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Taking my first cruise in 3 months, and I've been watching youtube videos and reading the cruise forums to prepare myself. Going on Carnival Valor out of NOLA with stops in Cozumel and Progreso. We booked a balcony room on the 8th deck. One of my biggest questions is shore excursions. My goal on this trip is to unplug from my phone and computer as much as possible. I just want to relax, read some books, see a few shows and chill with my wife for a few days without the kids. We're going with 2 other couples, and they're doing shore excursions. I hadn't really planned on leaving the boat to be honest, but can someone talk about them? Would I be missing out if I didn't go? Do I book through the cruise line or find something on my own? (Mr Sanchos in Cozumel seems to be popular). I'm not a huge fan of large crowds or unfamiliar places. I'm not much of a drinker so I'm not really interested in heavy amounts of alcohol. I drink, but not much anymore and tend to prefer quality of quantity these days. The booze package is out, but I'm heavily considering buying a bottle of Vodka on board and using that during the trip. My wife and I would probably finish the bottle off in the 5 days we have on board. She doesn't drink much either anymore. The Soda package seems worth it I guess. Lay on the advice for a first timer
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Mar 11, 2019 22:10
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 08:25 |
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I thought Carnival let you order a bottle for the room now, you just can't take it out of the room. Was thinking about doing this instead of paying for individual drinks over the course of the trip. https://www.carnival.com/FunShops/item/K30/grey-goose-vodka-mixer-package
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Mar 11, 2019 23:01
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Disney is a hell of an experience, but you pay for it. The Mrs get a nice discount?
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Apr 29, 2019 00:10
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So I’ve watched dozens of hours of YouTube videos and read lots of blogs so I think I have a good handle on things for my upcoming cruise. Bought a bunch of recommended stuff to make the cabin experience nicer (magnets, portable fan, shoe organizer,etc). Didn’t plan any excursions as we just want to relax and unplug. We just plan on wandering around the port shops and chilling on the ship. We’re not huge drinkers so we’re skipping the alcohol package but are getting the soda package. I’m buying a bottle of Vodka for the room which with our 2 bottles of wine will cover most of our booze needs. I got some flaskaps for our tumblers so we don’t have to go back to the room for booze as often. Any other tips for a first timer? This is my relax/unplug vacation for the year so that’s the priority
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May 14, 2019 23:29
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:I’m slightly afraid to ask, but ... magnets? It’s my understanding the walls and ceilings are metal so I bought some magnet clips and a pack of hooks. I guess they’re useful to hang things on or clip papers up on the wall. That’s what cruise YouTube says anyway. I’ve got my nook loaded with e books and a non surge protector power strip, my 6 port usb charger and an extension cord ready to go as well. All great suggestions.
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May 15, 2019 02:49
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Oh right I forgot magnet hooks and clips exist. I don’t have those on my list oddly enough. I have 2 different kinds of earplugs, but no earphones. Didn’t really think about them since I was going to lock my phone in the safe and not use it on the cruise.
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May 15, 2019 03:38
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Cash is always a good idea. I always take 100 in small bills when I go on vacation. I’m a former service industry worker and I have a propensity to over tip especially on vacation. My way of paying it forward I guess. I’ll probably bring 300 on this trip just in case. Maybe more as I’m not sure about using my cards in port. I’ve got travel cards with no fees, but acceptance could be an issue. I never really think about someone not taking credit cards these days. Even the 70 year old guy that sells peaches on the corner takes and prefers cards. Tried to pay cash and he whipped out a square reader and said that was easier. The port day plan is to wander around the terminal areas for a while and do touristy poo poo. Grab some trinkets, a couple shirts, some lunch and a drink or two then head back to the boat. I really wanted to hit up Mr Sanchos in Cozumel but the other couple were traveling with won’t do a non carnival arranged excursion for “reasons”. Nothing in progreso caught my eye so probably the same thing there.
