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On 11/27/2023 at 9:16 AM, Awjeez317 said:

We had a LOVELY time staying at The Gabriel. It’s like…RIGHT there and they have an amazing roof/terrace pool and some great views of the port and ships. We watched the Virgin Ship leave port from the balcony and it was really amazing. 

 

Definitely pricey so we used HHonors points. Worth it. 

Thanks for this helpful review of the Gabriel. I've been considering them for a pre-cruise stay next November, and I haven't found anyone else mention them yet. Did you use the complementary shuttle/chair/umbrella service to their South Beach location, by any chance? Since I've never been to Miami, it feels like I should at least experience South Beach! 😄

On 7/7/2021 at 10:28 AM, sanger727 said:

I can see this becoming part of the new in flight presentation. Here are step by step instructions to put on a seatbelt and if you try to put on an oxygen mask, then take off your face covering first. 

When I flew on Southwest a few weeks ago, this was, in fact, now part of the safety briefing. 

On 7/3/2021 at 9:12 AM, Joebucks said:

I assume you're flying out of ATL, which as one of the biggest airports in the world, has quite a bit of options.

I fly out of Nashville, usually, not ATL. 

15 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I will not fall for their marketing of "free baggage" on flights that cost more money.

Where on Earth are you flying that Southwest is MORE expensive? On every trip I've ever taken, the roundtrip Southwest fare has always been roughly equal to half the total cost of a roundtrip fare on any other non-budget airline. And I always book nonstop Southwest flights, which are almost never available from any other airline for anywhere I want to go. 

I like the paper Fun Times, but only the little tear-off portion that lists just the events/times and important information. I can easily do without all the other paper, but I like to tuck that little schedule into the lanyard I use to carry my Sail & Sign card that day, so that it's always at my fingertips. I prefer not to carry my phone around on board - almost none of my clothes have pockets (WHY do women's clothing designers do this?). 

Just boarded the Fantasy in Mobile! It’s chilly at the moment, but I’m looking forward to warm weather very soon. 

3 hours ago, TravelE said:

We loved the Elite Champagne Catamaran Cruise and Snorkel. The snorkeling and equipment was fantastic. The catamaran is very nice. They serve lunch and unlimited quality drinks. The crew is outstanding. It is a bit pricey but I was able to price match it to a similar Viator tour.

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/cozumel/elite-champagne-catamaran-sail-and-snorkel-304286

I'm torn between this and the La Casa beach day. They're at about the same price point. Good thing I have plenty of time to make up my mind! Lots of reviews of both on the Carnival site, but not many here. I'll have to do some more digging through trip reports and the Ports of Call board. 

Has anyone done the "VIP La Casa" adults only beach day through Carnival? It's pricey but sounds like it might be worth the splurge for a quiet, relaxing day. 

Thanks to @Tiger0613, I've looked into the details of the photo/foodie tour of Progresso, and I think we have a winner! I've never visited mainland Mexico; I think this will be a perfect tour for me. 

Still looking into options for Cozumel. I'm torn between a catamaran/snorkel option or maybe a beach day. Decisions, decisions...Honestly, I think planning a cruise is almost as much fun as going on one!

Lots of great input, everyone. Thanks!

Thanks, everyone! Some really neat suggestions here. The photo/foodie tour of Merida definitely sounds like something I would enjoy; I'll be sure to check that out!

I'm sailing on the Carnival Fantasy from Mobile on December 14th. As far as how long is too long on a bus, anything more than an hour would probably be pushing it; shorter if the road is very windy or hilly. The Twister boat ride sounds like a no-go; I can't even watch 3-D movies without becoming miserably ill...

So, first the disclaimers: Yes, I understand that it is perfectly safe and often easier to "do it yourself" at most cruise stops. However, I'll be traveling alone on my upcoming cruise and am more comfortable with cruise line excursions under the circumstances. Yes, I've checked out the Ports of Call forums, but those aren't nearly as active as this one, and therefore a lot of the information there is outdated. I've been looking through the excursion offerings and am suffering from a bit of decision paralysis. 

Now, for the fun part. 😄

Have you taken any particular Carnival excursions in either of these ports that you would recommend? Or that you'd strongly NOT recommend? Why or why not? 

I enjoy quiet, beautiful beaches (have done Nachi in Cozumel twice on previous cruises), snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, culture, and exploring local cuisine. I do NOT handle long bus rides well (severe motion sickness; most boats don't bother me, for whatever reason), so ruins are out. I prefer small excursion groups when possible. Love kids but would prefer adult company on this trip. My cruise will be in December, if that factors into your recommendation. 

Let's hear your stories, please. And photos, if you have them and feel like sharing!

On 2/15/2019 at 1:19 PM, Doggielover68 said:

How much of an alcoholic do you have to be to get one of these ridiculous things? A bra that holds wine? It's sad, really. 

