TxChick

Free?!? Dang! Good for you! Hopefully your luck continues in the casino!

Wrigley, I'm so sorry for your loss. I loved your reviews with your dad. I lost my dad recently and it's hard so I pray you find comfort in knowing that he is with our Lord and Savior and you will be with him again, For this is just a stop on our heavenly journey. I pray for comfort and mercy in the coming months.

We cruise Freedom in a few weeks and I'm not expecting much. Honestly, I haven't expected much in a few years from Carnival. Gone are the days where every nook and cranny had a great band with every style of music you could imagine was playing. I miss the steel drums and raggae music playing on the lido deck, the deck parties, the live band during the shows, and nightly karaoke.

We never really eat at the buffet but it is nearly impossible to make that much food in that little time and keep it fresh so I won't judge it. I do, however judge both the bacon police and those who waste it, lol. I haven't had the new menus yet but I'm excited about the new menus. I do fear that the lack of tablecloths and water on the table will take away from the ambiance.

Yes, if you were a cruiser from years back you will notice glaring cutbacks in amenities and service while newer cruisers will not. I've sworn off Carnival a few times but a great deal comes along and I book again because it's still a great value. We cruise for relaxation, not entertainment, and will most likely continue too unless I don't feel safe.

Call and change the address to an office or neighbor who is home. Verizon called to confirm delivery because it was $1300 and they changed delivery to my office so that we could get a signature. My next order, $300, didn't need a signature.

Best way to not overpack - make a list with each day on it and have a day outfit and evening outfit. Most sea days you will be in a bathing suit and coverup but use that day for your same pair of denim shorts and tank top. Have one pair of dressy shoes that coordinate with all dinner outfits, a formal pair, flip flops, and maybe tennis shoes if you are a sneaker person.

I do this every cruise and I never overpack, my husband, on the other hand, still packs like he has a vagina ;)

Also, bring sample size toiletries that will be empty or near empty and you can toss before you pack for departure. I buy shampoos and body washes that come with the free ones attached throughout the year so I always I stuff on hand. Bring plenty of sunscreen, do not be stuck buying it for $25 on shore or the gift shop.

We have this booked for next month and while finding reviews are difficult the ones I have found have been good. The seaweed does a&e me nervous but I am happy with a pool. Also, was the food good? What did they serve? I eat spicy things so I can handle true Mexican fare (since I am Mexican). Also, were the drinks too strong and that's why you say un drinkable or just not a quality drink? I appreciate your review because, yes, this is a pricey excursion. Somehow, when checking out online we got it for $75pp so I do feel better about that.

My suggestion is not to leave that day. I'd stay about 45 minutes outside because traffic will be insane!

We are drinkers and still wasn't a good deal for us. I found myself drinking more to justify the cost and then blew $400 in the casino in 15 minutes :o - I'm too much of an ROI person to make it worth it.

DH and I have our own sail away party ;)

I wouldn't count on anything special for tendering. We always get it for our room and when we tendered to Belize in March we waited in a different area but still got on the boats the same time as others who weren't FTTF

I don't recommend the dream spa - the thalloso pool had broken jets and cooling showers so we could barely stay on the pool's shelf. Also, we planned on utilizing the spa at night but it closed at 10. It was also a very common occurrence to find people snoring loudly in a few of the rooms which wasn't very relaxing. There were a few rooms we tried to go into but they were just too hot and we never saw any of them. Basically, all we enjoyed was 2 rooms for an hour or so. Not worth the price.

My friend got 20% off one in progresso that I had already booked so I called and told then I wanted the same thing and it should apply to the best rate guarantee and they discounted mine as well.

All 3rd and 4th passengers sail at a reduced rate. The reason you are being charged has nothing to do with age but it's just another body that can eat, drink, take up a space on a life boat, etc.

A 1 year old also isn't allowed into Camp Carnival or the pools. Personally, I'd get a sitter and wait until your child is older. My daughter was 4 when we finally brought her.

Yes, prices are crazy right now for fall. Considering oil prices have dropped dramatically I would've thought prices would've at least stayed stable but they've increased. My Nov cruise has gone up 25% since we booked in May

Anyone been? We booked today and I'm pretty excited about it

Ugh, we tried and hated anytime dining on the Dream. There were horribly long lines to wait usually because most people still chose to go at 6 or 8 which is when that dining room is seating others. We got pagers but it was a pain waiting 30minutes. I'll only do late dining from now on, lesson learned. Also, while we got a private table each time (which I prefer) our waiters were never the same and didn't really know our name, preferences, so some of that ambiance was lost

We were in 11206 and while private there are holes in the partitions of the balconies and your neighbors could see you if they were peeking thru. Also, there isn't much room up there, we had someone spill ice above us and onto the 5th floor deck below and everyone looked up and could clearly see us standing on the balcony because the panorama deck juts out.

On 12 you have no balcony cover so I wouldn't even try.

The drury! Is a great hotel and offers free breakfast and snacks. It's fairly close to the action as well but not too close in order to be bothered by night time craziness, lol

I wonder if this is a reason that Carnival stopped doing excursions there. There could've been widespread abuse going on.

We are spoiled to the upper decks, we prefer balconies but would do an interior higher over an ocean view. You can't beat being close to everything and not having to constantly be on elevators. We always stay on the 8-11 deck

A few triIps ago, we decided not to go. I paid my deposit via paypal and and nothing was charged. We lost our deposit but that was it.

.........

Nope, you can't bring beer on board - just the one bottle per 21 year old

I've always gone to Nachi for our time in Cozumel and loved it but I'm curious about how it compares to Passion Island

I am wondering the same - we leave 9/10 and I need them :)

I got mine in a week or so