SeaScout

Can you enter from Julia street?

Yes you can. But, do not enter the building at Julia St. Walk down next to the building to get to the entrance for boarding Carnival ships. (approx 200 ft. from the Julia St. entrance. We used the Julia St. entrance a few weeks ago. We were staying in a Hotel further up Julia St. so we just walked down, crossed the train tracks, walked up to the building, turned right, and walked up the sidewalk to the Carnival entrance. Others in our group took the street car to the Julia St. entrance also. (I don't believe there is a street car stop where you actually enter the Carnival section of the building at the cruise terminal)

I've geocached in multiple ports of call. (been a few years as my GPS broke and I never replaced it). Cozumel had a few good ones close to the port.

I went by the name SeaScout on the GC website. You can check my logs if they are still there.

2 things to keep in mind. Literally any beach in the Caribbean will have people offering parasailing so it's not something that has to be done in st thomas. Second, the parasailing doesn't actually take that long, would guess it's a 2 hour excursion between pickup, drop off, and set up. I would plan a beach day for you and your daughter and just do parasailing as part of that. St thomas is one of the safer islands to explore on your own.

 

 

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Just a point of reference for what it's worth. We've been to St. Thomas numerous times. I don't believe I have ever seen parasailing offered at Coki Beach or Sapphire Beach. If it were me, I would feel quite comfortable booking an excursion with a private vendor in St. Thomas. (we typically just grab a taxi to one of the beaches or the ferry to St.John). St. Thomas is still "in the States" so that tends to simplify things in the very unlikely event that something goes amiss.

Just a fun but meaningless question. Every cruise there is a flyer sent out asking for help finding a few lost bags. I think they usually add a generic picture that is close to the description and then more detail written out.

 

Anyway, have any of you had lost bags on a cruise and if so, did they eventually turn up?

A few years ago. We had the experience of my bags waiting at the cabin door for us, The love of my life's bags... Nowhere to be seen. We waited with anticipation... No bag. We sent my teenage son to search the hallways... No Bag. My lovely GF was reduced to tears when I offered her the use of my tighty whiteys for the week if her bag didn't show up. We skipped dinner the first night because she had nothing more than a wet bathing suit, and the clothes she flew in wearing. Things were beginning to look dismal. Tears were shed.

Late that night, I went to guest services to inquire "Where the heck is the bag" ?? Guest services pointed to a big pile of luggage in the lobby. Is the bag you are looking for in there? Why, YES, Yes it is! The world had suddenly become right. I could go back to the cabin a hero. The Bag was found!

Question is. How did the bag become lost? It had 2 tags on it. I put them on myself. I'm mechanically inclined. Those tags did not fall off on their own. My best guess is a disgruntled stevedore. I Tipped the man well. $10 IIRC for our 3 bags. My bag, my teenage sons bag, and my lovely GF's bag. I think, at the time the stevedore did not associate my GF and I as being together (the dock area gets crazy at peak times) and he thinks she stiffed him. Tags disappear, drama ensues.

My advice. Tip the stevedore, and make sure he knows which bags you are tipping him for.

Maybe it would be a good idea if you are checking your luggage to take photos of it in case it does go missing.

 

 

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YES! This is a very good idea. I always take a picture of my luggage, because when that person at the "lost luggage window" (wherever it may be) asks you to describe your luggage, you just show them a picture and ask them to fill in the appropriate fields when entering the info into the computer.

I get so confused lately. Must be because I'm old. Topless guy with double "D", hairy manboobs on Lido deck - VS- some random women laying topless in the adult serenity area. One is okay, one is not. You decide.

What would be an "appropriate" shore excursion for polluting? Regardless of whether it is done from a ship or shore, plastic pollution in the ocean is a crime. Sorry, I've worked 42 years at sea, and seen the effects of all kinds of pollution in all of the world's oceans, and I detest it, and welcome all efforts by the world's governments in preventing it.

I'm on your side of this. Messages in a bottle are romanticized but at the end of the day they are just more trash in our oceans. Surely people have seen the amount of trash around the islands? I can't fathom why people want to destroy the very thing they love.

And don't get me started about light pollution on the ships. Just once I would like to be out at sea and actually be able to see the night sky.

This is from the Carnival Celebration from 1994. The food offerings since then have not significantly changed as far as I can tell. The presentation however has changed vastly. The menu I scanned is one I saved from that cruise. Every evening a brand new menu would be rolled up like a scroll and was waiting for you as part of your place setting. The service in the dining room was 4 to 5 star every night. As I recall, our table of eight had a waiter and 2 assistants exclusively for our table. I recall the attention to details. Bread crumbs on the fine linen table cloth? No problem, out came the little, silver, crumb picker upper, thing.

It's tobacco. He'll not encounter any issues. Quite easy to tell the difference between tobacco and marijuana.

A curious side note. I live in Massachusetts. We are one of the states that have legalized marijuana for consenting adults. I'm curious how this will be handled for cruises into and out of Boston?

My upcoming cruise is the first I have gone on after starting geocaching. Wondering if there are any like minded carnival cruisers out there, who love the hunt in new ports?

Dropped out of Geocaching a couple of years ago, but. yeah, we've found plenty of caches on the islands. Some of our best finds were on cruises. I might still have a profile over on the Geocaching website. Same moniker as here IIRC Might be able to read some of my logs from the islands if they still exist.

Yes, but I don't have those things pointing at me in the bedroom.

