grrl2grrl

]I am going on my first cruise and spent a year saving for cruise as I'm low income and want the vacation close to perfect. Going be on carnival magic on my birthday the may 4th cruise to belize, cozumel, roatan. My excursions are victor bodden tours, ruins in belize and nachi cocom in cozumel. Got lots of questions.

 

Is magic a good ship I've heard a lot of bad things about that ship? I haven't been on that one yet, so I can't say.

 

Which one those ports has the best unique sovinir shopping?I got my best deal in Roatan. There is a market just outside the cruise ship part of the port. I picked up 20 little clay pots for $20 after a bit of haggling, and asking a few different vendors. (I needed something little & a bit different of the same thing for my employees.) they were regularly priced at $2-$4 each.

 

Is the cruise casino slots stiffer then the land slots? Should I see it as expensive fun or do people actually win ? I have never seen anyone win on the slots, though there are a few on the boards that have said they won. So go with the thought of expensive fun.

 

How is the food in main dining room buffet. Is it comparable to golden corral (lots and lots of average food) ?

No, I would not compare it to Golden corral. The Lido Buffet has many options, I often look at it like a wonder from Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Pretty foods piled high, and so many choices of new things to try.

Is there any special vaccine s you need? Never been out of country?.

No, you don't have to get special vaccines for those ports. Just drink only bottled water when in port - unless you are drinking alcohol, that is...

I skipped the questions I didn't know the answer to. Have fun on your cruise!!!

Don't be afraid to strike up random conversations with strangers. The people you are nice to will see you later in the cruise and provide smiles from across the room, and it's always nice to see a friendly face. Besides, it's just weird sitting, most likely waiting, in awkward silence with so many people surrounding you...

The legend is a wonderful first cruise, and a great ship! Make your own explore the ship tour with he little map they give you if your room isn't ready after you eat your lunch on the day you board.

Have fun and enjoy!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! It looks like I'm headed out the week after you leave! Thanks for your comment!

I'd love to hear a review from your trip on the Freedom! I'm sailing on her soon, so I'm trying to soak up all the info there is about the ship and ports.

I think the issues with cruise ships in the news certainly impacted the "new" cruiser industry, but not to the slope this graph shows. I believe the majority of the downturn came because Carnival stopped using TA's during this time frame. Or rather stopped paying TA's commissions to sell Carnival. Carnival attempted to correct the issue this year with the TA's and brought back their commissions and even offered a free cruise to TA's (a limited # that sold out in seconds). But it created buzz for Carnival in the TA world.

Lesson (hopefully) learned - don't bite the hand that feeds you. carnival thought they could fill ships on their own. With the internet and PVP's who can blame them for trying, right? This experiement certainly hit them right in the wallet, but I'm not complaining. Cruise rates dropped, and I find myself about to sail again.

But then I wouldn't care if I had to sleep on deck or eat onion sandwiches... It's still better than my best day at work...

I'm curious if the roping off thing is a permanent thing? Is Dion still dropping off at the ferry dock?

who is Egbert and how do you find him? thinking of doing the baths on dec 19 but ship is only there from 7-2:30 so need to make sure that i have someone reliable to get me back. thanks.

CruiserSg - I'll be there the same day. Are you on the Carnival Freedom, or another ship? Did you call and book Egbert? I'm headed to the Baths also, just haven't figured out how just yet...

I've never sailed with a balcony, so I'm not sure I'm best to offer advice on that. We like the inside because we can go to the lowest floor with cabins, (closer to the bottom, less motion you'll feel at night when the ship speeds up) and also because we can shut our cabin door at 2 in the afternoon and the room is pitch black like it's night time. We enjoy a before dinner nap most days, because we can't do that on land with our schedules, and because we tend to pack our vacation full of adventure that naps help to be up early for the ports and staying up late for the comedy shows. Plus with a 4 year old, napping may be necessary.

