lesters

You don’t say which ship you are on, I may have missed it. But, if you have a Seafood Shack the calamari baskets on the Magic last month were fantastic. A minor upcharge for a treat that was made to order. We ended picking these up a couple of times for an afternoon snack - a good portion and the dipping sauce was very good.

My husband who is certified (lol multiple meanings on that one lol) dove on our cruise to Bonaire. - he booked this independently. I mention it because Bonaire is known as a divers bucket list location and had many dive shops. he had two dives the morning of our day in Bonaire and I met him for a l’été lunch before returning to the ship. With some research you will likely find a shop who offers beginner dives.

We are taking our first Alaskan cruise this June out of Seattle and I was comparing the cost of buying the premium wifi online (DD may have an online class) compared with our providers US roaming and it might be better to just add on the US package (we are SaskTel). I am planning on having a chat with them directly as well but in the meantime… Curious if the Alaskan cruise is all US roaming or if you are « international » and then flip into that type of expensive rate. As always thanks for any insight!

Thank you both so much!!!! DD is very excited to know that dining should be easy - its not always that way at home so to have a vacation and being able to eat the good things too will be fantastic!!!

We are heading to Alaska in June on the Luminosa and our daughter has decided to join in on the fun! This will be her first cruise since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I know there is now the Menu Mate which is fantastic and this should provide a ton of guidance on what she can or can't eat. Curious about people's experience with suppers - we are typically YTD people, but are currently waitlisted on this. We just booked this past week so this is as last minute booking as we tend to be. I have done some reading and have noted that some folks have ordered their dining meals the day before to ensure safety, avoid cross contamination etc. I believe they typically were set dining times. So my question is (along with looking for any advice or experiences to ensure things go well) is should we just go with the set dining time - it would be the late seating that is available. (She is 20 so not a child and this time is fine) Or if we are able to get YTD is this is still an option that works with dietary issues. Thanks everyone for any insight. I know there is a special forum about dietary stuff but looking for Carnival specific info and experiencs. Thanks!

Yes you can. Off the Magic last month in Port Canaveral (since so many are asking about the port as that does make a difference) and the morning of debarkation we were hanging out near the Java Blue shop and I went and got not only a coffee but an Irish Coffee and a bottle of water still with my Cheers. I had always wondered about this myself and was happy to learn it was possible!!! I actually had time to get a couple but only had one... LOL

Yes you can. We have done this over the years with our daughter. And this is not just a Carnival situation - we did this on our very first cruise which was a Disney cruise. It was filled with families all working together on their bingo cards.

Thanks everyone

Hello CC Alaska Folks! Working on planning our first Alaskan cruise - have booked a balcony on the Carnival Luminosa departing June 15th. Originally it was just going to be DH and myself but DD (20) has decided to jump in on the fun. Her last cruise was on the Elation in 2020 before things went well .... you know. On that one, for the first time in her 5 cruises she was super impacted by the motion. We had stayed in an aft extended balcony and there was more movement than normal. She's a bit concerned about this and its the one thing that is holding her a bit back on this cruise. We've gone on 2 cruises since then without her - but she is ready to give it another try. Curious if you have any insight. I am sure once we get to Alaska and that portion of the cruise it will be smooth and beautiful but wondering about experiences on the journey out of Seattle. I know so many variables that nothing is guaranteed but just hoping for a bit of info to help planning and managing expectations. I can't wait - we have a balcony booked - mid ship so that will help movement wise as well this time around for her. I'm diving into previous posts to try and learn what I can! We are not cruise line excursion type of people - prefer to wander on our own, or book things independently. Love finding a great local restaurant for amazing food and people watching! So will likely have more questions along the way! Have as great day everyone!

I can't comment on that. We ended up on this cruise after originally booking one out of Galveston for later in February. After looking at how insane $$ flights from Saskatoon to Houston were, we started looking at other options. Then I received a notification about upcoming Brian Christopher Casino cruises on Carnival - my DH loves him and follows his videos. We were able to move from our Galveston plan to this one out of PC - much better flights as well. We had casino rates that were higher than we normally pay - $1600 for a balcony (double occupancy). We booked two rooms at this rate - DH had $500 OBC and I had $200 OBC. We took my parents along and did the old switcheroo once on board - gave them my $200 OBC. Not sure what the rate was without the BC element. It was after we booked that we found it out was not only a Brian Christopher Slots cruise but a JH FFS. So we had TONS of options for group parties etc. Participated minimally in both LOL - did the group slot pull with BC, the welcome party and got to play in the casino with him a few times. I really should write up a summary of this trip LOL At any rate - I wanted to share what we had paid for our sailing as info as well.

