allimc2001

You can easily 1 very large suitcase & 1 medium sized suitcase under each twin bed or about 3 very large suitcase and a medium easily under a King bed. I don't like wasting closet space when there is so much space under the bed. Space under the twin bed is about 18 inches from the floor and the average length and width of a twin mattress so about 36 x 74 inches. For the King is about 72 x 74 inches and 18 inches off of floor. Plenty of room under the bed for storage.

If you are still looking for something to do in Jamaica, I would recommend Dolphin Cove. We did it in combo with Dunn's River Falls (Falls are definitely not toddler friendly). The admission only option to Dolphin Cove includes a buffet (it looked pretty good) and free snorkeling with stingrays for the adults and older children in your group. There are marine animal interactions, a beach area, a small shopping area, an open air bar, a walking trail with a small zoo, and a swimming pool. My kids are older and just loved it there. We paid a $30 add on fee and they did the dolphin encounter. The trainers let them play with the dolphins for about 45 minutes. I don't know if the cruise line offers a Dolphin Cove only option but when you reach the port, Dolphin Cove has a large booth in the port terminal or you can buy tickets from their website.

Three cruises ago we had two spa cabins for our family of four, including our teenage boys who were 15 and 17. I knew only my wife and I would be allowed in the spa, even though each spa cabin comes with access for two to the Spa. So on the first day we all went to the Spa (as we were all going to check out the gym as well) and the workers looked at my sons, both over 6’1” at the time, asked how old they were (I did not lie). The “manager” said they look over 18 and if they promised to behave, she would give them the wrist band for access to the spa (this was on the Magic). So they did and she did. The youngest went to the T-Pool twice and found it “full of boring old people”. The oldest did not go in the Spa at all.

 

So there is always a chance, but note the part that I was truthful about their age and let the spa workers make the decision. I did not even ask initially.

Thanks for the info. I am hoping that my daughter can get the spa pass. Ever since my husband and I came back from a couples cruise where we got the spa passes all week and told her all about the amenities in Cloud 9, she has been really wanting to go. I don't know if she will love it as much as she thinks she will, but she does really like massages, hanging out in saunas, and vegging out, so odds are she will enjoy it . If the spa staff ask me directly if she is 18, I would not lie, but I would say " we are here to celebrate her 18th birthday', which is true. If they ask for her exact birthdate, I will tell them and hope for the best.:)

Sea days are some of my family's favorite cruise days. Don't miss the sea day brunches. I missed out on them on my first cruise because no one had told me. They have a lot of bingo games and giveaway presentations (I have won some cool stuff including excursions) on sea days. I have been on several cruises and have never spent any time in a cruise ship pool. Go to the art auction and drink the free champagne, play the penny slots at the casino. You can charge your slots play to your sail and sign card and who knows, you may win- I won $1200 a couple of times in the casino and once saw some one hit a $5000 progressive jackpot on a 50 cent bet. Play cards, trivia, board games (available in the library), people watch, if the ship has a cloud 9 spa, get a spa pass. There is always something to do. Go to the movies or shows at night. Comedy shows are usually pretty good but get there early because they always run out of seats. On my last cruise, I wound up going to tea time in the main dining room on a sea day. This was was fun to take my girls to and enjoy the tea and fancy tarts.

My husband is not a social guy and I thought that he wouldn't like cruises much but he loves trying all of the different foods and enjoys some of the shows. His favorite thing is getting the cloud 9 spa pass and spending a lot of time relaxing in the thalassotherapy and sauna rooms. If you ship has a Cloud 9 spa, the spa passes are offered at a discounted rate if you go on the spa tour on the first day.

I always buy some bottled water from the fun shop online and ask for it to be delivered to the room on the first day. It is $4.50/12 pack with a 68 cent fee and no tax. It is well worth it to buy it before you go aboard because it will be waiting on you when you get to your stateroom or arrive shortly thereafter. It won't be any cheaper to wait to buy it onboard, but it would involve more of a hassle. I don't know if you can buy water through the onboard fun shop but you can order water delivered through room service. The room service phone queue always seems to be busy. They might charge you a 18% gratuity which would make your water $5.31/12 pack. Very little difference as far as price goes whether you buy it in advance or choose to wait. The bottled water is great to take ashore with you on excursions. You won't find any cheaper safe drinking water when you go ashore.

On about half of the Carnival cruises that I have went on, I thought that the tea and water on the lido tasted funny. I think that it might have something to do with either the ice makers not being rinsed well after cleaning or not being cleaned properly.

I want to get my daughter the spa pass for Cloud 9, we are going on the cruise to celebrate her 18th birthday but she won't actually turn 18 until a couple of weeks after we return from the cruise. She looks and acts over 21. What are the chances that they will let her have the spa pass? I have bought the passes for myself and my husband without him being present. They just gave me a sticker to take back to him. If I buy the pass for her in the same manner, would the system somehow flag her for being under 18 or is it up to the spa manager's discretion? Anyone have experience with a similar situation?