richmke

OP you might want to start by checking out a recent fun times to see when each venue is open

Where do you find recent fun times?

Glad to find out that the lunch places are open on Embarkation day. For some reason, I got the impression that only the buffet was open.

I know my wife will want the MDR for dinner, so that leaves me Breakfast and Lunch to explore the other free eats on the ship.

On a 7-day (night) cruise on the Glory, Embarkation is a lunch buffet, and no lunch on Debarkation day. That leaves 6 lunches. We will be visiting 4 ports, and have 4 excursions planned, so no lunch on the ship on those days.

That leaves me with 2 Sea days to explore the other free eats: Guy's Burger Joint, Bluelguna Cantina, Burrito bar, Chefs Choice, and Fish & Chips.

Maybe I'll have to do a light breakfast, early lunch, mid-afternoon snack before the MDR late seating. But then, where will I add the Taste Bar and Sweet Spot?

Any must try meals on the Glory?

How late are the Lunch places open? Maybe we can grab a late afternoon snack on a port day if we get back early enough.

We booked 2.5 weeks out. It was a last minute thing. I had a relatively narrow window to sail because of work.

7-day Caribbean:

Carnival $459/person inside Deck 1 $1,130 for 2 including port & taxes

Carnival $649/person OV Deck 1 + $50 OBC, $1,574 for 2 including port & Taxes - This is what we booked

NCL $749/person OV, $1,882 for 2 incl port & Tax, but it came with $100 casino credit, and choice of 2: free wifi, 4 restaurant cert, unl beverage (+$86.94 for tips), $150 towards excursions

On the NCL, the balcony would be +$200, so would have done that if we picked the NCL cruise.

We also looked a 14 day panama canal cruise. $949 inside, $1,149 outside ($2,580/$2,980 for 2).

Not great pricing compared to what you can get booking 1 year out. The cruises sold out a day or 2 after I booked.

Let me preface by saying that I stayed an a Holiday Inn Express last night, and am soon going on my first cruise ...

Price out the all-in cost of each option. Including tipping, Parking, hotels, etc. Put a little value on your time (driving to the far away port). If you are going to buy the all-you-can-drink plan, add the cost of that too.

At this point, you have a price comparison.

Factor in the Itinerary/excursions. If they are different, assign a value to the difference.

Determine if one is offering a large discount - this factors in whether you can get a similar deal on your next cruise. You may have a great deal on a Balcony, so take advantage of that.

From what I read, RCI is a step up from Carnival. It also attracts an older crowd. Ironically, that is one reason we chose Carnival for the first cruise. We may go more upscale/older crowed in the future.

In general though, if the total cost is close, then Balcony without a question. For a 7-day cruise, a Balcony can be anywhere from $400-$800 more for a cabin. IMHO, RCI is not worth that much more than CCL. The slightly better food/entertainment/whatever is more than offset by the time you spend soaking up the ocean on your private balcony.

How much is an Inside Cabin on the CCL? Maybe save money there, so you can take your next cruise sooner.

I understand that my Kindle OS might not support it but what's up with the I Pad?

If you turn your kindle into an android tablet, you can load the hub app.

http://www.cnet.com/news/turn-your-kindle-fire-into-an-android-4-2-tablet/

I believe you have the option to boot into the Android OS or Kindle OS, so it will still function like a regular Kindle.

I ordered a case for the two of us on a 7-day cruise, and am wondering if I should order a 2nd.

How many case(s) have you used on a 7-day cruise?

Here's Carnivals FAQ on these types of services. It offers a good explanation.

Thanks, but it is not a detailed explanation. Too bad it doesn't have demo screens of all the functions.

Is the $5 hub chat app per person, device, or cabin?

If it is per cabin, how do people in the same cabin chat with each other?

What is your chat handle? Is it a variation of your cabin number? Or do you pick a unique one each cruise when you pay the $5?

plus logging into FB Messenger to communicate with peeps back home.

Is logging into FB Messenger part of the Hub App?

1) Free

2) Part of the $5 Chat

3) You had an internet package (social, value, premium)

I apologize to the OP. but I am going to hijack this thread for a second :)

No problem. Come on in, the water is fine.

Should I stick to the 3:40pm flight, or will we be ok timing wise to go on the 2:05pm flight?

FLL is 20 minutes farther than MIA.

If you do self debarkation, you should be fine. However, with a toddler, that may not be so fine. Maybe Luggage Express with self debarkation? However, that adds cost.

A 2:05 flight is like a 1:45 flight from MIA. One person said a terrible time through customs (2 hours?), and they barely made their 1:30 flight.

Working backwards:

2:05 fllight

1:05 check-in

12:05 arrive at airport (worst case it takes an hour to check bags)

11:30 Depart POM

11:15 clear customs

So, if you debark at 9:00 or 9:30 (which is late from what I understand), you have a lot of time to clear customs and get to FLL.

Is your resistance to carrying your phone:

1) not wanting to be in constant contact, or

2) the reminder of what the phone represents?

If the former, remember you will be in airplane mode without cell reception. So, no one can call or text you. It will only be a device for the Hub.

