stargate fan

We have booked cabins like you did.
Upon embarkation, go to Guest Services and tell the agent what you want done.  He/she will reprogram the mag strips on the Sail and Sign cards.  The transaction should take no more than five minutes.

On 1/9/2020 at 1:24 PM, Mother27 said:

Hello! We're cruising on the Radiance in September on the Canada/New England route. I've picked what look like awesome excursions for Portland, St. John, and Halifax, but I didn't see anything I liked for the Boston stop. What are our options if we just want to do something on our own? I'm not sure if the ship actually docks in Boston or if we would need to tender to shore. Can someone enlighten me? If we do tender, can we catch the tender even if we don't have an excursion booked?

 

Thanks in advance!

I highly recommend Free Tours by Foot.  Yes, the tours really are free.

We have lived about an hour north of Boston for over 35 years.  Three years ago we had friends visiting from Australia so we booked the North End tour.  It was fabulous!  Even we learned a lot.  We gave our guide a gratuity because he was that good.

We've since booked Free Tours by Foot in other cities and we've enjoyed them all.

6 hours ago, tunafish said:

to answer your question - they are all crap. they will start smelling, they are very difficult to clean, they will carry over strong smells. later it will have a bacterial/fungal biofilm on the inside surface that you will consume each time you use it unless you sterilize it, which is kinda hard to do at home, let alone ship. the later process will be more likely in silicone ones and less likely in metal ones, but those plastic mouth pieces are plastic. you can pack some scent free dish soap to help

We use Get It Right brand silicone straws at home.  I stand them in the utensil holder in my dishwasher. 

They always come out clean and not smelly at all.

That said, I would not bring them on a cruise because I'd hate to lose them.

1 hour ago, rnr4thatsme said:

Asking for my brother who's coming on a family reunion cruise with a bunch of us...  He has a room booked with his wife and child.  His sister-in-law has a room booked with her three kids.  So that's my brother, two sisters and four kids total.  My brother's sister-in-law is getting the drink package.  My brother's wife wants the drink package as well, but he does not.  Is it possible to switch who's in the room after booking?  Put the two sisters together with two of the kids and put my brother with two of kids?  Realizing now should've booked it that way, but, someone (MY BROTHER) didn't read the fine print beforehand.

 

The favorite sibling....

Contact the person with whom you booked.

16 minutes ago, fuzzychop1 said:

Does anyone know if Splendor still does their muster drill outside?

Yes, Muster is still outside on Splendor.

4 hours ago, akdgfd1976 said:

I'm sailing the Paradise 1/24/19 and have purchased the FTTF, yet we've been given and 1-1:30 boarding appointment time.  Should that not be the case?  First Carnival cruise.  Many previous on NCL & RCCL so do not know what to expect compared to those. 

Since you purchased FTTF, you can go to the port to check in earlier.  Most of our ports opened doors at 10:30, so we usually arrive around 10:00.

1 hour ago, lobo55 said:

Anyone know where to find which deck 7 regular balconies can have the divider opened on Carnival Glory? Thanks

Specifically which cabins?  I can look them up for you.

11 minutes ago, silvercrikhix said:

We have connecting Cove Balcony cabins on the Horizon next month. 

Can the dividers be opened to give us a connected Balcony?

TIA

No, they do not.  The walls of the cove balconies are metal from floor to ceiling.

On 12/16/2018 at 4:21 PM, Wk4u2nv said:

Is the aft pool on Canrnival Magic still adults only? We'll be cruising in May and that's where we like to hang out most of the time. I heard Carnival was doing away with their adults only pools.

The aft pools on Dream and Vista class ships never were designated as adult-only.

On 12/24/2018 at 12:15 PM, ctsharpie05 said:

New to Carnival (and have only been on one cruise previously). We will be sailing on the magic. My phone and IPAD are too old to download the HUB app. Can I make ressies for the MDR in person and will the daily activities be delivered, on paper, to the stateroom? Basically, will not having the HUB app be an issue?

We turn off our phones and lock them in the safe for the duration of our cruises so we don't use the HUB app.

