audcc77

I received an email as well. 

I can’t access it until September 26th.  
 

I’m going to guess it’s a big nothing burger.  
 

The cost of Ultra cruises for me are usually quite high and the benefits that go along with it are minimal.  

Be sure to run the numbers carefully to be sure that it’s a decent deal for you.  

4 hours ago, Prometheus1 said:

I quit doing the premiers and Ultras due to the crowds in the casino, it just seemed like a hassle when I could never play the machines I wanted

Agreed.  I don’t see the point either.  The Ultra we went on was a once-and-done.  And I paid full price for it.  I did win $750 gambling $$ envelope but I would rather do interiors for free. Too crowded. 

My refusal to sail western itineraries is not due to safety but more of a personal choice. 
 

I realize that some ports are quite a distance from the cartel or other problems. 
 

My choice is more about not spending my hard earned $$ in areas where you have to walk amongst security carrying guns.  My feeling is that if you can’t get your act together enough to make it relatively enjoyable, then it’s a hard pass for me or anyone I am bringing with me.  

I would call group sales at carnival. 
 

The reason I say that is because I have a few cruises where my friend, not realizing what she was paying for, paid insurance for myself and herself on a few cruises a few months ago and it was past final payment. 
 

I called a few days ago and got the insurance refunded to her credit card with no problem.  My reason was that we’re buying annual insurance policies and don’t need Carnival insurance. 

I was surprised they refunded it so you never know whether Carnival will work with you until you ask. 
 

Good luck. 

These are just my opinions.  
 

Nassau - I would just get off the ship and go to the new shopping area.  You can find things from T-shirts to spices to magnets, etc.  Bringing kids into Nassau would probably be fine, but I would just stay along the main streets.  
I have never been a fan of Nassau. There’s a guy in Nassau that I buy jewelry but from that’s it. 
 

Freeport - we go to grand Lacaya.  
it involves taking a van To the resort for about $10 a person round-trip, buying a day pass for about $25 a person, and then shopping in Port Lacaya marketplace across the street. 
I have to look for my notes on this, but don’t have time now. If you’re interested, let me know and I will post it.
 

I believe it will be less expensive if you purchase before sailing, as there is a small discount. 
 

when you go to purchase it, it will ask you whether you wish to use your OBC, or pay with a credit card.

April is an expensive time to cruise because it’s during spring break and everyone is cruising.  
 

As previous poster said, if you must go in April, the sooner you buy, the better. 
 

The least expensive time of year to sail is between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Sometimes early November. That’s been my experience at least.  

I just bring along a 4-inch sound machine I bought on Amazon.  It doesn’t matter which floor I’m on or whether there are drunk people in the hallway because I never hear a thing.  I use “brown fan sound” which is supposedly the best sound to sleep to.  Or you can download a fan app on your phone called sleep fan. 

All I need is a lounger and shade.  Maybe a drink.  If it’s not evident this is available, I will not be getting off the ship.  I don’t mind paying for it, but let’s just be reasonable.  We bought cabanas at HMC for the two of us but now that’s out of reach. 
 

On Royal last year, we stopped at Perfect Day blah, blah, blah.  Since it wasn’t clear that there was somewhere to sit in the shade, we stayed on the ship.  Maybe there was. Maybe there wasn’t.  It was not worth me hoofing it off the ship to find out. 
 

My days of laying in the sun are long gone so I really wish they’d plant shade trees on the beaches. HMC has no shade unless you walk way down the beach which I am not able to do.  
 

Umbrellas are pretty worthless as  some vendors have the loungers chained up so you can’t move them around based on the sun’s movement.  I’m half in the sun anyway.  
 

Sorry for ranting. 😞

I use ginger root pills taking 1  once per day starting a day prior. I also bring 4 mini cans of Seagrams ginger ale which is the only REAL ginger ale.  I use the bands, motion sickness pills,  I bring Emitrol which is for nausea, taken by children and pregnant women.  Then I eat green apples if needed.  
 

One time I asked the lady at the dietary podium in the buffet to ask someone else for green apples since there were none on the buffet.  They actually went down into storage and found me one.  

9 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

I would add one more thing. Southwest is going through many schedule changes currently and your flights are still many months away. Keep an eye on their schedule because between now and then they might add a new flight closer to your original time. If they do, call them on the phone and ask to be put back on the new flight near your original time. They will see your original res in the system and would probably accommodate your request at no charge.

Excellent idea. Thanks.  

14 hours ago, cruisemiluv28 said:

Maybe 3-4 per day. At home he has 1 every week. On vacations I let him live.

Good idea.  We didn’t let our sons drink pop unless we ate out.  
 

When sodas started getting so expensive at restaurants, we stopped letting them have them. Instead, we allowed them to have them at home whenever they wanted, which they rarely took for some reason. 
 

Now they are older, living on their own and they don’t drink soda hardly at all. 
 

Our 20 year-old nephew has always been allowed soda and drinks it a lot now.

His beautiful straight teeth, which my sister paid for braces, are now pretty much rotting out of his head.  😞

On 7/29/2024 at 8:40 PM, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

If you have priority disembarkation and you depart the ship in the first wave with your luggage...

AND if your shuttle leaves the port when you get to it and does not have to wait for others.....

AND if you are traveling on a weekend morning, not on a weekday morning.....

AND you have TSA Precheck;

THEN I think you have no problem making those flights.

I have most of those options you listed.  I actually spoke with the shuttle company, cruise time parking, and the lady said that as long as I’m out there, it should not be a problem. 
 

I think they are only allowed to sit for 20 minutes waiting for other passengers in the parking spot.  
 

