lisajm

Ahh. It’s been maybe 3-4 years since a Carnival cruise for me. My last cruise was 2 years ago on Royal. 

Ahoy, fellow cruisers! My partner and I sailed last week on the Magic out of Port Canaveral and I thought I would give a review. 
Embarkation: We had an assigned time 11:00-1130. Check in was a breeze. We waited about 15 minutes before embarkation started. One thing that was decidedly different was that we were not issued our sign and sail cards upon checking in. We were told that our cards would be found outside our cabin. 
We boarded the ship and headed to the Lido deck for lunch. I some delicious Mongolian Wok while Tim sought out some buffet items. 
After lunch we walked around a bit until our room was ready. We were in a balcony room, 7381. On the way to our Muster Station, we saw our luggage on a cart and asked if we could carry it to our cabin. The luggage handler insisted on delivering it for us. 
We decided to unpack then go to the mandatory check- in. Our muster station was E4, in the Southern Lights Dining Room located aft. We checked in and it took only about 10 minutes and we were done. (we were able to view the safety instructions from our cabin prior to check-in)..

Tim and I walked around to get a feel for the layout. The ship was all decked out for Christmas. A large metallic green tree graced the lobby atrium and there we various other trees throughout the ship. 
Note, masks were required while indoors and social distancing, masks were encouraged on deck for outdoor activities. 
After, sail away we came back to the cabin to shower and get ready for dinner. Tim and I opted to do Our time dining so we were in the forward Northern Lights dining room. 
As we were checking in they asked if we had checked in on the Carnival Hub app. We had not. They hosts explained that we would be seated faster by checking in on the app. Our dining crew were Bryan, Bravesh, and Sigit, who were all fabulous. We asked the hosts how to be seated in their section. She made a note in the system and we sat in their section for the rest of the cruise. 
After dinner, we went to the theater for the welcome aboard show, hosted by Gary, our cruise director. The performers have a short show as a preview. They were all great, giving high energy performances. 
After the show we danced a bit at the mid ship lobby before turning in for the night. 
To be continued…

On 5/9/2021 at 7:23 PM, mom says said:

Has common sense become that uncommon?

- who swims laps in a ship pool? 4 strokes and its time to turn. If its that necessary, then swim early or late to minimize others in the pool

- if the pool is crowded, don't get in. 

- if someone else is doing laps, then you do yours on the other side of the pool. 

- if someone is swimming laps too close to you, and you were there first, ask them to distance themselves 

 

And finally, there may not be lifeguards, but there are pool attendants.  One would hope they will monitor and restrict both pool and hot tub capacity. 

That’s a nice thought, but I have serious doubts. The pool attendants don’t even manage the chogs, so I can’t see them regulating people in the pools. 

On 5/23/2021 at 10:57 PM, IntrepidFromDC said:

I think all the ports are worth visiting as long as you're willing to pay for an excursion.  If no excursion, and you're just talking about walking around the area where you get off the ship, I never want to visit Freeport or Belize again.

Same. Freeport is too industrial and Belize is outright scary. The 30 minute tender and soldiers walking around with assault weapons left a bad taste for Belize. 

On 5/22/2021 at 2:30 AM, KasperGutman said:

Well, all I was really looking for is general guidance (which I got). Now that I have a sense of how long I have each day (which yes, is subject to the vagaries of weather etc.), I can start trying to puzzle out what I can reasonably do and start prioritizing. In a few cases, that may involve doing a ship based excursion.

 

Where there are multiple sites to take in, I will start with the one furthest away from the ship. In so doing, I hope to minimize the risks of traffic etc. (though obviously it will depend on the port and what I want to see.)

 

Glen

Glen,

Also remember to set your watch to ship time, not the local time 🙂

We fly into FLL early on the day of the Russell. What are some recommend services to transfer to POM?

Where on the website do I find the dimensions? Would a 24 in suitcase fit through the scanner? I know a 21 in does.

 

Laura

Laura,

On the Carnival website under FAQ's, Luggage.

Formal night is usually the first port day.

lookin2cruise2017,

The tender to Half Moon Cay and Back is a short ride. The tenders themselves carry many passengers.

