When the Chocolate Extravaganza is offered on a Carnival Cruise it is typically in the ship's Lido buffet at lunch-time on the cruise's last sea day. Although the food offerings can vary by ship and cruise, I have seen a variety of chocolate desserts and items available as part of the Chocolate Extravaganza. On almost all of my recent Carnival Cruises, the Lido dessert crew members were making ice cream swans on request as well. 
              This post is designed to share some pictures of desserts and items that I have seen offered on Carnival's Chocolate Extravaganza on my own past cruises. These pictures are from at least two separate cruises which means not all of these things were offered at the same time. If your cruise does the Chocolate Extravaganza, I recommend trying to see what if being offered before getting in line because the Chocolate Extravaganza line can be long at times!

Note: Items will vary by cruise and depend on if the Chocolate Extravaganza is being held! 

            Carnival Cruise Line has been known for having 24 hour pizza service available at each ship's pizzeria for years. Although pizza is still available 24 hours complimentary at the pizzeria, Carnival has rolled out a feature on the Hub App that allows cruisers to have pizza delivered practically anywhere on the ship for a fee. Typically, the pizza is $5.00. This feature is not yet available on all ships (at the time of writing). On my recent Carnival Vista cruise, I decided to see what the Carnival Hub app area for ordering pizza looked like and what the functionality of this feature was. I did not order pizza, but went through the order process up until the point of having to confirm payment. This post is about my observations of how this part of the app works and areas where you cannot get pizza delivered.  

         The Enchantment of the Seas is now departing on 4 & 5 night cruises from Galveston, Texas. Royal Caribbean now has two year-round ships from Galveston. The Liberty of the Seas is the other Royal Caribbean ship sailing from Galveston and primarily sails 7 night cruises.  
      The Enchantment of the Seas' 4 night cruises depart on alternating Mondays and the ship's 5 night cruises depart on either Wednesday or Friday depending on the week's schedule. Typically, 4 night cruises will sail to Cozumel and 5 night cruises will sail to Cozumel and Costa Maya or Progreso (5 night port of calls vary depending on the cruise).  Itineraries and ports of call may vary for a variety of reasons.
               The Enchantment of the Seas is a Vision Class ship, which is the same class as the Vision of the Seas. The Enchantment of the Seas is replacing the Vision of the Seas. Royal Caribbean extended the length of the Enchantment of the Seas by 73 feet in 2005 during a dry-dock that essentially cut the ship in half in order to add a new section. Here are some quick facts about the Enchantment of the Seas:

Year Launched Into Service:  1997 
Gross Tonnage:  82,910 GT (approx.)
Ship's Classification:  Royal Caribbean's Vision Class
Ship's Registry:  Bahamas
# of Passengers (Double Occupancy):  2,252 guests
# of Passenger/Guest Decks:  11
Length:  989 ft.

For more information about the ship please visit Royal Caribbean's website:  Click Here (Link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide and will go to Royal Caribbean's website)

Here are a few pictures I took on May 13th of the ship docked in Galveston:

       Hurricanes can be a major disruption to any cruise vacation because these storms can make seas choppy, close ports of call, force itinerary changes, and damage many destinations. The 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30 and the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season runs from May 15 through November 30. The time for hurricane season is upon the United States and many other places in the world once again.
         While many people will cruise during hurricane season without any severe weather or disruptions to their cruise voyage, there always seems to be some cruises each year that have itinerary changes or rough seas because of hurricanes. The goal of this post is to help you plan for a cruise that could be potentially disrupted in some way by a hurricane or tropical storm. 

