Sarge6870

Gina, Your list should be added to the CruiseCrazies Packing List"!!! Gonna see if Jason can add it as a document print file. :)

Our first was in 1990 aboard the (then) Carnival Celebration sailing from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean. We had been dealing with a T.A. that we had used prior to the cruise when we had done land vacations and ski trips. She booked us into an Oceanview cabin for the brochure price. My sister that had been on a few cruises before this couldn't beleive that our T.A. was charging us the brochure price and recommended we try getting a quote from her C.A. that she had dealt with for a few years. We called them and wound up saving about $300pp off the brochure price. Not wanting our original T.A. to lose the comission of the booking, we asked her if she could match the price. While we were there, she called Carnival and tried to negotiate with them to offer her the same deal for us that the other C.A. did. Carnival refused and her final remark to Carnival was "FINE, then don't wonder in the future why I don't sell your cruises !" . Needless to say, at a savings of $600, we cancelled with her and re-booked the same category cabin with the C.A. we have now been using since. Our C.A. even gave us a $150 OBC for our upcoming cruise because we have been loyal customers for so many years!! I remember waking every morning on the cruise and sitting on the ledge of the window and staring out at the ocean. Every day was like Christmas morning for us. All the amenities on the ship were truly overwhelming. There were no "specialty" restaurants and the food in the MDR was awesome. Bridge and Galley tours were free. And the sadness of disembarking was just as bittersweet as it has been every cruise since. And thus, two new CruiseCrazies were born.......

Thanks for the review and thanks for putting it up so quickly after returning. The issues you spoke of about the kids running rampant are things I have experienced and mentioned in posts here before. I could never understand the rude approach some parents have when it comes to boarding with their kids. They seem to have an "all about me so screw you" approach to other passengers onboard. Kids pressing all the buttons in the lifts, sitting and blocking the stairways and running up and down the halls at all hours of the day AND night. We had one situation on the Carnival Pride a few years ago where this 5 year old (or so) kid was allowed to run around the dining room while dinner was being served. He acted as though it was his private playground and almost knocked over 3 servers carrying big trays of passengers meals. While all this was going on, the parents said and did NOTHING!! It wasn't until the kid tripped on the leg of a chair and fell that the "fun" ended. Then, with child crying, "mom" comes running over yelling at the top of her lungs because nobody got up to help the child. The kid wasn't injured, just shocked by the fall. That just proved to me how these "parents" feel that the care of their kids are everyone's responsibility EXCEPT theirs!! Which leads me to my next point. The crew most likely did nothing out of fear of the parents complaining to the head staff managers about them trying to control the unruly kids. I witnessed a crew member on the Carnival Ecstasy ask a kid that was running around to please sit down and the parents yelled at the crew member asking him who he thought he was for trying to correct THEIR child!! See what I mean? The crew have assigned duties. Except for the baby sitting services provided on most ships, baby sitting is not one. That would be the parents responsibility. As for the iron, we have a travel iron that is both 110/220 volt that we use on our cruises for the exact reason you mention. There were too many times we couldn't get to iron in the laundry room because their was usually only a few and they were all being used. And we iron clothes as we need them. Parents MUST understand that a cruise ship is NOT "Chuck E. Cheese" or "McDonalds"!!! It is a vacation vessel with hundreds or even thousands of other people that have worked and waited for their cruise as well. They need to be realizing that when onboard with kids. I bet you'll make a lot more friends onboard if your kids are polite and respectful to others!!! At least you seem to have had a good time on your cruise and that's the important thing. And I also agree that timing is everything when cruising especially if you don't want to be confronted by unruly kids. My rule of thumb is "If schools in session, I'm cruising". That time frame is usually between September & May.

Thanks for the reply...I would love to know about the parking, I have been looking online for ideas. Chuck No problem Chuck. I'll be sending you a private message via the CruiseCrazies website (just check the top of your screen on any page for the notification). I don't want to inundate the thread. -Tim

That sounds like breakfast three times – you’re my hero! LOL!! You have to understand, I'm an Assistant Chef at an assisted living facility and feed about 100 residents per meal (that's 300 per day), sometimes working as the sole chef, so it's nice to have someone cook for ME for a change!!!! Besides, with all that food around, gotta try a bit of everything!

