TNShadyLady

We've cruised out of Port Canaveral in late March, to Southern Caribbean. Got chilly on deck late at night watching movies. Otherwise quite nice.

This time we're cruising out of New Orleans in mid-February to Jamaica, Cayman, & Cozumel. It'll be cold when we leave home. I assume quite chilly in NOLA as well. But once we are in the Gulf, how's the weather for mid-February? We'll want to leave heavy coats/jackets in the vehicle while we cruise.

Is there a good place to check local average temps for places like Montego Bay? I'm hoping shorts and t-shirts will still be fine for our port stops, even in mid-Feb. Long-sleeved shirts, maybe a couple of sweatshirts and long pants for on-board?

Thanks for your reply! Sounds great and I'm excited to finally take one. But now I have more questions. :) Was the champagne decent? What was the prize for the slot tournament? Was the number of points required a great amount, or did just about everybody qualify? Any other perks for premier VIPs, for example, do you get steakhouse dinner faster, or the same as a regular player? Or do they skip some of those perks because you're already getting other things?

I've had BB offers and other premier offers, but this is the first time the dates/departure ports were something I could book. So I'm excited to be taking my very first premier cruise.

All I really know about a premier cruise is free DOU cards for me and cabin mate, plus priority embarking.

What does priority embarking mean, exactly? When I enter the terminal, do I tell someone I'm on a premier cruise? Do I go to a VIP section?

What kind of gifts can I expect in my cabin? Will they be for both of us, or just me?

What kind of events can I expect? Special tournaments just for premier cruisers, etc.?

I'd love to read a review of someone who has actually gone on a premier cruise. Maybe I'll write one myself after I get back! But in the meantime, I'd really like to know in advance what I can expect, so any advice or personal experience is appreciated.

Is YTD still in the Scarlett dining room?

Personally we liked the Mainstay Suite in Mt. P. It was around $100/$150 for a 2bd/2ba room and they allowed us to keep our car there for the week for free. Uber was $15 to port. (Parking would have been $119 at port)

Thank you!

We normally cruise out of Port Canaveral and love the stay/park/cruise options there. Anything like that available for Charleston?

We loved ours too! What deck were you on? We didn't feel any of the vibration, so I'm curious for next time!

We were on deck 5, the lowest aft balcony deck, so that may have contributed to the vibration. Normally we cruise mid-ship balcony on deck 7, 8, or 9, and this was the most vibration I've ever felt, so I figured it was a combination of being aft and lower. Not a deal-breaker though.

Thanks for taking time to answer questions. We are booked in a aft next March so are interested in your thoughts about your cabin. We have 7333. How was movement, noise and temperature on balcony. Our 1 st aft so really looking forward to this hope I am not disappointed in the balcony. (We love the ship) Am looking forward to avoiding crowds and using balcony.Thanks!

This was our first aft balcony as well and we were not disappointed. There are pros and cons, however. The view from the rear is fantastic. You seem to have a much wider view than from a side balcony (although that's probably just perspective, I don't know). I was a bit worried about "riding backwards", but that was never an issue. There is no breeze on an aft balcony and it can get HOT! Remember to throw down a towel on the metal chairs first or you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. :eek: Also the deck is wood and can get really really hot too, so shoes or flip flops are a must as well. But if you get too hot, it's a simple matter of going inside to cool off for a bit. Having the extra room for a lounger on your balcony is a real bonus (ask your room steward for one if there isn't one already there). We did not experience any ash, but occasionally would feel water droplets from the water slides up above. Views can be limited when pulling into port. We were already docked many times before we even realized it. But pulling away you get a marvelous "goodbye" view of the port you are leaving. No noise, but lots of vibration from the ship itself. Not enough to be annoying, or to keep you awake. It's like being rocked gently to sleep. You have to try an aft at least once and then decide if the upgrade is worth it to you. We loved it!

