Badfinger

Not much at Freeport except oil tanks and cement plant. Sounds like a great excursion for there. OTOH, lots to do in Nassau.

We did a kayak excursion in Freeport that was great. Also had a couple hours on an undeveloped beach...that was very cool...no chairs, no buoys, no docks or floats...just the us and the ocean. One of our favorite excursions ever.

Does the Magic have anything for kids that does not include them in the clubs? Perhaps that the whole family could participate in, or that we can bring them to and sit in..(we've done pizza making, science experiment, escape room etc on other ships)..I know there is a rope course and water slides.

 

Thanks

There is the always fun "how tall of a cone can you make before it falls over and makes a big mess everywhere competition" at the soft serve machine, the "hey lets push all the buttons on the elevator" game, the ever popular "lets all sit on the landing of a busy stairway and get in everybody's way", and last but not least the "lets see who can laugh the loudest in the comedy club" challenge. While I have witnessed all that (and it has never bothered me all that much...my kids probably did it as well) my point is kids the age will always find something to do.

Let us know how it goes. We’re leaving in two weeks on the same ship/itinerary. Any excursions planned?

No excursion for Jamaica...playing that "by ear" as none of the Carnival excursions look good to any of us. Might just hop a bus for sight seeing or something like that. Or maybe just walk off this ship, buy a tee shirt and call it good.

Grand Cayman we are going to Royal Palms Beach Club. Once there, we have reserved Wave Runners for myself and our two boys booked through discount excursions. We catch our own transportation back to port, so won't be rushed for beach time!

And in Cozumel, more Wave Runners. This one is through Carnival and includes some shore snorkeling. We did this one before and really like it. We can hang at the beach when done, but after Grand Cayman, well, we will just head back to the ship.

Yay you! What ship? P orts?

Breeze.

Galveston

Sea Day

Sea Day

Jamaica

Grand Cayman

Cozumel

Sea Day

Galveston

While I don't like two consecutive sea days, I prefer them early rather than late. Also could avoid Jamaica but will accept it if it means I get to Grand Cayman 7-mile Beach. Will be my third time there. Absolutely heaven to me!

We did them on the Breeze two years ago and were absolutely in love, in fact, I told my husband we were only going on ships that had it from now on...then last Christmas we were on the Magic and did it again and felt it was nowhere near as good as the Breeze.

Serious question...why did you feel the Magic was not as good as the Breeze with respect to the Thermal suite?

I have been on both twice. Aside from that little ornate divider in the room with the heat loungers, the thermal suites are basically identical. I know the Dream is configured differently...hope to experience that when it comes to Galveston next year.

Stay home , your foot will SWELL up badly on an airplane.

Not to mention the high sodium diet that one encounters on a cruise.

It is just a bad idea IMO.

Self assist is still an option for those physically able to go that route.

Do they still call self-assist from the highest deck to the lowest deck? That has been our experience staying on Deck 12 of the Breeze...Deck 12 was always called first for self-assist.

Our 6th cruise in 7 years is tomorrow.

We booked it about 3 months ago, and like the last 3-4 cruise, I have not been excited about it...not dreading it or anything, just too much "life" getting in the way to even think about it, aside from the times visiting this forum.

But I just finished throwing some clothes in a suitcase. I have printed out the bag tags. Yes..tomorrow we go. Should be stepping on the ship in about 24 hours. Now I am excited.

Should I have the Lasagna or Shrimp Pasta Bowl for lunch at the Cuina del Capatino? What the heck...I will order both!

One more quick question. We have a Cove balcony and are thinking about booking the thermal suite / thalassotherapy package on-line before our cruise. Any opinions? Is it worth the money?

Absolutely worth it to me. I paid $139 for the 7-day spa pass on our upcoming Breeze cruise. I think for a couple it was $219 but my wife wanted no part of it. She would not go if it was free. I would pay twice the price just for me. But to me, vacation is about indulgence and spoiling oneself. I am not looking to save money or get my money's worth. If I wanted to do that, i would just stay home.

DH and I had decided on a land vacation this year to save money. Now, I'm scheduled for foot/ankle surgery at the end of this month and know that the amount of time that we were planning to spend in the car and on tour buses just will not work! I can't think of a better way to recuperate than on a cruise!

