HappyHappy1

South Shore was amazing, the best we have ever done.  13 zips with amazing views of the three canopy, mountains, and ocean.  Been multiple times.  The guides are the best.  They will zip with you if needed or wanted.  Also they will zip with you to show you tricks such as upside down.  Amazing young men working there.  So much fun.

We snorkeled at El Cid's a few years ago and saw many fish.  There was a sunken boat and anchor which provided a great home for sea life.  The stairs down to the water were very slippery, just be careful.  We had a wonderful time.

Totally Legit. Great service. Driver was awesome and on time. Smooth ride. Great price. That is our service of choice.

We just had our first inside cabin last week on the Pearl...Loved it. We have sailed in suites, balconies, and ocean view cabins in the past. We were given a great deal for an inside sideways cabin on deck 9 and jumped at the chance - so glad we did.

We thought we would miss our balcony, nope... thought we would miss the window...not really. The only thing that was really weird...was the complete absence of light. I know it sounds strange...but I never really realized how dark "Dark" could be. When the lights are off...you can't see your hand one inch in front of your face. Next time we will bring a night light so it is easier to find the bathroom at night :) The inside cabin also stayed cooler than all of our other cruises.

We were in Deck 9 aft - Cabin 9623. Loved it. The sideways cabin gives you a bigger closet. Area is super quiet and close to aft and center elevators. Loved it. If you chose a cabin in this area you will have an awesome room steward - Marvin. Great guy.

My two cents worth.

We were on the Pearl last week. Menus are the same in Summer Place and Indigo. The difference is the atmosphere and dress code. Indigo is more casual - shorts and flip flops are acceptable. Summer place is more formal. Pants/Jeans/dresses are required. No shorts or flip flops allowed in Summer Place.

I'd like to see Key West and Cozumel or Key West and Costa Maya from Galveston or New Orleans.

Three days in a row in Nassau would be much worse than, or is it then, two days. :-D

I agree...

I totally agree. We need new ports out of Galveston and New Orleans. They could certainly do the 5 night to Costa Maya/Cozumel, not so sure about G. Cayman. I would love if Carnival got rid of Freeport, Progreso, and Belize on their Galveston/New Orleans itinerary. Here are some itineraries that could work.

 

 

 

Day 1: Galveston/New Orleans

 

Day 2: Sea Day

 

Day 3: Key West- 9AM - 5PM

 

Day 4: Nassau- 12PM - 8PM

 

Day 5: Half Moon Cay- 8AM - 5PM

 

Day 6: Sea Day

 

Day 7: Sea Day

 

Day 8: Galveston/New Orleans

 

 

 

Day 1: Galveston/New Orleans

 

Day 2: Sea Day

 

Day 3: Sea Day

 

Day 4: Roatan- 8AM - 6PM

 

Day 5: Costa Maya- 8AM - 5PM

 

Day 6: Cozumel- 8AM - 5PM

 

Day 7: Sea Day

 

Day 8: Galveston/New Orleans

 

 

 

Day 1: New Orleans/Galveston

 

Day 2: Sea Day

 

Day 3: Costa Maya- 1PM - 9PM

 

Day 4: Cozumel- 8AM - 5PM

 

Day 5: Sea Day

 

Day 6: New Orleans/Galveston

Wish there was a Like Button for this one.

Costa Maya is such an under utilized port. We love the laid back atmosphere of Mahahual. This is one of our favorite ports.

Come on Carnival...add Costa Maya to the Galveston rotation.

Both these embarkation ports are destinations for millions of folks who live up and down the Mississippi corridor as well as the entire Southwest...no need to constantly change itineraries until they have no new cruisers booking these runs. 4 and 5 day itineraries are usually "introduction" cruises...getting people familiar with cruising from an easily accessible port so that they graduate upwards to longer cruises both in distance and duration.

 

A little frustrating for "weekend" cruisers I'm sure.

I live about four and a half hour from Galveston. If Carnival would have more options for four or five night cruises I would cruise more. We vacation frequently and typically end up doing land vacations for our shorter trips due to the boring itineraries for the 4-5 nighters that are offered from Galveston/New Orleans/Houston.

I prefer a longer cruise, but my sons cannot typically take off a week at a time from work. They work four days a week, so taking off two days is much easier than taking off four days.

We could fly to florida and take the short cruises from there, but that adds about $300+ per person. Not worth it for a short cruise.

Maybe I am the only one in this situation...maybe not. Just my two cents...and still wishing they would add new ports!

Costa Maya is right below Cozumel. We took a cruise that went from Costa Maya to Cozumel. The ports were so close together, we were sailing in circles wasting time between ports.

Grand Cayman is a little farther... Carnival would probably have to depart at 3pm to make it back. They have other ports that they leave early to make schedules work (Grand Turk, Freeport for the Pride, Key West)...I'm sure they could do it!

Since the Triumph is doing the short cruises out of Galveston, I would think she should be able to either of these ports without a problem. The Elation out of New Orleans should be able to do Costa Maya...Not sure about GC.

