midwestcruiser2001

Thanks for including the menus. We are trying to decide a night to make reservations at the steakhouse, for our upcoming cruise, so this will be helpful.

We have driven to NOLA several times and found the parking at the port to be very good. It's expensive at $20 per day, but to us worth it because you don't have to load and unload luggage twice and there is no waiting on a shuttle. It's also covered parking with ample elevator space. Others might have had a different experience, but it worked great for us.

We love Nachi in Cozumel! I agree, hands down it is one of the best excursions anywhere. In Progresso we did a Carnival excursion and loved it! It was Mi Casa Es Su Casa. It was all-inclusive and a really great day!

We cruised on the Triumph in March and left port at 4:30. I found a time stamped picture on my phone that shows the river pilot disembarking at 11:40 pm, so just over 7 hours.

I'm so very sorry about your son's accident. I hope he will improve soon.

My dad became critically ill on a cruise and we had to disembark. We too had the standard Carnival insurance. While going through everything, I didn't think to ask questions about what would be paid for, I had to pay everything up front.

Here is a summary of what was paid for by the insurance:

• Air ambulance, provided by Fox Flight, from Canada to the Midwest ($28,500) - it was paid upfront by Carnival (they don't transport without it being pre-paid)
  
• Ground ambulance from the port to the hospital
  
• 8 nights of the hotel for us while he was in the hospital
  
• 8 meals per person
  
• One-way flights for us to fly back to the origin of the cruise (Boston)
  
• 110% cruise refund for each of us
  
• Assistance with rental car (in Canada) and phone expenses
  
• Cost of on-board medical center expenses (charges had to be denied by his insurance first)
  
• All expenses that weren't covered by his personal insurance
  

I also had some help from Chase because I had charged the trip on my credit card.

Carnival provided my with an on-call person(s) that I could reach 24/7 for any questions. Keep calling the on-call numbers.

My experience with the insurance company was not pleasant and I had to fight for what my Dad needed, including having him flown home so the rest of my family could say goodbye. I finally had our U.S. Senator's office call on our behalf, which helped greatly.

Stay tough and fight for what your son needs!

May God bless your family!

We recently had to leave our cruise 1/2way through due to my son having a terrible accident in Belize. We have the standard ins that they add to your trip costs. We were very well taken care of but don't know how much they cover. Our son was in the hospital in Belize then was flown to the trauma center in Ft Lauderdale. We were given3 nights of hotel. It has been 3 days now and he is still on a ventilator and sedated. We don't know how long we will be here. Called carnival today but offices closed. Can anyone tell me how this ins works?

We haven't sailed the Conquest, but have sailed sister ships and we really liked the size. We have also sailed the Sunshine and loved the upgrades.

So I, like most others, recommend the Sunshine.

Since it is a special occasion, I would recommend an aft balcony on deck 5. We loved the location, the updated room and the very large deck.

We loved the Chef's Table on our anniversary cruise.

Congratulations on your anniversary!

Im booking a Carnival cruise aboard the Breeze, and in the process the link offered a vacation insurance. Can anyone give me a little background on that? Does everyone usually buy it? Is it worth the price?

 

Would appreciate any information! Still pretty new to this process

We use Allianz travel insurance. What we like about Allianz is that it gives your $10,000 in primary insurance. To get the "no pre existing condition" portion, you must book it within 2 weeks of paying your deposit. You can also move dates, if needed.

We had to use the Carnival's insurance 4 years ago and the amounts were barely enough to cover the cost of an air ambulance from Canada to the Midwest. The medical staff on board are amazing, but they will have you leave the ship for most emergencies.

We never travel without insurance anymore, even within the US.

Hope this helps.

If I can figure out how to post a picture, I have one of the double breach. We were also on your cruise and on a different Harv and Marv's boat. It was spectacular. I couldn't believe we were there at the right time.

Also, I have all of the fun times I would be glad to email to anyone.

I'd also like a copy of the fun times: ramckern@yahoo.com

Thanks so MUCH!

Carnival's website is experiencing some kind of glitch (or it is a great sale) right now and the 12 pack of bottled water is being sold for $2.99 I checked this out just last night and it was going for around $13! For $3 I am happy to let them take care of it, I would spend that much at the store anyway and now I don't have to carry it on. Heads up to anyone who likes to have some bottled water on their cruise, save the trouble of lugging it around! Not sure how long until they fix the glitch. Unfortunately I don't see any such glitches on the alcohol. :p

Thanks for the tip! I just ordered 2 for our upcoming Alaska cruise.

