Pellaz

Nope. Only on ships that have received Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades, specifically an Alchemy Bar. Instead of ordering from the menu, you can just tell them what flavors you like and they will concoct a "prescription" cocktail for you.

Oh, wow, I didn't know the Alchemy Bar worked THAT way (although it makes a good bit of sense considering the 'prescription' format).

I'm not much of a drinker, but I'll have to give them a challenge -- "make something that doesn't taste much like alcohol and isn't a Midori Sour" -- next time I'm on a FunShip 2.0 cruise. :)

 

I see you received the quick dip version :D. Same as the Breeze ;)

Could be improved on

This seems to vary by individual ship and by chef. I took the Behind the Fun tour on both Imagination and Liberty, and the evening following the tour CCL brings chocolate-covered strawberries to your cabin. I was startled at the amazing decoration job on Imagination -- the strawberries had been dipped and decorated like they were each wearing a tuxedo -- as compared to Liberty, where they'd just been dipped, none too tidily, in some chocolate.

Not a HUGE deal, as we appreciated the gesture both times, but FWIW, I'd noticed a more 'active' vibe in Imagination's kitchen and from her head chef than we did from Liberty's. (Our MDR service also followed a similar route. :eek: )

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Your review is almost over! :(

What a great review! I'm frankly quite envious of you for visiting Maho Beach....that's on my 'bucket list' of places to see -- preferably with a lot of planes landing. :D

My MIL used cash when checking in...$60 dollars at the end of the cruise she got $30 back. :O

Now THAT's being cautious with your money. Please have her run for Congress! :D

And yes, you CAN use cash in lieu of a credit-card to 'fund' your S&S shipboard account. Just don't exceed the deposit amount or you'll receive a love note from Guest Services on the last night. :)

For anyone that has already used FTTF, how soon was your luggage delivered to your room?

We didn't go directly to the room, but then again we didn't get to the terminal super-early either. The luggage was already in front of the door when we got there. Later a 'bonus' bag showed up...it was someone else's suitcase. So we opened it up and divided the spoils amongst ourselves--

--Nahh, just kidding. We notified a passing crewmember. :D (It was for the stateroom directly above ours.)

We will be visiting HMC for the 2nd time at the end of the month-- we are sooo excited! We are getting a cabana for the first time- I just sent an email to hopefully reserve #10. We'll see what type of response I get! I wish more Carnival cruises went to HMC....it's a slice of paradise!

I think you might be disappointed there, since Carnival ceased taking email requests for specific cabanas a month (maybe two tops) after they started the policy. Still, who knows, you might get lucky.

I pre-reserved #9 by email in advance, was confirmed for it, but they still didn't have me down for it when I boarded. :(

HAL is there quite regularly. Give it a try sometime, you may like it.

"HAL, open the tender bay doors."

"I'm sorry, Dave, but -- due to high seas -- I can't do that."

:eek: :D

Thanks for the awesome review!

I was wondering where the fabled caesar salads and calzones were on Liberty back in October, since I'd heard they were available at the 24-hour pizza station, but now I see they went away when they changed to Pizza Pirate. Piratical or not, that was some seriously great pizza...and I kept hearing people saying they hated it. :confused: I'm thinking they must have meant the old pizza station.

Unlike you, I'll miss the Mongolian Wok. We were lucky to have both it and Guy's Burgers on Liberty (plus Blue Iguana Cantina, yum!). In your pics, I gather the new "Comfort Food" station replaced the Mongolian Wok?

I can't blame CCL for replacing a food station that, due to its cooked-to-order nature often had long lines, but it was so fresh and good. :(

Now I'm considering Victory in October, and they won't have Guy's or the Wok. Aieeeee!

If they are sold out, unfortunately, they will be sold out.

They're all sold out now, but cancellations CAN occur before sailing -- it happened on my cruise in October. (I already had one booked, but I noticed one became available after they were sold out. It didn't last long. :) )

To the OP: check on it every few days; you might get lucky. Even if one doesn't become available through cancellation before sailing, there's always a chance of a no-show on embarkation day, hence the suggestion for the wait-list.

