GMRPHRN

Short answer, no. We've traveled several weekdays from here in Galveston when my wife rode over with friends and I hustled from a lunch at UTMB. Fat man in scrubs running to the terminal...

 

 

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I am just going to go ahead and add my experience to this post even though many others have chimed in. I have been on 5 cruises with my minor children (although in their teens) and their passports. We have never been asked for anything else. I even have a different last name. Their father has passed away. If you can get cooperation from the father (or if you have documents showing sole custody) to get a passport that will be the easiest and most secure answer.

I would like to do a European cruise in the future. It would be nice to have ships with more sailings in Europe in the future. I am building my loyalty and so far the launches of the Vista and Horizon have been good timing for me.

I enjoyed it. But like others said, it is a one time thing. There was quite a walk to get to the river. It was a nice relaxing float. The bus trip was enjoyable as the driver gave us a lot of information on Belize culture. I think we had an authentic lunch afterward, too. Children will probably get as much out of it as adults.

These are all really good points. I do usually buy the water packages and that would eliminate the need to do that. I also like an occasional soda or specialty coffee (didn't realize this was now included). I often think about it but then I am afraid I might try to keep up with it to see if I got my money's worth especially on those port days. For instance, would I feel the need to have mimosas with my breakfast? I am taking my next cruise in Feb and I am not sharing a room so this might be a good time to try it. Especially since paying in advance would eliminate that S&S bill after the cruise. I wonder if it makes it any easier on the servers if you have the package.

I hope the OP comes back and gives us more info. I am thinking of reasons a person would cancel and keep the $400 and it would be pretty bad.

I think if you do the math you'll see you have to drink in excess of 5 drinks (maybe 6 or 7) a day to make this package worth it and that would include port days. I'm not sure which cruise you're on but a 7 day package is running over $400 before gratuity which you'll pay either way. Unless you drink a lot of high priced liquor, I don't see how this is a good idea. Of course, if you don't mind the questionable ethics you can get drinks to share including non-alcoholic if you prefer that for your daughter. This is frowned on both on the ship and on these boards. Just try to figure out how much you'll spend per drink and then how many drinks for the whole week if you consider the port days. If you drink in any of the ports this is going to be extra money you'll spend.

Does anyone know if there’s going to be a thalassotherapy pool in the spa? I don’t see it on the deck plans.

 

 

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I was wondering about this also. I am booked in Sept of 2019. I booked this cruise because I wanted the New England itinerary and I was a little nervous about the Triumph. I am pleased about the refurb. Love me some Guy's!

The website still shows that Sunrise is not included in the Thalasso pool and I can't see it in the deck plans but then I couldn't really enlarge it enough to tell.

This is not exactly the same, but... I was on a cruise where we unexpectantly skipped a port and had an extra sea day (because of severe weather). So they added a lot of stuff to the daily schedule to keep us entertained and spa specials, etc. Everyone seemed to take it in stride (the crew, I mean, not necessarily the passengers.)

So glad that didn't happen last week since we were driving 10+ hours home after arrival.

Someone on my last cruise told me she always brought the small ones and hid them in her shoes in her checked luggage and never had a problem. Of course you could argue it is against the rules. You can't get a large bottle of wine in a those small fridges.

Hope to hear more about the ship. I live within driving distance of this port but have always sailed out of Florida because of the longer cruises and larger ships. Airline flights have just gotten to be too much $$.

Thanks for the review! How was the red frog pub? Isn't that in the main lobby area?

The red frog pub is on the Promenade (5) deck It was right off the Ocean Plaza area which is a large sitting area with a small stage for Karaoke, magic, games, etc. We went to the bar to get drinks before an event and found it very crowded. Actually walked over to the casino bar and got faster service. This is also where people sign up for YTD so maybe that is where people were waiting so I'm not sure. Anyway, I much preferred the Havana bar for a place to hang out because it was less crowded.

Last time I booked onboard they charged it to the S&S card but you could have the cards put on your S&S card at guest services. There is a separate desk for excursions and they had specific hours. I loved the Havana bar. The decor was very modern and they usually had a roaming bar waiter so it was easy to get drinks. There are large windows looking out the back of the ship. Even in the evenings when the specialty restaurants are operating there seating is off to the side and you could still eat back there (with food from other venues).

Guys is right outside the Lido buffet area and there are some outside tables along the outside area of the Lido pool area. But nothing like the bigger ships I've been on.

What exactly ?

 

Did they have Christmas songs/movies trivia/charades, Christmas movies on TV or the deck, Christmas songs at karaoke etc ?

They had a tree lighting event. They had Hanakuh services. They had an ugly sweater contest. Santa's arrival. Christmas carol sing a long. Christmass movies as part of the Lido deck movies. I know there were some other events but this is all I remember.

Thanks for the review! Wondering where you parked?

We actually booked a room the night before at Sheraton 4 points and got their park and stay package. The four of us stayed in 1 room - 2 beds and sofa bed - and took the hotels shuttle to port. It was $224 including taxes and shuttle.

