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Red Frog Pub & Alchemy! I just hope the Red Frog serves food. Bring me my grouper fingers and a fishbowl please.

I too hope the Red Frog on the Miracle serves food. We sailed on the Magic and really enjoyed the coconut shrimp and conch fritters. We didn't try the grouper fingers, now I wish we had.

Anyone know if the other ships (besides the Magic and the Breeze) that have the Red Frog Pub serve food?

Here you go :)

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/GOCCL/Files/Sales/SingleOccupancy.ashx

Depending on how old the beds are, you may feel a slight hump. Some cruises I have noticed it, and some I haven't. It hasn't bothered us yet. If it bothers you, ask the steward to put some extra bedding underneath the sheets.

Two cabins (linked booking)

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Date booked: Nov 19, 2015

Ship: Imagination 3-Day Jan 15, 2015

Class of Guarantee: OV

Cabin Assigned: E73 and E77

Date Assigned: Jan 2, 2015 (13 days out)

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Like others, my promo e-card was also in my email inbox this morning. Nice thing to see besides junk mail and spam :D

When we sailed on the Conquest in 2012, we went to Mr B's at the recommendation of a friend who was born and raised there. It was a fantastic meal. You will need to make a reservation ahead of time to be sure of getting in. It is a tad pricey, but not outrageous and worth every penny IMO.

Here is a review of V2 on the Elation from 2009

Typo - the review is of cabin V14, but she has pics of V2 showing how close it is to the stairway.

I was in V2 on the Elation a few years back. You will have to turn your chair diagonal or lengthwise in order to avoid hitting your knees while sitting out there. Also, the lower the cabin numbers (V1 - V6 I think), the closer your balcony is to an outside stairway that goes from deck 10 to deck 11. People walking up that stairway can see 100% onto your balcony and partially into your cabin.

If you can afford it, I would suggest going for a grand suite on deck 6 instead.

Edit:

Here is a review of V2 on the Elation from 2009. I remember reading this just before I went on her. The Paradise is likely very similar if not identical. I chose to stay with the cabin I booked after reading the review, but in retrospect, now that I have a few cruises under my belt, I probably would have just gone for an ocean view. The cabin itself is very nice though!

http://www.shari.com/2009/06/carnival-elation-cruise-embarkation-to-sail-away.html

Thank you for the review and the pics. We were on the Miracle a couple of sailings before you and also attended the Chef's Table. The familiar faces of Chef Dias and his crew brought back some happy memories. Like you, we also "hit the wall" when the wagyu beef was brought out. Everything was delicious, but so much food! Other than a slight modification of the beef course, the rest of the menu has completely changed. Now I'm looking forward to doing it again!

The dress code is pretty much the same as the evening's dress code. That said, most people dress up a little more for the Chef's Table. I mentioned it in a post that I replied to just a few minutes ago, but I will repeat here - ladies should not wear spiked heels. Some areas of the kitchen during the pre-dinner tour have commercial flooring that is not heel-friendly ;)

The Chef's Table is amazing. Make sure you don't eat too much during the day because you won't be able to get through every course otherwise. Dress nicely, but wear comfy clothes. Also, wear shoes that have a good sized heel on them or else you might not get to see all parts of the kitchen during the pre-dinner tour. Spiked heels are NOT recommended. They will ask you about food allergies and preferences (e.g. vegetarian) in advance.

The shorter 3-5 day cruises only have one (or maybe two, if there is enough demand) Chef's Tables. If there isn't a presentation setup for the Steakhouse in the Atrium when you board the ship, head straight to the Steakhouse to find out when the Chef's Table is scheduled and book it. I have been on 3-day cruises where they didn't bother with the presentation table in the Atrium at all, and only found out afterward that there was a Chef's Table on the cruise.

I wouldn't rely on emailing. They don't have an obligation to respond to requests.

Hi all, I'm trying to arrange Super Shuttle to pick us up after our Carnival Cruise on the Inspiration in Long Beach. We arrive at 8am but flight is not until 4pm. It's my first cruise so I'm not sure what time I should have Super Shuttle take us to the airport. How long does it take to debark? What time do you have shuttle services for you? Any advice would help. I hope I selected the correct forum...

Thanks.

If you do self-assist (don't put your luggage out the night before debarkation), you should be off by 10am.

A better way (IMHO) is to book transfers with Carnival. They will know your flight time and will make sure that you are off the ship and to the airport in time for your flight.

Of course all of this is barring any delays due to weather, immigration or customs, but they don't happen very often.

