splintz

Thank you.

 

What did you have planned for ocho rios, Cozumel and Grand Cayman? Any excursions?

 

I was thinking about just seeing what is close to the port.

 

Happen to have any fun times?

ocho rios we did the bob marley experience which was okay i thought it could be better.

grand cayman we rented a beach cabana at the royal palms beach club. the beach was good. i think the service should have been better. it advertised a dedicated server for the cabana areas and this was not the case. the server was also taking orders from everyone on the beach and renting lounge chairs and umbrellas. the food was good though.

cozumel we just walked around and bought some tequila. we also walked around the outside area and bought some souvenirs.

Hope they still have them end of next month, nice and compact and won't take up a lot of space in my luggage. Will be a good night light for the upstairs hallway and one in the foyer.

they come in a nice box which is definitely easy to pack.

Thank you, I leave in about a month.

 

How was the steakhouse? Good service? What did you and others in your group have to eat?

 

How was service in the dining room? Did you have assigned or anytime dining?

 

Did you go to any comedy shows? How were they?

 

Did you go to the piano bar? who was the entertainer and did you like?

 

Lastly, what time did disembarkation start?

 

Thanks!

Thank you, I leave in about a month.

How was the steakhouse? Good service? What did you and others in your group have to eat?

the steakhouse was incredible with great service. on the vista i would make reservations before hand as it can get hard to get a reservation once on board. i had the escargot which was incredible as an appetizer. i had the warm spinach salad which i love. for the main dish i had the spiced rib eye with the baked potato and for desert i had the chocolate sampler. my wife had the grilled portobello mushroom appetizer, with the same salad. she had the filet mignon. and for desert she had the cheese sampler. we go to the steakhouse every cruise and always seem to get the same thing because it is so good.

How was service in the dining room? Did you have assigned or anytime dining?

we had anytime dining but only ate at the dining room on the first elegant night for the lobster tail. the service was actually very good that one night and food was good. i had 3 lobster tails. my wife had the indian vegetarian dinner. both were very good. we skipped the dessert. we had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated at a table for 2 so we sat at the bar inside the restaurant to be seated. this bar feature was nice.

Did you go to any comedy shows? How were they?

didn't make it to any shows on the ship we like to go to the bars. but we heard the comedy show was good.

Did you go to the piano bar? who was the entertainer and did you like?

we love the piano bar and went the first night and the player Natalie from Australia was very good. the first night the singers 3 of them from the band velvet vibes(which were very good) came in after their band set and they along with Natalie took turns singing and playing on the piano. it was like an impromptu all star show and was incredible. but the next night Natalie got sick and lost her voice and the bar was closed until the last night when she came back to play. she was still sick but didn't want to let everyone down. she said carnival was bringing aboard another piano player the day we got off so she can take a week or two off to fully get her voice back.

Lastly, what time did disembarkation start?

we had a late flight and have platinum status so we didn't really pay attention to what the times were on the sheet they gave out. i know i got up at 7am and could hear the cruise director start disembarkation on the over head. we left the room at 8 am and ate breakfast in the dining room then walked off around 9:30.

Thanks!

yeah i was surprised we were expecting the stationary. we are both platinum so we got 2 and gave one to each kid and they thought they were great.

just off the vista i will try to answer any questions. i stayed in a Havana interior room number 5214. ate at the steakhouse, ji ji asian kitchen, bonsai sushi, and cucina italian. also did the thrill theater which was great. we did the 6 day Jamaica, grand Cayman, Cozumel itinerary.

Plus I don't think the Cheers program covers Alchemy bar drinks.

 

 

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the cheers most definitely covers the alchemy bar. it has since they started the alchemy bar. i just got off the vista yesterday and drank at the alchemy bar with the cheers program.

we went on the vista and thought it was good. i had the calamari which i thought was very good. my entree was the eggplant. it was tasty but very greasy and i would get it again. my wife got the risotto balls and liked it. she also had the linguini with meatballs and that was very good. we also went there for the free lunch one day and it was very good. also you should try the ji ji asian restaurant that was very good and i thought better that the Italian restaurant.

just got off the vista yesterday and had a Havana interior room. the Havana pool area is incredible. it is a totally different cruise than if you don't have it. we would go to the pool everyday and there is plenty of room. there might have been 12 people tops at the pool and hot tub area on a sea day. there are some people around the sides on the loungers. the 2 hot tubs are huge. you can have your pick of any lounger or chair, or chair and table at any time of any day. it is not like the serenity area where you can't even get a chair to sit on. the attendants were pretty active and if you didn't have a wrist band they would tell you to leave and come back at 7pm. if you can get a room in the Havana area grab it. you will not be disappointed. i had room 5214 and it was very convenient. leave room walk around the corner and all the bars and restaurants were very close.

just got off the vista and here is the new gift. it is a night light that glows blue. worked out good we gave them to our kids as a gift and they loved them.

