xitappers2bx

Kind of a weird question...

I am in the planning stages of my moms 60th birthday surprise; first we are going to Disney for a few days, and then when she thinks we are going home, we're actually going to go to the port and cruise and the rest of the family will be there to surprise her for the second part. The question I have is, do cruises on Disney show up on the My Disney Experience app? I was going to tell her about the Disney part on her birthday because she loves planning, so she would end up logging in and doing it all through there, but I don't want to destroy my surprise by having her see that there's a cruise attached.

Thank so much!

Can someone explain the tremendous difference in Port Fees/Taxes charged by Carnival as compared to their competition (i.e., RCI, NCL etc). We have recently cruised on other lines and CCL's fees/taxes are always higher (most of the time between 50%-100%) their competition.

 

To make a completely fair comparison....in January 2015 we are sailing the RCI Jewel Southern Carib route out of San Juan....the Port Fees/Taxes we paid are $57.93 p/p. We are getting off the Jewel then right onto CCL Valor - the itinerary is almost identical Southern Carib itin (minus Martinique and Antigua), both are for 7 days, both are in balcony cabins, but Carnival's Port Fees/Taxes are $86.44?? WHY???? are they 50% higher?

i think the best way to determine the port charges and taxes would be to find two of the exact same itinerary on similarly sized ships. from what i've been told by friends that work within the industry it's not the cruise line, it's the port and country you're in.

I think both ships have qualities that make them better or worse than the other.

I do still love the Miracle. I was just so certain I wasn't going to like the Splendor, that I was really shocked at how much I loved it.

But hands down, getting around the Miracle from the moment you step on board is a lot easier. But each ship has their own positives.

So I'm currently not having much luck with photobucket, and i'm getting over what's been a miserable sick, so I'm just going to go ahead, and when I have the patience to deal with internet sites and that stuff, I'll catch up with the photos.

Following embarkation and an attempt to check out if our rooms were ready yet, we headed up to the Lido for lunch.

I really cannot stress enough how much up until this cruise the Miracle was our favorite ship. This would be my first real time to experience that onboard, "oh wow, it's better here" sentiment. Ever since I've cruised on a not Carnival ship I've felt that the Carnival buffets are set up weird, although I do prefer the spread out seating when compared to Royal's massive, and overwhelming, seating areas.

The six of us had no trouble finding a table to hold us and our carry on stuff, and then it was off to explore, with my sister and I very interested in the Mongolian Wok. Now, I have some issues with this amazing buffet addition, but essentially it boils down to one thing--rude and inconsiderate people. Everyone has to wait, it's the nature of the beast, and waiting wouldn't have been so bad if people weren't getting 2, 3, 4 bowls of food for their family/friends who couldn't be bothered to wait in line. It was unbelievably frustrating. And really poor manners.

Otherwise, the Mongolian Wok was fantastic, even with the wait. There are three choices for sauce--black bean (mild), thai bbq (medium), and schechwan (spicy). The meats changed daily, but ranged from the standard beef, chicken, and pork to clams, squid, and other sea foods i'm not familiar with and didn't try (because I don't eat any sea creatures).

The rest of the buffet, albeit too spread out, never seemed to get crowded or overwhelming with too many people. Along with the wok there was the panini area (never tried, it tends to be a disappointment), the pizza shop (which i personally loved the location of), the grill (also by the pool), the carvery (which everything offered was delicious), and a line that offered varying options. There also was a burrito bar, but I never tried it. The rotisserie was upstairs in the Lido area, and the first sea day was Indian food I think, so it was a little confusing, (they change the signs up). One last lido buffet complaint-- the rotisserie, which was AMAZING, and the Mongolian Wok, also pretty amazing, were only available from like 12-2:30. And that was a bummer. I'd have much preferred these for dinner options too.

