Forchunut1

I broke the bones in my ankle, dislocated the joint, and tore the ligaments.  Looked a lot like yours and I had two surgeries with screws and plates.  Just know that it will take a good 6 months to start feeling "normal".  Take it easy, keep it elevated, and don't try to do more before your doc advises.  Good luck!

On 1/14/2022 at 6:58 AM, morrieb1 said:

 

 

And I may or may not have always bought extra in port so that I could follow the directions and turn one bottle of booze in when I returned while keeping the rest in my bag.

And I thought I invented that idea...  😁

Was just on the Valor last week and had the same peeling problem.  I even kept my card in a plastic zip lock lanyard and it still peeled.  In 20 cruises never had that happen before.

I've done over a couple dozen cruises, but just booked my first NCL cruise and took advantage of BOGO airfare.  Flights from my area to Copenhagen for this flight start around $1200 and this was the price for one person with NCL.  So, with two people, we are flying for half-price.  Will be interesting to see what kind of flights we get.  I'm not expecting them to be great, but with a savings like that, I'm willing to put up with a little discomfort   

1 hour ago, serene56 said:

Cruise cash is on your cruise account.   and can be used for anything onboard-- INCLUDING the casino.

Cruise cash is non refundable so make sure you cash out at the casino if you have anything left 

Interesting, because on my last cruise I had a little left over that I didn't want to mess with, and about a week after the cruise I received a check in the mail with the unused balance.  🤔

The mark-up on bottles of liquor is ridiculous, regardless of whether it is better than buying separate drinks.  Can I afford to order bottles?  Yep.  But, I won't do it on principle.  I get that mark-up on individual drinks creates the profit needed to keep things going.  The price of drinks on Carnival is no different than at a bar at a nice hotel, so I have no complaints about the price of drinks.  But, when the mark-up on a bottle of alcohol is 3-5 times what I can buy a bottle for, which is also already marked up, I'm not going to do it.

You'd think Carnival would get that if they lowered the mark-up a bit, more people would buy the bottles and Carnival will still make money.  Many people who have posted about this say they also have a bar tab at the end of the cruise regardless of whether they buy bottles or use an alternative method of acquiring their alcohol.  I always do, although never to the point of Cheers making financial sense for me.  Many people like the freedom of being able to make a drink in their cabin and then will hit the bars as well.  I'm all about profits to keep a business successful, but until Carnival stops trying to squeeze every last living penny out of us with these ridiculous mark-ups (now including delivery fees!), I'll look for alternative sources. 

17 hours ago, marci4tony said:

Pretty excited about the elevators - NOT

My MIL is not mobile; she has back issues, and is trying so hard not to be wheelchair bound.  She can come DOWN the stairs just fine, but she cannot go up.  We will just have to fight the stupid people.  Bummer....

Yep, I'm in the same "boat".😛  I have a lung disease and I can go down stairs just fine, but can only do one flight going up.  Will be interesting to see how this works.

18 hours ago, Sif said:

 

I wonder if it was Dixie Longate? I saw her show in Charlotte a couple of months ago; although I can't support the pyramid scheme/MLM business model the show itself was pretty funny. 

Could very well have been.  I don't recall her name, or whether I even knew her name, but it is a unique kind of entertainment that you don't forget.  😀

The only time I didn't have to pay a single supplement was back in 2002 on my first cruise.  Back in those days, great solo rates without the single supplement were common.  But, unfortunately, those days are long gone.

On my very first cruise in 2002 out of NOLA, on the last sea day there was a young man (I don't know which politically correct term to use anymore) who was dressed in a long sequin dress, wearing a perfectly coiffed wig and gorgeous make-up, looking absolutely fabulous and selling Tupperware on the Lido Deck by the pool.  🙂  Security didn't seem to mind...   That set my expectations for future cruises.  🤣

On 7/31/2019 at 1:35 PM, jiimmy2k said:

Shopping on the hip strip

A couple of years ago, I went on a cruise with my cousin (both of us mature ladies) to Cuba out of MoBay.  (Obviously not available anymore to U.S. citizens.)  We stayed pre-cruise at a little hotel on the Hip Strip, walked a few blocks to a neighborhood outdoor restaurant, walked back to the hotel after dusk, and felt completely safe.  We took a taxi from the hotel to the port with no issues.  The worst thing that happened was a teenage kid offered to sell us pot.  🤣

On 11/14/2018 at 5:44 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Have you ever had any issues with your laundry?  We rarely use this perk because we are leary of having nicer, colored clothes washed in hot water. 

I don't use the laundry.  I tried it once, just for jeans and sweatshirts, and they came back smelling like they had been washed with a bunch of really dirty clothes with no soap.  Smelled very bad.    Maybe just a fluke, but I haven't been able to bring myself to try it again, even if it is free.

I was on this cruise in December and thought it was great. We also only had about 200 passengers on the ship which will spoil you for any other cruise. The crew was fantastic and the food was very good.

