Family4Cruisin

This is our first time sailing out of our home Port and first time on Carnival. I have to say that I am not impressed with the Charleston Port. The Charleston Port needs to work on being more efficient with how they handle moving along traffic and where to guide people. We went through what seemed like a driving obstacle course just to get dropped off. We had to keep telling prople we were being dropped off cause they kept trying to send us to parking. On a good note, it did not take anytime at all to get checked in and on ship....10-15 minutes maybe. We checked in then walked right on ship. All the crew we have encountered so far have been very friendly and welcoming,

Chances are you are on deck 6, right? That is the normal color code for that deck. You will need the bright orange sticker still.

Yes, we are on deck 6 in a Grand Suite. I am glad to know this extra bit of info. As a previous poster advised, I will watch the porter place the orange sticker on luggage before tipping and heading to terminal.

You need to tell the porter and watch them put them on. Many don't pay attention to the FTTF logo when grabbing your bags and they get sorted by the orange tags. No tag, no priority. I don't walk away until I see the tag on my bag.

The luggage tag I printed for our upcoming cruise with the stateroom number is orange and says "Priority."

Is this the orange tag you are talking about or is an additional one added to the luggage?

Enjoying your review. We sail on the Ecstasy next month. Do they enforce the dress code on elegant night?

Enjoying your review. We sail on the Ecstasy next month. Do they enforce the dress code on elegant night?

New to me! Believe me, I scoured reviews here to pass the time before the cruise and I didn't see that. I thought maybe on large parties etc, or a suggested tip, but I wasn't aware it would be built in, plus a line for additional tipping. Like I said, just throwing it in there for those not aware or other new cruisers that wouldn't expect it.

I did not know they automatically added gratuities to massages, etc either so thank you for heads up!

We will be on the Ecstasy in October for our 25th anniversary. I booked online and got us the Grand Suite with extended balcony. Did you book via phone and tell Carnival you were celebrating your anniversary?

Look forward to hearing more of your review.

We love the "Freestyle Cruising" concept. You had the option to dress up for dinner in the MDR and were not turned away because you decided to wear a t-shirt and shorts instead. They have a nice laid back atmosphere. I can not compare NCL to any other line as they are the only line we have cruised on.

Our first cruise was on NCL Sky in 2012. We had 2 balcony rooms, 1 for us and 1 for the teenagers. We loved the ship, the crew was awesome, the food was great. We had a great time. Would sail on her again. :D

In 2015, we sailed on the Getaway. We had 2 mini suite balcony rooms. The rooms were just a bit larger than your normal balcony room. We thought the food was mediocre compared to the Sky. We did not feel like they utilize large spaces on the ship very well because some of the activities we did were crowded due to areas they were held in. The Getaway offered more in terms of activities like the ropes course and climbing wall which we enjoyed. The pool was the same size as the one on the Sky but for 4000 people instead of 2000 and was always overcrowded. Would not sail on the Getaway again. :(

That being said, we are gonna give Carnival a try. They are the only cruise line that sails out of our home port. We are booked on the Ecstasy in October.

Hubby and I are planning on getting a couples massage while on our cruise. How are the spa services on the Carnival Ecstasy? We have the option to purchase and schedule the massage ahead of time. Does it matter if we purchase it ahead of time or is it better to wait until on board to purchase?

Hubby and I will be sailing on Carnival Ecstasy in October to celebrate our 25th Anniversary!! It is a 4 day going to just Nassau. This will be our 3rd cruise but 1st time on Carnival. Charleston is our home port so we thought we would give Carnival a try. Previous cruises have been on NCL Sky and NCL Getaway so we are only familiar with no fixed dining times or pre-assigned seating. We have YTD on the Ecstasy. Will they automatically seat you with others? Do you have to ask for a table for just 2? I think it might be nice to have the option to be seated with a very small group (4-6 max) like 1 or 2 other couples or maybe a few solo cruisers so we can meet/make new friends at dinner. Is this an option? Can we switch it up to where one night we eat alone and the next night sit with a small group? I have read that Carnival changed their menus. Does anyone have any pics of the current menu for a 4 day cruise on Ecstasy? I did a search but did not find pics of the newer menu. Thanks in advance

Hi: I am not a first-time cruiser, but I thought this would be a good forum to get some advice. I would like recommendations for prescription seasickness medication. The medicine I have used in the past, Scopace pills, worked great for me but has been discontinued. It was the same medicine that is contained in the patch, but at a lower dose and could be taken on an "as needed" basis. I will bring Bonine, but I have found it doesn't always work 100% for me in rougher seas. I am considering the Transderm Scop patch, but I have heard so many negative stories. Scopace pills were good because the dose was lower than the patch. Please share your suggestions for prescription meds (I already have all the info I need on over-the-counter or non-drug interventions).

