JCrewz

We stayed at the Red Lion Inn in Long island City last September for our cruise on the Venezia. $30.00 cab ride from LaGuardia and 150 yards from the subway. Watch the prices on Priceline. We got a clean room in an older hotel for $135.00. Subway was easy to catch and took us into Times Square in 10 minutes. Enter a lottery for a Broadway show and life is good. We've always gotten tickets that way. Lots of people on here mean well, but will tell you how to spend as much money as possible. New York can be conquered easily on a budget. Trade offs? Sure, but well worth it IMO.

Thank you Matymill. I'm doing a B2B in February as a solo cruiser. I'm from Texas so I'm used to the rowdy Galveston port cruises. I've been to NYC a number of times and hoping for the best. I enjoyed your thoughts. We've all experienced some really entitled chair hogs on cruises. No matter how unreasonable their chair saving expectations are, my wife and I don't confront them since so many of them can be very aggressive and confrontational. I know more management by Carnival is the ultimate answer, but implied rules of etiquette have really disappeared. And, yes, I know that implied rules of behavior involves a subjective standard. Still, it sounds like some lines were clearly crossed on your cruise. But, I hope you and your family keep cruising with some line. You seem like a wonderful cruisemate.

I'm with you, Jean. Heavy winds meant a lot of folks were not comfortable on the beaches for long and the shopping is horrible. The three souvenir shops were owned by the same person and the prices were sky high. Nobody seemed to be buying anything. After riding the tram, we were happy to be back on the ship.

Snorkler, we were just on Bimini and they did have plenty of taxis and taxi tours. There is a free set of trams that take you down the main street all the way to Bimini Beach with stops at the marina, the Hilton and the casino. We saw lots of people renting the golf carts at the marina. There are tons of them. Lots of solicitors offering them for varying prices. Most consistently, the offers were $40.00 per hour or $120.00 for the day. I heard people negotiating prices but didn't stay in one place long enough to hear the outcome. We were the only ship in port. Prices may vary when there is more demand. I hope you find more things to enjoy than we did. It is a pretty island with a private owner for the three main souvenir shops and prices higher than anything on the cruise ship. $54.00 for the cheap tshirt/cap combos....yikes.

We were in Bimini on the Holland Zuiderdam on Tuesday. The dock is in very shallow water and the captain tried to back in, but the heavy winds meant he had to go in bow first. In other words, he pulled in with the front of the ship facing the island. We disembarked on the starboard side of the ship. The waves were hitting the port side, but weren't very high. The bigger issue was the 25-30 mph winds that caused some movement in the docked ship. I don't think it will matter too much which side of the ship you are on. Some unsolicited advice....while an OV is nicer than interior in most people's minds, the interior may be better for your DIL. The less she sees the water when the ship is moving, the better off she will be.

0106...I'm glad some people get this. It's not a matter of being rude or uppity to want a degree of privacy. I'm more fortunate than most after a stroke. I can still walk and talk...mostly. I might make it through a meal fine with stuttering or stammering, but it's humiliating when it happens. With just my wife at the table I can relax more and not have to explain to some lovely cruise mates why I don't want to engage in small talk. HAL is great about this most of the time, but sometimes they put you in time out because you don't want to share a table. I was told on one occasion I'd have to wait 45 minutes for a table for two at afternoon tea. Turned out to be 5 minutes. Glad your husband still gets out. I've found over and over again that, as a whole, the most patient and respectful cruisers are on HAL ships.

I can't stand the smug and entitled Platinum guests cheerfully walking by us at embarkation and priority debarkation. I can't wait to be one of them in February!

I've tried a lot of them on Carnival, but my favorite is still the Spicy Bloody Mary. Served in a big glass with plenty of olives and simply delicious. Lots of great choices. Enjoy your cruise.

