AandBmom

We are from Canada, driving to Buffalo, then flying to LAX.

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Can someone please advise what testing is like in the US? For example, is it easy to get appointments, how quick are results, etc.  I heard it is free? Is this the case?  Any help you can offer would be much appreciated. 

We fly in the night before our cruise and will likely grab a hotel near the airport. What is our best method of transportation to the cruise terminal in the morning?  6 people. 

On 1/30/2022 at 4:35 AM, ilovesparky13 said:

We have this itinerary booked on December 10th. Can you tell me what the weather was like? Any rain?

you're better to google the weather stats for your month for each port.    Then look at the weather forecast closer to your trip. The weather there 2 years ago isn't a great indicator. 

4 minutes ago, Hoosierpop said:

The issue isn’t that it’s nothing. The question is: what is the proper response?

 

I think anyone in a high risk category should stay at home as much as possible. If they have to work, fine. Otherwise, stay home.

 

But I’ll bet a lot of people, who want things canceled, are likely going out in public even though it’s not necessary for them to do so. 

I believe the proper response is for each of us to limit activities that help this spread to ease the risk to the vulnerable ones in our communities and to ease the strain on the medical system that's already bursting at the seams. 

holy cow....Trump just banned all European travel except the UK....

26 minutes ago, fallen4ever84 said:

Our cruise leaves March 15th. We have gone back and forth a ton over the weekend but have decided to cancel and rebook. Especially with the recent State Department warning. We would be sailing with a 6 year old and 2 year old, an extended quarantine in our cabin with the kids would be my worst nightmare. And I realized the cruise wouldn't be enjoyable because we would be worrying about that possibility, catching the virus, etc. Plus the possibility of missing a lot of ports. Just not worth it.

We just made the same decision for the same reasons. 

We're getting $600 back .

We've already booked and paid for cheers for 1 of us, soda for 1 of our kids, and wifi.

I think we'll use the credit for a steak house dinner and the tips. 

3 hours ago, nascargirly said:

Where did you see the 200 obc for carnival? Anybody have more info on how to claim it or if they just apply it automatically?  We have a cruise booked in July.. booked through costco travel. Looked online but havent found anything about this yet. 

online just now....

Carnival Cruise Line’s new policy updates provide options and flexibility should you want to reschedule your vacation currently booked between now and May 31, 2020, as well as incentives to proceed with your plans.

Guests who choose to keep their booking as currently scheduled for departures between March 6 and May 31 will receive the following Onboard Credit (OBC) amounts:

• $100 per cabin for 3 and 4 day cruises
• $150 per cabin for 5 day cruises
• $200 per cabin for 6 day and longer cruises

If you choose to continue to sail with Carnival, they will automatically apply your onboard credit to your sail and sign. There is no need to call Carnival.

On 2/26/2020 at 9:59 PM, mpdog42 said:

Says somebody who lives in a country with socialist principles, I was talking about American Schools not Canada... Don't pick fights you cant win...Say hi to Justin for me please!

Come on, it was funny...... 

Our break starts March 14 by the way.....and I'll be on the Panorama that week with by brood...

2 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

It's been gone for several years.  It was so handy.

 

I especially liked that it showed how the two category upgrade within similar cabin types worked.  It takes me two paragraphs to explain in plain English what that chart showed clearly.

boo....I figured as I haven't been able to find it the last 2 cruises. I agree it was quite handy.

On 2/23/2020 at 9:17 PM, mpdog42 said:

In reference to your comment on "If you don't like sailing with a bunch of kids, then check your calendar when you book a cruise" Would you like to inform the rest us us when kids today are in school???. What idiot school systems has there break in the middle of Feb?

Perhaps a school system that teaches students the difference between "there", "they're" and "their"....🤣

Does anyone know if Carnival still has that handy price comparison calculator tool to see if the price has changed?

Found this so I'm sharing. It's the most helpful thing I've found thus far. 

https://www.traveloffpath.com/cruise-port-stop-mazatlan/

Thanks everyone 😊

27 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

That's how we are. We use it primarily for communicating with one another onboard and we love the Hub app. Other than that, I'll login to this forum now & again, but that's about it.

It's been a couples years since we did Carnival......everyone can get the hub app and use their messaging for free right?

Is there a car rental company in port?  Any experiences?

We can't easily UTV or ATV given the age/size of our kids. 

We are thinking of seeing the Arch, checking out taco spots with beer and maybe walking the suspension bridge and checking out stuff at Wild Canyon.

