JeffsWife

As long as the tunic top is long enough, as you describe, I say go for it on the casual nights.

 

Friends of ours got back from an Alaska cruise a few weeks ago and she happened to mention that the MDR was absolutely freezing and that she wished she had brought along another cardigan - even her teenage boys were cold. Just wanted to pass along that comment to the OP so you can think about maybe bringing along a long cardigan to wear over the tunic in case you have the same experience.

I never travel (even to the grocery store in the middle of summer) without a cardigan or hoodie available to match my outfit. I am always cold, so Alaska means extra extra sweaters. ;) The last two Alaska cruises I was on, I made it through most of the indoor areas of the ship without extra outerwear (but always with base layers underneath) but those were not on Carnival, so the possibility of freezing MDR is definitely something I will keep in mind. Thanks for the heads up!

If you truly don't care what others think, then just go for it and wear your leggings.

 

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That's my problem. I don't care what other people are wearing (I try not to judge) but I care very much what other people think about what I am wearing. So I ask about possibly questionable fashion choices to get a consensus. I know it shouldn't matter to me, but I would hate to be the topic of anyone's critiquing of what people were wearing. Add to that, the "leggings as pants" look has always stuck me as tacky (for me, but again, I don't care about others wearing whatever...) so even wanting to try this with a tunic (which is more of a mini dress than a shirt) makes me feel slightly hypocritical as well. I don't want others to think I am the one being tacky. :') And therein is my own personal insecurities and the reason I ask for what is basically fashion opinion on a forum devoted to cruising. :D

You answered your own question! Think how much style has changed in the past 40 years, 100 years, 200 years etc. Fashion is constantly changing. We are all going to look dated in 3 seasons, so I just try to feel great in what I wear every time I wear it. That's my only rule.

I agree with you in theory and I don't really judge what others are wearing (or rather I try really hard not to and would never vocalize any negative opinions of it) but when it comes to what I am wearing, I am insecure enough to worry about what others think. I would hate to feel like the other women on the ship were laughing or sneering behind my back for dressing "too young", "too old", or just being tacky in general....

Was just off the Legend a few weeks ago and ended up wearing my leggings, with a dressy shirt or tank and a long black cardigan, several times throughout the week. I am usually a sundress girl and wear one every night when we are cruising the Caribbean, however, with the breezy and cool Alaska temps it was just not feasible. ...

Not to hijack my own thread too much, but I don't suppose you'd have menus or show lists from that cruise? This will be my 3rd Alaska cruise, but first Alaska cruise on Carnival, and will be my husband's first ever cruise. He's really looking forward to it and wants to know everything possible in advance, including what we will likely eat and/or see each night. :)

I think it would be a nice ensemble for casual dining as long as the leggings are NOT a nude/flesh color.

Oh my Goodness, no! :eek: I'd not do nude leggings even as pajamas. No one (including me) would want to see me in that! ;)

I have 2 outfits exactly like that for my upcoming cruise that I will wear to the MDR. My tunics are like a short dresses (and would be cute on their own if I weren't 57!) and you cant see my freckles through my leggins print.

Since leggings have an elastic waist, I may just have 2 warm chocolate melting cakes! (I will however wear my workout leggings to the gym the next day).....

We think similarly. :) My tunics too could be worn as short dresses on their own, and in fact one of the models from where I purchased them was wearing one, belted, as a dress. Being just past my 20's (;) ) I am afraid that's a look I can no longer pull off myself.

Both pairs I am considering wearing are pretty floral patterns, without overly loud colors (again, personal preference) but enough color to brighten things up a bit and hide a multitude of sins...maybe the second helping of dessert is in my future too. :)

Thank you everyone for responding, I feel better about my packing now and think I will debut my roses on black leggings, with a black tunic on the first night of the cruise. Now to prepare my explanation to my husband that this outfit has "been in the closet for years, certainly you remember seeing it before?". :loudcry:

I will be sailing Legend, Alaska in a couple of weeks. I am well aware of the numerous threads, debates and outright arguments re: MDR dress codes. This is not meant to be another one. So Let me preface my post with: I know the dress codes for both elegant and cruise casual nights; I will wear to dinner a style I feel is appropriate and don't give two hoots what anyone else is wearing.

