Top_of_the_Cube

Had an acquaintance who worked at Carnival Corp. He claimed that since HMC is owned and run exclusively by HAL, there wasn't really an option for Carnival Cruise Line to extend their CHEERS package to that island. Of course, even if CCL did have that option, doesn't mean they would do it. CHEERS does not work at Amber Cove, which is operated by Carnival Corp.

Once, I tried to book a cruise through Carnival and it was sold out. I tried the travel agent route. On my second agency, I got lucky. They happened to have the exact room that I wanted.

Hmm, "Who does this?" indeed... LIVE- Valiant Lady- 1/14/23-1/22/23 By MeganGC1983, January 8, 2023 in Virgin Voyage Posted January 19, 2023 Who does this?

One of those "islands" looks uncomfortable.

Wife and I like forward. Doesn't really matter what deck or which standard cabin; whether interior, OV, balcony, cove balcony. We love feeling the movement of the ship, which surprises me since I have always been prone to motion sickness. Yet, on a cruise ship, no issues and no medication. And we have been on some pretty choppy seas (our favorite)!

At lunch time, they call it a pasta bar. Options include a pretty good lasagna and chicken parmesan. I am not normally on the ship for lunch on port days, but a look at some of the posted Fun Times shows it is open on port and sea days. This is the Magic, but probably the same for all non-Excel class ships that have the Cucina del Capitano. I just don't know the situation on the Excels and the ships with different Italian restaurants.

Just one of many options: Prior to your cruise, use gift cards to purchase just enough Cruise Cash (general) to fund your on-board account. Then once you have boarded, at your leisure, you can apply gift cards to your account as needed. On more recent cruises, I have found the kiosk works well. Previously, I never could get them to accept my gift cards. For the few who may not fully spend the initial amount that was funded with Cruise Cash, this may not be a good idea as you will not get a refund of the unspent amount. But, you do have a great career ahead of you as a financial advisor.

Just a warning, when they start the event they do emphasize that if you are easily offended then you should leave NOW. I would suggest that if you are even mediumly offended you should seriously consider whether you want to attend. It can get kind of raunchy, at least prior to COVID. I only know this from the videos from people who did not follow the first rule of Quest.

A few of the fine folks that have posted "live" reviews over the last few months have included copies of the Fun Times. On at least some of those sailings, Quest was listed as one of the activities. Don't know this for a fact, but many have said that Quest is at the discretion of the Cruise Director. I love commenting on things of which I have no personal knowledge.

To be specific, it is Holland America Cruise Line that owns Half Moon Cay, not Carnival Cruise Line. But then, Carnival Corp. owns both lines. Still to your point, I am reading that Holland America's drink package also does not work on the island (per my internet search).

As I understand it, CBD derived from hemp (not marijuana) is federally legal as of 2018. Yet, may not be legal in certain states, and apparently not legal in some ports of call. I only share this in case it ever comes up on Jeopardy.

On the Vista, we had a cove balcony under Guest Services, which I assume would be more active than the Adventures desk. On that cruise, we never heard any noise from above during the times we were in our cabin.

Congrats on scoring a table with a view!

To "muster" just means getting to your assembly location. If you know your muster station and how to get there, not sure what more you need to know. Prior to the shut-down, when my muster station was at an inside venue, the required drill never actually entailed the crew escorting you to your survival craft. They just took roll. Which, as best I understand, is the actual intent of a call to muster. And I get the idea of training for the crew, but again, they take roll and report those passengers (and I assume other crew members) who are not accounted for. Not sure how the old way is significantly superior to the current system for them. I am not an experienced seaman, but I am familiar with Disaster and Relocation drills for business buildings. Of course it is not the same, but not really that dissimilar. I take the muster drill seriously. And I think all passengers should occasionally remind themselves of their assigned location, and periodically consider where that location is in relation to their current spot. I highly respect and appreciate those experts who post on these issues, this is just my observation and opinion.

