travelling_txgal

Just traveled to Belize this week. Be very careful with traveling by taxi. I am by far not a nervous person nor a novice traveler however we attempted to go to Kukumba Beach and were bombarded with many offers from the time we stepped off the tender. Walking through the terminal, out to the taxi stand we were approached with one offer, passed off to three different men and led down a sketchy road to the cab stand. When I went to confirm the price for travel it went from $15 total for the 5-6 mile trip to $30 pp. We told the guy thanks but no thanks and decided to shop a bit and returned to the ship. Unfortunately there are a lot of people trying to swindle and bamboozle tourists. Many people opted to hang out and then returned to the ship. If you can afford it book an excursion through the ship (we waited too long and missed out) or through a reputable company.  Otherwise you'll end up like most people, walking around and missing out on the beautiful country of Belize. 

Just got off my cruise today. We were allowed to disembark as usual. Crew and passengers were informed last night that Carnival is ceasing operations until April. Nothing seemed out of ordinary in comparison to normal disembarkation procedures. 

Not sure if there is a specific illness that can prevent you from boarding. We left last Sunday (returned today). We had the health screening form and temperature checked. From what I can tell no specific illnesses prevented anyone from boarding. You could always call and ask although right now calling is probably nearly impossible. 

Hope this helps. 

Drinks. Steakhouse or Chef’s Table. Treats for the kids. It’s an added bonus to what we would’ve spent. 

Sailing on Sunday out of Galveston. Gladly accepting our OBC. I refuse to follow the mass hysteria. Follow universal precautions and enjoy yourself. Can spend my life paranoid. 

Woke up to my email this morning. We’re leaving Sunday. Had no plans of canceling. This is a great incentive. 

Saw this story and immediately thought about those whose upcoming cruises that could be potentially affected. Bummer especially when you’ve planned and anticipated. I would say stay in constant contact with Carnival but unfortunately it may be a late decision. New Orleans this time of year isn’t bad but it is busy due to college football and the holidays. Good luck. 

We always get FTTF and usually arrive around 11:00 and are in our rooms before 12. You can ignore the arrival time on your boarding pass. 

As for the specialty restaurant reservations, I usually receive a response within one to three days. I think it all depends on when and where you book. 

As for FTTF, we always get it. For me, it is so convenient. Priority boarding and tendering (if it's a tender port), separate guest service line, and most importantly, our room is ready upon boarding. That way we aren't lugging around bags for hours, waiting on the lido deck. For some, it's not worth the cost. I find it to be a necessity. Availability can be limited. We've been lucky to always get it. I say go for it if you can. 

For my birthday this year I received a complementary bottle of wine, spa passes, and cake in the MDR. It was actually pretty nice. This was on the Freedom. 

IMO 4 people in a balcony room on the Valor (sailed on it last year) would be pretty tight. Having one small restroom and not a lot of places to move around, might make the trip unpleasant after a couple of days. 

February in Louisiana could be like winter in the morning, Spring in the afternoon. Regardless, you are only departing/returning from New Orleans. The weather will hardly be a factor long enough for it to affect your trip. We sailed this past February out of Texas (similar climates) and other than fog, the temperature wasn't a factor. 

I have traveled to Mexico with my minor daughter several times and have never once been questioned, not by Carnival or Mexican officials. I understand the concern though. Your daughter should just make sure she has the proper travel documents, whatever court papers she has, and leave it at that. Try to enjoy your vacation. 

Royal Palms is more for adults. We were in grand Cayman a few months ago and we visited Calico Jacks on 7 mile. It is better for groups with children. 

Personally we like to board, go to freshen up in the room and then go up to the main pool deck for sail away.  I like the atmosphere. 

Oh I also had early saver discounts and travelers insurance and was charged nothing to make the change. 

Just ran into a similar problem last week. I booked our 2020 Spring Break cruise and then realized I read the calendar wrong so I had to reschedule. I called Carnival,  in a panic, to see what could be done. I was pleasantly surprised to have not only have all the money paid transferred to the correct cruise, the cancellation fees were also waived. The rep who helped me was excellent and did all she could to accommodate my mistake. Definitely appreciated her because it could've gone a lot different. Good luck! 

We have never had to share a table with others when it's been just two of us. We choose Your Time dining and usually walk in and are seated immediately. 

9 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

There are quite a few threads on the Chef's Table.

 

We've enjoyed it on the Breeze several times and on the Freedom, just this past spring.

 

I don't think of it as dinner, but as an on-board excursion for foodies.  It takes the whole evening, averaging between 2.5 and 3 hours, and includes a tour of the galley.

 

On the Freedom it is held in a private, quiet room off the mid-ship dining room.  It is a set, eclectic menu.  You will be asked beforehand about allergies and aversions so the chef can prepare alternate dishes if needed.  Wine is included.

 

It's not for meat and potato only palates or for picky eaters.  It is usually the highlight of my cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like we made a good choice. I love the idea of viewing it as an "excursion". Thanks for the insight. 

Nope, not in my experience have I witnessed anyone be dress coded in the MDR. 

I personally have used three methods, cash, credit, and debit. I found cash to be the easiest because you control how much is placed on the account and when it's gone, it's gone. With the credit card, we ran into the additional hold being placed when the limit was reached. Not that it was a problem, however, some people aren't aware. I never had any issues with my debit card taking a long time to have charges fall off.Overall I have just decided cash is easier. 

For the price (less than $5 a case), I found the water to be a good value. We balanced drinking the waters and our own sodas over the 7 day period and felt like it was a good move. I personally wouldn't purchase a bubbles package if you're going to bring your own soda. Bring a stainless steel or temperature control tumbler and take it with you to meals, prefilled. That's what we did and it worked out fine. 

We were on the Freedom this year for the Super Bowl. The game showed all over the ship, including poolside. There was several events geared towards the game that involved food and drink specials. 

Normally we book a dinner at the Steakhouse each cruise. Since we've sailed  the Freedom before, this time we decided to try the Chefs Table. Any any reviews on this dining experience? 

When tendering in Grand Cayman with FTTF, we were given instructions the night before to meet up in one of the main dining rooms. Initially it seemed chaotic, as there were people everywhere. However once the go ahead was given, staff led the group through the dining room, down the stairs, out to the tender exit, and we were loaded onto a tender boat fairly quickly. We were in the first group of about 50 people, however, we had to wait as they loaded the tender boat, which took about 15 minutes (felt like much longer). We arrived at shore a short time later. It was my first tender experience and I overestimated how awful it would be. It wasn't terrible.