Monarch523

A person "tried" to cut my 9 yr ol daughter who was patiently waiting her turn for french toast. He "tried" to do it quickly because I guess he thought she wasnt going to do or say anything. However I cut my daughter and made him have to cut ME. Took one look at my face and his plan was thwarted. Like I said he "tried":cool:

This was one of the funniest reviews I've read. Thor was my favorite!! Hope you post more:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by msmaj4700

You are in for a surprise! Some parents get on the ship with kids, let their kids run wild for a week, then meet up and take them home. On my first cruise last year, we had kids sit across the main steps, both sides, and refused to move as people were trying to go up& down the steps.

So I said to myself that I'd come back to this post and give my take on the children aboard my Splendor cruise. Well luckily there were not to many children. Just enough (including my two) so I didn't feel like it was smack dab in the middle of summer HOWEVER kids on there def had full run of the ship. Running around the pool pushing other kids in, splashing the surrounding guests who were relaxing. One of the workers on the ship had to tell the children to stop doing "cannonballs" in the pool as they were splashing surrounding guests as well. Kids were hogging up the jacuzzi's and peeing in them (over heard one child brag). The teenagers were out of control too. I get it-its a vacation for all but the parental guidance was nill. I had seen a little boy with his mom on the first day but everyday after that she was nowhere to be found ever again. I saw him everyday everywhere alone doing whatever he wanted to do. I always looked for her. One day leaving a port everyone was on the top deck. He was standing up on a bar and hanging over the railing. I was nervous because he was just to over the edge for me but no one was there to stop him. I just watched over him quietly ready to help him if he needed it until he walked away.

One child that seemed to be about 2yrs old had a sword in his hand during the muster drill. He wacked the person next to him several times before the person finally something to the mother that was holding him. The mother got angry that the person would complain and verbally voiced her aggravation saying "He's only a child" instead of taking the sword away for a few minutes. I can only imagine when the ship is full of children. Having two little ones of my own I can't fathom seeing them run amok with no regard for other adults but it appears its the adults that quickly go on vacation from parenting.

Wearing, or not wearing, a lanyard is a question which has never occurred to me to ask. But this thread has piqued my interest: what is there about a lanyard which might possibly not be waterproof?

 

I must be missing something - please advise.

Well since you asked...I was worried about getting my money wet (or lost) and possibly my one credit card. I am going alone with my two young children so I am trying to think ahead. I found one that was "waterproof" and wondered what was the big hub bub and did it really work.

Do you have someone to give it to when you go swimming? If so, then I suggest you take it off and hand it to them. Otherwise, if you are just looking for info about lanyards in general, here is a link to a 12 page thread already running in another forum.

 

Basically: do what you want. :) Try it both ways and see what works best for you.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1912162 <--click here, huge lanyard thread

 

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LOL Hey thanks for pointing me in the right direction!! Now I can discuss in further detail how much I might prefer looking like a nerd than losing my stuff without judgement :D

Has anyone used one of those waterproof lanyards? Do you feel there was a legitimate need for it? Was it handy? Was it annoying? Did it get in the way? Did you end up taking it off more than wearing it? Wondering if its really worth the $$.

I usually don't book until I have all the money. This means cruise, airfare, tips, hotel, excursions, etc...then I book and pay in full. I like to have everything paid for prior to going.:)

I agree. I just want to get it over with and pay it all that way I have nothing else to do but buy random purchases for the trip. It's nice not having anything else to worry about.

I have a question. I am going to get a passport for my 12 year old son for our cruise coming up in August. I was considering the passport card because other than the cruise, we are not going to be going anywhere out of the country in the next several years and the card is cheaper. But the more I think about it, isn’t the whole reason they say it is better to get a passport is because if there is a problem and you need to fly home, you need a passport. If that is the case, then the passport card wouldn’t work.

I am thinking too much about this? Should I just go ahead and get him the passport book and not think about the passport card?

I was unsure as well with my daughters. I thought perhpas because they were children it needed to be different but found out after it was broken down to me that the best thing is the EXACT Passport Book that adults would have. According to the U.S. Passport application:

"Unlike the Passport Book, the Passport Card is valid only for entry to the United States at land border crossings and sea ports of entry when traveling from Canada, Mexico, The Carribean, and Bermuda. The passport card is not valid for international air travel"...

I got the Passport Book for them so that I can take my children wherever, however I choose. Hope this puts you at ease a little bit:)

I have decided to go ahead and get a passport, has anyone recently gotten one and how long did it take?

