jarand

The "advantage fare" is refundable, and in my case it was cheaper than Snap fares.

When I look into Las Caletas, it says cruise ship passengers can't book it. Is this a situation where the cruise industry has a deal with the resort so you have to book through the ship? Is there a way around that?

Name of beer tasting place was "Aussie Pub". It's not on their usual route--just something that Krista found--so you might need to specify. Great fun!

Our experience with Red Fox was outstanding. We had a group of 10. They sent a nice mini van with both a driver and guide to the port gates, took us on the "Grand Tour Around Riga", and added in a noontime organ recital and super fun beer tasting at our request. The guide was Krista.

Total cost was 480 Euro for our group of 10. The organ recital was 10 Euro each and the beer tasting was 10 Euro each (14 different beers tasted!). Highly recommend.

We just returned from our Baltic trip, and we all learned that when you see something you like, buy it. Finding time to shop was sometimes a challenge!

We bought in Estonia. $10 for sets of 5. The same ones were $12 on the ship. (These aren't top quality--they were gifts for kids.)

In Russia, finding time to shop on the streets was very difficult, and the tour operators take their groups to certain stores, which weren't any cheaper. The shops that are on the pier by the ship are as good as anyplace.

A word of caution: They vary wildly in cost, from $10 up to hundreds, and often more expensive ones will sit right next to the cheaper ones on the same shelf. Watch carefully!

I'm on the Serenade now, and we were in Riga yesterday. Yes, we docked at an industrial port 30 minutes drive out of Riga. The shuttle was 14 Euro. There truly is nothing at all at the port. No taxis either.

Our group of 10 arranged with Red Fox tours to come pick us up at the port gates, and do a driving/walking tour of Riga. 480 Euro for the group, including the transfer. It was outstanding!!

Thanks so much for sharing!!

I'm loving this thread. Thank you!

Thank you so much for doing this! We will be on this same ship June 14-25. I love your accounts, seeing your pics, and the Compass! Enjoy!

We are doing a 3 day SPB/Moscow excursion with SPB-Tours in June. I am looking for feedback from anyone who's had experience with the SPB evening options. Choices are:

~Go Out Like a Local (vodka, canal ride, Nevsky Prospekt)

~Russian Ballet

~Folklore Show (folk instruments ensemble and Cossack dancers)

~Night at Faberge Museum and Nevksy Prospekt

~Private vehicle and driver for 3 hours

Thanks!

I appreciate your replies. Sounds like I should plan 3-4 hours. That's just what I needed to know. Thanks!

We aren't really pressed for time, but we are just trying to figure out our day, and I could sure use some help.

What is a realistic time to set aside for arrival, check luggage, shower, dress, get in the water, do the mud mask, soak a "typical" time (whatever that is?), shower off, get dressed, and catch our transportation?

Also, we're debating between the regular package and the "Comfort" package that includes a towel (needed), drink, and algae mask for 2000 ISK more. Towel rental is 700ISK. How much does it cost to buy a drink separately? Can anyone tell me about the algae mask?

Thanks!

Thank you SO much for this thread. It has been incredibly helpful!

We will be docked in Helsinki on June 24, which I've just learned is Midsummer day and a national holiday. So I'm at bit at a loss. Do you have any suggestions? Will there be any special festivals during the day? Will public transportation run? Will the markets be open?

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge!

We are looking at some interior cabins on the Serenade, possibly on deck 9 or 10. Can anyone tell me if the forward areas on decks 9 and 10 are open deck with access from the halls?

Also, does anyone know if the the mid/aft utility area on the center of deck 10 is the kitchen for the windjammer? We're looking at cabins directly below it (9609-9627) and wondered what might be above us.

Thanks!

It really depends on what you're looking for.

Princess is more elegant, has much better food, and may include some enrichment activities during the day (i.e. art history lectures, photography classes, location presentations, etc...) as well as entertainment in the evenings.

Overall I think the quality of Carnival isn't as high as Princess. But the atmosphere aboard has much more energy, especially in the evenings, and it can be a lot of fun!

This reply may be too late, but we went with Grand Turk Divers and they took just the two of us out.

If you're scuba certified, both Cozumel and Grand Cayman are outstanding diving.

Grand Cayman also has a really fun jet ski/snorkel/stingray excursion through Fat Fish Adventures. It's pricey though.

Thank you! That's very helpful.

We are considering taking four grandkids on a fun cruise, ages 4, 7, 8, and 10. The Inspiration and Imagination are inexpensive and convenient for us, but I read a lot about them being not the best place for kids. So we're looking at the Sunshine.

Does anyone know if there are minimum age and/or heights for the fun things to do, such as the water slide and ropes course?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

We are considering taking 4 grandkids on a short cruise. Have you noticed if there are van-taxis? Thanks.

On the Glory last week they did this on the first Formal night.

We are just off the Coral. We did Anytime Dining in the Bordeaux Dining Room, and it was great. We generally go early, around 6:00, and never had a wait for a table for 6. Except on the first night, you can call daily and make reservations in that dining room if you want an early time or a later time. We were very happy with both the food and the service.

One thing that was a bit frustrating on the Coral was the activity and entertainment scheduling. The evening entertainment times changed every night, and we usually planned dinner around it.

A quick reminder to download the free Carnival Hub App before you go. It is great onboard! You'll have your schedule, account, internet, etc... at your fingertips.

Another suggestion: There is a $5 per person charge to add the onboard messaging feature to the app which is a great way to keep in touch with other passengers onboard. But, if you both buy any of their internet packages, you'll have Facebook messaging anyway, so the app's messaging isn't needed.

We were very happy with the internet packages. Decent speed and no need to ration minutes. You can buy daily access, or for a significantly discounted price, a package for the whole cruise. Our cruise was 7 days. One of us bought the Social Only package for $25 (Facebook, Instagram...), and the other one of us bought the regular package for $60 (nearly all regular websites but not movie or music streaming). If you want to use it on a different device, you simply log out and log on the other device.

This is a very easy DIY port. Here's a possibility:

Get off ship and take the "Happy Bus" which just gathers passengers at the pier. $20 each for 70-90 minutes, visiting New San Juan and the Capitol. It drops you in the old Old San Juan shopping area, right at the base of San Cristobal. (OR, at the pier there are also a lot of Taxi Touristas offering about the same thing, advertising $36 per hour for the vehicle. Be sure you get an English speaking driver.)

Once you're dropped off, spend around an hour to visit San Cristobal, which is actually a US National Park. $5 entry fee. Very nice and interesting to walk around at your own pace. If you want, you can walk to the other fort as well, included in your entry fee.

Wander through Old San Juan, which is really just a little shopping and bar area. It is literally a 5 minute walk back to the ship.

Try to be on the starboard side for sailaway out of SJ. :)