On the Miracle, we had a balcony cabin that connected to an inside cabin, which was perfect for us and 2 kids. These cabins are very far forward on decks 5,6,7 and unique to this class of ship.

 

 

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this is the way to go on the spirit ships. not a lot of people know about them. there are only 6 sets of these connecting rooms. the very last far forward balcony on these decks connect to an interior and are great for adults in the balcony and kids in the interior. than you have 2 bathrooms and 2 tv's. but these rooms go fast and you can't book them online they don't show up as being available you have to call and specifically ask for them. and when you do the carnival rep on the phone might not even know about them. (many times i called for these rooms and been told there are no balcony rooms that connect to interior rooms on any carnival cruise ship) i have cruised in these rooms 5 times on the pride with my kids. the first cruise with them my daughter was 2 and my son 5 so it made us feel better knowing they were in a non balcony room. the downfall of the spirit ships are that the only connecting rooms besides these are only between balcony rooms and also suites. no interior to interior rooms connect and no ocean view to ocean view rooms connect.

-here are the balcony to interior room numbers. you should have the room numbers when you call because most times they won't know they exist.

-5108 extended balcony 8J connects to 5106 4B interior

-5107 extended balcony 8J connects to 5105 4B interior

-6112 balcony 8C connects to 6108 4C

-6115 balcony 8C connects to 6109 4C

-7108 balcony 8D connects to 7106 4D

-7107 balcony 8D connects to 7105 4D

the rooms on the 5th deck are like 10 steps to camp carnival. very convenient to bring the kids back to the room at night. but can also be loud with kids running down the hall to go to camp carnival. these rooms go fast and i usually book them 8 months in advance at the latest.

However she was asking about escorting her 17 year old into the adult nightclub... not signing up an 18 year old into the O2 club. in our family's experience, our child had to be 18 to enter the adult club... she is asked for ID on every cruise by the doorman at the club... the O2 club has been known to make exceptions to the under 18 rule depending on circumstances but I have yet to personally see the adult club make exceptions to the over 18 rule... not saying it doesn't happen, just in many years of cruising we have not seen it.

i was using that as an example of how carnival doesn't necessarily follow their own rules. it states in their rules and is highlighted in their rules that no one of the age of 18 or older is allowed in O2 no exceptions. but they break those rules and allow high school students who are 18 and 19 yrs old into club O2. that is why i stated in my first post to try and take him in with you the worst they could say is no. in your experience no one under the age of 18 in your family has been allowed into the club. but if you read the post written a few posts before yours you will clearly see where another cruiser had a 17 yr old in their family able to go into the club with a 21 yr old. so it clearly happens, not necessarily every time.

i will be in stateroom 5214 in about 4 days. i can let you know when i get back on the 28th.

it might vary from ship to ship. on the pride the internet speeds were very slow. i had the premium package that advertised that you could video call on skype etc. i couldn't use any apps to make a phone call. tried whatsapp, facebook messenger, or imessage. the speed was too low. i used whatsapp to text back and forth to keep in touch.

Each cruise and reservations are dependent on the crowd. We were unlucky on our cruise -- we sent an email 4 months out twice not getting a response and then went to the steak house first thing upon boarding the Vista. This was on the New Years cruise. We did find out out that the hostess had been inundated with reservations and had not had a chance to reply to everyone but she did have us on the waiting list. Unfortunately, there were 50 other parties on the waiting list along with us -- we were unable to eat at the steak house on the Vista, they were fully booked all 8 days of the cruise.

On the other hand, one of the ladies who was sailing solo, walked in at 9:00 pm by herself and they were able to accommodate her.

oh no! now you got my worried for my upcoming vista cruise next weekend. last night i went ahead and sent dining requests for the steakhouse, jiji asian and cucino del capitano. i also sent an email to the vista steakhouse since reading the above posts said that is the best way to go. the email address i used was vssupper@carnival.com. i will see what happens. i already received a confirmation from jiji asian last night at 1:30 am. but i am most concerned about the steakhouse.

the pride is my favorite ship. especially after the 2.0 upgrades. it is a smaller ship and i like that. and with the serenity deck on the back with a hot tub and a pool i think it is the best lay out. as far as the itinerary you are looking at the Bahamas itinerary. they also have the eastern Caribbean itinerary out of Baltimore that is the better of the 2 itinerary's in my opinion. you get grand turk, HMC or princess cay depending on when you go, and of course Freeport as the last port.

i have gone to the steak house numerous times on different ships. i have never had a problem making a reservation when i first board the ship where they have the stand set up. i have always received the day and time i was looking for. why do you have to make reservations 10 month's in advance? i like to go to the steakhouse on the second elegant night between 6-8. that way i only have to wear a suit to dinner 2 nights and not 3. and of course i don't want to miss the lobster tail on the first elegant night. are the elegant nights less crowded in the steakhouse?

