CruiserLucas

I wouldn't greatly worry about it. But here are some practical tips, including one I've done when traveling abroad (not on a cruise, though).

1. Old phone/burner phone. Bring a secondary device that is new or that you wiped and reset. I did this with an old phone in place of my regular phone when traveling to a country that has a tense relationship with the US and a large security state that I was worried could stop me, search me, and use even innocuous information against me.
2. What can you remove from your phone that isn't needed on a cruise? You mentioned Google Drive information. Since that's cloud based, you don't need that on your phone, so removing the Google apps from your phone or other cloud based apps would reduce your risk of someone accessing it; same with banking apps and such. If your husband can get along without the information on his phone, you probably could, too. 
3. Install a security application. I use Avast for my devices, which has a built-in VPN. That can help detect and prevent threats, block malicious sites if one gets hijacked, etc.

Yep! It's Pizzeria Del Capitano. 😋 https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/pizzeria-del-capitano

Nope. We were on a small RCI ship just a few weeks ago and didn't notice anything. No one jumped out of the pool when we were as affectionate as the straight couples in there. 😜

The cruising crowd tends to be more laidback anyways, so you won't get as many people as polarized or willing to be extreme as partisan politics stateside. 

1 hour ago, TexasJohn82 said:

The way the services are designed is you keep a connection open for a period of time (it goes to sleep for lack of a better term) to help throttle connections.  So it may work for a period of time as you had a good connection before joining and Carnival is blocking internet access via a gateway (the screen you get to login) so existing connections will still work until they have to re authenticate or re connect at which point it stops working.  So that is why you are hit or miss or worked at the start and not the end.  Android (or at least iPhone to Android) is SMS so no service connection just an old school SMS hence why it won't work even with WifI as Carnival has blocked the call over wifi.  So the services like Ring, your garage door, and Messages are using a always connected service that doesn't require DNS authentication every time.  

I guess long story short there is no guarantee that iMessage will work without Wifi but it does work with Wifi!

4 hours ago, Sabalon said:

iMessage, like many other things, uses the apple push service.  Most notifications on your phone use that, like my garage door, and like the Carnival Hub app.    And since that whole stream is encrypted between your device and Apple, Carnival can't distinguish between an iMessage or their hub app letting you know your table is ready.   That's why it works (sometimes).    Now...why sending works, I'm not sure, but there is two way communication on the notifications to acknowledge receipt, register for receiving, etc... so perhaps that is how it sends.

 

Our last cruise (March, Elation) it worked pretty well between my wife and I onboard (airplane mode, wifi only for the hub app, nothing paid)   Nothing like being out at a sea and knowing when your garage door opens and closes, or when a network switch at work goes haywire...always 2am.   

Pictures would not send or be received, so we had to wait til we were in port with cellular or find free wifi.  I did have an issue on the last day where my phone decided to sign me out of iMessage for some reason so it all stopped working.     Also, as CruiserLucas said - I wouldn't rely to heavily on it.  Sometimes I'd get it way later.  But we had the same issue with the hub app where my wife got notified our table was ready, but we were halfway through eating when I got the notification.  

Interesting. Those explanations make sense - they can't fully limit notification receipts, so it allows some other unintended services through. And the service times out so that's why we lose functionality after a while until it reconnects. Again, we were on Royal for our previous cruise but I assume Carnival is using similar networking tech, thought it's never worked on any of our Carnival cruise or other prior Royal cruise. And while it worked for me, my partner never got or could send iMessages like I could, and he has the same iPhone and updates installed it was only my device that worked. 

Maybe it's a recent technical glitch. We never had it work in the past, but on our cruise two weeks ago (on RCI) iMessage worked for me in Airplane mode with no internet package. It was intermittent on certain days, though. It also wouldn't send or receive picture iMessages, only text-based iMessages. I wouldn't rely on it being available guaranteed, probably just some network setting they'll patch at some point. 

Just read the FAQ on their website. Ooops we took my partner's mother's ashes onboard twice - 2017 & 2018 and didn't tell them or bring the death certificate. They were in a small container in our carry on and no one asked or said anything. Not sure what the experience would be like now, we didn't do it on our last Carnival cruise in 2021.

Well, I might be wrong, but usually the one in the locker room is still free (if it's there on the specific ship), because you can go into the gym locker room without a spa pass. Just the nicer thermal suites are off limits. 

$50 difference from a normal balcony? Gonna depend on what you find valuable in your own cruise experience. But $50 is probably less of a price difference than the weekly thermal suites pass for two in a normal balcony. So likely worth upgrading IMO at least. I just don't think normally they are that close in price to justify wanting to upgrade for us. 

As Ninjacat123 already said, you get access to the sauna and steam rooms, plus heated tile loungers. So yes, there is a sauna. Also of note, if your husband has a foot size larger than size 8 men's, he will not be able to wear the slippers provided. They are mostly sized to smaller feet. They weren't very nice IMO. We had a Cloud 9 balcony on Sunshine. The balcony, proximity to the Spa and Serenity Deck, and included access to the steam rooms are nice. But I wouldn't book a Cloud 9 room again. I liked just having the couple's week pass to the steam rooms that we used on Horizon while staying in a standard balcony.

