SeaScout

Catagory 4 hurricane and still no deviations. Traveling on the conquest tomorrow only port to be effected looks like Dominican Republic. Not worried about the safety issues. But would like to make plans for the new port.

 

 

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Just got off the Conquest this morning. According to the Captain, you will be missing at least one port, (he did not specify which one) and you will be in for a bit of a rough ride.

Wish I could report better news. Just repeating what the captain announced.

Not sure your reasoning for wanting such a fancy flotation device but to each his own. Might I suggest a simple manually inflated snorkel vest?

https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Aquatics-Jacket-Zippered-Snorkel/dp/B01BMWO6DG/ref=sr_1_2?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1473892412&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=snorkel+vest&psc=1

What you need to do is get yourself an "Annoy-a-tron 2.0". Not sure I can post a link here. Amazon seems sold out but that big online auction site might have one available. Do a Google search for "annoy-a-tron". I think it might fit the bill nicely for your purposes. :D

Oh my goodness!

 

I had NO IDEA my silly little question would cause this much debate or controversy! ...I'm just relieved I didn't mention that I not only HAVE a Passport, but that I plan on TAKING MY PASSPORT OFF THE SHIP with me at every stop! :)

 

This is the first I heard of the A/C issue - since I have never sailed in a balcony before. I simply remember reading a "tip" a while back that said to pack a bungee to use on the balcony door, and wanted to see if this was still valid.

 

I LOVE my A/C, and have no desire to not have my cabin cold ... so if keeping the door open will inhibit my A/C, rest assured I will CLOSE my balcony door (carefully, of course, because I've also heard about the "SlamGATE")

 

Thanks for everyone's input! :)

Balcony veteran here. Enjoy your balcony. You'll never book anything else after you try a balcony cabin. Skip the bungee cord. Lots of reasons to use the door as intended. As a balcony veteran I feel it is my duty to also ask you one small favor. If you are not actually using it at night, would you please be so kind as to turn the balcony light off? Thanks in advance for your cooperation. :D

You might want to research Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. Good snorkeling right from the shore. Other facilities are available (decent bathrooms, food, drink, places to sit, a nature trail, educational stuff, etc.), less than a 10 minute cab ride from the port (I think in the $15 range for as many people as you can stuff into the cab :D )

http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

We have also enjoyed Club Caribe Cozumel. a google search will tell you all about it. Good snorkeling "drift dive" (you start about 1000 ft. up the breakwater and the current drifts you down to the beach in front of Club Caribe).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1677841

Where ever you end up, make sure you use a snorkel vest. Drowning while on vacation tends to put a damper on things. ;)

Depends upon your custody situation. I'm a single parent. My son is grown now but we did cruise numerous times when he was a minor. I never needed any letter because I had 100% sole custody. The first times we cruised I did bring paperwork stating as such however I was never asked by anyone, at any time, for anything more than his passport and my CC # for the sign and sail account.

Your mileage may vary.

I see this was 300 in the fall of 2015. Does anyone know if they lowered the weight limit since then? Im right at 300, and will have no problem being below 300, but I see the website says 275.

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1145/~/sportsquare

 

Can anyone confirm if this is changed on the ships signs and if they are enforcing it?

Don't worry. They don't have a scale at the ropes course. Depending upon your size, they may not have a safety harness large enough. I wear one of those safety harnesses all day every day at height. Chances are, unless you are "extremely" large, they will have a harness that will adjust to fit you properly.

Go enjoy the ropes course. It's a lot of fun. :D

Had the chicken Parmesan the last time we were there. Was not good. Chicken was tough and reminded me of pre-breaded frozen chicken. I can make better at home. :cool:

We went to a"family friendly" show a few cruises ago. I think the comedian was named Miss Thea or something similar. There were a couple of families seated in front at the tables. She started her routine with a couple of jokes, she then went on to "engage" the children seated in front. She wasn't particularly funny and her routine degraded into poking fun of the children. Not in a funny way either. More in a bullying manor. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the show when the kids started crying because of the verbal dressing down by the comedian.

Not funny to watch and certainly not "Family Friendly" for the kids that came expecting a fun show, only to leave in tears because of verbal abuse. :mad:

Two words ;)

Suction cups :D No really.

Bring some suction cups with hooks attached. They work great for hanging hats, clothes, wet swimsuits, soap on a rope, etc. They really do help with keeping things organized.

Can anyone recommend parking in Miami near the cruise port?

I apologize for not paying more attention when we were at the Port of Miami 2 weeks ago, but, I could swear there is a huge multi story parking garage directly across the street from the cruise port.

I did a Google search and found this:

"Parking is conveniently available at all cruise terminals. Designated disabled permit parking spaces are available in each garage. Spaces are also available for oversized vehicles (oversized vans, recreational vehicles and vehicles with trailers) at special rates. All facilities are patrolled by security. Oversized vehicles may only park in Lot #2, across from Cruise Terminal E."

http://www.miamidade.gov/portmiami/parking-transportation.asp

This was our yellow water on the Royal Caribbean Serenade in December 2014. When reported they told us to run the water for a few hours because they were changing water tanks. They brought us several bottles of water and eventually the water cleared up but I still wouldn't drink it.