What 6 ships will be stopping there?

 

Bill

 

 

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not sure of all 6 but i know the pride from baltimore will be going on select cruises in 2018. i looked up a spring break cruise for 2018 so i can book on board next week and i see that on the eastern Caribbean cruise i am looking at they swap HMC with Princess cay. but is only from late march until late april it does this and then goes back to HMC after that. also the bahamas itinerary also swaps port Canaveral for the princess cay starting nov 5 2017. then it looks like on the Bahamas itinerary swaps back and forth going on from there between port canaveral and princess cay.

No, he will not be allowed in, doesn't matter who escorts him!! Under 18 is NOT 18. Our daughter turned 18 on the cruise, she was no permitted into the nightclub till mid-cruise on her birthday. They ID. Sorry.

-in a perfect world this is true. but we are talking about carnival cruise lines who sets rules and then rarely enforce them. that's why i would say go with him and see if the doorman would let you the worst they can say is no.

-look at the club O2 which states is exclusive to 15-17 yr olds period. no exceptions:

Exclusivity – 15-17 year olds Only

Club O2 is designed specifically for 15-17 year olds, which means no kids and no adults. The lounge creates a safe and comfortable environment for our teen guests, with activities teens enjoy doing with their peers. There is no smoking or alcohol allowed in these lounges. It is all about fun and entertainment. Note: As legal adults, 18 year olds are not permitted to participate in or use the Club O2 facilities or any other Youth Program facilities. This rule applies to all 18 year olds regardless of situation.

-but yet even though they state the above right on their website. stating specifically "This rule applies to all 18 year olds regardless of situation." but yet they constantly allow 18-19 year olds into club O2 who are still in high school and show their school id.

i will turn platinum on my upcoming vista cruise. i have a quick question about the priority tender. we have a tender to grand cayman. do we just go to the show room where the people with excursions meet to get off early. or do we have to go to guest services. and do they leave paperwork in your stateroom telling you your options to get off the ship in a tender port with priority status.

give it a try. they always have a door man outside the night club. walk in with him. they will probably ask him for ID since he is young. explain that you will stay with him and want to check out the night club. the worst they can say is no. but maybe you will have a nice doorman that will let him in with your supervision. but you will never know if you don't ask.

My use of the word support instead of service is Proof that I am not a lawyer

that's funny:)

If someone has a certified, licensed support animal, then that animal must be allowed boarding with its owner, even if that person's handicap isn't outwardly noticeable.

 

As long as I am not stepping in its business, I should stay out of its business.

this is not true. if someone has a certified SERVICE animal they are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. these animals are allowed anywhere the general public can go. an ESA (emotional support animal)is not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act which is why businesses can legally deny them access to their property. the only properties the ESA animals are allowed in are airplanes, and certain housing situations where no pets are allowed. in these situations the airline and landlord are legally allowed to ask them for a written note from their doctor who prescribed the ESA animal. this is because anyone can order a B.S. ESA document from the internet that means nothing under the law.

they can park and drop off their luggage with the porters. they just can't enter the terminal until their check in time.

for my upcoming 1/22/17 vista 6 day cruise. Jamaica, grand Cayman, and Cozumel. 2 people in the room. booked September 4, 2016. this will be our 11th cruise on carnival which will make us platinum when we board.

interior Havana stateroom 5214.

cruise rate: $612.50 X 2 = $1225.00

taxes, fees and port expenses: $119.53 X 2 = $239.06

grand total fro 2 people: $1416.36

So we did our online check-in and printed boarding passes two days ago, now John Heald posts on that other social media that staggered check in starts in Jacksonville on January 23, the day we sail. Carnival's website has not caught up yet as there is no where to choose a time. So I guess I keep checking back? Or will I maybe get an e-mail?

i would keep checking a couple times per day. it will be under my cruise manager. on top left in the blue square where it says to do list . and if you have already done online check in then click on edit online check in and if it is up it will be listed on the left under current guests then it will have your names. then the next box between your names and stateroom preference will be the my check in time. then if it is up i guess you will have to reprint your boarding pass so it includes your check in time on it so you can show to the employee outside the terminal. if it isn't your time slot you can't get into the terminal. if you are later than your time slot then you can go in also.