A few questions

[Jackie81]

A little about us. My husband and I sailed the Carnival Splendor back in 2012. It was our first cruise and it wasn't the best experience for either of us. I won't get into the why's and such cause it was back in 2012, thus its completely irrelevant at this point. However, at that time, we both decided we were NEVER going to cruise again. Fast Forward to 2015, my oldest brother lives in Baltimore and decided he and his wife were going to go on the Carnival Pride. They had a BLAST. He called me up when he got back and said he had the best time. Really truly saying what the majority of reviews said about sailing. So my husband and I talked it over and thought maybe we didn't have the best experience the last time, but maybe just maybe we should give it another chance since my brother said he had the time of his life. So, we booked the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore for the August 14 sailing. I would be lying if I said I never was on this page, or Carnivals website DAILY (sometimes multiple times a day) looking for all the latest info, pictures and reviews. CC has been the most informative place. In fact, when my husband and I sailed on the Splendor, I joined CC and met some of the best people. Though I can't remember anyone's name except for this nice older gentlemen named Glenn, who told my husband and I the in's and out's of cruising. The things this guy said actually impacted out decision book the Pride, we still remember everything he said to us back then. What an awesome guy. So, there is a little about us. Here are my questions.

 

I wasn't worried at all about this up until my brother said that he and his wife were reluctant to book in mid-August. Apparently his wife is an "experienced" cruiser (although I don't know what that experience actually is.) but she has him all freaked out because mid-august is hurricane season.

 

So, my question is, has anyone experienced horrible weather/missed ports at that time of the year? It's still summer!!! I truly didn't think to much of it. However, now my brother has mentioned it several times (which my suspicion is, his wife is contributing to most of that since he's more a "go with the flow" kind of guy.)

 

Second question. I'm purchasing BB for my teens on this trip. I read on a thread the other day that no cup is included but you can either A.) purchase a cup for an additional price in the fun shop. or B.) you will be provided a cup each time you grab a drink from the bar. My question is, if I get the kids a cup for purchase is it bigger and will it be filled up? I've read on here somewhere that the cups you get from the bar are small. I just am trying to make life a little easier for the kids so they don't have to go up and grab a drink every 2 minutes.

 

Third question. And I know its been asked several times but I haven't seen it posted if it was. Does anyone have pics of the menu and fun times for the GT, HMC, and Freeport itinerary with American Table? I've found PLENTY on the old menu, nothing on the new one.

 

One last thing. Not to horribly long ago there was a thread that I was reading, it was something about what to take or what to pack. Anyways; there was a lady on that thread that mentioned she has a "cruise table." Not sure of her name or screen name but if she's reading this... THANK YOU. I've taken your idea and I love it. I love adding small things to it, going over my "inventory." Between that, and being on CC has really just added to the excitement of the trip.

[NikkiJ1983]

I'm so happy to hear you are going to try cruising again. It really is a great time!! I have never sailed out of Baltimore but I have sailed out of FL in Aug, Sept and Oct all of which were an amazing time. It is "hurricane" season but the cruise companies do a great job trying to get you the best weather possible by changing ports and/or sailing around storms so don't worry about the weather because it's not something you can even try to guess on.

 

As for BB, I get Cheers when I cruise and includes BB. At dinner I order a pop and it comes in a regular sized glass. I always ask the server to bring me another on his way around because I drink a lot. Every time I ordered a soda from a bar I got it in regular sized glass. I did see people having their tumblers filled as well with no problem!

 

I don't have pictures of menus but I can tell you HMC is amazing, Grand Turk is also beautiful. Freeport is ok just not as great as the other 2!

[SadieN]

Hi Jackie81. We sailed on the Splendor together. Re-read the roll call for what went wrong. Don't remember much about the cruise so, for us, it wasn't terribly horrible or outstanding. Do remember the crew was a bit shellshocked from the previous cruise. An Atlantis full charter over Halloween.

 

Only the menu, not the times, changes with the American Table.

 

zydecocruiser.com has some pictures of the American Table.

 

You're sailing during hurricane season. Weather happens, prepare for it. HMC does get missed on occasion.

 

We use a laundry basket to corral our cruise stuff.

Edited May 19, 2016 by SadieN

[jimbo5544]

We have sailed out of New York during August and had to skirt a hurricane coming up the coast. We had one day (actually just a little more than a half of a day) of rough weather and we missed Grand Turk. Rough weather on a cruise ship is not fun, but it would not make me not go. We loved sailing on the Pride and sailing out of Baltimore.

