rockbock

For adventure, I'd opt for the Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

I'd book a cave tubing excursion in Belize. It's one of the most unique and fun excursions I've ever had.

 

Victor Bodden's private tour (only $25pp) is THE BEST excursion I've ever had...you can pretty much do anything you want on that island! And where else can you go where you get to play with monkeys?

 

Grand Cayman has some really cool stingray sandbar excursions...again, this is something that you can't really do anyplace else.

 

As for the dolphins, you will get a great dolphin experience for a lot less money in Cozumel. Atlantis is very overpriced IMO. In Cozumel, you can frequently find Buy One Get One Free dolphin promotions (but you need to NOT tell them you are on a Carnival cruise when you book)...and the dolphin experience is located right inside of Chankanaab Park. Chankanaab is AMAZING. Gorgeous place to relax, great snorkeling right off the beach, and even some shows throughout the day if you're interested.

I think you should give a 4J a try. Pricing is cheaper than an Oceanview, but you get a window and a huge walkway balcony (with views of three sides of the ship) right outside your cabin door.

 

If you're trying to cruise on a very tight budget, consider trying a 1a with portholes. You can find some of them which have two lower beds instead of bunks. You get natural light and a bit of a view, but it's the cheapest cabin on the ship.

Personally, $500 is a lot to me. I would opt for the Liberty for that much of a price difference. The Sunshine will be a newer looking ship and has a gorgeous Serenity Deck. Your kids might also like the waterpark and ropes course on it. However, I'm not sure I see those differences being worth $500. If you loved the Freedom, you'll be amazed by the Liberty. They are sister ships, but the Liberty is soooo much nicer than the Freedom. The Freedom is my least favorite out of all of the Carnival ships I've been on.

I have never been charged a penny while using my phone on the ship in either Puerto Rico or St. Thomas. You can even use it while you are at sea, as long as you are close enough to US land that you are picking up an AT&T cell signal. As long as it says AT&T in the upper left corner of your phone, you are fine. If it says ANYTHING other than AT&T, you will be charged.

Stu - I see you have asked in a few threads about the Playlist production shows and you haven't gotten much feedback yet. I'll be on the Glory in two weeks. Not sure how many shows I'll check out, but I'll make sure I let you know what I think of the ones that I see.

 

 

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Hi :)

 

From the Splendor this past May/June 2013 the Legends performers

and songs they sang were:

 

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Suvive

Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time

Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It

Shania Twain – I Feel Like A Woman

Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline

Bruce Sringsteen – Born In The USA

Elvis – sang a 3 song montage

Frank Sinatra – My Way

Michael Jackson – Billy Jean

Garth Brooks – Friends In Low Places

 

:)

 

They must be rolling out the new lineup very slowly. I was on the Freedom in October and it was still the old show. Hope Glory has the new lineup in a few weeks.

 

 

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This is great news! On our cruise last month, my husband and I had a discussion about how we love the "concept" of the Legends show, but we didn't want to attend since it's the same songs and joke skits every time. We were hoping they'd switch it up sometime soon. Looks like I might get my wish in a few weeks. :)

 

 

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If all the rooms in a category are sold out you can stop checking for price drops. They won't drop the price on a category that has no rooms available...that would be silly.

 

 

This is horrible advice! Every day, there are people who change cabins or cancel their reservations entirely. Categories sell out, then they come back into inventory. It happens all the time. Once you get within a month of so of the cruise date, it happens even more frequently. The upsell fairies start making their calls, which opens up tons of previously sold cabins in all categories.

Serenity is a BIG difference many people. I know I spend time every single day up on the Serenity deck.

I just called the Player's Club about my upcoming cruise next month. I didn't expect to receive anything at all, but I was wrong. It was definitely worth making that call!

My most recent cruise (last month), I spent more in the casino than the sum of my other four Carnival cruises combined. It was an 8-night cruise and I ended up with just over 1,000 points. Like I said, I expected nothing. However, I qualified for the Standard Bon Voyage package on my cruise next month.

My father has been on two Carnival cruises. He did not gamble at all on the first cruise. On his cruise last month, he ended with +/- 1,200 points. He qualified for a Premium Bon Voyage Package on our cruise next month.

My sister took her first Carnival cruise last month. She ended with +/- 3,500 points. She earned her Drinks On Us card about halfway through the 8-night cruise. She was also sent some strawberries and champagne to her cabin during the cruise. She qualified for a $50 casino credit on our cruise next month (but no cabin package).

So for those of you who never gambled enough to get a Drinks On Us card, don't rule yourselves out of getting some possible perks. Make the call. I spent 15 minutes on hold, but it was worth it IMO.

