dmfriedman

I was just looking at cruises with the hopes of finding one that would stop in St Kitts during the first week of July, and noticed that there are less than a dozen cruises that stop there in June and July.  Anyone know why?  I see plenty of cruises early in 2023, and they resume again in August, but it seems like a vast emptiness in June and July.

12 hours ago, mchin said:

We received four boxes of 12 one litre bottles of water which was very nice.

 

You are correct, the second master is about 50% smaller but has a separate vanity room.

 

If you get the invitation for the suite and pinnacle member cocktail party on the Helipad, don't miss it.  We attended it as we sailed out of St. Lucia, I believe.  It was beautiful.   Not knowing your itinerary,  if you stop at St. Thomas,  I would highly recommend the Secret Sands excursion.   We love that beach as it's more private and don't have vendors or anyone trying to sell us something every five minutes.  Beautiful white sand with a gorgeous view of St. Johns.

 

Wow, the water is definitely a nice perk, and something that will have me hold off on pre-ordering any for now.

 

That separate vanity room in the smaller master -- looks like decent space for getting dressed, etc.  Does it have any storage, or is that just in the closet and main room?  Trying to think about it functionally.

 

As for itinterary, ours is almost the same, but instead of St Thomas, we go to St Maarten.  Will definitely keep Secret Sands in mind for our next visit to St Thomas though!  And that cocktail party sounds great - we normally tend to skip these, so this is exactly why I appreciate tips like this.

 

@Krazyfuntimes - The cost varies widely depending on sail date and, of course, season.  For ours in late September, it was about $3,300 per person for Pax 1 and 2 (before our casino discount), and all remaining passengers were $284 each.  (This included taxes and fees, but did not include gratuities, just so you can compare apples and apples with your own pricing.)  It may also have helped that we only booked this in March, and the sailing was still wide open.  In fact, there are more than a dozen suites STILL available on our sailing, and we're inside 90 days now.  Suites like this, in particular, will almost always be less expensive during off-season sailings (outside of summer and holiday breaks).

Thanks so much for the info and pictures!  Great tip about the fridge - we'll keep that in mind as we pack.  It has become less of an issue for us as we tend to fill large water bottles with ice before heading to the room, and don't drink much besides water, but this time we'll have 3 kids with us including an infant, so we'll probably bring a small softside collapsible cooler for infant needs.  

 

It's hard for me to judge from the floor plan... How much bigger is one master from the other?  Looks like it could be about 50% bigger, but I can't really tell.  Any thoughts there?

 

If there was one thing you saw or did during this cruise that we absolutely shouldn't miss... what would it be?  It's my favorite question to ask to make sure I don't overlook something when I think I've seen or done things already.

@mchin - Nothing like resurrecting a thread from the dead, but I believe you just got off the ship yesterday.  I hope you had a great time!  I'd love to hear your feedback on the cruise, and particularly on this stateroom. 

 

We're sailing at the end of September, and although we've been on nearly 30 cruises, this will be our first on Royal.  We convinced some friends to come with us, and booked 6414 because... well, why not?  

 

So I'd love to hear more about the experience, particularly anything that might have been different than your expectations based on what you'd been told ahead of time about the specific perks of this suite.

 

Thanks!

I appreciate the feedback, all.

 

We have day passes for Playa Mia already. Since we'll head over there shortly after we arrive at 8am, I think I might just buy him a pass as well, and have him take a cab to join us there when he is available.

Fair question, and I'm not sure we know right now. We're not sure how much time we'll have yet -- we'll know more in the next week. More than likely, we'll just find a spot in town to sit and have a snack or something, or we'll head to a beach to sit and catch up.

 

The biggest issue right now is simply figuring out where to actually meet to connect - going from there isn't as much of a problem. We just know that we more than likely come in on different piers, probably both won't have cell service in port, and need to have a pre-defined meeting point within a reasonable distance of the two piers or downtown to meet sometime around noon.

Later this month, we will be in Cozumel on the Norwegian Getaway, and have plans to meet someone from the Carnival Breeze. They generally dock at different piers.

 

Is there an "ideal" non-bar place that is generally easy to find each other that would still be family friendly for my 2-year-old?

 

We will likely have limited cell service if any once onshore.

I strongly recommend Cucina del Capitano (the italian restaurant) on the Breeze. It is larger than the one you'll find on the Magic. The food is incredible, the service is wonderful (many of the team that were on my cruise 2 weeks ago will still be onboard by Thanksgiving), and with only a $15 per person charge, it's a great value. At lunch, they offer a free pasta bar as well.

 

We ate there 5 out of the 7 nights for dinner - it was that great!

We took our 7-month-old on Conquest last month. Carnival provided a crib in the room, and a high chair in the dining room. They also found us a high chair occasionally on lido if we needed it. We could also rent a stroller either by the day or for the cruise if needed (we didn't bring one, but did end up renting for one day). The staff were incredibly accommodating, and our fellow passengers were SO welcoming to our baby.

