alligirl78

I've read some of your reviews and enjoyed them very much. We sailed on the Fantasy back in 2012 and had an interior room.

My question is, do you know how the interior porthole rooms on the R or M deck are. Don't remember what it's like being that low or that far up front on the ship. Much noise, ship movement?

I'm so sorry for your loss. Being from Goose Creek we're almost neighbors.

Thanks

I visited All4fun&fun4all's room on our 2012 cruise and they were way up front, and were on the Main deck, if I remember correctly. They loved it. They said you could hear the waves hitting the side of the boat sometimes but their room was very quiet as far as traffic (no one needs to go down there except the people staying down there) and really spacious for 2 with the open PT "seat" and natural light. I admit to being a little jealous :)

We all felt a little ship movement on our way back for some reason. Someone explained it to me the last night but, I forgot why we felt so much motion. I was too busy prepping myself for end-of-cruise depression:o

ETA* They were in R-1 on the Riviera. There's pics in her 2012 review.

Has anyone taken a tour with William Lawson tours? We are thinking of doing this while in Progreso in Nov but can't find their website to book. Has anyone booked with them online? Any info is helpful. Thanks....

Yes I have and would do it again in a heartbeat!!! Just shoot them an email.

I have only been on one Carnival ship which was the ecstasy, so which Carnival ship would you suggest and why. Thanks!

Depends on what you're looking for and what you're looking to avoid. Some people really enjoy the Dream class while others feel they are too big/crowded. Some really like the Fantasy class while others feel they're too small and outdated.

I think I've seen a good, general consensus that most people really enjoy the Liberty, if you're just looking for a general recommendation. She doesn't have the Waterworks on deck but she does have some of the 2.0 upgrades and is a size that's a happy medium between Fantasy and Dream class.

We are booked on a cruise January 4 on the Pride out of Tampa going to Grand Cayman, Belize, Cozumel and Isla Roatan. We booked this cruise so that we could see some Mayan ruins, but looking at Carnival's excursion list there are none for Isla Roatan, Belize, or Cozumel (except for some lame ones on the island of Cozumel itself). Does anyone know why? We were hoping to go to Tulum and Altun Ha. We would never have booked this cruise if we had known this. :confused:

Isla Roatan and Cozumel are both islands and I am guessing that the port times don't allow much time for transfer from the islands and then to ruins. I can't speak for Roatan but know it's a 45 min ferry ride (one way) from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, and then you'd have to be shuttled to the ruins and back.

But if there's enough time in Belize, go through a private tour company. Just because Carnival isn't offering it, doesn't mean you're completely out of luck. I've never done a Carnival excursion and some of our best trips have been with local guides. Where there's a will, there's a way. Good luck OP!

You just quoted HAL's room service menu. If you want that kind of room service, you expect to pay for that kind of cruise. I just priced a cruise on HAL for a sailing leaving the day before our Dream sailing and it costs more than double. Yes, if I paid twice as much I'd expect salmon 24 hours a day. But considering you get what you pay for, I am happy with the tuna sandwich.

I sailed on my birthday last year and there was a card in my room from CCL. Had a very cute dolphin on it! But that's more than I expected LOL.

Just to make sure i understand this 100% - since my cabin category appears to be sold out - I'm unable to do a price match/check to see if the price has dropped. So my only option is (probably closer to sailing date which is Aug. 30 - so maybe good time to call Carnival would be in July) to try and get upgraded?

 

If upgrading is the only option - is the category 9 really an upgrade for me, as i have the aft balcony now - moving to a regular balcony on a different floor is not an upgrade to me, that is. I would think the only upgrade would be to a suite - which as of today they are all still available...... Wonder what that would cost to upgrade to a suite....oh well. won't worry about this now I guess - it does save me time everyday as i don't have to log in and do a mock booking to see what the current prices are!!

 

Now if they would just release more FTTF so i can grab that.....

You are correct. And I'd stick with the aft balcony if I were you. Enjoy it :)

I don't understand how this whole thing works--there's been a price drop that amounts to $1000 on our 7-day Alaska cruise and the final payment isn't due until 5/1, but I'm still being told that the best they can do for us is an upgrade. It's not clear what prevents me from cancelling the booking and then just rebooking the whole thing at a lower rate . . .

If they're telling you that you only qualify for an upgrade, it probably because your specific cabin category is sold out, so you can't price match. Categories aren't just the room type (interior, oceanview, balcony). It also depends on the room's location onboard. For interiors, (for instance) there a 4A, 4B, 4C...etc.

