luvtrips

On our last cruise, out of Long Beach, I had knee problems and was wearing a brace. I went to the customer support desk, bypassed the whole line of general passengers, and they accommodated me right away. I didn't stand in any line at all, and I got right on. The letter I received from Carnival, when I sent them an email to ask for help, stated that I should try to board early, between 10:30 and 11, and that would be the quickest.

It went very well, and an employee even asked if I would like a wheelchair to cross onto the ship. I didn't need it, but I was very well taken care of.

Thank you for your ideas...good ones to try. We're really not big on ordering room service, but then, we don't eat in our bedroom at home! :)

The only thing we've ever ordered was chocolate chip cookies one night on our last cruise. They came highly recommended on here, but I didn't like them very much. Hard and dry.

But if you like room service, I can't think of anything wrong with their menu.

Our honeymoon cruise 10 years ago on the Carnival Destiny. We were new to cruising and loved every minute.

Our port day in Dominica....Dominica had some negative reviews on here, but we booked a tour with Levi Baron, and it was one of the most memorable tours we have ever had. Crossing the swinging bridge and jumping into the freezing cold cave waters was a great adventure, and it was where some scenes of Pirates of the Carribbean was shot. Just loved it!

Here are two:

Cruising out of New York in Feb. Terrible mistake. Freezing cold for the first 2 days heading down to the Carribbean. Then a huge blizzard when we arrived back in NYC, the ship wouldn't even dock for several hours due to the winds. Then we had to disembark to our car which was in an uncovered parking garage on the top floor, and the ramp going down to the street was covered in ice and snow.

Second one...booking a cruiseline excursion. After we found out the local excursions were far cheaper, longer, less crowded, and just plain more fun, we never paid the big bucks for cruiseline excursions again. We always check CC and Tripadvisor for highly recommended and safe tour guides.

Just booked it for our Jan 31st sailing on the Breeze! Staying one night precruise.Thank you for the recommendation! It looks awesome.

We have the Breeze booked for Jan 31, 2015. Woohoo! It's a long wait, but in the meantime...we have a daughter graduating college in May, and getting married in Nov. A son graduating high school in May and entering the Airforce, in Nov. And another son getting married in June, that we have to fly to Md. for.

At least we'll be busy while we wait to cruise. This will be our TGIO cruise (thank goodness it's over), and we will officially be empty nesters for the first time!

I am so very excited, and I compulsively read CC boards, and check price drops. We'll be on the John Heald blogger's cruise, so I'm not expecting much in the way of price drops, but I always hope.

We booked a Spa cabin for the first time, to relax after all the kid events!

We sailed on our 7th cruise on the Imagination in Feb. I know what you mean about the cleaning of the tables in the Lido. This was the first cruise that I've seen this happen, but they tables were left dirty. It was hard to find a place to sit for the dirty tables. I noticed that other things were dirty as well. The glass walls on the decks overlooking the atrium. The chairs on the Serenity deck. Several things looked very dirty. I didnt' see the constant cleaning up that was on the other ships.

That being said, our room steward and waiters were friendly and we enjoyed our short 4 day cruise. It just wasn't as wonderful as longer cruises have been.

We'll be on the Breeze next Feb, so I hope things are cleaner, and I'm sure they will be.

I say don't judge all Carnival cruises by this one.

We did a 4 day Baja cruise in Feb. It was a great getaway. Have fun with the kids!

We've been on 7 cruises, and have our 8th booked. My hubby loves me because I consider it a game to see how much we don't spend! We don't buy pictures, don't gamble, and when we book shore excursions, we check tripadvisor and book the most recommended tour guides in the local ports, no carnival tours! I check the price drops regularly for the cruise I booked, and I've always had On board credits to use in the shops or for drinks. The only souvenier we buy is a magnet from the ship and a magnet from each port.

I have so much fun planning my savings, and we sail knowing we're not going into debt.

We do always tip generously, and feel great about our trip.

Have fun with your daughter, make lots of memories, take lots of pictures, enjoy the free beaches and all of the included things to do on the cruise.

Also....besides yard sales, like the previous poster mentioned...I sell unwanted things on Ebay. I even go to yard sales and buy things really cheap, a dollar or two, and sell them for what they are worth on Ebay. It's a great way to supplement your income.

Thank you, I just may upgrade to an Interior spa cabin, it would be half the price of a pass!

How do I book the thermo pool and sauna room on the spa, Carnival breeze? How much does it cost? Is there one price good for the whole week? I've sailed on other ships where the gym, whirlpool and sauna are included, but this seems different. I tried to look for it on their website, but I can't seem to get any answers. Thanks!

My husband's father died at the age of 42 when my hubby was 2 years old, of cancer. My hubby's mother lived to be 91, and died of Alzheimer's complications, and survived breast cancer twice. My hubby is diabetic, but no signs of cancer. He's now 58. Will he ever contract cancer or succumb to diabetes ? Will I die of something before him? We don't know. We married 10 years ago, and it's been the best 10 years of our lives. We've been on 7 cruises, our first one was our honeymoon. Many land vacations. We have 6 grown kids between us , and 9 grandchildren. He has a good job that he enjoys and will retire from in 8 years, Lord willing.

Just saying....no one knows. We live our time on this earth the best we are able, with what we are given. I hope you find a way to restore your Faith. Our time on this ball of dirt is short, but eternity is forever, new and healthy and free. That's what really counts.

Go and enjoy your cruise, and thank God you have the time and opportunity together.

Thanks everyone! Gonna make the most of it, even if it's chilly!

I'm attempting to pack for my 4 day cruise leaving in 2 days from Long Beach. Our stops are Catalina Island, which is supposed to be 60 with a chance of rain, and Ensenada, which is supposed to be 89 and gorgeous.

We have a sea day on Saturday, after Ensenada.

My question is....Do you think it will be warm enough on the sea day for shorts and t-shirts, or maybe colder like Long Beach's weather? I'm hoping for a nice warm sea day, but I have no clue what to expect.

Opinions, please!

I bought 5 miniature bottles of rum to spike up my fancy mixed drinks I will purchase onboard. I'm thinking that if I pack them in my make up case, which will be in my checked bag, it might go through ok.

I love buying the fancy drinks onboard, but to me, they just don't seem to have enough alcohol.

Do you think they will be confiscated, or suggestions for packing them, please?

Thank you!

Are the bloggers cruises once a year? How do I find out when the next ones will be?

We purchase one magnet of the ship for our souvenier. Then a magnet at each port.

We use on board credit for drinks. When we run out of free credit, we're done drinking. We bring on our allotted wine.

Other than that, tips are the only things on our account at the end.

Unfortunately, we purchased a wine tour in Ensenada thru Carnival. We never take the ships tours, always local ones, but I couldn't find a local one online.

If anyone knows of a good one, let me know, and I will try the Carnival tour refund guarantee out.

Thank you, and the tacos sound delicious!!!!!!

We're taking a 4 day trip in Feb. on Carnival. We booked the wine tour in Ensenada. We've never been to Ensenada, so I have a question or two.

Riviera del Pacifico sounds interesting for the remainder of the day. We thought we would take the wine tour, and either get dropped of at the ship for lunch and walk back into the shopping district, or get dropped at the shopping district directly from the wine tour.

How close is the Riviera to the shopping district, or to the ship? Can we grab a taxi to it from either? Has anyone been there, is it worth a look?

We don't sail from Ensenada until 8 pm, so we want to make the most of our visit.

thank you !!!

I was just posting my experience with the upgrade and customer service. I didn't have a question, or problem now.

I got my $50 obc back, and kept my original room.

Thanks for the snarky comments at the beginning of the post.

Thank you, Blk Amish, for responding intelligently.

This is why I don't post much on these forums, thanks for reminding me.

I originally booked the military rate for our 4 day cruise to Mexico. Carnival later offered a West Coast deal, with a $50 obc for two passengers, so I switched to that. I also went from an inside on Riviera to an inside on Upper. It was $35 more, but I got the credit, so I came out ahead $15.

But this morning, I checked my cruise, and it had dropped $20 per person. So I called. They said they could upgrade my room to a window, but they would take away my obc of $50. It was the exact same price online. She put me on hold, then came back with the offer. I told her no thank you, I'd rather keep my credit and stay put.

She replied " oh, I already changed you, now I'll have to put you back."

So she put me on hold for an even longer time, and returned me to my original room and OBC.

A total waste of 45 minutes.

Things I don't buy:

Photos... my hubby takes great pictures!

Casino....we don't gamble and the smoke smell kills us, anyway.

Carnival overpriced shore excursions...we either walk around and sightsee on our own, or use trolleys/busses when warranted, or just hang out on a beach and swim or snorkel, or book local port excursions. They are by far cheaper, longer, more fun. Check the port boards or tripadvisor for reputable tour guides.

Spa services. Enjoy the free whirlpools and saunas, and free unlimited sunshine. Also free gym.

Shopping in the gift shops. We only buy one suvenier magnet from the cruise and each port. Our fridge is full of our travels! Maybe a tshirt occasionally.

We drink moderately. Bring on our bottle of wine per person. We do enjoy a beer or fancy drink or two each day. Yep, it costs a bit, but we usually have some money on OBC from carefully watching price drops of our cruise to more than cover the drinks.

I like to prepay my tips just so I don't have the balance to pay at the end of the cruise. I never, ever, remove tips. Don't forget to keep some 1's available to tip room service, baggage handlers, and whatever.

Over all, on my sign and sail card, is just our drinks and magnet or tshirt.

Onboard credit always covers it just fine, so we rarely disembark with a bill to pay. Actually, it's a fun game I like to play.

I enjoy everything I want to, and don't spend on what I don't need to.

Just tailor it to fit what you find enjoyable, but make sure you have fun, it's your vacation, after all!

We always travel with syringes and diabetic insulin meds. We fly frequently, and have never, ever been questioned about the syringes. We keep them in an insulated lunch container, and just put it in the carryon.

We look like a pharmacy, with all the meds in there!

Also, the cruise ship always supplies a sharps box for disposals. Just ask your room steward when you arrive at your room.

We booked the Imagination for feb. 5th for our anniversary. So excited, we've never been to Catalina or Ensenada either.

Thank you so much for posting your review! I'm thoroughly enjoying it, we sail on the Freedom in 6 day!