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On 12/31/2019 at 9:57 PM, beshears said:

Before someone chews me out and tells me I need to go to the Jamaica area, I have already done it!  I "thought" perhaps those who do not go to the Jamaica area might see my question here.  One of the stops we will be making in March is Jamaica, and there are 7 others "depending" upon me to get information. I would like for those with me to see Dunns River Falls, or Blue Hole, which I have not seen, and some other areas of Jamaica. It has been over 20 some years ago since I have been there, and for those of you who went within the last year, did you use a touring agency/guide, or just get a Taxi, and go on your own?  I have heard of Courtney Taylor Touring, but wondered if there was any others that you might have use, and liked, that you might give me the name, and what you liked about them?

I was born in Jamaica and would suggest that you use the Carnival Excursions tours.

13 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

As someone who has sailed all three lines, starting with 5 Carnival, then 2 RCCL, and 2 NCL, before returning to Carnival, I have to agree with article. Carnival gives you the best cruise value for the cost. As a retired couple on a tight budget, Carnival gives us exceptional food, plentiful entertainment, and beautiful ships—all without breaking the bank. Yes, I’m sure there are more “elegant”, “prestigious “, or “luxury “ cruise lines out there, but the vast majority of cruisers out there are middle class families looking for a great cruise experience and the best cost. And that is how Carnival has won 2 years in a row. I actually have 3 Carnival cruises booked in 2020. I may not have been able to afford 3 with another line. Carnival has been mocked and called the “Walmart of the Seas”, which is totally unfounded. Their ships are beautiful, and their staff was far more friendlier and accommodating than the other two lines I sailed. Bravo to Carnival!

I agree 100% with you, DW and myself have been cruising from 1990 and have been 5 times on RCCL, 3 times on NCL, and 15 times on Carnival.We will be platinum on our next cruise in July 2020.

1 hour ago, star65 said:

Hello,

We want to do a resort day pass in Ocho Rios and Carnival offers the Grand Bahia Principe Ocho Rios resort day. The excursion has no reviews, has anyone done this? If so, how is it, how far? I assume carnival includes transportation back and forth. Never been to Jamaica and I have heard form others safety may be a concern so I am hesitant to book something without reviews. Thanks for your help!

I am originally from Jamaica, It's very safe at the Grand Bahia, Go and have fun, there are a lot of places to go in Jamaica, unlike other Islands.

2 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Magic looked rough? How so? It looked lovely from all the reviews I’ve read, and Im on the Magic in April for a B2B for our 50th Anniversary.

Congrats on your 50th Anniversary !!

5 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Lol! And that is why I now pack for my hubby! He has been known to forget important items, as well. And I start my packing about 1-2 months prior to cruise, armed with checklists. That way, if something needs to be bought for cruise, I know well in advance. 

LOL! I start packing from 3 months prior, What I usually do is leave a number of thing in my cruise suitcase, this make it easy for me.

I live in Orlando Florida and sail out of Port Canaveral twice per year.DW and myself usually arrive around 8:45 am,we usually stand inline and people watch, at 10:00am the doors are open and boarding starts at 10:30am.Although we do not purchase FTTF, we always board around 10:45am as we are always in ZONE 1.Next cruise we will be Platinum so we should be on a little earlier.

1 hour ago, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

Hi all,

 

I am considering doing a Carnival Spirit cruise but have previously sailed Royal Carribean (Mariner and Radiance).

 

Are there any significant differences?

Why do you choose Carnival over Royal?

 

It is so tempting to stay with Royal Caribbean simply because of the rewards programme but I am not someone who prefers the same thing over and over again.

Thanks

I have sailed on 17 CCL, 5 RCL and 3 NCL, For me, I  like the vibes on Carnival better, it's more fun. The food and shows on NCL, to me is a litter better than CCL. RCL food to me is below par, Compared to CCL and NCL.

There is always a first and I would not want to be that person.I have been going on cruises from 1990 and have seen people taken of , who have fallen ill. I had that first an experience in July of 2019 with my DW, she was air lifted back to the USA from Honduras. Better safe than never , I learn this as an airline pilot.

