okiegirl07

1 hour ago, glrounds said:

 

Unfortunately, okiegirl, cruise ships sail out of seaports most of which are hotbeds of the virus right now. California, however, is fairing pretty well compared to other populous States, but even I'm a little uneasy about an August 15th sail date. I applaud your positive attitude.

I am definitely aware of where the ports are located. I’m just saying that things are opening up a lot sooner (in several states) than people thought. We will have restaurants re opening their dining rooms this week. I don’t think anyone knows what is going to happen with cruising. It’s all speculation at this point. 

I live in Oklahoma and we are supposed to be “back to normal” on June 1st with all restrictions lifted. 

Normally when we cruise we buy the bottomless bubbles and a cup for everyone in our family. We use them on the ship and then normally end up throwing them in a cabinet and never touching them again. Has anyone brought their own cup with them? On my last cruise, I brought my reusable straw but I would rather bring our own cups (yeti or similar) to use as well.will they refill them at the bar when you order a soda like they do the carnival cups?  

We took a break for a couple of years from cruising to get the big theme parks out of the way. We have decided to go back to cruising and leave in a couple of weeks. This will be my 10th cruise with Carnival but it seems things have changed in a couple of years. I have been searching though so many posts and had a lot of questions answered but here are the ones I’m stuck on..

We always purchase the bottomless bubbles as soon as we board and have always purchased the cups to go with it. Does Carnival still offer cups to purchase and are they still like the old ones (red, orange or green kinda see through with black lid). Are there options somewhere else on the ship (Vista) to buy a cup that may be a little nicer?

My ds has many questions about the basketball court. Will there be basketballs available? Does anyone know what time the court is open and closed? Do you have any advice or certain events that he should try and plan or avoid? He is bringing his shoes and although he is not an adult, he is the size of one and certainly plays as well as one. I’m just hoping he doesn’t spend all his time there! 

Thanks in in advance for your help. Anyone other advice on the Vista or new things I might need to know please let me know! 

Since this is a small island, I have not seen anything on the typical "get off the boat, go past the taxis, get your own private excursion for half price" type of postings.

We all would guess there are, but does any one know?

I am looking to go to feed the stingrays and snorkel, but do NOT want to pre book online with a group OR pay the ship prices.

Anyone hooked up with a local provider that was not pre arranged?

Yes! As soon as you get off the ship and walk down the pier, before the very end where you go through he shops, on the left side of the pier standing in the sand there will be several people holding signs offering tours. We have done this several times and have had a wonderful time. Once we we did the string rays and were supposed to snorkel the wall but the water was just too choppy and unclear due to a storm so we went to another snorkel site and it was great! Another time it was just 2 of us with one guide and he was awesome. He took my camera down several times to get pictures and he pulled a shark out from under a rock so we could see and get pictures. We never paid over $60 a person but I believe it was even less than that. Take cash though! Hope that helps.

Does anyone know if this works pre cruise? We are dropping off an Alamo rental at MIA, do we have to get a taxi or do they have a shuttle? If we get a taxi what is the rate from the airport to the port?

Mitsugirly, I have been following you and reading your review for quite some time now. In fact, you are the reason we went to Little French Key in Roatan and let me tell you that is still one of my favorite ports and probably the best cruise memory I have! When we were there we went out on a boat that took us to the reef to snorkel and out of all the places we have been snorkeling nothing has really compared to it. I have read about some snorkel excursions in costa maya that take you to a reef to snorkel. They mention that it is part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world which also is the case in Roatan (same system I'm assuming). Do you have any information on this? Do you really think there is great snorkeling in Costa Maya or are they just trying to sell me an excursion? It is not very expensive at all but the problem is the beach break part of the excursion is at Yaya's beach club? I really like your review of Blue Kay. I am like you and have an 8yo ds that thinks he is a fish. (Your dd is adorable btw). Do they offer any snorkeling excursions by boat at Blue Kay? He has been obsessed with snorkeling since his first time when he was 4. He has seen some pretty amazing things for his young age including the "drop off" in grand Turk. So if we just went to Blue Kay would the snorkeling off the shore there be boring to us? Also have you had a hard time finding snorkeling excursions that will allow 5 yo's? My dd is wanting to try this year but the ones I'm finding say minimum age is 6.

Thanks in advance!