What is our best way of getting from cruise port to the Arch, Wild Canyon and Medano beach?

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Yeah, it's easy and you can share. You'll need the folio number (which is on your S&S card) and the birth date of the person who purchased the internet plan. Those are used to login, so since you'll buy it, your son will have to use your folio & birth date to login. One person can logout and the other logs in, or if one logs in, it'll automatically log the other one out.

OK great, that's what I was expecting.  We have no intention of staring at screens all vacation so sharing for occasional messaging will work well. 

On 2/20/2020 at 4:35 PM, Organized Chaos said:

 

You can see all of the prices here: https://www.carnival.com/help/1152

Amazing thanks.  

So it says only 1 device at a time. Is it easy to switch devices?  I'd like to share with my son if possible. 

On 12/7/2018 at 2:17 PM, bartleby112 said:

so understand the rules.  Not supposed to get drinks and give them to my wife etc.  But is this really enforceable? 

 

I think their workaround is making every adult in the room get it.   This means me and my friends cannot get a room and i buy the cheers and get them drinks all day. 

 

What could they possibly do if i went up and get a mojito and walk around the corner and give it to my wife?  I guess if they followed me they could give me a little hell. But if i drink 10 drinks a day (not happening) and i slip a drink or 2 to the wife over the length of the cruise they probably wouldn't catch on.

We've always done this. 

On 2/17/2020 at 10:16 PM, mac21902 said:

I purchased the value plan for Horizon and was able to use the wifi calling feature on my android phone. I also was able to share my wifi with other people close by. 

Do you have the price handy?

On 2/15/2020 at 5:35 PM, teknoge3k said:

Everyone responding needs to realize this thread is almost 3 years old. Much has changed since this thread begun. 

True but the recent answers are very helpful

3 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Based solely on the best ship for kids I would rank them 1. Vista, 2. Breeze, 3. Magic, 4. Freedom

 

My reasoning is Vista has the skyride and imax which none of the other ships have. It also has the family harbor room option which none of the other ships have. Actually on Vista's deck 6 forward they have the Imax, thrill theater, arcade, and i think there's a kids club all  right together there. That's where I'd want to be if I were a kid. Vista also has bigger room TVs and better internet if that matters.

 

Breeze and Magic are basically the same ship. I pick Breeze over magic for kids because down on deck 4 they have a thrill theater.

 

I put Freedom below all of the others due to a lack of sports square and ropes course. I hate the location of the arcade on the freedom. It's right between the night club and the red frog pub. I actually came out of the night club at 1am once and almost tripped on a kid. On the other ships the arcades are away from bars. Vista is the best with that full entertainment area far away from where adults are at night.

 

Now you haven't given other details that may change things. If you're having to fly in it's going to be a lot easier to get to a ship in Florida than Galveston as you gotta get transportation from Houston to Galveston which is about 45 minutes to an hour on the interstate.

I agree. My kids are around the same age and we love the Vista and the Breeze.  We're doing the Panorama next month.  We love Carnival for kids.  I feel like my kids would be bored on the Freedom.  Maybe look at NCL too. My kids have enjoyed the bigger NCL ships with lots for kids to do.  They often have good deals. 

51 minutes ago, SDPadreFan said:

It's possible that the price relates to at least one of the craft beer places being about 20 miles away in the town of San Jose del Cabo. Lots of great taco places in Cabo so you could do that on your own. We are partial to Gardinias for what we consider the best fish tacos in Cabo. Even though we do the All Inclusive option at our timeshare in Cabo, we always manage a trip to Gardinias for lunch each year. Taco Loco in town next to Rips (a locals outdoor bar) is good as well. If you went to Rips (try the Rainbow Shots) then you could get a taco next door at Taco Loco. Another place (but harder to find) is Gordo Lele's for truly outstanding Carne Asada Tacos.

 

Here is a search I did on TripAdvisor for Brewery's in Cabo. It's a great resource.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchForums?ff=84&geo=152515&scope=2&q=brewery&pid=34633&s=D

 

Thanks so much!  I'll check it all out 

2 hours ago, bakersdozen12 said:

A common misconception that people have is that Jiji’s and Cucina are free at lunch time. They are not. Rather, Mongolian Wok and Pasta Bella are served out of Jiji’s and Cucina, respectively, at lunch time. It’s not the same food. Not even close. But yes, this arrangement is included on the Panorama. 

Thanks for the info.  Cucina was free at lunch the first time I was on the Breeze.  I guess that's not a thing now.  I Mongolian wok is always free right?