 

 

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I got two passports for both my daughters. I was shocked I got them BOTH in less than 3 weeks. What threw me off though was that I got the birth certificates back in the mail FIRST then the passport followed a couple days later so don't freak out. I called and found out thats the protocol (even got a real person when I called:eek:)

On my first cruise I bought at least $300 worth of turquoise jewelry. I couldn't wait to bring it home as it was a gift for my mom and I. Like a dumba** I had waaaayyyy to many drinks at the Captain's meet and greet and LEFT my jewelry in a bag on a table. I got home and later found my jewelry filled bag......IN MY PICTURES that I was apparently taking:mad: Anyone else ever left anything that was important to them on a cruise? Was it ever returned?....or still lost at sea:(

Glad you enjoyed her! My first Carnival cruise last August was on the Splendor. I think she gets picked on unfairly! I had a great time. My only real problem was with the buffet, Horrible, but everything else was fine.

Why was the buffet horrible? Food selection? Taste? Going in a couple weeks and was just curious.

You pay your bill at Margaritaville with cash or credit card. They hold on to your Sail & Sign card to ensure that you don't skip out on the bill.

Oh ok thank you!!.....is HMC the same way? OR can any drink purchases go on your Sail & Sign card because its their private island? Thank you so much for responding. I guess I'm just overly excited:D

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh you guys are awesome!!!!! And it's not that I cared if anyone really looked at me but I went through that thread enititled "How you know someone is new to cruising" and I just didnt want to be "that guy" LOL Thanks!! And awesome tip about putting another plate or one of the napkins on top of my food!!!!!!!!! Thanks guys:D!!

"After you check in, they will hold your Sail & Sign card hostage until you pay your tab and check out. On the downside, drinks and food at Margaritaville are not cheap."

So whatever you order at Margaritaville you have to pay cash or it goes on your Sail & Sign card?

So wait a minute.....are you trying to tell me that I can pile a plate of food, wrap it up from the Lido deck and take it down to my room???? Won't people look at me crazy taking food to my room on the elevator? Do people do that all the time?? OBVIOUSLY.....I'm a newbie:o....

OMG a "cabin crawl"???? THAT'S AWESOME!!!!!:p

It might differ depending upon the itinerary you are looking at. We did the Western Med on Celebrity and the Baltic Capitals on NCL as we determined they were the best at the time we booked them.

 

I would suggest first determining what itinerary you are looking for. Then look to see which cruise lines offer the ones you are looking for at the time you want to book. After I got that information I looked on CC for reviews on those ships and compared the amenities of each one and pricing on the cabin types we wanted before we chose the correct one.

Good advice! Thank you

Are you asking about a big ship cruise (around the Mediterranean coast)? Or a river cruise through the center of the countries?

A big ship cruise around the Mediterranean coast.

I am considering taking a cruise throughout Europe but have NO idea what cruise lines are the most popular. I have only cruised on Carnival and my upcoming cruise will only be my second. I have a wonderful opportunity to travel with friends and we are clueless as to what Cruise line would be the most pleasureable experience. Any suggestions??

I am considering taking a cruise throughout Europe but have NO idea what cruise lines are the most popular. I have only cruised on Carnival and my upcoming cruise will only be my second. I have a wonderful opportunity to travel with friends and we are clueless as to what Cruise line would be the most pleasureable experience. Any suggestions??

All past guests, red level and up, receive a coupon for a free drink. It must be used in the main dining room at breakfast or lunch. You can get a drink to go without ice if you do not want to drink it at that time.

That's good to know. Where would we get this free drink coupon?

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Money talks

 

 

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Exactly. I plan on sticking $20 into the hand of whoever it is that will be my room steward for the week the day I step onto the ship. Plus they have families too. Money always comes in handy:p

I don't know what it is about HMC but I really recommend being vigilant about the sunblock. I not familiar with science but it seemed as the sun would beat on you from the sky and sands all the time. We had a couple who we met on board who weren't so attentive and got so burnt it put a downer on the rest of their experience. Bad sunburns can really ruin a vacation.

 

 

 

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I agree. I have only been to HMC once (was able to rent the Oasis which was out of this world) and I can agree that for some reason the sun burn was on another level. Going to HMC in a couple weeks and rented a cabana as well. Be on the look out for the sun!

You can even order them with ribs in the dining room on formal night.

Hold up......there's ribs on the Splendor:eek: I didnt know that!