 

Please don't chime in on whether or not I should be going. I'll be 5.5 weeks post op and back to work, but still non-weight bearing. I have all of the mobility things figured out. What I can't decide on is whether to cruise on the Miracle out of Tampa or the Conquest out of Fort Lauderdale.

 

Tampa is only a 2 hour direct flight and Fort L is 3. I can get a better room on the Conquest, but I'm not sure that it really off-sets the extra hour of flight time with my foot in a cast.

 

If you had to select between the two ships, which one would you choose and why?

I prefer neither. Don't do it. I have had achilles surgery a couple years ago....have some experience.

The big thing is you are SCHEDULED for surgery. Who knows if that gets cancelled or postponed a couple weeks. What if there are complications? Nope...too many unknowns and too many chances for an issue once you are on the ship, even if you say you have the mobility issues figured out. I suggest a stay-cation. You only have that one foot (L or R). The cruise ships will be there next year..and the year after and after and after.

We are bringing our 1y/o and our 4y/o on a cruise for the first time! My husband and I have cruised a couple times, but never with our kiddos. What do we need to know? What are your tips/observations about cruising with kids? Does Club Ocean have more than just "Night Owls" for babysitting my 1y/o? Tell me how to me a great guest and not make anyone mad, also. lol.

My tip would be to buy your husband a massage towards the end of the trip.. he will need it after being a pack mule all week.

Agree with above...I could and would tolerate screaming kids most anywhere except in the MDR. Yes, I would be that guy giving the parents dirty looks....really dirty looks. Flame away!

Good luck to you.

Awhile back I upgraded from a deck 2 oceanview on Victory 4 nighter to a deck 7 balcony for something crazy like $28. I love the OV rooms but $28 is nothing, so I took it. It's near the rear of the ship, close to rear stairs. So 2 flights down to the nightlife action in rear lounge/piano bar, one more after that to dining room (we have fixed time, so will be in rear dining room; also the dining room they do brunch, tea, and departure breakfast in). 2 quick flights up to rear of lido deck near pizza pirate and "sneak in" back way to buffet. Seems like a good location, I am pretty content with it.

 

Today they called and offered me a lido deck balcony for $38 more total; port side way forward. Still have cabins above and below but it just seems like a more inconvenient spot to get to places besides the pool deck / night movies or the Serenity deck.

 

I know $38 isn't much more, and I am still pretty happy with my deck 7 cabin. What are your thoughts? take it or don't bother.

What decks do you think you will be going to more often...those above 7 or below 7...if your intent is to minimize steps or elevator usage. Some, in the name of calorie burn, might choose the one that would require more steps :)

:D I too was surprised by all the negative TV watching comments by folks who say they don't like TV anyway.

 

We enjoy having the TV on while we take turns in the shower and getting ready to go out.

 

We like seeing the news of the world while munching on our room service breakfasts (and no, we don't count CNN as a new channel - we see it as an opinion network)

 

We like having it on in the background to mask outside noises from the hallway or thru the walls if we're doing a luscious afternoon nap time.

 

 

 

We don't put folks down who enjoy the hairy chest contests, or who get sloppy drunk drinking at the bars all day and night, or those that drift from food venue to food venue all their waking hours, or those that hog chairs or who sit in hot tubs all day drinking beer all day never getting out to go pee ...... so please get off my cloud about enjoying a TV with a variety of channels in my cabin. ;)

I enjoy TV at home for a football game, etc. But on a cruise, I like to take a break from my normal routine. And watching sports on those small cabin TV's in SD (as compared to a nice 80" UDHD TV) is frustrating at best. So, I for one would not care if they removed every TV from every ship. And watching in the Casino...meh...hate the smoke.

As for background noise...a small bluetooth speaker and the music on my iPhone does a wonderful job...and something I get to control the content 100%. Yeah, not a full-blown old-school music experience, but for BACKGROUND...just fine.

We loved the Horizon... but no network TV (CBS , NBC and ABC)? Really Carnival?

Who goes on a cruise to watch TV?

When I have some down time in my cabin, I prefer to read....because that is something I don't get much chance to do at home. And a couple books take up very little luggage space.