Having said that, I AM seeking opinions on a personal style choice I may or may not be making (only on cruise casual evenings). And since I am wordy in general, I will start with a little backstory:

I have always been of the notion that leggings worn as pants is tacky (personal opinion, sorry if I offended anyone) which means my leggings have always been regulated to "pajamas" or workout wear, and never made public appearances. However, with the popularity of Lularoe and the like, I now find myself with a few pairs of really cute, fully opaque, good quality leggings that are not too tight on me and do not make me look like a stuffed sausage. With these I have long tunic type tops (well long enough to cover my derriere) and these outfits even look a little "dressy" to me.

So, even though it is not something I would "normally" wear, I think that it would be cute for MDR on casual evenings, when paired with ballet flats. Being on a cruise to Alaska comes into play as well because I am always cold under the best of circumstances and these outfits (with 3/4 length sleeves) are actually warmer than my normal summer attire without having to add a sweater.

So my question is this: I know it will technically conform to dress code, but do you, fellow cruisers, think it's too tacky or should I give it a test spin and see how I feel about t the time? A bonus of wearing leggings/tunics would be that they roll very small and would enable me that much more room to pack more outfits for more variety. :)

Thanks for any opinions you care to give. :)

Glad you got confirmed on the excursion. We're in the morning too. Nice planning on spa treatments. Looks like you have great plans(y)

I was honestly starting to worry. Everyone said they got confirmation within 24 hours and it had been at least a week before I heard anything. My panicky self just kept sending emails. :') I am sure they were finally annoyed into responding just so I would leave them alone. They responded to all my emails at once. The first 2 I opened said " sorry, the 11:00 am is full, the 2:00 is still available" then the third one I opened said, "we are pleased to confirm your reservations at 11:00". So I hope I didn't confuse them too much at least. I look forward to seeing you on the boat! :)

Glad you got the small boat excursion, we did it last week and it was well worth it. You get to within a quarter mile of the glacier as opposed to 3 or 4 on the ship. When you get back on the ship and see where the 3:30 excursion boat ends up, you will see how close you actually were!! Be glad you took the early one and not the late. Our early one was maybe half full, the late one looked almost completely full. Also, we did Endicott, not Tracy Arm. Talk on the small boat was that Tracy Arm had a huge piece of ice in the middle of it and no one can get past it. I guess they will go there again when it melts or floats out enough to get past it.

 

Also, early seating is at 5:30 (5 on the Victoria day), not at 6, if it will make a difference to you.

I am okay with Endicott, and have pretty much resigned myself to missing Tracy Arm- no ship has made it yet this year, have they? But honestly from our fairly uneducated about it vantage point, a glacier is a glacier, so it will still be good. :) I wondered if afternoon would be crowded. I think they might try to shove everyone they can who waited to make reservations on that one (maximize profits LOL) and of course many people probably wanting to be more leisurely on what is essentially a sea day and not miss breakfast/brunch/lunch/etc. In my real life, I would much prefer afternoon or evening schedules for any activity but on the ocean, I am more of a "seize the day" person and thought the earlier boat would probably offer the better views and nature watching.

I don't think 5:30 is going to make a lot of difference for dinner. Our 6:00 "meal time" at home was a very long progression from Jeff's much preferred really early dinner times. I tease him that he is getting old and that before you know it, dinner will be at 3:30. He will probably be pleased with slightly earlier on the ship, but it might be a struggle to get him back into waiting until 6:00 when we get home. ;)

$95 for the bottle. Wow. Cheers! is roughly $400 (including gratuity) for the week and you aren't limited to any particular type of alcohol. Four bottles or anything you want -- up to 15 drinks/day. At that point, Cheers! seems like a no-brainer.

This is indeed true, but let me offer the other viewpoint. My husband drinks Crown Royal (and rarely anything else) and while on vacation he plans to drink a lot (sigh). I however don't really drink at all, on a cruise I might have one souvenir cup drink, but I am just as likely to ask for that to be nonalcoholic if possible. (It's the taste of alcohol that makes me an infrequent drinker, not any moral qualms). I do drink diet soda, almost to the exclusion of water. I don't drink coffee, juice, etc. but I have a diet soda in my hand or at bedside nearly 24/7. So the perfect set up for us would be for him to have Cheers and for me to have Bottomless Bubbles. The catch is that all adults in the stateroom have to buy Cheers if it is purchased (at least if it is purchased precruise- which all of our expenses have been) which means roughly $800 for him to enjoy his Crown Royal. Cheaper to buy by the glass at that rate! So I have pre ordered 2 bottles of Crown Royal delivered to the room. After gratuity, tax (if there was any) it cost me around $200. That is more than enough to keep him in alcohol the entire 7 day cruise and my Bottomless Bubbles (that is just mine) is a pittance in comparison. I am counting it as a nearly $600 savings for us- which I will promptly spend on excursions! :D And there is nothing stopping us from buying by the drink if we choose to try something different (or a milkshake, etc.) and the math still works in our favor.

