Smithkids5521

We are sailing in July on the Paradise for our 10 year anniversary - WITH NO KIDS:D:D:D. We currently are signed up for the late dinning option as my thought was we don't have to worry about getting back from the islands and rushing to get ready for dinner; if we get hungry before than just get a snack. However, after reviewing some information I'm more concerned about missing shows & not getting good seats so I'm thinking of switching it. Few Questions for experienced cruisers:

 

1. If we do the early dinning will we miss watching the sun set?

2. What exactly does this waitlist thing mean? Could we end up with a horrible time or is it still generally around 6:30ish?

3. How horrible is the wait for the YTD? We do not want to be waiting 45 minutes on a cruise, on our anniversary.

4. Since it's our anniversary and we have no kids we'd love to avoid having the dinner times that most families go to (just because we never get that). Is early, YTD or late better for that?

5. Will we really put ourselves at risk of missing shows with decent seats with late?

 

Not sure if this makes a difference or not but we do have the FTTF passes.

Well let me start by saying Happy Anniversary! :)

Families with young children choose early dining time- not many 5 year olds are going to be ok with eating dinner after 8pm. Some will of course, but for the most part families with young kids will try to eat earlier. So- if you are looking for a romantic kid free meal- early dining may not be your best bet. ;)

We have always chosen YTD and I think the only time we had a wait was formal/elegant night (even then, it was only 30-45 minutes or so. We just grabbed a drink- or 2- from the bar and sat by the window to hang out and wait). Table for 2 will be easier to get- if you were trying to get a table for 10 then I would imagine there would be longer of a wait.

I think the best thing for you to do is to find recent Fun Times from someone who recently sailed on Paradise and look at the nightly entertainment schedule. If you see that many of the shows and activities that you would be interested in will occur during the late dining time then you may want to consider changing.

Enjoy your kid free cruise!

We are sailing on the Splendor next week and I am preoccupied with the crushing question of whether I will be able to get a "Side Car" (Alchemy) or a "Papa Doble" (Havana) on a ship that doesn't have these bars! Anyone know?

Some ships do serve the alchemy bar menu even without having an "Alchemy Bar" per se... many have reported on Legend that the Atlantis bar serves alchemy bar menu. Have you checked on the board for the Splendor- hopefully someone who has recently sailed can answer your question.

I certainly hope that they do- for your sake- because those drinks sure do sound yummy!!! ;)

If you are going on a 7 day cruise- you'll see lots of families. Cruise on a 3 day or 5 day- you may run into some college kids.

It will be busier (so will times of year like Christmas break)- and the prices higher... but as long as you go in with realistic expectations I'm sure you'll have a wonderful cruise!

I think you'll be fine- there is always the serenity deck (no kids there) ;) Enjoy!!

 

2.) We're waitlisted for the early dining time. How likely is it that you actually get placed or will I be waitlisted this entire time?

.

Since you are waitlisted for early dining- does this mean you are set for late dining? Or have you signed up for YTD? I would think it would be fairly easy to switch from late to early (because I'm sure there are others that are trying to switch from early to late once on board). The difficulty may be switching from YTD to early dining, but like others have mentioned- just go check with maitre'd once onboard and hopefully he/she will be able to take care of you.

Enjoy your cruise (and your weekend in my city) ;)

Thank you I didn't take note of the time period for the Alaskan cruise so that will definitely narrow down our decision. There are multiple toddlers age 2,4, and one child age 7. There are no teenagers and the remainder of persons are in their thirties and forties so it is likely the Caribbean will be the best destination and we would definitely like an active ship!

 

 

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What port would you like to leave from? The farther north you are- the less Caribbean you'll see. So, if you leave from NY or Baltimore you'll only get as far as the Bahamas for the most part. If you leave from a Florida port, your options are endless...

I'll be on the Legend's first sailing this year (4/28). I'd be happy to post the Funtimes when I get back. I always save them.

 

 

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That would be much appreciated!! Sailing in August so very excited to take a look!!

