MistyRo76

We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Ybor city....it was walkable to alot of shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Nice location at the end of Ybor so it wasn't super noisy. They have a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a certain radius (I think 3 or 5 miles). We had them take us to a grocery store to buy wine and sodas to take onboard with us. Then it dropped us off for lunch somewhere in the area. We could have called it to come back and get us, but it wasn't a far walk to the hotel. It would also take you to the port - but we preferred to Lyft/Uber there since we had a large group and wanted to leave at a specific time. The fare for Lyft was only like $10 or so (if my memory serves me - it was three years ago!).

A couple questions/comments now that I'm caught up! Is it just me or do the tables/chairs in the main dining rooms on these newer ships look very cheap. I am getting like cafeteria vibes. I used to think the main dining rooms always looked very elegant! Maybe this is by design to make them less appealing and drive more traffic to the for-pay venues??? Is the LimeLight Lounge really as small as it appears in Patti's photos? It looks tiny - other than the Trivia and PG comedy shows you mentioned, what else is this space used for? I am digging those fun plates at Rudy's SeaGrill! I have always been a MDR gal (late seating FTW!), but not cause I don't enjoy trying other venues. On the contrary, we have occasionally eaten at the steakhouse and did the Chef's Table on our last cruise and loved it! But now seeing your detailed experiences at the Teppanyaki and SeaGrill, I'm thinking once I finally get on MG or one of her sister ships, I won't be dining at the MDR much at all! Can't wait to read about (and see) the rest of your journey!

As a kid who grew up on sodas and then became an adult totally addicted to them, we are striving to keep our kiddo off them as much as possible. I finally gave them up my self 2 and half years ago! So we don't keep them in the house at all. At home our daughter drinks milk, apple juice, lemonade and water mostly. We allow the occasional Sprite or something when we go out to dinner, at a special occasion or go on vacation. But she does love a good "kiddie cocktail" (i.e. Shirley Temple). On our second cruise with her when she was 3, I have the cutest picture of her sitting on a bar stool at the Blue Iguana bar drinking a kiddie cocktail with a tropical umbrella in it! lol I still don't think it would be worth it to buy Bubbles for her. We would probably just elect to bring on some Sprite for the cabin instead. Way cheaper!

I definitely plan on writing a trip report - In fact, I've started a Word Document detailing how the cruise came to be and our (my!) planning efforts. Second time on the Valor for me, but it's been years. But this will be our first sailing out of NOLA! So that will be a fun experience!

Man - Those sail-a-way pics have me totally aching to get back on a cruise ship again! Only 155 days to go!

YES! That would be amazing! 😁

They must be REALLY clean as three or four people have mentioned that on here! LOL

Well, now I'm REALLY intrigued! 🤪😜

I have never heard of Buc-ee's....what is this place? And what makes everyone rave about it? 🙂

Yay! You're back! I have some catching up to do on your review already...but luckily it's a slow work day! 😉🤪

Ok...THIS sounds amazing!

Definitely more personal...but I do wonder if Carnival saw a dramatic increase in the amount of tips their staff received once they were automatically added? I know not everyone would be disciplined enough to budget their cash to have enough left at the end of a cruise (my 21 year old self was unfortunately one of those people!).

I remember those envelopes, too! Being an unworldly, young traveler on my first cruise left us both somewhat ignorant of cruise tipping practices and we were also not very good at managing our vacation spending budget! When they introduced the auto tips, I was glad that at least the minimum would be taken care of for me off the top and then I could just add more as a saw fit!

That's for sure! I remember our first cruise in 1997 cost us around $700 per person for an interior cabin on the Riviera Deck for a 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Sensation. My last week long cruise was in 2017 on the Vista and for three of us (hubby, myself and our daughter) in a balcony cabin, we paid $1800. $100 less per person for a balcony on a brand new ship! Luckily, not long after my first cruise, I took a job working for an airline where I got free flights and also some pretty awesome travel industry cruise discounts! That helped me continue being able to afford cruising as a broke early 20-something!

