BallFour4

I'm surprised your wife lets you tell others. I would wager she gets bombared with questions that get worse as the cruise goes on. "Does this look infected?" comes to mind 😀. My wife is a retired teacher and she will rarely bring it up at dinner unless someone else had/has the same career. I am in health care sales and oh boy... I have been ambushed a time or two when I made the mistake of responding to an inquiring mind question. I had a guy ask me in front of his wife what she should do for hot flashes. You cannot make this stuff up. To the OP. the Never List: Art auction Slot pull Late night food choices Smoking areas Meet and Mingle Shore Excursion talks Debarkaton talks Evening entertainment where the guests are the featured act (it's been a while since anyone did that) Board late at embarkation Board late at port stops Spa offers Gift shop promotions (Invicata watches are less expensive on Amazon) Sleep late Care what someone else is wearing Care what others think about my shorts on casual nights Stay dressed up after dinner on Cruise Elegant nights Reduce or eliminate gratuities Leave luggage out the night before debarkation Cruise without a small fan Step off the ship in port without a copy of my passport, DL, AMEX and cash Not lay out clothes and flashlight near the bed Miss the chance to compliment those on the ship working hard to make my family trip memorable Not excercise. My wife is a fitness nut and I go with her See you at sea! .

The FAQ has changed in the past year regarding scissors. Here is the link (truncated) and text: https://www.carnival.com/help/3583#section-3 Prohibited Items Knives, scissors and open razors. Exemptions and other considerations: Ham radios/amateur radio equipment (I carry one, and also carry the manual and my license copy along with this policy in hard copy.) Personal grooming devices such as hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, shavers, and other electrical devices, such as fans (no larger than 12" in diameter), power strips, multi plug box outlets/adapters, and extension cords (without surge protectors) are allowed when used with proper caution. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard, they will be removed and returned on debarkation morning. See you at sea! .

We had one on the Glory to Canada to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it was great. Lots more space, a bigger bathroom and a change from lido balconies for my wife and I. .

From the Carnival FAQ here: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1380/kw/early cabin access Carnival’s Priority Check-in is an exclusive service designed to afford our VIFP Platinum and Diamond guests, and those traveling in deluxe suite accommodations, with special embarkation and debarkation privileges on cruises from the U.S and Europe. Priority Check-in is not offered for Carnival Journeys cruises. Minors traveling with parents in separate staterooms, may check in together. When completing online check-in, guests must select an Arrival Appointment that works best with their plans and follow that arrival time as we will not be able to accommodate guests who show up at a time outside the selected window. The guest's boarding pass will be stamped PRIORITY for terminal and Captain’s Lounge** access. Upon arrival to the terminal, guests must look for the Priority line to check-in. Once on board the ship, guests will be able to drop off bags in their stateroom, but we ask that they return to the public areas of the ship as our team will still be working hard to get the ship ready for the cruise. This has been our experience on two recent cruises. We opened the doors on deck 10, dropped off our luggage and went back on deck. Our cabin was ready by 11:45 AM on both. .

Want to take the subjectivity out of the thread? Here is the text and link: What if a guest has a letter from a doctor saying that they are allowed to use marijuana for medicinal and/or therapeutic purposes? Why is that prohibited? Marijuana on our ships is not allowed. While certain CBD products used for medicinal purposes may be legal in the US, they are not legal in all the ports we visit and therefore are also considered prohibited items. Guests will need to consult with their physician for other suitable alternatives. https://www.carnival.com/help/3583#section-3 .

What time do you land? If you are here before noon or so it's about 90 min from IAH to Galveston. Don't come through Houston, take the Beltway 8 system around the east side and reconnect with I-45 South. The tolls are a little step, but you will do fine. Leaving the terminals make sure to take the Airport Exit marked I45 and not US 59. It's a direct down JFK Blvd to the Beltway system, go East! Your date is past the spring break crowds for the island, so your trip will be smooth. .

This is what crack must be like. I carry a Yeti just to fill with this every morning and enjoy it on the balcony in the late afternoons. .