I have some secondary balcony info from a great friend that just got back with their 1 year old & had a balcony. They enjoyed that when the youngster had to go to bed for the night they could step out on the balcony with a glass of wine and enjoy the Caribbean. That would not have been as pleasant with an inside cabin. So for the price your Father in law got for a balcony, it seems well worth it. Just be aware of some of the negatives, smokers tend to buy the balconies, it's seen a lot on these boards that the non-smokers complain the smoke carries over to their balcony rendering it not pleasant for the non-smoker to use. The other potential I've seen on the boards a bunch is people feel like they have privacy, so can go clothing optional, or even getting busy, but can be seen, or disturbing those with cabins around them.

I've never taken a balcony, so this is just from word of mouth and reading. I am a fan of being prepared, and having as much knowledge as possible when making decisions. So, do with that info what you will...

As far as Belize, the Port itself... Where you dock looks like all the other cruise ports, shiny clean shops, and resturants. Just behind the cruise dock wall is a market where you will find things that look more local (not sure if they are in fact local or just filled with stuff made in China that looks the tourist gift part). I did see Several children walking around, and I checked on the security of my wallet pretty often. I really wanted to do the Cave Tubing excursion but Carnival stopped contracting with the company rumored b/c someone died on the excursion. I took the risk, and we were fine, but I don't know if I would take a non-Carnival excursion in this port with a 4 year old. As a parent I would feel more vulnerable if I had to be concerned about my child's safety, instead of just my own. Perhaps things have changed with the area since I was there 5 years ago, though. I recommend going to the cruise port boards on cruise critic and check out more current experiences. Also, check out some of the current cruise reviews from the same itenerary you're looking to experience. Take the reviews from everyone, even mine, with a grain of salt. Some people can have a good time anywhere, and others can find a way to be miserable in even the best of places...

If you're looking for the 7 day to the Cozumel, Belize, Roaton, Grand Cayman itenery, I think you'll have several port options with Carnival. Double check, but I think you can sail from Galveston TX, New Orleans LA, or several Florida ports. When I have a long flight to get to a cruise port I usually try to book a 2 week vacation. I get to the port a few days early and explore the port town and surrounding areas. Then when we are off the cruise I have a few days left of vacation in the port town to relax or find more adventures somewhere very different from home.

I hope my ramblings helped. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! I love talking about cruises!

NJGem, your plan sounds like a good one. Please check that the trolley is running on the date/time you are expecting. Most days the trolley doesn't start running til almost 12:30.

To OP, there are a million and one things to do in Tampa, but our mass transit situation is severly lacking.

One tip is to check to see if there is any sporting events going on the same day you'll be in town. If there is an early Lightening game, or any event going on at the convention center, or a Bucs home game your potential traffic expectations could easily turn into a nightmare and eat up 1-3 hours of your visiting timeframe.

In Channelside itself it is very bar/alcohol oriented. It appears less so during the day, but they also don't do much business during the day.

The Aquarium is within walking distance, and many people love it. If you are going with elemterary age children, maybe some middle schoolers it might be nice. I've been to aquariums across the country and unfortunately I found ours lacking in holding my attention. My favorite by far is the Atlanta Aquarium. (for perspective)

Ybor is interesting. It trys to be a mini Bourbon street with Cuban flair. I would eat at Carmine's and have the Garbanzo's (Spanish Bean Soup) and a Cuban. There is also The Columbia which has a bit more upscale feel, but certainly authentic Ybor. The old buildings like they're straight out of another time. I use this area a lot for photo shoots. You will see homeless on your visit, not that it's avoidable in any large town with our weather, but you should just be prepared. There are some sketchy areas in Ybor. They are mostly okay in the day, but like anywhere urban, know where you are and be aware of your surroundings. If you do some research on Ybor ahead of schedule you may be able to get a tour of the Cigar making industry, and perhaps some gossip on Ybor's mob ties. (Up until a decade ago, the resturant I recommended, Carmine's, was a cash only business....) I think Ybor has a tourist office on the main strip, but things change pretty often down there, so google your homework. I believe there is also a Segway tour in Ybor as well if you don't want to do all the walking, though I have not taken it myself.

There is a Museum not to far from The pier (towqrd the airport, but not the most direct route) called the Henry B Plant Museum, which is also the University of Tampa. If you like the 20's era head here. It is right on the river and you will see it's turrets before you arrive. The grounds are very pretty, and the history explained inside on the plaques and cases almost feel like the walls could tell you stories. There isn't really any lunch or food options available here, but it's not a really adventurous stop either... For this location you would either really have to like the 20's time period, really enjoy local history of the places you visit, or really just want a relaxing walk through a beautiful location. I don't think kids would be interested in this at all.