KyBlue... and we will keep going around the Caribbean... Where in Cozumel did you snorkel... Have done that twice and been VERY disappointed...

Money Bar..or Dzul Ha reef is an absolute family favorite of ours in Cozumel. I've seen barracuda every time, eagle rays (sometimes) and tons of fish every single time. And this is walk-off snorkeling where you can walk right into the water from shore. Food is yummy and margaritas are great!

OP..the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef runs from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, down to Honduras. You really can't go wrong with the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world. The most amazing coral formations that I've seen are in Roatan and in Akumal Bay in Mexico. Akumal is also a very popular sea turtle site. If you're looking at a western itinerary, I think you'll find at least one, if not all ports, that will fulfill your requirements.

SO.....

We are booked as a group of 21 on Splendor on June 25. In order to save some money, we booked 3 adults in 1 room. 1 of those people would like to avoid being a "3rd wheel" but cannot afford the current single traveler rate(almost 2,000 for an inside). Is there a way to see if he could be switched to his own cabin, if there are any available the day of sailing (or even a few days before). Who can we talk to before sailing, or does it need to be someone aboard ship after we depart? Any advice will be appreciated.

No. You're sailing at peak season and the ship will likely be full. Even if it's not, they aren't going to give him a free cabin just so he won't feel like a 3rd wheel. He can always try to find a cruising buddy and book a seperate room.

Last summer, I planned my destiination wedding to Tybee Island, GA. Found a direct flight, under 2 hours, leaving at 7:30 am, 2 days before my wedding. We were boarded on time, and by all rights should have been on the ground in GA by 9:30 am. Due to mechanical delays, we were all de-planed and we didn't fly out until almost 7 hours later. It was a beautiful June day, no weather issues. Thankfully, I had a few days cushion to get stuff done and finalize things but if it had been a cruise we were flying in for, we'd have missed the ship.

If at all possible, I would switch your flights or try like heck to find insurance.

Here's the dirty little secret about marketting.

 

Make the visuals, or even the sounds so obvious, that when you see or hear it, your mind actually goes back toi the product.

 

Simply see a whale tail? Simply see a mouse, simply see funship Freddie? Simply hear Lust For Life? What do you then see?

 

Now, see a pirate, and what do you think of?

Captain Morgan!! DUH! LOL!!!

We are booked on the Dream in November and our rate has done nothing but go up. I booked during their Feb $50 deposit sale, I saw a very good rate and snagged it. If it goes anywhere near what I paid, I'll be surprised as it's gone up almost $500 in the past month. I don't care though; we booked a rate that I was perfectly comfortable with paying.

No, I don't like second rate Johnny Come Lately copycats.

 

NCL did it in their early years, copying every little thing CCL did, but poorlly. It didn't work for them, and luckily, they dropped it and became innovators.

 

Its painful to watch CCL do the same thing now.

What, exactly do you assert they are "copying"? My boys dressed up as pirates for fun and Halloween well before Pirates of the Carribean came out, as have generations of other kids. :rolleyes: I guess I missed the memo where Disney had a lock on "all things pirate". You may wanna advise the people in St. Thomas, who run a pirate themed attraction, and let them know they are copycat's too.

You know what I'm not a fan of? People who dislike something, complain about it constantly and don't DO anything about it. If you don't like Carnival, stay off the CCL boards. It's very simple.

BTW-Your pirate name is Captain Grumpy Pants and the crew has decided ye shall walk the plank!!! Now pass me the rum!!!

A business operating at Union Pier in the city of Charleston.

 

I don't like the correlation the plaintiffs are trying to make on that one. :-\

 

Another plaintiff issue, while the ship is in port, it is causing soot on everyone's window sill from the engines running on bunker fuel. :-/

 

Like really, the ship is only in port about 7 to 8 hours each week, I don't think it's causing that kind of build up.

People just want to complain and create lawsuits.

 

 

 

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I agree. After reading the plan for Union pier, it would appear to be a win/win for all. Can these people honestly say that the 200 cargo ships have cleaner/better environmental standards than cruise ships? This plan would move those 200 cargo ship away from the peninsula, which means the train/truck traffic moves with it.

