Moonstruck705
-
Posts
44 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by Moonstruck705
-
-
1 hour ago, wolft927 said:
So Carnival extended my final payment to August 1st, hopefully by then we will know if it is schedule to sail or not. Cruise scheduled for September 6th
Wolft927 - Did they do that on their own, or did you request? Just curious.
-
26 minutes ago, beloum said:
On ships with spa cabins, what are the extra amenities/benefits that are included? And in your opinion is it worth an extra $50pp on 7 day cruise over a Lido regular balcony. Thanks!
As stated above: Dream class ships and the Splendor definitely have the best spas, because of the Thalassotherapy pools.
I have stayed in spa cabins before and found that the amenities did not really live up to the added cost. You get a few extra toiletries in the room, and spa robes and slippers. Access to the thermal suite and T Pool is covered by the room cost.
To me, the benefit was the close proximity to the spa itself. The cabins are typically a short walk or elevator ride to the thermals. You can even, theoretically, wear your robe over your bathing suit straight from your cabin.
The spa passes can be purchased individually (sometimes there are couple passes, too); the cost is always less than a spa room. DH and I usually opt for a pass in lieu of a spa cabin, unless we get a REALLY good deal. We will head to the spa right after embarkation to buy a pass. (The one time we stayed in a spa cabin, it was an interior that we got for $35 PP after a hurricane - half our ports were canceled, but the spa was amazing!)
-
2
-
-
August 22 on Carnival Horizon. Really hoping! 🙂
-
Drive to port, but a day early; we usually stay in a hotel and enjoy a relaxing morning before the cruise.
-
29 minutes ago, firefly333 said:
I was listening to stock news and disney cruises cancelled cruises until october 1st.
Idk if carnival will follow suit, but I'd say august cruises will be gone. Depends how far into the future carnival cancels next round imo.
Good day. I have allure booked b2b in march 2022 and just found out being replaced by liberty. Or I can pay to fly to florida ... happy days are here again. Well with terminal 3 postponed not surprised just hoped for a newer ship.
Now I just gotta hear about radiance ... who goes to panama fall of 2021, the only carnival panama that fit into my other booked cruises. Will it get refit or partially, replaced? One more shoe left to drop.
FYI, though, the Disney website says: "Disney Cruise Line Extends Suspension of Departures from Europe through October 2, 2020, Departures from Canada through September 14, 2020, and Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy Departures through July 27, 2020"
I think they are still planning for some late summer/early fall cruises out of the SE United States.
Time will tell, but it's not over yet.
-
2
-
-
DH and I are booked on a Level 6 interior on the Horizon on 8/22. You've all given me such hope!
I noticed that Conde Nast ran an article about modifications to cruise lines, and moving all patrons out of interior rooms was on their list. This was more of a "proposed" or "likely" list than a sure thing, but I expect they have insiders in their ears.
-
KW/C, no doubt!
Caveat: my hubs and I were super nervous on it first cruise (funny to think back on that now ha) and we wanted a cruise where the ports were not so far away... so we did Nassau/Freeport on a 5-day. It was underwhelming, although we loved the ship and our time together. The ports in both places are small and not very impressive.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Hi all! DH and I booked an ocean suite on the Sunshine on the 12/14 sailing. Question for anyone who has done a Sunshine suite recently - do the balconies only have chairs or a chair/1 lounger combo? DH loved having a plunger on our Magic suite balcony. Most videos I’m finding show chairs only but are also a bit dated (2012/2014). Thanks!
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Have you ever repeated a cruise itinerary, same cruise, different ship? We were on the Triumph in January 2018 out of NOLA and are looking at going on the Valor in October 2019 out of NOLA. We have a few reason to have a "redo" for this trip. My only hangup is we really didn't like Progerso. If you haven't gone into port, what have you done on the ship all day? I've never skipped a port, I even get off to shop in Freeport and walk around in Nassau. :)
Thanks
Stephanie
Yes totally! There are so many perks. The ship is less crowded, so it’s a great time to use the pool and hot tubs. The food lines are shorter. We always build that in on cruises, because there is often a port we’ve been to or we don’t really care much to explore (read: Belize, for us).
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Are the 7 day couple thermal suite and thalassotherapy passes worth it?