In all seriousness, Nookie ain't the point of the exercise. I have some limited experience in a segment, of a division, of a subsidiary, of a company that may or may not have some limited expertise in the general field of social engineering, so to speak.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act

That was more than 25 years ago. Things have advanced. So, yeah, your smart TV, cell phone, automobile, baby monitor, computer, home security system (how ironic) are all capable of spying on you.

This is one reason I like walking as far as I can down the Beach at Half Moon Cay. Solitude and no electronics. Of course, they're still watching you. :eek:

They are just revealing that this brand has the ability to spy on people. I know the topic has come up before questioning the little hole on the top front of the screen.

 

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A little hint for you. Your smart TV, cell phone, automobile and computer have been spying on you for years. :rolleyes:

It would take a lot more then a mere head cold to stop me from boarding a cruise.

And this is why I wash my hands about a million times a day when on a cruise. :eek:

You could call home from the ship far cheaper than it is for them to call to leave a message for you. When we cruise my GF makes a daily "check in" call home. Call lasts less than a minute, was not expensive.

Bad news is you probably wont be able to board with them (unless they wait and go with you). It's very easy to just meet up on board once everyone boards. (cell phones will still work before you set sail).

Good news is, if you have any tender ports, you can accompany them on priority tendering.

no head to the casino to the cashier cage to get your change instead of standing in the long line at the guest services

Ummm, actually the kiosks do break large bills. We use them frequently for just that purpose.

This an old thread, but curious with all the American Table changes if people still prefer the MDR. I've never in 14 cruises done buffet for dinner but always wanted to try, especially now that our kids travel with us...but.... I am concerned I would have FOMO! LOL

 

I know they post the dining room menus in advance, wish they did the Lido too.

We always find some other alternative than the MDR for dinner. We quite often end up at the buffet for dinner. We're platinum with lots of cruises under our belt. MDR? Been there, done that. We just prefer the more relaxed notion that we can eat what we want, when we want. I don't believe we even went to the MDR our last 3 cruises.

That's why I like cruising. You've got options.

You get a slight discount when you purchase a bucket. Honestly don't remember the prices other than thinking "they want how much for 4 beers"? :rolleyes: I do seem to recall that there were certain beers that came in larger cans for the same price. Sam Adams perhaps??

When you go to guest services to inquire about opening the divider, occupants of BOTH cabins need to be present. Go as soon as you board ship. Guest services will not grant approval unless parties from both cabins are present.

The spa services may be a better use of the gift card if you have the time. Here's a sample of spa services many of which cost less than the value of the gift certificate and the Deep Bikini Waxing comes in right at $50:

 

 

Bliss Poetic WAXING Prices

 

"Brow" $30

"Up/Chin" $15

"Half Arm" $35

"Underarm" $24

"Leg" [half & full] $40 or $90

"Back" $65

"Chest" $55

"Bikini" $35

"Deep Bikini" $50

I'm a guy. That $50 "gift" isn't going to cover the cost of waxing my back or chest. Looks like the "Deep Bikini" me for me. :eek:

I believe there is someone who's tasked with roaming the passageways looking for dirty dishes to collect. I saw someone like this outside our room one afternoon, pushing a cart and filling it up with the dirties. If the plates are in your room, it falls on the steward and he then has to do the job of the guy collecting the dirty dishes.

 

Better yet, just ask your steward what to do with the dirties. He'd know the most efficient way of making sure they're collected.

Wait? ... Am I the only person that takes his dirty dishes back up to the buffet area? :eek: Seriously? People don't clean up after themselves? They wait for someone else to do it? My Mother raised me better than that. :confused:

We do it all the time. Love it when myself and my sweetie can sit on the balcony and enjoy a lite snack or full blown meal together. No covers for the plates? No problem. Simply grab an extra plate, invert it and place on the plate of food. Instant cover.

You do know that photos are attached to the cards, right? You won't get past the first bar.

 

They are in sealed envelopes. Tampered with? Go to GS.

 

You use illegally? Go off ship and possibly face charges

 

Cards are not placed in the mailboxes until rooms are ready. Plats are not going to run around digging cards out of the boxes.

 

And the corridors are not empty.

 

Going to sneak into rooms? Do you know for sure they are empty? No one is coming back unexpectedly? Room steward won't show up?

 

Do you honestly think this is in any way a likely scenario?

 

Just sayin'. :rolleyes:

No not a likely scenario. As I said, playing devil's advocate. I'm sure nobody has ever had their room robbed while on a cruise. Forget I mentioned the entire thing.

Am I correct? Your room cards (that unlocks your room) will be left outside your room rather than being handed to you off the ship when you embark?

Okay, Devil's advocate and conspiracy theory rolled into one.

Say I'm a thief? (I'm not). I enter the ship using Platinum or FTTF status which grants me access to my room and all the mailboxes up and down the hallway before most folks board. I whip out my handy dandy card scanner thing and proceed to clone as many room cards as I can before people start arriving. I then have a week to use my newly acquired room keys at my convenience. Ya know, to steal your stuff.

Gotta tell ya... leaving rooms keys in the mailbox doesn't pass the security stink test as far as I'm concerned.

When is the last time a hotel told you your keys would be taped to your hotel rooms door? Would you not think twice about this?

Just sayin'

That is my all time favorite itinerary. We've done it a couple of times and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So much to do and see at those islands (or, do as little as you please).