Drazil65

You do lose it if you don't spend it all. Take note of what a previous poster said about the ways you can get your remaining cash if there happens to be any left over at end. In all the years we have cruised using this method it has never been forfeited/lost at the end. Never...

Sailed MG this past December and will be on it again later this year, great ship with lots to see and do. We needed another trip on MG planned because we didn't have enough time to visit all the eating venues during our last trip. Hopefully you signed up for YTD so that you can eat at some of the specialty restaurants as well as MDR. You will have a blast and enjoy the trip!

No hassle involved as you can purchase online from home before you go and start using it the minute you board for that first DOD to celebrate your cruise! Do what makes you comfortable.

Put a minimal amount in to get your S & S account started as they will pull from any cruise cash amount and use that up first. I am sure you can easily use up $100 or $200 depending on what you typically purchase on a ship. Its really not a big deal and it gets your account started plus you can always add money at guest services or a kiosk should you need more.

We have had YTD on last 3 cruises (post covid) in the last year. We like to eat early wherever we are (land or sea) and check-in for a table as soon as app allows. Like a previous poster indicated, we have never had an issue getting in when venue was ready to accept people. They have been efficient and accommodating with our requests for a certain table, booth or wait staff. The service has been excellent for the most part and we have been able to plan out our evening without worry about getting to our first activity once dinner is over. We also have several venue choices for our early dinner and that alone is worth YTD.

DH loves it, DS not interested at all and I can take it or leave it truthfully. I never order it myself but if I feel like some I just grab a bite from DH plate.

We typically hang out on serenity and take advantage of no people around and no lines for eating or drinking. Many ships have assorted games and activities (like the spa) on board during port days so take a look at the schedule for that day once onboard.

There used to be many more of them in London but on our last trip a few years (just pre covid) we noticed they are a limited feature now in the city compared to prior trips. There were some in the populated tourist areas like Trafalgar Square and the like and they were more like a wet room that is automatically rinsed down once you leave (actually very cool idea). We will be there for vacation very soon and I will make a mental note to see if there are many left around other areas of the city. Almost everything inside London is contactless pay since covid so they might have done the same for pay restrooms but if not the cost was very minimal.

We visited Hell and mailed out the proverbial postcards from there to relatives and friends but other than that we were not impressed with GC. In Jamaica we rented jet skis and went out with a tour group, it was a blast! The need for speed was the name of the game that day and did not disappoint, some people went on jet ski single and others had a rider on back if that was a better idea for them. I am sure you can do that on your own (not CCL excursion), either way it really was fun and the water that day was so calm.

Bottom line is that almost everyone has the choice upfront to choose YTD or not (or get on the waiting list if you waited too long to choose your dinning time). If you are late to game then you will have to take what's left for choices and try to do something once on board I guess. With over 5,000 cruisers on these bigger ships on any given cruise, impossible to cater to individuals or specific groups for most part. Those specialty restaurants are much smaller than the MDR and there is no way to accommodate the demand if they opened it up to all diners at the same time. Also, keep in mind that even with YTD you cannot always get into the specialty dinning restaurants when you want to either. The lines are typically long and you wait even with a booking, especially Cucina and that is just with YTD cruisers.

We love YTD, we are early dinner eaters on cruise ships so that we can plan the evening out with shows and whatever. We also love that we have a choice to use the alternative dinning choices in the same early time frame. Its been like this since MG started sailing the last couple of years and most people work around it some how. You always have the option to choose YTD and then work around your schedule.

If they dont have anything you want in that category, bring the Gatorade or Propel rehydration packets you can get in grocery store. I think its 10 packets in a box and just add to bottled water or your own refillable water bottle. It worked great for DS our last few cruises and easy to transport.

They sell out fast on the time slots and Bolt will shut down many times for wind or other weather related issues. We were on MG this past December and DS & DH wanted to ride, they choose 2 time slots on 2 different days just to increase their chances of getting to do it. They did ride for the first time slot they chose and liked it so much they kept the 2nd as well.

Congrats! Laundry done for you and folded is the best, have fun!

Have brought a corkscrew with the small foil blade inside our wine carrier on every cruise for last 20 years, no issues on CCL or RCCL.

We cruised Valor a few years ago (pre covid) and it was fine, not our fav but not the worst ship by far. About 5 or 6 years ago we cruised around Fathers Day and DS and I gave DH a day to Chichén Itzá excursion. He is a enthusiastic photographer and something he wanted to do for a while. He still talks about that trip and loved it. I do recall him saying the bus ride was long but the pictures he took were amazing and he said the experience as a whole was worth every minute of it.

Hi and welcome to CCL, you may want to (if not already done) go to the FAQs on Carnival website to get a general idea of what to expect and what you can and cannot do. Then perhaps do a search on these forums for newbie posts asking for information and the dozens of answers. Then if you have any additional questions you can narrow it down to apply directly to you. Also, reading through the 100s of ship reviews (can choose your ship) CCL cruisers have posted here is fun and gives you a great idea how things go and manage expectations. May be a good idea to have a look at your ships deck plan to get an idea where everything is in comparison to your cabin and the like. Have a blast on your cruise!

We have done in the past (more so as DS was growing up and his looks changed over time) but not lately as we cruise often and we dont always do the dress up and eat in the MDR thing. If you all are going to be dressed up anyway then why not? Who knows when you could all look so good together again.

I love the quarter push game BUT we did not see any in the casino this past December and I was a little disappointed (for a minute). DS wanted to check out the arcade so we stopped in one evening before dinner and discovered the quarter push machines in the arcade! Played a couple games at the time but never went back to play again as was not interested in being in the arcade with that many kids for any length of time. So in the long run although not too happy the machines were located in the arcade, it did save me some money I guess cuz I never played again. Now, the slot machines are a different story, had no issues finding them over and over!

This is why you have a travel agent, you shouldn't need to be wasting your time with this kind of stuff. She should have all the group booking stuff and be able to arrange it. Actually would be surprised since a TA booked it as a group thing that CCL would even speak with you or let you arrange anything concerning the whole group. The TA is getting a commission for this right?

the private oasis at $2,000 is sold out, so people don't seem to mind paying the price. With the private oasis villa, its larger and can accommodate more people so the price is split between groups/families etc. The villa was always the one that seem to make more sense for a larger group of people even at the price point. We have had the HMC villa/cabanas several times over the years but not since restart. At this point with 2 cruises later this year, dont see us spending that kind money for a few hours on a beach (and still need to use the public restroom). If people are willing to pay then why wouldn't CCL do it? We would rather spend the money to get better cabin for the 7 days onboard the ship, to each their own.

We have used it in past (before platinum) to self debark earlier as we typically drive to port and wanted to get on road asap. This and the VIP guest line (just in case) were probably the most worth for us back in the day.

It will be crowded but I would say don't skip FQ fest. I second this statement, so much fun and some of the best food around...dont skip if you can even go for a bit

If you like to eat later in the evening anyway, then the timing will not be any different for you with the specially restaurants mentioned above. Just make your reservations after 730 when it becomes available to you.

Fire hazard is most often mentioned but can you just imagine the amount of complaints about the coffee maker not working properly or not cleaned properly (cuz housekeeping doesn't have enough to do), people mad cuz the coffee did not get replaced, people mad cuz they dont have their favorite flavor, then people wanting real cream and pink sugar packets or powder cream and raw sugar...I am a huge morning coffee drinker BUT I do not blame them at all...yikes!!!