Paper copies of the Fun Times, which lists all the activities each day, hours of venues, etc, will be delivered to your stateroom each previous evening.  

Have a great cruise.

On 11/26/2018 at 6:17 PM, coevan said:

most ports have ATM's, look for one that carries the logo of your CC and there will be little to no fees. 

Be aware that many ATMs in foreign ports give out the currency of that port, not necessarily US funds.

On 12/7/2018 at 1:45 PM, mkcurran said:

If you want an early boarding time, check-in opens at Midnight Miami time. If you don't care, you can check-in any time.

Assigned Arrival Time, aka Check-in Time and Boarding time are not the same.

Check-in Time is when passengers can enter the port building to check in and receive a Zone Card number.

Boarding begins after the previous cruise's passengers are off the ship and customs has cleared for embarkation.  There are n boarding times.  

For those who are not Diamond, Platinum, or purchased FTTF, the earlier the check in time, the lower the Zone Card number received so when embarkation does begin, they will be called numerically.

2 hours ago, BENHANDEL said:

Starting a new thread instead of hijacking

 

Another thread mentioned "relaxed" debarkation? What is that?

 

Looking for advice on how we should plan our debark morning, considering our group, plans and needs. 

 

The is our first time on CCL. We have FTTF and family suite. We have 3 kids (12, 14, 16).

 

OUR TIME RESTRAINTS/SCHEDULE

After getting off the ship we will be grabbing an Alamo shuttle to the airport to get our rental car and will be driving up to Orlando. But we want to explore Miami a bit. Probably not much to see super early and weather will guide our path. We target getting to Orlando by 7 or 8pm which means we need to be on our way from Miami before 3pm. 

 

OUR FAMILY PREFERENCES

We would like to have one more big, nice breakfast on the ship before getting off. We don't like crowds but don't want to be up at 5am. We are on 2nd floor so easy off the ship and are perfectly capable of carrying our bags. DH would rather not hand the bags over, but I dont want to lug bags to breakfast. 

 

Can we pack up and leave our bags in the room while we go to the MDR for breakfast? And then go grab the bags from the room and walk off the ship? As FTTF/suite, what "zone?" would we request? How does that work? What would be our timeline to maKe that happen?

 

TIA-2 weeks left!

We love our last breakfast in the MDR on debarkation morning.  We usually get up around 6:30 to shower, dress, and pack last minute things.  (We use Self-Assist.)  We leave our luggage in the cabin, go to the MDR, and are back in the cabin for 8:30, which is when cabins must be evacuated.  If we have late flight, we hang around Lido, soaking in the rays and warmth before we are ready to leave the ship and head to the airport to fly back to the frozen tundra of New Hampshire.

29 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If you don’t like crowds and want to take advantage of your FTTF perk why not meet up with the FTTF self assist group and get off the ship without lines or waiting then go to breakfast in Miami with your bags in your trunk. Usually only the buffet is open on debarkation day for breakfast and IMO it’s not worth getting stuck in the lines off the ship. Most ships debark on the 4th or 5th floor so being on 2 will be of no advantage.

Why pay for breakfast when the op and family can enjoy their last meal on the ship.

On 11/26/2018 at 10:05 PM, hennaLisa said:

I am hoping someone here has some experience cruising with kids with numerous dietary restrictions and can give me some advice. Please, if you just want to be rude, don't comment. If you haven't lived with these issues, you just can't understand what it is like.

 

My kids have numerous major food allergies and eat a restricted diet as a result. I make most everything for them from scratch, including things like gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free baked goods. They can eat normal meat, vegetables, nuts, and fruit, but won't be able to eat any of the grains or desserts that the cruise provides. When we've gone to resorts, I could just use the microwave to cook them their special things so they don't feel left out. But on the cruise, I realize we won't have access to cook anything. 

