Tootie

We have done things a little different on occasion. Mostly, we have tipped our steward and assistant in person. But we do other things too. The most recent was to spell out "Thank You" in peanut butter cups and a $100 dollar bill below the cups. It happened that I had to go back to my cabin to retrieve a cigar lighter I had forgotten. It was rewarding in 2 ways: I retrieved my lighter from our steward and got a hug and a thank you for the candy and the tip. I won't hesitate to do something similar in the future.

There were no water table issues that I recall - it wasn't even a thought. It was a great cruise for us. The one thing we missed was a chance to see Panama City - it wasn't offered on this trip. We are likely to repeat some form of this cruise as we fell in love with Cartagena. Barring that, we might choose to fly down and stay for a week or two. It's one of the only places I want to see much more of than the cruise typically offers. That applies to much of Mexico as well. We also love Cozumel - one of the regular stops on many carribbean cruises. We've explored it to the point we can easily advise newbies or inexperienced cruisers.

Precisely! I have been to virtually all carribbean ports multiple times.

No, the fees will continue to increase. As you may know, Santorini seems to be intent on limiting all cruise lines. I think that Athens - not sure of the port - is about to do the same. So far, all of my travels have been in the carribbean so I won't miss much. IF I travel to more distant ports outside of the carribbean, I may change my tune.

I've been to virtually all of the ports Carnival services many times. I obviously know I will pay the fee but I see no need to support the various ports with my dollars. I may get of at a port but I won't spend any money there. Cruisers are beginning to be treated like 2nd class citizens.

I'm at the breaking point on new port fees where it seems every cruise hive update has some port/country either raising or instituting a port fee. It is a vicious cycle where every stinkin' port wants me to support their economy. I already do with the money I spend in your port on food, drinks, alcohol, clothing and a variety of other items. IT STOPS HERE FOR ME! There are no more unexplored ports, I've seen them all from what is now 3 cruise lines. From now on, having "seen it all," I will stay on the ship and spend nothing on shore. I'll still have to pay the fee unless I gripe at the cruise line enough to have the fee removed but I won't give them another nickel otherwise. "I'M MAD AS H _ _ L AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT! Some cruise line needs to tell these thieves, and I consider $30 million a year from one cruise line for one port thievery, let the cruise lines conspire together and tell these charlatans that they will no longer stop at their port/country. See who breaks first!

@Kendall James-Vargas Try the King Confectionery on the Strand in Galveston. They carry a wonderful bunch of sweets, from chocoltes, hard candies, taffy and other soft candies as well as popcorn and ice cream in-house and they're only a few blocks from the cruise terminal. For me, at 75, I'm well past the point of not exploring my sugar addiction. I make up for it in BBQ and Tex Mex!

I often see scooter riders on the jogging track at the top of the ship. I guess it's a new way to stay in shape and get your exercise in . . . . . I turn 75 in a few weeks so I figure that day is coming for me too!

Howdy Kendall, We've enjoyed cruising with you on several occasions and I'm hoping you can find an answer for me. Will your chefs part with the recipe for the Funfetti Cheesecake? I hadn't heard of it until today. Aside from being a chocoholic, I love cheesecake and have about half a dozen great recipes. I heard Carnival's is superb and I hope I get a chance to makeit - it looks great in the photo you posted. We hope to be joining you soon on Jubilee!

Sorry to take so long to reply. The loose chocolates I bring on board are peanut clusters and plain chocolate pieces. They are solely for my and my wife's consumption. I also bring a large bag of Reese's Pieces that I hand out to the crew. IF I have enough at the end of the cruise, I make a thank you note with those pieces on the bed along with a gratuity. I haven't been prevented from bringing it on board but am always told that it is against Carnival's policies.

The issue was that the chocolate I brought onboard was freshly made - chocolate "bars," peanut clusters, etc. I also bring candied fruit slices and maybe some taffy. None of the items come in any sort of packaging but rather loose in a bag or box for each individual group of items. The King Confectionery on the Strand in Galveston carries wonderful products made in-house and they're only a few blocks from the cruise terminal.

I am a chocoholic! Besides the melting chocolate cake in the dining roomI eat a bit every night before falling asleep. It is difficult to do that with the chocolate offered at Cherry On Top. The chocolate they offer is made up of huge chunks that you can't break down to smaller bite size pieces. Because of the size, they are essentially inedible. I try to bring chocolate on board fro, m shops near the port but every time that I do, I am confronted by staff saying it is unacceptable to bring it onto the ship. Perhaps Carnival can find another source that lends itself to being more readily consumable!

I agree Kendall. It is a pain but still practically not available. You bring your luggage onboard but you can't usually take it to your cabin. Thus, you have to lug it around until you can get to your cabin. My only embarkation point is at Galveston and because we aren't able to know the status of cabin availability, we hand it over to the "red caps" and it's loaded onboard. Usually it is several hours before it's delivered. Early delivery is rare and both the boss and I have needs specific needs that aren't met.

Unfortunately, this benefit is not regularly available. More often than not, we are directed to have a "red cap" or luggage handler take our luggage. I have aked how we go about taking our own bags to the room to drop it off and the red caps/luggage handlers know nothing about it. The end result is we don't get our luggage for up to 4 hours after boarding.

I can't say when we began using STEP but it was long ago. The State Department is the only place I know of to layout our trip plans and it has served us well. We have seen quite a few Level 4 reports but none to any place we go. I'm not sure about Jamaica right now but it was Level 3 in our last 2 or 3 trips. Based on many recent reports, Jamaica may be Level 4 or about to become that rank. That will surely have an effect on cruising both for cruise lines and the cruisers. Some of the reports are a bit scary in describing serious crimes and that might force Carnival and other lines to reconsider travel there much like Red Sea routes have been suspended. While crime is a far cry from war, its prevalence in ports is something we follow closely with STEP. While there is likely no way to disguise ourselves as locals rather than cruisers, you try to play down any affluence - rings, watches and other "flashy" jewelry, it is equally important to maintain awareness of your surroundings. Always take a wide view and be ready to respond immediately.