k_y30

We are trying to decide between belize/costa maya and montego bay/grand cayman. We decided that IF we do MB we will definitely be doing a carnival excursion to keep the locals at bay. What is a good carnival excursion for M-bay that you guys would recommend (and if you want to throw some input about belize/costa maya, I wouldnt be mad). Thanks!

Me and the GF went on a cruise to m-bay/cayman back in october and did not have the best time. We stayed on the boat in m-bay because we had heard MANY horror stories about Jamaica (and actually had a really nice time on the serenity deck all by ourselves... we hung out in the hot tub during a wonderful Caribbean shower) and when the throngs of people started flooding back to the ship in an hour and complaining about how aggressive the locals were, we decided we made the right decision. We wound up having bad weather for GC and couldnt get off the boat until Cozumel so we overall just felt VERY cooped up and didnt have the best cruise. We want to try to do a do-over with a ship sponsored excursion to keep the locals at bay.

Basically, people who have been to belize/costa maya and montego bay/GC, what are some pro's and cons of each? Which one would you prefer and why? I really want to try jamaica again but I still definitely worry about the locals. We'd want to definitely do something with water (not some sightseeing tour). I hear belize/CM is more about seeing ruins and stuff. Anyway, any input would be great!

Hi all, trying to decide on an itinerary in april of 2019. I'm wondering what the port area is like? Is it barren or built up like cozumel? Also, any good private/pay for beaches nearby that doesn't have a bunch of locals harassing you? Maybe one with good snorkeling? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Can skip to second paragraph for gist of what im asking :)

Hi all, me and my girlfriend are trying to plan a cruise for april of next year on the vista. We are doing an aft havana balcony but we are having a tough time deciding on which itinerary to choose.(skip this part if you dont care >) We did the Jamaica/GC cruise in october on the breeze and did not have a great time. We stayed on the boat in Jamaica (because we've heard a lot of terrible things regards Jamaica regarding the locals, which was solidified when the throngs of people came back to the ship within a couple of hours complaining about the locals), it was really fun, had almost the whole ship to ourselves but we would probably do a carnival sponsored excursion if we were to go back. Grand cayman was shut down due to bad weather and we had an excursion to the sting ray island booked (was also my gf's birthday) and the only day we got off the boat was cozumel, which we both love.

Basically, we are having a tough time choosing the itinerary. We want a do-over of J/GC but we have heard great things about Belize/Costa maya. I have a couple of questions, what are the ports like in belize/costa maya, are they big and built up like cozumel or barren like jamaica? What are some fun things to do in belize and costa maya? Second question is, what is a recommended carnival sponsored excursion in jamaica? Really any input would be great, if you have done both itinerary's, i'd love to hear some pros and cons of each

Thanks in advance!

So, let me ask. If your paid the $800 or more for Cheers, for say a 7 day cruise, and if the total cost of beverages was below the cost of Cheers, you'd be ok with that, its part of cruising?

I definitely would. Honestly, we usually come out a little behind in the cheers program (but not by much) but it gives me that "all inclusive" feel. I pay more for the experience, not the booze

I totally agree. The hangover factor is huge for me. Some people may say the is no difference in Tito's and Absolute when using a mixer but my headache would disagree.

 

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Right! I think that's something that is totally overlooked by people on their "high horse" ITT. I also don't care what people say, you CAN taste the difference between top shelf and regular booze even if it's mixed.

It wasn't the passengers that raised the limit from $10 (or was it $12) to $50. Sounds like Carnival is actually inviting people to move up a shelf or two.

 

That being said....I am usually against going top shelf and then mixing it with the super-sweet mixers or, with whiskey, even with soda. Not an abuse of the system, but just treating good liquor poorly. :) Take advantage of the ability to go top shelf and drink them in a classic cocktail or just over ice.

 

But to OP, just ask the bartender, "what's your best brand for this drink?" Sometimes, the most expensive isn't the best for that particular drink. I have never seen a bartender be anything but helpful when asked.

 

 

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On my cruise last week I was drinking 16 year old single malt aberfeldy with coke. There's nothing wrong with drinking liquor the way you like it. All my drinks were made with top shelf liquor, its not only a taste difference but also the hangover factor the next day, we drank pretty heavily all week and didn't have the slightest hangover all week long

Lol! I like how you blame carnival for some dude beating his wife. Some people...

Rooms open at or around 1:30 for most cruises. Please don't go to your room before then. They aren't ready and you will just be getting in the steward's way. They won't tell you no, but (1) you are in the way and (2) early access is a privilege that is earned or purchased.

 

 

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Putting luggage in the closet doesn't count as "in the way"

We were just there. It was a flat $20 price for any snorkel gear and a locker. Hubby and I just needed fins and a life vest. They had one “normal” vest and the rest were the kind you inflate yourself. I hadn’t used that kind before but after I asked how it worked it was fine :-)

 

 

 

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Awesome! Thank you for the info! Was it $20 per person or $20 for two?

Hey all, I will be taking the breeze to cozumel soon and I want to go to Moneybar to snorkel but I can't swim very well. I will be bringing my own mask and snorkel but does anyone know if they have fins and a life vest to rent? And do you know the approximate price? Thanks!

Hey all, I will be taking the breeze to cozumel soon and I want to go to Moneybar to snorkel but I can't swim very well. I will be bringing my own mask and snorkel but does anyone know if they have fins and a life vest to rent? And do you know the approximate price? Thanks!

I've seen and heard far worse. While they crew may be cautious to say anything to these rude schucks, I have no such qualms directly challenging these heathens in a fearless and appropriate manner.

 

The "just looking" person eyeballing the buffet who just seems to wedge in while there's a huge line? They get told where to go, loudly (but politlely).

 

The "elevator squeezer" who wedges in while reaching to push the already-pushed button? Same thing.

 

The finger-snapping "Hey Honey, over here" doofus? A calm "Where are your manners? How would you like it if I addressed your wife or mother like that?" works wonders.

 

Rude audacious behavior will continue if left unchecked by those of us not raised in a barn.

That's a good way to get into a fight and get kicked off the cruise. I used to be like you but a few years ago I got my concealed handgun license and took a few handgun self defense classed and they preached and preached that if a felony isn't being committed, keep to yourself and don't get involved, there's absolutely no reason to interject into the situation. I'm just saying that if you play white knight and "come to the rescue" of the ship worker by telling the rude person off, that rude person may be drunk enough or enough of an a-hole to pop you in the face or turn it into a huge scene that may escalate into a fight, and then you're both getting tossed off the boat at the next port

Ah, the young cruisers... we must get the young cruisers with all their money!

 

Meanwhile us old farts continue to cruise 2-3 times a year. But you are right of course...

Lol! Carnival probably gets more money out of the young cruisers than the old ones... there's a reason for the "stingy old fart" sterotype.

The beards and bean counters at Carnival have decided that families and newbies (blue cards) are where their marketing efforts are going to be. If you wish for an adults only pool on their new builds (Vista & Horizon) you need to pay extra to stay in the Havana area. Which we will gladly do next September out of NYC and the following February out of Miami.

 

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Hopefully they keep the Havana area on all their new ships, I will GLADLY pay the up charge for an area like this

Quite honestly I am a little offended at your post and generalizations.

Didn't even make it off the first page before someone said this. Lol

I'm shocked, someone's offended! /s

Look, generalizations are there for a reason just because you *think* you don't fit in them, doesn't make them true for the most part.

Although, the gym at 6 am question was kinda stupid because that's when old folks workout!

We found it to be very empty most days. There will be a few regulars who will take the loungers right in front of the bar area or who will sit on the edge of the pool/hot tubs.

 

The clam shells are popular, but after seeing some of what transpires in there, I wouldn't want to sit in one.

 

The loungers off to the side by the hot tubs are almost always available.

 

The bar area does fill up for about an hour when the music starts in the evening.

Gah I can't wait to go on the vista. We booked an aft havana balcony. I specifically want to go on this ship for the lack of children in the Havana area but also it seems the pool area is never crowded during the day!

You have to request it.

What are some of the premium liquors carnival has? I'm not a liquor person so I wouldn't know what to ask for

Instead of tipping coins I would tip every 3rd or 4th drink. So, just toss a dollar down at those times... but... I don't generally tip the bartenders extra bc the tip is already included

I regretted it the first time but that's because we went mostly to the poolside bars and drank very weak sugary drinks. I think if you get lower sugar drinks it'll make it much more worth it

That picture of the dry burger being posted isn't THAT bad... but you're on a cruise ship, if you get something bad, toss it and get a new one or something else. That being said... I've had 30-50 guys burgers and have never seen one look like that... you just had a weird experience

They seem to insist on well down burgers

There's a reason for that...

Yeah, I don't have time for that. I know everyone that is supposed to be getting what they are supposed to be getting by leaving it the way it is. The same waiters also work in Room Service, Tea Time, Lido, breakfast/brunch, etc. They all have secondary jobs with their pay coming from tips (along with their hourly or contracted rate or whatever) from the MDR not from their "other" jobs from what I understand. I also do give extra to the RS and waitstaff.

 

I don't stress about moving dollars around. They are all hard working and while they might not serve me in the MDR, I will be served by a waiter at some point. I only hope that their tables at dinner didn't remove their gratuities. At least you don't remove tips totally so there's that.

To each their own. There's nothing wrong with how you do it or how I do it. I've also read that carnival will sometimes take a percentage of the gratuity as well so that's why I'm more anal about making sure the services I use get more of the pie

I don't see a separate breakdown for Lido service. All I do know is that we have seen our MDR waiter working Lido for breakfast and also for brunch and breakfast in the MDR too. Just leave tips on and don't mess with them that way everyone gets what they are supposed to.

If you go to guest services they will give you a breakdown of your tips. Lodo, mdr, room service, steward, etc.

Personally, I don't tip what I don't use. To me, it's not fair to tip room service and MDR if I never go there or use room service and I'm always on the lido and in my room causing those two departments to work extra hard. So, I move my tips around to who I use the most. Plus, tip extra when service is amazing. When I was on the valor in a suite, our steward, haru, earned himself an extra $100 for being absurdly amazing. Dude was like a ninja and cleaned our room like 4 times a day

The same waiters that work in the MDR also work on Lido.

Then I guess they don't miss any money. Why is there a separate section for lido deck when tipping though?