LostPuppy

We're cruising out of Tampa on Tuesday and needed to change our arriving flight twice, add, then cancel a car rental, and cancel a non-refundable hotel room because of Irma. No extra charges were incurred for any of this, even the "non-refundable" hotel was refunded...

We do have trip insurance, but realistically I don't think we'll have any use for it.

In the past we have used the carnival air fare and found the fare to be competitive with great connections and times. Flew in the day before with this option.

I am supposed to be on the Paradise on Monday 9/11- my flight was canceled and I'm now waiting for an update to see what they are doing. I'm coming from NY. Anyone else know anything?

Carnival has nothing to do with your flight. It's your responsibility to get there.

We're on the same cruise. We're travelling from the midwest and had our Sunday flight to TPA cancelled. We rebooked a Sunday flight to JAX and are renting a car to get us to TPA. Perhaps an alternative like this would work for you...

Taking the Paradise out of Tampa on 9/11. Delta canceled our Sunday noon flight into

TPA. We changed it to JAX arriving at 11:20, then renting a car to drove to TPA (always like getting to port a day early).

I'm surprised how negative people are about how CCL is handling things. I see no problem with a Monday departure from TPA. Looking forward to our B2B2B on the Paradise!

I do not understand door decorating?

I have never seen it at a hotel on land so wonder why it seems important to do it on a ship???

Fires are really serious on a ship so I hope folks abide by the fire safety rules!

I think it has to do with vanity (look at me!), Any other reasons given (I get lost easily, my kids can find the cabin, we're celebrating something, etc, etc) are rationalizations.

Flying in to Tampa on Sunday, the 10th for a B2B2B cruise. Actually looking forward to some excitement.(i.e. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride).

Depending on ships schedules, you may be able to see another CCL ship heading the other way on the river (e.g. if you leave on Saturday, and another ship arrives on Sunday, you will pass each other Saturday night). In that case a port side cabin would allow one to see this.

Twice we've been on the Dream and seen the Elation (?) going the other way. Very impressive seeing a 900' ship closing on you at 20 knots and passing within 200'.

Question for anyone with an Apple Watch.

 

I plan on joining the social media package but leave my phone in the room. AppleWatch will work as long as it's on the same wifi network as the phone so I can do most of my notifications on the watch instead of taking my phone out.

 

does it work like regular wifi? anyone knows?

I'd suggest you do some research on how your watch works. I believe it's just a Bluetooth device.

Carnival offered it. Yes, we set up our own also. The Carnival one has members of staff and lots of info is shared. Why so negative?

I asked three questions. Sorry I offended you.

I don't get it, why should Carnival set up a Meet & Greet for ANY group let alone Cruise Critic? Can't one just set up your own M&G as has been done in the past?

What's next? Should Carnival have a Facebook M&G?

I think a better way to determine the break-even point is to look at total drinks for a cruise, e.g. if you are on a 8 day cruise with your spouse, the two of you would need to drink 80 drinks (8 x 2 x 5) to break even.

Calculating the "per-day" numbers glosses over the days when you leave the ship at eight and get back at six, and the requirement of both adults in a cabin purchasing Cheers.

AFA Cozumel, I'd suggest trying a local restaurant and walking around a bit.

We generally take a taxi to "La Choza" for a nice meal, then walk over to "Woody's" and grab a couple of Sol's. Both of these places are perfect for a family desiring a more authentic view of Cozumel.

AFA Ochos Rios, we went there as an alternate port due to a hurricane and had a great time!

We left the ship and walked down the main street, ended up finding an outdoor cafe that consisted of four tables under a tarp. Jerk chicken was cooked on a grill on the sidewalk, and cold Red Stripes came from a cooler under a stairway (the place was called "Under the Stairs"). No bathroom, you needed to walk to Burger King for that. Ate roasted peanuts purchased from some guy with a cooker right on the street.

It really was a wonderful time and probably cost the two of us around $30. Great memories, and while DRF is nice, it's a bit too "touristy" for my liking.

The more I cruise, the less I enjoy planned out activities (or CCL excursions) and the more I enjoy and look forward to random, spontaneous activities such as our day at "Under the Stairs".

Just make sure the cruises are linked either over the phone or at check in. They will give you instructions for the rest. Very easy :)

How do you know if they are linked. I did the first booking online and called Carnival directly to do the 2nd. Does that mean they are linked?