 

Having children with special needs and dietary restrictions can easily consume all my and my husband's time and energy. I need some suggestions about how we can make the dietary stuff go as smoothly and easily as possible. I've spent hours with the cruise line and talked with the access department and I've gotten such varied responses. "All food must be prepackaged and non-perishable." True "Bring your baking mix and the chefs will prepare the children's baked goods." Not so sure about that. "Prepared food must be pre-cooked and frozen so we just warm it up for you." Not so sure about that. "There are microwaves located at the buffet." Not true. "There are no microwaves on the ship, even in the kitchens." Also not true.  The answers I get are all over the place.

 

In my ideal world, I could bring some of my kids' special foods already cooked, such as papadam crackers and chocolate muffins. I'd have them in a small cooler and just give them to my kids as needed. Secondly, I would bring some ingredients to make simple things. For instance, they can drink Bai drinks, which come in 18 fl. oz. bottles. I would bring a few flavors to let them split a drink once in a while and I would bring little zipcicle bags to make icepop-type frozen treats. I'd fill the bags with Bai drinks and put them in the freezer or maybe I could put them in a small cooler with a lot of ice overnight to freeze into a slushy texture? I could bring So Delicious dairy free sugar free ice cream if the cruise would let us keep it frozen. I could also bring my baking mix if I could give the cooks instructions (1 cup mix, 4 eggs, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup coconut milk, can be made into pancakes, waffles, etc.). Would this work?  See my response below.

 

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

 

Hi there.

We cruise with a friend who is allergic to EVERYTHING except poultry, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.  She contacts Special Needs before every sailing.  As soon as we embark, she and her husband go to the maitre d' and speak with the hostess about what she can eat and to ensure no cross contamination.  She brings her own salad dressing, bread, and sun butter.  (Like peanut butter, but made from sunflower seeds.)

We choose YTD and the hostess makes sure we have the same table and same wait staff every night.  (We like to go to dinner for 7:00.)  Before we leave dinner, the hostess comes to the table with the next day's menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so they can discuss what to order. She orders every course, including dessert.  (I've tasted her food.  It was really tasty for gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, etc.) The first night of the first cruise was a little rough, but the rest of the meals went as planned and she had no allergy issues. 

The key is to be diligent.  

Best wishes and have a great cruise.

On 11/27/2018 at 10:47 AM, shdixon said:

Hello all. 

Our flight from NY to PR gets in at 5am the day of our cruise. It appears that fascination does not leave until later in the evening. Would you get a cheap hotel/motel to relax in upon arrival till its time to check in on ship or find some place to loiter for 8 hours. Thanks in advance

By the time you debark the plane, get your luggage, get a taxi, and travel to the port, it will be close to 8:00.  I suggest dropping of luggage with the porters then finding a place for breakfast.  There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance of the port.  You could then walk to one of the forts to explore until you head back to the port for your Assigned Arrival Time.

On 10/8/2018 at 12:20 PM, toriasloan said:

Trying to decide on what Mexican Riviera cruise to book out of Long Beach in 2019. There isn't much price difference between the ships, it's like an 80 dollar difference. I'm just trying to decide which would be the better ship to go on? If anyone has been on both and they like one better than the other, I'd be grateful for any input. Thanks!

 

Also, if I did book Splendor I could get it a little cheaper going from an OV to a Porthole but I've read those could be noisy. Especially the one I can get which is 2220 because it's right under the stage. Has anyone else had that room?

Miracle and Splendor are my two favorite ships.  We've sailed them each twice so far.

I suggest you sail Splendor because she's moving to Australia, so now's your chance.  Miracle is staying put, for now at least.

On 11/20/2018 at 9:37 AM, rucingok said:

We will be sailing on the Miracle in December and it is our first time on Carnival and at port of Tampa.  We have previously been on RCCL.  We have 2 cabins so plan on taking 4 bottles of wine.  I would like to wrap it up in (maybe) our beach towels or something when putting it in our carry ons. I also have a wine carry-all I could use.  Should I pack one per person or can I pack 2 bottles together?  Do I just put it on the scanner or do I go to a separate table for inspection?  I just am wondering how all this works for ease of packing and ease of getting thru security.  On RCCL we left it in carryon, put in scanner and no one ever looked at it.  I don't mind inspection, as it will actually  be wine.   Thanks

We pack our two bottles of wine together in my husband's backpack.  At some ports, security scrutinized the bottles to make sure they were sealed tightly after being scanned while at other ports no one even cared.  It varied port to port and even security person to security person at one port.  (Our friends were in a different line.  Their wine went right through; ours was taken out of our backpack and checked thoroughly.)  There is no rhyme nor reason as to who gets checked and who doesn't.

