allinwonderland

On the topic of Texas's weird laws and how Carnival deals with them - does anyone know if the liquor/beer/wine/etc you can pre-order to your room will be delivered on day 1 out of Galveston, or does that also have to wait until day 2 like Cheers does?

Just now, BrotherCraig said:

 

Thanks for the clarification and the link.  Always was told it was because Carnival didn't want to pay taxes on the texas liquor on day 1.  Makes sense although they should make exceptions.

They have to pay taxes on liquor served outside of international waters regardless; that's why they have a different menu for the first few hours of day 1. TX has weird quirks.

It's been speculated (and I believe this to be true, but don't have any concrete proof) that the reason Carnival handles this differently than most other cruise lines is because their drink package isn't truly unlimited booze, there's a 15 drink cap. So the other cruise lines in both TX and NY are just waiting to ring in the drinks till they're out to sea, but Carnival has to ring it in at point of sale or they could end up giving you more than what you're allowed to have.

I was reading a review of someone who sailed Princess out of Galveston a few months ago (that line doesn't usually sail from there) and it was a massive cluster**** because the staff didn't know what they were allowed to give out in terms of booze and the passengers (many of whom had a drink package built into their fare cost as an add-on type thing) were irate.

Just now, BrotherCraig said:

has zero to do with overconsumption.  It has more to do with the state laws and how they tax liquor.  Royal Caribbean has their drink packages that start on Day 1 out of Texas but they have limited liquors on Day 1.  

It is in fact due to both things in TX; same in NY.

https://www.dallasnews.com/food/2016/09/30/your-bottomless-mimosas-are-illegal/#:~:text=Apparently bottomless mimosas are illegal in Texas.&text=That means bragging about your,were given TABC violation warnings.

It's because of a TX law meant to ban "encouraging overconsumption of alcohol", and so Carnival just decided to take a 0 tolerance approach on "how to get around it" and just starts Cheers on day 2. Which is inconvenient for someone who enjoys having the drink package as part of the cruise experience.

Okay, this might be enough to get me to sail from Galveston (where you can't have Cheers on day 1) at least once. Excel class is another level, and certainly getting myself from AZ to TX is easier/cheaper than getting to FL, even though Galveston is a whole other mess.

Since you both loved the glass-making so much -- if you haven't been too put off by the so-so weather on the Pacific coast and decide to do another Mexican Riviera cruise (or just go back to Cabo on a land trip), there's a glass factory in Cabo that's amazing. They don't let you make it (I think; I didn't get to on my tour) but you watch them make it and then they have SO many things to buy! Probably at much better prices than on a Celebrity cruise ship 😅

4 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

QUEST TIME

I fell asleep too early for this on my last cruise. Was really sad to miss it - heard such good things! But alas, drinking margaritas all day in the Puerto Vallarta sunshine wore me out, LOL.

1 hour ago, TxTeach79 said:

Unbelievable y’all. On Day 6, out of nowhere, I hear my name yelled out up on 10…. And it’s a woman who taught in the classroom next to me for 5 years back at the beginning of my career! What are the odds?!?!? We sat for an hour and caught up, had a great time with her and her husband, and could have spent the whole night telling stories. They’re having an amazing time, btw! 

 

I can only imagine how much fun it would be to end up on a sailing with you. (Not trying to be creepy, I promise!)

42 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Fish by the pound at the Shack. How does that work anyway? 
 

A friend of mine got it on my last Panorama cruise and raved about it. She said they like fry up a whole fish for you. Only can get it until like day 3 because then the fish aren't fresh.

46 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

 

 

Like you ever need a sign to drink... 😂

4 hours ago, rwest898 said:

I was thinking about doing that on our return flight since we would be on the ship.  Does it check you in so you don't have to do anything?

Yes, it checks you in automatically. I think it would be essential for the return flight since you'll be on the ship the day before! Even if you got the WiFi I wouldn't rely on that for doing check-in.

Southwest is awesome except for the open boarding/day-before check-in policies, but early bird eliminates like 75% of the downsides of that.

4 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Yep, I’ve definitely paid for early bird more than a few times. It’s a good move for sure. I just figured on this one I’d be getting up not long after that time anyway, so no big deal. Plus I’m solo, so as long as I’m not in high C group I’ll score an aisle or window. Super short flight too. 

The one time recently when I flew Southwest and didn't have the early bird (because work was paying and weirdly wouldn't let me expense that - but they have no policy against expensing checked luggage), I sat next to the computer to sign in at 4:44pm on the dot and I still got mid-B group. And on that flight, it meant I got stuck with an undesirable seat. But I also only like aisle seats, because I have long legs relative to my overall height and need the space to stretch them out (and on longer flights, hate making other people get up so I can use the bathroom).

2 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Gotta do the Southwest checkin thing early in the ol’ A.M. Here’s to A group luck, folks. 

Best $20 (per flight) I've ever spent was buying Southwest's "early bird check-in" so I never have to stress over signing in exactly 24 hours from takeoff time. When you think about the fact that any other airline will charge you for bags, it's like a no brainer. 🤷‍♀️

Hope you get there in plenty of time! And yikes, why are people so down on American in general? I pretty much have that and Southwest as the two main options from my home airport.

Also throwing in a suggestion for what to do in Puerto Vallarta: I was just there in January with another cruise line, and I did the most incredible walking food and drink tour. Not sure if your time in port lines up right to be able to do because it does start in the later afternoon, but it was truly an amazing experience. https://vallartamexologytours.com/mexology-tours/mex-ology/

22 hours ago, GenerationX said:

O…M…G that is totally the Beyond April sailing that I’m on!!!