I wouldn't go to any of our beaches in the bay after just getting off a Caribbean cruise. Our immediately local waters are not clear, nor blue most of the time, and often smelly. Sadly...

If you are up for adventure across the bridge in St. Pete is the Dali Museum. They have a specific childrens room with activities, their grounds are on the water, and the art is something impressive to see. Art is subjective, but I think it's one of our more unique and interesting highlights of the bay. I walk through the museum in about an hour. If you like to read all the cards, take the tour (which I recommend if you're not familiar with Dali), or like to contemplate the meanings it could easily become a 3 hour visit if you like. They also have a cafe onsite, though over priced.

We also have MOSI in Tampa. It's not on your path between the pier and the airport, but it's fairly easy to navigate to, but you will need transportation of some kind, taxi, bus if that's an option... If you have never been to an Imax dome this is a unique experience. We sat all the way up near the top and felt a bit dizzy, but the thrill of the adrinaline was fun. Of course you don't have to see a movie, you can go check out the museum. You can step inside a chamber and feel what it's like for us to go through a hurricane, check out their website for other exhibits there qt the time of your visit, but if you have elementary age children, and even the middle schoolers, the children's center is the best I've ever seen. They also have an overpriced cafe.

If you are simply looking to kill some time near the airport there is International Mall pretty close by. Though it is not a bargain hunter's dream, you will find very unique gifts & stores, but be prepared to pay the premium for it.

Oh, how could I forget the Casino? If you haven't lost enough money on the ship's casino, and enjoy gambling, you could head over to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. They have their iconic Hard Rock Cafe inside as well. If you're looking for culture though... The Seminole Native American's own the Hard Rock. They have a reservation across the street, I haven't been there in oh, 2 decades... The reservation isn't their big draw in Tampa, but they may still have options for tours if you check into them.

That brings me to the psudo-ridiculous... Dinosaur World. It's backwards from the pier, but it is one of those road-side attraction things. The fact that some guy(s) have built these life size dinosaurs is pretty awesome. You do get a bit of Jurassic Park feel, but they are stationary, not animatronic. You'd have very unique vacation photos for sure. It's similar in price to the aquarium, but most everyone's been to an okay aquarium... How many have been to dinosaur world?

What Tampa has become most notable for these days is it's Thriving Adult industry. There are strip club's galore, and they don't wait for night fall to get the party started. Some even offer a free lunch buffet... We have a few streets that are just lined up and down with them... Obviously, not "family" friendly.

I know many of these are a bit off the wall, but you could just google if you were looking for the expected answers.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions. I've lived in and around Tampa Bay for 21 years, so I won't have many hotel tips, but I do have tons of Tampa local experience...

The lanyard or the camera won't matter - it will be more about your body language and your clothing. But don't be afraid to look like a tourist - it's not the end of the world - and to look like a local you won't be able to do all the things you want to do, LOL.

Agree ^

It's okay to be & look like a tourist in most cases.

That said there are some times/places you don't want to look/feel out of place. It's my understanding that when you go to a public beach those with cruise ship identifiers (cruise towels and lanyards) get hounded more from the people trying to sell you stuff.

Sure - you're going to look like a tourist, I guess the key is don't look out of place. The real objective is to be yourself and like and wear what you want as much as possible unless it poses a risk to your safety.

We were in Cancun for a week and decided to take our friends via a local bus, just a few short miles to the flea market. Figured they'd like the ambience of a Mexican city.

 

We had to walk about 2 blocks to the flea market from the bus stop and the friends complained about the streets being broken down, Cancun being so run down, people looking like criminals nearby, etc.

 

We get to the first store in the flea market and the storeclerk follows a friend of mine, awaiting the opportunity to approach him to try to sell him something he looked a bit interested in.

 

My friend says, "Does this guy think I'm a thief...he's following me, etc."...I told him that wasn't the case, but he didn't believe me.

 

Ten minutes into the flea market, my friends went back to the bus stop.....That night they told me they shopped at the local mall....Same stuff, higher prices! So much for exporing a "foreign" city.

