salty dingo

Think about what you will plug into the strip or adapter... good rule of thumb... nothing that has a three prong plug.

Reason? A three prong plug needs a proper ground to be safe and the ship does not provide it.

Electronics usually have two prong plugs, like a USB charger. My work laptop has a three prong plug... I would not bring that. But my tablet and phone has a USB charger... that is OK. You only want stuff that does not draw much current.

Been on both. I like the layout of the Conquest class (Liberty) but would personally go for the one with the better itinerary. Neither one is likely to cause sea sickness, and if the weather is bad, either one could.

An extra hour of driving is relevant only in the case of a tie. Also, what are both ports like? Parking fees the same? Ambience? (think Charleston vs. Miami)... Lots to weigh.

There is a debate about bringing passports off the ship. On one hand, if you do bring it off, it could be lost or stolen. On the other hand, if you miss the ship having a passport in hand will save you some hassle.

I am in the camp of "leave it in the safe". If you do miss the ship, just before it leaves without you, security will enter your room and open the safe, looking for your passport. If found, they hand it over to the port agent who is the person you must deal with when you do realize your ship left you.

So clearly, for me, I would not risk losing my passport onshore, but others will disagree.

We are pre paying gratuities, and that covers almost everyone. Some $1 bills are handy for room service delivery people, and small purchases on shore.

You won't need to tip any bartender, since CCL always adds a generous tip to the bill for you. Personally I don't care if the bartender gets the money from CCL or not... I know I tipped a fair amount and what they do with the money is not my business.

If someone truly does something extra ordinary, an extra tip is a nice gesture, but I don't recall too many cases where staff did above and beyond the call of duty for us.

Thanks, that is interesting info! I used to work in drinking water regulation, so this is neat to me. 😁

 

Sorry op if we hijacked your post!

No, you are too late, I was quickly made aware that distilled water was tasteless and that led to the hijacked the post.

FWIW - I take a good multi vitamin every day so I don't care for any extra stuff in my water.

To me, water, like Vodka, tastes best when it has no flavor. And, like distilled water, I can at times be tasteless. Usually due to Vodka.

I once bought some cured ham in a duty free shop in Frankfurt, coming back to the USA. I thought if they sold it there it was ok.

Back in Charlotte in bag claim, I watched a nearby woman get sniffed by the beagle, and some nice pre-packaged German sausages went into the hands of the Feds.

I saw this going down and moved slowly away from Snoopy. Did not get caught but will never do it again.

While the offenders just get a finger wag from the officer, no fine, the Feds do keep a record. They know who you are and what you did. People have been denied Global Entry program for this.

Practically speaking, if you were to board with a bottle of wine, leave it in your cabin, disembark, obtain a second bottle of wine, and re- board, I doubt anyone would notice.

I have never tried this except in San Juan, where they never seemed to care how much alcohol I brought, and there was a liquor store just off the gangway.

Just don't bring on two bottles at the same time.

With four people, two are going to pay full price and two will pay a much reduced price.

The people who may back out... what price do they pay? If they are the two reduced price people it will not affect your fare at all ( although Carnival reserves the right to trade your four person balcony for a two person one.)

If you were thinking of splitting the room fare four ways evenly... that is not how it works. If you were the one paying the reduced price you would have to pay full price if the others back out.

Sounds too risky for me.

The only fly in this ointment would be if the roommate cancels within the window where there can be a refund. This means up to 15 days prior to sailing some money could be refunded, as little as 25% of the total fare.

If money is refunded, Carnival could hit you up for a single supplement, because the cancellation fee your ex roomie paid will not be considered as fare paid for your room.

Best if the roomie is a no show. In any case you will only have to pay for one drink package.

I thought it was 14ounces for $4 and no tip added as reported on previous threads.

That sounds right. Who could you tip? A machine? Yourself?

this thread from a few months ago leans toward it NOT being possible to share

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53694439

I said they charge by the entree, but it would not be OK for two people to dine and both have appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts, but only one entree... and expect to be charged for only one meal.

However, if two people are dining and only one orders a meal, and the other takes half, I doubt there is a case for two charges.

I do get the idea that some people have very light appetites and could never eat one full entree, and should not have to order more than they can eat. That would be wasteful of food and money.

I would just ask the maitre d' onboard to clarify any questions after you board and not give it much more thought until then.

A box of cereal used to weigh 16 oz. Now they weigh 12 oz for the same price.