Wife and I had decided to book a last-minute Caribbean cruise. We had a specific cabin (on a specific sailing) that we wanted, but it never appeared on Carnival's website as available. Maybe less than a month before embarkation, we finally went to an on-line TA who was able to hook us up with exactly what we wanted. It was during the capacity-limited phase (Oct. '21) of the restart, so I am sure there were some unusual forces in play, but still, I continue hearing about occasional last-minute successes in this sold-out era. Wouldn't put money on it, but wouldn't give up hope, either.

I really don't think you will enjoy the experience, at any price. Just out of the kindness of my heart, I might be persuaded to take that free cruise off your hands.

I think cove balconies are dark and cramped and noisy and smelly. Way overpriced and the the view is completely overrated. I would rather book accommodations in the sewage reclamation area below deck. (if you guys keep heaping on accolades, it may affect their availability when booking my next cruise.)

My experience: During dinner time, there are crew members walking around with a tray of shots. The souvenir shot glass color and drink content changes each night (see @Jamman54's Post #7 for example). You may have to ask one of your wait staff to hunt down the shotsmeister. As @LHARTWICK mentioned, one night might be the cinnamon toast crunch and the next night lemoncello, and I recall a chocolate concoction. Can't remember the flavors of the other nights. Souvenir glasses are not covered under CHEERS!, and before the recent price increase the cost was $10.03 w/ gratuity.

For our most recent cruises, we carry on all our bags and schedule our arrival time so that we can go straight to our room. Of course, "room occupy" time can be delayed, but we have not yet had that occur on our trips. You would need to look up the expected room occupation time for your particular sailing. And note, if your suitcase does exceeds the port's scanner limitations (16" x 24"), it can still be carried on. Just know it takes extra time and you may get dirty looks from passengers in the line behind you, who will also be on your ship, and who will remember that you had held them up, and may carry a grudge, and who might be drunk when they run into you on the Lido deck, and might lead to you to being featured on a YouTube video.

My wife prefers the MDR for breakfast every day. While occasionally service is slow and service has to be "encouraged", on the whole we are in and out in a reasonable time. We aren't eating in a rush to get to activities, as the meal (to her) is part of the whole experience and we have enough of the fast food life at home. For me, I prefer my wife.

When cruising in 2018 we had the same "red bloom" attack. In Cozumel, the "wild" side (east) was overrun, and the beaches were constantly being raked but losing the battle. The west side of the island appeared to be seaweed free, and I remember some passengers who went to Passion Island reported no problems there. Hopefully in those regions in the Caribbean where the algae is prevalent, beaches and seaside areas in coves or westward coastlines may avoid this nasty, smelly stuff.

Sorry, @shiner I know there is always the fine print, but generally, paying the deposit locks in the fare price. If using a TA, I have heard of agents not booking immediately with the cruise line, and by the time they do the price has changed. If that is the case, TA should have notified their client. But maybe thought $80 was not significant enough to mention. Unless the price increase can actually be pinpointed to having occurred after the deposit was received by Carnival, I would suspect the above scenario.

That was a nice concise review. Much appreciated. Just curious, what most draws you to cruising?

I like the lanyard, but truthfully, I have not taken the time to hook up my card to one in the last couple of cruises (talk about lazy). When I did use it, it was tucked under my shirt so it was not on display when walking around the ship or on shore. Tucking it in can also be a safety measure. I remember trying to explain how my card, not my wife, gave me a slash on my face when it was whipping around on the lanyard in gale force winds.

Last cruise, I had two different charges from a bar I never visited, and then a credit for those same drinks (fortunately, they were not later re-posted to my account). While a few miss-applied charges would never make me think to get a new card, if passengers visited Guest Services and requested a new Sail and Sign card each time a mysterious purchase appears, maybe there would be more emphasis and training with crew to get it right the first time. I love cruising, but some things they let slide until it becomes a real burden on them.