zdub86

Thank you everyone for the great advice!! I will now start compiling my list of personal items to bring.

One big question that I know my wife will ask:

I know there are power outlets in the rooms, but how many? I'm sure it varies by cruise line. We will be on the Carnival Breeze. She's probably going to need one outlet in the bathroom for hair dryer and flat iron, is there usually an outlet in the bathroom?? The only other essentials we would plug in would be phone chargers and the charger for our mini bluetooth speaker which is essential for us, as we like to listen to music.

Hi. Back when I registered on this site a few months ago I found a thread on here (I think it was on the "first time cruisers" board), that had a bunch of good replies for "must have" items to bring, such as a power strip, travel size shampoo/conditioner, air freshener, noise machine, pack lightly, battery chargers, etc. So please forgive me for not being able to find it, but could somebody possibly link me to that post?? Since my cruise is right around the corner (Feb 5th) I'd like to start compiling a list of things to bring, since this will be our first cruise. Thanks in advance!!

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I am a first-time cruiser and getting ready for my honeymoon. On Carnival's website when I go to do the online check-in it's asking me for a check-in time. Anywhere between 12:00-3:00 in 30-minute increments. I know if we arrive to the port BEFORE our check-in time we won't be able to board until our designated check-in time. But what happens if we arrive after? Will they still let us on? Or am I overthinking this?? It says we MUST arrive during our designated check-in time. So what happens if we are a little late??

For example: If I choose 12:00 for our check-in time, but we don't get there until 1:00, they can't deny us entrance to the ship correct? We are driving to Galveston from our house which is about a 3 hour drive and you never know what the traffic will be like. So I'm thinking I should just pick the earliest time (12:00).

I have heard great things about these dramamine patches to help with the potential sea sickness. Can you find these over the counter in any local drug store? Or are these only sold on the ships? Do you wear them for the entire duration of your cruise? I have also heard of some bad side effects from this, like blurred vision and dizziness. Do most people prefer the patch over the dramamine pills?? Or should I just stick with the basic dramamine pills?

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I am a first-time cruiser and getting ready for my honeymoon. On Carnival's website when I go to do the online check-in it's asking me for a check-in time. Anywhere between 12:00-3:00 in 30-minute increments. I know if we arrive to the port BEFORE our check-in time we won't be able to board until our designated check-in time. But what happens if we arrive after? Will they still let us on? Or am I overthinking this??

For example: If I choose 12:00 for our check-in time, but we don't get there until 1:00, they can't deny us entrance to the ship correct? We are driving to Galveston from our house which is about a 3 hour drive and you never know what the traffic will be like. So I'm thinking I should just pick the earliest time (12:00).

Thank you everyone for the great advice and feedback.

One more question... when we first get on the ship (Carnival) will some of the restaurants (not main dining rooms) be open and serving lunch? Will the bars be open and serving drinks?

The Pork Pit is excellent. You can walk there from Doctor's Cave Beach.

 

Take a cab to Doctor's and enjoy it for a few hours. Walk the "hip strip" to the Pork Pit and have a fantastic lunch. After that you can grab a cab back to the ship.

Thanks! This is exactly what we plan on doing!!

Are there dedicated ports/terminals that ships go to in Grand Cayman? Or does it just depend on how many ships are there on that day? Reason I ask is because I need to meet with my excursion at the Royal Watler Terminal. I see there are two other terminals, North and South so I was just curious. I looked at a map and the 3 terminals are very close to one another so it's no big deal if I need to walk.

I thought Cayman was CST the same as Galveston and didn't have a time difference from the ship. I sure hope so! I booked excursions based off of ship time coming from Galveston as well. :/

I've been in constant communication with the local company that owns Stingray Sailing. They told me Cayman Islands do not observe daylight savings time and are ALWAYS 5 hours behind GMT, which is the same as EST. So, November 6th, 2016-March 6th, 2017 they will be an hour ahead of CST. So I guess it just depends on what time of year you will be visiting. If you will be there after March 6th 2017, then Cayman will be the same time as CST and you won't have anything to worry about. Me, however, will be there in February so I'm trying to figure out if I will have enough time to make it to the port by 9:00 local time.

Pork Pit. Great jerk.

Thanks!! I will check it out!! Is it within walking distance from the port? Or should I take a taxi?

HAL is Holland America Line. One tip - if you're doing anytime dining, don't be too discouraged by the first night. For some reason that always seems to be the worst night, with everyone wanting to eat at the same time. Possibly plan on eating a little later or going to a specialty restaurant that first night.

Good advice, thanks!

