Carbri

I am in the planning stages and I came across a YouTube video of 9638 today, If you have not yet seen it.  I find those videos help me every single time I am trying to chose . 

On this tour next week. Thanks for the review !

It’s been exactly 20 years since I have been to San Juan, so I am sure I would have forgotten that. Thanks so much ! 

On December 23, 2018 at 8:22 PM, Stinger-pr said:

It's a fairly easy walk, although it's a bit on an incline part of the way. The easiest way is to cross the street once at the pier to the source where CVS and Senor Frogs is located and walk left. Once you reach the corner at the Ochoa Building, turn right and walk three blocks north to Fortaleza street and turn left. In about 10 minutes you'll reach the area where the umbrellas are located. If I'm not mistaken, the right sidewalk is wider than the one on the left side so you'll bump into people less. For someone without mobility problems it should be a piece of cake.

Thank you, all, for this great info. I just discovered this street today ( Thank you, Instagram),and I don't want to miss this gorgeous street when we are there next week. 

The map and detailed directions are great!

Just back from a day stop on Curacao. Rented a car for the day. We drove to Westpunt to start. First stop was Shete Boca National Park. A shoreline park with dirt roads to drive from scenic stop to stop. There were caves and crashing surf along the rocky coast. We then continued on our drive and came to the other side of the island and Lagun beach. Good snorkeling in this large inlet and a small beach. Locals were fishing. Rentals of chairs and snorkel gear available. We continued back towards Willemstad and stopped to eat at Dokterstuin Landhuis. This place is very native. Really good food and well visited by the locals. Took a long time to get food. (about one hour). Back to town, returned the car (right in front of ship at mega pier) and went to explore the city for about an hour or so before departure. A full and fun day.

Gail

This is such good information. Staying at the Santa Barbara for a week in a few weeks, so we feel a rental is a must to get to the western side. I am wondering if driving here is an issue at all? We drove all over Maui (both sides) so feel pretty prepared for any not so great roads. I read that the cab drivers do not want to take people all the way out to the western side beaches. No clue, just reading comments.

Thanks again for the great list of places to go.

My mother in law is going on her first cruise on Oct 1, the Grandeur from Baltimore. I have sailed from this port before, but I have only gone south. It tends to be a little rough around the Outer Banks but I have no idea if there is anything like that if you sail north. She is going to Halifax, St John, a place or two in Canada. I have no advice on if she would need sickness patches. I advise " yes" but would like to hear from someone helpful that can tell me if the sailing is usually smoother going north ?

Thanks so much.

I'll additionally note I spent 31 years in the Marine Corps, quite a bit of that at sea both as an embarked troop and as a cargo officer on several large transports.

surferJoe thank you so much for your post. I find this information useful and interesting for anyone that cruises. I for one remember reading somewhere about the "pods" but you explained it very understandably. Always good to see a post from someone so knowledgeable. Thank you !

Flip flop, you have me curious over this room now! I saw a video of 7270 on the Dream, looks to be same location. It's such s nice suite. Big and spacious. My room near the "white" was only an OS, so not a lot of noise buffer to anything. I bet you will LOVE your suite. Excited for you! Have a wonderful trip!

My husband says that's him! He's better at names than I am ! His station was near the back of the dining room just off the kitchen, but we thoroughly enjoyed him!

Actually we had one who referred to himself as "ATM" the first night and another night "Irma" was great. She was everywhere and so nice. I think the slow head waiter was something like "Ireneo". Very close to that. Irma was the best of all the head waiters we had. She worked so fast we barely saw any of her staff! She did it all, lol. I hope that helps.

Just off the ship this morning. We had ATD. Yes, first hour was mobbed but it was so fast to go thru. Went once around 7:30 and had no wait. We ate solo (2) each time, no problem. Elegant night was a lot more busy due to the lobster at no extra charge, I'm sure! But we got right in each night with minimal waiting. Later seems the least crowded. Service was fast each night except one. I think our head waiter was new. Very slow and I felt so bad for him. So nervous! Have s fun cruise!

