GMRPHRN

I like the idea of "Taormina On Your Own" but Carnival lists this excursion as $70 for adult. Now I know about Euro/dollar exchanges but still isn't this a lot of money for transport per person?  Am I missing something? Perhaps you paid less?

I recommend PorttoPort Shuttle. Best price and very friendly service. 

Thanks for all the useful information on this board. I will be in Boston with Carnival on Sept 27 from 8am til 4pm. I would like options to explore on my own as I am traveling solo. Would like to walk/see the Freedom Trail. I am also interested in seeing Harvard or at least a gift shop selling their apparel. Would like to know how easy and inexpensive it might be to find transportation to get to Harvard for only 1 person (Is it worth my while). Or are there gift shops in the tourist areas around the Freedom trail selling Harvard apparel? I also enjoy historic (old) cemeteries and would like to know if there are any in the area worth visiting.

Thanks in advance for any advice or help.

Hello. Enjoyed this thread. I will be in Boston in September on Carnival. We are there until 10pm. Is the MBTA a good option for returning late in the evening? Can you enjoy walking around public areas after dark? I assume the public gardens close at sunset? I am not interested in a baseball game. I would like to just enjoy the city.

On 2/5/2019 at 12:19 PM, RTR 21-0 said:

Stinks when we get a drink or meal anywhere that doesn’t make our mouths want to do a happy dance.  I like to recommend the Alchemy as the mixologists will create a drink based off your preferences.  They did that for DH who is mainly a beer guy and he didn’t leave the bar for quite a while after that concoction 😂

Looking forward to trying Alchemy for the first time on the Breeze next week since I have Cheers for the first time.

Love the kiss on the lips. It has some kind of mango puree in it. Very sweet. Very "tropical" to me

I am sailing on Breeze on Feb 9 and already booked my spa pass. I love the T-pool. I love that it is kid-free and the sound of the water prevents conversation. It is so relaxing. I love to lie on the thermal benches staring out to sea and reading my book. Can hardly wait to board. The only thing missing is someone to bring me drinks with little umbrellas. (I know not a good idea probably).

When my daughter was 15 she was in line to get off in port and a few people got between us. When they scanned her card, they did stop her. She said my mom is back there and I waived. I could have been someone she had just met - they were not that particular. Then, she was 15 not a young child.

I really thought I liked mint until I tried my first Mojito. Turns out I like peppermint, as in peppermint mocha, york peppermint patties and Uncle Bob's peppermint candy.  Can't stand the taste of fresh mint.

Thanks for the advice about water. I had thought I would order some bottled water with my drink orders to keep on hand. I am accustomed to pre-ordering water but figured Cheers would cover that, too.,  I usually drink a lot of water while onboard anyway because I use the patch for motion sickness and it makes you thirsty. 

I didn't mention I also plan to take advantage of the coffee bar. The coffee on Lido is not very good to me. I am looking forward to trying some after dinner drinks and coffee drinks, too.

Thanks for this. I just went and checked. Good to know how much I have.

I didn't even know this was an option.

I am doing Cheers for the first time on my Feb 9 Breeze Cruise. I have never been a big drinker so would like to take this opportunity to try new things. My tastes generally follow - sweet (not dry) wines and fruit cocktails.  I am not a fan of Tequila.  I have a list of cocktails to try but would also like to know about different spirits and wines to try.  I am looking forward to the Alchemy bar, too.  Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I am not sure how relevant this is but I had a cruise with a $98 deposit for 2 people. I let it go without every canceling. No further penalties have been seen. Maybe the OP has $198 in deposits?  I've also canceled a cruise and applied all but the canceling charge to another cruise.

I am sure someone else may say this better but Carnival does not have a point system. They have a "cruise days" system.  You do not get any rewards for paying more whether it is a better cabin, a solo trip (thus essentially paying for two people), or a higher rate because of the season. 

