jaded99

Hi everyone,

We're booked on the Carnival Miracle for October 2017 and I am just not at all impressed with the selection of shore excursions available through the ship. I'm trying to research private tours we can book independently but it's getting a bit overwhelming so I thought I'd see if anyone here has recommendations for any of the ports we're looking at.

So far, I am still looking for something to do in Honolulu, Maui, and in Hilo. We are hoping for something like a good snorkel/catamaran tour (but the ones I am finding online have very early departures and the ship doesn't dock until 9 or 10 AM so would probably need an afternoon), fun luau/party experiences, or just a nice beach day - but something that is fairly easy to get to from the ship or offers a pickup option. We do not want to do any kind of bus tour, since we've had some bad experiences with those before.

Can anyone recommend something you've done or a tour company you've really enjoyed that is NOT a bus tour? Thanks for any input!

Hi - hijacking this thread a bit. We would like to go to the Chateau D'If and I've got the Frioul ferry timetable figured out, but just wondering the easiest way to get into Vieux Port to pick it up. Is the free shuttle drop-off (from the cruise ship) a good option? Where does it usually drop off? TIA :)

I originally wanted the TA but since we've never done Europe, DH sold me into the 10-day Med cruise instead. Once that was decided, we just chose 5/14 because it's our anniversary. Simple reason!

I would think you can, but I'm not sure. I know normally a double costs more than $10 which is why it's not covered...but I'll try to find out next week on the Splendor.

We actually decided to book the cruise AFTER Mardi Gras instead, so now we'll be looking at a whole week in NOLA before the cruise. Totally understand that the Saturday-Tuesday will have sky-high rates anywhere, but hopefully the days after Mardi Gras (Wed-Sat) might get a little cheaper?

We know we want to stay in the French Quarter, want to be walking distance to parade viewing spots and nightlife. B&B or hotel are both fine, but we probably want to stay away from chain hotels so we can get the real experience :)

Hi,

DH and I want to book a cruise before Mardi Gras for 2015 (not this year but next) and then stay in NOLA for Mardi Gras.

I'm looking for recommendations for both an airport hotel for one night pre-cruise, and a hotel to stay at for Mardi Gras (we'd get off the cruise the Sunday before and leave on the Thursday after).

We want to be able to see some parades, also go to the FQ/Bourbon St for night life... but want to be somewhere relatively safe, and easy walking distance to parade routes and nightlife spots.

Never been to NOLA and excited to try it, so anyone with any tips for hotels or just general info please post :)

We booked under a Casino rate that is no longer offered, and are having room location regret. We asked our new PVP to keep us informed of any good upgrade deals, but she didn't think there would be any on this particular cruise.

We are after final payment, and I was just wondering if it's possible to switch to another cabin in the same category without re-booking? Before I call the PVP I wanted to know if such a thing is possible.

I know to select a different category, we'd have to pay the difference between what we actually paid and what the room we want costs now, but if we keep the same category, would we still have to pay the difference between what we booked at and what it costs now? It's about $700 higher now so obviously if that's the case we'll just keep what we have...

What am I missing? Those packages suck. They're more expensive than the Carnival package, and you can get Foster's with Carnival's. The only way I see that being worthwhile is if you actually drink more than the 15 drink cap Carnival has.

So it sounds like RCCL is good as long as we pick one of the new ships! Good to know, as we had heard some RCCL cruises were early-to-bed, but those were older ships.

DH and i just made Platinum with CCL and we have another cruise with them in Jan., but we agree that the last cruise was starting to feel a little "stale" (in terms of shows, food, activities, not people!) we're interested in trying out another line sometime soon.

I've talked to people on cruises who say that X or Y line they tried was good, but didn't have a nightlife, and everything closed by 10pm.

So, is there a cruise line besides Carnival that DOES offer fun nightlife stuff/cater to a 20's & 30's crowd? We like to have the option of being out and about on the ship mingling with people until 2 or 3 am. Doesn't have to be a dance club, piano bars and active bars/lounges are good too!

I have a Homedics noise machine at home but on the cruise I use an app called "White Noise" it works great

What we saw in terms of how dirty dishes, eaten plates & cups are left unattended or just swept away without a good cleaning wipe of the table didn't score any bonus points with us.

When we sailed the Splendor in April we noticed an unacceptable amount of dirty dishes, too. And not just a tiny smudge here or there, I'm talking coffee rings, bits of crusted on food, grease floating in cups, etc... I sure hope these new cleaning measures will prevent that from being an issue on our next trip on her.

On the Glory a few days ago, we stopped at "a cargo port" that looked an awful lot like Ft Lauderdale a 3am before pulling into real port in Miami at 6am. Wonder if it was for the same thing.

There is a Carnival transfer for $30pp, which you an book online. You can take it from POM to FLL immediately after you get off the ship.

