summersigh

I just decided "to go" another very popular cruise site.  Set parameters for June to September 2020.

FFL - None

Canaveral - Lots

Miami - Lots

Tampa - Lots

I assume the ships that sail Alaska in the summer must come from Florida 😃

My DH and I sailed the Sunshine in December.  We always use late fixed dining.  I emailed the maitre'd 5 days before our cruise (it was on an 11 day journeys cruise at that time) I asked for a large table in the aft dining room because we enjoy meeting people and we eat in the MDR every night  I asked for the aft dining room because DH has mobility issues.  I also asked JH to put my request in as well. 

We boarded and I went to check ... we were assigned a table for 2 in the mid-ship dining room.  I went to the assigned location for the maitre'd to see about a change - best he said he could do was a table for 2 in the upper aft dining room which was also fixed dining. 

That shot down our idea of fun group dining so we ended up eating in the Lido the last 3 nights with made to order deli sandwiches, the salad bar and desert. 

Disappointing.

A problem might be who's determining what's offensive.  example - 1/2 the country think MAGA hats are cool - another percentage would say they're offensive.

We sailed the Sunshine earlier this month and I didn't see any shirts that  " contain nudity, profanity, sexual innuendo/suggestions .... there was one MAGA hat ... freedom of speech?

On 12/13/2019 at 8:22 AM, Schoifmom said:

The answers can all be found here ... https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/wheelchair-users.aspx

My DH always needs the wheelchair assistance so we notify Carnival with the Online Check-in (there's a place to check off boxes on what you'll need. 

When we reach the port I tell the first Carnival employee I see (not the porters - they work for the port authority) that he needs wheelchair assistance to board and they take it from there getting someone with a ship wheelchair to push him to check-in and boarding.  They let him off in the Atrium.  We either move very slowly to the Lido Deck or I go to the cabin and get the transport chair we rented and come back to get him there. 

On the last day they have a place to meet if you need assistance to push him to the terminal where I get a porter for the luggage.  Between the pusher and the porter we go thru customs and they drop us off where we catch our shuttle.

I TIP the pushers cash - normally $5-10 depending on how far they need to take us - same with the porter.  Their help is worth every penny to me.

We've sailed Carnival, RCCL, HAL and QM2 - all have pretty much the same or similar procedures.  Without the help boarding and disembarking the last day my DH wouldn't be able to cruise. 

Also if you have disabilities ask where the Special Needs Muster drill will be held.  If you have trouble standing it's much easier than the regular muster.  They also dismiss us a few minutes before the regular muster is dismissed to we can get on the elevators without crowds.

My DH has mobility issues -  he can walk short distances and needs nothing getting around the cabin - so we've started renting a wheelchair from Scootaround.  They deliver it to the cabin before we get there and pick it up from there late the last morning.  Somebody like him doesn't need an accessible cabin because when we get to the door he stands and we fold it.

The last cruise we had a regular wheelchair - this one we've opted for a Transport Chair.  Everywhere we go on board we go together so it's easier for me to maneuver the smaller transport chair.   We always request Wheelchair Assistance for embarkation day and disembarking the final morning.  There's no way I can push him up the ramps.  Never a problem with getting that help

thanks for posting 😎

Thanks for the replies!  It's a bit of a "hobby" of ours to watch the sail-aways from Charleston with live ship map and the Charleston "live 5 news" webcams.  🙂

RWolver672 .... thanks especially for the link 😉

Anybody have a clue why the Sunshine is already docked at Charleston.  She normally comes in after 3am.   She sails again tomorrow afternoon.

------------------------------------------

Now 5 minutes after I first noticed her docked .... she's backing up like they do to sail away. 🤔

If I remember correctly the playoffs were available in the Red Frog Pub and the Casino but they were NOT available in the cabins.  Alot of passengers wore team shirts representing their favorites

We sailed the Sunshine for 7 days out of Canaveral and loved it.  When we learned she was going to sail out of Charleston (near our home) 5 months later we booked the same ship AND the same cabin.

It was nice knowing the layout of the ship.  In that period of time the CD, cabin staff, piano guy, and MDR staff were all different so it felt like a different experience.  Even the passenger vibe was different - still good but different. 

IMHO and based on our experience, it's the staff that make the difference not the floor plan.🙂

MD NOW Urgent Care

has

Rapid INR Testing

3 locations in the Ft Lauderdale area  ... I'd check the link and call the clinic of your choice to be sure

https://www.mymdnow.com/locations/broward-county-urgent-care/

I would assume that if this place does it there are others as well.
I googled walk in clinic in ft lauderdale fl  then checked websites for INR Test

Do of those "Doc in a box" kind of clinics do the INR tests ?  Seems that in FLA they might as there are so many retirees down there. 

