Smithkids5521

You could have saved $10 and just corresponded via FB Messenger or WhatsApp since you both had internet plans.

True, but he wouldn't have been able to talk with his dad or sister- and I wouldn't have been able to chat with my daughter or hubby. Although that may not have been a bad thing on some days ;p

The funny thing to me is on this menu they call appetizers "entrees" and call the entrees "main" LOL!! The first time I saw the menu I was a little confused LOL!!

 

Incidentally, both my cabins had both an American outlet and a Euro one so we could have brought a euro adapter and had two outlets. But the extension cord worked fine for us.

^^^ This right here! There is a dual outlet that is in front of the mirror- one side of the outlet is American and the other is Euro. We brought a plug that had 2 USB ports and 2 outlets which was more than enough for us to charge phones/cameras, etc. We personally had no need for the extension cord but like others have mentioned if you need something in bed (CPAP, etc) you'll need to bring 4-6 foot extension cord. No surge protector strip though- it is not allowed...

We had the social package- no you tube with that one. I'm not sure about premium...

One device per package. I had pre-purchased one before boarding... and my son decided to use his own money to purchase his own once on board- when he found out I was NOT going to log out of my account every time he wanted to snap chat or IM with his friends on his phone ;p

We had the chat feature from Hub app- worked great for us. Occasionally the server would disconnect one of us, but we'd know right away because there would be a big orange blob on the screen letting us know we were not connected. A quick refresh of the app and all was well. Totally worth the $5 per person IMO to be able to keep in touch with the kids for the length of the cruise.

I was on Legend- sailed 8/8 and just got back on the 15th. I'm trying to catch up on things at work right now but I do plan on writing a review and uploading all of my funtimes (I also have Sharks activity schedule from Camp Ocean- this is age 9-11, and also Circle C- which is 12-14 year olds).

Just a brief recap- I agree about the MDR. It took forever! Food was same as I've had on every other Carnival cruise- some dishes are better than others but overall it was very good. Our waiter Jacob was awesome so it was totally not his fault- but the time between courses was so way too long. 20 minutes between dinner and dessert is just crazy- by then I wasn't hungry anymore (I mean- I still ate it... but jeez!!! LOL!!)

Bonsai Sushi- not worth the extra money IMO. It reminded me of sushi one would get from the grocery store. Just my opinion- I know some folks enjoyed it- I just was not one who did (and I personally love sushi!) And plan on spending a solid 2 hours there- even if you are the only diners in the whole place!!! Even the cruise director Lee walked out because it was taking forever for someone to come greet us and take drink order (his schedule is a lot busier than ours so I understood why he decided to eat somewhere else!!)

Legend is definitely showing her age- she is still in decent shape and I never felt unsafe, but peeling paint/wallpaper, stained carpets, etc... she will definitely be looking better after her drydock/upgrades.

We hung out in the Piano bar with Billie, played corn hole and trivia in the Red Frog pub, played Bingo, etc. Oh- and Atlantis bar which is right next to Art gallery- serves the Alchemy bar menu- they even have a cool light up bar menu. The Remedy was one of my favorite drinks. I did have cheers- and I don't think I even came close to breaking even- but my husband definitely got his money's worth and probably made up for me too LOL!!

Too cold for water slides IMO so we did not use them. Pools were chilly but people were in them every day (especially the covered one). My daughter swam one time and said it was too cold. My 14 yo son didn't swim at all. If you plan on swimming, don't forget your goggles.

Laundry is $3 per load- it's charged to your sign and sail cord so no need to bring quarters. The dryer took 3 cycles to dry my load so be forewarned... and there were only 2 washers on deck 5- and 1 was broken!!

Well- any questions, let me know. I'll try to have a review and my scans and pictures (I have over 1200 to go through between the cruise and our 3 days in Seattle) up by next weekend.

Oh one last tip- save your shopping for Ketchikan if you can. The port time is the shortest so if you have an excursion planned you may not have much time, but I felt they had the most shops and the best prices. Especially if you pick up one of those coupon booklets in front of the shops and head to Tongass Trading company. Ulu knives for $1.79, shot glass for 99 cents, sweatshirts for $6.99... I seriously needed a whole suitcase just for all of the stuff I bought LOL!!!

So I called Carnival and booked two inside cabins. Paid the $500 per cabin, only to have something come up a couple of weeks later that was not going to allow me to go. I called to Cancel the two cabins and Carnival said you lose $50 per person and we can hold the rest of your $500 per cabin for a future cruise. So they never told me when I booked these cabins that they were early saver and non refundable. When I printed the confirmation I never knew I had to read every bit of the fine on the ticket contract all the way to the bottom. That wouldn't have mattered because they had my money end of discussion! So what did I do wrong?

I can understand your frustration! That's definitely something the rep should have disclosed while on the phone with you even though technically it is always our responsibility to read the fine print.

