tea4ular

Yup.. only the Dream, magic and breeze have the SPA cabins with Spa Perks....

And the Splendor - don't firget the Splendor!

Thus the reason I have yet to book a European itinerary. I would love to but airfare is making it financially prohibitive!:eek:

Over the door shoe holder and pop up laundry baskets have been the 2 best investments I ever made for cruising! Really. We hang ours on the closet door, and have never had a problem closing the door.

When we went to Alaska, the over the door shoe holder held gloves, scarves, hats, ear coverups, collapsible umbrellas, binoculars, and all the toiletries we had. In warmer weather sailings they held sunscreen, collapsible umbrellas, and stuff I can't even remember, as well as all the toiletries we had.

When my husband graduated with his Doctorate, we did a big family cruise to Hawaii to celebrate (well, big by our standards) with 4 generations. I put a huge "Congratulations Dr. So and So" with his graduation date on it. I strung a sharpie on it and by the end of the trip there were hundreds of congratulation messages on it. That was in 2002, and we still talk about how wonderful that trip was, and how lovely everyone was to write such nice messages to a "stranger" -

Thanks you guys. All this chatter made me go and make another payment - it was due, but the conversation was a great reminder!

On our Alaska cruise I put up a gorgeous picture of an island with "Hawaii or bust" on it. Everyone got a kick out of it - it really does help you find your cabin!

These are not US registered ships and therefore don't have to follow any US law or code. I say call Carnival, ask for a supervisor and plead your case...NICELY!

I've been a shareholder for about 10 years now and have never been denied the benefit - it is a nice perk ($100 obc for 7 day trip ain't too shabby!) as well as my dividends - I think I bought when it was in the 20s. :)

Love this topic!

Splurge -

balcony cabin - for us it is a must - we do spend a lot of quiet time reading, talking, meditating, looking at the night sky as we sail, fresh air in our cabin.

Cloud9 Spa - we LOVE the Cloud9 spa and will splurge of a spa balcony cabin if the ship has a Cloud9 spa.

SOME excursions - this is a variable - we weigh & measure - if we consider the trip to be a "once in a lifetime" (Alaska for example) we splurge on excursions (helicopter flight that lands on 2 different glaciers; snorkel the Great Barrier Reef)

Hey! Where'd the rest of my post go?

Oh well -

Additional splurge-

Extra tips

Scrimp -

No drinks package - it doesn't pay for us

No cruise line pictures

No specialty restaurant - though we may try the Italian one one the Magic

No chefs table

No cruise line spa treatment

No behind the scenes tour - although we did it when it was included and it was very interesting - just not worth $100 p/p

Love this topic!

Splurge -

balcony cabin - for us it is a must - we do spend a lot of quiet time reading, talking, meditating, looking at the night sky as we sail, fresh air in our cabin.

Cloud9 Spa - we LOVE the Cloud9 spa and will splurge of a spa balcony cabin if the ship has a Cloud9 spa.

SOME excursions - this is a variable - we weigh & measure - if we consider the trip to be a "once in a lifetime" (Alaska for example) we splurge on excursions (helicopter flight that lands

This would be so awesome! My best friend has been cruising with me for several years now, and has not had this experience. I would love for her to have that in October when we go to the Caribbean! There is something almost magical about that! :p

We just purchased the transfers from Carnival, Hobby to Galveston, they cost us $70 per person, round trip.

Because we had read that SuperShuttle was more expensive, and a cab even MORE expensive, and for the reasons you state (IE: if there's a delay in flights) we opted for booking airfare AND transfers through Carnival. But the price I noted is JUST for the transfers.

Airfare to Europe is out of control for my pocketbook - however my favorite airfare comparison site is kayak.

I think the #1 positive of using FlyAweigh is knowing that either the ship will wait for you to arrive before setting sail OR take responsibility for getting you to the next port if God forbid you are left behind. You know how flights these days are...delays, cancellations and more. :eek:

I'm actually putting my money where my mouth is - on our next cruise we are using FlyAweigh because we're coming in from out of state and I've had too many flight issues in recent years (land based trips) to want to even think about it! Like you, I'm a planner and a control freak, so the hardest part for me is waiting to know our flight details until just a few weeks before we leave. Some folks just add a day or two at their start/end and make their own plans. I just didn't have the luxury for this particular trip.

I sailed on Royal to Hawaii from Los Angeles, and loved it. Nightlife was fairly happening.

