Josie2015

Will start looking into TA's tomorrow.

On both ships, the main stairways at the elevator banks are enclosed and you can't see down at all. The main area your son might have issue is the central atrium of both ships. It's an open, multi-story venue with stairways from which you can see down a couple stories to the main floor.

If you're on one of the higher up decks that over look the atrium are the only public elevators and the ones facing the opening or are others that can also be used?

I just tried looking into the Superior Oceanview cabins and they weren't even listed as an option. Guess they're all booked.

I'll be booking my family's first cruise Friday. I had my mind all set on Carnival at first because they say it's the cheapest and we're a family of 7. Then yesterday I thought to just check Royal Caribbean because people say they're the best. I found that they have a comparable cruise for only $100 more. Both are 4 day Bahama cruise departing from Port Canaveral the first week of April. The only notable difference between the two is that the Valor stops in Freeport one of its port days and the Majesty stops in Cocoa Cay.

There are two big challenges for us and they are my husbands size (6ft. 517lbs) and my son's fear of heights. I know that oceanview cabins on both are small, but Royal Caribbean's just look so tiny on YouTube. Seems like we can make the main part of the room work on either ship, but not sure about the bathroom. Over all is one ship more comfortable for someone of size? As far as my son goes the main concerns are decks that over look the atrium, boarding, and unboarding. Are there easily accessible elevators and stairs that are enclosed? When getting on and off, are you high up and can you easily avoid seeing the ground?

Sorry this is so long.

I personally think that the best time to book is as early as possible. I've seen prices go up more than I have seen them go down because cruises are very popular right now. By the time we sailed last fall the price of balconies had gone up over 40% from when we booked. And if it does go down and you book Early Saver, you most likely can get a price match. Just be very sure that you can go, because as others have warned you, Early Saver deposits are nonrefundable and subject to a $50/person penalty if canceled.

 

Anyway, hope you do book something and if you do, have a great time! Cruises are quite addicting, so just be prepared for this to not be your last. [emoji6]

 

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That sucks that the rates have been going up. I'll check Southwest. I checked it flying out of Louisville, but I'll see about flying out of Cincinnati or Lexington. The current prices out of Louisville were just to expensive for all of us.

Hope I can help a little. Early Saver has saved my family and I in the past, over $1000 each time we were on the Magic in 2 separate rooms, but only $200 this time around on the Breeze and that was only a promotion not a price drop ! We always book over a year out so we can make payments through the year-just easier for us and prices do seem to be a bit cheaper booking it out a year or more .

 

Now, as soon as we book Early Saver, I do book outside insurance with a cancel for any reason policy ( this has to be done within so many days of your booking or you are out of luck of getting it) . Be sure to check your medical insurance too and see if you are covered on your cruise. The more family members you have cruising, the more chances you might need to use the insurance. (Something a lot of people don't think about until they need it)

 

 

And if you happen to have Krogers by you, they are running a 4x points sale on the gift cards which includes Carnival Gift Cards.

 

 

Oh, and I second a vote for the Magic. My kids were sad to see her leave Galveston.

I have never seen Carnival gift cards in the Kroger stores in my area, but I'll check today when I go. What company do you get your insurance through?

Hello fellow 'Louisvillan'.

Are you planning to fly or drive down?

Jacksonville is a small port and as far as I can see, it has only the Carnival Elation, which is one of the smaller/less fancier ships in the fleet.

 

Ft. Lauderdale & Miami are two of the busiest ports and have the most variety of cruiselines and ships to choose from; thus more competition and lower prices.

Hello neighbor and Happy Thunder!!!

Thanks for all the good and timely responses. I wasn't expecting so many so fast. We plan on flying. Found out about a smaller discount airline (Allegiant) that flies out of Cincinnati. They only fly to their destination on certain days of the week. Right now service to Jacksonville is only on Mondays and Thursdays, but Ft. Lauderdale all but 2 days of the week. Don't want to book until the airline starts booking flights for next summer, right now they only go up to November. I had looked into the cancelation policy, want to eliminate as many things as possible that could lead to canceling. I forgot to mention that we want 2 Ocean view cabins. Wish we could the interior with picture windows, but it wasn't an option when I did the mock booking. Guess we would have to many people in each room. Are there any sites that will alert you to the price drops?