I will be bringing an iphone and an ipad. I will carry the iphone, and the ipad will be in the cabin. We will get the Social Media plan for $25 for the 7-day cruise. I will message my wife through FB to let her know where I am. She can use the ipad to check her FB messages to find out where I am.

Note: I will only pay for the social media plan for one device. When you login with one device it will log you out of the other device. Not as good as hub texting, but better than sticky notes. Plus, Social Media allows us to stay in contact with the family at home.

According to a PVP I talked with, if you have the same room, you can stay on-board. If not, then you have to get off and check-in again.

Other threads mention B2B people meeting in the ship's lounge to go through immigration.

I presume that your brothers will take off a suitcase of yours with your dirty laundry, and your wife will bring you a clean set of clothes.

This says yes. Not sure if it is up-to-date or not though.

I have the App, so if it works, it works.

POM-MIA: Uberx is cheapest, but are they likely to handle 2 adults and 4 pieces of luggage (2 suitcases and 2 carryon)?

If not, UberXL seems to be about the same price as a cab, which should be able to handle the luggage.

Go with an uber over a taxi. It will be cheaper. Plus, if you've never used it, you can find promo codes for a free first ride (up to like $20 or $25) online.

I don't have cellular data. Is there wifi all over the POM? If not, I'll have to stick with the taxi.

We will be cruising on the Glory which has the Hub App. Any reviews on it?

I have an iPad and iPhone, and am wondering if it is worth having them. I like the idea of having access to the schedule of entertainment. Any better than the printed newsletter?

Thanks everyone.

Any thoughts on using Regular Debarking for a 12:30 flight?

We will be on the Glory for a Western Carribean Cruise. We are arriving back on a Saturday, with a "arrival time" of 8:00 am. We have a room on Deck 1 (bottom of the ship). It is our first cruise.

We have a flight out of MIA at 12:25 on American Airlines.

I have read through a lot of posts, and have come to the conclusion: We should be ok with regular debarkation unless something goes wrong (ship late into port).

My plan is:

1) Self Assist debarking

2) Leave around 9:00 am

3) worst case clear customs by 10:00 am?

4) Catch a taxi by 10:15 am, be at MIA by 10:30

5) Worst case check-in at American by 11:30

6) Board 12:25 flight

I figure with Self Assist, we can leave at 9:00, or no later than the end of Self Assist if the ship is late. For 2 people, it seems like the Shuttle and a taxi to MIA are about the same price ($25 shuttle vs $27 taxi).

Question 1: Is there a way to know on Friday if the ship is going to be late into port? If we knew in advance the ship would be on-time then we might use regular debarkation. If we knew in advance the ship would be late, then we would use Self Assist.

Question 2: What time do they kick us out of the Cabin? 8:30?

Question 3: How long does it take to get from Deck 1 to the Debarking point? I assume if I am at the bottom of the ship, catching an elevator should not be a problem.

Question 4: Odds that it takes more than 1 hour to get off the ship and clear customs? We are USA Citizens.

Question 5: Is there a long wait to get a taxi?

Question 6: With a 12:25 flight, any thoughts on using normal debarkation? If we don't get Group 1, then switch to Self Assist?

Question 7: Is Luggage Express available for a 12:25 American Airlines flight from MIA? If we don't have to deal with checking in our luggage, then that gives us more leeway on getting to the Aiport.

Any comments or tips?

Thanks in advance.

I'm guessing this "Social media" plan doesn't include apps for Ebay/Amazon? How is this plan different from the standard Internet plans?

The Social Media plan is restricted to certain websites (or more specifically to websites the apps use).

The Value plan is wide open, except for streaming media.

The Premium plan gives you a faster connection than Value.

You can sign up for the Social Media plan, and see if your apps work. If they don't, then you can upgrade to the Value plan. If you want more speed, then upgrade to Premium.

Since you have a "business", you can write off the expense.

I am traveling on the Glory, and will be purchasing the Social Media package for the entire cruise. That will let me get messages through Facebook.

In the event I need real internet capabilities (get a FB message from work to check in):

1) Can you upgrade to full internet (value plan) for 1 day? If so, how much?

2) Can you buy full internet (value plan?) by the minute (either on my laptop, or the ship's internet cafe)?

Thanks

I don't think there is a hub app available for the iPad. If you find it please let me know. I have it on my iPhone but not my ipad

There is not a iPad app, but the iPhone app will work. I loaded it onto my iPad.

When you search in the App store, set it to look for iPhone apps.

Thanks.

Can a USA 110v plug fit into the 220v socket? Any pics of the 220v socket?

I understand that most cabins have an outlet by the desk that has one 110 volt outlet, and another 220 volt outlet.

Most of my stuff is 110 volts, but the power adapters for cell phone and laptop are dual voltage. they can take 110 or 220 volts.

My question is: Can both 110 and 220 volt outlets be used at the same time?

Thanks.

FYI: I will be traveling on the Carnival Glory

the policy is all permissible 'drinks' be brought onboard in your carryon.

Thanks. I missed that detail.

How strict is Carnival on enforcing the 1 750ml bottler per person limit?

What if I put 2 in our checked bags (2 of us), and bring 2 through security in our carry-on?