farjar

We agree. We used Cruise Control in Dec. and were very pleased. It cost $25pp each way so a round trip for the 2 of us was $100 for a shared shuttle. Since you are a large group you may wish to inquire about the price for one of their private shuttles. Email or call Corey at corey@cruisecontroltransportation.com 407-837-0811. He is great.

On a recent CCL cruise our muster station was in one of the dining rooms. As we entered our cards were scanned and we sat until there were about 20-25 of us. The crew then proceeded with the drill. Anyone arriving after the demonstration began was asked to wait. Once our presentation was over we left and the new arrivals were then let in for their session. It was great because you were comfortable plus you could hear and see everything without being crammed to a small area. Also you didn't have to wait for latecomers. This continuous revolving door method was so much better than what we have experienced in the past.

One of my prescriptions needs to be taken with food. I always bring a croissant or other breakfast pastry down to my room and place it in a ziplock bag. The next morning I make a cup of coffee, eat my snack and take my medication in the privacy of my cabin. I find that a much preferable option than trying to take my pills while eating in the buffet.

As platinum cruisers on NCL we have eaten many meals in several venues. We have had "hits and misses" when it come to food but find NCL generally better than CCL. NCL's crepes in the buffet are great while the gelato available on some CCL ships is delicious. HAL, however, had the best free swordfish I've ever had in their MDR and I could eat their portabella mushroom burgers at the Dive-In everyday. HAL also has a wide assortment of Bigelow tea flavors in the buffet. As others have said, everyone has different tastes.

That's all good to hear. Anything else you can post during the cruise would be sincerely appreciated. Hope you have an absolutely wonderful time.

We will be on the Dawn sailing 1/28/23 with the same itinerary you are scheduled for. How did embarkation go, any fog in Tampa, any missed ports, how was the food, did you do any excursions, was the entertainment good? Any information you could pass along would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I believe I read on CC the embarkation day menu for O'Sheehan's was different than the rest of the cruise and limited. Is that the case and can anyone post the menu? Thanks.

We are on the Dawn that day. Our original itinerary does not include a stop at San Juan so I guess NCL could send us there although that would be extremely disappointing. We have been to Puerto Rico several times but Puerto Plata was going to be new to us. Also we are looking forward to the Off Road Buggies and Beach excursion we've booked through the ship. Cruisemapper is now showing the Encore in Amber Cove on Feb. 3rd but I doubt that helps either of us. You may end up with an extra day at sea. 😡

I went three times on an 8 day cruise. You grab your bowl then fill it with whatever you want; 3 different kinds of noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, carrots, spinach, pea pods, cauliflower, peas, corn, celery, spinach, bok choy, zucchini, and bamboo shoots. You then pick from chicken, beef or a seafood that changed daily (salmon, clams or mussels) and three different sauces (mild, medium and hot.) They have 2 chefs cooking three woks at a time but it's very popular so don't be in a rush. The earlier in the cruise you go the better as word spreads and they run out of some items toward the end. Enjoy.

We just used Cruise Control transportation two weeks ago and were very pleased with them. We paid $25 each to go from MCO to Port Canaveral then $25 each for the return trip for a total of $100 for 2. Our driver, Stephanie, was friendly and we felt very comfortable riding with her. The van was clean and well maintained. Your needs are slightly different than ours were but I'm sure Corey will be able to answer your questions.

Two weeks ago the embarkation dining options were: Guy's Pig & Anchor 5 mid 11-2:30 Blue Iguana 10 mid 11-3 Seafood Shack $ 10 aft 11-3 Lido Buffet 10 aft 11-3:30 Mongolian Wok 10 mid 11-3:30 Guy's Burgers 10 mid 11-6 Cucina 11 aft 11:30-2:30 Carnival Deli 10 aft 11-11 Swirls soft serve 10 aft 11-midnight Pizza 10 aft 11-12:30am We went to the Pig & Anchor the first day which was not crowded then to the Lido for dessert. The Mongolia Wok is wonderful but you need to get in line early. It can take 15-20 minutes waiting but it is well worth it if you like "create your own stir-fry."

The gelato is wonderful plus you can add your own toppings like; chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, sprinkles, granola and many more. You can also go back as many times as you want and it's free!!!

We recently returned from a cruise on the Carnival Magic. The first day of the trip a credit of $ 9.01 appeared on our bill for each of us. The explanation was "Refund taxes, fees and port expenses." What was odd was we had no cancelled ports. I'm assuming there was an OVER estimate of costs. It certainly wasn't a fortune but we definitely appreciated Carnival's integrity in doing so. With 3700 passengers onboard they could have pocketed the difference and no one would have known.

We are scheduled to be in Puerto Plata January 31st on the Dawn. Besides the Dawn four other ships are scheduled; the Gem, the Encore, the Celebration and the Nieuw Amsterdam. Since the Celebration and the Nieuw Amsterdam are Carnival properties I assume they will be docked at Amber Cove while the three NCL ships will be at Taino Bay. Seems like too many ships to be there all once. I wouldn't be surprised if there were port cancellations. It would be nice to be informed of that ahead of time so alternative plans can be made.

Ship - Magic Deck - 7 Stateroom - 7434 Category - 4E Interior Port Side This cabin creaked badly to the point we needed earplugs to sleep at night. The greater the ship motion the more noise. Maintenance tried placing shims between the walls and a few of the ceiling panels but it didn't improve anything. It was unfortunate because the cabin was very conveniently located near the elevator with easy access to the Lido buffet and rear deck area. I would suggest only people who can sleep through anything book this cabin.

We are not new to cruising and have previously been on the Spirit, the Panorama and the Legend. This, however, will be our first time aboard the Magic. Is there anything unique, different or interesting about the Magic we should know about? Our ports will include Aruba, Bonaire and Grand Turk which are also new to us. Any information would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone know the cost of a cab or an Uber from the Tampa cruise terminal to the Tampa airport? It seems Uber prices can vary depending on the time of day or demand. I also read there are shuttle buses waiting at debarkation that don't require reservations and run about $15 pp. Has anyone done that? Thank you.

The Panorama serves 2 flavors of gelato at lunch in the buffet with lots of "add yourself" toppings. If I recall it may have only been on sea days but it was delicious.

We both do a carry on and a back pack when flying to a cruise so there is no lost luggage at the airport. Once we get to the cruise terminal we attach our room tags to the carry ons, take a picture of them (for easy identification if lost) and check them so we only have to manage our backpacks until the cabins are available. Our backpacks contain our necessities and a change of clothes. When we debark we carry everything off with us and are on our way.

Twice when we sailed on HAL we got a $100 OBC for military/veterans. NCL is currently offering a 10% discount for military/veterans on their cruises. It would be nice if Carnival did something similar.

Gelato at lunch on the Panorama. They serve two different flavor each day with lots of toppings you add yourself. It is my understanding only a few other ships have it. Wish they all did. Yum!

We recently took a 16 day cruise Seattle to Miami. Since we had a balcony cabin we chose the starboard side so our cabin was darker in the mornings and had the sunsets for about 2/3's of the trip. Sometimes it doesn't matter to us but this time it did.

Can any cabin request a coffeemaker or only suites, etc.? We're platinum, will that help? Thanks

Since you are sailing in late January you shouldn't expect the temperatures to go above the mid 60's in the day time and upper 50's at night until you get below Ensenada. Wind at sea could also lower those temperatures. The farther south you go the warmer the air and water temperatures will be so pool/slide usage will probably only be near Cabo since the pools aren't heated. You shouldn't require more that a light/medium jacket if you dress in layers.

Thanks for the info. You saved me a phone call. I was going to try for our January cruise too.