bowman_dani

The interior cabin will be fine. With the three kids it was a little tight getting ready for dinner, but that was all. We knew from past cruising the only thing we would be doing was sleeping there so there was no value in spending more on a room. I did get a call for upgrade two days before we left, the option was for a grand suite at $800 more. I couldn't justify it. The Pullman bed above ours was plenty high enough were you could sit up and maneuver out of the way without hitting your head. Although I do admit I did hit mine once because I got complacent lol! As far as the Tiki Hut, I know nothing of it. We just went out and shopped for a couple of hours, hit the straw market etc.... You will love the Elation for a first cruise. Plenty to do, and with your kids age, you can give them some freedom to "roam" without having to worry about them. My three knew their way around the boat by the end of the first day.

Great!Thanks so much! We are getting so excited!

We will be doing this itinerary on October 7th! Cant wait to hear about the upgrades that will happen before we board!! Its our first cruise and we are so excited. We will have our 12 and 10 year old along with us. We have a interior cabin and were wondering how low the bunk above the bed is? If we sit up in our bed are we going to hit our heads lol? Also in Nassau we have looked into visiting Tiki Bikini Hut, did you happen to see or hear about experiences with them?

I switched our Paradise cruise in October,that ended up being rerouted to Cuba, to the Elation because she will be fresh out of drydock! I cant wait to see what kind of upgrades she will have!

We're on the Oct 9 sailing and are excited to visit Havana! We have a porthole room, but we booked months ago, so our lower price is locked in thankfully :) The only added expense now is a $75 Cuban Visa, which our understanding is that Carnival will have the paperwork at the terminal to fill out, and the expense will be charged to our on board account.

It was my understanding from when I spoke to the cruise line last night while there is a $75 Visa charge, they are giving a $100 credit per person on the sign and sail card. So while the $75 visa will be charged to our sign and sail we will in essense not be paying for the Visa and will end up with a $25 pp credit to our account. Is this what they told you?

I think Liberty is the newest of the ships but again I vote a strong NO to that one for reasons stated. Sensation and Elation are sister ship to Paradise so similar depending on various upgrades. Do you know how to run a ship comparison on the Carnival site? Victory is a larger ship but doesn't have the water park that some of the others may have (not sure which of Fantasy class have that addition) if my memory is correct.

 

Personally, I would go to Cuba. Victory would be my second choice - and just be prepared for that long weekend party crowd!

 

 

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I just got off the phone with Carnival, with the change they are basically giving a $100 credit and the visa charge is a $75 per person so in essense $25 a person on board credit because of the change. Sooo I think we are going to keep this sailing. Thanks for the advice!

We are really just looking for a great family trip, I haven't researched the Cuba port enough to get excited about it I guess is my biggest reserve against it. With my kids being 12 and 10 they are pretty good to go with the flow with whatever.When I initially booked on the Paradise I hadn't done enough research on the ships,and that's another reason I am looking at the other options. I have read that Paradise is one of the older ships so kinda looking to see if one of the other ships is more up to date. Which ever we end up on will be better than being home. We are not picky about things and each booking seems to have draw backs, trying to decide which sounds better to me before the husband gets home and gives me his opinion:p Even though its far from last minute, knowing I HAVE to get a decision made ASAP kinda makes me anxious.

Why wouldn't you go to Cuba??? This is currently a rare opportunity!

 

But if you decide not to, do not pick 3 or 4 as they are Bahamas cruises. These are repeatedly sited as the least popular ports of call.

 

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Honestly its just not somewhere that I want to visit.

If you do not have a passport valid for six months after travel, you will not go to Cuba!

That's good to know, as they didn't give me that information when they called.

I just received the call that the itinerary has changed on this sailing, they now will be going to Cuba and Cozumel instead of Grand Cayman. If I stay on this sailing I will have a extra $75 a person fee as it is a overnight in Cuba. With working within my time frame for fall break I also have these options

1) 5 night on the Sensation out of Miami stopping in Ochs Rios and Grand Cayman, it will cost about $150 more than what I have already paid.

2) 4 night on Victory out of Miami stopping in Key West and Cozumel and it is about $150 cheaper than currently paid fair

3) 5 night on the Elation out of Jacksonville stopping at Half Moon Cay and Bahamas it is basically the same price at $5 cheaper.

4) or a 5 night on the Liberty out of Port Canaveral stopping in Free Port and Nassau it is $133 cheaper.

It will be our very first cruise and it is my husband, myself and my two children ages 12 and 10. Any advice on which is the better option?