As a newbie to this forum, I am loving the multiple (and often passionate!) opinions on the same subject. I find myself changing my mind multiple times (and feeling more simultaneously imformed & empowered! ).

 

So do you prefer early or late dining, and WHY?

 

We tend to eat early at home so i choose 6pm. I am also not a night snacker and like many hours between dinner and bedtime. But there are 4 others to consider...

 

Our kids will be 16, 14 and almost 12 when we cruise CCL. What are the pros and cons about early vs. Late seating?

 

Side note...DS requested the late seating ...On a DCL voyage 2 years ago, our oldest (who is now 16) never ate in MDR (although we made him sit with us) because he ate all afternoon at the free spots and wasn't hungry (BUT would continue to hit the pizza place after 8...). I think he just preferred fast food and freedom over MDR food?

 

TiA

We have always selected the 6pm seating with our two teenage boys. That way everybody knows to be ready to go to the MDR at 5:50 at our cabin everyday. On sea days (usually three of them) it can be the only time we see them. And we typically don't stay in the ports right up to he last me, so no real "rush" in having to get ready on port days (and we are generally pretty hungry as well). Equally as important is I really dislike eating right before I go to bed...and I try to be sleeping by 10:30 (yeah my wife and I are two of those weird people who get up about 6am to get in our workout, watch the sunrise, etc.). The "con" to early dining is that if you have a slow wait staff, or take forever to order/eat, it can be tough to get to the shows/comedy that start at 7:30. We have had to rush...but have never missed one. On our last cruise, we were out of the MDR after eating desert before 7pm every night but one.

I am glad there are a lot of people who choose YTD or Late...helps ensure we can an early slot!

I have paid in full, my point and my only point is that the prices of cruises rise quickly and substantial.so for me if the price seems pretty good when I first price it I book it. In the ten or more cruises we have taken. When I check, have never seen a lower fare. I usually book about 4 or 5 months before the sailing date. Also don’t reall check it very often..

 

 

We rarely see a price drop since we need to cruise during the summer. The this year we booked a year in advance and I got over $1,000 in price drops so it does pay to check.

The only other time I had a price drop was when the Concordia sank, I called my PVP six times in a week for price drops over $900. Hopefully something like that does not happen again but things do happen that can affect cruise prices.

 

We received a $1400 price drop on a Spa Balcony cabin for 4 on the Magic...we booked before the ill-fated Triumph Poop Cruise...got the OBC about a month after the Poop cruise.

 

The second morning of the cruise I went to Kiosk and pulled out that OBC is cash. Every cloud has a silver lining!

besides the different cosmetics and access to the thermal suites, what is included when you book a Cloud 9 Spa cabin?

 

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A much quieter floor...because there are fewer cabins and families generally do not book spa cabins. Easy access to those huge spa locker room showers with unlimited towels. I always shower there. Easy access to the lido and sports decks... walk across deck 11 to avoid the hot mess that is the lido pool. If you are on the Breeze or Magic I highly recommend the interior cabins on deck 12. They are “turned” 90 degrees which changes the relative location of the door....much better layout.

I want to get my daughter the spa pass for Cloud 9, we are going on the cruise to celebrate her 18th birthday but she won't actually turn 18 until a couple of weeks after we return from the cruise. She looks and acts over 21. What are the chances that they will let her have the spa pass? I have bought the passes for myself and my husband without him being present. They just gave me a sticker to take back to him. If I buy the pass for her in the same manner, would the system somehow flag her for being under 18 or is it up to the spa manager's discretion? Anyone have experience with a similar situation?

Three cruises ago we had two spa cabins for our family of four, including our teenage boys who were 15 and 17. I knew only my wife and I would be allowed in the spa, even though each spa cabin comes with access for two to the Spa. So on the first day we all went to the Spa (as we were all going to check out the gym as well) and the workers looked at my sons, both over 6’1” at the time, asked how old they were (I did not lie). The “manager” said they look over 18 and if they promised to behave, she would give them the wrist band for access to the spa (this was on the Magic). So they did and she did. The youngest went to the T-Pool twice and found it “full of boring old people”. The oldest did not go in the Spa at all.

