Megnolia

Aaaah guys, Freeport ok New Year’s Day - I have an 8:15am excursion booked lol. I was planning to spend New Year’s Day sleeping in nassau then maybe walk over to Arawak cay for a snack. 
 

I don’t want to cancel my excursion but that’s going to be tough to get up for hahaha. First world problems. I know! It’s just too bad for the switch. I was also thinking it would be cool to catch the tail end of Junkanoo in Nassau if we did get up. 

10 hours ago, UncleInci said:

That's exciting, we have 4 girls going: 14, 10, and twin 7s.  Anyone got a 12yo to complete the straight flush?  😁

 

In all seriousness welcome aboard!  (and our kids still don't know!!)

Yup! 12 year old girl coming with me 🙂 also my 8 year old boy. My daughter turns 13 the day after the cruise. Exciting days for us lol 

Anyone else starting to worry a little bit? As it’s getting closer I’m crossing my fingers for good weather and good health! 
 

had a big snow storm yesterday and my 8km drive took 50 minutes. Plus my hubby and daughter are both sick at the moment. 
 

we plan to travel through buffalo on the 27th (driving) so I’ll be obsessively watching the forecast. I’m the meantime, must just breathe! 
 

a peaceful day to you all! 

Sorry for that last post. I hit quote by accident and it wouldn’t let me delete it. 
 

anyone here on the Facebook groups for this cruise? I made an alternate account to join one (so I’m not posting my vacation plans in a public forum using my real name). They have some activities planned. 
 

Anyone here thinking of doing something in NYC on embarkation day? I’m torn between choosing an early embarkation time and dropping our bags then exploring a little. 
 

16 hours ago, Kathleen000 said:

 

On 10/15/2023 at 12:16 PM, VegasFamilyof5 said:

Super Excited To be on this Cruise!! First New Years Cruise. Traveling with my Family of 5 (Son 23, Daughter 22, and youngest daughter 11. 

 

We Love Cruising as a Family. Is everyone signed up for meet and Mingle ? Any suggestions on Excursions? 

 

In Miami I want to visit Versace Mansion for Lunch https://vmmiamibeach.com/

How do we sign up for meet and mingle? I know I’ve done it before but I don’t remember. I thought it was someone from

the roll call who set it up… is there a separate meet and mingle thread? I would love to participate! 

Ok you guys, time to liven up the roll call a little bit! I'm so eager for this cruise, I haven't been in 6 years!!!! I can't believe how many ships Carnival has added since then, nor that I'm taking the newest one, which is so cool! 

I'm truly excited for the ropes course and the waterslides - hoping for warm enough weather to enjoy. 

Actually I'm just really pumped for everything - I love the decorations around the ship, and the special surprises for New Year's. What can I say, it's been a crappy day at work so I am enjoying my vacation dreams today :) 

On 7/10/2023 at 1:57 PM, montrealmommy5 said:

Hello All , wishing us all happy belated Canada Day and 4th of July. 

Who of us has already sailed out in winter from a North Eastern port  like NY. 

The latest I have sailed from a "cold weather" port was 2nd week of October in 2013. I've never sailed from the NorthEast in  the winter months,   In 2013 we were in warm waters by the next morning and the ocean was calm even on our way back.  Needless to say, I'm a little nervous. So who has been on a cruise from the Northeast in winter and how was the journey ? 

I know this was a long time ago that you asked it but I'll share my experience! I sailed out of Baltimore on NYE in 2017 and it was quite cold. According to historic weather charts, so I can't exaggerate, it was -13 celsius when we left. The cold air creeped in through the balcony glass and the room was chilly. We couldn't watch movies on deck or sit outside or anything like that. After two chilly days at sea, we reached Port Canaveral where the temp was +5C, with storm warnings, wind warnings and marine warnings in place - our excursion was canceled and we stayed on the ship watching the palm trees bend over horizontal to the ground lol 

In Nassau we got off the ship in sweatshirts but took them off for about an hour after we walked to the zoo. It was apparently 18C. 

I only took one sweatshirt and my child knocked a cup of coffee on me on embarkation day 🤪so I have decided that this time I'm anticipating wearing jeans the entire time, and having enough sweatshirts for every day, and plenty of shawls and coverups for dinner. And maybe keep my winter coat nearby for hot tea on the balcony hahaha. I sure hope we have a warmer time than back then, though! 

On 9/30/2023 at 11:16 PM, UncleInci said:

Booked a few months ago. Going to surprise the kids at Christmas with packed bags and tickets. Family of 6 from Detroit. First time for us sailing out of NYC

This is so incredible! I wanted to do that, but I also have a really big blabbermouth and I have been too excited with planning to keep it a secret. I kept it a secret for about 15 minutes. What an awesome Christmas surprise! 

Thanks everyone! 

Thanks so much! Driving from Ontario so we can choose to stay anywhere at all. 

Can’t wait to cruise on Venezia out of Manhattan. I have a couple questions for you pros. Never sailed from here but also haven’t cruised in 6 years so I’m a little rusty! 
 

I will hit platinum this cruise! Woohoo! Can my whole cabin board in the priority line?

from Manhattan, anyone have a preferred park and cruise hotel with a good experience? 
 

Thanks all! 

Hey! First of all I apologize for asking a question that’s probably been asked a hundred times. I’m struggling with the search feature on mobile. 
 

we are sailing out of Manhattan Dec 28. Port parking is quite expensive, as expected. But I’ve read so many horror stories about the park and cruise hotels in New Jersey with passengers stranded for hours and paying out of pocket for Uber back to the hotel. No great savings after all. 
 