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May 15, 2019 05:25
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Silly Burrito posted:Hell, if you really want to do Mr Sancho’s, just do it and meet back with your other couple back on the boat. We’ve done that when my parents wanted to do a different shore excursion than us and it worked out fine. Also, Braksgirl signed us up for Mr Sancho’s on our March cruise, and it was really nice. The kids and adults both liked it. Worth a visit IMO and you’ll still have plenty of time to visit the terminal shops. I really want to. The other couple is deadly terrified of being left behind at the cruise port. We could hit Sancho's from 9 to 2 and have tons of time to get back. We may still go without them. Coconut Shrimps be callin me. One thing I haven't been able to figure out though, is there an onboard store where you can buy non alcoholic drinks or mixers? Can't find a good video online of the store. Like a 6 pack of diet coke to bring back to the room or something? I know there's a store onboard, but it mostly looks like souvenirs and some sundries. Or maybe you just order through the steward?
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May 15, 2019 20:55
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Yeah, we're bringing 2 12 packs and 2 bottles of wine on with us, but I was just curious if buying more at a shop is possible on board. I'm probably overthinking this and I won't be spending as much time in the cabin as I think I will be.
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May 15, 2019 21:16
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Oh I plan on it. I waited tables for like 6 years through high school and college, so I tip everyone generously when I'm on vacation. I tend to overtip everywhere I go now. I'm fortunate that I can afford to do so, so I see it as a way of paying it forward. It's a 5 night cruise, so a 50 to the steward should be pretty solid? Or is it too much? Not enough? Never been on a cruise so I'm not sure. Should I give them a 20 the first day and more at the end?
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May 15, 2019 21:59
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Tommorow starts vacation for 11 days, and I leave Saturday on my first cruise. I'm so over packed it's not even funny. I did manage to get a reservation for Mr Sanchos in Cozumel though, so super excited about that. We waited too long, but someone on Facebook has extra reservations her party isn't using and will give them to us to use. Things i didn't know... there's private FB groups for cruises where you can meet people and discuss things. I'm not a huge fan of social media, but it's been helpful. Someone setup one for the Valor June 8th sailing from NOLA and there's like 300 people in it. Without it I wouldn't be going to Mr Sanchos. Gonna eat all the coconut shrimps and drink some blue drinks.
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Jun 5, 2019 15:50
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Mr Sanchos is amazing and I love it
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Jun 10, 2019 19:05
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Last night of the cruise. I had a good time, but I’m on the fence about doing it again. For the money we spent I’d like to see what other options are out there. Might be able to swing an inclusive resort and airfare for what we paid. I’ll give it a week or so and see how I feel about it again
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Jun 13, 2019 03:47
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Try them all and let us know. Maybe someone will have a key lime king cake.... mmmm
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Jan 18, 2020 22:50
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A Hawaii cruise would be way too many sea days for me. I've only been on the one cruise, and I guess i had a good time. Several of my complaints wouldn't even exist if I wasn't on an older Carnival boat probably. No real desire to take another cruise anytime soon though. We have thought about getting one of the Family Suite's on the new Vista sailing out of Galveston and taking the kids on a cruise in maybe 2 years though. It's gonna be expensive, but might be fun. Maybe we'll skip WDW one year.
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Jan 20, 2020 19:36
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Disney is awesome if you can afford it. Affording it is the problem.
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Feb 7, 2020 17:11
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Is it morbid that I'm looking for a mega discount cruise this summer due to all the traveling fears?
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Feb 28, 2020 22:46
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My first and only cruise so far was on the Carnival Valor. I really have no desire to cruise again with them at the price I paid. If go at half price though The newer boats are supposed to be much nicer, but I’d be cruising from nola or Galveston and they don’t seem to get the new shiny boats
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Mar 1, 2020 00:57
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Yeah we did a 5 day. I wasn’t sure if I’d even like it so I didn’t want to commit to a 7 day cruise. My wife and I compared it to a floating Walmart lol. I might try a 7 day on a new boat, but we won’t stay in anything but a balcony room and for the same money I can almost fly to a beach and spend a week. Eve thought about trying RCL instead of Carnival
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Mar 1, 2020 01:14
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Almost booked a cruise tonight. 7 day Balcony on Carnival Vista out of Galveston for 2400 for the 4 of us. When I went back the prices almost doubled. Must have been a weird glitch or something.
