XLRATION

For those that have experienced either the Belize Cave Tubing or Zip Lining can you tell me if either or both locations offer locker rentals or some other form of securing your belongings like backpacks, towels etc while on the excursion itself?

As others have already mentioned, Carnival does not offer rates in Cdn. Funds but on some sailings it does offer discounted residency rates for Canadians so be sure to always enter you province of residence. There will be a page that follows that prompts you to opt for a Canadian discounted rate. For the cruise we embark on in 2 weeks, the savings was about $300.

Just got a message that Radio is experiencing issues with his server and will try to get back on line ASAP.

 

He thanks you for tuning in and your patience.

I wondered if there was a problem, he is usually more punctual with his posts. I was thinking that there may have been internet issues on the ship. We were on 3 weeks ago and experienced several days without internet.

There is Roulette but not video roulette.

Not sure but I have been on board during St. Paddy's day and they had ctvities for that.

I was not a fan of the burrito bar.

We arrived in front of the terminal at 11am but the traffic took us until 12 to get to a parking spot on the pier. My advise if you drive in is to have a local give you directions on how to come out on the side street directly across from the ramp up to the pier. Coming out south of the pier ( as our GPS directed us) and driving up 42nd is a nightmare.

Sports bar behind the Casino should show the playoff games and if they don't ask if it is available.

We look forward to another great live report Radio.

I look forward to reading your daily reviews because we were just on Splendor 3 weeks ago. Our sailing was wonderful, with the exception of the blizzard we sailed into on our last night.

On a side note, I tuned in to watch the sailway on the NY Harbor cam was was surprised to see it was not manned to follow Splendor past the Varrazano Bridge.

We sailed Mar 9th to the 17th.

During the day they play concerts and sitcoms:

Kenny Chesney

U2

Tina Turner

Bon Jovi

Journey

Chicago

Kelly Clarkson

Cheers

Everybody Loves Raymond

At night the movies were:

People like Us

Hunger Games

Despicable Me 2

Pacific Rim

Cool Running

Bedtime Stories

Dr. Suess - Cat in the Hat

Miracle

Incredible Burt .....(something or other???)

I probably missed a few but you get the idea that there is a pretty decent mix.

I can not comment on Splendor specifically but we will find out together because I will be embarking with you this Sunday. :)

This will be my 4th winter sail out of NY and I have yet to find it cool inside the ship while in the N. Atlantic. I actually had been following the web cams on the current Splendor sailing and by the time she was off the N. Carolina pennisula, 24 hrs into the cruise, pax were already on the pool deck in shorts and bikinis and swimming in the pool

We had our Carnival Spendor cruise cancelled recently because CCL decided to pull it out of NY. They tried to sell us on another cruise but did reimburse us in full and gave us future cruise credit.

We will be on the Mar. 9th sailing. I can post info when we return.

I enjoy reading all the reviews and the ones full of pics are always the most enjoyable well except when they are full of food pics, that always just makes me hungry.

If I had to pick a member as a favorite my vote is the Radio Live threads.

I think any ship currently along the coastal Atlantic is in for a ride.

I received word from friends that just embarked on Splendor (2/13/14) that by 8pm some passengers were already seasick.

Splendor has docked there today for it's first of 3 port stops.

We will ne boarding Splendor for the first time in March so we look forward to your review.

I have to put in a vote for Coki Beach. We love it there and there are many vendors selling food and drink. Some of the best snorkeling in St. Thomas too IMO.

Cabs (actually open air seating in the back of a truck) to any of the beaches are easily accessed right at the pier and there are always cabs waiting to bring you back. Cab fare is a set fee dictated by local government so you won't be ripped off if you know the rates. There is a site if you google it.

Yes that is exactly the place, thank you very much.

I did a couple searches on CC but never had that thread come up???

Looking for info and experience from fellow CC'ers about a car service near the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

I found a parking service called Park Right Professional Parking Services that is a couple blocks from the terminal for $25/day.

Has anyone used this service and what was your experience. For the cost I am surprised to not see more about it on this site.

We have twice used the Hilton Garden Staten Island for our precruise hotel. They offer a shuttle to and from the hotel which is included in the price.

There is also a Hampton Inn next to the Hilton Garden which also offers transportation to and from the port.

