cruisinqt

We booked our first transatlantic repositioning cruise in October 2023. We are long time cruisers but are completely new to transatlantic cruising. The cruise is 2 weeks long starting in Barcelona Spain and ending in Orlando Florida. I’m not worried about the return flight, that won’t be a problem. By the way, we are flying out of Dallas Texas, probably DFW. But the flight to Barcelona has me concerned. The problem is that my husband is 6’6” tall so we would prefer premium economy, comfort plus or some other type of upgraded seat that has more leg room. We can’t afford the business or first class seats that are currently priced $4,000-$8,000 per person. The normal economy seats are a decent price ($700-$900). But the premium economy or comfort plus seats are ranging from $1400-$1600. I’m not crazy about the price but we can do it if we have to. I’d like to wait and watch to see if the prices go down a bit. We have plenty of time. But I’ve noticed that the four nonstop flights currently offered from the USA to Barcelona (yes there’s only 4 offered) are already sold out of their premium economy seats. There’s plenty of business class and economy seats but the premium economy seats are already gone. Now I’m worried that if I wait there won’t be any decent seats left. Is this usually a problem? Do premium economy seats sell out pretty quick? Or is it just that an American thing and they sell out in America because there’s so few nonstop flights available? I don’t have to do a nonstop from the USA, we can do a layover anywhere. I just thought I might catch a cheap flight to JFK or MIA then do a nonstop to Barcelona and skip the whole doing customs in a foreign country between flights thing. But seeing the premium economy seats sold out has me worried now. Im still seeing premium economy seats show up with connecting flights in other countries. But should I be worried about them selling out their premium economy seats too? Im not sure if I should book something now even though it’s a bit pricey or if I have enough breathing room to wait. What do you guys think?

All he needs is the app on his phone. You answer the incoming call just like any other incoming call. With my mom I just downloaded the app on her phone ahead of time then called her just to try it out. She answered right away and didn’t even know I was calling via an app. You might try this out with your father and see if it works.

Yes carrier based WiFi calling is blocked. But you can call with apps. On the Panorama 2 weeks ago I did an audio call and a video call via Snapchat with my daughter back home when an emergency popped up. It worked just fine.

We’ve been cruising multiple cruise lines for the past 20 years including Royal, Carnival, Princess, Hal, Norwegian etc. And I have to say that of them all Royal and Carnival are the most similar. They may not have been that similar 20 years ago but Carnival has come a long way since then. And Carnival’s newest class (the excel class: Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) are more similar than any of them, especially with the way the ships laid out and the extra activities on board like roller coasters. I felt like I was on Royal when I was on the Mardi Gras. We are doing an Alaskan cruise on Quantam of the Seas in May but we just got off the Panorama last week and I think you’ll like it. Here’s some things Carnival does right that is available on the Panorama that you should check out: 1-Go to the late night adult comedy shows 2-Try a beer sampler at the micro brewery 3-Try the Sky Zone indoor trampoline park 4-Do the Sky Ride on the top deck 5-Eat at Bonsai Teppanyaki where chefs cook your meal right in front of you 6-Get a Thermal Suites pass ($149-$159pp) and enjoy a hot bubbly therapy pool, steam rooms, saunas, & heated marble loungers for the whole week 7-Go to the Deal or No Deal show it’s a blast & if you’re a contestant you may win $

I was just looking at this excursion too. It packs a lot into the tour and sounds like a lot of fun. But the way I took it was they hook up the team and do a practice lap around the track for us to watch. But I’m also curious to see the answers here. Maybe I read it wrong.

We’ve always had free texting using our iPhones as long as it’s connected to WiFi. No glitches and no missed texts. But it’s only from iPhone to iPhone. But if you’re wanting to communicate for free from an iPhone to an android I’d try Snapchat. We’ve done video and audio calls via Snapchat while onboard and it’s been somewhat reliable. But it requires a WiFi purchase and it isn’t a group chat. I don’t know of a group chat with different types of phones that would work on a ship. But if it’s all iPhones it would work.

