Thank you both for your response.

Does anyone know if Carnival offers the behind the scene tours (kitchen, theater, laundry, bridge, etc..) on either of these ships?  I know this a service you pay for, and different ships and lines may or may not offer it. 

We have two small battery powered fans that we take with us. They sit on the bedside table and use a usb to charge. They work pretty well and last most of the night. 

It is close to Isla Verde, and you would travel east on 26 from Aloft Hotel. Google maps has it at about 10 -12 minutes. 

Panadería España   

This place is awesome, we loved it. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ate there for lunch and the sandwiches (Cubano, pernil and forgot the other), all were delicious. We also had pastries, but no coffee, probably missed out on that. We noticed this place while driving, they were busy any time of the day, so we tried it.  

LOL!!!  Now I'm not so sure I want them, it might be the wrong directions and I end up due north about two miles🏊. Just joking. Thank you I got them. I'm not a die hard fan, I pull for both teams. Love Cam Newton. I may be disowned if any other fans read this.

Would you please send the link to me as well, pgloryb1@gmail.com.      

Thank you 

We would love to have a copy of your tour. Please email to dtp1234@comcast.net. Thank you.

We just got off the Armonia April 8.  I think we were in our room getting ready when our visas were delivere. Not sure if we signed for them. I am posting here to see if anyone else had the same situation we did when getting on the ship for embarkation. When going through the queue of getting our ship cards, pictures, etc; This is the question, the form for Guest Certification For Authorized US Travel to Cuba that is in the original paperwork to be filled out prior to boarding. The MSC host at the desk took our form and told us, we filled in out wrong. We chose  under #3. Support for the Cuban People. We had private tours booked with Blexie (we really enjoyed both tours, on each day). She literally ripped one of our sheets in half and I took the others from her to prevent her from doing the same to all three (three in our group). She then had us fill out new ones and mark #1  MSC cruises People to People Program.  I really don't know what went on or what the problem was. Her explanation did not make sense, but we had no issues getting visas or getting off the ship in Cuba. Only wondering if anyone else had to pick #1 MSC  People to People when you had a private tour booked. The lady's name badge only said Host, no name to go by.  We had read all the previous post on CC prior to our trip and Beamafar had done an excellent job of posting information and answering questions, but we have looked since our trip and haven't read anyone posting anything similar to this situation. ?? 

Thank you for your response.

On 1/12/2019 at 5:06 AM, pamrose228 said:

 

We decided to i go  to the the show Le Parisean at the Hotel Nacional,   Cost was only 35 CUC pp included a cocktail and a 3 minute cab ride to the ship.  Thw show was indoors and brillant, not as big as the Trop show but big.  A famous Cuban bonjo player show us his talent.   It was all terrifric, and the Hotel Nacional on Saturday night is the place to go.

We are looking into the Le Parisean, and was wondering how you booked this package? We will be on a cruise, not staying in a hotel.

Yes these crew members have chosen to be away from their families to make a living. Fortunately in America, most people do not have to live away from their family to support them. Yes it does occur. Some of these crew members really don't have viable options where their from. So, we always enjoy talking to our servers and getting to know them. Everyone has a bad day at work no matter where you're from. And human kindness goes a long way, it is in our dna to respond to a kind, meaningful word. I have noticed with the cruise industry pushing and promotions with the free drinks included over the past few years. When that is the case, notice there is no tip added to your drink. We always keep cash with us and tip. Several times the bartender might be business as usual without a glowing smile or conversation when they first see it is a free deal, but when we tip, WOW, the smile and attention we get afterward. Just a thought, but in the free drinks included, they are working just the same or harder than normal, but fewer tips. I could be wrong and the cruise industry somehow compensates them accordingly, but I doubt it.

I don't have an absolute answer on if you are able to upgrade on the ship, but why wait. If you do it prior to boarding, you can enjoy the benefits of your level (% off your trip, gifts in your cabin, priorty boarding and welcome party).  Why miss out? Also MSC does upgrade a lot. We have never been upgraded, but we have meet several people at the cc meet and mingle that have been. Don't forget to sign up for the meet and mingle as well. We have not booked the suites up front, no info on that. We really enjoy MSC, our favorite actually. Princess is a close second.  One thing we have ran into though, MSC can be the world of NO when trying to get things accomplished or very slow. This goes back to them not being totally "Americanized" yet. Enjoy your trip.

