kmc500

I hope that is what we get on our cruise Sunday! I am always looking for a decent whiskey glass for use in the cabin. If we get those, I will have something for cocktails at sail away, without having to head to a bar.

Excellent.

Kevin C

My suggestion to the OP is, by all means take your bottled water, but try this on this cruise to see if you need to take water next time. Fill a pitcher, or one of your used water bottles with water from your cabin sink. Let it sit open for 2-3 hours. The chlorine will have dissipated, and with it the taste. Residual free chlorine in the water will quickly breakdown and dissipate, which is why ship's water is constantly recirculated and chlorine is continually dosed into it.

Thanks for the excellent tip! My wife and I do not drink tap water at home (we have the nastiest tasting well water here in NH), and we drink about 2 liters of water a day each. In past cruises we have spent literally hundreds of dollars drinking the overpriced liter bottles of spring water in the cabin and on deck.

We've decided to pick up four Britta sport bottles and are going to use them on our next cruise, in order to save that useless expense. Your tip I am sure will help the taste of the water.

Kevin C

Kevin C

For all you balcony lovers, is it because you are smokers? Just wondering...

Neither my wife or I smoke. We love balconies for the fresh air, the stars at night, the sunsets, the sunrises, the sound of the ocean sliding by below, having coffee in the AM and room service at night.

They are incredible!

Kevin C

We all know that for most of us, once we go balcony, it is VERY HARD to go back.:eek:

 

SO I can say that I have not sailed without a balcony since July 2003.

 

The first balcony I had was on RCCL Navigator, and I have not sailed without one since, and I doubt I ever would.

 

Let's see who has gone the longest, fill in the blank.:D

We have never cruised without a balcony since 1994, going on 12 cruises (#12 in five days). We're lucky to have been able to do that, although if it meant not cruising, I would certainly be in an inside cabin in the dark!

Kevin C

If I purchase a bottle of liter Crown package and 6 coke zero before the cruise to be available in cabin, can I purchase a second bottle while onboard or do they have to be purchased in advance? they are $80 a pop but prefer to have it already in our cabin to drink.

You will get differing answers to this. We have bought a bottle from room service onboard many times during our CCL cruises. We never tried to do so and been denied, but we have not tried on every cruise. Of course that is anecdotal evidence, since many others have reported that they were unable to buy from room service.

I guess YMMV. If you make the attempt, please let us know the result.

Enjoy your cruise!

Kevin C

On the bright side, there seems to be lots of chair space by the pool.

Hehe! No chair hogs that morning!

Kevin C

Last cruse I got up early and sat in a clam shell on the serenity deck for my wife. I stayed there until she came. Funny thing is I had two people come and tell me I was in their spot they had saved. Easy answer was no since I had been there since six in the morning and no one was on deck at that time.

That is funny.

In order that one if us is in whichever two chairs we've chosen, my wife will go to the buffet and grab lunch and bring it back, then I will go. The last thing I want to do is have both if us grab some lunch and come back ten minutes later and find our stuff on the ground. That would be a problem, so we avoid it! :)

Too bad that inconsiderate and oblivious people are causing both sides of this issue. Those that told you that you were in their spot thought they were solving the chair hog issue their way (and I bet it has worked for them).

Kevin C

Do you also get up early and drape sweaters or towels over chairs in the buffet area or the theatre and expect your seat to be reserved for the day???

Don't give anyone any ideas! :)

Kevin C

Assuming your comments were not tongue-in-cheek...

 

My reasons for avoiding the pool area are different from yours, but wow -- it is hard to imagine that lying by the pool while on vacation would be so stressful. It's a shame! It sounds a little like the stress levels are similar to those engendered by commuting in traffic!

 

(I guess after being on CC for years I would have figured out that some cruises do have a serious tendency to be confrontational! :mad:)

Nope, not tongue in cheek at all, nor stressful. I am avoiding stress by not interacting with the ignorant fools who are so inconsiderate to lay claim to five or six chairs in a row by the pool at 7 am, and then don't come to claim them for hours or ever, just in case they 'might' want to sit at the pool.

The irony is that in most cases there would be plenty of chairs, even at the prime space around the pool, if people used them as they wished, and then moved on, allowing others to use them as well. I am one of the few who spend hours in my chair on a cruise, and I can tell you that the chairs around me that are not hogged but used generally turn over a couple of times an hour.

On my next cruise you'll find me on the rear deck, or up on a higher deck away from the pool, where it is significantly less noisy, and most definitely lacking in stress! :)

Kevin C

I hope it works out for you, and regardless, enjoy your cruise. If I were in your place I would go regardless. A cruise with no spending money is better than being home (with no spending money!) :)

Kevin C

This might sound odd, but one thing I ALWAYS do before a vacation is to have a yard sale. I usually make around $300-$500 depending, and that serves as my spending money.

:)

Great idea!

My wife and I just cashed in our coin banks last weekend and picked a cool $200+ for our cruise next week. Found money.

Kevin C

Thanks so much everyone. I was really sad at the thought of canceling. You've made me feel lots better.

Enjoy your cruise when you go, and in the meantime, take your ex to court and make him pay you child support. I don't know of any state where that responsibility stops on the 16th birthday! It is a moral obligation to support your children, but I would bet it is also a legal one.

Good luck!

Kevin C

By the way, do you use the Kindle Paperwhite? I have the Kindle Fire HD but was thinking of purchasing the Paperwhite for Vacation. Last cruise I had trouble reading it in the sun.