Also, I thought I read that the Cheers package cannot be used the first day. Will someone confirm this, please. And I am wondering why..if this is the case

Due to state laws, cruising out of Galveston or out of NY- the cheers package won't go into effect until day 2. :(

But you can still pre purchase to get the lower price... you would just be paying for 6 days (on a 7 day cruise)...

Umm, I don't want to be rude Diana, but that kid in the middle is really ugggggllly! Hope he gets his look from his father :rolleyes:

I would love to have him as my kid- I bet he would be a better listener than my human ones LOL!!! :')

One will be finishing up 5th grade (so definitely nothing going on there) and one will be finishing up 6th grade. Do they have "finals" in 6th grade that last week? It's been so long since my older two were this age...

I'm not sure how the grades/schools work in your state/town, but here in Baltimore 5th grade is end of elementary school and they move up to middle school for 6th grade. My point is- that last week of school may be the last time your 5th grader gets to see some of her friends (if they will be heading to a different middle school than she will).

Will she be ok with the fact that she'll miss that last week with her friends? If yes, then my vote is for May instead of November. (y)

ETA- I just read your post about the 5th grade graduation and festivities... she definitely wouldn't want to miss out on those.

Hi everyone,

 

I'm looking for recommendations on the best cruise lines to accommodate a family trip. There will be about 15-20 persons ages ranging from 2-50+. We are thinking possibly Caribbean or Alaskan itineraries and would like a cruise line that caters to both kids and adults.

Any help will be appreciated!

What time of year are you looking to cruise? Christmas break/Spring Break? If yes, you won't be able to visit Alaska since their season runs from May- September. So that might make the decision for you...

What port will you be leaving from? Do you want a port within driving distance or will everyone be flying to your embarkation port? Passports for everyone or no? That will determine which port you can leave from as well (if no passport, then can't leave from Vancouver or Victoria for an Alaskan cruise).

Like others have mentioned- if going to Alaska, it's all about the ports, not so much the ship.

Caribbean cruise ships will have more to offer onboard (fun water areas with water slides, maybe you'd like some rock climbing, zip lines, etc.) so ship selection is important.

What is the age breakdown- multiple toddlers? Only 1 toddler and a bunch of teens? I was going to suggest a Disney ship, but if you have a bunch of teens they may be bored... :confused:

Hoping to take a trip with 13, almost 14 year old grandson. Wondering about best itinerary, cruise line, Yukon, Denali, Alaska? Best cruise line for teens....and any other suggestions.

I agree with what others have posted so far- first thing to do is check if grandson has a passport. If not, you'll more than likely have to leave from Seattle. That will narrow down the cruise lines and ships slightly.

Next determine what you'd like to do/see/experience in Alaska (have your grandson check Youtube- I'm sure he's familiar with that- to check different ports, excursions, etc).

Once you have specific ports in mind- you will be able to search which cruise lines will visit there. Then once you have it narrowed down, come back here and get opinions as to which cruise line/ship that folks would recommend. You can also search recent trip reports to get a feel for the ship/ports, etc.

Your grandson is very lucky- you will be making memories that will last a lifetime! Enjoy your cruise!! :)

Yes, I understand for the pool only. I assume the comment in post #2 about "emergency disaster devices, yes they are new, but only for Platinum and Diamond guests" was supposed to be a joke??

Yes it was a joke. :')

We're going to Key West and Cozumel and plan on buying souvenirs. Do they take American currency or how do I get the currency needed for the port? We don't use credit cards, so that not an option. Thanks in advance!

I was going to make a funny/snide remark about the fact that Key West is in Florida so of course they take US currency, but then I remembered that I was so worried about needing to renew passports for my kids before leaving for Alaska in case we needed to fly home from a port until my husband not so gently pointed out to me that Alaska is part of the US... :o

So you know, glass houses and all... :')

My Fun Shop purchase shows 2nd day also, so I called and the rep said it shows in the system that I requested the 1st day of embarkation. So maybe it is a system glitch.

