Normal 1

I feel for you. I had hives once...(I was 30 with no prior allergies). The internal kind in my joints. My hands looked like I punched a wall. Very painful. Started having trouble breathing and went to ER. They said could have been as minute as a different preservative in a salad bar. Never found what caused it. This was 20+ years ago and only instance.

My daughter will get hives anytime she runs a fever or gets overly stressed. Luckily, Benadryl fixes her up. Neither of us have had any allergy testing.

Hives can be brought on by so many different variables. Would discuss with his doctor to see if he suggests testing or simply proactive doses of Claritin, Benadryl, or such.

Good luck. Not something to mess around with after 2 separate issues. Many allergic reactions will get worse after each exposure so definitely check with Dr.

Hello,

 

In June 2013 I sailed on the Liberty, and I was pleased that they had an outdoor play area for toddlers (slides, ride-on toys, etc), and it was NOT limited to those enrolled in the children's program. When I sailed in Jan 2015 on the Glory, the wading pool was empty and there were no outdoor playthings. I'm considering another carnival cruise this winter, and was wondering if anyone could provide information about the activities available for toddlers that do not take part in the formal kids program on any of the following ships: Valor, Conquest, Splendor or Breeze.

 

The Glory had maybe an hour on sea days where parents could play w/ their kids in the children's prgm area... Is this the case for all ships?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Valerie

Of the ships you list, Breeze has 'WaterWorks' which is a great play area and many toddler friendly places. You can google cruise deck plans to go to a site where you can see all the deck plans for all lines and many pictures attached.

Breeze would be my choice for young kids. Great ship. Take in the Thrill Theater on deck 5. Short cartoons with moving actions, water squirts, etc. Lots of fun... Don't believe there was a height limit. Here is verbiage from Carnival site:

Good luck whatever you decide.

I find both itineraries to be appealing. May want to compare cabin size between the 2 lines. AOS insides are 134 sq ft. Liberty is 170 sq. ft. If size matters to you.... I will say, the RCCL interiors have a small couch that is a perk Carnival does not have in their interiors.

If it were me, I'd pick based on itinerary.

Good luck whatever you decide. If you stay a night or 2 pre or post cruise in San Juan, we found the Intercontinental in Isla Verda to be an excellent property. Got it for just over $100/night on Priceline (4* - there are limited 4* in San Juan).

We enjoyed them this past March (Mom, 53 and 2 kids 21 years old). They can sometimes have a long line (theater only holds 20ish people at a time). A pass for the entire cruise is less than $15.

We found right after early dining dinner to be the time to go. They will show different features each day/night. Some of the young kid oriented films were only shown during the day. some nights, would be 'only the coasters' and there would be repeat of what we had seen earlier in the week. All was good though as we were still surprised by some of the 'effects' even the 2nd time through.

I am going to HMC for the first time in March, 2016. My understanding is there are also clam shell type covers available that fit over 2 chaise lounges for shade costing about $20-$30 for the day.

You can see pictures if you google Half Moon Cay Clamshells.

This is what we opted to do to keep costs down.

Looks like a good location near the forward elevators. Easy access to deck 0 for port days (2 flights stairs).

There is a site where people have posted pictures of their cabins. If you google cruise line rooms, you will find the site where you can look. There is not any pictures of your exact room but there is of a room a few doors down (2363) that is also an adjoining room. There is a picture of the 'door between' the rooms.

Enjoy your cruise.

Warning...... sit down before continuing to read.....

SALON

PHYTO Hair Conditioning Treatments:

Phyto Thirst Quencher, Rescue Remedy, Botanical Bliss / 30 minutes ................... $49

Frangipani Hair & Scalp Conditioning Ritual / 25 minutes ............................. $29

Keratin Express Blow Out .................................................................. from $171

Shampoo / Style Dry ........................................................................... from $35

Shampoo / Cut and Style Dry ............................................................. from $59

Fringe Trim ................................................................................................. $15

Hair Up ............................................................................................... from $49

Highlights full head ............................................................................... from $89

Permanent Color roots only ................................................................... from $69

Permanent Color whole head ................................................................ from $95

Semi-Permanent Color ....................................................................... from $55

Phyto Styling Add-ons: Blowout Straight, Blowout Volume, Color Protector…... from $5

This is from Carnival.com site. Maybe have a Salon day prior to your trip.

GC is in the Eastern Time Zone (Same as Miami) and your port time specifies 7:00 port time. GC is a short tender and an hour should be more than enough time for you to get to the port area. The tenders hold 100+ people. I've been go GC 4 times and there always seems to be at least 2 tenders for each Ship in port.