We are on this cruise too with kids and grandkids (9 of us). We did this same cruise 4 years ago and all loved it so much. ...

 

In Skagway we are using Beyond Skagway Tours, taking a day out of Skagway customized to make it fun for the g'kids. Yes, that includes mushing dogs!! Juneau is whale watching only, and in Ketchikan we are just doing a 90 minute Ducks tour then explore the town. Last time we didn't get back to town until close to sail time. We were in a bus coming down a mountain after a great time canoeing and hiking a rainforest and the bus hit a pothole and tipped 45% on the mountainside. After evacuating from emergency exit another company came by and brought us back. Quite a memorable experience. Lucky we were on the uphill side, not the downhill:eek::eek:. But I digress... in Victoria we're just going to walk around. The inner Harbour is so beautiful. If you haven't been to Butchers Gardens, you should consider it, even if your husband isn't interested. My husband is a HUGE reader too. The kids have always teased him and now the grandkids have caught on. He loves touring, but on the ship or at a hotel he enjoys his reading. After 46 years being married to him I've learned to give him just enough reading time so we can enjoy doing other stuff:D:D:D.

Not much longer til cruise day, YAY

That sounds great! This will be my third Alaska cruise- the last two on NCL with same ports and all day in Victoria. It seems this time, Victoria is just a pit stop. We are doing whale watching in Juneau too, because it is awesome. We are doing Mendenhall Glacier and Wildlife Quest. I am not sure who it is through, but I've done it before and the people were great so I wanted to go again. :) I haven't settled in on exactly what to do in Victoria. The last two times I did EVERYTHING LOL Since it will be dark and not much time, I am thinking we will probably just take the shuttle in and walk around for a bit.

I've built in plenty of reading/alone time for Jeff and scheduled spa services a couple of days...I never have before but I figured if I am spoiling him with luxury, I should treat myself a little too. Some sort of body wrap the evening of the first day, and a facial early morning before the glacier day. I've never done either of those things on or off a ship so it will be a completely new experience. With the (anticipated) spa gift cards, I hope to work in a mani/pedi at some point too...those too are nicest in the evening after all the activities are finished and Jeff can settle onto the balcony with a book.

You sound like a planner- like me LOL!! The one thing that jumped out at me- and maybe you already have a plan but didn't mention it... are you flying in right before the cruise and heading straight to the pier or are you staying in Seattle the night before?

 

It sounds like you have a wonderful cruise planned- can't wait to hear about it when you get back :)

I thought about and probably should have done the day before, but with the way Jeff's work schedule is and the way his vacation time works, that would have been difficult too. So instead I have scheduled the very first flight of the day, direct flight, arriving in Seattle around 8:00 AM I think- might be 8:30- and have organized Carnival transfer to port. I figure that way a flight delay shouldn't be too detrimental as there are other flights we could catch if absolutely necessary. And if we get in on time and as scheduled, hoping to drop luggage at the port early and maybe take in some sights for a couple hours before boarding. Our return flight is 6:00 PM the night we are back, so if we haven't time for sightseeing on the way in, we will on the way out. I have been there, so that part is not really important to me, but would be cool for Jeff.

I finally got confirmation of reservations on the small boat excursion at my desired time (11:00AM- the first boat) so I am very excited for that. And I had emailed the maitre d' requesting either a table for 2 or ytd...I got an email; back from him saying we are now listed as a table for 2 and if we decide 6:00 does not suit us for dinner, we can still change to ytd. We are pretty regimented people though, and 6:00 is dinner time every day Jeff is home (he works 48 hour or 72 hour shifts) whether we are eating at home or out, so I doubt we will have any issue with the timing.

Now that we are under 30 days, I am getting really excited. I cannot wait to get there!

OK I give-----where do I go to sign for the wifi packages? I looked under tours and gifts--no luck.

Cruise Manager- the there should be a list on the right hand side, Shore Excursions, Spa Services, Fun Shop, etc...all the way at the bottom of that list mine has "Internet Plans" (under Specialty Dining Reservations).