First off, WELCOME to CruiseCrazies folks!! We live in Tampa and will be sailing on the Brilliance this coming November. Let me tell you that boarding at Tampa is a BREEZE!! If your driving to Tampa for your cruise, let me know. There's a great parking area we use that is inexpensive and has great shuttle service to and from the lot. If you need any other local info, please don't hesitate to ask. See ya' on the site

I can...when in Cozumel...make sure you visit Paradise Beach. When you get there, ask for Krista or Meemo and tell them you are a CruiseCrazies member. They WILL take excellent care of you there!!!

Over the years, I have heard of passengers doing that for crew they "connect" with. My thought is that they are paid so little for all the hard work and hours they do, to give them an envelope just for them would go much farther. I have spoken to many crew members over the years and have found that they send their pay back to their families. Guess it wouldn't hurt to do both though!!

OK Mach...We had Steve on our Ecstasy cruise too...he played "The Devil went down to georgia" during one of the shows. Killed it...was awesome!!! And we were right down front......

Well, how funny is that? We sailed on the Ecstasy 1 week after she had that fire in the aft of the ship years ago. I remember watching the news the week before our cruise and they announced a report of a cruise ship called the "Ecstasy". I yelled at Chrissy who was in the other room "Honey, come look at this, this is the ship were going on next week"!! What a mistake that was. After the commercial, the news returned with video of the ship with smoke billowing up from the aft. DOH!!!!

Sarge, the folks on the ship knew what had happened and that's likely the reason I never saw the little cigar sniffer again. Also, friends of mine in Miami who work for Carnival had been reading my daily installments about the cruise and emailed me to get the details. I'd be quite surprised if he continued with the cruise line after we returned to port... Just wondering Mach, what ship was that??

You see Mach, THAT'S when the review letters come in handy post cruise. I would have nailed that clown to the wall. How dare he rummage through your personal items! It's not his job to look through your stuff even "IF" he suspects something not right. His job would be to report it to security and let them deal with it. If he had done that, I feel he would have been present during the questioning of the item. The fact that he became a ghost for the rest of the cruise implicates him entirely. And how did security know where to find you? You have more patience than I do bud. Like I said, by the time I got done complaining, onboard and post cruise, the only future job he could have gotten on any sea vessel would have been on a sanpan in Vietnam!!!!!!!!

When we first started cruising back in the early 90's, tipping onboard cruise ships were an option. Now, gratuities are automatically charged to your cabin account. This can be a plus or a minus. It seemed before auto-gratuities were started, crew seemed to work a little harder hoping for a gratuity at the end of your cruise and we loved the personal interaction with those crew members on the last night of the cruise. Now it seems that although you do experience crew that seem to go above and beyond, there may still be those crew that have assumed that your gratuity is commonplace so for them, it's just a job. You always have the option of removing the gratuity for a certain crew member by visiting the pursers or concierges desk, but who wants to stand in line on a cruise just to make a point. We have only had a gratuity removed once when we sailed on the Carnival Pride with our then 12 year old niece and the cabin steward (even though asked numerous times) refused to provide us with a childs life vest. On the other hand, we also have tipped extra, above the auto-gratuities, to some of the staff such as our cabin steward and dining room staff. My questions to you is have you ever tipped extra? Have you ever removed an auto-gratuity? Please take the poll above and tell us your story.

Leaves from Tampa visiting Key West, Grand Caymen, Roatan & Cozumel. We know what were going to do in Cozumel (Paradise Beach) but due to Chrissy's limited mobility, we have to stick to the beach excursions as well in the other ports. We used to be able to do tours, dolphin excursions and the like but until Chrissy has the surgery on her back, we have to do things that don't require much walking

Some times you do. I did that back in May when I booked the Jewel cruise for our anniversary. Chrissy was in N.Y. so I posted this to Facebook knowing she'd see it....... "LISTEN UP!!! Almost 25 years ago I met my best friend! This year we will be celebrating our 23rd Anniversary (May 6). We have been through a lot over the years yet still are BFFs. I thought we Deserve something special. So CHRISSY, what do you think about a cruise on the Royal Caribbean's "Jewel of the Seas" for 4 nights from Tampa, May 2nd? Thought you would!! DONE..... In 2 weeks we cruise to Cozumel...It's BOOKED!!!" That works!!! It was booked so all she could do was PACK!!!!

