01sunworshiper113

Everyone so far is for Southern! Is there anything to do in those ports other than excursions? We didn't do any planned excursions on our last cruise and enjoyed just doing an island tour once there or hanging out at the beach. At the ports on the Southern itinerary, would we have to book an excursion or is there enough to do without it?

 

 

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I agree with other posters, the 8 day Southern would be my choice! Visited these ports a couple of years ago, didn't do any excursions. We love the beach, so in Aruba we got on a bus that took us to Palm Beach (beautiful) where we spent the afternoon, caught a taxi back to the port where we had time to walk around and shop. In Curacao we got off the ship and walked around Willemstad, checking out the open market, RIF Fort and the floating bridge. Would love to go back to these ports again soon.

Have a fun cruise on whichever ship you choose.

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You will not be required to buy bottomless bubbles for your girls.

 

 

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Thank you, I thought as much. [emoji4]

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If your family friend booked their cruise as a group booking, that would be applicable, but not in your instance.

 

 

 

From Carnival's FAQ's:

 

 

 

Group bookings (consisting of a minimum of 30 adults) can purchase CHEERS! prior to the cruise by contacting Group Event Planning (all adult guests in the group must purchase the program; all minors in the group must purchase Bottomless Bubbles program).

Thank you for pointing this out! Lol, although I read through the FAQ on the Carnival website, I did miss this info.

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On our upcoming cruise, my husband and I would like to purchase the Cheers package, our daughters 20 & 13 will also be traveling with us in the same cabin. If we purchase the Cheers package are we required to purchase the Bottomless Bubbles (soda package) for our girls?

I haven't found anywhere on the Carnival website where it states that we have too purchase both, but I heard from a family friend who recently cruised Carnival, that Carnival required them to purchase both packages for the adults and children.

Has anyone here had an experience with this? Our girls don't drink much soda, would rather drink the frozen virgin drinks plus,we are allotted a certain carry on amount, really do not want spend addition $ on another package.

Thanks.

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Favorite so far is the Breeze. We have been on the Sunshine, without kids, enjoyed the cruise the ship was pretty good too. Went on the Breeze last February with our kids (19, 12) loved it! Tried to book a different ship and/or cruise line, but the kids wanted to go on the Breeze again, so we sailing again February 2017.

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We will be cruising to MB in December. Are there busses or taxis close to where you get off the ship?

Three years ago our cruise stopped in MB, we didn't book any excursions but wanted to go to a beach. After getting off the ship and entering the terminal there is an area where you can purchase the Hop on Hop off bus pass. It was $20/person (I think) and paid with my ship card. The bus went to markets, Doctors Cove Beach, Margaritaville and other points of interest (you get a map) we only got off a Doctors Cove, later we walked down to Margaritaville and caught a hop on hop off bus back to the cruise terminal. Thought this was a good deal as we had intended on going to other stops but didn't get there.

Oh no, so the order I placed in April for my Feb 2017 cruise is sold out and I will not get the Family or Teen pack even though Carnival charged me on my Visa? This is a huge inconvenience due to exchange rates [emoji45]. Not to mention I was looking forward to surprising my girls with these small touches. So disappointed.

Due to distance/expense traveling, we can pretty much only depart out of Galveston, which limits the cruise lines we can take to Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

 

Is one recommended above another? I know this is the carnival board, I will also post on the RC forum as well.

 

We have two daughters- 9 and 4 and sailed last August for the first time on Carnival Triumph. We had a wonderful time, the girls enjoyed the kids club. My youngest loved it, oldest is a bit more shy so she liked it but not loved it. I wish there had been more than one water slide. We only used the pool once, and then it was the aft pool- pools were just too crowded for the kids to safely enjoy. DH and I spent a lot of time in the alchemy bar and did enjoy the casino, but only play Texas Hold Em.

 

We had booked an Ocean View but we took an upgrade call to a suite with a balcony and now are convinced we have to have a balcony. We spent a lot of time in our room, just relaxing on the balcony, naps or downtime for the kids, etc. And, the a/c wasnt working great so the balcony saved us from sweating too much one night. (Called GS and they said they were experiencing problems ship wide) I believe my husband slept on the balcony that night!

