new cruisers

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tigger54

Guest
Hi: My husband and I am fairly new cruisers. We have been on one 3 day cruise to the Bahamas a couple of years ago. In April of this year we are going on a 7 day Eastern Carribean cruise on the Carnival Pride. We have never been on any Carnival ship before. I have a few questions.
1. There is only the 2 of us going on this cruise. Is it easy to meet and make friends with others?
2. Since we will be on the ship during Easter Sunday, will they have a Easter service?
3. We are not planning on booking any excursions. Will it be easy for us to get to shops and restaurants by ourselves?
4. I heard that we can't bring an iron on board. We will be in a Cat 8B in a balcony room. Is there a laundry room on this deck? Also I heard that on some ships they will iron your clothes for a small fee. Does anyone know how much this will cost?
5. Even though this is a guaranteed cabin, any chance for an upgrade.
Thanks for all of your help. We are so excited and can't wait to go.
Tigger54
 
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amistad

Guest
I will try to help you with some of your questions, meeting people at dinner, around the pool and in the bars is usually pretty easy on Carnival. I think the ports you are visiting are very easy to get around, San Juan's port is very close to stores, casinos, the fort, and some bars, St Thomas and St Maarten are just beautiful and very easy to catch a taxi to the beach or shopping. I'm not sure about the cost of ironing, but I take a bottle of Downey wrinkle reducer and with the humidity in the room it works very well. I have gotten an upgrade twice from Carnival so who knows. I have never cruised on Easter before, but I believe they do usually offer a Sunday service (not positive about this). I hope some of this helps, have fun.
 
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Mbandy

Guest
One suggestion is to request a large table at dinner. We have always enjoyed meeting our table mates (well, most of them). Also, go to the main dining room for breakfast & lunch. You will be seated with other people. I have met many interesting people on cruises. Also check the cruise tracker to see if there are any other cruise @ddicts on your cruise. We have cruised several times with other @ddicts and it was great!
 
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rskinner36

Guest
Dining room is a very good place to meet other couples and guests, we have made quite a few friendships that way, and had some really nice excursions off the ship with other people.
 
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SandyBeach

Guest
St Thomas has a shopping area right outside the pier. There use to be an sandwich shop and one other restaurant across the street from the pier but outside of that you'll have to take a taxi to get where you want to go. (Unless you enjoy walking...there may be a few other things within walking distance.) San Juan has an outdoor market not too far from the ship. If you get in early enough you can visit the other shops before they close. There are many restaurants within walking distance of the pier. I don't remember having to take a taxi in St. Marteen to get the shops. It seems like the Belgium chocolate shop was within walking distance of the ship.

There is always a possibility for an upgrade, though it doesn't happen as often as it sounds like it does.

This really is determined by the Captain of the ship, but I believe most of them do have Easter Services. I think the one time we cruised over Easter there was a Catholic service and a Protestant service. There is a Chapel on the Atlantic deck. I don't know if the service would be held there or not.

As others have said, dinner is a great time to meet people. Ask to be seated at a table for six or eight. Carnival is usually good about sitting you with people your own age.

I haven't had to use an iron the last time or two we've cruised. There are two laundry rooms at least per ship, I can't tell whether your deck has one or not. As far as cost of pressing try going here: http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Laundry_Services.aspx
 
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Maveturner

Guest
I'm a seasoned cruiser but I am not impressed with anything that is state-of-the-art or the latest technology. So I am looking for a cruise line that would give me detailed care and comfort. Do you have any ideas?
 
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