CruisingViper

yes they have juice (orange and grapefruit I know, probably cranberry, apple, and maybe guava) at breakfast. If Valor has the new brunch menu, they'll have fresh squeezed juice that is not included in the drink packages, but will still offer the free juice if you ask (from what I've heard).

debarkation day doesn't count. Note I only have experience cruising out of Galveston.

sea day brunch is in the rear MDR, at the back of the ship. Getting a window seat in the back is one of my favorite parts of it. Get to look at the endless ocean and beautiful day and occasionally spot a dolphin. It's usually too dark to see the same at dinner.

yup, very hard to justify it if the other person in the room isn't much of a drinker. 

If you wanted to try, I'd look at the non-alcoholic benefits, like bottled water anytime, ability to take it to port to save money there, specialty coffee's if they're a big coffee drinker, energy drinks if they are one of those drinkers, and the shakes if they have a sweet tooth. Then maybe add in a drink or two at Alchemy every night, if for nothing else, than to just try out a new drink on the menu.

Everyone's situation is different, so there's tons of reasons why that may or may not work out for you. 

A lot of people have covered the safety and manners stuff.

I'd say drop them off in at the kids club the first day or two and encourage them to make some friends for the rest of the cruise.

Also definitely try new things, food or activities. You don't have to see these people ever again after this week so go try the dance contest, or try the escargot at dinner.

warning on the lemonade though, more than a glass or two is going to burn your mouth. Got to cut that with some tea or water or something.

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

I tried the room service philly cheesesteak. It was outstanding.

 

I also love the new deli. Sometimes the lines are longer than others, but man that buffalo chicken sandwich with truffle fries? Too good. I wish it was available a little later though

yes, I love that and the reuben. Was very disappointed the Valor didn't have the buffalo chicken last year.

Also, I appreciate the late night food options, but it's not a big deal to me because, damn, I have to stop eating at some point right?

On 7/8/2019 at 10:31 PM, desiree741 said:

I am looking forward to trying cheers on my next cruise. I’m not a big drinker but I do enjoy a daiquiri while sitting on my balcony. And I might be more inclined to try some different drinks if I don’t have to pay each time. Every time I hear someone talk a out the alchemy bar I get a little excited lol.... lol 

good luck. Don't be afraid to ask for some high end liquor with your daiquiri, or try some new drinks on the menu (or even ask them to make your favorite off the menu). I like the XO Martini myself.

Same goes for the wine. Also you can find some really high end stuff (wine and liquor) at the steakhouse bar and you don't need a reservation for dinner to just sit at the bar there.

15 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

T-Mobile charges $10 a day like the other networks. Where are you getting free service? Are you wifi calling and texting from a hotspot?

they've been including talk, text, and data to canada and mexico in their plans for a few years now.

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/magenta?icid=WMM_TM_19MGNTAPLN_33EAS45BUENRVK87L17311

Unlimited talk, text, and up to 5GB high-speed data in Mexico & Canada.

After 5GB of high-speed data, speeds up to 128Kbps.

In other countries, they offer free text and 2G data, not sure if that includes Belize though.  Do you have an old plan or were you thinking of calls and 4G data to non-Mexican ports?

The only time I had one that was a little off was back in 2006. I was with a group of 2 other guys, in early our 20s. We were matched at a table with 3 girls of similar age, and an older couple with a daughter still in college. So still pretty well matched, but it's the only time I've seen a "family" matched with a non-family.

On 2/7/2019 at 8:24 AM, Buck64 said:

Maybe limit you to only 2 bottles of "shampoo/conditioner".  Also can inspect bottles right on the spot.  Do random checks.  

"Sir I'm going to have to taste your shampoo to make sure it's not alcohol"

I'll be on it in Nov, so I'll let you know, but I'm not worried. They're repairing it right now so that should be at least 3 months to see if everything is working or not.

Anyone know what it's like sailing on the ship when there's no passengers? Just the captain's crew? Do they have their own cook and/or mess area or use the MDR or Lido or something?

I've been gold for a year or so now. I'm just wondering how long it took others or what age they were when they got to platinum status, or even diamond. It seems so far away after the short distance between red and gold.

My experience has been the same. It's often been uncanny how we always find ourselves at a table with kids the same age as ours. The only conclusion is that they are actively matching tables on that basis.

Now if you have a specific other part or group you want to sit with, I think you can do that through the carnival.com booking, but I've never done it.

your mobile (or cellular) radio is the part of the phone that connects to the cell service. the easiest way to turn it off is to turn on airplane mode. if the mobile/cell radio is on, there's a possibility you could roam on the ship's cell service and/or get an incoming call and rack up very high charges. 

You can then turn on your wifi, because there's no charge to connect to the ship's wifi, they will just block your wifi traffic from leaving the ship if you haven't paid for a wifi data plan. Even if you don't pay for a wifi data plan, you can still get data from the ship to your hub app. Data like, changes to schedules, your sign and sail spending, menus and showtimes.

what do you mean?

you want to put your phone in airplane mode to turn off your mobile radio. You also want to turn on your wifi while in airplane mode to be connected to the ship wifi, even if you don't have the wifi plan. This will allow your hub app to update with changes in event times and your spending and reservations and any hub app messages if you've added that option. I've also noticed I will occasionally get some notifications come in for my other apps.

1 hour ago, hockeyguru32 said:

Also remember to put your phone on airplane mode

yes, put it on airplane mode and connect to wifi, even if you don't have a wifi plan.

We don't do the wifi plan, but are planning to spend the $5 per person for chat. 

Yes I have tmobile and we've had free international cell service and calling on our last few cruises. It does not connect at sea, but works great in port. I usually have to get up to the Lido deck or higher for it to work, but it works the whole time you're in port. If you need internet access during sea days, get the wifi. I'm not sure if it's reliable enough for wifi-calling to work or if that would be blocked somehow.

11 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Bring 2 bottles of wine and 12 packs of sodas/carton-beverages!

If you do cheers, no need for the soda really, since all sodas and beverages are included. However, if you're cruising out of Galveston then bring at least a bottle of wine for the first night since cheers doesn't take effect until the second day. You can open it at MDR dinner and take the rest back to your room afterward.

I remember having Mike Pack and TJ Partida in the past, both were great from what I remember. I don't see my previous CD's on the roster there so they probably moved on (the cruises were years ago, so it makes sense). 

Good to know I'll be getting Matt in November. Is there show or event with him that is "must see"? We like make it to the couples show toward the end of the cruise but don't have anything else that we always catch, just see what looks interesting that works out for us to make it to. 

so what's everyone verdict on their favorite item from the new menu?

On 7/6/2019 at 3:11 PM, beerman2 said:

Always love those who say "but I'm in port 3 days". Ok but pax are still ON the ship at 3 p.m. and don't go to bed until 11 p.m. Or so.

 

That's 8 hrs  right there. Average 1 drink an hour ( easy to do) and Cheers is paid for. That's not even taking into account having 1or 2 Bloody Mary's or Minosa's or Bailey's and Coffee with breakfast.

 

Certainly can't drink like I used too, but last cruise DW and I would have had a $1,350.00 bill for 8 day cruise. Drinks can add up in a hurry if you spend time at Achlemy.

username checks out

is there a list of them somewhere to review? how do you find out who the CD will be on an upcoming cruise?

is the freshly squeezed juice included in the cheer and bubbles packages?