carohs

It's entirely possible that TA may not be able to remove the FAS per policy or just doesn't know how. But asking cruise critic is helpful in these situations. We all know one person doesn't always have all the answers. In which case, a second opinion holds value, and why not ask this forum where not only can you get a second opinion but several and from people who are specifically experienced in the subject you are asking about. It will either reinforce what the TA has said, or give you the confidence to tell someone no that's not right, check again or tell me why. And it also allows for the decision of whether the FAS is worth keeping the TA or booking elsewhere. I'd rather have a capable TA, and without asking here, well you may not have realized their limitations and if something else comes up where you really need a good TA they wouldn't be able to help you then either. You'd be SOL and all because you didn't know better because you blindly trusted the opinion of one person.

Yikes!! 😬

Tested it on a random sailing cuz their advertised pricing can sometimes be glitchy with more than two people. It seemed to work fine, except the desktop site still only shows a subtotal while mobile shows the real total. I was just gonna say this too. As far as I know DCL has always shown the all-in price for a stateroom. But if you needed two rooms it shows only the price for the first. Kinda wish it added it up in advance.

I would just use your CC. You can always go to guest services and deposit cash or a gift card to your account as you incur charges and lower the amount remaining to be charged to your cc. Not sure but they may even let you deposit exactly your balance.

It's right there "tipo de cambio 15.70". So $8 for a bottled water and $17 for each of those kids plates. 😲😲😲 Nope, nope, nope. And don't get me started on chicken strips and fries when you're in Mexico. But looks like y'all had a great time so far, can't wait to read more.

If you have 4 passengers (in one cabin), but only 1&2 have Plus, does Princess charge for shipping the medallion to 3&4?

Someone posted earlier that Carnival blocks it. But did you try wifi calls with an alternate app?

I haven't. For the price, you can get ships wifi and call using facetime, messenger, Whatsapp, etc. Your phone may even have wifi calling capabilities. When we're in port we do opt in for travelpass at $10/day, and find that more than sufficient for checking back in.

Wow. And how many cruises had that kid been on? That's amazing, thanks for sharing. DS and DD both thought it was awesomeness too.

Cabo is touristy and the beach is okay, but not at all like the Caribbean. Vendors will leave you alone for the most part, but there are a lot of them. If they catch you even looking at the stuff they will approach, but a "no ty" is usually all it takes for them to move on. We did walk back from it to the port, but if it's a warm day I recommend taking a water taxi. I agree there's a lot more to see/tour in Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta. Although we've only been once, we can't wait to go back. One of the excursions offered that we've been considering on our next cruise there is to La Caletas in PV. The beach looks so much nicer there than Cabo, but not worth missing out on PV if you aren't planning another trip on this itinerary.

Wahoo! Happy for you OP

Hmm well I'm reading they don't do this on the Wish. That's disappointing!

Yes, every cabin should have had bandanas delivered, usually the night before.

I like to price out my excursions and gratuities ahead of time and buy that value of gift cards using my red card, rounding up for extra expenses. Applying a GC to your onboard account is easy enough, just glance over at guest services when you pass by and take the opportunity when there's no line.

Next time look into the pirates package at bibbidi bobbidi boutique on board. You can book through the app (prior to sailing), but spaces full up fast. Also, the store for that is on a different deck than the shops, so you may have missed it. Not a bad thing for your wallet, tho! https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique/

Peak pricing on DCL is the worst. We've only ever sailed off-peak and even then, they're still more expensive. But we find the premium cost worth it, when we can get a good deal for DCL. Did you book a placeholder?

Plus expenses? What expenses exactly can't be covered by $1.7M?!

We flew Hawaiian air there, and SW back. Between the two, the Hawaiian was the better flight. Check RT fares from any of their west coast nonstop routes (Seattle, Portland, SF, LAX, Long Beach, San Diego), and if you're coming from the East Coast RT fares from your city to the west coast. You may need to break up the days and stay an overnight but it makes sense given the time change anyway.