What an energetic and fun thread this is! Almost makes me wish I was going. I'm not, but my wife and her best friend are checking in for their flight in a couple of hours. Flying into LaGuardia tomorrow morning. Like everyone, we have been hoping that Lee does not drop off the key in the NYC area. Thankfully, it looks like the hurricane is going to have a minimal impact on Manhattan....though us Texas folks know that anything can happen with these storms. My wife is not one of the flexible, happy people that will just be glad to take a cruise wherever it goes. She has been really looking forward to the New England/Canadian views and stops. It is starting to look possible. If the hurricane continues to weaken and goes into Halifax as a tropical storm on Saturday evening, the surf may be subsided in NY by late Saturday afternoon and the Canadian ports may not take too much damage. She is packing for Canada and hoping the best-case scenario plays out. I hope it does for all of her cruise mates as well. Safe travels to all.

Ecstasy. Honeymoon cruise with my sparkling wife back in 2005. Won in the casino. Found out my wife would only order from the everyday menu. Caesar's salad and flat iron steak chased with chocolate melting cake every night. We won the newlywed game. Still have the little trophy. Great memories. 21 cruises later and lots of fancier ships...but wish we could sail on her again.

We have used the Port Parking about 6 times. My wife and I always choose the cheaper parking at Lot B. It is about 4 blocks away from the Carnival ships and on the other side of the street. There is no easy way to walk from the lot because of the lack of sidewalks. However, they have a very efficient shuttle system with lots of buses running. They pick you up quickly and, more importantly, they will have a line of buses waiting when you debark....and close to where you exit. They have an easy to navigate website that will ask for your ship and date of sailing. If you look for a coupon or promo code, they almost always have a $5 or $10 discount. If I recall, they will ask for your arrival time and only offer 12 noon as an option. I called when we first parked there and the agent said that's on all parking reservations but you can show up anytime you want. We showed up at 10 am and it was no problem. Lastly, I've never seen the more economy lot sell out and we've booked last minute a couple of times. I think you're good whenever you want to reserve. Hope you have a great time.

Hey Skywalker....us too. Flying to LaGuardia on Friday and embarking on Saturday. I know some of the good folks on CC are pretty relaxed about the major hurricane, but we are worried. I know that a lot of smart people are saying now is not the time to panic, but my wife disagrees. She says now is the perfect time to panic. Even if the storm tracks east of the U.S. coast, the Canadian coast may still take a pretty good shot. The seas will probably be pretty rough either way. We are really debating whether we are going or staying home. We are seasoned cruisers and live on the Texas coast. We have been through many hurricanes. Lots of concern for Cat 4s and 5s. I like reading the comments that everything is going to be okay. They are reassuring. But I'm thinking it's not okay....it's not even remotely okay. I'm hoping to hear more about alternative ports and how and when that decision gets made. Hoping that Lee makes a big right turn.

On the Vista sailing on July 29th, our guarantee was assigned on Friday the 28th. Officially the latest a guarantee has ever been assigned to me, although Carnival says you can go to the ship without a room assignment.

Unnecessarily snippy.

I was horrified by all the poor reviews of the Luminosa before our June Alaskan cruise. I was prepared for a bad experience. Fortunately, the Luminosa was just fine and I was pleasantly surprised. I sailed the Vista back in November. The big stateroom advantage is the menu of complimentary movies to select...over 100. The regular television channel offering (Dream, Breeze and Luminosa) is shockingly limited. Not much elbow room in the MDR. The food was good, but the tables are often three inches apart. If you are a couple, hard to have a private conversation. Like others have mentioned, the entertainment venues are packed. Get there plenty early. The crew was friendly with wonderful service. We had a female room attendant for the first time and she was busier than Lucille Ball in a chocolate factory. I think she said she had 36 rooms to service each day...but always smiling. I don't get how some passengers label the food as horrible, but it's a big treat to my taste buds for a week. You should have a great time and enjoy the beautiful ship.

Right Dreaming....it's crazy. Not just teens, but older, well dressed adults will walk 4 abreast down the corridors, clearly see you walking down the right side of the hall and not step back behind their companions. When they walk right up to you and act offended that you haven't flattened yourself against the wall, I ask them to please share the hall...which apparently offends them. Then there are plenty of stair sitters that will block the entire stairwell waiting for the restaurant to open. Bad form, but politely asking them to move is apparently a high conflict proposition. I think my wife and I are content to let most shocking and appalling behavior go because encouraging anyone to follow rules or show some level of courtesy can lead to an ugly exchange.