My DH's Dr office uses a hand held gadget that only takes a finger stick and one drop of blood.  The results show on the screen in less than a minute.  I wonder if you could rent one of those for a couple of weeks from a medical supply company.

On 9/15/2019 at 1:41 PM, CelticSpirit89 said:

Thank you so much for this suggestion! I did not realize that this hotel had a shuttle. We stayed there many years ago and it was a nice place with an excellent location.

 

Have you been on the Sunshine cruise yet?

We stay at the Hampton Inn Patriots Point every time we go to Charleston for any reason.  It's a quick jump to Shem Creek for dinner - lots of excellent seafood / low country restaurants.

The Sunshine is our favorite Carnival ship - not too big and not too small.  We like a deck 7 balcony near the aft elevators so go up and you are between the Havanna Bar with lots of tables for seating/eating and the Lido Buffet with the pool at it's far end.  Elevator down takes you to the MDRs on 2 and 3 or the 5th deck Ocean Plaza / Red Frog Pub / Alchemy Bar

On 1/20/2018 at 3:10 PM, BalzacBill said:

 

Just arrived in our room

Thank You Bill !!  This is exactly what I was looking forward to ... DH thanks you as well 😁

Did you happen to see the room service menu?  Are there still items besides breakfast that are "free" ?  I googled but couldn't find anything recent after Jan when they put $$ on everything but breakfast and then retreated saying they would reinstate later,

Thanks

Is there a link to the current room service menu - one that will be functional thru December when we sail the Sunshine? I've searched but can't find any I can "trust" after that snaffu over room service back in January. DH has mobility issues and sometimes just enjoys eating room service lunch out on the balcony or a nice late day/night snack. Thanks

Is there a link to the current room service menu - one that will be functional thru December when we sail the Sunshine? I've searched but can't find any I can "trust" after that snaffu over room service back in January. DH has mobility issues and sometimes just enjoys eating room service lunch out on the balcony. Thanks

On 9/21/2019 at 11:06 PM, Essiesmom said:

Have you booked a cabin for three or four?  A cabin for three will only have the sofabed, no upper.  I would be surprised if they allowed a group of three to book a cabin for four.  EM

It depends on the ship and when it sails.  DH and I have had cabins that accommodate 3 or 4 people 2 or 3 different times BUT we sail when schools are in session.

Things on the regular menu that come with sauces (that are sometimes are spicy) can all be ordered with the sauces or dressings on the side.  My DH always orders them on the side - we've never had a problem with it being a burden on the wait staff.

I didn't read the whole thread but one of the things my DH does is when he orders his food he asks for ALL sauces to be on the side.  If he likes it he can drastically limit the amount of "salt heavy sauce" he gets.

PS ... we always ask the wait staff very politely for this and have never had a problem.  They seem happy to please.  Especially true with our fixed seating dinners where the sauce on the side becomes a running joke.

We've found that it's not much more to book Private Tours and they can be tailored to suit your interests.  My DH has mobility issues so we like to book 3 -4 hour afternoon tours.

I research in places like the Ports of Call boards here and Trip Advisor to find companies I feel good about that do Private or Van or SUV tours.

I email the companies with exactly what I'm looking for and can most often get what I need regardless of  my restrictions.  From the replies I decide which one we like best and book directly with them. 

Benards in St Maarten
Free trolley in San Juan (google for info)

In St Kitts we booked a private tour with Rose & Jim's Taxi & Tour Service .  Rose was a delight and helped us decide where we wanted to go.  Reasonable price.  Favorite part was the batik factory was my favorite stop.

15 hours ago, lasekeye said:

Or does the reduced deposit perk actually mean, it’s a savings for “now”, but before final payment date I need to pay the remainder of the regular deposit portion - as well as the regular cruise portion = no real total savings???

It's a savings for now -  the rest of what would be due in a normal deposit is deferred to the final payment.

We've used it because DH has health issues and the low deposit is cheaper to lose if we have to cancel before final payment than purchasing insurance that far out.  Right before final payment we'll buy insurance if he's looking like a "go".

We like a very specific area for our cabin and It seemed smarter to go that way for cruises we want to book that are over a year away.

13 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

Midnight?

Online check-in ... including the option to choose a terminal arrival appointment ... becomes available right after midnight the date your Cruise Manager says Online Checking will open.  For our 5 day out of Charleston it was 80 days ahead of sailing.

I just checked in last week at 12:01 am on the day it became available.

It seemed to make the check-in changes right at midnight.