momof3cruisers

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Very balanced review IMO. My first Carnival cruise was a 3 day out of Long Beach. Talk about a party ship! Next was a five day out of Port Canaveral. That improved my opinion considerably! I like all the lines I have sailed on though the lack of activities on all 3 Princess cruises I have been on makes them my least favorite.

That would be really nice! Just more relaxation time. That is a great suggestion. I was trying to figure out easy to pack bags for easy transfer. That will do it.

I was on an October cruise last year not over Halloween and there was a costume and trick or treating night. Have one booked this October too and we have already received an email talking about Halloween events which states that all October cruises will have costume contests. OP, the email didn’t say which day. I’d go with not first or last and not elegant night. That narrows it down to 2 on a 5 night.

I’m sorry everyone. If Plat perks are reduced, it is my fault. My first cruise upon turning gold,I was ready to do the cocktail party. Literally the month before, they uninvited golds to the parties. I am turning Plat on a cruise in late November. I apologize for any changes I will cause. 🥺

On one of my cruises since the restart, they were playing movies on the Lido in the afternoon. So weird! It was very hard to see the screen in the bright sunlight. None in the evening at all. Pretty sure that was on Freedom last October.

That’s a good point! Helps me feel better that on our B2B that was switched from Freedom to Spirit, they didn’t manage to keep us in the same cabin on the second leg. This happened to a lot of people on our two sailings. Not sure why they didn’t just move all the B2B people first.

I always check our main bags so only have a backpack. Easy to carry until rooms are ready. Muster first to get it done. Get lunch at either Guy’s or Blue Iguana and a drink and then if alone or just adults, head to Serenity and settle into a clam shell. With kids, find somewhere shady on Lido to hang out while kids swim. (Their suits are in their backpacks.) Once rooms are ready, if we have a balcony we head there to watch sail away. Otherwise, stay right where we are.

I totally get what you are saying and had been thinking along the same lines in guessing about scheduling etc. I can tell you that as a sometimes disabled cruiser (I have MS, symptoms come and go) the Carnival crew are incredible at accommodating and assisting. They are truly just amazing. Also, since the restart, muster drill is such a delight. Gather your gang together and go check in at your station after you board. It will only take like 10 minutes at the most. Having sailed several times with teens on a few different lines, the free food options on Carnival are great. None of the places other than specialty sit down restaurants that are only open at dinner anyway and the coffee place charge extra for food. (I’m looking at you, Johnny Rockets 😠) which is really easy for the kids. They don’t have to figure out if the food is free or not. Since you have a lot of kids in the same age range, they will probably want to hang out together. The library has board games and trivia and the other games offered during the day are all family friendly. We have also done our own games when sailing with extended family. For instance, a scavenger hunt—picture or otherwise. We also did a sort of meet up game saying “at 1:00, we’ll see you by the hang out for a food Network Star” etc. Grandma gave out mini Hershey bars to those who got to the right place within 5 min of the time. Hiding ducks has also become a popular thing. You could have a challenge for the kids on who finds the most. Bring some for them to hide and award a winner to the person whose stays in place the longest. My thought is that if you plan some fun, the 18 year old won’t be left out by everyone else heading off to the clubs. I know our cousin group generally all hang together, but just in case. Also, our entire family love the PG comedy. My kids like fed that as preteens they could go too. Even when I sail with just my sisters (we range in age from 50-70) we almost always go to the PG shows and often give the R ones a pass. Lol Have a great cruise. And btw, the Glory is my favorite class of ship 🛳 n Carnival.

I agree with you. However, Carnival can now say “this is covered in your cruise contract” IF they decide to enforce it. That is a big, big IF as we all know. What’s frustrating is they would only need to do it a few times, make sure the cruise bloggers know about it so they spread the word and issues would decrease significantly. The same would happen if they just started removing belongings on lounge chairs. I have about equal hope of either of those things happening.

Last time someone at my table ordered them, they had a choice. She chose apricot and cream. So hopefully your wife gets that option. This was in March.

Yes you can get a menu in Spanish and you can get a physical menu if you ask. As for what’s on the menu each night, the ships all have the same menu so the first four days of any cruise should be correct.

