jensplace

Our cruise is in 10 days and today they just cancelled Kotor and replaced it with Bar. Any recommendations on things to do in Bar?

Thanks everyone! You all confirmed my thoughts, I cannot do a B2B on my next scheduled cruise because it is out of Venice and I live in Texas. 🙂 Also, we do almost all of our cruises with Autism on the Seas as my son has autism, but this shorter one would have been an exception. 

I currently have 27 points and my next booked cruise is June 2023 on Explorer doing the Greek Isles. I have an ocean view balcony already booked on this one.

Is it worth the minimum $600 I would pay to do a brief cruise out of Galveston at a time I can get off work to get to Platinum? Are there significant benefits to bumping this level prior to my "big" cruise?

(I've looked at tons of Galveston itineraries and this is about the cheapest I can get an inside room for my son and I that works with my job. We live in North Texas so Galveston is the only port I can affordably get to without taking extra days off work.)

On 7/7/2022 at 6:52 PM, LeeW said:

On June 26 we arrived at noon.  Separate line for suites/pin/key.  All others got in a very long line.  Zigzag from terminal out to the end of the parking garage, then wrap back on left to the terminal entrance, then back out to the end of parking garage.  On first approach to terminal they pulled groups with kids that needed testing.  Everyone else looped back to the end of the zigzag.

 

Chaos?  Took about 20 minutes, and it looked like they were just starting processing when we arrive.

I was on that same sailing. Got the port at 10:20. On board before 11. So they definitely started processing prior to noon. The zig zag line was also long for us, but not as long and it moved fast.

If you don't care about frills and just want a place to lay your head, I stayed at the very low-budget Howard Johnson express on the island in March for $35. It was good for me because they allowed free parking for my car for the cruise, and I drove in the day before. We were able to explore the island a little bit and have dinner, then run a couple of quick errands at the Walmart prior to getting to the port at 11. I took a cab to the port and left my car parked for free.

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I was on the Valor just this past week (right after you) and the movie titles were listed in the app. Don't know if they fixed that glitch for the next cruise, but they were there!

It's more a sanity need. My son can function without a device, but everyone in the world is happier when he has one.

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Are there any power strip restrictions? I know I need to bring one (my son has autism, so lots of devices travel with us), but what makes one "approved"?

Thanks for the toiletry info.

I have searched all over Carnival's website and can't find this--half the links I get lead to error pages!

1. Are toiletries provided in the cabins? Shampoo, conditioner, soap?

2. I have read about bringing an "approved" power strip. What would make one approved? I have tons at home but I don't know which one to pack.

My 17 year old son with autism and I are cruising in March and I am torn on Progreso excursion ideas. Please tell me pros/cons.

First, we are booking through Carnival. I know I will pay more but the peace of mind in not having to worry about wrangling my son if things go wrong is worth the extra money, plus this is our first cruise and I would prefer to minimize any possibly anxiety-inducing situations.

Okay, that said, I think we want to go to the Dzibilchaltun ruins and I am considering the excursion that includes the Rodeo and buffet lunch. I like that it has the ability to swim in the cenote and a buffet included which will make it easier to feed my very picky eater. I think he will enjoy the rodeo as well.

Has anyone done this? Is it well-managed? My son loves to walk around so the extra time at the ruins seems like a good fit.

Other ideas? My son is cognitively impaired and will not enjoy any historical bus tours--he will likely just sleep on the buses.

That information was very helpful. I was planning on getting an international plan so I could use my son's Gizmo to find/page him if we get separated, but that info tells me it would be a waste of money, because the place I would need to find him is on the ship.

He is moderate to severely autistic and has limited language and is 17, so his Gizmo device wears like a watch but allows me to GPS track him on my phone and call him if needed.

Now I need to figure out some other way to track him in an emergency situation. I think our room is too close to the elevators (he LOVES elevators and will go up and down them without me frequently) for comfort.

Thanks, everyone!

Good to know about lemonade! And thanks for the tea bag tips--I have zillions of tea bags here so I can easily pack them.

We booked through Autism on the Seas so we are getting the private muster, priority boarding/leaving, and other perks.

I will check with the teen club to see how that works.

He is great in restaurants, and I picked the early seating for dining because that is when he is used to eating. Good to know we can just grab and go if we need to, though.

I think if I tell him he can't bring DVDs he will be OK--I have loaded several favorite movies to his iPad and watch those if needed, but I would prefer to push him a little out of his routine and try new things.

He has zero interest/knowledge in history--he has the cognition of a 4-5 year old. I would like zip-lining, so I will explore that with him. Not sure--he's not much of a thrillseeker. He would HATE the fish nibbling at his feet!

He will be 18 in April and "graduating" from high school in May, so this is kind of a birthday/senior trip (he will go to high school for three more years, but will walk at graduation with his peers).

Thanks for the link to the special needs board--I had no idea it existed!

Keep the ideas coming--I am loving the information!

So, I am taking my 17 year old son and we are going on our first cruise! Anyone here cruised with moderate functioning autism and have tips?

Can someone explain the non-alcoholic beverage options? My son drinks lemonade and water nearly exclusively, and I am a tea/coffee/water person. Not sure what kind of package we need?

He has a "watch" that is a cell phone that calls only me and allows me to GPS track him. If I allow him to go to the teen club, will I need to purchase an international phone plan for this tracking system to work?

He is moderately verbal, impulsive, and high energy. Any excursion ideas?

Edit: We are on a 5 day on the Valor out of Galveston. Going to Cozumel and somewhere else I keep forgetting.

Other things a first-timer with a lot on her plate needs to know? It will be just the two of us so I suspect he will be my perma-buddy 24/7. I did learn the teen club allows the kids to come and go at will, and he would definitely need a check in/out system for me to be comfortable.

He asked me if there were TVs and DVD players in the cabins. Are there DVD players?

Thanks in advance for any tips!