jjjhill

Thank you for posting!

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Each cabin is a separate reservation and treated separately. 

 

In order to receive a fcc all parties in the cabin must cancel 

 

 

2 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

C,D, & E need to get on the same page 

Thank you

Hi CC. Hopefully someone knows the answer. We have a party of 5 people in 2 cabins ( parties A & B in cabin 1 and parties C,D,E in cabin 2)

Party C still wants to cruise even though parties D and E want to cancel.

My question is, if Party C still sails as planned, will parties D and E still get their full FCC?

30 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

In less than three hours I will have been around the sun fifty times... Not really the most exciting day of my life, but at least I don't have to go to work tomorrow...

Prob won't be around at midnight....Happiest of Birthdays Sid. And thanks for taking us along for the ride. 

3 hours ago, DubNHub said:

 

 

In my opinion, this is probably more for the benefit of the kitchen staff than it is for filling your belly. Think about the thousands of covers they do every day... day in, day out, for months at a time. Meat, starch, veg, repeat. They probably relish (hehe) the chance to show off their chops once or twice a week. I graduated from culinary school and worked in many restaurants, and owned my own business for a while. I enjoyed the times I got to make stuff off the menu and bring my own form of artistry to the plate. I enjoy working with my hands, and I enjoyed taking raw product and transforming it into a beautiful final product. A chef mentor I had when I was coming up used to reiterate... what we do is one of the most intimate forms of human to human interaction you can have. People are literally putting into their bodies what you have presented to them. Take care, take pride, show respect for their trust, and above all, show respect for the food.... I always held this very close when I was in the industry. You trust me to feed you, to employ best safety practices in terms of fresh product and proper handling. The animal that was once living is now in my hands, and I have to honor its life by respecting it throughout my cookery. 

 

They love what they do, and their love is clearly shown by the intricate and consistently beautifully plates they turned out during that dinner. Minimalist, deconstructed molecular gastronomy cuisine is not my specific preference in terms of dining or actual cooking. But I enjoyed doing it, and now that I’ve left the industry, I greatly enjoy seeing it from the other side. 

 

Off my my soap box now... my wife and I are taking our first Carnival cruise next year (and only our second cruise ever). The first thing I did after paying the deposit was to book the chefs table. I am beyond excited to be a part of it!

Well said!

Fit bit will be fine w/o data as it syncs via bluetooth to your phone. MFP will require data to look up ingredients etc. However, the calorie count will vary widely as preparation of most of the foods in unknown... ie how much butter or oil is used etc. You can try to keep your log the old fashioned way on the ship then when in port spend some time transferring your data to the app. I've been thinking about diet/fitness logistics myself for my upcoming cruise. Don't want to undo my months of hard work. I could drink my way way through 2000 calories per day easily. 

31 minutes ago, vicky3vicky said:

 

I hear variations on that comment. I am not exactly sure what it means. I am hoping that it does not mean either people of lower income or "people of color." I know that there are more 'people of color" and also, more people are now able to afford to go on a cruise who wouldn't have been able to in the past, since, adjusted for inflation, cruises cost less than they used to. I am hoping that the 'newest cruisers" that you are referring to do not fit into either of those groups. That wouldbe very sad.

Could be race and/or age. Looking forward to @Lottacruises clarification on this statement. 

I really enjoyed this review. Thanks for sharing. 

25 minutes ago, danadi18 said:

Day 3 (another Sea Day!)

 

Yes, I chose this itinerary because of the amount of Sea Days.  They always end up being my fave because I don't have to get up early and rush around to get off the boat.

 

Day 3 was a lazy one.  Well, as lazy as you can be with three little females running around you at all times.  Enter husband.  After some more avocado toast and mimosas at the Windjammer, Mama wanted to just lay down at the pool and read her book so daddy stepped in to take the girls to the different activities they wanted to do.   After about an hour or so of relaxing with our whole crew, the girls saw some kids who had their faces painting so of course they wanted theirs done too.  So on they went.  And on the way back they did a game of mini golf.  All the while I sipped some frosty mud slides and finally got to read my book and listen to some music.

When they came back, the hubby and I decided to try out the water slides since we didn't get to the day before.  Tip - get there when they open!  I think we got on line at 12 or so and we ended up waiting over a half hour to get on the racing slides.  The toilet bowl slide line (I know that's not the actual name but I can't remember it and well - it reminds me of a toilet bowl) was even longer and moved even slower since they only allow one person at a time, so we raced the first time around.  He won.  Always does.  Damn him.  For some reason, there is a higher demand for the blue slide than the yellow but I think they're both the same.

 

Today's lunch was El Loco Fresh.  Listen, I'm not a foodie by any means but I thought it was just "ok" as far as Mexican food goes.  I love Tijiana Flats, Moes, and Chipotle and would eat any of those first.  Yes it's a great concept but I thought it could have been tastier.  The girls loved making their own nachos with all the toppings and I really liked the guacamole.  I told you, I love all things avocado.  The MIL did not like it one bit and I believe my father and uncle compared it to Alpo dog food. Now, it wasn't that bad!  They're harder to please than me.

