LucyR.

It is now legal to use marijuana/canibes sp in California for medical reasons and pleasure reasons.

BUT.... it is illegal on all the cruise ships. My advise is to stop using it two weeks before you leave on your cruise because the affects of the marijuana sp stays in your body. I wonder if a security dog can smell it on a person's body.

I think a lot of people are getting busted for smoking marijuana on the cruise ships just because it is legal in some states. So they think it is also legal on the cruise ships because they have their doctor's certificate and I.D. Card.

Ships are like being on a foreign country since they are registered in a foreign country.

Sometimes I forget some of my meds. All I have to do is go see a doctor in a port city and get a doctor to prescribe the meds I need. Those doctors are in the habit of giving the person a certificate proof of seeing a doctor and prescription to the person so they can show proof it is legal.

I have a friend that goes to Mexico all the time and she sometimes has to see a doctor for medical reasons.

The main fear of US Customs is that someone will come back to USA with a lot of drugs from Mexico. For example: an old man brought back a lot of valiums back to USA while crossing the Mexican border to the USA.

I have been cruising since 1973 and I have never heard of anybody having a problem with their meds being inspected. But I guess it happens sometimes.

I over pack my meds with notes from my doctors and also their phone numbers in case someone wants to find out if they are my drugs.

Funny story: I once read that someone wanted to take live bees onto a Cruise ship because they needed them. They said it helped their arthrirtis. sp They were not allowed on the ship in case the bees got loose on the ship. I don't blame the cruiseline.

I. find RCL a very boring ship for single solo me. The shopping is lousy, the food is not great. I felt lonely on the ship. I didn't like the entertainment either. Yes, I am negative towards RCL.

Some people are excited that RCL will be coming to Los Angeles Port soon. But they are going to have to lower their rates if they want to get the Carnival loyal cruisers to cruise with them.

Yes, Carnival rules on the west coast Los Angeles, Long Beach port. Loyal fans cruise on Carnival over and over. We don't have to fly to get to the ship. Most of us are from California and Arizona and other states near-by.

I would like to remind you none lovers of Carnival that you are on the Carnival section of cruise critic. Most of us are here to discuss Carnival.

Carnival is the number one favorite in So. California because Carnival has never left our PORT. The other cruise lines come and go and they lower their rates because they have to compete with Carnival. They try to steal the Carnival clients but we who like Carnival will always cruise on Carnival.

I have cruised on 7 different cruise lines and I like them all but Carnival is more fun for single solo me. I love the music and the activities.

If I don't feel like getting off the ship I stay on the ship and just relax and look out of the ship's windows and look at the people getting off the ship.

One time I was on a NCL Ship that had a full view of San Francisco and I fell asleep on one of their fancy lounge beds surrounded by large windows and took a nice nap. lol.

They have lots of activities on the ship like Trivia games and other games to keep us entertained. Plus, it is a great time to just rest for the day.

I have gotten in the habit of booking two cruises back to back so that way I feel like it gives me more time on the ship.

I have already found a 7 day and a 4 day cruise on the same ship for the month of May. 7 days is too short for me.

One time I was put in the very front cabin with a port-hole on the lowest deck and when the ship was moving the port-hole looked like a sudsy washing machine all the time. Every time the ship hit a wave I could hear it as a loud bump as if something was hitting the ship. The ship was rocking and rolling too. It was a beautiful cabin for 4 persons and I was by myself.

The major flaw was that the shower had dirty water coming into the shower. The plumbers couldn't fix the problem.

I decided to move out. I first asked the cabin steward if there was another empty cabin near by and he gave me the cabin number.

I then personally talked with the Hotel Manager about the water problem.

He said I could move to another cabin. I ran to the the front desk to get the new cabin confirmed and then I moved all of my things into the new cabin that was a better cabin for me.

It was just plain luck I was having a water problem or I would have been stuck in that first cabin that I didn't choose.

After that experience I chose to always choose my own cabin near an elevator and the location I want.