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Mar 8, 2020 03:08
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Braksgirl posted:So I got off the Wonder yesterday and today I booked a 3 night on the Dream for March 27. Yep. How cheap? There are 10 dollar last minute cruises out of Los Angeles right now. This is what I almost booked. By the time I asked my wife though sale was over. Besides I think they might go down more https://i.imgur.com/MhXdqYQ.png
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Mar 8, 2020 04:03
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re Carnival chatDoronin posted:And I'm late to Carnival chat, but if you're going to sail Carnival it's all about managing your expectations. If you take one their 3 or 4-night cruises at a bargain price from one of the smaller ports like NOLA, Galveston, Tampa or Mobile, you're going to have a lot of folks who wear college sports fan gear as their "fancy clothes" everywhere you go. It's definitely a lower common denominator. If you're sailing one of those, you're also probably going to be on a 25 to 30-year old ship. The Carnival ship that sails out of Mobile, the Carnival Fantasy, is literally the oldest one in their fleet at 30. My mom saw it from the highway and thought it was in for drydock, then I reminded her "no, that's the terminal. They're about to set sail." She couldn't believe how lovely it looked. The Liberty that I've seen out of Canaveral also looks fit to become an artificial reef soon than later. I agree with this. My first and only cruise experience was a 5 day out of NOLA on the Valor. We had a good time for the most part. My 2 main complaints I guess would be - I didn't feel it was a great value. I think we paid about 1800 for the 2 of us in a balcony room (no drink package). Add up the gratuity, miscellaneous onboard spending, money spent in port, etc, and we were probably in the cruise for 2500 bucks. 2500 could have probably got me 2 plane tickets to Cozumel and 4 nights at a resort there which would have been a better vacation. - The condition of the ship left a lot to be desired. Half of the elevators were broken, and everything just seemed closed in and dark. We're eyeballing a trip on the Vista out of Galveston and watching YT videos, it's completely different. Bright, airy, clean. I know it's not fair to compare the Valor to the Vista, but I am. I won't beat them up on the food quality, or anything else. I sorta knew what I was getting into with Carnival, but it was my first cruise and I didn't even know if I would like it or not. My kids (10 and 8) want to try a cruse, and I'm watching for any sort of deals on the Vista out of Galveston. I think that would be a much better experience. I'm eyeballing a Deluxe Family Harbor room right now on a 7 day and if it gets any less expensive we're going to jump on it
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Mar 9, 2020 17:46
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Which one is that? I don't see the ticker.
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Mar 9, 2020 21:42
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Carnival is supposedly selling 6 of their older ships as well. Rumor is the old Fantasy class machines are being sold or scrapped.
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Jun 22, 2020 19:49
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I've been getting almost daily emails from Carnival with some ridiculous deals if you're willing to roll the dice on cruising right now. 5 day out of Galveston on the Breeze starting at 30 dollars for interior, 108 for Balcony. 7 day on the Vista for 90 bucks interior, 163 balcony. These deals are good from now until the end of October. 7 day balcony, on the Vista, 2 people, taxes and gratuities include 718 bucks. That's insane.
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Aug 23, 2021 18:13
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I just got an email offer this morning from Carnival. Free rooms. Pay 100 dollars per person for a room, and get 100 dollars onboard credit. quote:✔ SALES RATE APPLIED Balcony and oceanview rooms are heavily discounted as well. I just quoted a 7 day cove balcony on the Vista for 2 people for 426 dollars with 200 dollars onboard credit. Prepay gratuities is about 200, There's some deals if you're willing to risk it.