DH and I almost always use a cruise-length spa pass when available. We enjoy the spa heated loungers and steam rooms every day and doing so has become a part of our cruising ritual.
One thing I’d add, though, is that it depends on the itinerary. We sailed on 7-day Magic Eastern with four days in port and we had excursions at each port. That cruise, we did not utilize the spa as much and I regretted getting the pass a bit — we did it enjoy it on sea days and one port day in afternoon — because of the expense v use.
I also agree that Magic spa is not my fave, although I thought it was fine. I love the Dream spa and my absolute fave was the Splendor.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
On Magic a few weeks ago, our room steward gave us a card with his info on it and we used that in the light switch. Just a paper business card.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Wait, what? Was this at the Margaritaville pool? I thought all the loungers there were free...
Ahh, no wonder it was already crowded. I always hate being the second ship to arrive at Grand Turk.
As others have mentioned, there's Jack's Shack or Governor's Beach for less-crowded options, or possibly the undeveloped beach on the other side of the pier by the John Glenn exhibit and the relatively new Beached Whale grill and bar.
Yes @ Margaritaville! I was very surprised.
We hit the John Glenn side of the beach first because of the crowds and there were rocks everywhere under the water.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Great review! We are doing the same itinerary on the 7 July sailing of the Magic (only 25 days until my first of many Guy's burgers)! :cool: Like you guys, we are huge Alchemy Bar fans. Who are the current mixologists at the Magic Alchemy Bar? The mixologist are a huge part of what makes or breaks an Alchemy Bar experience.
To be honest, I was not impressed with the service. The drinks were fun and the vibe was always good but the servers were meh.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Teknoge3k: I ate so many Guy’s burgers I am ashamed to admit the number! Ha :) My first ship with Guy’s ... such a treat!
The menu that night was a factor in our selection of Steakhouse night 4. I will say that the next night we weren’t thrilled about dinner in MDR and it ended up being my fave meal (except lobster) - portobellos with spinach and butternut squash.
I have done FTTF before, esp if cruise has tender ports. We didn’t this time and expected to wait. We probably did just get lucky :)
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
The Who: DH (age 30), baby brother (age 28), my parents in-law, and me (age 30).
The Where: 7 day Eastern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Magic (Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan, & Grand Turk)
Cabin: Ocean Suite 7355
The in-laws enjoyed an aft balcony on Deck 6.
Dining: Your Time in the Northern Lights
Overall? I would love to sail on the Magic again.
Embarkation was smooth! We arrived at port around 10:30 and were on board by 11:30. Our suite was ready for us when we arrived on the ship. I’ve read others have had different experiences with suites being available at embark, but everyone at port indicated such to us. We were thrilled!
We booked a suite because my brother joined us and we wanted the extra space with three people. I hope to sail in a suite again, although for only two people it is hard to justify the expense, to me. We loved the bigger balcony. The tub was so-so...I’d prefer a regular shower.
My in-laws were not pleased with the aft, and we agreed it was not ideal. My MIL uses a scooter and it was a long “commute” to the aft. More than that, though, the price you pay for aft gets you very little extra space. There’s not much shade in the back of the ship. Also, it’s difficult to see the ports when you’re headed into a new spot. DH and I are canceling our aft balconies for Christmas/NYE after seeing theirs. Would not recommend.
The Magic is an awesome ship. Red Frog Brewery is so cool, as are Guys and Blue Iguana (seriously, get a breakfast burrito!). I loved the Alchemy Bar.
Ketut and his team served us dinner every night, and he also worked in the Tides bar during the day. We loved him. He learned our ordering habits and took superb care of us. I highly recommend his team to future dining guests.
Our CD was “cousin” Cookie. He annoyed me, at first, but by the end I was a believer. He made me laugh and also showed great compassion during a few on-board medical emergencies. Impressive. I watched a few of his shows in the atrium and just loved them.
The spa was beautiful. We enjoyed a spa pass, although with such a busy itinerary, we didn’t use it as much as I’d like. It was my fave spa (compared to Dream & Splendor).
Steakhouse dinner
On our fourth night we hit the steakhouse. Having dined on other ships with excellent service, the Magic was a bit of a let-down. This steakhouse is small and the servers seemed very awkward. We were rushed at times, and then neglected. The new menu is fun, though. The chocolate sphere was pretty gross - a puddle of chocolate. My in-laws did the art dessert and that was very fun!
