Drazil65

My niece and nephew both made friends at the karaoke events. They went a couple times to watch and would see some of the same kids there in the same age bracket. They all started talking eventually and before you know it they were having a blast. My niece even ended up singing with 3 other girls one of the karaoke days, they had so much fun laughing. That little group also formed a team for trivia, cornhole and hanging at the pool. They would also meet up after dinner for the movies on deck as well as the silent dance deck party and comedy club.

If you are for sure turning platinum then you should see the extra 2 days already added in, as long as this is your very next cruise. The 2 days should be there as you should see that perk for platinum as well. Call Carnival.

Count from embarkation day (as your 1st day) and end on Friday (as your last day) if its a Saturday to Saturday, 7-day cruise. Your debarkation day does not count towards a day for leveling up. If you level up anytime from the day you embark thru that Friday (your last day counted) you will show online by way of your luggage tags and the additional 2 days for check in, all prior to boarding for that trip. If this cruise is actually your next cruise and you are turning platinum, your luggage tags will currently say priority (already) and your check in date should reflect the extra 2 days.

Its been quite awhile since we have needed to purchase FTTF but I thought (and this may be different now since I have not seen it recently) it used to say FTTF on boarding pass (small print in upper area of pass). I think your luggage tags should say priority somewhere in red I believe and when you board your S & S card should have a FTTF sticker on it.

I like your start, its been years since we have been on Elation but from the look of your cabin pix it seems like it still in good shape. Will be waiting for the next review, hope you are having fun so far!

Really good start to your review so far, thank you for your thoughts. On MG and Sunshine this past year they also had the muster demo running on the TV in cabin with a much more detailed demo. I believe it was on a loop but as someone previously mentioned, the important thing is that you actually know where your station is and they will have the life jackets there with CCL staff to help if needed. Also, we have always asked for the ice to be filled when the cabin is serviced, never been an issue getting it if you do want it in the future, just ask.

Whatever OP's experience was with this ship, its his story to tell. There are many times I shake my head at some of the opinions and statements here as they are nothing like what we may have experienced when cruising. Whether you agree or not doesn't matter, we all don't have the same likes and dislikes and all of our expectations differ as well (and some people like to be contrary no matter the subject matter). It is the internet after all, take it for what its worth 🙄.

There are many You Tube videos regarding check in and step by step through the process. It shows you exactly how to sign in and which sections need to be completed to get an earlier time. I would suggest you watch a couple of these to prepare you for the check in process especially if you want that earlier time slot. Good Luck and have fun on your cruise!

Just checked our MG cruise in December and prices not only increased as OP noted but there are some new offerings under specialty dining options. I have never seen these options in the past, they are $65 pp and offer cooking and dinning experiences like "Mission Masala Tiger Class with dinner" and "An Elegant Affair Class with dinner - Spain". There are several others as well, anyone else notice these?

Midship balcony or suite deck 7 - 9 (port side), best position for DH especially (motion sickness issues) so never aft or too far forward.

We would say no to 8 sea days for sure, I think we top out at no more than 3, maybe 4 but no more than that.

We park right at the port terminal, there is a separate parking facility for MG with signs and easy to follow instructions right off the highway.

Have you looked under specialty dinning? This is where the cooking classes for carnival kitchen are listed.

They really need to figure out a way to add funds on the app as opposed to having people stand in crazy long lines, Yikes...you think the lines are long now...can't even imagine the issues that this would cause and the people screaming about it in those long lines...

Old town is beautiful, very walkable and some great restaurants with tables outside. Also, head over to the arts district (Santurce neighborhood) for some great opportunities for pictures. The street/wall art is truly amazing.

We had an bump out balcony OS on MG (deck 12) last December and loved it. There are 3 of us in the cabin and we love the extra room inside and out. Also, there is a curtain you can draw across the living room area for more privacy if you need it (DS slept on couch bed in that area), there were also 2 large TV's in the cabin if you care about that. We enjoy a good suite on any ship but this one was a little better/different than expected, We would get one again on MG.

Great pix! We love Charleston and visit often since its just a 3 hr car trip from home. We were just there for a cruise on Sunshine in August and will definitely miss her after next year (we are booked on her end of 2024 right before she leaves). We typically stick to the newer, bigger ships with CCL but the Sunshine is pretty much the only older and smaller ship we are drawn to. We will be driving down to PC in December to get on the MG and will stop in Charleston on way down just to eat, thumbs up to ACME, we love it! So many restaurants in Charleston to try so you will need to go back for a good 3 or 4 day long weekend! Glad you had fun and I am enjoying your cruise review!

Always received via email within minutes of purchase over the years. Check to make sure transaction is showing up on card used to purchase.

Why do people think everyone in proximity wants to hear their musical choices? Same reason people talk loud on their cell phones, need attention and feel important. It's the, look at me, look at me syndrome, look how important I am. Obnoxious, rude and certainly NOT important in most cases. 🙄

On a couple other class of ships they still offered the small breakfast (which opened a little earlier than marketplace buffet breakfast) items in ocean plaza area. Had last December on MG and this past August on Sunshine, we expect to see it on MG again this December. This was my early go to if I was up early by myself. I got coffee in the Havana bar a couple of times (love that coffee) but dont remember seeing any food offered, but was not looking for any either. So some ships still have it.

Last December we had a bump out suite on MG, we were on ship before 11:00 am and went straight to cabin to drop off. Our key cards were in mailbox and door locked so it was available (our suitcases were delivered within the hour as well) for use. We are platinum but usually we drop off carry on items early (we are early boarders) and key cards take a little longer to show up.

Thank you, was it hard with everyone getting ready at the same time? Suite with nice balcony every time. Our family (3 of us and DS is college age) have spent many cruises over the years in a suite, the extra space and large balcony works well for our cruising experience (we use our balcony at least 2x a day easily). That being said, we have always taken advantage of the spa/ gym showers (especially on formal night where I may need extra time to dress etc). DH and DS actually prefer to go and use the (more times than not they are all empty) showers and get dressed with lots of room and hot water. Mean while I have the whole bathroom and dressing area in the cabin to shower, dress, makeup or whatever (a glass of wine goes perfect with this) and we all get ready at the same time. Whatever you decide to do, have a blast!

And a quick look at the FAQ about documentation shows this: For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, the following WHTI-compliant documents are acceptable for cruise travel. Please note that if the cruise visits Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama or Greenland, a passport (valid for six months after the cruise ends) is required. (Emphasis in the original.) THIS^^^ Always amazes me (and is evidenced every hour on this forum ) that with people so involved in their phones, computer screens and any other device, will watch insignificant videos all day or go down a million rabbit holes about nonsense, but will not research anything that actually would be a benefit to them. They would rather go forward with little or no knowledge then blame someone else for them not knowing. Almost every question asked here can be answered on the CCL website, somewhere (and in this case a couple different places). Hopefully OP can get to a passport office in person asap and get something expedited within the time frame needed ($$$) or has travel insurance to possibly help with regaining some of the cost. Otherwise it will be a costly lesson in natural consequences.

We are on MG in December and the sign up for the cooking classes (under specialty dinning) has been available for at least 6 months prior to sailing date (and possibly more as I just happen to notice them listed at 6 months out).

Makes sense really, example, we have a cruise in December and we have new offers now that cannot be used for that sailing because there are no current cabins available for our same cabin type, for the number of guests, so we cannot change it to new offer. Unless it is a brand new booking, there has to be an equal cabin type/category available for same number of guests you have to change the original offer.