misguidedangel

You can check the CD schedule on John Heald's Blog or you can go on FB and ask John to tell you who it is and do what he can to assist you in your plans for your girlfriend.

I'd be sitting on my balcony waking up some more....then I'd think about breakfast...

Your son did not do it intentionally and it was an accident. You fessed up and paid the cost to fix the problem. You're probably on the hit list for the guests in the cabins around yours, but not with Carnival. You signed saying it was an accident and you'd pay, and you did....Carnival will welcome you back....doubt they would do anything else...

Carnival is not responsible for damaging the luggage. The porters who take your bags work for the port, not Carnival. True, Carnival pays a port fee and the porters are part of the deal.

If in doubt, get cheap cancellation insurance that includes damaged luggage and deal with insurance for that. I have had my Heys luggage and used it on four cruises including air transportation, one two connection air travel, and my niece has used my luggage three times since 2011 and besides a few scuffs, it is in excellent condition.

Carnival is nice in giving you something when they know their own staff only load/unload the luggage when it is loaded onto the ship.

Perhaps, if you can. Take two rolling carry ons and two small travel bags that can all go through the scanners. You have free laundry.....

It is a thought....

It is so wrong in every way possible. If I tried to travel to the US with an expired passport I wouldn't even be allowed out of my own cities airport. I need a valid passport that has a minimum of six months left on it if I want to travel to the US. The fact they let your son travel with an expired passport and no form of ID is so wrong. Children here need passports to travel out of Canada, even if the child is only a few months old, a passport is required and most be presented.

On the upside, at least the cruise sounds like it is going well!

Perhaps in a decade, but in reality, a cruise is the time to turn OFF the electronics and to leave the phone in the safe until the ship gets back to port!

I have a tablet and did break down and get a smart phone (not that I needed it, but taking public transit each day it is nice to be able to call home and say I'll be late cuz of issues with transit). I will be bringing both tablet, ok so I have two tablets now, and smart phone so when I am on my pre and post cruise stay in New Orleans I can kick back for a little each day at the hotel at night and surf the net/FB and call home to see how my four-legged furballs are doing. I am Canadian, so bringing the phone means added costs to my phone plan and would NEVER think about using the phone on the cruise.

Also, some of us, a lot of us really, like to keep copies of the Fun Times as mementos of the cruise. I scan them and save them as a PDF on my computer.

One day we'll have interactive Fun Times, but not for at least 10-20 years...

I have run into someone I know on a ship, and in the end, it was a nightmare!!!!

Me, and two friends were on John Heald's Blogger's cruise #4 on the Glory in February 2011. We were having a blast. We went to Atlantis to see the aquarium and made a stop in the casino to drop a few bucks. It was taking a while for a friend to cash out, when someone noticed me.....It was a gal I went to school with and she had this psychotic obsession with my brother. She even said her oldest child was my brothers when the dates didn't match up and most importantly, the paternity test proved 100% that the kid wasn't his. She was still beyond obsessed and NEVER gave up and insisted the paternity test was wrong.....OK, so I am nice and she's all nice blah blah blah. We leave and go back to the ship. I ran into her again in the big theater before John did his Marriage Show and she bought me a drink and we started chatting a few minutes before the show. Needless to say, after a couple of minutes and all the gossip from the old 'hood was done and she said she was getting a divorce, my niece, the paternity test (now she was hoping a DNA would be done) rant started I QUICKLY shifted the conversation to the END of the cruise (I knew this was going to be a wee bit of trouble, but if I approached, aka diverted, things right all would be well for the rest of the cruise) and asked when they flew home and suggested a post cruise excursion. We agreed to meet for lunch the next day, but she crashed for a nap and missed it, so after 15 mintues I gave up a little annoyed (my friends went to the dining room for sea day lunch) and relieved...

I never saw them again until the last sea day when her eldest child (the one who proven NOT to be my niece) literally AMBUSHED me and my friend in the buffet line at the back of the ship (it was Chocolate buffet day so we got out meal first then went into the choco buffet line). As my friend later told me I looked like a deer staring at headlights coming at me. All I could reply to her was Uhm, ya, uh-huh, and then after a minute or two PROUFOUNDLY suggested that she go check out the chocolate buffet at the other side.....ooooh, very damning and profound.....

