cruisinqt

We've always done port side (even side.) We love seeing the port from our balcony. :) My husband usually heads back early and waves to us from the balcony as we are returning. But our favorite thing to do is watch from our balcony as the pier runners try to catch the ship before it leaves. :p I've gotten some beautiful pictures of the ports we visited from our port side balcony. On our last cruise we got our first starboard side cabin and really disliked it. Every time we pulled into port our balcony was facing open ocean which is what we see most of the time as we are sailing. We prefer to be able to see the beautiful port city we are visiting. Many cruisers will tell you that port side doesn't always face the port but after 10 cruises port side has almost always faced the port in our experiences. We discussed this at length with a senior crew member that told us they always try to have port side face the port. If they don't they get too many complaints from cruisers that expect their port side cabins to be facing port side. Hope this helps. :)

Glad to hear you liked the FTTF. We purchased it for our August cruise. Great review!

We went with him last year and had a blast. He's still in operation as far as I know. :)

It's $249 for a couple for the week or $40 per person per day. It includes everything in the spa such as the Thelasso mineral therapy pool, the steam rooms, saunas, and large private walk in showers. :)

Yes she has some really great videos posted on YouTube. It's a three part series that actually takes you through the entire spa. You should look it up on YouTube. It's really really good. :)

I just had to pipe in and tell you how sorry I am about your camp carnival experience. :( Our daughters started cruising at the ages of 3 and 5. They will be 14 and 16 on our cruise on the Dream this summer. Many of those cruises were with carnival and they loved it. They made candy jewelry, painted, loved build-a-bear workshop, and always had a blast. :) They fussed when I picked them up because they didn't want to leave and begged to go to the late night pajama parties. Camp Carnival has always had wonderful caring counselors that had tons of fun activities planned. I hope you don't let this one negative experience sour you on Camp Carnival. The way you describe your kids experience with the kids club on NCL is how we've always experienced Camp Carnival.

Only the showers, bathrooms, locker room, and excercise room are free. The steam rooms, saunas, and Thelasso therapy pool are all locked and you have to have a card to get in. People on the spa deck get access with purchase of their spa cabin but others have to pay $35 a day or there's a weekly fee of $149 pp or $249 per couple.

On the first night of the cruise the kids club is always closed because it can't accommodate the mass influx of passengers wanting to sign their kids up for camp carnival. So they have a welcome aboard orientation meeting in one of the show lounges. There's usually games and prizes too. :) Then later on there's usually some family activity planned like a scavenger hunt or dance party in another lounge area or disco. So if you go to camp carnival it will be empty. Just be sure to check the info sheets in our cabin because there will be info about it.

Also, if you go to camp carnival during the week when they're supposed to be open and no ones there its usually because they are off in another area of the ship. They often go to the lido for ice cream eating contests or to lounges to play games with Funship Freddie. We have found if you're even 5-10 minutes late they may already be gone. :(

Btw, loving your review. Keep it coming. :D

No there's not a Guys Burgers, just the normal burger grill.

They aren't as good as "Guys" but they do have grilled onions and mushrooms to put on the burgers which really adds to the flavor. And the pizza place will make homemade Stromboli for you if you ask and it's great. :) And don't underestimate the sandwich place either. It's not your normal sandwiches. They are many hot fresh made to order sandwiches. They even have a press for homemade panini's. We asked for our own custom made hot pressed sandwiches in the panini press and they had no problem doing it for us. ;) But my teenage daughter swears that the grilled cheese with double the cheese is "the bomb."

