simplelife

On 5/1/2024 at 6:45 AM, sparks1093 said:

They might seem understaffed but in reality there are only so many bodies that can move around back there efficiently. With the number of customers they are serving they most definitely have to hustle and I rarely waited more than 5 minutes at the bar for a drink last week, even when they were busy.

Some of the bars on our last couple of cruises were definitely understaffed; These were ships we had been on before and knew that bars that had only one person this time had 2 or 3 before. Wait time was more like 15 minutes.

If you switch to get the drink package for the two of you instead of all of you, won"t you lose the casino offer for the 2nd room?

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

Sure, you can.  You are just paying the same amount.  

This

We use Park-n-cruise on Merritt Island

On 4/29/2024 at 8:44 AM, yucky007 said:

Thanks! That's really good to know. We used to tip cash but if they're already adding a couple dollars automatically I'm not sure what to do. It feels wrong not to tip, but if it's already being deducted.... What do most folks do nowadays?

We generally do not tip extra. If the bartender is particularly helpful or is hustling (seems to be the case more now, as bars seem understaffed) we will add an extra dollar amount to the slip. Sometimes we will give extra cash on the last night to a bartender who had been outstanding

Wondering about this also

Underwear and socks, T shirts and cotton shorts, pajamas. 

On 3/27/2024 at 3:42 PM, Saint Greg said:

 

Which hotel are you looking at? Hilton Riverside?

Great location for both exploring  the city and accessing the port, 

Though you cannot get a non-refundable deposit credited back to you, you usually can have it applied to a different Itinerary. 

On 4/2/2024 at 11:26 AM, angelsfort said:

 

Unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way...  we had Set time dining on our last cruise and were the only ones at our table (of 10 people, 5 couples) that arrived on time every night.  

Carnival used to enforce the policy that diners would not be seated more than 15 minutes past the set time. On two nights during our recent 5 day cruise, a couple was seated a full 30 minutes late and our servers had to scramble to serve them. 

Early June works well too; many schools are still in session then too,

14 hours ago, aaa77 said:

I gave up, why would they called Portside if they didn't always dock that side? I always booked portside, but never knew which side Princess docked.

Port means left when facing forward (as opposed to starboard on the right).

2 hours ago, bafinegan said:

We have done 4 cruises on the Elation ( and several on other fantasy class ships)  because Jacksonville port is only 4 hours from us.  We LOVE the Elation I( and the Fantasy class in general).  Love the smaller feel.  Only thing missing is a steak house.  Try and get a cabin on deck 9.  We had a cabin there on our 2/5/2024 cruise.  It is so convenient to EVERYTHING.

 

We love the Elation also. On our recent sailing we had a cabin on deck 9 and loved it, Just steps from the Serenity Deck and Alchemy Bar. Java Blue, Casino, and Entertainment on the same floor, Lido one deck up. Dining room one floor down, 

14 hours ago, Jayhoaps said:

Hello everyone, never sailed on Carnival before so I just had some questions regarding the Carnival Hub APP.

When on board the ship, when I use the app, will it provide dinner menus, and itinerary of the ship? Can I access the fun times on the app? Also can I access the map of the ship as well? Any guidance or feedback on this manner would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance at this time.

Yes to all. You can also use it to chat with anyone on the ship who has activated the chat app {$5 for whole cruise). You will make your dining reservations with it and schedule your debarkation time. You can review your S & S account in real time as well as your casino account.

7 hours ago, vwgolf2 said:

I see there is a $23 dollar supplement for the steakhouse meals. As a general question, are these worth the extra cost? We usually visit one of the specialist restaurants on each cruise we go on but wonder if it's just as good to pay the supplement for the MDR steaks?

To me it's not worth the upcharge.

We go to our muster station as soon as we board. We never waited in line since the new program was instituted. If several people get there at once, they do the demonstration for the group, scan your cards, and you are free to go.

The cakes look better than they taste

On 2/25/2024 at 2:13 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

They don't lock the access doors; that would be a huge safety issue.  But they are closed and pretty heavy to open.

 

There is a sign on them saying (I'm  paraphrasing) stay out; rooms will be ready at whatever time (usually 1:30).  If you have priority and are eligible to drop off your bags before then, you should already gotten an email to the effect telling you that you can drop off your bags early.  But the signs themselves no longer mention those exceptions to the rule.

We are platinum this cruise and embark in 3 days, but have not  received an e-mail

Turning Platinum on our Elation cruise which embarks in 3 days.

On 3/5/2024 at 8:46 AM, grimpil said:

We are just off the Venezia (30 days) and our experience in the piano bar was more like karaoke. We heard Dara sing one song, then some guy wanted to sing... i think she was being polite so she allowed him a song then his girlfriend? wanted to sing a song then Dara took a break. The table with the wannabe singers monopolized the waitress for about 20 min, couldn't get an order in and it was very warm in piano bar. We didn't last very long. Went to try a couple other times but the usual fun vibe wasn't there. Disappointed as i had researched her prior to the cruise and she has some great songs/clips on social media

We had a similar experience on our recent Paradise cruise, The piano bar just became another karaoke venue,

2 minutes ago, babygrljaz said:

I took my full size bottle in late January on the Jubilee with no problem 🤷‍♀️ I wonder if the air freshener too. We NEED that for the restroom

Brind a solid air freshener

Was looking at airline bookings this week. The various rates were accompanied by an offer to "upgrade to X class for $Y". I have seen similar notice on hotel rates _"upgrade to suite for $$", I've gotten such emails with upgrade offer on rooms I've already booked.  If the term "upgrade" always meant it was free, what is the need for the term "free upgrade"?

It's a tradition for DH and I to split a Guy's burger and some fries for lunch after boarding, We were on Sunshine in September and Paradise in January and found the burger to begood as usual. We liked the fries, too. We'll be on Elation on Saturday and plan to continue our tradition.

On 11/9/2022 at 9:42 AM, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

When we cruise out of Jacksonville, we stay around Brunswick GA or Kingsland GA. We can get a room there and drive to the port and pay for parking for close to the same price as a park and cruise hotel in Jacksonville. The plus side is that the car is in a secure lot and we are not waiting for a shuttle, taxi, or ride share.

We do the same.

We are staying in Kingsland, Ga which is about 35 minutes form port,