Contrary to the misguided beliefs on this forum, there is no such thing as "Linking" accounts for a B2B!

• You get a new Sail and Sign card with a different folio#.
  
• You need to pay off your account in full prior to the second cruise.
  
• You need to talk to the Maitre'd about your table on the second leg.
  
• You need to book excursions separately by cruise.
  
• You need to clear customs and come back on as a new guest, etc, etc, etc.
  

At best, they will place a note in your computer records stating you are aboard for the second leg. People here make it seem like if you don't "link" your account they will be thrown off the ship for the second leg, jeesh! THERE IS NO "LINKING".!

One can go to GS and tell them you are on a B2B, but even this is not needed. I've done B2B's where I did not say one thing to GS, guess what?, I got a piece of paper under my door the last night of the first leg telling me the procedure for B2B passengers!

As some have posted, on a "closed loop" cruise (leave/return from same port) the port and starboard sides have equal amounts of sun/shade and choosing a side for this reason is just plain silly (IMO).

That being said, a cabin on the port cabin side may be more desirable for cruises departing NOLA as one would face ships passing the other way while on the Mississippi (including other Carnival cruise ships!). Several times we have seen the Elation/Dream pass within 100' with a closing rate of 20+ knots at nine at night. Very interesting.

Finally, on a repositioning cruise port vs. starboard can be a consideration. We chose 4237 on the Legend for an upcoming Hawaii > Vancouver repositioning cruise as we wanted more sun for a possibly chilly April north-pacific crossing.

Yes, really. If you read maritime historian John Maxtone Graham's The Only Way to Cross you will learn the source you quote needs to be informed what the military and diplomatic corps of the British Empire coined POSH and its common usage.

 

BTW, sources such as Snopes are often shown to be incorrect and Snopes editors are only too willing to admit their mistakes. The purpose of this board is information and not condescension.

Thank you for your correction!

Perhaps one should contact the Oxford dictionary people, Snopes, Marriam-Webster, Wikipedia, etc. and notify them of your finding.... Isn't it amazing how all these sources can be wrong?

The old story was that the European cruisers heading to India, in order to see the shoreline, would always book Port Out Starboard Home. Thereby in their search for the "finer quarters" they gave us the word POSH.

When sailing between India and England rather than the view the primary reasoning for POSH in the days before central air conditioning was one would only have the morning sun on their cabin thus making the space less hot.

Really? Do you REALLY think this is true to the point you want to post it in a public forum?

An additional $2.00/drink tip is what I do regardless of the venue or drink. Generally I start off the day by going to GS/Casino to exchange a twenty for ones.

I once got a comment from a woman at one of the pool bars stating "the tips are already included, you don't need to tip so much". Maybe she thought I was new and was giving me a tip!

Belize, definitely do am excursion here if you want to get off the ship. Not safe to walk around in your own except in the port shopping area.

 

Grand Cayman. Turtle farm and sting ray city are awesome for all ages too.

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app

I'm going to be honest. Belize scares me !! If we do an excursion it will be for sure with carnival.

Oh please, Belize can be a wonderful destination!

Three times we've taken non-CCL excursions including taking a water taxi to Caye Caulker for fantastic snorkeling, great food and cheap beer. Also have taken a taxi to the Hour Bar for drinks and great seafood overlooking the ocean. Never once had a problem or ever felt in danger in any way.

I'm always surprised how passionate people are about food on this forum. Topics range from:

• Can I bring Pringles?
  
• What other food is available other than pizza late at night?
  
• Can I do YTD AND Early/Late dining?
  
• Why no trays at the buffet?
  
• Can I take food off the ship?
  
• Why no hot items from Room Service?
  
• Can I bring food from home?
  
• Why isn't Guys Burger open more?
  
• Would you like to see some pictures of food I ate?
  

Just an observation...See you on Lido deck (I'll be eating a piece of pizza....)!

We had this option on the Inspiration out of NOLA in 2001.

During our cruise the 9/11 attacks occurred in New York/Washington. With all the unknowns and the lack of transportation (airlines shut down), Carnival was discounting a second week on the ship.

If I recall correctly we could stay in our cabin (an OS, now an 11) for $300 dollars, approximately 1/4th the normal price.

