LisaT91403

Is Playmakers adults only? When I read the description, I was thinking it would be similar to a Dave & Buster's (sports bar & arcade for both kids & adults).

Tax is 18.25%

Resort fee is $22.15/person

Energy fee is $17.15/adult

Housekeeping gratuity is $5/adult

It does add up!

Thanks! Good to know what cab fare is. I like the idea of being able to leave on our own schedule. Our ship is in port until 6:00pm, so we have plenty of time to use the water park. Thanks!

Got it! Thanks for the info!

The Comfort Suites room rate is $356 (including taxes) for the night we would need. It also says that there are other fees, such as an energy tax of $17/person and a housekeeping fee of $5/person.

If we have 1 adult and 3 kids, I'm thinking it doesn't come out to be such a great deal as kids are $99 when purchasing from Royal (and it would include transportation). Or am I missing something?

I'm curious about the Comfort Suites "trick". How far away is the Atlantis waterpark from the Comfort Suites? I'm assuming it's walking distance?

Yes you can arrive at noon and get into line then, they are now lining up inside the white dome where you're processed. On debarkation morning the earliest we saw people leaving was around 7:15am.......enjoy your cruise.

Great...thank you! We are looking forward to it!

Long Beach is a bit different than other ports. There is no indoor waiting area.

Have you chosen your Staggered Check in Time yet? Earliest choice in Long Beach is noon but you can check in earlier.

Dome doors open at 11:30. We arrive around noon and there isn’t too much of a wait.

 

All off is around 10am on debarkation day.

The earliest time available when I checked in online was 12:30-1:00. So are you saying we could get there earlier than 12:30, and get in line then?

I'm hoping to walk off on debarkation day as early as possible. Kiddo has to get to school that day ;-) I hope it's not 10:00!

Thanks!

I've never sailed CCL before, and we are just doing a quickie 3-day out of Long Beach. We will have carry-on luggage only. Do I really need to buy FTTF? Can't I just carry rolling bag on with me?

We also plan to do self-disembarkation...so would FTTF benefit us in any way?

Thanks!

How early were you able to get on the ship? And how about debarkation time? I have never sailed CCL before...do I really need to pay that extra $50 to get on the ship early?

Are there any big differences between the Riviera Deck and the Upper Deck?

You’ll be forward, so you might feel some swells, especially going north against the current. We prefer aft but always avoid the center stairwell because of smoke from the casino.

Read this thread. It has very good info about the cabins etc

 

Carnival Inspiration Questions

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561991https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561991

Thanks for the info. I think we'd be midship if we are on the Riviera deck, but would be forward on the Upper deck. That's why I'm leaning towards Riviera.

Any idea what time self-disembarkation might be? Thanks.

With the R76/80 you're a little closer to the elevator/stairs, which is something my husband always prefers. Riviera deck means you're a bit farther away from the action on decks 7,8 and 9 and it also means you'll be disembarked later than others as, if I remember correctly, you're disembarked by deck, upper decks before lower decks.

I'm not worried about the action, so to speak -- we can walk just fine, and I'm used to GIGANTIC ships. I'm more worried about things like cabin vibration (it was HORRIBLE on Disney because of our cabin location), or noise from clubs, pool decks, restaurants, etc.

I love Guy's burgers, on the Lido deck by the pool, so I'd recommend that. Go on the first day because it becomes popular and the line gets longer as the days go by. Blue Iguana, the Mexican place opposite Guy's, is loved by many, but I'm not a fan of the Mexican food there. I'm spoiled by the Mexican food in my town. The pizza isn't bad, either, and can be found all the way aft on the Lido deck. You can get a slice or the whole pie. Just ask.

 

The Serenity area is an adults only area on Deck 9 aft. There are a couple of hot tubs and you can get towels from the towel bar on the starboard side of the Serenity area. Just give the attendant your Sign and Sail card to check out the towel and make sure he crosses off your name when you return the towel.

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-inspiration.aspx

 

Above is a link (if it works) to the deck plans of the Inspiration. I love that little ship. I've been on her a few times and have my favorite places to sit and watch the world go by. Please come back and let us know how the cruise was and what thoughts you have about it.

 

We just got off the Anthem of the Seas and had a lovely time, but the Inspiration is, for us, like a Las Vegas weekend getaway.

Thanks for the great info!

We are going in with completely open minds. We are not going to compare this little weekend getaway to the megaships that we normally sail on. That would be apples to oranges. This is just for a bunch of us to get together and hang out...an easy way to be together, have food and entertainment provided. I'm sure we will have a great time :-)

Thanks again for the help.