We were in 5346 earlier this year and never heard any noise from the dining room. They did have a small refrigerator, but we didn't use it. I didn't feel it was smaller than any other cabin we had stayed in on other ships, but it was a bit tight for 4 people. The decor is really nice and the aft balcony is large and is a great place to spend lots of time.

The only complaint about the room was that it is the end of a hall at a "T" intersection and sometimes we heard noise.

Even with that draw back, we would stay in that room again just to be in an aft balcony.

I hope you have a great trip!

Has anyone stayed in these cabins? We currently have aft facing cabins on deck 6 and deck 7. Now these two cabins have opened up. Since they're in the middle of the aft

are the cabins smaller ? I'm assuming these are new cabins after the retrofit and will have the small fidges. We are two couples and would like to make a larger balcony.

 

Also, they are above the aft dining room. Since the dining room is open on the lower level on deck 3 for breakfast/ lunch/bunch it should be quiet enough on deck 5. How late do you hear noise after the dinner time?

Im booking a aft cabin on the breeze with extended balcony.Has anyone ever booked one?can anyone tell me if one deck is better than the other?also is it better to be in the middle of the aft cabins or next to the wrap around balcony cabins?

We were on an aft extended last year on the Sunshine. We were on deck 5 and loved it. We never had any noise from below. Our only problem was hallway noise. We were at a "T" intersection so we had lots of foot traffic.

We loved the room and have booked another deck 5 room for Alaska next summer. I like being closer to the water on deck 5.

Enjoy

Getting ready to take my annual ride on the Triumph! Saw that the CD is Kirk Benning.

 

I've always had Jen as the CD and she is AWESOME!

 

Anyone sailed with Kirk before? Just curious how he is as CD. Thx! :D

We also cruised with Kirk on the Pride. We really enjoyed him as a CD. We were amazed with his abundant energy - I'd diagnose him with ADHD (and no medication):)!

Go to his Q & A and ask him to tell the story about the couple who went overboard! I laugh just thinking about it!

Have a great cruise!

We were in 5346 (8M) last Spring and loved the room. It is a standard size room with a larger balcony (Square shaped - 2 lounger, 2- chairs and a table). It is decorated in yellow and blues, it very contemporary and clean.

The one down side to the room is that it is at a "T" intersection of a hall and was a bit noisy at times.

Even with the noise I would book it again.

Enjoy!

1) Crab cakes (I order 3 of them as an entree)

2) Chocolate Melting Cake with Butter Pecan Ice Cream

3) Pastrami and fresh mozzarella sandwich at the deli

4) Bitter and Blanc...when we were on a six night cruise and that was the "skipped" night of menus...I told the waiter how much I loved that dessert...and magically the bitter and blanc appeared, rum sauce and all! He got an incredible tip!

5) A "Guys Burger" and fries

Hi all,

New to the boards, new to cruising! :) We will be 2 families of 4 with boys 3-6 years old. The grandparents on both sides also joining us.

 

We are hesitating between the Sunshine, sailing out of Port Canavaral, and the Glory, sailing out of Miami. Western Caribbean for both, only difference is that Glory sails to Costa Maya, Mexico rather than to Gran Cayman. The rest of the itinerary is the same.

 

I know we need to factor in travel + transfers time and cost, but otherwise, does anyone have any input that could help us decide between the Sunshine and the Glory? Is the Sunshine worth the extra cost, in your opinion?

 

Thanks in advance!!

We have sailed both. We really loved the Sunshine and would sail it again. I would hands-down choose the Sunshine over the Glory. We loved the extras on the ship. The decor of the new rooms on deck 5 are beautiful. It's really a personal choice, because you can't go wrong when you are on a cruise!

Our daughter was 11 when we were they and she talks about going to the candy store "Freak Lunchbox". We had a great time walking around the downtown area. We took a quick tour of the Bay of Fundy when the tide as coming in. It's a nice little town.

We will be in Saint John for one day. Any suggestions for an 11 year old boy??????

Our first cruise, with our DD (8 at the time) I tipped all the staff, in her group, $10 on the last night. (I think there was 4 or 5)

The next cruise our DD complained about some of the staff not interacting with the kids, so I watched several days and only tipped the staff that seemed to really work with her. There were 2 that were really good and I tipped them each $20. I told them thank you for making her trip so enjoyable. They seemed genuinely grateful.

I concluded to only tip those who I feel go above and beyond for kids.

It's definitely worth going it. Free drinks and food, some "canned" jokes,f and some music! What else is free on the cruise:D?