Did you purchase the travel insurance (if not through Carnival, then maybe through an outside vendor)? Maybe you can file a claim with them for the $50 per person you have lost?

Can't wait to read more- we fly into Seattle from Baltimore next Saturday (5th) and leave on Legend on the 8th. :)

We are a party of 6... me, wife, two kids (10 and 8), and inlaws (60s). We are planning on staying in Seattle for three days after our Celebrity Solstice cruise. Would like to get some advice on things to do.

Thanks for any feedback!

Are you or anyone in your group a big sports fan? Maybe reserve an insider's tour of either Safeco and/or Century Link stadiums? We booked the Safeco tour to see the Mariners stadium for our upcoming trip, but sadly were unable to reserve the tour to check out the Seahawks stadium due to a private event being held there.

There's also the Bill Speidel's underground tour if you think that might be of interest to check out the history of Seattle...http://www.undergroundtour.com/

Thanks for checking in here- we leave on the 8th and I can't wait!!!

Hi all, we are cruising on the Pride Sept 24. Does any have any hotel recommendation. We will still park at the cruise port since we will go directly home after the cruise. So we will not be needing a hotel and cruise pack.We would like to get a hotel with a shuttle perhaps if we want to go see the sights the day before the cruise. Or if you have any suggestions on transportation to do that. Thanks folks

The questions are what your budget will be and what sights you are interested in seeing. Want to head to Baltimore Aquarium, walk around Inner Harbor, catch an Orioles baseball game? Or do you want to head to art galleries? Check out some of the historical sights of the city like Fort McHenry, etc.

The Harbor East section is probably where I would recommend that you look- it has multiple bars, restaurants, trendy shops, walking distance to Little Italy, the Inner Harbor, Aquarium, etc. They have a Hilton Garden, Marriott, Homewood Suites and the Four Seasons. http://www.harboreast.com/directory/?location=h02

Enjoy your cruise!

Hello, I have a 2 part question about the Pride leaving Baltimore in late March. I am looking to book for Spring Break 2018. My questions are at what point can we expect warm weather? I am thinking the first sea day will be cold/cool and then day 2 will be warm/hot. Second question is the seas. Can we expect rougher waters heading down and back? I know that mother nature has her own agenda, but asking as an average. The dates are March 24 to April 1. Thanks for all input.

I've been on the Pride in March a couple of times now (granted it was a few years ago, but I live in Baltimore so I can give some insight into the weather). During our last March Spring Break cruise- on our first day leaving port and the following sea day- it was very chilly. Pool had roof closed so people were still in it, but no water slide due to winds and temp. It didn't warm up until we had probably reached coast of Georgia/Florida- and even then warm is a subjective term (I believe it was maybe 70's at most). As far as having rough seas- our last cruise we were unable to make our Freeport day due to high winds and heavy seas, but our Grand Turks and Half Moon Cay port days were fine- warm and sunny probably in the 80's or so.

My birthday is in March- some years there has been over a foot of snow on the ground for my birthday. This past year I was wearing shorts and it was almost 80 degrees

March is just one of those months that is unpredictable, but I think if you go into the cruise expecting that it may be pretty chilly until you reach Florida or Bahamas you will be correct. Then if it is one of those oddball years where it's 80 degrees in Baltimore, you'll be pleasantly surprised. In either event- I'm sure you'll really enjoy the Pride. Have a wonderful cruise!

Sorry to hijack the thread- but quick question for those who have recently used the HUB app chat feature- I understand that each person will need to download Hub in order to use the capabilities, but can we only chat with those that are linked to my stateroom or linked reservation? Or, if my son meets friends in Circle C and wants to chat with them via Hub, is this possible?

TIA :)

I've prepaid the gratuity, excursions, Cheers, bubbles, internet package... pretty much anything that could be prepaid before getting on board.

But- as far as pre-purchasing Carnival gift cards and using them to fund my on board account- no I did not go that route for this cruise. I can see the benefit of it, but for this upcoming cruise we have some OBC waiting for us, so I did not see the need to buy extra gift cards or cruise cash this time.

I wish the Mariners were in town for our visit- we'll be in town a few days prior to our August 8th cruise and would have loved to see a game, but they are away that weekend. So- the next best thing- we're going to do the behind the scenes tour of the stadium.

Enjoy the game!!! :)

We're going to be cruising out of N.O. for our third time July 31st. We always stay at Drury Inn on Poydras. A little bit of a walk to Quarter, but not too bad. Much quieter, and we've always gotten exceptional service there. I think we are paying about $140/night. They have that awesome little 5:00 pm kickback with a few drinks and food. We always eat outside of the hotel because it's New Orleans!!! The food is 1/2 the reason we go LOL But if you are following a tight budget or just don't feel like leaving the hotel, it's a nice little bonus!

