lasvegascruising

tidecat & riffatsea,

Thank you for the answers. Appears that I was able to choose the earliest arrival time. It's be awhile since I sailed from Long Beach and now that I think about it probably before Carnival started with arrival windows. I have sailed from other ports recently and was able to choose 10:00 to 10:30. I guess each port is a little different.

Tidecat,

What was your embark time window? I am sailing in November and the earliest slot I could pick was 12:00 to 12:30. Were there earlier slots available when you picked? I am just trying to find out what the earliest windows are that they offer. Thanks!

I am very excited to see many votes for the Magic. Next May will be my trifecta completed.....Dream, Breeze and then May 5, 2019, Magic. I will have to say that so far my favorite memories are from the Dream and the Miracle. I will be on the Splendor in November of this year and can't wait to experience this ship. The whirlpools on deck five of the Dream were an amazing find(the Breeze has them also but first experiencing them on the Dream wins that vote) and the split pools on the Lido deck of the Miracle were awesome(adults on one side and kiddos on the other side). A shout out to the Breeze for lunch time choices. It was very hard to choose where to eat lunch as there were so many places to pick from. Who needs dinner when one is so full from lunch!

Very interesting you post this. I just posted a similar question for a cruise I want to take 5-5-19 on the Magic from Ft Lauderdale. The ships leaves at 9pm due to the fact it is moving from Miami to Ft Lauderdale that day. Boarding time starts at 3pm according to a Carnival employee I spoke to tonight. I just don't know what hubby and I would do from hotel check out time(11am) to board time of 3pm considering we would be arriving in FLL from Las Vegas the day before and have three pieces of luggage and no where to go with it. Last thing I want to have is a stressful embark day. Any idea why your depart time is 6pm?

I am ready to book the Magic leaving from FLL on 5-5-19 but just discovered that she is moving from MIA to FLL that day and the sail time is 9pm. I understand that she will disembark guests that morning in MIA, move over to FLL and start embark at 3pm(this time was told to me by a Carnival employee). Thoughts anyone? My choice will be to fly in the day before from Las Vegas(this is a travel all day situation) and stay the night in FLL. I am pondering what to do the next day, 5-5-19, considering the earliest embark is 3pm. Hotel check out, luggage, etc. I would really appreciate any advice and/or experience anyone has had with such a situation. I almost feel like embark day, 5-5-19, at 3pm is a waste of a day. I will be paying for that day as part of my cruise fare but won't be on the ship until the very earliest 3pm. Also, hubby and I like to purchase "cheers" and this feels like a waste of money for day one. Please help me with my thoughts and give me reasons why this is okay or why it is not.

Lyncoya,

I can't wait to hear more about your trip and see the pictures. Women like you are an inspiration to me! I so admire strong women that live life and make it happen. I would love to have a friend like you, go girl!!

Nevada Jen....Could this be a Nevada thing? I'm from Vegas and have had this "swaying" effect for the last few cruises too. I get to work on Monday morning and sitting at my desk I am just "swaying" in my office chair. It is rather annoying. It does take days for this to wear off. I thought it was just me but now I am clear that us desert rats just take longer to get over it. I will say one thing, I am NOT going to stop cruising!

We leave a cash tip on the table after our meal, a five or ten dollar bill(two guests dining), depending on the experience. If the servers are friendly and engaging, we leave the cash. We don't hold it against them if the food isn't great or not the correct temp. We usually only go to the dining room two or three times on a cruise and appreciate a wait staff that are just friendly and make us happy with our evening dining.

Boy oh boy, where to start. The first thing that comes to mind for me is sailing out of Galveston. We have stayed at the Drury Inn near the Hobby airport. I love this place. We live in Vegas and fly into Hobby(three hour flight)the day before, arriving about 5pm. This place includes a little buffet dinner with adult drinks and breakfast in the room rate. There has always been lots of folks there that are leaving for their cruise the next day. It is so fun just to sit in the dining area talking to everyone. Some folks are on the ship we are on and some on other ships. Next day we have used ship purchased transport(free shuttle back to the airport). So simple and surrounded by other cruisers that just makes the excitement so much more. Off to Galveston and it is a nice port. One cruise, we were delayed boarding(ship was late getting in) so we just walked over to a restaurant and had drinks and snacks. One other time fog really caused a problem. We didn't get to start our cruise until a day after we were supposed to. It was a disappointment but we turned it into a port day in Houston. We took an uber from the Drury to the space center. That was an amazing day and we spent the whole day there. I don't know where you are sailing from but every port we have sailed from has been just so exciting. You have asked many questions about various parts of cruising. When I read your post, the first thoughts that came to me were my experiences out of Galveston and I want to thank you for bringing happy thoughts for me!