What is HAL?? I will be cruising on the Carnival Breeze if that helps answer my questions.

Thanks!! We will most likely walk around the ship and check out the different restaurants and bars. We chose anytime dining so I'm not too worried about that. I know that's a completely different discussion, but we didn't want to be given a time each evening and then feel like we are being rushed to dinner if we are already in the middle of something else, so we chose anytime dining for the freedom basically.

And luggage between 2-9pm?? WOW!! That's a big gap!!

Will your room immediately be available? Will your luggage immediately be available? If not, how long does it generally take for your luggage and room to become available? Will they make some sort of announcement? We plan to just hang out by the pool or at a bar or grab some lunch when we first board the ship.

Okay thanks!!

On the 7 day Pride cruise, if you could embarkation as day 1, the formal nights are nights 2 and 6.

Thanks. So if the Breeze is the same, that would be Monday night and Friday night, correct?

Reserving steakhouse at formal night will make you miss the Lobsters :).

That's alright. Neither of us will be ordering the lobster. If I'm going to a steakhouse that has the description of a "world-class" steakhouse, then I'll be ordering a big juicy medium-rare steak :)

Hi. When are the formal nights for a 7 night cruise on the Carnival Breeze? Cruising February 5-12. I'd like to make a reservation for the steakhouse and would prefer during a formal night. Thanks!!

I'd like some advice and feedback for how long it usually takes to tender from the cruise ship to the dock in Grand Cayman. I booked an excursion with Stingray Sailing and they said to meet at the Royal Watler Cruise Ship Terminal at 9:00 am local time. It is my understanding the Cayman Islands do not recognize daylight savings time. I will be cruising from Galveston which is an hour behind Grand Cayman time. My cruise itinerary says we will be getting to Grand Cayman at 7:00 am (not sure if the ship will stay on Texas time or change to island time, that's something I will be sure to watch for). We will be sure to be up and ready to tender ASAP. I haven't been on a cruise in a very long time so I was just curious to know how long the lines usually are for Grand Cayman and how long it normally takes to get to the dock since we do not have any excursions booked through Carnival I'm hoping it doesn't take too long to get off the ship.

Montego Bay is the only port remaining during our Feb 5th cruise where we do not have anything booked (also going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel). Thinking we might just take a taxi ride to Doctor's Cave beach for some drinks and food. Speaking of food... does anyone have any suggestions on where to find good Jerk chicken near the port or near the beach? Don't really want to stray too far here. We love to sample local foods anywhere we go, and I feel like Jamaican jerk chicken is a MUST for us. Thanks in advance!!

I'm looking to book this through Carnival's website for my fiancee and I. Looks like a very relaxing retreat away from the busy tourist areas, and it has really great reviews on Carnival's website. We wanted to try and tour some of the Mayan ruins while in Cozumel but don't want to go to the mainland so we are going to just relax, eat, and drink. This excursion sounds awesome. I just wanted to get some feedback on this website from anyone who has experience with this excursion. Thanks in advance!!

I have also been researching this for my February cruise. I just put my name down and reserved a spot with Stingray Sailing after reading great reviews about them. It all started with a simple email to them, and they responded quickly with a ton of great information.

Anybody have any recommendations for a good, affordable, mayan ruins excursion on the island? We'd like to do a tour of some kind (going to be snorkeling in Grand Cayman so preferably something out of the water) and we've been looking into the Mayan ruins. Seems really neat. I'm looking at excursions through carnival.com and looks like the only one actually on the island is a "VIP Mayan Ruins and Island Sightseeing Tour" where you get your own private driver, lasts 3.5 hours and costs $85/person. The other Mayan ruins tours are on the mainland which require a rough ferry ride and an all day tour which are both a turn off for me.

Anybody have experience with the Mayan tour on the island itself?? Seems popular as it only has 6 tickets remaining through carnival.com

Okay thanks!!

I'm cruising out of Galveston, Texas. On carnival.com when I login to my account and view my itinerary, it says I will be in Grand Cayman from 7:00-4:00, I will assume this is central time since I am cruising out of Galveston but correct me if I am wrong.

Grand Cayman is in the eastern time zone which would be an hour ahead, so when we get to Cayman it will really be 8:00 local time, correct? I have heard some ships don't change the ship time to local time, some do. The ship will make an announcement if they do change times, right? I am asking because I have an excursion that meets up at 9:00 LOCAL time, which would be 8:00 ship time if the ship does not change the time.

Also, for the departure time is that the time when the ship actually starts to leave, or is that when the last tender leaves the island?? I doubt we will be on the island until the very last minute, I'm just curious more than anything. Thank you!!