I hope it's not a steward's closet, for your sake! Just got home today from our cruise. Our cabin was end of hallway and beside a "main" steward closet. Stupid me chose it thinking it would be quiet at end of the hall/ boat. Ha ha on me. I'm not a rookie by any means to cruising. But I chose poorly. Lesson learned. I know they work hard and must do a lot of things in that closet, but he honestly unlocked the door and let it slam shut over and over and over one night in such frequency that I was a nervous wreck. I mean as in "keys jingle, door opens , door slams" then 10 seconds pass (I timed it!). Repeat. And it was at least 15 times in a row. I wanted to politely ask him to please borrow my flip flop to prop open his door so he wouldn't have to slam it so much. Lol. But I refrained. Next time no end of hall or white areas, hopefully, for me. If I can help it. Just a funny note, I just noticed your name "Flip Flop Lady". Oh the irony! Lol.

Handicapped parking is not only free at the port but at all parking meters and city parking garages. Charleston if a friendly city. :D Y'all come back now, ya hear. :cool:

Good to know this, as hubby has placard. I ADORE Charleston!!!! I am almost more excited to be in the HOLY CITY than to get on the ship in 2 days !

They were wonderful to us 2 years ago when they saw our HP. Someone immediately directed us to the parking for HC and it was very easy to get from the building to the bus to the terminal. In Baltimore 3 years ago we were taken to a special line but we had priority boarding last time in Charleston. The priority line was actually about as long as the regular line when we were there, go figure! No biggie, we all get on and go the same place!

One comment.... Balcony's!

Ah yes, that's a valid point indeed!!

I love the Fantasy! Great crew, wonderful Serenity Deck, well-kept, very manageable to get around. Just got off the Pride. I prefer the Fantasy, except, she doesn't have balconies. I like the more intimate feel of her. And, for an older ship, I thought she was in better shape overall. I hope that ultimately she stays in Charleston or comes to Norfolk, both are close to me. You will have a great time. I like Mojito's. At night, a Spicy Re-mix from the disco.

I have to agree, I like the Fantasy better than the Pride myself. The only reason is that I like a smaller ship. The lines are smaller ( obviously!) on the smaller ship . I DO like the Steakhouse on the Pride and I like the bigger Serenity Deck, but I think the ease of getting places on the Fantasy trumps those two things. I LOVE Charleston as well ( 4 hour drive) and LOVE staying there the night before just to experience the Holy City. I am excited about the Ecstasy coming next year to Charleston as well. That Bermuda iten. looks great to me. The Fantasy will be the only ship I have ever done a repeat on, but that's more to do with proximity.

Happy Sailing!

WHAT!? You mean you don't wear yours to dinner on Elegant Night then later to the casino for luck? ;). Heehee!!

OOOOooooOOO! I am going to look to see if they are testing me!

haha!

These robe threads always bring to mind the post by the woman who was lounging on her bed while wearing the robe and only then discovered a long skid mark going up the length of the inside back of the fabric. We have avoided the robes ever since, as you do.

 

Ask yourself: on check out mornings how many used robes have you seen on the housekeeping carts or piled up in the hallways ready to be taken to the laundry. That's what I thought....:eek:

OMG I am DYING!!! This is my morning laugh!!!!! I was researching this bc we have an OV instead of a suite this time and it's been 2 years since I have cruised. I could not remember about the robes. But THIS puts me on the side of packing my own. HYSTERICAL!!!! I mean, it's awful.... but HYSTERICAL!!!

Thanks for the laugh, and passing on the post.

Gosh. Just came across this post. This is so odd to me. The Pride was our honeymoon ship and we stayed in a "true" aft cabin( on the very back of the ship). It was in the "middle " of the row of aft balcony cabins on the Empress Deck. Other than the ship having a lot of motion going around the Outer Banks (typical I heard), there was no vibration at all. We sailed first week of June. Except for thrusters when docking, we loved our cabin. So odd that different people can have such different experiences. That original post sounds terrible. I don't get motion sickness but i will admit this was the only cruise I've been on that made me take something for motion. Not the ship's fault, it was rough seas. 36 straight hours. Maybe I didn't notice the vibration due to that motion, lol. What we loved most was running up 2 flights of stairs and being right at the Serenity Deck. We plan our cabins now for that proximity!