Daniel15, I figured it out. The date I need does not qualify for the discount. They must have sold out all the rooms for the night at that discounted rate. I plugged in a few other dates and sure enough, the code worked. I am going to keep checking to see if any cancellations happen and the code will work for the night I need. The price with the code is $179 and without is well over $300!! That is a huge difference. Thank you for posting this information and hopefully someone else can take advantage of such a great discount.

I took a look at their website and this sounds amazing. The ship I am on doesn't arrive until 8am. Do you think I could still do this? Also, what tour are you booking? It is must me and my hubby so I am not sure what to choose.

Daniel15...I can not get that code to work, P41. Dumb question, where did you enter this code?

comiso13....I am on the Splendor November 3 and the first time I could select was 12-12:30pm. I logged into my account the very first day that I could select and that was the earliest time available. Once you get this straightened out, let us know what your boarding time ended up being. I am still trying to find out if 12-12:30 is the first boarding slot.

Yes, Yes Yes....love Tandoor too. Have had it on Dream and Breeze. Next up, Splendor in November of this year. Hubby and I love all the sauces(or dips, not sure what they are called)that are served. So good with the chicken and naan. Planning a trip on the Magic next year and hope the Tandoor is still there.

My husband and I find a table that we like, put our napkin roll with the fork, knife etc on the table with two glasses of ice water and head off to the buffet. We have never had anyone move our "set up". We figure that others can guess by the "set up" that we are in the buffet line. I like this routine because when I return to the table, I am ready to eat!! Got my napkin, fork, knife and water. I don't wait for him to return to the table and he doesn't wait for me to return. We start eating!

lidolife,

How much were the day passes to El Cid and where does one purchase?

pblack,

I will be on the Splendor in November and have a 12-12:30 arrival time. This was the earliest I could choose. I really am not looking forward to hanging out at the hotel that morning just waiting until then to head to the port. I am staying at the Residence Inn very close to the port so should only take minutes to get there via cab or uber. Any idea what I will encounter if I head on over to the port say 10:30ish?

I don't know what it is but I want one!

I have a cruise booked on the Carnival Miracle in January 2020, so far away :( . It is the five day to Cabo from San Diego. I am really looking forward to a whale watching experience. Tell me everything!!

This picture on the stairs with all the grand children brings tear to my eyes. It is absolutely beautiful! What a wonderful family, congratulations!

This is interesting. I too checked in today for my cruise in November 2018. My cruise is on the Splendor out of Long Beach California and today, August 5, was the first day one can do "check in". The earliest time slot was the same 12 to 12:30. I thought to myself "wow, I must have missed the early slots". I also thought "gosh, how many people could have possibly "checked in" before me this morning?". Makes me wonder if this is the earliest slot they have. Anyone know?

scottca075...funny you should bring that up. When I was looking for a room weeks back, the downtown hotels were up and above $225 for one night but the Hampton Inn near LGB was at $145. Didn't think it would cost $80 to get from the airport area to the port. Believe me when I say that I factor all that into my decision. I have decided to fly into LAX because United points paid for my United Airlines tickets for two. I just have to cover the transport down to Long Beach. The Residence Inn near the port is now down to $181 per night so I have booked it. I really appreciate all the information that everyone sends as it is really helpful and does make me think outside the box.

Hi Griff61,

I emailed her a few days ago but have not received a response yet. How long should I expect to wait to hear from Jessica? It's crazy that I was quoted $354 for November 2, 2018 when I called the property direct(the rate without parking).

I still wonder to this day why it is this way in Texas. I have sailed from Galveston on Carnival(Breeze) with cheers and had to pay for drinks that first day. I have sailed from Galveston on Royal(Navigator of the Seas) with a drink package purchased and was able to use the package the minute we boarded BUT they did have a list of spirits that could only be served. Royal had a sign at the bar in the Windjammer that listed the specialty drinks they could make with what they were allowed to use. Once in open waters, of course everything was available. I have sailed from Houston on NCL(Jem) with the drink package that was included with the cruise fare and able to use the package the minute we boarded. Still have never heard why Royal and NCL could serve drinks to those with the package and Carnival can not.

riffatsea....I agree and won't be paying that much either. I did book the Residence Inn that is right next door for $181 the night of November 2. Even this is pretty high for me but I like the location and should give us some fun things to do the day we arrive. I want to hop on the "passport" bus and ride around downtown Long Beach and stop off near the aquarium. Do you have any experience with this hotel and its location? The other place I have my eye on is a newer Hampton Inn by the airport but I think there won't be as much to do within walking distance but it is priced at $145. We will be getting into LAX about noon and taking Super Shuttle down to Long Beach so we will have all afternoon and evening to explore. Next day, SPLENDOR! One other question, I was told by the front desk at the Residence Inn that we could just walk to the port(they do no have a shuttle). Has anyone done this? Is it that close?