I wish Carnival would get some new itineraries for their four-five night cruises out of Galveston & New Orleans. Progresso & Cozumel over and over. Mix it up a bit.

I'm sure Carnival could add Costa Maya and/or Grand Cayman into the mix. A couple of suggestions...

5 day itinerary

• Sea Day, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Sea Day
  
• Sea Day, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Sea Day
  

I'm sure my suggestions would fall on deaf ears...but needed to vent my frustrations!

The mattress quality and consistency on Carnival has decreased over the last few years. In November on the Miracle, my mattress was horrible but my wife's was awesome. We swapped beds every other night.

You mentioned going with your family. Depending how old your kids are would determine my answer as to where to go.

If you have kids ages 6-16 then Paradise Beach may be awesome for them. Lots of water toys for the kids plus a pool. I believe the pass for the water toys is $12 per person. Without the water toys its $5 per person to use the chairs, palapas, and pool. The beach tends to get busy when many people are in port because it is reasonably priced and there is a lot for the kids to do. This was our beach of choice when my sons were younger and our budget was tight

my favorite beach for adults is Nachi Cocom. Very Picturesque. Mostly adults as there aren't any water toys. It's all inclusive and they limit the number of people to 100 per day. They have a pool and jacuzzi with swim up bar.

My two cents worth.

$199 per person for a balcony on the lido. 5 night cruise on the Carnival Victory. Cruise to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau. Price started out over $300 pp and kept dropping. love the OBC.

I don't understand cruisers who look at Carnival's loyalty program and make comments like "I'll never experience platinum" because it means having to go on x number more cruises over a time span of x number of years.

 

 

 

I'm from Minnesota, so we generally get a chance to go on one cruise per year. A couple of years, we did go on two. I've been cruising since 2007, and it includes a couple of shorter cruises (4/5 days) in there as well.

 

 

 

I never looked at the number of cruises or sea days and had the attitude that it sucks to be me or that Carnival didn't appreciate my business simply because it would take me a number of years to attain platinum status. I just knew that was the way it was. When Carnival switched from number of cruises to sea days, it actually meant we would have to take 11 (rather than 10) cruises to attain platinum which meant having to wait another year. While I wasn't happy, it wasn't worth getting all upset over.

 

 

 

So next year, after nine years of cruising, we will finally attain Platinum, assuming that nothing else changes. And never once did I complain that it would take so long because I like cruising and I knew that I would get there eventually.

Wish there was a "Like" button? [emoji3]

Well said! I would love to make Platinum and even Diamond some day... But I cruise to relax and have fun... Not for status.

Perhaps the OP has a king size bed and king size pillows. I believe the pillows on carnival are standard size - the size you would have for a twin or full bed

If your flying from Honolulu to LAX, look at Spirit airlines from LAX to IAH.

Spirit flys to IAH direct from San Diego, LA, Oakland, and Las Vegas.

Not sure if there is a cheap flight from Hawaii to the mainland. Would love to know though.

Did you originally book early saver? If so...fill out the price protection form.

I believe Early Saver is the only booking type that allows for price protection after final payment.

http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/price-protection-claim.aspx

We had a group of 13 on the Miracle in November - not the same ship but both are spirit class. We were told that the largest table was for 10 people. We ended up with two tables, side by side.

Check your spam folder. lately I have been getting a response in under an hour. Another option is to call your PVP. In prior cruises I have called my PVP to help me with my price reduction.

Texas public schools and universities typically have spring break the second or third week in March.

Not sure how many states in the local area have spring break over easter. This may be a northeast thing. When we lived in NJ spring break was over easter.

The times listed are ship time. Make sure your ship will not change ships time as you change time zones.

On all of the Caribbean and Bahamas cruises we have sailed with Carnival, the ship has stayed on the port of embarkation time zone. However, When we sailed the Mexican Rivera from Long Beach, CA on the Miracle this past November, the ship changed time along with the changing time zones. This was our first experience with carnival changing times.

We had a group of 12 on the Miracle and had to wait every night. When we booked ATD we figured we would have to wait 15 minutes or so. But on two nights we waited over an hour and on a third night we gave up after 90 minutes.

Best of luck to you.

We have been on two cruises over the 4th. On Carnival they had a party on the deck. Started around 9pm, went until after midnight.

Not having to sign a receipt for Bottomless Bubbles every time I get a soda. Especially when the balance is "0". Totally stupid. No idea why they went to that. RC doesn't make you do that with the Freestyle machines and you don't get taxed on a soda when in a U.S. Port.

Sales tax laws vary by state. Assuming soda is taxable in the State you are in when you purchase the beverage, you will be taxed. The cruise line is required to collect the tax, file a Sales/use tax return, and pay the taxes to the state if they have nexus in the port.

A business can lose the right to transact business in a state for non compliance with local tax laws. I highly doubt RCI is willing to take that risk.