Doctorsbaby

3 hours ago, tha sista said:

Amen right there👆

Me three!!!

I believe when my daughter was under 13, I had to add her chat from my phone/folio and give permission. She was limited to only people linked to our booking. 
 

Super important with the chat - you can NOT fully close the app out. If it’s not running in the background, you will not receive notifications. 

NYE is normally one of the Elegant nights with slightly upgraded menu in the main dining room. 

11 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

 Also, being a corner cabin, you've increased your odds of being able to find one or the other somewhere!

 

Tom

The Vista Suites on the Spirit class have been my absolute favorites until now so I’m super excited for this one!

23 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

15 has the most shade, 10-14 intermediate (all about the same), and 9 has more sun (more deck space overall), though on deck 9 if you're out there to get sun, everyone above you has clear view of you.

 

Tom

Awesome, thank you! I like having both sun & shade available so this sounds perfect. 

What is the sun/shade situation on Deck 14  Excel Aft Suite (14525)? The room looks absolutely amazing!

I normally aim for 1pm check in. My goal is to never stop moving from the time we get out of a car at the port until we hit our room. 

My daughter has plans to take her bestie to the dining room just for the Strawberry Bisque the first night as we have reservations in the Italian place for actual dinner. She worked out times and all to make sure she would have time 🤣

On 12/12/2022 at 10:44 AM, pirate4me2 said:

This is the site I use, very easy to navigate!

I use this one as well to help decide what we are doing in each port…or if it will be a stay on the ship day! 
 

We prefer water activities, so if there are a lot of ships, I’m more likely to book something private or smaller scale that has options away from the crowded, busier areas. A few years ago, we were in Cozumel with 7-8 other ships, at least one of them a Royal mega ship. That was a firmly stay on the ship day. 

We haven’t cruised since Dec 2019 but I’ve always had to ask the steward to make it back into a couch daily. If not, it would be left a bed. And we are always in a suite. I want it a couch as it’s the only place for everyone to sit besides the bed & single armchair.

On 8/23/2022 at 6:49 PM, cyntil8ing said:

Kids can check themselves in and out at that age. It’s not a controlled environment where you know where she will be. That said, you know your child and if she could be left onboard unsupervised without you. But no one will stop you from leaving the ship without her.

Ahhh, I totally forgot about the being able to check in/out in her own part. Scratch that idea then. Maybe in a couple more years (& brining a friend with her) that would work. 

Bump 

This NYE will be our first cruise that our DD is in Circle C. Previously, we have left her on the ship in Camp Carnival while we did excursions in port. Is this possible in Circle C? 
 

She likes camp more than she likes hanging out with her parents 🤣🤣

I booked a NYE cruise back in June, hoping the protocols would be reduced and expecting prices to go up once they were. 

4 in a VS would be TIGHT. The couch converts to a single bed, then there is a chair and coffee table in the living room. The way the room wraps around the bathroom, it doesn’t leave a lot of floor space. We have 2 adults and a child. Since there is an actual separate bedroom, it’s not an open space like all the other rooms types and walking space is at a premium.

The tub is a little high but I just sit on the edge and kinda of pivot myself in, then stand up. I’m 5’1. I really enjoy the overall larger bathroom and not having the shower curtain attack me in the postage stamp shower of a regular room 🤣

Deck 8 VS are directly below the Serenity area. I know the deck chairs are reset by staff at some point daily plus people dragging them around during the day to use them. I wouldn’t want to potentially have all that racket. 
 

I haven’t had a deck 6 VS, only deck 7 so I don’t have any info on that particular room. 

We have done this since our now almost 11yo was barely 2. I only booked ship excursions as that met my comfort level with the ship saying they wouldn’t leave port if their own excursion was running late.

If this is your first cruise with little one, I would wait to book an excursion until after they have tried camp to make sure they are good with it. My daughter has *loved* it beyond anything I could imagine. She prefers to stay in camp and not get off the ship with us. 
 

This will depend on them operating camp as normal since it is currently cut due to covid. 

Which deck? There are a few layout differences based on the specific deck. 7298 has a separate bedroom with a door! That is a big deal to me when traveling with my daughter. My understanding is that at least one of the decks doesn’t have the same layout. 
 

The Vista Suites on the Spirit Class ships are my absolute favorites!

23 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

We’re not booking for the perks, so they’re ultimately just a bonus for us. Our kids are too young to have their own room, so we like the space of a suite. That’s our biggest perk! 

The space is the biggest “perk” to me & why I pay for a suite. I spend a decent amount of time in my room and on the balcony. I want a comfortable space for the 3 of us to not be constantly on top of each other. 
 

Other than that, the Priority boarding was the next important thing to me. We normally aim to get to the port after the ship has been boarding for a bit. My goal to to never stop moving from the time we get out of the taxi until we hit the deck of the ship. Priority generally has a shorter line to get to security and then dedicated check in. My daughter is 10 now, but started cruising when she was barely 2. The few, shorter lines, the better the process went. 

Vista Suites on that class of ship are amazing! Wrap around balcony, most have a separate bedroom from the living room and just a nice overall layout. 
 

I wouldn’t hope for an upgrade offer as there are only 10 on the ship and some are better than others. 

I was refunded everything no problem when my second cruise was cancelled. My PVP took care of it all. It did take a little longer for the piece that was moved as “credit/coupon” but I got it all refunded. 

On 5/30/2020 at 10:48 AM, Doctorsbaby said:

Update for reference purposes...

 

The refund posted today, with a transaction date of 4/23 for the amount listed as “payment” on my booking confirmation. I am only missing the amount that was applied as FCC from my original Legend booking. 
 

Slowly but surely they are chugging along with the refunds. I’m sure this has been a logistical nightmare. 

 

Received the remainder of my refund this week. My PVP found some issue with why the FCC portion hadn’t been refunded with the rest and got it corrected. It took 1-2 weeks to receive the refund after he found the problem.

I don’t know anything about the Puerto Rico cruises but please take a looks at Southwests current policy on Travel Funds expiration dates. Travel funds created within the dates specified are good until Sept 2022.

https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA&cbid=4430033

1 hour ago, Cruzmomma77 said:

Doctorsbaby, how did you manage to get money back already!??? Our cruise was cancelled and we opted for refund on May 4th and have heard nothing. I did the online refund through the carnival site and I think our cruise planner may have put in for the refund for us as well. Is there a way to find out "when" our refund may come? Should I call? We've rebooked a different vacation on land and could really use that money.

My cruise was cancelled mid-April because it was a NYC sailing. I filled out the online form immediately and also heard from my PVP a week or so later. He verified that it showed a refund requested. 
 

There is a thread running around here somewhere that people were posting cancelled dates & when they actually received a refund. Maybe check it out to see if anyone has updated from around your cancel date.