crunchymomma
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Posts posted by crunchymomma
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Thank you all for your responses! I called Carnival and spoke with them about my Celiac Disease. They were very helpful and put it on the reservation. We have officially booked this cruise for Aug 2018!! Woohoo!! I haven't been on a cruise since 2009! I can't wait!!!
I'm currently on the Magic and have celiacs. They have good gluten free bread. Be careful of the sauces and soups. You can order lots in the MDR plain or without sauce.
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Mine are out of school For a week right now for a cruise!
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Did it just change? I mean the hurricanes happened months ago and most itinerary changes were adjusted well before now, when did you find out? You had to have figured that there would be changes and maybe you could have changed cruises or delayed or cancelled?
We found out two days after final payment was made. I realize it sounds like I'm whining. And I am.... spoiled first world problems. I'm just disappointed.
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I'm a loyal Carnival customer but am pretty frustrated right now. Itinerary change due to the hurricanes (even though all of our original ports are open) from San Juan and at Thomas to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Now due to high winds, no Grand Turk. I could have booked a Nassau cruise out of Jax much cheaper than what I paid... Thanks for letting me vent! Review to come soon.
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The hubby and I were on the Magic spring break of this year and we loved it so much, that we booked a family cruise that leaves next Saturday. This will
Be cruise number 15 for me and the first time (other than a B2B in 2009) that I've repeated a ship because I like exploring. The layout and activities were perfect though!
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I CD'ed all of mine in cruises. I have taken a travel size bottle of all free and clear and soak diapers at night in the sink then hang them to dry. I've also taken covers with disposable inserts!
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Taking mine out the week of the 2nd for our annual Christmas cruise.
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You had me at “1. It's very pink and very pineapple-y in the rooms. I felt very Blanche from Golden Girls.”
Any reviewer who expertly weaves in a Golden Girls reference, is extremely talented! Can’t wait for the rest. :')
I Couldn't agree more!
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On our next cruise (next year over New Years Eve), my daughter will be 12 and in 6th grade. We are trying to pick the ship/itinerary now. Carnival Breeze or Horizon vs NCL Getaway or Bliss.
On Carnival, she would be in the 12-14 teen age group, with the possibility of nighttime parties for the 12-17 yr olds (at least according to the website, I don't have first hand experience). I get anxious just thinking about this. She is tall and already at age 11 looks older than she is, and I don't want her to be approached or involved with older kids.
On NCL, she would still be in the traditional kid's club (Splash Academy) 10-12 yr old age group, with more supervision. I feel more comfortable here, but worry that she will be bored and won't want to go.
Does anyone have experience with cruising with this awkward age child (lol) that can give me some input? To be honest, I'm really hoping to hear that your 12 yr old was just fine in the 10-12 yr old age group, but I am open to all feedback!
My 11 year old Prefers the Carnival programs.
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We always bring a small cooler, either a soft side cooler or a very small igloo cooler and keep our cokes, water and red bull in there. I always ask the room steward to keep my ice filled and they always do. I never have to add ice to my drinks, they stay ice cold all week. It's a good idea to carry your cokes onboard in a cooler, that way, when they open your box of soda at the port, you can just throw them in the cooler. We took a short cruise at the start of the month and my husband and I took six cans each of diet and non diet. Instead of taking two cartons, I combined the cans into one carton. At the port, they took every can out and inspected it. My little rolling cooler is tall enough to sit the carton of soda upright and put wine and red bull around it. I also carry my corkscrew and Tervis or yeti in the cooler too. Everything is together and that is one item I carry on with me.
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This is an amazing idea. I have one of those rolling coolers too And will Be borrowing your idea for our next cruise! Thank you [emoji7]
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Hours reading and just watching the sea. Next time I'm going to rig a hammock and get some serious nap time out there too.
This... anyone figured out how to hook up a portable hammock?
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We sailed the Paradise last thanksgiving... turkey on the buffet was MUCH better than the MDR! The Magic is our favorite Carnival ship. We were on her in March and will be again in December! Have A blast!
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Check bealls.com
It is a florida based store and always has anchors and ships and Coral clothing!
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Awesome... Thanks for the info. I'll keep watching and make a call in a week or so. Who knows. Maybe I will get LUCKY!
