goodmud

Not ideal, but mom and dad could sleep on the pullout and the boys could sleep on the twin beds. Could help if you can't find two rooms cheaper.

Please don't bring it to fly around landmarks. We were on a cruise this summer at the historic fort on St. Kitts. A couple had a drone flying above the the whole time, which really distracted from the visit for as it was loud and flying all around between people. In addition, there was a very clear sign when we entered the fort area that drones were not permitted. Just my opinion.

Maybe some onboard credit they can use in the arcade? Or a gift card to Build a Bear?

I think we were able to take a Princess transfer at 11 or 12.

We were able to walk into a bar on Allure and ask for wine glasses without any problem.

Living up in Canada, there has been talk of cruise ships coming into Thunder Bay. We live about three hours from there. Nothing has been said definately, but I know there has been talk of bringing cruise ships into the city. I have also seen a smaller ship docked in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in the past. It would be nice to have a ship on the Great Lakes!

We did this on our very first cruise. We just booked one adult and one kid in each room, then got extra keys when we got on board and we stayed in the balcony and the kids stayed across the hall. They were 18 ad 15 at the time.

If you can't imagine going with anyone else, and you are on good terms with each other, then go. You have invested a lot of time in each other through a marriage, and sometimes things don't work out. If you are still friends, and you feel comfortable, then go and enjoy yourselves. You dont' have to do everything together, you can have seperate beds, and you can set some ground rules before you go. Good luck!

We cruised on the Crown in May. On the sea day coming from Seattle, the water was really rocking. One member of our party got sick and was in bed throwing up all day. The other 9 members did not suffer from the affects. On the return trip, the water was calm through that region. I would come prepared with stuff, and hope for the best.

Half of our group on the Crown in May had flights at 11:25. We purchased transfers. They were in the group that got off at 8 am. They made their flights just fine. Hope that helps.

Congrats on booking your first cruise! I think the best gift you can give children is the gift of travel. There is so much in the world to see and do. We have traveled with our kids since they were little. We live in Northern Ontario and did a lot of driving. They will love the little surprises that you find along the way as you travel - stop at parks or waterfalls, or Jolly Green Giants! There will be something to stop and have a break to look at. As for the cruise, our first cruise our son was 15. He declared at the time that when he had a family, he was never taking another vacation besides a cruise because he loved it so much. He loved the kids clubs and met lots of kids to hang out with. Since then, we have gone to Europe,Whistler, and lots of other places. The first cruise has remained his all time favourite vacation. He will go on his second cruise with us this August. Don't believe when people tell you your kids will come to an age where they don't want to travel with you - ours are 20 and 23. They still want to travel with us - our daughter just did an Alaskan cruise with us, and the son will be doing a Carribean cruise and Florida with us in August. Have a great time planning - it will be here before you know it!

Can you not just change the name and take someone else? We had the same thing just happen to us on Princess - my son ended up getting a job 3 weeks before we were going on a cruise. We were able to change the name on the cruise and gratuities and transfers. We got a cash refund for part of the flights booked through the cruise line. We found someone else to take the cruise and they just had to buy the flights themselves. There has to be a way to make this work....start looking for people that have passports and can travel on short notice.

I am new to Carnival - could someone please tell me what FTTF is and what the benefits are? Thanks!

We booked three mini suites to Alaska. We had two passengers that we had to switch rooms for. They were each tied to their own credit card and cruise key. We just asked for a second key to each room saying that we wanted them to be able to come and go between each room. They just gave us a second key to each room - I don't believe this key was tied to an account as they both still had their original cruise card.

When we were on the Grand Princess last year in Glacier Bay, they also posted the times that they would be at Margerie Glacier and one of the other glaciers in the Princess Patters. That would also give you an approximate time for the glaciers that they tend to spend a lot of time at.

Can you bring the knives back on board the ship? Is it any problem to pack them in your on board luggage?

My husband and I shared a mini suite with my father last year in Alaska. We had plenty of space. We were able to store 3 large and 2 smaller suitcases in the closet after we unpacked. My dad had the sofa and we requested a topper for it and it was fine. He stored some of his clothes on the two shelves under the tv/bar counter as there were shelves under there. My husband and I stored our things in the shelves near the closet and we each had a drawer for our underthings. It was my dad's first cruise and he commented that he loved the lay out and felt like he had his own space as he had the couch and tv there also and the way the desk juts out gives you a bit of a division to the room. There is a little shelf with a mirror above it and I think there is a mirror above the desk also, so you can divide up the space for putting on makeup and such. I think that people stress too much about sharing a bathroom - you only need to be in there to shower or use the toilet. Surely everyone can do their turn quickly so as not to impose on anyone else. I think you will be fine - have a great trip!!

We were at the far dock last year on Princess Grand. They have a shuttle bus, but it is $3 to get downtown, the return was free with the ticket you bought.

I am sure you will have a wonderful time. When we were looking to book 4 in a mini on the Crown, there were certain rooms that were designated for 4 as opposed to 3. The pictures all looked the same, but I thought maybe they had a pull down bed for the 4th. Maybe it was just a double bed instead of the smaller bed we had in the sofa last year. We did three adults in a mini last year and had plenty of space. The sofa was like a single and a half - not really a double bed. Maybe Princess can clarify for you the bed situation. I always laugh at people that stress there is only one bathroom - we have survived for 25 years, living through 2 teens, with only one bathroom. Not even a double vanity. It is called getting along. Have a great trip!

I would give yourself extra time in Toronto. We had a two and a half hour layover in Toronto last year and had to run for the plane - after we went through customs, we had to go back through security again, even though it was a connecting flight. They held our plane and we ended up leaving almost 45 minutes late - but it was the most stressful part of the whole trip for us and we were all US citizens.

We are going roundtrip out of Seattle this time to avoid having to go through Toronto again.

We prefer Royal Caribbean as well, but I booked our last cruise on Princess to be able to go to both Hubbard and Glacier Bay as both were strongly recommended. I really preferred the Hubbard Glacier to Glacier Bay as I found the glacier much more stunning. Of course,it could have been the weather, timing and personal opinion. I was not as impressed with Glacier Bay, although we did enjoy it. Of course it does depend on what you want to see and how much interest you have in the glaciers, but I figured if I booked a cruise with two glaciers, and one got canceled, then at least I would still see the other hopefully. I found in Alaska, the scenery and the ports were more important than the ship. But that is only my opinion.

My dad did this excursion on our trip this summer. He enjoyed the experience and still talks about it. For him, the chance to make a piece of glass to bring home as a souvenir was worth the price of the excursion. He did the excursion on his own, though, so I can't say if it would be worth the $800 for a family to do the whole excursion. I do know that he enjoyed the cruise so much that we are looking at doing another one next year taking my sister with us. She wants to do this excursion as well, since he has talked so positively about how much he enjoyed the experience.

We had overcast and somewhat drizzly days for both the Hubbard and Glacier Bay. Low lying fog just made the glaciers more magical and the blue color more spectacular. We were able to get to within a mile of both of the big glaciers.