Catocop

Take a tour of the spa and exercise room and enter the raffle for a free massage or other spa service.

5 hours ago, aftermidnight said:

Hi Everyone: have not been on Carnival before. I have a couple of questions. Are there any perks that come with a Vista suite? We are Diamond +on RCCL and we get certain perks. Just wondering if there are any ad-ons if you are in a suite. Also any info. About Carnival Pride would be appreciated. Thanks!

      

According to the Carnival website,  "Since your suite gives you VIP status, you’re the priority when it comes to getting on and off the ship. Plus, you’ll receive a ton of exclusive amenities making this the ultimate way to cruise." https://www.carnival.com/staterooms.aspx

Hi Aftermidnight.

Carnival allows one bottle of wine per adult carried on. Some people think the drink package is worth it - it depends on how much you drink. Actually there are two drink packages - one for sodas and one for alcohol. 

I couldn't figure out how to sign up until I found this link:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcall/

I was able to navigate from there.

Part of the joy of travelling is the journal I keep - usually a log of what I did each day plus observations, evaluations, suggestions for next time. I'm not very good at noting down expenses, though!

Sam's Piano Bar on the Miracle had Boddingtons in 2014. I haven't sailed on her since so I don't have any recent information.

In January 2016 on the Dream there was at least one free 15-minute stretch class at something like 7 am. Check the daily program handout to see if there's anything like that on your cruise.

You might save money by not purchasing the beverage package, depending on what you like to drink and how much of it. My husband found it cheaper to purchase one specialty coffee per day (this was on Carnival) and skip the soft drinks. The package for alcoholic drinks is priced to make the cruise line money - I think you break even around six drinks per day on Carnival, for example. There will be stores on the ship - I once bought flip flops to wear to the pool. And you might want to buy the photographs they take of you at dinner, at boarding, whenever. And depending on the cruise line there might be an internet or social media package to purchase.

My travel surge suppressor and Bonine for motion sickness.

I cruised on the Dream in February 2016. I had a great time. My previous experiences had been on the Miracle and RCC's Rhapsody of the Seas. So the Dream was a little larger passenger-wise but they added more dining rooms so I didn't mind the size.

I like to get dressed up for elegant night - my wife doesn't like to but she does anyway lol. Here's me last December:

Alright! A fellow Buchanan!

I don't think the museum is inappropriate for young children because it is about war. It's also a museum about history and my son (now a military historian) would have loved it had it been around when he was 7 years old.

 

I think the bigger problem would be it holding the interest of most young children for the length of time that you will want to spend in the museum. Admission is not cheap and you don't want to have to leave after 45 minutes because the kids are bored. You know best whether your children can manage a museum for 2-3 hours (which is the minimum time you will want to spend there.)

I didn't check your profile, but if you live in or near a city go to a museum one day as a practice run. You may have to help the 4 year old by providing context. And let your older child help too. I'll never forget my older one interpreting paintings of Wagner's Ring Cycle: "Here's Simba being crowned," Here's Simba exploring" - the younger one was very into Lion King that year. This visit will give you an idea of the amount of time you'll have before a meltdown, how frequently you need to stop for snacks, etc.

Another way to do it is to dig up any family albums or quiz the oldest relatives you know about who participated in WWII and where. If you can say "my grandfather built airplanes" then the hangar of planes will have some relevance. Check out some picture books from the library - your librarian can help you find good ones. For mine at that age it was the tanks and planes that were most interesting.

At age 4 he or she will know about fighting. You can explain your own viewpoint on war (I called it "when countries are fighting"). In fact you might be asked difficult questions about why they were fighting so think about an age-appropriate answer in advance ("because they had to stop a bully", for example).

Or split up and have one parent take the youngest one to the zoo while everyone else visits the museum.

Ship - Dream

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8259

Stateroom Category - 8D

Starboard or Port Side - starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) - yes

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - no

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. - Perfect location for watching the tendering boats arrive.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - normal

Was wind a problem? - some wind while underway

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? - no problems noted

Any other comments? - it's the most forward cabin in the "midships" category.

Ship - Miracle

Deck - 5

Stateroom # - 5299

Stateroom Category - 8M

Starboard or Port Side - neither, aft

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) - yes very quiet, faint engine noise was soothing

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - no

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. - Love the aft!

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - "Extended"

Was wind a problem? - Never

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - some soot on the chairs - use a beach towel if you are wearing light clothes

Any specific problems with this cabin? - none

Any other comments? - Perfect for warm weather cruises while underway. Stretch out on the lounger and read!

If I have a balcony room, I want it away from the nearest outdoor smoking area. For example, on the Dream:

"Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 5 (port side) and Deck 11 (starboard side, midship and aft). For cruise departures starting 2/11/17, smoking will be permitted in designated areas on Deck 5 (port side, aft, outside the Nightclub) and Deck 11 (starboard side)."

I pack a reversible dress for the two formal nights, and jewelry to match. Sometimes I wear a shawl with one side or the other.

On my first cruise I brought a small point-and-shoot which I sometimes took to dinner. If you read reviews in this forum you'll see some have many photos of the food.