I think I know the answer, but does anyone know if the Aromnia has afternoon tea? I am referring to the tea and cookies with white glove service. 

We stayed at the Silver Cloud last year. Breakfast was included. They also had a free shuttle that dropped off at several locations. Would stay there again.

I'm glad your diy trip turned out great. We have done that as well. But Gladys speaks 4 languages English, French, Spanish and the other I do not recall. We took this trip April 3, 2018 and we loved it. Gladys answered everyone's questions, she talked about several different things that we did not think or know to ask about. We have done several of these tours before with other company's on other islands, and I would definitely put this as one of the top two or three tours. The scenery was beautiful. Gladys' local knowledge was helpful to a fellow passenger that was motion sick, she got her ginger syrup at the rhum distillery, the lady stated that she felt better almost immediately. When we finished the tour, Gladys directed to us to some shopping for particular items and a shop had I found online. The driver, I which I could recall his name to give him specific credit was great. He did not sling you around and maneuver like other drivers in the caribbean, if you've been around, you know what I mean. My wife really appreciated that.

We totally understand what is being said about the age demographic of Princess. We are in our 40's and travel with family in mid 50's. We feel young on Princess. We do enjoy the experience of the older crowd though. A wealth of knowledge about cruising and what to do in ports. As for other cruise line demographics median age, MSC - 50's but more European (we love MSC), Carnival is younger but definitely more partying, Royal Caribbean is probably your best bet. Our opinion is RC is better than Carnival, better food, service, ship and we are not big partiers. You will pay more, but you get what you pay for. BTW we would NEVER recommend NCL for several reasons. February will not have many children or college age due to school is in at this time on any line with our experience.

Has anyone done the 3 hour tour with this company? If so, what are your thoughts?

I would recommend searching out "budgetgueen" on cc. She has been several times and does great reviews. We sent her a few emails and she gave us some suggestions. Also her reviews are very good and informative.

We (myself, wife, and nephew) just got off of her this week 04/30- 05/05. We have only been on Carnival one other time, this was a make or break trip for us. We took my nephew (first cruise) for a graduation gift and logistically it was easier than Florida (Miami/Fort Lauderdale), which is our typical departure ports. We have been on several different cruise lines (Princess, MSC, NCL, RCC, and Carnival). Unfortunately for us, no preference to a particular cruise line (no benefits or perks growing rapidly). Our last Carnival trip was the Glory, an was only... blah at best.

But to give an opinion to your question, Carnival has totally redeemed themselves. We really enjoyed almost everything. The food was very good, my nephew tried several things he had never had and actually liked them. Who would have thought (typical teenager-he knew this was going to occur prior to the trip, it was a requirement since I was paying and no mom and dad to say he doesn't have to try it. Embarkation went fast and smoothly. The room (balcony 6223) was very nice and clean, beds were comfortable and slept great. The shows were excellent, dancers and singers were very good. Side note to say MSC has had singers that were phenomenal on one trip, but not other trips. But not diminish Carnivals singers. The other entertainers (Jerry and other bands) were entertaining. DJ Jazz I thought was on of the better DJ's we have had. The art gallery people were very knowledgeable and personable. All of our table servers were great,but Florian from Romania made the experience over the top. My nephew really enjoyed listening and talking to him. They also have several different back drops for pictures, seemed like more than other cruise lines.

I do wish Carnival and other cruise lines would get better ventilation in the casinos, I don't gamble, but you do walk through the casino a lot, and the smoke is horrible. You could smell the smoke well beyond the casino. Also, they were people smoking on the port side of the deck. Carnival has deck employees, they should be trained to handle this immediately, no if's, and's or but's.

I also appreciate that Carnival does the muster drill at the boats. I do not like being herded into a room in the middle of the ship, especially if it is having a problem, and we might have to get off the ship in lifeboats.

Carnival has redeemed themselves in our eyes, and we will be travelling with them in the future. Everybody is different and has their own likes and dislikes. With very few exceptions, it really is hard to have a bad cruise.

Has anyone booked a private tour at the pier to do the ruins (swim in a cenote) and shopping in Merida? If so what was the price per person, and what else was included? Also which ruin did you do?