I have a paperwhite and it is incredible for the price! The absolute best way to read a book IMO. I used to use my iPad at night to read, but the Paperwhite works even better in the dark, and can be read in full sun as well. Never mind that the battery lasts at least many days.

Looking forward to using it on my balcony in 9 days (both days and nights)!

Kevin C

Some of our cruises, lately, have had no single supplement. So, we have two adjoining or next door cabins for same price as one together. Twice the space and facilities with visitation privileges :) :D

Also, like child menu banana split and cheese plate for starter at dinner. Often book one on board for the obc; some times it is doubled!

What an incredible idea! I never thought of that; basically you are getting a two bathroom suite for the price of a single cabin.

Brilliant!

Kevin C

DH thinks this ship got stuck after the last storm because it wasn’t there in 2012.

That is interesting, as it was there when we visited Grand Turk in November 2012. Must have happened sometime between your 2012 visit and ours.

Great review by the way, thanks for taking the time!

Kevin C

I never lie by the pool, so I am simply a spectator when it comes to the practice of getting a lounge chair. Even so, I am interested in the philosophy and technique of acquiring a seat.

It is nice to be near the pool in order to cool off on those hot days, but I choose not to do so either, in my case mainly because I have a temper that needs controlling, and choose to avoid confrontational situations that could lead to a problem.

Has anyone tried simply moving someone's stuff (well, towel, at least, but really, anything) and simply being seated, waiting to see what happened? ... What is wrong with this picture?

Kevin C

It's all in the strategy......lol.

 

I wouldn't have any problem doing either of these things if I was sure that it is a CHOG situation.

Yep, and it is fairly easy to determine that it is a CHOG situation - simply watch the chair for 30 minutes. If it remains empty, voila - chair hog!

I know this has been beat to death, but the whole idea of putting an item on a chair (or multiple chairs) at 7 AM, and (maybe) showing up three hours later to use said chairs is incredibly ignorant and inconsiderate. In my mind no different than the able bodied baby boomers that have figured out a way to snag a handicapped placard to beat the system when parking, then shamelessly do so while practically running into the store.

Kevin C

Sister ships I agree but they each have the balconies added and have for a few years now.

No they have not, at least according to Carnival's current deck plans for both ships. Unlike the Ecstasy deck plans, the only balconies available on the Imagination and Inspiration are on the grand suites, the Verandah or junior suites and the two penthouse (or owner's) suites.

Kevin C

Almost Packed,

 

I agree with magsbags, but I also agree that whatever you decide is the best decision. There are no wrong decisions. IMO your husband is wrong, but that's just my opinion and not stated as fact. :)

My opinon as well. I believe the trip is educational in itself and certainly is worth a week out of school to an A student.

I regularly took both of my (now grown) A student children out of school for vacations, of course this was back in the 70's; there was a lot less grumbling about it from the schools than there is now I would bet.

Kevin C

Hi Silverspringcruiser :)

 

...Even picking out/purchasing the journal prior to the cruise has become

a fun task in itself.

 

To us, it is another way, an interesting way, to save and also relive the

voyage...

:)

What a wonderful idea!

Kevin C

Imagination is slightly larger than inspiration

How do you figure that? They both have identical gross tonnage, and neither has had the balconies added, that have been attached to other Fantasy Class ships.

Kevin C

...Great for a party if you have a group of people going and nice little bar area. The front floor to ceiling windows were beautiful to look out on the occasions you were in room rather than balcony.

Absolutely. The wife and I are sailing on the Conquest CS this month. We're traveling with 10 family members and friends, and will be having the sail away party in our room and on the ample deck. Can't wait!

Kevin C

So, me and DW will be on the Pride on April 20th, we have decided to try Cheers, we use cash not CC, it just seems like a lot to fork over 800.00 all at once just to drink for the week. Our rational is that we are only getting off in Port Canaveral to do Universal Studios (50 year old Potter Fan here) LOL Nassau and Freeport have been done many times, will stay on ship and enjoy empty pools and hot tubs.

Big decision and we hope its the right one.

If you have any cruise history at all it should be a fairly easy decision. What have you spent per day on average for cocktails during past cruises? If the total per day times the length of the cruise equals or exceeds the $800 you will spend for Cheers, then that tidbit, along with the fact that you are staying on the ship, probably makes it a good purchase.

My wife and I are looking forward to knowing exactly what our bar bill will be for the week when we sail this month (we have had some surprises in the past).

Enjoy your cruise!

Kevin C

9202 etc on Conquest class ships....can you book it online or do you have to call Carnival?

 

Is it reserved for 4 people only or can 2 book it?

The wife and I are booked in the starboard CS on the Conquest this month. We were able to book it online. Looking forward to having all that room to ourselves!

Kevin C

Everyone has there likes and dislikes, In my case.. the more people that don't like the JR Suite cabins, give me a better chance of booking one in the future.

I am with you. I love the Fantasy class ships, and when on them we usually stay on the Verandah deck in a JS. We really like V1 or V2. We can participate in sail away but still be on our own balcony. After sail away, there is very seldom anyone on the bridge wing.

The more negative the reviews, the more likely we are able to book them (and maybe the better the price). We paid more for our Verandah suite on a 5 day in 1994 on the Ecstasy than our family members have paid for their OS for a 7 day on the Conquest this month.

Amazing values now!

Kevin C