Edited May 19, 2016 by jimbo5544

[summersigh]

What's a Cruise Table? I have a dresser drawer for cruise "stuff". :)

 

Take a map of Chesapeake Bay if you're sailing out of Baltimore. It's fun to pick out where you are and what you're seeing.

 

We've sailed the Caribbean in the summer before I retired from teaching. We've been lucky and never missed a port due to a tropical storm. It's not a guarantee that you'll get a bad storm - if folks thought so the ships wouldn't be sailing at or near capacity.:)

[jrhea]

Just got off the Pride on May 8th. Great ship and easy port.

We always buy some inexpensive (dollar store) refillable cups/bottles with lids to use on the ship. That I can leave on the ship or trash. Even a coffee cup so I can walk around without spilling.

Yes it is hurricane season. Just be mentally prepared for possible changes. We were on the Sensation 2 years ago during a hurricane and they cancelled Nassau for Key West then the storm changed course and the changed it back to Nassau.

The American table is not that bad. Always found something that we liked and it was pretty good.

 

Enjoy your cruise and let us know how it goes

 

 

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[coevan]

Wow, I just looked a map of Baltimore, looks like a long trip to the Atlantic Ocean.

[ambkch22]

It does take a long time to finally get out of the Chesapeake bay. They still have to go by certain knots they are only allowed to sail at until they hit the ocean. We leave around 5pm...hit the ocean around 7 or 8 am

 

 

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[travel33]

Our 1st cruise with our kids was on the Pride about 6years ago out of Baltimore.

We sailed at the beginning of November, and had to try and avoid a hurricane!

We never missed any ports, but the ship,was rocking and rolling :eek:

I turned green for awhile, but my kids were totally fine and thought it was fun..lol..

So, hurricanes can happen anytime, and the ship will just go around them.

Hope your cruise is wonderful, and you become an addict like the rest of us :p

[Jackie81]

What's a Cruise Table? I have a dresser drawer for cruise "stuff". :)

 

For us, its a folding card table that has taken over my dining room. It has beach towels and snorkel gear. Corkscrew and outlet adapters, beach bags and of course travel docs. :)

[cb at sea]

Unless there IS a hurricane, the weather is no different than any other time!

[loubetti]

She's an "experienced" cruiser, and is concerned about August weather? That's close to being an oxymoron. The only thing I would be concerned about that it is bloody hot down here! Heat indexes can reach over 100°.

 

I wouldn't worry about hurricanes in August. If they occur, there is plenty of notice and ships avoid them. Sorry, but worried about hurricanes in August is the sign of a novice cruiser. No offense, just reality.

[evandbob]

Just to address the hurricane issue: the "season" for Atlantic hurricanes begins June 1 and ends on November 30. September has the highest frequency of occurrences, and the peak is about Sept 10 to 20.

 

Hurricanes can occur anytime along this "season". Some approach the Middle Atlantic states, some enter the Gulf of Mexico. Other hurricanes stay at sea, and some enter the Caribbean Island chain and then dissipate.

 

Do a google search for "Mid Atlantic States Hurricanes" or "Bahamian Hurricanes" to get actual numbers on past storms that have affected your cruising area. Over the last 50 years there probably have been a few. I believe the average is just over 1.3 a year.

 

Early August has less actual hurricanes than late August statistically. As Lou and other posters have said, the ship can and will attempt to avoid most bad weather.

[DashOhQ]

 

 

Second question. I'm purchasing BB for my teens on this trip. I read on a thread the other day that no cup is included but you can either A.) purchase a cup for an additional price in the fun shop. or B.) you will be provided a cup each time you grab a drink from the bar. My question is, if I get the kids a cup for purchase is it bigger and will it be filled up? I've read on here somewhere that the cups you get from the bar are small. I just am trying to make life a little easier for the kids so they don't have to go up and grab a drink every 2 minutes.

.

 

On our first cruise we purchased the souvenir Carnival cup. Very quickly we discovered it didn't work well for us. You have to always have it with you if you want to use it. Kind of a pain to have to carry it around. We found it much easier to just have them serve the pop in the cups from the bar. The size isn't too small I found. If I was REALLY thirsty I would ask for half of the ice that way I ended up with more pop.

 

Happy sailing!

[hapytobehr]

I have to agree with Lou......If you are an "experienced" cruiser, you would know that the ships always "go around" any storms that are in/or coming to the Atlantic.

