Cadiesmom

Leaving on Sunday for one I paid quite a bit of money for. Hope its not a regrettable decision! Not nearly as concerned about the virus (hopefully I am not delusional concerning that risk) as I am about a possible quarantine and the effect that would have on our jobs and finances.

Agree with Snit13. One passenger death from acute alcohol poisoning might cause a tightening of policies. People can and DO die from alcohol poisoning--I have a deceased nephew that proves it. I worked for 20 years at a Drug and Alcohol Treatment facility, and while every adult is ultimately responsible for their own decisions, a bartender is also responsible for theirs. When someone is so incapacitated by alcohol that they can no longer make safe decisions for themselves, a bartender IS responsible for that patrons safety-- on land or sea.

We are scheduled to cruise on the Magic on Sunday. Have to admit--I'm getting a little nervous. Not because of the virus, but because of the potential for cancelled ports and or a quarantine. 

Thank you for the reply anngi! 

Thank you, but I haven't been able to find a tour that includes exactly what I am wanting to see--and really don't have an interest in the rum and cigar factory tours. We have often ventured off on our own in ports, but have not been in the Dominican Republic before. Just wondering if anyone here has ventured into that area on their own and how they felt about safety?  

I asked this question over on the DR board, but haven't gotten any answers so am hoping to have more luck on this active board.We will be stopping at Amber Cove next week and this is a new port for us. I am a photographer and would like to take a taxi to visit the city center of Puerto Plata as well as Umbrella street and Paseo de Dona Blanca (AKA:pink alley). I will be in the company of my husband and my adult daughter. Can anyone advise as to approximate taxi fare cost and if this would be a safe thing for us to do? With some of the bad press regarding DR I am concerned about safety, but would really like to photograph the area! Thanks!

We will be stopping at Amber Cove next week and this is a new port for us. I am a photographer and would like to take a taxi to visit the city center of Puerto Plata as well as Umbrella street and Paseo de Dona Blanca (AKA:pink alley). I will be in the company of my husband and my adult daughter. Can anyone advise as to approximate taxi fare cost and if this would be a safe thing for us to do? With some of the bad press regarding DR I am concerned about safety, but would really like to photograph the area! Thanks!

Thanks for the comments everyone. We had a wonderful family vacation and ate, drank, and managed to find the sun we were seeking! Can't beat that!

As far as Carnival vs Royal: For me, each line has its plusses and its minuses and I am glad we gave Carnival a try again--opens up more possibilities for cruising to have an open mind!!! I would rate the two lines very closely.

Entertainment: Well....besides the casino,lol---we enjoy comedy and were in luck! Lots of comedy on Sunshine. We attended the 11:15 adults only show each night it was offered and enjoyed the four different entertainers very much. Room is hugely inadequate for the amount of people that want to attend, which I knew from reading here. Got in line every night at 10:30 (as that show was starting) and had a choice of a good seat at 11:15. Waiting in line on vacation for 45 minutes is not a great way to spend vacation time--but when in Rome,lol!

Chair Hogs/ Space In General: We are from Minnesota--Minnesota nice and all that,lol! This is an area that was a disappointment. The morning we left for this cruise it was 11 below zero---we want sun on vacation. Fighting for a chair is not my idea of fun. Carnival can and SHOULD do better. As to space in general: have to admit, felt pretty crowded at times!

Ports: We were excited to be visiting 3 ports we had never been: Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk. Huge disappointment that we could not dock in Aruba due to high winds--but that's the breaks. Enjoyed beach time in Bonaire and Grand Turk.

Disembarking: We did self assist and were off and on our way to the airport by 9:00 Am--no problems!

On the last night-- I scored! Got the offer for a free cruise (based on our play in the casino) and we will surely take advantage of that! Will it be on the Sunshine? Probably NOT--unless it is to ports I just can't resist! But we WILL be sailing Carnival again!! Great time was had making memories with my family--how could we go wrong????

Food: We enjoyed the Pasta offerings for lunch on the first day at Cucina, thought the Guys Burgers were tasty, found the buffet at breakfast and lunch uninspiring but adequate. We had late seat dining and that is always a highlight for us: we were not disappointed. We like to dress up a little and enjoyed doing so and didn't notice anyone else that looked inappropriate. Dining team was excellent. Loved the warm chocolate melting cake--had it every night! I would give Carnival the edge here in food choices; RC the edge in buffet offerings.

Casino/Bar Service: This is an area where Carnival was seriously lacking (at least for us). We are not big drinkers, so no Cheers packages for us---but I can count on two hands the number of times that I was asked by a server on this 8 day cruise for a drink order: once at each of the five shows that we watched in the comedy club and exactly 4 times in the casino (annoying as heck---since I spent both lots of time and money there and in fact had earned the Drinks on Us card by day two--and yes, I tip)!! Not a huge deal--just strange as I would think drinks are a huge revenue stream for any cruise ship? And we are used to being asked repeatedly on RC in virtually every venue.