I am sorry to say, I can only help you with half of this decision. I have been to Atlantis both on excursions and as a guest of the resort for a week. I would always recommend Atlantis. So much to see and do and I honestly think that if I pulled into port and saw that beautiful building rising up like it does, I would be sad not to go over and see it! We get the excursion that offers all access. We enjoy The Dig, the Chihuly glass in the casino, the pools, the lagoon, and yes, the water park. We are in our 40s and really love the rapids on the "lazy" river. It bars are handy and the pools are plentiful and we can always find a "Spot". There is beach access as well. I think it's a really relaxing day.

I hope someone that has done the other excursion can weigh in and help you. I saw your question and saw no one had responded, so I hope I helped a little bit.

Happy Cruising!

I concur with the Straw Market thought. I have been to Nassau more times than I can count. I cannot stand the hassle of the SM. Sen. Frogs is a fun fun fun place, if you don't mind a crowd and a LOT of noise and partying. I really enjoy it. I have always gone to Atlantis. I know you said your Dh is not a fan of waterparks but Atlantis is so much more. I know it is a little pricey, but I think you get what you pay for. JMO! We like The Dig ( nice aquatic area and aquariums), the casino ( mostly for the beautiful Chihuly hanging from the ceiling), the lagoon, and I especially like laying by one of the pools for the duration of the excursion. And also proximity to the bars. I admit, I like riding the tubes thru the not so lazy river! But we do that only once , then it's time for lunch and laying out. This time, we ARE skipping Atlantis ( been several times and just going to skip this trip) but I think it I were going for the first time, that is what I would want to see. Everyone is different, but that is my nickel of advice.

I hope you have a great cruise.

Last time on the Fantasy we had a Grand Suite, so I did not need it. This time, we only got OV and I got FTTF for the first time ever. I don't mind waiting in line, but I did like the fact the cabin will be ready. Even in the GS we had to pull our bags to the Serenity Deck and wait ( not really a big deal, but still would be nice to dump bags and forget about checking the room availability). I thought 50 bucks was a steal just for that.

Have a great cruise!

Hi. I think Cruzeluver answered your question about the shuttle, so I probably can't add to that good answer other than to assure you that the process is very streamlined. I have always driven into the port and had to park, but I am pretty sure you will just be shuttled to the terminal. Dropping off your luggage is first, then you should continue on. The process is actually very smooth and really fast. I know it's different from other ports, but I had no problems. We park and catch another shuttle that carries car passengers to the terminal but the wait isn't long and it's very streamlined.

Have a wonderful time. Charleston is a great place to visit and spend time in. AND EAT!

I am so happy someone else missed this logo. First time to purchase the FTTF in 10 Carnival cruises, so I had no idea what this would look like. I am so grateful for CC~!

Hi.. The last time that we were on a Carnival Cruise was about 15 years ago, and had such a bad experience that we stayed away from cruising until last year. We tried RCCL and was happy with our experience and want to take another cruise next February. Since it's been 15 years and I'm sure a lot has changed, the Carnival Dream out of New Orleans is one of the cruises that we are considering. I was wondering if Carnival is more of late night party crowd every day, or if it is a completely just for families.

 

We are going on a vacation without the kids, and wanted something where we could go out at night to either a good show, or have a few drinks at the bar. We also were hoping to have a vacation where you can sit on the decks and relax in a lounge chair.

 

To sum it up is it a good cruise line for couples who just want to relax and have a good time.

 

Thanks for your input!

I have been cruising for a lot of years and only once I went with my kids. It was honestly the worst cruise I have ever been on and my kids did not have fun either ( but that's another story and a lot of rain). I have mostly been on Carnival. I ALWAYS have a fabulous time. I agree, it is mostly what YOU make of it. We find ways to be alone as a couple We live on the Serenity Deck or our own balcony. There are plenty of places to "get away" from the kids ( and yes, there's a TON of kids on ship during the summer months). I always cruise in the summer as it fits my schedule the best. But I think couples can have just as much fun as anyone. We prefer to dine at a table for two ( I am a newlywed) and I do not go to interact with other couples. We go to be ALONE, and as we head off in 33 days to celebrate our 3rd anniversary and 3rd cruise as a couple, we have always managed to be ALONE on a Carnival ship. I hope this helps, some? I am not the night owl I used to be, so I think Carnival has so many activities for all types of schedules you could not be disappointed in what you'd like to do for an early evening OR late night.

Best wishes!