For many years we have used our normal texting feature on our iPhones while on board. All you need is WiFi and it’s free. And yes I'm certain it’s free because our phones are in airplane mode and we are never charged. I thought everyone else with iPhones did it too so I’ve never mentioned it. But I’ve had several cruisers on this last cruise tell me they had no idea about it and I should spread the word. Especially since the “chat” feature on the Hub app is so glitchy and unreliable. So here I am, spreading the word. It’s very reliable and I have never missed a text or had a text not sent. And did you know you can also make video and audio calls for free with Snapchat? Last week while on the Panorama our cat became very ill and my daughter did a video call with us to have a look him at him and decide what to do. An emergency visit to the animal ER was decided to be the best choice. And I’m eternally grateful that we knew about this option because he had to be put down (he was 14). We were able to do another video call via Snapchat and see and talk to him before he passed. I try to stay off my phone and disconnect and unwind as much as possible while on vacation. But in situations like this I was so thankful to have the technology available to say one last goodbye to our fur baby of 14 years. Im hoping this little tidbit of info helps my fellow cruisers enjoy their cruises even more. Happy sailing my friends!

We cruised the Mardi Gras in July and liked it so much we booked the Celebration in February. The Excel class reminds me a lot of Royal Caribbean. It’s very different from any other Carnival ship in the way it’s laid out and how it’s decorated and flows. And for the first time ever, I got lost in the casino. That’s a first for me but the casino is truly massive. I really liked the variety of specialty restaurants like Emeril’s which has excellent Cajun food super cheap. Breakfast was $3, huge side dishes and appetizers were $4 and main entrees were very reasonable. We enjoyed the $4 beignets (big enough to split) every evening as a late night snack. The boudin balls and red beans and rice were excellent. They tasted just like they do in New Orleans. Rudy Sodamin has a nice restaurant that we really enjoyed too. Shaq’s chicken place had really good chicken biscuits that was a great place to grab breakfast quickly and get off the ship while in port. The food alternatives were a big hit with me. And don’t even get me started on the street eats area, it was so good. Okay if you haven’t guessed already, I’m a foody. One other big improvement is that the Excel class has soda fountains in the Lido and at Guys bbq restaurant. Just swipe your card and pay by the ounce or if you have the bubbles program just swipe and go. I really enjoyed filling up my tumbler and not having to wait in long lines at bars to get a soda. The Excel class also has many more shopping options onboard with many of them being recognizable name brands like Victoria’s Secret. If it were me I’d be doing the Excel class ship just because it’s so different and has so many new things to offer. I also really appreciated that they had 2 comedy clubs open and going all evening so the lines weren’t so bad. The shows were staggered like 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, etc. It was so nice not to have to rush to the comedy club right after dinner and stand in line forever. Carnival really outdid themselves with this new class of ship. They fixed a lot of problem areas and added lots of new interesting things.

Carnival's strong points are: many homeports throughout the US, many itineraries, larger cabins, competive pricing, lots of food choices with many specialty restaurants being free, good value for the travel dollar, sailing year-round, and lots more late night activities like the night comedy club and late night deck parties. Carnival also has great spas with decent prices for services too. Carnival's weak points are: crowded ships, inconsistent food quality, and clinging shower curtains. Ignore the posts about Carnival being rowdy or a party ship. That’s not true. It’s just cruise snobs loyal to higher end cruise lines that like to perpetuate that baseless rumor. Costa's strong points: Competitive pricing, good value for travel dollar, excellent Italian food, toga night, and the chance to meet lots of European travellers Costa's weak points: Past guest program, cigarette smoke, limited itineraries, limited US homeport, and they don’t sail year-round. Overall, Carnival isn’t that much different than Costa except that there any as many European travelers on board or things that appeal to European travelers like Italian eateries.

I love that game too. I’m not sure if it’s on either of those ships. You might go to the “cruise casino” boards and ask that question, they might know more there since it’s all about gambling. Just click on “cruise conversations” and the “cruise casino” board will show up.

For both my Horizon cruise in February and my Mardi Gras cruise in July we started boarding at 11:00. I think they’ve been getting people off the ship early and boarding earlier than noon for a good while now. Though one guy on the boards here swears he tipped his cabin steward and was allowed to hang out on his balcony till 11:00. I’m happy to hear that they’re boarding earlier though because we’re Platinum and have the 10:00-10:30 slot for our Panorama cruise next week. Hopefully I’ll be sipping a cocktail on the Lido before 11:00 this time.

When you print your tags up it should say Platinum and you’ll be considered Platinum from day 1. The best benefit hands down is the free laundry service. We get 3 loads each per 7 day cruise so I can pack light since the clothes get laundered so often. I love getting everything that’s dirty washed on the last day so I take home a suitcase full of clean clothes. It’s awesome!

