lensonlife

10 hours ago, bob68 said:

How much is the growler purchase? I only see refill prices.

How many ozs in a pitcher in the sports bar?

I noticed on the menu posted above that the growler refills were 64oz, and the pitchers were 60. I don’t know how much the initial price of growler is- but am curious also. 

If you purchase a beer tube or growler, do you have to consume it at the location you purchased it at or can you take it with you? I'd be interested in buying a couple large insulated hydro containers from Amazon to pour beer into because it seems like a much better value to purchase one of those and pour into these. Also, I had asked on another thread- has anyone pretty consistently been able to take their purchased wine bottle from the dining room to stateroom?

12 minutes ago, mexicobob said:

If you want a glass of high end wine, bring your own on Carnival.  They sell pretty good wine by the bottle in the main dining room.  Definitely, can take a glass out with you and doubt if they would stop you from taking the rest of the bottle with you.  Never had the opportunity to try as the bottle was always mostly empty.

I am very curious about this- is the dining room the only place they will allow you to drink from a purchased bottle of wine? Has anyone ever had the experience of leaving with the bottle or having it sent to your stateroom or another location? 

6 hours ago, BlueHerons said:

I just looked on Hotwire and the hotels are cheap for your dates.  The Riverside on Las Olas is $81 a night, the oceanfront Sonesta was $121.

 

I would keep looking.

I just checked out your two suggestions and ran a quote- there was a total savings of $20 (not per room, but per a tentative reservation for two basic rooms). That said, breakfast is for a fee (x6) and it also looks like they may not offer a free shuttle from the airport. Sonesta was significantly more and again, no breakfast or shuttle. Also, we were looking for something with shopping nearby for incidentals. 

You’re right! It was for an X and not an XL- so it would nearly be a break even with the All Stars- who sent me a code after I’d posted here (it only reduced the fare by $12). The hotel had mentioned that some guests used SAS. Appreciate that you noted my error. I’m moving 100mph this week per usual and ready for a vacation! 😁

For those of you following, I was able to book two rooms at the Hampton Inn Cruise Port North for 6/28 @ $179.67 each- includes of taxes. As mentioned, 24 hour airport shuttle and breakfast included- as well as an opportunity to hop to the adjacent plaza for essentials in the morning before we catch transportation to Port of Miami. As it turns out, the hotel doesn't provide the transportation- but they will arrange it for you with All Stars. That said, it was going to cost us $120 for the 6 of us. I ran a quick Uber XL quote and it came up at near $35 (and we will need two cars obviously if we go that route), but it's still a savings and we won't have to share a ride with anyone. Will check out Lyft too when the time comes. So thanks again for those who helped to answer my questions! 

I’d like to be an excursion- a for hire photographer for local and beach photography of your family. Personally I would love to purchase such an excursion, or find a reputable photographer to shoot a few professional images of our family off the ship- not the typical rushed pose taken as you’re getting on or off the ship. 

47 minutes ago, BBigfoot613 said:

 

LOL@shock it worked. With most new or newer passengers I usually get the shock of how quickly a person can get a ride (so make sure you are ready to roll when you hit request). That price was for the CAR not per person. Also if it is surging a trick many here do is check both uber and lyft apps for which is cheaper since they aren't related and one can surge when the other isn't. As far as tipping a driver I can only give my opinion like others do about tipping on the ship. For me personally it would come down to 1. were the helpful with bags and 2. were they friendly/enjoyable during the ride. I get ALOT of passengers who state that most drivers don't help with loading/unloading and that many don't talk more than saying hi and bye during the ride. Also a good thing to remember is that $$ charge you pay is NOT what the driver makes. I would guess from experience that the driver would see about $35-$40 of that charge and make even less after figuring expenses (gas/miles).

 

 

 

In the ideal world you are completely right and that is exactly where this should be. Having said that I know the frustration of trying to find info or get answers there. The traffic to that part of these boards is a lot less and sometimes can take days or weeks to get an answer. Most come to their cruise line of choices board and nowhere else. I'm sure there is a ton of info and experience that never gets shared just for that reason alone...

While I have been reading threads for several weeks now and taking notes in an effort to not inundate any one forum with questions where answers are easily found, I only registered yesterday and exactly what you said, have observed posts to remain stagnant for a long period of time. We want to get these two things checked off on our list and I figured I could get an immediate response to lodging, travel, and shopping question here. Certainly not intending to muddy the waters and apologize. Really appreciative of the prompt responses! I have some great ideas now. 

5 minutes ago, BBigfoot613 said:

If you have the app you can do this yourself for a more accurate estimate. Just input the info but don't click request and the price is listed with the type of ride. Not knowing your desired destination and/or stops I input FLL (airport) for pickup and port of Miami for destination. X shows 37.26, and XL shows 68.54. It could inflate during surge times (high demand). To know it's surging is simple. Just above your options for X, XL, Lux, etc. it'll say "higher prices due to demand". MOST times if you aren't in a hurry you can wait a few minutes (5-10) and re-enter the addresses and the prices will drop. For instance as soon as a plane puts out the luggage at baggage claims the prices usually go up because there is a spike in requests. If you wait a few minutes those prices go down. Take a potty break to kill time lol.

