jdemps

Can you just buy both before you leave your home?  That's what I would do.  If you can't do that, call carnival and ask them how it works when on ship to buy cheers for next cruise.

I just put a credit card on the account and go to load gift cards when there isn't a line.  it's really not a big deal unless you don't have a credit card at all.

Bonine is better than dramamine in my opinion but you need to start that 3 days before cruising to be sure you don't get seasick.

Earplugs - the ship & it's passengers make strange noises throughout the night...lol

Liquid IV hydration multiplier - mix in a water bottle and drink before bed and when you wake up to prevent hangovers and general dehydration

Shower caddy - I take a small mesh one so my stuff isn't all over the shower floor

Soft sided cooler - we use this to keep room drinks cool & it packs flat in the suitcase; we also take it on excursions

Sugar or waffle cones for the ice cream machine - way better than what carnival offers and that's if they aren't out of stock

Have fun with the noobs!  

We like to take our luggage on with us too.  I don't like waiting and hoping my bag doesn't get lost.  I had at least 3 friends sail without their luggage before and that was not fun.  We have 28" and 29" tall large hardside cases and it always fits through the scanner.  Have fun on your cruise.

Cheers drink package works on day one out of Long Beach.

I don't recall there being much fog or storms to worry about with Long Beach - we've always left on time and we've done 5 cruises out of Long beach.

Long beach port area is about 30 - 45 minutes from LAX depending on traffic.  If you are landing on a weekday, there will be pretty thick traffic by the time you get into an uber or cab around 8am so I would plan for an hour to be safe.

We choose AirBnB over hotels in the Long Beach Area to have more room to relax. 

The hotels close to the port are around $150 - $300 per night and there are many restaurants and bars to walk to if you stay in the port area.

Have a great cruise!

7 minutes ago, cheermomof2girls said:

 

Yes, when I factor in that it's done on the purchase price of the package, not the amount of drinks/coffee, etc that I am served.  If I typically tip $2 a drink, but on cheers I drink 10-12 including coffee, etc, my around 9 dollars a day on the cheers  would make the tip much smaller than what I would otherwise tip.  SO, I add a little to it to it in appreciation for great service.  If the service is not great, I dont add to it.  Outstanding service and a lot gets added.  

 

And, I'm not entirely sure how the tips are divided up when you purchase Cheers, so I do what suits myself and tip extra.  It's a personal choice though, and no one is under any obligation to.

We think the same on this tip situation.  The value of our drinks is typically about $100 per day, per person and we only tip around $9.50 per person on pre-purchased cheers price of $52 per day.  We always give an extra buck or two on every drink order.  

Are there bike taxi's available at the cruise pier to take us to the Shack?  

How much do you typically spend at Jack's Shack when there for about 4 hours eating and drinking for 2 people.  We're not on a budget or anything, I can't find anything with prices so just curious if about $300 if enough or if we should take more.  We definitely want some sauce to go if we like it.  Thanks for your help!

FTTF just appeared in the excursions for Sunrise on 2/22/20 yesterday.  It was 65 days out I think.  It never opened once until yesterday.  I believe if it is sold out, it will show that.  Good Luck.

I did post in the Carnival forum as well and got several responses.  With FTTF you get on the ship before all of the general boarding passengers so that is why I plan to arrive about 10:15am and get on an hour or so before first regular boarding time of noon.  

Thanks for the info!  Sounds like my plan to leave at about 10am will be good.  I think its about 10 minutes to get to the port.

I posted this in Florida departures but that area doesn't get as many visits as this main forum for Carnival so posting here as well.  What time should we be at the port for FTTF on Sunrise out of Port Everglades?  The earliest check in time was noon.  I was thinking we would leave AirBnB off Las Olas at 10am and head down.  Thanks for your help.  It finally opened today and I really just get it so we can carry on our bag and go straight to the room after getting on early to avoid the crowds.  

What time do you arrive at port everglades if you have FTTF on Carnival?  Earliest check in time is 12:00pm so I was thinking of heading to the port at 10am from our AirBnB which is off Las Olas.  Thanks for your help!  I couldn't get the search function to work on this site - it just thinks forever and doesn't load anything.  

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The gift cards are similar, the only difference being there are a few more things that gift cards may be used for. 

What are the items you can't pay for with cruise cash?  I didn't know it didn't cover everything.

We book about 18 months out and buy items as the time ticks down.  We always get $500 cruise cash that I buy with discounted carnival gift cards.  I also add gift cards to the account since you can only get $500 per cabin.  We use it in the casino, restaurants, shopping, etc.  We always buy the generic cruise cash one, not bar or whatever the other one is.  

Have a great cruise!

2 hours ago, coevan said:

I brought the confirmation but never had to show it to anyone. We walked up to the Cheers booth, told them our name and they put the stick on our S&S card

Is it necessary to have the sticker?  Lat time it was all sticky and kept sliding around so I just pulled it off.  Doesn't it show cheers when they swipe it?  I don't plan to even get a sticker next time.

I have to believe the bad reviews about crowding are from people that sailed prime family time in Summer so most cabins are at max capacity.  I think number of days & destination has an impact on crowds too.  Take some noise cancelling headphones and it will be easy to find a quiet spot.  Good luck planning.  

I checked the rates on my booked cruises and none of them were cheaper with the sale.  I book 18 months out so maybe that's why.  We also don't book the inside or oceanview rooms and I'm wondering if those are really the only ones ever on a good deal?  oh well, the price I booked was fine when we booked it.  have fun!

Plan for $50 - $100 per person to enjoy the Alaskan king crab in Juneau @ Tracy's crab shack right on the pier. 

I didn't notice any additional or different menus on AK cruise vs other destinations.  The games were on our fun times but it was better to be outside watching the scenery and wildlife than be in the bar playing games.  The did have different items in the fun shops geared toward colder weather and sight seeing.  More sweatshirts and things like that. 

Not many kids on our AK cruise starting on Memorial day, which was nice and a change from warmer weather cruises. 

There weren't ever 10 kids in the hot tubs peeing it it everyday....lol 

Have fun if you go!

If there is even a slightly picky eater, chef's table isn't the way to go.  A lot of seafood and raw dishes from the menus I've seen that's why we don't book it.  At the steakhouse you have choices, at Chef's table, they bring you what they are making.  I believe you can call ahead and let them know of any allergies or foods to avoid.  I would book steakhouse but be sure you have at least 2-3 hours because service is painfully slow.

34 minutes ago, jcool said:

I would say save your money because one time I lost $75 doing what you want to do.

I know how to be sure I don't have any cruise cash at end of cruise so I would never lose it by accident.  I like to start the cruise with at least $500 onboard credit and then add gift cards when I arrive.  Thanks.

I know cruise cash is non-refundable if you have a balance left at end of cruise but is it refundable if you end up cancelling the cruise?

Thanks,

6 hours ago, samrothstein said:

Being that there was ample available seating whenever we were in there, I don’t think anyone would complain if you grabbed a table and didn’t order any pasta, but if there’s limited seating I’d go elsewhere. 

Thank you.  nice to know if the lido is completely full, there is another place to grab a table.  I am hoping the lido chaos of summer and fall cruise reviews won't apply to our 2/22/20 cruise since it's winter season and kids are in school.  🙂

I have the plastic holders but I do wait until day of cruise to attach.

If it were me I would get a cab or even two depending on how large your luggage is.  Will one cab take 4 people and their luggage?  I wouldn't worry about cheapest way but rather the fastest way.  You're already saving because you didn't have hotel fees night before.  Good luck and have a great cruise.