I’ve cruised with Royal, Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, and Hal. Out them all Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the most alike. They both have a young fun crowd (not rowdy or drunk like some cruise snobs like to say) and more fun youthful activities to do. Where other cruise lines pretty much shutdown after 10 pm, Carnival and Royal still have lots of fun stuff to do. Some things I really like about Carnival is the Punchliner Conedy Club with shows throughout every afternoon and evening including late night adult comedy shows with top notch comedians. Carnival is also known for having larger cabins than most cruise lines. Their standard inside cabin is bigger than everyone else’s. Carnival also has a much better selection of free food venues to eat at though I agree that Royal has better MDR food. With their sky rides, ropes courses, and roller coasters Carnival is very similar to Royal in both the median age of cruisers and young fun activities for the young and young at heart. I would ignore the people that say Carnival is a rowdy cruise line full of drunken partiers. If you’ll look at their list of past cruises I guarantee you won’t see Carnival listed because they’re not speaking from experience, they’re just repeating gossip. Many people are very loyal to specific cruise lines and love to think theirs is the best and bash all the others. The people you need to listen to are the well traveled cruisers that have been on lots of cruise lines so they can give you an unbiased opinion. That being said, I’m head to Alaska in May on the Quantam of the Seas. But before that we’re doing the Carnival Celebration. We love them both and prefer them over the other cruise lines. If you do Carnival I’d suggest a balcony. Your son would be on the sofa bed but it’s quite comfy and makes into a real bed. Carnivals beds are so nice you can order them online.

I agree, 10:00 is probably the latest they’ll be able to do. I’ve heard cruisers say they hung out in secluded areas and were able to stay till 11:00 but I think that’s a rarity.

The cabin steward will be knocking on doors and reminding folks they have to be out of their cabins by 8:00 am so they can clean and prepare the cabins for the next guests. Most guests are off by 9:30-10:00. You might be able to hang out a bit and push it till 10:30 or 11:00.

The older ships like the Spirit might not have the extra rooms but the newer ships definitely could do it. On the Dream class, Vista class and Excel class I’ve done trivia games in good sized lounges perfect for a comedy show. Our cruise director on the Mardi Gras told us it was kind of a test run of sorts and if it goes over well then Carnival might do it on other ships. We are going on the Panorama next week and I’m asking the cruise director there about it too. The Punchliner comedy club is one thing we really like about Carnival that we wish other cruise lines would do.

Yeah one was in the Punchliner comedy club and the other one was in a different place. They staggered the shows. It was 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 etc all evening long. It was great because if the line was too long you could go get in line for the next showing. We never had long lines for the comedy shows because there were plenty to choose from all evening and they switched to new comedians halfway through the cruise. Carnival finally figured out how to do the comedy shows properly on the Mardi Gras. I hope they implement this routine fleet wide. Another thing I like about the Mardi Gras is the fountain drinks. You can fill up on soda at a fountain machine on the Lido and at Guys Pig & Anchor. Just swipe your card to pay by the ounce or if you have bottomless bubbles just swipe n go. It’s so much easier than standing at a bar waiting forever to get a soda. Plus the Mardi Gras has Emeril’s Bistro which was amazing and very cheap. I got a huge platter of red beans & rice for $5. It was enough to share with several people and very delicious. They also have beignets that were identical to what I’ve had in New Orleans that was just $4. My husband and I made the mistake of ordering 2 and it was way too much for one person. The prices were pretty good. The desserts were $4, breakfast items $3, and kids meals were $3. They offered market-priced seafood at reasonable prices and huge entrees that varied in price but I remember them being very inexpensive. We mainly went there to grab a quick breakfast when we wanted to avoid the crowds and get off the ship quickly while in port. Or for a sweet tooth craving or a snack. They were never crowded, there’s no reservations required, and every dish we had was above average. My husband says I should recommend the lemon ice box pie to you because he loved it. I’m not much into lemon stuff but he raved about it.