Just got back from the Carnival Sunshine with a visit to Grand Turk. This was my second visit. We were the only ship docked and we arrived quite early in the morning and left at 3:30. We went first to Margaritaville to buy a drink and use their wifi. It was slow and we could not access the site we needed. (Daughter wanted to check her ACT score). You can use the pool free but they really do expect you to order drinks or food. I went and watched the FlowRider a minute and it looks difficult. I noticed it was only boys and men in line for this and it was about $30. I thought the pool was quite cool and didn't stay in long. After lounging for a bit we went out to the beach. By this time the ship had been in port a couple of hours and there were a lot of people at the beach. However, there are lots of free chairs. VEndors try to get you to rent ones up front but I thought that was a ripoff. The umbrellas and chairs are quite close together which makes for a nice shade. I wanted shade. We went out in the water and after getting used to the temp it was quite nice. We went quite a ways out away from the crowd and although there were drop offs it did not get over our head and we quite enjoyed it. We lounged a bit and drank some watered down "punch" from a vendor. They had drink specials at Margaritaville with refills. There were a couple of dogs lounging around. The weather was awesome and except for sharing the day with hundreds of others it was perfect. We checked out a couple of shops before heading back to the ship for lunch. There are places to eat but with the ship right there I couldn't see paying for food.

I sailed recently on Carnival to the Bahamas and had booked through Resort for a Day two reservations for Breezes. The total was $90 each with a $20 deposit and it was all-inclusive. We took a taxi there - about 15 minutes and we probably overpaid. The resort has seen better days but it was December and not very crowded. We arrived and checked in. (Remeber if you pay by card to be aware of possible foreign transaction fee and/or rejection for foreign transaction). We were given our armband and went to the pool area and got our first drink. No one questioned my daughter's age. They have frozen drinks and the usual beer and cocktails. Service was quick. The beach was very nice with lots of loungers in shade and sun and some hammocks. I thought the water too cold and didn't venture far out. There were people walking up and down the beach hawking snorkeling, etc, but if you didn't make eye contact they didn't bother you. The pool was cool to me but there were both children and adults in the pool. Someone was constantly doing kids activities like hula hoop and water balloon toss. At lunchtime they opened up a grill with hamburgers and hotdogs. Inside there was a large buffet with salads, pasta, sandwiches, and dessert. You needed to have a cover up to go inside. There was a towel station, too. Overall, it was a great visit but I am not sure I would pay that for the experience again. There were a total of 4 ships in Nassau that day so I imagine closer beaches were crowded. When we got ready to leave the security at the front of the hotel grabbed a hotel driver for us and we paid only $18 for the return trip. He dropped us off a few blocks short of the pier in town so we could browse some shops.

I am sorry if this is not much help. I was just there and it honestly looked like quite a walk to Atlantis. You can probably check google maps. There was bus transportation available for some organized groups as well as shared vans so you might be able to manage a ride. I'll warn you though, when I was in port there were 3 other ships and the place was jammed.

I didn't have an excursion planned for Amber Cove and there was nothing there for the single traveler. There are only a few shops and bars/restaurants. Crowded pool and lounge chairs but we have that on the ship. There is nothing close enough to walk to and the Taxis were quite high for a single traveler. Plan an excursion or don't expect much.

My experience was it worked but sometimes it took a while for the message to show up so not always useful.

You only needed a customs form if you were declaring something.

In the past, I have sailed on the Dream, Glory, Conquest, and Legend. I sailed with my 2 teens and my sister-in-law.

1. Although this wasn't the smallest ship I've sailed on by guest capacity, it certainly felt like it. There are only 2 pools and one of those is on Serenity. Only 2 hot tubs plus 1 on Serenity. The buffet area always was super crowded.

2. The Havana bar area is awesome. Although, I know this eliminated an outside deck area at the back of the ship it was a nice area. The Pasta bar for lunch is back there along with the Asian place. The bar was never crowded and service was quick. The pasta bar was really good. Mornings had the omelet station there and I think the majority of people on my cruise never discovered this area.

3. There were more children on this cruise than any I have experienced before. Roaming the halls. Yelling and knocking on doors at all hours. Teach me to sail during a school break again.

4. Dinner service was very quick and we finished most nights in an hour. However, the food was not that great. Are we getting used to it? My favorites were the spaghetti carbonara, mushroom soup, and baked onion soup.

5. Had dinner in the steakhouse for the first time and it was worth every penny. I had portabella soup, caesar salad, filet minion and the cheesecake. Service and presentation was wonderful. We got same day reservations for two adults. I will definitely do it again.

6. The lobby bar area is small and they set up the photography stations there and it was very crowded. They had a meet the captain the same night as elegant night (only 1 on this 6 night cruise). So we ended up not getting pictures.

7. The Serenity area is very large on 3 decks (maybe 4). There was always plenty of room and cozy places to sit away from the crowd. They don't police the area and some teens passed through or hung out but I never had any problem with anybody. The hot tub was always packed full when I thought of using it.

8. Lee, the cruise director did a good job IMO. He had a lot of energy. They did some special things for Christmas and the usual cruise deck parties, etc.

9. The fun shops were very small. Very little cruise merchandise in a small space. The usual jewelry stores though.

10. Embarkation was a very long process. We didn't get to the port til about 12:45 and we waited in line both outside the building and inside for about an hour before reaching the check-in. From there we walked straight onboard and on to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons. The lines for lunch were really long and it was time for muster as we were finishing eating. Muster was quick once everybody managed to get to their spot. No one looked at the wine in my carry on during the check-in process.

11. We did self-assist to get off the ship and waited about 30 minutes. Customs barely glanced at our passports so that process was quick and painless. We were shuttled to our car and on the road by 9am.

That's all my 2 cents worth. Be glad to answer any questions.

You see this pop up on the boards every few months and you always get a variety of answers. The OP did not say how old the children were. I think the best answer if you have the time is to have passports for the children. Mine were both teenagers when their dad passed away. I have traveled with them several times by cruise and plane and as long as they have their passports no one questions anything. We have different last names. They are old enough to travel as unaccompanied minors, though.