amyotravel

2 minutes ago, dlphn501 said:

It is!  But I figured for two extra ports, it's worth it.

And, as you said, it's not per person.  Also, the home port is closer.

Breeze. You said it right. Nicer decor, one extra day. Better ports. I also hate driving in Miami.

I am willing to try Cheers if I can ever convince myself to take a short cruise again. Can't seem to do less than a week any more 🙂

I think if I did Cheers on a longer cruise I would feel like I had to drink more than I usually do on board to make it worth it and I drink enough as-is. 🙂

8 minutes ago, shivfam said:

Taking our first back to back next week on the Magic, upon our return first week do we have to disembark or do we get to stay on ship. 

Disembark. Do you have the same cabin both legs? If so bags can stay so no need to pack and unpack!

Just now, glrounds said:

As a solo cruiser leaving in 1 1/2 weeks on the PANORAMA, is it possible to split these TWO $15 tickets that come with this special pricing into TWO SEPARATE venues ?

That would make sense to me.

3 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Several years ago we met a couple on day one of a 7 day cruise who thought $49.95 a day was too expensive, which was the price of Cheers at the time.  We hung out with them a lot during the week and they were always drinking as much if not more than us (we always buy Cheers). A few days after the cruise we got a text from them and they said their bar bill was over $1600. Since that time they have always gotten Cheers on subsequent cruises. 

If I was drinking that much, I wouldn't be waiting until the end to look at my bar tab. You can view it at any time 😉

3 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

Sounds good! I'd like to try deck 11, but I don't want the noise from above.

I quit drinking but plan to start back up for the cruise in April! ; 0

Being a home-brewer, I have to try Carnival's stuff!

Oh for sure on the Carnival beer. If they happen to have a brewery tour like the Vista does, do it! It's fascinating to talk about brewing at sea.

If you are big fans of the Breeze, any of these ships would be good. Most people don't get to go to Bonaire so I think that would be fun! How old are your kids who are nervous about Mexico? It sounds like they are older (otherwise probably wouldn't know about any Mexico issues)? They might love to try snorkeling. The excursions are a good way to get a taste to see if you enjoy it. Cozumel has a lot to do, so you could do a few hours at an all inclusive and still have time to venture around.

Wouldn't worry much about Cozumel and safety. Never felt unsafe there. But soooooo many cruises go to Cozumel, so if you are hooked on cruising you will get there soon one way or another.

I like the Southern itinerary but I like Vista best (though many others really do not!). Have never done an excursion in GT. If you don't like it you could make it another sea day. Snorkled in Aruba but did not care for it that particular time because seas were too rough that day and not good for beginners because waves made it pretty strenuous. They get a lot of wind in general so may not be the best place to try it the first time. Maybe someone who has been to Bonaire could advise on that.

Both Aruba and Cayman are very nice and good places to walk around. Went to Cayman again in September and took a city bus to a very good local brewery. Found a fun rum store near the port when we came back. Lots of samples and music and dancing. Ha!

9 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

By the pub?! Ok, I'll stay on 8! 

This is why I love CC!

Thanks all!!!!!

Actually deck 8 is in between the Lido and the deck with the pub (5 on many ships) so a good halfway type of area. Don't know what deck the  BBQ is on Panorama (BBQ restaurant is on there instead of pub, but is where the brewery is).

1 minute ago, pe4all said:

Excellent.  Between the last hurricane and now earthquakes, Puerto Rico needs all the tourism money they can get.  There was still noticable hurricane damage when we ported there last year.  

Agreed. Hoping for good things for them. Puerto Rico is awesome!

7 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

It's a cabin for 3... I always worry that they will boot me if the need a cabin for 3.

Location could be loud on the balcony due to the waterworks nearby.

Deck 8 looks good to me, no mater how you slice it.  I like being between floors with cabins.

I also like being on deck 8 between decks of cabins, and I spend a fair amount of time in Red Frog Pub, Ocean Plaza, etc. So 8 is in between Lido and all of that!

5 minutes ago, Sean_B said:

If your daughter doesn't drink, then you'll need 10 alcoholic drinks to break even on the price (or a combination of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, milk shakes, Pepsi, etc). It will very likely be cheaper in your case to just pay for drinks ad-hoc and keep an eye on your bill every day.

For me, since I don't drink shakes or sodas on or off a ship, I personally can't make it add up that way either. I don't like to pay for expensive coffees, so though the regular coffee on board is pretty bad, I can make do with one at breakfast. Cheers works great if you have expensive taste in drinks, don't want to worry about a bar tab, don't do happy hours, etc. On port days, I probably only have 2-3 drinks on the ship at night. I like taking in local food and drinks in port. But I never worry about my bill and I am generally surprised at how low the cost ends up being because I like deals and have fun seeking them out.

Don't forget you can bring a bottle of wine per person also and you can have your daughter bring one on for you and drink hers since she doesn't!

There are ways to save money. Happy hours, buying bottles of wine on board, etc. I don't do Cheers and my bar tab is never over $300 for 7 days and usually not much over $200. I drink every day on board, but port days are much lower than sea days. Therefore, the math does not work out for me to do Cheers. Your mileage may vary.

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Thanks! Are you cruising next week? Seems like I remember something about the middle of Jan.

OOH - Sid! Sid! Sid! We would all be so excited.

5 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Do you have any sources? I would prefer to believe you because that will change whether or not I would buy the package. 

No, just Googled and different cruise review sites said different things. But I was asking a question rather than making a definitive statement as if I knew. Probably did not come across right.

Even at $32 set price that is slightly different than the Steakhouse price so may not be as worth it. Plus, with such limited seating at teppanyaki they might not want to include that in the package, I dunno. I love teppanyaki, though!

1 minute ago, jbethel11 said:

For me it says it is $32pp.

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/bonsai-teppanyaki

I have read different things. Never been because it is such limited amount of seating and there are enough other options.

3 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Does anyone know if you can substitute the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse with Bonsai Teppanyaki?

How would that work when Bonsai Teppanyaki is not one set price?

" Depending on your entree selection, that cost ranges from $18 to $30."

This is on there:

PUERTO RICO STATEMENT - 11:30 AM

We are closely monitoring the situation in Puerto Rico following the earthquakes that were reported and are in touch with local authorities and the US Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard issued a news release late this morning confirming that all ports in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are open for business.

There are no changes to our itineraries that call at San Juan or to sailings of our San Juan-based ship, Carnival Fascination. The epicenter and most damage are on the south side of the island, away from where our ships call and our guests visit. Carnival Conquest will make today’s call in San Juan and power is being restored after the grid was taken down in an abundance of caution.

Have not heard of any damage to port area. They would announce if they are changing any plans. Try reading John Heald's blog to see if anything comes up there.

Just now, Sean_B said:

Oh, I get it. I guess I overstated my fear so it's not that I'm going to be anxious about it. I would just be really disappointed with the FCC vs the OBC.

 

Hopefully the patient is ok and gets the medical attention they need.

They are being overly generous doing anything about it. They want people to come back and spend money again, so of course they would rather do FCC than OBC. Not saying you for sure couldn't get OBC if it happened to you, but it's just not the best move for them considering they don't need to do anything at all.

2 minutes ago, Sean_B said:

 

As someone going on my first cruse this year, this is my worst fear (being turned around and missing a port). I'm very compassionate and understanding of the reason why, so that's not the problem, but the 20% off a future cruise may not be what a lot of people can use, as in my case. This will be a one-and-done cruise and we will very likely never sail again due to the cost coming from Canada, so an OBC would be better.

Missing ports happens occasionally for a variety of reasons. This should not be your biggest fear; it's just a part of cruising. Sea days are wonderful, and there is so much to do on board so no need to stress about a possible missed port.

2 minutes ago, Wheels87 said:

Well, as I was sitting out by the aft pool at 0700, I noticed the we seemed to be turning. We headed north for about an hour and the turned west/northwest and were headed back towards Galveston. 

 

At that point, there were no announcements at all about it. I asked several officers who seemed genuinely unaware that we had turned around. In fact, the gentleman at the shore excursions desk assured me that if we had turned around, the Captain would have made an announcement. 

 

Finally, about 1030, he did just that and said that we had a medical emergency involving a passenger and that the winds were too high to attempt an air evac. So, we are, indeed on our way back to Galveston. 

 

We will offload the passenger and head straight to Progresso and have to miss Cozumel.  No big deal at all, considering someone's life is at stake. 

 

Fortunately, we have been to Cozumel 21 other times, so we don't feel like we are missing out. We were just taking a taxi to Paradise Beach, as we usually do. 

 

Also, we are on a B2B, so we still have the second leg to go to Cozumel. 

 

I sure hope they cover this in the news. The media is quick to bash the cruise industry for every little thing, yet refuse to cover these types of stories. Just for the record, this is the second time I have been on a cruise which altered course. Back in January of 2014 I was on the Elation when it turned around and headed north for four hours so the Coast Guard could fly out and evac a passenger. 

 

I just wanted to update everyone. 

 

Cheers! 

 

Brad 

Thanks for the info. Hopefully the passenger is going to be OK. Enjoy your cruise.

Just now, goaties said:

port days also. beer was not on. i asked and it was fishbowls only when we were on the Freedom.

maybe it has changed.

It was for sure beer pitchers on the Vista. Did it multiple times. Too good of a deal to pass up - especially when some of the beer is brewed right there on the Vista!!

12 minutes ago, so,ton saint said:

 

Hi we are joining Fascination in Barbados having done a stay on the Island first doing the cruise and stay through Virgin,

what i would like to asked is there a room you can do a little ironing like trousers and shirts just to freshen them up a bit,

thanks in advance

Howard

Each ship has laundry facilities where you can iron.

First night if elegant night is night #2 on your cruise. The menu the first night is often not memorable in the MDR. As long as you don't have any issues to straighten out in MDR on the first night (like table assignment/switching, etc). Especially good to go on first night if you have YTD anyway.