Hillbillygram

We have done this several times. The wine needs to be in your carryon bag when boarding the ship.

1 hour ago, Upinthehills said:

We're doing this cruise out of San Juan in March.  I know some people embark/debark in Barbados.  I'm wondering how the muster drill works, do we do it in San Juan and again in Barbados?  Do the people that board in Barbados or San Juan have separate muster drills?  How does this work?

 

I've never done this itinerary and I'm pretty excited.  

It's a great itinerary. We did the cruise in September, embarking in San Juan. We only had to do muster in San Juan.

6 minutes ago, wmwmarmstrong said:

It states a 16" x 20" canvas is included. Is it just the canvas that you would roll up and take home or is it framed?

 

I am worried about fitting in suitcase. Thanks in advance for replies.

 

Mary

It is rolled and given to you in a sturdy cylinder. We bought the package on our last cruise. We were very Happy with. Also, we had no problem bringing the tube with our canvas in it on board the plane.

We did that same itinerary in September but with Dominica added. Very busy cruise.

St. Thomas--Magen's Bay or Sapphire 🌴

Dominica--we did an island botanical tour

Barbados--we did the Atlantis Submarine

St. Lucia--Deep Sea Fishing

St. Kitts--We did Thenford Grey's Island Tour. It included a couple of hours at Shipwreck Beach

St. Maarten--Maho Beach

On 1/23/2019 at 12:00 PM, Panthers65 said:

Thank you everyone!

 

Would love to get down a day early, but we have 3 kids we'll be dropping off for school in the morning. We had plans to leave right after dropping the last one off at 8:30. Is 2 hours really not enough of a buffer for a 5 hour trip? 

 

One more question, I know carry-on and checked luggage is recomended, but I've also read the one of the big mistakes is overpacking. My wife and I are pretty simple on packing, what is y'alls recomendation here? I was thinking 1 large suitcase with 2-3 sets of clothes each, electronics and then a smaller roller carry-on with drinks, toilitries, bathing suits, wallets/ID and 1 change of clothes. Are there size limits for the carry-on like the airport, or whatever I want to drag with me? 

Are you driving down through Birmingham? If so, please note that I20/59 is closed through downtown for road construction, so you will have to detour on I459 around to 65 South. 459 and 65 both tend to have heavy traffic before the construction started and will be even more so now. If going that route, you will need to factor in more driving time to get to the port before they close it. If sail away is at 4, the terminal will close at 3.

Avoid Diamonds International like the plague! Stop your husband from participating in the hairy chest contest (he did come in third) but I was ready to file for a divorce when we got home. LOL.

11 hours ago, naxer said:

I'm on the Glory in three weeks.  

Was the cruise director low key or the center of it all?  (Had both, like both)

If you heard them, how was the rock band?

Are you going to be on the Journeys cruise?

13 hours ago, beshears said:

I have not read all your reviews, and this is just "ME" talking.  I don't get to "dress up to the 9's", as the expression goes, so this is my way to do it on formal nights.  It does not bother me if someone dresses down, as that is what they "want" to do.  Does it take "work" to dress up, YES!  I have cruised for over 25 years, and I always get compliments from "strangers" on the ship of how nice I look.  Just the compliments alone, makes me want to dress this way. 🙂

Same for hubby and I.

4 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

I bought a tux right after our first cruise.  I wear it on both nights.  On one night, i wear it with black vest and bow tie, on the second night, I buy whatever color my wife is wearing that night for the vest and regular tie.  I have never once felt out of place if no one else is dressed up.  In fact, sever times total strangers  will compliment me for dressing up in a tux.

 

Hubby wears his tux both nights also. I dress up also--And I mean dressy. We get many compliments on how we are dressed. We are going on a Journeys cruise next month, so we will be dressed up all 3 of the elegant nights.

5 hours ago, dadroy said:

My wife and I dress up out of choice.  I in a tux, both nights, and she in dressy dresses.  We do it because we enjoy it and feel it is appropriate.  Much the same as i wear a dark suit to funerals, others in shorts and wife beaters.  It doesn’t affect me either way, just the way i was brought up.  Same reasoning i do nit wear a robe to breakfast, just seems wrong to me.

Hubby and I are the same. We bought his tux years ago for our daughter's wedding. I own 2 formal gowns and 3 cocktail dresses. We dress up for each other and enjoy doing it.

9 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

We were on the Fascination in Sept. Lots of fancy, snazzy outfits on formal night 1... sequins, tuxedos, bow ties, etc. Formal night 2 most took it down a notch or two. Still saw suits and some evening wear but not as much as formal night 1 with the gowns, sparkles and tuxs. 

We were on the Fascination in September also. Hubby owns a tux and enjoys wearing it and I love to dress up also. We dressed up both elegant nights and though the majority weren't dressed formally, we were comfortable with the way we were dressed. It's a personal choice.

