get several sea days. If you enjoy being on the ship, this also would appeal to you.

I don't know if I would pick this itinerary over the Southern Caribbean- but it would certainly get a second glance from me.

I tried to go on Carnival.com to "refresh" my mind... sometimes the ships run together.... The site would not load the ships for some reason. The Glory had a dry dock in March of this year giving her some of the upgrades that she did not previously have. The Miracle had it's last one in 2015 but still does not have some of the things that the Glory would. (Guys Burgers, Red Frog Rum Pub, seaside theater etc. The layout of the Miracle is different than most Carnival ships and for that reason people usually are a huge fan or really didn't care for her. The Glory (although each ship has subtle differences) has a "typical" layout for Carnival. The Glory is slightly larger passenger capacity that nears 3000 and the Miracle is a bit over 2500. I would say with the upgrades that the Glory has that the Miracle does not, it would have the slight edge.

159 days, 17 hours and 2 minutes.

as long as they still provide a table, I'm good! ;)

I would agree with the 8-day option. (Unless your family are total beach bums) If you LOVE the beach and can't get enough of it, then the 6 day would be a good option. There's just not a ton to do at those 6 day stops besides the beach and beach related activities such as getting off one boat and getting on another boat... With the southern Caribbean options you listed, you could still have beach time, if you are into that plus so much more- Those stops are amongst the most beautiful in the entire Caribbean, you won't be disappointed.

Coffee (regular/decaf) is available on Lido 24 hours a day (I think...) I know it's from early in the morning until late at night.... I've never been out and about at 4 am...

There is also a coffee shop onboard. Those drinks are available to purchase. They have both hot and cold lattes, cappuccinos and such. I can't remember for sure if the Glory is one of the ships that also has the milkshake options and specialty desserts... It all runs together after awhile. :)

National has a location much closer to the port than the airport location. We did a one way rental to that location, took a cab to the POM, then when we disembarked did the same thing in reverse. The only issue for us was it was 4 people with luggage and the cab was really tight.

I think the "crowded" factor will depend upon how you spend your time. For us, we are not sun-worshipping pool people. We spend almost no time on Lido or other open decks in the full sun. We use the Cloud 9 Spa on the ships that have that amenity and it is by nature a less crowded venue than other places on the ship. If you are interested in the shows, know that the Sunshine added 400 cabins and did not increase the overall size of public spaces such as the theater. The Serenity area is pretty impressive, but if the ship is sold out, that area has the potential to be very crowded as well. To date our favorite class is Dream Class with the Dream herself being our favorite ship. We have sailed on the Breeze but not the Magic. That said, We have an appreciation for even the Fantasy class ships. Those cruises for us are typically more about resting and relaxing than "go, go, go!" of the big ships. I don't think you will be totally disappointed with any ship you choose, but narrowing down where you spend your time might maximize the enjoyment factor.

You won't lose your selected room if you do a price match where you can still choose your room. However, many rates are now tied to Guarantee Cabins. So if you select your cabin, and then price match to a rate where Carnival picks your room, then what you originally had picked out is irrelevant. You will be assigned an Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Suite, etc. based upon the category you are in. Does this make sense?

Yes- that was what I was basically saying. If I’ve booked an interior spa stateroom- that’s my category. If I file for price protection- they could move me to another interior spa stateroom, they could not move me to an interior on riviera. That’s a different category. I do know that if Carnival places someone in the spa and they did not book a spa room they do not get the privilege of the spa. That happened to someone we met a couple of cruises ago. She was really bummed, but really it’s only fair.

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How close are the car rentals to the port? Which ones?

 

 

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National is a couple of miles from the port and offers a shuttle to the port. We book one way rentals every time we leave out of port canaveral. It is also shared with enterprise.

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Whomever led you to believe that is true needs a reality check. On any cruise ship guaranteed cabin means you are guaranteed a cabin in a general type, be it inside (4)*, ocean view (6)*, or balcony (8)* (most have dropped guaranteed suites). Immediately your old cabin goes back in to the open inventory and you may or may not get your new cabin placement immediately. But almost every cruise line reserves the right to change that assignment right up to your sail date, and you may actually get to the port to find out your cabin number has changed.