I have guilt about choosing just one service and also about requesting two, maybe y'all can talk me through it. :)

There are inherent issues with only morning or evening service as mentioned previously, namely towels. I am notorious for mid day or evening showers in addition to morning shower on dry land, on a cruise I sometimes kick it up to both an afternoon shower and an evening shower, and I am also the proud bearer of nearly waist length hair so towels are always at a premium. And of course the decision between clean room early and towel animal/turn down service is one no one should have to make. But requesting two services seems "greedy" and feels like twice the work for the steward/housekeeping staff.

But as I know that this is a fairly new question/choice still...what if they are testing the waters for customer reaction and satisfaction with just one service per day and as soon as everyone is acclimated to only getting one, they could cut staff (and associated costs) which would still basically double the work for the steward/housekeeping staff while also causing job loss to the percentage of staff they felt superfluous.

I don't want to cause anyone more work, but I really don't want to (potentially) cause any job losses either. I am prepared to request both services and also double my usual weekly tip amount. But I do still feel a little guilty about it. I like luxury as much as the next person but have never been a "wait on me, pamper me" type of person.

I prepaid wifi for the Legend, July 25th a few days ago- incidentally the day it became available. I only know it was the day because I saw it first on the web site that morning but when I clicked to purchase it said it was not available, and at the time it was listing $17.XX/day for the premium package. I went back later that afternoon and it went through without a hitch and the price was then listed at $14.88/day. So premium wifi for 7 days on the Legend is costing me $104.16- no taxes added. I have no idea if this represents a discount from onboard purchase.

It seems like the last 7 day cruise I took cost me $156 or thereabouts for wifi, but I am not detail oriented enough to know if I am remembering accurately. There is also a possibility that both the pre pay and onboard prices have been lowered.

For what it's worth, the prices I am seeing right now on the web site are: Social: $4.00/day; Value: $10.25/day and Premium: $14.88/day.

My waiter the second time I sailed Splendor brought our family a cheese plate for an appetizer before each dinner... without being asked. It was a little gesture that made our cruise.

 

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Our waiter on my first Carnival cruise did the same for my family! And when he noticed a preference toward the brie, he started bringing a second cheese plate with more brie than the other cheeses (large family, table for 10). The second half of the cruise, we'd find the cheese plate already at the table when we were seated. We also found it to be such a thoughtful gesture that we all remember that more than almost any other service aspect of the cruise. :)

My husband and I will be on that cruise with you. This will be our 3rd cruise - 2nd on Carnival, and first trip to Alaska for either of us. We have an aft balcony booked. I have heard others say that packing binoculars is a must. I am much like you - I have had our excursions booked and travel arrangements made for months. For Skagway, we are going on the Yukon Discovery and Dog Sledding with Frontier Excursions. For Juneau, we are doing the Gold Panning and Salmon Bake, and for Ketchikan the Eagles and Totem Pole one. I emailed about the Tracy Arm boat back in October and got my reply from Carnival within a week. I also booked us a night at the Steakhouse. See you in 34 days.

I've done those excursions on previous cruises- all of them winners- you're going to love it! :) In Juneau, we are doing Mendenhall Glacier and Wildlife Quest- which I did on my first Alaskan cruise with another cruise line, and loved it enough to do again with my husband. :) Last time I did the gold panning and salmon bake- so much fun! :) Our Skagway excursion is the city tour, I've done everything else and even though I love the dogs, I think Jeff will prefer the town, scenery and history.

I still had no response about the Tracy Arm boat so I emailed again today in case I did it wrong. If nothing else maybe I will annoy them into a response. [emoji23]

I also emailed the maitre d' asking for specific consideration for either a table for 2 or YTD. I'm sure he's going to think I'm a crazy woman thinking about dinners that are still 34 days away. [emoji23]

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Assuming he would not enjoy the spa? If he likes the steam or sauna type things I believe they are still available.

He would not, but I do! :) We have already coordinated his "reading time" (he's a news and history junkie) with my trips to spa and sauna (if available). :)

But this brings up another question, that maybe someone knows... We are celebrating our anniversary aboard the ship, and I have let them know of this "special occasion". I anticipate, based on the experience of last year's Carnival cruise where family members were celebrating both birthdays and anniversaries, spa gift cards as a present from the cruise line. Does anyone know if (1) these can be combined, as Jeff certainly won't use his and (2) if they can be used for a pedicure rather than massage, etc?

