Mic101680

A week to go before we board Vista for the first time. She'll be one of the larger ships I've been on, so it will be interesting to see how I feel about it vs all the smaller ships I love so much. I booked this trip probably a year or more ago, so it's been a loooooong wait! LOL

This is making me so excited for our group trip on PoA in March!

Question - with the ports being more industrial, could you tell whether or not it was easy to catch a cab or Uber or public transport or something into a nearby town? Or if it was far of a walk to some sights? Thinking we're going to be doing mainly NCL excursions as well, but we have a few in the group who will likely go off on their own too.

Bimini is definitely a chill stop - we got the day pass at the resort and spent the morning at the rooftop pool (nobody was there until close to noon, and even then it was just a handful of people), then spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Next time we want to rent a golf cart and explore more.

Snorkeling isn't bad as the water is super clear, but do some research beforehand to see where you want to go. The water gets very deep pretty quick and currents around the island can be very strong. I've read where even very strong swimmers sometimes struggle around certain areas.

Yes, total revamp is needed. If they keep some of the same items, they need to update some of the recipes too. There is literally nothing on the MDR menus that make me excited to eat there, and during most cruises, they're lucky if I eat in there more than once. I usually end up making a salad at the Lido buffet and getting whatever the main protein is and sometimes the soup on the regular buffet line.

It's probably just too early. I have a cruise booked at the end of November and the excursions only just all showed up sometime early last month. There were a couple in there before that, but the majority weren't available before then.

Just make a reminder for yourself to check once or twice a week until they show up.

I've never tried to take anything other than water off the ship, and have never been asked to dump my reusable water bottle or stopped to have it inspected when getting on or off the ship while in port.

Could you be stopped or asked to dump it? Absolutely. 

5 minutes ago, adventuredancer said:

my last cruise didnt have any printed fun times. not even the half sheet they used to have. i looked at coffee shop and guest services. was told they don't print it anymore at all. 

They're supposed to be bringing back all the printed FunTimes, menus, etc fleetwide. I remember seeing that as an announcement within the last couple months, but you should have always been able to request a printed one.

2 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

When I punch on the app all it says is "make your memories last". And then no Carnival wifi connection.  There is no way to sign out.  Should I uninstall and then reinstall?

When you first open the app itshould look like this. Either use your Carnival.com login or enter your booking# (you don't use the onboard option or try to connect to the Carnival wifi until you're on the ship)

Once you're logged in, you'll have your countdown page similar to this. On embarkation day, this screen changes with an "I'm on board" link, which is when you would put your phone in airplane mode and connect to the ship's WiFi to use the app onboard.

5 hours ago, jsglow said:

Let me clear this up.  The Hub App and ALL it's features are FREE with the exception of it's shipboard messaging which has the nominal upcharge as indicated. NO internet package of any kind is required.

 

You can certainly 'survive' without it but it is the real-time source of all activity, information and dining check-in on the ship.

You're correct. I didn't clarify that the $5 was for the messaging feature only. Apologies for any confusion I caused anyone!

It depends on the port, how much earlier than your appointment window that you arrive, and how busy they are when you arrive. Generally speaking, they will have you wait until your appropriate arrival window either in a separate line or have you sit outside the terminal or ask you come back during your arrival time.

You are not required to download or use the app, however, it does allow you to send messages to other users and it houses all the useful information, events, allows you to book excursions and spa appointments, make reservations for dinner, check in for dinner at the MDR, menus, etc.

It's $5/person to use it, which is not a bad deal, and you do not have to purchase an internet plan for it to work, but can be buggy at times. Sometimes I have no issues with it at all and sometimes the dining check in won't work, messages don't send or are never received by the recipient or come in hours later than when they were sent. It also kept skipping ahead a day on my during one cruise and I had to constantly check that I was looking at the correct day. Lots of others have had similar complaints with it. When it does work though, it's great.

6 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

The portions are pretty small now. Off the Radiance last week and the fried chicken, which used to be two decent pieces of chicken, was tiny now and tasted like frozen Banquet chicken. I used to like their fried chicken dinner, but not so much now. 

I think this entirely depends on what you order too. Most of the pasta dishes are waaaay too much for a single portion, but some of the meat and fish portions are pretty small.

It never hurts to ask for a small portion, but like others have said, you can always just eat half of what you're served. I will sometimes split a plate with a friend if I know it's going to be too much for me.

I always pack them because they don't take much room and you never know. I've been to beaches before where people swear they're not needed and I wish I had them, and I've been to beaches where I've had them and not needed them. I'd rather the second occur because trying to find and buy them in my size can be difficult, especially in the Caribbean. Plus, they're generally fairly comfortable and stay on my feet better than flip flops.

6 hours ago, cruising with the family said:

We have cruised Carnival a lot, but not so much recently.  We are on a 5-night cruise on the Sunshine, leaving March 18, so I'm trying to be prepared (and not disappointed!).  I have read here and there about random changes.  I tried to search this forum but couldn't find anything specific that summarized the major changes over the last few years.  What I have seen:

 

1. No lobster on 5-nighters

2. Housekeeping is only once per day

3. Recent brunch menu changes?  just brunch?  or dinner too?

4. wifi package appears to be more expensive, as well as gratuities (and in stateroom bottled water delivery)

 

Anything else I should know?  