Feb 15, 2015

Booked ocean view guarantee

6B 1289

Booked 31 days out received cabin assignment in confirmation email. I've never had that happen before.

I read somewhere on a thread that you can get a massage for about half the price on the ship while on the Playa Mia excursion.

 

Has anyone done this? If so how was it, where was it in the area of the resort and how much was it?

 

I have always wanted to get a massage and I always think I will on vacation but then I get to hotels or the ship and I am like " WHOA I'm not paying that!"

 

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

It has been 2 years since I have been there, but I did get a massage at the location right by the pool. I believe there was another location on the north end of the beach. It was a good massage and it was $1 a min. I did 30 minutes for $30. Hopefully some one has been there recently and can give updated prices. I will be ther again next month.

Exactly!! There is no savings for 3rd and 4th. I tried a few different cruise sailings, and the KSF rate dropped $1. Yes, an entire $1.

 

I've seen this offer w/different lines and it actually works.

The RCI sale was actually great! We put a deposit down for an October sailing for 4 people. When I was going through all the different sailings and doing mock bookings there were a couple times when the price per person jumped up some when I switched it from 2 passengers to 4 but when I called they said on that specific cruise all the cheaper category rooms for 4 were sold out. So we selected a different sailing and the price per season did not change from 2-4 people we just had to pay the taxes. I compared to the rate carnival had at the time for the same exact date and we saved $500. I'm excited to try something different after 7 (almost 8) carnival cruises.

We're on the Magic this Sunday! (first - woo hoo single digits!)

 

I just received an email from Carnival that states "check-in for your cruise is scheduled from 1-3 pm (....) do not arrive before 1 pm (.....) our departure is still scheduled for 4pm. (Obvs the ... are more words, I was trying to shorten.

 

My cruise docs state embarkation starts at noon. I know it's not that big of a time difference, but 2 hours is a very short window to get everyone on board. I know the Magic is notorious for leaving late, but does this email mean something else is going on behind the scenes that they don't want to tell me, that will cause it to be even later? My main concern is it being a "sick ship" this week and they have to sanitize!:eek: Is an email like this just common practice and I don't remember from prior cruises?

 

I haven't seen anything on cruise critic about the Magic having any problems, but that doesn't mean it's not happening.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? :confused: I'd appreciate them!!

Does the previous cruise coming in visit Belize? I have been on the magic 2 times and out of 7 cruises I have never received this email. The only time I have seen it was when my best friend forwarded it to me because she was on the cruise that boarded as soon as we disembarked our first trip on the magic. The email had stated that since the previous cruise had visited Belize it takes longer for customs. So she forwarded it to me to ask what to do and I told her I had never seen an email like that before and I had no idea what to suggest. She went ahead and showed up about the normal time we do around 11 and did not get on the ship until almost 2! I knew it was going to be later though because we always do self disembarkation and are normally one of the first groups off and in our cars driving by 9am but this time we did not get to our car until about 11am and we were on the second deck called. I would just double check the itinerary coming in to see and if it did visit Belize then I definitely would not go to the port hungry! Lol she said that was the longest wait because they were starving and they are normally on the Lido deck having lunch around 12-12:30.

You can check in for Carnival cruises - they have a desk located in the baggage claim area. If you are renting from National, Alamo or Thrifty it is easier to ride their free shuttle to POM and check-in there instead of going inside MIA to check-in and then returning to ride the shuttle.

We'll I've read that the airport check in is not that busy so I was thinking it might be faster. We are taking my mom and I don't think she can stand in a line too long. I already tried to get her to have me set up assistance but she is pretty stubborn. So I was thinking if we could go in there and maybe find somewhere for her to sit while I check into my room and then she can just get up to do her check in. Any suggestions on trying to accommodate my stubborn mother who refuses to age? Lol

If we are dropping our rental car off at Mia the morning of our cruise can we use the check in at the airport? I read through some threads and never really found anyone else asking. Thanks in advance!

http://www.hieftlauderdale.com/

 

 

http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/hampton-inn-ft-lauderdale-airport-north-cruise-port-FLLANHX/index.html

 

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1115

 

http://bestwesternflorida.com/hotels/best-western-plus-fort-lauderdale-airport-cruise-port

 

the Fairfield Inn, Courtyard, Springhill Suites and either of the 2 Hyatt Place properties might have them..

