mommareds

Thanks for the reassurance! Just strange, as of a week or so ago there were a bunch of open balcony cabins on multiple decks when I did a test booking. For it to completely sell out in that time didn't seem like the answer if they're still trying to upgrade me...just had me confused. 

But I appreciate your replies, and I got my email with my tickets today so I'm pretty sure we're good! 

So we're booked on the 10/9 out of Trieste on the Splendida.

Just yesterday we got another email offering us upgrade options for Oceanview, obstructed balcony and deluxe balcony.

But when I looked on MSC website to check how many are left (because I'm willing to play my odds and go to the last second lol) I couldn't find our specific cruise ANYWHERE. Under any combo of searches no matter how specific or general.

So I started just checking randomly, and some other sellers (cruise. Com etc) don't seem to have it either???

What does this mean?

Sorry, I'm new to msc... maybe there's a reasonable explanation for this? But right ATM I'm a touch nervous... 

Thank you! 25th anniversary cruise so it would have to be pretty bad to even register as "bad" for us 🤣 as far as we're concerned it's our first time away alone since our honeymoon so it's guaranteed to be amazing no matter what happens 💯 

@CruisingFox27 thank you! 

Hi! I booked the 10/9 out of Trieste on the Splendida. It lists Mykonos as a stop, shows it on the map.

On our booking it still shows Mykonos on the map but lists Santorini in the itinerary? 

I can't take a screenshot of my booking or I'd attach it.

But anyone have a clue what gives? 

On 3/4/2019 at 10:29 AM, pcur said:

Mommareds:  Oh, WOW!!  Incredible sewing!

 

How did you do the paniers?  Extra fabric, built them?  Amazing costumes.  

Yes I made actually 4 sets of paniers-- the first set all 3 of us used for allllll the fittings was worn out by "go time" so I made 3 new sets. And although that's everyone's biggest question (how did you get them there?!?!) It was very easy. The paniers folded in half and collapsed. Everything we wore packed in 1 checked bag.  of course, 2 of those sets of paniers got left behind at CDG when we were overweight coming home. It was a choice between them or the bottles of wine...

@pacruise804 thank you!

@6rugrats thank you!

@mef_57 I did. My poor fingers wanted to die by the end lol! Thanks! 

Well, I mean, twist my arm if you must  I'm sure I could dig up 1 or 2 photos...or 1000....my daughter is in the cream, her BFF is in the red and gold. The first shot isn't great in terms of showing their outfits but I just love the look being exchanged between my husband and daughter Very few pics of me (in the green) bc I was the designated photographer lol. Some of the dresses have since been worn again by my daughter's friends who went to a ren faire this summer and I was happy to see them get more use. It was an amazing experience!

We haven't done any cruising in a few years  But our last vacation took up quite a bit of sewing time! ~~~Took our oldest daughter and her best friend to Paris for graduation last May and went to an 18th c themed costume ball at Versailles while there. We had the whole trip planned and then found out about this at the last minute and decided WHY NOT??? So I had 2.5 months to whip up 3 "robes à la français" and 1 men's 4 piece suit, with underpinnings and accessories. 100% worth it. 😁

We haven't done any cruising in a few years  But our last vacation took up quite a bit of sewing time! ~~~Took our oldest daughter and her best friend to Paris for graduation last May and went to an 18th c themed costume ball at Versailles while there. We had the whole trip planned and then found out about this at the last minute and decided WHY NOT??? So I had 2.5 months to whip up 3 "robes à la français" and 1 men's 4 piece suit, with underpinnings and accessories. 100% worth it. 😁

Thank you for this, sooooo much. we are just at the start of our GF journey with our 6 year old, and knowing she's going to have so many options on our cruise this week almost makes me cry. It's been rough having to say "no" so often, when her siblings eat whatever. :o

we did the Bermuda cruise...2 3/4 days in one port. I'd do it again in a hot minute. absolutely loved Bermuda itself, and the fun of seeing a port of call in a much less frantic and nerve-wracking always-checking-your-watch way. loved it.

