Lovefuninthesun

Oh, wowzers -- please don't do this!

It takes boorish chair-hog behavior to a whole new level!

Then people will start having signs in the comedy club and the theater.

Ack.:rolleyes:

We learned that the Paradise does not have any heat! :o

Our last cruise was in January. On our last day, a sea day, the temperature dropped precipitously, and by night it was cold as the proverbial witch's you-know-what. It was so cold in our cabin we slept in full clothes and shoes, and still froze. I even tried turning on the hot shower full tilt and opening the bathroom door to try and get a little warmth in there. When we debarked the next morning in Tampa it was 40-something!

We've sailed on Paradise several times -- sometimes it takes 2 hours, sometimes 2 1/2 hours; I'm not sure if the variation is speed or waiting for the special pilot. But it's always fun to be up on the top deck when we go under the bridge!

A few months ago we sailed out of PC and the assigned check-in times WERE enforced. PAX without the correct arrival times were forced to wait outside the terminal.

We were dyed-in-the-wool late diners for years and years, and loved that.

However, after our first trial run with YTD we were hooked, and we LOVE it!

We very rarely have had to wait longer than 10", even when asking for a table for two and even a specific wait team. But in the rare instance where we have had to wait (usually on elegant night when people turn out in droves) we just get a drink at the Atrium Bar and people watch!

I can't imagine that we would ever go back to assigned dining!

IMO, don't sweat the small stuff!

Who cares what or if they receive some benefit? Just say "no, thank you."

Geez.

IMHO, cash is the way to go! No drama, no fuss. We used to link everything to a card, but we think cash works even better. We usually open our account at check-in with a $500 gift card, and then we just add as necessary in the kiosk.

John Heald indicated the change had occurred "some time ago" but it was sure news to me.

Thanks all, but I only wanted the prices of the drinks.

 

We"re usually not even hungry because of all the food on the ship.

 

Frog and Onion is showing $12.00 for cocktails. That's high even for NY.

 

I know that's probably the norm for Bermuda, just not sure I want to pay it.

FYI -- in the Tampa, FL area where we live, we routinely encounter cocktails that are $12 or $14. And when we cruise, that is not at all off base in some ports -- we paid almost $15 for cocktails on our last trip to Georgetown, Grand Cayman. ;)

Buy the transportation pass which is good for the ferries and all buses -- it costs us $33.50 each for the two days and was so worth it.

How/where do you purchase a pass? TIA

Have sailed the Paradise 3 times, #4 coming up over NYE.

Each time it has been inside to start and then they have lead everyone up and out to the actual lifeboats. People with walking disabilities have been exempt from the latter.

Well now, I don't think I'm ridiculous at all. I have been to most ports many, many times. I love being onboard a ship and find it very relaxing. Running off exploring places has lost some of its appeal as I've gotten a little older. Now I find being off work & relaxing to be "exciting."

 

I worked onboard cruise ships for numerous years and also travelled a lot when I was younger as my father was a career Army officer. You may think I'm "ridiculous" and "almost sad" but to each his own. I stay onboard or go into port as the mood strikes. I like to be in the casino when the ship is at sea and lounging around the pool with a drink in my hand when it's in port. So for you the day you "get on a cruise and never get off the boat tis the day I quit cruising" works for you. For me and some others, a cruise is all about being on the ship - when I want to explore, I take land based vacations.

 

Thinking someone is almost sad and ridiculous because they enjoy something different than you, is kind of sad.

Well said, and our sentiments exactly!

After lots of cruises, we enjoy the cruising EXPERIENCE as much, or even more than the ports or even the specific ship. We are just happy to laze the day away on the balcony, or people-watching on lido.

Of course we get off the ship in many ports, definitely when it is something new -- for example, we're going to Bermuda, where we have never been, so of course we are excited to explore.

To each his/her own! :)

I am going to miss the escargots in the tiny puff pastries. :(

Have you met Uncle Google ?

Rude :rolleyes:

Southwest is refundable. Your hotel may be as well if you call them.

Southwest is not refundable unless you purchased a fully-refundable fare. We always book the cheaper, Wanna Get Away fares -- those are NOT refundable. In our case (we were booked on one of the canceled Fascination sailings) they gave us future travel credits that have to be used within 1 year of booking date. Oh, and we completely lost the extra "early bird check in" purchased ($60 for 2 of us both ways :(.

Our hotels were cancelled without penalty.

Our Fascination cruise is scheduled for the next week, October 8.

If it is canceled by Carnival, will they refund ALL of the cruise expenses, including cruise charges, taxes/fees, prepaid gratuities, insurance, excursions? (I know they won't refund our airfare which we booked independently.)

This is definitely a first for us after many cruises. :o

Our Fascination cruise is scheduled for October 8 - little more than 2 weeks.

Even if that is a 'go', which is questionable, I'm not sure what we would do about flights -- we were scheduled to fly in day before and stay at Sheraton Old San Juan overnight; our flight home is not until 10/17, as we were planning 2 nights after the cruise at the Condado Plaza Hilton.

I have heartburn.:o

This is my favorite line:

"...this foolish person intentionally ruined a cruise for about 2000 people

Loved the review.

We are doing the 4 day to Havana only (no KW) in May -- very much looking forward to it! Haven't had to change currencies since a trip to France 15 years ago, so a little anxious about that.

On our last cruise (December-January) it WAS offered on the menu aboard the Paradise.

We absolutely loved the Liberty! We thought she was well-maintained, spotlessly clean, and layout was well-organized. There are several special features that we loved -- Alchemy Bar, Steakhouse, Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy's Burgers. Staff and crew were lovely.

We are doing Fascination out of San Juan in October -- we are the only ship in every port.

Once in Grand Cayman there were 7 other ships, 8 ships total - ours was a rerouted stop due to a hurricane in the eastern Caribbean, so possibly this was the case for some of the other ships, as well. At any rate it was a goat rodeo and we had to wait 2 hours in the sun to get a tender back to the ship - there was a line that snaked all over the port area and into town.

In and out once seated may be 25 minutes, my concern is the wait time to get in the restaurant.

We always eat breakfast in the MDR and we have never waited to get in......

The Carnival website IS an issue, period.:mad:

I am hearing that somebody was murdered on the ship. Has anybody else heard this? :eek:

Are you perhaps thinking of the very recent Princess Alaska cruise where there was a murder?

If this were something similarly nefarious, the ship would've been kept longer in Mobile.