keywest1

We cruise twice a year, but not always Carnival anymore.

Being unplugged!! I spend my entire workday on my laptop and the dreaded cell phone. It's such a nice feeling to leave all that behind. I enjoy the "free" food as well. It always ends up being cheaper to take all the kids and grands on a cruise.

We sailed on the Glory in Sept, and loved her. The crew is amazingly friendly, and we didn't notice any wear and tear that would affect our enjoyment of our cruise. Yes, she's an older ship, but the crew still takes pride in keeping things clean and welcoming.

Another alternative would be for all to have breakfast in the MDR and find a nice spot to chill until the masses are off the ship. Unless you have priority self-assist (P/D or FTTF), we have found it to be a free for all. If they aren't physically able to carry their own luggage, would they have difficulty with the long waits for elevators and lines to go through Customs? Getting off the ship later would cost you some drive time, but it might make for a more pleasant end to your cruise.

We have a group of 11, all immediate family. I got a great group rate through AA. Had to pay a $50 pp deposit which will be refunded when the flights are ticketed. We know what our flights are (we got to choose), but they will assign a block of seats. We will choose who sits where within that block. Since DH and I are paying for all the flights, I won't have to worry about collecting payments. This worked well for us. I booked about 11 months out, as soon as the basic fare dropped.

That boy can hold his likker 😆

Looks like he is going to make a full recovery. Thanks for posting!!

Good advice. Everybody has to look at what will benefit them the most. Lately, I've been getting much better deals on AA as well as being able to book nearly a year in advance, so my points would just be sitting there. I also lost my points on my own account since our credit card is linked to DH's account, and their was no activity on my account for a couple of years.

I had seen an old post here about Carnival gift cards being available with Southwest Airline Rapid Rewards. I checked and was able to get two $100 gift cards for 10,000 points each. There were no additional charges, and they are to ship via USPS within the next 4-6 business days. Just thought some might be interested in this option. Happy cruising!

When we sailed Triumph out of Galveston a few years ago, there was enough country music all over the ship that I thought my ears would never quit bleeding 😖

We sailed on 9/11 one year. There was a large American flag hanging in the upper atrium and CD made mention of the anniversary. It was a touching tribute from a crew of many nationalities. I don't know if they do this anymore or not. We flew into FLL the week after the airport shooting a few years ago. That was a little unnerving, but IMO if the terrorists/shooters stop me from living my life then they have achieved their goal. I hope your granddaughter is able to enjoy her cruise 🙂

Actually, at least with AA, you can still get what is referred to as "zone rate" when leaving from different airports.

You are welcome 🙂 With AA, you get a contract that has to be signed and returned and deposit of $50 pp paid. That deposit will be refunded when the flights are ticketed and won't be applied toward the ticket price. They just want you to have skin in the game so that they aren't left hanging with blocks of seats reserved with no money. I would get the quote and let everyone know the price and the deadline for accepting the contract (about 10 days). If at least ten agree, you can still get a group rate. But I would have their money in hand before I booked anything for them or accepted the contract. That's just me. Our group is kids and grands and we are paying for everybody anyhow, so I didn't have to worry about prying money out of their grubby little hands 😜

Triumph/Sunrise. It would have to be a free cruise for me to consider it again.

If you decide to book yourself, be sure to call airlines and check for group booking rates. I just booked direct flights on AA for eleven. I was able to select the flights we wanted and this is a main cabin fare with changes allowed for at least $1000 savings round trip over the basic fare with no changes allowed. We will be assigned a block of seats, but we can choose who sits where within that block. It's worth checking into 🙂