Runaway Parent

We want to do some snorkeling in one of these ports. What can you suggest?

Are there opportunities to grab something when we get off the ship? 

Any advice would be appreciated. 

How did you make contact for prearranging transport? 

Tell me what I need to know. We are diamond on Carnival, and we've also sailed RCL and NCL. 

What's different on Princess? 

My daughter and son-in-law were on an NCL trip for their honeymoon when someone jumped. The ship and coast guard circled and searched for about 8 hours...finally left. It's not something that can be blamed on cruise ship lines and shouldn't harm a line's reputation. A jumper has made a personal decision. 

On 4/6/2023 at 3:27 PM, debsjc said:

We hired a car, and explored the coast, and it was really beautiful. My vote would be for the Causeway tour.

This may sound silly, but did you hire a driver or rent a car? (Is hire a car UK version of US rent a car?) I would love to hire a driver! We drove in Scotland…never again! 

From what I’ve read, you can bring on (and keep) alcohol from every port in Europe? Does that include embarkation in Dover? We bought some Scottish whisky on our pre-cruise adventure, not thinking about cruise alcohol rules. 
 

thanks!

Did you happen to do Chef's Table? I'm sorry if I missed that in your posts--just scrolled through quickly.

Anyone have the current Chef's Table menu on the Pride? I saw postings of new menus from other ships prior to our February cruise, but the Dream still had the old menu. 😞 I would love to do Chef's Table again, but I don't want the same menu for a 3rd or 4th time 

I tried emailing the steakhouse and asked, but they did not reply. 

Thanks!

We often take an eggcrate to put on top of the mattress. At the end of the cruise, we remove it and ask our room steward about using their vacuum to extract the air. They have always been happy to assist. We don't wait until the last morning--do it the day before the cruise ends. 

22 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

This is not public information. In addition, Carnival has blocked these addresses from non corporate emails from getting through.

I don't think this is true. I just got off the Dream on Saturday (March 12th). I not only emailed the maitre'd prior to the cruise, he emailed me back. We talked on the cruise and he confirmed our email conversation in person. 

I'll confess--I didn't look up a map to give advice! I think the noise level on any cruise really depends on the people on board. Our noisiest cabin was in the spa area on one of the ships. The tread mills were just above us and kids were constantly running up and down the hallways! This last cruise we were directly across the opening to the aft stairs/elevators--never heard a thing! 

It's all chance, and any cruise is better than no cruise!

Yet again a different menu from Dream in February. I've paired it here with out menu from 2 years ago on the Legend--barely changed. (Sorry the photo is sideways.) The pre-dinner appetizers, however, were all new. 

The cost was $75 pp, but I notice on the Carnival page it lists $75-95. I wonder if it's different on different ships. https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/chefs-table

We visited the Havana area when non-Havana guests were still allowed, and immediately knew we'd book a Havana cabin the next time we were able to sail on a Vista-class ship. We did, and we loved it. There was a lot more comfy seating close to the cabin instead of going to Serenity. The vibe was pretty quiet. The whirlpools/pool were a good size for the area.

I was initially worried about the noise from the Havana Bar area at night, but it wasn't a problem.

We'd definitely book a Havana cabin again. 

JiJi's is our favorite specialty restaurant on Carnival! Love, love, love it! We've eaten it every cruise it has been available, and often more than one night on a single cruise. 

Favorites, by far, as follows: 

Appetizer: pork belly and duck

Entree: peppered beef 

Side: noodles--sorry, I can't remember which one!

Dessert: rose creme brulee

On 2/24/2022 at 8:16 AM, disneygal77 said:

Can you tell me the US cost of a gopro onboard, please?  We have a credit to use and I was contemplating buying a gopro in Canada before leaving for our March cruise. Thanks. 

We bought it a couple years ago...so from memory...maybe $400-$500? 

How about a spa day?

We purchased a GoPro camera onboard when we had excessive onboard credit. You can also purchase accessories. Find a great camera and spend some "free" money on it!

So...what happens to a ship in wet dock? Just curious!

So, we sailed on the Dream a week ago and were told it's going into dry dock for the next 2 weeks. 

We are scheduled to sail out on her again on March 6th, first cruise after dry dock. 

The hull already had the new blue paint, and Guy's/Seafood Shack is already onboard. 

What do you predict will be done in dry dock? There is currently no Cucina (only Pasta Bella during lunch...weak version of Cucina lunch). 

Thoughts? 

If you have sailed the Magic or the Breeze, the Dream will be a disappointment. The decor is older, no Cucina, and just...tired. The Serenity deck is also smaller with very few clam shell chairs (I think I counted 11), and none of them are forward facing in the main Serenity area. 

Having said that, upon it's return this weekend it is going into dry dock for 2 weeks. We just returned on the 12th from a Dream cruise and sail out again on her on March 6th. It will be interesting to see what changes take place! So why did we sail Dream? The timing just worked. 

I've sailed all three you've mentioned, and I'd choose them in this order: Vista, Glory, Dream. Having said that, itinerary is probably more important than the ship. Depending on how many/ages are going, you might consider the Havana cabins on Vista--LOVED them!

The aft pool on Conquest closed/opened the roof almost daily years ago. 

When we had back-to-back days in Cabo this past December, guests were required to be back on board overnight. We were told in no uncertain terms that you would be removed from the remainder of the cruise if you stayed overnight in Cabo. 

We have a cruise booked out of Dover for September 2022. We have never been to the UK or anything outside of North America--kind of nervous. I have several questions. 

Background: We are spending about 2 weeks in the UK prior to the cruise, so already have plans for Edinburgh, York, London. We are thinking to transition to the Dover area 2 days before the cruise departs and need advice for that location. 

1. If we stay in Canterbury rather than Dover (from other posts on the boards, that seems better--but correct me if I'm wrong), will we still have time to visit the cliffs and Dover Castle prior to boarding the ship? Maybe drop off our luggage and go site seeing before boarding? Or, would you recommend we stay in Dover and just take a day trip up to Canterbury? 

2. Is there a way to get to a "beach" in Dover area? (I realize most UK beaches are pebble, not sand.) 

2. How do you suggest we get from wherever we stay to the port itself? Assume either staying in Dover or coming in on the rails from Canterbury. 

Any other advice would be appreciated. This is WAY out of my comfort zone!

Also just received for Miracle Dec 21. 

And, the website is down--can't access my Cruise Manager. I'm guessing tech issues. 

I read you may test positive for up to 6 weeks, but it's rare (at least that's what the interwebs said). We also just tested positive for Covid last week and sail February 6th! I'm hoping I'm not the "rare" one!