Good luck and I hope you get one. Someday I hope to enjoy HMC with or without a cabana, since our port-stop was cancelled due to weather. :(

On Liberty 02/09/2013 trying to find FTTF option but said SOLD OUT(under shore excursions) ,my PVP thought it wouldn't be available for my cruise yet.

 

Anyone know how far in advance it is available or should I keep watching for it to come up.

It MAY be sold out, but there are times when CCL will add another batch of fifteen FTTF slots after the first batch sells out, depending on how many Plat and Diamond cruisers are on your particular sailing. I'm thinking they're all gone, though, since your sailing isn't too far away.

From what I have read there is a separate line and it is marked.

Yep, although if you have your boarding pass out with the F2F logo showing, you won't even need to look for the sign; you may be whisked directly to the VIP/F2F line by the first CCL employee who sees your pass. That's what happened with us...we were on the ship ten minutes after walking into the terminal. (Would have been quicker but my sister put cash down for her onboard account at the check-in window. :) )

Royal doesn't "give" you anything. Their package includes a cup, but their package also costs more to begin with. Fountain soda costs less than canned soda and canned soda tastes better.

 

Carnival is the better value.

What are the price-points on soda packages for the two cruise lines?

It's been a while since I booked with RCCL, but as I recall, the price was almost identical to CCL's when I booked on Imagination.

But, let's talk value, shall we?

I'm a bit of a night owl, so the ability to get a soda from the fountain machine at 2:30 am on RCCL when, on CCL, all the bars are closed and I'm S.O.L. makes RCCL the better value. Plus, the time I DIDN'T waste in line buying the soda package aboard ship on CCL, whereas RCCL allows you to easily add it to to your booking on their website.

Oh, and don't forget RCCL's nicely embossed S&S card, as opposed to CCL's sticker that could easily come off if your card gets wet. :rolleyes:

That is REALLY cool that RCCL is installing those Freestyle machines. (You'd think NCL would do it, since they're all about "freestyle" cruising. :) )

When I was on Majesty of the Seas a few years ago, they had a conventional fountain soda machine with 24-hour access located near the pool. Purchasing their soda pass also included their souvenir insulated tumbler at no extra charge (CCL charges $5 for it) that also activated the soda machine...but I don't know if it used an RFID chip or a mechanical interface at the bottom of the cup...I think it was the latter, back then.

My sailing card came already embossed with a Coke symbol, showing I had paid for the soda pass -- no silly stickers involved. There was seldom a wait at the machine, since it could dispense more than one soda at a time.

It sounds like RCCL has taken their unlimited soda program, which was already MUCH better than CCL's, and made it even better. ;)

BTW, those Freestyle machines DO have one major drawback, as some others have noted: they are single-access-point devices. Only one person can use it at a time and there's a bit of a learning curve, plus, let's face it, literally dozens of flavors to choose from. I get a raspberry Diet Coke now whenever I go to our local Burger King...and I recently discovered they have another Freestyle machine available for drive-through service. :D

I will say that the wall was a GREAT dive though !!!!! It drops off to over 7000 feet so it has the Abyss appearance :eek:

Or as one person said their snorkeling guide told them, matter-of-factly, "Do not drop anything HERE. You WON'T be getting it back." :)

As noted earlier, you'll have to pony up for an excursion to get to "THE Wall" since it isn't that close to the beach.

Our cruise in a few weeks stops at Grand Turk. We have our own snorkel gear and will be taking it and wanted to know if you can snorkel "The Wall" at Grand Turk from the beach without doing the excursion from the ship and if so, where is the best place to enter from the beach?

If you opt not to shell out the money for an excursion, there IS a small "wall" -- or drop off -- right at the barrier rope off the beach near Margaritaville, and someone has sunk a sizeable anchor and a cannon on the edge of the shelf before the dropoff, in about 12 ft.

The drop-off goes down to around 40 ft (my guesstimate; I went down to about 30 ft. and it seemed like about ten feet further down). If a ship is docked on the land side of the dock, it will be about 100 ft. further out...really close, though.

