scuabacruiser

After trying several other lines, Royal, NCL, Hal, Carnival fits our needs the best. We don't mind paying more when you get more, but when that's not the case, why do it? Also Carnival pricing allows the rest of our family to cruise with us from time to time. The few loyal Royal friends we have always tickle us when the turn their nose up at Carnival. Once we talk them into a Carnival cruise, they admit it was not what they thought. Also as with all lines, the time of year you go determines the mix you have on the ship. Some cruises the ship is almost dead by 9:30 or 10. Others will have activity till early in the morning.

I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise.

I use simple regular ole printer paper. Have a very small stapler and attach them each handle on my luggage. About 3-4 staples per luggage tag. Have never had one come off yet.

Exactly what we do. Also, I never attach them until the day of the cruise even though we drive to the ports. One more thing, yeah I'm a little over cautious, I put a copy inside each piece we check just in case the handle label gets torn off.

Been a while? Oh and no pillow mints either. Sorry

No mints? Our last cruise just a few months ago, we got mints everyday. Of course the kids found my stash and wiped them out.

We had casino discounts for one of our cruises with $200 OBC, but got a better deal from another current sale online combined with past cruiser rates. Our PVP suggested we still try and use the credit in the casino once we got on the ship. We got it so that gave us both price cuts on the same cruise. :D

Also, like most Carnival ships, they have dance lessons for anyone not only on the pool deck but also at certain times in the show lounge where they also have the nightly shows. Just check out the daily Fun Times to see if and when it will be.

Try to sit/stand outside in front. There was always room there and no exhaust smell.

 

After waiting up to 1 hour for the 10 minute ride, you then have to wait up to 30 minutes getting off the tender. :mad:

 

No one we've talked to going to Catalina is happy at the change of tender service.:mad:

Easy fix, come to the East coast.:D

However, I an jealous of your Hawaiian cruise. Bucket list.

The only ship we have been on that used their own tender boats was the Norway from NCL. If course it's no longer in service since one of the boiler exploded and killed a couple of crew members while at the home port.

Aside from that when tenders are required, they are much larger than any we have seen on a ship, thus faster debarking.

Unless it has changed recently, it could not be done at the check in and had to be done at guest services. Have you been able to do this recently? I've been taking my kids for a long time, got used to this drill, and haven't really asked to do it during check in for a long time.

I honestly did not think about until this topic came up. Since they are older now and more on their own, I'm going to check it out on our next cruise.

Well, I will say that the very last person I met in the VIP line was a very sweet if rather confused and disheveled looking lady. Of course, I guess we were all disheveled looking being that it was POURING that day! Anyway, not snotty at all. I think that making assumptions about people being snooty because of their VIP level is unfair. Plenty of us are just working joes who live closer to port, can take advantage of deals, always book insides etc and manage to make platinum.

Sorry you misunderstood. I have seen some truly rude cruisers in the VIP room towards the check in agents. That, however, is not the norm by any means. Over all, everyone is in a great mood so when I see this, it really sticks out. That was my only point.

Lol. The people in the VIP line aren't taken to an underground bunker! The lines at guest services are right next to each other and I don't think you need any special requirements to see from one to the other :).

That's right, however some ports like Tampa and New Orleans, they are in separate rooms with separate lines. Tampa was the worst. One desk to help all the Ds, Ps, Suites and FTTF. I hear Tampa is moving to a new Dock. Hopefully this will be better. New Orleans was great. 6 or 8 agents, danish, fruit, beverages and nice sofas and chairs. I liked it.

I see some say they carry their soda on board, why would you not pack it in a luggage and check it, we have been checking our case of water and soda for years and never had to lug it around, maybe thats why FFTF does not really apply to us

LOL, you obviously haven't seen how they treat you luggage when you aren't looking. I would be afraid one of them would pop open on all my clothes in the luggage. I have had several pieces of luggage damaged over the years from the time I drop them off to when they get to the cabin.

Exactly.

 

But I have realized that in the part of the country in which I live salaries are lower than in other parts.

 

So, for some people $60 is less money than it is for me.

 

If I had $60 to throw out the window it would go to St Jude or to rescue animals from the high kill shelters here.

 

Perhaps the income from selling nothing helps keep the price of cruises lower.

Who knows?

I think there is truth to that, but the cost of living in some of those higher income areas cancel out the higher pay difference.

How would you even know what happens in the VIP lines? Your "even have that 'entitled' attitude" comment shows just how silly you are to be pretending you have any knowledge of what happens in places you have never been in.

You just proved what I was talking. That's the very attitude that assumes to know what level I am.

