hawaiissunshine1

I would recommend the at-home test kits through Optum. We ordered them and plan on just doing them at home 2 days beforehand.  They have 24/7 availability for the proctoring and although we could find free ones, we are opting to pay the money for the convenience factor. 

Perfect, thank you! I just wanted to make sure before I pull out my legwarmers! 😄

Just before the pandemic, I was on the Carnival Vista and they had an 80s night and a White Party on our 7 day cruise. We will be on the Carnival Horizon for 8 days, leaving 12/31. Are they still doing these theme nights? 

Thank you! 

6 hours ago, Roger88 said:

In my opinion, travelling with a party younger than 21 does not sound fun at al =D Especially if you plan a drinking vacation or casino nights. Its better to have a party suitable for all of this entertainment 

AGREED 😁

The three month expiration date is still before my DECEMBER cruise. 

Unfortunately you can't do it for just one - it has to be all parties over 21 in the cabin. 

Sorry! 

I just got mine that I ordered 2 days ago for my December 31st cruise - even with 3 month extension they will be expired by the time I try to use them. The original expiration date was 9/9/2021. 

You'll probably have to go a bit further back as she just returned to service so few have cruised on that ship since March 2020. But there are some great older photo reviews out there!

One thing I have noticed is that when I check my folio account, both mine and my husbands drinks/charges show up (I book the cruise, I am the first name on the booking, and I set it up using a credit card in my name). When we check HIS folio, only his charges/drinks show up. 

Most sail away parties are dance heavy, high energy. Think Wobble, cupid shuffle type dancing. 

From my experience, the crowd depends on the cruise port. I've sailed from Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. Miami and New Orleans had a lot of people enjoying it, drinking and dancing, while Baltimore and LA were not as highly attended. Either way, it's a fun time! 

Shouldn't be a problem now if you're cruising after January 2020 and doing Cheers anyway. They just announced today they are switching to Pepsi! 

Question on group blocks: when do they expire before the cruise, assuming they keep getting extended? 

I booked our honeymoon for the Vista, hoping somebody would cancel a Havana room so we could upgrade. I have since learned that the entire Havana area was reserved for a group cruise well over a year ago. Based on their website, it looks like there are still plenty of rooms available with 121 days to go. Is there a typical time that the remaining rooms will open to the public? Or can the block be held up until sailing? 

20 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

For the record, if a Havana opens up, I sincerely doubt it would be discounted.  We have called and upgraded to Grand suite a long time ago.  I am not sure what you would think of as reasonable in terms of pricing, but to put a perspective it, there are not all that many GS, so the possibility is slim and the discounting not large (from my perspective).  Did you book thru a TA, they can manage that for you.    

I don't anticipate a Havana getting discounted. I'm cool with paying full price. And I'm willing to pay up to $2,000 more to upgrade to a Grand Suite, so I'm not by any means trying to go from a cove balcony to a grand suite for $500. That would put us at about $4,000 for our cabin but it's our honeymoon. Right now it's looking like closer to $3,000 above our current rate. 

1 hour ago, 4133raw said:

Your cruise wouldn't happen to be the Feb. 22nd Vista cruise is it? I read on the group Facebook page that the whole Havana area has been booked by a group. It was talked about it in March.

Yep, sure is! 

Damn it. 

I am going on the Vista in February for my honeymoon. We are currently in a Cove Balcony which is all fine and dandy, but my hope is to upgrade to a Havana room. They are currently all sold out, but I keep checking.

I wouldn't mind paying a reasonable amount to upgrade to the Grand Suite, but paying an additional 200% on our current rate is a little extreme. Has anybody had any luck calling the upsell fairy (as opposed to waiting for them to call you) and getting a good deal on a better cabin?

4 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

I heard Maker's Mark is gone for good. We didn't see it on our last cruise.

 

What's the difference between bourbon and whiskey?

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is a type of whiskey, much like scotch. 

Scotch comes from Scotland and has malted barley

Bourbon is at least 51% corn

Rye Whiskey is made with at least 51% rye

As people have already said, yes, you can :) I bring a nalgene each for me and my husband. We fill it up on the lido before we go lay in the sun on the deck or head into port. 

BUT, here's the real tip: you can also bring an empty water bottle through airport security. I use a carabiner to clip my empty water bottle to my laptop bag and fill it up post-security. I usually either a: have the server at the bar fill it up for me while I'm enjoying my traditional pre-flight cocktail or b: fill it at a water bottle station most airports are now adding. 

2 hours ago, we2lovetocruise said:

Also buy a beer wait 5 min and buy another in 20 min you ask for ice in a bucket and you have your beers for your room! A little planning but works!

I do something similar. If I'm walking past a bar headed back to my cabin, I'll grab a cider or beer and ask for it unopened, and store it in the fridge in my cabin. After a few days, I have several saved up and can either enjoy them on my balcony at my leisure, or I've taken a few into port with me if we're doing a beach day (and not paying for any sort of resort or excursions, like in Grand Turk or HMC). 

I'm looking forward to another great review! 

The Splendor will always have a special place in my heart because my fiance (VERY soon to be husband) and I got engaged on the Splendor in Long Beach last year after 12 years together! 

My fiance uses one as his carry on bag, and it works just fine! It's a tri-fold garment bag we bought on Amazon. 

I start using Bonine a few days before I get on the ship (1 tablet a day) so that it's in my system. The day we fly out, I start taking 2 a day, and the first full day aboard the ship, I either stick with 2 a day (one when I get up, one before dinner) or move up to 3 a day if we are really rocking. I'm a big fan of proactively trying to prevent it. My first cruise was a disaster (I had been in the hospital for a stuck gall stone for 3 days and released the day before we left AND I got super motion sick. It would been enough to turn ANYBODY against cruising), but I haven't had any issues since. My doctor told me I could take up to 4 meclizine a day if I need to. 

I also tend to still feel the boat when I get home (it's especially bad in the shower), so I continue to take 1 a day for the first few days I'm home and it tends to help. 

Pro tip: If you ask at the pharmacy, sometimes they'll sell you the big bottles of meclizine for super cheap (some will claim you need a prescription). I got a 100 count bottle for $4 from the Target pharmacy without a prescription! 

My fiance and I are getting married in August, and doing a cruise for our Honeymoon in February. I am officially at the point where I don't know what name to book things in post-wedding . How hard is it to change the name on a reservation, as long as it's the same person? Or should I just book our honeymoon cruise in my soon-to-be married name? 

We have just over 6 months between our wedding and our honeymoon, and I am confident all of my ID's will be in my married name by that point. I don't want to run into the issue of having to pay extra for a name change. 

Thanks! 

Secret Shopper! They send me on the cruises to make sure things are going the way they should and rate the experience so they can make adjustments. 

I've seen on a few threads that Long Beach hasn't been strictly enforcing the check in times at the port. I know when I last sailed (out of NOLA), they were very strict about it.

For people who have sailed out of Long Beach recently, what has been YOUR experience? Are they strict about it?

Im confused. Cant you read older reviews? What are you waiting to hear about? Thanks!

The Splendor just transitioned from East Coast to West Coast. She just completed her first Mexican Riviera cruise, so there are not any reviews yet for this ship and itinerary. 😊

I am also looking forward to hearing more! 20 days!