TXgalSAM

1 hour ago, HappyTexan44 said:

...DFW Airport, you should never use the airport parking.  

We fly out of DFW often and always use "TheParkingSpot.com". 😁

(And at Austin/AUS, too.)

Following this post.  FYI, in the past, we parked within walking distance at GalvestonParkNCruise.

On 2/21/2022 at 3:55 PM, Capt_BJ said:

AIRPORT parking vs CRUISE PORT parking

This is a very good point!  Thanks for all the info.  (I usually park off-site near Galveston's cruise port, but admit I was a little nervous about Miami.)

On 8/29/2021 at 9:16 AM, vintagegarage said:

Start here, and scroll down to Day 5 if you are only interested in Bimini.:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2785688-carnival-magic-august-7-2021/page/3/

 

 

Your pics for Bimini, Nassau, and Half Moon Cay were fantastic!  I was on that cruise but now I feel like I really missed some things.  Thanks for encouraging me to step out more on my next cruise. 🙂

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Cruise critic rules prevent naming TA's or providing links

Thanks for that info. 

I certainly did not intend to break rules!  I love CruiseCritic and appreciate all I learn here.  I definitely want to follow the rules.

57 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

...There is only one that give you all this information.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. 🙂  Happy cruising.

twodaywonder- I think I have that site saved.  I can actually search by "per day cost" on the site I use the most.  Thanks for the input.  I can figure "per day" cost, but starting with that info is a great way to START my search so that any type of cabin is included. 

Don, that is probably what I should do...and limit myself to 3 websites.  I look at so many that I get frustrated and give up.

I do spreadsheets for everything else so it makes sense.  Thanks. 🙂 

On 8/14/2019 at 9:39 PM, NantahalaCruiser said:

There is a large online TA with a search engine that allows you to rank cruises by price per night for a limited choice of cabin class...

NantahalaCruiser, what is the website, please. 🙂  I use three main websites but it is a headache, unless I have a particular cruise port in mind.  There was one years ago that had what I am looking for but I can't find my notes on it anymore.  

On 8/14/2019 at 9:27 PM, ldubs said:

If you wanted to shop best prices for a certain cabin class on cruises departing American ports , I can see how having this might save some time.  

Idubs-Yes. 🙂 

Sometimes I almost get dizzy looking at all the sites.  Since we don't really care WHERE we go, it opens up even more options. 

Thanks, Shmoo here.  We have the ability to travel to almost any US city to cruise...and we really don't care WHERE we go on the cruise, we just like to cruise so we are trying to figure out how to stretch our cruise dollars. 🙂  I can find sites to search by "per day cost" and by cabin type, but not both...at least not so far. 

Is there a website that will let me do a cruise search by cabin type AND per day rate? 

What is YOUR favorite way to search for the best cruise price?

🙂  Thanks in advance for any suggestions.  🙂 

(Please forgive me if this is a repeat questions but I've tried to research on my own with no luck. I also tried to search these boards with no luck.)

Jamon, there are very few cabin reviews for the Armonia...none for Cabin 9001.  Here's the link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2674157-just-off-armonia-ask-away/page/3/?tab=comments&source=122648

Congrats on the Black Card.  Looks like you've got a great Travel Agent there in Tampa. I'll be in the Tampa Bay area this weekend but not for a cruise, unfortunately.  Have you ever been cruising out of the Tampa port?

2 hours ago, CTurtlelvr said:

Just got to our room on Armonia ...Also, our mini bar/frig is locked, no drink pkg was purchased, so I am a bit bummed about not having a frig. And only 2 outlets in our room...

Bless you for thinking about us when you are on vacation!!!  Since you are from NC, I am assuming you have a regular US extension cord.  Thanks to your post, I will be sure to include an extension cord (or two). 

On other cruise lines, I have told the cabin steward, in advance, that I would not be purchasing any of the fridge stuff but wanted to use the fridge.  In some cases they removed the items from the room, and in other cases they just asked me to put them elsewhere in the room.  (The FIRST time, I didn't tell the steward ahead of time and got charged!  I was reimbursed, once the items were "found".)  I hope you have a great steward that will help you optimize that fridge!!!

