joyful34

We booked an aft balcony (wrap around) for our last cruise. 1st time ever for that cabin on our 16th cruise. Hated it. The balcony was covered in salt the entire time. The wind on the wrap around part made it unusable while at sea. Weather was ok the entire trip. Sun, rain showers occasionally....pretty normal. Having to wipe down the furniture every time we went outside was a deal breaker. Who wants to do that at 7am to enjoy coffee or 11pm to enjoy evening cocktail. 

You sign but they don't give you a copy unless you ask for it

I would just ask your Dr if it can wait until you get back. Infirmary visit alone is pretty high not to mention any service provided. 

Following

Does anyone have an idea which nights might be formal nights? We want to make reservations for the steakhouse that night. 

NOLA - Montego Bay - GC - Cozumel (7 days)

Thanks in advance! 

Thanks

We received a Starbucks gift card for Christmas. We don't live near one. If I remember correctly Carnival has a Starbucks on-board. Is that correct? Do you know if we can use a Starbucks gift card there? Thanks. 

The map I have of Old San Juan doesn't show an entrance to the fort from the walkway. We have always taken the cuty tram/open air bus to Del Morro Castle then walked our way back to the ship. 

John Heald has said multiple times that cash tips to any crew member ARE NOT pooled with others. I mean honestly how the heck would anyone know if I cash tipped my cabin stew unless he/she told & why would they tell a soul if they had to surrender it?? 

Thank you. We have taken 14 Carnival cruises but very rarely a 4 port cruise. I'm specifically asking what nite the formal dinners will be so we can make steakhouse reservations those nights. 

Can anyone tell me what nights are the formal nights on the Freedom, from Miami to -

HMC

Grand Turk 

Sea day

Aruba

Bonaire

Sea day

Sea day

Miami

THANKS for any help. 

I had to reschedule our upcoming cruise and while talking to our cruise rep she said they just got an announcement about upgrades at HMC. (I was sort of complaining that the 2021 cruises only offered HMC on the 6 day trips, not the longer 7 or 8 day cruises. She said this may be why. Maybe they are curbing the flow of passengers for the year while they work on the island. (??) Anyways, it's Great news as far as I am concerned. Getting in line for the tender & possibly missing the island completely will hopefully be a thing of the past! 

Sept. 25, 2019

Breaking News: It’s Official – Two New Destination Projects in the Bahamas <> Today on Grand Bahama Island, we signed an agreement with the government of The Bahamas to build two major port developments. Under the agreement, Carnival Corporation will develop a new cruise port destination primarily for Carnival Cruise Line on Grand Bahama, and construction of a new addition on the Bahamian island of Little San Salvador, home to Holland America Line’s award-winning Half Moon Cay port. The Grand Bahama project will represent an investment of over $100 million, and the development on Little San Salvador will be an estimated $80 million investment over time.   The signing is particularly impactful as it will provide jobs and positive economic impact as The Bahamas continues to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Dorian.   The agreement was signed today at the Prime Minister's Office in Grand Bahama at a ceremony that included Dr. The Most Honorable Hubert A. Minnis, prime minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance The Honorable K. Peter Turnquest; Senator The Honorable Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama; and other cabinet ministers.  Several Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line executives were also in attendance, including Giora Israel, David Candib, Armando Corpas and Marie McKenzie, all from Carnival Corporation's port and destination team and the leadership team for both new port projects. Also on hand were SVP of Nautical and Port Operations Terry Thornton  and Chief Communications Officer Chris Chiames, both representing Carnival Cruise Line.     “We are very pleased to announce that Carnival Corporation’s projects in the Bahamas are full speed ahead,” said Prime Minister Minnis. “These developments and the significant investment in world-class tourism and hospitality operations are such a boon for our initiatives for national prosperity and economic stability.”   Once environmental and other permitting processes are completed, construction for both projects is projected to start by mid-2020. The projects are expected to play an important role in the country’s recovery from the recent impact of Hurricane Dorian. As part of the development, our plans include construction parameters that are designed to meet or exceed guidelines for mostly withstanding the impact of a Category 5 hurricane.   "This is an exciting day for all of us involved with these two extraordinary development projects," said Israel. "We have been working with the prime minister and his staff for some time with a shared vision for our design plans, and we want to extend our sincere gratitude for their collaboration and partnership. Our collective goal is to maintain the reputation of The Bahamas as one of our most popular and welcoming destinations for years to come, and it is very rewarding to see our joint vision finalized with today's agreement."    The two developments will allow Grand Bahama and Little San Salvador to welcome guests sailing on some of our larger ships, including Mardi Gras, which will debut in August 2020.   Grand Bahama Our new Grand Bahama destination will be developed on the south side of the island in cooperation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the government of The Bahamas. The new destination will offer guests a uniquely Bahamian experience with a spectacular beachfront and exciting features, along with job opportunities and positive economic impact for the local community. More details will be revealed over the coming months.   Little San Salvador Half Moon Cay is well known as one of the region’s most beloved ports, visited by guests sailing with us and Holland America Line. The current development on the western side covers less than three percent of the 2,400-acre island and includes a tender marina. The new addition will be on the northern part of the island and include a pier able to accommodate larger ships. The beautiful beaches of Half Moon Cay will continue to be a main attraction.   Together, the new port expansion and existing facilities on the island of Little San Salvador will account for only about 10 percent of the island, leaving the remainder of this pristine paradise natural and untouched, as committed to in the original purchase agreement to maintain the vast majority of the island as a nature preserve and wild bird sanctuary.   In both projects, Carnival Corporation and the government of The Bahamas have established several key objectives, with a high priority on protecting the local environment, using renewable energy, significantly reducing or eliminating single-use plastics and other items, and similar environmentally friendly initiatives, as well as working with local business interests to create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for Bahamian residents. In addition to these port developments, the company is also further exploring opportunities to deepen its involvement in the community and local cultural events, activities and organizations.

