aknguyen

I get migraines when I've had too much MSG. Food can be a trigger. You may want to keep a food diary for a few weeks to see if there's a pattern.

We were on the Dream in January. We didn't have Cheers so I can't speak to that.

Yes, there were lines. I didn't find that they were bad though. Even when the line for pizza or Guys was 25 deep, we got our food within 10 minutes. The lines move quickly. I don't think that's unreasonable at all. I don't expect to be able to walk up and grab food with zero wait. It's not a McDonald's drive through after all. Lines at bars were long as well and yes I occasionally got my drink after someone else that had ordered after me. It happens at land bars too. It's luck of the draw. I notice it happens more often now that I'm of the mom crowd and the beauty of my youth isn't as strong as it once was. Such is life. I accept it and move on.

I will say that I think you had a good idea with the idea of making an entire vat of a popular drink and doling them out to whoever wants one. That does seem like it would be more efficient than making a bunch of single servings.

How would they get rid of the birds?

We also take microfiber towels. They are so much lighter and easier to take along than the thick Carnival towels. They shake free of sand very easily as well.  

I've only been in 1 taxi in Cozumel that had a functioning seat belt that would connect to a baby seat. My son still needs a booster and we decided to have him sit between us and keep an arm around him. I wasn't thrilled about this but we weren't going very far and made sure to choose one of the newest looking taxis. The laws are different there so you have to decide how much risk you are willing to assume.

NASA and the zoo are pretty far apart. I'm not sure I'd try to do both in 12 hours. Also, it depends on where you're flying out from. NASA is closer to Hobby (HOU) while the zoo is approximately equidistant from Hobby and Bush (IAH).

Schlitterbahn isn't open on Mondays in April so that's not an option. Moody Gardens doesn't have indoor swimming but it would definitely fill up the day.

The pre-show fun depends on the show. For the rock shows, they have people dressed up that you can take pictures with and they do face painting for the kids. For the movie song show, there is a magic trick. It's different for every show.

What day of the week do you come in and what day do you sail out? If you sail on a weekday, remember that there will be local daily traffic. Staying near IAH can add significant time to get to the port on a weekday.

I wouldn't make booking decisions based on CD but a good one definitely makes me enjoy the cruise much more. I didn't realize how much of a difference a good CD could make until we sailed the Vista with Matt. He was EVERYWHERE. We ran into him at least once a day, sometimes three times a day! And we don't usually go to the big deck parties, clubs, or bars much at all so he really does get around. And he recognizes all the passengers and interacts a lot. The cruise would have been awesome without him, but it was extra awesome because of him. So yeah...I think a CD can have a pretty good affect on a cruise.

Go to the Gulf Coast Departures board for lots of parking info and recommendations.

I didn't stay up until midnight to do the check-in. I did it the next morning when I woke up at my usual time of 5:30 AM. I still got the first boarding slot (not FTTF) with no issue. We showed up 2 minutes into the approved time slot and never stopped moving. We showed our boarding passes at the beginning of the line, walked through the barriers, went right up to the x-ray machine, went right onto the ramp, and done. It was almost TOO fast as I had my young son with me who wasn't quite as good with keeping up. Meanwhile, the early/late arrival line snaked around the building and wasn't moving very fast.

Yes, Vista had them. It was either 2 or 3 nights. I can't remember right now.

On the Vista, the price on the displays automatically changed during the appointed times. On the Dream, a Carnival employee came around with a card and swiped them all to lower the price and then again to raise the price. He was late getting back so it was more like an hour and a half. The kids were all very happy about that!

14 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Metal or Silicone... ?

Silicone. It has a holder on a lanyard similar to the one in the picture posted by someone else.

I have been using one I got off Amazon for some time now and have had no issues. Yes, I do rinse it out after each use and wash as soon as reasonably possible. Mine came with both a brush and a squeegee type thing to clean the inside easily so I have not had an issue with anything building up inside. Making the adjustment to this type of straw wasn't a huge deal to me.

My 6 year old loved it. However, he did have some trouble carrying his tube up the trail and Daddy had to do it. 

Yes, but it is only open for lunch. You can get there by taking the stairs from inside the Lido buffet on deck 10 or by entering from the very back of the ship on deck 11 right in front of the pool.

Cheers was turned off and the casino closed when we got back into US waters. Both resumed when we got back out to international waters. The people who had Cheers received  $50 OBC. 

You don't have to buy them from Carnival. I got a 4 pack of similar silicone straws with travel case for $7.

2 hours ago, Sweetnspicy said:

We must have the same in-laws. We could have a million dollar vacation and they would still find the one teeny tiny thing that they could complain about for the next 10 years. 

They keep wanting to do a family cruise and I keep finding excuses not to. They are in their low 60s so that means the potential for 25+ more years of complaining about it!

1 minute ago, Joe817 said:

I think this is almost a moot point, as all States are Real ID compliant EXCEPT for:

Oklahoma

Oregon

However they have applied for an extension

 

Under review are:

New Jersey

American Samoa

 

All other States are compliant except those mentioned above.

 

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

 

Not necessarily. I live in Texas and it is not on the list above. However, my current DL is not compliant. It will expire AFTER the requirement goes into effect. So my ID is very much valid right now but unless I go and renew before October, I won't be able to fly in October and beyond.

3 hours ago, ricew001 said:

yes the $5 charge is all you have to pay for pizza delivery anywhere you want it on the ship and there were plenty of sizes and options to choose from. I'm pretty sure the option for delivery was 24 hours - I know I had mine around midnight.

Same for us on the Vista. My husband used it several times.

15 hours ago, BelowDeck4us said:

 

With these type of people, their "good experience" is having a bad experience.

You must know my in-laws.

Mr. Sancho's is one of the most popular spots in Cozumel so many thousands of people have been there without incident, including myself. Cozumel as a whole is very safe, IMHO.

12 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Thanks, and safety wise, is it fairly safe, we typically dont go to Mexico if we do an all inclusive?

The vast majority of the revenue for Cozumel is tourism. They need it to be safe so that tourists continue to visit. Much like in the US, there are parts of Mexico that are safe and there are parts that aren't so safe. Cozumel is safe, IMHO.

If someone truly wanted to make some change in a society, using a week off would be more efficiently spent lobbying for said change in some form rather than complaining to random people on the internet who have zero ability to make any effective changes. But that's a different discussion from the original question posted on this thread.

I've only cruised the Caribbean so I can only speak to tipping in that area. I personally determine how much to tip on an excursion using a variety of factors. The length of the tour is the biggest factor. If it took up most of the day and they likely won't be able to make any more tips that day, I might do $20 for my family of 2 adults and 1 young child. It also depends on how many people are on the excursion, which directly affects how much personal attention we receive. Smaller groups = more attention = more tip. If someone goes above and beyond I'll add more. I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination so there is nothing to flaunt. LOL Trust me. I have to save up for these cruises and excursions. I recognize that the bulk of income in these areas come from tips and I have no problem contributing to the local economy. I enjoy my time there and therefore am willing to pay to be able to enjoy it. Sure I could walk around on my own and not tip anyone. But I find it much more enjoyable with a local guide...who works for tips.