 

Same friend told me, "a beach is a beach"...no need to visit beaches other than those where we live in Florida!!

Because I live in Florida, I also prefer to do other things while in port. I have access to a beautiful beach anytime I like, it's not like the crystal blue waters in St. John, but it is still water and sun. I do enjoy going to the beach and swimming, so I may do beach type things while in port, but I have no need to fight the crowds for a beach chair on sand I have to pay for, and be hounded to know if I want to buy something. I want to see the mountains, the waterfalls, well, anything different than what I'm used to...

I however would love to go with you to your flea market :)

I take personal offense at the people on this thread defining someone else's food label for the without even knowing the person. How dare you assume someone's dietary needs are frivilous, and yours are not?

I am a picky eater.

I also identify as "mostly vegetarian with vegan tendancies" but as that's a mouthful, usually I just say vegetartian.

So am I to blame for the chefs you've encountered being angry and disgruntled? Are they not in the service industry? Did they not go to school, or endure extensive training on the subject of food? I think it's less of an issue with "picky" self identified vegetarians asking for meals they can or want to eat, and more of an issue with disgruntled/lazy/uneducated self-identified "chefs" not being passnate about their chosen craft - which is food service.

So please do us all a favor & get off your horses to this exclusive group where you and only those that are exactly like you do it the "right" way.

I have encountered all sorts of vegetarians throughout my life, as well as vegans and meat eaters. There's no reason any people need to fit in a box just to have a label. Labels don't always fit everyone exactly, so we choose what's closest.

Since I label as vegetarian and know that I'm picky, there is no problem being as such. You don't have to just pick one. So please stop shouting either word like it's an insult. Also, please stop assuming your chefs negative baggage is my fault. You don't know me, perhaps it's really you the chef is complaining about, he's just referencing those others to insult you to your face without you understanding.

As with the others on this thread have stated, I have not had a problem eating in the MDR on my cruises.

You really couldn't have made a bad choice between those 2 ships! Have tons of fun on your cruise!

The only deck that is blocked off is Deck 3 (Lobby). There was no need to walk outside. My choice from the spa rooms would be to take the elevator down to deck 4 and go to your dining room from there, all while remaining inside.

So it is possible to go down and then aft while remaining inside (no dress flying up potential, lol!) on decks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Sharon

Yes, you are correct, but my assigned MDR was on 3 so then I have to travel down - over - down and get stuck crowded in the stairwell until they let us in. This is the path I took once I figured out the fly up capacity of wearing a dress on deck, but I had to learn the hard way. This is one of the inconveniences as to why I don't like the Dream's layout. It's not a huge issue, and I would sail on the Dream again as her positives way outweigh the negatives. But if I'm comparing the very functional layout of the Legend, and the layout of the Dream - the Dream was inconvenient and unnecessarily so in my opinion.

The layout of the MDR is not something that will cause me to not book a ship (I will have the same issue with the upcoming Freedom ship) but it is something I would consider on my cons list if choosing between two ships. If you never eat in the MDR it won't ever be an issue, but I eat there every day, and sometimes twice a day.

I've been on both, and they both hold a lovely place in my heart. The legend was my first. I had fun watching the other passengers sing (sometimes badly) during late night karaoke, and the ship was very easy to navigate. The dream has the Cloud 9 spa though... We booked a spa room and their thelassotherapy pool helped with all my aching muscles from walking and adventuring all day in the ports. The only negative about the Dream was the layout to get to the MDR. The easiest path was to walk all the way down the lido deck then go down at the aft elevators... However on formal night my dress flying about could have been a potential issue. (you couldn't go down first then back because the middle was blocked off.)

I'd sail either again, they were both lovely, but if given the choice to go back to the cloud 9 spa... That's where you'd find me...

Oh I must come back and have a look, but for now I need sleep... Keep posting the hilarious photos!

I am a photographer, so I have very few photos of myself and my partner together. When we started cruising we made that our thing. I budget $100.00 just to spend on photos, and have been known to blow my budget. So for the last 5 years we have pictires of us. The last cruise we went on we asked the photographers for something different than the standard. Some just didn't know what do to that was different, and others were exceptional. (Just like land photographers.) we had one lady photographer take off her tie give it to my partner to put on and had me look like I wasa dragging her around by it. It's fun and one of my favorites.

