Utahrd

Up here in the hick village I live in; people don't know what felafel is.

But they do know chickpeas are and they do know what biscuits are.

A couple of dumb questions here:

I have read that I can bring back one bottle of booze, which I can't have back until the end of the cruise.

Can I buy canned soda at the Soriana or Walmart in Puerto Vallarta and bring them back on the Miracle?

Do the Miracle cabins have ice buckets?

Thanks, San Marcosman!

Carnival needs to sail out of San Diego more.

I would be on the Miracle in August with my teen daughter, my wife and my 11-year-old son.

So my son and I are not going to have too much access to the bathroom in the morning....

Can my son and I use the gym showers in the morning?

Dumb first time cruiser questions:

What if I have a balcony on the Miracle, going to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Los Cabos in August?

Could I see any dolphins, or any other critters from a balcony?

OK, this is a weird thing to look at. But when I am in southern California, I will go to San Pedro or Long Beach just to look at the huge containerships.

Can I watch them from a balcony while we are sailing out of Long Beach? Or do I have to go to the lifeboat drill?

I hope Alang India is on that itinerary.

I see what you did there......

Maybe the Miracle will spend more time in North America?

The benchmark Shanghai Composite crashed, wiping out about a third of its value in less than a month.

Very nice report. My kids would love to stay at the Queen Mary. We would go on the Miracle for a week.

How much did they charge you to park if you drove?

Thanks!

When are prime lunch hours?

Maybe this is off-topic or a Threadjack.

But do I tip the fitness class instructors? If so, how much? Is a tip automatically added on to what I pay for the class?

My theory is that I am definitely going to tip the kids/teen club staff if they keep my kids so occupied that my wife and I can spend several hours in the Serenity area. Or do the Rug Rat Wranglers already receive a portion of the "autotips"?

This is seriously old information.

But the last time I checked, you were supposed to have a Mexican radio license even if you wanted to bring walkie-talkies to a Mexican AI.

So if you try to bring your drone to Mexico, you might be shaken down for a Mordida for using Mexican radio spectrum.

Puerto Rico and the USVI are under US jurisdiction so if you use it here, you can use it there.

We also book a all day tour with Mitch going to Tulum ruins and the snorkel a cenote and lunch on private beach and another snorkel in the afternoon and best part there be less the 8 people. Mitch tours are not cattle herding but relax time with time to ask questions. .

Do you mean Mitch, the Canadian guy? He used to work for a company called Yukatreks but I don't know if he does any more.

I went on one of those tours; it was great.

I love Playa del Carmen but airfare to there is expensive from here. So now I am checking out cruises.

Go ahead and laugh, but if you want to be a real Playa Local, you can go to one of the local minor league soccer team's matches. Cancun has a pro baseball team if you like that better.

When the referee (or umpire if it's baseball) makes a call against the home team, boy, do you learn some interesting words in Spanish.

That's a good idea, I will bring some Tapatio or Cholula or pick some up in the Cabo Walmart.

Geo, you said they were a lot of families on your cruise.

Did the kids seem like they were having a good time? And by "good time", I mean "willing to spend almost all their time in the kids or teens club so their parents can hang out in the Serenity area"?

Palace Station? Well, that way, I won't be tempted to overeat. Thanks for the warning, everyone!

Carnival's website says that the Miracle does not have a Mongolian Wok? Is that right?

As long as I avoid the noodles, most Mongolian BBQ items are on my diet.

I can drive to Vegas in about 6 hours and it's maybe 11 to Long Beach. If I have the willpower not to stop for too long in Las Vegas.

I want to go to Mexico during the summer for a week from a port I can drive to, so the Miracle is our only choice.

And my wife and I are on a weird diet so I figured that the buffet would be our best bet.

Are we talking Venetian here? Fiesta Henderson?

Lisah, do you ever head up the 93 to Las Vegas?

On a scale of Circus Circus to Bellagio, how is the Miracle's buffet?

Because They ran aground on the very first cruise!!!!!!!!! hhehe

If you want to know about that, there is a book about it.

This book, sometimes on the same page, talks about Carnival as if it were a fascist dictatorship and then like it's something that has improved the lives of millions of people.