Charleston is a beautiful city and the proposed design plan does look MORE Charleston than the current port. These oppposed property owners (I am guessing these are the very, very wealthy owners of some of the amazing homes in the area) need to realize that tourism is imperative for downtown Charleston to survive. While their areas/homes are lovely, there are areas of Charleston that aren't, and who could use the revenue generated by not only a new terminal and possible larger ship, but also the expansion of the public areas of Union Pier. On some popular trip planning website ;), Charleston Waterfront Park is listed as the #1 attraction. Updating, expanding, and beautifying the area seems like a no-brainer. Also...they have to do something about the awkward location of the Bennet Mill Rice facade. If they are going to keep it up and preserve it, they need to give it the presentation it deserves. I understand the new plan creates a 1 acre park around the facade, isntead of it floating in a parking lot.

Either way, we loved our Fantasy cruise. We sailed with some wonderful people and enjoyed all of the staff and services. She may be a little older, but she is a lovely, lovely ship and you wouldn't have to twist my arm to get me to sail her again. I'll be sad when she retires...

To make a very long story short, it was not dropped. As a lawyer I am prone to over-answering these legal questions but several of the plaintiff's (neighborhood groups and environmental groups) claims were indeed dismissed on appeal but enough were sustained to continue the seemingly endless process. The permitting process needed to build the new terminal was completely vacated requiring a new process to begin and be approved before anything can happen. The groups fighting the presence of this ship will fight the new permitting process at every turn.

 

We were on the Fantasy last week and the view is bizarre. There is this amazing city in the distance with the most dilapidated building you can imagine in the foreground ruining what should be a great first impression for many.

 

Oh well.

Easy, easy! I didn't find the view to be as bad as you say..LOL. I think the Customs House is lovely, as is the view of the bridge. Every port has industrial cranes and ships and and not-pretty stuff but in Charleston, you can literally grab your bags and waltz right onto Market St, by the old market, sit down and enjoy coffee and donuts (which is what we did waiting for our friends to pick us up). I loved our Fantasy cruise and loved Charleston too.

http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-drydock-schedule.html

Scroll on down to Pride :)

International Talk Like a Pirate Day has been around for almost 20 years and my state is one that recognizes it..yay! I fail to see how this idea is "gimicky" or "stealing from Disney" simply because Disney made a very popular series of movies. The Caribbean has a rich history that includes some of the most infamous pirates in history; Disney didn't create that.

Carnival bills itself as the "Fun Ships" and I guess if people are that turned off by the idea, they can sail other lines, or not sail in September. I think it's a neat, new addition :)

Toesinthewater728,

 

I am curious as to what initial response you feel is appropriate for a stroke victim?

 

Depending on the stroke's affect the most appropriate care would be to maintain the airway while awaiting transport. There would be no pressing need for IV therapy or any other intervention. Vitals inclucing BP, pulse and respiratory rate would also be rather moot since they cannot be corrected initially. Other than maintaining an airway they should only provide for privacy and comfort while awaiting transport.

 

'Pathetic' care would have to involve making the victim walk or stand on their own or some other drastic measure. Did this occur? You may have mistaken someone testing various neuro deficits for mistreatment, but not testing neuro or testing wouldn't be pathetic care in the initial response.

 

Stroke intial treatments' most important care is recognizing that a stroke may have occured and notifying appropriate personnel. Years ago that was pretty much all of the treatment, but times have changed a lot and now we can reverse many strokes, but initial treatment hasn't changed drastically.

Thank you for this insight. The OP also mentioned a seizure which has similiar protocol. Keep the airway clear, keep them from getting injured ...there's no much else to be done except wait it out. The CDC website doesn't even recommend calling 911 unless the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes but if you have one on a cruise ship, I'm betting you get a trip to the infirmary regardless of how long it lasts. If it was a grand mal seizure, I could see how people would think it was cruel to not do more; they are scary to see and you feel pretty helpless.

Respectively.............the Current Administration and the Previous one has rewritten Old Immigration laws by executive orders and refusal to enforce the ones we had.

the Wet foot..Dry land was a product of the Cold War....It has long been outdated and the embargo put on Cuba...........has been called a crime against women and children by the Pope. So.........I am pretty well informed on the subject.

 

Again.......I am not saying it is better. Or Worse. I am saying.......it is what it is. Both Parties agree on it.

 

Respectively...........it is clearly spelled out on The USA State Department Website.

 

On the USA EOEC Board.............Any person who is a religious minority, racial minority, ethnic minority, sex or gender minority, speaks a language other than English, or isa refugee is awarded Affirmative Action. They are considered to be in need of protective services.