I sailed on Celebrity to Alaska from Los Angeles, and loved it. Agreed the "nightlife" was non-existent, but that may have been due to the itinerary. We struggled to find late night cookies and tea (by late night I mean 10pm!) but my friend made friends with a guy cleaning up and he magically found some cookies for us. We adapted. :p

That said...not a drinker, not a gambler, but love to sail. I've yet to be "really" disappointed in a cruise.

FYI - I'm in my early 50s.

Doesn't that kind of depend on where your home port is? In February, unless your blood is as thin as water, it's doubtful that you'll need a jacket in Miami. New York, on the other hand, is a different story. To the OP, temps. in the Caribbean in February tend to range from about 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was my experience sailing out of/into Los Angeles, and also San Diego, both in February. Maybe my blood is "thin as water" - I don't know, but I'm certainly healthy and young and still found it chilly. :p

My experience has always been the first day out of port and the last 2 (coming home) are always chillier unless it's summertime - once I'd neglected to pack long pants (I was going to the western Caribbean) and was not happy. I would say a medium weight jacket/fleece hoodie at minimum in February - in the Caribbean it'll be lovely but trust me, on your way back you'll wish you had it. A lightweight sweater/sweatshirt for the islands works. The interior of the ships tend to be pretty chilly too, especially the theater and dining rooms, so plan on a sweater or pashmina (which they sell in the $10 store on the ship in every color, so you may decide to get one on board) - again, it's something I've forgotten & have a couple I've purchased on the ship.

I know A LOT of people do it, but honestly I can't imagine going to a foreign country and not having a passport. :confused: For $120 I have 10 years of peace of mind.

I am on the bus now. What a mess there were 350 people waiting for the shuttle at Hobby. I was in bags claims at 9:45 and got on the bus about 11:20. Will probably get to the pier around 12:30.

 

The Carnival reps at the airport said they normally only have around 80 transfers at Hobby.

 

This is my first and last time to use this shuttle. This time may be a fluke but I will gladly spend another twenty to thirty bucks to avoid this

Travel safe and thanks for letting me know! Have fun!!

Those were awesome.

I realize it wasn't TX, but we were on a cruise once and no one was able to disembark due to a passenger(s) not showing up for immigration - we docked very early (in the 6 AM zone) and first passengers didn't even get off the ship until 11:30. No one was allowed to stay in their cabins and frankly I felt for everyone who had prearranged flights/transportation. Unless I was booked with airfare through the cruise line I wouldn't book any flight earlier than 1:30pm. I just don't need that stress at the end of a vacation! :eek:

I believe it HAS to be an official ID. So driver's license is fine' date=' but a work-issued ID probably won't be acceptable.

 

I took my then 8 year old nephew on a cruise to Canada. He did not have an ID card other than his S&S and our last names are totally different. At one of the ports, they let us on with no problem. At the second port they were asking him questions, like who was I? and did he know his cabin number? It made him a little nervous, and of course he couldn't remeber the cabin number, just how to get there. The poor customs guys was giggling when he finally sent us back on the ship. This year, we are investing in passport cards for both boys. $40 for 5 years of ID is worth every penny for the peace of mind.[/quote']

 

A similar thing happened to my neice - she was around 6. "What's your name?" Stuttering because she was so scared (semi separated from her folks) "what is your mothers name?" Umm, umm, umm (her mother is a professional and uses her maiden name @ work, kiddo didn't know what name they meant) - "what is your birthday?" All she could muster was "December" over & over. Then looked around, didn't see her folks and burst into tears! They quickly got her reunited with her parents but they bought her a passport immediately upon returning home!

I been a CC member a LONG time maybe one of the best threads I have read in long time. Even a long time cruiser like myself is finding this one very interesting.

 

Under Rated

 

Deli -Tuna On Rye Love their Tuna best I Have ever had , Last cruise I think I ate one almost everyday for lunch:D

Have them make you a tuna melt - very good!

Its a full size bus. We've used it a few times.

Thank you!

I've been using this one for years now, never had a problem - they also want to make sure it fits in the X-ray machine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B16OMLU/ref=mp_s_a_1_31?qid=1423193880&sr=8-31&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=rolling+coolers+on+wheels&dpPl=1&dpID=51AOS4PXJBL&ref=plSrch

I wish you and your husband many happy years of cruising. I love your positive personality. :D

Thank you - we love cruising - it's the least stressful of all travel for us.