The Excursion Providers are well aware of the typical timing of the ships and set their schedules accordingly.

Enjoy. GC is a great port!

Thought I would offer my perspective. I have a PVP and she never calls unless I have called or emailed her first. I do get emails at times from her but she never harasses me.

I think there are 2 main types of PVPs at Carnival..... Those like mine who are dedicated PVPs and have 'clients' who work directly with them. Then there are those who 'want to be' dedicated PVPs but work at the general 800 number. These in the 2nd group seem to be the ones who monitor folks who log on and do mock bookings, etc. I think they are trying to grow their clientele in order to become dedicated. Just my thoughts. May or may not be accurate.

I got a call a few months ago after I was checking my booking and doing a different mock booking from a strange PVP. I told them I already had a PVP and they never called back.

Glad I do not get calls each time I log on. I'd be on the phone daily :eek:

If you are looking at the Conquest class of ship and the aim is to save money....then see if the inside 6393 or 7345 are available. These are mid ship and classified as 1A (1 twin/1upper) but these cabins have both beds on the floor and they can be configured as a king. I have stayed in both these cabins. They are slightly wider than the regular inside cabin. There is a similar cabin on deck 8 but the proximity with the buffet overhead may mean noise.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide.

Thanks for the yummy sounding suggestions. Like to support locals!

Not sure exactly what the new activities include but do know those in this age group will receive an invitation in their cabin on the first day.

I'm sure there will be fun times and glad Carnival is taking this extra step to get participation. When my DD was in this age range, there was only 'meet and greets' noted in the Fun Times and when she went, nobody else showed up.

Hope your young adults participate and enjoy!

Thanks for the input. Nice to have ideas before we get there.

Appreciate your responses.

We will be staying at Intercontinental Miami (Bayside). Couple years ago, we stayed at Marriott and enjoyed a short walk to Daily Creative Food Co. based on recommendations on this forum for breakfast.

Is there a similar type place near the IC? We are staying 2 nights pre-cruise and looking for breakfast options other than Starbucks in the hotel lobby. The Daily is 2 miles from IC and a bit more of a hike than we'd like. Aware of MetroMover and comfortable using that if no other near by places.

The Daily was great as we got breakfast and picked up some pastries for snacks and breakfast the next day.

Suggestions welcome.

Thank you.

Read on John Healds page on FB about 2 weeks ago that Carnival will begin having activities for the 18-20 group and that cruisers in this age range will receive an invitation in their cabins at the beginning of the cruise.

carnival has tried a time or two to have stuff for this group but only put a notice in the Fun Times and participation was poor.

I no longer have kids in this age range. We sailed in 2012 when my DD was an 18 year old HS Senior. We went to the first night activity in Club 02 to ask if she could join and she was allowed. As were 2 other girls and a 14 year old just a few weeks shy of 15. This spring break sailing did not have many in the 15-17 range and had an overload in the 12-14 range.

I understand rules are in place for a reason and appreciate flexibility when possible. While many 18 YO girls may have jumped at the chance to play with adults in the Clubs, my DD was not interested in getting hit on by 'drunk old dudes' on a cruise.

I hope the new program Carnival is rolling out will remain as 18-20 is a touh age for cruisers.

We have snorkeled a couple times at Sapphire Beach. There are vendors to rent snorkel gear from. Rocky entrance (may prefer water shoes to fins) to the water and lots to see very near shore.

My 21 year old daughter LOVES shopping in the 'tented' area of downtown Charolotte Amalie for 'knock off' purses. She looks at all vendors selling purses and picks one where there are several she likes then 'haggles' with them to give her a great deal for buying more than 1. She usually pays $30 or so per purse. Does depend on size and 'brand'.

Just check your merchandise carefully to make sure it is in good condition. (linings stitched totally/properly, no loose seams, etc.)

She loves St. Thomas because of this shopping area for purses.

Good luck.

I have paid excursion providers cash with large bills (50s/100s) when the cost of the tour is at or near that value. I would recommend against using large bills when the fee is small. You may get your change back in local currency.

Example, if I have an tour that is $150, I will pay in a 100 and a 50. I will have extra cash on hand in smaller denominations for tips, purchases, etc.

If you are buying lunch while at port, make sure you know about how much the cost will be and have sufficient funds on hand. Some ports are very expensive for dining (Spent $100+ on Grand Cayman this past spring for lunch for 3 and 1 drink each :eek:) No worries as I knew prices were high and was prepared for this.

