E&B

1 minute ago, Bkkping said:

We sailed on the Escape for Christmas...full ship.  We got to the port early and were onboard pretty quickly because my husband is handicapped and uses a scooter so we were put in the "handicap line".  The Vibe passes were being sold in the Comedy Club and I was able to get 4 passes.  There were only a few people in line when I got there but the line filled up quickly.  

How did you know they were being sold in the Comedy Club?  I’ve been reading Guest Services is the place to go. Did you get 4 by yourself, or did all 4 of you have to be there?

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

“As soon as you oars”. There are 80 passes for 4500 passengers. Unless you are the very first person to board and walk fast (no running) you won’t get a pass. Not worth the time and hassle to arrive at the terminal before the 4500 other passengers. 

This  did not answer any of my questions. 

Wondering if any recent Breakaway cruisers can confirm my research on the Vibe Beach Club. What I’m finding is that passes can be purchased for a day for $99 or for the full week for $209 and should be purchased at Guest Services as soon as we board. Also, if we need to get something else done right away, one of us can go and purchase tickets for both of us (we don’t both have to be there). Is that right?

i noticed also that it includes a food and beverage credit. Can we use our drinks package there?  I’m assuming the food is an extra cost. 

We’re stopping in Costa Maya next May and want to rent jet skis. I’ve done some research here and everyone recommended Krazy Lobster, but I can’t find any current information and their website doesn’t mention jet skis and the contact us feature doesn’t seem to be working. 

Has anyone rented jet skis there recently?  Did you reserve in advance?  If they no longer rent them, is there anywhere else near the port that does?

We’re on the Breakaway next May and are interested in going to the Ice Bar. From my research here I know it’s cold, drinks are pre-made and very sweet and it’s $20 or $29 to get in which gets you either one or two drinks. But, this is all from old threads. Can anyone tell me if we need reservations or do we just show up?  What is the current fee and how many drinks are included?

We’ve done one cruise on each. RCL Freedom and CCL Magic. We preferred the size of the Magic. Very easy to get used to the layout. We pretty much enjoy every vacation so can’t really say one was better than the other. Service was good on both. Food was also good on both, but I think I liked RCL’s main dining room a little more. We stay away from the buffets, so no opinion on that. I just thought there was more variety and better service on RCL. We had a great wait team on RCL - left them a large extra tip at the end as they were like family by the end of the week. Our wait team on Carnival just took our orders, served our food and barely interacted with us. As far as the overall environment, I can’t really say. They were two very different cruises for us. On RCL our kids were 14 and 17 and we went with my in laws too, so it was a more family oriented vacation for us. On CCL it was the two of us and our kids were 18 and 21 and the older took her boyfriend too. We spent a lot more time just the two of us and the kids had a great time on their own and joined us for dinner each night and here and there. There seemed to be more partying but that could have been just because we were involved in it more on CCL and stayed away from it on RCL because our kids were younger. I would do either one again if the price and itinerary were right. We’ve also done NCL and would do that again as well. We feel a vacation is what you make of it, so I think we’d be happy with almost anything.

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You’re obviously an experienced cruiser. Have you ever traveled on a cruise out of the US without your passport before? I think you were lucky they refunded your fare.

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Picky much?

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I would not allow the 10 year old to do anything unless you or the 15 year old were with them. 10 is just too young to let them roam around a cruise ship without a responsible “adult” IMHO.

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#1 - How do these rumors get started? And #2 - Would it really make or break your cruise if there were a couple fewer dessert options on the lunch buffet?

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We did exactly this. Go to guest services as soon as you board, before the lines get long.

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No

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Another vote for Residence Inn. Have stayed there many times and have never been less than impressed.

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It is not more expensive to renew after it expires.

Not true. If a passport is not expired or has not been expired for more than 5 years, the renewal fee is the same $110. If a passport has been expired for more than five years it can not be renewed and you must apply as a new passport application rather than a renewal. Even a new passport is a $110 fee, but since it can not be mailed and you need to apply in person, there is an additional $25 fee.