Part 1:  On The Ship During A Hurricane Or Tropical Storm
​This section is designed to give information and tips if you are on the ship during tropical weather. 
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​              If you find yourself onboard your cruise ship during a hurricane or tropical storm you do not need to panic. Many cruise ships will make an effort to avoid sailing into the storm and instead keep the ship in calmer waters. This is for the comfort of all passengers and the safety of the ship. However, this does mean cruisers onboard will not feel any motion. You may feel the ship rocking, but it should not be nearly as bad as the waters directly affected by the storm. The closer you are to the storm the worse the waves will be. Furthermore, most modern cruise ships have stabilizers that can help the ship minimize rocking while the ship is in rougher seas. Stabilizers are mechanical and help the ship stay better balanced. However, even if the ship's stabilizers are being used the ship could still face rocking and swaying. 
           Your cruise ship may close the outside public decks as a safety precaution if winds are too high, the ship is rocking too much, or the ship deems there is a safety concern with letting people freely walk on the outside decks. Be prepared for this possibility, but keep in mind there are probably other things you can do in the interior spaces of your cruise ship. If there is rain outside most people will probably stay inside anyways. 
            Some cruise ships will make weather announcements during the cruise if severe weather is expected. This is dependent on the captain or cruise director on your ship. If your ship is not making weather announcements during the cruise and you want to know the weather you have a few options to try and get information. The first option is you can ask the Guest Services desk. In my past experiences, I have asked the guest services desk for weather information and the crew member working the desk was able to give me an update on the wave heights, expected precipitation, and temperatures. Another option for weather information you have is to pay for internet on your cruise ship and look up weather information relevant to the area you will be sailing to. 
                  In order to avoid hurricanes and tropical storms cruise ships may have to operate on an altered itinerary. In the past, cruise lines have cancelled ports of calls and made that particular cruise day a sea day. In other cases, when possible, cruise lines have swapped a port of call with another port of call. There are many factors that go into a cruise line's decision when making itinerary adjustments such as wind speeds, wave heights, and whether the ship can be safely docked in a port of call. Sometimes the local authorities will make the decision to not allow a ship to dock because of weather conditions that could hinder the process of safely docking the ship. When the local authorities of a port make the decision to not allow a ship to dock, they will often communicate this decision with the ship and cruise line. 

Part 2:   Before Cruising
This section will give advice for before a cruise if you are expecting a hurricane or tropical storm to impact your vacation or ship's homeport.

Before Cruising:  Could The Cruise Be Cancelled & How Would I Find Out? 
           Many cruise lines will make an effort to avoid cancelling a cruise, but in some cases cancelling is the only option a cruise line has. A decision to cancel a cruise could be based on the storm's expected landfall, how close landfall is to a cruise's departure date, port authority storm procedures, and more. 
              Many cruise lines will email guests about a cancellation or post information online. There are a few cruise lines that use a text alert system to give notifications to subscribed guests. If you feel like you are missing important information and a storm is likely to impact your voyage in some way, you should call your cruise line directly. Make sure your cruise line has correct contact information on file in order to communicate with you. If your cruise line has on online check-in process this is often a way to gather accurate contact information. As you enter your contact information double check you enter all information correctly in order to insure the cruise line's records are accurate. 

Before The Cruise:  Can I Voluntarily Cancel? 
            The specific answer to this question will depend on your cruise line. In many cases, your cruise line will allow you to cancel, but not receive a refund. This is because you are voluntarily cancelling on a voyage that is still going to sail and you are held to the cruise line's cancellation policy. In some cases, cruise lines will show compassion and allow cruisers to cancel without a penalty, but this does not happen with all cruise lines. However, if the cruise is cancelled by your cruise line they should be providing you with a refund and compensation. 

Driving To A Cruise Homeport Where The Storm Is Expected To Hit: Things To Do
           If your cruise is still sailing and the storm is expected to make landfall around your departure port there are a few things you can do: 
-  Parking:   Flooding could occur at the place you park your car. If you can, try to park in a covered parking garage on a level higher than the ground. This will help protect your car from some flooding, but is does not guarantee your car will be 100% safe. Your car could still be damaged by water in many ways, including higher than expected floodwater. Don't forget that the wind can damage your car or blow objects into the glass. 
-  Take Valuables Out Of Your Car:   Before leaving your house to cruise, take valuables out of your car. You should not leave valuables in your car at any time, but in this case your car could be washed out from flooding or looted after the storm. 

