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Carnival Dream - LIVE- Dec 2-9 NOLA to Western Carib., Fun Times, Menus, etc

Saint Greg

By Saint Greg,
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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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31 minutes ago, airlink diva said:

Hi Greg! Heading on the same cruise!  First cruise in years, second time on Dream and sailed several times out of New Orleans

 

Yeah you're in the roll call. I guess I'll see you next week. I'll be at the Alchemy Bar a lot and if there's a comedy show going on I'll probably be at that bar...and of course the meet and mingle. Hopefully more people show up this time. Last time we had like three and Carnival didn't send anyone. Different CD this time so maybe it'll be better. 

 

They left water and cookies at the meet and mingle so if there's just a few of us again we need to take a bunch of those cookies so it looks like a lot of people showed up.

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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Excursions

 

Roatan:

 

Roatan has the free beach but I'm not much of a beach guy and we're going to be in port with the Breeze...8,000 people fighting over beach chairs doesn't sound good to me. I gotta get out of there for a little bit. I was looking at this city tour through carnival where you feed Iguanas, go to a rum factory and a chocolate factory...maybe a couple other things. It's at 9am and I want to say it was a 4-5 hour tour. I looked at a couple of other sites and I came across this glass boat excursion on the site that I found my travel agent on....the site where they...compete for your cruise. The glass boat is only a 2-hour excursion and they have two time options 9:30 and 12:30.....12:30? I'm the type that I don't want to get up until 8..and I want to grab breakfast and coffee..maybe a bloody mary. I don't really want to get off the boat until 10. All these excursions leave so darn early. This 12:30 is a huge bonus for me. From the reviews it sounds like they may tack on a stop at the chocolate factory. So that's one of the stops on the other excursion.

 

I’m always tempted to try snorkeling or scuba diving. But then I think...you have to have all this equipment. You have to change clothes. You get wet...have to avoid sharks...dry off...change clothes again...deal with your wet equipment. It just seems like a big hassle on vacation. Fun fact..in eight cruises the only water I've touched has been in the shower, sink, out of a water bottle, or the melted ice in a cocktail glass. So I look at this glass boat thing and think...This is my kind of snorkel. I get to stay dry. I don’t need any equipment. They have a little table for my Bloody Mary.

 

In Cozumel they have a submarine for like $100 you can go 100 feet under. In one of the ports there’s a sub that goes 1000-1500 under. Looks cool but I think I’m going to start out with 4 feet. I’m going to “ease into the water like an old man into a nice warm bath.”

 

So anyways I booked the glass bottom boat excursion for $62 on that site where they compete from your cruise. Here are the details:

 

Tour Details

Roatan Island is renowned the world over for its lush and vivid marine life. And you'll see it all by glass-bottom boat on this Roatan excursion.

 

After meeting your driver at the pier area, you will travel approximately 30 minutes to reach your boat on Half Moon Bay on Roatan's West End. As it is situated on the second-largest reef system in the world, Roatan's claim to fame is under the sea off its coast. During your Roatan shore excursion, you will experience the magic and majesty of the reef from the comfort and security of your glass-bottom boat.

 

The boat is 44 feet long, 12 feet wide, is air conditioned and accommodates 28 passengers. The viewing area can be reached by a narrow staircase leading from the upper deck down into the hull of the boat. Here, metal benches fold down so you can sit and watch the underwater world go by. The windows face out, offering a much larger viewing field than the traditional glass bottoms that only look down.

 

While keeping comfortable and dry, you will be able to be face-to-face with sea fauna, untouched reef systems, eels, sharks, and a whole host of fish species. It is an unforgettable experience observing, photographing, and simply being one with the underwater ecosystem like never before. Your glass bottom cruise lasts approximately 40 minutes. After the tour, you will have a few minutes to take pictures or purchase a refreshment before you are transferred back to the cruise pier.

