grantbob

In Mahogany Bay you can book outside of carnival for Infinity Bay resort or Paradise Beach Resort. They are right next to each other. Great beach and there are jet ski rentals there on the beach.

I understand the apprehension, but Iguana Mama was extremely professional and will make sure you get back on time. We do private excursions in many different ports and have never had any issues.

The falls are about 30 minutes (maybe a little less) away so there should be plenty of time. Since you will be in a smaller group than the cruise excursion there is last time waiting around. Also, there are different options (depending on rainfall) for how many falls you do. Iguana Mama is flexible and can adjust for time if necessary. For us, only 7 were availble, but since it was just my wife and I and we had plenty of time we did several of them more than once. Still had plenty of time to not be rushed at the meal afterwards there on site and had time for shopping when we got back to the port.

They leave one hour after ship docks so you would need to walk to the pickup location (15-20 minute walk from the ship) by 10am.  I think it took 4-4.5 hours from leving to them bringing us back to port.

19 hours ago, mamiamjo said:

It has been a few years since we last cruised but I see that it has a chat feature offered for $5/device if you want to communicate with them. Or are you just talking about tracking their location?

It's a message service, kind of like text or whatsapp.  You have to have the app running on your phone to get the notification. 

44 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

I'm in Northern KY and just did the Valor out of NOLA. We loved it...but probalby wouldn't book her with the kiddo. Looking for a ship with the upgraded waterworks and don't really want to do a fantasy class ship either. 

We've done both of the ships in NOLA and Glory does have the big waterpark but I dont know if they do shorter sailings than 7 day.

If you can get by with only one plane ticket your options are wide open. Might find some great deals from the Florida ports. Hope you guys have a great time whatever you choose!

7 minutes ago, cruizinisthebest said:

Yes you will be able to pick your check-in time two days earlier. Congratulations!

Thanks for the info!!

They also usually have fried oysters as an appetizer one  night in the MDR. With the breading and the sauce they could basically be fried anything but they are pretty good, just not a lot of oyster flavor.

We turn platinum on our next cruise (luggage tags already say platinum). I know the perks onboard will be available for the whole cruise, but does anyone know if I can do my online check-in the two days early this time?

Out of those two I would definitely pick the Sunrise. Better ports for sure.

We used to take our kids cruising for fall break and they loved it. (Including once on the Triumph that is now the Sunrise) The only issue was having the cruise dates from the ports we wanted to sail out of line up with their break. Sometimes we had to drive a little further to get what we wanted.

We are in western KY and usually drive to New Orleans or Mobile. You might check their itineraries. 

We used Iguana Mama in Sept and had exceptional service. 

We did PAYG at Paradise in April and opted for AI in September (our April bill was only $25 or 30 less than AI would have been). Neither time was it close to being full. 

I think so. There is a small gift shop, restrooms and the restaurant is there with plenty of seating. I'm not sure how the restaurant works as we had a buffet type meal included with our tour, but the food was really good and I would bet your friends could order.

I think you would use the card for your onboard spending. When you get the charge on your card after the cruise you use the points toward that charge. The 35,000 points would equal $350.

You can take a taxi that will drop you off at the straw market. Radio beach is about a blocks walk from the front of the market. You can catch a cab back by walking back to the straw market.

I wonder if the OP means the thermal spa area (bigger on the Dream class than newer ships).

10 hours ago, natefish95 said:

It was a great location! I spent a good bit of time in the gym, sauna, and steam room, which was super close by one deck up. 

After first trying that location several years ago, it is now our favorite. We always try to book forward and close to the Lido as possible.

I just booked a room on the Spirit for Oct. 2023. Guess which cabin I got? Yep, 8118. 🤣

Hope they get it straightened out by then.

Verifly was great when cruising first started back but for my last two (April and September) it wasnt used at all. For our Sept cruise out of Mobile they didnt even ask to see our vaccine cards.

16 hours ago, mz-s said:

speaking of a combination of breakfast and lunch - has anyone eaten one of the burgers at brunch? I keep meaning to but never do!

I like the one with a fried egg and hash browns. They used to have a brisket burger that was good too but its not on the current menu.

Thanks for the thorough review!

https://www.cruzely.com/cruise-line-drink-package-calculator/

YTD wait times were really bad last month on the Ecstasy. One night we waited an hour and a half to be seated. I thought that maybe since it was a Journeys cruise with lots of Platinums and Diamonds that might have been the reason but maybe it's a new trend,

They have had the steakhouse cooking demonstrations for several years, at least on 7 day cruises. The chef quickly walks thru cooking a starter, entree and desert and they hand out pre-made sample of the dishes he is preparing and give you recepies.

I just did the Journeys cruise on the Ecstasy and they had two cooking demonstrations. Since they do not have a steakhouse it was done in the Punchliner club and he demoed dishes that were served in the MDR that night.

We just toured with Iguana Mama on 9/17/22 and can absolutely recommend them. First class experience.

It was a custom tailored amazing experience. For whatever reason, the other folks that had booked that day canceled and it was just my wife and myself, and they took wonderful care of us. They provided a VERY nice, new van, a dedicated driver who was great (unlike some we have had on other excursions that caused a few doubts about their skills), and a overall tour guide Carlos who was wonderful. Carlos spoke very good English, was friendly and helpful and showed real interest in us, adapted to provide custom special touches and went with us down the falls along with the guide provided by the facility. The lunch afterword was delicious and Carlos had brought a bottle of rum for the group to make Cuba Libres. Since it was just the two of us he gave us the bottle. 🙂

Would not hesitate to book them again!

One note: the hike up to the start of the falls is pretty strenuous for most people. If you are worried about the walk from the pier to where Iguana Mama picks you up, you probably should not do the falls.

Yes! Same menu on the Valor. I had the coffee card on Vista in April but I don't remember how many you had to buy to get the free one.

Not sure what the story is with it currently. We went about 4 years ago and had a wonderful time. Beautiful grounds with a great setup for a relaxing beach day. Pool was nice also. The food and drinks were great (a little pricey) and the snorkeling from shore was decent. If it hasn't changed much I would definitely go again.