1 hour ago, Geargoesdown said:

Starting to get a little nervous!  I’m a government employee that’s working without pay and I have my final payment coming up shortly for our first B2B!  I already have the money set aside for the cruise but a little scared to pay it off as I have no idea how long this shutdown will last!  Sorry, end of rant.  Just been looking forward to this B2B for a long time and hate to cancel..

My husband is a retired Federal employee. We went through several government shutdowns but none this long. I know how difficult the uncertainty can be. So sorry this is happening.

On 1/15/2019 at 8:22 AM, helensobol said:

there is actually a utube video for that exact room.    

 

 

That's identical to U161 which we had in September.

3 minutes ago, Mysticalbama said:

thank you so much for checking that out for me. I have no idea about any of the area except for last year we stayed at Wyndham Baroone and left car parked under parking garage and I didn't worry about anything.

You're welcome. I am an Alabama native so always glad to help out a neighbor.

2 hours ago, Mysticalbama said:

I will be on May 5 Carnival Dream and noticed that is the time New Orleans is having a Jazz Fest, Room rates are ridiculous, so i went outside area and booked in Metairie. Has anyone else stayed there and how safe is it? I work for Wyndham resort and can get a great discount on rooms there. They will also let me park car there for cruise for free. I am just curious has anyone stayed in that area before.  

I just checked with someone I know from Metairie. Metairie is safer than NO but as with any large metropolitan area, there is going to be some crime. She advised to not leave any belongings in the car where they would be visible. Also, there is a lot of road repair/construction going on in that area so traffic is heavy and will be heavier while you are there because of the Jazz Festival. Hope you have a great time on your cruise.

3 hours ago, Bookster99 said:

Flying from Texas, ours was $1300. We used Carnival to book it, so we could pay off the airfare over time along with our cruise booking, so you might find cheaper rates out there. But by booking through Carnival, if a flight gets cancelled or delayed and we miss the ship, Carnival will get us to the next port to meet the ship.

So will buying cruise insurance outside of Carnival as far as flight delays/cancellations.

3 hours ago, Bookster99 said:

Flying from Texas, ours was $1300. We used Carnival to book it, so we could pay off the airfare over time along with our cruise booking, so you might find cheaper rates out there. But by booking through Carnival, if a flight gets cancelled or delayed and we miss the ship, Carnival will get us to the next port to meet the ship.

Wow!! We flew American from Knoxville for a total of around $800 round trip for the two of us. We booked in June before our cruise in September. We had planned to fly to San Juan on September 15. On the Wednesday before, we received a weather alert from AA due to Hurricane Florence and AA wasn't sure how the storm was going to affect our connection in Charlotte.

We had no time constraints, so we rebooked to fly on the 13th, no charge to change our flight plans. We flew to Philadelphia and then on to San Juan. So glad we did this as we basically extended our trip by almost 3 days. We had a wonderful time exploring Old San Juan on those days.

We were in Upper 161 on the Fascination in September. No notice of motion of the boat; wait times for the elevators were no more than 2 or 3 minutes at any time (we did 6 ports in 7 days). The only problem was a domestic dispute in the hall outside our room the last night on board. Security was called and that was taken care of quickly. Keep in mind we sailed a couple of days after Hurricane Florence came ashore so we were expecting some higher seas but we didn't notice that at any time.

15 hours ago, May1cruiser said:

Going on this itinerary in a few weeks. Have several carnival tours, but have cosol tours in St Lucia. If you do a search in ports of call in cruise critic you will learn a lot about each port. These are from cruisers from all lines, so they really have many insights.

 

I actually think this cruise will be a little tiring trying to see 5 ports in 7 days, so we may skip any big plans for St Thomas as we have been several times before. 

 

The others are more of the "best of" type tours to see as much as possible then plan for another trip to refine exactly what we liked the most of each port, then plan to revisit.

 

Cruises from San Juan are some of the least expensive in the Caribbean… 

 

 

We did this itinerary in September but with Dominica included!! 6 ports in 7 days! Tiring yes, but we loved it!  Hubby hates sea days, don't know what he is going to do next month when we have 4 sea days!

18 hours ago, Bookster99 said:

Hello! We are going on a 4th of July cruise on the Fascination to the following ports:

St. Thomas

St. Maarten

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

Barbados

 

We are perfectly happy walking around a nice shopping village, but some ports the shopping village isn't that unique and there is a must-do excursion. If you have been to these ports, how is the experience right off the ship? And what ports have an excursion that we don't want to miss?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

We did this same itinerary on the Fascination in September but with Dominica included.

St. Thomas--This was our second time there. First time, We went to Magen's Bay and then went up to Paradise Point. If you want to stay in the vicinity of the port, the walk to take the cable cars up to the point is an easy walk. The restaurant there is great! In September, we took a taxi to Sapphire Beach. It wasn't crowded; beautiful views; and the water was calm.  For shopping--there is tons of shopping available right As you get off the ship.