There wasn't too much aquatic life, although there was a lot more on my late-afternoon swim than there was earlier in the day.

I have a cruise booked that will stop at HMC on Jan 14 and on the Excursion list I have this:

 

Deluxe Cabana Package

 

Enjoy the ultimate in luxury during your stay on Half Moon Cay with the use of your own deluxe two-story cabana. Board the first tender ashore, or have priority tender use, to maximize your time by being the first guests to arrive. For your comfort, you will find your cabana outfitted air-conditioning, a 5 person capacity hot tub, refrigerator, ceiling fan, air conditioner, dining area with table and chairs inside, misting shower, and private sun deck.

Cool....although that beach is starting to look a bit crowded!

You will be provided with fresh fruit, vegetables with dip, and chips and salsa to snack on as well as an assortment of soft drinks and bottled water to quench your thirst. Beach towels, floating mats, and snorkel gear are also included for your use throughout the day.

This sounds like the customary cabana snacks package...presumably with increased quantities for up to 8 guests.

So, which cruise line was offering it, and what was the price?

Thanks! I'm excited to be here. I love learning about islands and especially cruises, although I've never done either. Still working on getting there!

You and me both!

So far, I'm 0-for-1 on port-visits to Half Moon Cay...but I'm sure I'll try again. :)

Pick your favourite cabina and tell me why?

hammock, personal waiter etc...

 

tell me your thoughts and why please

Our stop at HMC was cancelled due to weather --and about 1 in 5 port calls there ARE cancelled -- but I had chosen #9 as my target cabana on our October cruise, based on reports from the most-excellent folks here on CC. :)

It is far enough away from the tender/dock area to avoid most of the crowds, yet not too far to walk back for the 'free' barbecue. It's also just far enough away from the pirate ship bar to avoid the noise.

There's the second set of restrooms right behind it, and there's a walkway between it and #8, making for slightly easier access.

I had pre-selected #9 by email to Carnival before our cruise, but was told I'd been given #8 when I got to Shore Excursions onboard. They said they'd correct it, but the master list still showed me with #8 late that night. We'll never know how things would have shaken out, but I would have been okay with #8 or anything above it.

I'm not right up on when Victory has her next dry dock,

From various sources, it sounds like it might be a sailing or two AFTER my mid-October target :(

but if everything stays the same as it is now until you sail in October, you will not find any specialty restaurants on her. There is a pool grill at the rear of the lido buffet, a deli station on one side at the front of the buffet and a wok station on the other side at the front.

The deli sounds like it might be in the same spot on both ships (starboard side aft of the midship Lido pool, along the corridor). Not sure about the Mongolian Wok, which was in the middle of the Lido buffet area on Liberty with two lines; you started outboard and worked your way over to the grilling station amidships. Doesn't matter; I love the Wok and will take it either way. Bonus points if they still have teriyaki sauce instead of black bean. :)

The aft pool does have a retractable roof but the area is not adult only.

Are there also two hot-tubs back there? I'm assuming the Pizza Pirate and "Good Eats" stations are there also, as they are on Liberty....

The Serenity area is mid-ship starboard side on Decks 10 & 11 and has two big, rectangular hot tubs that on our sailing were monitored and closed at 11:00 p.m.

Wow, that IS a pretty major change. One drawback of having the Serenity area near the bow on ships with the 2.0 upgrades is that it can be especially windy up there. On our sailing, it was closed due to high winds on at least one occasion.

Okay, I'm resigning myself to the fact that Victory probably won't have the FunShip 2.0 upgrades before my target sailing date in mid-October (the 5-day 'exotic' E. Caribbean). So, no Guy's Burgers, no Red Frog or Blue Iguana bars, no Blue Iguana Cantina.... :(

Having sailed on Liberty in all her FunShip 2.0 glory last month, what other differences can I expect between the two ships?

What eateries are on both? What eateries on Victory take the place of the new ones on Liberty? Is the Serenity area the same? (And do they lamely close the hot-tubs at 9pm on Victory also?) Is the aft pool area adult-only with a retractable roof like on Liberty?