 

Carnival does not provide any sort of baby food, but there is plenty of fresh fruit, cereal, etc depending on what your child may be eating right now.

 

We are bringing her back for her second cruise on the Breeze in August when she is 10 months old.

 

While the camps are not open to children under 2, they do offer limited hours for babysitting services both in the morning while in port and LATE at night, if you find you need a break. It is $6.75/hour plus 15% gratuity.

 

If you want to know anything specific, just ask. We can either let you know based on our last experience or find out during the cruise in August. Enjoy cruising with your son!

Maybe I'm reading something wrong here but you can use a COPY of your birth certificate? I always thought a raised seal b.c. was required.

Don't like bumping a thread that died a few days ago, but wanted to respond to this point.

 

Based on the information directly from Carnival's travel documentation requirements, you do not need a "raised seal" birth certificate.

 

It even specifically says "The Xerox copy does not need to be notarized or certified."

 

That said, the specific documentation depends on the itinerary of the cruise that you're on, and of course in the event of a diversion (e.g. you have to leave the ship in a foreign port, or the ship has to divert to a different US port than it left from), you may be significantly delayed if you don't have a passport. But at the very least, for a closed-loop cruise (leaving from and returning to the same US port), with no visits to foreign ports that require passports or visas, US citizens should only need a non-expired government-issued ID and a birth certificate (original, copy, etc).

Just make a photocopy of the long-form birth certificate when you receive it. Per Carnival's documentation, in addition to a photo ID, for a closed-loop cruise (departing from and returning to the same US port), all you need is the following as it relates to a birth certificate:

Birth Certificate Information

The following are acceptable:

An original Birth Certificate issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics

A copy of a birth certificate issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics)

A clear, legible, quality Xerox copy of a birth certificate that was originally issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics). The Xerox copy does not need to be notarized or certified.

Birth Certificate Card

A Consular report of Birth Abroad

In Regards to Birth Certificates: Guests may obtain a copy of a birth certificate by contacting: The Department of Health and Vital Statistics at: http://www.vitalchek.com. If the guest has laminated their birth certificate, it is acceptable.

Absolutely a great idea to get the passport, but in terms of a backup plan if the passport doesn't arrive, making a copy of the birth certificate is fine. No need to have it notarized, no need to do anything else -- just a simple copy will serve you well.

Maybe you should have called this thread "The Ode to the Cake" :)

When I started the thread six months ago, I thought I was asking a simple question... I've been amazed since then at how many responses there have been, and how many people have emailed various variations on the recipe directly to me. The thread, in fact, outlasted the relationship that it was started for!

 

In the ensuing time, I've prepared several versions of the recipe at home. The official Carnival version, which has been posted on this thread many times, does not scale down very well. It requires some tweaking of both the flour and the eggs in my experience.

 

The numerous varieties, however, of "lava cakes" that are out there and that are designed for smaller batches do an excellent job of replicating the experience that the WCMC provides on the ship.

 

Alas, I'm no longer eating anything quite that rich or sugary, but I still keep the recipes handy as it still makes a wonderful finale when cooking for a date or for parties.

What is the Alternative Menu?

About a month ago, Carnival decided to start shaking up their menus. Some of the old standards that we're all used to (such as Beef Wellington) are no longer being served. The new menu is a bit more "upscale" and creative, offering more innovative cuisine than what had been offered in the past. In the past, in addition to the items on the menu, many people knew that you could always get a steak, or chicken, or something else (can't remember what -- fish?). Now they've formalized that by offering the "alternative menu" at the bottom of each night's menu. The offerings are almost identical from night to night -- there's always a beef dish, though it might be a minute steak one night, top sirloin the next, and short ribs the next. When it comes to dessert, the same thing happens -- there's a couple unique items each night, and then there are the alternative items, including the lovely new Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. It does look very similar to the Chocolate Lava Cake posted earlier in this thread, although it's served in a ramikin (much like a souffle) -- in fact, in my opinion, it's a cross between a chocolate souffle (that hasn't risen) and a hot chocolate pudding.

You are the best boyfriend!

I'd hardly agree that I'm the best... I just believe in doing nice things for people. If she loved it so much, why wouldn't I want to make her happy by making it for her again? (And no, I'm not in the doghouse... at least not this week!)

So if it's not the flourless cake, and it's not exactly the same as the lava cake, how will you figure out how to make it?

Well, the answer will most likely land me in the doghouse... While she's stuck at work over the holidays, I'm planning to take another cruise. Of course, the sole purpose of that cruise will be to beat the pastry chef into submission until he tells me the recipe for the cake... :)

I am desperately hoping someone might be able to get a recipe for Carnival's warm chocolate melting cake -- the one that's now on the alternative menu every night. My girlfriend fell in love with it and now I want to be able to make it for her.

 

If anyone can help, it'd be greatly appreciated!