 

So if you switch from a specific cabin that you picked to a guaranteed booking you give up your old booking and all the perks or specials that came with it, in essence cancelling your original booking in favor of a lower price one. Even when price matching the specific category (ex 4S to a 4S down the hall) and the booking terms have changed be it no longer a reduced deposit or that OBC is included (location specific perks will remain) you will loss those old sale terms in favor of the current terms. SO whenever comparing for price protection remember to take any sales come-on received for the original booking in to account as part of the price, that way you are comparing apples to apples. The same can happen if looking to upgrade (say an 8D to an 8F 2 decks up) if your category is sold out and the "better" location is now the same price that you paid.

 

 

 

number*= Carnival's cabin type, the category is the letter after the number.

I guess perhaps I misunderstood what the OP was saying. I’ve only booked once with a stateroom guarantee- meaning my room assignment was chosen by Carnival. Each on there of my 14 have been hand picked by me. I have on multiple occasions filed a price protection form due to a price drop. I have never lost my original picked room. I am not saying that they can not take your room- only that if they were to reassign you, they could not take you to a lower category than you originally paid. I have a spa interior room booked now on the horizon. If my cabin price drops, Carnival can’t move me out of the spa because I specifically paid for that category. They could move me within that category or offer me either a paid or free upgrade. They could not just move me to another inside room outside of the spa area.

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Personally I think it depends upon how important a specific trip is for you we live north of Jacksonville and have several options of ports. We typically book about 6 months or do out. But we’ve also booked less than 30 days out with a pack and go special. If you want a particular ship/trip then I’d book farther out to ensure you’re onboard and hope the price drops. If you just want to get away and not really care which ship or itinerary- and your dates are flexible. then wait for last minute deals.

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I don’t think they can “downgrade” you tho. For example- I book interior spa staterooms on ships with cloud 9 spas. If I file for price protection - they could move me out of my chosen room but not to one outside of the spa area. (At least that’s my understanding)

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I brought an iron on our first cruise, in 2003. I had no clue it was not allowed. I am sure it was in the "small print" somewhere- but I guess I never read that. The only reason I remember that I did bring it was that I remember ironing on the bed for dinner. I had every intension of bringing one on our next cruise and was shocked to learn that it was prohibited. So I left it at home and figured out how to find the laundry room and use one of the ones provided. Since then- I have acquired a "cruise wardrobe" with MDR acceptable clothing that requires no ironing.

I have wondered about the steamer in the past too- that is what I use at home now instead of an iron. I don't understand why they are not allowed- but I don't get to make the rules... just follow them.

I will say that I have used my flat iron to smooth out collars before! Hahaha!!

I do love the Dream class ships (so far, the Dream being my favorite but I have yet to sail on the Magic.) We have not yet sailed on the Miracle- but I do know that she does have quite a fan club as people do like the ship's unique layout. After the Dream (ship, not class) my favorite ship is the Liberty. The Breeze does have more amenities, but I have always been fond of the Liberty since our first sailing on her. Really, I think that ship preferences do have more to do with what you prefer to do while sailing- we are not "pool people". We don't spend much time on Lido or other open decks laying in a chair sunbathing. We have seen most of the shows so we are not involved with the crowded theaters. We typically choose YTD and are almost always at the MDR when it opens, causing us little or no wait. Now that we are platinum, we don't have the super long line to disembark at tender ports. In a nutshell, we don't feel most of the brunt of "the crowd" on the mega liner. That being said- all of the things I mentioned are even lighter on the Liberty, making it enjoyable too.

You might get a better response if you post this to the "roll call" page, then you will have your specific target audience. :)

We took the ruins tour on our very first cruise with Carnival back in 2003, so the price wouldn't help much now, I am sure. I am only chiming in here because I was a bit "underwhelmed" with the experience. I guess I expected to see some big temple like they had in the backdrop of Survivor once upon a time. Because we were "newbies" we booked the tour with Carnival so it was crowded. The boat ride was nice and we saw some manatees. The lunch was pretty cool too- authentic food cooked in a very basic kitchen. The ruins themselves were the part that I was most disappointed in. I was also shocked that they were reconstructing the ruins. I thought that kind of defeated the purpose of ruins.... if I wanted to see replicas, I could do that in an amusement park... but then again, one entire temple was covered with dirt and grass making it just a weird hill. I know now there are some really cool ruins out there, but the ones we experienced in Belize just did not give me the "wow" factor.

