skewsus

I encourage you to download the Carnival Hub app. As long as your phone is in Airplane mode, you can use the ship’s WiFi to keep the app open for free. You will be able to see maps of the ship, menus, hours for dining areas and list of shows and times that you can set alerts for so you don’t miss anything. 

Enjoy!!!

Out of all the Caribbean ports, Ocho Rios is my least favorite because I've experienced more offers for drugs there than any other port. and many vendors are much more aggressive in their sales and will pretty much tell you anything to get you to book with them. I cruise a lot and there are many ports where I feel comfortable by myself. If you are content to stay in the immediate port area then you should be fine in Ocho Rios. If not then either book a tour or hook up with some tablemates who also want to explore the town. When you are out and about always keep in eye out for other tourists and if you notice there are not any others then you need to head back to the populated area.

Just purchased $500.00 Carnival gift cards from AARP at 10:30 PM EST! Yippee Skippee

664.00 ocean view cabin

119.53 taxes, port charges

783.53 total per person.

$50.00 on board credit

2 in cabin x 6 nights western Carrib

Booked in October 2016, sail 3-5-17

What are they and how do you get them??

http://www.plane2port.com/10-off-carnival-gift-cards-on-aarp-org/

Thank you!

I'm looking for a beach with chair and umbrella rentals, off the beach snorkeling and some local eats. I love island music but prefer to be away from blaring rap. (Our last trip to our perfect beach was kind of dampened by extremely loud rap that was mostly just foul language and it really took away from the beauty of the island!)

If you can make some suggestions on where I should ask the taxi to drop us off, I'd really appreciate it! Also, should we pre arrange taxi back to the ship or is it pretty easy to locate a taxi at the beach? There will be one in our group who is not able to walk a long distance so figure the bus would not be an option for us!!!

Thanks for any hints!

My guess is that Carnival wants to make every penny they can and by banning decorations from home they will sell more from their shop.

FYI, schools are the same here in FL so I would imagine that any board backgrounds or decor to hang in the classroom would also be appropriate for the door!

Lucky you! Maybe the casino fairy will bless you In the casino too!

Enjoy the balcony!

We have sailed on about 25 cruises, various lines and only once was I offered an upsell that was a deal to me! That was on Holland America, $100.00 extra total to go from inside to a balcony. So happy that we received that because HAL is not our cup of tea. We thought we were "more mature" but about 66% of the cruisers were either utilizing a walker, wheelchair or scooter!!!

We mostly sail in an ocean view. Occasionally we have asked about the price for upgrading our room once we arrive at embarkation. We've been offered a balcony for $200. extra per person but never wanted to pay that much extra.

Have received numerous upswell calls but never been offered a bargain!!!

http://www.plane2port.com/10-off-carnival-gift-cards-on-aarp-org/

Click on the link and follow the instructions. Quizzes are quick and easy and you can earn points very quickly!

If you follow the directions you will end up on a page with options to earn or redeem points.

Once you purchase the cards you will receive a verification email. Then you will receive actual plastic gift cards in the mail. I purchased $500. 4 days in a row and received two envelopes one day and two the next, about 5 days after the purchase. The max per day was $500. But they did not limit my purchases the following days.

Very easy and some of the quizzes are actually fun.

They are also currently selling RCCL.

Good luck.

I can't find them, can you share the link, or give me more details? Thanks

AARP.org. Rewards for Good

$500. And $100. Are available on AARP now.

What a wonderful way to pay tribute to Kieron. I feel your loss and wish you peace.

We use a Southwest credit card for everything, groceries, medical, whatever. In doing this we earn sky miles. Also generally just for joining you are awarded enough points for one US trip. We have flown for free on multiple occasions. For hotels we book through Hotel.com Tenth night booked is free. I have never had any bad experiences as I have with Expedia and Orbitz. You do have to watch for rates. Just like cruises, they go up and down. Recently stayed at a 5 star luxury hotel in San Francisco for $180.00! It was the epitome of luxury. Since I am also the planner I cross reference pricing directly with the hotel site. I book at Embassey Suites and Hampton Inns mostly and my reservations are held by my credit card. I have the option of canceling without fee right up to the night before. This really was important to me during a recent CA trip because we weren't always positive if we wanted more time in certain areas.

