noddoyll

We are cruising in Oct and it was way past our final payment time for our Inside cabin.  I got an alert that the price of our 14 day cruise had dropped. I texted our TA and asked what it would cost to upgrade to an Ocean view or a Veranda.  She responded that an ocean view would be free and a Guaranteed Obstructed View would cost us $60 dollars total. We went for the Guaranteed Obstructed View and we just got assigned our cabin and it is not an Obstructed view Veranda but a regular Veranda. I did a happy dance!  We are looking forward to seeing those fall foliage views from our Veranda.

I’m asking this because on our last cruise which was in March on Carnival Glory they would give you a paper menu but only after they implied you were imposing on them.  

Is Holland America using paper menus or are they requesting you use your phone in the main dining room?

We liked Captain Marvin and thought they had a good Combo excursion with snorkeling included.

That’s good to know.  With the new reduction in cruise fares,  last  week we were able to get a cabin upgrade from Inside to Guaranteed Obstructed View Veranda for $30 per person.  We were quite happy !!

I didn’t know you could ask for a change of staterooms when you had a guaranteed cabin.  I thought you had to just take what you were given!! What cruise line was that on?  

We were there in June but I forget the age requirements. They didn’t require a proof of age but do require a parent to sign for minors.

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If Cruiz’n with Carnival don’t book online, call instead. The Carnival Representative you book through can help with a lot of questions and problems that might arise!

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We used QLS when we traveled from Ft Lauderdale to Miami and back and it was only $10 per person each way for 11 of us . They had comfortable vans and used lots of communication before pick ups so that there are no hiccups.

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Since you’re Cruiz’n with Carnival, I’d preorder 2-12 packs of water to put in the frig for excursions and whatever. With Carnival it is quite inexpensive but I heard that bottled water on Royal Caribbean is a lot more expensive!

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I know they LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION but I would always pick the 7 day in a interior room. Don’t forget to tune your TV to an outside camera to give you a window to the outside. I know it doesn’t compare to a balcony but it does give you a window feeling.

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We usually do a lot of shopping in Cozumel put we have also made chocolate or went to the beach. At Roatan I’d recommend a tour from Victor Bodden. We always enjoy getting pictures with his Monkeys and Birds

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Enjoying your review, keep it going. What was your group's favorites from O'Sheehan's? Was you ever able to sneak any food from there? How was the entertainment?

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The one thing that I found by working with Carnival directly is that it was really easy to get my fare reduced when a cheaper fare became available. Even though I was booking for a family group that had 6 different stateroom categories, my Carnival vacation planner would check every stateroom to see if there was any price reductions available every time I called with a general question or clarification saving us hundreds. There were no forms I had to fill out. He just gave us the new price or deal available.

I would strongly suggest either a Best of Roatan private tour or the Fun in the Sun tour with Victor Bodden. The Fun in the Sun tour has a tour guide that is giving information during the the entire tour of the island. You will be able to get family and or individual pictures with colorful birds and monkeys at his base camp as well as an up close look of the island. We will going for our 3rd time in March.

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I'm planing to using Super 8 Metairie (under $100) who has free cruise parking with 1 night stay and then I'm going to use UberXL to get our party of 6 to the port and back. Taking advantage of Uber's 1st time discounts, I'll be able to get to the port and back for $22 plus tips and pay $0 for parking !!

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Just like easyboy said if you put a piece of open luggage under the edge of your bed you can slide it in and out and use it like an extra set of drawers. No extra purchases or packing needed:)

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It is my experience that it is easier to get your price reductions when you book through a carnival TA because they can do it instantly over the phone without any forms to fill out. Another thing to remember when booking your stateroom if you want to take advantage of price reductions is to not get a stateroom that there is only a few of. For example: port hole rooms or picture window rooms In order for them to give you a price reduction, there has to be a stateroom available in your stateroom category. So as it gets closer to sail time it is less and less likely that there will be a stateroom available to match your category unless you book a popular category. For one cruise I booked the 2 unique port hole staterooms a year in advance not knowing that it would keep me from getting price several reductions since there was only two rooms like that on the whole ship.

Costa Maya, one of my favorite ports, would be my choice. After checking out the port take a 10 min shuttle ride to Mahahual, an ocean side village. This village could be described as a Mexican Mayberry. There you can shop from the natives while pushing your stroller relax under the palm trees at a beach club, or play in the ocean water or do all three. You stay as long as you like and then take a taxi back to the port when you ready.

I just got back from a recent cruise that was $299 for a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans. We booked it 8 days before departure. I had vacation days to burn and my wife was on the end of a medical leave from a recent operation. I'd always wanted to go on last minute cruise; the planets aligned and we went. Since cruise was leaving out of NO we were able to travel by car with one day travel. I lost all the joy of anticipation but I got over it quickly. I'm ready to do it again.

The $299 was for an inside cabin which was big enough for the two of us. An ocean view stateroom was only $50 more at $349. The cruise line also emailed me offering a suite for a deal also.

I just got back from a recent cruise that was $299 for a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans. We booked it 8 days before departure. I had vacation days to burn and my wife was on the end of a medical leave from a recent operation. I'd always wanted to go on last minute cruise; the planets aligned and we went. Since cruise was leaving out of NO we were able to travel by car with one day travel. I lost all the joy of anticipation but I got over it quickly. I'm ready to do it again.

Go shopping at the straw market at Nassau. Rent a cabana for the group to share at Half Moon Cay (Cabanas come with lots of amenities).

Renting a Cabana is the way to make a good port a GREAT port!! The larger the group the more you can take advantage of the amenities. We had a group of 8 that rented one as a standard group of 4. It made a good base camp for the group. We enjoyed and took advantage of the 4 mats, 4 snorkel gear, frig, shade, snacks, and lounge chairs. The reviews reflect that those who rent them...love them. I'm going back in July with a group of 29 and we have reserved 3 of them. Live life without regrets!