The cruise lines always encourage departing flights to be no earlier than 12 since there are so many unforeseen issues that can arise. Sometimes there are weather delays, an ill person needs to be escorted off, an unruly passenger needs security to escort them off, etc. Once on one of our cruises an older gentleman fell and was injured during debarkation. It delayed us for over an hour waiting for medical personnel and an ambulance. Stuff like this has only happened a few times for us over the years. But each time it delayed debarkation for at least an hour or more and on one cruise debarkation didn't start till 10:00 am. (I haven’t sailed out of New Orleans since.) If it was me I’d bite the bullet and pay extra if I had to for the later flight. Even though odds are you’d probably make it if debarkation went along smoothly like it’s supposed to, the worrying about it isn’t worth it. I did an early flight like that once many years ago and the worry about making the early flight bothered me the whole trip. Good luck, I hope they work with you on changing flights.

If you know you booked an Elite cruise and you don’t get an email about your perks like I did, don’t call Carnival. I called Carnival 2 weeks before my cruise and they incorrectly informed me that the email about the perks doesn’t get sent out till the week of your cruise. Which honestly sounded suspicious to me that they’d wait till the week of the cruise to set up airport transfers, order liquor, put credits into your account, etc. So of course it was no surprise that they were wrong. I’m glad so many of you posted here on the boards that you got your Elite perks email 3 weeks before the cruise and urged me to contact someone about it. Yesterday I sent an email to the casino host and he called me today. He was very apologetic and set everything up for me over the phone. Had I not called I probably would have been overlooked and wouldn’t have gotten those perks. I picked out a nice wine and some juice and sodas for our cabin. We got a $300 credit added to the spa for us. And I set up airport transfers to and from the ship. I’m so relieved to get all of that done. Setting up airport transfers was worrying be the most with the cruise only 12 days away. Learn from my mistakes and contact the casino host, not Carnival.

I’ve done both and it’s absolutely worth the extra drive time to be on the Mardi Gras. It’s such a different ship from what Carnival usually does. It felt more like I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise except it had Carnival's superior food and great late night comedy shows. On the older ships like the Glory there’s one comedy club with only a few shows a day which means super long lines, especially after dinner. The Mardi Gras had 2 comedy club locations with tons of shows scheduled. The lines weren’t bad at all. Plus the Mardi Gras has lots more restaurants to choose from for those late night munchies or just wanting to try something different for lunch. I also really liked the roller coaster, it was a blast.

Yeah Royal Caribbean and Carnival are so similar I just go with who gives me the best deal. I’ve had good and bad experiences with both lines but they’re very comparable to one another. I always tell my dh that I wish I could take the best of Royal Caribbean and the best of Carnival and combine it to make the best cruise line ever. Carnival has given us better Caribbean cruise options. But for Alaska Royal Caribbean’s offer couldn’t be beat. We are headed out to Alaska on Quantam of the Seas in May. It’s always nice to have options but I never turn away from any cruise line because any day at sea is way better than a day on land.

You might check the battery on your Tile. The AirTags have a small battery inside that needs to be replaced once a year (unless you remove it while not in use). My husband picked up a bunch of the batteries for it at Dollar Tree.

That technology (the U1 chip) has only been installed since the iPhone 11 so it is very doubtful that your friends old iPad can pull off that trick. Same with the Smart Tag+ by Samsung. The Ultra Wide Band technology has only been incorporated in the models S21 and newer. That Ultra Wide Band technology is what makes these items so valuable for tracking lost luggage. Pinpoint accuracy compared to ballpark accuracy. Tile is also working on incorporating Ultra Wide Band technology in a future product. Yes his older iPad doesn’t have access to the newest technology with AirTags. But it did sync up via Bluetooth. And he can go onto his “Find My” app and look on the map to locate where his AirTag is. He is still able to use the pop up quick setup window, get directions (gps only), play sound (over Bluetooth), use the AirTag lost mode, and identify a found AirTag which is still a lot for such a low price. It’s not pinpoint accuracy like you would get with the newer iPhones but he’s very satisfied with the results and it does what he was needing it to do. Even though having a newer iPhone would be ideal, people can still use their older Apple products in conjunction with the AirTags and do a decent job of keeping up with their belongings, which was my basic point. Though I have to admit, I have an iPhone 13 Pro and I love how well it works these AirTags. The precision and accuracy is amazing.

You can also use the AirTags if you have other Apple products. My friend doesn’t have an iPhone (he’s an android guy) but he bought a friends older iPad to use for his AirTags and they work great with it.

Amazon has them for $94.98 for a four pack or $27.98 for just one. That’s where I bought mine.