jcearth

In talking to wait staff, they prefer that you order everything at once, so they can plan out your service. Also, if you can't decide between two entrees, just order both - much easier than if you order one and don't like it and they have to replace.

Disagree - The drinks were plenty strong on the Conquest 2 weeks ago - Cheers program or otherwise. Maybe the OP's frame of reference is a bit skewed. Think about it - you are on vacation, with nothing else to do, don't have to drive home, with no responsibilities - over the course of a full day you should be able to handle more alcohol than you would otherwise.

6/5 on all $6 tables on the Legend last month. No one was playing but Fun 21 tables full. But with the queens out of the deck on Fun 21 odds are prob worse than the regular tables. Might cause me to stop playing on Carnival. Dennis

Same on the Conquest last week - Fun 21 has much better odds than 6/5 blackjack -- there are a few adjustments to make (taking surrender on 16 vs. 9, 10 or A, and 15 vs. 10), but the better rules make up for the lack of Queens - I would guess between .7% house advantage playing optimally and 1% making a few small mistakes. 6/5 blackjack is one of the worst games you could possibly play- giving up at least 2-2.5% to the house.

Anyone know of or have a link to a good 3/2 strategy card? TIA

The Wizard of Odds breaks down all kinds of games

I don't think I could have done that when I was in college. :eek:

I have no desire to drink for a LONG time. The classic cocktails (which give you the match play) are what did me in -- too sweet and syrupy. I would have been fine sticking to beer and the occasional mixed drink. BTW, Thirsty Red Frog is a pretty good beer.

I had Cheers, so it was all included, but I noticed when I specifically ordered a can it was $1.95, but when I just ordered a soda, it was $1.50

How much do they charge for a glass of pop? Or do they serve it by the can?

$1.50 for a drink and $1.95 for the entire can. It is all in cans except for Coke, which they have on fountain.

About the only scheduled entertainment you will find is trivia.

I personally felt it was worth it to me. I averaged 10-11 drinks per day plus 3-4 sodas per day. I also managed to get between 50 and 60 match plays for the casino, where I won around $200. My brother maxed it out every day (he actually managed to get served 107 drinks on a 7 day cruise, in addition to the ones the casino manager bought for him).

Yes they are - but they are not included in the Cheers program.

Do you take each bottle back to your room? OR have a bag or something while collecting at your leisure?

 

Will they know I'm collecting unopened bottles to take to HMC? We have a cabanna so I would like to collect enough for the day and will put them in the cooler.

I have a backpack cooler that I had the room steward keep filled with ice. I also had the bartender give me a bucket of ice to keep everything cold. We were delayed getting into port, so my wife and I sat at the bar for about 25 minutes while we filled the backpack with new beers every 5 minutes. The bartender asked what I was doing and I told him. He hadn't heard of people doing that before. We split a Villa with other family members, but the refrigerator was full, so I kept the beer in my backpack all day -- worked great.

Last week on the Conquest, we had a Villa and FTTF. We were also late getting into port due to a medical evacuation, so there were a lot of people waiting to get off. We went to the lounge dedicated to excursions. Cabanas and villas were the first to be called and the first passengers off of the ship. Priority tendering at guest services had to wait until the excursions had boarded in order to get in line to board the tenders.

My wife was apprehensive before we went about the $70 charge. We both agreed afterwords that it was definitely worth it. The food was excellent, and our steaks were amazing.

The tumblers that they sell are relatively inexpensive ($5 or 6$), and are pretty sturdy and durable.

Has anyone taken beer from the cheers program off the the ship at Half Moon Cay?

Yes, it just takes a little while to collect them - you have to wait 5 minutes in between each transaction.

I was able to get a full unopened can of soda a few times, but it was a difficult feat to pull off. If you try, do it directly with the bartender, as I had zero luck with servers (except when the casino manager bought a soda for me - I got the full unopened can then).

Thank you :) Do you know if those are the only drinks that qualify? What about pina coladas or daqueris?

Only the six Classic Cocktails listed are eligible for match play coupons.

Thanks.... with regard to the Match Play and the Cheer's Program or any other drink I purchase a la carte... I just take the receipt to the casino cage and they give me a $5.00 match play voucher of some sort?

Make sure you ask for a receipt for a Classic Cocktail (Mai Tai, Long Island Ice Tea, Ultimate Margarita, Mojito, Cruise, or Sex on the Beach) The casino won't accept a receipt that says "Duplicate Copy" at the top, so you need the original, and give the duplicate copy back to your server. Take the receipt (or 5, 10, or 20 of them) to the casino cashier. They will give you a match play card. Sit at your favorite table game. Match Play coupons are good for any even money bet (blackjack, pass line in craps, red/black odd/even in roulette, etc.) Place the match play under your bet, and if you win, you will be paid $5 for the match play.

No cost for a photo session -- just go to the photo desk and ask for a session, and they will work out the times for you.

Junkanoo Beach in Nassau is a free public beach, and a relatively short walk from the pier. Different bars on the beach will advertise 3 shots of bahama mamas and 3 kalik beers for around $10. Beach chair rental is around $10 and an umbrella is $10 as well.

In Freeport, you need to take a taxi to get to any points of interest. Junkanoo Beach Club is probably the lowest price beach access. It is $10 per person round trip for a taxi, and entrance is $5.

Maybe they got wind of this' date=' and started a new rule. :rolleyes:

 

We weren't going to take the drinks off the ship, it was a sea day, so I don't know why they had to give it in plastic glasses... DH & I were thinking, maybe someone was injured or something. :confused:[/quote']

 

What kind of beer were you trying to order? They don't allow glass bottles on Lido deck, for safety reasons, so they pour the bottle into a plastic container. I actually appreciate this rule because I ended up in the infirmary after stepping on a piece of glass that came up through my shoe and I bled all over the place. Downstairs, you could get a bottle of beer. I was able to order unopened cans of beer every 5 minutes on Lido deck.

 

As far as unopened cans of soda, I had about a 50% success rate in getting unopened cans of soda. Of my successes, about half took a little convincing before I was able to get the can.

 

This was on the Conquest last week.

Just off of the Conquest - Guy's Burgers lived up to the hype for me - my best concoction all week was a double topped with chili. I prefer the thicker fries, and love their seasoning, but for those who don't, on Conquest class ships you can get the thinner style fries from the Fish n Chips station.

The steak and eggs is very good.

We've never received a phone call over the past 9 cruises and we never contacted CCL. This upsell call came out of the blue and the upsell was FABULOUS. From OV on main deck to GS on Empress for a total of $525!

Nice upgrade! Especially since they were asking about $3200 for the cabin, when insides are being sold for $199 pp

Game room is on Deck 5

US Dollars are widely accepted in the Caribbean, so don't worry about exchanging money.

Best bet for a hotel is something near the port that has both a free airport shuttle, and a free shuttle to the port.