I remember that tactic from Marketing class way back in school. As time goes by, they keep the price the same and give you smaller and smaller portions, because people are only noticing the price and not keeping track of what they get for it.

This is really nothing new. Not saying it is good for the consumer, just that it's typical.

I just read this, in case you want to drink distilled water instead of the tap water. Source:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4498/kw/Bottled%20Water

Distilled water may also be purchased onboard at $3.00 USD per gallon by contacting Room Service.

For reference, a 12-pack of bottled water costs $4.50 and contains a tad over a gallon of water total. So if you want to save a buck and a half, buy by the gallon!

I think this would be a good option for people who bring their own refillable water bottles, or don't want to fill up a landfill with empty plastic bottles.

I was just looking at the ship tours offered on our Fascination cruise (not that I would ever book one, but they are good for ideas!)

Dominica had quite a few tours listed. This was not the case earlier... there was nothing listed for that port. It looks like the island is back in business.

We will be on the Conquest and it says we'll dock at 8am, but we have never gotten back that late. We're hoping to be able to make a 9:15 flight.

Have a back-up plan. US immigration can hold up a ship. If someone died onboard or there was an incident, they are going to handle that before they start letting people off.

If you don't mind going standby on a later flight then go for it.

i did 4 cruises with NCL and i never seen this nickel and dime thing, what is this you are talking about? Yes they are some for cost items but this is common in the cruise industry.

Right, NCL is the same as Carnival in the nickel-and-dime department.

Which means competition for best value will keep the cruise lines trying to entice passengers.

I'd be fine with a cruise which included free alcohol. But will I pay a base fare costing an extra $50 per person a day for it? Nope. Free gratuities are fine, but that's worth what? $12 pp/pd. No more. Free excursions? At ship prices or at the real price you pay at the dock? Free wifi? It's already just $5 a day for the social only plan. And if you need more you are probably missing out on the cruise in favor of stuff you can do any old time.

Nothing in life is free, so I am fine with paying a la carte for most stuff.

Yes, but it is going to be EXPENSIVE. So much so, Carnival will not even say exactly. Here's the link to the Carnival web page about it:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1129/~/cellular-phone-service

Even if you have a great cell plan at home, it is likely a domestic plan, and the ship is treated as another country. So as far as billing you, anything goes (ouch!):eek:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mexican-marines-executed-three-us-citizens/ar-AAuYLmJ?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

That is irrelevant... unless you are on a cruise which calls on Matamoros.

A co-worker of mine, a long while back, was accosted by robbers in a parking lot of a Wal Mart in Mexico city. His wife resisted and was killed. He cooperated and lived.

Does this mean the port is unsafe? Nope, it's irrelevant. It's like hearing about gang violence in Los Angeles and being afraid to visit Atlanta.

So the dining room is no longer open for embarkation lunch?

Don't ask me, I haven't cruised in six years. But based on what I have heard, I would not count on it.

Note: you can carry off whatever you want to in your tummy. Eat a hearty breakfast and you will be full for a while on shore.

We like to get off the ship early, hit the beach while still early, and get back to the ship 1-ish and have a late lunch. Then back off the ship to explore the port area, or maybe hang out on deck or take a nap, depending on the weather.

Everyone should just bring their own food. lol

I'm thinking if you are willing to pitch a tent on deck, you don't even need to pay for a cabin :D

The charge is per entree. 1 person gets 2 entrees = 2 charges. 2 people split one entree = 1 charge.

Same stuff happens in Mexico. Lots of violence in the country but nobody complains about porting in Cozumel.

Jamaica is the same... if some parts of the island are unsafe that does not mean the port is. That's going to be the place with the most police per square foot anywhere in Jamaica. You will be safe.

In the good old days one of the main dining rooms would be open for lunch. It was the moment I knew I was finally done with the hassle of traveling TO the ship, and realizing I was ON the ship.

Grabbing a plate at the buffet is just not the same... but I'll take it.

Unlimited soda sounds great, but when I tried it... not so great. You have to go to a bar and get the bartender's attention first. If you were a bartender, who would you rather serve? The party animal ordering his usual cocktail (with a nice tip coming) or the sober gal wanting a soda and not planning to tip (because the soda package included tips.)

Once you finally do get to talk to a bartender, they serve you about 6 to 8 oz of soda in a highball glass.

If you were buying soda a la carte, you would pay for a 12 oz can.

Not worth it for us.