keywest1

I take Bonine starting the day before we sail and I have never had an issue with seasickness.  I have gotten sick on ferries and on a Pirate Ship tour before we started cruising, so don't want to find out if it would happen on cruise.  I take Bonine at night just to be sure I won't be drowsy during the day.

Donkey announced this at Q & A on Mardi Gras Feb 18 cruise.  He is our all time favorite CD.  So glad he is being promoted.  Mike Pack is our second favorite.  None of the others on our cruises have really stood out unless they annoyed us.  

12 minutes ago, dbrucern said:

Great complete answer however we saw something for the first time cruising and we are at 40+ cruises. When getting priority disembarkation last Saturday from the MG, those with Birth Certificates had to go in one line for immigration and there were only two people checking so the wait was quite something. Those with Passports went in a different line did not have to show their Passports and only did facial recognition and there were 12 stations set and it went extremely quickly 

It's been that way for our last two cruises out of Port Canaveral.  Couldn't believe how quickly we got through.  

Blerk One

As someone born and raised in New Orleans, I find them nothing like the real deal from Cafe du Monde. It was one (order) and done for us. Too much artistic license.___________________________________________________________

Same here.  They were on the Mardi Gras 2-18 sailing, but we only knew due to sign on counter.

DD said if you don't have to dig in a bag of powdered sugar to find them, they aren't the same 😁

Love the cold soups as well!  Mango and strawberry are tied for my favorite.  I did see cold soups on RCCL buffet probably 5 years ago.  I wish Carnival served on buffet as well.  Probably too many like me who would steal a water pitcher and fill it with the soup 😁

Cove balconies are awesome.  So close to the water!  Book forward of mid ship elevators for the quietest coves--cabins further back can be noisy.  We love the Magic!  Large enough to have plenty to do, but not overwhelming.  The spas on this ship class are the best IMO.

Thanks for the review!  We are on the 2-18-23 sailing--can't wait!!  Glad to hear your report that the ship doesn't feel crowded.  

We were double charged for Spa passes on our last pre-Covid cruise.  I had prepaid for them and 

had documentation.  We were doing a cash account, and our card was rejected for a coffee purchase.  

That's how I found out the spa charged us again when we checked in.  Spa personnel explained that

they always charge onboard and let Carnival refund on S&S so they are sure to get their money.  I knew that was garbage because we regularly prepay for the passes. It took an hour or more at Guest Services to get my money back on Sail and Sign Account.  Guest Services wanted me to wait 24 hours to see if it would automatically credit the new charges.  Being stubborn, I insisted on seeing the money in my account that evening.  They finally made it happen.  Only time I ever felt that Carnival staff were being dishonest with me.  

They generally take your Sail and Sign Card number when you request an extra cost item and have the receipt ready to sign when they bring your requested item to you.  No need to wait for receipt at end of meal.

5 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

I’m sorry everyone. If Plat perks are reduced, it is my fault. My first cruise upon turning gold,I was ready to do the cocktail party. Literally the month before, they uninvited golds to the parties. I am turning Plat on a cruise in late November. I apologize for any changes I will cause. 🥺

Please reschedule your cruise for March 2023.  I turn Platinum in February.  

For our April cruise, they release a bunch of check in slots a week or two before our sail date.  Keep checking--you may be able to get an earlier slot.

3 hours ago, Skippy said:

Do we need to bring the vaccine cards with us? 

Dh and I recently had Covid but we used the over the counter tests. I’m assuming there’s no way to get a testing exemption for this?

 

We used Verifly but brought our cards with us just in case.  Better safe than sorry.

You have to have a doctor sign off on documentation for recovery from Covid.  We didn't see a doctor 

but used the at home test so we had to do the normal pre cruise testing.

  If you take the antigen test for your cruise, you shouldn't have a problem with a lingering positive, but PCR tests do have that issue sometimes.

Just my opinion:  I would've found it too confusing for both of us to test side by side.  It's not a difficult process, but you do have to concentrate and follow the directions exactly.  

Carnival excursions do sell out.  If there are several in your group, it pays to book early.  You can click on an excursion and then click on departure time to see how many tickets are available. 

8 hours ago, ScottsSweetie said:

I got my "Welcome Back - we miss you already" email today.

 

I don't get on the ship until Thursday. 😏

I've gotten a couple of emails this week telling me how great my cruise is gonna be.  We got back

May 8th.  

DH loves bacon, so we either had MDR breakfast or Seaday Brunch most days.  Didn't take much longer than Lido buffet, particularly with checking in on the App.

Congrats to all the long time members!  Seasoned cruisers have made our travels a lot more enjoyable because we didn't have to spend half the cruise figuring out how things work.  

I've been a member since 2013 when we started cruising, but mainly stayed on Carnival Funville till that forum went poof.  Went to another forum, but it wasn't much fun after awhile.  This is my only "home" now and I learn something new all the time.

We have 16 cruises on 3 lines, and I still feel like a newbie at times.  I like the days when I can share a bit of knowledge in hopes of enabling a new cruise addict 😀 

Roatan is gorgeous, but as mentioned above, the vendors are among the pushiest we 

have encountered.  I was sitting at a picnic table on the beach while DH & DD chatted with a local

fisherman.  A woman and her young DD approached me and asked if I would like a massage.  I would rather poke sharp sticks in my ear than have a massage.  I politely said no thank you.  She quickly knelt and removed my shoe and began rubbing baby oil on my foot.  I asked her to stop and she wouldn't.  She knew I wouldn't get too nasty with her young daughter there.  After DH and DD finished laughing their butts off from a distance, they came up.  I told DH to pay her and make her stop.  Five bucks worked. 

I love the island and would return in a heart beat, but I have learned to be very firm about refusing the vendors and not worry about hurting their feelings if they persist.

Also, when you start your check in, go immediately to the section to choose your arrival appointment time.  Once you have done that, you can save and come back later to finish everything else if you want.

We had a cruise booked to Cuba a few years ago, but had to cancel due to my Mom's health issues.

I wanted to rebook, but by then DH was concerned about safety in Cuba.  NO problem, dear--I booked a cruise to Haiti (Labadee) instead 😁.  If it ever comes available again, I made my point and we will be going to Cuba.

We were able to wait a bit until we decided what we wanted to book.  Who can think about a future cruise when you are bawling and squawling because you don't get to go this week??😵

Seriously, we didn't have any issues.  Good luck to them and I truly feel their pain.

Don't give my DH any ideas 😱

If you're on a ship with washer/dryers available, you could probably make that work.  As I understand it,

Mardi Gras does not have the self service laundry rooms.

Thanks for your review!  Glad you enjoyed the Glory--we sure did.

Had to be out of cabin by 8:30 on the Horizon last week.  We checked our luggage the night before and just had to deal with our backpacks/totes.  Had breakfast in MDR and by that time our zone had been called and we were able to get through the line fairly quickly.  One thing that was different than I remember for those who did self assist was that they were called by muster station instead of by deck.  After that, we were called by luggage tag group number.

We noticed them as well.  How could you not?  LOL  Thanks for the info--we were very curious.