BrushedNickel

What I wish I knew before going on our first cruise (Carnival Valor - May 2016).

1. The interior of the ship is kept very cold. The A/C is intense, so anyone who is cold sensitive, pack a light sweater.

2. Pools and hot tubs are packed with people who literally stand in the same spot, drink in hand, all day.

3. Hot tubs, are NOT hot, cool, at best --- for obvious reasons. (Alcohol + hot tubs do not mix), but I expected the hot tubs to be lukewarm, at least.

4. Drinks are expensive, so are cruiseline sponsored excursions...do your research on non-cruiseline sponsored excursions and don't let them scare you into their "You might miss the ship" tactics.

5. Bring cold/flu meds...I brought every conceivable motionsickness/ibuprofen/bug spray/stomach meds you can imagine. I forgot the cold meds and had a wicked cold/sinus infection during our cruise.

The Melia Day Pass is exactly what I am looking into right now.....can you tell me what website you booked it through? Thanks :)

We did not book the day passes for the Melia ahead of time. You can just take the #10 bus there. (It stops across the street from the resort.) Walk up to the reservation desk, tell them that you would like a day pass, then they give you a wrist band after you pay.

Just note that although snorkeling equipment is included with your day pass purchase, all other water sport equipment is not included.

Have a great trip!

Just figure $2 per person and let the driver have the change as tip.

On the trip to the Melia, it cost $6.25 for the five of us. We gave him $8.00 and told him to keep the change. The driver acted like we just gave him $1000.

On the ride back we were charged (for the same trip) $8.75 for the five of us. We gave this driver $10 this time. Really, no big deal...You are on vacation, tip well and often.

We took the #10 bus from Bay Street to the Melia Resort. Day passes cost us $35 per person. Great beach, friendly staff. Completely worth it.

AMBER COVE:

We did the Iguana Mama Water falls tour = cannot say enough positive things about this tour. Its just a must do, if you like to hike/swim/jump into waterfalls that are breathtakingly beautiful. The guides are great. The buffet and rum and cokes afterward are delicious.

GRAND TURK:

We rented bicycles outside of the cruise center area. $20 per bike. I insisted on finding the lighthouse and the other end of the island...BAAAD idea! We were riding against the wind the whole time, and although this is a very flat island, it was a tough ride.

We never made it to the lighthouse, but we stopped by some incredibly beautiful secluded beaches, away from the cruise crowd, along the way.

Rent a golf cart, its a lot easier.

We stopped by Jack's Shack on the way back to the port. Great crowd, great drinks. Order the conch fritters, they are one-of-a-kind delicious!

Have a great trip!

Fair review. We were on the same ship, same trip. This was our first cruise and will probably be our last on Carnival. Maybe my expectations are too high, but you definitely get what you pay for.

Food was fantastic, not sure why there were so many complaints (on board, during the cruise).

One thing I did not expect was encountering SO MANY drunk teenagers! That was a real eye-opener!

I will write a review once I get my thoughts and notes together.

Thank you for your review!

Thank you for your walking tour review. Does Nassau really seem as scary/dirty as I've read in some of the threads?

This was not a renewal request. They had to get new passports. There is an additional fee to expedite a new passport, hence the total charge of $195 for each.

This was just a lesson in never allowing your passport to expire, ever, because it gets expensive.

I didn't pay attention because I have a European passport and the rules and renewal processes are very different. The rest of my family has American (USA) passports.

To the poster that mentioned a trip to Germany: You are correct; German customs do not mess around! And neither do US customs. I am separated from my family every time we arrive back into the US, I hope that doesn't happen when we return from our cruise. :o

Two of our children have expired passports, our cruise is a little more than six weeks away. Almost $400 later, they should (hopefully) have their passports in three to four weeks. Had we waited any longer we may have run into problems...

Thank you all for your responses! And thank you for posting the photo of your room YourCruiseGurl, I am definitely going to purchase the decorations!

The primary physical difference between a tuxedo and a suit is the presence of satin. Traditionally tuxedos have satin facing on the lapels, buttons, pocket trim, and a satin side stripe down the leg of the trousers. There are, of course, exceptions, such as the White Dinner Jack meant for Summer and Tropical wear.

 

It’s important to note that, more than just the apparent physical differences, a tuxedo sends a different message than a suit does. A lot of people wear suits every day. Regardless of whether you do or not, it’s a societal norm. You can go to the grocery store wearing a suit and nobody will think it’s at all strange. The point of a tuxedo isn’t just to dress up and look nice. That’s part of it, but only a part. The point is to commemorate a special occasion by wearing something special that you wouldn’t wear anywhere else. Your tuxedo says, “This moment is special to me. This is where I want to be. I would look out of place anywhere but here.”

Really, really well put!

You have convinced me that dressing up is in appreciation of the company you are with. I really don't care what "they" are wearing. I am dressing up on my first cruise!:)

I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, but we have never been to AC either.