My advise to you is if you find out in advance that you have been assigned to a lousy location...you should then call and ask for an upgrade and pay the money. If you have booked the lowest category level you have a really great chance of moving to a better location for just a few dollars more. Ships always want to make extra money even at the last few days before the ship leaves port.

HAS WI FI right in port. Just walk into the Vendor building and go to the left side and you will find a snack place that charges just $5.00. I was on a Princess ship recently and used their computer for just $5.00.

Some people said that McDonald also have wi fi in Ensenada.

American ports have Libraries where you can find free wifi.

I have used the Library in a Alaskan library.

Some restaurants have free wifi.

Mexico, Caribbean, have several places where you can get free wifi.

Presently, I have found that if you use the computers early in the morning or late at night you get faster and better reception. You can also use your personal computer anywhere in the Princess ships.

Some people have money to BLOW and they even use it at their dinner table while they are eating and using their computers.

I am Elite and get 150 minutes per cruise. I am cruising back to back so I will have 300 total minutes to use on my cruise.

I have always looked for free or cheapy rates in every port I go to. I have a tiny computer and easy to pack and carry.

My advise is if you are in a forgein sp port you need to protect your daughter from thieves who will want to take her computer.

I have been cruisng since 1973. I am in the habit of asking where some of the food items are bought. Cruiselines have lots of countries to buy their foods.

West Coast doesn't have all the types of foods that the cruise lines serve.

They have to buy their tropical fruits from other countries where they have their trusted vendors. I know for a fact that the catfish was bought in India. NCL buys Australian lobsters which s the best in the world according to my taste buds.

Regarding the porters..... they always do a great job because I always tip them. They do work for a private company that keeps an eye on them.

If it is raining the luggage will get wet so I use plastic bags to pack my clothes. I have flown on air lines where my luggage got all wet when the luggage was left for hours while the plane was being fixed.

I plan to stay positive because after my adult son died of a brain tumor I told myself that nothing could be as bad as losing my son. So what if I get my luggage late to my cabin. I still plan to enjoy my cruise. Plus, I can also find a ship cruise worker to take my luggage to my cabin since I am handicapped if the porters are not available. LucyR.

I did hear about some luggage falling off a cart near a ship. They found all of the luggage and they dried the wet clothes and they compensated the cruisers. i think that was an accident.

I believe that the cruise lines are now aware of what can happen if they do't have security watching the luggage.

In the ports of Long Beach and San Pedro/L.A..... there is no way that the porters will do any thing wrong to our luggage or they will get fired on the spot if they break any rules. i have seen it happen.

Don't worry about your luggage at our west coast port.

The Los Angeles port is located at a different area than our cruise ports.

The cruise ships can buy their supplies in other countries like Canada, Mexico, South America. They even buy their food supplies from many other countries. I have eaten delicious catfish that was bought in India.

I wouldn't worry about that problem. The cruise lines will not let any problems get in the way of cruising. They plan ahead. LucyR.

I was offered a upgrade if I paid the extra money. I will never do that unless it is super cheap to do the upgrade.

The mini suite is a MINI. You will have more stateroom space in the suite.

YOU will be treated like a super VIP which is fun.

When I choose a favorite cabin I make sure to state that I don't want any upgrades. It is written in stone. LOL. I block the upgrades because I cruise back to back and want to stay in my same cabin. I don't like to move around from cabin to cabin.

I can stay in my wheel chair and they will pat me down with their hands.

If I stand up they use that thing or pat me down. It doesn't bother me.

For your information.... I have seen police walking out of the ship with a passenger who committed a crime on the ship after the cruise is over.

It pays to be careful. Security is important for single/solo me who always cruises alone. We all have to be careful too.

One time a cruise critic member forgot some photos in his cabin. So, I told him I would be cruising on that ship right after he got off the ship.

I found the cabin steward but he told me that the photos that were in an envelope were thrown in the trash by his assistant cabin workers. They thought it was trash.

My idea is to find out who is going cruising on that ship that you want to contact your cabin steward.

If you were on the Crown Princess I can help you find the cabin steward by giving me his name and your cabin number that you stayed at.