St. Maarten--Maho Beach definitely!!  Cruise terminal shopping wasn't great in my opinion. We will be back there next month, so this time I'm going into Phillipsburg to shop.

St. Kitts--we did Thenford Grey's Island Tour. One of our favorite excursions to date. Didn't do any shopping there.

St. Lucia--we went deep sea fishing And upon our return we took the water taxi over to Castries. There is an open air market there and a craft market. There are several little deli type cafes at the open air market. We had two heaping plates of assorted local foods and soft drinks for a total of $16 USD. We picked up a lot of great souvenirs at the craft market.

Barbados--We did the Atlantis Submarine excursion there. It was an experience I'll never forget. The cruise terminal offers a lot of shopping with a lot of variety. My favorite was the Best of Barbados shop there. Lots of unique items.

Enjoy your cruise!

5 minutes ago, helensobol said:

 

Crazy4Camping...  

 

Some cost effective tour suggestions: 

 

St Kitts - thenfordgrey  or royston tours always get great reviews.  Last time I was in St Kitts, I went ATVing which I wouldn't recommend. 

St. Marteen - Bernard tours are very popular.  Another fun option is to take the ferry to Pinnel Beach/Island 

Barbados - go to one of the many beach clubs. 

 

The shampoo and body wash is the same for all ships.  They don't give conditioner.  The quality is average at best.  If you are particular I would bring your own.   

 

 

Helensobol--We did Thenford Grey's tour on St. Kitts--the best excursion we have ever been on!! If we ever go back to St. Kitts, we would do it again.

14 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

So far, I plan to do the Kon-Tiki boat on St. Thomas, Beach Hopping Fun in Barbados, and maybe Party Bus in St. Kitts?  My husband and I are travelling with another couple that aren't as-hmmm-limber I guess would be a way to put it, so we aren't looking for hiking or strenuous things(although that would def be MY go-to).  Also trying to not spend too much!  Tours sound interesting but idk if the other ones would be bored-they've cruised several times before.

 

Also, I believe somewhere it was mentioned that there are shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers in the shower?  Is this true and is it good quality or should we def bring our own?

We did Thenford Grey's Island Tour on St.Kitts with Pastor Henry as our tour guide. We went to Romney Manor & Caribelle Boutique; Brimstone Fortress; Black Rock (where I got to hold a monkey); the spot where "Amazing Grace" was written; and Frigate Bay for beach time. It was the best excursion of our whole cruise. In St. Thomas, we took a taxi bus to Sapphire Beach--not as nice as Magen's Bay but hardly anyone there. Barbados we did the Atlantis Submarine--that was a second favorite. In Dominica, we did the Botanical Garden/Hisbicus Falls tour--informative but the bus had issues that had us questioning if we would get back to the ship alive. St. Lucia we went deep sea fishing. And St. Maarten We did the top ten through Carnival--it was a waste of money.

We always bring our own bath products--I don't care for hotel quality items for more than a night or two.

13 minutes ago, helensobol said:

 

I saw you said you brought wine and soda post initial boarding.    Could you tell me how that worked?  I thought you could only bring aboard when you initially boarded.   How did they know you didn't bring it twice?   That sounds like a better idea than lugging it with all of your luggage.   Thanks! 

Prior to our cruise, there was a great thread on here that discussed all the ends and outs on cruising out of San Juan. Due to the many posts on that thread, we learned that We could disembark to buy our sodas and wine. When we reboarded the ship, they had us send both cases of soda and our 2 bottles of wine through the scanner; no questions were asked and back on the ship we went. I know several people posted that they brought their drinks on board in their carry-ons; took those to their cabin; disembarked, bought more and got back on the ship with their "new" purchases without being stopped. We weren't that brave. There is Walgreens across from the cruise terminal also. Hubby and I had done price comparisons the day before and CVS was cheaper for the same items.

4 hours ago, bakersdozen12 said:

 

Journeys cruises are special cruises that Carnival does. They are longer in duration, and go to some ports that Carnival typically doesn’t go to. They also have special activities on board during these cruises like throwback themes, a extravagant midnight buffet, classes that you can take and earn collectible pins. I really want to do one someday, but due to the limited number of Journeys cruises offered each year, it seems that the dates never work out for me. Someday though! Very high on my bucket list. 

 

https://www.carnival.com/journeys.aspx

We are so looking forward to our Journeys cruise next month. As you said, it is longer than most of their cruises. We will be sailing out of Miami with 2 sea days before our first port of call of St. Croix with Guadeloupe, Barbados, Martinique, Antigua, St. Maarten, & Tortola to follow. Then 2 more sea days before arriving back in Miami.

1 minute ago, scpirate said:

They put it as a 18%delivery fee so you can still tip.carniv al doesn't mind double dipping especially at the steak house where gratuity is included.they will obviously work you for additional money.

True. I wonder how many people Will no longer tip now with the 18% "delivery fee" being added to their purchases?