On my 1st cruise I tried MotionEaze and took prescription Meclizine and neither helped with sea sickness. I saw my Dr before my 2nd cruise and he prescribed the Scoplamine patch. It worked great. I had no sea sickness and no side effects that I can remember. Everyone is different, so what works for me may not work for you. Your Dr will prescribe what he/she thinks will work best for you.

Hi Everyone,

I have been following these boards for several weeks, and have received a lot of useful information. I am cruising for the first time with my adult daughter June 3rd and have not seen any post regarding medication or other question that I have.These may seem silly but I'd rather be prepared. So here goes.........

1. Does prescribed medication need to be in the original prescription containers or can they be in one of those weekly (Sat- Sun) containers? I plan on placing the medication in my carry-on luggage.

2. Can I bring my own blow dryer and curling iron?

3. I want to zip line in Belize, however, my daughter is terrified and absolutely refuses to go zip lining. I don't want her to stay on the ship or wandering around the port/ Belize by herself. What are her options?

Thank you in advance!

I always carry my medication in my carry on bag. I don't want to risk needing a medication and not have access to it because of a delay in luggage delivery. I also carry my medications in their original bottle.

I always bring my own hair dryer and have never had an issue.

Are there no excursions that interest your daughter? Is she nervous/reluctant about going on an excursion alone/without you being there?

She could take advantage of an almost empty ship and enjoy an uncrowded pool, enjoy discounted spa services while in port, etc.

When we sailed on NCL a mug was included with the soda program so was unsure if it was the same with Carnival. I think I will pack us each a mug to use on the cruise. Thanks everyone for the replies. :D

Hubby bought us the Bottomless Bubbles package for our upcoming cruise. Does Carnival have Pepsi or Coke products? Do you get a mug to use with the package?

This is our first time on Carnival Ecstasy. I am looking at the different coffee options. I prefer Latte's and Frapps when it comes to coffee preference. What is the difference between the Coffee Bar and JavaBlue Cafe? Thanks in advance

We are going on our 2nd cruise next month on the Getaway. Our 1st cruise was on the Sky a few years ago. I suffered with being sea sick 2 out of the 4 days despite using Motioneaze and prescription Meclizine. I am thinking of using the Scopolamine patch and trying the Sea Bands for this cruise. I would appreciate any advice/suggestions on what anyone has found that works for them to prevent sea sickness.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions.

My Dr prescribed the Scop patch. Applied my first patch the day before the cruise. It worked great! No sea sickness at all!

I was on the same sailing with you this past week. (the one solo guy) It was cool being up close with the sea turtles. And it was nice being in a smaller group rather than with the masses in the other boats. I thought it was a decent excursion.

I know it has been a year since I posted this and since your response but.....

You were not on the same excursion as me/us. There were no solos, everyone was in groups of 2+, for a total of 4 groups. We talked with 2 of the groups during the excursion and they felt the same as we did regarding the request for tips, bashing the other captain, etc. It was an enjoyable excursion, its the captain's professionalism that needs to improve.

This was our first time planning an activity on our own instead of doing a ship excursion. We booked the half day snorkeling/sail with Fury Charters because there were several positive reviews on here from other CC members. This is my first review so please bear with me.

We did the half day snorkeling/sail with Fury Charters last month. The cost was $85/person or if you paid in cash $75/person. We got to Fat Turtle by 8:15 as instructed in the email. It was a short 10 minute walk from the cruise ship. Five people were already there. At 8:30 we were all getting a little nervous because there was no sign of Captain Mike. I ended up calling him and he arrived during our conversation. He did not apologize for being late and keeping everyone waiting. He collected money from everyone then we headed to the dock. There were 3 other groups from our ship for a total of 14 people. Another group was booked but did not show. Our departure was supposed to be 8:30 but instead was closer to 9am. He said he would lengthen our trip as a result but we got back at the original planned time.

