jerseygirlinAZ

My husband and I gamble for a pretty long time and with a good deal of money when we cruise ... me on the slots and him a combo of slots and table games. We took three cruises last year and never got an offer ... until after the last cruise. I think that's because they saw we had nothing else scheduled and wanted us to come back. (Of course, this is just a guess.) We got offered an interior room with drinks on us. We used that offer to book a five-day Christmas cruise to Cabo last December. Again, spent a good deal of time and money in the casino. Got an offer once we arrived home for an interior with drinks on us. Used that to book our 10-day Alaska cruise (though we upgraded to an ocean view). I'm going to try to stay out of the casino a bit on this next cruise, but know I will still play. We enjoy it and have fun. If we get an offer, great. If not, oh well.

Thanks for posting! No offer for me this time, but it's always fun to go check when I see these posts. 🙂

Have an awesome cruise! We are 46 days out and can't wait! First cruise of 2023! (We did four in 2022!)

I'm a vegetarian and have been to the steakhouse many times. The chef always does a very nice pasta dish. They've all been different, and they've all been delicious! There are also plenty of sides with which one can build a meal.

My husband won a little over $2k on Buffalo pre-covid on the first night of our cruise. Awesome night!

We always pack some Pringles and some crackers for when we get a cheese plate to go from the MDR.

I'll see you on the ship! We're booked on that cruise as well.

That's a cool idea. Our seven-year old is a bit picky, but getting better. (I think she is getting tired of chicken nuggets, lol.) Thanks for sharing.

Lol. No, I don't think so. Just a heads up though ... as I recall they really discouraged photo taking with the characters when we attended. The characters moved through the dining room rather quickly. They do give you opportunities to get up and get pics with the characters, but those are taken by the ship's photographers and are up on the Pixels wall later in the day.

Thanks for posting the link for Avis. We just booked for June 3. Apparently there are seven ships in port that day! 😬

I agree. Like the OP, I've been to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, so I'd be inclined to visit somewhere new.

Perhaps you could perform the ceremony and then book one of the specialty restaurants? It won't be private, but it might work.

We stayed on deck one on the Miracle, mid ship, ocean view. A few nights we heard from really loud banging (not sure what it was). Woke us up once or twice. We booked deck one on the Miracle again for May since we got a casino offer so I guess you could say it wasn't bad enough to deter us from staying there again. 🙂

On our last cruise, the kids club had one dinner together toward the end of the cruise. That was it.

And I love your positive attitude, KKB! Enjoy your retirement!

We LOVED Ary! One of the best!

None for me this go round. Maybe next time. Thanks for posting!

I'd pick the porthole, but I really enjoy having some light in the room from the outdoors. Not sure if you know about the Panorama elevators, but they are different from other ships. You select the floor you want to go to and then you'll be told which elevator to go to. There are no buttons to push in the elevator because it's already been programmed to go to where you selected. It's supposed to make things quicker. This might help when thinking about your concern with location.

Regarding kids activities, they do have a Seuss story time in one of the theaters, which is fun. I think there is a Seuss parade as well, but we didn't attend. The breakfast is fun and we enjoyed it! Also, be aware that there is a Build-A-Bear option on the ship. 🙂

We've done build a bear on multiple sailings in 2022, once on the Panorama. We had to make a reservation three times, but not the last time in December on the Miracle (not sure why). I'd check the Carnival hub when you get on board to see if a reservation is needed, just to avoid disappointment. The "bears" were a bit more expensive than your traditional build a bear ($28 -$30, if I remember correctly). I spent $64 on a flamingo, flip flops, a dress, sunglasses, and a backpack at build a bear on the Miracle in December. The good news is there are no sounds, heart beats, or smells available for purchase like in a traditional build a bear store. You pay with your sign and sail account. Not sure about what you mean by a gift card. Do you mean a regular build a bear gift card or one available for purchase through Carnival? I'm pretty sure that they don't accept build a bear gift cards on the ship. Also, if you have a reward account with build a bear (which, if you couldn't tell, we do), there is no credit for doing build a bear at sea. It is a totally separate program. Hope that helps.

That I don't know. We took uber. Sorry.

We sailed in December and the Kids Club was open the first night.

We sailed in December and people had to park at the Convention Center because the Panorama and Radiance left a day or two before the Miracle so the parking was full. Carnival sent us an email ahead of time to let us know.

We did Nassau, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. We went to a private flamingo sanctuary in Nassau (private tour). Was awesome. Did the monkey, shopping, city tour in Amber Cove (through Carnival), which was fun. Did snorkeling and visiting with stingrays in Grand Turk (through Carnival) and it was great (though the water was a bit rough for snorkeling for my seven-year old).

For the steakhouse, just go to the restaurant or give them a call when you get on board and let them know that your parties would like to be seated together. We've done this and it's never been a problem. Have fun!