FinallyCruisinIn2014

We stayed there pre cruise in May and it was very nice. Great location and everything is right out on the street that you could possibly want - shopping, dining, beach.

Thanks! Unfortunately, you can't search whether or not they have a balcony. I've got it narrowed down to the Courtyard (no balcony) and the Hilton (balcony but doesn't look like many shops or restaurants are nearby). I guess I have to decide what's more important.

I know what I want LOL I just can't seem to find it.

I'd like a hotel with a balcony near the Courtyard Marriott. In that general vicinity where the shops and restaurants are (sorry, I have only been there once so my description may not be the best). Any suggestions?

I am looking at the Riptide Oceanfront Hotel. It is a small hotel but gets decent reviews. It is right on the beach. I have never stayed in this area but it seems to be nice. They are building a Margaritaville Resport that is supposed to open this summer. There is a thread on this board about that with a little more info on the Broadwalk.

We stayed at the Riptide in January for one night pre cruise. Was it a Marriott or a Margaritaville quality place? Nope. But we didn't pay those kind of prices either. It was clean; it's directly on the beach; walkable to the crazy, fun, busy part of the boardwalk but not close enough to hear the noise when you sleep. Our room was HUGE. Kitchen, table with 3 chairs, pullout sofabed and two queens (maybe doubles, not sure). We looked right out to the ocean. I'd recommend it. Just know what you're getting. An older independently owned hotel that still has real keys for the door and no free buffet breakfast in the morning. No elevator either but it's only 2 stories.

I can't help with YTD, sorry, I've never used it. But there are plenty of people here who can answer all your questions about that, and I'm sure they'll chime in soon.:)

 

For HMC, the drink prices will be the same as onboard the ship. Mixed drinks will be in the $10 range. And yes, a buffet lunch will be provided on the island (yes, it is included in your cruisefare:))- hotdogs, hamburgers, and something else, chicken, maybe?

Thank you! This may make a difference on whether we get Cheers or not. Lots of differences from RCI that I'm used to.

I have taken several Carnival cruises over the years and never had a problem with the YTD until last week on the Imagination.

 

Since you cannot book a seating time in advance (as we could do on our HAL cruises), your only option is to show up and wait for a table. (You'll get a "buzzer" to announce when your table is ready, but you can't go too far from the dining room.)

 

Last week, we (2 people) went to dinner after 8 pm each night--not exactly the main dining hour. Yet on Elegant Night, we had to wait 30 minutes for a table. On the last night, there was no line of diners but we were told the wait would be at least 45 minutes! The menu wasn't worth our waiting that long to eat, so we just got a pizza.

 

We are taking another Carnival cruise in October (Pride) and have already chosen a set dining time. You might want to consider doing that too.

Okay, thanks. I'll have to consider changing, though I hate a set dining time every single night. To add another question: if we did a traditional seating time, can we still request a table for 2?

And thanks Riffatsea for your answer, too - confirmed the above :)

For starters, I can help clear up the FTTF time issue: That time slot that you are referring to is listed in the "Date and Time" of your shore excursion list, isn't it? That is a "fake" time, just a space-filler because they needed to put something in that slot on your docs. Ignore that - it means absolutely nothing. It is not the same as your Check-in time. You choose your check-in time from your "Manage My Cruise" page, if your port is one that has the staggered check-in protocol in effect. Even though you have FTTF, you still need to choose a check-in time. You don't have to show up at that time, but you have to pick a time slot. I hope this makes sense.:o

Yes! And thank you so much - I just did that. Got the first time slot of 11/11:30 :)

Hi! We are new to Carnival cruises but have previously cruised Royal Caribbean.

Just booked the Conquest for a May, 2017 sailing and purchased FTTF. It says 12-1p.m. on my confirmation. Does that mean that is when we are able to board or do I still have to do the assigned boarding time? (I can't find where that is available if it is yet).

Also, we chose YTD. Is there a way to make reservations in the main dining room or do we have to just show up and wait for a table each night?

Lastly (for now LOL), our cruise goes to Half Moon Cay. The Cheers program says that the private island is NOT included in the drink program (which is a bummer). Does anyone have an idea how much beer/frozen cocktails are on HMC? Will there be a buffet lunch provided that is included in our cruise fare?

Thanks in advance for your help :) I am very excited to try out CCL!!

I will, thank you, Misty. I just wanted to get a general idea of things available in the ports.

Thank you so much!!

I'm new to Carnival - just trying to learn my way around all the differences from RCI

Hi - I'm trying to decide between a few cruises and before I book I want to see what excursions are available. I cannot find anywhere on the CCL website, other than the very vague crawler, what type of excursions are available in the ports.

Any hints?? thanks :)

Looking forward to the rest! We sail this itinerary next weekend!!

