First Time Cruiser Talk

Port Lucaya Marketplace - Freeport

luvcruisin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:40:29 GMT

Which hotel is the closest to the Port Lucaya Marketplace in case we want to head to the beach after shopping? Is the Port Lucaya Marketplace the best place to shop in Freeport? I read something about some downtown shopping.Thank you.

Many people want to have a drink in their room

texaspepper — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:15:39 GMT

Many people want to have a drink in their room and wonder how to do it.

You can call Carnival Bon Voyage office at Carnival Cruise Line and order the bottle of your choice and it will be in your room when you enter your cabin. For example, Skye Vodaka is $40. I know that is a little steep but if you figure out the price of a drink at the bar at $6.95 plus 15% versus this price. . . it is a steal. You could bring your own mix in your bags.

Call Carnival Bon Voyage office at Carnival Cruise Line and price the bottle of your choice.

Final payment due when??

jfhelwig — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:19:26 GMT

I see people here saying that paymet in full is due 90 days before sailing. I booked my trip through Travelocity and put about 20% down. The rest isn't due until about 7 or 8 weeks prior to leaving. That's considerably less than 90 days.

I made reservations in late August. Final payment around Thanksgiving for a late January cruise. Wonder if going through an online travel site is the difference?

smoking

debstyles — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:36:31 GMT

I am a first time cruiser, and wondered if there were any places on the ship that you can smoke?

Bringing water on board?

MrsD.Bowman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:18:03 GMT

I've read numerous posts where people state they bring bottles of water on board. If water is free, then why bring it? Am I missing something obvious? Is it a hassle to obtain? Obviously this is my first cruise and I'm lost. I wasn't planning on bringing water, but if it's a necessity I certainly don't want to be without it!

Just to let you know

BobbieQ — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:26:09 GMT

I just ordered DH a bucket of beer to be waiting in our cabin instead of a bottle of wine for our Bon Voyage. I wasn't sure if this was possible but they were very nice and helpful.

snorkling in Nassau question

dee — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:45:09 GMT

Hi all – I have a question. We’re sailing on the Fascination on Nov 19^th. My husband signed up for a Catamaran/snorkeling shore excursion in Nassau. Does anyone know how far it is to get from the cruise ship to where the Catamaran is docked? To those of you who did this excursion..did you have a good time?

I have been really enjoying reading all the posts here. Its great that you all help each other and have a lot of FUN ! Darlene

blow dryer's & morning coffee?

charles — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:47:58 GMT

is there one in a balcony room or does my wife need to bring her's?

also does anybody have a copy of the room service menue for the conquest?

if not can we get a pot of coffee delivered to the room in the am or is ti sold by the cup only?

? on s&s card and using cash

cantwait — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:55:45 GMT

if you put cash on the S&S card at the end of the trip how do they refund your remaining balance thanks

Dumb question about bag fees

jfhelwig — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:52:37 GMT

I had Carnival set up my airfare and they selected American Airlines. I know the cost of the cruise and flight together, since I'm just a few weeks away from making my final payment. My question is this: Since they don't know how many bags you're bringing, obviously they charge you either to check or claim your bags. I've always flew Southwest until now and didn't deal with this. Do they want your credit card when you check in or what?

Dining?

hellotoyou — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:54:57 GMT

Oop, just saw there is a question thread. Moved my questions over there:)

Elation November 9 -13 2009

Nicki55 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:42:40 GMT

What is the weather like, it's a Baja Cruise. Catalina & Ensenda

and what to pack??

"Reasonable" amount of soda???

coleycole — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:43:18 GMT

What is considered a reasonable amount ot bring on board? Would me and my boyfriend both be able to bring a 12 pack on board?

Then is soda available to buy while off the ship in port? We are not Coke fans, so I don't want to buy the soda card, but we can throw back the soda. (POP here in Michigan! lol..)

Has anyone bought soda in port? How much is it?

Thoughts From a First Time Cruiser

Cardinals Fan In Ark — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:50:13 GMT

Sailed out of New Orleans on the Fantasy. Got to the port early and boarded with the first group because we had a boarding upgrade under our chair. Simply listen and follow instructions and it is a piece of cake. The food was great and plentiful. If you set your eating schedule for other than normal times there is very little in the way of a line. There are a lot of activities, just read the Capers. I can not wait to go again and would recommend it to anyone thinking of going. If you are a smoker, you can save enough at the Duty Free on cigs to pay for your cruise(seriously).