That would kind of suck! Someone is getting a 1099 on that $10,000.00 and will have to pay taxes because Carnival does not hold taxes on winnings. So I guess the payout winner would have to 1099 all the players or something like that to not have to pay taxes on the full amount? Anyone know?

 

I've hosted two slot pulls and have a third one coming up next month. One of our "rules" is that if somebody has a single spin of $1,200 or more (the cutoff where Carnival must report to IRS), that person will receive a cash payout of 25% of that spin before any other distributions are made.

 

 

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My family had a private Victor Bodden tour last year with Tex and it was AMAZING.

 

We'll be back in Roatan in six weeks (last minute cruise) and I booked another private tour. As expected, Tex was already assigned to another group. I was told that our tour guide would be Rick. I haven't seen any feedback on him.

 

Has anybody taken a private tour with Rick? How is he?

 

 

 

UPDATE: Ok, I found some good reviews on Tripadvisor. Feeling better about Rick!!! Can't wait for another day in Roatan. It's my favorite port!

Forgot to mention...I had cabin 9202 and LOVED it. I always love booking the cabins at the front of the ship, but this was my first time on the Lido deck and that made it even better. Obviously, it's nice to be near the food. But the other good thing about being on the Lido deck, which isn't necessarily quite as obvious until you experience it, is that you never have to wait for an elevator. Everybody seems to be heading to or from Lido, so the elevators are stopping there constantly.

By the time you get on the Freedom, it will have undergone a major dry dock, so it's sort of irrelevant to seek current opinions on the ship.

 

I say this because I'd hate to see you scared off from it. I was on the Freedom two weeks ago and it was BY FAR the ugliest Carnival ship I've been on. The service was poor too. However, I still had an amazing time and I am convinced that the ship will look amazing once it comes out of dry dock. All of the other ships have...

Just to confirm...

 

As of last week, 8357 on the Freedom had two lowers (cannot be separated) and one upper. My parents were happy with it.

 

My sister had 2202 and LOVED it. In fact, everyone who saw it loved that cabin. Probably the best setup I've seen for two people who are looking for two beds and some pseudo-privacy from each other. It's basically a zig-zag shaped room. Never seen one like it before, but it was awesome!

It is VERY strong. Best mixed with a lot of water or soda!

I was on the Freedom 10/5/13 - 10/13/13. I have to admit, I was disappointed. I still loved my cruise, but the ship was very drab and ugly compared to the Liberty (sister ship). I hated the layout of the Lido pool area (looked very small and closed in). The service was the worst I've seen yet on Carnival.

 

However, you could have a completely different experience if you are booking post-drydock. I'm sure it's going to look like a new ship once it gets its makeover.

 

Looking forward to the Glory in a few weeks. I heard it's a lot more like Liberty than the Freedom was (and I loved the Liberty).

I got off the Freedom two days ago. My parents were in cabin 8357. It has two twins and an upper.

Earliest was Inspiration out of Tampa - shortly before 11am.

 

Latest was Liberty out of Miami - about 12:45pm.

 

We're not Platinum and never purchase FTTF. I was disappointed in how late they started boarding in Miami!

Received the pins, JR. Thanks again.

 

Still looking for Inspiration, Sensation, and Liberty, if anybody out there can help me. Willing to trade other Carnival items or pay cash. Thanks.

Hey Rock Baby.....I'll be on the Dream this October. I'll keep an eye out to see if I can find the pin you need. :-)

 

Thanks sooooooo much for this offer, but I just received an email from JR that he has pin for the Dream and the Freedom.

 

HUGE thanks to JR! You're the best! :D:D:D:D:D

Hello. I am in need of five different pins:

 

Inspiration - 2011 or no date

Sensation - 2012 or no date

Dream - 2012 or no date

Liberty - 2013 or no date

Freedom - 2013 or no date

I would also like a Carnival lanyard (not the casino style).

 

I don't have any pins to trade, but I am willing to trade any of the items in the photo below. Thanks.

 

cgomes3@gmail.com

 

I think you will love it. They are really a great value. Just be careful to look at the deck plans, because some are oversized cabins and some can be undersized cabins.

 

I had a 4J on Liberty and a 6S on Dream (same type location as the 4J cabins, but on the 11th deck). I loved them both and didn't experience any excessive motion due to the location. I booked another oversized 4J for my Freedom cruise this October.

nvm

Three years ago we were on the Dream and the steam rooms were not coed. However, the sauna was. Maybe it has changed since then.

 

The Cloud 9 Spa rooms are all coed. The free steam room is not coed, but it also isn't very nice.

 

 

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