rstunger
-
Posts
110 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by rstunger
-
-
On 10/28/2019 at 6:48 PM, BTromboneFrack said:
Son't know about the size of the balcony you are talking about. Every type is a little different. However, be prepared.... Our experience is once you go to a balcony, you can never go back. There is nothing like hearing the ocean whenever you want.
You are absolutely right!!! Once we finally decided to try out a balcony....we’ve never been able to go back to inside or OV.
-
On 1/27/2019 at 3:53 PM, schazzy said:
We got coffee and bottled water on debarkation morning covered by Cheers with no problem last year.
We’ve had the same experience. We’ve always grabbed an espresso on debarkation morning, and cheers worked. I do believe that we may have been charged a tax, since we were back in US, but no charge on the drink.
-
Arriving early and getting priority boarding, along with laundry benefits, are the two main things we are excited about as new platinum members. It took us awhile to get there, because we had to meet the 75 days at sea, not the original 10 cruises (regardless of days). They changed the criteria when we were 2 cruises short of platinum under the old requirement. It’ll be a bummer, after finally making it, to board later than we’ve done in the past, as gold. I hope that makes sense. 🙂
-
Thank you for all the input and comments. 😊
-
10 minutes ago, Bookbug53 said:
Sounds like you did not select your check in time and it was randomly assigned.
Since you are Platinum arrive when you like and enter the terminal. You will then board when it is time for Platinum to board. Check in time has nothing to do with boarding time.
I think you’re right. I was in a hurry when I booked the cruise, and neglected to pick my time for dining, bed choices, and check in time. I was able to go in and edit my bed choice and dining, but can’t seem to change the check in time. 😞
-
We are new to Platinum, and will be sailing out of Galveston 3/31 on Vista. We were assigned a check in time of 1:00-1:30. I thought one of the perks as platinum, was much earlier boarding. Will they turn us away if we arrive earlier....like11:30?
-
On 10/25/2018 at 7:55 AM, Chief93 said:
Returned from the Vista on Oct 21st and want to comment on some of the hot and controversial topics I’ve seen on the boards. Please remember that this is my own personal experience and yours may vary. Feel free to ask any questions.
Priority Boarding. We arrived at 10:30 and being Platinum went through the priority line. I’d estimate there were about 100 Diamond and Platinum. Upon checking in the agent stated that our cabins would be ready at 1:30. I said “Thank you” and waited. Boarding was quick and we were on board by 11:15. I had a balcony forward on deck 8 and went straight there. The doors were closed with the standard sign that says “your cabins will be ready after 1:30.” I opened said door, walked to my cabin, found it ready with my cards in the mailbox. Note that one of the TV channels is called “Things to Know” and one of the graphics stated:
STATEROOM ACCESS TIMES:
GENERAL 1:30PM
PRIORITY 11:45AM
DIAMOND AND PLATINUM/FASTER TO THE FUN
I took a picture but don’t know how to upload it.
Atrium. I did not like the atrium. I like walking on the Lido deck and being able to look down into the atrium to see if anything interesting is going on. It does make the ship feel more closed in.
Décor. I liked the décor. The MDR had a nice restaurant feel to it. And I loved the décor and layout on the Lido deck.
The Layout. On the good side, you don’t have to walk through the casino to get anywhere. On the bad side, you’re always walking down what feels like a hallway. I miss the open ocean views.
The elevators. OMG. They are slow, and not every elevator goes to every floor. There are fewer elevators for more people. The removal of the glass elevators from the atrium means there are three fewer elvators in that area. One other area, maybe midship, only had 4 four elevators instead of six. Note that only ONE elevator goes to deck 14, so if you have a cabin there you only get one elevator, and it also services ALL of the other decks.
Food. The food in the MDR was decent. The food at the buffet was very good I thought. Someone here complained that the food no longer has a theme….chinese dishes being on the buffet with pasta etc. I liked it. There was more variety. Also, I noticed that smaller pan of food were on the buffet, and changed more ofted. One day they had braised oxtails and it was delicious. There is also a self serve beer station on the Lido that is very convenient.
Premade Sandwiches. I was very unhappy about this change until I actually went there. The sandwiches are awesome. They are not entirely premade, I’d call it partially assembled. And they are huge and very, very good.
Cakes. They had the new cakes. Simply amazing. Beautiful and delicious.
Lines. I did not think the lines were longer at any venue. The ship did always feel crowded though.
Temperature. I was able to keep my cabin ice cold even on a sunny day, which made me very happy. However, public spaces were often uncomfortably warm.
One more thing, re-boarding the ship from the water shuttle in Belize and debarkation morning (priority debarkation) were both so chaotic, mismanaged and riddled with incompetence that had this been my first Carnival cruise I would never have gone back. I certainly hope this was an aberrancy.
My wife loved the ship, said it was her favorite. I would sail on it again, but given a choice would choose another.
Question.... you mentioned that you arrived at 10:30 and boarded by 11.15. We are fairly new to Platinum, but were assigned a 1:00-1:30 arrival/check in time. If we show up at 10:30, will they let us check in, or make us wait until 1:00. Our last cruise as platinum, we were assigned an earlier arrival/check in.
-
Can you purchase the fort entrance tickets right at the forts?
-
Does anyone know how much the cabanas rent for? How far are cabanas from the pool?
-
What is it with you people? Does it make you feel better to tell someone to use Google versus just saying nothing at all?
Exactly.... I was thinking the same thing.
-
I would definitely go to the beach by the terminal. It's only a five minute walk.
I will post photos in a moment.
Keith
Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos!