Congratulations!!!! That is a HUGE price drop!!!:D:D:D

Mine just keeps going up!!!:mad:

But, regardless, I am just happy to be on a cruise. lol

Thanks! I don't think that is a normal drop amount. It was because of that pseudo sale last October that everyone warned about, and that I didn't heed.

We didn't book then. but we are a little cheeper then it is now.

We are on the same cruise as you. You on the Roll Call?:)

I subscribed to it, but just lurking so far. I guess I should say "Hi" huh? :p

We most be on the same cruise. i went and check mine and it was still $50 more then what i paid. So no good news for me.:(

Possibly. I'm on the Oct 18, 2014 sailing. I booked the cruise during the famed "National Cruise Vacation Month" sale last October. It was all over the board at the time about how much it really wasn't a sale because the prices were increased to cover the obc you were getting. I have been watching ever since to see if I could recoup some of that.

So really it depends on what fare code (promo) you booked under and what the demand is for your cabin category. I'm in an 8J.

Your booking number will stay the same so any excursions will remain including FTTF. So I would hurry up and call just in case the rates go back up.

You betcha. I just did. The taxes went up a bit and the rate went up $50, but in the end, I basically have the same obc I had before, but am paying $570 less for the cruise. :D

You can switch to ES rate at any time. Just call Carnival or your TA. No need to cancel and rebook. I have done this before so yes it can be done.

Ah ok. I knew you could switch to ES, but wasn't sure if it involved a cancel/rebook or they just changed the rate code and everything magically recalculated.

I received 3 different price drops by changing rates on my current cruise. I have FTTF booked. I just called about the price drop and had them change to the new rate and asked that they verify that the FTTF was still in place after they changed the rates. They could see it and verify it was still there before I got off the phone with them.

Thank you. That's what I was hoping to hear. :D

My guess is if you have to cancel a booking, everything with it would go... But lets weigh the issue... $440 back in your pocket, FTTF???? Hmmmm...

Tough choice... NOT... If you don't get FTTF back, get to the port early and get into zone 1. Then you are right behind FTTF and $440 richer.

 

Steve

I thought about it. However, this cruise has a tender port and that's the key reason why I booked the FFTF - priority tendering.

Thanks for your input. :)

Hi all. Here's a poser for you;

I booked a 15 day Hawaii cruise (Oct '14) under the Nat. Cruise Vac. Month promo. As a result, I have $300 obc. I also booked FFTF right away. The cruise is a little over 50% paid off as of today.

I just checked and the Early Saver rate for the same category is now $740 cheaper. I know I will lose the obc due to the rate code change, but I will still end up with $440 obc when all is said and done.

What I'm really worried about is losing the FFTF booking. As you all know, it is booked as an excursion. If my PVP cancels/rebooks in order to get the ES rate, will my FFTF excursion have to be rebooked too? If so, I'm guessing there's a risk of losing it in the few minutes the rebooking is happening.

Advice plz :)

The coffee available from the Lido is a concentrate that is mixed with hot water. It will do in a pinch, but it's not "good" coffee IMO. Ask for an "Americano" at the coffee bar and it will be much better. If you rise before the coffee bar opens (6:30-7:00), then I suggest you bring some Starbucks VIA and add it to hot water from the Lido.

Thanx so much for the daily papers! We've been on many carnival cruises, but never a 3 day, so was curious to see what's up daily. :)

You're welcome. I have the spa specials too if you're interested. I just uploaded them to the same location I put the Funtimes in.

Yes. It's not cheap. Here are the details:

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/CellularPhoneService.htm

Did you happen to keep the daily newspaper (fun times)? If so, can you scan them in and share them here?

 

Thanx in advance.

Here they are. The first two I downloaded to my tablet from the ship's internal "FunHub" website. The Funtimes for day 3 wouldn't download, so I scanned the paper copy after I got home.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5qylAPQTlx4THFhbXU4YlR6STQ&usp=sharing

I was on the same sailing with you HKMOM and I agree, the ship was nice and clean and kept that way the whole time.

I would like to add that the food was definitely above par compared to the last time I was on this ship. Service in the dining room (YTD) the first night was a bit slow, but I didn't let it get to me.

The Seaday Brunch was excellent. I had the huevos rancheros. It was better than the same dish I had on the Magic in December.

Also they now have Playlist Productions and the Hasbro game show. I thought the performance the first night (Welcome Aboard Show) was fantastic. There is a surprise at the end ;)

The Hasbro game show was "meh" it seemed kind of hokey to me.

Finally - the live band that played outside the Casino each evening was the best I have heard on a ship in ages. The band is called The Straightjackets - totally worth staying up for if you are an early to bed type.