pyropoodle

6 minutes ago, sturderick said:

They are gone 😞

i feel like they offer them once a month or so.  I'd suggest signing up for their flash alerts and keep an eye open for them. they will come around again.

thanks. i missed this last time they did it because they sold out.  scooped up a couple this time.  hopefully, they'll do this once a month. even saving 30 bucks a month adds up after a while

5 minutes ago, ToniV said:

Are you aware that babies/children in diapers of any kind (including "swim diapers") are by law forbidden to enter cruise ship pools and hot tubs, even "family" pools and hot tubs? No one in a diaper, and no one needing a diaper of any kind, no one not completely toilet-trained, is allowed in. 

I'm aware...and there are beaches.  I've cruised with babies before, but thanks for your concern poster with 12 posts.

Bless you for taking on a newborn.  hopefully you booked with insurance or something that is at least partially refundable or maybe carnival would work with you to change the dates.

if you can't find a babysitter, send her to NYC.  i'll babysit for you!  I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old, so there is always room for 1 more. 

I am juuuust under 6 months from sail away and i'm getting sooo impatient.  tonight, i made myself a couple of Malibu Rum & Pinapple drinks -- then I opened my bedroom window  so i could listen to the traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway and pretend I was listening to the ocean waves from my balcony.   I can almost smell the ocean through the exhaust fumes. 

i reckon if i had to pick one, i'd pick morning.  that way, we'd come into a nice neat cabin for the day and could enjoy the towel animals as decoration for the day.   i have two smalls, so they'd trash it in a minute, but at least i'd feel like we started the day on the right foot. 

I also found this....

Hours
Camp Ocean is unable to accept children under the age of 2 during activity time. Children under the age of 2 are welcome to join Camp during specific times listed here.

•  Sea Days: There are limited times throughout the cruise for ‘Under 2' time. During these times, parents have the option of leaving their child in the care of the Youth Staff (fees apply: $6.75 USD per hour plus a 18% gratuity, per child) – or - they can stay and use the camp facility at no charge. This time is designated for the use of 'Under 2’s' and their parents only. Check onboard for specific times offered. Hours may vary due to cruise itineraries.
• Port Days: While in in port, parents have the option of leaving their child in the care of the Youth Staff (fees apply: $6.75 USD per hour plus a 18% gratuity, per child), however, we do not provide meal times for children Under 2.
• Evenings: Night Owls - for details and fees, see Night Owls (babysitting). From 10:00pm-1:00am each evening in the camp facility, a ‘slumber party’ type atmosphere, including movie time, toys and room service snacks. During this time, there will be children from other age groups (2-11 years) participating in Night Owls. Cribs are available if needed.

this is just one of the reasons that we personally decided to wait until our daughter turns 2 to sail.  i need the rest and vacation time and while i love her to bits, i need the time away to relax and recharge.   that's just me though. we've never used a baby sitter (we don't have anyone so that's the reason) and i have a 4 year old to boot, so it was important that both kids be off in camp ocean when we sail.  it's been a long wait for our upcoming august cruise, she actually turns 2 the day we sail. ahhh, i can't wait. 

also, I believe there is a CVS at the port that sells them, so probably cheaper than the ones at the fort as well.

thanks for that info.  i didn't know that.  i never looked because i'll never make it to 100 cruises.  if i make it to 25, i'll be happy.  it's nice that they do something for those milestones though. 

luggage nowadays has wheels. 

there are literally only  8 ways to get there..

Uber/ Lyft/ taxi/ shuttle/ walk/ have a friend drive you/ parachute from a plane/ hitchhike

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

What is this in reference to? I just reread the entire thread and found nothing about walking anywhere.

 the question in the subject was "how to get to the ship from miami airport".  the 1st post was "anyone have suggestions"

well, if he has the time, walking is an option. 

This might be kind of a weird tip, and it didn't even occur to me to share it until my hubs mentioned it...

on the inside of the cabin door, you have that little door sign that says Cruisin' on one side and Snoozin' on the other side.  wellllll....especially if you are snoozin', i usually hang it on the outside (hallway side ) of the door and then close part of it up in the door (not sure how to describe that, but close the door so the sign is kind of stuck in the door. 

on one or our cruises, there were little sign thieves running around the ship removing the signs, and ours was one of them, so needless to say, on a day when we wanted to sleep in, the room steward didn't know we wanted to sleep in and hilarity ensued...so, now if we use that sign, we just make sure it won't be yanked off of the door by nefarious youthful types by kinda cramming it partly inside the door.    

everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time....

i have my first cruise out of NYC this august.  It isssss a lot of sea days, but this will be our first vacation as a family of 4 with 2 littles and I really did not want to deal with flying and trying to take a suitcase just for diapers.  so, we will take those sea days this go around and enjoy our time on the Sunrise, but NEXT NYE I will fly the family to Miami and enjoy the Magic!  best of both worlds.