Thank you, Beamafar.  We have already booked a couple of days in Little Havana but want another option if we decide to stay in Miami a couple of more days before we return home.  I'll check out the Pestana Hotel on James Avenue.  Maybe we'll swing by for that $6 breakfast. 🙂  It was also good to know about the trolley, too.  All your encouraging words about MSC have us eager for our Sep 9 Armonia trip to get here!

On 4/7/2019 at 3:19 AM, Beamafar said:

....We stayed over for a couple of nights in Miami as there was no direct flights home 'til then. 

 Beamafar, thanks for all the great info that you've posted for us so far!  

We are planning to spend a few days in Miami, as well. 

Any hotel recommendation or "things-to-do" recommendations?

Also, how (and at what time) did you get from the hotel to the ship?  

Any input would be greatly appreciated!  🙂

jdkbrim - Price was the deciding factor for us, too.  Plus, we were up for trying a different cruise line than our usual ones.  

cellfree- Thanks for the tip!  I was able to find the Meet&Mingle and signed up.  I have also set up a Roll Call: MSC Armonia - September 9, 2019 🙂

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2675948-msc-armonia-september-9-2019-roll-call/

5 hours ago, jdkbrim said:

We just booked MSC Armonia for August. 

 

jdkbrim - Hi!  Since you will be on board a couple of weeks before us, I'd really like to see what you think about the cruise, once you've completed it.  Hope I can touch bases again in the future.  (You are already ahead of us since this is our first MSC.)  🙂  TXgalSAM

Essiesmom - We take a plug in night light for the bathroom, but sometimes we just leave the bathroom light on and leave the door ajar (maybe putting a wash cloth at the base).  

Hopefully others will chime in for us both about MSC. 🙂  

cellfree - Good to hear from you.  I am so glad to hear good things about MSC.  (As with any cruise, there is a a lot of chatter on both sides.)  I could not find a cruise Roll Call so I created one.  Did you find a "Meet & Mingle" sign-up?  If so, please send me the link.

We (my husband and I) are flying out of Texas.  What about you? Will they let us bring an extension cord and, if so, can it be the regular US kind or does it need to be an adapter?  What have been the pros and cons of MSC, in general?

Hope to see you onboard!

To OceansOfTravels:

Thank you for generously offering to answer questions.  Although we are experienced cruisers, this MSC Armonia cruise (Sep.9, 2019) will be our first time with MSC.  I'll be checking back with you when I have questions but any recommendations as to "Don't Miss This!" or "Might Want to PASS" would be appreciated. 🙂  TXgalSAM

I have been searching for an explanation of the number/letter cabin codes. This is what I was hoping to find! THANK YOU!

You can sign up on the Cruise Critic's Price Drop page. Then, if the price of your cruise goes down, speak to your travel agent (or with the cruise line, if you booked directly with them) to see if you can also get the discount.:)

To learn more about "Price Drop", do a search for it and read the blurb called,

"How Does Price Drop Work?"

Navybankerteacher has some good advice, especially about onboard expenses. (I wish I could ask about some tips for transatlantic since I saw experience there!) :confused:

One place I would encourage you NOT to save money is on gratuities at the end of the cruise. Plan for those expenses ahead of time so that those who have served you will be rewarded. On all the cruises and cruise lines I've experienced, there have only been a couple of times that I considered reducing the suggested tip. Usually I add a little because those are the people that often can make a good trip GREAT!

Consider signing into that ship and date's "Cruise Call" on Cruise Critic. People there may also have some good advice (including how to save some cash) and it's fun to know others on board.

Best wishes on your first cruise! - Sam :)

Wish I could follow this one!

"When preparing to travel, lay out alyour clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller "

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful ideas. I have certainly added a few new things to my "Packing List" spreadsheet!:D