Enjoy!

You may use cash or charge to your room via sail and sign card. If your account is secured by a credit card you are set. If your account is secured by cash, as your charges get near the amount of cash deposit, you will be paged to see guest services to put more cash on your account.

Would suggest you stop by the casino after boarding as there will be staff circulating to help set up accounts and explain how it all works.

Good luck!

Connections are the risky part. They really heave those bags around. Last time we flew, we bought some kiddie arm floatie thingies. Put them around bottles and inflated then into ziplock bags then in middle of suitcase with soft stuff around.

Also found it helped if bottles purchased on the cruise as they came in a box that helped with breakables. We have not cruised under the new rules of picking your bottles up debarkation morning. That will be interesting to see how much pain it is.

May want to invest in a luggage scale so you know how close to 50 pounds you are. rearranging in the airport sucks!

Even though some pricing is cheap (and some areas have big local taxes), we find just as good of sales at Binny's, Sams, etc. Exception being the Sheridans that cannot be purchased in the States.

Good luck!

Here is the description I got when I booked my room. They solicit your interest of being offered upgrades at a cost at check in if better rooms are available.

1 King Bed Club Level , 408 sq. ft.

Excellent exposures of the Port to the North, the Bay to the East and the City Skyline to the West.

Offers continental breakfast, tea, coffee and soft drinks all day.

Complementary hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails in the evening.

Two persons per room, each additional guest will be charged $25.00.

The base price for this is currently $34 (down from $50). We have 3 and a roll away bed is also extra on top of the up charge. Not worth it for us.

They have a whole range of potential upgrades if the rooms go unsold. From $14 for port view to $780 for the presidential suite. We can live with a pool view on a lower floor.

We stayed last March for free and will again for 2 nights next March basically free.

I joined the IHG Rewards Club a few years ago. I have had kids away in college and there has always been HI Expresses near their campuses. Like any rewards program, there are opportunities to earn 'bonus' points. This allows the points to add up quicker. Couple years ago, I also applied for the IHG credit card when they had a promo to 'get' 50,000 points with the first use of the card. This bonus along with the points I had allowed us to stay at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Seattle pre-cruise for 4 nights....FREE.... over Labor Day Weekend. Now, the credit card does carry an annual fee ($49) but I 'get' 1 free night at any of the IHG family of properties. So, for 2016, I am using 35,000 points for 1 night and my CC free night for the 2nd night. Not a bad deal for the $49 annual fee.

I will caution though that rewards nights in popular times can book up quickly.

I have seen many comments on here and the IHG Hotel Review pages where lots of people are getting 'free' nights at some of the pricier places.

Last year we cruised from San Juan and used our annual free night for one night post cruise at the IC there. Didn't have enough points to do 2 nights pre-cruise at the property and 'bid' on Priceline and 'got' the IC for those 2 nights for $105/night. Not a bad price when the hotel was going for $250+ on their site. That is a fabulous property and if/when I sail from San Juan again, will stay there. Loved that property.

Good Luck.

There are very yummy desserts, cakes, cookies, etc. at a small up charge at the specialty coffee shop.

Asking Blue Herons, John DC, Keith or others for input.

Cruising from Miami on 3/5/16. Flying to FLL on 3/3 arriving at 10pm. We are me and 2 college aged kids. I 'get' a free night each year and have enough points for a rewards night at Holiday Inn chain (Intercontinental , Crowne Plaza, etc). So, can get 2 nights for free.

First choice was CP Z Ocean Suites but they do not have availability of rewards night for Friday. In Miami Beach, that leaves Holiday Inn in the MidBeach area. Is this area safe? Is there a CVS or Walgreens nearby? what about a coffee place like Starbucks? is the property itself okay? the pictures look nice but reviews are mixed. We plan to take in the beach on Friday and venture down to Lincoln Road in the evening to browse and get dinner. We are not overly picky but don't want to spend 2 nights at an 'itchy inn' type place either.

Any input you have is appreciated. On Previous cruises, we have stayed at Intercontinental POM and Marriott Biscayne Bay. With 2 nights pre cruise, was hoping to experience Miami Beach.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

_____

Karen

Not sure about grapes and strawberries but I always see apples, bananas, cantelope, honeydew, watermelon, pineapple. While not fresh, there is also raises, prunes. I know there are others I am not recalling...

I do know there are chocolate dipped strawberries available for a small charge at the specialty coffee shop or cherry on top areas.