mrsfoose

Hello!

Australia and New Zealand have always been my ultimate bucket list destination. Hubby has finally agreed we can go in 2022 for our 10 year anniversary. My brain has officially exploded!

I have so many questions! 
When is better to go February or May? And why don't they offer an April option? (At least Carnival doesn't)

For a first timer - should we do Australia or New Zealand or even New Guinea? 
We would be flying from Michigan, and cruising with Carnival.

Looking for any and all advice I can get! We have cruise number 5 this December, so this will be our 6th cruise. 
 

Thanks so much in advance! 

14 hours ago, wardamnweagle said:

Could bring one rum runner worth of rum and fill up a big container of juice in the morning at the Lido buffet and make 10x the amount in that little pouch. Rum runners sealed in a freezer bag and distributed in checked bag. $20/bag to porter at the terminal and tell him it’s very important luggage. Porter practically ran my bags over to the fence, whistled at his buddy, and we got pulled aside thru an express boarding line. In laws got to the terminal 20min before us and we were waiting for them on the ship. 

 

Take a milk or two from the breakfast buffet and have a late morning White Russian - the dude abides. A glass of OJ and can have a tequila sunrise or screwdriver. Makes the morning show much more enjoyable. 

 

Bar tab tab was still $400 as wife and I had two drinks at alchemy every night before late seating dinner. 

 

 

You are my hero 🤣

20 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Be ready for that puppy to burst under the pressure of all those suitcases, which are stacked 6 feet high.  I'd be a bit ticked if someone's smuggled booze drenched my luggage. 

We carry on our all luggage - no problem there 😬

2 minutes ago, robc1972 said:

What is the inside of the pouch lined with?

If its just plastic then pack in with your toiletries and no problem.

If it is some kind of metallic lining it may be an issue.

I guess I will have to buy one before my cruise and find out 😬

Would these work like a rum runner and go undetected in you bags?

20 minutes ago, Rudyard said:

Original Post or Poster, and Personal vacation Planner (they work for Carnival). John Heald posted on FB that "Jason" suggested that Carnival start charging a $10 a day fee to use the Serenity area and used you as an example of why it needs to happen. Jason = Jerk. 

I also saw this post this morning and laughed my butt off. I wonder if John patrols these boards looking for material to get Facebook followers riled up? 

Sorry if this has been asked before, since the search doesn’t seem to be working.

Looking for recommendations for water shoes. Best brand or women’s pair you’ve bought?

Thanks in advance! 

Thank you everyone, this is super helpful!

I’m totally ok with smaller airports! Hubby will be happy with that too - hopefully it will all go smoothly for us.

It seems like, from searching the boards, a lot of people fly in to Orlando International.

I managed to find tickets at a good price that fly in to Orlando Sanford. What’s this airport like? How is the drive to the Port?

We will be arriving late, just before 9 and I have a rental car booked so we can drive to our hotel at the port (shuttles don’t seem to run that late).

How will it be driving back to catch our return flight? Our flight leaves at 3pm.

Any advice, or experience to share would be helpful!

Most states don't issue an Enhanced DL, which is not the same as a Real ID.

 

 

 

You still won't be able to fly home from the Caribbean with an Enhanced DL, which is the most common reason people are advised not to cruise with just BC/ID.

That’s not entirely true - we could fly home from Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands without a passport, should an emergency occur.

Both of those stops happen to be on our next cruise. And since my husband and I both already have the enhanced drivers licenses - we will take our chances [emoji1303]

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We live in Michigan and have the Enhanced Drivers License. We’ve never had any issues using that. We take it on and off the ship with us at every stop - no need for a birth certificate.

The enhanced drivers license acts as a passport for any travel by land or sea.

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I have to follow this now, just so I know what you got!

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All purchases on the card build points at a value of 1x with the exception of Carnival purchases which earn 2x.

You can earn even more points by shopping through the credit card portal - for example I bought toner/ink not so long ago and got 15x points for that purchase.

 

 

A couple helpful tips -

 

If you purchase shore excursions through the carnival website with your MC, you will get a 10% refund on that purchase on your statement.

If your cruise charge is 1500 or more, your redemption against that purchase is better (your points get redeemed at 1.5x)

 

 

Hope that helps!

Could you elaborate on the credit card portal shopping? I just logged on and didn’t see anything. Would love this option to get more points!

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You obviously fall into the ignorant group so that suggestion applies to you.

 

 

 

DON

Well geeze, I didn’t realize asking a question would get me called ignorant.

Obviously, by asking a question I am doing what I can to research and learn now. I wonder how your friend got to be so knowledgeable?

I bet it was by being ignorant and asking questions [emoji848][emoji848][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58][emoji58]

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Hello!

My husband and I will be visiting St. Thomas for the first time in December on Carnival Breeze. We will be in port from 11:30am to 7pm.

Any suggestion on what first timers should do? I definitely want to take the cable car ride to see the views.