On 1/13/2019 at 9:49 AM, SlobMike said:

Not sure if this one was stated yet, download offline maps for the ports through google maps I'm going to be in. Just like to have the option of having the map of the area and not use my cell data. Its free and you can delete it after you get back

Thanks for the reminder. On my upcoming trip, I am doing San Juan on my own and will definitely need a map.

On 1/9/2019 at 9:35 PM, Allura_317 said:

Here are a few from the top of my head:

1. Get a side a peanut butter with melting cake (if you don't have a nut allergy...)

2

 

Tried this once. Can't remember which ship (Conquest, maybe). They had no idea what I was talking about. Of course, this was the same ship where they told me I couldn't get Sangria onboard.

2 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

I had mentioned to Kendra that I wanted to go "on the other side", meaning when coming down the port dock, to the right.

 

One of the issues is, you are not allowed to walk under the bridge to get there. They have signs there and locals sitting under the bridge. I'm not sure what the issue is walking under it in the sand??? That meant we had to gather our things and walk around the shopping area and back down to the beach.

 

Once we got there it was quite dangerous trying to get in. We searched for the best area and found that there really wasn't a "best" area to go in. It's ALL rocky! The waves are crashing and it seemed like it was a lot wavier than the other side. It took us a hot minute to get up enough courage to try to make it over the rocks...step by step, inch by inch, we made it out only to find that there was NOTHING in that area and the water was so stirred up that it was hard to see. So, you won't get any snorkeling pics from here, unfortunately. Take note, don't go to this area for snorkeling! There were a lot of people attempting to get out to swim and complaining the entire time about it. Why not just go to the other side? I bet they'll be the cruisers that come back and say they Grand Turk is terrible at the beach and not worth going to because that's what they think the beach is like. 

 

I did manage to get a shot of the ships in port while out there though. 

 

 

And other on the other side

 

 

 

 

 

Since it was a bust, we headed back into port and over to the other side again. 

 

 

 

 

 I've done the other side when there were multiple ships present. If you have good water shoes and get out to where you don't have to touch and float it's not bad.

I've always thought the pool belonged to Margaritaville. I feel like I need to spend money when I'm there. We were there last Christmas and the pool was really to cool for my taste.

Awesome pictures of your daughter by the ship's photographer.

My cruise is still 38 days away and sitting here at work you have really transported me to the Carribean with your pictures and review. Thanks so much.

13 hours ago, BENHANDEL said:

 

We chose carnival based on the price (approx $6000 for a Christmas cruise on CCL vs. $14,000 for a similar schedule/space on Disney...) and-spoiler alert- I would make the same choice next time. 

 

 

 To me, the $8000 difference is no choice at all. It is true for Carnival and Disney that you get what you pay for. But the money would pay for another cruise (or two) after all.

Enjoyed your review and glad to know that your kids enjoyed it also. I have sailed at all times of the year and have never had issues with unruly children or adults. Maybe I am like you and just avoided the places where they might be. 

I know Horizon is a new ship and I am glad the smoke didn't bother you. Maybe they have gotten better about the ventilation?  Most of the ships I've sailed it seems it was always most convenient to walk through the casino to get somewhere else and even when closed you had to hold your breath when you walked through. 

Interesting and entertaining. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for the review and comments on the terminal issue.

Also happened to me. I just counted it a bonus!

OOooh! Love your reviews! Looking forward to more.

\There is an app called "Group Me". You can create an account and add them. They will receive a text asking them if they want to be part of the group. They do not have to download the app. When you use it to text it comes to them as a text and it will show it is from you.  I haven't tried it so I am not certain it will work with the social media package.  It meets your criteria if it does.  I do not know why so many people respond without thoroughly reading your request. So many of the answers were useless.

Carnival is the one who misrepresented the product. It is their responsibility. They shouldn't have just turned you over to the vendor.  At the very least they should do their own investigation to assure the robes being sold are the same ones being provided to passengers.