Bindy1 there's plenty to choose from for lunch other than the buffet. They have a homemade pizza place that's open all the time. There's also have the normal burger place by the pool and it's open most of the time the buffet is open. The pasta bar and the Thai BBQ are usually open when the buffet is open. And don't forget the sandwich place, their hot pastrami sandwiches are awesome. :)

Wip328 camp carnival often watches the kids for you while you're in port if that's something you're interested in. We always took our kids along with us and had a nice beach day while in port. The kids get to build sand castles and play in the water and we get spoiled with beachside service. I just love to sip on a margarita while watching the waves crash on the shore. ;)

Such great info! Thanks for such a great thread!:D

When our girls were little we used the little blow up pools and they worked great for us. Some things to remember when using one is to be sure and get a very small one. Ours was only 2 or 3 feet in diameter. A tiny one like this can easily fit into a small corner far, far away from the pool in a not so busy area. Next to the pool it's very crowded, but farther away there are a few empty areas. We usually went up the stairs to the level above the pool area. This place usually has lots of empty spots and is not used as much as the regular pool area.:)

There are always some quiet not so busy areas, you just have to find them. But I agree that right next to the pool in the main pool area is usually quite crowded. I would never put a small blow up pool in a crowded area and bother people. But if you look around, there are always a few areas that are out of the line of traffic, where people won't be so bothered, you just have to look for them. Don't get discouraged by the negative comments. Bring a blow up pool for your little one, he or she should enjoy their vacation too. Just be sure to not put it in the way of traffic or in a crowded area. Also, try to keep it as small as possible, it will makes things a whole lot easier.;)

Snowflakejen, there are a lot of cruisers that buy gifts for their cabin attendants even when it's not Christmas.:) It is a very controversial subject here on the boards because many CCers think it is a waste.:eek: Others think it is a very nice thoughtful idea.:D It's really up to you. Just do what you think is best and enjoy your cruise!:D

Okay Bicker, now this is getting pretty funny. Can you imagine $100 worth of cookies? I can just see this poor cabin attendant balancing a huge pile of cookies and trying to figure out where he's going to put it!

Actually, I don't think anyone is talking about spending $100.00 on cookies or snicker bars. It's just a small token gift probably under $10.00 to let someone know they are appreciated and hopefully assure you a little better service. I don't think it's a bad idea.

And I am actually thinking that I might just fill out a comment card for anyone who does an outstanding job. I've heard that's the fastest way to a promotion or raise. And it would probably be appreciated more than anything else. I would love it if a customer raved about my work in a comment card to my boss.

If my boss gave me cookies and no cash, I would be disappointed. If he gave me cash and cookies (which is what I am talking about) then I would be ecstatic! And I agree that this world would be a much nicer place if people were just a little more thoughtful and thankful like some of the kind CCers that have posted here about the thoughtful things they plan on doing.

Actually wieslaw, I don't buy anything for the person who cleans my hotel room because I rarely see them. And it's not always the same person every day either. But with a cruise, the same person cleans your room every day. And you see them often, or at least I do. And they do extras for you like icing down your cooler, running to get extra pillows, or making little creatures out of the towels. People don't form much of a relationship with hotel housekeepers because it's a diffferent set up than what you see on a cruise ship. With a cruise ship you have the opportunity to get acquainted with this person and you might come to like them. In anticipation of this, people get a gift for the person. If you don't like them, you can always keep it. But if you do like them, it's nice to have something to give them as a thank you.

My last cabin attendant was not young, but older with a family and kids. He showed us their pictures. He was a very nice man. When asked, he told us he hadn't gone ashore in over a week because he was too busy. So there might not always be an opportunity to go get the "snickers" or anything else he might be wanting to munch on. These people are very busy.

I also think there are still people out there that like it when you do something thoughtful and nice for them, like baking them cookies. Have you ever heard the expression "it's the thought that counts?" Sometimes, just knowing that you were appreciated means a lot. Whether or not you are given money, cookies, calling cards, or anything else, all that matters is that you did a good job and were appreciated. I think that no matter how we thank them, they will be glad that we thought of them and did something nice.