I know this wasn't really your question, but I thought I would chime in and say that we just came back from a cruise with stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel ... beautiful, wonderful and we had a great time ... but I would STRONGLY urge you to look into booking a shore excursion in Cozumel ... like the cruise line's private beach. We did NOT do so and I really regret it. We walked through town a little and then a long long way down the main road and had drinks and a snack at a restaurant/bar near a dive shop that overlooked the port and it was fantastic for us ... but NO beach, probably wouldn't have been much fun for a family with kids. I enjoyed the walk and being outside and seeing somewhere new ... but my travel partner really didn't care for the long walk or the heat.

 

You can take a taxi (cash only) to a public beach ... but for 'next time' if we're going to be in Cozumel, we'll definitely consider booking an excursion through the cruise line or at least doing a lot more research on where we want to go and how to get there. We had a bit better experience in Grand Caymans as far as touring goes ... but still, the whole 'on shore' part of things was a bit lacking for me ... I just hadn't done enough research and planning.

 

On the 'what to take' question ... sun screen and bottles filled with water or ice water are a definite. I packed our water bottles as full of ice on the ship as possible and then had that to sip on as we walked. A back pack(s) with comfy straps are invaluable for carrying things on any excursion ... we always have them for Disney or other vacas and a shore excursion would be no exception.

Thank you for your feedback, I will definitely make sure to have a plan in place as what we will be doing so we don't wonder around and not really get to experience the port.

What ever you decide to do I would ensure everyone carries there own water and towel. Or else you will end up carrying everything 😉

 

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I am bound and determined that I will not be the pack mule on this trip, keeping up with and carrying my kids stuff. Our last trip to Disney three years ago I packed way to much in our day bag and it was such a hassle to keep up with. I am sure my husband would have paid 3x as much money as I saved us to keep from toting all the extra stuff around lol.:rolleyes:

I feel so bad for you all. I live near Nashville, Tennessee. We'll hit 70 degrees this afternoon with gusty winds around 30 mph. We are under a tornado watch until 9PM and a winter weather advisory until morning due to expected ice accumulations, and Sunday night it is supposed to drop to 17 degrees.

 

How the heck do you go from 70 to 17 degrees in one day?? Who said global warming won't wreak havoc on the weather? Lol.

 

It's a crazy weather weekend. We all deserve a tropical cruise to paradise. :-)

I live about 2 hours south of Nashville, woke up sweating because it was so hot at 2 this morning so turned all the heat off, then as I look out the window at 8 there is snow on the ground and I am freezing!!! Lovely Tennesee weather!!:rolleyes:

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I am over thinking things a little too much..:rolleyes:

My husband, myself and our two kids (will be 12 &10) will be taking our first cruise next October. We will be In Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Not to sure about what excursions we will be doing or if we will be just winging it and doing beach time. Obviously what we are doing will determine exactly what we take with us, but what are the essentials that you take into port? How do you keep your stuff safe when on the beach? So many different factors that I am trying to slowly plan for. Kinda overwhelming:confused:

I think most people are well aware of what travel opportunities they can and cannot do. Should such a trip present itself down the road then that's the time to get the passport. You can say it only cost is only so much per year, but the amount is due upfront which can be an issue for a family (when we started cruising it would have cost us $850 or so for passports).

That is a cost that I keep going back and forth with. We are a family of 4 that will be going on our first cruise next year. Its a expense that I didn't factor in when I planned out the budget for the trip. If I can make it work, I will get them but honestly I am still unsure about it because of the price.

So glad to hear good things about Paradise. We are set to go on our very first cruise next year on her with the same itinerary. Every time I search information for this ship its mostly negative. So any positive information and tips and pictures of your trip would be greatly appreciated for this nervous momma!!

Thank you guys VERY much! I am the one who plans all aspects of our trips so wanting to make sure its a great experience for all! My kids will be in two different age divisions for the kids area, my daughter is very nervous about this as they usually stick together when away from us. Do they kids have contact with each other when in separate age divisions? I am imagining they will be with us most of the time but I am sure there will be times that we want to do something without worrying to much about the kids. Thanks for all the positive feedback. Cant wait to plan our next cruise when we haven't even went on our first one yet!!

Hi all, I have booked our very first cruise on Paradise for October 9th-14th 2017. With ports being Grand Caymans and Cozumel. I hadn't found this board until AFTER I booked. After reading all the reviews about the Paradise I am very nervous that the ship wont be enjoyable or as nice as I am imagining a cruise to be. It will be my husband, myself and two children who will be 12 (son) and 10 (daughter). Any advice or tips to make it a great first cruise for our family, as I would love to start cruising with my family since my children are getting older.:)