It's been too long since I was on Carnival to recall whether the putt-putt balls were sturdy or not (I wager not), but I definitely remember they were very soft and light on our RCI cruise last year, so it's not just Carnival. As someone mentioned, could be they are "better" environmentally if they fall in the ocean (Seinfeld anyone? 🤣). But probably there is a supplier out there that cut the ships a great deal, and the bean counter buying replacements chose price over weight. 

We're sailing on Vision in May. This will only be our second cruise on Royal, our first being in late February 2022, and at that time we thought the food was waaay better than what we were getting on our Carnival cruises, especially in the MDR. That time we were on Harmony. I'm looking forward to the menu for the MDR personally. The selection and themes look good to me. What I'm wondering is if the size of the ship will make a difference. With less specialty dining options on Vision, will that mean more attention is given to make the MDR food better there? 

1) First, I wanted to echo the sentiment as well that you're an awesome parent thinking of how to keep your kiddo safe!

2) Miami for the most part, especially for a 14 year old in the care and supervision of the family, is going to be perfectly safe. If you're all going out together, shopping, etc. no one is going to care or bat an eye. I'd disagree on not getting off in the Bahamas. Just like Miami, your child under your care in the port/shopping area is going to be safe. This isn't you dropping them in the middle of the city alone to figure it out. Plus there are plenty of family-themed excursions in the Bahamas (I'm guess Nassau is where you'll be?) like Atlantis/Paradise Island that you can choose something that gives you a bigger group of other families to be around. Same with Puerto Plata (I think that was a typo when you put Puerto Playa). There are going to be very touristy and safe areas to experience - just find an excursion or stick to the port and you'll be fine. I've been to the Amber Cove area (Carnival's exclusive port) of Puerto Plata, and the people and other tourists were fine. There will be plenty of time in the day to head back to the ship early enough to enjoy it mostly empty. I think it would be a bigger regret to not get off and see new places, than think you missed out on an empty ship.

Enjoy your cruise! Maybe come back and let us know how it went!

We didn't use lanyards for our first couple of cruises, but we do now. Love them. I prefer the kind that has the clip before the card - see example picture. That way you don't risk damaging the card extensively by removing it off its attach point or fiddling with removing it from the plastic protector if it has one.

I have used the laundry service but I don't remember it being $36 😱 As a couple, we fit a surprising amount in. For 5 people, I'm sure you could do it towards the later end of the cruise to replenish your clothes supply for a few days, each person putting a few things in the bag if things get unexpectedly dirty, sweaty, etc. The bag does hold a lot.

On 2/9/2023 at 9:12 AM, island lady said:

And whites will come back gray.

This I have to disagree with in my experience. I don't know what Royal did to my old white undershirts, but deodorant stains, sweat stains, etc. were GONE and they were BRIGHT white. So unless they went out and bought me new shirts, they did miracles my washer at home doesn't do... 

On 2/8/2023 at 9:30 PM, bostonian19 said:

Appreciate it, I promise I will post when I get back!

 

 

It's not a secret, but my favorite area of the ship and favorite bar on Horizon is the Havana Bar. They also have a small bites buffet lunch of Cuban food. Not as crowded for lunch it I thought versus other venues. 

La Romana has very nice beaches in my opinion. We liked it more than Amber Cove. Did a resort-for-a-day pass at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach - all-inclusive. Was about $40/person at the time plus $20 per couple for the shuttle ride there and back (us and another couple went and shared one of those vans, and the driver returned to pick us up at the time we asked). Really sandy beach, very big resort with tons of loungers, and SOOO many fish in the water if you like to snorkel. Huge buffet, lots of drinks, many pools if you don't like the beach. 

I did this excursion in Summer 2021, so not a super-recent experience; things may have changed.

It was just ok... At that time we were given one side of the beach with loungers, another excursion group had the other side. Each side had a colored wristband so your guide can keep track of you. There was a drink shack in the middle with watered down mixed drinks, but they were included in the ticket price. They told us resort food cost extra and no pool use, but there was a free beach barbecue later during the excursion for the beach guests. It wasn't amazing, but it was included in the ticket. The beach/water was nice - water was a little murky. I've noticed this area of the couple times I've visited is more choppy, a bit more rocky, and more murky than the southern side of the island like La Romana. Still swimmable and enjoyable. There were some local "artisans" on the far right hand side of the beach, but also plenty of security, so it didn't feel unsafe. I personally wouldn't do the excursion again, though. Wasn't as nice as other resort for a day passes I've done.

My partner and I have gone, but only once to: 1) just look at the art; 2) get free sparkling wine; 3) make fun of the terrible hype and sales pitch from the Park West staff

On 1/28/2023 at 10:33 PM, JeannyJ said:

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?

I see other folks have already provided their answers, and my reasons are similar. The porter for luggage drop off, your driver(s) if applicable, if you'd like to give certain staff extra, and to use at the casino instead of getting charged a cash advance fee. But also it's for ports; some places/vendors may be cash only. 

