vamartha

6 minutes ago, PC 462 said:

I have to wonder from what time on Sunday you are supposed to count back 72 hours.  Sailing time?  Boarding time?  If I get a test Thursday morning and then my boarding time turns out to be 1 PM, is that too long to be allowed to board?

That was a concern of mine as well and they do not address it in the letter they sent to us. Because of a travel day built in it really, really makes a difference. We can't check in until with Carnival until the 17th so we won't have our boarding time until then. 

If you are on a PC, hold down the Control button and the + sign at the same time.  It will change the size of only the current tab you are using. That may be how it got small, by accidently pressing the Control button among with the - (minus) button.  

And I've just booked again for January at the $50 + $10 rate.  I could have gotten it at the $30 + $10 rate but my cruise is in Cozumel on a Monday. Even though it still says that it isn't available on Monday, it is bookable for January on a Monday and according to Sebastian in Customer Service, they are open again 7 days a week.

I still love Chakanaab and this price for a cabana just make it more special!  See you soon Cabana - once in November and again in January! 🙂

I have these booked in November. I don't know how expensive they are via MSC, but these cabanas are CHEAP in $$$ language at their own website. A Cabana, including admission to the park for two was $50. That is so very inexpensive in comparison to cabanas at the other ports. Admission for two and the chance you might (or might not) get a palapa is at least $42 without the coupon.

I'm very familiar with Chakanaab, we've always found it the best value for our dollar as far as food, snorkeling and cultural experience. We always go to that end of the park anyway so the crowds will be less. The Cabana Beach has its own entrance, separate from the main park so I'm very happy that the walk won't be as long as I'm used to, my knees will thank me I am positive!

I can spend OBC many, many ways onboard.  I don't find ship excursions a good value for my OBC dollar, especially in Cozumel when there are so many different excursions at a good value off ship and in such a safe port. 

7 hours ago, Mallow said:

We are on the 14 day Pride leaving on 10/31.  I was expecting them to delay the departure by a day but this seems like it is good news.  I still wonder at what capacity they will be sailing with.

I am on this cruise too. Not willing to book airline tickets just yet, but I actually think our chances of cruising have now increased to 50/50%.

Holiday

2004

Planned two week lay off from work

I can tell you from experience that the French Onion soup, the shrimp cocktail and the Lobster Bisque are fabulous!  They didn't have oysters on the menu the last time we tried the steakhouse. I think it is worth every penny and we've only skipped it once on a sailing.  I do wonder if the menus (not just in the steakhouse, but other food establishments also) will be altered or tweaked in any way.  This certainly would have been the time to do it.  I cannot imagine the provisioning nightmare that all of the constant and ever evolving uncertainty must be bringing.

Tortola had decent snorkeling. We went to Brewers Bay. Not crowded, relatively simple and basic and I would repeat it.  The bay is very shallow and the good snorkeling is along the left side, against the rock.

Of the other ports you have listed, Cozumel is fair, Aruba is amazing and Bonaire is on my bucket list for snorkel ports.  Turks and Caicos also has some decent snorkeling.

In all my cruises, I've only ever taken one Carnival excursion.  The first excursion on my very first cruise. Thats it. But, I am expecting for us to be required to take a Carnival excursion in order to be allowed to leave the ship at least for the foreseeable future.  I am about 400 days out and honestly in normal times, I would have had at least half of my excursions booked by now. I think I'm just going to wait to see how it goes when cruises resume. The thought of having to do somewhere like Cozumel with Carnival almost me want to make port days, ship pool days. We shall see.

We were scheduled on a Journeys cruise in 19 days.  We had two one way flights scheduled with two different airlines and both of them have issued me a credit to use.  One by 12/31/21 and the other by 5/30/22 and I am quite happy with arrangement.  I suspect we will finally cruise next fall and I will use them then.  

Has anyone been able to successfully be able to request a refund from Wet Money for a Golf Cart rental on a cruise that I didn't cancel but Carnival did?  They have offered instead a credit for a year but hopefully Grand Turk isn't a stop on the next cruise we take.  (Love Grand Turk, but haven't booked a replacement yet and I'm looking at cruises that do not stop there).

Thanks in advance!

Oh my, just fantastic!  You are 90 years old (I'm 30 behind you), you cruise, you drive AND you know how to quote on CC!  I'm in love!  