I don't particularly care if I'm making the other guests uncomfortable by taking the same family photos they are standing in line to take, so I go when it's convenient for us, (not necessarily early as the previous poster said). We would get some stares occasionally, but I figure the more visibility we have in doing normal family type things the sooner acceptance will come.

So the key on gay photographs on the ship: first that they are a good photographer, that they will pose you appropriately (like a couple) and they speak your language well enough to understand any special instructions. I have run into a few that I think it was more of a language barrier than a gay discrimination.

My first 2 cruises I was so excited that FoD was a thing. We went to the first one, and looked around, and wondered where all the gay people were. There was only about 3 people in the whole bar area they had it scheduled for. My partner and I went back outside the bar and sat on a bench and waited for more/other glbt to arrive. No one did...

I dismissed it as being the ship, or the itenerary, but it's not that... My second cruise we tried again, but didn't wait as long for others to come by. Sometimes, I'll walk by and casually glance if I'm not doing anything else at the time.

I think the issue is there's no organization, no planned fun, no event to the FoD. Perhaps if we had an activity, pin the crown on the drag queen or maybe we make up regional glbt pins specifically for FoD and when all the gay people go to the FoD they can trade pins? May seem silly, but FoD needs a purpose other than just sit and drink alone at the bar.

This thread started out as a serious question, but I just laughed my butt off reading all the replies!

 

The reason I asked in the first place is that, while I've gotten better over the years, I still misplace things. I'd probably keep my lanyard under my shirt or jacket. Heck, I might just put a big "Hi, My Name Is..." on it. I don't mind if somebody thinks I'm a noobie...I will be! I've pretended I've known what I was doing for years...long enough to know that it's exhausting.

 

Gosh, In a few minutes I've gone from being embarrassed for asking about lanyards...to deciding that I'm going to have a wardrobe of them. A black rhinestone one for formal night (with my black suit), maybe a blue rhinestone (or orange to match my bathing suit) one for by the pool...and that waterproof thing for the excursions.

 

Oh, and if somebody has the GUTS to snatch that from my neck...God help them. I'm 6' 2" and one darn fast running muscle bear.:eek:

It's not really about being seen as a noob on the ship, but when you get off the ship in ports. They're not looking to steal your key card, they'll be looking for the tourists, either for easy marks be it robbery, or trying selling you stuff. (they may only ask you to buy their souvineer once, but there will be 50 of them hounding you one after the other when you only wanted to spend a nice day.)

That said, I prefer to use the clip on kind with the retractable cord. It's never in my way, (or flying in my face as one poster said) can be stashed in my pocket in port, and it makes that awesome zippy sound when you fidget with it.

They do also make these in every color complete with rhinestones if you like.

I also decorate my door every cruise. We use gell clings and removable/restickable stickers. Some of my Carnival doors have been metal, some not, so I don't plan for magnets.

One of my stickers is the dry erase board. We use it so our friends in other cabins can keep up with where we are. (everyone writes on their own door when the leave where they're headed if they'd like to be found. If someone comes looking at their room, they no where to go if looking to find them.) has worked great every trip!

I have caught kids, and even employees playing with my door decorations. Usually I write on a seperate sticker "you can play with my decorations, but please don't take take them until the last night of the cruise". Most of the time I don't even have to take them down - they stay up all week, and then the kids take them down for me :)

Kitty9 posted great info!

As for island sailing, I'm a Florida native, so 4 out of my 5 cruises I've booked are for the Caribbean. Carnival is be far the best priced cruise, and usually perfect for you to decide if you want to continue cruising. Everytime I go to book a cruise I think, "Now would be a great time to try RCL or Norwegian." but when I look up the cost and itenerary, I simply can not justify the additional cost.