Well, I did mention on my call home that I did run into her and her kids/mom on the ship. I didn't go into much cuz $7 a minute is a lot and it was a quick "Everything good at home, yup, ok, cats me, Yup, ok, bye!" phone call. I came home and the next morning (got in at midnight) I told my mom all about it, and literally, I mean literally even before we got off the ship this psycho beach was already saying I had said this, that, and more.....Naturally my brother/wench in law was on the phone with my mom all freaked out, but I told her that I ran into them three times and the only thing I said was to book a post cruise excursion cuz of a late flight and to go check out the chocolate buffet.......Ya, my moronic brother was mad at me and NEVER asked me what I said...no, not even once......My mom told him what I said, but never believed her....Good grief....

Honestly, I had a great time on the cruise, but normally after the cruise I am still on a bit of a cruise high with what I did and blah blah blah, but that cruise all I could do was defend myself and what I said...this psych beach was truly in need of some help mentally because if she can lie like that it is truly sick and she should realize she needs help. I added her daughter as FB friend and before unfriending her the next day I left a comment about getting the BLEEPing story straight and to stop telling lies!

The next time I see her in Walmart, or anywhere she is going to get an earful from me and some advice to get psychological help!

Plan is to go to do a plantation tour and head over to the Garden District to check out Anne Rice's old house and others .......oh and a ghost tour....

For some, booking air with Carnival works, but not everyone. It you don't mind flying in the day of the cruise and possibly scrambling to get to to port to be the last, or in the last few, people boarding the ship before she sails, then go for it.

It is so much easier to fly in the day before and stay overnight. My experience with letting Carnival to book air for me to Florida from Canada has mixed. I had one not so bad day before (but very little connecting time and between terminals too) flight and two red eye flights. I have been fortunate to find reasonable fares to get me in the day before and get a good deal on an overnight hotel...

The way the airlines work now I would never want to fly in the day of the cruise, ever!!!

Royal's loss. Carnival moved a big ship there, so that means something. I wonder if they could put another Conquest class ship (say the Freedom) in NOLa and put another seven day cruise on Saturdays. They could leave a fantasy class and do the 4 and 5 day runs.....

I went last year and was there four days before and one after the cruise. I never had nearly enough time to check out everything I wanted to. I'm going back again four before and two after the cruise. If you can swing a few days after that would be give you more time to explore.

Place d'Armes is a nice boutique hotel to stay at and it is so close to just about everything it is well worth the money. The courtyard is really lovely, the pools nice, and I would always go for a balcony or courtyard room.....balcony first!

I would suggest you do your homework and find out what you want to do and map it out. Google Earth/street view is ideal because if you have it set right you can see bars, restaurants, attractions, shops, and so on....

Oh and if you want to buy really nice, quality mardi gras/maskarade masks, then the mask store Maskarade across from the Place d Armes is the perfect place. The prices vary from modest to really expensive....all quality made by local or US mask makers...

Museums--for $15 you can get a discount pass for three of the state run museums and three are right in Jackson Square....church is free, but it is a working church still....

Have fun!

A friend injured herself on a cruise and was able to stay. They offered the use of a wheelchair and crutches for the rest of the cruise. We got off at San Juan and took the tram to San Cristobal. The tram operator was very accommodating and assisted. When we got to there the entrance had a steep climb up. What did we do, well, three people pushed and we got the wheelchair up and all was well....we never complained......Not to the National Parks service or that the staff at tour desk if it was wheelchair friendly...it is, he just didn't say that there is a big incline to get to the entrance....

Perhaps she complained as a way to vent life's miseries......

I work in HR and deal with employee files on a daily basis. Every two weeks I get a new lot of files to make and yes, some names are so strange and difficult to pronounce and legally have to use it for payroll purpse. They get around it by using a nickname that is used in daily use for those of us who have no idea how to pronounce the name, so when you see a name that has around 30 letters and the first name and last name each have around 15 letters and you have no flippin clue how to pronounce it, "Sam" sounds kinda good...

I had one where I had no idea what the guys name was. I had three different names on at least 10 different documents and only one of the names was common on most documents.....in the end I had to mark everything with the name we have recorded for that employee...