We were on the same cruise and had YTD. Never had a wait at all. Check in deck 5 at Ocean Plaza/Taste Bar area, then down the elevators (right there) to deck 3, and there you are. No wait at all. My only complaint was the tables seemed to be packed together so tightly it was nearly impossible to move around, even for wait staff. I felt uncomfortable asking someone to rise from their seat while dining just so I could exit my table. Service seemed a little slower than usual, but again, that could be due to tables too close together. I never saw all the tables full at any given time, and with so many other dining options onboard, they could easily take out a few tables to make it a better experience for everyone.

As for the chair hogs? Out in full force, as usual. Never saw an open chair on the Serenity deck. Never. Folks were apparently putting down towels to hold them, then going off to do other things for hours at a time. I hope they start enforcing the 45-minute limit on all the ships, but they have not done so on the Sunshine yet.

Otherwise, it was a GREAT cruise! All the staff were extremely friendly and attentive. The Sunshine is now my favorite Carnival ship. :)

Some folks like to carry a scented spray or odor eliminator, especially for the bathroom (which has no vent, BTW). Remember, NO candles or anything you have to strike a match for. What I do is save those magazine inserts for perfume samples. You know the ones... a strip that opens up and gives you a whiff of that particular scent. Don't open them, just rip the strips (intact) from the magazine page, throw a few into your toiletries bag, and then when needed, just open one up and leave it lying on the sink. Works wonders. Smells good too. :)

It's been my experience that the ratio of anytime to fixed dining hours is about even lately. It used to swing toward anytime, but wait times could be very long. On our last cruise we were waitlisted for anytime and never got it. I would think if you have anytime now, and want to switch to fixed time, that would not be a problem, and would also open up an anytime slot for someone on the wait list.

We'll be on the Sunshine March 25th, first time on her. We have an aft balcony on deck 5, and since the anytime diners check in on deck 5 near the Ocean Plaza/Taste Bar, I'm wondering if the pager will pick up back in our cabin. So if only one of us goes to get on the list, we could then wait in our cabin for the page. Anybody know what the range on those pagers is?

We are thinking of switching from RCCL FOS to Carnival Magic and this is interesting. Is there copies of the room service menus available online somewhere so I can see how the actual items offered compare? Thanks!

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

Yes, all of Carnival's menus are online, in PDF format, so you'll need Adobe Reader to view them (it's free). Just look under FAQs, Dining and Beverages, and then 24 hr. Room Service

I've been on the Valor, but not the Breeze or Freedom. The Valor is fine, typical Carnival cruise ship, but I really wasn't very impressed and probably won't pick her again. Seemed extremely crowded to me, even more so than other ships I've been on. Steakhouse was delish, however. :) But even though it has Guy's, deli and pizza, and Blue Iguana Cantina, I felt like there weren't enough food choices and the buffet was always chaotic. We ate in the MDR whenever possible just to avoid the buffet. Entertainment was pretty good. Classy Cassie was our CD at the time. I've since read that she's been moved to another ship or something. I don't mean to sound rude, but she was anything but "classy". :/ The Southern Caribbean itinerary we had was great, and who doesn't love a cruise just on principle, but the Valor left a lot to be desire, in my opinion. To each his/her own, I guess. Depends on what you're looking for.

On our cruise last year, room service crew members were not covered under the pre-paid gratuities...or so I read many times on the old Carnival forums. Has that changed, do they receive a cut of the pre-paid gratuities now? I understand we can always tip them more even if they do get a share, just curious if they actually do or not.

As far as I know, they do not get a share of the gratuity charge, but we both may have read the same misinformation. ;p I always tip $2 for room service and they seem grateful for it.

Carnival does not look the other way when people smoke in non-designated areas. In fact on none of my recent cruises have I witnessed anyone smoking where they shouldn't be. The rules are stringently followed, for the most part.