We were first time cruisers to Royal in late February 2022 after Carnival (4 for me, 5 for my partner). Sum up of the differences we noticed, both good and bad below. Please note we went on Harmony, and this is just one experience so far, though overall positive, and we'll be on our second Royal cruise in May.

Positive

• Better food and drinks - quality, quantity, taste, waitstaff was awesome (not that Carnival's waitstaff isn't great)
• Along this: better specialty restaurants. Some of the best food land or sea I've tried
• Better guest services experience - felt more focused on solving a problem rather than denying it or questioning
• Better ship layout (not sure how Enchantment will compare to Harmony in regards to this), but we liked the neighborhood layout of Harmony.
• Room layout - we had a balcony room, and it felt more modern and spacious than similarly aged balconies on Carnival
• The bed - whoa it was probably the most comfortable bed I've slept on. Better than my bed at home or any I've slept on in a hotel.
• The Solarium adults-only area - just felt classier and nicer than Serenity on Carnival

Negative

• Royal app - it was glitchy, our calendar never updated, it wouldn't show my boarding pass (I brought paper copies luckily), and the dining reservation system never worked for us
• My Time Dining in the main dining room - Carnival gets this the best through the Hub hands down. To me "anytime" dining is I go during the hours of operation whenever I'd like without a reservation ever needed. We were given a dining reservation time, which was impossible to change on the app, and some days there was no reservation and I couldn't add one, and I didn't want to bother a staff member every day we decided to eat at a different time to have it changed or added. So we'd go and stand in line (there's two lines - those with or those without reservations). As you might know, Carnival lets you just check in on the Hub app, you can do whatever you like, and when it tells you your table is ready you show up within ten minutes and skip the line.
• Excursion ticket process - for both ship booked excursions we were never given our tickets, and one was cancelled due to weather and we were never told. We only found out because we went to the excursions desk when we again didn't get tickets and were told by the staff member there. 
• Signage for open times - this was early 2022, so I'm sure staffing wasn't consistent to keep venues open during their "normal" times, but sometimes the app was out of sync with the venue - we would show up and something might be closed, or there would be no sign at the venue explaining when the operational times were. That can make it hard to plan out the day onboard. 

On 12/3/2022 at 3:49 PM, TrojanGal said:

The last two times I had Covid (not on a cruise but at home) OTC meds did not work for me except a nighttime med like Nyquil to help me sleep better. My symptoms were all sinus and fatigue, no cough. For me, extra tissues like the travel Kleenex packs are a must.

That was also my experience when I finally encountered our Lady of Perpetual Suffering. Nyquill helped knock me out enough, otherwise my neck stiffness and headache kept me up. Other OTC stuff wasn't very helpful. Even my go-to Aleve that always relieves my aches and pains didn't help with Covid pain for whatever reason.

What helped my tonsils and eventually sinuses, and I don't think I saw it in the previous lists, was Zicam lozenges. Zinc is thought to inhibit virus production and that's their claim to shortening your period of illness, but its not proven. Like other remedies I think take it with a grain of salt, my own experience is also just anecdotal.

29 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

I finally was able to check my current prices against the new prices and I am better off with the old prices.

Be sure to check frequently, though. I bookmarked the pricing page for my sailing on my phone browser so I see it at least once a day. They change the prices pretty often.

I've cruised "Spring Break" in the first week of March, end of the school year at the end of May, in Summer at the beginning of August, and twice around Christmas both mid and late-December. Can't say there's a time I wouldn't cruise just based on the calendar days. I didn't notice any significant differences/drawbacks to those times of year. I plan more around the itinerary I'm looking at the what weather might be like.

2 hours ago, groundloop said:

 

You have to log into a wifi plan with your folio number and birthdate, pretty tough to forget doing that.

 

 

 

 

You never know; never say never 😉

We’ve never been able to use iMessage without a wifi plan on Carnival, as well as our last cruise that was on Royal. Maybe you got lucky somehow and through their blocks, I don’t think it is reliable to expect it to work consistently without a wifi plan. Or maybe you had one and just forgot you did? Could have been included in your fare, or you purchased and forgot, etc.

Can't comment on transfers as we rented a car for our Port Canaveral Cruise, but we found a Hilton in Cocoa Beach for about $100 for the night. Very nice and safe location. We spent the day in Orlando sightseeing and had lunch, and I am glad we chose to end the day and stay closer to the port that night, honestly. I didn't like Orlando that much and traffic was crazy, so I'm happy to have not dealt with it even if I wasn't driving myself to the port in the morning. 

That being said, if you rent a car, we did Avis from the airport and dropped off at the Port Canaveral location. They have a shuttle to the port. 

If you're looking for a table game, Craps is my favorite. But go when it's quieter, or watch the table for a bit if you go when others are there. Seasoned Craps players are superstitious and particular. Most are easy going and will help a newbie, though, usually. The dealers will help you with the basics, but since they rotate out a lot, they're more Jack-of-all-trades Ace-of-none. Read up on Craps before as well. It's fairly simple for the most part, but there's a lot going on that can make you feel overwhelmed.

Though if you want good payout, try video poker.