Too funny!!! As a matter of fact, we already discussed next years cruise (right after booking the November cruise) in the Western Med for our 25 anniversary. Because the rates aren't out yet (C.A. thinks they will release the dates in September), he's going to keep an eye out for us. Never hurts to plan ahead. Besides, I'm trying for a suite for our anniversary cruise next year so it will give us some time to pay it off.

Just got the final invoice for the November cruise. $325 in OBC AND the gratuities were paid as part of the booking!!! I'll take it!!! :cool2:

And the funny thing Mach, was when we sailed from Tampa the first time this past May, when the shuttle arrived at the terminal, there were people everywhere. My thought was "crap, gonna take hours to get onboard". When we got in the terminal, it was empty!! We walked right in and were directed straight to a waiting window. And as I posted in my review of the Jewel in May, RCCL also does a great job of having the embarkation photo op off to the side of the gangway for those that wish to have their boarding pic taken. Unlike past experiences with other cruise lines that FORCE you to have an embarkation photo taken thus causing a line to board. Were going in November Mach, why not pack a bag?

We have only sailed from Tampa once, but it was one of the most organized embarkations we've experienced. I pre-reserved parking that had a shuttle to the pier. We arrived at the pier and were onboard in 10 minutes!! We'll be sailing again from Tampa this November.

Although not a main cruise port in Florida, here is a link to a webcam that you can control near the Port of Tampa. This webcam is run by Hillsborough county so it is safe. http://cam01.hillsboroughcounty.org/user/JViewer.html You can control the camera by going to the panel on the left and clicking on the "Control" button. From there, you can move or zoom the camera to your liking. You can also select a preset (in the drop-down box) and select "Port of Tampa Terminal" to see the cruise terminal. There may not be ships in port but check back often (mainly on the weekends). NOTE: You may receive a security warning when you load the page. Trust me when I tell you the page is safe since it is run by the county. Enjoy !!!

My feeling is if you wish to wear shorts to your meal, go to the buffet. I remember one night on the Carnival Dream when I went to the dining room with a T-shirt on (not sloppy, just no collar and it was the T-shirt I had bought of the ship onboard) and long pants. The staff stopped me at the entrance to the dining room and informed me that a collard shirt was required in the dining room. They offered me a jacket to wear but I opted to return to my cabin and dress appropriately. I returned to the dining room and was seated without issue. At the table next to us was a family with 3 young kids. All of the kids were wearing shorts and T-shirts and one even had a tank top on. When I say "kids", I am talking in their low teens. Old enough to be dressed as I was required to be I thought. When I was leaving, I asked the Maitre'd about how it was OK for them to be dressed that way but not me. He stated " their just kids". I hadn't been aware their was a double-standard due to age!!!

You had me interested until you mentioned "Bank of (not so) America".

At home my schedule varies so I get up anywhere between 4:15am and 7am. On a cruise, I'm an early riser (usually around 5am or so). I'm usually up waaay before Chrissy (and probably before most birds). I take my shower, get dressed, grab the walkie-talkie and head up on deck for coffee and danishes and to take in the ship and ocean air before the ship comes to life. When Chrissy calls me, I go back to the cabin for room service on the balcony. Then, Chrissy get's ready and we head to breakfast. I like to be up early for the return to the homeport too.

I guess I can look at it this way.....The price for the cruise and cabin we booked has gone UP by $800pp. As a matter of fact, according to the RCCL website, there are no balconies even available anymore for my cruise. Hmmm...wonder if we'll get upgraded!! So, in fact, we did get a price reduction???? BTW...Final payment was made today and I completed the online check-in. NOW, it's starting to feel real (again)

I may give it a "shot"(pun intended :) ). I have found myself drinking less over the years on cruises. Might have a few DOD's but my dessert, or night cap if you will, is a Sambuca on the rocks. For me, it's the perfect ending to a perfect cruise day.