If You Live In the Storm's Impact Area -  Prepare Your Home 
           If you live in the area the storm will affect or potentially destroy, you need to prepare your home before cruising. I recommend doing tasks such as unplugging electrical devices from the walls to minimize your loss from a power surge, boarding windows, and storing objects that could be damaged easily in a safer place. There may be other tasks you must complete depending on your home's location and your own personal storm preparation plans. Some people have to deal directly with flooding, high winds, and other things. Make sure you prepare your home to minimize any damage that may occur while you are gone. 
                You know your area's potential for hazards the best. Make sure you properly secure your home and exterior belongings pre-cruise. Monitor your local weather and pay attention to instructions from local officials. 
               

      On each of my Carnival Cruises I will typically eat an omelet every morning as part of my breakfast. This post will share my tips for navigating the omelet station on a Carnival Cruise vacation. 

1.  Line Gets Long, But Moves Quick
         In the mornings the line for the omelet station may look long, but the line generally moves quick. The crew members working the omelet station have the ability to cook several omelets at once. Generally, the first cruisers to visit the omelet station for the day have a slightly longer wait because the crew members are still finalizing setup and there are quite a few guests ready to eat an omelet at the start of breakfast. ​ On my recent Carnival Valor & Carnival Freedom cruises, the omelet station crew members were making three omelets at a time. When one finished cooking, the crew member asked the next person in line what he or she wanted and then that omelet started cooking. The crew members do a great job getting the line to move fast.  This staggered process greatly reduces the wait time. 

2. The Omelet Station Also Serves Egg Whites
              Although I have never eaten egg whites from the omelet station, I have seen several guests ask the crew member for egg whites from the omelet station. This menu option is generally not advertised heavily, but it is available for guests. The egg whites are cooked using the same skillets as the omelets.

3.  Omelet Menu Offerings Can Vary Slightly Each Cruise
                The vegetables that are available for the omelet station may vary by ship or cruise. I learned this the hard way on the Carnival Triumph in 2013. I asked for an omelet with everything in it and assumed it would have the same vegetables as my prior cruises. The crew member put some extremely hot pepper in the omelet and this made the omelet extremely spicy. It was still good, but this taught me to make sure I glance at the menu prior to ordering. I recommend taking a second and glancing at the menu before asking for an omelet with everything. 
Note:   I do not remember what the name of the pepper was off the top of my head. However, it has not been offered on any of my cruises since then. 

​4.  Omelets Are Available In Other Places Besides The Buffet
                  The omelet stations in the Lido Buffet are not the only places you can get an omelet during your Carnival Cruise vacation. On sea days, the "Sea Day Brunch" menu has an option for a customized omelet. On port of call days, the dining room serves a regular breakfast menu and also has an option for cruisers that want a customized omelet. The hours for the main dining room will typically vary slightly from the buffet's hours. You can check your daily Fun-Times activity newsletter or Carnival Hub App for the dining room's hours and the dining room that breakfast will be served in. 
                       Besides the dining room, omelets are offered on Carnival's Late Night room service menu. However, this omelet is available for a fee and is NOT complimentary. Carnival's Late Night room service menu (10pm - 6am) has a menu item called "Omelet and French Fries". This menu option allows cruisers to include omelette toppings such as cheese, peppers, onion, mushrooms, ham, and cheese. The omelet is served with a side of french fries. 

Omelets are one of the many foods I enjoy while cruising. I do not typically eat omelets at home and look forward to having my daily omelet on my cruise.
​If you have any questions about the omelet station please feel free to write to RyG's Cruise Guide by clicking here. 

     Carnival Cruise Line's Bottomless Bubbles program is a drink package that allows cruisers to enjoy unlimited sodas and selected juices. This post will break down how Bottomless Bubbles works and share insight into how you can determine if purchasing Bottomless Bubbles is a good fit for you. 

Calculating The Price Of Bottomless Bubbles:
          The price for Bottomless Bubbles will vary depending on if the cruiser is a child or adult. As of the time of writing, the price for a child is $5.95 per day and the adult price is $8.50 per day. Carnival defines a child as 17 years and younger. Multiply the daily rate by your number of sailing days to get the base price of the Bottomless Bubbles package for your cruise. Carnival adds an 18% gratuity to the base price at the time of purchase.  This 18% gratuity is included regardless of whether the cruiser is an adult or child.
Here is how to calculate the price of Bottomless Bubbles in a step by step equation format:
Step 1:  Multiply The Price Per Day x Number Of Days  =  Base Price
Step 2:  Base Price Calculated In Step 1 x 1.18 = Bottomless Bubbles Price After Gratuity Is Added
Additional Consideration For Price:   Carnival's terms and conditions of Bottomless Bubbles specify if the program is used in a US homeport or US port call, tax will be charged on the value of the drink consumed. This means despite you having the Bottomless Bubbles soda package, you will get taxed on the regular menu price of the drink you were able to get through Bottomless Bubbles. The sales tax charged will go on your Sail & Sign card and will likely be minimal. However, you will only be charged the sales tax value of the drink because you used your Bottomless Bubble soda package that covered the base price of the drink. 

Where can I purchase Bottomless Bubbles?
                If you decide you want Bottomless Bubbles before your cruise, you can purchase it on Carnival's website through your online cruise manager. There should be a link to Carnival's online Fun Shops portal. The ability to purchase Bottomless Bubbles pre-cruise ends at 10pm ET the night before the cruise. 
                    If you decide to purchase on the ship, every bar should be selling Bottomless Bubbles. On the cruise's first day, you will likely see some advertisements for this program. 

Is Bottomless Bubbles worth it? 
                    This answer to the question ultimately depends on you! Some cruisers view Bottomless Bubbles as a way to save money because they know they will want to drink several sodas and/or juices. Other cruisers view Bottomless Bubbles as a great program because it makes getting soda or juice easier at the bar. Instead of going through the whole process of charging a soda or cup of juice to a Sail & Sign card cruisers just have to show the Bottomless Bubbles sticker on the Sail & Sign card.
Price Considerations:
If you know you will be drinking several sodas or cups of juice each day of the cruise you may want to give Bottomless Bubbles serious considerations because it may save you money.  Here is how you can calculate whether Bottomless Bubbles is worth it price wise for you:
Step 1:  Think about how many cups of soda or juice you would likely order from the bar on an average day of the cruise. Multiply that number by the price for a cup of soda or juice.   (Equation:  # of Cups Of Soda/Juice Per Day x Price Per Cup) 
That represents your estimate for how much you would spend on a given day if you did not have the Bottomless Bubbles package. Don't forget to factor in gratuities. 
Step 2:   Multiply your estimate from Step 1 by the number of cruise days.   
Step 3:   Compare your estimate of how much you would spend on the cruise for soda & juice to the amount of how much Bottomless Bubbles costs per day. 
If your estimate for spending on soda/juice is MORE than the total amount for Bottomless Bubbles you should purchase the program. If your estimate is accurate you will save money by purchasing Bottomless Bubbles. If your estimate for spending on soda/juice is LESS than the total daily amount for Bottomles Bubbles you may not save money by purchasing Bottomless Bubbles. However, you may be someone that likes the convenience of the soda program so it may still be a worthwhile package for you to purchase!

Does Bottomless Bubbles allow me to get alcohol? 
No, this program is limited to sodas and specific juices. Options may vary slightly by cruise and ship.

Can Bottomless Bubbles be used at any time or any place on the ship?
               No, Carnival excludes Bottomless Bubbles from a few areas of the ship. Bottomless Bubbles is not valid for beverages offered through room service, souvenir glasses, the specialty coffee onboard, bottled water, or beverages sold at the gangway. I recommend checking Carnival's full list of restrictions prior to cruising.
               Even at bars where you can use Bottomless Bubbles, Carnival has a 5 minute wait time restriction in between drinks. This is likely to prevent sharing the soda or juice, which Carnival prohibits as part of the terms and conditions of Bottomless Bubbles.