After we ate, it was time to explore. My sister and BIL had to do something at guest services, and it was surprising how quickly they were able to get through the line. After this it was well past the time of the rooms being available and we went to check out our staterooms. We were midship (more aft), rooms 6421-6425, which ended up being a superb location. Close enough to the midship and aft elevators, but not too close. We were supposed to be in the 6220's, near the midship elevators, and I would have been disappointed at the noise and cigarette smoke that seemed to waft from the casino right below that area. Not that the people in the stateroom next to my sister and BIL were any better, but you can't control your neighbors, just your location.

Our room steward was Juan, and his assistant was Henri, but Carnival must have a new "schedule" for the stewards, because in the evening, Henri was with the other assistants on decks 6-10 cleaning up from the days activities there instead of doing the staterooms. I thought they both were quite nice, and Juan would go on to become a source of conversation on a wide range of topics from baseball to politics to books which was very nice and refreshing.

One of my biggest concerns was the stateroom bathrooms. Having always travelled in a suite on Carnival I was really stressed out about not having the tub, not having the dressing room and the extra storage, and not having a huge shower area. All of my concerns were unfounded. The balcony stateroom is more than adequate enough for 2 people, I could even see there being enough room for 2 adults and a kid. My only real complaint was the lack of storage. All of my daughter's clothes (thankfully) fit into the three drawers, and my clothes fit into the shelves, but had there been a second adult with us, space would have been at a premium. The bathroom was small, but organized well, and all of our shower stuff fit into the metal shelf and wasn't stuck on the floor like I was afraid. We used clothes pins to weigh down the shower curtain, but I never have a problem, being a bit larger I was very afraid the curtain would do the awful "cling" i've read about before. It never happened. Thankfully.

To be perfectly honest, I loved the shower. The water pressure was great, the adjustable shower head height good for me and my short person. And I didnt have any problem with water sloshing all over the floor (but that didn't stop me from lining the bathroom floor with towels the first night just in case).

Our stateroom set up with two single beds, but I asked Juan to push them together and make the sofa bed up for my daughter, she's 9, it's comfortable and I wanted the larger bed for myself. Having the beds pushed together made the room feel a little bit bigger too, although having the cushions between the bed and the curtain was a little annoying, but nothing worth getting upset about.

Muster Drill...

I'm sure everyone already knows you don't have to bring down the life jackets anymore, which is nice. We had two adult and two child sized life jackets in our stateroom though. The drill is the same industry wide.... for the most part everyone was dressed warmly (it was 22 degrees!) and unlike the Miracle where muster is actually an open deck, on the Splendor the life boats are above you, and its a somewhat protected, albeit outside, area of the ship. The wind wasn't penetrating, which was good in that weather. It took about 40 minutes, because they were announcing everything in English and French. I've never been on a ship that has done it bi-lingual, but it was nice to know if there's enough people they will do it in the specific language.

Sail Away... being so cold outside (although the roof over the pool was closed) I just decided to unpack and then go to the theater to sign my daughter up for Camp Carnival. We watched from our balcony's for a little white, but this was our third time sailing from NYC, and it's much more beautiful when it's sunny and hot.

Dinner... Our table was 309 Gold Pearl, 3rd floor and it was a six-top, off to the side. This dining room by far is my favorite on any ship, with the exception of the Westerdam. I think the shimmering pearls were much nicer than the grapes of the Miracle. Our server was Muhammad, and his assistance was Jose, and there was an adorable, young man helping them whose name I cannot remember right now. They made sure to ask us each our name, and after that always addressed us properly, even when we sat in different seats. I forget what dinner was that night, but after the long day we had, my short person was exhausted, wanted to check out Camp Carnival, and wasn't at her finest when it came to restaurant attitude so that's a dinner I'm trying to forget.

Having seen the welcome aboard show, and having been tired from the day, instead of going to the show, I relaxed in the room and once my daughter was done playing with her new friends, called it an early night.

Just got off the Splendor this week...

biggest pet peeve EVER on this ship!!!!

it's only open for a few hours... and the lines were INSANE. and people weren't only waiting for their own food, but they're friends, family, brother in laws fourth cousin twice removed and their neighbors kids. It was freaking absurd. Once, I was 5th in line, but somehow 12 bowls were made first. Or people would make three bowls for one person.