Your writing style is wonderful, I am so hooked!  Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Yes, we have never had a problem requesting a booth with only two people.  We might have to wait a few extra minutes but we don't mind for the ease of having room to breathe at dinner!

We ask for a booth to avoid the 2 inch "private" tables.  Always works and we always have privacy in a booth.  We don't mind waiting for an extra few minutes in order to receive a booth.

The Southern Caribbean route is our favorite!  We've yet to hit the "B" (bucket list, bucket list, bucket list - right along with the other BB - Bora Bora - but realistically I know I'll probably see Bonaire in my lifetime and Bora Bora is, hahaha, not gonna happen unless I hit the lottery - but I digress), but "A" and "C" are just terrific!  

Oddly, Aruba isn't very lush and "Caribbean" feeling.  It is more like Arizona.  Desert surrounded by amazing ocean!  If you are a snorkeler, there are some amazing options and some spectacular underwater scenery!  The shopping downtown - right around the port area is pretty good and I'm not a shopper in real life.  Sorry I can't fill you in on more places to tour but we spent most of our time underwater!

Curacao is a good place to spend a day walking across the floating bridge and wandering around the downtown area.  Cafe's hidden down alleyways, interesting art and a floating market are some of the highlights.  The RIF Fort is interesting/historic and you will pass through it on the way to the bridge.  There is a casino (hint, they don't allow backpacks and require proper dress after like 7pm - no shorts).  We actually enjoyed a dinner in a specialty restaurant on our ship that was facing the port and had a wonderful view and a good dinner!

We've been on all three Dream Class ships and the Breeze is my favorite, probably my favorite of the fleet.  Her decor is a bit more laid back, less neon and more Caribbean/beige/palm trees than either of her sisters.  There is plenty to do for entertainment, she sails great itineraries and we're hoping to sail her again this year.

We always bring some sort of tape and we've used it for:

•      Repairing the hem on my dress
•      Taping the cabin curtains shut when they tend to move (not all cabins/not all ships)
•      Repairing my glasses
•      On my first cruise, the air conditioner worked but it didn't deliver throughout the entire cabin, actually       it pretty much was cool on the ceiling and that was it so I built an air duct to deliver air down into the       actual cabin using duct tape (yes, I'm a girl)
•      I've actually had to repair my rolling backpack (carries my snorkel equipment and my heavy wet               beach towel)
•      Finally, we've used it to wrap liquor bottles purchased inside clothing or towels for the air trip home,         but I don't recommend duct tape for this one, maybe electrical tape!

Cozumel, yes.  Costa Maya, probably not.

We always go to Chakanaab in Cozumel not for the sand and beach but for the snorkeling but I believe that there are several beaches that fit your bill in Cozumel.  Cozumel is West facing and has absolutely beautiful water.  

Costa Maya is an East facing beach, subject to whatever the Atlantic Ocean wants to throw at it, mainly seagrass that you can't predict.  Having said that, Maya Chan is worth every single penny! :)

We leave them in the 12-pack and still put them inside our carry on.  I leave room from home for it.  Just a bit of rearranging and moving a few things to the checked bag at the hotel on cruise morning!

Does/t make sense to me. You still have to call Carnival.

 

 

One thing Carnival includes with their insurance is a Cancel for any reason clause.

 

 

One a storm is named, it is too late to buy insurance that covers it.

Carnival's insurance only includes CFAR up to 75% and only as a Future Cruise Credit, not a check into your bank account. To me, that makes all the difference in the world.

Carnival's insurance is actually Nationwide and is cheaper bought straight from Nationwide. Plus, other companies offer CFAR that pays 100%, not 75%. Travel Guard is one that offers CFAR that pays 100%.

I've used it. It works!

We carry one with us now but we've used the one in the gym more times than I can count!

I've had the Premium on both the Sunshine and the Magic and it was adequate. I've also heard that isn't the case on all of the ships but it was fine on both of the ones I've tried it on.

You couldn't have paid me $1,000,000 to have taken my DH on a TA for his first cruise! Nope, nada, no way! :D:D:D

We didn't pre book anything for Tortola (this was pre-hurricane) and I was pleasantly surprised at the options at the port. They seemed to be very organized at getting you where you want to go and although we didn't take a tour, we were able to get a round trip taxi to Brewers Bay for snorkeling. It was one of those days that I very much want to repeat!

I find this link to be the best reference when wanting to compare classes. Scroll down to the table, it gives great accurate information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Cruise_Line