For additional information related to Bottomless Bubbles, I recommend reading Carnival's Bottomless Bubbles information page with some frequently asked questions. Click Here for the page on Carnival's website. Important: The information contained in this post is subject to change at any time. Please verify all information before making a purchase as information can change or vary by ship and cruise. 

           The Port of Galveston currently has two cruise terminals that are sometimes both used on the same days. A common question related to Galveston cruises I have had is regarding which cruise terminal ships usually dock at. Although the cruise terminal assignment can change or vary, this post is intended to be a general guide about which cruise terminal each ship typically or is expected to dock at. 

Quick Overview Of Galveston's Cruise Terminals:
              Galveston's two cruise terminals are located by each other. The entrance to both cruise terminals at the same place and signage directs shuttles and passenger drop-offs to the correct location. Cruise Terminal #1 is home to most of Carnival Cruise Line's departures from Galveston. However, on days that Carnival has two ships in Galveston at the same time Carnival will use Cruise Terminal #2. Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line always use Cruise Terminal #2. There may be exceptions to these general rules, but this is the typical pattern.

Last Updated:  Friday, March 29, 2019

          Today Carnival Cruise Line announced the Mardi Gras' staterooms will have several new and enhanced features. Carnival Cruise Line developed the new style of staterooms in a partnership with DCA Design International. Here are some of the new features and changes that will be on the Mardi Gras' staterooms:

1. Bathrooms With Glass Shower Doors
            The Mardi Gras' staterooms will feature glass shower doors that are foldable. The glass door will open along a track along at the divider between the shower & rest of the bathroom. On Carnival's other ships, the shower was separated from the bathroom by a curtain. From personal experience, this sometimes allowed water to exit the shower and go into the rest of the bathroom. This glass door for the shower should prevent this from happening on the Mardi Gras.

2.  Most Balcony Rooms Will Have Foldable Doors
              Carnival's press release states almost all balcony staterooms will have floor to ceiling slideable doors. On Carnival's other ships, the balcony doors have been non-slideable, which means the doors open like a regular door on hinges. 

3.  Bedside Reading Lamps
                 The Mardi Gras will have lamps by the beds. Although Carnival's other ships have reading lamps, these lamps will be adjustable. All of Carnival's other ships lamps have been fixed in place and not been moveable. The flexibility these lamps will have should allow cruisers to focus a light on a book or magazine without bothering others in the stateroom. 

4. Sofas That Flip Into A Bed
                   In the past, Carnival's sofa beds have involved adding a mattress pad and pillows in order to convert a sofa into a bed. The Mardi Gras' sofas will have the ability to be flipped in order to have another bed in the stateroom. It appears the only thing stateroom stewards will need to do is add a pillow and possibly sheets. 

5.  Additional Electrical Outlets and USB Charging Ports
                    One of my largest complaints about Carnival's staterooms has been the lack of electrical outlets. Typically, each stateroom has one 110V outlet located around the vanity of the stateroom. However, the Carnival Mardi Gras will have multiple 110V electrical outlets as well as USB charging ports. This should make it easier for families or people traveling together to charge multiple devices at once without having to unplug something that's already plugged in. 

              This does not represent all of the changes that Carnival is introducing to the Mardi Gras' staterooms, but these things include the main areas. I recommend checking out Carnival's You-Tube video that shows a look inside a mock-up of one of the Mardi Gras' balcony staterooms. Click Here for Carnival's video on You-Tube.  Another source of information about the new style of staterooms is Carnival's press release. Click Here for Carnival's official press release. Both of these links will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide.

        As you come into Galveston for your cruise vacation you will probably be excited that your cruise is about to begin, but you will still have the task of parking, dropping luggage off, and actually getting through the check-in process in the cruise terminal. This is a general guide of tips into what to expect as you enter Galveston Island and make your way to the cruise terminal. I will discuss what to expect at the cruise terminals in a later post.

