jgaudette3

The crowds will vary depending on when you board the ship. We always board at the earliest time we can. Guy's Burgers is a favorite and does get busy, so we always plan ahead. Going on the Sunrise you will have options and  Cucina del Capitano on the Magic had no waiting and Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que had a line but moved fast. 

We waited until our child was 9 to get the 1st passport. Only negative is they are only good for 5 years and now the next time it expires, it's all his expense to renew. With closed loop travel you don't need one, but each time we were ask for documentation, we all were moved along with no issues.

Take the best deal you can. We have found that there are fewer price drops, that result in money in our pocket since OBC is what changes based on the newer booking. We were on the Magic in March 2017 and it was a great ship with plenty of things to do. We tend to like to older smaller ships and will look for the destinations that fit our travel plans. Then we select the ship we will sail on. Either ship should give you a great vacation

Both ships have been updated and each ship has a little different feel. We love the older smaller ships and the Sensation has been one of our favorites. While Jamaica is nice it's not always on our list of places to go back to. Pick the one that fits your schedule and budget and enjoy yourself.

Makes sense, but in my case, I won't have issues with delays because my flight will be 1 week before and then 2 days after.. so, I think I should answer that I'm not going by plane, or?

Keep in mind that the weather can cause delays as well as mechanical problems. Recently NCL had a cruise return late to New York due to a storm. If you have travel insurance, then don't give Carnival the information being asked but if you look around the site, you will find several posts about late arrivals back in port for a variety of things that Carnival has little or no control over. Enjoy your cruise.

You should answer everything so they have the information and can be better ready to help in the event the ship has some type of issue where they don't return to port on time. While it does not happen often, this helps Carnival be better ready to help you when you get back with making changes if necessary.

looking to do a 5 day cruise in nov on the sensation. only ever cruised RC but want to try a carnival cruise, albeit i realise its a smaller older ship.

i can book through carnival.com for $755 or cruisenation.com for £545. by my conversion rate that means cruisenation works out cheaper and i can pick from empress, riviera or upper decks on cruisenation instead of just riviera through carninval.

which deck is the best from them 3? or not much difference?

would it be better to book through carnival.com though??

also can get $50 obc if i book by tomorrow thats why im looking to book, or will they do sale offers and obc offer throughout the year anyway?

When booking a cabin, look at the deck plans to see what is above and below the cabins being offered. I would choose Upper Deck as you will have cabins above and below you. We sailed before on the Empress Deck and had the Galley directly above us and could here them working at all times of the day/night. Good thing we are sound sleepers.

I am looking to do a quick cruise this summer but I cant decide between these two ships. I am leaning towards the Elation just because the port is closer to my house but I am a bit worried that it being an older ship, that the cruise will be less smooth and will have to deal with seasickness. But I generally want a ship that is in good condition with good food. Help!

I would sail the Liberty as it's a larger ship. We have sailed on several of the Carnival Ships and they all have their good and bad points. Our favorite ship is the Sensation, which we will be on again this year. We have always like the older smaller ships as the staff seem to be more personable.

We have sailed on the Sensation several times, starting back in 1994. It seems to be one of our favorite ships. Having recently coming out of dry dock for upgrades we are looking forward to our trip in May 2018, back on the Sensation. While yes it is an older ship, the staff and services provided have always been top notch.

We use a Carnival PVP and tell him which deck we want then we're given a list of cabin numbers to pick from. If we have a cabin that is adjoining we don't ask if there is someone else that needs it. We take what we have been offered.

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Have a limited time frame for a cruise in February due to son having a few days off school. For those who have sailed these ships, do you have a preference on which is better? We have only cruised once on RCCL Brilliance so don't have a lot of experience. Either itinerary would work for us. Thanks!!

Since you will be on the trip right after dry-dock, you have to be comfortable with a few things not being completed or the trip canceled because of delays during the dry-dock process. We have sailed on the Sensation several times and find it to be a good ship that is older and smaller, with all the latest upgrades.

Cruising in November and am trying to book airfare. Planning on self asssist debarkation and using Cortrans from Port Canaveral to MCO. Is a 1210 flight doable? Carnival website says no earlier than 1250 flight if using their transportation. Thanks!

We sailed on the Carnival Magic, out of Port Carnival, in March of this year and we made it off the ship by 9AM. It took just over an hour to get to Orlando due to construction and traffic. Your 1210 Flight is possible but when using a shuttle service you may not be the only people they are transporting to MCO. The later flight is a better option.

We have sailed on the Sensation and Imagination multiple times along and with several others once. When we can we try other ships and have found that we always seem to look at the Sensation the most (our 1st ship with Carnival). The older smaller ships have a different atmosphere while the newer larger ships have more to offer. In March 2017 we sailed on the Magic and only after 7 days did we realize that we didn't do or see everything the ship had to offer. We always look at where the ships are going and then pick the one that best fits our schedule. We will be back on the Sensation in May 2018 to celebrate 24 years of happiness.

Hi ! I was wondering if anybody could answer this-if I get the premium internet, will that support watching youtube? I know it says Netflix and Hulu are blocked but I wondered about Youtube. Thanks!

Keep in mind that the ship has a limited amount of bandwidth and the more people using it controls what everyone encounters. You may find times when it's great and then there will be times when you get limited connectivity. In a recent facebook post from John Heald, he tried to live stream while on the Magic and was not able to do so with all the people using social media.

A few shops and that's about all. The coffee shop sells fresh roasted beans and like a couple other places, when you buy something they give you the password for the WiFi.

