xplnusa Posted May 18, 2013 #101 Share Posted May 18, 2013 As I mentioned earlier about this cruise I've finally booked it... Me, y 6 year old son and his uncle (my best friend) and I will be cruising on October 21st. He was really excited when I showed him pics of the water slide... Sadly I'm still MUCH more excited than he is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted May 19, 2013 Author #102 Share Posted May 19, 2013 As I mentioned earlier about this cruise I've finally booked it... Me, y 6 year old son and his uncle (my best friend) and I will be cruising on October 21st. He was really excited when I showed him pics of the water slide... Sadly I'm still MUCH more excited than he is... __________________ Glad you guys finally booked! Congrats! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdy4Passion Posted July 12, 2013 #103 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Thank for all the helpful information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted July 22, 2013 Author #104 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thank for all the helpful information Thanks for reading along! It was so fun to write it out and relive the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losijon Posted September 10, 2013 #105 Share Posted September 10, 2013 This trip came about at the last minute since we were intended to board the Triumph on 2/16. Of course, that didn't happen... Once moving on from the disappointment that we wouldn't be traveling to Texas to visit family and friends and take a cruise in the hot weather of the Yucatan, we decided to come up with a "Plan B". My husband had already taken the week off, and I own a little shop online making French Pillows. I had already closed my shop the week prior (I work a week in arrears), so it made sense to just go somewhere. Due to the Triumph disaster, Carnival had given us a 25% discount and we decided to just hit the local port of Long Beach for a short cruise. We had done this itinerary on the Inspiration on the May and had a nice time. But first, we decided to extend this little "Plan B" vacation, and spend the night before embarkation aboard the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary is now docked in Long Beach and is a floating hotel. I decided to stay there because they offer a "park & sail" package. It isn't advertised - you have to call and ask, but we stayed in a king sized room with portholes for 1 night and parked for 5 nights for $149. I thought that was a good deal! As others had warned me, staying on the Queen Mary is really to learn about her history, and get the opportunity to be part of that amazing history for just a short period of time. It is by no means a luxury hotel. In fact, it isn't even that comfortable. :( The decor is a little bit Motel 6ish actually. Despite that, we had an awesome time! We visited the Diana exhibit downstairs, wandered the decks, ate on the Promenade deck, and took lots of pictures. A few glimpses: Next up: More pics from the Queen Mary and the first glimpse of the Carnival INSPIRATION! So I am staying at the QM the night before as well and booked the park and sail. How does that work? Do they give you a ticket to show the parking attendant when you leave or...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvcdays Posted September 11, 2013 #106 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Your little boy is adorable and it looks like you made some great family memories. Thank you for taking the time to post your review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted September 11, 2013 Author #107 Share Posted September 11, 2013 So I am staying at the QM the night before as well and booked the park and sail. How does that work? Do they give you a ticket to show the parking attendant when you leave or...? You will have a ticket and you will pay along with your one night reservation. When you leave, your ticket will automatically be programmed to open the exit gate. I don't recall a live parking attendant there, but we didn't have any problems. Have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losijon Posted September 12, 2013 #108 Share Posted September 12, 2013 You will have a ticket and you will pay along with your one night reservation. When you leave, your ticket will automatically be programmed to open the exit gate. I don't recall a live parking attendant there, but we didn't have any problems. Have a great time! Thank you very much for the reply. I am one of those that likes to try and know everything I can when it's something new :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieN Posted September 12, 2013 #109 Share Posted September 12, 2013 You will have a ticket and you will pay along with your one night reservation. When you leave, your ticket will automatically be programmed to open the exit gate. I don't recall a live parking attendant there, but we didn't have any problems. Have a great time! IIRC there is manned ticket booth to the right and there are several unmanned booth. Just stick your ticket into the slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losijon Posted September 12, 2013 #110 Share Posted September 12, 2013 IIRC there is manned ticket booth to the right and there are several unmanned booth. Just stick your ticket into the slot. Thank you :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetpeaOne Posted September 12, 2013 #111 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Just found your review and finished it. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Your little boys is really cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted September 13, 2013 Author #112 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Just found your review and finished it. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Your little boys is really cute. Thanks SweetPeaOne! He LOVES cruising! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjdixon4 Posted September 13, 2013 #113 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Thanks SweetPeaOne! He LOVES cruising! :p I just read your full review. I won't be on Inspiration but I'll be on th Imagination in January 2014, which will do the exact same itinerary as yours. Your photos helped to give me an idea of what's ahead. Looks as though you had a wonderful time. By the way, your son is quite the handsome little guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted September 13, 2013 Author #114 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I just read your full review. I won't be on Inspiration but I'll be on th Imagination in January 2014, which will do the exact same itinerary as yours. Your photos helped to give me an idea of what's ahead. Looks as though you had a wonderful time. By the way, your son is quite the handsome little guy!