It's a Ship!!!

Thanks for all the responses! It's not a big fare drop when you take the obc into account, but I'm in basically the worst room anyway - 6A, an oceanview on Riviera deck all the way in the back. I don't care what oceanview I get. But I wouldn't be happy if I took it and the guarantee rate dropped even further and I couldn't get that - after all, there was a pack and go last week but it wasn't as cheap as it is this week!

As long as it's the OV guarantee, you won't get any lower of a category, but you could get something that is considered an upgrade to a location that you wouldn't like. So for your category, the worst upgrade would be to get a 6C that is below the Galley, where you might hear pots and pans banging around (depends on the ship). You could also get an upgrade to a Balcony....right above the night club where you hear the bass going on at 3:00 AM every night. Those kind of things are rare, but it's always possible.

Thanks everyone. I did take it, and paying with AARP gift card 10% off that so I think it was a good deal

You got a steal. The ocean view cabin is bigger, so for 4 people that is awesome.

The best way is to book a rate that has a refundable deposit, and make up a name and birth date for the 3rd person, or put in the name and date of birth of who you think might be the 3rd person. Then if you make a name change before the final payment date, it won't cost you anything. If you make a name change after the final payment date, it will cost you $50. There are other ways, but this will guarantee the price stays the same, or at most you pay $50 extra.

what is the earliest check in time you had? We are cruising in October and given a check in time of 1130 but that was the earliest option. What time will they let you in the building if you have the first check in time? We have cruised before and used to being on the ship by 1130 and not checking in at that time. I plan to get there about 1030 to get parked and luggage dropped off

The earliest time I've seen is 10:30, but that was when it first came out. Now I've recently seen 11:00 as the earliest time for the past two cruises. They are not supposed to let you in the building until your check in time, so you might want to wait a bit. Even though your time is a bit later than usual, check in goes really fast now, so it won't be too much longer than you are used to.

I am taking a cruise out of Miami but flying out of Fort Lauderdale. Is a flight leaving at 12:20 too early?

I am stressing that it is.

You are within the transfer flight guidelines for Carnival, which say you should have a flight booked no earlier than 12:00 PM. Even if you don't take Carnival's transfers, it's nice to know you are within their official suggested time. You don't have a lot of leeway here, so you will want to hurry up even if it makes you wait in the airport for a few hours.

They also have fruit infuser water bottles that you can buy. Here is a link to one, but there are tons out there

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SOBOZS0/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00SOBOZS0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1713835751726239774&pf_rd_r=1RN13G7WZ534BT3F547G&pd_rd_wg=2LV6Y&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=BqYvm&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=153c5784-9105-11e8-97d0-034648083ec9

I've been on all 3 lines and like them all for different reasons. The Oasis is very different from the others. It's much bigger than any other ship (besides it's own sisters), and has tons of things to do. When you go on that ship, 7 days almost isn't enough to see and do everything.

For food, Carnival has the best free options, and good paid options but only 1 on most ships. NCL has the best paid options, but not great free options, and Royal is decent in free and paid options. NCL is charging A La Carte at most of their specialty restaurants now, which I really don't like. It makes their specialty dining more expensive, but they have a dining package that is a possible free perk that would give you 3 free nights in the specialty restaurants of your choice (with some exceptions that cost extra). Of course tastes are different, but that's just my opinion.

For drinks, Carnival is by far the cheapest. The other two really push their drink packages, so if you don't get them, you will be paying a lot for drinks. NCL has the package as another option for a free perk, but like others have said you still have to pay gratuities on the package, which comes out to about $120 per person for a 7 night cruise. You might want to add in the price of a drink package when you make your comparisons so you're comparing apples to apples.

For shows and entertainment, Oasis is probably best, with Breakaway second, and Carnival last. Not saying I don't enjoy Carnival's entertainment, but the others (especially on those specific ships) are really good. For both the Breakaway and the Oasis, you need to make reservations online for shows, or you may not get in to the ones you want. You can always wait in line, but you run the risk of not getting in

They are all good cruise lines, and none are really better than the other. It just depends on your tastes. For me, factors like itinerary, price, and home port take precedence over which line it is. If everything was equal, I would probably go Royal Caribbean most often, but I would still want to branch out to the others every once in a while to try new things. However, Royal Caribbean tends to be the most expensive, and Norwegian doesn't have a close home port to me, so I end up going Carnival most often.

There's a few that they could make at any bar, with possibly slightly different ingredients. You would just have to know what's in them, because the bartenders there wouldn't know what the drink names are called unless it's something common like a Moscow Mule.

I would rather have the package. Yes you do have to wait a bit, but if you brought your own on board, you would have to go to the room whenever you want a drink. I would rather just wait a couple minutes at a bar each time instead of having to lug it on board and then have go back to the room every time you want another soda.

It's above the comedy club. You will probably hear noise in there up to Midnight or a bit later depending on when the comedy shows are. Everything on deck 6 is above a public area, but some are not as bad. You can always change cabins for free if they are in the same category or lower. If you go to the front of the ship, you will be above the theater, but the shows there are finished much earlier. You will have to see what is available, but 6244 and 6245 both have the same occupancy as what you currently have booked.

There are actually two other options. You can pay more for a better location, or you can pick a cabin in a lower category and move there for free. So you could move down to deck 1 where there are cabins above you and crew decks below you. Again it depends on what's available, so you will just have to check what the options are right now.

