Barsnikel

Here is a pdf document attached. It will answer a lot of your questions

Tips For New Cruisers.pdf

Fareviewer has been down for a week or so. Carnival is aware. Not sure if they actually will restore it. It's not to their advantage to have it

I've stayed in Galveston many times. As noted above, the prices fluctuate widely depending upon the season as well as local events. As an example, we've stayed many times at the Country Inn and Suites (not to be confused with the Comfort Inn and Suites). Our typical Senior rate is $60.night. Yet at times, that same room goes for $250 /night, "just because".... I once even e-mailed the manager to ask why the rates were so high for a particular cruise date I wanted. Got a nice reply back telling me to wait until such-and-such date to book... which I did, and the price had dropped substantially.

Another option is to book just outside of Galveston. We've done that a few times. During a Galveston event, a hotel in League City can be substantially cheaper than one in Galveston... and it's only 30-45 min drive to the port.

We were only there Friday night. We did go up to the rooftop pool to have a drink. Nice area. Somewhat small pool, but still nice, with a great view.

I'm not familiar enough with Miami to give any restaurant recommendations. But the hotel is right on the edge of Brickell, so walking a couple of blocks will put you within a number of restaurants. It's also very close to the rail station if you want to go elsewhere.

I didn't give an address for the port. I just used "Port of Miami" and the driver knew exactly how to get there.

Stayed here the night before our cruise. Excellent stay. Nice rooms, friendly staff.

We enjoyed the "half price" happy hour, as well as eating in the restaurant. Restaurant was a little pricey, but good. The ceviche was excellent.

It is directly across the street from a Publix grocery store, where we purchased wine and snacks.

Easy walking distance to the rail station, as well as other restaurants in the Brickell area of Miami.

Will stay here again.

One word of caution and then a disclaimer - Uber cannot find this place. On their GPS it apparently comes up with a different address. If you book Uber (or even a cab) know the physical address before you call them. If you just say "The Atton Hotel", they'll never find it.

DISCLAIMER : we got a great deal on Hotwire for a $103/night rate. The normal rates we saw were $169/night.

Fill out the form and send it in. All they can do is say "no".

Be aware that you may not be able to physically plug the water pik into the shaver outlet. My travel pic wouldn't.

Flights into /out of Grand Turk were all cancelled yesterday, but those scheduled for today were still listed as active. From what I have heard, the damage was minimal, and they expected the island to be back into full operation within a few days.

If the OP is using Carnival Transfer, then there should not be any worries. It's on Carnival to get them to the ship on time

Got a message from the Atton hotel, in Brickell area of Miami. The hotel is a few blocks off the bay. They are closed today but will open tomorrow with full service.

Walkie talkies do not work that well on a ship. Consider that the ship is made of steel and metal. RF does not penetrate metal very well.

Shouldn't be a problem. It's a straight shot down Interstate 45. While that is somewhat flooded today, all that water should drain off fairly quickly (if the rain will stop :) ) I would not be overly concerned, but keep watching the news

The attached pdf might be helpful....

Tips For New Cruisers.pdf

There is plenty to do and see on the island. The ferry crossing is very rough, and not a pleasant ride. I seriously recommend you stay on Cozumel.

Check out Chankanaab Park (a national park managed by the Mexican government, and very well run - great beaches, snorkeling, restrooms, showers, lounge chairs, restaurants, etc - a 15 min cab ride from the ship).

There are many other things to do and see there as well (Paradise Beach, Mr. Sanchos, etc).

We always take a fan. Be sure to take an extension cord, and a 3-way plug (or similar).

You can go to the Lido, even after it is closed, and ask one of the workers to get you something. Obviously, they are not going to cook anything, but if you need a banana, or some yogurt, or cheese, milk, fruit, etc they will get it for you. My wife sometimes has stomach problems and we've done that many times.

I have won a free cruise from Carnival (but not for the survey).

It's not as "free" as you might hope. You will have to pay tax, as it is considered "income" (Carnival will send you a 1099 form).

However, the value of the cruise will be substantially higher than what you could get with an Early Saver, or even just watching for price drops. In other words, the 1099 form will necessitate you paying taxes on a "premium" cruise price.

Yes, it's still a free cruise, and no complaints on my part. Just be aware that the "$500" cabin you could book yourself will be listed as a "$900" cabin on the Carnival 1099..

Could you attempt to protest that price ? Perhaps, but I didn't think it was worth the effort to get into a dispute with the IRS. And how would you argue that highest published price for a cabin isn't the value that you won ? IRS doesn't care what discounts you may be able to get watching for price drops.

Just my comments from my own personal experience....

Just be aware that Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years and Spring Break are the highest priced cruises. You'll pay substantially more during those times.

Attached is a document I made that you might find helpful.

Tips For New Cruisers.pdf

thanks op - just booked the hotel for our Nov. cruise. Our rate is slightly higher than yours but still a better deal than Hampton Inn Brickell.

 

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Yeah, I was seeing slight price variations, depending upon which site I went to. But they were all within a few dollars of each other. I considered booking directly with the hotel for $118, but I used Hotwire for $103.

Actually, we just did this. My adult son wanted to go with us, but didn't have a friend lined up as yet. We asked Carnival the best way to book this.

Carnival rep advised us to book him solo, then before final payment is due, just add a person to the cabin. Only price difference is the tax/port charges (and tips)

Thank you. Sounds like as long as it isn't raining, we'll be good.

Excellent. Thank you :)

I was able to book this hotel for $103 /night + tax ...

It got 4.8 star on TripAdvisor, 4.5 star ***** Expedia and 4.0 star of Yelp.

Can anyone tell me if there are retail shopping / restaurants within walking distance ? We'd like to buy some wine to take on the cruise.