Littlegoo75

We just got back last month, and opted for the Ocho Rios Dunnes River Falls, and Jamaica Bobsled excursion with our 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son, and they really enjoyed it. It's not a cheap tour, and it takes all day, but it was a lot of fun. Be sure you only do this tour through the cruise line, because our tour was late getting back (traffic was pretty bad), and the ship had to wait for us.

Just be forewarned (at least on our cruise) that it will be CROWDED, so get there early if you want a good selection. People were acting like animals. There is a system; it's supposed to be first come, first served, first selection, etc. People were not following the rules, and were grabbing the unstuffed animal skins before it was their turn. My son missed out on getting the animal he wanted because of rude people who are only out for themselves. It was just a zoo, and I don't think the staff was able to handle how rude some of the parents were acting.

Day 5 – Cozumel – Thursday

 

We woke up to more rain. We have been pretty lucky on our past cruises so far – this one…not so much. We were just praying it would blow over. We docked at the first dock – the downtown one. We had never docked here before so we were excited about the new adventure. We waited a bit to get off to see if the masses would be cleared. Seems like everyone was waiting for the rain to stop as well. When we walked down we still had a short wait until we got off. It was now sprinkling so we popped up our umbrellas and started looking for a taxi stand. The downtown pier is quite different from the other one (the one with the pyramid). We had to walk all the way through a mall - upper and lower decks before we could get to the taxi stand. We understand this is intentional to get everyone to shop on their way back but it was quite a hike. We made it to the street – hailed a taxi and were on our way to Nachi Cocom. This is our 5th trip to Nachi – only 100 people are allowed in and with 5ships there that day we were in port. Lots and lots of people!! We arrived to Nachi to start our relaxing day. The rain held off for about 4 hours. We were able to get our snorkeling trip in (only $38.00 per person and only 8-10 people – it is the reason we use Nachi!!). We saw sting rays, a sea turtle, tons and tons of fish and a 6 foot nurse shark (that one spooked me a bit). We headed back via taxi ($20 each way) and did some shopping – the rain was relentless, we were so glad we were in the two level mall!!!! We did all of our shopping and were back on the ship by 4:00 (we had until 5:30 p.m.). We showered (it is always so nice to get to come back to a hot shower after a full port day!!) and just rested for a bit before getting ready for dinner. Dinner was wonderful – relaxing and calm! We were sad to say we only get to come to the Chic Dining Room one more night after tonight’s dinner. Our waiting trio has gotten to know us well and anticipates our favorites even before we ask. We were sailing by the time our salads were served. We were heading north to Galveston! Tonight’s movie didn’t really interest (Maze Runner) us so we headed to the comedy club. He was really pretty funny again tonight(Jeffrey Jena – PG show). We were so tired we weren’t functioning well so we called it a night and headed to bed. We were so glad the next day was a sea day. We were going to sleep in and relax!! The Atrium was cranking up tonight – it was as if our door was open it was so loud. We were so glad we had our fan – we turned it on and were all three asleep within moments. Even with the rain we loved Cozumel!

Ha ha! small world! We did Nachi Cocom that day as well!

I bet we did see you!!! That is so funny! We were on the right as you walk in - which side were you guys on?

We were on the right side, it was myself (blonde Mom, 10 year old blonde son, 7 year old daughter with long brown hair, and very tattooed husband. My daughter was always out there dancing with the wait staff.

I love getting a cabin on the same floor as the gym for this very reason. We aren't crammed, but the gym showers are so much larger.

We were on this sailing, and we probably passed each other many times during the cruise, as we also did the YTD in the Chic dining room, and usually arrived at 5:45 and were seated by the window. It was my husband and I, and our 2 kiddos (10 year old boy, and 7 year old daughter).

Which Freedom cruise was cancelled, and why? Just got off of the Freedom on Saturday, so wondering what the issue is, or was this a pre-planned thing?

Hey NCL people. I have been on 6 cruises (5 on Carnival, 1 on Sitmar a long time ago when I was a kid).

Although I had a good time, I felt like our last cruise on the Carnival Freedom last week was a little lacking. We are planning to do an Alaskan cruise in either June or July 2020, however, schedules aren't available that far in advance, and I don't know which ships will be sailing in Alaska in 2 years.

If you have sailed both Carnival and NCL, can you give me insight on how they compare? We are a married couple in our 40's, and have a 7 and 10 year old (so they'll be 9 and 12 when we are planning to cruise Alaska). We are pretty laid back, and don't need everything to be super fancy.

We've never sailed Alaska before (or been to Alaska), all of our cruises have been to the Western Caribbean, and we need a change.

We do plan on stepping it up and getting a suite with a balcony for this cruise, a standard balcony cabin was way too chaotic for our family on this last cruise.

We want to pick a cruise line/ship that is a good match for families with kids.

Thanks for the input! I guess I have a few months to research and make a decision before the 2020 schedules hopefully come out. Not sure if I want to fork out $10k for Princess for our first Alaska cruise with 2 kids who might not even appreciate it, or go with Carnival or try NCL at the closer to $6,500 price range. We definitely need at least a mini suite, and definitely a balcony. The 2 room suites on NCL sound very appealing. Princess might have to be one of those trips that come later with older kids, or a trip without them (which we have never done). If there are no hot dogs on the menu, or unlimited soft serve available 24/7, my kids will probably be disappointed!

Although I am not looking to do this in 2019, it looks like Expedia has some pretty good promotions going on with NCL, hopefully when I am ready to book, there will be some good perks.

