xbriannao

Following and hoping all works out!

How do I get hold of the princess cruise casino to redeem my voucher? We emailed what they provide us in the letter but we haven't had any response from them

Hi Betta!

I saw you're new to Cruise Critic--welcome! Your question has a higher chance of being answered if you post it in the Princess Cruise Line section of the Forum.

I hope you find your answer, and happy cruising!

Brianna

Hello!

I'm a little confused by this. When purchasing ahead of time our BB drink package, it says it will be delivered to our room on the first day. In the past, I hadn't pre-ordered my drink package and so we stood in line and got a sticker on our S&S card. Just curious as to what exactly will be sent to our room. Also, what if we want a drink before we have access to our room. Does that mean it won't be covered?

Any insight would help. Thank you!

This may be a silly question, but if you have 1-4 people, is it 17$ total or 17 per person?

Congrats on your upcoming cruise! I hope you and your family have a great time.

As for Bubbles, any of your kids can go up to any bar and ask for soda. They show the bartender the sticker on their card and the bartender will take it, swipe it, and give them back a 0.00 receipt that they sign and hand back to server. They'll usually give a can.

In the main dining room, they act just as they would at any restaurant and ask for a coke, sprite, etc. when the waiter asks what drink they want. Again, they'll show the sticker, hand the card, and sign the receipt. The server will bring over a can of their requested beverage and pour it into their glass. (I think this is so the person receiving the drink knows they are getting the full can and not being shorted.)

There are free juices, teas, water, etc. in the buffet area that are self serving, but the kids would have to go to a bar to get soda. (It isn't far, as another person mentioned.)

I don't have experience with kids programs, but I'm sure the other posters are correct. Also, not sure about drinks such as powerade and what not. If I had to GUESS, I would say they are available at the bars as well.

Remember with the soda, you are only allowed one at a time. However, if you don't open the can, you can take it to your room and in a couple of minutes ask for another can, and get a stockpile in the cabin for when you don't feel like going out just for a drink. Drink packages do not apply for room service (to the best of my knowledge- I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), so a stockpile may be beneficial.

Also remember you can each bring 12 cans on board. If your kids have a special soda they like, or if they aren't a fan of coke products, this may be a better option for you.

Again, I hope you enjoy your cruise and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.(:

You can fill your cup if you'd like, however they will either give you a can (if you're at a bar usually) or if you're at dinner they will fill your glass with the coke (they'll bring out a can and pour it into the glass on the table.)

I know this is totally dependent on the person, but if you've experienced sea sickness you may have some insight.

My last cruise I was on the empress deck (7) in the middle. I didn't feel sick at all throughout the cruise, however when I stepped into the bathroom, or the dining room (which I assume was on a higher deck) I could feel my stomach being uneasy. It wasn't ever ending in being sick, it was just uncomfortable.

I booked another cruise on the upper deck (6 I believe) in the aft- with a balcony. Being that I'm lower do you think I'll still feel sick? Is being in the back going to affect me? Watching the water doesn't affect me so I'm not worried about the balcony. I'm just wondering if I should talk to my doctor and be on something during the cruise and expect to feel sick-- or if I should only bring stuff just in case.

Again I know it depends on the person, but any insight would be helpful if you've had the same experiences.

Thank you!

Hello!

My DH and I will be taking a cruise to Cozumel and were planning on going to either Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocum, or Passion Island (Sorry if any of those were spelled wrong.) Anyway, of course the first two are not through Carnival and the last one is. My questions are:

1. Are these truly all inclusive? No catch? Unlimited food and drink? Etc.

And

2. Our cruise will be there from noon until 10pm. Will we be able to stay the entire time?

Thanks in advance, we appreciate it! (:

Hello!

My DH and I will be taking a cruise to Cozumel and were planning on going to either Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocum, or Passion Island (Sorry if any of those were spelled wrong.) Anyway, of course the first two are not through Carnival and the last one is. My questions are:

1. Are these truly all inclusive? No catch? Unlimited food and drink? Etc.

And

2. Our cruise will be there from noon until 10pm. Will we be able to stay the entire time?

Thanks in advance, we appreciate it! (:

Hello! DH and I booked our first balcony in August on the Carnival Victory. We're super excited and was wondering what tips/do-not-miss things you all would recommend? I've searched and only found old threads, so with all the updates and recent balcony cruisers, what do you guys think?

Thanks in advance and happy cruising! [emoji2]

That's only a 20-30 minute walk

 

Head down Whitehead St and you will see Mile Marker 0, Truman's Little White House, Hemmingway's house and the Lighthouse on your way and 5hen walk back down Duval or take the HOHO trolley

 

 

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i wanna mark this so i remember it.(:

Does anyone have pictures of one of these rooms? I've seen pictures of other L shaped cabins but those were on a higher deck and the deck plans are a little different.