Must just be a glitch... my bottomless bubbles purchase is showing as the 2nd day as well, but the cost shown is clearly reflective of 7 days. I'll just be sure to bring my receipt, just in case... but I don't anticipate any problems since technically it isn't even an option to be able to purchase only 6 days of BB on a 7 day cruise ;)

Trying on clothes to make sure they fit.

Have outfits for dinner picked out for cruise duration.

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I should definitely do this! Every year I have to make the mad scramble to the store the night before we leave because someone in my family (sometimes it's me... more often than not it's my hubby) realizes that their bathing suit doesn't fit, or they need a brown belt, but only have black, etc...:rolleyes:

30 days out I am usually confirming the boarding reservation for my doggies, making sure someone is coming to my house to feed the cat and bring in the mail- stuff like that. As it gets closer I will do what others have mentioned- print boarding passes and luggage tags, print confirmation of excursions, print itinerary for our flights, hotel reservations, etc.

Sold out already :(

If you ordered bottomless bubbles for your kids, keep in mind that they may need charging privileges if you happen to be in port (or somewhere that will charge tax). When they try to get their soda, they may owe a small amount (plus you may want to allow them to add a tip for the bartender now and then)

Hello!

 

Going over my confirmation emails, I realized I accidentally bought $100 of Bar Cash instead of Cruise Cash.

 

Since you still have a bit of time before your cruise- can you call Carnival CS and explain that you bought the wrong thing by mistake? Maybe they can change the transaction from Bar cash to cruise cash- or maybe they can just refund the bar cash and then you can buy cruise cash...?

You will have information delivered to your cabin- it will list a meeting place and time on board- head there at your scheduled time and then you will get in line to debark.

It will also list a predetermined meeting place and time to meet your tour guide (usually right there at the pier once you get off the ship) so once you are off the ship, just head to your meeting spot and have a fun excursion.

Icy Strait Point(Hoonah): 6.5%

Juneau: 5%

Ketchikan: 6%

Sitka: 5%

Skagway: 5%(April through September)

Thanks for the info! :)

There were some great ideas on here!! Lucky kids!!:D

We did the whole scavenger hunt thing for our very first cruise- had them running all over the house finding clues. Final clue was new suitcases with new bathing suits and beach towels.

For our upcoming cruise to Alaska, I really wanted to surprise them- but unfortunately as they get older, coordinating sports schedules with vacation schedules becomes more difficult... plus I was just too stinking excited to keep the secret for very long! ;p

My oldest just turned 11 and we will not be giving him the signing in and out privleges. I trust him, no worries there. He's very responsible for his age. But really we are on a ship with a couple thousand other guests that I don't know the history of. Anyone can be on there..

This right here! I agree 100%!! My DD will turn 11 in July- and when we cruise in August she will not be able to sign herself in and out of camp. We plan on taking full advantage of the new Hub app with chat feature- so if she wants to be signed out for a scavenger hunt or because she's bored, we will just come and get her. For the most part she usually only likes to go to camp in the evenings after dinner anyway and maybe stay for night owl- at which point I wouldn't really want her wandering the ship at 10pm just as I wouldn't let her wander my neighborhood at 10pm. ;)

Now my 14 year old son- since he will be in Circle C, he can come and go as he pleases, but of course we have rules (certain predestinated check in times, no going into anyone's cabin that we do not know, etc.)

I did purchase the bubbles program for both of them so if they wanted a soda, they can just order one and not need mom or dad around.

I just got a nice OBC after price matching 2 of my Alaska excursions at the website www.alaska-shoreexcursions.com

With the 110% price match I will be getting approx. $81 OBC for my Skagway excursion and another $61 OBC for my Juneau excursion :)

Surely you are joking.....:)

They aren't joking... and don't call them Shirley ;)

Sorry... couldn't resist myself (Airplane is one of my favorite movies!) :')

If you go over to the ports of call boards, you'll find lots of excursion ideas for each of your ports. :)

Enjoy your cruise! We'll be on the Legend in August with the same itinerary as you (except we leave from Seattle). I'll be curious to hear which excursions you chose and if you enjoyed them.