Drury Inn is my favorite hotel in NOLA- free breakfast was really good and the 5pm kickback was perfect to use as a happy hour (have a few drinks and a little nibble to eat before heading out into the city for a good meal). St. Charles Streetcar is literally right outside the front door and it is a quick walk to Canal street, Superdome or to the French Quarter. Enjoy!!

 

The other things I have done to make sure this is indeed a "bucket list" trip for Jeff, who has already said it will be his first and last cruise.... First class air travel to and from Seattle (we are in Kansas) FTTF already purchased, alcohol and diet coke to be delivered to room upon arrival, gratuities pre-paid, excursions booked, anniversary cake ordered to be delivered to room (we will also be celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversary) port transfers arranged, and parking for the week at KCI already taken care of... Did I miss anything?

 

You sound like a planner- like me LOL!! The one thing that jumped out at me- and maybe you already have a plan but didn't mention it... are you flying in right before the cruise and heading straight to the pier or are you staying in Seattle the night before?

It sounds like you have a wonderful cruise planned- can't wait to hear about it when you get back :)

Thanks for posting! Can you tell me how your kids felt about the kids club?

(our kids are similar in age- I have an 11 year old and a 14 year- so the Camp Ocean and Club O2)

Also- did you enjoy any special meals in Seattle? I'm trying to think of a good dinner place for our first night (landing at SeaTac at 6pm- but flying from east coast so I know we'll be a bit jet lagged).

Edited to add- you wouldn't happen to have copies of the Fun Times you could share, do you? I am a planner and would love to take a look and start mentally making choices for activities I will do in 2 months LOL!!

We are sailing on the Legend to Alaska in August. My absolute favorite Carnival drink is Kiss on the Lips. My question is, do they serve the tropical drinks on cruises to Alaska? Kiss on the Lips is made with Mango and I didn't know if they would ship fresh Mango up north to make these drinks, or do they just have the usual alcohol drinks. I so love my favorite drink and always look forward to having them on a cruise! I have tried to replicate it at home, but its just not the same. Maybe that is because the atmosphere is not the same!

It's my favorite drink too... but it just won't be the same drinking it while snuggled up in a jacket and gloves LOL!! We'll be on Legend in August also- I'm thinking my drink of choice may end up being an Irish coffee or hot chocolate with Baileys ;)

We are looking for a hotel 1 night precruise in Seattle. So expensive downtown - do you think it might be worth staying near the airport and then taking an uber downtown since we will only be there one day?

Just feel $300 is a lot for one night. Going June 2018

thanks for your help!

If you are reward member for some of the various hotel chains, you can get some pretty good deals. Also being an AAA member gets discounts as does booking in advance and paying in full... so that $300 rate could be even lower and then it may be worth staying downtown.

I knew which hotel I wanted and when they ran the promotion where if you paid in advance it saved you 25%, I jumped on it- so definitely keep looking. Prices fluctuate all the time. When you see a price you like- take it (and if it's refundable rate- be sure to still keep looking for even better deals)

We have a private car reserved for our pickup from Pier 91 to SeaTac (we are also using them for pickup from airport to hotel and then from hotel to pier). We have an SUV booked due to luggage and the size of my group, but your parents may be able to just use a sedan which is approx. $55 IIRC. They have very good reviews and have been very responsive whenever I have contacted them- https://www.seatowncar.com/reservations.php

Due to the early flight time it may be better to have a car ready and personally waiting for your parents. Enjoy your cruise!

Don't forget that gratuities are included in your Cheers! package. As far a tipping extra, it's your choice. You can tip in cash or you can add it to the slip you sign, which will charge it to your S&S.

Just wanted to add a quick reminder that if you are in US port, you'll also be charged the sales tax for that state- so even with Cheers there may be times when your bill will not be $0 even if tipping in cash. ;)

I found this nifty little list on Carnival website which lists every dining venue for B/L/D and late night- for every ship. Hopefully this will help some of us out that want to know what is offered on which ship.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4252/~/for-your-eating-pleasure...

My wife and I are sailing on a 7 day cruise next fall and the cheers package for 2 people for a 7 day cruise is 804 and some change with the 15% gratuity added in. That's the total we got from the Carnival website once I added it to the shopping cart.

That amount is correct- except for those sailing from TX or NY. They do not pay for embarkation day since their Cheers program doesn't begin until day 2 due to liquors laws in their respective states.

My credit card has travel insurance. I will file a claim, get some cash, file a police report and just move on. Theft happens.

That's actually a good point- did you have travel insurance (or can you file through your credit card- especially if you bought those souvenirs with your cc)? With an official police report or a report through Carnival, you may have what is needed to file. Just a thought...

There's not much to see but around 10 PM - Midnight the night before returning you'll go past Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.

This is not the same Bay Bridge that is in Maryland- but this one in VA is really cool (and completely petrifies me when I drive it!)