I have been on the Splendor twice and both times it was a great experience. There is Tandoori kiosk aft that isn't available on all ships. We found that it was quite tasty.

You can walk across the entire ship on decks 5 and 9. This is good to know if you try to get MDR and are stuck on 3rd floor.

Adult pool and hot tub are aft, deck 9.

Hope you like the color pink.

How does FTTF work in FLL? We have a 12:30 boarding time? when can we show up to go into boarding staging area, or check in? thank you

With FTTF you can check in as early or late as you want regardless of your assigned check-in time.

Weird thing happened to me today. I booked a girls trip with 2 cabins. I booked a cabana @ HMC and FTTF. Was trying to book FTTF for other cabin but the site wouldn't let me.

Went back to review the bookings and thankfully noticed that BOTH cabins were booked for a cabana and FTTF, I was able to cancel second cabana and I left the FTTF.

Just be aware, I believe this happened because our bookings were linked. I have not ever had this issue when booking multiple cabins. So if you are able to access the other cabins make sure you aren't charged multiple times

OP: I totally understand your view point and feel the same way. Just cruised in March with the enhanced CHEERS and enjoyed it more than ever. As crazy as it seems would never spend money on good coffee when there was free coffee on Lido and the MDR. So I got to enjoy good coffe and bottled water throughout the cruise.

DH and I are cruising in 5 days and I pre-purchased CHEERS because its 5$pp a day cheaper than purchasing on board. I would say we are moderate drinkers. DH usually has 2 glasses of wine at night, maybe a little more on weekends.

But on a cruise we are on vacation, nobody has to drive (except the captain).

Because gas prices are lower, people have more expendable income, ergo can afford to travel.

Its not just Carnival. Milk prices haven't went down either:rolleyes:

Can you please share the funtimes when you get back?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I always have good intentions about that sort of thing. I plan to take tons of pictures, but then I have so much fun that I forget! Will try is all I can promise.:rolleyes:

You are positive you can't use a GC to purchase on the website ahead of time?

I just tried it, has to be a credit card. Trying to call Carnival right now to see if you can apply gift card through the phone. Unusual high call volume. Waiting on call back!

By the time we cruise, I will have a small amount of money left on my gift card. I'd like to use the gift card and also provide a credit card. Is there a way to set the account up so that the gift card be used before my credit card is charged?

Yes, this should be done automatically. However I would ask during check-in to make sure.

If you buy online can you use gift cards to pay for it?

No. Can't buy anything through Bon Voyage with a gift card.

Unopened, unused insulin needs to be in a refrigerator. Once opened it expires in 28 days and does not require refrigeration. Check with your manufacturer to verify this information.

I didn't think they were as great as everyone makes them out to be. The fries are delicious though!!

Same here! I do like all of the toppings for the burgers, but man I love those fries!

We are on the first cruise after dry-dock. I really like the Splendor already, so Red Frog and Blue Iguana are fine with me.

I haven't sat through a show on Carnival since they took out the live music.

And I'm not a huge fan of American Table.

One bonus for us is that we do not have to wait for stragglers from the previous cruise to leave the ship! Maybe we will get on a little earlier than normal.

You can ask a 100 people and they all have their own opinions. I love the Splendor! Was on last March and going on her again in 30 days.

The Magic is set to get all the 2.0 upgrades. I have booked this ship for next Feb.

I would look at cost, consider what you want to do on your cruise, and decide if you would rather go to GC or CM.

Honestly, its win/win for you, because you get to go on a cruise!

It is my understanding that the ship will not accept a gift card unless it has the person's name on it.

This isn't true. I purchased several Carnival Gift cards for my last cruise, and my name was not on them.

OP..you also stated that your kids will have spending money for the trip. Be aware that all transactions on the ship (except for casino) are through sign and sail account. (I have never been to arcade, so not sure about cash in there) So If your child wants a soda or something from the Fun Shops they must use the S&S card.

If your family drinks a lot of sodas you can bring a 12 pack per person with you, or purchase Bottomless Bubbles. BB can be purchased on line prior to your cruise or once you get on cruise as well.

John Heald announced this on Facebook this morning.