4 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

I fully understand your feelings and in no way wish to see perks diminished.

 

My post was a reflection of what I fear will happen eventually, not what I hope will happen.

 

Meanwhile, like you I am doing one a year and enjoying the heck out of each one.  One year I got to cruise twice, under very unusual circumstances.

 thanks for clarifying.  i didn't mean to pick on anyone specifically, just kinda voicing my frustration with the whole thing.  i really hope that if they do make changes, they don't change the platinum days to get to platinum.  i am totally ok with them adding other tiers between plat and diamond and i actually think that there should be a tier past diamond.  the tier past diamond (or maybe a milestone like 100th cruise or 75th cruise) should almost get a free cruise.   i know those tiers are really not as productive on their own, like say the casino people who can cruise virtually free on many cruises simply by losing a lot of money to carnival, but gosh golly if someone has 100 cruises under their belt, they ought to be given something for loyalty. just my .02. 

For me, I'm not in a position to travel more than once a year.  (next year is kind of freakish because I have a summer cruise booked and a NYE cruise in the same year)  other than that, I'm not one to really cruise twice in one year. I think 2012 was freakish as well because I took my mom on a cruise and I had a separate cruise with my DH, so again...not the norm)  wish I could cruise all the time but I'm not retired nor made of money, soooo, I take what I can get.

that being said, for those of us who do have to take a long, winding journey to things like platinum, it just really sucks when people are like "oh, I made platinum in 3 years and I hate all the junk they give me".  or other saying 'there are too many platinum, they should up the days or take things away from them"   I'm happy that people can make platinum in 3 years,and I'm happy it was a fast, easy journey for them.  it's great to be able to spend your free time doing something you love and getting a tervis tumbler for your trouble..... and now that my kids are cruising with us, they'll be platinum before they are adults, so that's cool too.  I just don't want them to take anything for granted.  I work really hard to be able to cruise, and that one little 7 day stretch out of a year is sometimes the only positive thing I look forward to.  so, while being platinum might suck for others or might be gained quickly for others, it really is a mini goal that I'm looking forward to reaching and it has taken over a decade to get there.   I don't need priority or free drinks or blankets or hugs from the captain, but I want my little platinum card. I just do.   I really hope they don't add days to get there.   i'll never be diamond, so add as many tiers in between plat and diamond as you want to, but don't take things away or move the goal dates.  it's frustrating.

I'm happy to get the free gift.  people keep complaining about the most recent gift of the blanket and I'm over here like, "my feet are cold, i'll take it off of your hands".

and early embark would be cool.   I refuse to pay for FTTF, so it would be nice to have those perks

at the rate I'm going (around 1 cruise per year *some years*)  I will be platinum at some point in 2021..unless they add more days to get to platinum, in which case, I might die

not that I'm cruising for platinum or perks, but I'm 4 cruises away from that goal and I have 3 currently booked. 

9 hours ago, joepeka said:

It's a good question. Carnival's term "deluxe suite" applies to all suite categories, including the Ocean Suite.

thanks so much.  love these boards!

13 minutes ago, joepeka said:

True. I just listed the FTTF perks because they specifically call out those that are likewise suite perks. Carnival is very vague about suite amenities and this list is the best I've found which calls them out. There are also the laundry and bottled water items which aren't listed for suite guests.

dumb question, when it says "deluxe suite" is that any suite or specific suites?   i only ask because we have a suite booked for our upcoming cruise and it's an "ocean suite" but not sure if that is deluxe or not. 

181 days...tomorrow, it will be exactly 6 months until we sail away

Hi all,

our cruise gets into San Juan very late, around 3:30 when many things that my kiddos might enjoy will be closed. (like the children's museum for instance)... years ago, when it was just hubs and i, we did bio bay by kayak and it was the coolest thing.   now, my kids will be 2 & 5 and there is NO WAY i'd take them out in a kayak, but wondering if a boat with a motor might be an option.  

has anyone ever done this?   I've tried to google and the scant info i find doesn't have a lot of info and it's not really clear if the places with websites are even still in business.   

have you had any luck using a tour for the bio bay by powered by motor boat?  if so, what was your experience?  how did you get there (since there is no ship excursion for this that i can see).  

any information at all on guides would be appreciated.  tia. 

1 minute ago, Rach257 said:

 

THE SAME!!!!!!! 💃

well, i have a roll call started, but it's literally only me over there. one other person posted a few months ago.  i was starting to think i'd have the ship all to myself!

i anxious for people to start posting pictures of some to the upgrades so i can get a sense of what the rooms will look like decor-wise.   only 6 more months

1 hour ago, Rach257 said:

 

We are on Sunrise this august too! Which sailing are you on? We are so excited!!!

we are august 19th.  cannot wait!  which are you on?