There was so much good, but there are a couple of negatives which I will share. On the ship there are ample opportunities to spend money. While in port they will encourage you to do their excursions. While they do guarantee theirs, there are other alternatives that are similiar and a lot cheaper(this was in Progreso).

The other is with the way they charge your credit card. In my case, I had more that ample credit to cover any charges. We were told that the charges would hit our card 3 or 4 days after the cruise. Everytime I use my Sign and Sail they authorized it to my credit card, so when I got off the boat and check the account I had several pending charges. A couple of days later one big charge hit my credit card, with the charges still pending it tied up my available credit. I know it will work itself out but if you were still traveling and depended on that it could be a problem so just be aware.

My best advice is go, enjoy and make friends with an experience cruiser and talk to them about what they have learned.

What to wear on the Carnival Triumph 7-day cruise for formal night?

hal28 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:20:19 GMT

Normal 0

Hey! I am going on a cruise in Dec on the triumph. I am shopping for the trip and cant decide what to wear on the formal nights. I love to dress up and get really into formals but I don’t want to be out of place by dressing up to much. Is it more common to wear short party dresses or elegant long dresses? Anyone that has been on that ship have any ideas? Also is one of the formal nights dressier than the other?

Thanks :)

champagne question

lad007 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:27:52 GMT

I just finished paying for my cruise, and thought we could bring a bottle of champagne or wine in carryon to celebrate our honeymoon, but on the last page of the confirmation it says "Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board the ship while docked in the port of embarkation". So can we no longer do this???

So confused about the dress for casual dinners

vic — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:28:42 GMT

I am hearing too many different things, someone please clarify on what I should wear for casual dining. Also what about the guys?

showers

mz. coco — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:59:55 GMT

do the rooms have jacuzzi's or just shower's??

snorkling question

kimbo — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:17:54 GMT

going on 1st cruise in sept on victory and would like to try snorkling whats it like do you have to bring your own stuff or rent it or is it free im not a strong swimmer but can float and tread water really interested in getting some photos underwater of sea life any info is appreciated 71 more days cant wait

Booking spa in advance or wait???

beautifulblueii — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:57:04 GMT

I have read several post about either getting a massage prior or wait til in port vs. using carnival spa but I have done a fair amount af research and we decided to use the spa on board! My question should we book in advance and take the times/treatments available or wait til we get on board and try to get a different treatment. The treatments listed for the day I want is not the treatments we are looking for. Are we s.o.l.?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Libby

Chichen Itza

samanthaRRT — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:31:27 GMT

Just to let you know I went on this excursion and found out that there are a lot souveniers (cheap, like $1) to be bought there. the tour guide will tell you that the stop they make before the tour is your last time to buy....... it's not. At Chichen Itza they sell really nice things for $1!!! Like 3 shirts for $1!!! Dont get fooled like we did. Other than that it was really nice, and it is an AC bus.

glory dec6 and 13 09

sparkul — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:43:59 GMT

sailing solo back to back dec 6 and 13. usually do go alone and enjoy new found friends. do not see many postings on these dates. lsailed in april btb and there were nearly 200 of us last dec did btb and ther were over 50. Where is everyone?? these are going to be fun cruises. i sailed on sister ship so i now glory has the things i enjoy. been on other lines for more money-no great shakes. started cruisng in the sixties and still discovering new points of interest. carnival puts single travelers together for dining so i hope to meet you all. i do see family travelers but i can not be the only single oneout there

First time cruiser

Vickie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:52:57 GMT

Hello everyone, I have booked my very first cruise. I will be traveling with my 30 yr daughter and another older friend. We sail March 13th with Carnival Liberty out of Miami, going to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, & Ocho Rios.What excursions would you recommend for these islands?

Two Prongs or Three?

Shari — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:15:54 GMT

Ok...this is probably a dumb question, but...we're starting to pack and don't know whether to bring a 2 prong power strip or a 3 pronger. Really don't want to bring both... Please help!

Alaska Aug 3, 2010

rainelde — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:10:03 GMT

Have you been on the Spirit?

Have you cruised alaska in August?

Do you recommend the balcony room or inside cabin to save money?