ibcnusoon

Wow and I thought 35 bucks a day was huge ripoff.

 

I would find a place in NJ to park cheaply, take bus or train into port authority and cab to pier. Wow $ 320 bucks to park for 8 day cruise.

It's $40 now!??!?!? We just cruised this past November and it was "only" $35 a day. Wow! For $320 bucks you could sail solo last minute on the 8-day cruise!

I dunno, I think I would invest the $50 for a tender ticket.

We cruised to Belize and Grand Cayman 2 1/2 years ago, before FTTF, but our arrival into Belize was delayed because we were waiting for the OK from the government to get off the ship. Since we booked a Carnival excursion, I wasn't worried, but because we were delayed first thing int he morning, we didn't get back to the ship until an hour after we were supposed to depart! Luckily, the ship waited for us, this was the Xunatunich ruins trip and they say takes 6-7 hours.

In Grand Cayman, the seas were choppy and it was difficult for the captain to drop anchor, once he did, the tenders were running very slowly because of whitecaps. My tender ticket was something in the 30s but because we had a private excursion at 12:30pm and it was close to noon and they still didn't call our number, I panicked and was near tears when the employee let us go on the next tender and we barely made it for our pickup.

It's up to you, but if I were to ever get FTTF, it would be on that Exotic Western cruise with port stops in Belize and Grand Cayman.

We headed back to the ship, not knowing what we would have to do to get him back on board without his sign and sail card or his identification. There were some port security people walking around. My husband asked them if anyone had turned in a baggie with his stuff in it. (He had put it in a zipper part of his bathing suit). They had not seen it. We then proceeded to try and get on the ship. The lady that was looking at sign and sail cards didn’t speak very clear English. At times, I wasn’t sure if she was speaking to us or someone else. Finally, one of her supervisors searched an area of lost-and-found. It was not there. It was about 2:30 and we needed to be on the ship by 3:30. That security person passed us on to another security person. He walked us to the ship. If felt so bad. He bypassed everyone waiting in line. I told him it bothered me, but he said he was not going to stand in line. He then broke in front of the people in the area where you scan you sign and sail card. A Carnival worker took my card and said I could get on board. He then asked my husband for his name. He typed it in the computer and pulled up his photo. That was all he had to do. We then went straight to Guest Services to get a new card, with a new folio number. We are now dealing with replacing his driver’s license. If you live in Georgia, that is not an easy thing to do. You have to file a police report, in case someone tries to use your license to commit fraud. You then need to take several pieces of identification to the DMV in order to get a replacement. With my husband’s work schedule, he will finally get this all taken care of next Tuesday.

Oh no! Sorry to hear that!

Something similar happened to my DH. We were flying to Florida to see my in-laws and while in line for TSA, DH noticed that he forgot his wallet with all forms of ID at home. We explained the situation to the agent, DH was taken in a back room, ask a bunch of questions, they fiddled around on the computer and about 20 minutes later said, ok, you can fly. Whew! On the flight home, we arrived at the airport early, explained to them the situation, bing bang boom - agent says ok, go ahead, have a nice flight.

just thought I'd let you know that, in case you ever fly with your DH and he loses his ID again.

Leaving in July any suggestions for parking other than at the pier. is there parking close that we can walk to ship. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thank You

I don't know how many or if you need assistance in traveling, but if you live near a NJ Transit park-n-ride you can take the bus into Port Authority and it's just a short cab ride to the pier.

That's what we are doing, but it's just the two of us. Last year there were 6 of us, including my dad in a wheelchair and stepmom in a walker, so we chose to park at the pier. But I cannot justify the expense to drive all the way to New York City and park when I can hop on a bus for a fraction of the cost.

I love the aft, but then again I love the sunshine and having a lounge chair. You won't find a lounge chair on any of the side balconies.

Also, I wouldn't worry about your 7 year old jumping over the railing, just don't leave her out there alone - there are locks too very high up on the balcony door as a double lock so she won't go out there! :eek:

I think it's an excellent choice, mainly because if your young DD wants to relax and watch TV or nap, you have someplace for yourself to go to relax and don't have to tiptoe around the cabin.

Besides, I love balconies just to have a nice quiet place to have morning room service breakfast while leaving your DD to continue sleeping if need be. It's also a great place to escape at the end of the evening if your DD goes to bed early.

Have a great cruise!

Thank you for giving this time frame. I want to pay ours the week before we leave. I'm very specific about exactly how and when I pay for things when it comes to vacation spending. Now I know a week before isn't too late.