The cabin stewards all know eachother. One time I took a gift for a cabin steward and I asked my cabin steward to find him. He found him right away and the cabin steward was super happy to see me. We were just friends on RCL. My whole family liked him so they sent him some clothes and music gifts. LucyR.

I have had a vertigo problem for many years. All of a sudden I get motion sickness and have to take a motion sickness pill for a few days to get rid of the problem.

I have cruised for many years and have never gotten sea sick. The minute I feel I might have a problem at sea I take a motion sickness pill and I feel better right away.

The advise is to take a motion sickness pill the night before the cruise. I always take a 5mg valium to relax me because I get too excited and restless the night before.

You are supposed to eat a lot of food on the ship instead of just drinking lots of water. That is what a crew worker told me years ago. So I have fun eating. lol.

It is really interesting that many people who cruise may not get sea sick but when they get home they get land sick and have to take the motion sickness pills to feel better. That happens sometimes to me too.

I warm new cruisers about that problem. They do tell me when it happens to them. LucyR.

C Cruiser, Every ship has a $10. section of many things on sale. You will find beautiful wrist watches, purses, scarves, wallets, fashion jewelry, dark glasses, belts, shawls, hats, ear-rings, etc..

On the first day you will eat lunch if you arrive in time for lunch. Then you will attend the safety muster drill in the afternoon. Ask your cabin steward where the special needs persons will go for the safety drill. The crew will take your name at the drill as a special needs person in case of an emergency. That means they will help you if needed in case of an emergency.

Then you will attend a specialty restaurant for dinner. After that you can go shopping and also go see a entertainment show later on.

On day two you can eat breakfast at Sabatini's. You will be in a port so you have the option of getting off the ship to visit the port.

All the ship stores will be closed until you leave the port and then the stores and casinos will open up.

After you eat dinner you can go do the final shopping for gifts because on the day you leave all the stores will be closed.

The ship will be cruising so slow that it will not rock and roll. Just pack some motion sickness meds approved by your doctor and just take them when you board the ship. If you should get sea sick the ship doctor can stop the problem but you will have to go to sleep because of the meds he will give you or injection of a med.

The ship is very stable but if a storm shows up the best place to go to is to go sit at Deck 5 mid-ship atrium area where the coffee shop is located. That is the most stable area.

My advise is don't worry about buying gifts and just have fun with the little time you will be on the ship.

On the day you disembark the ship you will get lots of help on Deck 5 where the Special Needs crew workers will be located to escort you off the the ship. Jest tell the Front desk on day 2 what time you want to leave the ship and they will be ready for you with help. LucyR.

Message to Crochet Cruiser: A two day cruise is not enough to really enjoy yourself. Try to add some extra days for your two day cruise.

For a longer cruise you should book a Handicapped assessable cabin. They are

fantastic for special needs persons. The bathrooms are larger and has a help line in case of an emergency. The cabin doors are wider and the rooms are larger like a suite. Lots of space to move around in the cabin.

Please talk with a Special needs travel agent at Princess or whatever cruiseline you are planning to cruise with on your longer cruise. LucyR.

Hi, I think I met you both on a Star Princess ship. I have cruised on it twice to Alaska. This past summer I cruised on the Carnival Miracle ship to Alaska.

I some times I have dreams that I am on a ship sleeping and the ship is rocking sideways softly. It feels so good.

I plan to cruise a lot more this year on different ships. My next cruise will be on the Crown Princess on Feb. 14th for my birthday.

I have also booked the Ruby Princess for Halloween with a singles group.

I am also planning to book a future 4 day cruise that stops in Santa Barbara, Ca. I like the short cruises

I might see you two on some cruise again. I have been seeing people who have cruised with me on some cruise ships. We are always happy to see eachother again. Huzz, Lucy

I just remembered that I talked with a lady who said she had paid $500. to throw the ashes of her loved one into the ocean stream of water that was streaming by at the temple place.

That would be a great money maker for cruise ships if they created something like that.

Some people believe in putting food that their loved ones really like at their home temples of their loved ones. My mom has that belief. Every year on Nov. 1st which is All Saints Day is the day that my mom puts snacks at her temple of her loved ones photos. She also lights candles.

I like to drink orange sodas and cokes. I think that was why it was part of the dream.

I dream't that the ship had an area where cruisers could take their containers of ashes of their dead loved ones. It was like a special temple area where there was a stream of moving ocean water and a lawn where people could sprinkle the ashes or keep them in the containers. Plus, they could also leave food/goodies as gifts for their loved ones. I saw bottles of orange sodas. Plus, they had coke sodas that I could drink if I wanted one. I started talking to some of the gals that were there and then i woke up.

Strange dream. Maybe a future dream because people do die on ships.

I met a doctor recently on a cruise who went to visit the ship's place where they keep the dead bodies of people who have died on their cruise. They keep them in a cold place until they get home.

I have met old people like me who say they are willing to die on a ship. I told my adult son I wanted my ashes thrown near a cruise ship so I could haunt the ship. lol. Some ships are haunted by the spirits who loved to cruise and died on the ship.

Last year I became an elite member.

This year I cruised on Sapphire and then on the Crown. The Crown computer remembered me from the Sapphire. I had left a few minutes on the Sapphire and considered me a returning computer user. The computer worker added

the 150 min. as a new returning user. I will be on the Crown again soon and will be considered as a returning member with the minutes I had left and will include the 150 min. for my cruise.

Some of you made me laugh with your comments. First of all, we don't need to eat the cookies and milk at 3 p.m. because they are available through room service.lol. Plus the coffee shop has them all day long.

We don't have to go eat tons of goodies at the TEA TIME if you plan to eat dinner early.

Food is always available. It is no big deal for me since I only eat when I feel like it. I don't eat much at dinner time and I don't order dessert unless there is something I really want.

I love to dance a lot. Since I cruise alone I dance alone. Lots of single gals like to join me when I start dancing. I love music.

Message to Hawaiian Dan, we only buy Carnival stock to get free cruises, discounts, OBC, free drinks, etc. I am not interested in getting more money from a stock investment. I just want to keep on cruising. I was born to cruise and I get depressed when I am not cruising. I enjoy getting deals on cruising. The money we invest in stock we get back right away if we cruise a lot and i do cruise approx. 6 or more times per year. Last year I cruised 60 days. This year I will be cruising a lot more days.

HANDY HINTS for new cruisers: Pack plastic baggies for snacks that you can take back to your cabin. I like to get the hot donuts at the coffee shop in the mornings. I also like to always have bananas in my cabin because they help me to swallow my large pills/meds. They get stuck if I don't eat a piece of banana to make them move down. I am now 75yrs. old lady.

I also take a plastic container so I always have some type of liquid to drink when I get thirsty walking around the ship. I also ask for a glass of water from the bar tenders when I need to drink water.

I hate drinking water so I carry tea bags to put into my glass of water at the main dining room. It creates real ice tea with the ice water. i use mint tea and orange tea bags and it taste so good. Yes, you can order ice tea for free.

Elite Members only:

One day I decided to get a free coffee card instead of the free mini bar and I got 2 free coffee cards from the Golden Princess. I can use them on any ship.

I had cruised back to back and I don't drink liquor so I had traded the liquor for extra can sodas so i had plenty of sodas from my first cruise and my coffee cards from the last cruise. I enjoy cruising back to back.

Last year 2013, I cruised back to back several times. I got lots of ship credits in my personal princess account that i didn't expect. Everybody on the Princess ship got the same credits. I heard there were forty persons wanting to book New Years week with their credits.

I decided to make the smart move and use the Internet free Princess website to book a New years cruise. I only book inside cabins and i only saw two cabins left so i booked one cabin for SOLO/SINGLE ME. yeah!

I have been cruising solo for 10yrs because I like having a cabin to myself.

I just put the T.V. on mute and on the channel that has the front of the ship view. In the morning I wake up to seeing the SUN like a window.

One morning I saw the NCL Star ship on the t.v. screen so i ran out and saw it was next to our ship. That was fun to see.