I also spoke with my friend, and since we’re both gamblers, we decided to take a chance.  🙂

If they change the flight again, then I will just figure out something else, like an Uber.  Our flights are direct, so I hate to give that up.

if we miss it, I guess we can just grab another flight later, which will mean we’re sitting in the airport for hours. This will mean that we will have to take a flight to the layover, which I’m not crazy about.

Having cruised on the Mardi Gras before, I see that they start dismissing floors before the priority people even get to their meeting spot. This makes it difficult getting on the elevators.

thanks for your input.

I have 2 cruises on Mardi Gras in PC in January and February.  
 

I specifically booked 2 flights leaving at 2pm from Orlando to go home.  
 

Southwest decided to change my flights to leave at 10:55 and 11:10.   😳. 
 

Grrr!   I was so happy to buy the airline tickets within minutes of them going on sale just to get the times we needed.  
 

I have priority debarkation but I’m using Cocoa Beach Shuttle.  
 

I know it’s risky but has anyone done this?

I looked into an annual policy. All I want is the ability to fly back home if I need to.  
 

I had an annual policy last year which was $410 but I was way over insured.  It provided $250k emergency transport.  

This year, I am getting an annual policy for $138.  It provides $100k for emergency transport.  Maybe it’s cheaper because mine are casino cruises.  
 

Both thru Allianz.  Tony on la lido loca uses this. 
 

When I sailed occasionally, I used Travel Guard.  That was about $150 for 1 trip. But they were excellent to deal with when I made a claim for 4 people on a 7 day cruise.  Received about $4000k. 
 

I’ve used Carnivals $50 insurance too, when I get free cruises and supposedly that will get you emergency transportation back to US. However I have read that you pay everything up front and then seek reimbursement.

50 minutes ago, Pyrate13 said:

I like the old way better.

I’m with you.  I hate it this way.  Maybe I will just have to get used to it.  
 

Port fees?   It’s a given.  And it changes anyway.  
 

Taxes?  It’s a given.  
 

Just give me the cabin rate per person and then I can compare what I can get elsewhere.  
 

If you have to figure taxes, fees down to the penny then you probably don’t have any business going on cruises. 

And I would wonder where the grats were coming from.  

My first Carnival cruise was in 2009.  My sister received a free interior cabin from her job.  (I had only cruised on NCL and Royal in my 20’s in my single days. )
 

I remember sitting in the Carnival MDR and I saw BEER BOTTLES on the tables around me.  Beer bottles!   On the tables!  The horror!  
 

Then I received my shrimp cocktail. I picked one up and it bent over sideways, going limp.  And was tiny.  😳.  

I’ve learned to accept Carnival for what it is.  
 

I’m Diamond now 🙂.

The lumberjack show is literally steps from the ship.  No need to purchase that from carnival.  
 

We did the dog sled and it was fun.  We did it on our own and saved a little $$.  
 

What people may not know is that some Alaska excursions have insurance for getting you back to the ship if you miss it.  
 

In the Caribbean and Mexico, this is unheard of.

We don’t buy ship excursions usually.   Never had a problem.  

Yuk.  I always thought about asking for an extra sheet to cover the couches.
Or maybe there’s one underneath in the pull out drawer.  
 

I’m surprised the cabin steward left it like that.  However, maybe it wasn’t noticed because they’re in and out so quickly.  
 

10 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

I was riding my bike to school, 2 miles away, at age 7.

 

...and that was 1982, when abduction and sexual assault of children rates were much higher.

Then let your kid run around the ship unsupervised.   
 

I stand by my opinion that the consequences of some things in life are so dire and so awful that I’m not willing to take a chance on it.  Will something bad happen? Probably not.  As a volunteer for children’s advocacy facilities, I’ve seen too much. 
 

It appears that I’m in the minority, but I wouldn’t let an 8 year old out of my sight.  
 

Wouldn’t happen.  Ever.  
 

There’s that 1 in a million chance they’d slip away if they were a wanderer, but I’d tell them what to do in that situation.  

To presume that there are only upstanding people on the ship is foolish.  

Try Cocoa Beach Shuttle.  Our flight came in at 2:10 and we used them.  I think they run til 9 pm.
 

 $28 pp each way or $25 pp for round trip. 
 

Whomever you use, they will work with you.

We’ve used Cruise Time Parking several times. It’s $10/day in a secure lot with a shuttle. Very little walking.  They pull in right there and the porters take your bags.  You’re right there. 
 

When returning, you go right back to the parking spot and you’re there. 
 

The shuttles are supposed to sit only 15 minutes before leaving. No waiting.  Easy peasy.  And less expensive. 

I was just on the Vista a month ago after the refurb and going again in November.   
 

I’ll be going on MG  in January and in February which will be my 4th and 5th time on MG. 
 

Vista’s food was EXCEPTIONAL. In fact, I cannot recall the last time I had food this good on a cruise.  Of course the ports on Vista of St Thomas, St Martin and San Juan were so much better than the ports for MG.  I’m tired of MG’s ports.  HMC is fine but since I can no longer afford a cabana and there’s little shade, not really interested anymore.  

Even so, I am looking forward to seeing the shows on MG.  

As others have stated, it depends on what you’re into.  

On 5/20/2024 at 2:44 PM, Chet Rhodes said:

Magaritaville was nothing like a laid back Caribbean atmosphere, but a ghetto nightclub at 3:00 in the morning.

LOL. This the best and most accurate description I have ever seen.  

The idiotic lady DJ talks throughout all the songs. 🤷‍♀️

It was a once-and-done for us.