Is Tandoor like a separate buffet grab and go type place? But separate from Lido buffet?

 

 

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Yes, it is a smaller buffet in the aft of the ship outside of the main buffet. It's across from the Pizza place. They usually have a couple cold items and a few sauces, Naan, and several hot items.

What criteria are you using to put Disney's Castaway Cay first above Half Moon Cay? I ask for future reference as I have never been to Castaway Cay, but I have been to Half Moon Cay and it is, to me, simply paradise on Earth.

I think it's won awards or been voted on or something like that. I've been to both, and there isn't a huge difference, except you have to tender to Half Moon Cay. They are both really nice, and I would love to be on either one right now.

The other things not suggested yet are the Deli, Pizzaria, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Those are all on the Lido, so it might be a bit crowded, but it's not the main buffet area. Like others have suggested, if you go upstairs to the pasta place it is a lot less crowded even if you aren't ordering pasta.

They are all really good options, but I love Indian food, so the Tandoor is one of my favorites. A lot of the chefs on Carnival are Indian, so that is always a good choice. Of course Guy's burgers is great, and I haven't tried Guy's BBQ, but it looks really good too. The burritos at Blue Iguana aren't my favorite, but I love their tacos and salsa bar.

Last boarding time is 3:00 PM from Galveston. That gives you enough time to make it, but I would buy insurance that covers travel delay for traffic accidents en route. People have various comfort levels. This isn't an ideal situation, but it is definitely possible.

I am a widower and I am looking for a singles cruise for next year. Something between February and April 2019.

Does anyone have any suggestions? How do I get the best price? I could use some help with this.

Ed

There aren't necessarily "singles cruises," but there can be singles groups. Basically some travel agencies specialize in singles cruises, and a lot of times they will have big groups. I've even heard of whole ships being chartered for singles events. You just have to google them and you will be able to find something. Good luck!

I've been to all of those ports except for St. Kitts, but I've been to the Western ports multiple times, so Horizon would win the itinerary category for me. A new port and 3 other ports I've been to once, or 1 port I've been to once and 3 ports I've been to many times. I will say Cozumel Plus is cool, because it has some excursions you wouldn't get to do on itineraries that don't stay as long in Cozumel.

As far as the ship itself, Horizon is a bit bigger and newer with some more bells and whistles. I've been on the Magic and loved it, but I'd love to try the brand new ship, so Horizon wins there too.

You didn't mention it, but the one factor that would make Magic win for me is price. If they are similar, I would take Horizon in a heartbeat and never look back. If Magic was a lot cheaper, I would go with that. If it's within a couple hundred dollars, I would probably end up on the Horizon, but if it was much more than that, my cheapness would probably take over and I'd be on the Magic.

Are there any other Cove Balconies available if you look like you're making a new booking? If so, they can usually move you. If not, then the person he talked to is correct, and the only way to get a different cabin would be to upgrade. If there are Coves left, it would be worth a shot to call again and hope you get someone sympathetic.

Lighthouse is pretty good. I've used them multiple times and it's pretty good. The coupon codes listed above make it a bit cheaper than most others I've seen.

Just a note in case anyone didn't know. The port of Galveston offers free parking for Disabled Veterans.

It has nothing to do with how many rows back you are.

 

Pick a Green umbrella and it’s free. Pick one of the other colors and you’ll be asked for $20. We got off the ship early and noticed the locals put their umbrellas closer to the water. We moved the free green umbrella and set where we wanted.

 

 

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Exactly. If you can find an empty spot you can move one of the free chairs closer to the water. The locals just get there before the ship even arrives, and they put their chairs out front.

I've been on Deck 6 aft on the Magic (sister ship), and you will hear lots of noise at night. Depending on where exactly the cabin is located, you will be right above the Comedy Club or Piano Bar. Both of those end anywhere from 12:00 AM to 1:00 AM. If that's alright with you, then it might be worth it. It didn't bother me personally, because I was always at those places when they were closing, so the only time I heard the noise was brief trips to the cabin before or after dinner. If you go to bed early, then it might not be a good choice for you.

I would definitely do it. Deck 6 has public areas right below it. Deck 9 forward has nothing but cabins above and below it. Less chance for noise, and you are on the Lido deck, so you are closer to the action.

I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite as good as the food on the rest of the ship, but it's not bad at all. Pretty basic hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken, with a nice variety of sides.

It is possible, but you have to call the fun shops. I did it for my cruise last November. I had my friend's card information and my own card. It was pretty easy because I had someone who knew what they were doing, but that doesn't always happen. Someone mentioned a 3 way call, but I didn't need to do that. I just needed the information from both cards.

I've also done it on board (before you could book online), and it was a lot more difficult. They said they would charge half to each of us, but still ended up charging it all on one account, so we had to go to guest services to get it resolved, and that messed something up so when they swiped our cards it didn't show the drink package. We had to go back to guest services and finally got it fixed.

This PVP keeps calling me and I've called her twice and left a message saying that I have my own TA. She keeps calling. I can blocked her but can still she her voicemail messages under blocked. :0

That is actually the one thing that is supposed to work no matter what. If you want to get that PVP fired, you can tell your travel agent about it, and the travel agent can contact Carnival.

Silly question? How can the Port be closed but all things are listed as a 'go'.

It is currently closed, but that doesn't mean it will be closed on Saturday. They don't want to make a decision until they have to.