BuffettNews.com

We just booked a family cruise on the Carnival Freedom From 12/27 to 1/2. It stops in Key West, Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios Jamacia. It's our first cruise so i'm looking for any feedabck or suggestions.

keep your hands washed, take any meds you may need like pepto or antivert, and have a wonderful time. That would be a cool cruise!!!!!!!!!

When you get to florida BEFORE you get on the ship...pack booze in your checked luggage...bubble wrap and a beach towel around each bottle is good.....saves you some money on the bar bill! also you can bring a few bottles of wine or champage in your carryon as well!

ENJOY!

flipflopgirl wrote:When you get to florida BEFORE you get on the ship...pack booze in your checked luggage...bubble wrap and a beach towel around each bottle is good.....saves you some money on the bar bill! also you can bring a few bottles of wine or champage in your carryon as well!

ENJOY!

I hope that works on Carnival. On Norwegian, they searched everyone's luggage and confiscated booze and "dangerous" things -- like my nail scissors!

It's worked on every carnival cruise i have been on so far....which is 7...knock wood!

gottagofishin wrote:We just booked a family cruise on the Carnival Freedom From 12/27 to 1/2. It stops in Key West, Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios Jamacia. It's our first cruise so i'm looking for any feedabck or suggestions.

We took this same cruise in March for my birthday in Key West. Have a look at this thread, maybe there is some info you can use. The Carnival Freedom is a wonderful ship!
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=73240

flipflopgirl wrote:It's worked on every carnival cruise i have been on so far....which is 7...knock wood!

Christine!
We pack Vodka and Whiskey for every cruise but just remember to use plastic bottles. We also bring on our caffeine-free diet Coke to mix with our Whiskey. Never have been busted on any of our Carnival cruises. If you need OJ for your mixer, its available at the breakfast buffet on the Lido deck. We usually purchase a six pack the "local" brew while on-island. We put it it our backpack and check it through the x-ray machine. Never has been confiscated. We ice them in the stateroom and drink five of them. The last one comes home as a souvenir for one of our friends that collects beers from around the world.

I have been on a couple Carnival cruises, and each time have taken several bottles of rum and tequila.
I put them in hard sided suitcases and just pack towels around the the bottles. Have not had any problems getting them aboard.
I take unopened bottles to minimize the chance of leakage.

The Carnival website http://www.carnival.com has lots of good information for first time cruisers.

Thanks to all for the booze info. Has anybody tried the rumrunner plastic flasks (www.rumrunnerflasks.com) What about the binocular flask?

We are going to try to get a bottle of rum in one suitcase and a bottle of vodka in another. We are allowed a bottle of wine each so we are going to carry them on.

gottagofishin wrote:Thanks to all for the booze info. Has anybody tried the rumrunner plastic flasks (http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com) What about the binocular flask?

We are going to try to get a bottle of rum in one suitcase and a bottle of vodka in another. We are allowed a bottle of wine each so we are going to carry them on.

We brought 2 bottles each of wine and champagne(mimosas in the am) ...if you don't try to bring 50 bottles of wine they are pretty cool about a few extra!

and if you drink bottled water...get a big duffel bag and put a couple cases of bottled water...saves a lot of $$$ you are allowed to check as many bags as you want!

I can honestly say that a cruise is our favorite trip.

I agree, pack the hand sanitizer. It is always a smart thing to do since you are in an area with over 2,000 people. We've never had any virus issues on a cruise. We advise just using the sanitizer and good common sense as in keeping your hands washed. We've always had good luck with all the ships we've been on. Never had a cabin that was dirty.

First of all, prepare to relax if that is what you choose to do. In our opinion, no spa, no resort that we've been to has ever made us feel so pampered and taken care of. A cruise to us is a week of pure serenity. Nothing beats being out of the ocean.

We suggest taking a camera. The ship you are on is quite beautiful. It truly is a floating luxury resort and there is so many things to photograph.

One of the nights in the dining room they will have a chocolate lovers buffet. This is when the chefs bring out all the desserts they make out of carved chocolate and fruit. They are magnificent works of art. The detail they put on them is incredible. You will be able to take photos and then afterwards everyone will get to taste whatever they they want.

At night when your cabin stewart turns down the bed they leave origami towel animals. Each night it is a different animal. Those animals are soooooo cute!

You are going to have a great time!!

I just got back Saturday from a 7 day Carnival cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Roatan. All my friends brought liquor in their suitcases and no problems. Helps save big $. Although, you we did still need to pay for the soda mixers ($1.95/can)! My best friend had a VIP cruise based on his past gambling w/ Carnival so we all had VIP passes for the casino where we could drink anything we wanted for FREE. Yeah, that part was rough.