 

Belize: 

 

In Belize there's a lot of zip lining and cave tubing and snokeling. We've already talked about getting wet. I don't think after a long night at the Alchemy and a small amount of sleep that slinging myself through a jungle on a zip line is a very good idea. So I hear these Lamanai ruins are a good thing to see. A bit pricey through Carnival at $124.99. And it's a six hour tour going outside of Carnival which seems a bit risky. So I look over on the Belize board and see people have been off and on getting price matches from Carnival for this one tour over the past year. At first they were getting the 110% refund on the full difference. Then for awhile people were getting denied. The most recent ones had people getting approved but at a higher rate than the competitor's excursion..Which is what I got. I purchased the carnival excursion at $124.99, submitted the price protection form, and I'm getting $32.99 OBC. That brings the cost down to $92. I also booked the excursion using my Carnival Mastercard which gives me a 10% statement credit on Carnival excursions. That gave me another $12.50 bringing the cost down to $79.50.

 

Add that $32.99 OBC to the $75 I got from the travel agency and that should cover my gratuities and the tax on some of my mississippi river drinks.

 

For anyone interested in booking this excursion and submitting the price protection form here is the link you need to send them and the response I received. 

 

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/excursion/lamanai-belize-excursion-mayan-ruins

 

Carnival Logo
 
Message History
Response By Email (11/19/2018 04:14 PM)
Hello Gregory,
 
Thank you for submitting a Shore Excursions Best Price Guarantee claim.
 
We are excited to inform you that your claim was accepted and your account will have an onboard credit of $32.99. You may print out this email for your records and proof of this onboard credit which will only show once aboard the ship.
 
Although your claim was accepted it was approved under the $95.00 rate per guest.  Our tour launches from an exclusive Ayinha property built solely for efficient access to Lamanai. Ayinha reduces down the overall travel time by motor coach & boat transfer by 2 hours to reach the Lamanai ruins. This provides the time for guests to actually climb the temples, providing the experience of a lifetime. Ayinha day admission is USD $20.00 per person, and includes a fusion of Belizean cultural along with Belizean Lunch Buffet.  This $20 entrance fee has been included to make the tours comparable.
 
We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
 
Scott
Carnival Cruise Line | 3655 NW 87th Avenue | Miami, FL 33178

 

EXCURSION DETAILS

Your adventure will begin when you hop aboard a comfortable air-conditioned bus for a one hour drive through the scenic Belize River Valley.  You will pass through the historic villages, which were the original settlements of the colony of British Honduras; all of which form the Belize River Valley, on the way to Ayinha Eco Park.  You will then board a riverboat for a 30 minute cruise of the New River Lagoon, with its spectacular rainforest teeming with exotic birds, deer and iguanas, mangroves and orchids. Experience the thrill of gliding along the sparkling New River Lagoon, while viewing the spectacular rain forest. This includes exotic animals and birds en route to Lamanai (from Lama’anayin, “submerged crocodile” in Yucatec Maya), once the largest Mayan ceremonial site in Meso-America and occupied as early as 1500 B.C.

 

Lamanai is one of the largest and most excavated Mayan Site in Northern Belize, and it lies about 24 miles south of the town of Orange Walk.  These Ruins are known for its impressive architecture, surrounded by dense rainforest and overlooking the expanse of the magnificent New River Lagoon, which was an important part of the way of life of the Mayans.

There is evidence of Mayan life that dates from about 1500 B.C. through Post classic (A.D.950 – 1544) and Spanish colonial times (A.D. 1544 – 1700).  Lamanai was once the largest Mayan ceremonial site in Meso America.  During the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan, Spanish friars established two Roman Catholic Churches here, but a Maya revolt drove the Spanish out. The British had also settled in Lamanai and built a sugar mill.  

Upon completion of the tour at Lamanai, you will return to Ayinha Eco Park.  While at Ayinha you can enjoy our truly world class facilities which includes restaurant (upper & lower deck) and bars, modern bathroom facilities, gift shop for souvenir shopping.  While at Ayinha, enjoy a tasty Belizean style lunch, cooked with local coconut oil and seasoned to perfection.  You will break at Ayinha for 1 hour where you can relax and purchase tropical drinks, our locally brewed Belikin beer or sample our local rums paired with fresh organic coconut water.  Then you will board your comfortable air-conditioned bus for your ride back to Belize City, which once again, takes you through the historic villages of the Belize River Valley.

We provide free water, box lunch and fruit punch

 

 

Cozumel

 

This is going to be my 8th time in Cozumel. I don't have anything booked right now. That could change but as of now I'm just going to do my own thing that day.

 

 

 

 

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kctraveling

kctraveling

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Would love to hear how the internet is. I will be cruising on the Dream in January and will have to get some grad school work done. Would also like to hear about the crowds in the late night comedy shows (if you go), since I'm wondering how early my partner and I will have to arrive. Thank you!

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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35 minutes ago, kctraveling said:

Would love to hear how the internet is. I will be cruising on the Dream in January and will have to get some grad school work done. Would also like to hear about the crowds in the late night comedy shows (if you go), since I'm wondering how early my partner and I will have to arrive. Thank you!

 

I’ll definitely be covering all of that. On my last cruise (review linked in my first post) I did some internet speed tests...and I took some pictures of the comedy crowd to prove my point that it’s just not true that you always have to line up 40 mins before a show to get in like some people have said. I’ll do it again.  As long as you aren’t streaming audio or video you will probably be fine.

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xbatt8

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12 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

 

Cozumel

 

This is going to be my 8th time in Cozumel. I don't have anything booked right now. That could change but as of now I'm just going to do my own thing that day.

 

 

Well, you’ve likely been there, but Nachi Cocom is our go-to place in Cozumel. It’s a $55 all inclusive with great food, plentiful drinks, and a pool with a swim up bar. Plenty of palapas on the beach. It’s a $17 taxi taxi each way, but that’s for 1-4 people. There will undoubtedly be others on the roll call going, so hooking up with others brings the price down.

 

Bob

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

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12 hours ago, luv2cruise2thebeach said:

We are going on the NYE cruise on the Dream on the same itinerary.  If you have a chance can you check out table minimums at the craps tables?

 

Sure thing. If you haven't heard from me by the second sea day...remind me because I forgot.

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Tssweety

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On 11/26/2018 at 12:34 PM, xbatt8 said:

 

Well, you’ve likely been there, but Nachi Cocom is our go-to place in Cozumel. It’s a $55 all inclusive with great food, plentiful drinks, and a pool with a swim up bar. Plenty of palapas on the beach. It’s a $17 taxi taxi each way, but that’s for 1-4 people. There will undoubtedly be others on the roll call going, so hooking up with others brings the price down.

 

Bob

We just booked this yesterday!  Hoping it is great. My son and dil have been to Mr. Sanchos and loved it so we are all trying nachi in a few weeks. Fingers crossed for a great day!!  Any tips?

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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30 minutes of work left....My travels begin tomorrow. I really don't know where I'm going to be on Friday. There's a lot of rain and potential tornadoes in the forecast for my projected path of travel. I'll be in New Orleans on Saturday and cruising on Sunday.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

30 minutes of work left....My travels begin tomorrow. I really don't know where I'm going to be on Friday. There's a lot of rain and potential tornadoes in the forecast for my projected path of travel. I'll be in New Orleans on Saturday and cruising on Sunday.

Safe travels..... following !!!

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 

 

 

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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The more cruises I go on, the lazier I get with packing. I used to be “The master packer.” Now it’s like...my suitcase is in the car...everything that needs to be in the suitcase is probably somewhere in the car...and it’ll all hopefully come together over the next few days.

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conjr

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Looking forward to another enlightening review!  Safe travels!  Remember - the brunch menu in the MDR has two sides!  I recall this discovery was made during your last voyage on the Dream.

Edited by conjr
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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

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17 minutes ago, conjr said:

Looking forward to another enlightening review!  Safe travels!  Remember - the brunch menu in the MDR has two sides!  I recall this discovery was made during your last voyage on the Dream.

 

Good memory! Better than watermelonqueen’s...

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