So there is always a chance, but note the part that I was truthful about their age and let the spa workers make the decision. I did not even ask initially.

We called about taking our clubs to play in Jamaica and was told they are allowed. Had anyone taking clubs? What was your experience? Thanks

 

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I have thought about doing this...but in the end did not for a couple reasons:

1. My family does not golf.

2. It is hassle...flying or driving

3. Many reviews of the courses have a common theme of playing "in a hurry". And while I don't like 5 hour rounds, I don't like to play rushed either. Probably the biggest reason.

4. Price is just too crazy. By the time you add tips, etc (esp if caddy), I could play a couple local high end course, that I usually don't play, twice...and at a leisurely pace.

You must be driving to the port that day. Hotel checkout time for most hotels is 11:00. I rather check out and go directly to the pier, get on the boat and start my vacation. The 11:30 check in time is perfect for us. I don't pick anything previous to that time.

Most hotels of any repute will extend your checkout time to 1:00, even if they are fully booked.

I was all set and booked on the Magic next summer but I just came across this Horizon itinerary and I'm torn. Which would you recommend:

 

Magic to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Aruba, and Curacao for $3012

 

Horizon to Grand Turk, La Romana, Aruba, and Curacao for $3272

 

I'm leaning towards staying on the Magic to keep HMC (I've heard La Romana isn't that nice without an excursion, don't know if it's true or not but I've been to HMC before and loved it) and the less crowded ship. I just don't know if I'm crazy for passing up the newest ship for $260.

 

Also, the Horizon stops longer in Curacao and the Magic stops longer in Aruba (which I think I'll prefer but I've never been to either).

The Magic as the nice T-Pool in the Cloud 9 Spa. For me, that trumps anything the Horizon has to offer.

I learned years ago you cannot argue with someones "feelings", and you use that word or a form of it many times in your post.

But my answer to your question is absolutely not. You do not have the right to be angry. Can you choose to angry...even claim to be a victim (that is really popular in our society now)...sure..go ahead...but that anger cloud will only be over your head. Nobody else cares and nobody else will share your anger.

Note: How many posts have you read about people calling into Carnival in getting incorrect information? Better to believe what you read...then what you hear.

I never understood the desire to be in the middle of the loud over crowded area when there's so many other places to sit and enjoy oneself and even talk without having to yell ! Give me a chair on a high deck in the shade any day !

I am with you...I avoid that lido area at all costs, except for the Dive In Movies. Way to noisy, music I dislike, and crowded. I know some consider it to be "where the action is", but I have never understood the appeal.

Stick to the Dream class ships and head down to deck 5 lanai, where there is "no action" aside from the areas near the hot tubs. At any given time less than 1/3 of the loungers are in use, and hardly any of them are being "saved". One side will be in the sun, the other shade...take your choice. Quiet with a view of the water. Much better than the lido.

On five cruises, I have needed to go to GS twice. The first time was to arrange for refund of a booked excursion when our son was sick...I think the wait was maybe 10-12 minutes. The second time was to get key cards for everybody since we had booked two cabins. Since had already ate lunch, but could not go to our cabin, I decided to wait in the long line...about 30 minutes. But I would have just been sitting around doing nothing anyway. I have stopped there a few other times, but only as a want rather than a need when there was no line. Many times the line really is not that long...say 3-4 people.

But I am all or FTTF for other people. The more people that get out of my way early, the better it is for me. They are making the wait for us non-FTTFers shorter as well (but don't tell them that!).

Sorry I keep asking questions but I saw this over on the gambling forum on here and figured it was specific enough to CCL to warrant posting over here. This forum seems to get more traffic so maybe I can get an answer faster.

 

Is it true that they've added a 3rd Green Zero (B) to the roulette wheel on Carnival? We are a big gambling family and this really bothers me. Casinos in general are cutting back by making odds worse all over the country but it seems like Carnival is doing that at a really fast rate since we've been sailed them. We heard they had changed to automatic shuffler machines fleetwide on the blackjack tables which is terrible. Also heard all tables less than $25 per hand were 6/5 blackjack which is also bad. But 3 0's on the wheel is beyond comprehension!

Solution is to stick with the hot numbers on that are listed on the digital board ;)