So this is a question I've had for a while, and haven't really found a good answer...

when people say they tip the steward/waiter/etc a bit over and above the recommended daily grats....how much are we talking? $5? $100?

It sounds stupid, but for instance....My kids are VERY excited about the towel animals. If I mention this and our steward is awesome and makes them great ones and I give him like $10, is that laughable and he'll be annoyed or expecting more? or that's fair? Or $5 is sufficient?

Sorry if my question makes no sense, and I know it's so gauche to talk about money...;)

Unless they spend a considerable amount of time in the arcade do you think they will spend 20+ each day

Our cruise in 2007 my dad stood next to a woman at guest services having a meltdown because her son had spent OVER $900 at the arcade in a week.

Um, duh?!??!! I 100% blame the parent for that. Not sure how it turned out, when dad left she was still fighting and they were saying, "sorry! But you gave him charging privileges!"

Oh, I really appreciate this! And that is an excellent reminder about the permission letters as well.

 

To the bolded, I really think that's what this trip will do for us. Life with kids is a whirlwind and having ours so close together feels like we haven't taken a deep breath in over 3 years. haha

Amen girl. I was pregnant 9 months after the I do's (oops!) And then it never stopped....ha! We have 5 now, and this was so amazingly necessary I can't even tell you. More so than either of us even realized until we were actually there.

So tell the mom guilt to shut up. Happy couples make happy parents. Giving your children 2 parents who are in love and partners is just as important as caring for them in any other way.

MY husband and I did a 7 night to bermuda for our 15th anniversary in oct 2013. Our kids were aged 2-13 at the time and it was the first time we'd left them (besides one nighters at a friends/grandparents). And our first childless vacation since our honeymoon!

I was a wreck up until we pulled out of our driveway...

but honestly, it was fine. We let them know how we could be reached on board if an emergency arose, the during the 3 days docked in bermuda we called them twice using our cell (pre-purchase worldwide minutes with at&t). They basically didn't want to talk to us lol.

I made a chain for them before we left....each link represented a day, and I wrote on it an idea of what we were doing that day and a little message for them.

They had a blast with grandparents and aunt & uncle. We were ready to see them after a week, happy to be back refreshed and remembering why we did this whole parenting thing in the first place. ;)

So I know I'm not really answering your question, but just wanted to share my experience. Honestly, I know people say it all the time, but it's true: it's much harder on you than it is on them.

Relax and have fun!

P.s....we also left their health ins. Cards, and a notarized letter giving permission for my parents to make medical decisions on our behalf, for the kids, while we were out of the country. Just googled and found a form. Not sure if the notarization was necessary, but we have a friend who's a notary....so, better safe than sorry. Just some other things you may want to consider. :)

Picture of the dress, please!

I actually have no idea how to attach pics here :confused:

But if you're really curious, I was blogging at the time (haven't in about a year now) and did put up some pics on my blog...

http://googiemomma.blogspot.com/2013/10/that-green-dress.html

It sounds like you found a great deal! I work at the other big theme park in Orlando, and I wonder how people can afford to visit us, when you add in the cost of air, car rental, hotel, theme park admission, meals, souvenirs, and express passes if you go to my park.

We thought about flying in a day early and hitting a park for one day...the 2 littlest have never been and are prime "princess" stage :D figured out it would be about $1000 to go for ONE DAY. In my book, that's just insane.

Oh, and to answer one other question I'll probably get....

Our two oldest (14 & 12) do cyber school. They can work ahead and get done everything they need to be completely current with their classes when we return. Our youngest (3) isn't in school. The middle 2 (10 & 6) will be missing 2 weeks of school. We talked to both of their teachers--no problem there, and wrote a note to the principal requesting they be excused. They will work ahead/make up when we get home, and we've also mentioned being happy to do any additional work specific to our trip (reports on the countries, etc.) They're both excellent students , the principal said she had no problems approving the trip.

Our personal feelings...I know not everyone agrees, but we feel the things they'll learn and experience on this trip far outweigh the potential negatives from missing school. We will be travelling to European-governed islands--countries with different cultures, languages, money, food...the potential for education is virtually limitless. Plus the family time and fun.

