Carnival Cutie

Sometimes the excursion you want won't be available for your cruise. That happened to me last year, I wanted a particular excursion and I was told the company would not be offering it at the time I wanted due to upgrading of their transportation. Something like that. If you're not going right away you still have plenty of time to find an alternate excursion. I wound up with something even better than what I originally wanted to book.

The cake should be delivered on the day you specify. My husband ordered a cake for me for my birthday on our cruise in January and I received it the day he requested. I also ordered one on another cruise for our wedding anniversary and it was delivered the correct day. What wasn't delivered as I requested was beer for hubby. I requested it on days 1 and 3 of our cruise and it was all delivered on day 1. No harm, it just meant he had to purchase once it ran out.;)

I am probably in the minority but I would love to see Captain Morgan's White Rum. I discovered it last year and actually like it more than Bacardi. Guess I'll have to look in the ports for it.

Count me in!! I ordered one for myself and one for my sister, we're both big water drinkers. We're flying in so now we're good for at least part of the cruise along with the complimentary bottle we're getting. I only have to search for my Pepsi before I board......

Last year I purchased a four pack of the big bottles for $12 so this is a better deal.

No gambling while ship is docked in Bermuda. If you're a gambler it sucks but it is what it is.

I have only used Carnival's shuttle service from FLL. They have a designated area in the airport where you meet Carnival reps and they have you board their bus. Your luggage will usually go in the storage area of the bus. I know there are other carriers who provide the service which many say are cheaper but I stick with Carnival's because if for some reason there's a problem (traffic, accident, etc.) the ship will wait for you. The time to the ship will vary, the time to POM is about 40 minutes, to FLL less than 10 minutes. So far I have had no problems.

I'm surprised there are still cabins to be had on the Lido deck because it is one of the most popular places to be on the ship. I sailed on the Breeze last year and had a Lido balcony, it was wonderful! If the buffet is crowded you can take your food back to your cabin and you won't have to go far. You don't hear the noise, they have a door that is usually closed and muffles any sound. You're near one of the pools and in addition Guy's Burgers and the Blueiguana are not far away either.

Enjoy your cruise!!

My suggestion is Sea Bands. They have no side effects and no expiration date. You also don't need a prescription for them or have to worry about them interacting with other medication you may be on. I have found they work well for me. You can find them in your local pharmacy. I haven't suffered from sea sickness for some time but still carry my Sea Bands with me just in case.

Carrying an epi pen is a must. I can't see your doctor not prescribing one to you if you inform them of your allergy. Someone mentioned speaking with the Special Needs Department and the MDR, I probably would also minimize my visits to the buffet in the event of cross contamination with the serving utensils. You can never be too careful.

It sounds like the PVP was unprofessional in the manner OP was handled. They did not appear to be apologetic for the error they made. I agree that anyone can make a mistake but I also think had they owned up to the mistake they made OP could have overlooked it. My other question would be don't the PVP's check booking numbers? Even if the names were similar unless they booked at the same time their booking number would have been different. In addition, any preferences they had should have shown up on their booking which means the PVP wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. If they are truly on a quota system as many have mentioned then maybe this is not the job for them.

JMHO.

We cruised last year on the 6 day Breeze cruise in September. We ran into rain on one day and that was in Cozumel. It didn't affect our plans or our cruise, we had a great time. We did an excursion which kept us from being outdoors for an extended time. I too would choose September over August because of the amount of children on board.

You picked an excellent ship for your first cruise. My only peeve was the time went so fast and I couldn't do everything I wanted because it was only six days. I want to go back and try the eight day on the Breeze but since there are so many ships I don't know when that will happen.

Enjoy your cruise!!!

You can cancel your Carnival excursion if necessary. I believe it can be done up to 24 hours prior to the date of the excursion. If in the unfortunate event that a port has to be missed it may be even later.

I was on a cruise where all the OBC was on my account. I went to Guest Services to get it split. I was told it couldn't be done. I just paid for $50 worth of purchases for her.

Last year I had the same situation. My husband and I had OBC which my husband wanted split. Guest Services did it for us. We wound up with separate accounts. I think with anything else it depends on who you deal with.

I'd definitely reserve a night at the steak house. That'll use up just over half of that OBC. With the rest, some souvenirs, specialty coffee, candy, etc... just miscellaneous charges that you normally might pass on.

Unfortunately for OP this ship doesn't have a steakhouse. I booked it for later this year and was disappointed to find this was the case. In my case it's not a deal breaker, I'm only going for three days anyway.

She got a ton of other good suggestions.

I drink bottled water at home so why would I change that? Last year I purchased bottled water through Carnival and it worked well. I fly almost exclusively to the ports so bringing water with me is not always feasible. In addition Carnival carries Coke products and I'm a Pepsi drinker so whenever possible I will bring my own. Otherwise, I will pick these things up in port. As for liquor, this year we are sailing from San Juan so I will go to the liquor store at the port and pick up what I want.

JMHO.

Another vote for Lido. I like the fact that even though you're close to all the action the corridors are quiet. I especially liked the fact that if the Lido Buffet is crowded at breakfast or lunch you're close enough to take your meal to your cabin where you can enjoy it on your balcony.

Enjoy your cruise no matter where your balcony cabin is.

You can contact Carnival and request to pay your gratuities in advance. I did it this week. Normally you can do it when you do your booking but for some reason I neglected to do it. The customer service personnel will assist you.

I am one of those people who purchased luggage tag holders from Cruise Critic. While it may not be necessary (as others have attested to) it makes me feel better. The one thing I would suggest is if you use one of the methods above that you include in your luggage some type of identification in the unlikely event your tag does get away from it. I put a copy of my luggage tag in my luggage when I fly and have to check my bag. I also have a tag with my name and address attached to my bag. So far I have not needed it but just in case....

My two cents....

I went on the Breeze last year and absolutely loved it!!! Unfortunately for me I did the six day and not the eight day, there was so much do do and not enough time to do it. The food for the most part was good, the Steakhouse was superb. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the wings in the Red Pub. Service was excellent. I would book it again in a heartbeat, this time I would try Cucina del Capitano for lunch. Maybe Guy's for lunch although I'm not big on burgers and they have no alternative to beef burgers. I did taste their fries and they were very good. One morning I had their breakfast burrito and that was good as well. The other thing I never got the chance to try was their "Fishbowl".

We had Matt as cruise director and I think he was the best I've ever experienced on Carnival. He was funny and engaging. I hope he'll be there when you sail.

Most importantly, have a good time!! I'm sure you will.

Last year we went to the Steakhouse on the Breeze on embarkation day and I did wear jeans. Go ahead and wear what you mentioned, I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm also left handed and will sit on the left at a rectangular table so that I don't bump elbows with the person sitting next to me. I usually travel with my husband and sister so if we're seated at a round table with others I will sit between my husband and sister (they're both right handed but I would rather bump elbows with someone I know). Otherwise I will go with the flow, I don't care where I sit.

I have had their cakes and they are delicious!! I ordered one a couple of years ago for my wedding anniversary and this year my husband ordered one for my birthday. They are very light and flavorful. I ordered the vanilla with the strawberry filling. I'm not big on chocolate but I have tasted their chocolate cake and it is equally good. I say go for it.

I have what some of you may consider a silly question but I'm going to ask it anyway. Do they give the same Platinum gift on all the ships? The reason I'm asking is that I will become Platinum on my next cruise scheduled for September and doing another cruise on a different ship in October. If it is the same gift my husband and I will have four of the same thing which is redundant (even though you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth - LOL).

My question would be about your son's last day of school. At the age of 6 it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for him to miss the last day of school, giving you extra time to drive to Miami or stopping somewhere along the way and continuing the next day to the ship. As I recall (and it's been a while) there isn't much going on during that time. Since I don't know what happens in your son's school district that's a decision you need to make. Personally I would do the Breeze. I've done both ships and the Breeze has more to offer hands down.

We're considering the Vista in November of next year. My sister will be celebrating her birthday during that cruise and my husband's birthday will be the day before the cruise begins, in addition we've never been to Bonaire and my husband loves sea days which this voyage has an abundance of. Not to mention this cruise is during Thanksgiving which is a plus, we've sailed during Labor Day but never Thanksgiving. And we'll be on the Vista!!!! I can't think of a better way to spend a vacation.