The other itinerary I'm considering is the same one I traveled before, Liberty's 7-day E. Caribbean, but it's much more pp and I'm not sure I'm ready for another 7-day cruise, and I'm sure my two cats at the house would agree. :)

When I saw the thread title I thought "But pics aren't allowed at Chef's Table! What, did they sneak a camera in? Oh no they didn't!"

And you didn't. :)

Really cool of them to allow a good photog to take pics. Frankly, this thread and those pics will probably sell a lot of Chef's Table slots for Carnival. It's a win-win! :D

That's why they hate to miss this stop due to weather or tide conditions.

Just got back from Liberty's 9/29 sailing and we missed the port due to bad weather. So I can't report on Cabana #9 because we never tendered over. Although I had requested and received #9 via email back in July, they had already given it to someone else when I boarded and went to Shore Excursions, and had me down for #8. I showed them the email, they said it had been taken care of, then later when I re-checked they said 'no, you have #8 and this is the final list." Now we'll never know which cabana I'd have ended up with. :eek:

Can anyone use those beach chairs (the loungers physically ON the beach) in front of the cabanas or are they all reserved for cabana renters?

No, the loungers on the beach are for anyone, but I'm sure the cabana renters would prefer the entrance stairs to their cabanas not be blocked or overcrowded.

I also saw hammocks in the videos posted. Are those exclusively for cabana renters?

No, anyone can use them. They tend to be near the cabanas and there aen't many of them....at HMC, anyway.

Finally, does anyone have a picture of the clamshell I've been reading about? Anyone ever use one? Should it be reserved in advance?

There are numerous pictures and videos around, but basically they are blue half-domes wide enough to accomodate two beach loungers. Many reports say they tend to get pretty stuffy, so keep that in mind. If you want one, they can be rented at the rental station on the beach -- as far as I know, they cannot be reserved aboard ships of any cruise line. Cost is approximately $20.

Cool! Thanks for posting. Is it down by the "Private Oasis" cabana? I'll be going in October and I'm taking my own gear.

This is what I was wondering also. Where is the wall in relation to the Private Oasis?

I figure if you get too close to the Oasis, you'll get warned away...after all, those people paid $1200+ for a bit of privacy. :)

Exactly. There will be a last tender.

More to the point, if there are still a lot of people waiting after it departs, then the line will add another 'last' tender.

Hooray! Just when I thought we might never see the end, voila! More awesome pics and comments!

Regarding no pier at Grand Cayman, I have to wonder if it's due to environmental/oceanic concerns. There is clearly a need for a two-ship pier and even then, the tender operators aren't all out of their jobs because tenders would still be needed when more than two ships are in port, which is fairly often at GC.

If a pier could be built without damaging the ecosystem there, the Big Three cruise lines (plus maybe Disney) should just pool their resources and build it. We will come. :)

Oh but they do!!! Just call Bon Voyage!! I buy them (Bottomless Bubbles that is) in advance every time we go.... :-) When we get in our cabin, there's always a piece of paper waiting for us to take it to some place (usually the coffee shop) to get our sticker.

Wow, that's weird. They must not want too many people to know about it, since I don't see pre-sail purchase mentioned anywhere on CCL's admittedly poor website.

RCCL allows you to prepurchase their soda package rather easily via their website, and when they print/laminate your sailing card, the free-soda symbol is automagically embossed on it and you're good to go. (They also give you the souvenir insulated travel cup as part of the package, and on my cruise the cup activated the fountain soda machine on the pool deck, which was damned handy. CCL only serves soda in cans, aboard Imagination at least.)

Maybe I'm the only one, but I don't see why that would be a bad thing.

Yeah, me either, which was kinda my (sarcastic) point....

This is an easy solution to CCL's problems. Book a specific cabana online prior to sailing and it is waiting for you upon arrival.

Now, now, not so fast there, Ricochet Rabbit. If CCL began offering specific cabana rentals in advance, they might also start offering pre-sail purchases of their Bottomless Bubbles soda program like other lines (notably RCCL) do, and THEN where would we be?