You can use your phone for photography, keeping it in Airplane Mode until you get into port and find a wireless network to upload.

Nowadays I bring my Pentax digital SLR and several lenses to photograph the excursions but it's too big to take in the dining room.

So bring whatever camera or phone you have, and enjoy your first cruise!

Pentax K-500, formerly K-1. Husband (who doesn't frequent this forum) has several Pentax bodies including the K-3 (and he's saving for a full frame).

I use his lenses, and a 40mm pancake lens. Oh, and I have a zoom but I don't remember the specs.

So if you have beginner or advanced Pentax questions, send me a message.

I carry on a backpack with swimsuit, laptop, camera, jewelry, and husband's swimsuit and the items I usually carry in a purse. Maybe next time I'll bring wine in an airport-style cardboard carrier. My husband carries a backpack with camera, lenses, another camera body, ipad, and more lens.

Hi all,

Quick question. I was stumbling around Target today and I noticed they had a DSLR on sale, the Pentax K-50 for 300$. I was wondering does anyone on this board have any experience with this DSLR or any other Pentax camera?

My husband selected Pentax as his DSLR about ten years ago, partly for the rich colors it produces and partly for the price tag - he felt the increase in quality as you went up in price wasn't worth it (and we still had two children to put through college). He also liked the in-camera stabilization (which reduces the cost of lenses).

When I outgrew my little point-and-shoot he naturally selected a starter Pentax for me, the K-01, so that we could share lenses. I found it uncomfortable (and I wanted a viewfinder) so I've switched to the K-500.

I'm a casual photographer - I've graduated to the aperture priority setting but am not really comfortable in manual yet. I shoot in jpg and don't do much "post processing". I've found the controls easy to use and easy to remember how to use, although they are awkwardly placed for left-handed users (yes, I'm flogging a dead horse here).

The downside of a DSLR for me is that it's heavy. I don't like to carry it and my binoculars so usually I choose one, depending on the situation.

I like that the K-50 has weatherproofing - very nice if you're doing a splashy whale watch.

Hope this helps. It's such a personal decision, as you see from the above live view discussion.

I am looking for suggestions for the best balcony cabin location on the Veranda deck. And any other advice that may be handy is appreciated. Thanks in advance:)

I took this cruise in January 2014. Had an aft extended balcony on the upper deck, a true aft balcony on the stern (or back) of the ship, not along one of the back sides. I loved the view and it wasn't terribly windy. Aft balconies are a little sooty (put a towel on the chair or lounger before you sit down). And there's some engine noise/vibration when the ship is sailing, but actually I think it helped me sleep - very soothing. Your experience with an aft on the veranda deck should be similar, although if you are prone to seasickness you might prefer something amidships. We were anchored port side to the dock in PV, if that matters to you.

Either a tripod or a monopod would probably be the best solution, and the least expensive.

I love my monopod - it doubles as a walking stick!

Are you the kind of person who will only buy cameras from one company? Have you recently chosen a favorite brand after trying several companies? Or are you the kind of person who buys whatever without worrying about who made it? Do you stay away from any brands like they are the devil?

As others have said, if there are several photographers in the family it makes sense to use the same brand so you can share lenses.

My husband selected Pentax as his DSLR about ten years ago, partly for the rich colors it produces and partly for the price tag - he felt the increase in quality as you went up in price wasn't worth it (and we still had two children to put through college). He also liked the in-camera stabilization (which I think reduces the cost of lenses).

When I outgrew my little point-and-shoot he naturally selected a starter Pentax for me, the K-01. I found it uncomfortable so I've switched to the K-500.

If you're choosing a camera brand spend some time doing research. Read reviews then visit a camera shop and handle the cameras. Every company sells a wide range of cameras.

Note that if you're new to serious photography you might want to pick the same brand that your photographer friends use. As others have mentioned most companies keep the same menu/settings layout in all their models, so other users of your brand can help you find the adjustment you're looking for.

Hope this helps! Happy shooting!

We are looking to book an Oceania cruise which finishes in Montreal in May 15. The problem we have is that we'll be off the ship by 9:00am ish, but our flight back to the UK isn't until 10:30pm. I have had a search and seen some of the suggested hotels, do you know any that do day rooms - we only need a room from lunchtime to until 7pm.

Or, is there anything else we can do bearing in mind we'll have bags and suitcases.

Thanks for any help..

Do you want a room or just a place to park your luggage? If you're a member of any hotel chain Frequent Guest program you can probably ask that hotel to store your luggage while you sight-see. As an alternative, there may be luggage storage at the train and bus stations.

Thanks everyone for all your help. We completed our online checkin yesterday using Firefox & we managed to complete it. Unfortunately' date=' we are now unable to print our documents! When we try to print them, the PDF looks funny, the words are cut off at the bottom and only the top of the words are showing. Not sure what's going on with that.[/quote']

 

I had to open each document, choose "File, Save As" and save it as a .pdf. Then I opened the pdf by double-clicking. It opened in my pdf reader and I was able to print just fine. I suspect the Carnival website or perhaps Firefox, as I was using a Mac.