We are cruising AGAIN on the Breeze next February! My daughters 12 & 20 loved the Breeze last February, I have been trying to talk them into another ship or cruise line for something different....but haven't been successful so far. We haven't tried RCL yet, one day, the Liberty looks like a great ship!

If you do choose the Breeze, deck 8 with balcony (midship) was a nice choice for all 4 of us, lots of room, high enough from deck 5 that has hot tubs and the promenade (which close at 9pm so never a noise issue) with cabins above and below.

Let us know which ship you choose :)

I was on deck 7, mid ship. I didn't really notice much movement after dinner. I did, however heard the elephants herd that kept stampeding up on deck 8 in the mornings. did you see them?,

LOL, funny that you should mention that! I did in fact hear that herd of elephants stampeding past our cabin several mornings however, I did not actually catch...I mean see them! And I do believe that same herd went up the stairs and stampeded back over our cabin on deck 9. :D

I did not notice if printers were available or not. I don't recall seeing any but I could be wrong.

Yes, there is a printer at the Fun Hub on Deck 5 near the Ocean Plaza.

I did not notice if printers were available or not. I don't recall seeing any but I could be wrong.

Looking forward to your review and photos, I was on this same cruise with my husband and kids. :) We were midship on deck 8 and felt some motion especially the night before we arrived in Aruba. Loved the ship and had a great time!

For those who've cruised on the Breeze, do they offer early flight priority for self-assist? When we had an early flight at a different port, our debark info recommended "early flight" self-assist, which met at the same place as FTTF/VIP and was led off the ship at the same time, basically the moment customs cleared. Even if that's not an option, I think you'll be fine with self-assist. I understand your worries because we were once stuck on the ship in Galveston, but on every other cruise we've been able to leave very early via self-assist.

Yes, for self assist on the Breeze last Sunday, it was VIP and FTTF first and then Early Flights were next, which would have been around 7:30 - 8:45. You shouldn't have a problem making your flight.

Well, my husband booked our return flight out of Miami for 11:45! We will be arriving back at port on the Breeze on May 31st which is a Sunday. I'm anxious about making the flight.

 

Assuming Carnival will be assigning groups for disembarkation, is there a way to throw yourself on the mercy of Guest Services to get in an early group?

 

I know that there is no way to predict what time the ship will clear Customs.

 

Our only cruise from Miami was on DCL which has open disembarkation and we didn't fly home from MIA so there was no rush and I have no experience with MIA. On our only Carnival cruise (from Jacksonville), we felt like we were held hostage in a theater for nearly two hours before our group was called. I wish I remembered what time we actually got off. I have nightmares of that happening again.

 

Thanks for the info!

We just returned from the 8 day Breeze out of Miami, our flight home had been changed from 3:00pm to 10:55 out MIA, was worried but decided to roll with it. Happy to say we made it no problem. We had Faster to the Fun and were off the ship by 7:15 and at our gate by 8:15. Being a Sunday the roads to the airport were not busy, airport was crazy. We checked our luggage outside the airport and had them print our boarding passes, this gave us a "pre-check" and we were able to avoid the long line inside to check our luggage and go to the shorter security line. As long as there are no problems with customs at the ship you should have lots of time, even without the "faster to the fun" pass.

Enjoy your cruise, loved the Breeze ship!

Hey,

i know you get a 25% discount on wine by the bottle-- but can you order a glass of wine at dinner and have it count against cheers? as long as its under $10 a glass...

Absolutely! Last Feb on the Sunshine I had the Cheers package, and ordered wine by the glass every night at dinner in the MDR. You are correct it has to be under $10 a glass, but there were several wines to choose from under the $10 price.

I really need to do self assist this time.

 

Did it once a LONG time ago and we waited in a lounge.

 

Does it matter if we are platinum? do they get off before the calling of the decks?

Do you have an early flight? Our flight is 10:55 am out of Miami, trying to decide if I should change. No other convenient flights unless we do 2 layovers! Ship ports at 8:00am...wondering if I will be too stressed over this.:(

For those of you that usually do self assist upon disembarkation, how early have you been able to get off the cruise ship, in Miami, if the scheduled port time is 8am? Does the ship usually arrive earlier? I have never done self assist when getting off the ship, the airline has changed my flight and wondering if we can make the earlier time. Thanks.

I recently made a 9:40AM flight from MIA, so I don't think you should have any issue with making your flight. Make sure you do self-assist and are in the first group of people getting off the ship.

What time was your ship scheduled to reach the port and was it early or on time ? The cruise we will be on is scheduled to arrive at 8:00am. Hoping I can do self assist and be at the airport by 9:15am. Thanks for the info.

Thanks everyone for the positive responses. I have left the flights as is and will watch for something a little later if possible. The airline is doing major changes and I feel there will be another change before we fly, hopefully with a later departure time.

It will be tight but I think doable, just worry as we are flying to back to Canada (making check in time 90 - 180 minutes with luggage, family of 4 traveling so...ya) with connection in Dallas. Worst that can happen is we spend a night at a hotel in the airport and travel the next day.

The airline has once again changed my flight times leaving Miami, post cruise (Breeze in February), new time is 10:55 :confused:

Has anyone done this early of a flight out of Miami? We do have FF giving us an opportunity to receive an early disembarkation time or we could take our own luggage off.

Nervous about the time, but there doesn't seem to be a later flight unless we o 2 connections :mad:

Has anyone ever taken that one? It's in Grand Cayman. We are taking the Pride on the 30th and my family has planned on taking that one. Because then its easier for my parents to go into the water with me. My parents are those older parents.

 

I just suggested this to them (about swimming with stingrays) as I have a major phobia with them and I think if I can get into the water with one and get to touch one it might maybe help my phobia. I've never been stung by one (Thank heaven) I just don't know why I have this phobia with them.

 

Now I keep hearing before I got brave enough to ask that. The people that took these tours had a blast and had a great time.

 

Plus my dad said these aren't the ones with the Barbs? (I call them stingers) He also said they wouldn't allow us to get into the water with them if they had the stingers.

Did this excursion in Grand Cayman while on a Feb 2014 cruise, it was a great experience. Booked it through Carnival, it was MarineLand Tours, I liked that there was a set of stairs all the way across the back of the boat making getting in and out of the water easy. The first time a stingray swam by and bumped my legs I freaked out a little but got used it quickly. Most do have the barbs but once the ray stings they die (I think the tour guide told me this) so unless you step on them they don't tend to sting, first thing guides tell you is "not to jump around while in the water". Enjoyed being in the water, not a swimmer, didn't need a life jacket as the water was only waist deep. Tour guides are informative and know how to handle the stingrays.:)

Just got another $90 price drop because of the Early Saver free upgrade promo going on right now. That's $190 taken off my balance in 2 days! I'll take it! :D

Spoke to my TA about the recent price drop. I booked Early Saver back in April, today I did a mock booking on the Carnival website. The price came up at $60 less than my current price for the same cabin. Last month I received an offer for price drop plus an $80 OBC. My TA said I could get today's price drop but loose my $80 OBC, therefore it is a better price for me to stay as is as I would be out $20.

Just wanted confirmation from CC members to see if this is correct? I don't want to miss out on any price drops ;)

After much debate and going back and forth on which hotel to stay in downtown Miami, before our cruise, we have decided on and booked the Intercontinental! Hotel rates are crazy this time of year, but because of my daughter's schooling, the Feb 14th week was our only choice for cruising with the family. Also didn't know this was the weekend of the annual boat show. :rolleyes: Oh well, we have everything booked, like the location of the IC in relation to port and the Bayside Market.

Thank you all for the recommendations. :D

Haven't been to either, but I stayed at the Doubletree 9 years ago. Great view of the ships coming. Enjoyable stay.

No rooms at the Double Tree for my dates, must be a good place to stay.;)

We stayed at the Intercontinental last Feb. Honestly, I would not stay again. While it is a beautiful hotel it seems we were constantly tipping somone for our bags. The cab driving for taking them out of the cab; hotel staff to get your bags up the steps to get inside, etc. There didn't seem to be any way around it. Stay at the holiday inn, save your money for the cruise. Just my opinion!!:D

Have you stayed at the Holiday Inn before? Yes, we make sure to have single bills to tip everyone or carry our own bags. It can get costly, but we try and budget for this in our trip.