In2why

Drinks are a lot cheaper in port as well. And if you do any all inclusive excursions you will be drinking as well. 7 day cruise, with 4 ports. I really don't understand how the Cheers program is a good deal from most people. Some people maybe, but I wouldn't want their liver :D

I would definitely pack warm in case of an unexpected cold snap. We didn't pack enough for a December 6 cruise and Florida hit below freezing. We each had one pair of pants on board. We froze and we spent money we didn't plan on to get hoodies.

Now I bring 2 sets of warmer clothes, just in case, so we can still be on deck at night.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I looked at the deck plans but I do not see smoking areas. I would assume based on my reading in the casino and nightclubs but where is it permitted on the open air decks. Not trying to get any arguments going, we are all adults and should be able to get along. Also do the ship's shops still sell cheap cigarettes or did they stop that too?

We don't do Cheers. Seven day cruise....four ports days. Really only 2 sea days since the others are half days. No way it would pay for us to use it unless we planned on getting completely drunk in the evenings to justify it. Plus beer is cheap in port. A bon voyage bottle, our bottles of wine, and cheap drinks in port. Nope can't see cheers being a better deal for us.

So you went to do laundry on day 4 of a 7 day cruise. GEEZ

Why would anyone care or find this strange? Better than putting wet or semi wet clothes in a bag to smell funny.

So you shouldn't fault an extremely rude childcare staff that paid no attention to your kids when they are being paid to do so? Yes, it IS a family vacation and that is why my kids were with me 80% of the time but to want a peaceful dinner and a little time to relax with my husband and older son on occasion is certainly not a crime, and is actually quite healthy for parents to do from time to time. I chose a cruise for my family for many reasons one of them being the childcare provided so we could have a little time to ourselves, people that don't understand that are usually not parents themselves or their kids are grown and they've forgot, I am with my kids all the time and me and my husband deserved that little break for what we paid on this cruise, camp staff was atrocious on the Dream and if you read any of the other responses you'd see others complained about it on dream too, never any camp issues on any other sailings.

I am with you on this 100%. Quite a few young children cry for a little bit when left in childcare situations. I know our little guy did when on the Legend. We would stay in the hallways where he couldn't see us, and within 5 minutes began playing with the other kids. The staff was excellent and never suggested we couldn't leave him, or made us feel strange about it. Why would they, it is a normal development milestone with kids to have some separation anxiety and someone good with kids distracts them and gets the kids involved in a fun activity. We would come back and watch Camp on the video monitor to make sure everything was okay in between dinner and the show. Part of the reason for choosing a cruise over a land vacation is camp carnival (and having someone else cook and make beds) If not for that, I would rent a beach house every vacation. I also do laundry when I am with my kids on board. I haven't sailed on the Dream, but glad the OP shared about Camp Carnival so others have an idea about it.

Belize is also one of my favorite places to visit. But it is different than other ports. That is why I like it. It isn't a place to just get off the ship and find a beautiful beach type of port. But all the others are so it gives a different feel. There are the ruins, although they take awhile to get to, or snorkeling and you have to prearrange those, but this is also a great place to decide to do nothing but people watch. Especially if you are going to 4 ports on a 7 day cruise. I don't like shopping usually, but love it in Belize. Wandering around people watching, going outside of the port and listening to music, haggling with vendors, having a beer, watching someone peel a fresh, cold papaya to snack on. So even if you decide not to plan an excursion, leave the kiddos onboard, take the tender and just go with the flow. I am going back in a couple of weeks and decided to take the money I would normally use on an excursion and do some Christmas shopping. The Fort Street flea market is great for that. I will also just soak in the flavor of the place.

Absolutely adorable if you are six year of age or younger. Ladies would coo on you all night long. Don't forget the mirrored sunglasses.

We are only in port from 7am-2pm which doesn't really translate to much time. Realistically I don't see me getting off the ship until 8-9am. Then we need to be back about noon. So I wouldn't pay a day fee for any inclusive beaches. I looked at Blue Kay, and if they offered the deal Mistygurl got with using the beach and paying for food and activities we would do it. But they list a daily fee to get in on their website. So are there any beaches we can use while just buying for and drinks? Maybe rent the bikes? Does Malecon have a boardwalk to just explore the area? And take a dip if we want and catch the trolley back?

Does Carnival still offer future cruises with deals while on a current cruise? Been a couple of years and I didn't see anything on boards recently.

I love the virgin drinks, I wish Carnival had a drink package that included them like Princess. It was just a little more than the soda package and you got all of the virgin drinks you wanted.

Maybe it just depends on the server but I got virgin drinks with my soda card on Legend. But we were a large group, so maybe it was because the servers knew we tipped well?

Carnival does not have formal nights. They designate a night for people to dress up, but it's to sell pictures and not enforced. Basically, you will sit next to a person wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap on the formal night.

True but the question was when.....not what to wear.

Based on what I have found based on the 7 day Western Carribean it will be on the Sea days. For western that means the second night and the last night. I think Eastern itinerary is the same.

Wow! I intended to see 9 of these and never did! How excited am I??

First time on a ship with a big screen. Can you actually hear and see the movie or are the people and activities distracting?

The rooms are adjoining. And your Mother is going to eat the cost. I don't see a problem. You set up his onboard charging or non charging privilege before you cruise. The only thing that absolutely needs to be on your sons card is his tips and you can add extra for him to spend or not. I would just add cash when you get on board. I assume that since he is your child your bookings are linked, so dining is not an issue. You print his boarding pass and you all check in and get your Sail and Sign cards. The doors between the adjoining cabins stay open and if you can you open the divider between balconies.

What would they do if the ship skipped that port because of the weather? That happens quite often due to the tender situation.

This is my favorite place to hang out, shop, and people watch. Once you leave the gates you walk right to get to the small lighthouse and the shopping at the flea markets and stalls is much less expensive then in the ports. If you go left there is another bunch of stalls and a bridge that leads towards town.

We had a group of over 20 people there for a vow renewal and we all ate well and the food was excellent. We didn't encounter any problems with food borne illnesses and everything seemed fresh. The area was gorgeous. My one issue and it was a big one. We got there really early and the employees at most of the beaches rake them in the am so they are clean. We actually found a used hypodermic with needle attached in the water. I now make everyone wear swimming shoes. This wasn't Nachi Cocoms issue since they can't control what others throw in the water but it is an issue.

I really didn't notice any large incline getting in and out of the water....it seemed slight to me. Of course we spend a lot of time in the Outer Banks where there really is an incline so that might be why I didn't notice.

I like the eat light or nibble versus a meal sometimes and the buffet area has plenty of snack options. There is fruit, a salad bar where you can get some cucumbers and ranch dressing. And of course dessert offerings.

I don't drink and always have a great time on Carnival. But there will be people on the cruise who are drinking. I think it depends on where you are hanging out that will depend on how much drinking they see onboard. For example don't sit next to the loud, partying group and then sniff because they are drinking. Same with smoking. If you walk up to someone smoking don't complain because you can smell smoke.

I do believe the point of this thread, but I might be off base here, is to ask OTHER people what THEY do, not asking what people suggest the OP do.

 

 

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Good point.

We do participate and we are not formal. The kids and hubby wear khaki pants and a button down dress shirt or polo shirt. We wear water shoes at the beach, after nearly stepping on a used syringe in Cozumel, and I buy the type that are like sandals with thick soles and cover their feet with cutouts in beige. They wear those with their khakis or their tennis shoes. The very first thing my boys do when we get on board is check out a basketball. They meet lots of other kids right away by doing that. So tennis shoes are a must. I wear a sundress or maxi skirt with a cute top and sandals. I bring quite a few long skirts because I wear them in port over my swim suit and they can be dressed up or down. The knit maxi skirts can even be converted into a dress and with heels can work at the club's on board.

Legal ramifications aside. When you want to push people around and throw belongings overboard , you have no idea how crazy an SOB the person you are about to screw with is .

Huge difference between giving things to a carnival employee or in a chair versus throwing them overboard. People who hurt or try to hurt people, go to jail. We are adults not little kids bullying each other on the playground.

My feet always swell by day 4-5 of our cruise. I am not sure why since I am average weight and pretty active while home, but they do. Our first cruise I had to buy a $40 pair of flip flops so I could have shoes that fit and were comfortable. So now I bring an extra pair a size larger than I normally wear. I also elevate my feet every night which helps a lot.

Who watches chairs or "times" other people? I don't.

 

When you come to the pool and drop your things off, you probably have a bag, towel, sunscreen, glasses, ect...like most people who are using the pool, right? I doubt you put one flip flop in the chair or one book or an orange to go swim. Those are the people hogging chairs and I move their junk to actually use the chair. (Actually we don't just move it, we hand it over to the bartender or the wait staff.)

 

Like I said in a previous post, you can always tell who's "saving" themselves a chair while they sleep the morning away or go play bingo but "might" want to swim later. My kids cruise with me and I need to watch them to make sure they are safe and/or not splashing other passengers, etc...

Yes yes yes. I don't wait a certain time. If I want a chair I take one of the many that are obviously being saved and not used. If they are rude enough to hold a chair with a towel or flip flop then I am not waiting with a stopwatch.

I know it seems like a simple choice but for me nothing is simple. haha

 

We work from home so formal, even semi formal gear is not in our wardrobe.

 

For me, formal night means extra clothes and different shoes for all four of us. That will mean more luggage and Delta charges $25 a case. I normally have four cases for the four of us. (packing light for me is an enigma!)

 

Buying new clothes costs money= money I would rather spend on excursions.

 

However, I don't want the rest of the family to miss out because I am being a prude!

So the only shoes you are bringing are flip flops? And the only clothes are shorts? I pack light but can't imagine only having flip flops and shorts for all of us. To save on weight we wear pants and wear closed toe comfy shoes and pack the much lighter flip flops.