Carolina Girl 99

Nice start and your kiddo is adorable! I'll be following along as we sail on Breeze in Sept to Bermuda and Grand Turk - First time Carnival cruiser here

On 3/15/2019 at 2:00 PM, Momto5 said:

I disembarked Mariner this morning. Here’s a quick overview:

 

The Good 

Specialty dining at Jaime’s and Chops was great. They have good dining deals the day you get on.

 

What would you consider good dining deals? Did they offer prices below what could be pre-purchased in the cruise planner?

For my 4 night Mariner trip in Feb 2020- I can book Chops for $42.99, Jamie's for $39.99, Izumi for $49.99, Izumi Hibachi for $45.00 or the UDP for $99. My son's birthday is on the last day of our trip and I would like to do a specialty for that night, but would wait to book if I can purchase cheaper once on board

1 hour ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Good info here, thanks everyone!  We are going to Bermuda in September, but annoyingly the stay is one overnight, 4pm to 4pm, which means rush off the ship, see some of Bermuda in the evening, get back on board because they roll up the sidewalks, then next day get out there again, but don't linger too far into the afternoon.  4pm to 8pm the next night would have been nicer, and two full nights even better.  But the itinerary from Canaveral doesn't seem to allow for that timing.

I'll be joining you on Breeze. I agree with you- wish we were either getting in sooner or departing a bit later, but I'm happy just to be able to go to Bermuda from a FL port close to us vs. flying north to take a cruise

2 hours ago, jmcathome said:

No. there is no curfew

Totally OT, but jmcathome,  you live just down the road from me- I'm off Buckwalter Pkwy! 

Also going to Bermuda for the first time with an overnight stay. Appreciate all the info from Maryred!

Screenshot from a Royal Caribbean post on FB

Okay, sitting here reading another drink package thread and just had a totally random thought........is it at all possible (or has anyone ever tried) to purchase a drink package for all cabin occupants, then later on cancelled the package for just ONE person? I know if you put the package in your cart, it adds for all in the cabin and you can't modify it, but does cancelling work the same way in that it would cancel the package for all? Curious minds want to know

2 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

 Their is a door to the hallways on either side directly from the outside deck so next to 12044 and 12037 so for this reason I’d pick 12007. It’s quieter down at this end of the hall and you’re closer to a doorway that opens into the front of the gym and just steps from the glass elevator in the spa and the spiral staircase that takes you right up to the thermo suite and one more flight up to Serenity. 

Thanks! This is the info I was looking for that you can't tell from deckplans

Great timing on your question as I'm also interested. I'm already booked for September and I have a cabin upgrade offer. I'm looking at the Spa balcony cabins and the only availability is on deck 12- my concern is that there is no roof or overhang on those forward cabins protecting you from sun or rain. Did anyone who has stayed in these cabins find that to be an issue? I have the option of the cabins in the pic or 12007

 

We've got them pretty bad here in SC, but I don't think they're nearly as bad as FL right now. And thanks for the heads up- we're cruising out of PC the beginning of Sept, so I guess I need to be prepared

5 minutes ago, scoochy12 said:

On our upcoming cruise on Serenade the 3 day dining plan went down $10 pp. I have already purchased it. What do I do? Can I cancel that one? And then repurchase? Is that how it works?

Yep, that's exactly how it works. Cancel and re-book. I did this last year with a few things I pre-purchased and RC was quick to get the refunds issued

On 5/7/2019 at 8:05 AM, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Glad we reserved our Thrill Waterpark Cabana. Steps away from the Wave Pool, giant Slides, etc. Great "home base" for our visit later this year - and at $66/person...reasonable considering it includes bottled water, towels, food, and admission to the waterpark itself.

Wow, that's a great price! We're booked on Mariner for Feb 2020 and the Thrill Waterpark cabanas are $499, which works out to just over $83/pp for the 6 of us. I do have the option to book Chill Island, Oasis Lagoon or South Beach Cabanas for "only" $399, but then we lose the waterpark entry tickets.

Also noticed that the Half Day waterpark option (at $39) disappeared from my planner and the only option left is the full day pass at $44 🤔 

We used USD in St Kitts when we were there in February this year with no problem

Nothing yet for my Feb 2020 Mariner trip, in fact the beverage and internet packages just recently became available to book.

Then I found this disclaimer at the bottom of the page from the sale banner- *Offer applies to select sailings departing May 17, 2019 – November 30, 2019. Discount amount varies by amenity type. The terms and conditions of each amenity and package type apply. See amenity description for details.

Guess I'll have to keep looking as the sail date gets closer

On 5/3/2019 at 9:20 AM, Joebucks said:

Someone said they got the Mariner in Feb 2020 with balcony room for $1000. Not that I'm calling them a liar. However, booking that right now comes to $1400. Meanwhile, the Liberty comes in nearly $900 for balcony, same duration, similar itinerary.

I found the rate through a large online TA when I was searching for a cruise- I sent a screenshot to my personal TA and she was able to match the fare for me through a group booking rate, plus I got $50 promotional OBC. Plenty of cabins still left at that rate

34 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Here is another map that shows the parking area between the docks. Assuming no changes have been made this year, the $7 shuttles have been in Zone 5. They do make changes but since this years  cruise season just began info is just coming in. 

 

Thanks! That's the map I remember seeing originally, and paired with the original image- that puts it all in perspective. Oh yeah, it's the $7 'minibus' I remember reading about, not a shuttle

Is the shaded area marked "TAXI" the place I read about where you can get the $7 shuttle van to the beach?

You might try something like RC Mariner of the Seas- it was just Amped and had a lot of new things added. It does alternating 3 and 4 night itineraries out of Port Canaveral and while not as big as the Oasis class ships- it has a lot of similar concepts. I booked 3 balcony cabins , with 2 passengers in each for $989/cabin going Feb 10, 2020

We've had a few later (7 pm) departures from Miami and have found we can save money by getting a hotel well outside of Miami and driving a couple of hours on the morning of embarkation. The first time we stayed at an arbnb in Sebastian, FL and this past February we stayed here: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/palm-bay/mlbpf/hoteldetail 
It was a newer hotel, right off I-95 with plenty of restaurants (near the intracoastal if you so choose) and CVS & Walgreen's nearby. The rooms/hotel were nice and prices very reasonable. Expect a 2.5 - 3 hour drive to Miami in the morning

The main theater shows are free and included in your cruise fare

Yes, there is. Can't remember the exact price, but I think it's around $40 for the dinner & show or $18 for a signature cocktail & show. There is no option for just the show by itself

We purchased the Premium plan (7GB and 4 device access) for an 11 night Divina cruise a few weeks ago. We shared it with 4 of us including a 22 year old heavy internet user and my Mom, who constantly forgot to sign out when she was done. We ended the cruise with 195 MB left, phew!

Never been on either, but Horizon itinerary might be a tad warmer in January

hmm, I saw a FB post about a 30% sale in the cruise planner, so I logged into my account and no mention of it anywhere. No banner ad, nothing. So I went into the planner and everything is still the same as when I booked a few days ago- no beverage or internet packages available to purchase and Coco Cay prices still the same: Half day for $39 and full day for $44 or Half day water park & zipline for $89 or full day water park & zipline for $99. Sailing Mariner on Feb 10, 2020 if it matters

Every article I've read on pricing for the water park indicates that half day admissions will only be for the afternoon. For me, I would have to know what time the half day pass starts before deciding