It sounds like Alaska will be more our cup of tea. We like the wilderness, adventure, hiking, animals, scenery, and I especially love the cooler weather (born and raised in San Francisco, currently living in humid, hotter than hell Houston, Tx.). On our cruises, we have always ended up going to the same places (Cozumel, GC, Jamaica, Belize) and we definitely need something different. We're also going to wait until 2020 because we want to save up and do it right (we definitely need a suite with a bigger balcony - that was the biggest gripe on our latest cruise....too small of a space for the 4 of us) and the really good shore excursions are extremely pricey. I have plenty of time to research and figure out whether we'll just stick to Carnival, or try another line. Thanks everyone, for the input.

I know this is a Carnival thread, but how does Norwegian Cruise Lines compare? I see that a new ship called The Bliss is cruising Alaska, and I know my kids would want to try out a ship like that.

Thanks! This is exactly why I come to these boards for research. We would definitely have to wait until school is out to cruise (DH is a 2nd grade teacher) and we do everything as a family. We may just need to stick with Carnival for this first Alaska cruise, because it's what we know, and we know that there will be a decent amount of kids on board (compared to the other cruise lines). We can always do another Alaskan cruise by ourselves when the kids are older (with or without them) and try Princess.

So, with this being said, and Alaska being a totally different animal from the Caribbean, just how different is the experience? I would imagine less partying and more adventuring (which is more like us). We just got off of the Freedom in Galveston (Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Conzumel) and it was a pretty lively and interesting crowd, which is fine, but I would actually prefer a more subdued crowd, but still have the fun atmosphere that Carnival provides. We're not the kind of people who need to have linens on the table every night, and I want to ensure that there is enough fun for the kids on board.

I'm going to venture a guess that it'll be Miracle or possibly Splendor. The former is re-deploying as a Long Beach 7 day boat in the late fall 2019 while the latter is assuming Legend's seasonal Aussie service after leaving on 10/5/19, then possibly returning for the Alaskan summer in 2020. It absolutely will not be Panorama as she's dedicated to the Mexican Riv throughout the period in question.

 

And honestly Littlegoo, I'd strongly recommend you seriously consider Princess for Alaska. They 'own' the route and control the majority of the Glacier Bay permits. Carnival does it as an afterthought. And you can see from my cruise history that it's my preferred line so not a basher.

Thank you. Great advice, although we have only sailed on Carnival (and I have sailed once on the now defunct Sitmar as a kid), we are seriously considering trying out another, and Princess is on the list. Hopefully they have good kid programs, because in 2020, we'll have a 12 year old and 9 year old.

I was hoping to see a newer ship get assigned to the Alaska itinerary, I remember when the Legend was brand new, I was supposed to sail on her (had to cancel at the last minute due to one of our traveling companions father passing away the week before we were to depart). Seems like forever ago! Although, there is something appealing about a smaller ship compared to the massive things they are building now. Guess we'll see!

Greetings! I have read that the Legend will be going to Tampa in 2019. Does anyone know which ship will be replacing the Legend for the Alaskan cruises? Also, how far out can you reserve your cabin? We plan to cruise Alaska in June, 2020, and would love to get a suite, and I know those go quickly. I used to be very involved and know everything about Carnival and cruising years ago, but gave that up after having kids, so now I feel like a newbie. We just returned from a week on the Freedom (first cruise after a 9 year absence) and I can't wait to start planning for the big Alaskan one.

Thanks!!

Thanks for the quick responses all! We might just wing it....we packed them for our last DisneyWorld trip, and we just preferred getting rained on then letting the sun dry us off. I hate the feeling of wearing a poncho and hate looking like a dork. All of our excursions involve getting wet anyway. Plus, we won't melt.

Although, according to Murphy's Law, if I do run to Academy and buy some, it won't rain. If I wait, then it will rain and the ship will not sell them onboard.

I was thinking Academy would, but I just don't know if I have time to run out there tonight after work. I should have thought about this last week.

We leave tomorrow, and I don't have time to run around after work today to go Poncho shopping. I would assume they sell them on board, but thought I would check. All of our destinations are calling for a chance of rain next week. Goody.

Yes! Great news last night. It makes going on vacation that much sweeter! Unfortunately we won't receive our Stanley Cup champions gear in time to wear it on the cruise.

We will be cruising again for the first time in 9 years. I haven't booked a shore excursion through Carnival forever, and went ahead and did one this time around for Jamaica because I don't want to take any chances. Last time we booked at the Excursion desk, and I think we got tickets for it, and we were told to meet in the theater. How are things done these days? Will tickets show up in our mailbox and will we be told to meet somewhere on the ship? It's a really long excursion, so we will probably be required to get off the ship right away.

I used to be an avid cruiser, and now I feel like a newbie all over again because everything is done so differently now. Last time I cruised you got your luggage tags via snail mail!

Thanks!

Oh well, we're already booked, so I'll probably just keep it.

Honestly....since D.C. is the Nation's Capital, anyone who doesn't have an NHL team near them should just root for the CAPS!

No worries if they win Thursday and you can rock the red on Saturday!

That's the bummer about living in Houston....too hot to wear the jersey during Playoffs! The husband was born and raised in Reston, Va. I worked in D.C. for awhile and met the husband there, and we have since moved to Houston....hence, why we are Caps fans in Texas. I do have a red Caps tank top though that I will have to pack!

Don't think you need to worry about this any longer. It appears the decision will be made before cruise date :)

:cool:I sure hope so! The finals are going so well for the Caps! BTW, I see you're from Dallas.....we have kind of adopted the Stars as our second team since it's the only Texas NHL team. We're still holding out hope that Tillman Fertita will be able to bring an NHL team to Houston. He wants to. I'm hoping we can get the Coyotes since their fate always seems to be up in the air.