bakersdozen12

It’s a ship, not a boat. That said, the problem with the Carnival shuttles is that you can’t leave port until it’s full. Personally, I find taking a taxi to be easier, quicker and cheaper. There might be a small line, but it moves fast because there’s always an endless supply of taxis. 

We used Galveston Limo, and I would recommend them.  https://galvestonlimo.com/

However, as someone has already said, you are going to have a tough time making that flight no matter what transportation service you book.  Especially in Galveston, which is notorious for fog delays.  Your best bet is to book a later flight that day, or one the next day instead.

Call Carnival and ask.  I'm sure it can be done.  But you definitely need to call.

I've done Jiji's on both the Horizon and Vista.  It's my favorite restaurant on any ship.  And that includes the free food venues.  Absolutely worth every penny. 

16 hours ago, coevan said:

You meet in the MDR with the other B2B guests. They had some pastries and Mimosas.

Where you meet differs depending on the ship and/or specific cruise.  The first time we did a B2B, we met in the atrium.  The second, it was the MDR.  And neither time did we receive pastries. 

Unfortunately, no, this service hasn't been offered for quite awhile now.  I can't recall the reason.  Either because the company doing it is no longer in business, or because the airports won't allow the service.  My guess is either way, it became an issue of people complaining that luggage didn't make it to the airport, and someone not wanting to be held responsible.

He may not be able to board with you, but you can certainly board with him.  Meaning, just wait to go to port until whatever check-in time you are both assigned.  Assuming you are able to choose the same time for both rooms of course; if not, just go at the later time.  Your room will still be ready when you board, though the other one will not be.  But, you will at least have access to one room so that you can drop off your stuff.

No one can tell you what the earliest time will be that YOU can disembark from YOUR cruise, because so many things can happen to cause delays with disembarkation.  Which cannot begin until the ship is cleared by customs.  If you are thinking about booking an early flight, the best advice anyone here can give you is DON'T.  Book early afternoon at the earliest, to be on the safe side.  There's no point in ending your vacation on a stressful note.

30 minutes ago, Greektreats said:

This sounds great to me!  The buffet gets a little old after a couple days.  Does anyone have any idea what sorts of food are served in Cucina and Jiji at lunch?

As a point of clarification, neither of these restaurants are actually open for lunch. It’s just that the venues are used to serve what other ships call Mongolian Wok (in Jiji’s) and Pasta Bella (in Cucina). It’s completely different food than what you would have if you have dinner at these restaurants. Both of which are worth the up-charge for dinner, btw. 

On 1/4/2020 at 5:53 AM, Irish Nana said:

But if the airline will not reimburse you then Carnival should be responsible.  Why should customers be out any money?

Carnival is only responsible for the cruise you paid for. Not flights, transportation, non-Carnival excursions, hotels, etc. That’s not their responsibility because they are not selling you those services. YOU decide to go out and purchase them, separately from the cruise. That’s why travel insurance is sold in the first place. 

2 hours ago, harleydudesat said:

Who do I contact for help on non-refundable domestic airfare?  

Your travel insurance company. 

As shof515 has already pointed out, but to clarify a bit more: they are no longer referred to as “tenders.” They are now called “water shuttles.”

4 hours ago, marci4tony said:

Try Ji Ji's for lunch, one day.  Lunch is included; only dinners are extra.  (you can try the Italian place too, wasn't a fan)

The free lunch available at Jiji’s is really just Mongolian Wok. It is NOT a lunch version of what they serve for dinner at Jiji’s. Same with the Italian place. What they serve for lunch is what Pasta Bella on the Dream serves. It is nothing like what Cucina del Calpitano serves for dinner. Both of the dinner places are worth the up-Charge, though. Especially Jiji’s. They are even better than the Steakhouse. 

Unless the Golds have someone in their cabin that is Platinum, they cannot board with Priority boarding along with you. They can purchase FTTF which will allow them to board shortly after you. Or book a suite and board right after you. 

In addition to the Lamanai Ruins excursion in Belize, I have also been able to receive a price match on the Grand Palladium all-inclusive excursion via Montego Bay.  I matched to the price listed on the Resort for a Day's website, which had a price of $99 per adult. I was able to receive $28.59 per person in OBC.

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/montego-bay/grand-palladium-all-inclusive-beach-resort-423136

https://www.resortforaday.com/grand-palladium/

You can both board separately, but the better question here is will you be prepared to sail without your mom when she misses the ship? Flying in the same day is stupid, to put it mildly. Really, you should be convincing your mom to change her flight. It’s not worth missing the ship. 

You can find this information right on Carnival’s website:

https://www.carnival.com/funtastic-holiday-cruises/christmas-cruises.aspx

On 12/28/2019 at 3:24 PM, ABQrobin said:

Magic is pretty bland compared with Conquest.  

What?! Lol. It’s the total opposite. I love both ships, but the Magic has much more to offer than the Conquest. 

The Carnival website has this nifty tool where you can compare up to three ships and see exactly what is different/the same. 
 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships.aspx

1 hour ago, serene56 said:

Did someone purchase FTTF for you maybe?

FTTF doesn’t get you “Priority” on your luggage tags. They just say “FTTF.” 

29 minutes ago, mommyof3texans said:

 

I did book on a casino promotion but did not look that closely at it while booking, just chose the lowest price one at the time. I booked all of my cruises on a casino promotion available at the time but this is the only one with priority boarding. 

Well then, that’s your answer. You are getting it due to the type of casino promotion you booked under. 

7 hours ago, pozbaird said:

British Airways was a bit more problematic, we have charges that we now must seek to have re-imbursed by Carnival.

Actually, you need to seek reimbursement through your travel insurance. Carnival is not responsible for your flights. Just the cruise you booked with them. 

We just had a Havana interior on the Vista the week before last, and it was so worth being in an interior in order to have access to the Havana pool! Coves are my favorite rooms on ships that have them, but on Vista class ships, I will take an Havana interior over a cove balcony any day. 

4 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

After the Mardi Gras arrives in New York for its' welcome to the US,  it will then go to Port Canaveral where it will be home ported until some time in 2022. While it is there, it will alternate between a 7 day Eastern and a 7 day Western Caribbean itinerary. The ports for each itinerary will remain the same. We've done both itineraries before, and quite honestly neither excites me. I would like to see a few Southern Caribbean itineraries mixed in. I know that a lot of people will book the Mardi Gras just to be on the ship, regardless of itinerary. When we book a cruise, the itinerary is just as important as which ship we are on. 

Thanks, however, I’m aware of all this info already. What I am confused with is your comment about hoping for new itineraries when it gets to its home port. We already know what the itineraries out of its home port are. Which is what I was pointing out. They are already posted. And they are only the two that you mentioned. I think the confusion lies in your reference to when it gets to its home port. What I’m guessing you meant to say is that you are hoping when future itineraries are released, for the rest of 2022 and beyond, there will be some new ones listed. 

On 11/14/2019 at 8:42 AM, beachbum53 said:

I hope that by the time the Mardi Gras is home ported in Port Canaveral that more itineraries will be posted.

 I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “by the time the Mardi Gras is home ported in Port Canaveral.” The two itineraries you mention include itineraries out of Port Canaveral. All the way through April of 2022, in fact. If they eventually have different itineraries for this ship it will be great, I agree, but it won’t coincide with it arriving at its home port.