Four pages so far... Want to say thanks? Give your cabin steward $20 on day two without asking for anything else for he/she to do. If you still want to give candy tuck that $20 under a bag of M&M's. We travel about half the time with 2-3 other couples and I email in advance asking for a table in a specific area. Most times it works. After dinner when the Maître d' is no longer busy we give both of them at the podium the same. While not a dime of this is needed, it's something we do. Cash then candy, in that order. .

We've been to both and stuck with Nachi Cocom. Take a look at these photos from my Google albums and you can see the difference. The last couple are from Mr. Sanchos. It really is your call, lots to do at one, more laid back and quiet at the other. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mp5SL6bus7mESDUW9 .

And... would require me to pay attention to the details. See You At Sea! .

I am a little lost on why you didn't put their luggage in your cabin. We've put ten fellow cruisers carry-ons in ours while they waited for their cabins to be ready. .

Great read so far. I'm in. Let me get the flame generating comments out first. My wife and I are platinum (and not special) plus we cruised on the orginal Mardi Gras, me twice! 1.) I am amused at those that want elegant dress in the main dining room. It's over, Elmers came to get the horse. When you have people roaring over a hairy chest contest at in the afternoon don't expect Emily Post to visit their wardrobe choices for dinner. 2.) I don't like the option to remove gratuities. Resort hotels charge a daily fee, and the cruise industry should go that route. 3.) I love the front of the ship, lido balcony on the port side. The sound of the water and waves is paradise to me. 4.) Aft cabins are miserable hot. We've tried twice, and both times the rails were so hot they would burn you. Also, the privacy is zero. 5.) Speaking of privacy, the ships after Conquest class offer a full-fledged peep show as the balconies and cabins themselves on Deck 6 and above are clearly visible from the outdoor area. 6.) Havana balcony cabins are a virtual diorama like we all made in second grade and completely void of privacy. These are a waste of money to me. 7.) Carnival could care less about loyalty. They need Blue Cards spending money by the fistful. I understand the cruise industry is bleeding cash, but I don't need a key chain. Can I suggest a polo or windbreaker at milestone cruises? Don't amuse me with trinkets. 8.) Four and five day cruises are a blast. We can sail from down the road in Galveston for a extended weekend and enjoy a nice getaway. 9. Art auctions are a scam. Your comments here _______ . 10.) Carnival debarkation is a mess, it was that way pre Covid and it's that way after. We self-assist and priority debark, and as early as 6:45 AM the elevators are a hot mess. 11.) DJ's that play music at 100 decibels and above should be flogged. I owned a side DJ business for twenty years and there is no excuse to not work a playlist to your crowd. No parent wants to hear some of the choices they make while having a burger with a ten year old daughter. 12.) Morning large screen programming needs to be zero. Play caribbean music and steel drums and leave the game show wanna be chatter off. 13.) Cozumel never gets old. My wife and I have done 3/4 of the excursions usually offered and we migrate back to Nachi Cocum almost every time. OK, I'll stop. The Chiefs game is getting interesting, and since we haven't had a real football team in two decades of Texans tickets I am going to watch the rest. Here are some images from the Breeze: https://photos.app.goo.gl/d6DHtHHjYrjNobtd9 And some from Nachi Cocom with a couple at the end from Mr Sanchos when we walked over: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mp5SL6bus7mESDUW9 See You At Sea! .

Dan, Carnival doesn't wait until the next day, they switch once the ship is in international water. That happens within the first couple of hours after sail away. Carnival enjoys the revenues of pay as you go for alcohol on the first day as it is one of their most profitable times. Royal has elected to have their point of entry system track the items purchased and pay the TABC tax. This law here in Texas is several decades old, they only decided to step up the enforcement by also placing representatives in the terminal asking those leaving if they purchased take home alcohol while in port or on the ship. .

Proof to your point; two cruises on Carnival since the new system went in effect with our muster in the main theater. Our cards were scanned with a group that walked in with us and all of them immediately left. Zero accountability. .