Is there any other must do’s or see’s? Any shops to visit or unique items to look for that you can only find here?

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Just some info on Blue Diamonds.

https://www.naturallycolored.com/diamond-education/blue-diamonds-wiki

 

https://www.naturallycolored.com/buying-guide/investing-in-colored-diamonds

 

https://www.naturallycolored.com/diamond-buying-guide

Thank you!

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rather hard to see, blue & white diamonds in a triangle pendant, got it at Milano in Grand Cayman, $2K. Appraised for $9K at home

 

 

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A blue diamond is something I’ve been wanting to get for while (since finding out about them on our first cruise). I’m hoping to find a good deal on one and get hubby to say yes! [emoji51]

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I know jewelry is a hot topic when you are on the cruise ship.

Show me your favorite piece you’ve bought in the Caribbean - where you got it, what the gemstone is, and how much you paid. This isn’t meant to be intrusive - I am a newbie when it comes to purchasing jewelry and want to make sure I am getting food quality and price (it’s nice to know what to compare to).

Looking to find something really unique! We are visiting Dominican Republic, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk specifically - but I want to see all the pretties!

Any advice would be appreciate too [emoji184][emoji184][emoji184][emoji184]

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Well I won't show you anything that we've purchased nor will I say how much we've paid, as frankly that's our personal business. But I will say that in St. Thomas, our jeweler of choice is Imperial Jewelers. We've not purchased jewelry on any of the other islands you mention.

It wasn’t meant to impede on anyone’s business. More of just wanting to make sure I’m getting a good deal, and buying at a quality place.

I only have one piece of jewelry, which is my wedding ring, so I have not the slightest clue when it comes to purchasing. I’ve had my eye on a blue diamond for awhile, but I know there are other stones unique to the Caribbean. I just have no idea what to pay for anything.

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I know jewelry is a hot topic when you are on the cruise ship.

Show me your favorite piece you’ve bought in the Caribbean - where you got it, what the gemstone is, and how much you paid.

Looking to find something really unique! We are visiting Dominican Republic, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk specifically - but I want to see all the pretties!

Any advice would be appreciate too [emoji184][emoji184][emoji184][emoji184]

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Hello All!

76 days until we are on the Breeze for our mid-December cruise.

I am trying to budget spending now, and since it has been awhile (almost 2 years) since our last cruise.

What are the most current photography packages? What is the best deal? Does carnival offer digital images yet?

I am super excited to be cruising right before Christmas and am going to take advantage of getting pictures done with my hubby (he hates having his picture taken - ESPECIALLY when it comes to holidays).

I see there is a package you can buy now, before hand, that's five images plus a canvas print for $100.

Are there different options once on board, or should I snag that one now?

Thanks in advance!

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I thought I would share our plans, since we have them finalized.

We got a pretty decent deal on flight tickets coming in to SFB.

Our flight comes in around 9pm.

We have a one way rental car with Budget ($72).

We booked a hotel at Country Inns and Suites Cape Canaveral for the night of the 14th ($145) which I am excited about because according to the reviews, it's right next to the cruise port and we should be able to see ships from our room.

We will return the rental car early in the morning (as soon as they open), get breakfast and then board the ship - we have FTTF so we will get on as soon as we can.

Going home, I found a shuttle for $30 per person from the cruise port back to SFB. Our returning flight leaves at 3pm - so we should have plenty of time.

How'd I do???

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Does anyone have a lanyard you love that's not basic/boring?

Like beaded/rhinestone/pearls/etc.

Care to share where you got it (other than your cruise ship)?

Do NOT fly into Tampa. Fly to Orlando or Melbourne or Sanford

If you arrive in the evening just stay near the airport - There are many options the next morning from hotels near Orlando especially. Uber/Lyft/shared shuttles/private shuttles/limos/cruise line buses. I would not rent a car on the morning of the cruise.

 

Cheap/best - usually it is one OR the other!! Which do you prefer? How many people?

Just my husband and myself. I was only thinking car rental if hotels were cheaper near the port than the airport. That way we could drive ourselves to the hotel and around the night before.

If hotels are cheaper near the airport, we would just get a shuttle.

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Hello!

Hubby and I will be sailing out of Port Canaveral for the first time this December (we usually go out of Miami).

We will be flying in from Michigan and just curious what is our best/cheapest route? I've seen a few.

Fly in to Orlando or Tampa?

Rent a car or get a shuttle to the port?

We are flying in the night before, so do we stay near the hotel and go in the morning?

We usually don't fly - we typically make the 20+ hour drive from Michigan, but due to our cruise being close to Christmas (15-22), we have opted to fly this time around.

Hotel recommendations? I always check TripAdvisor, but it's helpful to have a jumping off point. We aren't super picky, cheaper is always better - but soft mattresses and fluffy comforters are always hotel pluses [emoji1303][emoji51][emoji1303]

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