I've recently talked to a CC member that worked on a ship. And he said they WERE allowed to have candy and junk food in their rooms. He said he would have, and I quote "killed for a box of snickers." And this is coming from someone who actually worked on a ship and is speaking from experience. You are right however, that money is always appreciated. No one dislikes having money given to them. I just think that some of the CCers want to give them a more personal gift. Money can seem pretty impersonal and doesn't take much thought. And there are those who like to give cards and more personalized gifts in addition to the money they give the cabin attendants. It is just in their nature. It is who they are. They are the same people who are the first to send you a get well card when you are sick. Or they are the first one to send you a thank you card for a gift or a nice dinner in your home. Some people are just very thoughtful and and like to do very personal and thoughtful things for others. I think that's why some people want to do a little more than just hand over a few dollars. They want to do something a little more personal and thoughtful. That is why there is so much talk about what "gift to get for the cabin attendant." It is just in some people's nature to go the extra mile and do something thoughtful.

A lot of people give gifts to their cabin attendant. I talked to a CC member that used to work on a cruise ship. He said that cabin attendants work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. And they get paid almost nothing and rely on tips for their salary. Their contracts normally last about six months. That's a lot of work, and time away from your family. He said he bought lots of books and magazines to read. He also said he bought lots of chips, candy bars, and junk food to munch on. I guess the stuff to do and eat on the ship gets old real quick. I think a gift of homemade cookies would be very appreciated. I usually buy them a box of candy bars and a calling card. It seems to go over very well. I have heard much discussion on this subject and lots of people buy something for their cabin attendant.

I too, know how you feel. The movie "Titanic" kept playing through my head before our first cruise. But the ships are very safe and millions of people cruise every year. I always felt better when I thought about all of the people that work on the ship year round. It must not be too bad or they wouldn't be there. The very first thing they do is have a fire drill so that everyone knows where their life jackets are and where their lifeboat is. Yes, everyone is assigned to a certain life boat.

As for feeling boxed in, I never felt that way. Especially when on the pool on the top deck looking up at the sun. I never felt too far away from civilization because we were always passing by islands and other ships. And if there is an emergency, the ship will pull into the nearest port and let you off if it's really important. One woman said her husband was very ill, so they stopped at the nearest port and let him off of the ship. You are never too far from an island or port.

As for seasickness, I never had it but talked to many people who have. They said there is a doctor's office right there on the ship and they can give you medicine to alleviate the symptoms. They cannot give you those patches that go behind your ear because they are prescription only. And many people swear by those patches. But, as for getting sick, you do have a doctor right there on board to help you.

As for cruises in general, I think you will love it. I have yet to talk to anyone who said they hated it. It took 12 years of marriage and lots of nagging before my husband finally conceded to going on a cruise. But now, he's hooked and counts the days until our next cruise. Before our first cruise, he complained that there wouldn't be much to do in between ports and he would probably get bored. He also didn't like the idea of being locked into a schedule and only going to certain ports and only for one day each.

Well, he changed his tune after that first cruise. No packing and unpacking. No long trips in the car for hours on end. No searching for good prices at a hotel. No searching for a good deal for a rental car. Everything is taken care of for you. You just walk off of the ship, play on the beach, eat, drink, and shop. Then you go back to your room to rest. No packing and driving to the next destination.

As for things to do on the ship. Well, there's bingo, a casino, lots of lounges with live music, drinking and dancing. There's lots of swimming pools and pool games going on. We like to go on scavenger hunts or participate in the trivia contests. Every day your cabin attendant will give you a schedule of events for the next day. There are all types of activities scheduled every hour. Anything from cooking classes, to wine tasting, to art auctions can be found on the schedule. If you can't find anything to do on the ship, then you're probably very hard to please. Because there are lots of activities to choose from. I find that I worry like crazy until I get on the ship. Then, once I'm on the ship, I'm so busy doing stuff that I forget about my worries. I hope this helps. And don't worry, you'll love your cruise. One cruise and we're all hooked. Just look at all of the people on these message boards. They can't wait till their next cruise. It must be safe and fun or everyone on these boards wouldn't be so excited about cruising!