yaddayaddayadda

My daughter and three girls are sharing a room on a school trip.  Their trip is February 2020 on Navigator.  One girl paid $24.99 for the Thrill Waterpark Full Day Pass, I went to book it today and they now want $83.99 for the same excursion. Eff everything about that. 

It's cheaper before you board. I'd get it now.

On 10/18/2019 at 2:54 PM, Daisymae14 said:

@yaddayaddayaddaI am going in December, thinking if doing this excursion, what does that $150 package include? How many pictures?

It was every picture they took of us plus a little video on a USB stick.  So for the 40 minutes with the dolphin there were pics of the each of us as well as some group photos.  I'd estimate 50-75 pictures

The cruiser is my first drink of the trip.  Then I'll vary. I like the cucumber sunrise at the Alchemy bar

How was Fahrenheit 555?   How crowded was the serenity pool?

3-4 hours is as far as I'd risk it.  My logic is that any further and you have to get up so early to get to the port by 11 that you'll be exhausted by 9.    I'd rather have a full night's sleep (as much sleep as you can get being excited for a cruise) and have enough energy to stay up late.

I did this excursion last year.  You ride on a boat to Blue Lagoon - which is beautiful, BTW.  They separate you in groups of 6 people and each group gets to interact with one of the dolphins for about 45 minutes.  You pet the dolphin, get hugs, kisses, etc...then they put you on a boogie board for a foot push ride...that was fun.

After you're done you can go get lunch - it's nothing outstanding but good enough...and have free time on the island until the ferries start heading back.  You can sit by the beach (even though most good shade spots are taken by then), go snorkeling on the snorkel beach which has a great reef, or just explore.

The pictures were expensive - about $150 for the whole package.

One elegant night usually on your first sea day.

On another site I found updated info for parking in Charleston now that the Sunshine will be there. Since there will be 1000 more guests on the ship they've adjusted the parking flow

Quote

 

Information received from the manager of Cruise Operations and Parking (I have further questions out to him, but here you go in the meantime time)

This is more of a temporary solution to help comfortably handle the increase of 1000+ passengers the Sunshine will bring. Listed below is how our new process works:

 

1. ALL vehicles with the exception of oversized buses or motorhomes will enter our facility via Gate 2 at the corner of Laurens St. and Concord St. Vehicles will no longer be sent back out into town. Once their vehicle enters our facility they will stay.

2. Proceed through the queue line and into the pay tent

3. Once paid you will be directed to the luggage drop off tent

4. Upon exiting the luggage drop off tent you will be directed to parking. If you are being dropped off you will be directed to the passenger drop off location.

5. After you park your vehicle you will then walk over to building 324. There are multiple signs and a walking path leading you to building 324. For everyone’s safety PLEASE UTILIZE THE WALKING PATH. For reference, building 324 is located just to the right of the luggage drop off tent.

6. Guests will check in for their cruise inside building 324 and will then wait there for their zone number to be called to board the ship. There is 600+ chairs inside this building for guests to comfortably wait for their zone number to be called to board.

7. Once a guest’s zone number is called they will be shuttled from building 324 to the passenger terminal where they will go through security and then board the vessel.

 

 

Q. Priority guests:
A. As far as I know these guests will be able to board directly after checking in as they did in the past.

 

Q. Guests arriving early (prior to their assigned check in time on boarding pass):
A. Guests will not be turned away but they will not be allowed to board until their zone number is called.

 

Q. Carrying on luggage (as they did previously):
A. Yes they will be able to carry their own luggage

 

Q. Handicapped parking:
A. Yes there is an area for handicapped parking.

 

Q. Handicapped drop off:
A. Please follow the one way road around until you arrive to the designated drop off location. This location is very close to building 324.

 

Q. Handicapped / guests with mobility limitations - shuttle from parking lot to building 324:
A. There is no shuttle but guests will be able to be dropped off very close to building 324. If someone does have mobility issues please alert someone on my staff and we will do our best to produce a ride for them.

 

No curfew on the Elation last year. My 16 year old was out till 1-2am with no issues.

1. I like my cabin being ready when I board.  I don't like schlepping my carryon around till 1:30.
2. I like bypassing several hundred people in line to board
3. I like boarding the ship ASAP. I'm paying for that day, I want to maximize that day

I think I spent about $150 for all the pics with a flash drive of them.

Sailed the Ecstasy in 2017, Elation in 2018. I preferred the Ecstasy.  Food was better and it has an alchemy bar. Although, the lido restaurant in the Elation is nicer than the Ecstasy's.

My teen daughter had a blast on our cruise at the teen club.  It's worth trying to get your daughter to go to the initial meet-and-greet.

"more expensive options" in Carnival's case at the MDR is standard wines that they charge a lot for. For example, a glass of layer cake is about $12.  

The beauty of Cheers is you can experiment with drinks...if you get one you don't like, you don't have to drink it.

Everyone has their favorite mixed drinks, mine is the Cruiser as well as just about anything from the Alchemy bar.

Just be careful if buying a full-face snorkel mask

Are full face masks safe

On one of my cruises the excursion deck was selling snorkels, but not masks.  Can't you just pack a set?  Most excursions will have fins available, and a mask/snorkel doesn't take up much room.

I've never regretted it. Even on port days, I'm usually back on the ship mid-afternoon.  I'll have a cocktail as soon as I board or 2, then a few drinks before/during dinner, and a couple after.  I'll still get 7-8 drinks in.

My first drink on board is the Cruiser

Ingredients

1 oz skyy vodka
1 oz Malibu Coconut Rum
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
1 1/4 oz Cranberry Juice
1 1/4 oz Orange Juice
1 1/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Directions
1. Shake all ingredients with ice
2. Pour into a glass, garnish with a orange slice and cherry.

I can't imagine a a time where what's on TV dictates my vacation choices.

4 hours ago, sammy1956 said:

All parking is outside now as they sold the warehouses we used to park in . the cost is 20.00 a day  , they shuttle you to the terminal .

Well that sucks. I liked being inside so my car wasn’t 10,000 degrees on debarkation day.  

You mean the town? Or just the terminal?

Charleston is fairly easy.  You pull into the parking lot and drive through a maze of concrete barriers till you get to the porters. There you drop off your luggage, show your documents, and then pay for your parking in advance.  If you're there early enough they send you to a warehouse where you can park.  You then can walk to the terminal or take shuttle buses.

Then you get through security, check in and walk the gangway up to deck 8, it drops you right at the Atrium lobby on the Ecstasy.

For an 11:30 embarkation I'd plan to be at the parking lot between 10:30-11:00. They don't let anyone in before 10:30.

I sailed on the Elation last June and was perfectly satisfied with the ship and the crew.  I've only ever been on Fantasy-class ships and the Elation was as good as any of them. The only thing I missed was the Alchemy bar.

I am booked on the Sunshine July 18, 2019.  Back in September last year, I booked an excursion for a 2-tank dive in Nassau.  I've gotten no information about the excursion being cancelled by Carnival, but I see that my excursion is no longer listed for my cruise, and furthermore there doesn't seem to be any diving excursions available in Nassau at all.

Any idea what's going on?  I just don't want to get on board and find out I can't dive and then have to try to scramble to get a dive booked at the last minute.