MissesB4409

14 hours ago, cruisinfamily7609 said:

We’ve flown in and out the day of cruising and returning for as long as we’ve cruised. I think we’ve had one cruise where we actually flew in a day early and left a day late and my husband was not the least bit thrilled about doing so (or spending the money to do so), and we haven’t done it since. This time, since we’ve moved out of the LA area, we are driving down the night before our cruise and staying overnight. 

 

Here’s the thing: everyone is different. Would *I* like to come down early and stay at a nice hotel? Sure. Anything to extend vacation is a-ok with me! My husband though, sees it VERY differently. He doesn’t like missing work, vacation is sort of a “forced” thing for him, and he certainly isn’t going to take off more time just to get somewhere early and stay in a hotel overnight, particularly because doing so costs extra. Even if we have the budget to do so (we do), he isn’t one to spend on things like family vacations. Cruising isn’t a past-time for us, it is a treat! We did a lot of red-eye flights to get to the east coast early and onto a ship. I realize many of you may think that’s nuts. I’d agree. But, when it’s the only choice you have between cruising and not cruising (and certainly not multiple times in a year)...you do what you can. 

 

So many people who post here on Cruise Critic are just incredibly privileged individuals and don’t even see it; which is just...well...it’s actually pretty embarrassing to see the lack of self awareness. Even back when Cruise Critic was just a forum board on AOL, people acted as though it was perfectly normal to have thirty cruises in the bag, with another twenty or in planning. It is as though no one realizes that most people don’t take ten cruises a year or something. HELLOOOOO....The rest of the country, much less the whole world, is not necessarily wealthy.

 

Not everybody can even cruise once, much less cruise in a suite, or be platinum/diamond/etc members on any line, or even cruise more than once every few years. It doesn’t make them heathens, or even people you might not want to know. It makes them the majority, to be brutally honest. If you have the type of lifestyle that affords you such things, take more time to count yourself lucky, and less time to judge everyone else for what they aren’t able. Asking questions about why someone wouldn’t go early and stay over is like asking why someone wouldn’t sail in a balcony cabin every single time they cruise. Not everyone has the same opportunity or budget. I don’t fault those who can, but I feel like I have to sometimes beg forgiveness because we couldn’t, and still don’t. I feel lucky to just be able to get on a ship again, regardless of whether I am flying in last minute or - as the case will be this time - driving in the night before. Maybe that’s just me.

 

 

 

YEESSSSS!!!!! Agree!!!  To all of it!!!

Also, to the Canadians coming into LAX....Long Beach hotels are all more expensive...but try calling Hotel Maya directly and asking if they have a special or a Carnival discount. I have stayed there twice, both times I got a discount, but once was a much deeper discount, so I think it fluctuates depending on time of year and events in the area. However, if they offer a discount in your budget, it is the EASIEST way to get to and from the port and they are so helpful. But overall, you will find better rates closer to LAX on hotels specifically.

1 hour ago, Itried4498 said:

 

There was also a period in which Carnival got upset with the port fees being charged at Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán and skipped the ports on some itineraries for Ensenada.  At one point, they were going to do 8-day trips to Acapulco but those got moved to San Diego... Acapulco was quickly replaced and the itineraries / service from San Diego was dropped.

 I went on a 8 day cruise out of San Diego on the Carnival Spirit. One of the stops was Acapulco and it was terrifying. I wouldn't ever go back there again. But Ixtapa/Zihuantenajo was amazing and beautiful and if I ever saw a Carnival cruise going back there, I would take it.

I was on this same sailing as the OP. I heard several reasons why we were so late returning to port. Some said it was weather related, others said it was a mechanical issue. I heard two different people say we lost an engine...We also had a medical issue on board where someone was taken off by stretcher in Long Beach. Whatever the reason was, it was still an enjoyable cruise. For those of us waiting on the Lido Deck. They opened up Guys and the Deli at 11, so we were able to get one last burger before disembarking! My group of 10 checked our luggage and we were in boarding zone 15. We were walking off the ship at about 11:45-12:00, but as we were getting off they announced that EVERYONE was able to get off. It seemed like the people who were trying to get off earlier were in a lot more chaos and frustration, but I'm assuming many of those people had flights to catch.

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

I don't live too far from you (around 45 min or so) and it took us 5 hours each way but I push it and keep it moving 😁. You should be able to get off by 9:30 doing self debark and figure 5.5-6 hours to get home (to be safe). One issue is that the schedule has changed with Cabo being last, this removes the extra sea day from the Cabo first schedule and the leisurely cruise back to LBC. The new schedule (Cabo last) kinda forces the ship to hightail it back so it may not get back as early as the Cabo first schedule. It's possible that you may not even start debarking until 9-9:30 (even later if there is some issue) and that would push back the time to actually walk off the ship (without priority debark). You may want to look into FTTF or have a back up plan just in case. If she works the evening then it's doable but I'd say 6PM ETA @ home worse case scenario and 3:30 ETA @ home a best case scenario.          