 

The USA DOJ web site spells out the penalties for any disregard of these rules, and they are not light. Hate Speech. Hate Crimes against any of these groups is very severely punished. And it is clearly spelled out.

 

Actually, spending the time to read some of the Govt. web sites can be n Eye Opener. I recommend you do so............to confirm if I am wrong or not.

Again.No disrespect intended.

Respectfully, just beacuse it's the first thing that pops up when you "google" something, doesn't mean it's factual or accurate. That's not good research. I spend a lot of my time of government websites. Again..I am federal employee. So I did some work real quick, as all of the websites you listed as "sources" are partisan. I got you some facts, and laws. Like Aquahound, I kinda know what I'm talking about.

From OPM.gov-

"Do I have to be a US citizen to apply?

Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals may be appointed to competitive service Federal jobs. In rare cases, agencies may hire certain non-citizens when there are no qualified U.S. citizens available, unless the appointment is prohibited by statute. In addition, Congress frequently restricts agencies’ ability to hire non-citizens into the excepted service as well, through appropriations provisions. For more information about citizenship requirements, please visit: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/EI9.asp.

Further...from the EEOC

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_citizenship.cfm

"Employers should not ask whether or not a job applicant is a United States citizen before making an offer of employment. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 12986 (IRCA) makes it illegal for employers to discriminate with respect to hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee, based on an individual's citizenship or immigration status. For example, the law prohibits employers from hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents unless required to do so by law, regulation or government contract; it also prohibits employers from preferring to hire temporary visa holders or undocumented workers over qualified U.S. citizens or other protected individuals, such as refugees or individuals granted asylum.

"In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire."

And basic information on the IRCA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Reform_and_Control_Act_of_1986

And lastly https://my.usajobs.gov/.

You will see on the homepage that there are two selections you can make to search for jobs. One is that you are a US Citizen, the other is Federal Employee. There are seperate links to help people with disabilities and veterans utilize different programs to help find federal competitive and non-competitive employment. But that's not affirmative action. Each US agency was responsible for establishing their own policies after Executive Order 13583 to promote diversity in the workplace. I assure you, we have no quotas and when we interview in our administration, we don't care what color, religion, gender you are. If you're qualified, you're qualified. You do actually have to qualify and not even Veteran's Preference can qualify you for a job that you don't meet the requirements for.

Oh..and the "we don't turn anyone away" & "Wide open borders" assertion...

https://www.ice.gov/removal-statistics/ We deported (not repatriated) 368,644 people last year.

AMERICAN has a NonStop Flight From Nashville to Miami for 128 pp which is a great deal the Flight is 600am-900am but just nervous have never done day of cruise on any of my 23 cruises should I go for it ?

 

 

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I booked a flight from Flint, MI to Atlanta with similar times, non-stop for our wedding 2 days later. Boarded plane and was told there was a mechanical problem and they didn't have the part at that airport to fix it. Our flight was delayed over 6 hours on a warm, June day. Food for thought...

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I don't care for the shampoo in the showers so I bring my own. I also bring a very good conditioner because I have longer hair and the salt water wreaks absolute havoc on my hair after a day or two.

I am so sorry for your loss. I'm glad they were so good to you and your family during what must have been a difficult, and chaotic, time. My condolences to you and your family :(

Thanks to Aquahound, as he's with the "puddle pirates" (USCG). We in the merchant marine make fun of the Coasties, but are always appreciative of the necessary and dangerous job they do, and welcome the sight of the orange and white helicopters when things go sideways.

 

I'm just a civilian merchant ship's officer. No active service, just some reserve time, though I did support our troops in Vietnam and Desert Storm, carrying supplies and equipment.

Well then, my gratitude still stands :D

Being from Michigan, and born on Lake Superior, we love (and need) our Coasties. They have a long, important history on our Great Lakes. We get hurricane force winds on Lake Superior and I will second that their job can be very dangerous. You couldn't pay me enough to go anywhere near that lake when she's all whipped up.:eek:

The ship's medical center could hold 5-10 (more if crowded in) in the waiting area. Generally, there are large crew staging areas nearby, where a large number of refugees could be accommodated under security (per the vessel's security plan, not that they were prisoners) and food and medical needs would be taken care of. As Aquahound says, the cutter would normally be there within a couple of hours.

Thank you! This is interesting!

Oh...and thank you both for your service :)