I think the draft of a vessel may be the limiting factor AFA anchoring at HMC.

A Spirit class ship draws approx 7.7 meters while a Vista class is around 8.3 meters.

We are finally getting back on a ship after three long years, YAY!! We will be sailing in December on Carnival Valor. We normally have a regular balcony cabin but this time I booked an aft balcony cabin. Since this will be our first aft, is there any tips or tricks I need to know about sailing aft? Hoping we will like it as much as a regular balcony. Thanks and happy sailing to all!!

We generally get aft-wraps and never have had a plain aft cabin. BUT as far as tips/tricks, here's what I got:

• Get a plastic pail/ice bucket from a bar and keep it in your cabin. Fill it with water and dump on the decks if you want go be barefoot. The aft portion can be VERY hot.
  
• Get used to a lack of privacy because you don't have it on the aft decks. Hopefully you won't have a "Chatty Cathy" for a neighbor who wants to tell you their life story.
  
• Bring a napkin or two from Lido to aid in cleaning up the trash you may find on the balcony, and also to wipe down any soot.
  
• Bring a hat, because it can be hot, Hot, HOT!. No breeze at all.
  
• Bring Suntan lotion because there is no shade.
  
• Learn to like watching where you've been as you can't see where your going.
  

The times we get a wrap we spend most of the time on the side where one can get shade, privacy, a view, and a breeze. Good luck!

:)

We cruised form 10-02-2016 until 10-09-2016. We had our meet and mingle on the last day of the cruise. It was from 4 until 5. The Platinum and Diamond party from 5 to 6. We had about 15 members present. The time and place is not well advertised. The notice in the daily paper should be printed in bold letters so it is more noticeable. I have the feeling that they would rather the meeting just go away. We also didn't receive a notice in the cabin stating the time and place.

 

The entertainment director and cruise director we there. The answered several questions and confirmed the ship was still conducting the trial cleaning of the rooms. We pointed out that what John was saying on his Facebook page was not what was happening. I'm referring to the cards with the choices. John said all of the ships have the cards that had both along with morning and evening for room cleaning, which is not the case. Ours didn't have both. I also witnessed and spoke to other cruisers that said they were not given the choice of both and had to choose from morning or evening cleaning. We told our steward we wanted both and ice. We had no problems but, overheard our steward only offering service for morning or evening to other less informed cruisers.

 

If we don't get better notification and more participation it will be a thing of the past.

I disagree, having it printed in the fun times is enough, as m̶a̶n̶y, some CCer's are literate:). More people are interested in (and attend!) the "hairy chest contest" than the CC venue, perhaps that should be bold.

To think that topics of interest to only Cruise Critic members are somehow more important than other topics smacks of elitism.

I wonder what happens now with Port Canaveral being closed. I know a lot of boats were returning Friday through Sunday, We were suppose to go out from there on Saturday on the Magic. Do you think Carnival with change ports or stay out at Sea and delay other cruises? I know others have it a lot harder facing the storm but still can't help but wonder what our days ahead may hold.

While I cannot foretell what Carnival will do in this instance, I can relate my experience with scheduling changes due to a hurricane.

We were on a CCL ship (Liberty/Freedom/Valor, I lose track) when the POM was closed due to hurricane Sandy. We ended up cruising in circles off the coast for another day and a half till the port was opened. During this time they opened up the phone lines for free to allow passengers to make any necessary travel changes.

The ship pulled in around six the second night and CCL provided buses to take us to a hotel where we got a free meal and room. The next day, off to the airport and home. It was a very painless event and thought CCL handled it well. One bonus was we got two "free" sea days to get us closer to Diamond status.

So in summary, I think any CCL ships will stay at sea till the port opens, then shorten the upcoming cruise to get back on their normal schedule.

Have you ever read a cruise review and wished Cruise Critic had a thumbs down, or Unhelpful button. OR even a critic button? NO, I have never thought that. I am happy for any feedback a person may have about their cruise experience. I really get frustrated with reading reviews by members who have just joined and it's their first post!

 

How about a join period before you can post a review? NO, this group would become more elitist about post counts. I'm not saying a person would had to post but it just seems so suspect when someone joined in 2016 and makes their first post a review.....

In summary I see nothing wrong with people posting their cruise experience regardless of their status in this group.