travelling_txgal

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I do have a few more questions (I know, I know but I am really trying to make a smart, informed decision). Can someone explain the "bid" process? I am not too familiar with that. I also don't like the idea of not being able to choose my room (something I have done with Carnival through an agent). 

Also, if I book a balcony, I get all the perks? what does that consist of? 

The things that are most important to us are first of all price (although this trip we have a little wiggle room thanks to some extra funds), room choice (have only balcony rooms and don't really want to get anything smaller), and extras such as onboard credits, priority boarding, etc. 

Thanks for the responses. We are considering a balcony or a suite. We received a quote on a balcony in the BX category (not sure what that is yet).

Another question, are there any hidden costs we should expect to incur? We know about gratuity, taxes, insurance, etc. I am meaning more along the lines of food and entertainment. Is it all inclusive or will we pay more for specialty restaurants and events?  

I am considering booking the Norwegian Getaway for March 2020. My previous experiences have been with Carnival so I am looking for the pros and cons of Norwegian. Are there any priority boarding options? What are some dos and don'ts of booking with them? I am doing my research but also like to get first hand accounts. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance. 

We used a resortforaday pass last week while in Ocho Rios. We were met at the port by the Jamaica Tours employees. A young lady checked everyone in on the list. Another staff person made sure to find out which resorts everyone was going to in order to coordinate transportation. Shortly after we boarded a bus and went to Jewel's Dunn's River Resort. On the bus the guide let us know the pick up time. We discussed this several times before exiting the bus. Once there, we were greeted, paid our balance, did a short orientation with the staff and then we were off to enjoy the resort. Resort was nice and quiet, adults only. Buffet was great.  Pick up was promptly at 2:30. We were back to the port with plenty of time to spare. 

We visited last week. The public "bus" (which is more like a van) waits near the port entrance, across from the shopping plaza and loads riders until it's filled. We rode, very tightly packed, to Seven Mile Beach via Calico Jack's. We were charged $6 pp. When we were ready to leave we walked outside of Calico Jack's and got on one of the many waiting buses. 

Agreed with above posters. We have made reservations in the past, as well as on our upcoming cruise, however, the steakhouse is never full. In my opinion, the food is good. It offers a nice atmosphere and break away from the MDR. 

I know that "ship time" is what counts but I have a question regarding ship time vs. local time and since numbers make my head hurt, I need a little help. 

We will be in Ocho Rios in February and have booked a resort day pass. The transfer time to return to the ship is stated as 2 hours before the ship's departure. Since the resort is on local time, would that mean we would still have 3 hours before departure according to ship time?

We are sailing out of Galveston which is 1 hour behind Ocho Rios. Our itinerary states we'll be in port from 8:00-4:00. So will we depart from the resort at 2:00 local time, which is 1:00 ship time or am I misunderstanding this whole thing? 

I am asking for planning purposes. We would like to do something else before we leave Jamaica and need to see if we would have time. This is was not an issue on our previous trips so anyone with experience who could help us figure it out, is greatly appreciated. 

Will also be sailing this year for the Super Bowl and I am excited for this as well. We usually have a big party for the game so this will be a nice way to spend the day doing something different. 

Yep. It's for all ages. We took our kids with us and enjoyed the NBA Finals last year. Plan to do the same this year for the Super Bowl. The sports bar is more BWW, less Bombshells. 😂

In my opinion it is worth it. We cruised with it the last few times and wouldn't go without it now, if we can avoid it. Simply because we love the idea of our room being ready and accessible upon boarding. I also like the priority boarding and tendering. There is also the separate line at Guest Services. 

I think it just depends on the cruise and FTTF availability. I booked a cruise in late 2017 for May 2018 and FTTF was immediately available. 

We booked our next cruise in June of 2018 for this February 2019 and FTTF was showing "sold out". I kept checking back and surprisingly it became available a few weeks ago. I booked it right away. It has stayed "available" for the last two weeks. 

It seems to be sheer luck on snagging FTTF when it's available. Keep checking and good luck. 

Definitely worth it. We cruised on the Valor last year and had an excellent experience in the Steakhouse. We booked it again for my birthday cruise on the Freedom in a few weeks. 

We spent the day at Paradise Beach and the wifi was pretty good. 

We visited in May. Got off the ship early and were among the first to arrive at PB. Had no problems securing spots on the beach. Stayed there for a few hours and it never was crowded. Moved over to the pool. Same situation.  As the day went on the crowd flowed in but never did it get uncomfortably crowded. 

53 days till Freedom! 

Any recommendations for shopping in Grand Cayman? We will be there in early February and plan to spend some time at Seven Mile Beach but would also like to spend a little time shopping. 

Based on your desires, Paradise Beach would work. We took a female only trip there in May and it was totally safe. The beach was relaxing but the water wasn't too appealing to me (others had no issues). Drinks and food was also decent. The pool area was really nice, better than the beach. 

Yep, a few weeks ago my daughter and I took a cab from the pier to Paradise Beach and back. Not one moment of concern or ever a feeling of being unsafe.

230 until Jamaica & Grand Cayman! The countdown began as soon as our last cruise ended.

Some people don't get off at all. Some people hang back and take their time getting off, which we do at certain ports and it is so much better than the rush.

Carnival allows one 12 pack per person. I was so happy we decided to do this. At first I didn't want to go through hassle of lugging the soda on board but they really came in handy and saved us some money on a drink package.

I have been back about 3 weeks now and we have already started planning our next trip. We are officially addicted. We learned a lot and came to realize lots of our anxiety was for nothing. Helpful tips:

1) You can never plan too much. We spent months researching, asking questions, making checklists, etc. and it all came in handy. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves by avoiding many first time mistakes. We came prepared.

2) Take advantage of all upgrades and perks available to you such as priority boarding. Definitely made embarkating and disembarking a lot less chaotic.

3) Your time or anytime dining is the way to go. We did not have to wait ever. We loved the flexibility of eating early or late based on our plans or mood.

4) Pay attention to the rules and announcements. They are there for a reason. When they tell you to bring your sign and sail card/passport off the ship, do it. I saw many people get turned around having to go back to their cabins, excursions delayed or missed due to small mistakes. When they tell you what you can't bring on the ship, listen. It can save time and money.

5) Be mindful of others, be kind and have fun. While we all have our own brand of fun, make sure you are watching your children, not offending others or being obnoxious. Cutting in line and being rude can put a damper on others good time.

I personally did not enjoy Paradise Beach. The pool area is nice, the food, great. We didn't enjoy the beach or the drinks. As for a 2 yr old, not sure how much fun the inflatables would be.

I agree. We were there 2 weeks ago and hardly could find anything above a 2X. We were told some items that were 3X, only to get them home and pass them out and find them to be too small. Best bet is to match it with an item you have.

It takes a day or two then they will send a confirmation of your reservation. We will be eating there on June 10. Anyone know if it is the old or new menu?

The menu online is current. We just got off the Valor yesterday. We ate at the Steakhouse Friday evening and we were not disappointed.It was an excellent experience.More food than we could finish. We ended up taking the rest of our entrees and dessert back to our cabin. The service was great. The dress code was not enforced as some diners wore very casual clothes (children were in shorts). I mention this in case you are wondering about dress code. Overall it was a wonderful experience and great value for the price. Enjoy!