Ship: Beautiful. Saw no wear and tear, saw no leaks, smelled nothing funky. The one thing that I did notice though--the windows were filthy, in the public areas and our ocean view. I never saw anyone cleaning them and it showed!

We travelled from Minneapolis on March 5th (2 days prior to the cruise) and stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites. Hotel was adequate, close to the beach, close to the port, and can be packaged with a Travel Links deal for transport from the airport and the cruise port. Worked great for us and was idea for the college kids!

Embarkation: Our transportation arrived at 9:45 AM on Sat the 7th to take us to port. Lines were pretty non existant when we arrived shortly aften 10 AM, and I was glad that I had been unable to secure FTTF for both our cabins since it was totally unnecessary for us.

Rooms: We booked this cruise fairly last minute (approximately at 70 days out) and thus selected to pay the cheapest available interior stateroom price and go with what they gave us,lol---rooms not being high on our priority list. We were pleasantly surprised to be given Ocean View connecting staterooms 1567 and 1569. Very clean, great steward, nice décor---biggest cabin BY far that we have been in. Score: 1 for Carnival and 0 for RC.

I have been reading these boards for years as a lurker mostly, and gained so much information from other members, so thought it was perhaps time to contribute.

On this cruise: Hubby 52, Me 48, Daughter 19, and her Boyfriend 19. I will share a little background information about how we chose this cruise:

Back in the late 80's hubby and I took our first cruise (shame on me, but I don't even remember what ship, but it was Carnival, it was blast and a blur!). We were pretty YOUNG,lol-- had a great time--but my impression from that cruise was that Carnival was a booze party ship. Top sundeck was topless, many a beer funnel was in sight around the pool,etc....and that impression stuck with me for years. In my mind, not suitable for kids. We didn't cruise again for years.

Fast forward in time and we are not so young anymore,lol! We now have a daughter to take on her first cruise. We chose Royal C and have been cruising that line consistently since (8 cruises worth) and have never had a bad cruise!

And now here we are this year: daughter is in her first year of college and her Spring Break didn't coincide with anything Royal had to offer--so we decided what the heck? Lets do Carnival! Booked without really doing much research beforehand, and than thought what in the world did I sign us up for when I started reading,lol! But were pretty easy to please, so wasn't too worried about it at all.

Really loved reading your informative review and couldn't miss the opportunity to say how very sorry I am for your loss. Cannot even imagine. Hugs and happy cruising to your family!

Following along with interest....we leave on Sunshine next Saturday!

Getting excited for our 8 day cruise on the Sunshine on March 7th. I know I will be spending some quality time in the casino at the slots--my fave! Anyone have any info on what slots I may find on Sunshine? I LOVE the Life of Luxury Progressives that I play at my local casino and would be in heaven if I found it on our cruise! Slot players....what do they have on Sunshine??? Thanks!

Thank you all for your help! I will try the email with SH and if not--I will be in line to check on the table at the appropriate time. March 7th cannot come soon enough!!!!:)

Thanks Jen! We did our own booking and are scheduled for Late seating, however I would like to make a specific request for a 4 top table. Can anyone advise who to email to make that request?

Getting very excited for our upcoming Sunshine cruise and would like to make a dining request for seating. Can anyone please help with information on who/how to make our request? Thank you!

We are sailing Freedom and the excursion is a private one (not ship sponsored) if that makes a difference.

Thank you so much! That is just the information I needed! Sorry this was posted to the wrong board--I am still getting used to CC.

I posted this on the Ports of Call board, but we leave Friday and I am looking for a quick answer.We have an 8:30 AM excursion in Grand Cayman. Our confirmation states" 8:30 AM island time which may vary from ship time'. Can anyone advise me on this? I am confused about the time.

We leave Friday and I am looking for a quick answer.We have an 8:30 AM excursion in Grand Cayman. Our confirmation states" 8:30 AM island time which may vary from ship time'. Can anyone advise me on this? I am confused about the time.

Thanks for the replies--very helpful!

We are so excited to be leaving on Friday to spend a few days in Florida before boarding Freedom for our first ever B2B! We have 8 RC cruises under our belts, but none on Freedom and none B2B.

I have searched and read so much valuable information about B2B cruises--thanks to the members here. I understand that our room Steward will transfer our belongings to our second cabin, and have read various reviews from others stating that on some ships your hanging items do not have to be repacked--that the Steward will move them on a rolling cart. I am wondering if that is the case on Freedom?

Really hoping to not have to repack the dress clothes after the first cruise since we usually send them out the first night of our cruises to be pressed.

Appreciate any info you have to share!:)