4realrod

Thanks.

Anyone have recent Western Caribbean Princess Patters for the Emerald. Thanks in advance.

The only reason I can think of is the exchange rate. That is just a guess otherwise there is no valid reason.

Have not been on the Emerald however I have been on the Ruby and other similar Princess Ships. The aft pool is great. I also love the Lotus pool. It is adults only and is usually quiet. It has a swim against the current machine for doing stationery laps.

Bear it mind it costs a LOT to revamp a menu (development, sourcing, training, deployment, etc). This cost overall can be in the 100s of thousands when all is said and done.

 

An average cruiser is on board a ship once every 2-3 years and rarely the same itinerary, so the odds of them exhausting menu options are pretty slim.

Guess we are above average. Since 2006 we have cruised at least once a year. I never grow bored with the menu since we experience it only once a year.

I cruise on Carnival and Princess almost exclusively. Just off the Miracle and thoroughly enjoyed their serenity area (for free). I have never paid the extra cost for the sanctuary. I usually hang on the Grand Class ships by the lotus pool or the aft adult pool. By the lotus pool I have never had issues with kids so that probably wouldn't change. The extra cost are starting to become annoying however a cruise vacation is still the best bang for the buck.

Thanks very much all. Please throw any advice at me you'd like, I'm very appreciative.

 

Thanks for the Arizona info. DH is retired military and will be very interested in visiting.

 

I have to say this Princess board is very friendly and helpful and I appreciate it!

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip last march. Here is a secrecy for the Arizona. You don't need advanced tickets. Even if they are sold out you just go over to the area where you go into the theater. There you speak with the ranger and he will put you in a stand by line. Usually several people miss their ticketed time and you are able to go in. We had a group of 6 and had no problem. In fact the allowed about 20 stand by to go in.

All Balconies on the Miracle have a door that pulls open. They do not have sliding doors.

My son has an allergy to milk and he cant have anything with milk products- so I have to read the label of everything he eats. I would love to go on another cruise but I am concerned about what he will eat. Has anyone had experience with something like this and CCL? Do they accommodate people with food allergies?

 

Thank you!

My wife has a dairy allergy. You are able to get soy milk. Also, in the MDR the Maître d will come by each evening at the end of dinner to take the order for the next night so that it can be prepared special. You just have to inform them the first evening. The even made special desserts for my wife.

Hi, I am considering booking a category 74 obstructed balcony cabin and wondering if anyone has travelled in these? We really just want the convenience of fresh air, if course some view would be nice. It is only a saving if $200 for the duration of the 9 nt cruise, am interested to know how 'obstructed' the view is? Another option is the extended balcony, is this just a larger balcony or us the interior larger as well? Thanks!

I had an obstructed balcony on the Spirit and sister ship Miracle. They are a great value. You have an ocean view with a life boat beneath the balcony. You and to make sure you have a smaller lifeboat so the view is not as obstructed. Cabin 5185 or 5228 are great.

I am interested in going to Las Caletas what are my options besides booking an excursion onboard??

Even if you were able to book with Vallarta Adventures when your ship is in port the cost would be the same. I checked their website and the cost is the same as what I booked through Carnival.

Actually they are nights 2 and 6

Nope

Absolutely, would love to get your insights on PV. We will be on the Miracle in March and this will be our first Mexican Rivera cruise. We will be sailing with two of our sons (17 and 21). We have always booked private excursions in the past and saw a zip line trip that I thought we might try on the day that we dock. We are adventurous and don't mind taking a bus or just heading out on our own as long as it's a safe area. We love the beach and great food and cold beer! What are your suggestions for the days and evening?

Not sure what cruiseline you are on. Personally I would recommend doing the zipline through the ship. We did that and knew that though it was a little more expensive it would be safe and the ship would know where we were. Most cruiselines use Vallarta Adventures. To just hang out at the beach I would recommend going to the Zona Romantica and find a place along the beach. We had great ceviche and 2 for 1 Margaritas at Los Abuelos. Also strolling along the Rio Cuale is great. Look in the trees carefully and you will see iguanas.

We will be on the Miracle in February and get the pleasure of overnighting in PV. We are stoked. Last year on the Carnival Splendor we got to spend 2 nights and 3 days(long story scheduled maintenance turned our 7day into an 8 day.) We love PV and can't wait. The last couple of years we ventured out to Yelapa for a day. This year we are spending one day in PV around the Malecon, Rio Cuale and Zona Romantica. Second day we are headed to Las Caletas. Love to share our insights as PV is our favorite MR location.

Starting to consider a 15 or 16 day round trip cruise from California to Hawaii. I know Carnival runs this route; also know it is a popular route for Princess. If anyone has sailed either please let me know your opinions, links to photos or reviews, etc. What class of ship is the Miracle and how does it compare to the Princess Grand Class ships? Itinerary; one of the other? Does Carnival have cultural enrichment speakers and presentations like Princess does?

 

Looking for anyone and everyone's two cents (so I can pay for this...)

I sailed the Hawaiian itinerary on the Sapphire Princess last March. We love the Grand Class design and enjoyed the trip. We have cruised on the Miracle and Spirit and they are our favorite Carnival Ships. For the 2 week cruise I would sail on the Grand Class design. I find them as easy to navigate as the Spirit Class. I also like the the swim against the current pool in the Lotus Spa area. For a 2 week trip I think they would be better. Their naturalist on board was wonderful.