__________________ We're just considering booking the Imagination too for next spring! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the compliment on our little ham! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted October 18, 2013 Author #115 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm so excited - I just booked the Imagination today for my son's spring break! I've seen some discussion in the forums that it's moving to Long Beach, and people are wondering how it will compare to the Inspiration. They will basically be doing the exact same itineraries. In case this review is helpful for anyone, I'm giving it a little "bump". I'm still looking for some recent Imagination reviews! Honestly, we have a good time on any cruise we take. Obviously the Inspiration could not be compared to the Breeze through the Med, but it was quality family time with yummy food. What more can we want!? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryancoke Posted October 18, 2013 #116 Share Posted October 18, 2013 (edited) Thanks for the review and coming back after all this time. Re this recipe: How many servings does this make? Have you tried it at home and did it work out? Whoops, sorry, I just saw the 4 servings part. But have you made it at home yet? Edited October 18, 2013 by Ryancoke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sailawaybellaluna Posted October 18, 2013 Author #117 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Rycancoke, I'm glad you've reminded me of the recipe! I have not yet tried it...Maybe I will this weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicecatt Posted October 18, 2013 #118 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Rycancoke, I'm glad you've reminded me of the recipe! I have not yet tried it...Maybe I will this weekend! Your trip report was such a great help to me preparing for my last March cruise on the Inspiration, then I wrote my own...and weirdly by a chance offer will be on the Inspiration again next week, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your report though, it really was wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjdixon4 Posted October 18, 2013 #119 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm so excited - I just booked the Imagination today for my son's spring break! I've seen some discussion in the forums that it's moving to Long Beach, and people are wondering how it will compare to the Inspiration. They will basically be doing the exact same itineraries. In case this review is helpful for anyone, I'm giving it a little "bump". I'm still looking for some recent Imagination reviews! Honestly, we have a good time on any cruise we take. Obviously the Inspiration could not be compared to the Breeze through the Med, but it was quality family time with yummy food. What more can we want!? ;) Hi there :) I'm one of the folks along with my girlfriends who will be sailing on Imagination in January 2014, out of Long Beach CA. Looking forward to it now; but prior to this summer, I was a bit concerned because I wasn't certain that I'd enjoy a small ship/short cruise on Carnival. I normally sail Royal Caribbean, and like their style of ships, activities, itineraries. Thankfully I've spoken to a lot of frequent Carnival cruisers here on CC, and I'm a lot less worried after reading about their fun experiences onboard. How was the Inspiration for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicNac4498 Posted October 18, 2013 #120 Share Posted October 18, 2013 What were the shows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xplnusa Posted October 18, 2013 #121 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Your trip report was such a great help to me preparing for my last March cruise on the Inspiration, then I wrote my own...and weirdly by a chance offer will be on the Inspiration again next week, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your report though, it really was wonderful! Next week Monday the 21st? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicecatt Posted October 18, 2013 #122 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Next week Monday the 21st? no the 25th Sent from my SGH-T889 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rippy13 Posted October 19, 2013 #123 Share Posted October 19, 2013 We are going on the Miracle in December 2013 & staying on the Queen Mary the night before. I have heard that Long Beach is one of the worst ports of embarkation. Is there any advantage to staying at the Queen Mary (yours is the review that convinced me to stay there). Can we just drop off our luggage & then return to board when the lines are less? What is your experience? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicecatt Posted October 19, 2013 #124 Share Posted October 19, 2013 (edited) We are going on the Miracle in December 2013 & staying on the Queen Mary the night before. I have heard that Long Beach is one of the worst ports of embarkation. Is there any advantage to staying at the Queen Mary (yours is the review that convinced me to stay there). Can we just drop off our luggage & then return to board when the lines are less? What is your experience? Thanks. I am not the OP but it was very Convenient, we checked in early, got Zone 1 Boarding, and dropped Off Our luggage, then explored the Queen Mary. Staying there again next week... Embarkation was a piece of cake, Debarkation Sucked. Sent from my SGH-T889 using Forums mobile app Edited October 19, 2013 by Dicecatt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamboat Holly Posted October 19, 2013 #125 Share Posted October 19, 2013 We sailed on the Inspiration out of Long Beach in May this year. It was our first cruise, so our first embarkation, but we thought it was really easy. We got there at about 1:30, and we walked right through security, right up to the counter, and right to the picture people and onto the ship. I was a bit nervous about the whole process, but it was really simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now