 

As someone who works on a college campus, my experience has been that these are primarily marketed to sports fans and concert attendees, not cruisers. And, yes, security guards bust people with these silly devices ALL THE TIME. Yet, most people are sure that *they* won't be the ones who get caught. Optimism or delusion? You decide. Lol. 

On 6/27/2019 at 6:59 PM, fyree39 said:

Whenever we visit again, I may skip the steak and go with the chicken or fish. Try something different for a change.

 

 

If you're looking to try something other than the steak, I HIGHLY recommend the lamb. I've had it twice now, on two different ships, and still dream about those meals. 

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

 

What is a "western" cruise, and what line are you on?  Thanks.

Sorry. I skipped a word - western Caribbean. I'm doing the Carnival Fantasy from Mobile, AL to Cozumel and Progresso on December 14th. For one person (so, paying for two fares but only one set of taxes, port fees, and pre-paid gratuities), my total cost is right at $700. That works out to about $140/night - I could't stay in a hotel locally and feed myself for that!

If you want to cruise the week OF a major holiday, then prices will be sky high. I've found that there are really great deals to be had in the week immediately preceding Christmas, if that's an option for you. For example, I'm sailing alone on a 5-night western cruise this December for about 1/5 of the price you quoted. Of course, I'm sailing in an interior room on an older ship, but, still, hopefully you can see my point. 

As others have noted, this is a fairly common practice at resorts, hotels, and other vacation spots. I accidentally packed two bottles of shampoo instead of one shampoo and one conditioner on a cruise once. I ended up spending something like $15 for a  bottle that would have cost about $3 at home, but there's no way I was going to make it through an 8-day cruise with no conditioner!

I highly recommend developing a relationship with one Carnival PVP. I've been using the same PVP for over 8 years now. She knows my preferences, keeps an eye out for deals I might be interested in, and doesn't harass me with phone calls otherwise. If I have a problem, it's always fixed with a single, short phone call. Easy peasy. 

On 5/21/2019 at 2:35 PM, coevan said:

The best part about getting off late is your luggage is easy to find

This. Shorter lines, less stress, and I can usually find my luggage instantly upon walking into the holding area. I don't know that I've ever been the very last one off, but I usually try to be in the last major group of people leaving. I don't like the "hurry up and wait" feeling of being in the early groups. 

Late March? Early March? Most teenagers (I assume you mean high or middle schoolers) don't have Spring Break until after most of the colleges.

 

e.g., local county high school spring breaks are 16-23 March in my area of Florida, which is the week after the peak for colleges (see my post above with the table).

Not true at all in college towns, in my experience. Public school spring breaks are almost always scheduled to coincide with the local University’s spring break, because many of the parents of public school children are university employees.

FYI: I know for a fact that the weekend you’ve chosen coincides with the first weekend of spring break for at least three major state universities within driving distance of Jacksonville. However, most college students can’t afford to cruise on spring break. They typically hit up Panama City, which is much cheaper and more college student friendly (I.e. easier to get away with underage drinking).

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I love room service and use it almost every day of my cruises. I’m not upset about the late night charges, but I really wish the fees ended at 5 am instead of 6. I’m an early riser, and there are NO breakfast options available before 7:30 or so (other than the continental, which doesn’t really do it for active people). I’ll probably suck it up and pay for my BLTs, but I will grumble a little bit in the process.

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Southwest is BY FAR my airline of choice. No change fees, no baggage fees, AND credit for price drops? No brainer.

I always pay for Early Bird check-in. At $30 (round trip), the convenience is absolutely worth it to me. On my last business trip, I was assigned B16 (first person after “Business Select”) both ways. That guaranteed me a widow seat on an exit row. Score! I may be 5’1”, but I appreciate the extra space.

One of the tv news magazines - Dateline, maybe? - did a story a while back that proved that Southwest’s loading procedure is the most efficient one in the airline industry. And the most important facet of the “two free checked bags” policy isn’t the money saved - it’s the time/frustration saved because your fellow passengers aren’t trying to cram “carry-ons” that ARE NOT carryon size into the overhead bins just to save $25 each way.

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When I visited Roatan last December, I booked my tour through Bananarama but was taken to the Victor Boden zip line/monkey park facility. We did not need to use our hands to brake - good thing, because I was basically paralyzed with fear on the first line. I was able to get *some* okay photos and a few GREAT videos. I also purchased the (very reasonable - $20?) CD of images that their photographer took of my friend and I on the zip lines. They got some fantastic pictures!

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I also can’t view the images, but thank you for sharing. Your description of Sapphire Beach breaks my heart.

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America's cup 12 metre race in St Maarten.

 

Best excursion ever!

Definitely this! I’ve never had an excursion that I didn’t enjoy, but this one easily tops them all. It is well worth the cost!

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