I would especially like to know if the bed is still facing the balcony, but any info would help!

Thanks in advance!

*sensation, not fascination. I always get those mixed up and I have no idea why.

But sensations OV price was the same as a balcony on the victory. So we got the victory balcony.

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Hi everyone! Thanks for all your advice and comments. What ended up happening was we were looking at one cruise on the fascination where we wanted either an ov or a balcony and we found the same itinerary, same room, just a little different dates where the balcony was the price of an ov on the victory. So we got the balcony on the victory!

Thanks again for all your input, you made me want the balcony even more! And I'm glad I got one!(:

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I don't have any info to add (sorry!) but I hope everything goes well for you and you guys have a great time and a wonderful proposal!

Hello! Does anyone have any recent (ie after refurbishment) pictures of these cabins or comments about them? How's the balcony? Is the room uncomfortably small? Where are the outlets? Any info would help.(:

TIA!

--if it matters, we are in U-6424

Any insight on the last balcony before aft-facing balconies on fantasy class ships? we are thinking of booking m256 for our upcoming cruise but would love some advice. we are specifically looking at the sensation.

we heard there may be some noise and vibration?

what do you all think?

We had only sailed in insides and OV until our last cruise on HAL. Had an inside booked and got an offer to upgrade 2 weeks before sailing to a balcony for only $20 more pp total. Now we are spoiled and have balconies booked for our all our upcoming cruises.

 

That said, all our upcoming cruises are Caribbean with at least 2 or more sea days. We LOVE sea days and really enjoyed reading out on the balcony with a glass of wine just enjoying the view. So my advice would be to also take the itinerary and number of sea days into account as well. If it is super port intensive maybe a balcony is not worth the extra cost to you. And like you mentioned if you book an OV you may be able to upgrade to a balcony for a good deal later. However if you have your heart set on a specific balcony cabin and are the type to have regrets, then I'd go for it! :-)

 

I love picking out the cabin but it is also always so nerve wrecking....lol

I totally agree! I think we both really want this balcony, but we just have to convince ourselves to get it. We're the type to make the best of any situation, but that lingering thought of what could have been will be present if we don't have it. It won't ruin our cruise to not have it, but it would be niceeee. We only have one sea day, however one of the ports we aren't sure if we want to spend much time at.

Ahh decisions, decisions.

here's my two cents

you mentioned "we" so put one of each of your outfits in your carry on in case something happens to your luggage and its not in your room by the time you want it.

bring extra sunscreen and otc meds.

definitely relax. you're on vacation, so don't rush trying to get everything in. just let the days and nights flow and if you're tired, skip something and take a nap.

take pics at sunset/sunrise (if you're awake for it). you can remember the feeling of the cruise when you're home afterwards through these.

haggle your souvenirs in a port. most of the time the prices are flexible!

eat at Guy's Burger, it's really good. haha

have fun! enjoy yourself! let vacation be a vacation for you.(:

My DH and I are booking our next cruise and we're torn. We ultimately want the balcony. It's a bit pricey. We can either book an OV and upgrade later or book the balcony now.

The balcony is more expensive but there's one that we feel is a little bonus, even though it's the same price as the other balcony's (it's on the side, but the last one back so we can look over and back and see the wake of the ship, rather than other balconies being on both sides.)

The oceanview is more in our price range and we will always be able to upgrade to a balcony if we want, and it may even be a little discounted.

We can technically afford the balcony, but it's just some sticker shock, lol. and we would still be happy with an oceanview, but the remnant thoughts of man i wish i had a balcony will still be there.

BASICALLY should we book the balcony now to get that certain one, or should we wait and get the more comfortable in price one and eventually upgrade if we want?

We're torn, and so we need your expertise to help! What do you think?

My husband and I are planning on going on our second cruise. We would love a balcony but cannot afford it. Therefore, even though it's unlikely, we are getting either a porthole or oceanview and hoping to get an upgrade. (Last cruise we were upgraded from porthole to oceanview and loved it)

My question is would it be more likely to get an upgrade to a balcony from an inside cabin as these are what they want to fill up as departure date comes closer? Even though it's a larger jump from inside to balcony?

Or would it be more likely to get an upgrade from the ov since it's closer in price to balcony, even though the insides fill up more?

