beachbum53

It does seem a bit strange that all of the deaths reported (11 so far) are all Americans. Coincidence? Perhaps. We've been to DR twice. Once to LaRomana, and once to Amber Cove. Both times we went on an excursion, and I was not all that impressed either time. I'm in no big hurry to go to the DR again, even if every person going there returns home safely and in good health.

When asking your steward for extra hangers, just let him / her know that you'd prefer plastic hangers if available. That's what we do.

I wear a pair of Dockers and a polo shirt. My wife wears a nice pair of slacks and a pretty blouse. We stopped "dressing up" for Elegant night several years ago, when the airlines started charging $25.00 per checked bag. We learned to pack less, which meant no more suits for me or fancy dresses for my wife. We decided we already had plenty of pictures of us dressed up for dinner and didn't need or want any more. We also discovered that the steak and lobster (or whatever was on the menu) tasted exactly the same whether we were dressed up or less formal.

Hi teknoge3k! Finally got around to reading your review. Glad I could help with some of the pre-cruise stuff with the group. Since we didn't have FTTF, when we did the cruise check-in on the "Manage my Cruise" page, we selected a check-in time of 12:00 - 12:30. The zone number on the boarding passes didn't seem to mean anything, since, as you pointed out, everyone was in a single long line. I liked it better when everyone got to sit down in the terminal and wait for their zone numbers to be called for boarding. Not sure if I like this new system or not. I hope Carnival gets the bugs worked out before our next cruise. No complaints about the cruise. It was a much needed and very relaxing vacation. Debarkation was a fluster cluck. I can't fault Carnival for that. Our CD did the best he could at keeping things under control on the ship. Homeland Security needs to hire more Customs agents. I saw only 3 agents processing debarking passengers. When we finally got to debark, from the time we walked off of the ship, picked up our baggage in the terminal and snaked our way through the long line, it took 45 minutes. Maybe next time we'll do early self-debarkation. Hope to see you guys on a future cruise.

If by "shows" you mean movies on the Dive-In screen, the list is usually posted on John Heald's FB page about three weeks in advance. If you're inquiring about the Playlist Production shows in the main theater, they're typically about the same for about 6 months at a time.

Sometimes, travel agents will have a block of cabins that they'll try to sell. Until any unsold cabins are turned back over to Carnival, whichever category those cabins happen to be in, that category will show as being "sold out". Your best (if possible) to get the cabin you want is to book it as soon as the cruise you're interested in is first posted on Carnival's web site, which may be a year (or more) in advance.

Thank-you blue_water. Looks like the prices are about average for a tourist area. Any idea how much the rental is for lounge chairs and umbrella?

(Almost forgot to ask.) We'll be in Tortola in early March. What are the water temps. like at that time? Warm, or too cold to swim?

Tortola will be a new port for us on our upcoming cruise. I have a few questions. We're considering a beach day at Cane Garden Bay. Is there a place to change clothes when we get there? Approximately how long does it take to get there (and back to the cruise ship ) by taxi? Is it fairly easy to get a taxi to go back to the ship? Roughly how much money should we take? Is $50.00 too little? Is $100.00 too much? Since Tortola is a BVI territory, do we need to exchange U.S. dollars for British pounds, or are U.S. dollars accepted? Thank-you for any information you can provide. 

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No. Not worried at all. I do find it ironic though that Carnival stopped putting free pens in the cabins, and don't give out plastic drinking straws unless asked, all to supposedly reduce polluting the ocean with plastic. And yet, they get nailed for illegal dumping.

There is no assigned boarding time. No one, regardless of their status, can choose when to board the ship. Whether you're going on a cruise for the first time or the 100th time, you choose a check-in time at the cruise terminal. If you have priority status, such as Diamond, Platinum, FTTF, etc., the check-in time is merely a formality. Those with priority status may check in at the terminal ahead of those that do not have priority status. If you check in at 9:00 a.m., but boarding doesn't start until 12:00 p.m., you will have to wait along with everyone else until Carnival begins the boarding process. The only difference is, those with priority status board first.

Thanks for your review. We'll be sailing out on the Magic on May 25th. I have yet to see a Playlist Production that was more than mediocre at best. On a previous cruise, we took the "Behind the Fun" tour and got a chance to talk to some of the staff members that were in the Playlist shows. Although I didn't find out what their salary was, I did learn that it's less than what some of the other cruise lines pay. Consequently, there's a bit of a turnover in entertainment staff. Like the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for". Basically, if Carnival offered better salaries, they would be able to hire better singers and dancers. I don't even bother to go to the shows anymore. We usually go to whichever lounge the contracted band is playing in, or go to the Atrium and listen to the live music there.

Awesome! I didn't know you could that. Thanks LuckyStar.

What you experienced is pretty typical. It's been our experience that many people join a roll call primarily to get information about excursions, where to stay pre cruise, transportation from the airport to the hotel and cruise terminal, etc. There are some folks that may have good intentions, prior to the cruise, to go to a M&M but for whatever reason will have changed their minds by Embarkation Day.