We found your best friend at the "Past Guest Party" is the $1 bill. We tipped each time they brought a drink and we had more drinks than anyone else seated. I asked for a bottled beer and they brought that to me with no questions.

We haven't cruised since the new tiers, but look forward to attending next month.

We have switched to using Travel Safe for trip insurance precisely because it is PRIMARY insurance. Our health insurance from Aetna specifically states it does NOT cover any medical care out of the country. The credit card insurance is secondary and you have to subrogate to the Primary, which takes us back to Travel Safe.

When we have used travel insurance in the past we have always had to pay all the bills out of country on the spot to receive medical care. This is especially true at the good private hospitals. If you can't pay up front then they stabilize you and transfer you to the nearest public hospital. That could be a nightmare in 3rd world countries.

 

I often worry about many travelers who don't buy insurance and don't have credit cards. Can you afford $28,000 out of pocket for 6 days in a hospital in Mexico? Do you have high enough credit card limits? Do you have enough cash or credit for family members to stay in a hotel and eat for an extra week?

 

Read some of the blogs online and you will quickly realize how unprepared the masses are if they have a heart attack, get sick or injured out of the US.

We always purchase travel insurance AND have high limit credit cards and access to lots of cash if need be when we are out of the country. Google the man who had a heart attack at the Iberostar resort in Mexico and the woman injured in a taxi cab wreck in the Bahamas. In the Iberostar case she had an AMEX card and paid $28,000 for her husband's stay at the hospital and was reimbursed by her travel insurance. In the Bahamas case the NCL passengers had no insurance and family members had to take a second mortgage to get the money to pay for the care and the ride home.

Thanks for the tip on Travel Safe. I have it bookmarked for future cruises (we are already covered this trip through Allianz). We were lucky the hospital billed us and didn't charge our credit card the $30,000 which bought us time to work with all of the insurance companies involved.

What about illness/injury on the cruise itself? That is really the only thing that concerns me.

Carnival's policy reimbursed us for the on board medical expenses, but only after I had ran them through my Dad's health insurance. I just included the denial letter from Medicare and insurance company and they sent me a check. We had to put the fees on our credit card, before disembarking, even with the Carnival's policy:confused:

We have insurance through Allianz for our next trip and medical expenses are paid up to $50,000 as the primary policy.

Is there any down side to buying insurance directly thru Carnival ? I usually get my insurance from DAN, they're a diving insurance company but they also sell trip insurance.

 

This cruise we just went with Carnival but it was costly, like 120.00 per person costly.

No, because you have the coverage

Yes, because of the coverage amounts. We used the insuremytrip and found a highly rated company with better coverage and cheaper than Carnival.

Someone commented about coverage from health insurance and Credit Card travel insurance.

Speaking from personal experience only -

Health insurance did a pay an percentage of the foreign country and on board medical expenses, but my Dad's Medicare didn't cover anything.

Health insurance said, "no" to the medivac transport. Medicare..."no" to everything.

Credit Card insurance said, "file through all other insurance companies first (they were secondary policy and had limited medivac insurance) they would review the request, after we submitted all the documents, and give their decision with in 10 working days".

The medivac company (fox flight) Carnival's insurance company arranged to transport my Dad, was a "payment upfront" operation. Because of the travel insurance we didn't have to worry about coming up with the $28,500 and then wait to be reimbursed.

Check all policies very, very carefully, some cover only a percentage and some only cover certain countries and some don't cover on-board medical expenses.

Yes, we all have the right to make the choice on whether to purchase travel insurance. I just wanted to share our real costs in an unexpected emergency.

My personal experience in June 2012

My Dad became critically ill on a cruise and spent 7 nights in the hospital out of the country.

It was $28,500 to have him flown home on a private air ambulance and over $30,000 in medical insurance for the 7-day hospital stay. All of these expenses were covered by the travel insurance.

We were also reimbursed for our flight home, and all expenses related to our extended stay.

We were blessed he could be home for us all to say our final goodbyes.

I am so grateful that we said yes to the $69 vacation protection plan offered by Carnival.

Would I ever travel without insurance? A resounding NO! No matter what your age you don't know what can happen!

With that being said, I now purchase a more comprehensive plan independently and not through Carnival. There simply isn't enough coverage for all of the "what ifs". Travel insurance is relatively inexpensive.

Hope this helps!

There are pics of 5345 and 5347 on cruiselineroomsdotcom.

 

I assume the OP means 5346. There is no 5643. All of those new cabins on Deck 5 Aft are in the 5300s.

Meant to type 5346. Yes that is the cabin. Thanks for catching my error.:D