Hstergo

I think what the previous poster meant was ample stocks of pool towels provided in locations where you need them, not one pool towel that you have to monitor yourself.

 

Upscale and luxury lines still provide large towels throughout their ships.

Can't say for sure the poster said no pool towels as in not at all and then asked what cruise line does provide towels? . So I think the poster meant what he or she typed.

You can usually take food off the ship everywhere with some exceptions. United States is one of them. They will announce it and it will be written in the Patter, if in fact it is disallowed. No untoward instructions means you do what you want.

That is simply not so. You can only take pre packaged food that are still sealed.

Anything else is a serious offence with a hefty fine.

You shouldn't give people advice based on if they didn't say it then its ok.

You get on and off the ship first, and a bigger room with larger bathroom with a tub.

You get what you pay for. Suites on other lines are much more expensive.

Like how much would it cost carnival to provide things like priority seating at shows ? ahh my guess would be nothing so take it easy on defending Carnival when the OP asked a simple question.

All the things you mentioned are not perks they are being paid for.

I don't just take my passport in case I miss the ship.

 

 

 

And there it is again. Everyone's favorite argument that doesn't take into account the gravity of the problem. Losing a passport will cost less than $100 to replace. If you end up out of the country WITHOUT your passport, it's going to be a substantial greater hassle getting back home. And don't give me this nonsense about them getting it to the port agent when it happens. I have heard plenty of accounts both way.

 

It's not just about the "risk" of either problem, it's about the severity of the problem should it occur. I'm sure a lot more people are awoken unnecessarily in their homes by a false smoke alarm then people awoken by an actual housefire. Yet no one advocates getting rid of the alarm in order to avoid the much more likely, albeit much more minor eventuality.

 

Amazing how many people fail to grasp this concept....

The concept you fail to grasp is .. people lose things if that wasn't the case no one would ever need a passport replaced. a U.S. passport is worth lots of money on the black market and people have been robbed for them. Lots of travelers won't take expensive jewelry or cameras while out on an excursion for fear of losing them or having them stolen but guess what desperate people pay $ 5,000 for an American passport so there are people willing to do what ever is needed to including robbing someone at gun point.

Washing facilities on Mystery Island.

 

I got a feeling my hands would be cleaner before I washed them there lol

I had the same experience; was my least favorite of all the restaurants on Allure (and I managed to hit every single one). Was all about quantity over quality. Meats seemed to be significantly poorer quality than at Chops and most cuts were woefully overcooked; I did not receive a single piece of proper medium rare. The only moisture and flavor came from the sauces. The buffet was also not much different than what you can find at the Windjammer. I did enjoy the plantains and the cheesy bread, but all but a couple bites of the meat were meh. Had horrible service too, but that can happen anywhere.

My experience there was so bad they didn't charge us and we rushed over to MDR to catch our seating time the maître d seen us and called the manager of Samba and balled him out.

So, you're more comfortable relying on the competence of the crew to actually retrieve your passport from your stateroom safe, than your own competence to not lose the passport in the first place? Sorry, I actually have a little bit of faith in myself and don't spend my entire life relying on others to hold my hand and take care of me. I have this thing called personal accountability.:)

If you had that much faith in your own competence you won't miss the ship in the first place.. The Captain himself gives the orders to leave without all passengers, and then a series of events must take place including having the securty department enter your cabin and removing your passports. If you think he that incompetent you shouldn't trust him with your life in the first place by boarding a ship he is in charge of sailing.

It would be a safe bet that more people lose or have their passport stolen on vacation in a year then the system I described failing.

Drop off luggage first and then go park your car and catch the shuttle.

