cdoncruise

We’re on the Legend right now. We left Norfolk on the 15th so I’ll share our experience. We actually stayed at the Hyatt Place Chesapeake on Sunday night! It was good value and was walkable to several eateries in the strip mall off the parking lot, which was a big plus. We paid $33 for a Lyft XL to the port from there. At the port: They had a section of the street in front of the port blocked off for taxi and Uber/Lyft drop-offs with staff and police directing traffic. We had to walk about half a block to give our bags to the porters. It was simple and quick and staff was there to direct us every step of the way. Enjoy your cruise!

I love the way you spun this into an extra educational experience for your son, that's a great way to justify the school absence😂 I forgot about the painting classes! And the barista who was not only a great barista but a great singer. The Spirit was very special. I'd love to sail her again❤️

I hope you like your Journeys cruise! We took our first one this spring and absolutely LOVED it. It was 16 days on the Spirit from Miami to Seattle. We booked our next Journeys cruise before we disembarked, we loved it so much. The crowd was experienced and not tightly wound, the vibe was amazing. We made friends. We got incredible Carnival (and general cruising) tips from all the Platinum and Diamond folks. And we were able to get to know the crew so well that when the crew put on a talent show toward the end of the cruise it was an incredibly personal and moving experience. I only went to a couple of the stage shows, so I don't know what (if anything) they repeated but I know they brought on several special acts throughout, I remember a magician specifically but there were others. We're more into the comedy. They rotated new comedians on throughout the cruise, and I think there were 6 or 7 different ones. Before the cruise, I'd been afraid I'd be bored, but the only time I cracked a book or watched any of the tv I'd downloaded was when I got stuck in the room with a 48-hour bug (not covid, I was tested by a poor med staffer in a hazmat suit!) I don't recall any repeated dinner menus, although some dishes were just slightly altered versions of previous offerings. There were many items I'd never seen before, and one day we had an expanded Indian buffet that was phenomenal. We'd been warned that fresh fruits and vegetables might disappear by the second week, but that didn't seem to be the case although that may have been because of our itinerary. We're doing a 12 day transatlantic next spring and I'm interested to see what happens with the food on that one. But to be honest, while it's always fine, we don't cruise Carnival for the food 😂 (We also booked a 14 day Princess cruise for next year. I think we're just long cruise people now.)

I'm loving the advice to cram the bag full and let it overflow🤣 These are the tips people need.

Thanks so much, @nwcruiselover, yes that does help! I'll just plan only laundering things that can be washed/dried on hot. I've got to make some hard packing choices😂 Well, I'm extremely jealous of your diamond status, that would certainly simplify the laundry issue. I don't know if the prices listed are correct, but their site says: 1 standard laundry bag (same day service) $15.00 USD 5 standard laundry bag (same day service) $50.00 USD

Hi! Longtime lurker, first time poster. My husband and I are fairly new cruisers taking our first long cruise in a few weeks (Spirit April 16 - May 2) and I’ve just realized we’re going to have our first experience with cruise laundry!😅 I have a couple of questions about Carnival’s laundry serivce and I’m hoping someone with lots of cruises under their belt could maybe help me out. Spirit has laundry machines, but I’d prefer to just use the laundry service. I’ve looked at Carnival’s website and see the prices and services listed but wondered how they all work exactly. I’ve tried to research the boards here but the only information I’ve gleaned is that 1) the laundry bags may have shrunk and 2) the wash-and-fold laundry is all washed/dried on high heat (good info to know!). Laundry questions: 1 - (Maybe my silliest question🙃) Is it possible to just request cold water for your bag of wash and fold? 2 - Has anyone used the more expensive “Wash and Press” option for individual items? And if so, do they follow label directions for care if you choose this option or is everything still washed on hot? 3 - Does anyone have experience with buying 5 laundry bags for $50, and more specifically, do you have to tell your steward you want that with your first bag, or could you opt into it later if you decide you need more laundry done?😂 Thanks to anyone who might have information of any sort for me—your help will be so much appreciated!