sarmat1

We've done both of the 8 days that you've listed.  Either one is great.  Given your choices and all else being equal, I'd choose the 8 day with Aruba and Curacao as those are beautiful beach ports that don't show up on many itineraries.

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

we finally got into a  grove so we could do both comedy shows and the theater and dinner at night.

 

Interested in this as based on the Fun Times I have seen for Vista, they seem to do PG comedy absurdly early.  How did you pull off going to PG comedy, dinner, show and adult comedy?  We've done everything nightly on other ships, but it seems to be almost impossible on Vista given the scheduling.

The 8 day cruises we have been on had main shows of:

Night 1 - Welcome Aboard

4 additional Nights - Playlist shows

1 night - solo entertainer, typically magician/illusionist, etc

1 night - Love and Marriage show (possible preceded by Hasbro)

1 night - Lip Sync Battle

The 7 day used to have the solo entertainer (this was pre-Lip Sync battle), now I think that the LSB replaces the solo entertainer on the 7 day, at least that seems to be the case on current Fun Times that I've seen.

We have had one balloon drop on 6 cruises (I believe it was the Splendor).  The premise was that you put your name inside the balloons, put them in a net on an upper deck above the atrium and then after the drop they would pull random balloons and give prizes to the name inside.

I have no idea if the prize thing was actually done or not since the drop was scheduled during the heart of Early Dining so we were in MDR eating at the time and they said you had to be present to win.

29 minutes ago, shof515 said:

The ship arrives at 11am and then leaves the next day at 2am in the morning. Day 5 will be a sea day 

 

What sucks about this, you will miss sail away unless  you can stay awake after midnight

I was afraid of that.  9 day "Cuba overnight" itinerary and not even a full day in Havana.  The 4 and 5 day Cuba itineraries give you more time in Havana than that.  And to think, Carnival has the nerve to call Day 5 "Havana" even though you're only there for two hours from midnight to 2am. 

Not trying to be dumb here, and I should know this, but when the itinerary says:

Day 4 - Havana 11am overnight stay

Day 5 - Havana depart 2am

Day 6 - Half Moon Cay 9am-5pm

That means in Havana for most of Day 4 and all of Day 5, leaving at 2am Day 6?

7 minutes ago, samiam0403 said:

Looks good, but they took away the Mac and Cheese! I tried it with the fried chicken added in on my last Carnival cruise, and was really impressed with it. Sad to see it gone, but looking forward to trying the new menu on Horizon in a few weeks. 

There's a mac n cheese in the kids section although likely not the nice M&C platter with the add-ons that is on the current sea day brunch.  It looks like the bagel/lox combo is gone as well as the french toast with cereal stuck on it.

OP, I see the pressed juice upcharge.  I presume that the regular juices (orange, apple, etc) are still free?

15 hours ago, LindyWebb said:

I have never heard of asking for something “to go” at the mdr....  do they look at you funny when you do?  It’s brilliant!  Late night fruit snack, my kids would love it. 

Prior to our last cruise, I would never have thought to even ask, but this past summer we wanted to get to Hasbro so we told our server that we were going to skip dessert.  She said that we should just take it with us.  So we told her what we wanted and a minute later had them to go and then ate them in the theater during Hasbro.  Gotta love the MDR servers - they're the best.

In looking at recent Funtimes for Vista, I see that the cooking demonstration on the first sea day is listed as taking place in the atrium.  As far as I know and have seen, it's in the steakhouse on the other ships.  For anyone who has been on the Vista, do they really do this in the atrium, and if so, how?

On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:30 AM, MidWestChill said:

Thanks all.  I've decided to switch to the Horizon.  Seems like a better fit overall, for everyone.  

Frankly, I think you made a mistake if you're looking for less crowded public spaces.  Vista class has similar spaces as Sunshine, but with considerably greater number of passengers to squeeze into them.

We were on the Sunshine in August.  There were about 3600 on board.  At no time did it ever seem crowded.  And if there were crowds, there would be plenty of ways to avoid them.  Like the "secret" breakfast in Ocean Plaza (one morning, we were the only ones there), and the Havana Bar/Cucina area for lunch (where we always found an empty table).  Overall, the Sunshine was absolutely our favorite ship, although the Breeze would be a close second.  Sunshine had more included food options and more entertainment than any other ship we've been on.  I'd sail on her again in a heartbeat.

In addition, if the new rate is a guaranteed cabin rate code as opposed to a pick your own, realize that you might lose your cabin choice to get that rate.

48 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Is Carnival re-allocating the southern itineraries to sail out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale or something, at least for FL departure ports?  They have Southern Carib cruises available out to April 2020 (or so).

I don't really want to drive that extra bit, but I guess we might have to eventually.  (We still need to book a Western Caribbean too at some point, but Aruba and Curacao are more appealing to me than Cozumel.)

As far as I know, Ft Lauderdale has always been the embarkation port to get the 8 day Southern.  We did that itinerary out of Ft Lauderdale on the Splendor in 2017.  It's now currently being handled by the Conquest until next Spring and then the Magic will take over.  I didn't know that there were any Southern out of Port Canaveral, but apparently there is.  The Sunshine appears to be doing the 8 day Southern about once a month through the Spring as you found out.  The Horizon will also continue to do that itinerary out of Miami.

