It's been awhile since I've taken a vacation, so I'm taking a 5 day Carnival cruise! I've never been on a cruise so I'm really looking forward to it.

This means that I won't be able to answer messages next week, but if you need any help with anything from our store feel free to call our customer service at 1-888-674-8307 or visit us online.

Also, I have a 10-stick cigar caddy that I plan on bringing with me. What 10 cigars do y'all think I should stock it with for my 5 days at sea?
[Reply]

I'm not a terribly experienced smoker so my only suggestion would be either a 64 or 26 Padron or both:-) I'm a big fan of the Illusione 88's as well. Love the Nicaraguans.
[Reply]

only 10? :-)

bring your favorites of course! but if you plan on smoking on an outside deck of some kind, you might want to take the wind into consideration. :-)
[Reply]

I do love me some Nicaraguan cigars. If you can believe it I've never actually had any of the Illusione series :-) so I'll have to check those out!
[Reply]

Haha I am bringing a few old stand by's, but I've been looking forward to trying some newer stuff. Expanding my horizons as I sail towards the horizon.

Wow, what a lame attempt at being poetic lol.

And yeah, only 10. Two a day should do me well, especially since no one in my party smokes besides me :-) weirdos. Plus, the 10 stick cigar caddy is a gift that Dave (the owner here) gave me and it's the only one I got lol. Never needed a bigger one since I'm the "quality control inspector" of our cigars here :-)
[Reply]

Depending upon how you like to vacation cruises can be very busy (or not). Most cruise lines offer a lot of different activities during the sea days and evenings while in port.

For that reason, I brought a lot of petite coronas along on my cruise, so if I wanted a cigar and did not have a long time, I could still enjoy a small cigar and not feel rushed. I brought the Padron Principe Maduro, the Illusione 68 Bambone PC, and the Fuente Hemingway Short Story and WAOMs.

I also brought a few larger sticks for when I had a couple of hours to really enjoy a cigar. I don't know how much you smoke, but I brought enough for 5 cigars a day with the idea that I would not bring any back. It worked for me.

Figure out how many sticks you want to "average" in a day and bring that amount. If you don't have enough space in your cigar caddy, pack your cigars in a double-bagged zip-locks -- as long as you can store the cigars some place where they will be protected and not squished and a zip-lock will keep them fresh for 5 days. Or you could pick up a larger caddy at www.cheaphumidors.com :-)
[Reply]

Take me along Sam and I'll bring the cigars. CigarNut is right on the money as far as bringing different sizes because of different situations and places you will be. What ports will you be in as I may be of some help.
[Reply]

:-) indeed

Thanks for the recommendations. I've never been on a cruise so I don't know how much free time or busy time there is, but I average about two cigars a day and it's a 5 day cruise so 10 sounded about right to me lol.
[Reply]

Truly I don't know. I'm going with my family to celebrate my Dad's 50th birthday and no one's told me the details besides when/where to show up. Fortunately Dave here was kind enough to give me the time off with such short notice.

I know I leave from Tampa tomorrow and get back Thursday and it's on Carnival lol. You now have as much information as I do :-)
[Reply]

Don't be scared...not stalking ya...lol. Looks like you will be on the Inspiration: Ports of Call:
Tampa, Florida | Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Cozumel, Mexico

I've been on this ship before and they have an area where you can smoke your cigars. Georgetown is fun but the cigars are expensive...don't buy any in Cozumel as they are fakes ( CC's )

Since this is your first cruise....when you order dinner you can eat more than one entree so order as many as you want. If they had lobster tails I'd order 3. If they had shrimp cocktails,,order 3. Don't cheat yourself on any item on the menu and if you want to try all of them order it. For better service... on the first night at dinner tip your server...not the Maitre D but the guy who actuall takes your dinner order( put it in an envelope for him so only he knows what you gave him ) and he will kill himself trying to keep you happy for the rest of the cruise.
[Reply]

Haha didn't think you were stalking me, I actually appreciate knowing where I'm going. Although, given how long it didn't take you I probably could have looked it up myself if I wasn't lazy lol...

It'd be great to cruise some day with some BOTLs actually.

So Buy cigars in Cayman eh? Georgetown is expensive and Cozumel has fakes?

Thanks for the tip with the waiter BTW. I'll definitely do that! I'm told that I should plan on packing on around 10 pounds on this cruise lol. Considering I've already gained 45 lbs since I left the army 18 months ago, that's saying something :-)
[Reply]

I think a cruise with BOTL would be great and have tried in vain to get one going. People's vacation times vary, types of cruises, ships, ports tend to muddle the process. BYOCigars...Grand Caymen is pretty expensive for cigars so unless you have a money tree in your back yard I'd just look around unless they are running a sale ( never seen one there yet ). So far my batting avg with the waiters/servers has been really good with this deal. You chat them up and make a friend and tell em that you know how hard they work..yadda yadda and slip the envelope to them where nobody else sees it ( cuz the staff watches these guys like a hawk and if any money changes hands before the end of the cruise everybody wants their cut ) he will take care of you. True story here with the wife and I as we always talk with the staff and this is where we get our "inside" information. We usually will book a balcony and pretty much get upgraded to a suite everytime we cruise because of our Platinum Status ( pays to cruise the same cruiseline) and we always befriend our Room Steward. The workers do not typically get to eat the same as the customers and it's usually from the buffets which can get old. We would order room service and when you are in the Suite you get exactly what is on the menu in the main dining room and we'd order our Lobster Tails, shrimp cocktails, Filet Mignon, etc. and order extra and then call the Room Steward in for some BS thing and we'd have dinner for this person. They NEVER get to eat like this on ship so when we did this on the first day this guy was almost crying he was so appreciative. We told him for the rest of the cruise expect a meal every night. He was literally at our beck and call the entire time...bringing us wine....making sure the room was always spotless and told us he got a 30% discount on anything on the ship from the store and if we wanted something he'd pay for it with his discount and return it to us. We saved so much money on jewelry, booze, whatever we wanted.

Purell is a must...take some anti-bacterial spray to clean your own stateroom,,handles, phone, knobs, TV remote and pretty much anything that anyone would touch so that you stay safe from the Noro virus bug.
[Reply]

All of them
[Reply]

Bring a good sampling of sizes. Some big boys when you feel like spending a few hours smoking, some smaller ones when you don't have(or don't want to spend) the time.
[Reply]

I believe that there is an LcDH in Cozumel where you can get authentic (expensive) cigars.

I always bring my own (NCs)...
[Reply]

Don Cándido No. 500
Don Cándido No. 501
Don Cándido No. 502
Don Cándido No. 503
Don Cándido No. 504
Don Cándido No. 505
Don Cándido No. 506
Don Cándido No. 508
Don Cándido No. Lonsdales
Don Cándido No. Short Coronas

10 Perfect cigars to bring :-)
[Reply]

:-)
[Reply]

I am going there in Sept. and last time I was in Cozumel you had to take a taxi downtown and I have heard that it was closed and I can't find a current address or location. If you know where it is that would be great.
[Reply]

Buy the dried out ones on the ship! Common, support the economy!:-)
[Reply]

I've been on that same cruise/ship several times. It is a great trip. There is a smoking lounge on the casino level aft. There is hardly ever anyone in there so it is a nice place to chill, read, and have a smoke. You can also smoke on several of the levels outside.

I wouldn't plan on buying any smokes except at the LCHD in Grand Cayman. It is a great experience just to see the stock they have. DPD6030 (Andrew) posted a bunch of cool pics from there. You should take a look if you get a chance.

Have fun...
[Reply]