1 hour ago, coevan said:

 how do you know they weren't in Carlos and Charlies? We have taken seaplanes to Ambergris Cays to dive many times on private tours. We also did petty the sharks and Caulker Cay privately. We always make it back to the ship in plenty of time. These are professional tour companies. They do this 6-7 days a week with 1000's of guests, everyone makes it back to the ship.

I KNOW because the captain of the ship mention it. I have been cruising form 1990 and will never take that chance period.

23 hours ago, zorky12 said:

I personally would not book an excursion without it being through the cruise line because if something were to happen and you get delayed they will not leave without you if you book it through the cruise line 

I agree 100% , I have seen it happen in PR. If it was not a Carnival excursion those passengers was running 30 late after departure time .

Went on the Magic in July 2017, had no issues, great ship and staff. Just go and relax and enjoy your cruise.

I am also looking to book 2021 too on the Mardi Gras, But have covered both itineraries 2 or 3 times already.

4 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Here's a link to the passport page for the State Department https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html it should give you all the info you need for applying. Traveling in March is always a crap shoot and if I were flying to the port I would do so the day before.

You are 100% correct !! Get to the port one day before.

5 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Well, let me say that we started cruising with Carnival in 2000, after one cruise on a now defunct cruise line. We sailed with them for 5 cruises until 2007. After a break from cruising to take care of some medical issues and 2 major surgeries, we returned to cruising in 2014 with a cruise on the RCCL Independence of the Seas. We loved it, but never felt the MDR food wasn’t as good as our meals on Carnival. We also felt Royal tended to try to “nickel and dime” you more. But we followed in 2015 on the RCCL Oasis of the Seas with our sons and their families. The ship WOWED us, but the service was horrible, the food still not as good as Carnival, and there was even more pressuring to purchase things. Not to mention, it was necessary to pre reserve all shows prior to cruising, something I did not like. We rolled with a cruise in 2017 on the NCL Getaway. We were lured to them by their Free at Sea offers. This was the first year they were offered, and we loved having the drink package included, without the price of cruise going up. We booked the same ship to cruise with family in 2018. We found their food much better than Royal, and the service was also better. But there were no roaming waiters for cocktails, probably because they don’t have to push for sales, since most people have the drink package. What we loved was their Freestyle Cruising concept. To eat wherever and whenever you wanted. Loved that! Their buffet was fabulous and probably the best we’ve had at sea. We recently returned to Carnival because we missed them, their food (which have more complimentary choices now), their Dive in Movies, and their fabulous top notch staff. We felt Carnival gave us the best cruise experience for the value, which was important to us as a retired couple on a much more limited budget. With all that said, if I had to choose between RCCL and NCL as an alternative to Carnival, it would be NCL. But that is only my personal opinion, and everyone has different tastes in a cruise line. It is a very subjective matter. It all depends on what is important to you in a cruise line. I hope I’ve helped you. Happy sailing! 😎🛳🌴🏖

I agree with you 100%. I have been on RCL 5 times, NCL 3, CCL 15, My number 1# is CCL and then close NCL. RCL is my last resort, I do not enjoy there food.

I get excited booking the cruise, planning all the activities, driving to the port and getting there early like 8:30 am,people watching, excited when the door open at 10:00 am, we are always boarding in zone 1.Our next cruise we will be Platinum so we will be on quicker.We love the vibes on Carnival more than Royal, NCL is also very good too.

No, the tip is included when you completed the massage. Make sure they do not charge you twice, let them know when you go that you already prepaid. I have been billed twice before, and had to go to guess services to get it corrected. Enjoy the Sunshine, the lay out is different from all the other ships.