At Ocho Rios, we had to sift through all the people wanting to sell us everything (legal or not). We couldn't walk down the streets without being hit up. Some of the shop areas have security at the entrances to keep the leeches out. It was kind of a pain. The Margaritaville there was a blast (from what I remember). It was a big party, swim up bar, right on the beach and we really enjoyed it.

At Grand Cayman, it was a much more pleasant experience walking around. It's the richest island in the Caribbean, so you don't get hounded like Jamaica. Lots of shops and bars. Margaritaville was fun, but no where near as good as Ocho Rios.

Roatan- We decided to walk away from the cruise ship area and wound up about 1 mile down the road in the middle of the third world. When the police pickup truck went by w/ automatic weapons, we realized we needed to get out of there ASAP. Carnival had a $37.95/person trip to the beach which only included the ride. When we got off the ship, the local taxis in the port area told us it would be $25/person to go. When we got outside the gates, the taxis right outside took us to the beach for $20 total for 4 people. So, watch out for the scams.

piratenole wrote:Although, you we did still need to pay for the soda mixers ($1.95/can)!

Doesn't Carnival offer a soda card? Someone told me that you can buy one on the first day of the cruise and its good for the whole week. Thanks for the other info. All good stuff.

Tell Issac I say hello!

I'm looking for Julie. She was HOT!!!

piratenole wrote:I just got back Saturday from a 7 day Carnival cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Roatan. All my friends brought liquor in their suitcases and no problems. Helps save big $. Although, you we did still need to pay for the soda mixers ($1.95/can)! My best friend had a VIP cruise based on his past gambling w/ Carnival so we all had VIP passes for the casino where we could drink anything we wanted for FREE. Yeah, that part was rough.

At Ocho Rios, we had to sift through all the people wanting to sell us everything (legal or not). We couldn't walk down the streets without being hit up. Some of the shop areas have security at the entrances to keep the leeches out. It was kind of a pain. The Margaritaville there was a blast (from what I remember). It was a big party, swim up bar, right on the beach and we really enjoyed it.

At Grand Cayman, it was a much more pleasant experience walking around. It's the richest island in the Caribbean, so you don't get hounded like Jamaica. Lots of shops and bars. Margaritaville was fun, but no where near as good as Ocho Rios.

Roatan- We decided to walk away from the cruise ship area and wound up about 1 mile down the road in the middle of the third world. When the police pickup truck went by w/ automatic weapons, we realized we needed to get out of there ASAP. Carnival had a $37.95/person trip to the beach which only included the ride. When we got off the ship, the local taxis in the port area told us it would be $25/person to go. When we got outside the gates, the taxis right outside took us to the beach for $20 total for 4 people. So, watch out for the scams.

We've spent a couple of weeks on Roatan and never had anything like that happen.

piratenole wrote:I just got back Saturday from a 7 day Carnival cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Roatan. All my friends brought liquor in their suitcases and no problems. Helps save big $. Although, you we did still need to pay for the soda mixers ($1.95/can)! My best friend had a VIP cruise based on his past gambling w/ Carnival so we all had VIP passes for the casino where we could drink anything we wanted for FREE. Yeah, that part was rough.

At Ocho Rios, we had to sift through all the people wanting to sell us everything (legal or not). We couldn't walk down the streets without being hit up. Some of the shop areas have security at the entrances to keep the leeches out. It was kind of a pain. The Margaritaville there was a blast (from what I remember). It was a big party, swim up bar, right on the beach and we really enjoyed it.

At Grand Cayman, it was a much more pleasant experience walking around. It's the richest island in the Caribbean, so you don't get hounded like Jamaica. Lots of shops and bars. Margaritaville was fun, but no where near as good as Ocho Rios.

Roatan- We decided to walk away from the cruise ship area and wound up about 1 mile down the road in the middle of the third world. When the police pickup truck went by w/ automatic weapons, we realized we needed to get out of there ASAP. Carnival had a $37.95/person trip to the beach which only included the ride. When we got off the ship, the local taxis in the port area told us it would be $25/person to go. When we got outside the gates, the taxis right outside took us to the beach for $20 total for 4 people. So, watch out for the scams.

I went on a Carnival Cruise in '93 that hit Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. At some point in Ocho Rios, we were walking by a beach to go to some shops and there looked to be a full scale riot on the beach. And I don't mean something funny was happening. Twenty minutes later, I saw two military guys dressed in camo carrying machine guns escorting some guy with blood all over his head/face past a store I was in. Because I was 23 or so (and probably drunk), I didn't really think about it too much. The cruise was great and boy did we have a large bar bill.