So out of boredom today, I decided to click back to the last page on the Carnival Cruise Critic board (page 13000-something) with posts dating back to 2004. I was getting a kick out of seeing how much has changed in the world of Carnival and cruising in general since then....but also how much has not changed at all! So from scrolling through just a few pages, here are my observations: What's NOT the same: Bon Voyage Gifts - I vaguely remember those. You would (I think) get a letter about this and could call into Carnival 45 days prior to your cruise and then they would ask you some questions on your preferences and you'd have a little gift show up in your cabin. It was usually a bottle of champagne or wine, but others mentioned photo credits or chocolates. Guest Services was referred to then as the "Purser's Desk". Your cruise documents and luggage tags were mailed to you a few weeks before your cruise, which resulted in a lot of people posting about doing the Happy Doc Dance! Travelers checks were still very much used - but I haven't heard anyone mention traveler's checks in many years! There were lots of comments about how BAD the buffet was and no one should ever skip dinner in the main dining room in favor of the buffet. Avoid the buffet for dinner at ALL costs! lol The buffet seems to be a much more acceptable dinner alternative these days (esp. on ships without loads of other dining options). Lots of discussion about removing automated tips - not sure when the auto tips were first introduced, but there were many questions in 04 about removing them if they don't use the dining room, etc. I think now the auto gratuities are more of an accepted practice and I don't see as many people asking about removing them. The Paradise was still non-smoking - but was soon to be moving to Cali and beginning to allow it. The common methods for staying in contact with friends and family at that time were calling cards or calling collect. LOTS and LOTS of smuggling booze threads! (pre-Cheers, people had to do what they had to do!) What is still the same: The age old question on if Carnival is the "party ship" has been being asked for over 20 years - though now it's the Walmart of the Seas comparison that sticks the most. Are shorts/jeans/hats/insert article of clothing here appropriate for Formal Night (now called Elegant Night)? Upsell questions abound then and now John Heald - though then he was a regular, but very popular, Cruise Director, while today he joins the occasional special sailing and also serves as Carnival's Brand Ambassador. There were rumblings in 04 that Heald was retiring soon! Towel Animals and Dancing in the dining rooms! I started cruising in 1997 so it was fun to go back in time a bit and remember how it used to be. Other things I remember from my early cruises - Welcome Aboard Rum Swizzler Party in the casino - free "Rum Swizzlers" for an hour or so on the first evening, chocolate covered strawberries in my cabin, the mint chocolate on my pillow at night.

Does the Valor Red Frog Pub serve food? Loved the RFP food options when I sailed on the Vista a few years ago!

Agree 100% - And most of those "issues" are things being dealt with at home as well as on the high seas (i.e. supply chain issues. service staff shortages, mask/don't mask debates, etc.). So I'd much rather deal with them with a tropical drink in my hand, sitting on the Lido deck of a cruise ship than here in cold, rainy, Kentucky! 🙂 Though I will say - John H. did address the sewer issues on his page today and mentioned this most likely happens because people are bringing thinker ply TP or wet wipes onboard and disposing of them down the toilet - their systems are not meant to handle things other than what is provided by the cruiseline. And because the drainage systems in certain areas of a ship are connected, it can affect cabins other than the "offending" cabin. Wouldn't be ideal - but wouldn't ruin my cruise! Plenty of other places to potty on the ship! 🙂

Two of my favorite reviewers reviewing the same cruise! Yes! 🙂

Anxiously awaiting your next trip report! Eagar to hear about your time on the MG! Hope you are enjoying your cruise!

I've found that even if you tag all bags with Priority tags and drop them with the porter at the same time, it's a crapshoot on when it actually gets delivered. We've had our bags delivered an hour or more apart after dropping them off together.

How does pricing through Fly2Fun compare vs. booking airline on your own? What are the benefits for using Fly2Fun? I usually book my airlines on the day they become available to get the best possible pricing. And more and more, I'm finding myself booking one way trips for each direction as it's often cheaper. Living in Cincinnati, my preferred airline is Delta and I have the DL AMEX which gives me one free checked bag each time I fly (which more than pays for the annual fee!). But for example, for my upcoming cruise out of New Orleans, it was like $150-200 less expensive by purchasing my outbound flights on American Airlines (even with having to pay for potentially two checked bags) and returning on Delta. I worked for a major airline for 10 years starting back in the late 90's. Back then, one-way airline travel was taboo! It was actually a trigger for "random" extra security checks and it was usually way more expensive than round trip. But the times have changed for sure as that's no longer the case!

That's interesting - my husband has a beard and has a small pair of scissors in his beard care kit. He uses them to trim his beard which needs to be done every couple of days. I don't recall any issues with him bringing them in the past.

Group Travel | Carnival Cruise Line You would earn perks the more cabins you book - perks can include on-board credits, complimentary photo, and others. The group travel desk can assist!

We usually travel with larger groups (anywhere from 8-24), so for us it's easier to do a set dining time. Then those who want to show up and eat together show up (which most do...as it's our time to kind of hang out and share what we did during the day and enjoy some togetherness!) and if someone wants to do something different they can (buffet, steakhouse, etc.). But I like the later dining time. Gives us more time during the day to do what we want. Not so rushed getting to dinner!

Hi! Our cruise this October stays in Costa Maya until 10PM. Probably do a beach club during the day. What fun things are there to do in the evening in Costa Maya? Restaurants for dinner, bars for drinks, dancing? We’re up for anything!