On 10/26/2019 at 12:06 PM, grandmarnnurse said:

As someone who has sailed Carnival, RCCL, and NCL, let me just say that yes, there are entertainment shows, but the shows in the theater are called Playlist Productions. Believe me when I say this, without getting flamed, that there is no comparison to the Broadway caliber shows we saw on RCCL and NCL. With that said, the pluses are that they are entertaining and you do not have to reserve the shows ahead to get in, as we had to on RCCL and NCL. So, aside from their stage productions, I found all the other entertainment 100% better than on RCCL and NCL. Music everywhere all the time, loads of trivia and game shows like Love & Marriage, Quest, Hasbro the Game Show, to name just some, but the clincher for us were the Dive In Movies with free popcorn! And the Comedy shows are far more plentiful, and no reservation needed to get in! We found we were more than happy to return to Carnival. Their prices were better, their complimentary food was abundant, they were less pushy trying to nickel and dime you, just a better all around cruise experience. I know all the bad rumors that are always spread.....Carnival is a booze party cruise with trashy “Walmart” cruise ships. TOTALLY NOT TRUE! We are senior citizens and fell back in love with Carnival after several years away testing the waters by trying RCCL and NCL. You will be very happy to book a Carnival cruise. But I always advise people to do your research. Find a ship that has the amenities you want. Watch several cruise ship videos on YouTube. My favorite tour videos are done by Cruise Radio. 

I agree 100% with you

grandmarnnurse.

I have been cruising since 1990 and have been on RCL 5 times, NCL 4 times and CCL 15 times, DW and myself prefer Carnival.

For food I would give NCL 100%,CCL 99% and RCL 97%.

Thank's for this info, I am thinking of going on the Elation in May of 2020.I was concern about the older ship field, since I last went on a fantasie ship back in the 90's, Might just try it for the 5 days and get my platinum points officially.

Yes, you can walk around on the Breeze on deck 5. Just came off the Breeze in July2019, it's a very lovely ship.

On 8/17/2019 at 5:15 PM, JerseyGirlJen said:

I hope your wife is feeling better, and I'm glad Carnival did a great job to help her.  How scary that must've been.  Congrats on soon to be Platinum!  I'm staying in the same room you had on the Breeze, I'm glad you liked it!!  

Thank's.. 7325 is a great balcony cabin , balcony is small but comfortable for two people. Enjoy !! Not too far from the elevator and great mid-ship location.

23 hours ago, spotte said:

We had a similar situation on a Carnival cruise about 9 years ago.  The medical staff was excellent and saved my husband's life, also. Airlifted back to the US from Martinique after a 9 day hospitalization there.   We did not have trip insurance so that was the painful part, lol.  We never travel without it now.  

Happy your husband is fine !!

10 hours ago, Robinsoncruiseso said:

When you complete your online check in, you will choose an arrival time.

You can also check in before your arrival time.

Just came off the Breeze July, and Muster Stations are all inside on the Breeze. Enjoy !!

T hank's !!

My wife got sick on the Tuesday night of this cruise and the Carnival Medical Staff on the Breeze did a great job to stabilize her. When we got to Mahogany Bay on the Wednesday, we had to air lift her back to Florida in the USA. Thanks again carnival for you help and attentions, we have been cruising from 1990 and this has never happen to us before.

Embarkation:Started at 10:30am and we were on the ship by 10:50am.

Port Canaveral: Is a really great port and the service there is great.I have been using this port since 2006.We always get on board between 10:45am- 11:00am, this without purchasing Fast to the Fun!!. The slowest boarding we have had is on the Sunshine last year 2018 to Bermuda and that was at 11:30am.

Ship: The Carnival Breeze is a great ship,clean and well laid-out, Its just like the Magic with lighter colors.

Cabin: 7325 Balcony, was fine, great room service.

Dining: Was good in the dining room for our 6:00pm dinner.I saw a cut back in the lunch buffet selection.

Entertainment:Was good, the adult show on Tuesday night was great and lot of activities.

Services:Overall service was great ( Again I thank the medical staff for saving my wife life when she could not breathe).

Ports:Did not go on excursion in Cozumel or Belize,I have visited there before on Carnival.We got of in Mahogany Bay in Honduras and air ambulance my wife back to Florida.

Next cruise:I will be platinum , looking forward to that.

Just a reminder when you are looking for a cruise line, make sure to check all important info including medical. This was an eye opener for us and we have been sailing from 1990, We have been on RCL and NCL also.( Age group 55) This was our 30 years Anniversary cruise too.

Hope this help !!