The only way to "beat" this idiocy is to be there as soon as it opens at noon. Otherwise, it's the most frustrating, maddening experience there is.

I've been fairly spoiled in that when we've cruised on Carnival, it's been in a suite so check in is pretty simple, find the VIP line, have them usher you through security, ushered into a private room, given something to drink, a comfy couch to sit, and then checked in and onboard in less than 20 minutes. Stress free, quick.

My daughter and I got to the cruise terminal around 10, which is earlier than we usually get there, and waited for my family to get into the lot (lots of traffic). We helped them unload the car and carry all our stuff downstairs, and started the check in process. While much longer than I was expecting, the process wasn't too painful, albeit stressful.

We got through security pretty quickly and then were given Zone 1 cards and got into line to check in. We all checked in online, so we only had to give them our boarding pass and passports. My parents and Sister/BIL were able to check in with no problem, our persons' camera was having issues (user issues more likely) but finally after what felt like forever (but was probably 10 minutes) she managed to get both of our photos taken. She then retrieved our sign and sail cards only to realize my card was not in the envelope, and instead someone else's card was with my daughters. She had to seek out some help, and finally (after my very concerned mom came to make sure everything was okay) I was told to take a seat by what looked like an IT gathering place and once the IT folks from onboard got off board she would have them reprint me a new card.

I sit down in the little area, which happened to be near my family and patiently waited, and then got nervous. Around 11:30/11:45 I finally had my card and they started boarding. This was by far the latest we've ever boarded in NYC. We were onboard by about 12:15/12:30, when in the past we have been on board around 11/11:30.

In all the cruises we've been on, only once have I met someone onboard I've become friends with, and wanted to spend time with. We've traveled many times together since, and get together once a year or so. This cruise the stars aligned and we met another family that we got along with fabulously. This family is no replacement for our good friend, but they have a daughter the same age as my daughter and it was fabulous. The family walked over to where we were, sat down, and this little girl came up last, plopped down next to my daughter and said "I love My Little Pony's too!!!" And it was a BFF forever moment. They were nearly inseparable the entire duration. This was by far the highlight of embarkation.

Once VIP, special assistance, etc all were onboard, it was time for Zone 1. We gathered up our belongings, and started the trek to the ship.

Now this is where I do actually have a few photos, and no patience to deal with photobucket. I'll get them up tomorrow.

Now some comparing... compared to the embarkation we did on RCI (the only other time we haven't been in a suite) the process was much, much better. Comparing this to embarkation in Baltimore (and we were in a suite) it was much better. But when compared to getting onboard on the Miracle, I felt like it was a slower process, not quite as efficient, and everything was much later than what we had experienced in the past.

I so also have all of the Funtimes and the Camp Carnival 9-11 activities, and will post them as each day goes by.

I've seen a few threads asking about comparison's between the Splendor and the Miracle. Having just been "kicked" off the Splendor on Tuesday, I thought I'd offer a hybrid review/comparison. I don't have a ton of photos, which is really unlike me, but I'll add them where I do have them.

My daughter (9) and I have cruised a bunch of times, but twice on the Miracle and now once on the Splendor. After it was announced the Miracle was leaving NYC and being replaced by the Splendor I lost interest in cruising from NYC. Up until this cruise I thought the Spirit class ships were by far the best, and the bigger size of the Splendor turned me off. I booked this cruise (March 17-25) in January, jumping onboard along with my parents, and my sister and brother in law.

About a week before we boarded, a trio of balcony's opened up next to each other, and we switched our staterooms to the three in a row. It was great being next to each other, the doors aren't magnetic on this ship, so we had to improvise, and we hung paper from a magnetic clip from the door frame so we could keep up with the whereabouts of each other.