In all honesty I found the meats to be very poor all dried out and reheated the only good part of our meal was the salad and appetizers bar so I won't be surprised if she enjoys the meal more then you. lol

Okay, I'll say it... I would never set foot outside the U.S. without having my passport with me. Leaving the passport on the ship out of fear of losing it is, in my opinion, a mistake. Driver License, Cruise I.D.... these might get you on and off the ship alright, but neither carries any official weight. Neither is necessarily going to be recognized or accepted for anything. A passport is the single most powerful document you can travel with. If it gets wet, it get bent/mangled, so what? The thought of being on foreign soil anywhere, without the ability to prove beyond a doubt who I am? That scares the heck out of me!

Completely agree!! If you aren't on native soil, carry your passport. It's the one safeguard you have when the unthinkable happens.

If you miss the ship and had your passport in the cabin safe it would be waiting for you at the port office. but if you take your passport with you for the day and happen to lose it as many people have done... now your in a major jam.

I guess TSA will make exceptions, but this statement is pretty much WRONG. Bad advice to say the least.

 

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/acceptable-ids

I personally know people who flew with no ID you have to answer a series of questions but it does happen.

This is the Belize port of call section.

 

LuLu

I meant it as start a thread

It is safer to use a hole in the ground than a upright seat. It is a scientifically proven fact that a hole in the ground is a better angle for the body to clear the bowls reducing the chance of leftovers that cause bowl cancer. In India enema cleansing is also popular too and very hygienic. It may seem backwards to us but these civilisations that have a hole in the floor do have their merits.

 

On the other hand any 5 star hotel in the world has decent bathroom facilities. I have found over the years that it is far better to fork out 5 star prices to avoid the filth of run down places. I refuse to stay in any hotel less than 5 star.

There are some place that don't have a five star hotel... what do you do then pitch a tent ?

We were on the Dream 10/12/13 sailing and did the Behind the Fun tour. Our guide told us that Carnival does not do fireworks at any time due to the risk of fire. He said that the only cruise line that had the permits to do fireworks was Disney, and that is because they use some type of firing system developed for them that isn't hot. This is all per that guide. I have never sailed over the fourth on any line so do not have first hand knowledge.

 

Happy sailing,

Erin

This information is correct. Disney is the only line which has a permit to shoot fireworks.

That is incorrect NCL has fireworks here is a video of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GqDMkvEkGk

Lamanai is worth getting off the ship.

 

Belize City, Belize

This will be one of your favorite ports IF you book an excursion. You'll hate the place if you do not. This fact has been chronicled time and again. Do yourself a favor and book an excursion! The two most popular excursions are the Cave Tubing and the Lamanai Ruins / Jungle River Cruise. Both get rave reviews. Our selection of the Lamanai tour was no exception.

 

Once at the Belize pier we were greeted with a nice Welcome sign. There are only a handful of shops at the pier. I am guessing there were about 90 folks on this tour. We were herded onto 1 of 3 air conditioned buses. Whatever bus you get becomes your tour group, and included a guide that not only narrated the bus tour and answered our questions but also drove our boat on the jungle cruise and lead our excursion of the ruins. Our experienced guide was Vel, and he was breaking in a very pretty young guide-in-training that joined us for the duration of the tour. Our guides were very friendly, knowledgeable, and proud of their country.

 

Belize is a poor country with great natural and historical assets. One idiot on the bus asked "Why are there bars on the windows of houses?" during an otherwise interesting Q&A about the country. (Answer: they have a crime problem related to a "crack" problem). The housing and habitat reminded us a lot of Waimanalo on Oahu (sans the bars). We learned a lot about the city and country on our 1.25 hour bus tour over a paved 2-lane road to the boat dock. [side note: from visible signage along the road it appears Pepsi "controls" the less populated part of the country while Coca-Cola "owns" Belize City itself]. Each bus unloaded their groups into a large thatched roof building sporting restrooms and a couple of artisans. Within a few minutes we were loaded onto covered boats with comfortable seats and two powerful outboard motors.

 

We snaked South down the river to the Lamanai Ruin site. Our guide plying us with information and pointing out numerous birds (including King Fisher, Blue Herrin, Vultures, and Snow Egrets), baby crocodiles, and a huge green iguana, as well as various flora and fauna. We also found the huge termite nests in the trees to be of interest to all. One of the 3 boats experienced engine trouble which slowed us down a bit, but that boat was never abandoned. Our boat held back each time to make sure they were not stranded.

