Essiesmom

I had a 4J on Splendor for two weeks, B2B Long Beach to Vancouver and back x2. It was okay. I was on deck 7, under the bridge, in particular the bathroom on the bridge as I could hear it flush. With the direction of the waves it felt like we hit every pothole. EM

You asked a little earlier and have two opinions. Look a bit further down the page. EM

Bella usually has fixed assigned dining. It will be printed on your cruise card. You will also be limited to one MDR. You don’t say how long your cruise is, nor what ship. Last August they were trying out My Choice dining for everyone assigned to the lower MDR (Seaside). EM

If the kids are outdoorsy types, I would look at the older (but not the oldest) Carnival, the older ships of Royal and NCL. With children that young I would not look at Princess or Celebrity. I don’t recommend the newest ships of the lines because there lots of attractions for older kids and adults, but most of them wasted on your kids. There will not be pools for the 18m old unless he is potty trained. No swim diapers allowed. There will be kids programs on all of those lines. EM.

Where is that steel truss bridge? I don’t remember one on the way to Port Canaveral. I was so glad when they replaced the ones in Charleston. EM

Likely you can find answers on the Italy board under Ports of Call. EM

Try starting a separate roll call for the dates, specifying in the title that it is for the themed cruise. I assume that there are people doing the entire 14 days, and some only doing the second 7 days. Trying to have roll calls can be difficult/ omplicated when cruise lines schedule B2B cruises as one longer cruise. That second 7 days might also be sold as a 14 day cruise with the next 7 days. EM

Go to cruisedeckplans.com and choose ‘ Cruises to… and then Panama Canal. Then search by your dates. It will show you who is going there and their itineraries. Exception may be NCL who often do not list their transits. EM

They were doing it last year. They will probably retake it at the pier. EM

Scooters, wheelchairs…and strollers. EM

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You might ask this on the board here for your cruise line. Folks there might have experience to share about how that line handles it. There is also a board here called Cruise Air, located under Cruise Discussion Topics. EM

You can try to enter a credit card in the app before boarding. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does t. It did t for my cruises in August last year, but for my December cruise I went to the kiosk to register and it said I was already registered. EM

I hope it includes how to dress appropriately…

It looks like Tampa is a sweet spot for you, both ships sailing from there. Wish I lived a little closer. I’m glad you are sailing Paradise first. She is one of the two remaining Fantasy class, smallest and oldest of the Carnival fleet. I have t sailed her, but have sailed Elation several times for JAX…as well as Spirit, Fascination, (original)Celebration. Those little ships are fond memories for a lot of long time Carnival cruisers. No specialty dining on her but you should have a good time. Savor the decor…. Legend is the next size up, but more features, a steakhouse and sushi. She is my favorite class of ship…I don’t like the huge ones. I never buy a drink package because I also don’t drink much. Just don’t like the taste. My usual order is Diet Coke on the rocks with a twist of lime. Unfortunately Carnival has Pepsi products, so I suffer through. Mostly I head for the buffet when they close down the juice machines and switch over to iced tea and lemonade. I fill my insulated bottle with iced tea with a squirt of lemonade. If you find Carnival suits you, perhaps you could expand your drive to Port Canaveral for the next size up, Conquest class, then Vista, and finally Xcel class. No Dream class there for now. Lots of options. EM

I’ve done Alaska twice on Princess in inside cabins. First time on Diamond I booked B2B from Whittier. I got the biggest inside they had, HC. Did t need HC but TA said it was probably the on,y inside available for both weeks. Second time on Coral with my sister. Regular inside, was fine. I spent all my time all around the ship. I suggest a 4K inside, one that used to be a French door balcony, now is just a floor to ceiling lifeboat view. Same space as a balcony, including couch, just no balcony. I also found I never used a balcony. My sister would sit out and read, while I was out somewhere exploring or people watching. Balconies are great if you use them. You never know about the weather in Alaska, often it is too chilly to sit out unless you are wrapped up. Glacier days especially. And if you are on the balcony when the naturalist or captain announces wildlife, it will always be on the other side of the ship. If you are up on the outer decks, you can always run to the other side. EM

^^^! Nothing new. Should have been doing it all along. Some cruise lines (P&O-UK) require a scooter user to book an HC cabin. If you show up without one and a scooter, denied boarding. EM

Probably circling, hoping that winds would change so they could dock. And you can’t just show up at a port hours early unless you make prior arrangements with the port. There are five ships in Nassau today, each with a scheduled time to arrive, for the line handlers to be there, etc. EM

Another pass for NCL Gem with the great cam. She was early, those who appear in the second pic, staking their early claim to a bow position, were out before 0600. Hope there was good and plentiful coffee under those tents.

Monday was NCL Sun returning from South America. I couldn’t resist her bridge cam views, although the resolution is not as good as Gem. The cam is looking a bit to starboard, giving a different view. And there are no guests on the bow.

OST carnival couches do not fold out. They just put a pad/mattress on top and remove the bolsters. EM

I gather you are on Riviera March 9. You are a little late in planning…There is a roll call for your cruise, suggest you join with any questions. To locate your roll call, go back to the main boards page, scroll down to ROLL CALLS, select Oceania, then Riviera and scroll down to the thread with your dates. EM

Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports is a good reference when planning excursions. He tells you what there is to do in port, how much you can do in the time available, and how to do it on your own. Very occasionally he will recommend doing a ships tour. On his website there are free podcasts for some tours and sites, and free maps to print. EM

The offer they are seeking to use is third person in cabin sails free. So wouldn’t work for two cabins. EM

Most inside cabins and many ocean view have pulldown bunks. But in balcony cabins some are a couch and some bunks. What kind of cabin do your parents usually book, and what cruise lines? How much input are you going to have on cruise line/ship/cabin choice? EM

I have run into the same problem, but it seems to be inconsistent. Sometimes they slam the door, others no problem. EM