Cruisegirl70

I am traveling to Princess Cay on the Carnival Freedom in September this year. Does the island have any free WIFI available? Or if I purchase the ships WIFI will it work for me when on the island? Thanks!

It is not a problem with kids eating dinner with us. I was just hoping we could have everyone at the same table. It is my kids and grandkids who are sailing with us.

I am leaving on the Carnival Paradise on 2/2/23 with a large family group. We have 10 adults, 3 children (10, 6, and 2). I was wondering if the dining tables will hold all of us. The two older kids will probably doing dinner with the kids club but I know we will probably want to eat dinner all together one night. Been on several cruises but never with this large of a group so I never really paid attention to table sizes. 

Thanks for everyone's help. I think for a variety of  reasons we will be going to Nachi as it best serves  our needs. 

I have read a lot about both places and torn between the two. However one of the determining factor will be if they serve beer in bottles? DH does not like draft bee. Does either place serve bottled beer? Also do you know if pools are heated? 

How can I tell what cruise promo I used when I originally booked a cruise? I may have to cancel or transfer to another cruise and I need to know the penalties based on the promo used. 

Following. I am going in February on a 4 day cruise. 

DH and I are set to go on the Sky in June for our anniversary which includes the drink package. We are stopping in Great Stirrup Cay and have a wave runner excursion booked early morning. I am also considering a small cabana as I do not do well with a lot of sun. I am concerned by the time we get off the waverunners any shaded areas and clamshells will be taken. 

However, I have a few questions:

1. How far are the small cabanas to the main areas, especially bathrooms and food/bar areas?

2) When and how do you select which cabana you want?

3) How does the $50 food/beverage credit work when our drinks are already included

Any other suggestions or input about the cabanas are helpful. We will be staying on the ship in Nassau so the splurge here would be nice I just want to make sure how it all works

On 4/11/2019 at 10:00 PM, Lee Cruiser said:

 

Just curious, what port were you at?

We sailed the Carnival Breeze out of Port Canaveral the first week of March. We went to Amber Cove, St Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk. It was our first time on this itinerary and we loved the ports and the ship. 

11 hours ago, ZuzusPetals said:

I'm a southern girl too and didn't want to invest in waterproof/warm boots I'll never wear again. I found a good selection on Amazon...some obviously better than others but all reasonably priced IMHO. Make sure to check all the details! I ended up with great looking ankle boots - waterproof, good tread on the bottom, laces for adjustments, "fur" insides and a removable fur insert - for $30 and with the % off (after season sale?) they were $20 with free shipping!  Hope you find something!

Can please share which boot you got? 

We recently came back from a cruise that did not tender but still found it to be of great value for the same reasons I see that traveling with an infant would add even more value.

Embarkation: From the time we were dropped off for the ship until we boarded the boat took about 15 minutes. We arrived at the port around 10:50 am and were in our room relaxing on our balcony before 11:30 am.  We skipped many lines. 

Debarkation: We were told to be in the lounge at 7:30. Had to wait with others maybe twenty minutes for the ship to be cleared but was in an area that was comfortable and they even had some pastries and juice set out. We go the clearance at about 7:45 am and was off the ship, found our luggage (did not do self-debarkation)., cleared customs, and boarding the van to take us back to our car by 8:05 am. Those who were not FTTF or diamond/platinum zones were not set to be called until 8:30 am. 

I know many people who did not have FTTF have stated on the boards they had small lines and waits but if it were me I would not want to take the chance with a little one whose patience level can be tricky.  Access to a room for one to take a nap or just to put down all the stuff you have to travel with, especially with a small one is a HUGE bonus. I have enough problems dealing with the patience level of my DH let alone any smaller children 😉 .  

I think we are just going to plan to take the children with us when in port. I think the Mom's will also feel better to have the kids near them as not sure how well they will do with strangers and them being farther away. But thanks for some of the suggestions. Any help with suggested excursions in Grand Cayman now would be helpful. I like the idea of  Chankanaab Park in Cozumel 

Does anyone have some good recommendations for family friendly excursions close to the ship and should they bring their car seats 

We have a cruise booked for September to Cozumel & Grand Cayman. Now some of my children and grandchildren are looking at traveling. The children will be 2 & 3 years old not potty trained at this time. I have read about the kids club programs but have a few questions.

1) Does the kids club let the kids stay on board if the kids are not potty-trained?

2) If we take them with us does anyone have some family-friendly suggestions for Cozumel & Grand Cayman

3) How does having car seats work when traveling to and from excursions, especially if ship sponsored or taxis? Do they require them? 

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

The caymans island time has a one hour different with Florida time. the ship will mostly like stay on Florida time and will not adjust to island time 

Is that an hour behind Florida time?

Just read your review. Loved it and we are booked on Carnival in June 2020 with close to the same itinerary. Do you remember the name of the company you used for the Victoria Whale watch? 

I got Titos from the fun shop that was delivered to our room when we first came onboard the Breeze a few weeks ago, and it seemed to be available at most bars we went to onboard. 

Has anyone had experience using the HUB app with a Metro PSC phone? I have ATT but my husband has Metro and want to pay the $5 so we can message each other but was not sure if Metro PSC lets you do this. I know he has had trouble with the phone not working when traveling out of the country before and was curious if anyone tried the app. 

Following 

Does anyone have recommendations for parking (besides the port) for a cruise out of Port Canaveral? We live in Orlando so don't really want to do a snooze and cruise package. 

Thanks this is very helpful.

I booked my cruise last summer and been watching fares which I noticed may be lower. I originally booked an ocean view but a few weeks later call and asked for a balcony which I paid the extra price. A few month later I got an upgrade offer for a spa balcony and I took it. But which price am I using to compare the original room, the balcony I asked to be moved to, or my upgraded one? I have never really been in this situation before and was confused. Also what happens if you have paid the cruise in full vs still paying off deposit? I have several cruises booked so I am watching multiple fares. I am thinking you still get the credit if paid in full but it becomes onboard credit???

Might want to check...  my Carnival cruise on Breeze in March just showed a whale watch tour for $124.99 was just added which is cheaper than others I have seen but does not have any reviews. 

On Carnival you can save 10% when you buy the AARP gift cards. You do not have to be 55 or a member to buy.

 

I recently bought 16 $500 gift cards for our family Alaska cruise in June of 2019. It cost $450 (plus postage) and 5,000 AARP points for a $500 Carnival gift card. Points are easy to earn. I used the gift cards to pay off the balance on three cabins and had $7.60 left over. I plan to buy more for service charges, pictures and excursions.

 

I learned about this from the "Cruise Critic" community.

Where did you go to purchase the AARP gift cards?

Just got an upsell from Balcony on Empress to Cloud 9 Spa Balcony for an extra $170 on 7 day Breeze sailing next March. Was considering as this will be a special cruise for DH and self. Is it worth it and should we pick Deck 11 or 12?