Melcoug

I've cruised 3 times with my kids (on Carnival and Princess all of which included port calls in Mexico) while my husband was deployed overseas. I had a letter the first time, but after that I haven't bothered to have one prepared before he left since it was never asked for by the cruise line or Immigration.

I think you are fine. I read all threads related to this topic since I do travel alone with my kids. The worst I've heard is that if you get asked for a letter and don't have one, you MAY be delayed and possibly questioned, but I have yet to hear that anyone was denied boarding.

For people who are nervous about it and can easily obtain a letter, it's good to get one. In your case, the hassle probably isn't worth it.

As a military family, we don't book anything if there's a chance of deployment during that time period. However, that's not always possible when world events and orders change. We book Carnival's military rate and when final payment comes up, we make sure any travel insurance we purchase includes coverage for issues related to military service (we've used Travel Guard).

Thankfully, we haven't had to cancel after final payment, but we have needed to cancel and rebook for another time.

If I were you, I would change to a date earlier than Oct 2017 if at all possible. Trying to keep your original date just isn't worth the stress.

Im new to Carnival, but have been reading these boards religiously. This is the first I've heard of filet mignon in the dining room. Is this every ship or only the Miracle?

 

 

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Menus between ships are generally similar, but may not be exactly the same. On the elegant nights, usually one night will have prime rib and lobster as entree selections, and the other will have a filet mignon option. It will be small piece and not freshly seared or anything, but I wouldn't call it pot roast! If you don't like something, don't hesitate to ask your waiter for something else. Waiters will often bring me two entrees if I've asked questions while trying to make a decision.

I have pretty severe reactions to MSG and have never once experienced it on any cruise ship.

I tend not to eat the buffet very much, but I've never found the desserts to be good there, except for the cookies.

I have a hard time believing that the dining room food was inedible. Expectations should be more in-line with banquet food, not 5 star restaurant. They are trying to feed a lot of people at one time, and some things come out better than others. I always ask the waiter for his/her recommendations. Not only have they tried it all, they also tend to know which dishes are enjoyed the most. Between appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts, if a particular dish is a "miss" I don't mind too much. Some things may not be to my taste, but I find many items that I consider to be quite good. I wonder if the OP knew that she could request something different from the waiter when she found that she didn't like the filet mignon?

And I think I COULD eat the 4 cheese pizza everyday! Hard to keep myself from grabbing a piece for a just a snack when I'm on the lido!

I'm with you on late dining. If it's just my husband and I, we like late dining. No rushing back from port to get ready for dinner, time for a pre-dinner drink, etc.

When we are with the kids, we do early so that the kids can enjoy the kids club for a few hours before it closes and we can go to some of the shows and hang out at Alchemy.

I can't stand Your Time Dining. I like having the same wait staff throughout the cruise and it's nice to get to know tablemates.

8:15 really isn't that late. It's not like you have to get up at 5 am and go to work the next day.

We do Mexican Riviera because it's an easy drive to the embarkation port. There are things that we really like about the itinerary. The water can be beautiful and warm in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan depending on where you go. The first and last day are not always cold (depending on the time of year you sail). We love cruising, so we'll take it, but as others have said, given the choice, hands down we'd choose Caribbean.

They will have 4 beds in the room, though there is no guarantee what the configuration will be.

I booked guarantee cabin for 3 on the Imagination. The room did not have a pullman. There was a a rollaway mattress literally on the floor at the foot of the bed. I had two elementary school-aged kids with me, so it was fine, but older children may not have been happy with that arrangement.

Wow, that's a gard one for me. I love the thought of going to St. Maarten...Maho Beach is a bucket list item for me. On the other hand, I've never been to Curacao and it's been a loooooooooong time since I've been to Aruba...and there is an extra sea day, which I like. All that being said, I'd pick Southern, even though it means missing out on Maho Beach.

FYI While we were in St. Maarten in Sept 2015 on boat excursion, we stopped near Maho Beach to watch the aircraft land. The beach has washed away. Only rocks in the area now.

Just trying to narrow it down to a couple of names so at least the water taxi dude knows where to take us! LOL

 

So all of these restaurants are within walking distance of each other?

:D

When we took the water taxi over, there appeared to be a roped off "lane" for boats to pull up to the beach in. There may be more than one, but we were dropped off at the northern end of Medano. It was a short walk past the more rowdy bars to the area where The Sand Bar, Tabascos, and The Office are. We met our boat back at that same spot at the prearranged pick up time.

While we took a quick dip into the water, it was rather cold, with some strong waves and got deep quickly. It was good for cooling off, but not a great beach for playing in the water, in my opinion. Stone Island in Mazatlan was fantastic for a good beach day!

The Sand Bar had tables down below on the beach as well. We didn't get there early enough for one and sat upstairs, which was fine. Later in the day, tables on the beach opened up.

Yes, juice pouches are fine. I've successfully done it.

All aboard time in SF was 10:30 pm.

My favorite in SF was a tour to Muir Woods. Muir Woods were absolutely amazing! Our tour allowed us around 90 minutes there to hike the loop but we could have stayed quite a bit longer.

If I recall correctly, a water taxi was about $5 per person to Medano. We had the guy who took us over come back at a specific time (Cabo time and ship were different so we had to keep track of that) and pick us up, but there are plenty of other water taxis waiting if you don't want to prearrange pick up.