So to be clear..im on the magic saturday...i can use the sauna, lockers and showers without purchasing a spa pass?

On the Magic they have a Cloud 9 Spa and those facilities do cost extra to use unless you are in a spa stateroom. There are saunas in the men’s and women’s locker rooms near the gym and those are free. The various steam rooms in the spa are for both men and women to use together and do cost extra. (Unless you’re in the spa staterooms)

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Also- keep in mind Disney is on the “other side” of Orlando. Meaning- it’s 45 miles to Orlando then you cross town and Disney is an additional 15 or so miles. Orlando traffic can be really bad certain times of day and times of year.., I live north of Jacksonville and it typically takes me 3 hours (or just under) to get from my door to ikea. (Mall at millennial) we went in July and encountered really bad traffic coming back (no accident) it took us almost 5 hours to get home.

Disney springs is nice- you do get to park for free. But I honestly wouldn’t try it on my own. Too many variables to risk it.

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We have been to Cozumel many times. It’s our favorite port. We typically rent a Jeep and drive the island at our our pace. That way you stop where you want for as long as you want. There are numerous beaches along the way- some more busy than others. There are a couple of beach restaurants as well. Our favorite is coconuts. It’s up on a cliff. The view is extraordinary. They only take cash- so keep that in mind. The cost I the Jeep with insurance runs $100-$125 for the day. The island is very easy to get around- there’s very few roads away from town.

I highly recommend this “self tour”

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Is there a reason you’re flying into FTL? I know we only fly southwest and they don’t fly to Miami. If Miami is an option- I wouldn’t hassle with FTL.

Or maybe book a cruise out of there- it’s a super easy transfer from the airport. If there weren’t big highways- it would be walkable. Taxi takes like 10 minutes.

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My husband orders it most every night in the MDR. He says it’s a decent steak.

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Just a side note- although all the ports you mentioned do take US currency, I think it bears noting that at least in Cozumel- they do not accept US change- only bills.

A few years ago I thought I had a brilliant idea of saving change to help me barter. I found out the hard way that they do not accept coins. [emoji20]

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I think it depends on what you’re looking for. First- you’ve cruised Alaska already- that’s pretty impressive as far as cruises go. Some people can only dream of that itinerary. Typically they are longer trips as oppose to the 4/5 day that can be caught at many coasts. The Pride is a good class of ship. It isn’t the mega ship size but large enough to have variety. My reservations would come with the itineraries offered out of that port. The eastern Caribbean you mentioned really seems more like Bahamas plus to me. The distance you need to travel just to get to the Caribbean doesn’t allow you to get to the more desirable ports. That being said- half moon cay is very popular and loved by many. Many people feel as though the Bahamas ports are overdone as they are visited often by many. If you really enjoy time on the ship itself- I’d say, go for it. You’ll have a blast.

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Welcome to the world of cruising! The Liberty is also one of my favorite ships. We sailed on her when she was out of Ft. Lauderdale on an 8-day to Panama. It was a wonderful trip and ship!

As far as Port Canaveral, it is probably my favorite port to sail from so far (We've also done Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa and returned through NOLA on a relocation cruise.) Good things about it are- the reason for the entire area is the port, so they are very cruise minded. There are numerous hotels offering a "park and cruise" option which basically pays for your hotel if you would have otherwise parked at the port. I am assuming you flew in since you mentioned Orlando. We live in Florida, so do not have that issue. I would not want to make that trip either, it is just not convenient. If you thought Miami was convenient- Ft. Lauderdale is the best when coming by air- the airport is almost adjacent to the cruise port. You could literally walk if there weren't so many busy roads in the way...

As far as whether to choose RCC or Carnival in the future- I can't speak to that. We started cruising carnival back in 2003 and have our 15th booked on the Horizon for April sailing out of Barcelona. Now that we are platinum, it seems ridiculous to go with another line now. You mentioned going on a larger class of ship- My favorite so far is the Dream. (She is currently in NOLA, I believe). Of course, the larger ships do have more amenities, but they also have more people, something to consider. We really have not had much issue with this as we purposely travel at low season times and we are really not the "sun worshiper" type. We rarely spend time on open decks near pools and such. My favorite "amenity" on the bigger ships is the Cloud 9 Spa. We love the thalassotherapy pool and thermal suites!

We have some friends that are RCC all the way- but for us Carnival is king!