I do this when I take my kids. You don't have to do a separate cash account. Guest services can limit any sail and sign card to whatever you specify. I THINIK you can even do this on the self serve kiosks? Not sure, I've always just gone to guest services to do it. Be warned, guest services is a madhouse on the first day of the cruise. Go early.

I'm not sure but it would seem that this could be done at check in and avoid the lines on the ship. At the very least, a seperate cash account on specific s&s cards.

The last cruise with the kids, we put a limit on their cards. Once they spent it, we locked them again to keep anything from slipping through. There's enough to do without games for the week and a decent selection of sweets that are free. They do plenty of that at home.

Can you not set up a daily charge limit for certain cards when doing the online check in and sail and sign setup?

I have not seen that and I have looked.

Can you prepay an S and S card with cash? And if so, how do you go about getting any unspent cash back? My wife and I are cruising with my 13 year old daughter and her friend. Her friend will be bringing her own spending money. Would she be able to put her cash on her sign and sail card, and get the unspent portion back at the end of the cruise?

Yes and Yes, or anytime during the cruise. You can add or take money off anytime as long as the outstanding balance is covered. At the end of the cruise, the names you hear called over the ships announcement system are usually cruisers with outstanding balances.

I always enjoyed doing the line shuffle. It's fun and interesting meeting, for the most part, happy people excited about getting on a ship. More than once, we have run into the same people on the cruise and gotten together later on for an activity or show. In the VIP lines are, more often than not, much quieter and even have that "entitled" attitude.

To each their own.

But then a lot of people have used their debit card with no problems at all. Mainly depends on the bank issuing the card. They decide how long the temporary holds stay on, not the merchant.

Agreed, they should talk to your bank anyway to give them a heads up so those unusual charges wouldn't temporary lock your account. Also the bank can explain how they treat those charges and can suggest the best way to do this to keep from any holds overdrawing your account. We have done this in the past and have never had a problem.

Going to be first time cruisers with kids ranging in age from 14 to 3 and wondering what is required of the kids in the main dining room as for dress code? More concerned regarding the boys....are nice shorts allowed with a nice shirt or are pants required?

Pretty much what others have said. However they told us dress short, polo and shoes was fine on formal night but no jeans of any kind. For the girl, again no jeans of any kind or beach flip flops. Other than that, not much else.

Several years ago, we used Chase Suites. Good price, Bahama Breeze next door (if you like that), free shuttle and free parking for the week if they need it. About 15 mins from the port.

+1

I do have one question to add; am I correct in there being a liquor store in the port shopping area? I am wanting to pick up a bottle or two of 5 Barrel Rum that is only available in Belize.

Absolutely, love that stuff. I think I saw some 12 and 15 barrel last Oct when we went. Just ask and someone will point you to the right shop. Did a trip to the distillery a couple years ago before it was so easy to get at the port. That was really cool and they were very nice. This is not one of our favorite ports, but we have had some great excursions there and never felt unsafe, cave tubing, rum factory, diving and city tours. You just need to use a reputable tour guide.

St Marteen was so so. Blue Water at GT was very good, but we were disappointed in the lack of sea life. It seems the lion fish have worked on it fairly heavily. The DM took care of about a dozen of them on the dive. Haven't been to St Kitts. Given my experience with the other 2, I would go with St Kitts 1st from the reports I have seen then GT.

We have dove and snorkeled all three. For snorkeling, Roatan is the easiest to get to, cheapest and has some of the best diving and snorkeling we have ever done. After a dive, if it's a good spot, we usually snorkel between dives or after dives to check it out.

Yes, but that is my last choice. I'm not as concerned as some about ship excursions. I've had some very good dives off ship excursions and very bad ones. But I've had very bad privately booked dives as well. Sometimes the diving is just bad.

 

I might use the ship here just because of how far the walk is to get to the outside vendors. I haul all of our own gear and my 40 pound ikelite setup.

Your right, it is a haul. I normally use a collapsible hand truck. We had the same experience with Subway. We have also use AKR the 1st time we dove Roatan, much better but middleager is right. Used Las Rocas on the west end and loved them, small boat, good dives. We are going to try Bananarama in May because it's on the same beach as Las Rocas and it seems, for the non divers in our group, it has a great beach.

DH and I always choose a deck that has cabins above and below so that we are not situated under or over a noisy area. Some cabins over deck 6 might be over a night club...some cabins up higher may be under the pool area or basketball court, etc...for our May cruise we have chosen the Verandah, deck 8, got the bowling lane large balcony :) love us some balconies...Congrats on 25 years, and have a wonderful cruise!

We also like the Verandah deck for the same reasons. I have to admit that's the 1st time I heard a balcony called the bowling lane. It must be one of those long balconies on the end with one of the L shaped cabins. We loved that one. I used this same logic on all of our cruises, a cabin with cabins above and below.