I’m always baffled that packing carry on size only is difficult for people. I wear a size 22 so my clothes aren’t tiny and often don’t wear everything I bring with me. I’m a big fan of sun dresses and really good sandals. Add a Couple pairs of shorts, capris and a few tops, swim suit or two and I’m set. Having said that, we are taking one mid-sized suitcase which we will be checking on the plane for our back to back in October. The reason for that is that on the airline we are flying on, a checked suitcase is less $ than a carryon. We will each have an under seat item as well. We will possibly do laundry when we are hanging out on our balcony on one of the last 2 days of the first leg which are both sea days.

Well my good man, you stole my ship so….Actually, we were supposed to be on Freedom out of Miami this October but they moved her and we are on Spirit instead. I really like the Freedom and her sister ships. It’s got good options for food and drinks but the ship isn’t huge. you will board on deck 3 the first day which is the lobby. There’s a nice bar there. Also a pretty atrium where there is live music in the evenings as well as games like trivia etc during the day. If you have anytime dining, this is also where the entrance to that restaurant is. Your cabin is on deck 1 which is handy for reboarding in port as you’ll just have to walk down the hall. In Grand Turk, we have done the sightseeing highlights and tastes for Grand Turk excursion. Honestly one of the best excursions I have ever done. Only about 14 people per group and you see pretty much everything GT has to offer and then they take you to a nice beach with chairs and umbrellas. Another option is to stay at the port, go shopping, go to Margaritaville, or use the free beach chairs Carnival has right at the port. What are your other ports?

That’s really interesting. When in a US port, I thought all ships had to pay sales tax to that state or territory on any drinks. It’s been awhile since I cruised anyone other than Carnival though. Zanydoc, I’m so glad you enjoyed your cruise. Ecstasy was the first cruise we took our kids on back probably 15 or so years ago. Several years later, we went on Breeze and they all commented that while they liked all the stuff to do on that ship, Ecstasy really had everything you needed and they liked the size. I do not understand what the heck Carnival is doing with debarcation since the restart but all three cruises I have been on since October it’s been a disaster. I just pick a high number and chill. Or rather, enjoy the weather of the home port since I’m flying back to MN that day. 😊😎

Well there ya go. That was the last time I got it as well. Shucks. Thanks for all the responses. I will just bring a Tervis cup and make my own brewed iced tea from the tea bags and hot water on the Lido. Maybe I’ll bring a pitcher. LOL

Last Oct on Freedom I was able to get bottled iced tea at the coffee shop on the Glory as part of Cheers. But in Feb on the Breeze, when I asked for some, they looked at me like I was crazy. I believe the brand on the Glory was Pure Leaf. Prior to Carnival switching to Pepsi, I got many bottled teas from Honest Tea at the coffee shops on several trips. This isn’t a deal breaker, but I do like iced tea and not the whatever that is that they serve on Lido. What has been your experience?

Yeah—I’m with you. That would be the reaction of management at my husband’s company. Thus why we buy cancel fir ANY reason insurance.

My PVP who has been with Carnival for 25 years said the exact opposite. As far as the TBD thing. She advises to leave the second passenger blank as long as possible just in case something comes up.

Lol Interesting! My first problem was paying $80 PER DOG per night. What kind of luxury accommodations are these? My dog is an old spoiled girl with medical issues who dislikes other dogs. The MOST expensive option I have ever seen in our area is $65 per night and that’s only for the first dog. For $45 she gets her own area with a solid wood door, an outdoor area she has free access to, 4-6 walks a day for potty breaks, an additional walk for 20 min +, a bedtime cuddle and a peanut butter Kong. And second dog always gets a discount in our area.

The things we are interested in seeing don’t seem to be on a tour together. We’d like to go to the glass factory, San Nicholas, the rock formations and Baby Beach. In other ports, I have hired a local taxi driver to do tours like this or we have done a private tour with companies that let you customize what you want to see. Would we be able to hire someone at the port for this? Or any suggestions for tour companies that let you truly customize your trip?

Thank you! It does show up there!

Can’t find that either. 🤨

Just verifying—is the pizza through the app the same as from the pizza place? What about pizza from room service?

Can anyone tell me where on my cruise documents it should show up if I have already purchased Cheers? We made sure to get it before the prices went up but I don’t see it anywhere. I have the transaction from my bank but it makes me nervous that it doesn’t show in the documents.

I would call and ask them if you can check in before the other person arrives. If they say yes, then I would give it a shot. However, only do that if #1, you currently can’t get any $ back for this cruise and #2 only if you live near the port or have the funds to either stay in a hotel or get back home in some way.