jsglow

Yep. We do every cruise. I think it pops up as an option right after putting in one's Passport info.

They don't anymore. They had already announced plans to leave the port prior to the pandemic. I think the last cruises had been scheduled for Spring '21. Obviously the shutdown accelerated that. We certainly had one booked to take advantage one last time.

The dress code and the menu selections are essentially identical to any standard Carnival Caribbean cruise. Most (all?) Med cruises are a bit longer than 7 days so there's some added menus you might not have seen but would be on a Journeys cruise, for example.

I guess they over compensated, eh? Hawaii is 2-3 hours behind Cali depending on DST. 🤨

For 'normal' cruises, yes. These unique situations are always tougher. We frequently email with our independent cruise operator once we know the ship time v local time situation onboard.

Absolutely correct. This is especially true as you will traverse 3 different time zones to your end destination. My GUESS is that Captain will move you back an hour on the initial sea day, then leave it until you pass through the Canal where he'll do 2 steps once out in the Pacific with numerous sea days to work with.

When your group is ready you check in on the App and get in the queue. Your group will be assigned a table when an appropriate one becomes available. There is no pre-arranged time. Enjoy.

The answer OP is Yes, you can drop and go.

Especially if you 'get to know' your bartenders I don't think this will be a problem. Obviously have him take both S&S cards.

Pride might be our favorite ship. I note that you said 'several' bottles of wine. That's incorrect. Each adult is allowed ONE 750ml bottle in carry-on luggage only.

Yeah, we'll eventually try out one of the Excels. But we're in no rush and will be watching prices.

So this is a good chance OP to decide if you are really a RCCL cruiser at heart meaning that if the ship is the destination and you could care less about the ports then Celebration is for you. Frankly, in that case, maybe Icon of the Seas (or some other mega) is even a better fit for you. My personal choice would be Magic by a very wide margin. She's a wonderful ship with plenty of features. I personally don't want 'Disney theme park' at sea. And the St. Maarten itinerary wins hands down. What you're looking at is perhaps Carnival's very best 8 night itinerary. Enjoy.

I'm going to speculate No. The Social Plan does not give you general internet access beyond certain social media sites such as FB, etc. It is not simply a throttled down access. To have full internet (at low speeds) one at least needs Value. For any type of real time streaming, Premium is necessary.

Yeah, early on it took some time for them to know where the selection was on various screens on their tablet. This was especially true with specific wines. With repetition they'll be fine.

We initially saw it on Radiance back in November. We saw it again on our 2 week Journeys in January.

And it's really not that much more expensive, at least back when we used to do it 15 years ago when our kids were teens. Plus that second bathroom is a huge advantage.

You're coming a long way and may never return. Certainly give yourself at least 3-4. And no, you can't squeeze in a visit to the Grand Canyon! Enjoy.

I do think a car is the way to go @cavaaller as it'll give you the most options. And our roads will feel sufficiently familiar to you. One day you could head to Mt. Rainier NP. The next day you could head out to Olympic NP. Personally, I'd want one day in the mountains, a second day on the seashore and possibly a 3rd day at one of Seattle's great museums followed by some urban time in Queen Anne, Fremont or Ballard. Seattle is a stunningly beautiful place to visit with loads of outdoor recreation at your fingertips. The locals can do a great job guiding you. Oh, they also brew some darn good beer! 🍺

The VAST majority of times one gets exactly what one books. Do note that there are 3 categories: Inside, Oceanview and Balcony. Options aren't sliced more granularly. I don't believe there's a Suite Gty but I could be incorrect.

So the reality with Texas is that the liquor must actually be purchased IN Texas. The ships have a completely separate bar supply that literally gets boxed up and stored away the moment they get to international waters. Total PIA. I'm guessing that the accounting for that is completely separate making the handling of Cheers a literal impossibility practically speaking.

Yes, it certainly can and likely will be a Cove.

We used mine on a 2 week Journeys. We still have my wife's 'in the bank'. As others have said, use only on expensive cruises. Right now we're approaching 30 cruises so no rules about when they must be used by. AND, Carnival won't remind you. We arranged usage via our PVP. Her advice was to let her know approximately 30 days before the planned cruise. Once she does the paperwork, it showed up as OBC about 2-3 days before the cruise.

Absolutely no problem. I believe, but am not certain, that by that age the 'must be in an adjacent cabin' requirement doesn't apply. (Looks like the 3 door rule replaces.) Thanks @mz-s!

And by the way, the shuttle isn't the problem. Hoping on a Carnival bus that leaves MCO precisely at 1pm is fine. Do note that it is the last bus however.

You're very welcome. Please heed our advice. Is this your first cruise?