We lead a very active and busy life, with 5 kids there's never enough time or energy, so we are very much looking forward to electronics free family togetherness (nope, we won't be purchasing a social media plan, either ;) )

My family took a vacation every fall when I was growing up. My brother and I would miss at least a week in the beginning of every school year. I graduated 20th in my class of over 500. I think I was fine. :D

Just figured this out , so I figured I'd chime in....we are taking our 5 children on a 12 day Repo On The Carnival Freedom next month. We booked 2 inside cabins (original plan was 2 OV, but decided to put the price difference of $800 into some "fun stuff"). We are flying into fort Lauderdale, and back home from galveston. I paid for our return flight with cc points saved specifically for this vacation.

Total cost of air, precruise hotel rooms (2), cruise, gratuities (which is 7 people x 12 days OUCH :eek:), private shuttle from cruise port to HOU, fees/taxes/etc....

We're coming in at about $60.25/pppd.

Yep, SIXTY. after reading this thread I went back and double checked my math, because everyone was saying things like $50-$80/pppd for cruise only.

Spending money: Hubby and I aren't huge drinkers, but we will enjoy some. We don't gamble. We're renting vans in 2 islands, will be taking taxis/public transport on the others. We don't go to the specialty restaurants. We will be doing one ziplining excursion (husband and the oldest 3), and a few paid experiences (chakanaab in cozumel, etc.) The kids have been saving their allowance for spending money on souvenirs, we will also kick in a few extra bucks and they will be in charge of how they wish to spend it/what they want to buy.

SO adding in all that, plus a healthy cushion (airport meals, our purchases, etc) we're at about $80/pppd. This is for a 2 week vacation.i don't think I did half bad....

As a matter of fact, I think the hubby should buy me something nice because of all the money I saved :p

As far as whether cruising is an affordable vacation: I side with absolutely YES!

A week in disney, with a cheap meal plan and 5 days of park tickets came in at over $7000. Spending money and air would have put us a few grand over what we're paying--for HALF the amount of time!!! Not to mention how exhausting that trip is! Lol.

I also looked into all-inclusives, again--significantly more money. And our initial plan for this "Big vacation" (we've been saving for a couple years towards an unknown "Big vacation" for our family) was heading to cali for 7-10 days, renting condos and vans and visiting some sites...priced that out at around $7000-8000. And we're back to the intense, busy, non-relaxing and shorter vacation. ...

so all-in-all, for a larger family this is definitely a good deal.

about $2300 - and that's for everything, transportation to/from Europe, tips, taxes, etc, that's less than $100 per day for both of us, and we get to see paris, amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Norwegian fjords!

 

we're happy travelers

Having read this whole thread, I think I must declare you the winner!:D that is an awesome deal!

Our 12 day Repo On The Carnival Freedom leaving next month cost $3690 for 7 of us, port fees/taxes included. A pretty good deal, I thought (that's 2 inside cabins) air from PA to ft. Lauderdale cost me $110/pp, galveston back home I paid for with points.

Total with Grats/air/precruise hotel/shuttle to HOU after is $5920, for 7 people that breaks down to $845/pp, about $60/pp/day for a 14 day vacation.

Taking our 5 kids to the southern caribbean for 12 days? Priceless.;)

(And about half the price of taking our kids to see the over priced mouse for 7 days)

Hi ladies! So excited to have found this thread...

I'm a fairly avid seamstress, mainly for my 4 girls...but I'm finally starting to get over some of issues and make things for myself (besides basic skirts lol)

In Oct 2013 my husband and I went on a 15th anniversary cruise with 3 other couples. Us girls decided to get REALLY dolled up for the first formal night (since by the 2nd we'd probably be too fat for most everything lol) and I searched high and low for a gown...

I'm in my mid 30's, and I felt like everything I found was for either a teenagers junior prom, or the mother of the bride. add to that my particular shape (typical women's wear sizing I'm a 22/24 on top, 14 in the waist, 10/12 in the hips. I'm a bit of an upside down triangle)

So I made myself a gown, and it ranks as the project I'm most proud of ever.