I am handicapped with partial vision, weak strength of hands, arthritis, and limited walking. I sometimes use a wheel chair to get on the ship depending if I feel I need help. BUT.... I can still dance. lol. I try not to fall as I am dancing. I do use a cane when I go into the ports or if the ship is rocking too much.

Advise to new cruisers: Don't see the ship's doctor unless you are really sick. One time a lady and her child were not allowed to go into port because the lady had taken his son to see the doctor for a tummy ache. I think he ate too many sweets and created a simple problem.

One man said he had the sniffles a few days before the cruise on his boarding paper that we all have to sign. He was not allowed on the ship eventhough he was healthy on the day of the cruise.

I am treated very special as a Elite and handicapped person. Any complaints I might have while on the cruise i make sure the manager knows what my problem i am having and they fix the problem right away if possible.

Everybody is treated special on all the cruise ships. You have to use sugar instead of anger when complaining about something. I know how to sweet talk to the workers. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It's okay because I am having a wonderful time on all cruise ships. Every ship has something special about it. Sometimes it is the People on the ship that are super fun to hang out with or dance with them. Lucy

Please leave your cabin as soon as possible so the cabin stewards can clean your cabin for the next customer. They would like for you to be out of your cabin by 8a.m. I cruised back to back on a cruise ship and I had to change cabins. I wanted to take my things to the new cabin but the cabin steward told me the people were still in the cabin. It was already 9a.m. so I knocked on their door and it turned out to be some friends of mine who had over slept. I helped them pack their carry on things. The cabin steward was able to clean their cabin so I could move in.

We can stay on the ship until approx. 10:30a.m. til 11:00a.m. You will go through customs.

My advise is to let the ship take your large luggage to be picked up by you when you get off the ship. Make life easy on yourself. Make sure you have pre-printed your new luggage tags for the next ship.

You will have to walk to the next pier with your luggage if both ships are there on the same day. Or... do you have to wait one day before you board the next ship. I think there is pier 91 - 93.

I don't think Celebrity is that great. Times have changed and their food and service has gone downhill.

Since you cruise a lot you must be a senior like I am too. I prefer smaller ships because it cuts down on the walking or scooter time if you have a scooter.

I also prefer the new ships because they smell new and clean. Or recently refurbished ships are nice too.

If I was rich I would like to try a Chyrstal sp cruise line ship.

I know how you feel in trying to decide especially if the ports are important too. I think that every ship has flaws in something you don't like about it.

People will even complain in their cruise reviews that their ship ran out of

Bananas.lol. So I have learned to get my bananas early.lol.

It is hard for me to give you any ideas on which ship to choose because I don't really know you. So... have fun searching since you have the time and money. I can cruise with you and make sure you take your meds on time.

I don't get sea sick but I do get Land Sick which is called vertigo. This week I got real sick with dizzyness. I took 2 bonine to make sure to stop the vertigo.

It worked for me.

You can also get a prescription from your doctor to buy the transderm that you put behind your ears. It works great too.

My advise is to pack everything you think you may need for sea sickness. You can tell when your body needs it before it gets serious. Don't be brave and try to stick it out and see if you don't get sick.

I have had the vertigo land problems for many years. I used to take Antivert which is the same as a sea sickness pill.

I don't risk getting sea sick or get vertigo at home because it just gets worse.

I heard if you get real sea sick on the ship the doc with give you a shot that will stop the sea sickness but knock you out for one night.

BEST TO JUST TAKE A TAXI if you are in a hurry. LAX is a major large airport. Pay for the convenience and PEACE OF MIND.

There are two shared van shuttles that you can call.

Super Shuttle - BLUE colored van

Prime Time Shuttle - RED colored van

I am not advertising because these are the only shuttles that go to the San Pedro port and the Long Beach port.

Call info. for their telephone numbers or look it up on your computer.

They do show up early in the morning but you have to have a reservation if you want a sure thing. I prefer Super Shared van shuttle because they are more reliable. I always use the shuttles to take me to the cruise ports.

My best advise is to just take a taxi to the airport. You will be there faster. IT will cost you $40 - $50. dollars.

More advise..... Look to see if there is a later flight after your flight because if you are late the airline may be able to book you on their later flight. LucyR.