 

Oh another option I have been a part of... with 6 people order an X for 4 and a couple bags (2-3) and then an XL for the other 2 and remainder of bags. Saves you a little bit and still gets everyone and everything to same destination. Also if not needed for everyone to make the stop leave it off one vehicle. If you only have one uber and lyft account you can request a car on each app from same phone but CAN'T order 2 cars at the same time from same account.

Again, thank you! I have used an UBER twice ever- NYC and near Boston, but this rural Vermonter was truly was shocked when it worked 😂.

I will assume the 68.54 was per car/not person- and since you are a driver, what is a good tip, per car, for such a trip?

Good to know about the surging- with arrival the night before and an afternoon return departure, we should be in good shape to wait. Though it gives new meaning to, “wait a minute!” 😂

2 minutes ago, BBigfoot613 said:

 

I can't speak of hotels in the area, the SAS (whatever that is) or hotel shuttles but I can speak about ubers. I am a driver (albiet in PA) and drive an XL. My vehicle is a Ford explorer with third row seating and very roomy. It's one of the larger 3rd row seating vehicles on the market for interior room. It can EASILY accommodate 6 passengers plus myself (I'm 6'4"). Having said that I know with almost complete certainty that there is NO way I can drive all 6 people AND their luggage unless it's a short cruise AND you pack extremely light. Even then I'm not sure I could fit 6 carry on rollers in the back even if everyone had a backpack on their laps. I'd recommend (depending on luggage size) 2 xl's. If you split to 2 groups of 3 and have just the carry on size bags and backpacks you could get away with 2 x's. I like to think worst case (prius) with x's and best case (an xl accepting an x). I know personally I have had a tough time fitting 2 students with 2 large bags each and a small bag each in my explorer (I won't put suitcases on my seats).

 

As far as stops they HAVE to make stops if you have it in the app. So research where you want to stop and when you make the request have it in the app already. To add a stop you click the "where to" and it'll automatically place your pin (make sure it is where you are. You can type in the hotel/business name on that line). On the screen that comes up to type in your destination it'll have a + next to that line. click that and it'll give you more lines (up to 2 stops and a destination). Fill in the order you want and request.

This is so helpful- super appreciate your feedback! My husband is 6’ 6” and near 300 lbs. My kids are all thin (but TALL) and I was worried that we might get a mid-size SUV (vs a full-size Suburban, etc.). I drive a Toyota 4 Runner- no 3rd row (intentionally, because nobody in our family would be able to squeeze back there). And as you said, LUGGAGE! So, two it is should we go that route. And really good to know they have to stop!!! 

Any guesses on fares from FLL to Miami or reverse?

Sailing Horizon 6/29- 6 adults/teens. 9PM FLL arrival (6/28) 😔. Looking for hotel accommodations that provide a free breakfast- something affordable (but clean AND SAFE). Obviously just looking to lay our head so need to spend buckets of money. If there is a hotel shuttle from airport, that would be fabulous! Also, is UBER the most cost efficient, and will 1 UBER XL be able to accommodate everyone in our party and luggage? We will be looking for transportation from ship to FLL for a 2 PM departure as well. AND, will these UBERS make a pit stop for us to get wine and soda? 😁 

Last cruise was 3.5 years ago aboard Sunshine and we had a rental as we spent some time in FL after the cruise. 

25 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Basically, on the newer Carnival ships, there is a little slot that you have to put a card into. This slot is like the "master" electricity control. If no card is detected in the slot, the electricity will not work. If there is a card in the slot, then the electricity will work. The "old card" can be any type of card you will NOT USE onboard. This ranges from an old credit card to a hotel room keycard. 

Thank you! Plenty of these cards kicking around. We cruised the Sunshine in November 2015- either it wasn’t a thing or I don’t remember (very well could be). 

On 1/9/2019 at 10:35 PM, Allura_317 said:

Here are a few from the top of my head:

1. Get a side a peanut butter with melting cake (if you don't have a nut allergy...)

2. Go to Cucina del Capitano for lunch on embarkation on ships with it as it offers a free pasta bar where chefs prepare custom pasta dishes (not many know about it so it is a lot less crowded)

3. On Dream class ships, decks 6-11, save 8, have sundecks all the way forward above/below the bridge.  Pretend you are going to a forward stateroom on these decks and open the unlabeled door at the end of the hall.  (The perfect spot for sail aways)

4. If you want a sampling of entrees from the MDR, they can make pasta dishes in half portions so you don't waste as much food.

5. Blue Iguana has breakfast burritos in the morning (never had so cannot say if they are good or bad)

6. Mix the soft serve, milk, and crushed cookie to make your own milkshake (believe this was already mentioned

7. Remember the staterooms are magnetic

8. Bring storage organizers

9. Use an old card on the light thing in your room so that you don't need to worry about taking anything in and out of it or forgetting you sail and sign card

10.You can get other ice cream flavors and multiple scoops with the melting cake

11. On vista class, Mongnolian Wok is located in Jiji's with is also a good embarkation day lunch option.

12. Make your own fondue by getting the fruit plate with the melting cake.

13. This is obvious but...do all you can to enjoy your cruise!

Can you explain #9 to me? I want to better understand. I appreciate your feedback ☀️