We were on the last on - FFS 5 - and to be honest even though we had paid for the "excursion" to be included in the events - $25 pp we didn't do a single party or event LOL I wasnt sure what all was going to be involved so didnt want to miss out on anything cool or fun but the times of events didnt really work for us and I wasn't interested in standing in lines for a picture. I enjoy his updates on FB - but wasnt too concerned with a bunch of participation in events. I did however stand in line on the last day - to get the FFS gift - which were fairly nice to go style coffee mugs. It was a nice souvenir of the cruise in general so I was happy with them. Did I get the value of $25 pp - probably not but that was more about me not jumping into any events or parties that had drinks included etc. I don't think I'd be too fussed about doing it again but it was fun to see what the options were and how it all worked.

Looking forward to more insights of this ship. Thinking of booking an Alaskan sailing this June on her.

On our Magic cruise - the one before Greg’s I discovered you can get Java Blue coffee in the non-smoking casino as well.

Back home after the trips and thought I would share that we had zero problems flying there and back. Delayed by a few minutes on flights but nothing of note. Bags all arrived safe and sound and things looked fairly normal in all airports. Hopefully things continue that way for spring break travels!

Thank you @CDNPolar for the info I was looking for! That is exactly our plan.

There was a post specific to Pearson but it’s divulged into COVID status checks so I am trying a fresh post! My daughter leaves for Ottawa on Friday via westjet for the weekend (not cruise related but asking) and we leave next Saturday for Orlando via Toronto for our cruise out of Miami. AirTags are in place and I am checking bags. Just not manageable otherwise. Any recent experiences? I haven’t heard or seen pictures of mass chaos lately so hoping things have improved!

Thanks it is!! Very much looking forward to it

Thanks everyone! I want this trip to be so special and great for my parents. i appreciate the insights and ideas! officially less than 2 weeks to go - whoop whoop

This will be us on embarcation unfortunately… due to offers we have two rooms booked - one in DH’s name one in mine. Once on board we need to go to guest services to move names/room cards around so that I’m in the room with hubby and my parents are in their room. if it’s too long we may muddle around for bit but need to get it sorted on day 1. Another cruise I had to go to guest services shortly after embarcation as my credit card wasn’t going through. So lots of reasons why and it’s always a pain… dreading it already btw - have Celebration booked for October so loving following along - getting me through the next two weeks until I sail on the Magic.

I know this seems very specific and kind of random …. Lol We are in final preparation mode for our cruise on the Magic in 2 weeks. On this cruise we are taking along my parents. This is their first time travelling since dad’s stroke almost 5 years ago. In talking about our plans last night his two requests involved sleep and food. Specifically rice pudding ….lol Does anyone recall seeing this on any buffets or menus lately? I hate buffets in general so have no idea if it was an option on our last sailing in October. As it’s his one request would love to actually see it available but it won’t ruin anything if it’s not. Also I have major holiday brain and am researching everything related to the Magic and our ports… so happy to look up anything lol

We are just over 2 weeks away from a much anticipated cruise on board the Magic. This is our 2nd time visiting this port - first time we spent the day at Jack’s. This time around I have my parents along with myself and DH. We have rented a golf cart for the day as Dad has some mobility issues - thought this was a great way to see parts of the island. I’m looking for a great restaurant to stop at for a lunch and some cocktails. Wanting a great view overlooking the water. So far The Osprey is at the top of my list. Any other ideas? I don’t want one of the beach club places like Jacks or the Margaritaville. Want a bit more upscale? Authentic? Good food & good views are the priorities. Thanks Thanks in advance!

You may want to post this under the Home Ports page for New Orleans. Likely will get a response there as irs specifically for info on that port area.

To clarify - we ran the numbers on our last sea day/ final full day - not the debark morning. And as noted - yes the hub list shows $0 but you can click into the details to confirm the actual cost per drink to do the proper math. For us it was to assess if we would have been better off just to pay for some and then get the free ones in the casino (as per our offer) and we are nerdy spreadsheet loving people lol. Others have posted the link to the calculator for the drink package and it’s a fair tool. Cheers also saves us from lugging on cans of pop or looking at the price of one wine vs another. It adds back in a layer of ease and takes away the worry of over spending. It’s a vacation and I want to relax not think about the cost of each item each day.

Perfect - that is exactly what I had envisioned thanks LeeW!

For our upcoming cruise on the Magic we are taking along my parents - and my dad has some mobility issues. We are staying in Orlando for an extra day and have a rental car. For ease we are thinking of sending my hubby off the ship with the early Self Debarkation folks, he just leaves and goes to get the rental. I stay on board with the "old people" (said with love) and take a later group for our luggage pick up. I would then pick up all our bags, along with parents bags (thank you Porters!!) and the three of us make our way out, clear customs and then hopefully hubby is not long with the rental car to pick us up amongst all the post and pre cruise chaos. Will there be any issues of him leaving ahead of me and clearing through customs? We are Canadian as well if that makes any difference. Thanks!!