These are two choices through RCI to see a bit of the city / local area. Are both of these modes of transportation available to anyone on a walk up basis? If so, how much per person? Are they close to the tender port area or will we have to get a taxi to them? With 5 of us, $50 each seems kind of prices for an hour and a half tour if we can just do it ourselves. Thanks for any help or advice :)

While I can't comment on the excursion we did an Akumal sea turtle snorkel on a land vacation in Playa Del Carmen and it was fantastic! The turtles are not far off from shore and they were plentiful. Also some very colorful coral and a couple sting rays, too. You'll enjoy it!

Looking forward to the next leg of your cruise as we are doing the 5 night on January 2nd!

Thanks, Becci :) I'm a bit nervous to take a private company :eek: I'm sure it would be fine but then..... what if it's not?? I'm a wimp that way ;)

Thank you! And sorry..... it's an RC excursion snorkeling to the barrier reef. I know the tender for the excursion picks up at the ship instead of having to take the tender to the mainland and then drops off at the ship, too.

I'm not overly thrilled with the choices I've read about in Belize, which is why we are considering a ship sponsored excursion.

I asked this in the Belize forum but no answer (ya, it's a holiday weekend but I'm impatient :p )

Wanted to get feedback on this excursion with RCI passengers specifically.

The reviews are saying the boat ride there is either 1.5 hours or 45 minutes - lol that's a big difference! Anyone have experience with it?

I'm a bit concerned with ocean conditions the beginning of January. Do you think we need to worry that the water will be rough? Is it historically at that time of year?

Also, if we take the 8:30 excursion and get back to the ship by 12:30/1:00 will that leave us time to then take the a tender over to the mainland and check out the mainland alittle bit. I believe we leave port at 6 that day so it sounds like it should be plenty of time. Just wondering if anyone has ever done it.

Thanks

I'm in the same boat ;) But I've come to realize that I don't think this particular cruise has actually sailed yet. We are going in January. I think I read the itinerary for Indy 5 day western starts in November maybe ??

I have no personal experience yet but I just did mock bookings: FLL to 17th street and FLL to FLL and I'm getting the same price on Avis. Also, pretty decent savings on AARP discount compared to regular booking if that's something you can do.

Wanted to get feedback on this excursion with RCI passengers specifically.

The reviews are saying the boat ride there is either 1.5 hours or 45 minutes - lol that's a big difference! Anyone have experience with it?

I'm a bit concerned with ocean conditions the beginning of January. Do you think we need to worry that the water will be rough? Is it historically at that time of year?

Also, if we take the 8:30 excursion and get back to the ship by 12:30/1:00 will that leave us time to then take the a tender over to the mainland and check out the mainland alittle bit. I believe we leave port at 6 that day so it sounds like it should be plenty of time. Just wondering if anyone has ever done it.

Thanks :)

Thank you! I've heard the same about choice air but I wasn't sure if maybe Puerto Rico was different than a domestic flight.

Interesting on the reason. I guess that does make sense. I'm just glad we can board the ship at a "normal" time. I originally thought we couldn't get on until late in the afternoon.

Another question I remembered: We have connecting balcony rooms on deck 7. I think I read that the balcony dividers do not come out on Adventure. Is this true for every deck / balcony?

Doing AotS for the first time in Jan. 2016! Hoping I can get some initial questions answered here? :)

1. The itinerary we have seems to only be sailing about 5 times. It's San Juan to St. Croix/St. Kitts/St. Maarten/Dominica/Barbados. Just wondering the reason for the switch up in ports for some cruises?

2. Departure is 8:30 p.m. but I'm reading we can board as early as 11:30-ish. Just curious why ships leave San Juan so late?

3. We will have two young adults with us - ages 18 and 20. It's my understanding that they could legally have alcohol in San Juan if they wish but they cannot drink on the ship, true?

4. Flights into SJPR. Generally best to book myself or through choice air? Obviously, neither option is available yet but I'm curious if anyone has found it less expensive through RCI coming from the States.

TIA :)

My son wanted a new coffee mug so we looked to see if it said no hot and it is etched into the rim of the lid. Very hard to see if you are not looking for it.:)

And clearly I would not be looking for that BEFORE I had my coffee LOL :D

Personally, even if an OV or balcony was the exact same square footage as an inside, I would still get the cabin that gave me the ability to get natural light and a view. That's something you'll need to decide whether or not the extra money is worth the advantage of not having any sense of "time" in an inside cabin. I can't do an inside - I need to be able to see OUT.

The newer soda cups, the ones that are clear plastic that have the RFID chips in them on some ships, specifically say on the lids cold drinks only. We use the older, black cups for coffee all the time, but not the new ones.

Oops! really? I guess I missed that warning. Well, it kept my coffee hot :)