Barsnikel
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Posts posted by Barsnikel
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I cruise out of Galveston on a regular basis.
When you clear the federal Customs area, there will typically be a person standing there, asking "do you have liquor /cigarettes" or something similar. Now, this person (typically a lady, from my experience) has never been in uniform, or had an "official" emblem, badge, or similar displayed. If you say "yes", she will direct you over to as window, where you pay your State tax.
I never respond. I just walk right past her. As far as I am concerned, she is just an anonymous person asking questions to which I have no obligation to answer. Unless /until she has a uniform or official badge or something similar clearly displayed, what I purchased or didn't purchase is none of her business.
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My wife is a late sleeper. I am not. I get up and have a nice breakfast in the Lido buffet (and no, it's really not that crowded in the mornings). Afterwards, I take a plate from Lido down to the cabin, and order coffee service delivered. When she wakes up, she's got a pot of coffee and breakfast. (For breakfast room service, I tip $2-$4, depending upon what we order)
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This is why I use a PVP.... A good PVP should act as your advocate in these types of situations.. even if I don't fully qualify for an OBC, I can usually get him to do "something" for me..
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If there is ANY difference between the two, carnival will deny the claim... does it last EXACTLY the same amount of time? Does it go to the same exact place? Your chances of getting anything from Carnival are nill....
However, it never hurts to try... you never know. But just set your expectations such that you are not disappointed
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Empress deck, either front or back, is fine. I've done both. If you cannot get "mid ship", then I'd suggest the back as opposed to the front. In choppy water, you will likely feel lees movement as the ship goes through swells.
But having said that, there isn't anything wrong with the front. If that's what you end up with, you'll be fine
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I have attached a pdf file which may answer a lot of your questions
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I just actually made that same decision... we were thinking of Paradise or Sensation. I picked Sensation.. not so much because of the ship, but rather the destinations. Grand Turk is my favorite place, and Half Moon Cay is a close second.
We've been many times to both Cozumel and Grand Cayman. While Cayman has some very interesting things (excellent snorkeling and the Sting Ray feeding), Cayman is also a fairly expensive island.
For both places, I don't think they come close to the beaches at Turks.
(Edit :- I will add one thing... your 12 year old would LOVE the snorkeling and feeding the Sting Rays at Grand Cayman. My teens couldn't stop talking about it. It is one of those "must do" things)
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My wife goes there specifically for the lobster. She says it is excellent (I go for the steak :) )
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Be sure to check out the shows, and also the Karaoke bar and the piano bar. Both of those can be a lot of fun.
Take an e-reader or book and chill out in the Serenity (Adults Only) deck. Very relaxing.
Ecstasy is a small ship, and an older ship, but in many ways that's good. You will find it less crowded, Large ships can be overwhelming, sometimes. I actually prefer Ecstasy to many of the other ships.
Be sure to take him to the Sea Day brunch. The steak and eggs are wonderful. And be sure to spend some "alone" time with just him (without the kids). :D
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Is the 50% off any bottle of wine, even the lesser priced wine? We are sailing on the Vista in January and are considering this instead of pre-ordering wine and having it sent to our cabin. Thanks for any information you might provide!
It was 50% off any wine on their wine list. You can find the wine l;ist (with prices) from a number of different postings. And Carnival web site has the wine list (with prices) posted at one time. Don't know if they still do.
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why do you have them open them and recork them? You can bring a corkscrew in checked luggage or ask room steward for one so you can open the bottles as you wish???:confused:
We always bring a corkscrew. But why not have them do it for us?
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The 50% off additional bottles of wine has always been there. The first night (and sometimes the second night) you get a complimentary bottle of wine, plus 50% off any additional bottles purchased. We always buy 2 additional bottles, have them open and then re-cork them, and then take them back to our cabins to enjoy later on the cruise.
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We've stayed at the Hilton several times. It's a very nice hotel, but pricey. There is an iHop and another restaurant a very short walk away... and it is right across from the beach area.