It's hard to pick a favorite when you've only been once 😜. But in Kona we rented a car and explored. My favorite part of the day was a coffee farm tour at Greenwell farms. The tour guide did a great job of explaining the bean process, and I loved learning about the little bean that turns into my daily morning routine. In Kauai we again rented a car, but we did book a catamaran, drove to Waimea, and did a secret falls guided hike. My favorite there was the secret falls hike. My tour guide went above and beyond helping me out when my arms decided to move with zero power. Like I was doing all the right motions but I was falling way behind the group. Anyway, the falls were great if freezing cold, and the hike was beautiful. I would never normally be an outdoor person, and I especially hate hiking and camping, but there's just something about Hawaii.

I always look at the price difference between an inside and a balcony, and almost always I decide the price difference (in % not $) is not worth the upgrade. We have sufficient income now, and enough limitations on PTO availability, that we can live our day to day life without really budgeting our expenses and not give it a second thought if we want to book a cruise. OTOH, it's not so sufficient that booking a Haven or above wouldn't cause us to reassess how we spend/budget our money. It's called opportunity cost. What I'm trying to say is, I'd rather have a car payment, for example, something I use every day than a more expensive cabin that I may only enjoy a few days out of the year. The way I look at it is, we all make choices as to what we value and spend our discretionary income that way. Whether it's vacations or Starbucks or whatever. Even the choice of where to buy a home, if you choose to buy a home, assuming you're fortunate enough to have that choice, is subjective. When it comes to what I value in cruising? Well no matter what being on a ship is more luxury than I have at home. A butler is a bit much for me, when already we get someone who makes your bed, takes our the garbage, and picks up the dirty dishes. Bring my kids along, and I get the luxury of knowing my children are in a safe space with age appropriate entertainment, that btw they love and want to do. It's not absent parenting because they know the expectation of their behavior and we still have so many shared family memories throughout our time on board. Having a plethora of choices of what and when to eat is also a luxury. I don't have to think twice about whose hungry when and what meal preference four different people have. Not having a little extra space or a window isn't going to take away from the little luxuries I love about cruising. Maybe later in life we'll decide to upgrade more often and become like sthrngary. For now? Give me an inside room and I'm more than happy to be on a ship.

This is me too. Last minute everything, and I too always forget something. Thankfully I have DH, who somehow is able to predict exactly what I'll forget and pack it for me. Of course, he let's me do a mild freak out/bummer face for a few minutes before he finally coughs it up. It also helps that there is literally nothing I could possibly truly need for me to forget. Yeah sure, a 7 night cruise with only the clothes on by back would be uncomfortable to say the least, but I would live, right? Fortunately, it's never that extreme when there's a walmart or publix nearby!

Those are just awful! I'll take the purple ones, please.

😂😂😂😂😂

I really don't actually 😅 DH does and takes all the beautiful pictures, but I'm not a morning person at all. He always shares the pics with me, but in a perfect day, I feel like I would get to see it for myself and not be grumpy, tired, or otherwise annoyed to be awake.

Ooh, this is fun! Well, since you said perfect, some of this may not be entirely realistic. I wake naturally, no loud bangs or other startling noises, after a wonderful night's sleep. The coffee is piping hot and delivered a few minutes thereafter. I then walk outside to the balcony discovering to my delight that the sun is just about to rise and I am able to take pictures and have several moments of mindfulness, enjoying the view and grateful that I get to experience this. DH is somewhere in this picture, too. We walk to lido, where we find the last person in line has just finished being served at Blue Iguana, and we get our breakfast burritos with no wait. We go back to the stateroom and get ready to go to the Spa. We get a relaxing couples massage then I grab my book and find an open thermal lounger to sit down, relax, and enjoy the view. In the afternoon we grab lunch, where we snag a table by the window, and get chocolate chip cookies and soft serve. Then we head to Serenity for drinks and the hot tub. In a perfect world, the tub is mostly empty but we make new friends with our fellow passengers there. In the evening, we head back to the stateroom for a shower and a nap. After we get ready for dinner, and head out for pre-dinner cocktails. In a perfect day, there's no line again, and the singing group is really good. We people watch and then head to enjoy a 3 course dinner, served by the friendly wait staff. After dinner, we head to the comedy showcase, grabbing two cocktails on the way. On the way, we also happen to walk past the casino when a whim slot spin lands on the Jackpot. Score! After comedy, I convince DH to take me dancing. We dance until my feet hurt, and then crash back in our rooms, looking forward to doing it all again the next day. Or maybe changing it up depending on my mood.