cccer

Did you realize this thread is almost four years old?

Probably not. Anyway I have had a couple free cruises from the casino and did get VIFP points.

In the past yes, you cannot anymore. You can prepurchase a 12 pack of bottles for about $4 to be delivered to your room.

You can still bring on a 12 pack of soda or non alcoholic beverage as long as it is in cans.

First time there we did the cave tubing with a private company. Butts Up, i believe. It was okay. Last year, we stayed on the ship. To me, Belize is not worth the tender. I'm sure others will think differently but that's what I think.

It's nice it came from the casino. We just rebooked our Lido balcony to a Havana Cabana. I looks like a really good room and the limited access to the pool is great.

Thanks for the great advise everyone. We booked the Springhill Suites in the Midtown area. It's a refundable rate so I can always find something else but it looks like it's in a good location so I'm thinking we will just stay with this one.

it's not a contest, seems like some on this board would drink something they hated as long as it was expensive

Well said. I like the package because I could try some things I normally would not but they were drinks that I wanted to try.

Most of the time I drink Miller Lite so those and a few Titos and Rock Stars can get me to my 15 throughout the day.

Hi Everyone,

We are going to be on the Horizon leaving July 23 and want to spend a few nights in New York before the cruise. Airfare is booked into LGA. I have done a lot of searching here and tripadvisor and there are a lot of options.

My wife and I would like to do the Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty and are looking for a good location convenient to attractions and good dining. We probably are not interested in public transportation so will Uber it around or take a cab. We used to live in Chicago so are not very worried about getting around a big city but just looking for a good location at a decent price. Looking at around $250 a night.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig

No pics but we stayed one deck above last year and felt it was a really good location. Close enough to the Lido but also close to dining and casino. If they are fans of Chinese food, I highly recommend Ji Ji's. Some of the best.

We cruised this past summer on the Freedom and really love the ship. I don't mind the newer, bigger ships but I really like the older, smaller ones. Everything was clean and the staff was great. I would sail on her again in a heartbeat.

Not sure anyone on this board can answer your question. They may tell you they keep cash tips or they share them but unless you actually have worked on a ship, you cannot know for sure.

Three sea days is great with me. We did a 10 day European last year on the Vista and had 9 port days. Had a great time but almost needed a vacation after the cruise to rest up.

1.5" ID should be fine for the in room ice. It is not chopped up like the lido ice. If I remember, it's like the ice they give you with a bucket of beer.

For me the Carnival steakhouse does not compare to Ruth Chris. I feel that the cuts of meat and sides are better at Ruth Chris. Of course this is probably different for everyone.

No PPV fights, I'm not even sure if they would show any of the fights PPV or not. I spent a lot of time in the sports bar last cruise and did not recall seeing any fights.

I will also be boarding in two weeks. Guess I need to bring a generator for my room, what size gasoline container will they allow? :D

Haha, they probably won't let you bring that on board since you can fill it with vodka.

I have gotten emails after my last three cruises with the survey. The survey came within a week after the last cruise. The other two were six months apart and I got the emails for the surveys on the same week so I am not sure when exactly they are sending them out.

That line is sometimes longer then the regular line.

If the line is longer, than just go into the other line. You have the option of going into either line so it's a win-win.

FB will probably be on in the sports bar. It is not like a regular sports bar where they can show different games on request. As 1025 mentioned, there will probably only be one game on and they will not be able to switch to games on request. Also, the game depends on the signal they are getting. I have seen some games where half the game was frozen with a bad signal. Good luck with the game.

My daughter-in-law's flight from PHL to Houston has been cancelled. for Sat on American Air. She wanted to see her sister who lives in Corpus Christie. Her sister says there is no gas. As of this afternoon there was limited Super Plus and lines were blocking traffic. Some school busses did not get children home until after 7 pm.

This story is not over yet, The worst may yet be to come.

Worst is yet to come? Of course flights are cancelled and there are long lines for gas and traffic is aweful but why would you thing worse things are coming based on this info?

We used to plan an excursion every port either through Carnival or privately. We still book privately but sometimes we just play it by ear. After about 15 cruises, we actually stayed on the ship for the first time when we were in port. We had a great time, the best part was no line at the Mongolian Wok.

That being said I have great memories of all of our ports and in my opinion guided tours are the best way to go.

Turn your phones off. It will be a better cruise. If someone really needs to get a hold of you, they can contact Carnival and get a hold of you.

Why is it that Carnival forces all folks staying in a room over 21 to purchase the Drink Package. That just does not seem fair. If you are with someone who does not drink or cannot drink, it is not fair that they must buy the package. I won't be doing another Carnival Cruise after the one I have coming up that is already booked.

Fair has got nothing to do with it. It's Carnival's rule, you can decide to follow it or chose another cruise line. I'm sure Carnival would rather have that room filled with two people drinking than just the one of you and they will have no problem filling that room.

I highly doubt they have run out of any food yet. They haven't even completed their seven days yet. Maybe Monday or Tuesday if they don't replenish but it looks like they are going to be doing that.

Not sure how insurance would help you. But they will have more than enough food for your cruise.

I think the offer is good for a few days after you book so if you want to use it, you should do it now.

Regarding non Carnival excursions, do your research. We have been on a bunch of cruises and like to book on our own. Cost is not always better but it is usually a better tour and less people.

So, I thought it would be interesting to hear what people who cruise regularly (I will let people self-define the concept of an experienced cruiser) do differently now, than when they first started cruising.

 

Some of the things that come to mind for us are:

 

1) Pack much less. We no longer bring all the gizmos and gadgets like pop up hampers and shoe organizers that so many cruisers feel the need to have and we have cut back the clothing and shoes too;

2) Plan less. I was so excited in the beginning to try all the activities, food venues etc. that I tried to cram it all in one cruise. It's like Disney - can't be done;

3) Book private shore excursions. I was so afraid at first but for most ports, we are good with private vendors that have been properly researched;

4) Enjoy more specialty restaurants as they really are outstanding.

5) Relax more and value sea days. I'm a port person, but now that I pretty much have been most everywhere Carnival sails, it's enough to simply be cruising.

 

I'll open the floor now for others....:D

I agree with all of your ideas except the specialty restaurants. I loved the Italian restaurant for dinner and last summer on the Vista we loved JiJis. My issue is with the steakhouse, don't get me wrong, it is an awesome meal but just way to much food and I have a hard time knowing when I should stop eating. I can't have all of that food and leave room for beer. Maybe I'll try the steakhouse again and find something else to drink.