What’s your preference: port or hotel? 
Is it really horrendous attempting to drive to the port? 
Any good park and cruise experiences? 
Any parking tips beyond those two options? 
 

Thanks so much! First time NYC cruisers although we’ve parked in Baltimore many times - maybe we’re making this more complicated than it needs to be! 

Hey! Another Ontario family here! Can’t wait to get to some planning. Plus it’s kind of a lifelong dream of mine to see NYC at Christmas time 🙂

Hi Baron,

Thanks for the perspective with the cost. I had no idea what a reasonable taxi fare would be. But when I thought about it, it's still cheaper to hire the cab at $25 each way and pay for our excursion than it would have been to take a similar excursion through the cruise line. So I'll go ahead and book the taxi!

Hey guys, come on over the the roll call if you haven't already! Search roll calls for December 31st.

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I am taking an excursion from a company located right in the port, so I'll need a taxi for the less-than 3 mile drive from my terminal to the tour company. I want to pre-book because we have a toddler and I need a company that will provide a car seat.

I have found one company who is willing and able to do the trip, but was quoted $25 each way. The drive is 7 minutes, so this sounds outrageous to me. Anyone know if that's a reasonable rate? In the fare they mentioned a $5.00 fee for them to enter the port, then another rate for waiting inside the port (although we can be there before the cab, easily).

I'd like to compare, so if you know of any other local taxi companies in port canaveral, I'd appreciate your suggestions! Most I've contacted strictly do business between the port and the airports.

Thanks!

*** edit: Oops, never mind. I realized that the Pride isn't doing this itinerary at the moment. Sorry, I would like to delete this post but I'm not sure how.

Any recent cruisers on the Pride Bahamas itinerary who know which terminal the Pride will dock at in Port Canaveral? I'm looking at a tour operator located within walking distance of terminal 1 and wondering if there's any way to determine beforehand if we'll be there.

Thanks :)

Wow, I'm so glad to see these bands are still playing on some ships. I thought they were completely eliminated! I bought the CD from music unlimited, who were on the Miracle in 2006, but have only seen one other "music" band since.

Interesting thread!

I have loved each of my Carnival cruises, but I chose to go with NCL at a comparable price, and comparable itinerary next time because I wanted a change in the entertainment and menus. I like going to the shows, but I haven't seen a new show in the last 4 cruises and even all the cruise directors make the same jokes in every welcome aboard talk - did you hear about the lady with the new hat out on Lido deck?

It's not a big enough deal to make me switch to a more expensive line, but when I have several real bargains to consider, I'm willing to try someone else just for a little variety.

I hope you're coming back, Buffettfan! (I read "buffet" the first time I saw that, haha) can't wait to read the rest as I leave in a week!

Hi all.

 

 

do they really have the muster drill at 10:30? The next port is at 7:00 AM? heck noway. I'll be asleep before 10:30 to get up before 7am. not that i'm going to the muster drill anyway...just seems really late for those with kids.

 

I hope you're kidding! You realize it's not optional.

It's a fantastic cruise, and the ports are amazing! I snorkelled in Antigua, Dominica and St. Lucia. Not as good as the snorkelling I've done in the Eastern or Western, but then again, I wasn't on specific snorkelling excursions.

I suggest bringing your own books. The library is hardly every open, and it's very small.

Enjoy yourself! The ship is lovely with the festive decorations.

I think Victory was my favourite ship, and by far the most amazing itinerary.

We did the following:

San Juan - missed the ship, so ended up flying on a 9 seater to St. thomas

St. Thomas - taxi to the ship, and don't leave since we were so pleased to be there!

Dominica - Roseau Valley Best Tour with Levi Baron of Bumpiing tours - INCREDIBLE!!!!

Barbados - Helicopter tour of the island with Horizon Helicopters and Concorde Experience. Very cool.

St. Lucia - Land and Sea Combo to Soufriere through Carnival - nice tour

Antigua - Kayaking and Snorkel tour through Carnival - not the greatest we've ever done. Not our favourite stop.

St. Kitts - Scenic Rail tour booked through Carnival - really cool, definitely worthwhile for one time, and a nice relaxing tour to end a busy week

The ship is beautiful, in my opinion, and had a laid-back, easygoing feel .

I'm certainly impressed by this thread! I don't know if any of the originals are still checking, but here goes nothing!

We're sailing out of San Juan on December 21 08. We have booked cruise air (from Buffalo). This is our second time using cruise air. Our first cruise we booked air ourselves, and our flight was cancelled, and we ended up paying around $500 more (2 people) and losing our non-stop anyway.

Here's why I chose cruise air - the price was guaranteed, and I know I have a seat. It is also refundable up until our final due date in October. I didn't like the fact that booking on my own I could only get completely non-refundable flights... there are a number of things that could potentially come up before then.

I also know that since our flights are not confirmed until closer to the cruise, there is a lower chance of the flight being cancelled since it's only 30 days or so out from travel. If I book myself now so far out, and the flight is cancelled, I will end up in the same boat having to pay through the nose for another.

In this climate, it seems there is no airline that you can count on to stay in the air or keep their predicted flights. Makes me nervous!

One more thing.. on our last cruise, because we were on cruise air and we were delayed, they allowed us to board the ship a few minutes after we were due to set sail, as they were waiting for 18 of us or so. We saw many pax getting on a few days later who hadn't been so lucky.

But... if I booked on my own I could fly from closer to home, and could choose a non-stop for not too much more than my cruise air. I'm not trying to champion cruise air - I just really wish I could feel more confident booking privately. So for all you experts, what do you think?