Texas alcohol laws require sales tax to be collected for any purchases on land or in local waters. This meant cruise lines charge tax on the purchase and report it to the state with the tax collected. Drink packages clutter that some, and Carnival made the decision to stop offering the benefit on day one and go one drink at a time. Genius decision for Carnival, as drink purchases are heavy the first day, and they clearly enjoy spend per passenger amount. Cheers is akin to an insurance company. All of us pay in to the till, and they count on a lesser amount to debit from the total. Bored yet? If not then watch when you board the ship and see the bars serving from alcohol cases with open padlocks and hasps. About an hour (or less) from leaving the port (once in international waters) those cases of beer, and open bottles are packed away, and a new set is opened. That closes the tax added to your purchase. This law has been in effect for decades, and only in the past few years has TABC put a hapless group of people in the terminal asking if departing cruisers bought alcohol while ashore. It's entertaining to watch as people walk right by. I don't purchase alcohol on the ship or in port, but enjoy the show. What makes it more entertaining is the new face scan feature that lets those leaving not even slow down, no US Customs form, zip. See you at sea. .

I had forgot you are a embarkation/debarkation agent. You and your peers work like crazy to make people happy. True story: I am a ham radio geek. We ride our bikes over to the terminal area on warm days and I take a radio with me. We listen in to the team and hear this unfold. See you in June. We cannot wait; 40 plus cruises and we can finally get to Alaska. .

Your comment does not relate to this: BallFour4 said: Cruise lines work with a port agent to get people home without passports. We've seen it happen, twice. .

Agreed. We would not step on any ship without ours. I also have all our documents scanned in, emailed to myself and my wife. We had table mates without passports make a flight home from Cozumel before the ship left port. The same experience with our friends, home quickly. One more point; every cruise from here in Galveston someone leaves their birth certificate at home. They show up, are sent to the Escalation Desk for what is hopefully a family member or friend that can find the BC, scan it in and send it via email. Escalation prints it off and sends them aboard. You'd be amazed at how many times this happens. .

This is not quite true. Cruise lines work with a port agent to get people home without passports. We've experienced this twice with table mates. .

But, we know you'd stand on guard for the! Stay Warm my northern neighbor. .

Understood. It's a personal choice. My point related to the expedience in how it happened. .

Here in Galveston this happens for a small number on every cruise. They are sent to what's called Escalation, and then the scramble is on for someone to send a copy of the BC via email. They embarkation staff will verify, check the photo ID, help the traveler print off a copy and hello vacation. A couple of cruises back I read about a great idea about scanning your passport, photo ID, BC and cruise documents. I have done that and saved them to one PDF then emailed it to myself and my wife, and stored it my virtual drive. Hope your vacation was great! ..

Lots of cruises, and could fill the text box with a couple of excursions that did little for me. But, let me open the can of worms and say New Orleans. I've had at least a dozen trips for meetings, conventions and personal vacations and it's gone down hill in the past decade. I'm the same with Las Vegas, but a larger number will agree with me on that city. Opinions are like _____ , we all have them and the aroma is different. See you at sea. .

Steve, don't sweat this. Literally thousands of cruise passengers every year travel with a birth certificate and photo ID. A handful of them have emergency needs to fly home from a port. Cruise lines work with a port agent to help this happen. It isn't always a smooth process, but you can get home. We've had a couple cruising with us and table mates fly from port before the ship left. Passports are a great plan, just don't sweat the process. Have a great vacation.

Another option are the group of hotels in Webster, Texas. Google 77598 and you will see many right off Bay Area Blvd and I-45. The trip down to the island is about 25 min, and traffic is virtually zero. I make that drive several times a month to UTMB for my job and before noon the traffic is minimal. TXDOT has opened an additional section of the area under construction and that reduced the slow down. Texas City hotels are the same caliber, and the outlet mall is at one exit north. Webster has more restaurant choices and Baybrook mall, so the choice might be based on price. .