I'll be turning Platinum on that cruise....sailing solo. Unusual ports on this destination cruise that should be interesting. I hope you can quickly overcome the cooler weather and a little ship movement, but sailing with someone you don't know is a tough one. I'm with Cole Thornton. Even if they were footing the bill, I think it would be a hard "no".

I should have been clearer....apologies. He has a user name of "No Pants Profits". Not sure what is behind the goofy title, but his name is Richard. He posted some very long and detailed reviews of the ports and all things Luminosa. Not much production value, but a really good walk around the ship and lots of information. He ultimately concludes that the Luminosa is the best VALUE in the Carnival fleet when you consider the lower pricing and the overall experience. He says anybody who paid under $1,000.00 should be very pleased with the cruise.

There is a YouTuber (Richard) that has posted extensively on his back to back Luminosa sailings. His thorough review is not as gloomy as others I had read. Making me a little more comfortable with the ship. Hopefully, Carnival will get the ship better organized by June 21st.

I was on the Dream two weeks ago in an interior room. The "nightstands" had a lamp affixed to it that was centered and did not move. I grabbed the small sitting stool from the dresser and placed it up near the nightstand and it worked perfectly for my APAP. With two machines, I bet the cabin steward can find something that would work as a small stand for the other one. I had to plug in at the dresser and run the cord up the side of the bed. I think that's what you'll need to do also. You'll need a multi-strip power bar and I think you'll need to bring on without a surge protector (ship policy I believe). You can plug in both extension cords and maybe ask for some tape to avoid a tripping hazard and/or catching a cord and dragging your APAP/CPAP off its perch. Best of luck and have fun.

BetsyDoll....I don't know why you're getting such a stiff arm on this. I didn't think you were talking about political discussions or sports teams. Clearly, there are some words and gestures that constitute public obscenity. In Texas, it is punishable as disorderly conduct (as a Class C misdemeanor). You should expect for an adult pool to include adults only. You shouldn't have to listen to a stream of vulgarities. You were politely asking about a remedy. Enforcement is difficult and everyone gets that, but it would be nice if Carnival's attendant would at least try to set some boundaries when kids are in an adult area and obscene words (see George Carlin's list) are being uttered. There's no serenity in that. I don't agree that you're too sensitive or just need to ignore obvious issues. I'm taking my 17 year old nephew on a cruise next month. I want for him to have fun in and out of the O2 Club. However, he will be supervised and expected to mind his manners and show plenty of respect to his elders. Most of the children and teens do great on cruises. The problem children need some talking to and so do their parents. On the Dream a couple of weeks ago, there were some teens that came into the gym dripping wet from the pool. Several gym rules were quickly broken and a ship officer was in the gym quickly telling the kids about the rules for dress, for shoes and behavior. He asked for the kids names and said he needed to accompany them to their parents. Problem solved.

I doubt you'll get your preferred temperature, but I share your preference for a cooler room. I haven't had a problem except on the Carnival Dream and a miserably hot Aft Balcony cabin. The coolest they could get it was 77 degrees during the cruise and we were miserable, especially at night. They brought a fan, which helped...but a bad experience. I've taken a fan on my last two Carnival cruises and it does indeed make a big difference to have air moving throughout the room. You can pack one in your luggage if you choose one of the powerful, smaller fans. I think mine is a 9" diameter. However, if you know you are going to be uncomfortable in a 73 to 75 degree setting even with airflow, I wouldn't book a Carnival cruise or maybe any cruise. By the time you realize that you are sweating in bed with no covers, it is too late to change your plans. I understand why you don't want the "subjective" comments. Your preference is the most critical factor, and there are plenty of health conditions that make cooler temperatures very important.

That's exactly right, mz-s. While it may not be a deal breaker, we're seeing a lot of cutbacks in quality. One of the cutbacks on Cruise Critic is in courtesy, which you deserve plenty of. Thank you for all of your contributions.

EnglceDave and Friends: This is the most informative, best written and overall entertaining thread I have seen on Cruise Critic over the years....and that includes a lot of legendary contributors. Thanks for going to such an effort for us and thanks for your sparkling good nature!

I intended to start a roll call for the Carnival Luminosa. I inadvertantly posted it under the Carnival Liberty. I know I can edit, but not seeing what I can do to delete the topic. Can anyne help?