Also if you log onto AARP they frequently sell Carnival gift cards for 10% off. The last one just ended last week and currently they are selling RCCL. You do not have to join AARP but you do have to register. You earn points for registering and for taking fun quizzes. The topics range from financial planning to romance, memory, etc. They also have discounts for Hotels.com. $50.00 off of 2 bookings. You have to pay with points and money. You can sign up for Uber and get $20.00 off of your first ride. That only costs 2000 points and 59 cents for the shipping of the code. Instead of a taxi consider Uber. So much quicker and cheaper. For 6 people you would have to book Uber Ultra, as they utilize only large Suburban type vehicles or vans.

http://www.aarp.org/rewards-for-good

We never book excursions through the cruise lines as not only are they much more expensive but the groups are huge. Carnival's excursion to Stingray Island isn't that much more than private excursions. However it's so much nicer to be in a group of 5 to 25 than a group of 75. The private companies make their living by returning the passengers back to the ship on time. Do not fear being late back to the boat. Those companies are very aware of these sites and strive to give a high level of service. Do your research and you will see the companies that people rave about.

You can only take packaged food off of the ship. Individual wrapped granola bars, almonds etc. Many people suggest that you take zip locks and pack sandwiches for a picnic but it is illegal to carry food off of the ship. They are very strict about the fruit.

And lastly, do not fret about only having so many years with your kids before they move out on their own. Trust me, all you will need to do is mention to them that you are planning a cruise and they will make themselves available!!!

Enjoy your cruise!

What a great deal! I will have to give this a go, do you know if they do other cruise lines besides Carnival?

They currently are selling Royal Carribean gift cards. $100. and $500.

We also took the Journey cruise last year to the southern Caribbean and did 9 ports in 11 days. Best cruise ever!!! Just plan ahead of time. Pick the best snorkeling port, the safest zip line port, etc. if you have a plan and pre purchase your excursions ahead of time all you have to do is look in your handy dandy notebook and see what the next day's plan is and dress accordingly!!! Use Trip Advisor and other resources for locating reputable tour agents.

My notebook holds page protectors with each day/port listed. Inside I place any excursion tickets, free drink tickets printed off of island bar's websites, etc. Since we cruised with elderly first time cruisers I printed out the day's itinerary and included what to wear and how much money to bring. (Some tours include a lunch and some didn't.)

Vacation planning is work but once the planning is over you are rewarded with a stress free vacay!!!

No, Pippi, I don't. I can tell you that right now they aren't offering any other lines but this is the first time I've used this site. Maybe someone who has purchased from this site before can tell us what their experience has been.

Sure would be nice if they offered gift cards for other lines!!

Just purchased gift cards from AARP this week, saving 10%. You can only buy $500. Per day so I purchased them 4 days in a row. Each day I feared that they would've sold out but they never were. You don't have to be a certain age or even a member of AARP. You will have to take short quizzes and accumulate points as each purchase also requires points. Quiz topics range from romance to diabetes. All are short and even if you answer incorrectly you receive the points!!

Quickest way I've ever saved $200.00 off a cruise!!!!

http://www.plane2port.com/10-off-carnival-gift-cards-on-aarp-org/

You can decorate your room however you want as long as you don't leave any residue from your adhesive etc. I've never used anything that caused discoloration but I'd listen to the others. I have always done my own thing and never purchased decorations from the cruise lines. I usually buy a pack of the dangles that hang from the ceiling and cascade down. Cabins ceilings are not very high so they have to be strategically placed. I always decorate the door with lightweight items. I am a scrapbooker so have access to many patterns from my machines.

It's nice to have the cabin personalized and festive. There are many on these boards who will criticize the idea and wonder why anyone would even consider such a thing as decorating their cabin but for me it's fun and makes me and my family happy.

I always remove all decorative items from the room the last night of the cruise and make sure no extra work is created for my steward. Sometimes I leave the items behind, layed over the garbage can so if the steward wants them he or she can take them. I started doing this after a steward asked if she could have them as her best friend was going to be celebrating a birthday soon.

Get creative and have fun!

I would love to sail with your Mom! She sounds like she is a hoot! Enjoy your cruise!

It's a good thing! Enjoy!!!!

Thanks, I've got it now!!!

I can't locate anywhere in the link where Carnival gift cards can be purchased. Typing it in search just leads me to unrelated gift card purchasing sites. Please help. Thank you!!!

He or she needs a supervisor's authorization but I have had it waived before and I switched ships and dates for two cabins. Time to see how good your PVP is!!!

I have cruised many, many times but have only taken the time once to write a review. It took a lot of time and was not nearly as in depth as your review.

I appreciate the time and effort that you have spent on completing this very thorough rview and agree with the other poster that you possess the talent required to write a blog! Thank you for sharing with all of us!

I run to the cabin for something and don't make a single wrong turn on the way there or the way back!