cherbear4000

I have had excursions I wanted to do sell out before I boarded. I would book them now. You can always cancel and get a 100% refund up until 24 hours before you sail.

I hope you feel better soon. I always get a cold towards the end of my cruise or right after. I guess that will happen when that many people are in such close proximity. I did contract Salmonella poisoning on the Carnival Dream, but that was Carnival's fault.

Add me to the list of people saying you got exactly what you requested. Nowhere does it state that linked bookings will be near each other when requesting guarantees.

I had the exact opposite problem. I was sailing in a group of 8 cabins. I originally had an inside, but I upgraded to a balcony guarantee. Another one of the cabins in our group later decided to do the same. When we got our assignments we were next to each other except I did not want to be next to them!

None of the complaints individually are that bad, but I can see how having all those things happen would be annoying. I am surprised about the steakhouse because I have always received excellent service there. As for the MDR, it is always slow. That is probably my biggest complaint about Carnival overall.

Just a couple of things I wanted to mention regarding the review. The room stewards cannot remove the items in the mini bar from your cabin, as they have nowhere to store them. The best they can do is place the items on the shelf, which obviously you can do yourself. As for the snoozin/cruisin sign, I have personally seen children and drunk people flip the signs on people's cabins as they walk by.

I cruised the Sunshine last year. The service was outstanding, as usual on Carnival. The food was excellent. I enjoyed my cruise. The Sunshine had all the great 2.0 upgrades. It had the water works area. It was a great cruise, but the Sunshine is not my favorite ship

When Carnival converted the Destiny to the Sunshine, they added a bunch of cabins. I felt the ship was a too small for the number of people. The comedy lounge was tiny. The main theater is much smaller than on then on other ships. It was 2 stories instead of 3. The ship always felt crowded to me. I also did not like that the cabins did not have fridges.

In Grand Turk there is a beach right at the port.

I never get the insurance. Yes I know things happen, but it is a chance I take. With as many cruises as I have been on, I have saved more than enough money to pay for at least 3 cruises with the money I save by not getting the insurance. So if I ever had to cancel last minute, I would still come out ahead. I drive to port, so no worries about airline delays and lost luggage. I have great health insurance that will cover me outside of the US.

When I go with my parents and siblings, we choose early seating. There are usually between 15-20 of us so it is difficult for us to get tables together with your time. When it is just DH and I, then we go with your time so we don't have to keep to a schedule.

Can anyone tell me when the Valor is scheduled for a dry dock? I noticed it does not have a Guy's Burgers currently. I am assuming it will get the 2.0 upgrades at the next dry dock. Also, can anyone anyone tell me what other upgrades are usually done at dry dock? Do they replace the carpets? Will they put in the Water Works, etc?

We are looking between the Sunshine and Valor. I was not a big fan of the Sunshine, but will not cruise the Valor unless they have the 2.0 upgrades.

Thanks!

My sister just asked me to ask about the kid's program. Are you allowed to keep your kids on the ship in the kid's programs while the parents are at port? What about the babies? We know there is a fee for under 3, but can they stay on the ship at port? Sometimes my sister likes to take the older kids on an active excursion that the younger ones can't do.

My parents treat the whole family to a yearly cruise, so I have been on many cruises. Mostly with Carnival, but I have also cruised NCL, Celebrity, and Costa. Due to scheduling conflicts, we have no choice but to go with Royal this year since they are the only cruise line leaving out of Florida on 7/5. We are looking at Independence OTS. I have been trying to find the answers to my questions on Royal's website, but thought I would come here too. Please answers any of my questions that you can.

1) On Carnival, you can get price drops up until final payment. So if the price of your cruise drops, you can call Carnival and they will lower your price to match the new lower price. Is Royal the same way?

2) I tend to book an inside on Carnival and then a few weeks prior to sailing, upgrade to a balcony if available. It is much cheaper than booking a balcony to begin with. Can I upgrade my cabin with Royal at any time?

3) What beverages are included?

4) One thing we like about Carnival is the relaxed dress code in the MDR. I read no shorts or T-shirts, but I assume jeans are allowed. Do people wear jeans?

5) Is soda allowed to be brought on board? If so, is there a limit?

6) We are a group of 19 people ages 76 to less than a year at the time of sailing. If there are any differences in Carnival vs Royal you feel would be helpful for us to know, please tell me.

Here are a few things I always tell first time cruisers.

Turn off your cell phones or put in airplane mode before sailaway unless you want to be charged a ridiculous amount for roaming.

You will be charged $11.50 pp/day for gratuities. I am surprised how many first time cruisers don't know this and don't budget for it.

Room Service is included, although it is customary to tip $2-$3 a trip.

There will be porters at the port to take your luggage on the ship. They also expect a few dollar tip.

Have fun!

I have a questions that is sort of similar. I won't have time to get to the bank before sailing, but I will be able to stop at an ATM. Since the ATMs only give $20 bills, am I able to exchange cash for smaller bills on the ship?

Everyone in your van departs the beach back to the pier at the same time. We did a tour around the island that topped at a couple of little shops. We then went to the monkey business and then the beach. The beach is very nice on the West End. I don't know the name of the beach, but they drop you off at a restaurant/bar called Bananarama.

Has anyone done the shark/rays excursion through Carnival? How is it? Belize is the one port I feel more comfortable taking an excursion through the ship as opposed to booking with an outside company.

According to the CDC, 18.1% of adults smoke cigarettes in the US. I would assume the percentage of cruise passengers that smoke would be similar.

I have taken a 1.5 L bottle of wine on board and told them it was for my husband and I instead of taking 2 of the 750 mL bottles. I had no problem. I guess it just depends on the agent.

Does anyone know the hours of operation for the taste bar. I don't want to miss it.

 

Thx

The exact times are listed in the Fun Times but it is before dinner starting round 5:30, I think.

The wine does need to be brought in your carry-on. I always pack a corkscrew and usually just put it in my toiletries bag in my checked luggage..

I love the taste bar. Basically, it is little appetizers inspired by the pay restaurants on the Carnival fleet.

I am doing the shark/stingray excursion in Belize next week. What did you think about it?

I booked balcony guarantee and did not like my cabin placement. My only option was to pay for an upgrade to a higher category. There was a cancellation so I was able to go from a balcony on 8 forward to an extended aft on 6 for $200 total for the week. To me it was worth the $200 to finally get an extended aft and not have the original cabin.

First sea day

I did the dolphin swim and snorkel at Anthony's Key in Roatan and loved it.

All you need to do is put your tags on their luggage.