I did some research on things to do while at AC, and we were thinking about doing the 27 waterfalls tour through the iguanamama website, but now the whole Zika "thing" is worrying me a bit, especially because it requires a hike through the forest areas of the island...but the idea of sitting by the pool all day when it is something we can do on board just seems like a waste of a port stop to me. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

My apologies if this question has already been asked before. I am having trouble using the Search feature with the device I am using.

Are the room decorations worth the cost or are they a terrible waste? Has anyone purchased them before? I was thinking about ordering the "Bon Voyage" decoration package from the Carnival website for my kids' room. TIA

Has anyone ordered the "Cruise For Vineyards" option. I tried to get more information about it on the Carnival website, but it just says "Ask your waitstaff."

Any input? Is it worth it?

TIA

You will NOT look like fools! Wear what you want. The last time I really dressed formal, I felt like a million bucks! And received many compliments. Believe me, I would still do it, but, my vanity can't get over, that I am now a skinny, wrinkled up, old bag, and don't want a picture to remind myself of that fact!:eek:

Lol, thank you cruzelover55. I will take that into consideration. Maybe we won't wear tuxedos and ballgowns, but we will definitely not stoop down to shorts and tank tops. Since this is our first cruise, I was hoping that people take the idea of a formal dinner on a cruise ship more seriously.:confused::)

Basically there is NO SUCH THING. My husband has been wearing nice dress pants and a long sleeved button down shirt. Last week on the Glory there were men in shorts and tank tops on "elegant night". There were lots of jeans and golf shirts too. Women were also dressed about the same. Some in short shorts and tanks and other in dresses.

 

I give up trying to follow the rules.

This is really so disappointing! My oldest wanted an excuse to break out his tux and my dh was planning on packing a suit and tie, while my youngest is a bow-tie fan. We are all going to look like a bunch of out-of-place fools on formal night...maybe we need to rethink our formal night wardrobe. What a letdown!

When is your cruise? I plan on doing a modified Frommer's walking tour with my niece on my April 7 cruise. If you're going to be going later, I could report back here what I experienced.

That would be great piper45maru!

We are going to be in Nassau in May.

Looking forward to your review!

It always amazes me when people tell other posters to "try the search option", because they don't like seeing repetitive questions. I appreciate anyone answering questions on this board, even if they have been asked before, because things may have changed over time.

If you don't like the question, why not ignore it and move on?

Thank you for everyone who has responded, I am a newbie and

I will definitely look into the FTTF option!

Thanks so much for your response cruiseapril.

I found this link on CC, this should help.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1579041

Has anyone done this? Any suggestions on what to see/where to eat/best beach-stop, given the time constraints?

TIA

The card introduces confusion when it asks what the "best time to tidy up" may be. To me, "best" means ONE, regardless of any other instruction at the top. There can only be one "best" choice, especially when given two options.

 

See, this is what happens in a world where everyone gets a trophy...people forget what "best" means.

Exactly!

I am new to cruising, so reading a good portion of the responses and the OP makes me wonder how spoiled (some) veteran cruisers are!:eek::rolleyes:

What are the dates of the Valor dry dock"?

October 2016, Carnival Valor — currently based in Port Canaveral and scheduled to undergo an extensive dry dock in March 2016 that will add a variety of Fun Ship 2.0 innovations — will take over Carnival Victory’s three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Central Florida on a year-round basis. Carnival Valor will be the only ship operating three- and four-day cruises to offer the line’s highly acclaimed Fun Ship 2.0 features. Carnival Victory will subsequently move to another homeport. - See more at: http://carnival-news.com/2015/04/14/building-upon-leadership-position-in-port-canaveral-carnival-to-expand-capacity-on-short-cruises-by-34-percent-and-offer-newest-class-of-ship-on-week-long-voyages-from-space-coast/#sthash.n8G0aIFe.dpuf

I also hold a European Passport and was told that as long as I bring my passport and proof of US residency (green card) I should be okay. My husband is a US citizen, so I was told to also bring a copy of the marriage license.

This is our first cruise, so I really have no idea if this is accurate, but that is what was stated by the booking agent. I am curious to see other responses to this question.

T4T...just realized that this is not the question you are asking at all. I suppose your passport should be enough. My bad.

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate the input/suggestions. Looking forward to getting dressed up, meeting new people and maybe the captain too. :)

My DH and DD and myself travel together.

 

Never had a problem with finding the DH, usually at my side.

 

Now the DD on the other hand..............well.

 

So over the years we have used different ways to keep in touch.

 

1.We use erasable markers to mark on the bathroom mirror any important notices or updates. attendant leaves the note alone. We clean up later.

2. We eat as a family for dinner.

3. Once every couple hours we set a meeting place, sorrentos, promenade just to make sure all is well.

4. Curfew night before port days.

5. Nothing adventurous like rock climbing or body surfing on the wave pool unless we know.

6. No one in our cabin, please do not go in anyone elses.

 

She know we will be at a show, or in casino......

We know she will be in a venue dancing the night away.

 

 

We do the best we can.

 

Safe travels

Thank you, Sue. Sounds like your teenager is similar to all three of mine...