A taxi would probably be pretty costly, as it's about 40-45 minutes from MIami to FLL. It might be cheaper to just rent a car in Miami and return it to FLL (some car companies let you do that), or to hire an airport limo type thing? But I still think you'll wind up paying close to the Carnival transfer price, unless you have a lot of people.

On our B2B on the Glory, they had the same stuff on the menu (in the today's specials, not on the every day menu) THREE times on the 7 day, and some of them were repeats from the 2-day for us too.

Of course repeats from the 2-day on the 7-day are expected, but I'd like something besides Prime Rib on the daily specials (Hey, I like Prime Rib but I don't need it 3 times in one cruise!).

I sure hope the menu changes aren't just repeats of supposed "favorite" dishes.

Yeah, if you're a rum drinker at all you can tell the difference. Bacardi (ALL Bacardi) has a signature aftertaste. Some people like it, and some do not, but you can definitely tell if something is Bacardi vs Captain.

I just got off the Glory, and Captain Morgan was available only at select bars - it was also not printed on ANY of the bar menus... now that's fine, because not all liquors are at all bars, BUT...

In one of the bars that did not have Captain, a woman next to me ordered it, and the bar waiter said that not all bars have it anymore. The woman asked why, and the bar server said, "They're pulling it from bars because they're trying to phase it out and have people order Bacardi Oakheart instead."

I asked another bar server if that was true, and they seemed nonchalant saying that it was true. In other words, most of the bar staff is well aware of it.

So the rumor IS true, I'm afraid. However, Captain is so popular, I doubt they'll be able to KEEP it gone... hopefully they'll realize that sooner rather than later.

Just wanted to share that news.

We sailed in this cabin for our wedding cruise!

It is TOTALLY worth it. The balcony is HUGE - it is deeper than a regular balcony and at least 3 times as long. The best part is, it's just priced as an extended balcony, so you get way more balcony for the same price as any other extended balcony.

If the room is still available, book it now, especially if you're cruising with friends or family who can enjoy the balcony with you.

Just call them ahead of time - we got our bookings linked and they made us Platinum for both legs even though we technically don't qualify until the 2nd one.

DH loves Captain Morgan, it's his go-to drink... he liks Bacardi Oak too but doesn't drink it all the time. I know JH said it's not true but with so many people posting that they didn't see the Captain on their cruise recently, I'm wondering! I hope they have BOTH, that would be ideal :D

1) It is actually $49.95 pp/pd now, on almost all ships (there are maybe 2 that are still $42.95)

2) Service/liquor quality - depends on how polite you are, how well you tip imo

3) Yes, it is strict.

4) No, you cannot purchase additional drinks once limit is reached. However, BEFORE you hit 15, you can buy drinks that are not included in the program (beer buckets/tubes, souvenir cups, bottles of wine, drinks over $10) and it won't affect your count. Once you hit 15 though, game over until 6am.

in our experience, 15 drinks sounds like less than it really is. We thought for sure we'd max out several times, and we only got up to 14 in one day, including buying 2 drinks for other people. We mix it up with trying different drinks though, I can see someone doing 15 beers in a day easy. We did shots, mixed, beers, and wine. For some people, the program works out well, for others it doesn't, but it's worth trying out to see how it works for you.

For those complaining about not being able to buy drinks for others though... you're doing it wrong lol. Just order your drinks, hang out with the people you want to buy drinks for for 5 minutes, then walk up and order your next round and give 'em away. It counts towards your total, but it can be done if you know you're not going to hit it.

My husband and I purchased the Cheers! program when we sailed on the Freedom for our honeymoon in April. It was worth it 100%. We plan on purchasing it again wehn we sail on the Sunshine in May 2014.

 

I am curious if anyone knows or has purchased one of the "Spiked Floats" or "Spiked Milkshakes" from the "Shake Spot" under the Cheers! program. I know the typical milkshake would not be covered but since it is "spiked" I did not know if it was covered or the discount would be applied. Thanks in advance!

As long as it is under $10, yes, you can get a "spiked shake" type drink under Cheers. Same way you'd pay for a specialty coffee, unless you add booze. (Although, with the case of spiked coffee, it's weirdly inconsistent from bar to bar / bartender to bartender. Sometimes I got charged $1.50 for the coffee part of it, sometimes it was rang in only as a shot and the whole thing was covered)

 

Cruise lines should get smart and "plant" an actor or two to come running for this show! :cool:

Oh man, that would be so awesome LOL then everyone could watch! We saw the YouTube videos and we went up to try to watch for runners our last cruise but everyone was responsible and back in time LOL Maybe next time. I agree it would be fun to watch in Cozumel. I'd feel bad if they really didn't get on the boat though. I guess I'd rather watch them run and then make it just at the last second.

Wow I'm just seeing these now and those pictures are so amazing, you both look so happy. I really love the pics in Gatsby's Garden. I hope our photographer does some of our photos there too, we are getting married on the Miracle in a few weeks :)