This is what the water looked like on our Pride sailing in our aft suite. We booked the suite because my GF really wanted to use the whirlpool tub. When she filled the tub it was just plain gross looking. Certainly not fit for a relaxing soak.

Again, lots of reason why this happens. I understand all that. However, as an end user that paid for their cruise, I found it unacceptable. If Carnival understands the issue enough to tell the customer the cause (Low water tanks, sediment, rocking of the ship, etc.), Then Carnival should take these factors into consideration when building and designing their ships.

I've been on quite a few cruises. (over 20). I've only encountered dirty water once. Dirty water on a ship is not normal no matter what they tell you at guest services.

Had the same "rusty water" issue on the Pride last year. (aft cabin). It was reported to guest services. It was not fixed. I have not check recently but the reviews from a few months ago stated that there were still issues.

Frankly, I don't care what the cause of it is. From a customer's viewpoint, disgusting looking filthy water coming out of the tap and the shower is unacceptable and it needs to be fixed. :mad:

No adults only pool on the Breeze. The pools and hot tubs were consistently filled with children. Was not able to use the pools as a result this past cruise. :mad:

are you going Jan 24 or July 24?

Sailing on Jan. 24th. Next Sunday.

Are you sailing on the 24th? If so, we are ship mates. In my opinion, You can't pass up the opportunity to give Water Works a try. I'm an old guy and I love it. You must do Water Works. :D

There is not "a" best chair.

"The Best" chair is the one you are sitting in as you watch the waves roll by. ;)

I believe those functions are essentially disabled on the ships TV's. If anyone knows a work around I'd appreciate knowing what it is.

We've done exactly what you are asking numerous times. (11:25 flight out of FLL). I second the others that suggest SAS. Under no circumstances should you take the carnival transfer (bus). They'll keep you sitting on the bus waiting for it to fill up. SAS is faster and likely cheaper, better service than a taxi.

Beach towels will be provided for you in your cabin. No need to bring them from home unless you don't want to bring a Carnival logo towel to the beach.

Here is a hint. Bring a couple of gallon ziplock bags from home. When going to the beach, take a couple of small white wash cloths from your cabins bathroom, put them in the bags, fill with ice water, dump out excess water, and seal the bags. When at the beach it feels wonderful to grab a nice, cold, freshwater soaked towel to wipe your face. :D Bring them back with you at the end of the day and toss them in with your other dirty towels.

No need for FTTF at HMC or Grand Turk. Tenders run all day at HMC and there are plenty of places to park yourselves without a cabana. The beach at HMC is practically endless. Plenty to do (or not) as you wish without a cabana.

Cabana at Grand Turk - Meh, not something I would pick. They are not exactly poolside. Sort of set up along the outside perimeter of the pool area behind the loungers. To me they just seemed ... I dunno.. odd. we had considered getting one in the past but we've been there numerous times and never saw the need once we were there.

A hint for Grand Turk and possibly HMC. Bring some insect repellent with you. we've experienced bites from sand fleas at the beach at Grand Turk.

If you decide to walk up the beach a wee bit towards Jack Shack, the beach is nicer. Not as much coral under the water. You might also run into Tofor up the beach a bit. Tofor is the local beach dog from jacks Shack. He's a gooooood dog. Loves to play, dig holes, and chase the water. :D

Touchy subject alert. Is the little one potty trained? If not, the pool at Grand Turk may be a no go. I don't recall seeing a kiddy pool there and the whole swim diaper thing may not be looked upon favorably. (there was a big Norovirus thing not long ago attributed to the pool, Margaritaville area).

Have a great cruise, don't fret not having FTTF. The beach will still be there. Relax and don't let the pre cruise hype and jitters get to you. Go, relax, and go with the flow. You'll be fine. :)

Doing a six day on the Breeze in Jan. This info is much appreciated. Thank you very much. :D

Each Platinum cruiser is allowed to bring five friends on a tender..

See that? you learn something new everyday. Myself and GF are both Platinum. Never knew I could bring friends for priority tendering.

Perhaps next cruise, I'll walk down to the long "general boarding" line, approach the last people in line and say "guess what folks? Today is your lucky day. Follow me". :D

While you don't need a passport to leave St Thomas, you still need proof of citizenship. So just your driver's license as ID won't cut it. They want a passport or at least a birth certificate. It isn't the same as traveling from state to state on the main land.

I flew home from St. Thomas the day before yesterday. all I needed for ID was my drivers license. I did have to clear Customs but my DL was all I needed.

We flew into St. Thomas last Monday for a short vacation on St. John. The Liberty was in port and I commented to my GF how it's strange to see the ship in port and not embarking on her later in the day. (we've sailed her a couple of times). Glad to hear that all are okay. Sad to hear that folks long awaited vacations my suffer a hiccup. Hope all goes well for everyone. Crossing my fingers that this turns out to be a minor event.