Vols Fan

Do you know if they will have turkey and dressing as an option since it is Thanksgiving?

Has anyone ever dined in the steakhouse on Thanksgiving evening?

I just logged in with no problems.

If you are sailing out of Galveston, you pay for 6 days, not 7 because you can't start the Cheers package until you are out of Texas waters or something like that. I ordered the Cheers package for us and it was $689 and some change.

We always book through CCL just for the guarantee of making it back to the ship on time and knowing the correct departure time for the excursion. We had a bad experience in St. Thomas a couple of years ago. Because of the time changes - ship time or port time - and a terrible private excursion company we were 1 hour late and missed the catamaran sail and snorkel. I don't ever want to be that angry again!

My husband and I always sail over Thanksgiving - 6 times exactly. The only issue for us has been more children due to the school holiday. They have turkey and dressing in the MDR on Thanksgiving day which is usually pretty good. Most of the crew are from different countries and don't celebrate Thanksgiving anyway. Never an issue with service. And the weather in the Caribbean is always good in late November. That's a big plus!. Happy sailing.

How do you use the Carnival gift cards from AARP? Can they be used towards your balance due???

Definitely #2. We have been to all of these ports except St. Maaarten. St. Kitts is wonderful, Grand Turk is beautiful, San Juan - well take it or leave it - but the best part is sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. Real easy! Have fun no matter what you choose, and I agree 8 days is better than 7!

We have been to St. Kitts, Dominica and Antigua and they are all wonderful. Dominica was so much fun doing the river inner tubes, St. Kitts catamaran to private island with a great crew and Antigua Range Rover tour through the island and then to a glorious beach. Waves were a bit rough and very hard to get up if you fall down in the water. I know - I had a large audience cheering me on. You cannot go wrong with any of these islands. It's simply a matter of what you are looking for.

Just make sure you have cabins on the deck above you and below you. We always stay on Verandah (and occasionally on Empress) in an Aft balcony. It's very relaxing to sit on your balcony and watch the ship's wake. Lido deck is always active, crowded and noisy. Just an opinion.

The Cruiser is great. We tried it many years ago and have been ordering ever since. We also got Carnival to give us the recipe. And, although not frozen or fruity, the bloody mary's are very good also.

Go VOLS!

We were in Kahau in November and hired a private tour guide name Jay Dorrance, Tread Lightly Tours. He was the most wonderful and interesting man we have ever had for a tour. He has lived in Kauai for 15 years and does personalized tours. He will pick you up and take you wherever you want to go. We did a one day (7 hours) tour to the canyon, Poipu, Spouting Horn and so many other places I can't even remember the names. We enjoyed him so much and the experience we decided to use him the next day for another 7 hour tour to the North shore. Princeville, Hanalei, and places in between. You cannot go wrong with Jay. He has a website and responds very quickly to requests. I can't quote prices because that wouldn't be fair to Jay. But I can tell you it was reasonable and well worth it! Aloha

We were in Kauai in November and did the Wings Over Kauai air tour. It was fabulous and the owners - Bruce and Karen - are real gems. We had our picture taken in front of the Cessna before we took off and were given a CD when we got back from the flight. The CD is not of your flight but a flight very similar. It was really great to have the CD when we got home. It brings back wonderful memories of a beautiful island. Aloha.

I just booked Tread Lightly with Jay for our trip to Kauai in November. We are taking the 6-7 hour tour to Waimea Canyon, Spouting Horn, Wailua Falls and sites in between. The cost for our tour for 2 people is $363. As you add more people the price goes up but not by much. He also has 4 hours tours for less, but according to Jay you won't get to see as much. It's 3-5 hours to the Canyon from Lihue. Hope this helps. All reviews about Tread Lightly tours are fabulous!

I feel your pain. We flew to Hawaii last year for $2000. This year it's $3300 for the two of us. I checked every which way I could to find a better deal. And just gave up. I figure it's only money and we got to pick a flight that was best for us. I don't think travel agents have any pull with the airlines. I will tell you that Funjet Vacations and Pleasant Holidays had good deals if you are picky about your flight times. Might be worth looking into.

I also was on the Festivale in late 1978 (or 1979) out of Miami. May have been the same cruise you were on. The ship listed the entire time. One night we were walking down the "outside" promenade and actually fell into the casino when the ship rolled. At the time it was really funny, maybe because we had had a few drinks at dinner. You are right about the cabins. We also had an inside cabin (3 women) and I got the top bunk. But I do remember sleeping really well on that cruise. Could barely move around inside and the bathroom was ridiculous. But as you said we were on our first cruise and thought there was nothing better. The ports of call were pretty exotic for me at the time. San Juan at 11:00pm at night and the beautiful casinos. St. Thomas was great - took a shore excursion to St. Johns. And Nassau back then was a good port. Not so much now. And who can forget the magnificent midnight buffet displays. And you had to stand in line to get in just so you could take pictures! Wonderful memories...thanks for reminding me of how much fun I had 33 years ago!