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It's the fanny pack this week on Jubilee.

This such a full ship - lines for everything. Had to wait 1.5 hrs to get in for brunch but I guess that's the way it goes when traveling on a holiday. And they are doing a great job - the lines move fairly quickly. The weather is a perfect 80 degrees.

Hats for the party were waiting in our room.

I forgot to mention, in case anyone is interested in hotel information, we flew into IAH very late last night (arrived at approximately 1:30 am) so we stayed at the hotel attached to the airport. It is a Marriott property, costing about $200 total with all taxes and fees, which I thought was a little high, but worth it for the convenience. It was nice (clean and quiet).

There were only about 6 peole at Pig & Anchor for lunch so it was calm and quiet- nice! Then back to exploring the ship.

We got on Jubilee this morning and I have to say I'm impressed with Galveston's embarkation process! My heart kind of sank when we arrived at approximately 950 for our 10:00 to 1030 arrival appt. The traffic was bad and the line to get into the terminal ran all the way to the end of the building. But the line moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were inside the terminal. Within 15 Minutes we were completely through the check-in/security process, and sitting in the waiting room. At 10:55 they began boarding with priority group A, B, C, etc. A few quick stats from chatting with a carnival rep in the waiting room - This is a completely sold out sailing, with 500 diamond passengers and 1600 platinum. We were on the ship by 11:05. We had planned to go straight to the Excursion desk to sign up for the 'Behind the Fun" tour, but unfortunately got distracted, and by the time we got there, it was sold out. They said it sold out within 30 minutes. This is a gorgeous ship. We have been on both Mardi Gras and Celebration, and I love the way each has its own theme.

This was an issue on Celebration at Thanksgiving also - teenagers running and yelling in the halls and stairwells. With Carnival catering to a younger crowd, I've decided this is likely on any cruise during a school break unfortunately. We also had 1 fight (heard code Charlie calling security to deck 8 near guest services). We saw one person removed from the ship in handcuffs as soon as we docked in Miami (not sure if it was related though).

That's funny, same here - after reading this I went and looked at our items (still in the packaging) and yes, on Celebration the week of Thanksgiving we got the toiletry bags and I didn't even realize it (I also assumed more fanny packs at first glance).

I think the way Carnival advertises this (and lists those offers) is very confusing. I almost made this mistake on Panorama (but decided to call Carnival and fortunately got a knowledgeable agent). I was told the guarantees are by stateroom categories Interior, Ocean View, Balcony, or Suite, and not broken down as far as 7A, 7N, or HE, for example. I guess it's possible someone could get lucky and get a Havana area cabin under a balcony guarantee, but I don't think it's very likely. I appreciate OP coming back and letting us know how her experience turned out though because you never know if the random Carnival rep you get on the phone is accurate.

I totally agree! We had been on over 25 cruises before we tried a cove balcony and it's now one of my favorites (feel like we were missing out). We were so close to the water and got to see flying fish and dolphins. With it being shaded it wasn't near as hot as a standard balcony so we got a lot more use out of it. The only other balcony type I like better is Havana Cabana.

I thought the spa on Vista was pretty accommodating for us. We went to the "pamper party" where they offer discounts on future services if you book them at the party. May daughter wanted her hair trimmed in addition to the other packaged services offered. They came up with a custom discount package and offered it to us. I know that is a little different, but just wanted to say, it never hurts to ask (and I'm guessing it could vary by ship).

I think they leave on Saturday (because we get on the following Saturday, the 30th). But yes, either way, Bon Voyage and have a wonderful Christmas cruise to all those passengers - I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures!

I think Carnival raised the price on their bottled water recently, but it's still very reasonable - I just purchased a pack of water for our upcoming cruise, current price is $11.75 total (with tax) for a 12 pack (16.9 oz bottles) and it's always waiting in our room when we arrive.

I think that would be such a great cruise - I love Mardi Gras! I understand your concerns - I have been on some of the shorter booze cruises out of LA on Carnival, and it can be a very young/loud party crowd, but the longer itineraries are totally different. In September we did a 16 day repositioning cruise on Carnival. It was an older crowd than usual (I would guess the average age was 65 - 70). There was a total of only 11 kids on board (very unusual on a Carnival ship in my experience). It was a very relaxed, quiet atmosphere. It was one of our best cruises. For comparison purposes, we've been on about 35 cruises, primarily Carnival, but also HAL and NCL.