I only have two real complaints about the ship, the 'dead space' on Decks 3 and 4 by the two dining rooms (but after the second time, going up to go down and going down to go up it's easier to remember and I don't think we made the mistake a third time) and the way that the divider between the staterooms opens. Every divider can be opened, but on some rooms, they open against the door, so if you open the divider to have access for the whole group, someone looses access to the balcony. Shoddy design, the dividers shouldn't have the option to open that way. It would have saved a lot of frustration had the design been better thought out.

We live outside of Philly, so getting to NYC is pretty easy. I didn't want to drive, so we take the train from Trenton to Penn Station, and it's about a $10 cab ride from Penn Station to the cruise terminal. Due to the snow that was looking to be a nuisance Monday morning, my daughter and I did that "Name Your Price" thing on Priceline for a room in Times Square Sunday night and got a great room at an unbelievable price at ROWNYC. The rooms are small, as all hotel rooms in NYC are, but the hotel was clean and well kept, and we both said we would stay there again. The location couldn't be more perfect--one block from the center of Times Square, a block from Broadway, across from a Shake Shack, and next to a subway station. It was a surprise find, and about a quarter of the price of the Intercontinental across the street. On our next cruise from NYC we will go up a day early, stay there, and see some of the sights.

Monday morning. It was St. Patricks Day, so I was expecting some craziness, and was shocked that Manhattan was just NYC busy and not much else. My family had left super early thanks to the snow on the ground, and arrived in Manhattan about 9:30. My daughter and I checked out where Good Morning America is taped (our favorite AM show) and then hailed a cab to the cruise terminal. With a very generous tip (the cabbie was so obviously sick, and I felt really bad) it was $16.

Next up... Embarkation

I think it depends on what YOU like?

Are you going to use the spa amenities? is the price of the spa cabin greater than the price of the spa passes if you want the spa cabin for the amenities?

do you like being aft? personally, I don't. I spend way too much time being lulled to sleep by the gentle rise and fall of the ship.

or would you prefer to be in the middle of the ship where there's less motion? and it's easier to get around.

personally, i try to stay mid-ship in between the elevators, as center to that as possible, that way there isn't too much foot traffic, i also usually try to book on the opposite side of the ship from which the interior cabin doors are since that cuts foot traffic in half as well. (which I don't believe applies to the magic, since i think there are interiors on both sides and up the middle). i try and book between floors of staterooms so it's quieter, but on this cruise we're leaving on tomorrow we're above the wine bar, so i'm going to assume (hopefully) that it's quiet.

I have yet to see a kid in the steakhouse... my kid is amazingly well behaved in adult settings, eats adult foods without question, but i don't have the heart to ruin someone else's dinner experience and bring her. and really, she's 9, she will have plenty of years to enjoy fine dining. i understand why some adults don't want to have dinner with kids present, and try and respect that. plus, she's just as happy with nuggets as she is tuna tartare

you need to pack your patience.

and try and keep her routine as similar as possible... my daughter's first cruise was the day she turned 5, and even at that age the change in routine was a little hard. bring a carry on suitcase (at least) with toys and things for her to do so she's entertained too. i'd also say get the balcony, there have been plenty of nights when i've put to bed a cranky kidlet and found myself with only the balcony or the hallway, even if it's chilly i'll bring the comforter outside with me to keep my warm (it's also a really warm and snuggly)

snacks and stuff too. i found it was difficult to find food my kidlet would eat that first cruise, everything was new and it was an unusual experience, and i regret not bringing enough snacks. i'm assuming you're sailing out of NYC, there are dozens of Duane Reeds on the way to the port, we always pop in and grab snack foods, water (esp. if you're making juice!!! bottled water onboard is $$$ i figure 3 bottles a day) the only free drinks available are lemonade tea and water, but bathroom tap water isn't too pleasant and my kidlet thinks it tastes funny.

I've been wrestling with this too, and as we're leaving Monday, still haven't made a decision to be honest...

You really have to know your kids. If this is your first cruise, I'd be inclined to say no, and have to sign them in/out.