Getting Onto Galveston Island
           If you have never been to Galveston and are not familiar with the area you may not realize Galveston is an island. There are two ways you can get onto the island. If you are coming from the Houston direction more than likely you will want to take take I-45 South which takes you directly into Galveston. The other way to come into Galveston is by ferry, which would be for people coming from the Bolivar Peninsula.  

Once On The Island Getting To The Cruise Terminals:
​             Once you are in Galveston you may want to make your way to the cruise terminal, depending on the time of your arrival. If you are too early you may have to wait outside the cruise terminal, but make sure you give yourself plenty of time to park and check-in in order to avoid being late. 
                 As you approach the cruise terminals, you will begin to see parking lots advertising their prices. I recommend doing research in advance to plan which lot to park in, but if you have not already purchased parking you will need to find a place to park. Some parking lots offer shuttle service and others offer a park-and-walk special that means you cannot use their shuttle because you accepted a discount rate. Again, I highly recommend doing parking lot research prior to cruising. 

Pulling Into The Cruise Terminals:
                The area around the cruise terminals can be congested, especially in the morning as debarking passengers are trying to leave and embarking passengers are arriving. Be patient and be prepared for a few slowdowns. However, in my experience from Galveston, I have never seen a total gridlock. Traffic does move, but it may just take a little bit of time. In order to have a safety net, give yourself extra time to get to the cruise terminal.
                 When you pull into the cruise terminal area, you will immediately see signage that will direct traffic based on which cruise terminal the people are going to. Cruise Terminal 1's traffic will stay to the right and cruise terminal #2's traffic will go to the left. Additional signage helps indicate which lanes are for passenger drop-off and which lanes are for shuttle buses to use. If you are arriving via a shuttle bus from a parking lot your driver will likely tell you where to go when you get off the cruise in order to be bused back to your parking lot. 

Checking In Luggage: How does this generally work?
                   There are usually many porters around the cruise terminal ready to help cruisers check-in their luggage. If you are dropping off passengers, generally a porter will walk up to your car as you pull up and take your luggage. You will likely have to show your boarding pass (this has happened more times than not in my experience). Make sure to tip the porter! 
                     If you arrive via shuttle bus or from a parking lot's shuttle, generally the porters are good about walking to buses to get luggage. In the event you cannot find a porter to give luggage to, ask a terminal employee working outside who you can give your luggage to. 
NOTE:   Make sure you check-in your luggage at the correct ship and cruise terminal. It would be awful to accidentally check-in your luggage at the wrong cruise terminal because it may get loaded onto the wrong ship if nobody notices. 

​Will I be able to go right into the cruise terminal when I arrive?
                  This greatly depends on your time of arrival and your cruise line's embarkation policies. I recommend finding out from your cruise line when you can begin checking in. Otherwise, you may be stuck outside waiting for the doors to the cruise terminal to open.

       The year 2019 is upon us and that means the Carnival Triumph's days being the Carnival Triumph are limited. This is because the Carnival Triumph will be sent to dry-dock in Spain and after a long dry-dock will come out as the Carnival Sunrise. 
          Launched in 1999, the Carnival Triumph has been a part of Carnival's fleet for nearly 20 years. The ship's tenure as Carnival Triumph will come to an end on March 1, 2019. Carnival Triumph will sail its final cruise from New Orleans on February 25, 2019. When the ship returns on March 1st it will leave New Orleans for its dry-dock in Cadiz, Spain. 
             During dry-dock many of the ship's areas will be transformed into new spaces. For a deck by deck listing of the transformations being made click here for my previous article. 
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               When the Carnival Sunrise emerges from dry-dock it will have its first sailing on April 29, 2019 from Norfolk. Carnival's original press release says a re-naming ceremony for the ship will occur, but I do not know the exact date of this ceremony. The Carnival Sunrise will then sail from New York City in summer 2019 and eventually move to Fort Lauderdale in October 2019. Exact information about the ship's itineraries can be found on Carnival's booking engine.

More Information About The Carnival Triumph To Carnival Sunrise Transformation - Articles By RyG's Cruise Guide
Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunrise Deck By Deck Comparison
My Initial Blog Post About The Carnival Sunrise Coming