-
Hello, I am sailing on the breeze for the first time in April and would like to see if you could tell me the age groups of camp Carnival it seems some of the ships have different ages. Also if you had any pics of the clubs that I could show them I have found the older teen one but I cannot find a pic of the room my 4 year old may go
Into. Thank you in advance!!
We’ve been on the Breeze twice with our 10 year old twins(once when they were 9). The age groups are divided 2-5, 6-8, 9-11, and then there’s the teen group 12-17. Although the groups are separate, they do combine the younger groups for certain activities. Our kids have cruised since they were 2, and have always had a blast at camp carnival/camp ocean. I have many pics around the ship, but not sure if I have any of camp ocean on the Breeze.
-
I have too. It takes a village to raise a child. My heart goes out to the family of this child.
We take our twins on cruises frequently (they're 10 yrs old and have been on 10 cruises).... I watch my children well, but there's always the occasion when you're looking the other way or distracted. I would be VERY grateful if someone were to scold my child for climbing on railing. When it comes to safety, it really does take a village.
Thoughts and prayers go to this poor family. My heart breaks for them.
Sent from my iPad using Forums
-
Chloe Loddo..... we have had her on two of our cruises, and she's the most memorable. Very energetic, fun, approachable, and mingles with everyone.
Sent from my iPad using Forums
-
Is there a place to get a shake on the breeze?
We leave in two days and cant wait to get on the ship.
Yes...we were on the Breeze 08/16 and they offered milkshakes at the coffee bar. They were delicious!!
-
Thank you for confirming that the Miracle does have the demo. You are absolutely correct about getting there early. We showed up 5 minutes before it was supposed to start on the Breeze, and it was full. :(
-
I hope I'm posting this question in the proper forum. 😬
Does the Miracle offer the cooking demonstration? I've been to these on other carnival ships, but was curious if it's offered on all.
-
Bobnsofi, are you suggesting the use of a credit card because of not wanting to hassle with pesos as change? We usually use a credit card that doesn't charge us for the exchange rate. We only use cash for small purchases from vendors.
-
I thinking the same thing.....why people respond to a post in such a rude manner is beyond me. I know many cruisers that make a quick stop at Walmart to grab a few things. Obviously, people aren't going to Walmart as a scenic tour. It's just an easy quick place to grab a few things.
As another cruiser posted....be very careful crossing the hwy to Walmart. There are many lanes of traffic going in various directions. There is usually an officer at the crosswalk area.
-
Taxi is approximately $35 or Uber is approximately $15.:)
$35 isn't bad at all, and $15 is even better. I haven't used Uber, but this may be a perfect time to try it. Thank you for the info. 😊
-
The hotel is only a couple of years old. It shares its parking lot with The Habit (greater hamburgers), California Fish Grill, Starbucks, and a chain sandwich shop, perhaps Phillies steak (we always go to The Habit).
Due to its proximity to the Long Beach Airport , it probably offers a free shuttle to/from it, but not the port.
Thank you for the helpful information. I would imagine a cab ride to the cruise port won't be too horribly expensive.
-
Has anyone done the Lands End Boat, Beach, and Shopping excursion through Carnival? Would appreciate any thoughts as to whether it's a fun excursion and worth doing.
-
Steve Bruin, thank you so much for the detailed information, it's very helpful :)
-
I guess it's time again to post my standard answer:
There is a very limited area of Long Beach in which you want to stay...and, therefore, a limited number of hotels.
"A" List: The BEST places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and Hyatt Centric (also known as Hyatt at the Pike) …These put you right in the heart of the tourist area with very convenient walks to restaurants, shops and attractions and easy access to the free "Passport" shuttle...and those ARE the nicest hotels in town. Doesn't necessarily mean they are higher priced, though...and you can often get a real deal via Priceline...
http://www.longbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
http:// http://www.westinlongbeachhotel.com/
http://thepikelongbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbrn-renaissance-long-beach-hotel/
"B" List: Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, is the Hilton. Just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya Doubletree...
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-long-beach-LGBLHHF/index.html
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbri-residence-inn-long-beach-downtown/
"C" List: Slightly outside the prime area and/or not necessarily the nicest hotels for one reason or another, but options if all else fails are the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...The Queen Mary is across the bridge ...and right next to the Carnival Terminal...however, I am not a big fan of the Queen Mary--unless you are on there for nostalgia's sake...It's not exactly a first class hotel by today's standards--the rooms are small, condition questionable, etc.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbcy-courtyard-long-beach-downtown/
http://www.queenmary.com/stay-aboard/stay-aboard/
Getting to ANY of these hotels from LAX, you'd either have to take a taxi, car service or a shuttle...Try Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle or Super Shuttle's Execucar...From hotel to pier, some of these hotels may have free shuttles, but policies change time to time, so I would check individually with the hotel...All would be a very short taxi ride from the Carnival Pier...From the Maya Doubletree, Residence Inn Downtown or Queen Mary, one could even walk...LAX is 20 miles from the San Pedro World Cruise Center, 23 miles from the Carnival Terminal in Long Beach…could take anywhere from a half an hour to an hour depending on day, time and traffic…
One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.
This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing... One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.
This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing...Long Beach runs a free shuttle service called the "Passport" which will take you all over the Downtown area:
Have you heard good or bad about the Courtyard Marriott at the airport on Lakewood?
First time balconies
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
Depending on who the other 3 adults are, I don’t think it’s that bad. With us, we always have 2 that go to the gym in the morning, and use their nice showers. We prefer the balcony, for a more open and roomy feel.... fresh air is nice.