We thought the enchanted forest deck 3 forward toward the show lounge was really creative. This is often unexplored territory with few people passing buy so if the weather isn't good, this would be a good place to escape outside your cabin.

We will definitely check this out. Just the name "Enchanted Forest" sounds lovely. :)

We are also on the Legend with you July 25th. This is our 2nd time on the Legend to Alaska we went in 2015. Your room 5205 should be on the starboard side. We had the starboard side balcony in 2015 and will again for our cruise in July. Alaska is great for not socializing because the wildlife and scenery from your balcony is amazing. Many dinners I ate room service on the balcony. We only ate in the MDR twice.

 

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We will not be doing the small boat excursion as I felt we saw great views from our balcony.

Can you order MDR meals for room service? I am thinking mostly of the appetizers and desserts- my favorite parts! :) If that is an option, I do see one or more dinners in our room (or on balcony weather permitting) especially on "glacier day". :)

The other things I have done to make sure this is indeed a "bucket list" trip for Jeff, who has already said it will be his first and last cruise....

 

 

It's very nice what you are trying to do to make the trip so special but it sounds like his mind is made up before he even goes. Try not to stress over every little detail and even if he isn't having a good time, try to enjoy it yourself and remember, you are not responsible for anyone else happiness.

Alaska is truly amazing!

This will be my third Alaskan cruise. I actually thought the last one would be my "bucket list" cruise so splurged on every excursion, activity, meal, souvenir, etc. that I wanted no matter the cost. It was truly amazing. This time, I know what I can skip because I've seen it or done it before. :D

I didn't mean to make it sound like Jeff is unhappy or not excited/interested in this cruise. He really is. His " first and last" is more of a logistical thing combined with lack of desire to travel in general; but also his attitude as mine, is that this is first and last for him so lets do it right! :) Today he told me to make reservations at the Chef's Table too, so maybe the MDR arrangements are not so important if we are eating elsewhere every dinner. :')

I think your time dining (YTD) might be better for you two. That way you can always have a table for two and arrive in the dining room anytime between 5:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Occasionally there may be a short wait but we just adjust our arrival times if we don't want any wait. From what I've seen it seems there's always a line that forms for early and late dining times as well. I believe the dining room on the Legend offers the whole second floor as YTD so easy to be seated. Enjoy your cruise!!

Agree with this !!! If you are used to NCL's Freestyle concept than you will definitely want the YTD on Carnival PLUS you will be able to get a table for 2 each evening. We sailed the Legend for 11 nights in April and had YTD and it was never a problem to get a table. Of the 11 nights we only had to wait 1 night for a table and we were getting a table for 4.

I agree about YTD especially doing Alaska. We went on the Spirit, when it was sailing Alaska, and always got the same table and ending up eating around 7 each night. We didn't want to miss the sights and we wanted to have time to chill out after excursions before heading to dinner. If you sailed NCL you will probably like this better.

Well, y'all have convinced me. :) On Manage my Cruise is says our dining time is confirmed and there is a wait list for YTD, so I am going to request it anyway and the back up plan will be trying to get a table for two assigned at beginning of cruise. :)

The one thing with their comedy club, which was the first time we went to one, was that we could show up and get a seat. When we went on the Magic this past November, the line was down the hallway and you had to leave after each show. It was definitely filled to capacity. Not like that on the Legend though.

That is how it was a the comedy club on the Freedom. You had to show up and be in line before the previous show ended (way before) to have any hope of making it in for the next, and had to leave after each show for this reason. Because of that (and after waiting for more than 30 minutes one night) I only made it to one comedy show the whole cruise which was disappointing because that was what I was most excited about of the onboard activities.

You might want to go to the dining room when you first board. You can ask where your table is located and see if you are seated with others. I like being seated with other people, but if he is not a very social person, you might want a table for two. There will be a time in the Fun Times that tells you what time the dining room will be open for changes or just to see where you are. I hope your husband has a great time and you never know he might just get hooked. Go to some shows or the piano bar. There are lots of options for entertainment. Happy cruising.

Candi

Thanks! :) I will definitely do that. One of his complaints about not wanting to cruise was "eating with strangers". It's not that he isn't friendly or nice or personable, he is just not very comfortable with new people. On NCL, which I am not comparing, but much more familiar with is all, you go to the MDR when you go (or not) and get seated with whom you arrive so the concept of set tables, times, and dining companions is still a bit foreign to me and seems way too "structured" for his tastes.