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We are booked on the Magic In March in an inside Spa room. I've been watching for price changes and there are no more inside spa rooms but like 25 spa balcony rooms. That number hasn't really changed in the past three weeks. I'm gold VIFP and have never been offered an upgrade. What are the chances they will offer one? I don't mind paying a little extra but not $700 for a balcony. Any insight from my fellow cruise junkies?
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Thanks for the review. I have read some not so nice things about the Paradise. I have her booked for a 10 day cruise to the Panama Canal and I am not very excited about the ship. We have lots of friends going and that will make it better. I have been on older ships and the personal were great and very attentive. I think I would have reported the cabin steward to the hotel manager. Sounds like he didn't want to be there. Hope they can get it straight before I board. Thanks again for the review.
I was told this morning while waiting to go through customs that it is a training ship. They train new staff and then put them on other ships. That's pretty disappointing if it's true. Stay away from the meat on the buffet and enjoy the views from the serenity deck. [emoji267]
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We actually flipped ours around this past cruise. Beds under the "window" in King format. One bunk down and a trundle under it like bunk beds.
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Did you relocate just because you want to cruise more?
No it was just an added bonus. We lived all over the place for my husbands work and when he got out of that line of work, we picked home. Weather, cruising, closer to family, beaches. It was a no brainer. We have went out of every port in Florida. It's awesome to have choices. Depending on what area you want to be in, state jobs are there. Wages are comparable to other states we have lived in with the bonus of paying no state taxes so it's like getting a raise!
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Relocated BACK to Florida but we were both from here originally. What type of work are you looking for?
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Just off the Paradise. This was my 12th cruise and my 8th on Carnival. I'm a loyal Carnival cruiser unless I find a great deal on another line. Let me start this review by saying, I am typically not a negative Nancy. I view ANY day at sea as better than a day on land...... with that being said, prepare for a rocky review.
Embarkation: Painless. This was my first time out of Tampa. I've done Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, and Port Canaveral. This was the easiest. I completed all of our paperwork online and printed everything ahead of time. We were ushered through a pretty long line to a much shorter line. Total from valet parking to on the boat, less than 30 minutes!
The Ship/Staff: I've sailed the imagination, glory, ecstasy, fascination, triumph, freedom, inspiration, and elation. I wasn't expecting many surprises in this area. The ship was clean upon our arrival. It is very well kept up for an older ship. Unfortunately the staff couldn't be bothered to keep it that way. I can't tell you how many times I saw staff members walk past trash, leave cups sitting around, etc. (Yes I am aware that slobs leave it that way and NO..... I don't think that makes it ok). The staff was the most unengaged on any ship I've been on. Many of them were zombie like. They didn't speak or if they did, it was the bare minimum. The ship was easy to navigate which was lucky because the promenade elevators didn't work after the second night and by the fourth night, we were down to 6 working elevators on the ship with 1 going to the spa and kids club level. My cabin door wouldn't lock property either. Guest services told me on day one after we sailed that they were fully booked and there was nothing they could do about my lock.
Our room steward was the worst I've experienced. We had a standard cabin for four (two adults, two kids). Upon arrival at the room, neitherBunk was pulled down. We contacted Michael (our steward) to ask if we could pull the mattress down from one bunk as our four year old tosses and turns a lot. He came by the room about 30 minutes later and told us that he couldn't pull a mattress down but would bring us a cot. Before dinner, we had to reconfigure our room so a cot would fit and found a trundle bed under the main beds. We pulled it out. My husband decided to order room service from dinner as he had a headache and Michael never returned to the room. My son slept on that trundle with the extra blanket the first night. He was spotty in servicing the room including making the beds and we only had two towel animals the whole week. [emoji35][emoji35][emoji35] our floor was never once vacuumed. Asking for anything was like begging. Extra towels, luggage tags at the end, everything. Worst room steward I've ever experienced.
Camp Carnival 2-5 and 9-11: the kids were blah the first two days about it but then begged to go. I'm not sure what changed and my 10 year old couldn't really figure it out. They were both upset tonight that they couldn't go to kids club after dinner! The staff here was AMAZING! They remembered both kids by name around the ship, even in port. Huge success with the Little's.