There are usually two designated areas on each ship for smoking, both outside. Smoking is not allowed anywhere else except the casino. Unless your cabin is directly above the smoking area, I don't see how the outdoor smoking would bother someone. The casino can be a problem for some when the traffic path goes right down the middle of it and there's no way to avoid it. When most people complain about smoke, they're usually referring to the casino. If it really bothers you that much even to walk quickly through the casino, it might be a good idea to check deck plans and layouts of ships before booking. Also, the designated outdoor smoking areas are listed on Carnival's site for each ship, so that tells you what to avoid as well.

I think taste bar is only in the evening.

On most ships, yes, but some they've started serving light buffet type meals. I think the Sunshine does this and even has breakfast goodies.

FYI- just to clarify- you can only get drinks while playing.

Can't pop by the casino bar and grab a drink before you hit the slots. Must be at a machine/table.

I found the servers to be pretty prompt but especially when they saw I was tipping $1/drink.

I practically drowned in the Chocolate Mocha all week! LOL

:D I had the same experience. This will be my first time to start out with the DOU card, usually I earn it. Since the drinks you buy already have gratuity built into the price, I rarely tipped for service before getting the card. But after getting the card, I always tipped $1 each time because if the drinks were comped to me, then the servers probably weren't getting anything extra. That $1 works wonders. LOL

You describe it, they will make it. In Grand Turk I had the Sandy Vag**** from Jack's Shack. Asked for it in the casino and they were like WHAT?? Told them what was in it and they made it. But they started calling it a Poosay (with a French accent). You want more Poosay sir? **snicker snicker snicker**

:eek: :') Okay, so don't leave us in suspense... what's in it? PG13 answer please :halo: :cool:

The spiked coffee is at the specialty coffee spot

Yeah, I'm aware of that, but I was just wondering if I could get coffee while I'm playing in the casino, and if I could also get it with maybe a shot of Kahlua or Amaretto or Bailey's or something like that.

I agree about Mojitos. I think it was on Liberty I found a bartender who made them exactly like I like them and kept going back. The Cruiser IS a sweet drink. But it's very good. WTH, if you have a DOU card, you can experiment.

And that's why I started this thread, to see what drinks are available to me that I might be missing out on. LOL

I love the Cruiser which someone mentioned. "Problem" is it's served in a red wine glass and I swear, 3/4 of it is ice. I can take 3 sips thru the straw and the drink is GONE! :eek: If you like Mojitos, I've had some good ones in the casino. I LOVE the Caribbean Colada. It is kind of a not sweet Pina Colada. But they only make it in the Red Frog Rum bar (for some reason!:() and I haven't been able to get one in the casino yet.

Thanks for the tip about the Cruiser. Might try one. Mojitos are good too, but like Bloody Marys they can be wildly different depending on who's making them. :p That Caribbean Colada sounds perfect for me. I'm not fond of overly sweet drinks, but I do love a colada, so that may be my first drink order at the Red Frog on the Lido deck before sailing!

You will have full run of the bar with your DOU card, there's not a select menu. Stop by the casino bar before gambling and take a look at the menu.

Thank you. Whenever I asked my servers for a menu, I got a blank stare. Next time I'll just stop by the bar first. ;)

The casino bar uses the same bar menu as other "regular" bars located inside the ship (the pool bars have a bit of a different menu as far as I remember).

 

Here's a link to the cruise critic copy of this menu.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=813

 

As you can see, there are lots of choices.

 

Also - the servers in the casino will have a copy of the bar menu in their apron. Whenever I'm indecisive, I ask to see the menu refresh my memory on some options.

 

Personal favourites are the Hurricane Wave, white Russian, and the Tiramisu martini. My mother favours the Mocha chocolate getaway, Bahama Mama, and Pirate Punch.

 

If I'm into some more hard-core drinking - the Cruiser does the trick.

Those menus are just what I was looking for. I wasn't sure if the casino bar would be different from the rest or whether the drinks available with DOU card were from a special list or what. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Tiramisu martini?? Oh my... that's definitely going into my notes! Thanks!

Try the spicy chipolte pineapple martini or the pomegranate martini. Ask for them in a regular glass instead of a martini glass so they don't spill everywhere.

Good tip about the regular glass. I never thought of that. :*