 

Once we arrived at Lamanai, we ate a hearty lunch of Mayan chicken, rice, coleslaw, coconut tarts, and bottled Pepsi and water. We started our tour in a small museum with interesting Mayan artifacts and continued on by foot through an impressive jungle featuring vines, "Jurassic Park"-sized palm fronds, medicinal trees, and Howler Monkeys. We spent about 1.5 hours exploring 3 large Mayan temples and the remains of a small Mayan town. Our guides provided an enormous amount of insight and kept us moving at a reasonable clip.

 

We returned to the boats, sped back up the river, and returned to the buses just before nightfall. We arrived back at the docks about an hour after the final tender was suppose to leave for the ship. Our guides, to their credit, had made the decision to give us the full tour --- not an abridged tour --- even though we had arrived late. After all, we were paying the full price of the tour and they weren't going to let us get anything less. It was clear, back in Lamanai, that we were not going to make the tender cutoff time. This began to cause great distress among some tour passengers. Just remember, that if you are on a cruise-sponsored tour, there are "no worries!" They were not going to strand any of their passengers in Belize if they are on a cruise-sponsored excursion. Sure enough, we were met at the pier with a nice large boat that easily and comfortably sped all of us back to the ship, which was beautifully illuminated out on the sea. Bottom line: take this tour.

 

More "Secrets of the Caribbean": http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

First-hand information on excursions in over 20 Caribbean ports.

Great review ... but it has nothing to do with the OP you might want to post that in the Belize port of call section

Last cruise I booked was for the Allure and it was 8 days out ... it helps that I live 15 minutes from the pier.

Me living in Ft Lauderdale literally 15 minutes from port I can't imagine paying for a plane ticket to get on a cruise ship so if you are 2 to 3 hours away from a port I would do it with no questions asked.

If you have nothing to hide why would you even care?

Yes I would think of that as a one park trip especially since you have to pick up and drop off a car rental. Just enjoy the one park as much as you can. If you and your party enjoy rides I would would choose Islands of Adventure for the day.

its New Years Eve people dress up going to applebees why would you not dress up on a cruise

Us adults actually have government issued IDs the size of a credit card. Should we lose these, it would be a pain in the neck but not as serious as if we would lose our passports (we're not from the US and need to fly home after the cruise).

Unfortunately my 11-yr old will not be able to get the agency IDs you recommend.

But, thanks for your input.

Children do not need photo identification I don't even know where these people make up their own travel rules... Lets use a bit of common sense if they child had what was needed to board the ship in the first place it's good enough to reboard the ship while in port.

In all fairness if you factor in the rate of inflation a cruise costs about three times more back in 1980 then it does now. So with that extra money you saved I am sure you can go into the gift shop and buy a deck of cards or a small tote bag.

Princess doesn't have pool towels either.

 

What lines still have pool towels?

I have never been on a cruise line that does not provide pool towels.

Actually dining with the Captain!! Sailed the Big Red Boat in 1989 and my friend and I were invited along with 4 married couples to dine with the Captain, and we were each seated on either side of the Captain and had the absolute best time ever!! Of all my cruises, this still stands out as the most memorable event!!

 

I also miss the tours of the galley and the bridge. I understand this is because of security concerns, but I still miss them!

They still do the tours but sometimes you have to pay . I was on a Celebrity cruise 2 years ago and we had a free galley tour

Um, nowhere in my comment does it recommend that you take your passport ashore. What the OP was asking about here concerned his future son-in-law and the fact that he does not have a passport, period. My only advice was that one not travel outside the country without one (even on a closed loop cruise), not that one take it ashore. I specifically said it wasn't needed ashore in the Bahamas.

I was only speaking of their passports you answered a question that wasn't asked about getting another person a passport.