That being said we are booked on the Miracle for a 7 day MR cruise in February.

My DW and I will be leaving on the Miracle on 8 February. I was wondering if any recent Miracle cruiser have reviews on the beds.

You have to have 8 cabins (16 people) to get a group discount.

 

If you only have three cabins AND you choose not to do any time dining, you can (and should) link the reservations after you've each booked. That makes sure you will be seated together at dinner. (With ATD, you just show up together and ask to be seated at one table.)

 

I went on a Disney cruise with two sets of friends. Two of us had cabins on the same deck (about 5 cabins between us) and the other friend was on a different deck. We still saw each other a lot, so don't feel like you all have to book side by side rooms.

 

Have fun!

You can get a group discount with 5 cabins. My advice would be to check with some friends to see if they would like to join you.. If you get a minimum of eight cabins then you can get a refund of the cost of half a cabin(minus the non-commisionable fare of $175). Get a good travel agent as they can get perks added like onboard credit, free picture, reduced fare etc.

Going just before or after the holidays you will find better deals.

My family is taking the RCI Panama Canal cruise departing Ft Lauderdale in late March. Our last 2 stops are in PV and Cabo... unfortunatley, we are only there for half days.

 

We are docked in PV departing at 3pm and tendered in Cabo, departing at 2:30pm.

 

We are hoping for some beach time - 2 adults and 4 kids aged 13-5. Will we have enough time to get from the pier and take a taxi to a beach and back? We don't need all day, but a few hours on the beach would be so nice.

 

We found a beach excursion offered through the boat in PV (unfortunately, they aren't offering the pirate ship :()

 

Cabo has me more concerned since we are only tendered... can we get to a beach and back? Are the water taxi's reliable? Should we book through a local?

In Cabo once off the ship you can take a water taxi to either Medano Beach or Lover Beach. The price is always negotiable but around $5-7pp roundtrip. They will return periodically to pick you up. I would advise leaving either beach around 1pm. When you get back to the harbor area that will leave a little time to shop. At Medano Beach there are a variety of Bars that have chairs and umbrellas. The expectation is you buy food and drink. It is also a party beach so if you are looking for quiet that is not the spot. At Lovers Beach (the beach near the famous Arch at Lands End) it is quiet and a nice place to hang out and swim in the Sea of Cortez. You can also walk between the rocks to Divorce Beach and watch the surf break on the Pacific side. No swimming there as the undertow is extreme. Hope this helps. If you want a little more info on either port I have pictures and info on my blog www.affordabletravelsolutions.blogspot.com.

I just booked the ATV excursion for our Miracle cruise in March. We have always booked from outside tour operators. But due to the fact our ship leaves at 3 pm on the day we wanted to book, we figured it would be safer to book through Carnival so we wouldn't be late getting back. Has anyone done this tour through Carnival? And about how long do you actually get to be on the ATV? It says it is a 45 minute bus ride to the destination and the tour is five hours.

I did this tour through Princess (same operator as Canival). The ride there is about 45-60 minutes. So factor in 2 hrs of the 5 hrs going and coming. With the safety briefing and riding we spent about 1.5-2hrs with the ATVs. We then came back and had a complimentary lunch of tacos and beer. I enjoyed the ride through the countryside. The ride out to the site is nice also.

Seems that lately lots of people are worried about having the right documentation to cruise. I have have a passport for years and am curious as to why one would choose not to get documentation that is valid for 10yrs. The cost is nominal and then it eliminates the worry of having a BC and Govt issued id. Plus if something were to happen and one needed to fly you would have all that you need to return to the US. So please those that don't have a passport shed some light as to your reasoning.

Besides the casino, what else is shut down?

 

Bob

The shops are closed. Otherwise the ship is open. We were on the Splendor in January and were overnight for scheduled maintenance. The repair took longer than expected and we got to a second night and third day in PV. The cruise turned into an 8 day. It was great. We have been to tne MR several times and love PV. Lots to do.

Thinking of booking the Miracle in March. Since the ship overnights in Puerta Vallarta, I assume the casino will be closed that night?

That is correct. Across the street from the pier in PV is the Galleria shopping mall. Inside the mall is a casino.

Why doesn't Carnival switch their engines to nuclear power? In the long run it would mean a big cost savings from having to buy fuel all the time, plus they would meet a lot of EPA regulations.

I worked on nuclear submarines as a civilian for the navy. I worked in the reactor compartment and inside the steam generators. I was exposed to radiation as part of the job. The regulations to operate would be costly. Plus the fuel rods have to be replaced periodically. This is cost prohibitive. Any one who thinks it is less expensive to operate does not understand the regulatory requirements and inspections that are part of the operations. You then need nuclear engineers qualified to oversee the operations and the crew would have to be nuclear and radiologically qualified. What do you do with the spent fuel. How do keep the primary side from contaminating the secondary side of the reactor. This would not be possible for the cruise lines. It would cost way more to operate.

I don't think that makes much sense to me especially since I live in a state that doesn't have a port that they dock at. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy but confused.

It is a way to appeal to certain regions. Think of it as a regional sale.