Hi,

My Mom & I were on Inspiration 4 day cruise last week. We were in Cabin E77, an Ocean View and Connecting Cabin as it turned out. To be clear that is Deck 7, Empress Cabin 77.

Thanks for all of the great info! Unfortunately, since we are booking so late, that deck is not available. Darn! I appreciate the help!

I just found out today that my friend is taking a whole bunch of us on a quick cruise for his 50th birthday. We will be on the 1/5/18 sailing. I have been on more than a dozen cruises...but all on Royal Caribbean (and just one on Disney).

So...I don't even know where to begin with Carnival! I'm not worried too much about activities, as we are just going to go with the flow and have fun hanging out with our group. But there are a few things I'm hoping to get some advice on.

First and foremost, I could use some help picking cabins. We will have connecting Ocean Views...with DH and I in one, and my 9 year old in the other (yes, I realize we can't book it this way). The only options for connecting that I see are Riviera Deck (R76/80, R96/100, and basically the same locations on the other side of the ship) or Upper Deck (U46/50). The Upper is more expensive, and is forward rather than midship. I'm leaning towards Riviera. Any thoughts?

I plan to read up on the kid's club, restaurants, etc. But if you have any "Don't Miss" activities, food/restaurants, or tips & tricks, please let me know.

Thanks!

There is a private dining room on Anthem, deck 4 behind American Icon. Perhaps you can arrange to have your special meal there?

Is there something similar on Harmony? I know I can't ask about Symphony just yet, but would be looking for a private dinner for ~25 people.

And would the Suite Concierge be the best person to contact about this when the time comes?

Just looking to know if anyone has successfully checked a case of water onto HOS by just putting a luggage tag on the case or do i need to place the bottles in a duffle bag? Thanks

We checked a case in December. I suppose policies could have changed since then, but we had no problem.

Our experience with CK, first seating was at a premium. Many nights diners turned away for early time. Plenty available for late seating from our experience. I'm sure they will work something out for you, especially if you make reservations early.

 

I know CK has a lot of 2 top tables that may be placed together for larger groups.

 

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I'm sure it varies from sailing to sailing. We will figure it out...if not CK, then somewhere else. We won't go hungry ;-)

Not so sure about 24 people? Are they all in Sky Class and above? JS (Sea Class) may eat dinner in CK and but only with availability.

 

Although there may be multiple dinner times, however, in essence, CK has only early and late seating.

 

 

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Some are Sky, most are Sea. We were in a JS on Harmony and had no trouble getting dinner reservations any time we wanted them. We ate there for 6 of our 7 nights.

Good to know...thanks for the OP for asking the question. We are sailing on a Thanksgiving cruise with 22 people, and 2 passengers (2 teenage kids who are part of a family of 5) are the only ones not in a suite. We were trying to figure out if we could all eat at CK one night, and it sounds like it might be possible.

The greater challenge might be getting the teenagers to want to dine with us ;-)

Izumi is al la carte pricing. I don't believe they have a kid's menu, but you can order one item instead of several. This is not like the other restaurants on the ship.

The hibachi side of the restaurant is not a la carte, and does have a kid's menu as described above.

My kids are so picky so I am curious if they offer a kids menu with traditional kids meal items like chicken nuggets, macncheese, etc. Otherwise I may have to dine here when they are in the kids club:D

The kids menu features Japanese food -- same as the regular Izumi menu, just smaller portions.

We did not eat at Izumi Hibachi on Oasis, but just did on Harmony a few weeks ago. The kids paid adult price. Because the hibachi seating is so limited, if a child takes a seat, they are paying the same price an adult would. In the other specialty restaurants, our kids were charged $10.

 

 

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That was not our experience on Harmony in December. My son had the kids meal at Izumi, and it was a smaller version of the adult meal. I don't remember the exact menu, but I recall there was something my son didn't like so they gave him miso soup instead. We were charged the kid's price.

Do they have this on the Allure? Sounds like something my family would enjoy.

No, just Harmony and Anthem.

I did the Escape room on Anthem and had to sign up at Guest Services. Since they charge for this, do you sign up online ahead of time or when you board the ship?

I signed up online using the Cruise Planner.

Thanks for the great review, Andrew! It was fun to visit Harmony again, and we really enjoy your reviews since our family is me (Lisa), DH, and our son who turns 9 at the end of the month.

Was Raj back in the CL? We *really* enjoyed him on our December sailing. I am hoping he will be on board when we sail Symphony on her maiden 7-day Caribbean voyage in November, 2018.

Feel better, and safe travels.