I've been to Mexico, and Belize, and heard all the warnings, and done my own research of the areas. Bottom line: Cruise Lines would not continue to go to ports that were dangous. Why? The bad press and loss of revenue. So do once you decide some of your factors, do your homework & be an informed traveler. If you are concerned for safety regarding a country, stick to the excursions offered by the cruise line, or the cruise line operated port shopping area. I had a very relaxing day in Mexico staying in port. In Belize, booked an excursion, not through the cruise line, and there was a moment of question regarding safety. Our old bus run by locals had to stop at a check point where there were men dressed in plain clothes carrying very large guns were standing guard. We went through just fine, and had a wonderful time. The best advice about safety, is know your risk and be aware of your surroundings. This is true anytime you are travelling somewhere unfamiliar. I promise I know places locally in beautiful Sunshiney Florida where I would feel more unsafe than I did in Belize.

My favorite Caribbean itenary was Grand Cayman, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. It was also my first cruise, so perhaps that's why I hold it in such high esteem. Nassau is dirty, and nothing special when compared to the other islands available. I also loved my time in St. Thomas, and St. Maartin.

Feb - May is a lovely time for cruising, but everyone else will think so too, because their tired of the cold :) so come prepared knowing you will be seeing a lot of people in one place. Patience, and a determination for fun is necessary.

When I choose what port to leave out of it is less by what state is closest, but more about what ship I want to go on, or the itenary I want to see. So if you haven't already, I suggest, narrow down where you want to go, then choose the port based on best airfare you can get, then what company to go with based on price and ship. That path may lead you to an unexpected answer that fits for you. (for example, carnival offers a Caribbean cruise leaving out of NY during the summer. If you can get crazy cheap airfare to NY, the ship is sailing where you want to go, hey, why not? - though that would not be my first choice).

Once you figure out the destination, Then worry about how to get there and cost, then worry about which line of cruise ship, and then what kind of cabin you want. Worrying about the cabin before you even know where you're going is a bit of cart before the horse. Besides, cabins are much like sardine cans, it's just a place to sleep, I only care that I'm on the ship! (mostly true - I do have my preferences, but ask that question once you get the larger details narrowed down.)

I hipe you've gotten a bit of help from our opinions, and not more confusion! It's a wonderful gift - a cruise! That's how I got hooked :)

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Thank you for taking the time and energy of posting it! I'm so excited to be sailing on the Dream soon in my Spa Cabin!!!

I went cruise shopping today! You ladies are a bad influence, but so much fun!!! I bought a new pants suit for one of the formal nights, and I also picked up a casual red dress to run around in. My favorite purchase was the Fila toe shoes. I'm going to break those in before the cruise!

CactusGirly: Your spreadsheet sounds very organized. I especially like the idea of greying out an unneeded square and highlighting an item square that IS needed.

Too bad this thread doesn't allow us to copy and paste our spreadsheets. I've tried to no avail. If anyone knows the secret, please share!

I've been lurking and I know the answer to your troubles Indiana!!! I had to figure this one out b/c I made a spreadsheet for our roll call board for the Meet & Greet... I use Excel, create the spreadsheet how I want it then:

1. On the worksheet or chart sheet, select the cells or click the chart or object you want to copy as a picture.

2. Hold down SHIFT and click Copy Picture on the Edit menu.

3. For best picture quality, make sure As shown on screen and Picture are selected, and then click OK.

4. Click the worksheet or other document where you want to paste the picture.

5. Click Paste .

Save as jpg.

Now you can upload the jpg as a picture to this message board for everyone to see!!!

On a side note, I cruise in March, and so far have only been working on the formal aspects of the cruise. I do love clothes, and dressing up - so I'm one of those few that you will see in a formal gown... Currently I'm embellishing my cocktail dress with sequins to sparkle it up a bit for the occasion. (I do one night cocktail, and the other gown when I have 2 cruise elegant nights.) I'm excited!!!

Oh and great job with the cruise room Indiana - I may just have to do that myself with our spare room!!!

ohhh good question! I'm one of those weird-o's that have a photo budget... I would love if I didn't have to go through all those images of course it might be a little sad to not see the strange guys (aka fellow cruisers) staring at the damsel with the pirate's sword under their neck. Doh, the more that I think about it, then I won't be able to see my friends photos unless they accompany me to the photo booth. Last cruise we bought one of the large group, but then also individuals of each couple - which may not be able to happen if they do the facial recognition.

I hope someone comes to answer soon... my imagination is working overtime...