If you plan to take the shuttle, you need to book it as early as possible. The shuttle times fill up quickly, and you'll be left with a late afternoon time slot
And just for reference, a cab ride from the Hilton to the pier is only about $15 and a short ride
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Checked luggage.
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Hello lovely folks...
I'm a first time cruiser, married, no children, 41 yrs old. Husband is 38.
I had my heart set on a 7-day Princess Cruise to Baja, and it fell through now because it was in conjunction with a convention I was going to - just found out the dates and it's later than I expected. It is at the end of May so Princess is gone to Alaska at that point, but I'm now eying up the itinerary for May 13-20 on Carnival.
Am I too old/young for Carnival? What's the 40-something dynamic on a 7 day cruise to Baja? Is it a wild 24-7 frat party or loaded with screaming children? That's my non-educated stereotypical view of Carnival.
We do like to drink so we would be OK tying one on, but we don't stay up until all hours like we used to, but we do expect *some* peace and quiet away from screaming children and 20-something party-animals. We've never been to Mexico but we do a lot of travelling around the US, Canada and England so we're definitely seasoned as far as regular travel goes.
We would be interested in excursions and things like that as well, what say you, seasoned cruisers? Will we hate this or will it be a great first time?? Is my view of Carnival skewed and do I need to smarten up and do it? :cool:
You will have a great time. We are older than you (buy a considerable amount) and have sailed on Carnival many times (as well as other cruise lines). We prefer Carnival because you really do get more bang for the buck.
I have a pretty comprehensive document I've put together called "Tips For New Cruisers". It will answer many of the questions you might have. If you'd like a copy, send me an e-mail and I'll reply with a pdf file.
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From most any hotel in Galveston, it's only about 15 minute drive to the cruise terminal. I cannot speak for Royal Caribbean, but for Carnival we always arrived about 10AM. They will not start boarding until all passengers are off, which would be about 11:30-ish. But Galveston terminals have comfortable waiting areas.
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When you disembark, there will be taxis lined up and waiting. You will not have a problem getting a cab
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Once you get to Galveston, there are many hotels along the Seawall / beachfront. That's were a lot of restaurants are located.
From most any hotel in Galveston, a taxi to the pier is only 15 minutes and cost $15 dollars.
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I have the same fan at home and work, it works very well. I think I'll take it on my next cruise. How do you pack it? With the clothes or a separate bag?
It fits right in our checked luggage. Doesn't weigh much and sits nicely right at the bottom.
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We always take a small fan. Got one from Target for about $18. Does a great job of both cooling and "white" noise to drown out the late nighters.
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There are a number of hotels in Galveston, and they all cater to the "cruise" crowd. Most every hotel offers some type of shuttle service, either free or for a modest fee.
However, we always just catch a taxi. From any hotel in Galveston, the fare from the hotel to the pier will only run about $15, and it's a short 10-15 min ride. Easy to do. We don't like to depend on a shuttle that may or may not leave on time, and may or may not stop at other hotels enroute.
Coming back, there will be cabs waiting in line to return you back to the hotel (if that's your destination)
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^ agree. Don't bother with any service. Just catch the first cab in line.
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Uber did in fact stop Galveston service February 1st. HOWEVER, I believe you can still get Uber from Houston to Galveston, just not the other way around.
In other words, they can drop off passengers in Galveston, but they cannot pick up passengers in Galveston.
I'm not 100% certain about that, so verify it first
Summary of Winning Bids on Priceline/Hotwire et al
in Florida Departures
Posted
Been watching hotel prices for Miami pre-cruise in October.. I preferred either the Brickell Financial area, or the Airport Blue Lagoon... prices were sky high...($175++..)
But I finally got a pretty good deal on Hotwire...
Atton Brickell Miami Hotel
No airport shuttle or port shuttle, so I'll have to take Uber or Lyft.. but the savings will easily off-set that