Your choices for seating are in the center cockpit (shaded) which contains cushioned seating for about 6-8 people or spread out on the bow or the stern. We took a slow sail to Buck Island. This was my first time on a sail boat. So being able to experience sailing was nice and relaxing. He covered boat safety as we started off. He then gave a little speech about paying for the sail boat, how expensive it is to live there, etc. Several times during his speech he hinted at tipping and even suggested a percentage. I ended up just blocking him out after a few minutes and enjoying the view.

When we got to Buck Island there were 2 catamarans already there. A 3rd showed up about 10 minutes later. Captain Mike bad mouthed another Catamaran Captain (The Cat) how he did not like him, he is a bad captain, blah, blah, blah. Very unprofessional. The ship mate got in the water with us for a brief time. The info she gave us was helpful. We saw 3 turtles, a stingray and several kinds of fish. Everyone was hosed off with warm water as they got back on the sail boat. You are offered rum punch, soda, or water to drink. Snacks included a bowl of pretzels and granola bars. The ride back was of course much faster because he motored most of the way back.

Only one person tipped him at the end of the trip. Would I use his service again? I’m not sure. It was nice not being packed on a catamaran with 50+ other people but Captain Mike needs to work on his punctuality and professionalism.

I just did a post on my blog about our half day sail with Fury Charters. It was a great tour that we were able to walk to our pickup point from the cruise ship. We were able to swim with the turtles and see plenty of fish. Captain Mike was great to deal with and we still had the afternoon to enjoy St Thomas.

 

http://winenchocolate.com/our-half-day-sail-with-fury-charters/

Glad to hear another great review for Fury Charters. I just booked with them for later this month.

The underwater pics you took were great. What kind of water proof camera did you use?

As a relatively seasoned cruiser (13 so far), I still get motion sick (air, land, sea), so I make sure I take meclizine beginning the day before we leave home, and continue throughout the trip. I take it before going to bed, then if I have any sleep-inducing effects, it doesn't matter. I also carry candied ginger in case I start feeling a bit queasy; I chew one and it helps settle things for me.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Where can I find the candied ginger? Is it in the medicine aisle?

Thanks

You really should talk to your doctor.

He knows you better than we do.

I have an appointment to see my Dr but I wanted know what others have tried, what has and has not worked for them.

You are walking distance from BAYSIDE which is a tourist haunt that locals poo-poo .... but hey, you ARE a tourist. It is filled with chain places and I'd avoid those. There are a few GOOD places hiding here tho as well as several nice bars water side for after dinner.

http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/dining-entertainment

 

I'd recommend Los Ranchos

A Miami favorite! Nicaraguan steakhouse specializing in perfectly marinated and grilled steaks and a selection of chicken and fresh seafood. Live entertainment daily. Indoor seating with views of the Bayside marina.

 

or Mambo

Latin and Cuban favorites including Palomilla steaks, Ropa Vieja, Vaca Frita, and so much more! Daily dinner and bar specials. Outdoor seating with views of the Bayside marina.

 

OR

 

many folks find a good time at down in Brickell .. the financial District ... a mile away and you WOULD want to take a taxi.

 

Often receiving good reviews is Perricone's (Italian) ... open 'til 11 nightly.

http://www.perricones.com/about-us

Thank you for the recommendations. I think we will try out Los Ranchos.

We are going on our 2nd cruise next month on the Getaway. Our 1st cruise was on the Sky a few years ago. I suffered with being sea sick 2 out of the 4 days despite using Motioneaze and prescription Meclizine. I am thinking of using the Scopolamine patch and trying the Sea Bands for this cruise. I would appreciate any advice/suggestions on what anyone has found that works for them to prevent sea sickness.

We decided to stay at Intercontinental pre-cruise. Any recommendations for restaurants near the hotel?

Thanks

We are trying to decide between staying at Hampton Inn & Suites Miami/Brickell-Downtown and InterContinental. I know there is a bit of a difference between the two.....Intercontinental is considered a more upscale hotel than Hampton. Intercontinental costs more, charges more for parking, but is closer to the port. Hampton costs less and offers a free breakfast. We need 2 connecting rooms if possible. With the current rates and parking fee, Hampton is $104 less than Intercontinental. I would like to save money but prefer to stay at a good hotel that is highly recommended by others here on CC. Has anyone stayed at either? Do you recommend one over the other?

Thanks