 

I also got alerted to the deal through CC and couldn’t resist the pricing. 
 

It’s going to be a fun sailing!

Gosh, with the way you're making it look, I would *die* to sail in the Retreat on E-class, but PHEW those prices!! 🤯 especially since I don't have a built-in sailing buddy and would likely be sailing solo. How does one find this "bargain pricing"?? 

I already had this restaurant bookmarked after your first post about it (I have lots of family in the PBI/FLL/MIA areas), but now you've got me craving crab rangoon and Pad thai... Thinking I might need to order Thai food for dinner now... 😂

I had Lenny Schmidt on my Panorama cruise in January and he was very good. But my favorite comedian from that trip was Eric Blake. Hopefully you can see him sometime (if you haven't already)

Marty is super fun! (and British, which makes the constant loudspeaker announcements just a tiny bit less obnoxious, hahaha)

Really nice guy too, likes to get out and talk to passengers.

On 2/5/2023 at 6:16 PM, ktpc2005 said:

What kind of weather did you have on the sea days?

I was prepared for it to be cold and crummy, but they were actually pretty nice! Day 1 it was even warm enough to lay out on the deck. Coming back north it was nice outside but very windy, so not very comfy to be outside for long.

Favorite drink is anything custom at Alchemy. But first drink onboard has to be a Funship.

8 hours ago, Caribensun said:

Great review!  What room did you have?  Would you eat in Cucina more than one night?  Appreciated all of your photos and drink choices too.

I think I would definitely do Cucina more than once, because I love Italian food. The price is just so good for the amount and quality of food you get.

I had an inside room on floor 7 (oh yeah, that's another pro tip. I feel like staying on floor 7 on this class of ship meant it was an easy few flights of stairs up or down to wherever I wanted to go), a little bit closer to the forward side than I would prefer, but it was still fine.

5 hours ago, Reva_Dearchi said:

Hello!  What days are elegant nights on?  Thanks

Elegant nights were the 2nd and 6th days. On this version of the itinerary they were both sea days.

3 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

 SO glad you liked the Teppanyaki - ain't it great?!? 

I swear Carnival owes you affiliate money because I booked it. 😂

12 minutes ago, DANCING GRANDMOMMY said:

Where is Fresh Creations? Did they have lobster on the first elegant night? Thank you. 

Fresh Creations is the salad bar on Serenity, which is deck 15. They only have this open on sea days.

Lobster is now served on the second elegant night, not the first.

Final thoughts:

Cheers was 100% worth it for me this time. Did I ever hit 15? Nooooooo. Did I get my money's worth? Heck yes!

Specialty dining was also 100% worth it. The MDR is only worth eating at on formal nights IMO (and I don't like lobster so I skip that one). But that doesn't bother me so much, because there are other options. Just my $0.02 and how I like to spend my money/what I care about. I know there are family members I could NEVER get on a Carnival cruise because of the food situation.

Weirdly enough I only ate Guy's Burger on the first day. I just wasn't feeling it for some reason.

Blue Iguana more than redeemed itself with breakfast (arepaaaaaaaaas), and the pizza remains awesome. Buffet cakes, aside from day 1, were a little underwhelming, but that's probably a good thing for my waist, haha.

I really made an effort to get to know more of the crew this time, and they are the absolute nicest (shout-out to Ryan at RFRB, Neenee at ocean plaza, Nepa and Ruth at the atrium bar, and the entire Alchemy crew - Oscar, Diego, Amel, and honorary mention to Dragana). I can't imagine how I would stay so upbeat and positive working the hours they do, for 6-8 months at a time being stuck on the ship and so far from their home. Especially the bartenders who have to put up with our silly, sorry, drunk-fool-acting behinds.

The weather was lovely, and I would hands-down do this cruise in January again.

There are still a few things I didn't get to do (SkyRide, deck parties, nightclub, try a drink from some of the bars) but this time around I think I really accepted the idea that the best vacation comes when you just go with the flow.

Do I have another Panorama trip planned yet? Nope - absence makes the heart grow fonder and all. I've got an eye on the Caribbean for my next cruise, so I'm sniffing around other lines, and also haven't ruled out the possibility of going back to Puerto Vallarta at an AI.

Hopefully I haven't put anyone to sleep with all my blabbing! Happy to take specific questions about the ship, the ports, or any part of my experience.

DAY 8

Debark day, boo!!

We actually got in early; by the time my alarm went off at 7:45, Marty was already on the loudspeaker talking about how self-debark would be getting started soon. They only ask you to be out of the cabins at 8:30 so I was now a little behind schedule, oops! Because I prefer to pack at the last second, and only have one reasonably sized piece of luggage, I prefer to do the carry-off. By the time I was out of the cabin, they’d already called my muster station (A5) so I pretty much just walked right off the ship.

After having 3 different Lyft drivers suddenly disappear on me right as they approached the port and then getting reassigned to someone else, I finally said screw it and hopped in a taxi. Since my flight wasn’t until the afternoon, I had planned to go to brunch in Long Beach.

Ahead of the trip I researched restaurants in the area and ended up at this cute little diner-esque spot called the Omelette Inn. It was very nice, no-frills, with awesome breakfast food that reminded me quite a bit of this place near where I grew up (that unfortunately closed down a few years ago). I got an omelet with bacon, cheese, and avocado, with a side of hash browns and a peanut butter muffin, all for a very reasonable price.

After eating, I caught a Lyft to the airport, and spent a few hours sitting around the Long Beach airport terminal (singular terminal, bc it’s such a small freaking airport) until my flight left.