scrapperluv

couple of things...

 

the tip will be included in the original price.

you cant get it unless everyone in the cabin gets it so if your husband is in your cabin, he needs to purchase it

you have to purchase it for the entire cruise. not just one or 2 days.

4 drinks will not be worth it. Usually about 6 is the break even point. that means you need to drink 6 drinks or more every day on the cruise to basically break even.

Thanks so much! This is the info I needed.

Fortunately my husband is booked into the adjoining cabin with our son while I'm booked in the next room with our daughter. I didn't even know the cheers rules when I booked this so it worked out good for me. He doesn't drink and it would be such a waste to buy him the cheers package.

I think I'll get 6 drinks in on days we're on the ship. I'm thinking I can try a couple new cocktails (even if I don't finish them) and if I don't like them just discard! As funny as it sounds, I asked for the cheers package from my husband for my birthday last month. I thought it'd be fun to order unusual drinks without worrying about disliking them and wasting money.

BTW...which cruise are you on/date? If you're going to be on the Breeze leaving next Sunday, it might help to introduce our sons. Lol, my son would keep yours at the pool and burning calories all day!

 

The day before you leave, you will get a letter in your cabin with the FTTF debarkation choices, it will say early or at your leisure, and if you choose early, it will instruct you on where to be and when. For example, it might request that you meet at a specific lounge no later than a specific time and someone from Carnival will be there to escort you and the others waiting with you the area where you leave from the ship.

 

I hope that helps. Have fun!

Ok, so if we choose to debark at our leisure and stay on the ship later, are there any benefits to having the FTTF pass? Our flights isn't until later in the evening, so we aren't in a hurry. Do we debark with everyone else or is there a quicker line to debark with FTTF? Since we've never cruised I don't really know how long we can sleep in and linger on the ship.

Gratuity is included it will come to about 58 dollars a day with the 15% added.

 

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Ok, I think I understand what you're saying here. If I buy the cheers package it costs $58 per day and that includes gratuity? I'll tip on top of this, but I just wanted to know if I should expect gratuity added onto our bill at the end of the trip. I don't want to shock my husband with a huge bill : )

Lol, there's no way possible I could consume 15 drinks per day. So that's good news! Thanks for info.

So if I only order 4 drinks a day do I get charged the gratuity for 4 drinks? Is that tacked onto the bill on the end of the trip or do I pay it each time I order?

I'm planning on buying the bottomless adult drink pass the first day of the cruise. I figure I can try all types of fluffy cocktails that way and not have to worry about disliking them and losing money. I have a couple questions about this and would love to hear your experiences...

Do you feel bartenders ignore you if you have that pass? I read on another thread that it takes forever to get service if you're not paying by the drink.

Do you tip in cash for each drink or is there a gratuity added to your bill at the end of the cruise for each drink? Maybe there's a gratuity added already when you buy the pass??

Where do I go to get it? Can I buy it right away when I board the ship?

Last (but not least) is there a limit to which drinks you can order? Can I get the import beers and nice cocktails or is it Budweiser and well drinks?

Thanks!

Hi all! I bought FTTF for my family for the Breeze departing next weekend. We're first time cruisers so I thought it would make things less confusing. I have a couple questions for you all...

1. When can we START boarding the ship at the Port of Miami? If we get there a few hours after boarding, do we still go through registration quickly or is there a line?

2. When we Debark after the cruise is over are we able to chose when we debark? My family aren't early risers and I'd like to put off get up and off the ship until the last minute. Do we have the colored tags on our luggage and do we sit in our designated areas and wait for our color to be called?

I'd love to hear the details of start to finish for boarding and debarking with FTTF. Please share!

Hi all!

This is our first time on a cruise and I want to get the etiquette right. We'll be on Carnival's Breeze in May and gratuity is charged per day per passenger (I think like $11.50 day/passenger). Is this gratuity on our bill when we check out at the end?

Does this mean we don't tip anyone at all? Can someone please share who they tip and when? Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I've never been to the Caribbean and I'm not sure if the temperature drops at night. Especially on the ocean, do we get a chilly sea breeze?

I'm leaning towards not packing long jeans as they're bulky and I don't think we'll need them, but I'm wondering what you all advise. My son and husband might need them packed if it's chilly??? I'll just pack leggings for myself and I'll be fine.

Thanks!

I have a Panasonic TS20 and like it. It's only good to about 10/15 feet underwater, but it works for stuff like snorkeling and in the pool.

 

The new model is the TS25. I think they're going for around $140.

I'm looking at a few of the TS20's on Ebay now. Thanks for the suggestion! I might be able to get one for under $50 if it's 2nd hand! Perfect!

I just looked up the Go Pro cameras. Even the least expensive ones are more than I'm looking to spend. I was hoping to find something between $50- $100.

Hi all!

We're sailing on the Breeze in May and I'd like to buy an inexpensive waterproof camera so I can take pictures during snorkeling and while petting stingrays! It doesn't need to be a top of the line diving camera since we won't take more than a few feet underwater during snorkeling.

I'd prefer a digital since the kids love to take tons of random photos and the 35 mm would be a waste of film. Was looking at Amazon and the reviews are so mixed for each camera. There's a Vivitar Aquashot Underwater Digital Camera for $30 that some people rave about and some say it filled with water right away. Hard decision to make!

Do you have something similar that you use and love? Thanks! Heidi

Hi all!

I'd like to buy an inexpensive waterproof camera so I can take pictures during snorkeling and while petting stingrays! It doesn't need to be a top of the line diving camera since we won't take more than a few feet underwater during snorkeling.

I'd prefer a digital since the kids love to take tons of random photos and the 35 mm would be a waste of film. Was looking at Amazon and the reviews are so mixed for each camera. There's a Vivitar Aquashot Underwater Digital Camera for $30 that some people rave about and some say it filled with water right away. Hard decision to make!