 

After lunch,  my daughter ran into a friend of hers from school randomly at the pool, so they all decided to play together and go down the slides.  They had a blast! Finally someone to play with that's not related to them!  Totally a win/win for us since the girls were extra entertained now.  

 

While they were occupied, the husband and I ventured into the Solarium for some adult time.  We hung out in the hot tub for a bit although I don't know why- it was blazing how outside.  But it was nice not to have and kids splashing in our faces 🙂 We had reservations for just the two of us at Wonderland that night so we decided to go back to the room, get cleaned up and feed the kids before they went into the kids club.

 

Before we fed them, I noticed a gorgeous sunset outside and bribed my children with candy from Sugar Beach to go to the back of the boat for some pictures.   This was actually the only sunset I remember seeing because we were always busy doing something else as the sun was setting each night. Here are some from the back of the boat that night.

 

Gasp!  An actual picture of me!  LOL.  I'm always the one taking the pictures so there are always very few with me in them.  The youngest was obviously over it by then, but 2 out of three look good AND I'm in it, so I'll take it...

And one of the sun right before it dipped under the horizon.

 

 

When we got the central park, they were playing the Lego Movie 2 at the Aqua Theater so we decided to feed the kids Jonny Rockets while they sat outside and watched the movie.  Oh yeah, they rode the carousel a few times too.

 

The MIL met us at the theater and she stayed with them while they feasted on Jonny Rockets.  Did I mention that the milkshakes come with the beverage package too?!  So as the children were supervised, we left them there to finish and we were off to Wonderland.

 

Well of course we had to have a cocktail at the Wonderland Bar first!  So we each got a different drink this time.  I think there are four specialty cocktails on the menu total so by now we've had them all.  Alice the hostess called our name and we were whisked away to our tables and asked to paint our menus with water to make them come to life.  So here's the thing about Wonderland.  Don't come here to eat like it's your last meal on Earth and want to stuff yourself until you have to be rolled out of the restaurant like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Don't come here if you're a meat and potatoes kind of person only and don't like trying new things.  Come here for the experience.  And definitely come here for the DESSERT.  that melting ball of chocolate was by far my favorite dessert of the trip.  Maybe even of my life - and I've eaten a lot of desserts 😉 We tried a little bit of everything and I highly recommend the short rib.  So delish!  

 

After dinner, we went back to check on the girlies.  They were of course sleeping.  Snoring actually. So we went back out for a nightcap.  We watched little karaoke, watched some amazing Latin dancers at Boleros, had some late night pizza again and called it a night.

 

Tomorrow -St. Maarten!

Your photos are stunning. Deets on your gear?

hang in there you're almost there.

Following along. Great start to the report.

On 1/23/2019 at 1:06 AM, harryfat1 said:

Hi, jjjhill,

 

I received an email from cruise critic that says you were trying to PM me for info to the travel web site I used for this cruise? I don't know how PM works here on CC.  Just go ahead and email me at the email alias I created (Cheapodad@outlook.com) and I will forward the info to you.

 

Cheers,

 

H

Will do!.

Thanks

On 11/20/2018 at 4:32 AM, KmomChicago said:

This really depends on your resources.  If money were no object, Disney is great, for anyone. As others have mentioned, the ships are spotless and perfectly maintained. The staterooms are well designed. The food is excellent and the rotational dining is really fun each night. The live shows are the quality you would expect from Disney, and of course no one else is going to be able to use those characters.  As a bucket list thing, if you and your son want to try it, I think it's probably worth it to look for one 3-night cruise buried in the dead of off season where you might be able to find a price you can live with, and then you can let us know whether it was worth it.

 

For me, I have to agree it is not worth 2-4 times the cost of mass-market lines. It's worth 1.5 times the cost of others.

I agree with all of this!!!

2 hours ago, kodesthemoose said:

I think some of the bars do stay open till about midnight, but not really much past that point.

 

@EeyoreRN pretty much what @kodesthemoose said unfortunately. There is one bar that I can recall that was supposed to be open until maybe 2am or so. But I can't recall why that bar didn't work out. I will say that I good thing about the ship shutting down so early id DH felt we had the space to ourselves often and that was kinda nice with the cool breeze out in the middle of the ocean. 

I'm huge fan of the mouse, Annual Pass holder and a frequent drinker of the mickey kool-aid. I've done DCL 2x.