If you are flying from NJ think about going in a day early to help with winter storm prevention. The ship won't wait if your plane is delayed!
Where do you depart from? If you go in early you can go to the walmart or grocery store and buy a case of bottled water and just put a luggage tag on it- bottled water for walking around with onboard is expensives!

Check out http://www.cruisecritic.com the boards there are very helpful for tips.

We have used the rum-runner flasks and like them. Lost one rececntly at the Kentucky Derby- boy do they search like crazy for smuggled booze there!!!

Ocho Rios- not a fave. We had a great time sitting at the Margaritaville all day though. Dropped lots o' cash. I'm just not keen on Jamaica.
Grand Cayman- Stingray City!! So much fun- snorkel trip and then play with some stingrays. They are not creepy. Just hungry for Stingray Scooby Snacks (fish bits). Book through an off-site vendor instead of through Carnival to save some cash. Book in the morning then have the afternoon free to go to Margaritaville, and hopefully you will have a coupon for a free drink from the Ocho Rios one- they sometimes give out coupons for the next M'Ville you will hit. They are pretty different in personality.
Key West- don't bother to book any excursions with the cruise line, this is a do-it-yourself town. Fun to just walk around. The farther away from the cruise dock you get the more fun it is!
We like: Keno Sandal factory for a secret shoe shopping experience, Green Parrot for a 'No Sniveling' bar experience, Hemmingway House for history. don't bother if you hate cats.

That time of year for a cruise has a high kid rate, keep that in mind ahead of time to help keep your sanity.

OttoCal wrote:If you are flying from NJ think about going in a day early to help with winter storm prevention. The ship won't wait if your plane is delayed!
Where do you depart from? If you go in early you can go to the walmart or grocery store and buy a case of bottled water and just put a luggage tag on it- bottled water for walking around with onboard is expensives!

Check out http://www.cruisecritic.com the boards there are very helpful for tips.

We have used the rum-runner flasks and like them. Lost one rececntly at the Kentucky Derby- boy do they search like crazy for smuggled booze there!!!

Ocho Rios- not a fave. We had a great time sitting at the Margaritaville all day though. Dropped lots o' cash. I'm just not keen on Jamaica.
Grand Cayman- Stingray City!! So much fun- snorkel trip and then play with some stingrays. They are not creepy. Just hungry for Stingray Scooby Snacks (fish bits). Book through an off-site vendor instead of through Carnival to save some cash. Book in the morning then have the afternoon free to go to Margaritaville, and hopefully you will have a coupon for a free drink from the Ocho Rios one- they sometimes give out coupons for the next M'Ville you will hit. They are pretty different in personality.
Key West- don't bother to book any excursions with the cruise line, this is a do-it-yourself town. Fun to just walk around. The farther away from the cruise dock you get the more fun it is!
We like: Keno Sandal factory for a secret shoe shopping experience, Green Parrot for a 'No Sniveling' bar experience, Hemmingway House for history. don't bother if you hate cats.

That time of year for a cruise has a high kid rate, keep that in mind ahead of time to help keep your sanity.

We fly out of Philly and we are flying out a day early. We are staying at the LaQuinta near the airpost and plan on stocking up on booze soda and water. I am buying the rumrunner flasks. I heard that they really work.

My wife and I are Key West veterans so we are just going to rent bikes to show the kids the island. I also need to stop by Rodriguez Cigars and stock up. As for the Cayman Islands, we are going to do the Pirate adventure for my 9 year old. After that we are just going to hit Margaritaville and maybe a few shops. In Ocho Rios wew were just going to do the beach and hit the Margaritaville for drinks.
We realized this was going to be a big kids cruise and is part of the reason we booked it. If our ke=ids are happy, we are happy. The nmore things there are for them to do the more down time for the wife and I. We booked a balcony room so we can just hang out and have a quiet drink (and a cigar).

Thanks for the info!!!

gottagofishin wrote:

piratenole wrote:Although, you we did still need to pay for the soda mixers ($1.95/can)!

Doesn't Carnival offer a soda card? Someone told me that you can buy one on the first day of the cruise and its good for the whole week. Thanks for the other info. All good stuff.

They do have a drink card. We saw a good size crowd around a table as the ship was leaving port and decided to skip it. I think it was something like $6/day per person, so it would have been a pretty good deal if we didn't switch to just drinking in the casino because it was comped. Have fun!

Good Evening everyone!

This is my first visit and I am amazed at how many JB fans there are out there! My travel partner and I have a website (www.twentytravel.com) devoted to reviews of Caribbean locations and tips, we also have reviews of Margaritaville's and pertinent to this post, an article on how to smuggle alcohol on cruise ships. Tried and true methods that we have personally used on all of our cruises so feel free to check it out!