Dining Staff: we were on anytime dining and tried to go before 6. The first night, the wait was insane so we ended up at the buffet. The second night (formal) the wait to get in wasn't bad, but we waited on our appetizers for over an hour. My kids are well behaved but ask any 4 year old to sit still for three hours and see how that goes for you. We spend 2 hours and 45 min in the dining room. Our water was never refilled. We were so frustrated with the dining room that we didn't go back for dinner other than the last night. They were better then. It seemed like they were getting into a groove and starting to function properly. Service was still slow and we are still waiting on my son's chocolate milk.
I didn't use the spa or gym this time so I cannot speak to the staff there. I did minimal
Shopping but when I was in the fun shops, the folks were nice enough.
Phillip is the restaurant operations manager and he was phenomenal. After asking for chocolate milk three times on formal night, he happened to walk past in the dining room, and my son said "hey excuse me. Do you have my chocolate milk?" Guess what Phillip brought?
We did attend the Seussical Breakfast and the staff all seemed to be having fun there. Service was still pretty slow though.
Food: This would probably be my biggest complaint with the paradise. Carnival food is usually spot on. This cruise was nothing to write home about. It was served Luke warm, over cooked or undercooked, and was just bland. The buffet was boring and often had dining room leftovers from the night before. Even the warm melting cake wasn't warm. I am
Not sure if this is a new Carnival thing or was just a Paradise thing but it made us pretty hangry! The pizza was [emoji13] as well. The steakhouse selections were not worth the $20 extra because they weren't cooked properly. The deli was the only great food on the ship!
Blah: within a day of each other, my husband, self and 10 year old all became pretty ill. It is of course hard to pin point whether it was a bug or a form of food poisoning however the gentleman at guest services informed me this morning that many people who ate in the buffet were sick as well. My son is a very picky eater and will only eat certain foods and no meats. ( sensory processing/ speech disorder). He did NOT get sick. Because of this, we were forced to cancel an excursion through carnival. They refunded all but my husbands' fee saying "if you are well enough to walk to the shore excursion desk, you are well enough to go on an excursion". Seriously????
Coffee shop: AWESOMESAUCE. I mean who doesn't like a little rum or vodka in their coffee?
Excursions: We were unable to enjoy our planned one in the Caymans. In Cozumel, we took a private taxi tour of the island. Beebrioso was AAHHMAZING. Took us to all of the touristy stuff but also gave us a history lesson and behind the scenes tour. Best $100 (including tip) for an almost 3 hour tour ever!
Shows/entertainment: the 80s show and comedy shows were great. No complaints there! The cruise director; Brandon was hilarious! His accents and comments kept us laughing all week.
Casino: I'm Not a huge gambler but do have some pretty messed up lungs. Asthma is a wonderful thing. I could not walk on the floor with the casino without having to use my inhaler. ( coffee shop, lounge, two bars, pictures). I've never experienced this before.
Customs/ end of cruise: No major issues. I prefer to sit on the ship with a cup of coffee and laugh at the people trying to carry 15 bags, a sombrero, 4 bottles or liquor, and a kitchen sink off like there is a rush to get back to work. We were off the ship by 1030 this morning and were one of the last families on board.
The kids: eeeek did I say that the food was the worst? The unmanned kids were the worst. I get that it was a holiday, I get school Was out and there were more kids on board than usual, I get that they are confined on a cruise ship but please for the love of all throngs holy SUPERVISE your kids. I watched as kids knocked over people Running through the halls and stairs, kids cut in line, and was awoken at 3 am when a *maybe* 3 year old Little girl was running up and down the hallway with her brother/ cousin and she fell into my cabin (through that pesky broken lock). I jumped out of bed thinking my daughter had fallen off the bunk and saw the girl, Went over to the hallway and there were no parents in sight. The oldest child was probably 8. At 3 AM!!!!!!
Will I cruise again???? Um duh YES... looking at March 2017 [emoji41]
Will I cruise Carnival again???? Yes. I certainly hope this was a one time/ ship thing. I love the vibe on carnival!
Will I cruise the Paradise again? NO. It was my worse cruise experience, worse carnival ship.
Any questions.... ask away [emoji267][emoji924][emoji267][emoji924][emoji267][emoji924][emoji267][emoji924]
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FerTours Closing Down
in Cuba
Posted
So happy to hear this. We head back to Cuba next month and wanted to use Fertours again!