When I booked a Coastal for 2014, I booked a cabin at a price that was acceptable to me and then watched the price and available cabins up until final payment. Days before payment was due, I saw that there were many cabins still available and predicted the price would down after final payment was due. So I canceled and watched prices. Sure enough, within a couple weeks, the price went down a good bit. I need a cabin for 3 so I couldn't wait to see if would go down even more.

For my most recent Coastal, I got a good deal after final payment because someone had canceled their cruise and the cabin became available.

It's a gamble, but it can pay off! Good luck!

Besides the mini-suite option, which as others have said would be similar to the Disney cruise set up, you could choose to book 2 balcony cabins that are next to each other. The cabin steward can open the divider between the balconies and you may travel between cabins without having to go into the hallway.

We've had main-suite for one cruise and booked 2 balcony cabins for another. I would do either of those over 4 in a Princess balcony. It's just too small. Depends on price and how comfortable you are with kiddos sleeping in their own room.

I'll drink the coffee from concentrate when in the dining room, buffet, or from room service. It's not great, but (in my opinion) it's not the horrible swill some seem to make it out to be. I do drink it with sweetener and cream, so that likely helps. Sometimes I'll pay for a speciality coffee at the International Cafe. Coffee is not a deciding factor in my cruise choices.

Before deciding that you have to buy a coffee card, try the free stuff. You might be fine with. I just wish you could get real mugs instead of the tiny tea cups. I find drinking out of those feels awkward!

But what about the Captain whose position means he could be called to the Bridge anytime?

 

Would you be worried if you saw him having a cocktail or two?

Not really. While the Captain is ultimately responsible for everything that happens aboard this ship, if called to the bridge during an emergency and he has had a couple drinks, he won't take over command of the bridge. There are other officers with plenty of experience to give the orders.

Most buses do not even have seatbelts, so I wouldn't think a child seat would be provided or required for a toddler. You may want to do some research on the local carseat laws. Since there is a charge for the child, she should receive her own seat, but would probably like to sit in a lap as well.

I never cruised with my kids until I felt that they would be able to behave while eating in the dining room, but that's only because I wanted to be able to relax while on vacation. It annoys me when people automatically assume that children are going to be loud or unruly. Families with young children have every right to go on vacation. Children won't always behave perfectly, but also I've been around plenty of obnoxious adults who could have used an authority figure correcting their behavior. As for the dirty diapers...really? I suppose any incontinent seniors, those with IBS, or gas issues should also avoid traveling on bus excursions?

Certainly try to be considerate of fellow passengers. Anyone traveling with a small child should take into consideration the child's temperament. If you don't think they will do well, don't take them. It would be too stressful for you. If you do think they will do well, just make sure you have plenty to keep them occupied. Bring snacks and a smartphone with games the little one will be happy playing (with the volume muted or very, very low).

A couple years ago I was in Vines while the Captain was there with his girlfriend. It didn't occur to me to pay attention if he was having a glass or if it was just his girlfriend. We were in open ocean and he wasn't on the bridge, so why not?

The US Navy does carry beer on board. After being at sea for 45 continuous days and with more than 5 days left before coming into port, each sailor 21 years and old receives 2 beers. It's called a Beer Day.

We went to one of the other quiet restaurants near The Office and were told "Mi casa es su casa, stay as long as you like!" As long as you are spending money on something there, I'm sure you will be welcome.

This is true, in San Diego they always seem to be bow in. However, there are 3 possible piers, two starboard side and one port side docking, assuming bow in.

Yes, you are correct. I wrote about port side to pier and in my head I was just thinking about the view! :roll eyes: If only one ship is in, the starboard side will have downtown/Midway/south bay views, port side has Point Loma/Shelter Island/Harbor Island/north bay views.

If more than one ship is in, I guess it's a crap shoot, and you might only have a view of another cruise ship.

Transiting out of the bay, port side will have great views of Coronado and North Island Naval Air Station, starboard will have views of the submarine base and Point Loma.

Which side of the ship is to the dock in San Diego depends on which pier you are at.

I used to drive by the cruise ship piers several times a week. I don't think I've ever seen one of them backed in. I guess it's possible, but the norm is definitely bow first.

Highly recommend touring the Midway when in port.

We absolutely love going over to Stone Island. Last visit, there were only 2 couples and 1 family from our cruise who went there. It's a popular spot with locals on the weekends, but not too many are there during the week so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. It's an easy walk to the water taxi, and after being dropped off on the other side of the waterway, we walked down the beach to Lety's. Stayed there all delaying in lounge chairs, playing in the water, and eating (excellent coconut shrimp) and drinking for dirt cheap. The restaurant even had a boogie board that my husband borrowed for a bit. There are ATVs that can be rented for rides down the beach, or vendor's who offer banana boat rides. We're doing another cruise that stops in Mazatlan with our kids later this year and I can't wait to go back to Stone Island.

Thank you!

When we did that cruise in Sept 14, we had a port side balcony. While in SF, it faced toward Fisherman's wharf and I could see Coit Tower, so it was port side next to the pier. I don't know if that's normal though.

It was also port side to pier in Sand Diego, with views of the bay to the North. You would have downtown/bay views on starboard.