As far as cruising goes, for them I would assume they don't mind or care if their name was altered or changed to make it easier.....Personally, I had a East Indian named Jose as a room steward, and I have never seen an East Indian man with the name "Jose"

It sucks that this group of energetic, self-centered, 20somethings did this. I have not seen that happen at a tender port, but I have see other scenarios like this on other ships.

I was on the Valor and there was a really large group of nascar fans on a group cruise. The ship was packed, and I mean packed like sardines! The nascar group at every possible chance would take up entire sections of Lido deck. If there was empty blue rockers on the raised area going up to Panorama they were quick to tell that the seats were saved and that ALL the seats were saved...oh really....The same thing with the theater, they send in a bunch of people, staged where they say and said that whole row was saved....oh really.....They did this whole cruise. It wasn't only me who was peeved off, the two ladies at the table in the dining room were peeved at them too...

Another cruise I went on, there was a modest sized group of parents with their intellectually handicapped kids. These parent and the kids seemed to think they were all that and more. Everytime there was something going on in the lounge they all were in the first or second row...no one else could ever sit there. They even had the audacity to MOVE a "reserved" sign that, when I asked one of the social hosts when I came in and made a comment, was reserved for some VIP's that Carnival had on board for the week. I got there close to an hour before the show and the parents and kids showed up about 45 minutes before the show. The stink the parents raised to the two social hosts who told them they couldn't sit in the first row ...oh my....I was back a few rows and one mother was playing up the "But my child is special" line....ya, well he went to get the CD and they didn't want this woman making a bigger scene than she was making. They let a half dozen of then sit at the end of the other side. The VIP's showed up (first formal night and dressed, oh my) and there was enough room.

Funny thing, I saw this one mom with a daughter with DS and everywhere she went she tried to butt in line, get the best seats and used her kids disability.

Most cruises it's all good, but on occasion, there are some who just think they have run of the ship and can do as they please.....

You can get a sweet littlw 16MP digital camera that will take awesome pics and fit I your pocket. The S5 is larger than the S3 I have and you wouldn't want to lose a brand new phone that could easily cost 3 or 4 times what a nice, simple point and shoot digital camera would cost.

It would be wise to find a cheap point and shoot and save the phone. What would happen if you lost it and had to pay full price to replace it. Then again, if you lost a $100-150 digital camera the loss would not be so harsh on the wallet.

Thanks for posting about the lack of security. I will need to forget I am Canadian and tell people to get off our beach!!!!!! Do you have more pics of the beach and Cabanas?

I'll have my camera get with me, so I'll be shooting pics like a seasoned Japanese tourist!!!! ha ha ha......see if I can beat the 1200 I took on last years cruise and stay in New Orleans....

in 2008, two weeks before the cruise I knew there was going to be a problem. Hanna had just blown through and Ike was forming off the coast of Africa. The day before I left I pretty well knew the Liberty would be diverted, but diverted where. Would we still be able to do Half Moon Cay and then boogie on over to Cozumel and do two or so Western ports.

Well, the day of embarkation and Ike was gonna hit the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas, so knew when they handed me the sheet at the door of the port that it was a itinerary change. They changed our route to a Exotic West. I can't remember the exact order of ports, but Roatan was last. I do know that Grand Cayman was pretty well cancelled at 10am with a storm rolling in later and seas too rough to anchor at Georgetown, so two ships (one too many) anchored at South Landing...Anyone who wanted to dive or snorkel were up the creek for Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Belize and Roatan were calmer seas, that is until the ship left and was at the back end of Ike as it was roaring it's way to Galveston......

Some didn't like the change, but I had a great time and made the best of it. It allowed me to check out tours in Roatan and Belize that I probably wouldn't have done as I had a January 2009 cruise booked for the exact same ports......

Changing itinerary is a fact of life to avoid hurricanes.....go with the flow and know the captain is doing it for everyone's, crew included, sake.....

It is merely a suggestion. Think of it this way, you can't get 2000+ people on a ship in two hours, nope.....It's a hint that embarkation might be a little delayed because of a crew check or a inspection...

I have one too and I use it for my keys instead of tossing it in the box with the other key chains.

They are still available. They were on the Conquest last September.

It is a nice way to remember that cruising is an option....me, I bought the mouse pad...