4 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

I can't convince myself to try the Sunshine, and I feel the same about these other ships undergoing the process. On the surface it seems like Carnival is trying to pull a fast one one on the less knowledgeable cruising public.

Having just come off the Sunshine 7 weeks ago, I can say that she gave us more entertainment choices and more included food options than any other ship we've been on.  3600 on board in what would seemingly be less public space than the smaller ships with far fewer passengers, but it never felt crowded.  We were skeptical going in and the reviews were certainly mixed, but the Sunshine gets a huge thumbs up from us.

MarQ from the Splendor in 2017.

Good to see shout outs for Mikey. Had him as assistant on the Breeze in 2016 before he was promoted. Just got off the Sunshine which I think is where Mikey typically is now, but had Chris (from Australia) filling in on only his third cruise as CD. He was great as well.

I used this one on the Breeze in March. It’s strong enough for the air to reach from the desk to the bed.

 

Honeywell HT-900 TurboForce Air Circulator Fan Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R1RXUG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rCJCBbYH8CCES

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

This. I've used that one on each of our cruises. Easy to transport, uses a plug and has some great air flow.

We're doing this tour in 2 weeks, so I can't really answer, but it was a question of mine as well. From the FAQ on the website:

Q: Will refreshments be provided? What about lunch?

A: We offer complimentary bottled water on our tours. Many of our destinations will have restaurants for your enjoyment. Cockleshell Beach is home to the Reggae Beach Bar. On South Friar's Beach, the Shipwreck Beach Bar & Grill is a popular refueling spot. Our capital city, Basseterre, has a nice array of restaurants.

Long and short, by the time we get to the beach, it will be well past lunch considering the beach is the last couple hours and our tour ends at 5pm. I figure we'll just have to quickly pick up something at one of the stops.

Otherwise, we'll just eat twice as much at dinner to compensate . . . . :)

A few questions regarding Grand Case Beach/Rainbow Cafe:

1. About how long is it to get from the port to Rainbow?

2. Approximate cab fare for 4 people?

3. How does one rent chairs/umbrellas there - i.e. is there somebody just out at the beach or do you have to go inside?

4. Does Rainbow Cafe take credit cards? If cash only, do they take US$?

That's also an important time to go for the kids, that first night, since that's when they all get to meet and figure out who they want to hang with. ;)

Absolutely true. The clubs (certainly tween and teen, but to a certain extent Camp Carnival/Ocean as well) are pretty much all cliques. Either you're in or you're out . . .

As I mentioned, my kids never much cared for them. They're now 13 and 10 and would much rather do the regular entertainment, shows and meals. But for kids who plan on hanging out in the kids clubs, the very beginning of the cruise will make or break it, as to who will hang with them throughout the cruise.

Is it a hassle to add once on board, or should I use it in advance and buy cruise cash? Is an e-card just as good/easy to use, or should I get a regular card?

It depends on how the stars are aligned at the time . . . :cool:

I've had all scenarios. Physical card that I could easily add at a kiosk, other physical card that was easily added at GS and a physical card that took some overriding at GS. Same with e-cards.

So, should be easy to use on board. Even if not "easy," it won't exactly be hard regardless, maybe just not as convenient as it should be. ;p

I want to register my teen for Circle C. Based on this:

 

 

Is registration at 3pm or at 12pm? Don't they open registration right away for everyone? Is it worth doing it first or waiting until later? Usually it's a madhouse early on the first day.

Why not just register with the online check in process? While my kids never really liked any of the kid clubs, they did do some of the activities in the past. All we ever did was just register online upfront. When they showed up to an activity, they were already down as registered, so no issues at all.

Those afternoon listings are nothing more than time to explore the space (particularly for Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean since parents aren't typically allowed inside)

see that doesnt make much sense to me-- who would want 50 copies of one picture.?

or is it saying ONLY 50 total copies? I dunno but glad mine is unlimited.

Clearly the issue for Carnival seems to center around the digital. Both the Pixels Plus and Pixels Max still offer unlimited prints. The Max adds on either 50 prints or 50 digital to that. Certainly it would make no sense for somebody to take those 50 in print form since they already get all of them included. So the only people who would take the 50 additional prints as opposed to 50 digital would be those who either want duplicates, or those on the select ships where the package is already delivered as all digital (Horizon, Vista, Breeze, Conquest, Magic, Victory, Paradise).

Parents letting their little kids use their empty beer bucket as a toilet. :eek:

I guess they were too lazy to take them to the bathroom.

^^^ This.

 

Adding that Carnival specifically asks that you DON'T email maitre d's. It isn't their job to receive requests via email.

I've never seen where Carnival asks that you don't email them. Besides, why wouldn't the maître d want to receive it? I would think that it's much easier to address the request and get it right in advance, then have to change it on embarkation day.

OP, don't worry - I've never gotten a response, but have always gotten our request.

Will be doing that itinerary in August. Can't wait to read your review. Do you happen to have the FunTimes?

He isn’t going to drink the question was if he could go to a comedy club with his grandparents and parents when he was a week away being 18. I dont know if they carded, hence why I asked the question.

The answers you get here won't matter. All that will matter is what takes place on your ship with whatever staff is manning the comedy club at that time. I've seen people carded and I've seen nobody carded. You won't know for sure until you try it on your cruise. And even then it could change from show to show.