Do you have something similar that you use and love? Thanks! Heidi

Hi all!

I'd like to buy an inexpensive waterproof camera so I can take pictures during snorkeling and while petting stingrays! It doesn't need to be a top of the line diving camera since we won't take more than a few feet underwater during snorkeling.

I'd prefer a digital (35 mm are so inconvenient!). Was looking at Amazon and the reviews are so mixed for each camera. There's a Vivitar Aquashot Underwater Digital Camera for $30 that some people rave about and some say it filled with water right away.

Do you have something similar that you use and love? Thanks! Heidi

Hi everyone! I can't wait to get going!! It's our first cruise!

I believe we reach the Port of Miami at 8AM, but I'm not sure what time is good for our flight home after that. Do we actually get off the ship at 8AM? How do they work it?

There is a flight at 10:30AM out of Miami Airport. Is that cutting it too close? Thanks!! Heidi

Well, I'd love to do it as an excursion if the "tour guide" would let us wander off once we got to the ruins. I really, really don't want to time standing in one place listening to the the guy : )

Do you think it'd be incredibly rude if I took off on my own once we got there and didn't stay and listen?

Hi all!

I'll be in port at Cozumel and would like to take a trip to the ruins in Tulum. From the reviews I read, a lot of people have complained that the tour guides have the tourists stand in the sun while they talk for 45 minutes. I don't really want a tour guide and just want to wander around. Is there a way to do that or do I have to book a tour and go along with a guide?

I know the guides have a lot of information to share, but I've always preferred to read up on sites and explore on my own. I just wonder how difficult it will be to find my own way from the cruise ship port to the ruins and back. Are there any excursions that just offer transportation then allow us to venture off on our own? What do you think?

Oh, I guess it'd be helpful if I told you all that we'll be doing an all-day excursion from Cozumel to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins. Tulum worries me more than Cozumel. I'll pack lots of water bottles for this excursion!

Wet wipes are going on my list!!!

I don't know what bug it was that I picked up in Mazatlan, but it was vicious. Imodium wouldn't have helped. I was running to the bathroom and sick from both ends (sorry!). That's the thing I'm trying to avoid because it ruined my trip.

I''m taking better precautions this time especially because I have kids to take care of. The resort had signs all over the place saying their water was safe for drinking but obviously it wasn't. Plus I'd had 3 drinks with ice cubes in their restaurant.

Most of the places I hear of like Nachi cocum (sp) have a water filtering system I hear from boards..I am afraid too. Drink lots of water,,,take a good probiotic...bring Lomotil..and research places where most here have had no problems, the first time around.....consider going bottled...it is hard i know..Sarah

Yes, I think it'd be a good idea to know where people have eaten safely! I'll check around and see what restaurants people recommend.

BTW, my friend here is a PA and she's giving me antobiotics to carry just in case. She said a combo of Cipro/Flagyl will treat most bacteria and parasites people come across from drinking local water in these areas. After that 3 days in Mazatlan I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Montezuma's Revenge - and all the other names it is known by - is more often than not a reaction by a sensitive stomach belonging to someone who does not travel very often or very far.

 

Many times when Mexicans visit the USA, they often have the same stomach problems.

 

There is nothing really wrong with the food and drink (in most cases), but when your gastro-intestinal system encounters different spices, liquids, foods, and bacteria than it normally has to process, the results are not very pretty.

 

Ice cubes and the condensed water on drink containers are often the culprits.

Poorly washed eating utensils at street vendor stalls are another cause.

Poorly stored, heated, or cooled foods in unfamiliar countries are another.

 

If you are prone to suffering when eating/drinking things in foreign places, you might best avoid doing it.

From a cruise ship you can take your own drinks and ice ashore in most countries.

 

If you are eating the 8 or more meals per day that many cruise passengers enjoy, it will probably be safe to go ashore for a few hours without eating anything at all.

Thank you for the info. I'm aware of what Montezuma's Revenge is but I was interested in what people do to avoid it in these areas. I've traveled through Europe and lived in England without precautions and never got sick. The sanitation and water treatment in Mexico and South America is very different than what we're used to, yes, but avoiding traveling there for that reason would be silly.

It's good to know we can take water bottles from the ship. Any other ideas out there?

Hi everyone! I travel to Mexico just south of the Californian border frequently and ALWAYS take bottled water and avoid drinks with ice (beer in bottles helps!).

Do you all bring your own water for shore excursions? Do you trust the ice in mixed drinks? I'd love to have some at the port towns, but I'm hesitant.

I was in Mazatlan at a resort a few years ago and got a HORRIBLE stomach bug. Three days in bed (and running to the bathroom)! The only thing it could have been was the ice in the mixed drinks but I was at a resort that claimed they only used safe water.

BTW we're stopping in Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

I'd love to hear your tips! Thanks!

I checked on my Breeze cruise today and there were 3 FTTF passes available. I bought two of them since we have 2 cabins. It might not be an essential extra, but this is our first cruise and I think this will help make things smoother.

I just discussed this with my husband. I don't think we'll be letting our 10 year old have free reign. We will let him do the scavenger hunt if that seems safe. We have to walk back to Camp Carnival to sign out our 5 year old every time, so we might as well check our older kid in and out at the same time.

I'd worry he'd get lost on the ship more than anything. It's our first cruise and he's not the most observant kid. We'd end up getting paged over the PA for a lost child!

Hi everyone!

I read that kids 9-11 can sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival if the parents have given advanced permission. Do you (would you) allow your child to do this? Where would they go? If they go to the pools are there lifeguards on duty? My son is a strong swimmer but I still don't want him able to go swimming unattended.

Thanks! We've never been on a cruise before and don't know how this works :)