There are no lifeguards on duty, and if anything happens to them, Carnival is NOT liable (it's in your cruise contract). This will be my daughters 7th cruise, and I'm on the fence and I know she knows how to behave and act while onboard.

While they might miss out on something they'd like to do (the scavenger hunt for example) for the first cruise it might be worth the extra peace of mind. cruising is a different type of vacation, and while you can give the kids great freedom, there is a great deal of responsibility as well that comes with that.

Hello everyone!

 

My husband and I will be doing our first cruise on the Triumph very soon (April 7) and we are so excited and anxious at the same time. I do have one question. We have been discussing the amount we should put aside for onboard. We do drink and may even go to a speciality restaurant but that's it. What is a good budget to have? And we have already pre-paid tips.

i budget per day... so generally i give myself a limit between 30-50 (depending on what's going on and who i'm with... i'll be cruising with my family in a few days, i'm certainly not going to be wild and partying crazy, so it'll be less).

you can add people and move from room to room, BUT you will be charged whatever the rate is for the extra person in your new stateroom, as well as the addition of the guest into your friends' stateroom.

We sail on the Miracle in July...I have read on here a few threads about needing a card or magnetic strip for the safe...Why?

 

When we sailed on the Fantasy last year we didn't need anything like that...is it different on other ships?

 

Thanks!

everytime we've cruised the miracle we've needed a card with a magnetic strip. i used an old school ID.

i can't say why, but it just is...

my cruise friends and I were talking this evening about our upcoming cruise on the Glory. I have a room booked for 3 and currently have the bedding with 2 twins and a couch. I know we all think we would prefer the bed, but for those of you that have experienced this. do you think the bed or the couch is more comfortable for sleeping? any ship you have been on is fine, even greater if you know about the Glory first hand!!!!

from personal experience, i think the couch is pretty darn comfortable. now, not all couches are made equal, but every carnival couch i've laid my head down on (my daughter usually gets the couch and i lay with her to relax and read before bed) have been awesome.

now if this were HAL, i'd say the exact opposite.

Only three of them are asking Carnival to pay $5,000 per year for life while the rest are seeking $2,500 to $5,000 for four to five years.

While I believe Carnival has already compensated most passengers enough, I think $2,500 to $5,000 for four to five years are still reasonable, if the passengers can provide some or any evidence. And I bet Carnival would settle the case. But I guess those 3 passengers ruined the chance.

so, carnival doesn't owe anyone anything. any first year law student can tell you that.

when you go on the cruise, you're basically saying anything that happens, whether or not it's carnivals fault, they are not liable and can't be sued. i don't know what carnival has given to the passengers who had to go through that horrible ordeal, but it's really damming when people think they're owed something when something bad happens. and carnival has great lawyers who have written a pretty airtight contract that we all agree to when we board that boat, so as awful as what happened on the Triumph was, anything Carnival gave them is more than they were "owed" since they weren't "owed" anything. and filing suits is really a sad waste of the plaintiff's money, since chances are, unless Carnival settles out of court to shut them up and end the ordeal, a judge will likely not give them relief.

that seems a little steep....

 

I called carnival today, to get the sailing we want, the total cost would be $2342 for all 5 of us, but then tells me we need $250 per person down.

 

that is more than half the total amount, is that right?

 

That seems kind of steep!

it's always $250 pp. on 8+ nights its $300 pp. they have been running specials where it's $50 pp deposit, but you still end up paying the same amount at the end of the day.

There are always signs posted that say how many laps equals a mile.

As someone also training for some races in April/May, you could use a treadmill if you wanted to. It's very hard to keep track of all the laps, so the best suggestion I have is to pick a length of time and set an alarm so you can run your usual pace that you do at home without having to count and keep track. unless the ship is in port, you're going to have a difficult time, it's very windy up there which makes half of the lap difficult. I found it was better to run inside on the treadmill for distance and outside on the track for time, which was a nice little mix up. I'll be doing the same next week when we cruise.