 

that's a start.....otherwise, hop a cab...

 

 

google is your friend....

Thank you so much. I've never been to Fort Lauderdale and we have to be within 3 miles of the airport for our shuttle to pick up in the morning. You're links were a huge help and I found the perfect place. Thanks again!

I am assuming the answer is yes, but are we stuck with what we have...an inside GTY? Can we benefit from any of these ongoing price drops?

 

Here is the wording at the bottom of our booking confirmation...

 

"A non-refundable and non-transferable deposit is required at the time of booking. Guests who book Super Saver are not eligible for any price protection. This fare does not qualify for Early Saver price protection. Guest selects stateroom type (e.g. interior, ocean view, balcony or suite), but Carnival Cruise Line assigns the deck and location of the stateroom. Stateroom assignment will be provided at the time of check in on embarkation day. Full names are required for each guest. No name changes are allowed."

We had an inside and a balcony guarantee booked for our May cruise and we called the other day and got two balcony by each other for a pretty small amount. I can't believe how much the prices have dropped!

Are there any hotels in the Fort Lauderdale area that have a shuttle that could pick up at FLL around midnight? We normally just rent a car but we booked the late flight and would not need a rental car for very long and the prices were kinda high because of Memorial Day. Also my Dh normally drives and he is not going. Thanks in advance!

I did that. My reason for asking was more specific as some like SAS you recommended no longer go to the hotels in Miami anymore. If you can't make a helpful comment. please don't waste our time with your reprimands.

We had the same problem finding a shuttle that would drive to a Miami hotel. They all have to take you to the port. So we decided to stay in a hotel by FLL and have MJS pick us up the next morning and take us to the port. They have a special right now for $13 a person. We get in late though so we wouldn't have time to enjoy where ever we are staying. We are renting a car though when we get back and have all day to enjoy Miami.

Ashland - I've used the budget location behind the embassy suites. I checked your dates and it's $39 per day versus the $36 you were quoted from sixt.

 

Go to retailmenot dot com and look up the BCD codes and coupon codes. Do this with all the major rental companies and compare that way.

 

Is there a reason why you aren't renting a car from FLL and returning it there? You are still charged for the full day with Sixt even though you are dropping it off on Friday at 6. You might find a better deal comparing prices picking it up Thursday and dropping it off early Saturday morning. The airport is very close by.

 

Once you make a reservation keep checking prices. I've found they drop closer to the date. I just cancelled and rebooked a rental for next month today using the same discount codes I used previously.

I agree! We rented a car for next month from Alamo and we received a 25% off coupon after we signed up for the Alamo insiders program. A lot of the companies have similar programs or you can sign up to receive special offers.

Ashland

I decided to drive to FL. I know all the good companies to rent cars are double the price. That is why I decide to drive.

 

Okiegirl

I have been on many cruise and different cruise line. The worse that can happened on the cruise is that you do not like their food. But when you rent a car you need one that will run not leave you stuck in a place you do not know? And if you want to hear what bad about Sixt put it in Google Sixt review car rental. One person wanted to fill their car with gas and they could not because the door that you have to open to fill the gas tank up would not opened. The person brought the car to Sixt and they could not opened it.

That is great that you have been on so many cruises and disliking the food is the worst thing you have had happen. I'm sure there are a ton of people who would disagree with you on that being the worse thing that could happen on a cruise. I have been fogged in for more 30 hours in the port of Galveston and missed my 4 year olds birthday party. I have had a sewage leak in our stateroom before with no open cabins available to move to so we had to stay out of the cabin the entire day while they fixed it and cleaned the carpets. The smell was there the next 6 days. The point I was making is that some people make a huge deal out of something small and exaggerate their "side" of the story in their reviews. Some of them are pretty comical in fact. I have rented a car more than 50 times and have never received a car that has more than 5k miles on it. Maybe I was lucky? The chances of your rental car breaking down are pretty slim and in fact the only review I saw in the quick search I did was someone who's clutch went out in their rental. The funny thing is I have had that happen to me when I was a teenager because I didn't know how to properly drive a manual transmission vehicle. There are some instances that are not necessarily the fault of the rental car company. Us not being able to open the gas door was not the fault of the rental car company. We only drive GM vehicles and we were not familiar with a Volkswagen. I'm sure if we would have spent more time with it we could have made a phone call or did a quick search through the manual but we did not want to be late to the port so we decided we would just spend the extra cost on their price of gas which they didn't even make us pay.