I just called yesterday to prepaid our tips and we are cruising in 5 days , you probably could do it even the day before since as soon as the payment was approved over the phone the prepaid tips showed up on my invoice. I like going on the ship with a $0 balance and not see those pesky $11.50 charges every day. :) We don't have any OBC because it was a free cruise.

Just happened to stumble upon this review, really enjoyed reading it and it contained a wealth of information for our upcoming GT, HMC, Nassau trip but am deeply saddened to hear about the Andrew. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

So Jacks shack is on the left you can see... we went on the back side and walked behind those pink houses...

 

 

---right after the pink houses you can see a tiny yellow hut with the lawn chairs on the beach.. that is where we ate.. I dont even think it has a name??

Thanks for the picture, now I know where I'm going!! From what I understand now at Grand Turk, there are 2 establishments between M'ville and Jacks. They are: The Crew Bar and The Local Village Bar. You may have went to the Local Village Bar (the yellow house) because the Crew Bar is the first establishment on the beach right next to M'ville (the blue house all the way to the right).

I'm so sorry this happened to you! The people who got their luggage stolen while looking at a map reminded me of the clip from National Lampoon's European Vacation when the "robber" ran off with their camera after he asked if they wanted a family picture taken together.

In fact, I believe they were in Italy at the time! :eek:

We dined in Le Bistro once and every man in there had a suit and tie on!

T

 

Stay tuned, gunna try and get some HMC stuff done today! my favorite port ever so far!

Oh good, because I'm uncertain what to do here, where to sit, tendering, etc.

I don't have FTTF and was thinking of booking the bike trip at 10:00am, figure at $20 a piece we will be on an early tender and the bike trip would allow us to see the island.

Then I'm not sure where to park for the rest of the day, being I'm travelling with my teen daughter, I want to go somewhere lively. Is getting chairs by the ship bar where the music comes from, and is that close to the buffet??

Don't answer, I'm just thinking out loud, I'll wait for your review. :p

Professional Procrastinator here too! I will be packing the night before. We leave Tuesday and with Sunday being Fathers Day and Saturday I have a birthday party ... I just don't have the time! The only thing I've done so far is toss magazines and an insulated cup in my carry on bag, only because I was cleaning around the house and didn't want to forget them!

Are there any other bars and/or pools open between Jacks and Margaritaville?

I'm interested too. I've seen the price of Jack's and I'm not up to paying Margaritaville prices (I found Jack's menu prices pretty high).

Village bar or Crew bar ... any other bars opened between M'ville and Jack's??

Really enjoying your review, taking this same cruise next week! I have a few questions.

On Grand Turk, it looks like people brought their own beach umbrella (looking at the picture of the conch). I'm thinking that's not a bad idea, we are driving in and those beach umbrellas are fairly light.

We are also planning on going to Jack's Shack but I've now seen the prices of food and drink and I find it fairly expensive. We still may walk down to pet Topher and the other dog, and a cat or two, but may eat and grab a drink from the other establishment called The Local Village Bar. It's supposedly right on the other side of the boundary of Margaritaville (on the way to Jack's Shack) and has a huge sign that says $3.50 Beers. Maybe that's where you stopped?

About purchasing liquor on Grand Turk. Where did you find the best prices? Since we are not flying, I plane on stocking up on bottles and thought Nassau would be priced good but you suggest Grand Turk?

Thanks so much for this review, it helped so much in planning everything for us. Even the pictures from the helicopter give me a birds eye view of where to walk on the beach!!

Also, Grand Turk looks like a bigger island than I thought, I can't believe cruise people really get around in golf carts, looks like a lot of roads and an industrial island.

http://www.nassaubeach.com/things-to-do/adults/wifi-internet-cafes

You can get WiFi in the Welcome Center for $5 a day? I've been there before and never saw any signs, has anyone done this?

Looking forward to your review, we cruise this same ship and itinerary next week!

I signed my DD up for the "kids" club (15-17) online. Does that mean we just show up the first night?

I got the free cruise offer in February and booked.

About the insurance, YES, you will be charged the Fun Select rate if you cancel the free cruise. It is best to get insurance to cover in case you have to cancel. We bought it through a third party, much cheaper than Carnival plus I needed pre-existing conditions because my dad and stepmom have been in and out of the hospital. Also, you cannot insure only what you paid (we paid $288 for our cruise). I had to pay whatever the prevailing Fun Select Rate was at the time I booked. So I'm bought insurance based on the Fun Select Rate, which was $2500.

