Jgilbert813

God bless you father and family. Our family's prayers are with you all.

I'm happy to hear that you'll get to take this cruise with an easy heart. If nothing else, this scare with your father should remind you how fleeting life really is and you should enjoy these experiences.

Don't know if this will help - but for all those who are having trouble with online payments with credit/debit cards you can always go buy a carnival gift card at the grocery for the balance due and then apply that through the website.

First....My thanks to your husband for his service and thanks to you for your service to him. As a veteran, myself, I understand the sacrifices that you both have made.

Second...I am so happy that it all seems to be falling into place and that you've managed to keep this incredible secret. I booked a surprise cruise for DW a few years ago. I booked about a year out, even talked with her manager at work to secure the time off she would need. But I am a weak man ;p and didn't make it very long before I broke and told her about it. In my defense, I had bought her a few summer dresses for the cruise online and she found the package at the door before I did (she was home from work sick) and was very curious about why I had bought them. Regardless - It was still a great surprise and an amazing cruise. I am sure your cruise will be an amazing and much needed get away and well worth the sacrifices you made to get here.

On a side note.. I read that you coupon to help cut costs around the house - have you tried some of the rebate apps? I use these in conjunction with coupons to help cover the costs of our cruises. Personally, I use Ibotta, Checkout 51, and SavingStar. I have also recently started using the app EasyShift to help bring a little extra $$$ also. If you haven't already, check these out. If they help, you're welcome. If they don't, It was worth a try.

For us, I buy gift cards at my local Kroger's store. Everyday I get 2x fuel points, and most of this summer they had a special where I got 4x gas points on travel gift cards. The discount percentage is based on how many fuel points you get and how big your gas tank is.

For me - if I buy a $250 gift card at 4x points, it equals 1000 points or $1 off per gallon. I have a truck with a 30 gallon tank and I will wait until my low fuel light is on to refill. That means I save about $30 on a $250 gift card or 12%.

Personally I try not to purchase anything for our cruises without using gift cards. It allows me to save on excursions, cruise fare, onboard purchases, and even Cheers! packages. Some of my cruising friends say I'm crazy for "jumping through hoops" to save a few dollars but these gift cards are just the tip of the iceberg :D.

I also use grocery coupon savings and rebate apps like Ibotta, Checkout51, and Saving Star to fund our adventures. As far as I'm concerned, this is a huge savings because I'm putting in minimal effort buying things I would use anyway and using the "free" money to pay for our fun.

I have used this 4x offer buying Carnival gift cards through Kroger many times. It works out really well. I usually buy $250 worth of cards which equals 1000 points or $1 off a gallon of gas. My truck has a 30 gallon tank, so I save $30. So think of it this way - buying a $250 card for $220 for a savings of 12% which is pretty good in my book.

Embarkation takes place on Deck 3 - Lobby deck. You debark at ports on Deck 0. Final debarkation is again on Deck 3

Congrats on the 1st cruise!

First - you can find millions of threads on this topic with do's and don'ts and packing lists.

Second - lay out all of your clothes before you pack. Make outfits including socks, undies, jewelry, etc. That way you can make sure you have everything you need when you put it in the suitcase.

Last - unpack completely when you first get to your cabin. It will make your cabin feel larger, and make it feel less like a hotel room when you're not living out of a suitcase

On the Magic a couple of years ago...listening to the band in Ocean Plaza on the first night and there were 2 women (55-60 probably) who must have had TOOOO much to drink and were dancing and grinding on everyone who walked down the promenade. The ship leaned to one side and one of the women started to stumble and unable to catch herself ran full speed into one of the columns - fell flat on her back, glasses shot across the floor and was out cold. Instantly everyone became silent, the band screeched to a stop and one of the band members called down to her and all of the sudden she shoots a "thumbs up" to everyone, and gets up like nothing happened. Her and her friend went off, presumably, back to their cabin and I didn't see them again for a couple of days.

I would think so. I know I have cancelled excursions as late as the morning of while onboard and received credit for them on our S&S acct.

Great review! DW and I are heading out on the Legend for the same route September '18. Loved seeing all of the pictures of ports and landscapes. Now I just have to wait, and wait, and wait for next September....oh well - lots of time to plan.

We have a 2018 Legend Alaska cruise booked - Super excited to find out too :D

DW andI just got back from the Freedom on that itinerary. I have been on both the Freedom and the Breeze, and that being said, while the Breeze is a great ship I would go with the Freedom for the new ports. We did ziplining in Roatan and river cave tubing with and ATV trek through the jungle in Belize and they were AWESOME! Lots of fun and beautifully scenic. Great ship, beautiful ports, overall a great choice.

I've bought them through Verizon before, but its easy to miss them and find they are sold out. Now, usually I buy them from Kroger where I get 2x or 4x the fuel reward points. The amount of savings depends on how many I buy and how much gas I need to purchase. If I buy a $100 gift card on a 4x weekend I get $0.40 off per gallon of gas. I'll take my truck and car up to the station and buy about 30 gallons. That equates to a $12 savings or a total of 12%. They are almost always available at the store, and I can buy $50-100 each week while I'm shopping and it doesn't feel like it hurts my wallet as much ;p

;)

Jgilbert813...thanks for the great advise! I just don't know how my husband is going to keep me away from the food! Lol. I'm so excited and just want to make sure that we don't overlook or miss something that we'd rather do more than something else, from simply just not knowing!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

With regards to not missing out.....Each night take a look at the Funtimes and see what looks good for the next day. We use a highlighter and go right down the list. We know we may not make it to all of them, but it gives us an idea. At night, we always try to get a few pictures taken every night on the ship. We have had the best pictures taken of us on a cruise ship. It costs nothing to have them taken, and you only buy what you like. When you go to look at them the next day, it can be great fun to see how some people pose, and how happy everyone is. Take time to talk to the crew. Especially bartenders (if you visit the same bar often) dealers in the casino, and entertainment staff. They have great stories, and usually seemed genuinely happy to talk to you. I have learned a lot about other countries and cultures with these conversations.

You can miss out on shopping talks, and "free" spa tours. For us, they all seem to end up as sales pitches and a waste of time. A lot of "sales" in the fun shops aren't worth the time or crowds - enter those at your own risk ;)

First off, congratulations! :D May you life together be filled with many adventures.I have found that there are nice and not nice things on every boat. We have never sailed on a ship and felt it was just perfect.

The "secret decks" are great when you are coming into port. I loved standing out there and watching as we pulled in.

While its nothing secret...my advice - Don't try to see and do everything. It's just not possible. Enjoy what you can and let the rest go. We enjoy the comedy club (go early) and ALL the live music every night, they have it playing in the lobby, at the casino, and piano bar.

Try something new everyday. Something new at dinner, a new drink, a new experience. That's the beauty of cruising - endless choices.

Enjoy.

We had a blast on this itinerary. We had a great excursion in Belize with Butts Up Tubing, and Roatan was beautiful with everything you needed right at the port. I liked it much more than the Jamaica route.

My DW and I actually missed our flight the day before :mad: and had to fly in the morning of. We landed about 1, and got a cab right to the ship. Because we got there a little later, there was only a small crowd at check-in and we were on the boat quickly. As long as you have a direct flight I wouldn't see any problem getting to the ship on time.

In my opinion - worth it :)

If you want to "prepay" for it, just buy a Carnival gift card to use prior to the cruise.

The steaks were some of the best I've eaten, large and flavorful. It is an experience or an event. Plan to spend about 3 hours in the steakhouse. It's a quiet, intimate evening that we completely enjoyed.

I believe you can find the steakhouse menu online and it will give the size of each cut of steak and the lobster tail if you're worried about the small.

Hope this helps some.

The Sheraton Old San Juan is a great hotel. We stayed there this spring. It was right across the street from the pier - super convenient - and a short walk into Old San Juan to some great restaurants.

http://www.sheratonoldsanjuan.com/

I'm interested as well. Just booked a 14 day Journey to Panama Canal next October.

Also wondering if there will be 4 formal nights since its two weeks?

The only thing DW and I didn't care for was the lack of wind and breeze from being on the back of the boat.

That being said, we did enjoy watching the wake.

Have a great cruise! :D

Getting to the Port in Galveston is actually very easy to navigate. Staying in Galveston, as already stated, can be expensive. If driving in, or flying ahead of time, you can stay closer to Houston and pay less. Parking is available directly across the street from the ship (Galveston Park 'N' Cruise) and it usually only takes us about 45 minutes from the west side of Houston (Katy area). Hope this helps.

We're going on our first carnival cruise this June. Is it possible to get fountain soda anywhere, or is it just cans?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

if you go to the red frog and blue iguana bars on the lido deck they have soda guns for a more fountain-like drink

Thanks for the help

I'm looking for help from our great CruiseCritic Community - DW and I want to go visit the Dunn's River Falls, but she doesn't want to hike up them. I thought I read somewhere about an observation deck where she can enjoy taking it all in, but not have to hike the falls themselves. Can anyone confirm, or have any more information?

Thanks you in advance -