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Sep 16, 2021 17:59
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Interesting that they targeted me. I've only been on 1 5 day cruise in my entire life, and that was a couple years ago and we didn't spend much onboard at all (I don't really drink much). I'd figure they'd be targeting more frequent cruisers with a history of spending on board.
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Sep 16, 2021 18:24
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How was the Vista compared to other ships? If I go on another cruise I’ve been thinking it’ll be the Vista since it’s a newer ship. My only cruise was on the Valor out of Nola and…. To be polite the age of the ship was obvious Also the Vista has the new updated internet service, was that usable? I’m a big fan of unplugging on vacation it unfortunately internet is still a necessity. The valors internet was not really usable.
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Oct 23, 2021 15:34
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There are a lot of youtube videos out there about cruising for the first time, what to bring and what to leave home, etc. I found them very valuable and helped make my first cruise a success. Here's your cruise itinerary https://www.royalcaribbean.com/crui...dt_shrdln__4645 I've only been on 1 cruise so far, but the thing I like about cruising is you can make it whatever type of vacation you want. You can be as active and social as you want to be, or as chill and relaxing as you want. I find the upgraded internet access (All RC ships have VOOM) to be worth it. Being able to iMessage, WhatsApp, and stay in touch with family is important. Supposedly the upgraded internet package is fast enough to stream video in the right conditions. The YT videos will cover a lot of things, and it's been a few years since I cruised but here are some things that made our life easier - Magnets. There's surprisingly few places to hang things like hats your lanyard, towels, etc. Amazon has a bunch of cruise ship magnet listings. The walls are metal so they work pretty well - Power strips and extension cords - Do NOT bring surge protectors, they can mess with the cruise ship. Sometimes there's only 1 outlet in the entire room. A power strip and extension cord can help get power to where you need it. I use a CPAP so I had a really basic 12 foot extension cord packed so I could run power to my side of the bed for my machine. The power strip also allowed us to plug a bunch of stuff in. Chargers, batter packs, all sorts of stuff. - Soda. Drinks are very expensive onboard, even non alcoholic ones. We don't drink much, but we did take advantage of bringing a couple 12 packs of diet soda onboard. I do not care for the drink package at all. We did buy a bottle of Tito's for the room though from Carnival. It was borderline criminally expensive, but it covered our Alcohol needs for the entire trip. We are very light/casual drinkers and took most of it home with us. When you buy the alcohol package, there seems to be this need to "maximize your value" from it, and people drink way too much, especially early on in the trip. Mr Sanchos in Cozumel is awesome. If you want a nice all inclusive beach day in Cozumel go there, I love that place. Flat rate taxi price to the resort, then one price for all the food/drink you want while you're there. Definitely check out a few first time cruise YT videos though, lots of good info there.
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Mar 28, 2022 17:34
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I've come to realize in the 3 years since I made that post that I'm just not a cruise person. I don't care for them and for the price I rather fly to an all inclusive in Mexico or the Caribbean. We spent 5 nights at Excellence Playa Mujeres for roughly the same price as we paid for that 5 day cruise out of NOLA and enjoyed it much more. Both trips cost about the same when you considered everything like parking, excursions, onboard ship spending, etc. 100 times out of 100 I'll go back to EPM instead of setting on board a cruise ship. I may try another cruise in the future. We vacation with my brother in law and his family and they love cruising and my kids want to try it, but it's going to be on one of the new ships, and it's going to be a longer cruise, probably a 7 day. To be fair a 5 day cruise on the Valor out of New Orleans is probably not a fair way to judge Carnival overall. That ship was old as hell. TJ the cruise director was awesome though. We didn't have a bad time on the cruise, it's just not for me. The highlight of my trip was getting off the boat and spending the day at Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel.
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Jan 23, 2023 20:12
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 08:25 |
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There are still shuttle services. I have no personal experience with them so I won’t make any recommendations, but they still exist.
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Jun 9, 2023 13:30
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