My sister lives and works in Las Vegas, so its about 4 hours for her, but I think she has to be at work by 2pm

59 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:

I was on Panorama in January and the self-debark passengers started being called by muster station number at about 8:30 AM.  After all the muster stations were called for self-debark, they had diamond, suites and platinum debark, then started calling the rest of the luggage tag numbers.  I am diamond and was off the ship at 9:15.  The self-debark people were long gone by then.

I'm thinking this is probably going to be the best option for her. Thanks for your input!

33 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

We were on Panorama in September.  According to my Uber receipts, we were off the ship and in the car by 7:54 am.  We do priority debarkation (because we are platinum) but if you have an early flight or other urgency, you can go to guest services and they will usually allow you into the priority debarkation group (if you aren't platinum/diamond). 

Thanks for the info. She definitely won't have platinum or priority boarding or debarkation, but she would be willing to do the self-debark if that helped her get off sooner.

26 minutes ago, Beachfrog said:

What time is your ship scheduled to arrive? 

9am

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find the topic for it. Is there self-debarkation for the panorama and/or what would be some of the earliest times to debark? My sister and her family are going with us on our upcoming cruise, and my sister has to be to work on the day we get off the ship. Is it feasible that she would be off the ship, out of the port and on the freeway home by 10am? Thanks in Advance.

Is there a limit on how much you can order? I kind of want it all!! I've never had the brunch before, but I would want to try the parfait, the 12hr french toast and the steak and eggs. Can I order all that?

I am glad you asked this question because I am 5 days away from Gold, and  just booked a 7-day cruise. Hoping to reach Platinum..someday.

A deck of Carnival Logo'd playing cards from the front desk. I know some have said recently that they stopped. I (ummm... my kids) got several pack in October and December last year during our cruises.

We just got some on the Imagination. My boys came with us up to guest services to ask a question about our charges and they gave each of them a deck of cards. We didn't ask for them, and I didn't see them giving them to everyone. They just started talking to the boys and then one of the ladies handed them each cards. It was a nice gesture.

Really? We have every time. I've heard others mention getting spa gift cards if it's a big anniversary as well. Did you fill it out online before the cruise? I don't think they pay attention unless you specifically check the box and list the date of the event. Also, sometimes the casino will send you a random gift. (Ours sent us a bottle of champagne on my birthday, but that came from a different department than the cake did.) Also, to clarify, it was a big slice of a cake, not an entire cake, but it was decorated and kind. The kids enjoyed it as an evening treat.

I just got off the imagination last week. It was my birthday and I checked the box online too. My room steward gave me two gift cards. One for $50 for the spa and another one for a free picture at Pixels. Honestly beats a slice of cake any day!!!! I was so happy to get those. I didn't get a chance to use the spa one since it was such a short cruise, but we did bring home a really nice family picture for free!

Really? On a 4 night cruise Hasbro was your primetime entertainment twice? That’s horrible.

Yep!! I have two boys who are 4 and 6 and they loved it so it wasn't all bad...but if it had just been me and the hubby I might have felt differently. The thing that was also disappointing was that it was the exact same games played. It was fun the first time, and so I thought it would be fun the 2nd time, but when it turned out to be exactly the same it ended up being kind of boring. The two playlist shows were divas and epic rock.

I just got off of a 4 night cruise on the Imagination. We had it 2 times both nights were around 7 or 8 and there was only one showing of it each night. They played the same games, just with different contestants.

Can someone pass the popcorn.....or should we just pass the bottle of crown around? Maybe we would all feel better if we took a shot...

Thanks for the review. I have been checking back ever since your post about getting the upgrade call. I am so happy you were able to pull off the surprise for the girls and that you guys had a great time. We just got off the Imagination last Thursday and we enjoyed the small, older ship too. It felt like you knew your way around more and not so overwhelming. More cozy. Congratulations to Whitney for graduating. I'm so glad you guys had a great time. If I ever make it to Costa Maya, I will for sure be checking out Tropicante. Sounds like the perfect spot!!

The last cruise my husband and I went on, the food in the MDR wasn't very good at all. The Lido deck dinners were actually better, and they served the same menu at dinner time. We enjoyed it so much, that this cruise we are not even planning on dining in MDR at all. And as for the above comment about googling fake calamari...please do yourself a favor and don't google it if you like calamari.

We've been doing the Mexican Riviera yearly for a while now. We see it as our yearly Mexican "honeymoon". Not sure that the new gigantic Panorama is for us?? What do you think???

I am just waiting for my husband to give me the okay to book it!!! :) I think you should try it at least once. You know that you like Carnival and cruising. You could try the Havana area or serenity if you want a less crowded, quieter part of the ship, but you might find you like the other areas also. As made clear above, we are the best judge of what we like. We are not all cookie cutter images that all enjoy spending our money in the same way. I think trying it once could be exciting, and you could compare the differences to the Splendor . If you like it, then you will know, and if you don't like it then you will know. :)

We are booked in a Havana interior cabin in February, 2020. We live in Ohio and have been sailing out of Florida, New Orleans or San Juan for the past 8 years on Carnival. We decided we wanted to see some new ports, and the bonus of sailing on a new ship and trying out the Havana area were the added determining factors. The pictures we have seen of the Havana areas look incredible, and the exclusive access during the day should eliminate the possibility of it being overcrowded.