I have worked for two cruise lines as a production singer/dancer.

I have not been on a cruise in a long time, but I wanted to go on one next year.

I am a cheapskate, so I wanted to go on a cruise I could drive to. Which means Carnival out of Long Beach.

So to me, it's interesting to see that a guy who worked on a cruise line and who is a reasonable drive to several cruise ports chose Carnival.

So even if I have to take turns in the gym with the weights, I now feel better about Carnival.

OK, I am probably going to be banned for asking this.

Or at least people will make fun of me.

Did the gym stay open? That would rock, I could use every machine any time I wanted and every free weight I could handle. And I would have my own personal sauna.

Did the spin classes or other exercise classes happen or were they cancelled? That would be fun, too. For $12, I would have my own personal trainer.

I could drink up that $150 in one night easy. But I have to lose weight.

Langley, I have also lost 13 kg/30 pounds on a low carb diet.

If I go on a cruise, it would be on the Carnival Miracle; Mexican Riviera. You have to spend more on food with low carb; so I have to go on a cruise I can drive to......

- Are the buffets on cruise lines like the buffets in Las Vegas? I should be able to find some vegetables and meat, right? Will there be bacon and eggs for breakfast? I should be able to find an omelette? On Carnival, this is called the Lido Deck?

No one is going to believe me. But when I go to Las Vegas, I usually manage to lose a couple of pounds/almost a kilo thanks to the hotel's gym and picking low carb items in the buffets.

- If I go to one of the formal nights or the regular restaurants, can I ask for double vegetables and no potatoes? Or does Carnival save money by making everything ahead of time and I can't ask for changes?

If you go to a port with Stand Up Paddleboarding, try that. I once lost 2 kg/5 pounds in a day with stand up paddleboarding and it will work your shoulders, too.

Miracle to Mexico?

Go on a Stand Up Paddleboarding excursion at one of the ports. That really works your shoulders and arms.

Then go mountain biking at the other port. That will work your legs.

You can almost walk from the San Diego airport to the cruise terminal. Once, I did walk to the cruise terminal from the Amtrak station.

But it was to go on the USS Midway, not to go on a cruise.

Long Beach should extend the blue line to the cruise terminal.

Next year, I think I am going to drive through Las Vegas to Long Beach. I can pick up some Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's on the way.

Clint, I think every port has different rates. I am looking into hotels near Long Beach that have a Park And Cruise rate. I will leave my car there, then they will drop me off at the cruise terminal.

Most ports have official websites and they will have a page with parking information.

According to Carnival's website, the Miracle has the Dr Seuss Green Eggs and Ham breakfast and all the other Dr Seuss events.

But the Imagination and Inspiration are supposed to have them later in the year.

I am not an object or a person. I am a star-bellied Sneetch.

Can I ask a stupid new cruise question here?

I might go with my family (2 adults, 2 kids) on the Carnival Miracle, which stops in Cabo.

I can speak Spanish well enough to get a taxi to an all-inclusive resort and pay for a day pass there. We might try snorkeling or kayaking in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta where the water is (usually) calmer and warmer.

- Should we pay for Faster To The Fun so we can be in an earlier tender?

- Do we need Bonine/Dramamine/those wrist bands for the tender ride?

- If we stop by the Walmart for some booze, we have to turn it in to security, or so I've read. Do we have to come back earlier to do that?

Can I ask a dumb new cruiser question?

I would be driving to Long Beach for the Carnival Miracle, Imagination or Inspiration.

I would be booking on Hotwire, so I can book a room with my kids.

If I book Long Beach on Hotwire, can I leave my car at the hotel and take a taxi to the port or the hotel's van? Do all the hotels in Long Beach let you park there for a week if you pay?

Am I allowed to mention another website? Betterbidding.com has info on Hotwire and Priceline bids.

Can I ask a stupid new cruiser question here?

As I understand, at some ports and on some lines, if you book your excursion through the line, you can disembark from the ship first? Is that right?

But Ensenada, let's be honest, has a bit of a reputation......so many passengers will stay on board?

I speak Spanish, pretty much. I should just book my own excursions or hail my own taxi to a beach club because there won't be a huge line to rush into Ensenada, right?