 

Thanks in advance!  We are excited!

 

You can still get lobster some nights, it's just an upcharge and is listed with the (supposedly) better quality steaks on the menu. 

Housekeeping is only once per day, however, with one fairly recent exception for me, the housekeeping staff are just as friendly as ever and will go above and beyond if you do end up needing something extra some days.

Menus have changed all over to various degrees. Open times for various things have also changed (ex: no more 24 hour pizza, ice cream, more limited hours on some of the included non-MDR dining venues, etc). 

Prices on most things have gone up in the last year or have added charges (personally I don't find most of these to be drastic, but some people have made a huge fuss about most of these): some excursions, gifts/food/drinks ordered to your stateroom, gratuities, some specialty dining, small charge per plate if you order more than 2 entrees in the MDR, etc.

Muster drill is still currently just a check in at your station and watch their 40 second demo on how to use a life jacket. (Super quick and easy - just find your station as soon as your board and get this out of the way).

They have pushed usage of the app a LOT recently, which means you pretty much need to carry your phone around with you the majority of the time - menus, activities, reservations, dining check in, etc. That said, the paper copies of the Fun Times to your stateroom are supposed to be coming back, and you can always get a paper copy from the coffee shop or at guest services. You can always ask for a paper menu in the dining rooms.

That's all I can think of right off the top of my head

Yes, they sell them onboard, but do keep an eye on the stateroom gifts section of your booking and the online shop someone posted because I have seen them there before as well.

Midnight on the date of your online check in, you can choose your port arrival time. Earliest will be 10 or 10:30, depending on the ship and port.

I've logged on at 10 am on the day of check in and have still been able to get 10:30 arrival appointments. Once I forgot about check in and about 10 days out I was still able to get 11am arrival.

I enjoy getting on the ship earlier, getting muster taken care of, and getting a little oriented with the ship before heading to get something to eat and/or drink and people watching until the cabin is ready, but like others have said, boarding is quicker and much less hectic later in the day. If you choose a later time (i.e. after 1:30 pm), your cabin will most likely be ready right when you board.

A group of friends and I did Alaska on Carnival Legend back in 2018 or 2019 and it was by far the best cruise we ever went on. Those cruises, on any line, tend to bring in more of the older, more mellow crowds due to the higher price points. It's highly unlikely you'll run into any of the rowdy party people who cause the fights you see.

And I'm going to pipe in too - even on the shorter cruises, I've never seen a fight break out and I've been on around a dozen or so cruises, with the majority being on Carnival and the majority being 4-5 day cruises.

Other companies tend to be more comprehensive, and you can include things like your airfare/travel to and from the cruise, anything you've booked separately yourself outside of Carnival. They tend to be less expensive and/or a better value than what the cruise line offers. If you go third party, just make sure that it specifically covers cruise vacations and covid related cancellations/expenses as not all regular policies do.

It depends on the ship - some only have a few seatings during the cruise, some have them nearly every night. Some have more limited seats. Some have a dedicated space for the event and some have to use the library, bar, or other public area that gets roped off for the 'private' event. Some don't schedule which night(s) you get until you're onboard. Some allow you to choose, some don't.

If you didn't get to choose it when you booked it, you can try asking once onboard to see if they can accommodate everyone for the same seating.

Maybe? A friend of mine brought a bottle of coffee creamer with her on our last cruise and it wasn't an issue. 

My guess is they would count it as a food item and not a beverage, but they didn't even bat an eye at her coffee creamer.

Yep. It's down. Give it 20 min or so and try again.

I was about to post the drink calculator, but mz-s beat me to it. 

For me personally, the packages aren't worth it because I rarely drink soda, and don't drink enough alcohol or 'fancy' drinks to make it worthwhile, especially on port heavy itineraries. But do take a look at the calculator and see if it works in your favor. 

Soft drinks will run about $3.50 a can, beer is generally $7-10ish a can/pint (might be higher - it's been awhile since I ordered one so someone may have to correct me on this), and most mixed drinks/shots/cocktails run $12-15. Specialty coffee runs about the same as you'd find at Starbucks. Plus automatic gratuities of 18%.

Personally, I pass on these kinds of tubs when traveling because I'm not confident they get cleaned and maintained properly and thoroughly on a regular basis. The junk I've seen come out of jetted tubs before during a regular cycle is 🤢

Yes, it's a wine.

9 minutes ago, icft said:

I take it you have never been to Fashion Week. 😉

No I have not, but have a friend who designs clothes who has been to and sent plenty of photos, so I know you see all kinds! There is a time and place for the barely-there clothing, and what's supposed to be a family-friendly Carnival cruise ain't it! I guarantee the swimsuit lady with the sheer cover up someone else mentioned was more covered than this woman was 😂