If we choose not to eat in MDR one night (we do have steakhouse reservations one night as well) do we need to inform the maitre d' or will he just figure it out if we don't show up?

We do plan on seeing the shows, and I am staking out a seat in the comedy club every night. Comedy is my thing more than music; Jeff is into live music though, so I am sure we will make the rounds for that too. :)

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We did the small boat excursion in Tracy Arm, although diverted to Endicott, like most have been it seems. It was really neat, but I also wouldn't be super upset if you don't get in. Our cruise ship got about 3-4 miles away, while our small boat was like 1/2 mile away. So, even if you're on the Legend, you still get a nice view.

...

 

I also have a lengthy review of this cruise, it's in my signature. Have fun!

Hi! It was actually your review and wonderful photos that clued me in about the small boat excursion! :)

37 days 22 hours 54 minutes until we are sailing on the Legend.

Hi! I registered here way back in 2013 when I was preparing for my first cruise (NCL Alaska). Since then I have done at least a cruise a year but always with NCL until the last cruise that was on Carnival because a cousin needed someone to share a cabin for a 7 day Western Caribbean, and how could I refuse that? :D All these previous cruises have been without my dear husband who was starting to get a little perturbed at his spoiled wife gallivanting around the oceans without him for weeks on end, so I put down money while on ship for this year's cruise for the two of us. Legend, Alaska, July 25. This will be my third Alaskan cruise, and his first ever cruise at all. It is important to know that Jeff doesn't like to travel (on the other hand, I get ansty if I am at home for more than a month at a time) but an Alaskan Cruise has always been his exception and this is a bucket list trip for him.

So now that he sees me as a seasoned cruiser (Ha!) he has left all the details to me, so I am hoping I am doing right by him. But of course I am second guessing some of my (too late to change) decisions and need some guidance, and insight on the Legend specifically. The sailing is the Alaskan 7 day itinerary leaving from Seattle.

Because it's Alaska, I made sure to get a balcony of course. Does anyone know if port or starboard is the better side? I believe our cabin is port side- 5205 I tried to choose a stable area (he might get seasick) close to elevators etc. (he doesn't like to walk much either- LOL) and the deck plan shows it by the atrium- is that a good or bad thing? I am more social and noise tolerant than Jeff, in fact I was worried Jeff would spend this while cruise in the cabin and on the balcony, ordering room service and only leaving the room for muster drill. LOL

Because of his proclivity toward being anti social, I made sure to schedule us up for tons of things to keep him from holing up with a book or TV. We have excursions in every port but Ketchikan and that is a town that I love exploring on my own so it was deliberate. Is there anything specific to the Legend that I should know to do?

Also specific to the Legend and the itinerary- I emailed to reserve the small boat excursion at Tracy Arm, but only found out how to do that last night! Anyone know how soon I can expect a confirmation or a response that I was too late and it is all sold out? Now that I know about that, I really really really want to do it and will be devastated if it sold out before I even knew it existed.

The other things I have done to make sure this is indeed a "bucket list" trip for Jeff, who has already said it will be his first and last cruise.... First class air travel to and from Seattle (we are in Kansas) FTTF already purchased, alcohol and diet coke to be delivered to room upon arrival, gratuities pre-paid, excursions booked, anniversary cake ordered to be delivered to room (we will also be celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversary) port transfers arranged, and parking for the week at KCI already taken care of... Did I miss anything?

I am hoping it will be a matter of driving to the airport then not having to think about anything or have any hassles until it's time to drive home from the airport.

I got a bit off track (sorry this is so long!) but really, I am so used to NCL and the only Carnival ship I have been on is Freedom so anything about Legend that I need to know or is interesting to know, would be great. I'm wondering too about the spa. I hear the steam room and hot tubs are usable without an upcharge? (I think a spa pass was 100+ dollars on NCL) Also we have early dining (6:00) confirmed, I am not used to the way the MDR works. Will we be seated with strangers or our own table? If we decide to skip MDR for dinner, do we need to inform them? The only other Carnival cruise I took, we had tons of family on board so we all sat a huge table.

Thanks for any advice or just chit chat so I can be excited about only 37 more days...My friends are getting sick of me talking about "my cruise in July". LOL