 

Any recommendations on pre-cruise hotels and local restaurants would be appreciated, as I am not familiar with the port area at all.

Check out Hotel Maya. It is right there on the water front, closest to the port. If you contact them directly, they have a rate for Carnival guests. You can stay there for one night, plus park your car while you cruise. (You wouldn't need that service unless you get a rental). They have a shuttle which will take you to the cruise terminal. There is also the shoreline village and shopping nearby, which their shuttle can also take you to. There are a lot of restaurants in that area. Also, the Queen Mary is right there too if that is something that interests you. They have tours, restaurants, and you could even choose to stay on board for the night. Its a little pricey, but also historic and kind of cool. There are some Hyatt's and Hilton's within that area also. They get great reviews, but if you call or email hotel Maya directly, you can get a better rate. Hope that helps.

I'm from the west coast and have never been on a carribean cruise. I have also never sailed either of those ships or any real mega ship for that matter. I don't know what the price difference is, but the ONLY thing that would have me choose Horizon over Allure would be the price. Hands down I would pick Allure if money was not to be considered. Someday I will make it there! :)

Thanks so much! I am very excited about this surprise for her. Whitney is a great kid (well young lady now) and has sacrificed a lot to get where she is. She enrolled at Kennesaw State College about 1 hour away from home and in December of her Freshman year her Dad had a heart attack and some related complications and was never able to

go back to work. She finished her Freshman year but then decided to move back home and commute and do online

classes so she could be home and help out with her younger siblings. (We are foster parents and she and Lindsey

are our biological kiddos and the other 4 - I need to change my screen name-lol have been adopted through foster care).

In doing this, it put her behind and when she finally changed to Dalton State there were some classes that didn't transfer so it's taken her an extra year to earn her History Education degree. But, she was steadfast and is graduating

with high honors!

 

I'm definitely going to have Lindsey in on the room decorating bit - hoping I don't have to tell her about the suite

either and I'm sure she will come up with something to keep Whitney occupied.

 

I've printed our boarding passes and they do say "suite" on them so I've decided I will hold all our passes or I will

white out suite on theirs and just make a black and white copy for them!

Great idea!!! White out their copies but keep the originals with you just in case!! Please report back to us about how surprised they were! This sounds like so much fun! I know you guys will have a blast!! Congrats to Whitney! She sounds awesome!! This will be a trip you won't forget!! Enjoy!

Oh I also wanted to add that because you upgraded to the Grand Suite, you now have priority embarkation. So you can be among the first people on the ship. That, plus if at check-in if they mention anything to you about the suite...she might hear it and the cover will be blown. Also, I don't know if it will say it on the luggage tags or not. Just be prepared that she might figure it out ahead of time. Maybe you should tell Lindsey about the whole plan that way she can kind of keep Whitney occupied during the whole check in process enough to where she doesn't suspect anything?

Congrats on your upsell!!! That's awesome and so exciting for all of you! There is going to be so much going on during that first day that you will totally be able to get away from the girls. The suggestions of a drink at the bar, or checking out the spa are both great. They could go to Lido and see if the pool is open or what kind of food they have for lunch? They could check out the serenity area, or go grab a coffee from the coffee bar. If you have Lindsey in on it, she will totally go along with the flow and will be easier to sway Whitney into going with her sister. So many places those two could go. Just tell them you will call them or find them in a few minutes. Don't let them know you are going to the room, that way she will think that you are all walking in together to see the room at the same time. How fun! It's going to be a great trip!

Can you let me know how's the embark? Do you have FTTF, and are you going to be there by the asign time? Or can you come earlier? Thank you very much in advance

We do have FTTF and we plan on being at the cruise terminal sometime between 10:30-11.

Thats a tough one!!! You could do a lot of other things with the $600. Maybe a few excursions, or a spa day onboard. But the temptation for a Grand Suite is also huge too. I guess it would depend on what activities you already have planned and paid for, and how much time you think you will spend in your room. I am leaving on the Imagination in 3 weeks (same class ship), and I got a offer from interior to OV for $200 and I didn't think that was worth taking, but your offer seems better than that. I would say that if you can afford it, without it being an added stress to your bank account and you already have other activities planned and paid for, then do it. If you aren't sure if you can afford it, or if it will take away from something else than it probably isn't really worth it because you can always go look out on deck somewhere. If you are able to splurge and it wont really affect you financially, I say DO IT!!!!

My husband and I went on a cruise to Acapulco about 9 years ago. I would never go back again. If by chance I took a cruise that did go there, I would stay on the boat for sure. People were very aggressive and pushy, and I can only imagine it has gotten worse. We took a cab ride and they took us places that we didn't want to go. We felt unsafe a lot of the time. We were so happy to be back on the ship. Never again would I put myself in that situation.

With that being said, it does sound like you will just walk to a catamaran or boat of some type and board there. If you have to get in a taxi or perhaps even a bus, I might just consider calling it a loss and heading back to the ship. And personally, if you can get your money back on your excursion, you might want to even consider that. Unless your cruise line can guarantee your safety within that tour group, I don't know if the risk is worth it.