ButterflyGirly

Way to go Carnival!

Sailed Elation December 2021 and did not notice any rocking. She is old but she still floats and we had a great time.

You are smart for wanting to get travel insurance, especially if DD's are accident prone. My adult DD has severe (anaphylaxis) peanut and fish allergies so she definitely needs travel insurance. Having an international medical emergency or needing a medical evacuation from a ship can unfortunately result in a lifetime of financial burden. Usually the travel insurance plans I purchase are not very expensive, and for me, worth the piece of mind they give. When comparing plans I mainly look at the medical and evacuation coverage. Have a wonderful time on your cruise with your daughters.

We snorkeled in the area in front of the private beach bungalows and loved it.

I rented a regular bungalow at Princess Cays Dec 2021. At first I had booked a Sanctuary (adult only) bungalow but after reading reviews about how rocky it was I cancelled it and booked the regular bungalow. My friend and I had an absolutely wonderful day and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I paid $219.99 for the bungalow (the Sanctuary bungalow was $269.99). Food: There was a fruit platter, chips and salsa, soda and water in our bungalow. We walked to the buffet pavilion and brought our plates back to the bungalow to eat in the air conditioning. They do not deliver lunch to you. FYI...since we arrived on the first tender the snacks were delivered shortly after we arrived. Amenities: We had our own snorkel gear but it would have been provided if we needed it, water floating mats, air conditioning, chaise lounges on your little porch, outdoor shower. Tips: The very first thing you should do when you arrive on the ship is go to the shore excursion desk to select which bungalow you want. You will also give them your shoe size for snorkel flippers and select which sodas you want. You are given the opportunity to take the first tender off the ship which we did. We also were on the last tender to leave the island and return to the ship. Both of these tenders also had many crew members and supply carts. I would imagine if you are not on the first or last tender this would not be the case. We did have some trouble with our next door neighbors who were playing their profanity laced music quite loudly. I did notify the excursion leader and she got the island security involved. Carnival crew were very hesitant to intervene directly. I mention this to let you know that you can't control who your neighbors might be and the bungalows are close to each other. Even though this was an unfortunate part of our day it in no way overshadowed what a great day we had. I have limited snorkeling experience but my friend has snorkeled quite extensively all over the Caribbean. The variety and quantity of fish we encountered snorkeling from the small inlet area in front of the bungalows was amazing. My friend ranked it top 5 of her experience. Even though we only were a party of 2, I think this rental was worth it and I would definitely book it again.

I use silicone ear plugs, they work great! you can get a mulitpack at the drugstore, enough for the whole family!

Whatever you want to call it, upgrade or upsell, the OP is excited about the offer they received and is comfortable with the additional $$ they paid to get it. I am happy for them!! Enjoy your Grand Suite John91498!!

This is a game changer for my severely peanut and fish allergic adult DD (anaphylaxis-last time required 3 does of epinephrine!).

Well that is an awesome gift!

This is a game changer for my DD. Can't wait to tell her. She has severe peanut and fish allergies and it is scary. Historically we never eat from the buffet. Eat every breakfast in the MDR.

I have done this before on the Elation.

Happy Birthday and enjoy your balcony!

Does this make sense?... Once you added her to the cabin half of your $500 deposit became her non-refundable deposit. Which meant you only had a $250 deposit, not a $500 deposit. Since her deposit was non-refundable and your rate converted to the single rate when she bailed you now owe $250 for your balance to be $0.

Perseverance definitely paid off!

SurfCat- I am so glad you were able to get a HMC Villa! I have rented HMC Cabanas in the past but this time we have a group of 6 so decided to get a Villa. The Villa is only $100 more than a Cabana would be for 6 people. It is going to be a surprise for the 2 other couples we are cruising with. Our gift to them as they help out with my 82 year old father, who moved in with us last Fall, when we take trips (just check in with him and take him dinner).

Just wanted you to know that I am not going on an Alaskan cruise but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through all the pages of this thread!

Was your mango frozen drink a "Kiss on the Lips"? That is one of my favorites.