thedispatcher

Thanks for the advice, I'm very strict on our budget so we usually plan vacations 9 months to a year in advance.

I just booked an odd room on the Breeze.. I guess being a 7 day it didn't sell out as fast as the 5 day I booked in November (which I booked in February of this year and had very little to choose from). We decided on an interior with picture window-not that "odd" but I wanted to give it a try this time around (and it better fit in our budget than the OV room I liked). Next time I'm going to try for one of the corner OV rooms :)

Thanks again, everyone!!

Is there a secret to booking odd rooms? Like the aft corner ocean view rooms, or the L-shaped balconys next to the corner afts? I've done several mock-bookings but never see any of those available. I typically book my own vacations, are these available only thru a travel agent or do they just sell out that fast?

Just curious and new to cruising (2nd Carnival cruise in November!) Thanks in advance!

I have nothing helpful to add to this post, but rather very glad I live 45 minutes from Galveston.

Hoping for cheap airfare for all you cruisers! I know we would probably not be cruising if we had to pay cruise plus flight.

I like to have my trip paid for in advance so I don't have to think about it on the vacation. I know a lot of people who would rather pay at the end, though... So definitely personal preference.

We went on the Freedom in November 15.. Loved it!

We didn't get FTTF and got on really really fast.. I wonder if Galveston is just really well put together? Everything seemed to go so smoothly when we left (and got back for that matter..)

Cant wait to read the rest of your review!!!

If it helps any we are about 45 minutes from Galveston and our spring break is March 6th.. Most of the southeastern Texas schools will have their spring break over with by April. We went on our first cruise in November from Galveston and everything went so smoothly, I was highly impressed. I hope your experience is similar!

Welcome to Texas ;)

We just got off the Freedom too.. Malcolm was hilarious! This was our first cruise, loved it! I did notice a lack of activities on port days too, but we did enjoy just hanging out on those days..

Had a great time, can't imagine another ship being significantly better!

I wonder if it will really be so bad though, considering there is a high chance of thunderstorms and rain? I know a lot of bikers, but few of them enjoy getting soaked when they are supposed to be getting sun..

Oo!!! This would be fun (i see this thread is kind of old..) i work as a 911 dispatcher and husband is a firefighter/medic..

I just got the Discover Miles.. It can be used for cruises. 1.5x on every purchase and double the first years purchases at the end of the 12 months.. I put my bills on my card and pay it off every month, so just doing that I'll earn a 7 day cruise every 2 years, not to mention any other extra expenses I'll have (Christmas/Birthday/Vacations)... I'm happy with it..

My husband is a full time firefighter and works crazy hours (48 on 96 off).. With 4 days off he'a able to pick up loads of overtime if he wants-typically how we pay for Christmas/Birthdays/Vacations. I work at a police department and also have lots of overtime opportunities. We also have a rewards card and have been building on that. We are taking our first cruise in 2 weeks and paid for it entirely with working OT shifts between us. Starting to save now for our next vacation (which will probably be a cruise.. Already obsessed and I haven't even left yet...)

I'm loving this thread.. Very interesting to see how others make it happen for them!

Our discover earns 1% on everything and every quarter has 2/3 sections to get 5% (amazon now)... But since we mostly pay bills and grocery/fuel on it.. We are earning like $6 a month.. Which is free money, but not great either.. Thinking of the discover miles card..

Does capital one charge a membership fee?

I saw a thread a few days ago but it didn't really answer my question.... We put all of our bills on our discover card and earn nice cash back.. But I think points to travel would be more dollar for dollar... Does anyone earn points this way? If so what kind of card is best and how do you even find these deals?

There are an overwhelming amount of resources to look through, but it's quite difficult to see what is a deal and what is a scam.. So I'd much rather hear personal-real-people experience.

Are there cards out there that earn for "general" travel, no just CCL?

Thanks in advance!!

Thanks for the great advice!! Will be talking to a t.a. next week!

Hi! I'm a first time cruiser going on the Freedom in November.. We are already looking into our next cruise and have some people interested in going with us.. What is the best possible way to book a group? We'd like to sail on the Breeze in November 2016 and would like to find balconies that are either super close or connect.. Would an agent be our best bet or has anyone had luck on their own?

Thanks in advance!

What a way to enjoy your vacation. How irritating for the other passengers.

We ordered mugs of hot water for my herbal tea from room service so they could probably bring you a big container of it, but we also brought down hot water if we were on the lido.

 

No boiling water facilities and they prohibit bringing on a mini kettle.

Awesome, thank you! I only need a few ounces, just enough for a couple espresso shots so I won't be a zombie ;)

Hello everyone.. We booked our first cruise for November and I have a ton of questions.. I've found such good information on here so I figured I'd go ahead and ask since I can't find a clear cut answer on these two questions I have...

Do all of the rooms have a mini fridge? Is there a way to boil water in the cabin, or a way to request very hot water? I'm so ridiculously picky about what kind of coffee I enjoy and I want to bring my own aero press and make iced coffees in the room. We booked an interior room, 4F category, room 7302 if that possibly makes a difference?

Thanks in advance! :D