The 1st time I took my mom and DD. She was about was 3 or 4. I loved it. The kids club was fantastic and I felt comfortable leaving DD there. Which means mama got some much needed alone time. It felt like a real vacation for me. Don't judge me.  DD loved it too. She complained upon pickups often, lol. Worth the Cost

2nd time was a multi generational trip and  DD was around 9 or 10. She liked it but wasn't as in love as the first trip. The princess  thing was fading and she preferred hanging with us. From and adult perspective,  my major gripe was the ship shut down early. DH and I aren't party animals by any means but it would have been nice to have some late night entertainment. A open bar, some live music a dj somewhere, anything!  I didn't notice this on the 1st cruise. But the 2nd time we had family our age group with shared interest. We either had to create our own late night fun or just turn in early. I don't recall much activity of interest after 11pm on any day. Not Worth the cost

I sailed the Wonder and Dream. Ship was immaculate both times. Dining was good. MDR experiences were fun. Palo was superb on both ships.  Fireworks....... Worth the cost

TL:DR  Now I've also sailed NCL and Carnival a few times each. And I can honestly say when I'm looking at cruise prices, I never look at Disney. At this point DD is older and for us the cost is no longer justified. But If you're itching to try DCL, absolutely go for it. You won't regret it. 

I've enjoyed Jamman54 reviews and read them all over the course of 3 weeks. I was quite pissy when the site switched and I was in the middle of one of his B2B reviews and none of his photos were showing up!. Thanks Jamman54 and Patti. I recall GApearl stating that she would no longer do reviews due to the effort it took and she wanted to start enjoying her travels rather than stress about documenting it. I can certainly understand and I really appreciate the ones that still do reviews as it really is a thankless act of love. 

On 10/2/2018 at 5:47 PM, MsJersey84 said:

Embark Day is Finally Here: Sept 23

 

The alarm went off at 8:15am I turned to Nick and yelled what day is it?? and he says quietly cruise day and I replied no and yelled happily in my best Jenny voice "Its' Cruise Daaay" while throwing my hand and arms and in the air and waving like I just don't care!!! We are big fans of the La Lido Loco YouTube channel. Jenny and Toni are always yelling it's cruise day!! We quickly showered and get dress and we were off to the 1st floor for the hotel's included breakfast. The breakfast line consist of sausage, bacon, eggs, waffles, biscuits and gravy, some other little pastries, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, juice, milk, tea and coffee. After our light breakfast because we were saving room for our first Guy Burger we went upstairs packed our things and we were off to our offsite parking place. As we were driving Nick and I turned up our two favorite lets get hype songs! Mine is "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors and his is "We made it" by Linkin Park and Busta Rimes. We are well diverse music listeners.

We found a great deal online with Park by Port Fort Lauderdale. We pre-paid $46 for our 6 day parking which included transportation to and from the port. The vans run every 15mins to and from the port. This company uses the back couple of rows of a near by casino. The parking lot is gated and well lit. I had no problems leaving our truck here. Check-in was fast and easy. About 15 mins after arriving we were loaded on a full van and on the way to the port.

 

CARNIVAL CONQUEST WE ARE ON OUR WAAAAAAY!!!!

 

We arrived at the port just in time for our 11:30am check-in time.. We tipped our van driver, handed our bags and tip to the port bag handler, took a picture or two of the conquest. And into the port building we went..

Oh Yeah!!

 

Once inside the building there was an older gentleman that pointed you to one of two lines to go through the detectors and to get checked-in. One line was for on-time check-in cruisers and the other line was for early or late check-in cruisers. We were escorted to the line on the left for the on-time cruisers. We went through the short line for the detector and in no time at all we were in the zig, zag lines to check in. We went up and down the lines for awhile and when we finally got to the front of the line there was a gentlemen that told you what counter to go to, to check-in, but instead of him telling us what counter to go to to check-in he looked at our passports and boarding pass and told us to head up stairs to the final security point before entering the gangway. A small panic set in and I told Nick why did he by-pass our check-in they didn't take our picture for our sail cards and what about loading money on to our card.. Nick just kissed me and told me don't worry about it because we are going on the ship and who cares if they have our picture or not and if we have money loaded on the card because we have the drink package and don't need money anyway.

Shortly after his please just breathe talk we arrived at the next security point where the woman asked for our boarding pass and passport again she picked up her tablet thing and said smile. Within two seconds our pictures were taken and she said you can add cash once aboard the ship, please proceed to the gangway.. Thank God panic averted.. LOL..

The excitement is building in our bodies we can see the gangway right down the hall we start to pull each others arms in excitement.. We begin to walk faster and faster.. There is no line so we go full speed ahead. We reach the end of the hallway and onto the gangway.. We begin to start the incline to the ship's deck there is still no one in front of us so we keep high tailing it.. Right before we reach the top of the gangway there is a short stop.. And all of sudden we are moving again.. I raise my foot and place it over the threshold of the Conquest deck!!!

We finally Made it!!!

 

My wait is over!!! Then we step over the threshold of the ships door into the Atrium of the Carnival Conquest our home on the sea for the next 6 days!!! This really is the happiest moment for every cruiser in my book!!!

Girl I know that Jenny voice. LOL. Following along!!!

Same here. tried different devices and nothing. All i see are the html tags/codes.