The big question is what is your budget and what can, or are you willing to spend.

Location of balcony cabin--it all depends on where you want to be. The aft cabins means a lot more walking than cabins midship and forward. Personally, I go for midship near the central elevator bank and forward. Why, 10 elevators at your disposal!

Cloud 9 spa cabin--they are for non-smoking guests only and have some added perks and benefits--different towels/robes/décor, Elemis products in bathroom, passes of Cloud 9 spa thalasso pool and thermal suite, and priority appointments for spa. It is also more expensive than a regular balcony cabin

Port or starboard--either one! Ship generally docks in NOLa on starboard.

Have fun!

The Belmont Stakes should be shown; however, John has reported issues and problems with satellite and internet when in certain areas in Alaska. It seems the mountains are high and enclose the ship making the signals crappy or nonexistent...

I do hope you can watch it, I'd like to finally see another triple crown winner...Now to get Americans to watch the oldest/longest running horse race in North America--The Queen Plate (or King's Plate when Queen Lizzie croaks and Chuckles takes over).

I too am cheering for Montreal to win, only because they are the sole Canadian team.

As for the answer to if they will show the Stanley Cup playoffs, I think you'll be missing the playoffs while on the ship in the Caribbean. The US has most of the hockey teams; however, the Canadian hockey teams subsidize and support most of the US hockey teams because we LOVE our game so much and the money made from the TV deal gives funds to the have not US teams to get more fans. Most people in the states don't give a rats behind for hockey....

You can stop by the sports bar and find out if the channel they get their sports from will show it, but I think you'll be bringing your tablet or laptop and checking the scores the next available port day at a free wifi spot to see who won and lost...

Roger's, in Canada, as of 2014/15 season will be broadcasting the games. They put in a bid no one could touch to have exclusive rights to broadcast the games.

Carnival is doing well and filling the ships with no real problems. They have added Funship 2.0 and the passengers do enjoy those added features. No, they aren't innovative but Carnival did ask what passengers would like to see on their ships and have put those features on a number of ships. We have a Red Frog Pub, we have a ropes course at sea (who else has that, and is that not innovative?), we have wrap around Promenade decks, thrill theater, the comedy club and others. The Breeze was a total break from tradition where Farcus didn't design the ship and now they have a more resort feel ship and three alternate options for dining--steak house, Cuchina del Capitano, and Asian food.

Carnival was smart in getting John to be the brand ambassador and from him they are getting great idea for what the passengers want to see on the new ships. I can only wonder what the Vista will have when the deck plans are announced...

Personally, I have looked at the deck plans of NCL's new shows, and RCI's Monsters of the Seas and they just do not appeal to me. I know a few people who went on the Oasis or Allure and they never felt like the cruise was a vacation because there was too much to see and do, and that was just the ship not the ports.....

I'll pay the lesser price to cruise on Carnival because I like the ships and it suites my budget!

I bought the original Cloud 9 spa towel (beige) when on the Splendor. I then bought the new yellow Cloud 9 spa and regular (new) blue towel on the last two cruises. I intend on getting, if space in my suitcase allows, one more of each towel. I don't have a pool, but I am fluffy and the towels wrap around with room to spare and is so absorbent!

I've never lost a towel, and on one cruise in January 2009 the ship couldn't keep up with towels I rarely got even one towel on my cabin after embarkation. I'd have to get a towel from the hut. They had so many families still on Xmas holidays that the ship was so close to max quad capacity.

Yes, you will have a problem because of 24 hour ice cream and you will have no idea what he is chowing down on when you are not with him.

Walking is the best exercise out there. Since you can't supervise all of the food he eats what you can do is pick excursions where there is beach time or snorkeling--burning a lot of calories while frolicking in the sea or snorkeling. You can also, on sea days, ask him to wander around the ship, and if you are going on a ship with a Deck 5 full walk around promenade, that will make it easier. Three or four laps around the ship having some "Mom n me" time will burn off some of the excess calories he'll consume. If there isn't a wrap around promenade, the Conquest class ships have a fairly nice walk on Panorama deck or the jogging track.

You're going to have a challenge on your hand, and I do hope your son will understand he has to control his food intake and must move as much as he can.....walk or swim everyday....