Nope!! On Sunshine cruise in March there were 2 lines. 1 for on-board purchases and 1 for shore purchases. I know what the FAQs said because I specifically read it before the cruise. here is what the FAQs specifically say:

 

Ports of Call

All alcohol purchased in ports will be stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. The retained items will be available for collection in a designated lounge on the morning of debarkation for cruise durations 5 days and less; for cruise durations 6 days and more, alcoholwill be delivered to guest staterooms after 7:00pm, the evening prior to debarkation (some exceptions may apply).

The Fun Shops (onboard)

All alcohol purchased in The Fun Shops onboard will be stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. The retained items will be available for collection in a designated lounge on the morning of debarkation for cruise durations 5 days and less; for cruise durations 6 days and more, alcohol will be delivered to guest staterooms after 7:00pm, the evening prior to debarkation (some exceptions may apply).

When we made the purchase on board, they told us we would pick up our purchase on the morning of debarkation and since I already had to be there for my land purchases I was fine with it.

My wife and I are going on our second Carnival cruise in May on the Sensation sailing to Key West and Cozumel. We are flying to Miami and I was wondering is it better to use a taxi or Carnivals shuttle service? We will arrive at 9AM and have plenty of time to spare. However, on day of disembarkation it states we will be in port by 8AM and my flight leaves MIA at 10AM. How smooth is the disembarkation process? I plan on carrying my bags and being ready to go as soon as possible that morning. Again, is a taxi or the shuttle service better? Faster?

 

Thanks

I would change my flight to a later time. TSA wants you at the airport approx. 2 hours before your flight and it has been my experience that getting clearance to disembark the ship takes about an hour in Miami. With self assist you will be among the 1st off the ship not leaving you much time to make a 10 AM flight.

We were on the March 11 sailing of the Magic and found it to be a little rocky but not too bad :). We have felt much, much greater movement on other cruises.

 

 

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On the March 11 sailing, winds were 20-25 knots all the time. Only had 1 day were the pool was a giant wave pool, otherwise a smooth trip.

We are spending the night after our cruise in Fort Lauderdale. I need to figure out the most economical way to get from the Port of Miami to a hotel near the Fort Lauderdale airport, then we will be visiting with a friend North of the airport on Saturday evening and will leave Fort Lauderdale airport on Sunday morning around 9 a.m. Does anyone have any good, cheap ideas? Should I rent a car? Taxi? Thanks

Try asking your friend to pick you up. If that does not work, then find a hotel that offers pick up service either from Port Miami or the Fort Lauderdale Airport. If you can only get service from the airport, then take the airport shuttle from the ship to the airtport and then have the hotel pick you up from the airport. While a taxi is an option, it will be pricey.

Hey yall.....cruising on the Magic in May. Itinerary: Amber Cove, Grand Turk, St Thomas and San Juan. Is buying liters of alcohol at the shops really a good deal versus buying at home? What are some things that you like to buy besides alcohol?

Shop your local area to check the prices and bottle sizes for the stuff you drink. For us the Liter of Crown on the ship was the best deal, then add the Cruzan Rums from St. Thomas and limits are maxed out. All Alcohol bought on board or in a port, will be available for pickup in the Northern Lights Dining Room the morning you return to Port Carnival. We carried off ours in the boxes provided, keeping them sealed and didn't have any issues with customs.We also used a porter who took our bags straight to a customs agent and then out to the car. I did find that knowing the prices of things I might buy, helped me make better choices. Bought a Citizen Watch for 80.00 less than I could have bought it locally.

While in San Juan, if you do the Bacardi Tour, either from the ship or on your own, you will have a chance to buy and bottle your own rum. They offer 2 higher end rums that are only available there.

My parents have a Carnival CC and had lots of points they offered to me. We did the redemption online in February for my April cruise. To date, they still don't show up on my online profile. The card is in my fathers name and the booking in my name but they have the correct booking number. We've called twice (he has to be with me for them to talk to me) and they promise it will be done but I don't see it. I worry we'll get to Hawaii and it won't be there and I won't be able to contact them. I'm a bit of a worrier. Any ideas?

Used mine a couple of weeks back on the Magic. You can check with guest services on board or wait until the Kiosk open after the ship leaves port. Mine were there just after 6PM.

Is the almost 1000 dollar difference in price worth the magic over splendor for almost same itinerary? Traveling with small kids.

Having just got off the Magic on March 18, let me say that we choose the Magic over the Splendor for what the ship had to offer. The magic has had all the upgrades where the Splendor has had none. The Magic is a bigger ship and as it has already been said, Port Canaveral is much easier to get in and out of than Port Miami. The cost for us (3 adults and 1 child) was just under 1000 total and it was money well spent. Next year the Magic moves to Miami and if I had a choice to sail the Magic or another ship, I would most likely pick the Magic. After 7 days we had things to see on board that we just didn't have time to see.

Just off the Magic on March 18. We found the MDR menus to be very good with a Varity of food. Our DS, ordered no less than 4 items each night and we never walked away hungry. We even took 1 night to eat from the Lido Deck Buffett, which was as good as it can get. There is plenty of food options and on Sea Days, you have the Guy's BBQ,, which was excellent.

I read she is supposed to be fixed in June. Does anyone know what kind of movie theatre is on the Paradise, inside or on the deck?

Movies will be On Deck.

Wait for port days for the better price.

They always offer specials that may fit into your schedule. I had the 100 minute massage for the price of the 70 minute. This offer was given out on the first day during a spa tour and had to be booked before the ship left port. The sales pitch was it had to be that night, but when they fill those slots, it carries over to the next day. So after I added the hot rock deep tissue and tip, the cost was 260.00.

Well worth it and I felt very relaxed the entire trip. I try and get a massage on each cruise as a way to treat myself to a little something extra. DW was sent to have her nails done just before formal night. As it was posted a few post back, just log into your Carnival Account, and see what the ship is offering before you get on board.