 

I have cruised every month during hurricane season and never had a problem with hurricanes, nor do I worry about them.

 

We have hit some bad weather at times, missed some ports but we make the best of it...

 

As Lou said, the only "bad" thing about August is that it is extremely hot that time of year....

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Wheatie59]

We have done only two cruises, both on Carnival. The first one was in 1997 on Jubilee, west coast of Mexico out of LA. The kids were 6 and 10. They had a great time, though the younger one doesn't remember much. My memories are vague, too. But what I recall is that while it was fun, it wasn't a great time. I actually remember thinking that I had spent a ton of money on a not-so-great time. And money was pretty tight back then. I also remember butting heads with someone at the dining room on the first morning trying to find my way around. He thought I was trying to cut a line but I was simply lost. My wife also had issues with sea sickness.

 

Fast forward to January this year and we did a eastern Caribbean cruice on Splendor. Just me and my wife. She had patches for sea sickness which worked great. Money isn't so tight now. I've learned that travel of any sort always involves hassles and problems and I just roll with the punches, deal with the problem, and move on. We had an absolutely fabulous time. So much so we booked another cruise on Dream just a couple of weeks after coming back. And I'm seriously considering a trip on Miracle this fall.

 

You don't want to discuss the issues you had on the 2012 cruise. You say they don't matter, but they may. If those issues were along the lines of some problem that spoiled the trip for you, then something like that may well happen again. Things do go wrong. I can tell from reading here that some folks expect the whole trip to go like clockwork and they are upset if anything goes wrong. Well, the reality is that something is almost guaranteed to go wrong vs. the plan. Maybe you miss a port for high winds. Maybe embarkation is delayed for a USCG inspection. Maybe the ship has to detour to drop off someone for a medical issue. Maybe your dinner selection isn't up to snuff. Things happen. Don't let them spoil your experience and you'll be fine.

[Jackie81]

Thank you so much for confirming my suspicions on this. I'm not so worried about the heat as I'm the kind of person who runs cold all the time, so I prefer to be hot then to cold any day of the week. :D

[nunuc2000]

For us, its a folding card table that has taken over my dining room. It has beach towels and snorkel gear. Corkscrew and outlet adapters, beach bags and of course travel docs. :)

 

I really don't think you should stress about the weather at all. Those ships are hundreds of millions of dollars... Carnival is NOT going to risk it's assets or client satisfaction by sailing into a hurricane. There are occasionally diverted itinerary's and port stops, but just go with the flow and you'll be fine. :)

 

I also wanted to mention that you really don't need beach towels - Carnival will provide these for you in your cabin, and you can trade them in for fresh ones at any time, AND you can take them off the ship when yo go ashore at your different ports. One less thing to pack along. :)

 

Have a fabulous cruise!!

 

Celine

[njmomof2]

I will second (or third or fourth) the "don't worry about hurricanes" issue. We have sailed repeatedly in late August. We've had a couple of itinerary changes (west to east or vice versa) to avoid a storm. I've sailed with a storm in front and back. And we've been chased out of NYC by one.

 

Seriously, not something I'd be worried about. If you're concerned that you'll be unable to get to the port or that your home could be in danger, then opt for insurance to cover you in the event there is an issue.

 

Don't get hung up on making any of your ports. If you really want to go somewhere, make it a land trip. There are a number of reasons that you might miss a port, and if you've staked your entire vacation on making that one place, you may very well be disappointed. There are times when we think there is no reason we can't get in to a port, but we are not masters of the vessel and the captain in the ultimate authority. So be prepared to roll with changes if needed.

 

You definitely don't need to take the beach towels. You'll get them from the ship, so that will lighten your load. Many people will tell you to pack, then remove 1/2 of what you've put in the bags. As for the drinks, I've never done BB on Carnival, but I've done soda packages on Royal. My kids almost never open the cups since they don't want to bother carrying them around. Only if they really wanted something from one of the Freestyle machines. I actually have at least 1/2 dozen of them in the original shrinkwrap in my house and office.

 

Relax, plan and be ready to accept changes. You'll have a great time.

[Jackie81]

I remember the beach towels being provided last time we sailed, and they were great. I loved them. However, I also know how careless my teens can be. I'd be so worried that they'd leave them somewhere, then I would be charged for it and then they will have to feel my wrath.. then THEY would be the ones worried about a Hurricane called Mom. It wouldn't be pretty lol. So, to avoid that. I bought some cheap ones that if they lose, no worries. :D