Of course the stress of it was something else...haha, so for our upcoming family cruise I'm sticking to "formal gowns" for my 3 littlest girls, and some flowy long cover ups for me.

And on that note, I better get cracking...Only 13 days until we fly out!

Lovely to 'meet' you fellow seamstresses!

Also, per carnival's F.A.Q, Grats do not apply to childen under 2.

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/#q-267

So yes, it would seem the stateroom attendants are expected to deal with dirty diapers with no further compensation.

Well, this poll/thread has become a bit of a joke and I don't doubt it will be shut down. However, I have been thinking on this and I'd like to add my 2 cents...

this is where I'm coming from: my husband and I will be taking our children (14, 12, 10, 6, 3) on a 12 day cruise next month. Our gratuities will amount to over $1000. yes, OUCH.

do I have that money set aside? YES. Do I plan on paying it? YES. Would I love to find some "legitimate"way to rationalize reducing that amount? :cool: I'm not a millionaire, of course. But again, for emphasis, do I plan on paying my suggested gratuities for all 7 of us: YES.

However....

I also work as a waitress. In my line of work somewhere between 15-20% is considered standard. Note: that is a PERCENTAGE. so if I have a table of 4 adults who order meals and drinks and their bill is $80, I'm looking at $12-16+ (and yes, I'm a dang good waitress, in case that counts for anything :cool:). If I have a table of 2 adults and 2 children they may have a bill of only $40 or $50, so I'm looking at tip of $6-10ish. Do I work just as hard if not harder, bringing crayons, asking ages and cooing, cleaning up the smashed crackers and spilled drinks? Yes, but that's life. I will work just as hard for that $6 as I will for that $16, because that is my JOB. And the fact is children's meals do not cost as much, and so my percentage will not be as much.

However, on the plus side, children can be a LOT less demanding and annoying than their adult counterparts....so there's that...:o

My point is, the "tips" I'm "suggested" to pay on this cruise amount to OVER 30% of my fare. Personally, I would absolutely love if my boss would add a flat rate "suggested gratuity" to each diner who walked in the door--regardless of age or total bill. But that's not the way it works. (Those of you about to comment that you always tip 25%/add extra if there's children/whatever, please save your breath. You are amazing and wonderful and a very, very rare breed and I wish you would come to my restaurant, because the general public does NOT do that)

All that leads me to...

My GUT tells me that no, I personally do not feel I need to tip the same amount for my children under 5 or 6, or 3rd/4th passengers as myself, my husband and our older children.** As 3rd and 4th passengers, I didn't pay the same fares for some of them. So by virtue of their age, and/or as a percentage of their "bill", not the same $12/day.**

Say what you want about more people = more mess in a cabin, but that's not always true. Our rooms are clean when we leave because i teach my children to pick up after themselves. The steward will clean our bathroom for 2 adults as much as he will the bathroom for 5 children.

As far as "well thats you, but other people may not be so neat with 4 people in a cabin", well, that doesn't really matter. 1 or 2 people can be complete slobs in a room. 4 people can be neat. The number of people does not determine the amount of mess. The only guarantee is there will be extra beds to make up. Why not fill out a "cleanliness questionaire" along with the health questionaire, and then charge accordingly. I'm sure everyone will be just as honest on the former as they are on the latter.**

one Last Thought before I go...

2 hotel rooms for 7 people for 12 nights @ $10/day to cleaning staff: $240

Buffet breakfast 12 days table cleaning tip: $120

Takeout/fast casual lunch 12 days: $0

Fine dining for 7, 8 nights tipping on approx $160: $256

Buffet dinner 4 nights: $40

misc. (high tea, Seuss breakfast, etc.) $100

-------------------------------------------

$756

But just one last time, so we're clear, and for those in the cheap seats: will I be paying the "suggested gratuity " amount of over $1000? YES. Because that's the way it works in the cruise industry.

**before you flame me for these statements, please refer to the above sentence. Thank you.

Thank you for your replies. Crunching some numbers it looks like we're around 6%...so maybe the reduced benefits /lower time frame until departure have something to do with it?

Either way, I think we can safely say this is one time where we WON having 5 kids ;):cool: