Month: June 2011

Ok so as usual I can’t decide on which cruise to go on later this summer.

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7 Day East Caribbean Freedom of the Seas to St. Thomas, St. Maarten & Nassau @ $2564

7 Day East Caribbean Allure of the Seas St. Thomas, St. Maarten & Coco Cay @ $3395

7 Day South Caribbean Serenade of the Seas to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Curacao & Aruba @ $1914

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We’ve been to St. Thomas, Nassau, Curacao & Aruba.

We actually went on almost the same itinerary on the Serenade last year except for St. Kitts.

We could go to Disney World for a day or two if we went on the Freedom.

There’s a pretty big price difference between the Freedom/Serenade & the Allure.

We’d really like to go back to Curacao & Aruba.

There are so many extra fee/pay restaurants on the Allure.

BUT I really do want to sail on the Allure…

The flights are all about the same price, San Juan is $250 more.

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So you see, I can’t decide!

Can’t seem to get any input from the hubby either.

This will be our last cruise for probably a couple of years since we hope to have some kiddos soon.

So we want to it to be extra special and romantic, well at least I want it to be romantic 😛

We’ve considered land based trips but they are even more expensive when you factor in everything.

Neways, maybe my hubby will read this and help me decide 😉

The new Carnival Magic will be home-porting out of Galveston, TX starting this winter.

Official Site – WWW.CARNIVALMAGIC.COM

Here’s a quick walking tour of the ship

 

We have been on several Carnival cruises, most recently on the Legend in February out of Tampa. We thought they have really cut back on a lot of things and that left us disappointed and missing Royal Caribbean. Their food, selection, entertainment and service was not as good as it used to be. But if you live in the south and want to drive to port, this is a great option out of Texas especially in the summer when the other cruise lines go to Europe, Austrailia or China to make the big bucks.

We have also sailed on the Conquest and the Fantasy. I would have to say the Fantasy is our favorite out of the Carnival ships we have sailed on. If you want an affordable cruise go on Carnival. They are significantly more affordable but be aware that you get what you pay for. Despite our experience with Carnival in February we ended up having a great time, especially in our ports of call: Roatan (our favorite snorkeling site), Grand Cayman (always a lot of fun) and Cozumel (can’t go wrong). Carnival does have a great selection of itineraries and that alone is what would get us back on one of their ships. If they get their food, service and entertainment back up to par they would again top our list of favorite cruise line, but for now Royal Caribbean does. When we can afford it, we’ll pay more for a better cruising experience.

If you have any questions about Carnival, leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer 🙂

 

Tonight on Planet Green: watch

Extreme Cruise Ship (Building Oasis OTS) & Ultimate Cruise Ship (Building Freedom OTS)

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I’m currently researching for our next cruise some time late summer.

Right now it looks like we’ll be going on the Allure of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean.

Got a cruise planned? Where are you going & on what ship?

Christmas Family Cruise

 

Spring Break 2011

http://youtu.be/PZQc0RSNEtw

Great HD Video

http://youtu.be/q4bjSPGXppE

 

General Tour

http://youtu.be/t_ReGyYBjFg

 

My Favorite!!!

 

N’JOY

Update 2/5/13: The Smithsonian Channel has been kind enough to post the entire episode.

http://youtu.be/gyaJ2cUX6K0

 

These people were on our same cruise back in May of 2009.

Carnival Conquest from Galveston to Key West, Freeport & Nassau

1) Read recent reviews of both the ship & itinerary.

2) Get a cabin on a lower deck, between cabin decks (not below or above public spaces) & mid ship.

3) Make a packing list and don’t wait till the night before to pack.

4) Get travel insurance! This will cover over seas medical, evacuation, trip delay, job loss, etc.

5) Extras you might not think of: safety kit, poncho, highlighter, sticky notes, card games, popcorn.

6) Afraid you’ll get seasick? Wear sea bands for a non-medicated remedy – Walmart.

7) Are the beaches rocky? Take water shoes.

8) Don’t over-pack. Take multi-use clothes and coordinate with only a couple pairs of shoes.

9) Going to beach and getting in the water? Get a water proof pouch for your money & credit cards.

10) Know your cruise lines price protection policy and watch for price drops.

11) Carry copies of your PP & DL ashore along with emergency numbers & port authority number.

12) Keep track of the time when ashore. Don’t miss the boat!

13) DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR PASSPORT AND DL! ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!

Special Pricing (interline, military, past guest, state, teacher) – http://www.vacationstogo.com/

Actual pictures of rooms – http://www.cruiselinerooms.com/

Anything & Everything – http://www.cruisecritic.com/

Everything, ports & roll calls – http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Deck-on-Deck info & ship tours – http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/virtualtours.php

Travel Insurance – http://www.insuremytrip.com/index.html?linkId=30002

First Time General Info – http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc