MellowJello

Just got this text:

Good News! The fog has lifted and the Carnival Triumph is on her way in. Checkin for your cruise is scheduled from 3PM to 5:30PM and sailing shortly after.

So does that mean we can't go to the terminal until 3??

whaaa!!!!!

It's our first cruise. It's a bit of a bummer, but we're hoping the fog lifts really soon!

We're here... Just waiting. The LaKing's Confectionary has great chocolate and coffee, so we're ok for now. Hope the fog lifts soon!

Hi all,

My fiancé and I are going on our first ever cruise TOMORROW! We originally signed up for 6 o'clock dining, but would like to switch to the later option so we can enjoy the sunset on our balcony. I tried to change it online yesterday (it showed the 6 and 8:15 times to have vacancies, while any time dining was on a wait list). However, it wouldn't let me change our time. It kept coming up with an error. Can I still change it, maybe at boarding tomorrow or something?

We are cruising out of Galveston tomorrow on the Triumph. I was wondering about what time are you able to enter your cabin?

Thanks!

I know, right?? I didn't order one this time but you used to be able to. It looked like they had gone to cans and I really don't like it out of a can :( So I don't see why you couldn't but I don't know if it would fall under the special or not. Oh and if you want a great waiter on deck, look for a guy named Anderson. Super nice guy, always had a smile on his face. We would see him on deck, then in the dining room and again at the late night comedy club. I asked him, do you ever sleep?? But again, always smiling.

Thank you! We will definitely look for Anderson, and may skip on the Shiner if it's out of a can... :p

Yeah, me too :D I like drinking black and tans and dark German beers mostly but options are limited on the ship anyways. Another tip...if you want Shiner Bock you need to also get that before muster. After sailing it is no longer available for the rest of the cruise.

:eek: That's almost Blasphemous, and great to know. I'm assuming you can get a bucket of Shiners before Muster?

I posted about the cheaper beer before muster in my review. In our case they did not open them, we got buckets of miller lite and Budweiser in the aluminum bottles. I am not entirely sure if it was only certain beers that fell under this special. I am actually more of a dark beer drinker but in a situation where a deal can be had I can adjust ;)

 

We bought at least three before muster and carried them back to the room all unopened. We also ordered two 4 packs through bon voyage (online) before cruising...those are around $22 each but you do save on the gratuity.

Yay! Thank you! I'm kind of a beer snob, myself... but I can sacrifice for a deal! ;)

My fiance and I will be on the Triumph in 10 days--eek!

I read that if you buy a bucket of beer before Muster, then it's a lot cheaper. We are both beer drinkers, and would like to possibly buy a couple of buckets before muster, and save the beer we don't drink for later. I've seen that a lot of people ask for their server to not open the beer for them, so they can do this.

However, it's against the law in Texas to serve unopened beer to a consumer, and we will be in Texas before Muster... so will they HAVE to open every beer? What has been your experience?

We will be in 1067 for our first cruise in 10 days! SO happy to see that it seems like a good room!

You can not smoke in Spa Suites and (I assume) spa staterooms are smoke free including the balcony. you can not smoke is SPA suites and staterooms (even on the balcony)

 

All other balconies, you can smoke.

Thank you! This is our first cruise and I'm not familiar with all of the types of rooms. I didn't realize there was a "spa stateroom". Thank you!

I realize this is a hot button issue, so if you don't have anything nice to say, please refrain. (Thanks!)

Neither my fiance or I smoke cigarettes, however, my fiance enjoys a nice cigar occasionally and would like the option to smoke it on our balcony. I've read the terms and conditions on the travel notes that I printed with my boarding pass, but I'm still a little confused. We have a balcony room, not a suite.

Here is what is stated:

"All Spa suites and staterooms, inclusive of the balconies, are an entirely smoke-free environment. Effective December 1, 2011, smoking will be prohibited in all guest staterooms. Guests in balcony staterooms may smoke (including cigars) outside on their balcony. Guests who smoke in their stateroom will be assessed a $250 stateroom refreshing fee."

I'm a little confused about the "... staterooms, inclusive of the balconies, are an entirely smoke-free environment... Guests in balcony staterooms may smoke (including cigars) outside on their balcony."--so is it allowed or not? And what about the $250 fee? If he smokes a cigar on the balcony with the stateroom door shut, will we be charged a $250 fee for that?

If you can clear up the confusion, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

On a recent Fantasy cruise I told our cabin steward, Made, that I intended to tip him extra at the end of the cruise. I gave him a choice of $25 for sure, or I would play the $25 at the blackjack tables for him throughout the cruise and give him whatever was left. He didn't hesitate, taking the blackjack option. Aware that there could be a language problem, I made sure he understood that there was a high probability that he would get nothing. He excitedly gave me permission to bet it.

 

On the last night of the cruise his tip was up to $80 and I had decided to set a ceiling of $100 and a floor of $50 since it was late and we still had packing to do. My luck turned bad and the $80 gradually fell to $50, so I put 2 $25 chips in my pocket for Made, cashed out and left. The next morning I saw Made in the hallway and gave him the $50. He was so excited. We were happy his bet paid off.

I really like this idea (considering your room steward is a good sport)! Sounds like yours was! Maybe mine will be too, and my fiance will LOVE permission to go to the black jack tables!

We are going on a 5 day cruise in 2 weeks on the Triumph (there are 2 of us on the trip). We prepaid our gratuities, but I was wondering what/if any other tipping was expected. We intend to tip our room steward $10-20 at the beginning and end of our cruise. What about room service, bartenders, etc?

Thanks!

Hi all!

I am thinking about booking the Ocean Club VIP Beach Break All-Inclusive Excursion. Does anyone know if the snorkeling is good in this area?

Thanks!

Thank you all for the great responses!

I was wondering if anyone has done "snuba" diving in Cozumel. We are on the Carnival Triumph in November and would like to maybe book an excursion to do this.

My fiance and I are both pretty active individuals. We are distance runners, and are in fairly good shape (if that matters). Would you suggest snuba diving? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?