The op asked if anyone had rented with them and how their experience was. I have rented from them and had a fine experience so I was just sharing it. You are more than welcome to share your experience with renting a car from them as well.

Thank you so very much for your reply...

 

Any trouble not taking their extra insurance...Will book with my AMEX in addition do I have to have proof of personal insurance...(I have farmers and they don't give out cards like some other insurance companies) ?

No we didn't have any problem with declining their insurance. We did take proof of our personal insurance but I honestly don't remember if they needed it or not. It was really late. I know the only thing extra we purchased was the turnpike pass which I don't think saved us money but it was definitely more convenient because we went through a lot of tolls!

Can I ask what type of bad experiences people are having renting a car? I've used Sixt, Budget, Alamo, Hertz and Enterprise and have had the same experience with each one. You go to the counter, sign the waiver, pay and then get the car keys and go. I've never received a car that was dirty. Maybe not spotless but never bad enough to ruin a trip. If you get in the car and it is dirty go tell them and ask for another. If any extra fees were added on to your booking then that is your fault for not reading everything before you sign it. If you go off of reviews alone then you really can't cruise with any of the major cruise lines because they all have loads of negative reviews.

If you are more of a positive easy going person I wouldn't worry about something as simple as renting a car ruining your vacation

Looking for some feedback on SIXT car rental on 17th St in Fort Lauderdale..We usually rent from Thrifty near the Port Everglades gate but this time we are actually flying from FLL-SJU for a southern cruise. We're coming in to FLL and staying at Embassy Suites for 2 nights (9-11 & 9-12) pre-cruise and SIXT which I believe is just down the street from ES and their price for a 2 day rental is pretty good (special on their online website Toyota Corolla $36.00 inc taxes..is this too good to be true ?)..We're arriving at 9:50am (Thursday) and will have the taxi take us to SIXT and then return the car by their closing time (6:00pm) on Friday and will just taxi back to FLL for our morning (11:20am) flight to SJU..So how does this sound and has anyone done something similar and or used SIXT ???? I've tried researching them but hard to find any car rental company with great reviews... Thanks so much.

We used Sixt when we were in Florida in January. We flew into Orlando and stayed a few days at the nickelodeon hotel and then we drove from there to miami for a 7 day cruise. When we picked up the car we had no problems. Fast check in, super friendly and nice clean car with only 800 miles on it. That hardest part was going from driving a large SUV to a Jetta! Lol

When we got to Miami we went to put gas in the car and could not figure out how to pop the little door to the gas. We finally just drove over to the agency thinking we were just gonna have to pay $10 a gallon and when we got there we told the lady what happened. So she tried to open it and couldn't figure it out either. She told us she didn't want us to be late for our cruise so not to worry about the gas and it was on them. She was super nice and made everything easy on us.

Just because it is not one of the "big" named companies does not mean anything. We are business owners and I promise you we treat customers better than the "huge" companies! If it fits your budget than I would give them a try. As far as charging extra fees the total price is on the website. We paid in advance it did not have anything extra come up on our card. Hope that helps and have a fun trip!

Try the funny French toast (I think that's what it is called). I ordered the French toast coated in frosted flakes and it was awesome! I was sad I discovered it on the last day :(

I believe you'll be under or very near the stage. If you're in your cabin before midnight the sounds from the evening shows will be very noticeable in your cabin.

 

 

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I just looked and it will be close to being under the stage. I'm not sure how often we will be in bed before midnight but just in case now I'm kinda worried.

Our last cruise in August was an ocean view on 2 but it was more in the middle. We heard no noise at all. We'll geez, now I'm back to deciding again.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Didn't mention a son going till later. She simply stated hubby booked, later post saying son will spend money, not that he's going. The posts could also be interpreted as a son paying the cruise, but not paying to move.

I can't wait until my son is old enough and would hopefully buy his parents a cruise. By then he should owe us quite a few ;)

Thank you everyone.

I have stayed on deck 1,2,,7,8,9 before and I always like lower because of the movement (even though it doesn't bother me sometimes it's just a little much that high) If the noise isn't bad then we are good to go!