If you look at the fine print of the offer given to you, you will see where it outlines the cancellation policy.

I booked my Carnival cruises with Carnival the first time, then a PVP after that. The PVP called me after the first cruise because she saw that I purchased a FCC and wanted to know if I was going to cash it in. At the time I was planning on booking so I went ahead and booked with her.

I also booked a cruise with her for my daughter and her sorority friends.

In February i checked everyone's VIFP accounts and I was the only one who received the free cruise.

This is our breakdown:

My father in a cabin next to us (his first Carnival cruise). He gambled at the tables about $100 on this trip. He received the $600 off Fun Select Rates.

My stepmom who I booked in a cabin with him (her first Carnival cruise), gambled about $200 in the slots this cruise. She received the 2-category upgrade.

My oldest DD, who has been on 3 Carnival cruises and never gambles. She received the $600 off Fun Select Rates.

My DH, who never gambles, this was his first Carnival cruise. He received the $600 off Fun Select Rates.

My 17 year old DD, has been on 2 Carnival cruises. She received the 2-category upgrade.

__

On the cruise when all 6 of us went in 3 cabins, I had everyone's S&S account linked to my cabin and I paid it in full under my name. Maybe that's why I got the free cruise?

My PVP called me last night, wanted to make sure everything was ok with our free cruise next week. She also mentioned there was another round of free cruises going out and that she booked 4 today, including a husband and wife who both received the offer and they were booking 2 cabins and taking family. I told her they could have left the family home and booked a B2B. I think I surprised her with a great idea to pitch to another couple if they too get free cruises.

Edit to add: My PVP also said she is very surprised by Carnival to be giving out these offers for free cruises - they don't even offer free cruises to their own employees.

great intro! Thanks for posting, I'll be following along!

Sail-away on Balcony

We spent some time touring the ship and then headed back to our balcony for a final goodbye to Port Canaveral. Having such a large balcony was wonderful. One of the best things I packed for this cruise was a portable doorbell. It runs off batteries. (Purchased at Lowe’s) We had a procedure that if we were awake and ready for company, we would put the doorbell button outside our doorway. We would take the receiver outside on the deck. If you have a balcony, you cannot hear knocks on the cabin door. We glued magnets to the doorbell button so it could easily be put up and taken down. The receiver has an on/off button. We never had a problem with people just hitting the bell and running. Also, on the Sunshine, the aft wrap and the L-shaped cabins are not located directly on the main hallway. You actually have to enter a little hallway to reach our doorway. I’m sure that helped prevent doorbell disturbances from strangers. Not many people walk to the back of the ship unless you have a cabin back there.

What an excellent idea! This is also good for when ordering room service and you want to sit out on the balcony.

We love sitting and laying out when we have aft-facing balconies and usually I have to prop the door open and try to hear the door knock!

Thanks for the suggestion, enjoying your review!

I usually book a year out but this time we booked in February for June (free cruise) and the prices are even amazingly low(er) right now.

I will NEVER book that far in advance again and will wait until after the ship's final payment date to book, esspecially since Carnival has gotten creative with early saver. I can still dream and plan, just that I will have all that money in MY pocket and not the cruise lines.

And I'm not a fan of FTTF, don't care about specific cabins, so it's a win-win!

Be sure to know where the handicap waiting area is during muster drill! What's great about it is they let the HC people and those with kids in strollers to leave a few minutes before they release the rest of the passengers during Muster Drill.

If you think trying to get an elevator during normal hours is tough, try doing it when muster is let out! NCL - take note, Carnival has a special place for their HC passengers AND let's them get a head start before the masses!

Well, they are "free" you pay $50 per person for an inside-then you get a $100 OBC for the cruise--so its free. Yes, you can use the OBC for tips--same as any other OBC. Yes you do get the VIFP days--I took an 8 day free cruise last summer on the splendor--the days are counted in my points.

I paid $0 for my inside on the Splendor back in February.

Thanks for the info about having the points counted! :)

We were on the conquest a couple of years ago on the spa deck. Those very top balconies have no roof and they told us under no circumstances would they ever open those partitions. I understood it to be because of wind and safety. We booked a lower balcony a couple of decks lower this time because we cruise with family.

 

 

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it says here that Spa Balconies on the Conquest do not connect:

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/the_fleet/conquest/conquest.ashx