Donniss

2 hours ago, ashkir said:

Long train ride. Time to play some switch before the ocean views 😍

 

Ashkir! You should totally play "Return of the Obra Dinn" on your Switch! Have fun solving a mystery ON A SHIP while having fun ON A SHIP!*

*Or not, the game can be very obtuse with its puzzles, and honestly it features a grim story. But it did win GOTY from a lot of people for a reason?

 I'll defs be following along! Alaska sounds like a great place to visit, and for me to imagine visiting while reading your posts 😉

What are you looking forwards to most on this itinerary?

13 hours ago, lennythenose said:

I found several articles when I did a Google search but here is one… https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/carnival-signs-pepsi-as-preferred-beverage-partner

Ahh so it's been a while! My apologies, I misunderstood the purpose of the thread. Thank you for finding the press release for me!

So wait did Carnival switch to Pepsi? Can someone link me an announcement? If so I may have to buy the bottomless beverages, because goodness I love 7up.

So, dumb question from someone who hasn't been on a ship yet -

When I go to casinos around New England, there are always waitresses walking around offering complimentary drinks from one of the bars on the floor. Will there be complimentary drinks offered if I gamble long enough? Or does the removal of the casino bar make that impossible?

Ehhh kind of disappointing - I never enjoy any buffets where the occasional person can be so dang rude or gross.

But eh, I guess it just means I'll get the Full Unfiltered Lido Experience when I finally get to experience my first cruise vacation.

Also, on the topic of the Lido - does anyone know if they do cheese blintz ever? Every buffet I've been to that had them was pretty classy - are they the marker of a great buffet?

!!! That's a ton of great info, @kokopelli-az, thank you so much! I've emailed Carnival's Access email, though I basically just repeated some of what I said here, and I've dug into reading disability-cruising. Guarantee you that's a bookmark I'll keep in my browser for a long time! I really appreciate your long post to help. 

Hi, I have a Carnival cruise to the Western Caribbean in January planned with my mum, dad, and my younger sister. My mum and sister both are in wheelchairs a lot of the time (thanks genetics!) but my mother can barely walk these days without a ton of pain. But she's willing to get out of the house, and go on this cruise adventure with me! She has expressed interest in riding the ski lift all the way up Mystic Mountain and then see the great view of the island and stuffs.

My concern is this: Since she's riding in a scooter or wheelchair, what do we do with it while she's going up the ski lift? I'm wondering if I'd hold on to it and wait for her to come back, or something else? Is there someone at Carnival I can call to talk to about it, once we're closer to January? How soon should I wait? Or is this an "on the boat question"?

Question 2: Is there room in an accessible cabin to have both a wheelchair and a scooter? Is there reason to have both? I guess I'm just worried that for excursions it will be easier for us to push my mum and sister in their wheelchairs then putting together all the pieces of a scooter?

Question 3: Do yous all recommend any things to do in Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman or Cozumel that are accessible? I'd really appreciate hearing about them. Thanks!

It is a good point with the buffet - there are so many items on cruise ship buffets. I wonder if they'd bother making permanent changes to the way the buffet is set up (like the room itself) or if they'll just have servers behind each counter to give you foods?

Also, I defs enjoy looking at menus and pictures of food online, so also, thank you to all you unsung heroes to post those!

1 hour ago, olemissreb said:

Yes you can get a drink at a bar and walk anywhere you like except the pool if it's in a glass.  I really like sailing on Celebrity because they meet you at the gangplank with champagne and mimosas free of charge!  So nice to grab one of those and then walk around.

Sounds great! I'm so very much looking forward to drinking on vacation.. even if its just a little bit (due to meds) I am going to savor every sip I can manage. First priority for me will defs be orienting my parents, confirming any bookings.. but after that I'm finding me a mimosa!

20 hours ago, olemissreb said:

What I can speak to is what I like to do first thing on any cruise I take.  I don't like to get there and try to be first on the ship.  I usually wait until 1pm or so to try and board as lines are usually short to non-existent, plus my cabin is usually ready by the time I get on the ship.  Then I grab a cocktail as I get on the ship and go up to my cabin to drop off my carry on and sit on my balcony and enjoy my cocktail and let the sunshine take all my cares away! 

Sorry for the dumb question, but I've been wondering this - does this mean we are allowed to take drinks from bars to other parts of the ship? Like would I be able to grab a cocktail from the Alchemy bar on deck 5, and take it to my room on a different deck? I really have no idea how any of it works - still planning my first cruise.

I love breakfast foods so very much. Why do I only get to eat them in the morning? *sad face*

I haven't cruised yet (soon!) but my favorite for going to my local casino is to ask for a 7&7. Last time I went on vacation with the family, I found I really like Mimosas. Unfortunately because of health issues I can't drink a lot, so I just have to try make sure when I am drinking that I am trying something new.

I really want to expand my point of view so I'm taking notes from this thread and past ones like it! I'm sure my "List of cocktails to look for/request" will be huge by the time my cruise comes around

What if we abolished the need to tip and instead NCL actually paid their employees the minimum wage in a first world country that they deserve?

Seriously though, if you have the option of tipping cash to a specific employee or paying the ship in general, please do the former. While germs are certainly a factor, I highly doubt anyone is going to be turning down extra dosh at the very low wages these cruise companies pay.

EDIT: To answer original question, dollars! Crew have their own bar, and a store on the ship they can buy stuff from, and I'm fairly sure they all use US currency?

Just been reading about Bermuda's situation during the pandemic. Looks like they're in "Phase 2" of their 4 phase plan, as of May 2nd. Phase 2 was to slowly reopen businesses, phase 4 will be reopening the airport. No mention on the cruise terminal on the page, but hopefully it's implied?

https://www.gotobermuda.com/sites/default/files/four_phase_plan_bermuda_reopening.pdf

Hi Andrew!

I have really appreciated reading your review. Love the pictures (but not too many) and how fast you've responded to questions from other thread-readers. I haven't booked my first cruise yet (soon though) but this is inspiring me to try my hand at this style of report for when I do! Keep up the good work!