Cheers!
We opted in. It was my bro’s first cruise so he wanted to sample everything. We definitely got our money’s worth.
Casino — seemed small-ish to me. Not sure if that’s the case. I prefer the Dream or Splendor casino.
Ports:
Amber Cove - DH and I did a resort VIP excursion last time at this port, so we decided this time we would stay in port and have a pool day :) It was very relaxing.
St. Thomas - we headed to Sapphire Beach while the in-laws stayed in port and shopped. We booked through Carnival and that was a MISTAKE. The transportation getting to the beach was absolutely insane, driving way too fast over mountain roads and hitting debris. The beach itself was beautiful; I recommend water shoes. We found our own cab back to port and ate the cost. That was fun, though, because they took us through Charlotte Amalie and we saw more of the island.
San Juan - my fave port of the trip. The entire fam took a taxi to Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Magical. There’s a small cost ($7 pp) to enter the fort and look around. Then we walked to Barrachina, home of the pina colasa, for food and cocktails.
Grand Turk - this was my fave port on my last cruise but I was bummed this time. We arrived in port in the early afternoon so the beach and pool were very crowded. The pool area has limited seating; areas were designated “reserved” and subject to a $35 charge for two chairs. We wandered for a bit but couldn’t find anywhere to settle in and just went back to the ship. Any tips are appreciated! Upside: Horizon was in port with us and it was exciting to see the new ship.
I’m happy to answer Magic questions. :)
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Following! Good review so far! Look forward to reading the rest of it, esp about HMC.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
I’ve never had a pushy sales pitch and I’ve done spa passes on 3/4 cruises I’ve been on. It’s one of my favorite things to do on board! I’ve gotten a hair cut and a massage - I think both times they offered some products at end, but I politely declined. That was that.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Check your emails and various discount offers through the page periodically. We’ve found some good deals through casino offers and early saver.
The cheapest cruise the hubs and I booked was last minute last fall after the hurricane disrupted itineraries in the eastern Caribbean. We got a 7-day out of Miami for $25 pp with OBC! We are lucky that we have jobs where we could swing that. Anyway, my advice is to find itineraries you’re interested in a stalk the website for a low deposit you’re comfortable with ($99 or less).
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
I’ll add: I thought the spa decor in the Splendor spa area was more interesting than on other shops we’ve been on.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
A spa room is excellent! We’ve done them before but not on Splendor. But: The hubs and I did 7-day spa pass on the Splendor and loved it. The heated loungers are so relaxing, as well as the thalassotherapy pool. With a spa room, you’ll get some spa offers each day. As I recall one was for a discounted Rasul mud treatment in a special area of the spa with a rain shower and steam room.
A spa room has a few extra amenities, some special toiletries and slippers.
Enjoy!
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
Following! We’re sailing on the Magic in May - can’t wait to hear your thoughts. :)
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
If we choose not to prepay gratuities when booking our cabin, do we get charged later into the cruise or would we just be able to tip in cash as we go without having to remove the gratuity charges later?
You do get charged while on the cruise. I believe you can go to guest services and have the charges removed if you prefer. However, I would encourage you to go look at the tip breakdown on the Carnival website to see who gets a portion of the charges gratuities. It includes those folks you might not necessarily tip but who definitely deserve recognition.
Ultimately, it’s a personal choice. Hubs and I pre-pay and then still tip for good service on board (bar tenders, cabin steward, dinner staff, etc.).
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
I would echo - Eastern. I’ve done eastern and western and much prefer the itineraries on Eastern cruises... much nicer ports.
If you decide to go Western, look at itineraries with Costa Maya and Roatan.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
-
I've never been to Amber Cove. Is it a tender port?
Any opinions or information would be appreciated.
Not a tender port :) everyone is correct that the port itself is very nice and has plenty to explore. DH and I have done an excursion in Amber Cove, too; an all-inclusive resort beach day. Beaches and island itself have pretty areas.
Sent from my iPhone using Forums
It's June 1st, 2 months until Carnival sail again on Aug 1st...
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
It is very discouraging to see no Carnival ships even LISTED here...