Thank you SOOOOO much for posting pictures.

my daughter is going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this, even if she is 9. we leave Monday, and now i'm even MORE excited, if that's possible.

We were in the Haven on the NCL Epic in November. The butler was no big deal. We didn't ask him for much other than an occaisional breakfast in the suite. The food in the Haven Club was about the same as the food on Carnival. The concierge was helpful for restaurant or show reservations but we made some prior to our trip. The concierge lied when he said he did not get an email pre-cruise about the Chef's Table. The master bathroom in th cabin was awesome, as were the pillow selections. The Haven pool was nice, as were the bars in the Haven. The upcharge restaurants on the Epic were mediocre at best. Moral of the story - Carnival has priced their suites properly. You don't get many perks but what you get is nice. We paid considerably more for the 2 bedroom suite on the Epic. It really was not worth the extra money.That being said, we are going to try Celebrity because from what everyone has said Celebrity suites are worth every penny!

we cruised in a "neptune suite" on HAL last summer, and while the layout of the room was similar to that of a carnival grand suite, the amenities blew it out of the water. and what we paid ended up being a little cheaper than what we normally pay for an OS on carnival, but we got an extraordinary deal.

our room stewards were top notch, never in any cruising experience have i had two gentlemen treat us better. and the neptune lounge and the concierge's were amazing and became fast friends. they were efficient, kind, and incredibly useful. the neptune lounge itself was also an incredible perk, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea along with a multitude of snacks all conveniently located. definitely worth checking out!!>

Besides the VIP check in are there any perks once onboard to being in a GS? Is there butler service?

 

Thanks to anyone in the know.......

other than the VIP check in and the ability to be part of the first group at debark, you don't get anything. i've always cruised in a suite on carnival, and then last summer cruised in a suite on HAL and couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money with the lack of anything you get in a suite so we booked a balcony. the whirlpool is great, but for 2 people the extra space of the OS isn't really worth it. if you're a big family, a OS is a good idea, tons of space, someone can change in the bathroom and a second person can be in the dressing area, and tons of closets. but there are no actual perks. it's kind of a huge bummer.

we're cruising on her on the next cruise leaving monday, on our roll call someone said they got a message from someone on the ship that they're doing a zig zag pattern off the coast of SC with a man overboard signal.... that might be why it's looking dead.

hopefully someone else can verify.. i am also in a suite, but purchased the FTTF for my son who is sailing with us in a balcony cabin , mailnly so we can board at close to the same time.. its my understanding that priority embarkation is all we get, where he will get that, as well as priority tendering, steakhouse reservations, a priority line at guest services, and priority de-barkation. as well as his cabin being ready when he boards... so we will stash our stuff with his stuff after boarding. Carnival really needs to improve their perks for suite guests, IMHO...

he could have boarded with you without the FTTF.

really, if you're in a suite, or traveling with people who are in a suite, there's no need for FTTF, unless you want to be in your cabin quicker and want the special line to stand in for the front desk.

the suite perks SUCK for carnival. after living the high life in a suite on holland america i couldn't bring myself to pay more than a grand extra for a suite. this is where carnival is failing miserably.

Found out on our cruise last month that if they do they have to pay port fees and taxes.

so completely false.

200000% wrong.

the reason they typically don't go off the ship is they either would rather take a nap during their "off" time, they still have to actually work, or they've seen everything they can see in that port and don't have the desire to do it again.

remember, these people do the same bunch of ports for months and months on end. eventually you can only see the same bars and tourist stuff so many times before taking that nap is more palatable.

and this is coming from a dear friend who works on a ship.

My first cruise was on the Sensation, and it was a well-kept, older ship (but Enchantment is older too). I'm pretty sure in my signature there are photo's of her, they're about 5 years old, but Carnival doesn't change much. The pools were nice, I think out of all my cruises thus far that's been my favorite dining room. It was a great enough experience that I've now gone on a bunch more cruises.