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Grand Turk. At Jack’s Shack.

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I’m not 100% sure, but I recall wanting to vacation in Grand Turk once because we absolutely loved it as a port stop. There is no international airport on Grand Turk. You’d have to take a much smaller plane into Providenciales in order to catch a flight home, which could cost an extra $100-200 per person. Have they factored in this cost?

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We have always done a balcony for DH and I and an interior right across the hall for our two kids. Have gotten extra keys for both rooms, so we can access theirs and they can use the balcony if they want.

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You'd need to pay extra to expedite it. Best to go into a passport office and do same day.

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Topher is awesome!

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Personally we hate the Margaritaville area. Walk a little further down the beach to Jacks Shack and it's far less crowded. For a few dollars (I think $10 but could be $20) you can rent a huge umbrella that will more than adequately cover two loungers. Pure paradise.

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I did laundry on our last cruise on the Magic since we were spending a week in Orlando after. I brought my own detergent (Tide pods) and some dryer sheets (put them in a baggie) so I didn't have to pay for those. I think I started it about 7:00ish on a At Sea day and no problem getting two washers and then two dryers when done.

Same here, but I did it on a late port day, St Thomas when we docked after noon. I had heard that laundry machines are shut off while in port, so I made sure to plan around that. Do plan on getting up early though.

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I put 3 adult kids in an inside cabin once - 21, 21 and 18. After about 4 days it became so intolerable that the 18 year old moved to the sofa bed in our balcony cabin across the hall. It was so crowded, I don't know how they managed that long. I would never do more than 2 adults and maybe a much younger child.

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can you add it and then change your mind? i would like to get it for my cabin and connecting teen's cabin but my inlaws will not have it. I want it to literally be FTTF, and HMC tender. the CS line is bonus- in case you need it .

 

 

 

help seasoned carnvial cruisers. is this possible?

Yes. It's treated like an excursion as far as how you book it. It can be dropped at any time up until I think the day or two before sailing, but don't quote me on that. But, if you're going to cancel it make sure you're 100% sure of your decision. There are only so many sold for each cruise and people are waiting to snap your spot up if you cancel. Chances are you won't be able to get it back before sailing if you change your mind.

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We were first time Carnival cruisers and we purchased it. We always like fairly affordable ways of making us feel special when we travel and this did it. Boarding early was great - the ship seemed very empty for a while after we got on. Being able to go straight to the cabins to drop off our carry one was amazing. We've cruised other lines and I always hated lugging them around for several hours while exploring the ship or trying to grab lunch the first day. I like to get unpacked and settled early and with priority luggage I was able to get us all unpacked before the muster drill rather than waiting and wondering if I'd have my luggage before dinner or be unpacking late that night. The best part for us was the priority guest services line. We were always able to be waited on right away even when the regular line was long. I didn't think we'd really need that benefit, since I don't remember ever using a guest services line more than once on a cruise, but we had 3 very young adults with us (19, 21 and 21) and we found ourselves at guest services more often this time. In fact we weren't in our cabin more than 15 minutes that first day when one of them lost his S&S card. Didn't have any tender ports, so I can't weigh in on that.

To me FTTF was money very wisely spent. Many think it's a waste of money because none of that matters to them. It's all up to you. We all have our own ways of saving and wasting money.

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We're not fans of crowds. To avoid crowds at lunch on the first day, go to Cucina Del Capitano. Sit down service and hardly anyone knows it's open for lunch so it's practically empty. Also, we don't need to see the pool when we sit/lay out. Deck 5 was perfect for us. Never crowded, in fact hardly any of the loungers were ever taken, and if we wanted a quick dip there were a few hot tubs there. We almost avoided deck 10 completely except for the occasional trip to Guys Burgers and our daily stop at the tequila bar. Subekti, the bartender there, was our favorite.

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