Any insight from cruisers who have been upgraded to a balcony is the past is appreciated!(:

Ship - Fantasy

Deck - Empress

Stateroom # - 144

Stateroom Category – Oceanview

Starboard or Port Side - Port Side

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Really quiet. No noises from other passengers, and no noises from any below or above floors.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - n/a

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - n/a

Was wind a problem? - n/a

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No problems. If you get seasick, you can sometimes feel nauseous when in the bathroom (because there is a little step up to go into the bathroom, and for some reason my husband and I could both feel it in there. Same as in dining room.)

Any other comments? - Great room and great view!

Thanks for the feedback we'll definitely be factoring in seasonality when planning future episodes and releases.

 

 

 

Good point. We wouldn't want to have this wither which is why we're running this trial. Thanks for participating.

 

 

 

Thanks. The audio advice is very helpful.

 

We're using a USB condenser mic with a foam windscreen and Audacity. Opted for simplicity.

 

Any tips on getting rid of reverb or echo? I heard hanging blankets helps when acoustic foam isn't an option. Also I'm having mixed results using a noise filter to clean it up.

Blankets will help. The main thing is getting close to the mic. Also, if you're having a guest speaker you really need to have a separate mic for them. If you have an extra 20 dollars, the pop filter will help a lot. The windscreen is mainly for if you're outside but there's no harm in using that for now. If you do get a pop filter, put it like 3 inches from the mic and basically have your nose touching it when you speak into the mic. Being close means you can turn down the volume some. Being this close (and therefore having the volume down a little bit), the additional mic, and the blankets should eliminate the echo.

Ideally you shouldn't be using a noise filter. Near the equalizer you should see a high pass filter. The noise filter will alter the sound and quality of your voice trying to take out unneeded noise and it'll make you sound electronic or like an alien. The high pass filter will cut out sounds/frequencies below a certain pitch. Having your high pass filter between 100 and 125 hz will get rid of unneeded noise like if you accidentally bump the mic, etc. It won't get rid of background noises though, you just have to make sure all appliances/furnace/air/etc is off.

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Thanks for the feedback. We're thinking of ways to tighten up our presentation. I'm open to any suggestions from audio gurus in our ranks as well.

 

I've been doing some research and brainstorming for recording with limited office space, but I'd love to hear what the community comes up with.

My husband is a media director and works with stuff like this all the time. I asked his input as to how to clear up the quality and here was what he said. (Some things sound foreign to me so if you have any questions feel free to ask and he can clarify.)

"The audio isn't that bad. I can't tell if they are using mics are not. But I'd say, first, unplug any noisy appliances in the room to get rid of the hum. Whichever program they're using to record (GarageBand, etc) use the EQ plugin and turn on the high pass filter up to about 125hz. This will take away all of the unneeded tones, vibrations, etc. if they're not using microphones, pick up a $100 audio interface with multiple microphone inputs and 2-3 $100 condenser mics with pop filters and use the multi-track recording option in their program. Get as close to the mic as possible and adjust the volume meter accordingly, so there are no red bars showing (even when speaking loudly). Staying as close as possible to the mic will ensure a consistent volume level throughout the podcast. If both hosts use headphones during the podcast through the monitoring output on the interface, they'll be more aware of what not to do and what sounds good as well."

I hope this helps!

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Hello! I have cruised a few times in the past so I will try to answer your questions. If I remember correctly, you will not need a drink package. There's a soda package and an alcoholic package, but being that you and your son don't drink those I think you'll be fine. They offer free cold tea and lemonade without any package. Coffee may be an additional fee but I don't think it'd be worth it if you're okay with tea or lemonade. There's also water for free but some people feel it tastes different, and in that case you are welcome to bring your own water. I don't remember the specifics though so look that up as to how much water you can bring onboard. (I know they have to be packaged a certain way.) As far as the teen club and excursions, I don't have children and I've never been to the port you mentioned so I'm sorry that I can't help there. Lastly, I believe they don't have DVD players or anything in the rooms but they have movies playing. (Usually two movies playing every so often.) If he really enjoys watching TV you may want to bring a laptop and some dvd's. Make sure you bring the movies though and don't expect to use the Internet to find some unless you buy an Internet package which is expensive. If you do bring a laptop I'd also bring one of those outlet things that have like 3 or 6 more plugs in them. I can't remember what they're called lol. But not one with the off/reset button because those can be dangerous on the cruise. Just the cheap ones.(: (I hope you know what I'm talking about and I don't sound stupid haha.) I can't think of anything else you may need to know.. I hope you and your son have an amazing time! I'm glad you're taking him and allowing him to experience this with you. I'm a counselor so children with autism really mean a lot to me. If you have any other questions or concerns don't hesitate to message me!

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