Bostwick girl

I believe there’s been a couple ships called on Grand Turk last week or so. If they are talking about Mardi Gras, it’s too big to go in port. Said they’re working on dredging out the port for the larger ships.

If it doesn’t have a sofa, don’t book it! My DH and I are in our 70s and I can promise you I can’t sit on a bed and neither can he! 
 

4 minutes ago, Drummer72 said:

Not a big fan of using my cell phone on vacation. We are traveling with a group of 5 cabins.  I figured the hub is the best way to stay connected with each other while on board. Your thoughts?

The chat feature is great, especially if you have a large group. It has a few quirks, doesn’t always let you know you have a message, so you should check it occasionally. I’ve used it since inception and believe me, it’s evolved into a very useful way to keep up with friends and family. It’s been well worth the $5 cost.

Just take a light sweater or jacket and you should be fine.

On 12/7/2021 at 11:33 AM, centurycruiser said:

Is Carnival using a Diamond/Suite line for embarkation at Port Canaveral, now?

We've been on the Mardi Gras twice since cruising started and missed that. Royal Caribbean started their Pinnacle/Suite embarkation line October 31 at Port Canaveral and I was wondering if Carnival did the same. Other cruisers mentioned Ft Lauderdale and Miami  had started earlier.

We are on the Magic Jan 9, 2022.

We have sailed 3 times on Magic since August 30, the last one was October 31. At that time there was suite boarding first, but no Diamond. Still going by arrival time and zone. We’re going again January 15, so maybe it will change, but doubt it. We’ve been choosing 12-12:30 arrival and have gotten on board very quickly. Excited for this cruise, will finally be Diamond!

1 hour ago, Frank12 said:

After 32 Carnival cruises I'm pretty sure I've had the old ones.😉 

 

I agree the old ones were not crunchy, but I like the new one's better. My "us too" simply meant we are fans of the new cookies. Different strokes...

I wasn’t referring to your comment, I was referring to nicnic96s comment since they never had the old ones. Can’t compare what you’ve never had, lol. Everyone is different in their likes and dislikes for sure, makes the world go round! And by the way, I’ve been around too, about to go on #36 in January! If I get an update on recipe, I’ll let y’all know. Happy cruising!

The chat feature on the Hub app is $5.00 for the length of the cruise, not per day.  Works well.

10 hours ago, Frank12 said:

Us too!

On 12/5/2021 at 6:50 PM, nicnic96 said:

Count us in as fans of the new ones!  Sorry, we liked the fact that they weren't so crunchy!  We never ate the old ones and now we seek out the new ones.

The old recipe cookies were not crunchy at all, they were soft but hard enough to not fall apart when you ate them. These new ones are just too crunchy, they fall apart when you try to take a bite out of them. Y’all have nothing to compare to if you’ve never eaten the old ones.

The first line says ALL AIR TRAVELERS. This doesn’t apply (at least at this time) to closed loop cruises originating in the United States. If there are changes, Carnival will update the Web site and John Heald will make an announcement.

MarQ was really good, hope he’s still around!

I know for sure if ordering prior to sailing there’s a delivery fee. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was one after sail away.

Following, will be on Magic January 15th.

UPDATE ON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

I had recently emailed Carnival about the change in the chocolate chip cookies and wanted everyone know I got a response this morning. The mix they use fleetwide is Jacquelines Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The lady did not know if this was a different brand, so has forwarded my question to Hotel & Beverage Management, so we shall see!  If/when I get a response, I’ll let you know!

Must be something new. Go to Carnival’s website and look at the list of acceptable tests. Either call or go by and have them look at the list to see if what they give is acceptable. 
 

2 minutes ago, suezyq50 said:

What can they be used for?  Assuming excursions?

You can use them to pay on your cruise, you can add them to your sail & sign account as cash and then you can use for anything on board.

We’ve been on Magic 3 times since August and totally agree with you about the crew, they are awesome! I don’t agree with you about the Hub app, we had absolutely no problems with the chat feature. I’ve used it since they started up with it and it has drastically improved over the years! I have learned if you have any problem with it, you have to log out and log back in and that’s usually after you’ve been off the ship.  
 

glad you enjoyed your first cruise and will keep on cruising when you can. Getting excited for our Magic cruise in January since we will finally be Diamond!

Could you please use a normal font? It’s very difficult to read for these old eyes even when expanded.

I just got one. EST here.

Been on her 3 times since August 30 and going again in January. Nice ship, easy to get around. Love the Ocean Plaza area for entertainment. Like having the non smoking casino on deck 4. Staff was great, food was good. 
 

8 hours ago, mommysoncruiser said:

On the Elation now and would not sail this ship again. I think I have been spoiled by the larger class ships. Glad I am doing this cruise because I now know that I cannot sail on this class ship again. My children definitely agree. We like the mid to large range ships because there is much more to do and the cabins are nicer and more spacious. Happy sailing to everyone coming onboard!

I’m with you! Elation is really a nice size ship if you prefer smaller. I just don’t like the smaller cabins with no sofas! 
 

If people would just take the time to read this information on Carnivals web site, these questions wouldn’t continue to be asked over and over!

 The first thing on this site is the information supposedly all in one place!

On 11/15/2021 at 2:02 PM, sharon&family said:

I used to love carnivals chocolate chip cookies.  I would eat about 30 of them a cruise.  I was on the Mardi Gras recently and the cookies are now different.  The cookies are more like toll house which are ok but definitely not the same.  The sugar cookies were very good and had the crumbly texture like their choc chip cookies used to be.  I was very disappointed.  Am I the only one who noticed this?

I’m with you on the chocolate chip cookies! I think they’ve definitely changed their recipe! Not nearly as good before the COVID came along. It’s my lunchtime treat to go get a bowl full of the chocolate soft serve ice cream and then 3 of the chocolate chip cookies. So good. Been on 3 Magic cruises since the restart, cookies were not very good, was disappointing.  Glad you mentioned this, I will email Carnival and ask what they did. Y’all can all joke about this, but it’s the little things that make me happy on my cruise.

Update: I just emailed guest care, so when they reply, I’ll let y’all know! 
 

Yes you can apply gift cards to your sail and sign account, then put into your players bank in the casino. Play how much you want then cash out what’s left. Just did it last week on Magic.

Must be. Very random. I just checked the Freedom from Miami, and I certainly don’t have anything like that!

Just now, BlerkOne said:

With one ship way ahead of it's time (1999-2003). Paradise didn't fail miserably, it still made money, just not enough. Since then, US smokers have declined by some 20% or more - maybe 14% of the US population smokes.

Times have changed a lot since 2003. Maybe Carnival should try a smoke free cruise again. Start with a smaller ship and see how it goes.