Hi everyone! My family is thinking of taking are first cruise next summer. We're looking at the 5 day cruises going from either Jacksonville or Ft. Lauderdale. We are a family of 7, as a result I'm pretty price conscience. Here is the list of questions I have at the moment :

For you that booked the Early Saver rate, how much credit did you ended up receiving after price drops?

Our there other special rates that I should look out for that would end up being a better deal?

When would be the best time to book?

Which ship would be better for kids and have the least crowded pool (ages 12, 10, 9, 9, & 8)?

Thanks in advance for any answers and advice offered.

Thank you

If you haven't finished paying for your cruise, then the OBC can be applied to the balance due. If you have finished paying, then the OBC is applied to your account. I'm sure that you would be able to use it for excursions since it's applied to your account. We had almost $400 in credits on our cruise last year and we used them just like a regular account. So far, we have $200 for this year's cruise but I have heard of people getting almost as much as $1000 :eek:!!! Can you imagine???

You will have to submit the price protection form to get the OBC:

http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/price-protection-claim.aspx

 

ETA: By the way, I believe that your room much be in the same category as the cheaper room to get the credit.

Thank you

I'm allergic to bell peppers and squid. Can you contact dietary ahead of time or talk to the chef when you get there? If you can do it ahead of time, can you still do my time dining or would we have to do one of the preset time options? Thanks in advance.

First timer here. Can you only get OBC or will the savings be deducted from the cost if you still have a balance? Can OBC be used towards excursions?

Google Nassau Beaches....there should be several sites that detail what is and is not allowed at the beaches!

Thanks cb. I'll book that tonight.

We are about to book a cruise for May 11, 2015 to the Bahamas aboard the Fantasy. I have done research on cabins and have decided on a porthole room. I have head about the noise from waves and the anchor on port days. This wouldn't bother me any, deep sleeper, but hubby might. We'll be up early on port days anyways, so I don't mind the anchor as much, but how loud are the waves? How rough is the rocking in the front of the ship? Neither of us has been on a bat before, but will bring meds just in case. Would the Upper or Empress deck be better?

Are there dogs on Cabbage beach? Would love to get on of the beach messages there. I tried a recent search, yesterday, on yahoo and found some older reviews on tripadvisor of people talking about taking there dogs.

My husband and I are planning to take a cruise Next May for our 10yr Anniversary. We found a cruise through Carnival that we like and it stops in Freeport on the anniversary date. What romantic things are there to do? Also is it better to book early or closer to the date? Which, in general, would give you the better deal price wise?

Thanks for your responce Paul.

I'm not an experince cruiser. I'm planning my first cruise too, and thought I could give you another way to think of things. Me and my husband started by looking at departure locations. Do you plan on flying or driving? If driving, do you want a port closer to home or are you will to travel farther. You need to calculate the price of gas and a rental car, if you don't want to drive your own. Cruises going out of Florida to the locations you want to visit are the cheapest. We will being going on Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston, SC. It's $100 more than if we sailed out of any of the Florida ports, but after paying for extra gas and hotel due to extra travel time we wouldn't save anything. You may want to start with looking at the travel first and then seeing whitch cruise lines service that port. I have family that have been on cruises and they like sailing on either Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

Thanks for the responces. If you don't mind my asking which beach did each of you visit?

Hi every one! I'm Joshall (JoShelle) and my husband is Stephan. We are planning a cruise for May 2015 for our 10yr Anniversary. I'm just waiting till January when Carnival releases the date and prices for May 2015. We will be sailing on the Fantasy out of Charleston, SC because it the closes port to us. We wanted to sail out of Norfolk, but it doesn’t look like any cruise lines will be sailing out of there after 2013. I have enjoyed lurking on the boards so far and have learned a lot. Just to let you know I'm a planning and obviously I like planning early.

A few quick questions:

How is the weather in May along the Atlantic Ocean and the Bahamas?

Are there any beaches in Nassau that allow dogs? I’m terrified of dogs.

Would there be a lot of kids on the ship the second or third week of May?