Zeta3

I would definitely add NCL back onto the list. The larger ships sailing out of Miami are great for that age group. The entertainment and nightlife are great, food in all the venues is quality. If it were me I would probably be choosing between Carnival Vista and NCL Escape.

They can do anything an adult can do except drink so they can meet people the same way/places as any other adult. If they like music/dancing go the club, they can go to the casino, hang out at the pool. There really shouldn't be a problem. I can never understand the concern over this age group.

There is a publix on Biscayne ave not far from the ship. If you uber or lyft it should be a quick, cheap trip.

I hope you never go to a casino and win any money over $1200. Without showing a SS card, they won't pay you.

 

 

 

I have carried my SS card for the past 50+ years and have never lost it or had it stolen yet. It's like anything else, don't leave it laying around so that someone can steal it.

Absolutely not correct. I never carry my SS Card and i certainly got paid when I hit for $1500+ on the Betty Boop machine.

I have not seen a lot of lunchtime mac & cheese although with more ships adding BBQ places it may be more readily available. The deli will make a grilled cheese sandwich if that helps.

This is definitely not my favorite gift but honestly if you do a search on platinum gifts somebody has complained about every one of them. Not everybody is going to be happy with every gift they get. I am really not bothered with whatever the gift is, if I like it I keep it if not I find something to do with it. At first I was not even going to bring the game board home but then I heard of a local community center that was teaching chess to at-risk kids and they were thrilled to get the boards.

I got the tervis tumbler in yellow in July on the Sensation and was hoping to get another color in a few weeks on the Splendor. If I get these "lovely" visors instead it will not make or break my cruise experience.

My favorite and what I miss terribly is the chicken tikka wraps they used to have on the spirit class ships. I loved those things so much!

I was pleasantly surprised by the pillow comfort on Conquest a few weeks ago. I prefer to sleep with a lot of pillows - I use 4 at home and one of them is a full-length body pillow. I just need to be able to stack them in various areas to create a nest. and sometimes if my back is hurting I like to fold the big one up and put it under my knees. It just helps. My wife, fortunately, isn't so picky or pillow intensive so there's room for all mine.

 

I prefer a large, dense pillow. A big pillow that's all air or is so soft it just goes flat is useless to me. I like support under my neck.

 

So I was happy to find that the pillows, while not king-sized, were dense enough that when I put 2 of them together my neck and head stayed where I wanted and I stole my wife's second pillow for leaning on when I went sideways in bed. (I almost always start out on my back but then roll a quarter way over for the real sleep.)

 

 

It hadn't occurred to me I could ask for extra pillows though so I'm glad to read that above. Good to know for future cruises.

I do the exact and thing! So glad I am not alone in my pillow nest sleeping :)

How do you get to be in the special needs muster? I'm traveling with an infant and a school age child. It would be much easier to manage them.

The special needs muster is for people with special needs which require accommodation, not for traveling convenience. The room provided is usually quite small.

They have always had Diet Pepsi and diet Sierra Mist when I have been on board.

I did lap swimming on the Epic in the mornings, the pool is short for sure, but with the wave action/current it was usually a pretty good workout.

The LIFEJACKETS are for emergency use only...not for swimming in the pools! RCI has nothing for recreational use for kids! Bring a floaty vest or swim wings for the kiddos, if they need them.

The life jackets on carnival were for swimming and located on deck directly next to the pool. Completely different from the ones in the cabin. Different style and everything they had child through adult sizes available.

As far as I know, only Disney and RCI have kid's lifejackets for use in the pools.

Carnival also had them on the Sensation last month.

Last year we were on an eastern Caribbean cruise sandwiched between Danny and Erika. Our itinerary got all changed around but we had great weather and a great time anyway.

I've also been wondering about this. We're sailing with my parents (we're plat, this is their first Carnival cruise). We're driving to the port together. Is it really going to be that big of a deal if they disembark with us?

If they are not in your cabin and not platinum then no they should not debark with you. You however are welcome to debark with them during general debarkation.

I think your idea of renting a car and staying near MCO is s great idea we did that in March and it was very easy and convenient. I don't know that I would bother with trying to visit Disney during marathon weekend, but Sea World or the Orlando Eye complex would be good options.

I bring bars and Only Protein brand protein powder packet sticks. I like the sticks for longer excursions because they are easy to pack and carry and I can usually find a cold bottle of water to mix it with when trying to avoid the carby snacks that are typically offered/available.

Bumping this one up again. We are booking this hotel for next June. It will be 2 adults and 2 older teen sons. We will either have 2 full days in Miami or the full Friday. Any attractions that would be recommended?

 

We like most outdoor type activities, would South Beach be a good walk able activity? We are not big into shopping.

 

 

 

TIA for any ideas offered up.

 

 

 

Jules

There is a citi-bike rental kiosk right next to publix and the mpath/underline paved trail is right next to it. You could rent a bike and ride down to coral gables and do some sightseeing, have lunch or dinner then with ride or take the train back to Brickell.

We were fortunate enough to get to platinum under the old 10 cruise plan, we took three cruises one year to hit the goal. As of our most recent cruise we hit 75 sea days.

 

Id love to see carnival corp wide perks as well. I want to book on HA but don't want the dreaded blue card.

If you book HAL and let them know you have sailed Carnival before you will be considered a 1 star mariner not a complete newbie.

Pajamas and robes in the lido would have been a serious upgrade from the bare feet and bathing suits that were the normal outfit of the day/night for many on the Sensation

These are the ones we got last week on the Sensation.

They did not have the cards and our cabin was serviced twice a day.

Still the old menus.

Yes they have the self-serve kiosks. The first day the lines at guest services and kiosks in the atrium lobby were ridiculous. The kiosk next to the coffee shop was always far less busy.

We got the Tervis tumblers on the Sensation 6/30

You can use apps to request uber/lyft/taxi and rideguru can give you an idea of the pricing for each.