On 11/14/2018 at 4:39 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

I think the point was that if both people in the cabin are shareholders, only one of them gets "rewarded".

My husband and I jointly own 100 shares of CCL stock.  When we sail with friends, we book our friend and me in one cabin and the friend's husband and my husband in another cabin.  Since we have different booking numbers, we submit two shareholder benefit requests.  My husband and I each receive the obc.  According to the info below, we are well within policy to book this way.

From the Shareholder Benefit link:

This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc. Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer. This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account. Only one onboard credit per shareholder-occupied stateroom.

4 hours ago, shdixon said:

Hello,

I hear fascination does not have a mini fridge. Do we know if there is at least ice available for most hours? I havent been on a cruise without a fridge in ages and I dont want to have to find a bar every time I want cold water

It's true that Fascination cabins do not have mini fridges.

Ask your cabin steward to bring a fresh ice bucket twice a day.

As far as availability of ice, there are ice and water dispensers on Lido 24/7.

2 minutes ago, bronxboy683 said:

Does anyone know if there is an ironing board and iron for passenger use on the splendor ?

From the Carnival website:

FACILITIES

Self-Service Launderettes and Ironing Rooms
Hours: hours posted on the door to the Laundry

• 2 or 3 washers and 2 or 3 dryers ($)
• 1 iron and ironing board
• Vending machines dispense small boxes of detergent and water softener ($)
• Ironing Room: 2 ironing boards/irons

Locations - Launderettes
Main Deck 2 - midship / across from 2365
Empress Deck 7 - midship / across from 7339
Lido Deck 9 - forward / across from 9270

Locations – Ironing Rooms
Riviera Deck 1 – aft / across from 1425
Upper Deck 6 – midship / across from 6391
Verandah Deck 8 – midship / across from 8381

We took our first cruise on Paradise in 2000.

We've sailed 24 Carnival and three Royal Caribbean cruises, with Carnival #25 in February.

(I'm only 30 days away from Diamond.)

18 hours ago, pghsteelerfan said:

I did see your other post in August but didn't comment since I really had nothing to contribute.  But after seeing his post and "picc line & iv antibiotics", I can relate.  My husband had a stubborn case if diverticulitis (has had it in the past, most recent was this past May), but the go to antibiotics used to treat it were no longer doing the trick.  So from the first week of August and until his surgery in mid-September, he had a picc line and the daily antibiotics, which I administered to him.  I was very uncomfortable (scared I'd do something wrong) at first, but it became part of our daily routine.  He's pretty much recovered from surgery, no more need for the antibiotics and back at work now.  Fortunately we did not have a cruise booked but now have to miss out on one that I was really looking forward to...a 12 day Journey cruise on Glory with what I consider my "dream" itinerary (eastern/southern Caribbean) in Feb. 2019.  We were going to start booking shortly before he got sick, but once we found out how bad it was/how much PTO he'd need from work, we realized the cruise was out of the question. 

So sorry you had to cancel your cruise and hope you can book another soon...one to celebrate you recovering from all of this.  I also hope the claim process is easy.  Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

Thank you for sharing your story.

We freaked out about the picc line at first, but it is actually very easy.  The picc doesn't bother me other than an occasional itch under the dressing.  What's weird is that I get a metallic taste in my mouth when I push the saline flush before and after the antibiotics.

I hope you do find another "dream" cruise, especially with talk of more ships being repostitioned in the next year.

22 hours ago, mkcurran said:

I hope you recover and can get on a ship very soon!

Thank you.

On 10/28/2018 at 8:56 PM, riclop said:

Take care of yourself and there will be another cruise for you.

Thank you.

We have Magic in February to look forward to.