IMO it will come down to personal preference. We looked at both of these sailings but opted for Splendor (Mar 9/14) mainly because we are going to arrive in NY 2 days early to see the city.

Although the sail away from NY is incredible and well worth any addition cost over Pride, your all in cost in Baltimore will be lower based on parking and hotel or, at least in my case, airfare. If memory serves me the Cruise Maryland is $19/day as opposed to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal which is $35/day.

We have sailed out of Ny twice and would do it 10 more times.

We just saved $240 total between the 2 rooms. Thank you for the tip.

I'm confused. Are you considering this for just the night before your cruise, or for all of the pre-cruise visit? It isn't a very conveniently-located hotel for going into Manhattan for sightseeing. By mass transit it would be a long and inconvenient trip and by limo service it would be very expensive for repeated visits to NY. The hotel is convenient if you're cruising from Cape Liberty, but not if you're cruising from NY (and sightseeing in NY).

I was considering booking all our days there but thank you for the heads up. We will keep looking.

We have driven from Ontario, through Mich, to NY for our cruise twice now and it really isn't too bad at all. The drive across Penn. gets a bit boring but overall its not bad provided you have a good gps.

We usually take about 12 hrs to do the trip with stops so we leave around 3am to miss a lot of the heavy night time traffic in NJ and NY if we arrive on a week day.

Also consider arriving a day early and grabbing a hotel. For us it is a bit of security just in case we have some sort of car problems or bad weather along the way that slows us down.

You can find park and sail hotel deals in NJ for about $139 plus $100 for a limo to and from the pier. This allows you to leave you vehicle in the hotel lot during the cruise. Alternately you could pay to park at the pier for $35/day, so for an 8 day cruise would be $280 (plus the tax I believe.)

I have been doing some Googling and I think that we are going to look at using the Country Inn and Suites. They offer a good rate and free parking through the duration of your cruise.

Shuttle service is independant and you reserve it through a limo service. The 4 of us would be $75 each way. We may hae another family join us so it could be less.

This hotel came highly recommended on the Royal Carribean boards when we booked Explorer of the Seas in 2010 and 2012. We went with Hilton Garden which was also recommended but I had a corporate dscount I could apply. In retrospect the Country Inn may have been a better option considering all the extra costs we incurred crossing the bridges on and off Staten Island.

There are no hotels in Manhattan that offer a park/cruise package. Parking at Manhattan hotels is generally very expensive...more than the $35 per night charged at the cruise terminal. In general it's not a good idea to plan on parking in Manhattan during a hotel stay. There is only one Manhattan hotel that offers free parking while you're a guest at the hotel (but again, not while you're cruising), the Travel Inn on West 42nd St.

 

While I can't argue with Budget's Queen's advice to stay in Manhattan if you want to explore Manhattan, the truth is that anyone who is familiar with her advice knows she advocates taking mass transit into Manhattan, not driving in, so her advice to you seems a bit off the mark given that you've stated you're driving in.

 

Here's something you may want to consider. Pre-cruise stay at a hotel in Secaucus, NJ, which is just outside of NY City. From there you can take NJ Transit trains one stop into Penn Station in midtown on your sightseeing days, then on the morning of your cruise it will be just a quick drive to the cruise terminal.

Thanks for the advice, I think we will look into this option. We were considering a day or 2 in a hotel in Mahattan then travel back out of the city the eve of our embarkation and get a park and sail hotel.

Looking into the NY hotels, the average seems to be about $250/night plus about $50 for parking.

The cost is not my biggest determing factor, I think time and safety are more important but if I am going to resort to public transit since most hotels I looked at offer parking that has no in and out option, I may as well stay in NJ and commute in. I think using the subways, taxis etc is all part of the NY experience anyway. :)

the midtown Times Square are, does put you in the center of Manhattan with easy access to the port and attractions. I stay near Herald Square at the La Quinta most of the time due to favorable rates and racking up hotel points for Jazz Fest in New Orleans. :)

 

I don't stay in New Jersey if I want to tour Manhattan. :)

Thanks. I have stayed at La Quinta's before and also collect oints thru them so I will look into it. Do you know if they offer a park and sail package or do you leave your vehicle at the pier?

where are you driving from?

We are coming from Ontario, taking the 80 across Penn. into NJ.