We just sailed the Princess Island (our 1st time on Princess) and had anytime dining. There were 4 of us (2 couples) & each night we went around 6-6:30 and received our "buzzer" & waited for it to go off in Crooners bar. It took 20-30 mins each night before the buzzer beeped. Each night we were asked if we wanted to sit by ourselves or join others. When you check in each night just tell them you want to be seated with others and I'm sure you will be. 

We needed 1 more sea day to be platnium and we were given our platnium cards at embarkation.
If you print out your boarding passes and luggage tags they will say Gold or Platnium so you can find out now.

It's b\c your doing a 1 way car rental. Pick up and drop off at the same location and it will be much more reasonable. We have a car rental for 7 days from Anchorage airport for $634 through Enterprise. Unlimited miles, 2nd driver for free etc. We are using a shuttle service to get to Whittier for our cruise. $60pp for the hour ride south after we drop off the rental car. 

This is a late reply but why do you care what the other couple wants to do. Do what you want and let them do whatever they want. If I travel with someone else, I make this clear from the very beginning of the trip planning stage.

 

DON

The all day fly in to Brooks falls from Anchorage means an extra day spent in Anchorage for them (& another night for all of us) which none of us want to do. We are prepared to do separate things during our week DIY land vacation but we only have 6 days and truthfully flying into Brooks for 4 hrs wouldn't be enough for us. We would like to do a package and stay at one of the back country camps for a few days at some point. It's our first trip to Alaska, and we already know we will be back. For our friends it's a one and done trip. Thanks for your reply.

Much less noise then other decks IMO because there are fewer cabins = fewer people. We love it!

We ALWAYS use cash and not a card. You can prepay the tips on line or pay in cash when you arrive. We usually open our sign and sail account with a couple hundred dollars when we arrive at the terminal and add to it if needed throughout the week. No card needed for anything.n

I take snack size Ziploc bags and put a little sand from each beach we visit. I put the bag in my purse or backpack when we go back on board and have never been questioned by carnival. At The airport I carried it in my carry on luggage and just told the luggage screener person that I had it in there and they just nod and say ok.

I would rather out it in my checked luggage but there is a 50lb weight limit on checked bags and mine usually weighs 40-43lbs just with clothes & shoes. Even a little bit if sand weighs A LOT!

Thanks for the info.

We have booked our 1st Princess cruise for Alaska July 2019, southbound to Vancouver. While reading the trip reports & looking at excursion options I realized I didn't see any posts about when we have to be back on board.

Carnival's "back on board" time was usually 30-45 mins prior to the ship sailing time.

Is Princess the same? Is it different in Alaska vs the Caribbean?

Thanks!

You do know that Anan is also most often blacks as well??? Sure once in a while browns are seen, but better chances of not seeing any.

Yep, I know, but other then a chance encounter in Denali or something similiar it is our best chance of seeing any brown bears. Thanks though.

All help appreciated!!!! We are doing a week DIY before our Southbound Alaska cruise.

We want to see brown bears ( have seen many many black bears in the hills of TN). I have researched a fly in trip to Chinitna bay but I am used to seeing bears fairly close (50-100 yds) & from what I have seen of the bay you are pretty far away most times & of course bears sightings are not a guarantee in the bay.

The Brooks Falls trip is possible but it is an entire day & we are travelling with another couple that is not interested in doing it.

So now we are looking at Ketchikan an Anan. We will be there July 29th 10am-6pm on a Princess cruise. Is it too late in the month for Anan? I know Traitors Cove is a good option for bears but from what I have read that is black bears only.

Thanks for any suggestions.

ljclay0130 - If you see this post can you share some information with me?

We will be on the Princess Island from 10am-6pm in Ketchikan.

Do you remember how quickly you were able to get off the ship?

Do you remember the "back on board time"?

We are also hoping to go to Anan but wondering if the 5 hour "tour" works with the ships time.

Thanks for any info you can pass along.

Major marine is offering a 25% discount for Presidents day. Sale ends Monday though. Check out their website.