I thought the P2P excursions were very good. Very similar to excursions I've done in other countries where you are exposed to various activities and sights. All the guides were very good, easy to understand and very open when answering questions. The only noticeable thing was that they never said anything negative about Castro and his regime. Otherwise, they shared what their jobs are like, the struggles they face in obtaining bare necessities, etc.

We did the Tropicana excursion and while, pricey, it was a once in a lifetime experience and worth it as far as I was concerned. We also rented one of the old car taxis which was a great way to see the real Havana up close and to hear about life from an unbiased person.

Overall, the ship, crew, excursions, etc. were all great. As you can see in my signature, I've done a lot of cruising and this one ranks right at the top.

I'm glad to hear that things are betting in NOLA. When I was there in February, it was the worst embarkation experience I've had in 20 cruises. Everything was a mess and because as previous posters mentioned, the early groups are smaller, I actually had to wait longer in the Platinum lounge than my friends who are not Platinum and had an 11:30 boarding time. They were on the ship about 1/2 hour before I was. Traffic was a mess and I figured it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether I would get my luggage as those guys were just as confused as anyone.

So, I'm very glad to hear it is now working as intended.

Awesome! That's great to know. Thanks for the quick reply! :)

Does anyone know what the streets/traffic is like getting to the port during Mardi Gras? We are staying somewhat northwest of the port area. Google Map says it's normally about a 15 minute drive to the French Quarter from where we are and I suppose normally you could add another 15 minutes to the port? Just wondering how much extra time to allow on Sunday, January 31st for street closings, etc.

Thanks!

Thanks for the info. There are only two ships in port the day we are there which is amazing, so it might be worth a try.

Does anyone know how long of a taxi ride it is from Havensight to the ferry at Crown Bay?

Just wondering if anyone has gone on their own to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island? It sounds very cool and more of a locals hangout than the major tourist beaches on St. Thomas.

If you've been there, how long does it take to get to the ferry at Crown Bay from where the ship is docked? I read the ferry is $10 each way and the beach is a 10 minute walk from the ferry dock.

Any info would be helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks so much for the replies. I don't remember making a distinction of north vs. South when we told our driver where we wanted to go. This is good to know.

In 2010 we were at St. Kitts and went to Friar's Beach for the day. The taxi driver asked us if we were sure that's where we wanted to go as that wasn't where all the tourists normally go. It was pretty deserted (approx. 30 people all day) with a few chairs and palapas and a little shack/bar that served pirate rum. There were a couple of monkeys and one of those signs that has locations all over the world pointing in all directions with mileage info on them. There was the rickety remainder of an old dock and there were sea urchins in one part of the water.

So, now I'm hearing about Carambola and Shipwreck areas and I'm wondering if these are now what was where we went a few years ago? We would love to go back to that beach because it was so natural and not crowded, but now I'm wondering whether it even exists now.

Can someone confirm whether the beach we went to in 2010 has been developed into these popular tourist beaches?

Thank you!

I always put mine on before my flight and have never had a problem with the airliines. I buy the adhesive laminated luggage tags at Walmart and when I print my luggage tags I reduce the size to about 75% and they fit perfectly in the purchased luggage tags. Never had one come off and I don't have to mess with a stapler at the hotel. :) Have done this for years with no problem!

Just found this thread and have enjoyed all the good ideas!

I'm not very good at "real" journaling, so I also do the Smashbook route. Sometimes I use an actual Smashbook (the smallest one) and other times I make my own using random scrapbook cardstock and one of those small binders from the office supply store that holds 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 pages. The fun thing about those binders is that the front cover is a clear pocket that let's you create a custom cover.

All I take with me is a glue stick and a pen and a roll of washi tape with the book. (The washi tape is great for adhering one edge of a piece of paper that you want to be able to flip to see the front and back of.) I jot notes, stick in things like the umbrella from my first drink, receipts of stuff I bought, etc. It's small enough that I can carry it with me and stick stuff in or write stuff down as it happens, so I don't forget.

I don't do much to the pages ahead of time as my "stuff" will be the decoration. I might do a little stamping but that's about it.

This is the method that works for me and it is fun to have all the little memorabilia to look at later.

All of the seasons except the last one are available on YouTube. Just do a Google search and you will find them episode by episode. I watched them all over the course of several weeks last year. Now that I am a cruiser, I realize how accurate some of the sets and scenes were!

Price. Plain and simple. If Carnival raises the cruise rates, I'll be looking elsewhere. The cruise experience is what you make it and I can have fun on any cruiseline. So, the price is what keeps me coming back to Carnival. Yep, that's cold, but that's what it comes down to for me.

(Ooops - type on the FTTF!!!) :-)

I haven't cruised since they implemented FTTF. But, I was reading a post by someone who seemed to indicate that those with FTTF actually get on the ship before Platinum cruisers. Is that true? I could see both boarding as part of the same group, but am surprised if they actually have priority over Platinum. Or maybe it just depends on which ship?

Just curious to see what others have experienced? :confused: