Essiesmom

If you decide to do the train, a few hints. Half of the tour is in buses, small ones painted to match the train cars. They go in order. The early group will do the train first, then the bus part. There is one bus for each car, and they go in order. I did the afternoon, bus first. I was in the back of the group, so got the last bus…which meant I was in the last car on the train. Great views! The cars are two levels with tables and chairs and a restroom on the lower level, enclosed. Upstairs is open with a canopy. I loved being in the very back. The train moves very slowly, very narrow gauge with some sway, and I suspect if they went faster the sway would increase and cause it to derail. EM

They did that last year, gets back just as the world cruise is starting. But I don’t see it for next year. EM

The specs say 23” wide. Looks like it folds up so it could have been taken into the cabin. EM

Nope, no ‘art’ auctions. EM

Problem was that even using the tongs, it was hard to get one out Intact, more like 1+…

I don’t have to go to the shows for great entertainment. It’s people watching. You’d be amazed what people do, wear (almost) and don’t wear…. EM

You would have to pull out the bed and see where that lamp is plugged in, and if the cord is long enough to reach to the other side of the bed. Otherwise you would have to unplug it and do without. I think the lamps are attached to the nightstands. EM

I have never known Carnival to give out anything but the side view plans, which I find annoying. I go to cruisedeckplans, go to the lower right and create a pdf of the decks I want, five per page. EM

Our family have always been train people, so when I visited St. Kitty I did the sugar train and tour. But maybe not everyone in your group wants to do the same thing. Perhaps one of you could take the older kids on one excursion, and the other take the youngest. Or some other combination. As for me, on my first visit to a port I try to take a tour that gives me an overview of history and geography. EM

I have an excellent travel agent that I seldom use. Why? Because I can do most of it myself. Ut if I am out of my depth, I will call her. She worked/works for a brick and mortar agency that is part of a consortium. They specialize in high end cruises. I can book my own Carnival, Celebrity, HAL, MSC, Princess…you get the idea. It when I saw a bargain fare on Crystal, I called her. And when we were going to try Wind Star, I called her. Only once have I got a small OBC, and a specialty meal. But when she was invaluable was when I booked an odyssey of travel. We started our travel going cross country on Amtrak, to San Diego. When we went to check into the cruise, my sister could not find her credit cards. We were starting with a Panama Canal cruise to FLL, continuing Harwich, with two more to follow. Calling home, her daughters found her card holder with cards on the floor of her car, where it had fallen from her purse. The TA arranged for us to send the cards to the Celebrity luggage facility in FL, under the guise of medication (they wouldn’t accept responsibility for the credit cards). And a limo to pick us up at FLL, take us to the office and bring us back to the ship. When I cruised on a line that she didn’t have much or any experience with, I would collect the dailies and menus and take them to her when I returned so that if any clients asked about them, she had something in her files to refer to. When you call a new agency, you should interview them to see what their cruise experience is. EM

Look for the sticky buns on the Seaside buffet. I’m hoping they have them on Seashore. EM

Sometimes the order depends on the itinerary. There will always be a white night, and it seems to be the Italian night in the MDR. There is a live thread from the Bermuda itinerary now, and others have done another itinerary. Can’t remember which one @JamieLogicaldid. EM

Nothing yet on either for my Dec. 10 cruise. EM

Same for Aurea.

They do t put enough sauce on the eggs…

Have you looked at the possible storm track? Doesn’t appear it will go anywhere near the Bahamas, might even miss our east coast. EM

If you go relatively early, try to go all the way to the rear/aft where it might not be so crowded. EM

Virgin is doing it too. EM

They were in use on Seaside last month. EM

Perhaps you could add Virtuosa to your thread title to narrow things down for folks. EM

This is from Seaside, so ignore the Biscayne Bay buffet. Seascape only has the Marketplace buffet, and it is on deck 16 aft. EM

There is a form you have to submit to status match. Have you looked at the pinned topic at the top of the page? EM

Were you already a member of the. voyagers Club when you took your first cruise? I knew nothing about it when we went on the first one, Divina Sept. 2013. Joined before the second cruise and got status match, but because I was not a member at the time of the first one, it does not show on my list of cruises nor do I have points for it, and it can’t be counted. EM

I uploaded pictures for both of my August cruises, but when I did the checkin for my December cruise they didn’t ask for a pic. EM

Keep watching your email. One of my cruises I got an email more than 30 days out with my eticket. I was able to print it from the link, it when I tried to do it from the website it said I was t within 20 days. EM